PoliticsAFPThe NRA's Wayne LaPierre: Washington's all-powerful gun man
After a surge in mass shootings and reports of scandalous spending on his own luxury needs, Wayne LaPierre's time as Washington's preeminent power-broker appeared to be up. After two shocking massacres at the beginning of August, Trump initially promised tougher gun controls, a pledge which quickly melted away after he spoke on the phone Tuesday with LaPierre. Suddenly, Trump was again a hardliner defending the most absolutist interpretation of the US Constitution's Second Amendment guarantee of firearms ownership.
- WorldReuters
Iran ready to work on French nuclear deal proposals, does not want war: foreign minister
Iran is prepared to work on French proposals to salvage the international nuclear deal that Tehran signed with world powers in 2015 but it will not tolerate U.S. interference in the Gulf, its foreign minister said on Thursday. At a time of heightened friction between Tehran and Washington, Iran also on Thursday displayed what it described as a domestically built long-range, surface-to-air missile air defense system. The United State abandoned the international nuclear deal in May last year and stepped up sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Ex-VA doctor who was fired for being drunk on job charged with manslaughter in 3 veterans' deaths
A former Veterans Affairs pathologist fired for being intoxicated on the job was charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with "incorrect and misleading diagnoses" he made, federal prosecutors in Arkansas said Tuesday. Robert Morris Levy was indicted by a federal grand jury and faces additional charges of fraud and making false statements. Levy not only lied about his alcohol use and manipulated mandatory alcohol and drug tests, but he also falsified patient records that ultimately caused the veterans' deaths, a federal investigation found.
- WorldThe Telegraph
China warns UK to stay out of its affairs after arrest of British Consul worker
China warned the UK not to meddle in its affairs over Hong Kong on Wednesday after the arrest of a British Consulate official worsened already strained ties between Beijing and London. Simon Cheng, 28, a trade and investment officer at the Hong Kong consulate's Scottish Development International section, went missing on August 8 on the way back from a business event in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Britain has said it is “extremely” concerned.
- NewsINSIDER
A shark attacked a woman in Hawaii, and authorities are warning it's 'still in the area'
On Tuesday, a 27-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while swimming at Napoopoo Beach Park in Kealakekua Bay. "The shark is still in the area, so we're trying to get people out of the water at this time," Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief William Bergin told the Associated Press.
- BusinessBGR News
Huawei’s founder just sent a desperate but brutal memo to workers
When he was a younger man, Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei joined China's People's Liberation Army as an engineer, at one point heading out with the army for China's frigid north as part of a crew tasked with building a synthetic fiber factory. The overarching message was that employees of the company, which is the subject of a now stepped-up ban as of Monday, need to redouble their efforts if Huawei is to survive. Workers need to “either form a 'commando squad' to explore new projects — in which case they could be promoted to company commander if they do well,” Zhengfei wrote in the memo.
- NewsThe Independent
Parkland students unveil gun violence prevention plan: 'Policymakers have failed, so survivors are stepping up'
March For Our Lives, the group formed by the Parkland students in the wake of the mass shooting at their school in February 2018, has unveiled a new plan for gun control. The Peace Plan is a six-step proposal focused on changing gun laws in America to prevent mass shootings, which continue to ravage the country. “Everywhere we look, gun violence is decimating our families and communities,” the plan reads.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Arms Race Redux! A U.S. Intermediate Range Nuclear Missile Test Shows Russia Was Right to Worry
The U.S. military has test-fired a new kind of nuclear-capable cruise missile. The successful test on Sunday of an intermediate-range, ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missile reintroduces a previously defunct type of atomic weapon, effectively reversing 32 years of successful arms-control. The Pentagon tried to portray the Sunday launch in California as just a boring trial.
PoliticsFOX News VideosBiden confronts Fox News reporter: 'You're going to go after me no matter what'
Democrat Joe Biden challenges Fox News' Peter Doocy after being asked about the size of his crowds in Iowa.
BusinessAFPAlbania bulldozes restaurant after owner attacks tourists
Albanian officials on Wednesday razed a beachfront restaurant whose owner was captured on camera attacking a car rented by Spanish tourists, as the country scrambles to clean up its reputation as a burgeoning holiday destination. The incident, filmed by the victims' tour guide from inside their vehicle, took place at the weekend in Porto-Palermo on the Ionian coast in southern Albania, a popular tourist spot. The restaurant owner, 51-year-old Mihal Kokedhima, was arrested and faces trial for "verbally assaulting a group of Spanish tourists for futile reasons", damaging their car and causing minor injuries, police said.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump dismisses criticism of his dual loyalty comments: 'It's only anti-Semitic in your head'
President Trump Wednesday expanded on his views about how Jews who vote for Democrats are “disloyal” and dismissed any criticism of his comments. When asked by a reporter on the White House lawn Wednesday afternoon if his comments were anti-Semitic, Trump dismissed the criticism. “Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat — I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” Trump said on Tuesday.
- NewsAssociated Press
Lawyers seek exam for man charged in Ole Miss student death
Lawyers for a man charged with killing a University of Mississippi student withdrew their request Thursday for a judge to set bail, instead seeking a psychiatric evaluation. Defense lawyer Tony Farese said after the brief hearing that lawyers had obtained new information Wednesday about Brandon Theesfeld. The Fort Worth, Texas man is charged with murder in the death of 21-year-old Alexandria "Ally" Kostial of Kirkwood, Missouri.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Yale failed to stop professor who sexually assaulted students over decades, report says
A Yale professor sexually assaulted five students over decades, according to a report commissioned by the university, which had investigated the professor's behavior in 1994 but failed to stop him. D. Eugene Redmond was a professor of medicine before he retired from the university in 2018 while facing disciplinary action. “Redmond's actions, reported by the survivors who came forward, are reprehensible and antithetical to the educational mission of our university,” said Peter Salovey, Yale's president.
- WorldBloomberg
Iran Tanker Helm Makes Distress Call Near Saudi Red Sea Port
The Iranian oil carrier Helm experienced technical issues in the Red Sea off the Saudi port of Yanbu and the crew is working to resolve them, according to the National Iranian Tanker Co. The vessel, one of the world's largest crude tankers, signaled distress at 6:30 a.m. Iran time on Tuesday, about 75 miles (about 121 kilometers) off of Yanbu, owner NITC said in a statement. Both the ship and crew are safe and stable, NITC said without saying whether the Helm can continue the voyage.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
See the 2020 Audi RS6 Avant from Every Angle
The 591-horsepower RS6 wagon is coming to America. From Car and Driver
- NewsThe Independent
Man punches his own lawyer in court
A defendant standing trial for attacking a corrections officer punched his own lawyer during a hearing in an Arizona courtroom. Footage of Lamont Payne's violent assault in Maricopa County was caught on court camera and released by officials. It shows Payne striking out after being ordered to leave proceedings for repeatedly interrupting the judge.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 2-Iran displays domestically built mobile missile defence system
Iran displayed what it described as a domestically built long-range, surface-to-air missile air defence system on Thursday, at a time of rising tension with the United States. Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. State television showed President Hassan Rouhani attending an unveiling ceremony for the mobile Bavar-373 system, which Iranian media have described as a competitor to the Russian S-300 missile system.
- NewsINSIDER
A woman caught a fish with two mouths and the photo is just as shocking as you would expect
Courtesy of Knotty Boys Fishing A woman in upstate New York surely found the "catch-of-the-day" when she reeled in a fish that looks like it has two mouths. Debbie Geddes caught the fish while out with her husband on Lake Champlain and released the fish back into the water after snapping some photos. Her colleague, Adam Facteau, thought the lake oddity would likely garner some attention online and posted it to a local fishing enthusiasts page on Facebook, where it has since garnered thousands of comments and shares.
WorldAFPMoney, muscle, media: how China has handled Hong Kong protests
Shaping the narrative - As protests erupted in June, discussion inside authoritarian China was muted, censored on social media or played down on state outlets. But as chaos unfurled across Hong Kong, Beijing changed tack seeking to shape the narrative in its favour. After a tense airport siege, which saw protesters assault two Chinese nationals accused of being "spies", Beijing ramped up the rhetoric saying protesters were guilty of "terrorist-like actions".
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Trump ranted for 35 minutes in 89-degree heat, calling the prime minister of Denmark 'nasty,' repeating his claim that Jewish voters are 'disloyal,' and saying it 'isn't my trade war'
President Donald Trump ranted about trade with China, the prime minister of Denmark, and Jewish voters being "disloyal" in a freewheeling 35-minute session with reporters. Trump harshly criticized Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for calling his interest in buying Greenland "absurd," which caused Trump to cancel his scheduled visit to the country, calling her remarks "nasty" and "inappropriate." He repeated his claim that Jewish Americans voting for Democrats are disloyal, saying, "In my opinion, you vote for Democrats, you're being very disloyal to Jewish people, and you are being very disloyal to Israel."
- NewsThe Daily Beast
Police Arrest Two Louisiana Men in 39-Year-Old Cold Case Murder of Teen
After nearly four decades, Louisiana police have charged two men they believe brutally raped and murdered an 18-year-old girl before disposing of her body in the woods. Leo Laird, 64, and Gary Haymon, 54, were both charged on Monday in the death of 18-year-old Donna Gayle Brazzell, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office. The young woman's skeletal remains were found near Nichols Cemetery Road in 1980, but authorities were unable to identify them until last month.
- NewsAssociated Press
Parking lot shooter told detectives he feared severe injury
The Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a dispute over a handicapped parking space told detectives he fired because he had been pushed to the ground and he feared the man was about to "finish" what he started, video played at his trial Thursday shows. Prosecutors played Michael Drejka's interview with Pinellas County detectives during his manslaughter trial in Clearwater, Florida. Drejka, who is white, shot him while on his back from close range, seconds after McGlockton shoved him as Drejka argued with McGlockton's girlfriend.
- WorldUSA TODAY
After 11 tons of trash taken off Mount Everest, officials ban single-use plastics
Officials banned single-use plastics in the Mount Everest region in an effort to reduce the increasing amounts of trash left behind by thrill-seeking climbers and tourists. The ban goes into effect January 2020 and covers all plastics less than 30 microns in thickness, according to Agence France Presse. This includes plastic bags, straws, soda and water bottles and most food packaging, The Hindu reported.
- U.S.WPVI – Philadelphia
5 men, 85-year-old woman accused of lewd, sexual activity in Connecticut woods
Police say the six people, five men and an 85-year-old woman, were involved in lewd and sexual activity in the woods in Connecticut.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Ford's "Mustang-Inspired" Mach E Electric SUV Steps Out in Prototype Form
These spy photos give us our first look at the upcoming Ford Mach E electric crossover in the flesh. While we can't see much through the heavy camouflage, we can see glimpses at the Mustang-inspired front end. The Mach E will debut sometime in 2020, likely as a 2021 model.
