WorldAssociated PressSweden seizes evidence at Baltic Sea pipeline leak site
Sweden's domestic security agency said Thursday that its preliminary investigation of leaks from two Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “has strengthened the suspicions of serious sabotage” as the cause and a prosecutor said evidence at the site has been seized. The Swedish Security Service said the probe confirmed that “detonations" caused extensive damage to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines last week. Authorities had said when the leaks off Sweden and Denmark first surfaced that explosions were recorded in the area.
U.S.BuzzFeed"Gentrification Is Real": This Woman Says Neighbors Offered Her $800K For Her Grandfather's Multi-Million-Dollar Home
This is Keisha Credit, a 32-year-old entrepreneur whose family first settled down in Seattle when her grandfather, Daniel Duncan, bought a house in the Central District (CD) in 1968. After he passed away in 2020, Keisha inherited the home. Today, the closest property in comparison is currently being sold for $1,995,000 but, as Keisha explained in a now-viral TikTok, she's received offers for hundreds of thousands of dollars under value.
PoliticsINSIDERTrump resented having to sign letters for US troops killed in Afghanistan during his presidency because he didn't want to 'attach his name to a war he disliked,' a book says
The reporter Maggie Haberman describes in her new book Trump's views of the 20-year Afghanistan War. Years before Donald Trump captured the presidency in 2016, he had voiced his strong opposition to the US presence in Afghanistan, railing against the war that began after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and toppled the Taliban-led government, which would emerge victorious in 2021. In August 2012, Trump tweeted that Afghanistan was "a complete waste," adding that it was time for American troops to "come home."
U.S.Associated PressTexas executes inmate who fought prayer, touch rules
A Texas death row inmate whose case redefined the role of spiritual advisers in death chambers nationwide was executed Wednesday, despite the efforts of a district attorney to stop his lethal injection. John Henry Ramirez, 38, was executed at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Ramirez, saying states must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their faith leaders pray and touch them during their executions.
- U.S.WTTG
DC Deputy Mayor charged with assault and battery after Arlington gym parking lot altercation
Chris Geldart, a DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice has been charged with assault and battery after a parking lot altercation at a Gold's Gym in Arlington.Dustin Woodward, a trainer at Gold's Gym in says DC's Deputy Mayor Chris Geldart grabbed him by the neck in the gym's parking lot.
U.S.The Daily BeastShowgirls Among the 2 Dead, 6 Wounded in Mass Stabbing Attack on Las Vegas Strip
At least eight people were stabbed, two fatally, on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday by a suspect wielding a large kitchen knife, witnesses and Nevada authorities said. The man, not immediately identified by authorities, had a significant amount of blood “on his sleeves,” police told KTNV. A large kitchen knife was recovered from the scene, according to police.
U.S.Associated PressPilot sues Southwest after colleague exposes himself
A Southwest Airlines pilot is suing the company, her union and a former colleague who pleaded guilty last year to dead-bolting the cockpit door during a flight and stripping naked in front of her. Christine Janning alleges that Southwest retaliated by grounding her after she reported Michael Haak to the company and the FBI, that it kept him employed despite an alleged history of sexual misconduct and that managers disparaged her in memos. Haak's attorney, Michael Salnick, said Wednesday that his client disrobed only after Janning encouraged him to and never did anything else.
U.S.HuffPostHerschel Walker Abortion Accuser Drops Another Bombshell
The woman who said she had an abortion that Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker had paid for in 2009 is also the mother of one of his known children, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday. In an explosive report published by The Daily Beast earlier this week, the anonymous woman said that while she was dating Walker, now an anti-abortion candidate in Georgia, he urged her to have an abortion and then reimbursed her. Walker, a former college football and NFL standout, called the accusation a “flat-out lie.”
U.S.Miami HeraldTheir father, 87, evacuated for Hurricane Ian. Rattled by storm surge, he died in his car
The day Hurricane Ian hit Florida, Tom Cummiskey, 87, had evacuated his Fort Myers trailer and was driving about 35 miles east from the coast, fielding calls on his flip phone from friends and family urging him to get off the road. “I told him just to stay there,” said son Jerry Cummiskey, recalling the call he had when his father pulled into the inland town of LaBelle around lunchtime on Wednesday, Sept. 28. It was the last time the two spoke, ending a 24-hour stretch where Jerry Cummiskey and his wife, Teresa, thought they had helped steer Tom to safety from afar as they kept in touch with him from their home in New Jersey.
WorldReutersRussian bodies, shattered vehicles mark Moscow's loss of Ukrainian town
LYMAN, Ukraine (Reuters) - The bodies of two Russian soldiers lay bloating in trees on opposite sides of the road, close to the blasted hulks of the cars and the van in which Ukrainian army officers said the dead men's unit was retreating into the eastern town of Lyman. Unaware that their forces already had withdrawn from the key rail junction, the Russians last weekend drove into an ambush by Ukrainian special forces, their flight and lives ended by a storm of gunfire, the officers said. The bodies, the ruined vehicles and carpets of bullets, torn uniforms and metal shards testified on Wednesday to Moscow's loss of Lyman to a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has reclaimed parts of Donestk province overrun by Russian forces earlier this year.
U.S.NextSharkAmerican English teacher fired over 'inappropriate' messages to former student in Cambodia
An online personality and English lecturer at a reputable international school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, has been fired from his position after screenshots of “inappropriate” messages he sent to a former student were shared on social media. Michael Strahan, an American citizen also known by his moniker “Teacher Michael” on social media, allegedly sent flirty messages to a former student at the Australian Center for Education (ACE) over the span of three years. In screenshots obtained by the Khmer Times, the Louisiana native appeared to joke with the student about dating him in exchange for scholarship money and tells the minor to “let me know when you're 18.
U.S.MoneyWise'Remarkable reversal': President Biden just (quietly) scaled back student loan forgiveness — and the change could impact up to 1.5M borrowers. Are you one of them?
The Department of Education reversed course last week by quietly scaling back on eligibility for President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Borrowers with certain loans issued and managed by private lenders but guaranteed by the government now will not be able to receive relief under the new guidelines, which were updated on the department's website at the end of September. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan made waves when it was first announced in August, with the promise that billions of dollars were about to be wiped from student loan records.
WorldReutersRussia wants secret U.N. vote on move to condemn 'annexation' of Ukraine regions
Russia is lobbying for a secret ballot instead of a public vote when the 193-member U.N. General Assembly next week considers whether to condemn Moscow's move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine after staging what it called referendums. Ukraine and allies have denounced the votes in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as illegal and coercive. A Western-drafted U.N. General Assembly resolution would condemn Russia's "illegal so-called referenda" and the "attempted illegal annexation" of the areas where voting occurred.
WorldThe Daily BeastRussian Infighting Peaks With Calls for Suicide and Execution
Just over two weeks since Vladimir Putin's latest hail mary in his war against Ukraine, things are going so well for the Russian leader that draftees are rioting, his top allies are at each other's throats over a series of losses, and his defense minister has now been urged by his own team to blow his brains out. Kirill Stremousov now joins a rapidly growing list of Putin loyalists openly venting about recent Russian failures on the battlefield—and blaming “worthless” Russian military brass for the humiliating debacle. After weeks of complaints by pro-Kremlin military bloggers, anger at the military has now officially carried over into a more formal setting: even some Russian lawmakers are now lashing out at defense officials, with retired army officer Andrei Kartapolov on Wednesday demanding the army “stop lying” about war losses.
U.S.Kansas City StarPolice: Fired Olathe teacher had sex with 17-year-old student multiple times at school
A fired Olathe Northwest High School teacher and coach facing three felony charges is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old student both at his home and at the school multiple times, according to court records. Last month, Steven Mesa, 47, was arrested and charged in Johnson County District Court with three counts of unlawful sexual relations with a student. Mesa, a physical education teacher and wrestling coach, was fired effective Sept. 1, after working for the Olathe school district since August 2001.
U.S.ReutersProud Boys member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy for U.S. Capitol attack
A member of the far-right Proud Boys pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of seditious conspiracy over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, making him the first member of the group to do so. Jeremy Bertino, 43, of Belmont, North Carolina, could potentially become a key witness against five other members of the group, including former Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, who are due to stand trial beginning in December on charges including seditious conspiracy. A sixth Proud Boys member, Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
WorldThe Daily BeastTop Putin Ally Threatens ‘Cruel’ Attacks on New Country
Top officials in Belarus, a key Russian ally, are growing increasingly on edge this week about that they see as provocations—and warning that they might soon be forced into a harsh response. The head of the border committee of Belarus, Anatoly Lappo, claimed that Poland was acting “provocatively,” and that if any Polish attack takes place against Belarusian border officials, Belarus will not hold back. It's just the latest indication that Belarus could be laying the groundwork to potentially use force against neighboring countries by claiming provocations as a justification.
PoliticsNational ReviewInvestigators Believe They Have Enough Evidence to Charge Hunter Biden with Tax, Gun Crimes: Report
Federal investigators believe they have gathered enough evidence to charge President Joe Biden's son Hunter “with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase,” according to a bombshell new report from the Washington Post. Federal investigators associated with the FBI and IRS determined months ago that they had sufficient evidence to indict the younger Biden but it is now up to the U.S. attorney in Delaware, who was appointed by former president Trump, to determine whether to charge him, per the Post. Chris Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, responded to an inquiry from the Post with a written statement accusing investigators of misconduct.
U.S.Associated PressPolice ID ex-grad student as killer of Arizona professor
The University of Arizona has released the name of a professor who authorities said was fatally shot on campus by a former graduate student. University President Robert Robbins identified the victim late Wednesday as Thomas Meixner, who had headed the school's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. A few hours after the shooting, state troopers stopped a former graduate student, 46-year-old Murad Dervish, in a van about 120 miles (193 kilometers) northwest of the Tucson campus, university Police Chief Paula Balafas said during a news conference.
U.S.WSOCSheriff: Teacher in Iredell County accused of sending nude image, video to student
A teacher in Iredell County is accused of sending a nude image and sexually explicit video of herself to a student, according to the sheriff's office. According to authorities, the victim was a former student of Viney's as an underclassman at West Iredell. After interviewing witnesses, processing a cellphone and searching Viney's social media accounts, the sheriff's office arrested her Tuesday.
WorldTheStreet.comElon Musk Spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin
Elon Musk is trying to weather the storm. The CEO of Tesla has gone from hero to pariah in the war between Russia and Ukraine in a few days. When Moscow invaded Kyiv on February 24, the billionaire provided Starlink, the satellite internet access service offered by his aerospace company SpaceX.
BusinessYahoo Finance5 reasons why the stock market suddenly roared back
It has been a rip-your-face off rally in the stock market to kick off the final quarter of the year, much to the surprise of the bears who ruled the roost in September and third quarter. At a 5% gain so far this week, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) had its best back-to-back days since April 2020 and the best two-day start to the fourth quarter going back to the first full year of the five-day trading week in 1953, according to data from Bespoke. The research team at DataTrek offered up five solid reasons behind this week's buying momentum.
U.S.FTW OutdoorsMountain lion hunts coyote in eerie footage captured by trail-cam
Nighttime footage captured recently via trail-cam shows a mountain lion pursuing a coyote into total darkness on a Southern California trail – and audio hints at a successful hunt. The eerie scene appeared on a motion-sensor camera maintained by Mark Girardeau of Orange County Outdoors. The footage begins with a lone coyote trotting rapidly down the trail, and the mountain lion, or cougar, in a cautious pursuit that turns into an apparent ambush after both animals vanish into the blackness.
WorldBusiness InsiderSweden's Saab built one of the world's best non-stealth fighters, but its CEO says that's not enough to outsell US jets
Saab's JAS 39 Gripen is considered to be a highly capable 4.5-generation fighter jet. Despite its high regard, the Gripen has often lost out on sales to US jets like the fifth-gen F-35. Saab's CEO says that when going against US-made jets, it's not "a completely level playing field."
BusinessReutersU.S. steps away from flagship lithium project with Buffett's Berkshire
(Reuters) -In a February meeting with mining executives, President Joe Biden laid out an aggressive goal for the United States to produce more of its own minerals for the electric vehicle revolution in ways that respected the environment. A "big part" of those efforts, the president said, was a plan by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc to filter lithium from superhot geothermal brines swirling beneath California's Salton Sea, something that had never been done before. The project aimed to help usher in a new way of producing lithium – a key constituent of EV batteries – in the United States while avoiding the controversies that come with building mines that are often unpopular with local communities.
“They give voters the chance to hear candidate views. In their own words. In real time.”
“There is campaigning, and there is governing. Two different things. … In the end, it is governing that really matters.”
“We are in a crisis of democracy, and we need to be able to figure out how to disagree.”
“In very close races, small mistakes can prove decisive, or at least knock a campaign in the wrong direction for a few days.”
“The debates themselves are shaping up to be major campaign issues. It’s tedious, and it does not serve the voters.”