2020 Vision Thursday: Why Kamala Harris is struggling in the polls

The second poll, commissioned by Focus on Rural America and conducted by Harris's own chief pollster, took the temperature of Democratic primary voters in Iowa. It showed an even bigger decline for Harris than the new national poll: a loss of 13 percentage points between July and September. In that poll Harris now ranks sixth, behind Amy Klobuchar.

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  Kamala Harris doubles staff, more than doubles offices in Iowa

  USA TODAY
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  Buttigieg, Harris head to Iowa, seeking to rise into 2020 Democratic top tier

  Reuters

PHOTOS: Tropical Storm Imelda floods Texas

Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said there had been a combination of at least 1,700 high-water rescues and evacuations to get people to shelter as the longevity and intensity of the rain quickly came to surprise even those who had been bracing for floods. The storm also flooded parts of southwestern Louisiana. More than 900 flights were canceled or delayed in Houston.

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  Storm Imelda: People warned to stay indoors as ‘extreme’ floods hit Texas

  The Independent
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  Major flooding in Texas claims at least two lives

  ABC News Videos

'Shocked and devastated': Connecticut father, son die in tragic fall after riding ATVs in abandoned quarry

"[Mark's] dad went to look at something, tripped and his son went to grab him and they both fell," the witness said during a 911 call reporting the incident. The father and son, who were both pronounced dead at the scene, spent a lot of time together, according to friends and family. "They're the type of guys that at 2 a.m. in the morning if your house was on fire, they'd be the first ones there," their boss, Dan Siracusa, told WFSB-TV.

New Kavanaugh claims: What’s the impact?

Allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were the source of intense debate during his confirmation hearing last year. The issue has resurfaced, after a story published in the New York Times that adds detail to an account from Deborah Ramirez, one of Kavanaugh's Yale classmates, who says he exposed himself to her at a party. Much of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing focused on a decades-old assault allegation from Christine Blasey Ford that the Times article's authors said they found “credible” in their reporting.

Texas man wanted for allegedly divorcing his wife without her knowledge

A Texas man is wanted by police after he allegedly filed for and completed divorce proceedings against his wife without her knowledge. Paul Nixon, 51, was accused of aggravated forgery — a felony charge — after authorities discovered his fraudulent divorce paperwork, the Houston Chronicle reports. Nixon apparently filed the paperwork on Feb. 15, the day after Valentine's Day.

‘It’s happening’: Alien-enthusiasts descend on Area 51 for a UFO party — ‘storm’ or no storm

Get an inside look on how the small town of Rachel, Nevada is getting ready for Alienstock this weekend. With just one day to the festival, the small town with a population of 54 is getting ready for what could be thousands of visitors.

• A group of people ready to ‘Storm Area 51' were met by armed guards at the gate

  Mashable
• Hero kid Naruto runs behind a reporter on live TV outside Area 51

  Mashable

Architect Reinaldo Leandro on the Art of Building Design and Personal Style

The prominent architect and co-founder of the multidisciplinary design firm Ashe Leandro shares his thoughts on how the way he dresses relates to his design sensibility Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Sheriff: 1 officer dead, 1 injured in Louisiana shooting

One police officer was fatally shot and another wounded Friday after a vehicle chase north of New Orleans, authorities said. Mandeville Police Chief Gerald Sticker confirmed one officer's death and the other's injury from gunfire in his community on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, near U.S. 190 and Louisiana Highway 22. Sticker said at a news conference that the wounded officer, who's being treated at Lakeview Regional Medical Center, is expected to survive.

American Airlines Mechanic who Sabotaged Plane before Takeoff Suspected of ISIS Ties

A federal judge denied bail on Wednesday to an American Airlines mechanic, who has been incarcerated since July for sabotaging a plane with 150 people on board, due to suspicions the mechanic has ties to ISIS. Abdul-Majeed Alani was arrested on September 5 and confessed to tampering with a Boeing 737 at Miami International Airport weeks earlier, grounding the plane before it had a chance to take off. In the Wednesday bail hearing, prosecutors announced that Alani has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with ISIS, and that Alani had previously expressed his desire for Allah to harm non-Muslims.

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  FBI finds evidence mechanic accused of sabotaging passenger jet may have ties to ISIS

  FOX News Videos
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  Judge denies bail to American Airlines mechanic accused of working with terrorist organization

  FOX News Videos

Why Trump had a wad of cash in his back pocket

While boarding Air Force One during a fundraising swing through California, President Trump was photographed with multiple $20 bills visible in his back pocket. The photo, taken at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View by Reuters photographer Tom Brenner on Tuesday, quickly went viral. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his return flight to Washington on Wednesday night, the president was asked about the photo and if he normally carries loose cash in his pocket.

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  Money nearly falls out of Trump's pocket as he boards AF1

  Reuters Videos
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  $20 Bill Almost Escapes From Donald Trump's Back Pocket

  CBSTV Videos

Death of troubled officer whose gun wasn't taken away marks record number of suicides in NYPD

A New York police officer's recent death has disturbingly highlighted the record number of suicides among members of the New York Police Department this year, according to the New York Times. On Aug. 14, Robert Echeverria, 56, shot himself at his home in Laurelton, Queens, and died at a nearby hospital. When detectives arrived at his sister's home to break the news, she had already suspected the worst, she told the newspaper.

'This Is an Emergency. Our House Is on Fire.' Greta Thunberg Addresses New York's Climate Strike

The strike, which is organized by The Climate Strike Coalition, was intended to kick off a week events to highlight climate change. One of the flagship protests on Friday was in New York City, three days before the U.N. Climate Summit. Tens of thousands of people turned out for the strikes with climate group 350.org estimating that as many as 300,000 attended.

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  Greta Thunberg hopes climate strikes will be 'social tipping point'

  AFP
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  Advertising, Marketing And Media Industry Leaders Pledge Climate Action On Eve Of Student Climate Strike

  PR Newswire

High school sparks controversy over 'ridiculous' lunch: 'It's honestly sad'

A Minnesota high school is facing criticism for serving a meal that many people have since called "ridiculous." Last Friday, Maryn Holler, a student at Apollo High School in St. Cloud, shared two photos of a lunch tray filled with baby carrots, a cup of marinara sauce and a hot dog bun filled with melted cheese. "Alright so i paid for this to eat at lunch today," she wrote on Facebook.

Area 51 raid morphs into pre-dawn celebration outside secretive U.S. base

A call to "storm" the secretive U.S. military base in the Nevada desert known as Area 51 attracted several dozen revelers to a heavily guarded entrance Friday, but most did not attempt to enter the site, long rumored to house secrets about extraterrestrial life. A festive scene emerged around 3 a.m. PT (1000 GMT) on Friday, the date and time a Facebook user had jokingly invited people to run into the base on foot to "see them aliens."

• Hero kid Naruto runs behind a reporter on live TV outside Area 51

  Mashable
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  It's Happening. Here's Everything We Know About Storm Area 51's 'Alienstock' Festival

  Meredith Videos

Jerry becomes a hurricane en route to Puerto Rico; Humberto knocks out power in Bermuda

Tropical Storm Jerry strengthened into a hurricane Thursday as it trekked westward toward Puerto Rico along a path already followed this year by Hurricanes Dorian and Humberto. The National Hurricane Center said Jerry's center was expected to pass north of Puerto Rico on Saturday and east of the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday. inches of rain: Hundreds rescued from 'life threatening' floods as Imelda drenches Texas Forecasters warned of likely life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for portions of the northern Leeward Islands on Thursday afternoon.

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  Hurricane Lorena makes landfall at Mexico's Los Cabos resort

  AFP
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  What Imelda would look like if it hit New York, L.A. or D.C.

  AccuWeather

State sending troopers to help fight St. Louis crime

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is sending highway patrol troopers and other state workers to St. Louis as part of an effort to fight the surge of violent crime that has included the killings of more than a dozen children in the region so far this year. Parson said the total cost of the state's commitment, including the 25 state employees who will work in the St. Louis region, is up to $4 million. "This is about targeting violent criminals and getting them off the street," Parson said at a news conference in St. Louis.

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  Missouri governor sending state troopers to St. Louis to combat youth gun violence

  ABC News
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  State troopers sent to St. Louis to tackle gun violence: MO governor

  ABC News Videos

Republican Rep Spars with Al Sharpton over Past Anti-Semitic, Racist Remarks during Congressional Hearing

Sparks flew at a House Judiciary Committee on policing last Thursday as Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Flo.) questioned witness Al Sharpton regarding derogatory comments he allegedly made about Jews, whites and African Americans. Gaetz posted a shortened version of the exchange on YouTube, which nevertheless runs to almost a quarter of an hour. Gaetz, like Sharpton, is known for his combative style.

Trump slams 'partisan' whistleblower, Biden pushes back

US President Donald Trump on Friday vigorously rejected a whistleblower's claim of wrongdoing, amid reports he used a call with Ukraine's president to pressure him to investigate the son of Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden. The whistleblower's secret complaint has triggered a tense showdown between Congress, whose Democratic leaders are demanding to review the complaint, and the executive branch which has barred them from doing so. It has also raised concerns Trump sought to strong-arm Ukraine into providing damaging information on the president's possible 2020 challenger, which would represent dangerous foreign meddling in the US election -- similar to the interference blamed on Russia in 2016, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.

• Whistleblower Complaint Against Trump Involves Ukraine and a Promise to Foreign Leader

  National Review
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  Trump asked Ukraine president 8 times to investigate Joe Biden's son, say reports

  The Independent

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Verdict Leads to Angry Fallout

TOKYO—Three executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) who ignored repeated warnings of a potential tidal wave that could result in a nuclear disaster, which did in fact take place, were found not guilty of criminal negligence resulting in death and injury by a Tokyo Court on Thursday. The Tokyo District Court ruled former executives of TEPCO were not guilty of criminal negligence, in the only criminal prosecution to come out of the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

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  Fukushima chronology

  AFP Videographics
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  Power company execs cleared in Fukushima case

  CBS News Videos

Single 25-year-old mother of 3 diagnosed with terminal cancer: 'I'm scared of leaving them behind'

A single mother of three who had gone cancer-free for months has now been diagnosed with terminal cancer, WOIA reports. Kary Gomez, 25, of San Antonio, Texas, was first diagnosed with rectal cancer last year. After undergoing three surgeries, she was reportedly told in May that she was cancer-free.

Elizabeth Warren Declares War on Lobbying, Hires Lobbyist One Day Later

“The fundamental promise of our democracy is that every voice matters,” Warren's plan states. The next day, Kimberly Diaz Scott, who registered as a lobbyist for the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates as recently as January 2019, announced that she was leaving the organization to head up Warren's campaign in Florida. “I won't be far from the movement, as I'm humbled and proud to announce my transition as the Florida State Director for Warren for President, assuring that we will continue to fight like hell to elect a brilliant leader who will work to protect the health, safety and future of ALL people,” Diaz wrote, the Miami Herald reported.

‘House Hunters’ host Suzanne Whang dies at 56 after long battle with cancer

Suzanne Whang, who hosted HGTV's "House Hunters" for nearly a decade, died on Thursday after a long battle with breast cancer. Whang's partner, Jeff Vezain, took to Facebook to announce her death in an emotional message. "On Tuesday evening around 7:20pm, Suzanne breathed her last breath here at home, as I knelt beside her and caressed her.

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  ‘House Hunters’ narrator Suzanna Whang dies after breast cancer battle

  ABC News Videos
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  Suzanne Whang death: House Hunters host dies aged 57 following breast cancer diagnosis

  The Independent

India Is Planning a Huge China-Style Facial Recognition Program

India is planning to set up one of the world's largest facial recognition systems, potentially a lucrative opportunity for surveillance companies and a nightmare for privacy advocates who fear it will lead to a Chinese-style Orwellian state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will open bids next month to build a system to centralize facial recognition data captured through surveillance cameras across India. It would link up with databases containing records for everything from passports to fingerprints to help India's depleted police force identify criminals, missing persons and dead bodies.

Marianne Williamson wants a national mandatory service for people ages 18-26 to combat climate change

At a presidential climate change forum on Thursday, author and Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson floated the idea of a national mandatory year of service for young adults to tackle climate change. "I would like to ask your opinion, I think during the 'season of repair,' we should have a mandatory national service, one year, for people between 18 and 26 because we need you," Williamson said. "We need to fix this climate. MSNBC's Ali Velshi asked the audience, which consisted mainly of students, to raise their hands if they liked the idea.