WorldAssociated PressGreat Wall of Lights: China’s sea power on Darwin’s doorstep
It's 3 a.m., and after five days plying through the high seas, the Ocean Warrior is surrounded by an atoll of blazing lights that overtakes the nighttime sky. It's the conservationists' first glimpse of the world's largest fishing fleet: an armada of nearly 300 Chinese vessels that have sailed halfway across the globe to lure the elusive Humboldt squid from the Pacific Ocean's inky depths. As Italian hip hop blares across the bridge, Marini furiously scribbles the electronic IDs of 37 fishing vessels that pop up as green triangles on the Ocean Warrior's radar onto a sheet of paper, before they disappear.
PoliticsSheKnowsThis Description of Ivanka Trump's Face After Talking With Dad Donald Trump on Jan. 6 Will Stay With You
While much has been written about Jan. 6 and Donald Trump's reaction while it was going down, Bob Woodward's new book, Peril, is giving readers more insight into what happened behind closed doors. The day was fraught with a lot of drama, and as we know, much of the burden of getting through to the president rested on Ivanka Trump's shoulders. When the insurrection took a dangerous turn on Capitol Hill, Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States National Security Council Keith Kellogg reached out to Ivanka to speak to her father to get the rioters to calm down.
PoliticsThe WeekCNN's Chris Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by his former boss
Chris Cuomo, the CNN host and brother of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), has been accused of sexual harassment by his former boss at ABC News. Shelley Ross, a journalist who has served as producer at ABC and CBS, in a New York Times essay published Friday alleged that Cuomo "sexually harassed me at a going-away party for an ABC colleague" in 2005. Ross, who was formerly Cuomo's executive producer at ABC's Primetime Live, writes that he "walked toward me and greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock," and he allegedly told her, "I can do this now that you're no longer my boss."
WorldAssociated PressTaliban official: Strict punishment, executions will return
One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban's executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium, and he warned the world against interfering with Afghanistan's new rulers. “Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” Turabi told The Associated Press, speaking in Kabul.
U.S.The Daily BeastArmy Fires Lt. Colonel Whose Secret Life Was Exposed by Women
The Army has fired a lieutenant colonel accused of having affairs with multiple women and lying about his deployments to keep them from finding out about each other. The Army announced that it completed an investigation of Richard Kane Mansir that started when several of the women complained repeatedly to his chain of command and relieved him of his duty on Wednesday based on “substantiated findings.” “The command has taken additional appropriate actions in response to the findings from the investigation,” the Army said, without specifying what those actions are.
- ScienceAFP Videographics
Portugal grape pickers do it in the buff
With early autumn temperatures in Portugal hovering around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), a group of nudism enthusiasts don't even sport a vine leaf to cover their modesty as they go about their work in a vineyard 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Lisbon.
BusinessAssociated PressCalifornia 1st to set quota limits for retailers like Amazon
California on Wednesday became the first state to bar mega-retailers from firing warehouse workers for missing quotas that interfere with bathroom and rest breaks under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that grew from Amazon's drive to speed goods to consumers more quickly. The measure also bars Amazon, the online retail giant, and similar companies from disciplining workers for following health and safety laws and allows employees to sue to suspend unsafe quotas or reverse retaliation. The bill applies to all warehouse distribution centers, though proponents were driven by Amazon's dominance.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump releases misleading statement falsely claiming GOP audit in Arizona uncovered 'undeniable evidence' of fraud after the audit confirmed Biden won
Trump backpedaled from praising a group of "highly respected" GOP auditors in Arizona after they confirmed Biden won the state. He released a statement falsely claiming the Cyber Ninjas' "audit" found "significant and undeniable evidence of FRAUD!" But a spokesperson for the auditors earlier contradicted Trump's claims, saying, "Was there massive fraud or anything?
ScienceMen's HealthThis Super Rugged Off-Road Camper Has a Surprisingly Luxe Interior
If you're of the opinion that all camping trailers look the same, you've obviously never seen a Bruder. The Australian-based company makes rugged military-like camping vehicles that can take on the toughest terrain in all seasons. In true Bruder fashion, the brand's newest model—the Bruder EXP-8 Off-Road Camper—is tough on the outside, but it's more like a luxury hotel on the inside.
PoliticsYahoo FinanceWhat Republicans are thinking in the debt-ceiling standoff, according to Gary Cohn
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats passed a measure earlier this week to fund the government through early December and suspend the nation's debt limit through December 2022, but the proposal faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where GOP lawmakers have vowed to block it. Republicans feel it is the Democrats responsibility to raise the debt ceiling alone using budget reconciliation, since that same method was used to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill earlier this year, Gary Cohn, former director of the National Economic Council, told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday. “I think this is a tough debt limit discussion,” Cohn said.
ScienceThe Weather NetworkLook ahead: Big atmospheric shuffle, Canada takes centre stage
A few days into fall, the atmosphere has just pressed shuffle, and this pattern change playlist is coming to a city near you. Not one but two troughs will steer low-pressure systems towards British Columbia. Several stations in British Columbia are careening towards record rainfall; these systems might be the difference makers.
U.S.HuffPostBrian Williams' Punchline On Anti-Vaxxers, Anti-Maskers Is A Showstopper
Brian Williams unleashed savage sign-off snark on his MSNBC news show Wednesday. Watch the video below. As he was closing out “The 11th Hour,” the host ran a clip from The Recount of anti-vaccine and anti-mask protesters sounding off at local board meetings.
WorldAssociated PressDad of 3 girls killed in New Zealand says he's forgiven wife
The father of three young girls who were killed last week in New Zealand said Thursday his precious angels had been ripped away from him in a loss he would carry for the rest of his life. Dickason wrote his thoughts in a letter that was read aloud by a reverend during a candlelight vigil that was attended by hundreds of people outside the family's home in the South Island town of Timaru. Lauren Dickason, 40, has been charged with murder in the deaths of her twin 2-year-old girls Maya and Karla, and their 6-year-old sister Liane, in a crime that has shocked New Zealand.
U.S.INSIDERA Kroger cashier who tried to usher customers to safety said the gunman followed them as they ran for cover during mass shooting
Thirteen people were shot during a mass shooting in Collierville, Tennessee, on Thursday. One of the victims died in the shooting at a Kroger supermarket. A cashier told reporters the gunman followed her through the store as she tried to usher others to safety.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden used curse words that start with 'F' and 'A' after discovering Trump's golf 'toys' in the White House, including a giant video screen: book
Biden was apparently not impressed by Trump's imprint on the White House. Biden apparently finds the White House a cold place to live, but appreciates the staff. President Joe Biden was apparently not fond of the personal impressions his predecessor left on the White House, according to a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, "Peril."
U.S.Associated PressWoman arrested on suspicion of starting California blaze
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of starting a Northern California wildfire that spread rapidly, burning homes and prompting evacuation orders Thursday in a rural community, authorities said. Workers at a nearby quarry reported seeing a woman acting strangely and trespassing in the area in Shasta County where the Fawn Fire was sparked Wednesday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement. Later Wednesday, Alexandra Souverneva walked out of the brush near the fire line and approached firefighters and told them she was dehydrated and needed medical help, Cal Fire said.
U.S.The Daily BeastDaily Show’s Jordan Klepper Embarrasses Anti-Mask Parents
While Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) was leading an anti-mask protest outside of a recent school board meeting in Smithfield, North Carolina, The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper was in the crowd finding out why parents in the district were so up in arms about policies meant to keep them and their children safe. Entering “America's new thunderdome,” Klepper began by pointing out that these parents seem to think that “putting on a piece of cloth is just too much” to ask to stop the spread of COVID-19 in their community. For instance, one mother wearing an “I don't co-parent with the government” T-shirt told Klepper that “masks don't work” because her child started getting acne on his face when he was forced to wear one in school.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverRaleigh neighborhood with racist link debates renaming itself. It hasn’t gone well.
Cameron Park residents have until Thursday evening to vote on whether to change their community name, which references the Cameron family, once one of the largest holders of enslaved people in North Carolina. The discussion has grown so heated the neighborhood email listserv was locked this weekend. “The last year has been really sad,” said Myrick Howard, a resident of 45 years.
WorldYahoo FinanceOcean Cleanup pilots ‘the first scalable technology’ to remove plastic waste from Earth's waters
The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit engineering environmental organization based in the Netherlands, is attempting to remove as much of that plastic as is feasible. “Our strategy is really twofold,” The Ocean Cleanup CEO and Founder Boyan Slat said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). The Ocean Cleanup has deployed three Interceptors in rivers in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Dominican Republic to keep plastic from entering oceans.
WorldFTW OutdoorsLeopard’s ‘stunning’ leap showcased in slow-motion video
A rescue leopard at South Africa's Harnas Wildlife Foundation is an impressive leaper, especially at mealtime. The accompanying footage, which has garnered millions of views over the past month, shows “Hellboy” leaping nearly 10 feet to catch a hunk of meat tossed over a fence by a caretaker. The footage reveals the power and grace exhibited by Hellboy – and possessed by all leopards – while taking flight and upon landing.
U.S.INSIDERKroger employees found 'hiding in freezers' and rescued from roof after gunman shot 13 people in Tennessee
Police said people were hiding in freezers and rescued from the roof after a shooting at Kroger in Tennessee. At least one person was killed and a dozen others wounded Thursday after a gunman opened fire at Kroger's grocery store outside Memphis, Tennessee. "I've never seen anything like it," Colliersville Police Chief Dale Lane said at a press conference that aired on WREG, a local CBS affiliate.
- U.S.Associated Press
4th Wisconsin voter out of 3 million charged with fraud
A fourth Wisconsin voter out of roughly 3 million who cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election was charged with election fraud on Thursday by a Republican prosecutor who is running for attorney general. Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney said the charge alleging that a felon voted illegally does not mean that the election won by President Joe Biden was stolen. The criminal complaint does not identify whether the person charged is a Republican or Democrat or who he voted for in the presidential election.
HealthBusiness Insider4 people who got COVID-19 booster shots share what it felt like to get an extra vaccine dose
The US has authorized third doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to adults over 65, and others at high risk of developing severe disease. The side effects, they say, are much like after a second shot, with some arm pain and fatigue. The federal government is starting to recommend third shots of COVID-19 vaccines to large numbers of vulnerable people living in the US.
PoliticsPeopleWhen Biden Found Trump's Letter to Him in Oval Office, He 'Put It in His Pocket and Did Not Share' It: Book
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden had his predecessor on his mind: Some of the historic number of executive actions he took in the hours after being sworn in on Jan. 20 reversed policies put in place by Donald Trump. But when Biden found a letter from Trump in a drawer of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office — in what appeared to be a rare acknowledgment by Trump of his defeat — the new commander-in-chief tucked it away and went right back to work, according to a new book. "He put it in his pocket and did not share it with his advisers," Bob Woodward and Robert Costa write in Peril, which was released Tuesday.
TechnologyEngadgetiPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max review: Apple saved the real upgrade for the Pros
A phone can be endowed with the fastest processor in the world, but if it's saddled with a slow screen, it could still feel sluggish — especially when compared to a similarly equipped device with a faster panel. That's why the iPhone 13 Pro's most important new feature is its ProMotion display. But ProMotion is only included on the Pro and Pro Max models this year, making it one of the features that differentiate them from the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, not to mention last year's 12 Pro.
“It wouldn’t take much of an annual wealth tax to rescue the retirement system.”
“Privatizing Social Security — or at least letting individuals opt-out so they can escape the sinking ship — would be a huge win.”
“Congress could save hundreds of billions of dollars by modestly paring back the benefit formula for future wealthy retirees.”
“Raising the retirement age reduces the number of beneficiaries, thereby reducing the costs of the program.”
“Social Security as we know it needs to be abolished and replaced with a better system.”