PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump appointees not influencing coronavirus science, CDC chief promises
Testifying before Congress on Wednesday, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strongly disputed that his agency's scientific research has been influenced by political appointees attempting to bring those findings in line with President Trump's views. “We're not going to let political influence try to modulate” the agency's scientific conclusions, Redfield said. Politico reported last week that Michael Caputo, a Trump loyalist who was appointed to a high-ranking communications role in the Department of Health and Human Services, sought to “add caveats” to MMWR research describing various aspects of the pandemic, from the scope of the threat for the American public to the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions.
U.S.INSIDERStudents and parents complained after a Dallas high school's class assignment placed the accused Kenosha shooter on a list of 'modern heroes'
Students and parents were upset when the suspected Kenosha shooter was on a list of "modern heroes" that they could choose to defend as part of a Dallas high school's class assignment, CNN reported. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide and a string of other felonies tied to the killing of two people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Joseph Rosenbaum, who was shot and killed in Kenosha, was also on that list.
U.S.NBC NewsMan, woman who died in California fires didn't evacuate because of 'erroneous information'
A 68-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman who were found dead near their home in fire-ravaged Northern California had been packed to evacuate but decided to stay based on "erroneous information" about the blaze, authorities said. A volunteer firefighter in Oregon who used a bullhorn to alert neighbors to approaching flames later found his own home destroyed. In Oregon, 1 million acres have burned and 1,145 homes and 579 other structures have been destroyed, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
WorldThe IndependentPoll shows major decline in support for BLM movement across US over last three months
Support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement among US residents has seen a decrease over the last three months, according to a new poll. In a new survey from the Pew Research Centre, 55 per cent of US adults said they either strongly or somewhat supported BLM, compared to 67 per cent who answered the same in June, just weeks after protests against police brutality and racial violence were reignited. The movement was launched in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin's fatal shooting, but reached national attention again in May 2020, following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd while in police custody.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFormer top Pence aide says White House officials wanted to get rid of the coronavirus task force as the pandemic raged in April
Vice President Mike Pence's former top aide on the coronavirus task force told The Washington Post in an interview published Thursday that some senior White House aides wanted to "wind down" the task force in April. President Donald Trump in early May announced he would wind down the coronavirus task force before abruptly reversing course. Olivia Troye left her White House post in August, and on Thursday she delivered scathing criticism of the president's pandemic response, accusing him of showing a "flat-out disregard for human life."
U.S.USA TODAYUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student apologizes for falsely claiming to be Black
A doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison issued a public apology this week after accusations emerged online that they were presenting as Black person despite being mostly of Italian ancestry. CV Vitolo-Haddad — who uses they/them pronouns — wrote in a Medium post Sunday that they resigned from a teaching position and stepped down as co-president of UW-Madison's chapter of the Teaching Assistants' Association graduate workers' union. The situation came to light in a Medium post by an anonymous "affiliate of the university" who accused Vitolo-Haddad of "race-shifting and copious lying."
- WorldReuters
Nine Bosnian Serbs arrested over wartime killings, persecution
Bosnia's police on Wednesday arrested nine Bosnian Serbs suspected of taking part in the killing and persecution of dozens of Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in an eastern village early in the Bosnian war of the 1990s, the prosecutor's office said. The nine men, who were all members of the wartime crisis headquarters in the town of Sokolac, were arrested there almost exactly 28 years after they allegedly executed 44 Bosniak men from the nearby village of Novoseoci in 1992, and expelled the women and children to Sarajevo. The prosecutor will question the suspects and decide on further proceedings, his office said.
U.S.The IndependentKamala Harris accused of trespassing on fire-ravaged California property for photo-op by family
A California family whose home was burned to the ground in the state's raging wildfires has slammed vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for allegedly trespassing on their property to stage a photo-op. Senator Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom posed for pictures as they inspected damage caused by the fires in the town of Auberry, near Fresno. The politicians first inspected Pine Ridge Elementary school during the 15 September trip, before going across the street to the destroyed home of the Patten family.
BusinessAssociated PressCOVID-19 danger continues to drive joblessness in US
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to 860,000, a historically high number of people that illustrates the broad economic damage still taking place nine months after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the U.S. The Labor Department said Thursday that U.S. jobless claims fell by 33,000 from the previous week and that 12.6 million are collecting traditional unemployment benefits, compared with just 1.7 million a year ago. The pandemic has delivered a colossal shock to the economy.
U.S.The Independent'That is an act of tyranny': Seattle mayor fires back at AG Barr after he threatened to have her arrested
US attorney general William Barr has been accused of “tyranny” by Seattle's mayor after he reportedly asked officials at the Justice Department to consider bringing charges against her handling of Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year. In a phone call last week, Mr Barr had asked justice department prosecutors to charge the Democrat mayor, Jenny Durkan, for allowing the demonstrations and an uatonomous protest zone to continue without police oversight, the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing two sources familiar with the conversation. "The Department of Justice cannot become a political weapon operated at the behest of the president to target those who have spoken out against this administration's actions," said Ms Durkan.
- U.S.Associated Press
Mexico asks info on alleged migrant abuse at US centers
The Mexican government said Wednesday it has requested information from the United States about claims that migrants were subjected to hysterectomies at a detention center in Georgia and that a migrant allegedly suffered sexual abuse at a facility in Texas. “A formal request has been made to the appropriate authorities for a report on the supposed negligent actions or rights abuses at immigration detention centers,” Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said. The department said consular personnel would try to guarantee migrants' rights are respected at detention centers.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Woodward on decision not to release Trump recordings early: ‘My God, I would have if I could save one life’
Investigative journalist Bob Woodward joins Yahoo News Editor in Chief Daniel Klaidman and Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff to discuss his new book, “Rage. In the weeks leading up to publication, Woodward has come under fire for not releasing audio recordings of President Trump privately acknowledging the potential severity of the coronavirus pandemic as early as February. He explains, however, that due to the nonlinear nature of reporting, it would not have been feasible to release the audio recordings early because of a lack of context.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: If the vice president becomes president, House speaker doesn't become new VP
The claim: If Kamala Harris assumes the role of president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will become vice president A viral post claims that if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins the election but cannot serve his full term, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris would assume the role of president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become vice president. "You people realize if Biden wins and can't finish his term that Harris becomes Pres and Pelosi VP," the post reads. "Let that sink in."
PoliticsThe WeekFormer model accuses Trump of sexually assaulting her at the 1997 U.S. Open
Amy Dorris, a former model and actress, says President Trump assaulted her outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the U.S. Open in September 1997, The Guardian reported Thursday. The Guardian said it learned of Dorris' story more than a year ago from a model agent she had confided in, and Dorris confirmed her allegation 15 months ago but was unwilling to go public before now. Dorris, 48, was 24 at the time; Trump was 51 and married to Marla Maples.
WorldReutersBolsonaro plays down Amazon fires, accuses NGOs of blocking land titling
BRASÍLIA (Reuters) - President Jair Bolsonaro said late on Wednesday Brazil was being "disproportionately" criticized for fires in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, at a time when many places around the world were seeing a surge in blazes. The Pantanal, the planet's biggest wetland, in 2020 has registered the most annual fires since government records began in 1998. In the Amazon, illegal ranchers and land speculators generally set fire to plots of land to clear them for agricultural purposes.
EntertainmentThe IndependentChinese virologist who claimed coronavirus was created in a lab and fled to US has been suspended by Twitter
Twitter has suspended the account of a Chinese virologist who claimed that Covid-19 was “man-made” and created in a Wuhan lab. Dr Li-Meng Yan, who claims to be a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, had her Twitter account suspended by the social media site earlier this week. The virologist, who had more than 60,000 followers on Twitter before her account was suspended, made headlines this week when she claimed to have evidence that the Chinese government was involved in creating the virus, which has so far killed more than 936,156 people worldwide.
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionI'm a Democrat who worked with police for 28 years. I wish everyone knew them like I did.
Last week I got an email from a Drug Enforcement Administration agent I used to work with when I was a federal prosecutor at the Justice Department. He's a former cop, former military man, and a current Republican with whom innocent discussions have turned into political battles. Through the years of investigations, indictments, arrests, and trials, I found him to be a hardworking and honest agent.
WorldAssociated PressIsraeli minor gets 3 1/2 years for role in deadly 2015 arson
An Israeli court sentenced a young man on Wednesday to 3 1/2 years in prison for his role in the 2015 arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents in the West Bank village of Duma. The unidentified youth, who was a minor at the time of the attack, was found guilty last year of membership in a terrorist organization and involvement in a racially motivated crime. It was the second sentencing this week by the Lod District Court in the deadly 2015 Duma arson attack.
PoliticsPolitico'Talk about losers': The top moments from CNN’s kid-gloves town hall with Biden
For the second time this week, a presidential candidate fielded questions from voters in a town hall setting. “Chief, didn't I meet you when you were chief?” Biden said through a half-smile, pointing at the man preparing to ask him a question. Bill Barrett, a retired police chief who is in his fifth term on city council, wanted to know how Biden will address growing violence in cities and the lack of respect for police and the military.
U.S.The IndependentAmerican woman could face up to 10 years in prison after allegedly spreading coronavirus during German bar crawl
An American woman could face up to 10 years in prison after allegedly spreading coronavirus during a bar crawl in Germany. The unidentified 26-year-old woman faces accusations that she infected 59 people thus far after visiting multiple bars and pubs through the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, even though she was displaying symptoms related to Covid-19. The woman was in Germany because she worked for a hotel resort for the United States forces stationed in Germany, according to reports.
U.S.Business InsiderA California family is accusing Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom of trespassing on their wildfire-ravaged property for a photo op
A family in California has claimed that Sen. Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom trespassed on their property for a photo op while surveying damage from the Creek Fire on Tuesday. "What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents' loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda!" Trampas Patten wrote on Facebook. Patten and his sister, Bailee, added that their parents had still not been able to return to their home.
PoliticsReutersThe foreign policy issues that divide Trump and Biden
In the Nov. 3 election, he will face off against Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden, who pledges to restore U.S. global leadership and reverse many of Trump's actions. Trump says he is the first president in decades to stand up to Beijing, and his campaign accuses Biden of appeasing China as U.S. manufacturing jobs declined. Biden has countered that Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic was a historic blunder, and that he disregarded U.S. intelligence community warnings over China downplaying its severity.
WorldThe TelegraphTensions build as 18 Chinese fighter jets buzz Taiwan during landmark US visit
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday after a fleet of Chinese military aircraft buzzed the island, stepping up tensions as a senior US official began holding meetings in Taipei. Beijing had earlier announced the start of combat drills in the Taiwan strait aimed at asserting its claim that the island remained "an inalienable part of China". The Chinese government has long considered Taiwan a renegade province, although the democratically-governed island has its own president, currency, foreign policy, passport and military.
PoliticsThe IndependentBill Barr responds to Democrats' fear that Trump won't leave office: 'I’ve never heard of that crap'
Attorney General William Barr, in politically white hot comments, called Democrats' concerns Donald Trump would refuse to leave office if he loses the election in November “crap.” Mr Barr lambasted the opposition party, which he dubbed a “mob,” echoing the president's rhetoric, over everything from Covid-era mail-in ballots to allegations they are purposefully trying to sow seeds of doubt about the election's validity – just hours before Mr Trump returned to Twitter and appeared to do just that. Since many states decided to alleviate voters' polling station-related health concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Mr Trump and his surrogates, including his attorney general, have said mailed-in ballots would automatically bring fraud.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: Biden tax plan would raise rates for those who make more than $400K, corporations
The claim: Biden's and Harris' tax plans would raise rates on a family making $75,000 or $3,000 biweekly Viral posts on Facebook claim tax rates for some families would more than double if Democrat Joe Biden is elected president. Bidens tax rate on a family making 75000 dollars would go from 12% to 25%,” reads a post Aug. 16 that has been shared more than 126,000 times. LET THAT SINK IN ALL YOU RIDING WITH BIDEN SUPPORTERS.
“The SAT is emblematic of higher education’s failure to keep up with the times...Just the stuff that systemic racism thrives on.”
“These tests create unnecessary stress for young people already dealing with mental health challenges.”
“Dropping the SAT requirement makes it harder for colleges to compare applicants against a common standard.”
“The best predictor of college success overall is a simple one: high school grades.”
“What matters more is a broader push to help minority students get better educations.”