PoliticsAFPSwaggering Trump goes into first Biden debate eager to fight
Donald Trump always fancied himself streetwise, a real tough guy, and at the first presidential debate with Joe Biden next week he'll be wearing the verbal brass knuckles. Trump, 74, is not a leader comfortable with the soaring rhetoric of JFK or Ronald Reagan. He's not one for the nuanced elegance that fans loved -- and detractors saw as aloofness -- in the speeches of Barack Obama.
U.S.The Daily BeastSole Witness Who Heard Cops Announce Themselves in Breonna Taylor Raid Changed His Story
This week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made the bombshell announcement that the cops who fatally shot Breonna Taylor would not be charged with killing her, calling their use of force in the March raid “justified to protect themselves.” In that justification, he said that one witness corroborated the three officers' insistence that they knocked and identified themselves at Taylor's Louisville home while executing a search warrant in connection with a narcotics investigation. It contradicted claims from Taylor's boyfriend, Kenny Walker, and 11 other residents, who said they didn't hear the cops announce themselves.
U.S.INSIDERKyle Rittenhouse's mom reportedly received a 'standing ovation' from the crowd at a Republican event in Wisconsin
Wendy Rittenhouse, the mother of accused Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, reportedly received a standing ovation at a GOP event in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, on Thursday. Rittenhouse was invited by conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, who was speaking at the event about "safety and self-defense" organized by the Republican Women of Waukesha County. Police say Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, from his home in Illinois where he shot three people, killing two of them, at demonstrations following the caught-on-camera police shooting of Jacob Blake.
PoliticsAssociated PressVoters' poorly marked ovals could lead to contested ballots
Voters marking ballots from home could lead to an increase in the kinds of mistakes that typically would be caught by a scanner or election worker at the polls. Experts say that's likely to mean more ballots with questionable marks requiring review. That's not necessarily a bad thing under normal circumstances, but President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of mail-in voting, and his campaign has already challenged aspects of it in court.
PoliticsThe IndependentProud Boys Portland rally: Fred Perry tells right-wing group to stop wearing its iconic T-shirts
Fred Perry has told Proud Boys to stop wearing its iconic T-shirts ahead of a rally the right-wing group has organised in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday. "It is incredibly frustrating that this group has appropriated our ... twin tipped shirt and subverted our Laurel Wreath to their own ends," the company said in a statement on its website. "To be absolutely clear, if you see any Proud Boys materials or products featuring our Laurel Wreath or any Black/Yellow/Yellow related items, they have absolutely nothing to do with us, and we are working with our lawyers to pursue any unlawful use of our brand."
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionAmy Coney Barrett was our professor. She'll serve America as well as she served her students.
President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday to serve on the United States Supreme Court. We all have had the privilege of being Judge Barrett's students. While we hold a variety of views regarding how best to interpret statutes and the Constitution, we all agree on this: The nation could not ask for a more qualified candidate than the professor we have come to know and revere.
U.S.ReutersTwo charged in deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Massachusetts veterans' home
Two former heads of a Massachusetts veterans home have been indicted on criminal neglect charges for their roles in handling a COVID-19 outbreak that killed 76 people, the state's attorney general said on Friday. Massachusetts Attorney Maura Healey said the criminal case against the former officials at Holyoke Soldiers' Home was believed to be the first yet linked to an outbreak at a U.S. nursing facility during the pandemic. The case against former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director David Clinton stemmed from a March decision to consolidate two dementia units, putting COVID-19 positive residents within feet of ones without symptoms, Healey said.
WorldThe TelegraphAmerican faces two years in prison for posting unflattering TripAdvisor review of Thailand island resort
An American could face up to two years in prison after leaving a negative review for a hotel in Thailand on TripAdvisor. The Sea View Resort on Koh Chang island claims Wesley Barnes launched a barrage of complaints against them after his stay, forcing them to take legal action. "The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionAngry about Breonna Taylor? Do what Barack Obama said in 2016: 'Don't boo. Vote'
We can measure equality in votes Speaking at the Republican National Convention last month, Cameron said that “Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts, but neither will we accept an all-out assault on Western civilization. Cameron also quoted President Dwight Eisenhower, saying that “democracy is a system that recognizes the equality of humans. He's right.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump doesn't expect to have a transfer of power because he's going to win the election
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House press secretary, said on Thursday that President Donald Trump didn't expect to have "any kind of transfer of power." "I think the president feels, like many Americans, that it's not going to matter, because he's going to win on Election Day," she told Fox News. Trump has caused alarm by refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election on November 3.
U.S.INSIDERA white supremacist gang member was killed during a shootout with police in California
A known member of a white supremacist gang died during a shootout with police on Thursday in Templeton, California, CNN reports. Christopher Michael Straub fled on foot during a traffic stop, hid, and then ambushed two deputies with a handgun, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. "He was known by us, he was wanted by us, and he was considered armed and dangerous," Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a news conference.
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McConnell on SCOTUS vacancy: ‘We can’t pick and choose when big decisions are foisted upon us’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defends his decision to move forward on the SCOTUS nomination ahead of President Trump's announcement; reaction from 'Outnumbered.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionOp-Ed: Democrats can't stop Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation. They can show how she would take away our rights
Everyone in this room knows that Sam Alito is going to be a very conservative justice. The Republicans are pretending that he has no ideology. The Democrats are trying to ask questions to trip him up or pin him down and he is too smart for that.
PoliticsSalonTrump calls on Joe Biden to drop out over allegations his own GOP Senate allies failed to prove
Donald Trump and Joe Biden Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images On Thursday, in a radio interview, President Donald Trump once again promoted unsubstantiated corruption allegations about Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine — and urged Joe Biden to "leave the campaign" because he "was in on it." Trump's remarks come just after his allies in the Senate, led by Homeland Security chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI), released the results of a highly partisan investigation into the Hunter Biden allegations. That report claimed the business dealings were "problematic" but failed to find any evidence that they influenced U.S. foreign policy.
U.S.USA TODAYThe 'very troubling' questions Kentucky's attorney general isn't answering on the Breonna Taylor decision
Attorneys and citizens say Wednesday's grand jury decision in Breonna Taylor's shooting death — and Attorney General Daniel Cameron's limited explanation of it — raises troubling questions he has so far refused to answer. The grand jury indicted former Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing bullets that went into apartment next to Taylor's during the attempt March 13 search that went awry. Police were trying to serve a "no-knock" search warrant shortly before 1 a.m. as part of a larger narcotics investigation, looking for drugs and cash that they suspected Taylor was holding for an ex-boyfriend.
U.S.Business InsiderTucker Carlson says 'every story' about Jacob Blake and George Floyd is a lie, the same day a federal judge wrote that viewers don't take Carlson's statements seriously
Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Thursday that "every story" told of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake, and other victims of police brutality is "at its core" a lie. Carlson made several claims about Floyd and Blake that omitted certain details. On the same day a federal judge dismissed a defamation case against Fox News, largely due to the network's argument that nobody takes Tucker Carlson seriously, the primetime host said on national television that "every story" about police brutality victims is a lie.
WorldThe TelegraphThousands of protesters gather to call for Netanyahu's resignation, despite a strict second lockdown
Thousands of Israelis protested outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, demanding his resignation over how the government has handled the coronavirus pandemic. The protests continue weeks of anti-Netanyahu demonstrations despite a strict lockdown order and one of the worst infection rates in the world. Draconian new lockdown measures came into force on Friday that closed many businesses, banned large gatherings and ordered people to stay close to their homes.
U.S.INSIDERFirefighters battling a Brooklyn blaze discovered up to $1 million cash when bundles started falling on their heads
Firefighters in New York arrived to extinguish a fire in Brooklyn on Thursday and came across approximately $1 million dollars that fell from the resident's ceiling, according to CBS New York. A source from the New York City Fire Department told the New York Post that the money "just kept falling out." First responders in New York reportedly found up to $1 million in cash while trying to extinguish a fire this week, according to CBS New York.
PoliticsSalonHere’s why the latest Texas polls are so ominous for the GOP — even if Trump wins the state
Donald Trump and Joe Biden | Texas Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images More polls on the 2020 presidential race have come in for Texas — and once again, former Vice President Joe Biden is within striking distance of President Donald Trump, who is ahead by only 3% in a New York Times/Siena poll and by 5% in a Quinnipiac poll. Texas is still in play for Biden, but even if Trump ultimately wins the Lone Star State, these polls are an ominous sign for the GOP and underscore the inroads Democrats are making in a state that Republicans can no longer take for granted. Texas' U.S. Senate race is another ominous sign for the GOP.
U.S.The Daily BeastGirlfriend of Dating App Killer ‘Got Off Sexually’ on Torture: Prosecutors
Bailey Boswell, the woman accused of helping her boyfriend strangle a 24-year-old wooed through Tinder, “got off sexually” from talking about killing and torture, prosecutors alleged on Friday, as the bombshell trial involving claims of a vampire sex cult began. Boswell, 26, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and improper disposal of human remains for her role in the 2017 slaying and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe, a cashier at a Lincoln home-improvements store. Prosecutors allege Boswell conspired for weeks with her boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, 52, to lure Loofe to her death.
PoliticsThe GuardianAmid talk of civil war, America is already split – Trump Nation has seceded
For Trump, blue states don't count because they're Anti-Trump Nation. To Trump and his core enablers and supporters, the laws of Trump Nation authorize him to do whatever he wants. Anti-Trump Nation's laws constrain him, but they're illegitimate because they are made and enforced by the people who reject him.
WorldAssociated PressMalaysia's embattled PM wins crucial state polls
Malaysia's 7-month-old ruling alliance triumphed Saturday in its first electoral test in eastern Sabah state, a major victory for embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin amid challenges to his leadership. Sabah was ruled by the opposition and the state poll was seen as a referendum for Muhyiddin's unelected government. Analysts said the victory could push Muhyiddin to call for early national elections to bolster his coalition that has a thin two-seat majority in Parliament.
U.S.USA TODAYNotre Dame profs push back on Amy Coney Barrett portrayals: Not just 'an ideological category'
SOUTH BEND, Indiana – When Amy Coney Barrett's colleagues at the University of Notre Dame Law School learned of her nomination for a federal appeals court seat in 2017, they began signing a letter of support for her confirmation. The letter began circulating on a Thursday, recalled professor Stephen Yelderman, who was traveling and could not immediately sign it. When Yelderman returned to the office after the weekend, his colleagues were quick to approach him.
U.S.The IndependentCoronavirus: More than 1,000 New Yorkers test positive in a day for first time since June
More than 1,000 New Yorkers have tested positive for Covid-19 in a single day on Friday. On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced there were 1,005 positive cases out of nearly 100,000 tests on the previous day. Mr Cuomo called for continued practice of virus-mitigation guidelines.
ScienceAccuWeatherColdest air yet this season to be unleashed across midwestern US as October begins
Residents of the Midwest may be wondering what month the calendar flipped to later this week, as a November-like air mass plunges in with gusty winds, spotty showers and perhaps even some snowflakes. Following a modest cooldown which will push high temperatures 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit below late-September averages early this week, the region will see a more drastic cool-down for the second half of the week. While average temperatures are beginning their rapid descent at this point in the year due to the decreasing sun angle and shorter amount of daylight, the magnitude of this cold spell is still likely to be significant in terms of departures from normal.
“Enfranchising 16-year-olds would be good for them and good for our democracy.”
“At 16, most kids have little awareness of politics, civics, or American history.”
“Voting is habit forming...which underscores the importance of having as stable an environment as possible for the youngest voters.”
“Keeping the voting age at 18 is not a slap at 16-year-olds. It is recognition that an informed electorate is the best kind.”
“When young people’s participation lags badly, issues important to them receive short shrift in the public discourse.”