PoliticsYahoo NewsBiden plans a bipartisan commission to advise on court packing and other reforms
In excerpts of interviews with both President Trump and Joe Biden released by CBS News Thursday, the former vice president gave his most detailed answer to date on the question of so-called court packing, while the president said his biggest domestic priority next year is to “get back to normal.” Biden said that if elected, he would form a bipartisan commission to study the court packing issue and other court-related reforms that have arisen in the wake of Trump's push to have Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett confirmed so close to the election. Biden had been reluctant to answer questions about the issue in recent weeks, saying he would reveal his position before Election Day.
U.S.USA TODAY'Mama, they just shot us for nothing': Waukegan police officer fatally shoots Black teen, injures woman
The incident happened just before midnight Tuesday, when an officer approached a "suspicious" vehicle, Waukegan Police Commander Edgar Navarro told reporters Wednesday. As the officer was conducting his investigation, the vehicle fled and was spotted moments later by another officer, who got out of his car to approach the vehicle, Navarro said. "That officer exited his vehicle, and the vehicle that he was investigating began to reverse towards the officer.
WorldReutersExclusive: 'Dumb mistake' exposed Iranian hand behind fake Proud Boys U.S. election emails - sources
Government analysts and private sector investigators were able to rapidly attribute to Iranian hackers a wave of thousands of threatening emails aimed at U.S. voters because of mistakes made in a video attached to some of the messages, according to four people familiar with the matter. Those failures provided a rare opportunity for the U.S. government to identify and publicly announce blame for a malicious cyber operation in a matter of days, something that usually requires months of technical analysis and supporting intelligence. "Either they made a dumb mistake or wanted to get caught," said a senior U.S. government official, who asked not to be identified.
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Thailand lifts protest ban that backfired
Thailand rolled back their emergency decree on Thursday (October 22), that aimed to shut down months of protests against the government and the monarchy. When the government issued the ban that took effect one week ago, it in fact inflamed demonstrators even more as tens of thousands spilled onto the streets of Bangkok. As of 12 p.m the measures that include bans on political gatherings of five people or more and publishing of news that could affect security will be lifted.
WorldAssociated PressTurkey slams joint declaration by Cyprus, Greece and Egypt
Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Thursday slammed a joint statement by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt that condemns Turkish energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and numerous “provocations” that they maintain are threatening regional peace. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “fully rejected the declaration containing baseless accusations and allegations.” During a trilateral regional summit Wednesday in Nicosia, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged Ankara to end its “aggressive" actions.
U.S.INSIDERA sheriff's sergeant is questioning the rescued Zion National Park hiker's story, saying there's no way she could have survived for 2 weeks off river water
Holly Courtier was found in Zion National Park in Utah on Sunday, nearly two weeks after she disappeared on a day hike. Sgt. Darrell Cashin, who helped the search-and-rescue effort, now says he has questions about Courtier's story and pointed out discrepancies. For example, Courtier's daughter told CNN that her mother hit her head early in the hike and became so dehydrated that she couldn't open her mouth.
PoliticsMiami HeraldHere’s how Trump and Biden stack up in polling in six key battleground states
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are competing for voters in battleground states that will likely sway the November election: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania had voted consistently for Democratic presidential candidates from 1992 to 2012, with Trump being the first Republican to break the streak of blue wins in those states with narrow victories. According to RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight average of polling, Biden is leading in all six states, but it's a close race in some like Florida — a critical swing state with 29 Electoral College votes.
PoliticsUSA TODAY100-year-old voter shares advice ahead of election, names favorite president in her lifetime
Mabel Cook is older than the right to vote, and in advance of her 101st birthday on Oct. 28, she exercised that right. The only reason she did not vote for the other four — Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge or Herbert Hoover — was because she was just too young. Now, at her advanced age, Cook is living up to her maiden name — Duty — by doing her civic duty and voting.
WorldAssociated PressCartel battles stun once-peaceful state in central Mexico
Much of the bloodshed is due to a clash between the rising Jalisco New Generation Cartel based in a neighboring state and a local gang named for the town where it originated, Santa Rosa de Lima. The conflict has intensified since the local group, weakened by arrests of its leaders, allied itself with what has long been one of Mexico's most powerful cartels, Sinaloa, which had been alarmed by the Jalisco cartel's rise. And much of that struggle is for control of the market for methamphetamines — both routes to the United States and locally, where the color of the meth or the markings on the package in an addict's pocket may determine whether he lives or dies.
BusinessReutersIndia's richest state invites Tesla after Musk hints entry into country
India's richest state Maharashtra has invited U.S. electric-car maker Tesla Inc, weeks after its Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk suggested entering the country next year. In a tweet https://twitter.com/AUThackeray/status/1319303674967977984 on Thursday, state tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said he and industries minister Subhash Desai held a video call with Tesla executives earlier in the day to invite them to the state. Earlier this month, Musk said "Next year for sure" on Twitter in reply to a post with a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: "India wants Tesla".
PoliticsThe IndependentLindsey Graham accused of dodging debate as polls show challenger Jaime Harrison closing in
Senator Lindsey Graham skipped a debate and insisted he would not return to his home state of South Carolina until Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed by the senate, as polls showed him facing an increasingly tough re-election bid. The senator did not attend the debate previously scheduled for Wednesday against his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, stating at a rally earlier in the week that he was “headed back to Washington” and adding: “I'm not coming back until Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court Justice.” Recent polls have shown Mr Harrison, associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former chair of the state's Democratic Party, rising in his bid to unseat the Republican incumbent.
LifestyleArchitectural Digest26 Neutral Rugs That Make the Case for Beige
Warm up any room with a wallet-friendly classic. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.INSIDERA 73-year-old in Colorado was fined more than $1,000 after her pet deer gored a woman walking her dog
Tynette Housley, 73, has been fined $1,098 after a deer she illegally raised in her home gored one of her neighbors. The neighbor, who is now recovering after a hospitalization, was walking her dog when the deer attacked her on Friday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said in a statement about the incident. The deer has been euthanized, and CPW cited Housley on misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of wildlife and illegally feeding wildlife.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionWhy Donald Trump releasing his full '60 Minutes' interview is a major media miscalculation
After teasing it for a day or two, on Thursday President Donald Trump released an unedited version of the upcoming “60 Minutes” interview he did with Leslie Stahl. Trump spent most of the week complaining that the interview, which is scheduled to air during Sunday night's episode, was “FAKE” and “BIASED." In fact in the video, which Trump posted on his Facebook page, Stahl comes off as patient, if probing — exactly what she is supposed to do, in other words.
WorldAssociated PressMixed Philippine reaction on pope nod on gay civil unions
Pope Francis' endorsement of same-sex civil unions drew mixed reactions Thursday in the Philippines, Asia's bastion of Catholicism, with a retired bishop saying he was scandalized by it while an LGBT group welcomed the pontiff's remarks with relief. President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said the Philippine leader has long expressed support to same-sex civil unions but added it needed to pass through Congress. Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said he “had very serious doubts about the moral correctness” of the pontiff's position.
WorldMiami HeraldTrinidad says idle Venezuela oil vessel not a threat. Environmentalists are not convinced.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago said Thursday that a floating oil-storage vessel with nearly 55 million gallons of Venezuelan crude oil floating off its coast is not taking on water and shows no sign of capsizing and creating an environmental disaster off the coast of South America. Trinidad Energy Minister Franklin Khan also confirmed press reports that Venezuela had started to transfer the crude oil onboard the FSO Nabarima to a tanker via a barge. Khan said while the process of emptying the 1.3 million barrels of oil from the Nabarima is safe, they are concerned about the inordinate amount of time — approximately 35 days — it will take and plan to ask Venezuela to use a larger ship.
PoliticsThe IndependentAn acid attack and golf carts at war: The battle to win over retired Florida voters is tearing apart The Villages
Golf carts to zip around on, a wealth of activities to keep oneself busy, and a bunch of casual, convenient bars whenever you decide its 6pm. In recent months, however, the slow-paced calm of The Villages, a planned community for people aged over 55 that has already hit 150,000 and is among the largest in the world, has been abruptly shaken by raw party politics. A convoy of Donald Trump supporters in golf carts were booed and yelled out by supporters of Joe Biden, one of whom yelled: “F*** Trump.”
WorldAssociated PressPutin: Russia-China military alliance can't be ruled out
The Russian leader also made a strong call for extending the last remaining arms control pact between Moscow and Washington. Asked during a video conference with international foreign policy experts Thursday whether a military union between Moscow and Beijing was possible, Putin replied that “we don't need it, but, theoretically, it's quite possible to imagine it. Russia and China have hailed their “strategic partnership,” but so far rejected any talk about the possibility of their forming a military alliance.
U.S.BBCBreonna Taylor: Officer in shooting says it 'was not a race thing'
A US policeman involved in the controversial killing of black woman Breonna Taylor in her home has broken his silence in his first interview. Sgt Jonathan Mattingly, who was shot in the leg by Ms Taylor's boyfriend, said the case had "nothing to do with race". Mr Mattingly is one of three Louisville Metropolitan Police officers who prosecutors say were cleared of murder charges by a grand jury last month.
U.S.Associated PressColorado wildfires drag on later than normal, break records
While it could be an apocalyptic scene out of a movie, it's become the reality of Colorado's wildfire season. One of Colorado's smaller fires exploded late Wednesday from 30 square miles (78 square kilometers) to 196 square miles (508 square kilometers) and closed Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado's fires haven't destroyed as many homes as the headline-grabbing wildfires in California and the Pacific Northwest the past few months, but they have worn down residents already weary from the coronavirus pandemic.
PoliticsMiami HeraldRomney says he didn’t vote for Trump, joining list of Republicans wavering in support
Sen. Mitt Romney said Wednesday he didn't vote for President Donald Trump, joining other Republicans breaking from their party or questioning their reelection vote. The Utah senator and the GOP's 2012 presidential candidate told CNN he already voted, but declined to say for who he voted. “I did not vote for President Trump,” Romney said.
PoliticsThe IndependentLincoln Project targets Ivanka and Jared for Covid-19 death count with massive Times Square billboards
The Lincoln Project has installed two large advertisements in New York's Times Square taking aim at Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. On one Ms Trump is depicted posing as a spokesmodel, gesturing towards the latest count of how many New Yorkers and how many Americans in total have died from Covid-19. A large quote attributed to Mr Kushner by Vanity Fair adorns the second billboard beside a smiling corporate-style portrait of him.
BusinessBusiness InsiderDelta brutally subtweets rival airlines like American and United for not blocking middle seats during a pandemic
A tweet posted to Delta's main account, which read "A haunted house, but they're not blocking middle seats," appeared to call out competitor airlines for their COVID-19 safety precautions. Delta is the only major US airline that has continued to block middle seats to lessen the risk of spreading COVID-19 onboard. Epidemiologists have said sitting too close together on air planes increases the risk of contracting COVID-19 from a nearby passenger.
WorldAssociated PressIn Dubai, oil-rich UAE sees a new wonder: A coal power plant
A new wonder is rising in the southern desert of Dubai against the backdrop of Persian Gulf beaches, but it's not another skyscraper to grace the futuristic sheikhdom. The construction of the $3.4 billion Hassyan plant in Dubai appears puzzling, as the United Arab Emirates hosts the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency. It's also building the peninsula's first nuclear power plant and endlessly promotes its vast solar-power plant named after Dubai's ruler.
WorldBBCCanada's Trudeau survives latest confidence vote
The vote on Wednesday was over a Conservative motion demanding a special committee on coronavirus aid spending. It comes a year to the day that Mr Trudeau retained power in a narrow election win. The political drama concerned an opposition motion seeking to create a special parliamentary committee to probe the Liberal government's pandemic relief spending.
“Until solar and wind power take more of the energy load, I like not paying an arm and a leg to heat my house.”
“It is imperative to ramp down greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.”
“Any kind of ban on fracking would cause severe damage to our stressed economy.”
“Climate scientists are urging us to leave all fossil fuels in the ground so that they’ll never be burned. That includes natural gas.”
“Any immediate economic repercussions to the economy can be offset if oil-and-gas companies are made to pay their fair share.”