- PoliticsYahoo News
Pro-abortion-rights group is all in for Biden but warns about 'gender stereotypes' in VP coverage
The head of NARAL Pro-Choice America told Yahoo News on Monday that the organization is “pulling out all the stops” to keep President Trump from being reelected, allocating $32 million to elect his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, this November. “We've got activists on the ground as well as communications to voters through a variety of means about the stakes of this election and absolutely the [Supreme] Court is a part of it,” Ilyse Hogue told Yahoo News' “Skullduggery” podcast in an interview. “We're running the largest independent expenditure that we have in the history of the organization because we could not be taking this election more seriously.”
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Appeals court seems wary of ordering dismissal of Flynn case
A federal appeals court in Washington appeared inclined Tuesday to let a judge decide on his own whether to grant the Justice Department's request to dismiss the criminal case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn. Many members of the court expressed repeated skepticism at arguments from the Justice Department and Flynn's attorneys that a judge was not empowered to probe the motives behind the government's decision to abandon the prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty as part of the special counsel's Russia investigation to lying to the FBI. The case will almost certainly persist for months if the court rejects Flynn's efforts to get a speedy dismissal and returns it to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who refused to immediately grant the department's request to drop the prosecution.
- WorldAFP
Bribes funded campaign of Mexico's Pena Nieto, ex-aide says
Multi-million-dollar bribes from a Brazilian construction giant financed the presidential campaign that brought Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto to power, a former top advisor revealed Tuesday according to prosecutors. The explosive allegations from Emilio Lozoya, who was Pena Nieto's chief international strategist prior to the 2012 election, are the latest twist in a scandal that has shaken Latin America. It follows the former aide's extradition from Spain last month to stand trial on corruption charges linked to Odebrecht, Latin America's biggest construction company.
- WorldBBC
Mauritius oil spill: Fears vessel may 'break in two' as cracks appear
Large cracks have reportedly appeared in the hull of a cargo ship leaking oil in Mauritius, prompting the prime minister to warn it may "break in two". The MV Wakashio, believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July. Despite bad weather, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said 500 tonnes had been safely pumped out on Monday.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Andrew Yang on Democratic National Convention: 'I kind of expected to speak'
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang voiced his disappointment in not being on the list of speakers at the upcoming Democratic National Convention after the lineup for the event was announced Monday. "I've got to be honest," Yang tweeted on Tuesday, "I kind of expected to speak." Yang speculated that the political endorsements he made through his non-profit organization, Humanity Forward, may have been the reason why he wasn't offered a speech slot.
- ScienceThe Telegraph
'Terror crocodiles' with teeth the size of bananas once roamed North America preying on dinosaurs
"Terror crocodiles" which had teeth the size of bananas and could reach 33 feet in length once roamed North America preying on dinosaurs, according to a new study. Researchers say the Deinosuchus, which means "terror crocodile", was the largest predator in its ecosystem when it roamed the earth between 75 to 82 million years ago, outweighing the largest predatory dinosaurs which existed at the same time. The new study, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, revisited fossil specimens of the gigantic creatures and found the Deinosuchus had teeth “the size of bananas”, capable of taking down even the very largest of dinosaurs.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
Dr. Sonia Angell, California's top health official, resigns
California's top public health official has resigned, just days after the state announced a fix for a glitch that caused a lag in reporting coronavirus test results used to make decisions about reopening businesses and schools.
- U.S.Business Insider
Police searched a United Airlines jet after a reportedly hallucinating passenger claimed there was a bomb on board
Police met a United Airlines flight landing at Newark on Sunday after a passenger said that she thought there was a bomb on board. Police did not find a bomb, and believe that the passenger was hallucinating while under the influence of marijuana and Adderall. A United flight from Los Angeles to Newark was forced to stop short of the gate when it landed on Sunday, after a woman on the flight stood up and said that she thought there was a bomb on board.
- PoliticsReuters
Schumer says Democrats ready for coronavirus aid talks, if Republicans move
U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that Democrats are ready to return to the negotiating table over coronavirus relief, if Republicans would agree to a larger bill than they have been willing to accept up to now. "Democrats remain ready to return to the table. We need our Republicans to join us there and meet us half way and work together to deliver immediate relief to the American people," Schumer said on the Senate floor.
- U.S.TODAY
Money offered for info on disappearance of ‘Tiger King’ star Carol Baskin's husband
The family of a Florida man who disappeared in 1997 and who appeared on the hit TV series “Tiger King,” has hired a lawyer and is offering $100,000 in exchange for information to help solve the case. Attorney John Phillips held a news conference in Tampa Monday and announced an independent investigation into Don Lewis' disappearance. Lewis vanished a day before a scheduled trip to Costa Rica and was never found.
- U.S.NBC News
Mother says son with autism was 'kicked out' of church by priest
Vicidomini said she and her family members attended Christ the King Church in Hillside, New Jersey, on Saturday for the baptism of her daughter, Sofia. Vicidomini, 38, said she'd been attending the Roman Catholic church since she was a child and that her two other children, Nicholas and Christopher, 16, had been baptized there. "We just wanted Nicholas to be part of the celebration," Vicidomini said, adding that she did not disclose that he had autism because she didn't think it was necessary as the ceremony was a private family event.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump claims he would have beaten George Washington in election while bragging about non-existent poll numbers
If Donald Trump were to square off with US founding father George Washington in an election, the current president would have had a leg up — so says Mr Trump. George Washington would have had a hard time beating me before the plague came in, before the China plague. The president has blamed several factors for his decline in the polls this summer against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has led him by a nearly double-digit margin at times during the pandemic.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
Where to Buy Wallpaper Online: 23 Stores With Unique Designs
Bring new life to your old walls Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- U.S.USA TODAY
These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 test
USA TODAY has an update on the states that are discouraging interstate travel by requiring or recommending that visitors and residents returning from other states quarantine. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that beginning August 11, non-Alaska residents need a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival in the state or proof they are waiting on results from a test taken in that 72-hour period. Testing is free for Alaska residents.
- U.S.Associated Press
Appeals of Nazi camp guard conviction in Germany dropped
All appeals against the conviction of a 93-year-old Nazi concentration camp guard have been dropped, a Hamburg court said Monday, making the decision legally binding and easing the way for possible future prosecutions. Bruno Dey was convicted last month of 5,232 counts of accessory to murder in Hamburg state court — equal to the number of people believed to have been killed at Stutthof during his service there in 1944 and 1945. Because he was 17 and 18 at the time of his alleged crimes, Dey's case was heard in juvenile court and he was given a two-year suspended sentence.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Putin Announces Russia Has Approved a Coronavirus Vaccine and That His Daughter Has Been Given a Shot
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that his country has become the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine, and that his own daughter has received the shot. The vaccine is in production and millions of people, including teachers and front line health-care workers, will be given the shot beginning this month, he claimed. China has already authorized one vaccine for use in its military, ahead of definitive data that it is safe and effective.
- WorldINSIDER
Ghislaine Maxwell says she is being mistreated in jail and that she should be taken out of solitary confinement
Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking girls as young as 14 for her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, want her released from solitary confinement. In court papers seen by Insider, Maxwell's lawyers say she is being held under "uniquely onerous" conditions in "reaction to the circumstances surrounding the pretrial detention and death of Mr. Epstein." Maxwell's legal team want her moved into the general population at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, and they want her to have access to a computer so she can work on her defense.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Man says he wasn’t allowed into an Arkansas casino because ‘men do not carry purses’
A man in Arkansas was hoping to enjoy a Friday night with his husband at an area casino, but says he was barred from entering because of his purse. Jordan Kirk was carrying a 9-inch by 10-inch cross-body purse when he and his husband tried to enter Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs on Aug. 7, KARK reported. A security guard stopped Kirk and told him he would have to return his purse to his car, despite several women carrying backpacks and large bags who were allowed to enter, Kirk wrote in a Facebook post.
- PoliticsNational Review
Ron Johnson Subpoenas FBI Director Wray in Probe of Crossfire Hurricane Origins
Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wisc.) subpoenaed FBI director Christopher Wray last week for documents pertaining to the Russia investigation. Johnson, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, issued the subpoena as part of the committee's probe into the origins of the Russia investigation, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane by the FBI.
- U.S.The Conversation
African Americans have long defied white supremacy and celebrated Black culture in public spaces
And in my research, I have found that long before Confederate monuments occupied city squares, African Americans used those same public spaces to celebrate their history. But those African American memorial cultures have often been overshadowed by Confederate monuments that dominate public space and set in stone a white supremacist story of the past. Black celebrations In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African Americans had less power and money than whites did to erect statues to celebrate their past.
- PoliticsCBS News
White House not expecting talks with Democrats on COVID bill this week
The White House is not expecting negotiations to resume over a coronavirus relief bill with congressional Democrats this week, a senior administration official tells CBS News, as the two sides remain at an impasse over the size and scope of another aid package. President Trump took executive action related to unemployment relief and payroll tax cuts after talks between White House officials and Democrats failed last week, although it is unclear when they will be implemented or whether the orders will be challenged in court. White House officials don't believe renewed talks about additional legislation would result in significant movement at this point, as the two sides remain about a $1 trillion apart in their priorities.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
Which presidential candidate will win in battleground states?
Trump team launches a bus tour as Biden campaign announces largest ad buy ever by a presidential candidate targeting 15 states; reaction from pollster Justin Wallin.
- WorldBBC
Agnes Chow: Hong Kong activist hailed as the 'real Mulan'
Agnes Chow, a 23-year-old pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, has got a new nickname. Her supporters have started calling her "the real Mulan" - in reference to the legendary Chinese heroine who fought to save her family and country. Ms Chow was one of a handful of activists and media figures arrested this week under a controversial new security law imposed by Beijing.
- ScienceUSA TODAY
Fossil of fearsome 'hell ant' that used tusk-like jaws to hunt its victims discovered in amber
A 99-million year old fossil of a "hell ant" is giving researchers a glimpse into the behavior of these fearsome ancient insects, a new study reports. Encased in amber (tree resin), the fossil provides the most vivid picture yet of how hell ants once used their uncanny tusk-like mandibles and diverse horns to successfully hunt down victims for nearly 20 million years, before vanishing from the planet. “Since the first hell ant was unearthed about a hundred years ago, it's been a mystery as to why these extinct animals are so distinct from the ants we have today,” said study lead author Phillip Barden of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, in a statement.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Fauci has questioned whether Russia's coronavirus vaccine is safe amid concerns nations are cutting corners to win the vaccine race
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia has approved a coronavirus vaccine for mass production. The drug — named Sputnik V in reference to Russia's Cold War satellite — will be made available for frontline health workers from August or September, Russian media reported. But the drug has raised concerns because it has not undergone phase-3 trials, which are considered essential to guarantee the safety of a vaccine.
“It may be a campaign tactic, but older workers, be forewarned. Ageism runs deep in our culture.”
“Genuine concerns about the capacities of people who want the world’s most powerful job mingle bizarrely with insults.”
“Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both old. But the media should not be making mental illness a campaign issue, on either side.”
“The Trump campaign is now betting his reelection’s already slim chances on Biden proving Trump’s diagnosis is right.”
“The nightmare scenario for Democrats is that, at a pivotal moment, Biden will struggle to put together a coherent thought.”