- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump says he is holding up coronavirus aid to block Postal Service funds for voting by mail
President Trump on Thursday said he is withholding approval for a coronavirus relief package because Democrats want to include funds for mail-in voting. The president said Democrats want $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, $3.5 billion of which would be used to shore up infrastructure amid logistical challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is predicted to keep some voters from going to the polls in November. “They want $3.5 billion for something that will turn out to be fraudulent, that's election money basically,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Ronald McDonald House near children's hospital damaged during recent Chicago looting
A Ronald McDonald House Charity location was among the buildings damaged during looting earlier this week in Chicago, the charity says. The Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's Hospital, which offers housing for families and children who are at the hospital, had the glass of its front door smashed overnight Monday. "Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is disheartened by the events that occurred Sunday evening at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's Hospital — causing minimal damage to the exterior entrance of the House and an unsettling experience for the families currently staying there while their child receives medical treatment," Sheila Musolino, president and CEO of the organization, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
- U.S.Christian Science Monitor
NRA lawsuits come amid changing face of American gun owners
The NRA is just a political tool for us to be able to arm ourselves, but we don't buy into the politics of any of it since it's the right of every American to take advantage of [the Second Amendment],” says Mr. Omowale, who has joined armed rallies recently on behalf of Black rights. I believe it's time for [Black people] to start our own NRA. As New York prosecutors aim to dissolve the NRA in a lawsuit alleging self-dealing and mismanagement, one thing is becoming clear to Mr. Omowale: Even as more Americans are exercising their Second Amendment rights, the NRA's framing of that right as a conservative political ideal is losing potency.
- U.S.NBC News
Bald eagle takes down government drone
A bald eagle took down a government drone in Michigan, state officials said Thursday. The bird of prey attacked the Phantom 4 Pro Advanced quodcopter drone about 162 feet in the sky on July 21, "tearing off a propeller and sending the aircraft to the bottom of Lake Michigan," according to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. An environmental quality analyst and drone pilot, Hunter King, was mapping shoreline erosion on Lake Michigan with the device, which was flying at 22 mph, when it began twirling out of control and he spotted an eagle flying away, it said.
- WorldReuters
Google stops responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong government
"As always, authorities outside the U.S. may seek data needed for criminal investigations through diplomatic procedures," Google said in an emailed statement. Google reviewed all requests for user data and pushed back on "overly broad ones" to protect the privacy of users, it added. The Washington Post newspaper reported earlier on Friday that Google would stop responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong authorities, implying the company would now treat Hong Kong effectively the same as mainland China in such dealings.
- U.S.INSIDER
This is what it looks like in Sturgis, South Dakota, where hundreds of thousands of unmasked bikers are partying like the coronavirus isn't real
The small city of Sturgis, South Dakota, welcomes more than 700,000 bikers each year for its annual motorcycle rally. This year, the 10-day event fell in the middle of a pandemic. While 60% of locals responded to a government survey indicating they didn't want the event to take place, health and city officials believed there was no way to keep visitors out.
- U.S.The Independent
US economist proposes $12 trillion in slavery reparations to eliminate black-white wealth gap
A renowned economist has said that $12 trillion should be afforded to black Americans in reparation for slavery to help the close wealth gap. Duke University professor, William Darity Jr, and writer, Kirsten Mullen, jointly published a report for The Roosevelt Institute, an American liberal think tank, laying out a case for slavery reparations. Prof Darity and Ms Mullen outline that to eliminate the existing Black-White wealth gap an allocation of between $10 trillion and $12 trillion, or about $800,000 per black household, should be paid.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Cadillac will charge a subscription fee for Super Cruise, its answer to Tesla's Autopilot, after the trial period ends
Super Cruise is General Motors's answer to Tesla's Autopilot: an advanced driver-assistance feature. The first three-year trials of Super Cruise expire soon and GM will begin charging customers a subscription fee to keep it activated, reports Motor Trend. It's not clear how much the subscription will cost.
- WorldThe Week
The U.S. can't change China
It has not gotten wide attention thanks to the country falling to pieces, but the Trump administration has all but declared a new cold war against China. In a recent hardline speech at the Nixon Library, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that "today China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else." Democrats have also taken a much harder line on China of late — indeed, some Biden campaign ads attack Trump from the right.
- PoliticsYahoo News
'Antifa' website cited in conservative media attack on Biden is linked to — wait for it — Russia
At his press briefing Wednesday, President Trump, as he usually does, called for a question from Chanel Rion, the chief White House correspondent for the conservative One America News network, which has at times replaced Fox News as the president's favorite news outlet. Rion's question had nothing to do with COVID-19 or the economic recovery Trump had been boasting about, but instead brought up an obscure website, antifa.com. I wanted to highlight a kind of odd situation.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
You Need These High-Design Lawn Games to Maximize Summer Fun
Classic lawn games are perfect for enjoying what's left of summer 2020, plus they'll look great in your yard Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.Miami Herald
Cops’ helicopter got too close — so Georgia man shot it, feds say. He’s going to prison
A 56-year-old man in Georgia will spend more than a decade behind bars after he pleaded guilty to shooting at a police helicopter, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Terry Kielisch was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $54,960 in restitution to cover the repair costs on a Georgia State Patrol helicopter that was searching for fugitives when Kielisch aimed his rifle at it in 2019, prosecutors said in a news release. Kielisch wasn't a target in that search — but he reportedly told law enforcement “he fired at the helicopter because he didn't like it flying near his home,” the release says.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
South Dakota Governor to get $400,000 security wall around residence
South Dakota officials said Wednesday they plan to build a security fence budgeted for $400,000 around the official governor's residence to protect Gov. Kristi Noem.
- U.S.USA TODAY
'Explosive' Lake Fire in Southern California burns 10,000 acres in just hours, forces evacuations in Los Angeles County
A fast-moving Southern California wildfire forced evacuation orders for about 100 homes and other buildings in northern Los Angeles County on Wednesday. The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, had grown to about 10,000 acres as of 8 p.m. PDT between Lake Hughes and Lake Castaic in the Angeles National Forest, about 65 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The fire broke out around 3:40 p.m. and spread throughout the unincorporated area of the county, according to fire officials.
- U.S.INSIDER
Protesters in Minneapolis say they won't clear barricades around the George Floyd Memorial until the city leaders meet their 24 demands
Protesters in Minneapolis say they won't allow the city to remove the cement barricades around the George Floyd memorial until the city meets 24 demands, WCCO reported. The demands include recalling Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, firing four employees of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and ending qualified immunity. George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes until he became unresponsive.
- WorldAssociated Press
US says Iran briefly seizes oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian navy boarded and briefly seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S., the American military said Thursday. The U.S. military's Central Command published a black-and-white video showing what appeared to be special forces fast-roping down from a helicopter onto the MT Wila, whose last position appeared to be off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates near the city of Khorfakkan. The Iranian navy held the vessel for some five hours before releasing it Wednesday, said a U.S. military official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
- WorldAFP
Duterte to skip Philippine trial of Russia virus vaccine
The Philippines will begin large-scale human testing of Russia's coronavirus vaccine in October, but President Rodrigo Duterte will not receive the inoculation until regulators guarantee its safety, his spokesman said Thursday. Duterte had offered himself up as a guinea pig for the very first jab, expressing "huge trust" in the vaccine, despite growing scepticism about its effectiveness. But his spokesman Harry Roque said the president was scheduled to receive the vaccine no earlier than May 1 -- weeks after the Russian-funded Phase 3 clinical trial in the archipelago is due to end in March.
- PoliticsThe Independent
AOC responds to apparent Democratic party convention speech snub: 'Eternity is in it'
Firebrand lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has hit back at an alleged snub by the Democratic party after being given just 60 seconds to deliver a speech a next week's convention. AOC responded on Twitter by posting the poem 'I have only just a minute', written by the late Dr Benjamin E. Mays, an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader. AOC's message appears to be that she intends to make full use of her convention speech – regardless of long she has been given.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump says fear of 'low income housing' will bring 'the suburban housewife' to his side
President Trump turned again to racist attacks on Joe Biden's housing policy Wednesday, with an appeal to “the suburban housewife” that sounds a jarringly out-of-touch note in 2020. Last month Trump announced he was repealing the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which was intended to fight housing discrimination by strengthening implementation of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Turkey's president warns attack against Turkish ships will pay 'high price'
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that any attack on a Turkish ship exploring for oil and gas in disputed Mediterranean waters would incur a "high price" and suggested Turkey had already acted on that warning.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Suspect robbed a man and raped a woman on South Beach sands, police say
A bike, tattoos and a woman's gold chain around his neck identified the suspect police were looking for after last week's armed robbery and rape on the sands of Miami Beach, police said. The bike and the tattoos belonged to Pedro Tomayo, a 37-year-old homeless man. Tomayo has pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery and sexual battery.
- U.S.National Review
Oregon State Police Withdraws from Portland Courthouse after D.A. Announces He Won’t Prosecute Most Rioters
Oregon state police are backing out of an agreement to protect the Portland federal courthouse from rioters, after the Multnomah County district attorney announced he will not prosecute most rioters who are arrested. Portland has seen riots almost every night since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Rioters initially targeted the federal courthouse in the city, but after federal and state law enforcement came to an agreement to jointly protect the courthouse, rioters moved on to attack city police.
- U.S.USA TODAY
A beloved lesbian baker in Detroit got a homophobic cake order. Here's why she made it anyway.
As a Black, openly gay woman, April Anderson said she is no stranger to discrimination. It was a disturbing slap in the face to Anderson and her wife and business partner, Michelle. “We are so used to being Black lesbian women,” Anderson said.
- LifestyleDelish
How To Make Mrs. Fields Famous Cookies, Plus 28 More Copycat Dessert Recipes
Knowing how to make these sweets at home is seriously dangerous. Proceed at your own risk. From Delish
- U.S.Associated Press
Portland State disarms campus police after Black man's death
Portland State University said Thursday it will disarm its campus police force, more than two years after officers from the department shot and killed a Black man who was trying to break up a fight close to campus. The announcement came as Oregon's largest city approaches 80 days of nightly protests following the death of George Floyd, the Black man who died after being pinned by the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer Portland State President Stephen Percy said the decision to have officers patrol the campus unarmed is the first step in a broader policy to re-imagine safety at the state-funded university in the heart of the city.
“It may be a campaign tactic, but older workers, be forewarned. Ageism runs deep in our culture.”
“Genuine concerns about the capacities of people who want the world’s most powerful job mingle bizarrely with insults.”
“Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both old. But the media should not be making mental illness a campaign issue, on either side.”
“The Trump campaign is now betting his reelection’s already slim chances on Biden proving Trump’s diagnosis is right.”
“The nightmare scenario for Democrats is that, at a pivotal moment, Biden will struggle to put together a coherent thought.”