Trump says fear of 'low income housing' will bring 'the suburban housewife' to his side

President Trump turned again to racist attacks on Joe Biden's housing policy Wednesday, with an appeal to “the suburban housewife” that sounds a jarringly out-of-touch note in 2020. Last month Trump announced he was repealing the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which was intended to fight housing discrimination by strengthening implementation of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

• 
  Trump expects 'suburban housewives' to put him in the winners circle on Election Day

  FOX News Videos
• 
  Trump claims to save the 'suburban lifestyle dream' — but whose dream is it?

  TODAY

A beloved lesbian baker in Detroit got a homophobic cake order. Here's why she made it anyway.

As a Black, openly gay woman, April Anderson said she is no stranger to discrimination. It was a disturbing slap in the face to Anderson and her wife and business partner, Michelle. “We are so used to being Black lesbian women,” Anderson said.

In These Uncertain Hours, the Classic Cool of a Gentleman’s Watch Endures

Shop watches for every occasion Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Protesters in Minneapolis say they won't clear barricades around the George Floyd Memorial until the city leaders meet their 24 demands

Protesters in Minneapolis say they won't allow the city to remove the cement barricades around the George Floyd memorial until the city meets 24 demands, WCCO reported. The demands include recalling Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, firing four employees of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and ending qualified immunity. George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes until he became unresponsive.

Airbnb is suing a guest who threw a party after 3 people were injured in a shooting at the short-term rental

Airbnb says it will pursue legal claims and damages against a guest who threw a party at a Sacramento rental Saturday where three people were shot and injured. Airbnb says the guest booked the short-term rental under false pretenses, acted with negligence, and violated public health orders. The guest has been banned from Airbnb's platform.

North Korea nuclear reactor site threatened by recent flooding, U.S. think-tank says

Satellite imagery suggests recent flooding in North Korea may have damaged pump houses connected to the country's main nuclear facility, a U.S.-based think-tank said on Thursday. Analysts at 38 North, a website that monitors North Korea, said commercial satellite imagery from August 6-11 showed how vulnerable the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center's nuclear reactor cooling systems are to extreme weather events. The Korean peninsula has been hammered by one of the longest rainy spells in recent history, with floods and landslides causing damage and deaths in both North and South Korea.

Conservatives are trying to destroy the US Postal Service. Instead we should expand it

The US Post Office Department was created by the federal government soon after the American Revolution with a mission to connect a geographically diverse country and avoid the state censorship that plagued colonial America. In the centuries that followed, it has only expanded that mandate, maintaining tens of thousands of far-flung retail offices and postal boxes, all at no taxpayer expense. No surprise that 91% of Americans hold a favorable view of the USPS.

• 
  Trump admits to blocking Postal Service funding to undercut voting by mail

  LA Times
• 
  U.S. Postal Service shakeup sparks election fears

  Reuters Videos

"Too many stories" of deaths, assault and harassment at Fort Hood

An independent group of investigators from the U.S. Army will be probing the rise of serious crimes at Fort Hood, Texas, involving the military base's soldiers. At least nine service members have been found dead at Fort Hood, and in more than half of those cases, foul play has not been ruled out. As recently as Monday, local police arrested two of the base's soldiers for their alleged involvement in a sex trafficking scheme.

'Antifa' website cited in conservative media attack on Biden is linked to — wait for it — Russia

At his press briefing Wednesday, President Trump, as he usually does, called for a question from Chanel Rion, the chief White House correspondent for the conservative One America News network, which has at times replaced Fox News as the president's favorite news outlet. Rion's question had nothing to do with COVID-19 or the economic recovery Trump had been boasting about, but instead brought up an obscure website, antifa.com. I wanted to highlight a kind of odd situation.

• 
  Reporter Asks Donald Trump If He Regrets “All The Lying You Have Done,” But The President Moves On To The Next Question

  Deadline
• 
  Trump answers reporter's question about antifa.com

  Yahoo News Video

Georgia shop that said it would charge only white people $20 booking fee apologizes

A coastal Georgia clothing store is apologizing for an appointment policy some customers say is discriminatory. Civvies on Broughton in Savannah sparked a social media firestorm this week after it said it would charge only white customers a refundable $20 fee to shop at the vintage clothing store, WJCL reported. The deposit, which was used to hold a customer's appointment slot, was waived for customers of color, however.

Portland protest clashes re-emerge near US courthouse

Protesters and police clashed in downtown Portland in a demonstration that lasted into the predawn hours of Thursday, with some in the crowd setting a fire and exploding commercial grade fireworks outside a federal courthouse that's been a target in months of conflict for Oregon's largest city. Officers used tear gas to break up the crowd of several hundred people who gathered near the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, the neighboring Multnomah County Justice Center and a nearby police precinct station. Protesters hurled rocks, bottles and paint at officers during the demonstration that started Wednesday night and went into Thursday morning, Portland police said in a statement.

• 
  Portland district attorney will stop prosecuting non-violent misdemeanors tied to protests

  The Independent
• 
  Tear gas at Portland protests raises concern about pollution

  Associated Press

US labels Confucius Institute a Chinese 'foreign mission'

The US has designated the Confucius Institute (CI), the Chinese government-run global education programme, as a foreign propaganda mission. It comes amid worsening relations between China and the US. In a statement announcing the move, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the Confucius Institute "an entity advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign" on American classrooms and campuses.

• 
  Pompeo Declares Confucius Institute Part of Beijing’s ‘Propaganda Apparatus,’ Applies ‘Foreign Mission’ Designation

  National Review
• 
  State Department to Require Chinese ‘Confucius Institutes’ to Register as Foreign Agents: Report

  National Review

An admitted KKK leader has been sentenced to 6 years in prison after driving a truck through a crowd of protesters in June

A Virginia man who boasted of his Ku Klux Klan rank was sentenced to six years in prison after driving his pickup truck into a crowd of protesters demonstrating against police violence. Court records show that Harry Rogers, 37, was convicted of six misdemeanors, and still faces three additional felony charges. Prosecutors said Rogers drove "recklessly" down the median of a road, then "drove up to the protesters, revved the engine, and drove into the protesters."

Taiwan says discussing purchase of U.S. mines, cruise missiles

Taiwan is in discussions with the United States on acquiring underwater sea mines to deter amphibious landings as well as cruise missiles for coastal defense, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to United States said on Wednesday. Speaking to the Washington's Hudson Institute think tank, Hsiao Bi-khim said Taiwan was facing "an existential survival issue," given China's territorial and sovereignty claims over the island and needed to expand its asymmetric capabilities. Hsiao said Taipei was currently working with the United States on acquiring a number of hardware capabilities, including cruise missiles that would work in conjunction with Taiwan's indigenous Hsiung Feng missile system to provide better coastal defense.

Teens and young adults who vape are 5 to 7 times more likely to get coronavirus, a new study found

People who both vaped and smoked cigarettes were 7 times more likely to have COVID-19 Though older people are more likely to develop severe coronavirus symptoms like pneumonia and shortness of breath, young people began to fill hospitals as the US reopened. Young patients' cases didn't necessarily resolve quickly either: A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in July found that nearly 20% of young, previously healthy coronavirus patients hadn't recovered after two to three weeks of illness. The Stanford researchers behind the new study set out to investigate vaping's potential as a risk factor among these young, otherwise healthy people.

• 
  Vaping Linked to Increased COVID-19 Risk, According to New Study

  Meredith Videos
• 
  Vaping makes teens 5 times more likely to get infected with COVID-19

  Yahoo Life

AOC responds to apparent Democratic party convention speech snub: 'Eternity is in it'

Firebrand lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has hit back at an alleged snub by the Democratic party after being given just 60 seconds to deliver a speech a next week's convention. AOC responded on Twitter by posting the poem 'I have only just a minute', written by the late Dr Benjamin E. Mays, an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader. AOC's message appears to be that she intends to make full use of her convention speech – regardless of long she has been given.

• 
  AOC Has a Sweet Virtual Reunion with Her Second-Grade Teacher

  Harper's Bazaar
• 
  'Ms. Jacobs! Is that you?!' See AOC's sweet Twitter exchange with former teacher

  TODAY

In dramatic shift, half of Americans fear difficulties voting in November election, poll says

As the U.S. battles a global pandemic and President Donald Trump fights widespread mail-in voting, nearly half of registered voters, 49%, expect to have difficulties casting a ballot in the November presidential election. It's a dramatic spike in fears about voting from the 2018 midterm election when only 15% of voters said they anticipated difficulties. The findings, outlined in a new poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, come as most states have taken action to expand mail-in voting opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic ahead of November.

• 
  Trump's Battle Over US Postal Service Funding: What You Need To Know

  Benzinga
• 
  Trump says he is holding up coronavirus aid to block Democrats' bid for election funding

  Reuters

Customers attack Chili’s hostess over socially distant seating, Louisiana police say

A teenage hostess at a Chili's restaurant at in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went to a hospital with minor injuries after an alleged attack by a group of customers upset over COVID-19 seating restrictions. Kelsy Wallace, 17, says she was attacked Sunday when she tried to enforce the restaurant's social-distancing polices and informed the group of women they wouldn't be able to sit together, WAFB reported. My general manager and my other managers tell us we cannot sit a table bigger than six because of the corona[virus],” she told the news station.

US says Iran briefly seizes oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian navy boarded and briefly seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S., the American military said Thursday. The U.S. military's Central Command published a black-and-white video showing what appeared to be special forces fast-roping down from a helicopter onto the MT Wila, whose last position appeared to be off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates near the city of Khorfakkan. The Iranian navy held the vessel for some five hours before releasing it Wednesday, said a U.S. military official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.

• 
  U.S. Seizes Iranian Fuel Cargo for First Time

  The Wall Street Journal
• 
  Officials: U.S. seizes Iranian gas heading for Venezuela

  Associated Press

I used to be critical of Kamala Harris. Now I am going to defend her at every turn

The historic announcement of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's VP pick is another reminder that multiple things can be true at the same time. Harris is undeniably brilliant, has recently introduced bills that would specifically improve the quality of live for Black Americans, and by all accounts she is superior in every way imaginable to the current president. In fact, adding her to the ticket has made me far more enthusiastic about this race than I was even days before the announcement.

• 
  'Good day for our country': Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick

  The Guardian
• 
  POWER PLAYERS: The 16 key healthcare experts advising Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

  Business Insider

A grapefruit-scented perfume ingredient that's toxic to ticks and mosquitoes is the first new insect repellent to be approved in a decade

The EPA has approved a new ingredient, nootkatone, for use in insecticides and insect repellents. Nootkatone is effective at repelling and killing mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting pests. The chemical is nontoxic to humans and has been used in perfume and food for its grapefruit aroma.

• 
  Roses are Red: Perfume & Lipstick Escentials

  PR Newswire
• 
  All of the Most Expensive-Smelling Perfumes Have This Important Note in Common

  Who What Wear

Bill Cosby files new appeal over sexual assault conviction

US comedian Bill Cosby, who is serving three and a half years in jail, has filed a new appeal against his conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman 15 years ago. In court documents filed Tuesday with Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, Cosby's lawyers argue that five women should not have been allowed to give evidence at his trial as witnesses. The attorneys also argue it was "fundamentally unfair" that deposition testimony Cosby gave in a civil case regarding his use of sedative drugs and his sexual behaviors in the 1970s was heard in court.

What Do All of Your Favorite Summer Beverages Have in Common?

They're best served cold, and in a stylish pitcher Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

• 
  Hop on the House Dress Trend With These Stylish Yet Comfy Designs

  Cosmopolitan
• 
  11 Flannel Outfits for a Stylish and Plaid-Filled Fall

  PureWow