PoliticsYahoo NewsEx-CIA Director Brennan: 'Outrageous' for Trump to discuss inviting Saudi crown prince to D.C.
Former CIA Director John Brennan said it is “outrageous” for President Trump to talk about inviting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington when he should be treating the Saudi leader as a “pariah” for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Brennan's comments, made during an interview on the Yahoo News “Skullduggery” podcast, came shortly after Trump on Friday announced plans to hold a “big beautiful party” after the election that would include Saudi King Salman and his son, the crown prince, known as MBS, to sign peace deals with Israel.
U.S.INSIDERA white woman yelled 'f--- Black Lives Matter' at a Starbucks barista after she told her to wear a mask
An unnamed white woman yelled at Alex Beckom, a 20-year-old Black barista, after Beckom told her she had to wear a mask in Starbucks. The woman yelled "f--- Black Lives Matter" at the barista, falsely claimed she was being discriminated against because she is a Trump supporter, and said the coronavirus was a hoax. Starbucks has required all customers to wear masks in its stores since July.
U.S.Associated PressBlack contractor braves threats in removing Richmond statues
Devon Henry paced in nervous anticipation, because this was a project like nothing he'd ever done. An accomplished Black businessman, Henry took on a job the city says others were unwilling to do: lead contractor for the now-completed removal of 14 pieces of Confederate statuary that dotted Virginia's capital city. “You did it, man,” said Rodney Henry.
WorldReutersPakistan PM accuses Macron of attacking Islam by 'encouraging' blasphemous cartoons
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that French President Emmanuel Macron has "attacked Islam" by encouraging the display of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Khan's comments come days after Macron paid tribute to a French history teacher beheaded by an Islamist radical who wanted to avenge the use of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of expression. "Sadly, President Macron has chosen to deliberately provoke Muslims, incl his own citizens, through encouraging the display of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam & our Prophet PBUH," Khan said on Twitter.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderHarry Reid says that Biden should spend 'no more than three weeks' testing Republican cooperation before eliminating the Senate filibuster
Former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said that if Joe Biden captures the White House and Democrats win control of the Senate, then the former vice president should spend "no more than three weeks" testing the waters for bipartisanship before eliminating the filibuster, according to the Associated Press. Reid, a 30-year veteran of the Senate and for Majority Leader, said that Democrats will have big pieces of legislation that will encounter hurdles in reaching the 60 votes necessary to push through legislation. "We should give the Republicans a little bit of time, to see if they're going to work with him," Reid said.
WorldThe TelegraphQatar airport accused of invasive passenger strip-search as it sought mother of newborn baby found in toilet
Australian officials have raised “serious concerns” with Qatari authorities after airline staff were accused of invasively strip-searching women, including 13 Australians, having taking them off a flight from Doha to Sydney. Flight QR908 to Sydney was due to leave Hamad International airport at 8.30pm but was delayed for four hours after a newborn infant, believed to have been prematurely born, was found in a terminal bathroom. A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told ABC it had raised the incident with Qatari officials.
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Thousands protest against COVID-19 curbs in Poland
The protests came as Polish President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said on Saturday (October 24). Duda's infection was announced in the morning and he said in televised remarks later he was feeling fine. Poland is seeing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, with new infections hitting a daily record of 13,632 on Friday.
U.S.Associated PressForeign students show less zeal for US since Trump took over
On a recruiting trip to India's tech hub of Bangalore, Alan Cramb, the president of a reputable Chicago university, answered questions not just about dorms or tuition but also American work visas. The session with parents fell in the chaotic first months of Donald Trump's presidency. After an inaugural address proclaiming “America first,” two travel bans, a suspended refugee program and hints at restricting skilled worker visas widely used by Indians, parents doubted their children's futures in the U.S.
U.S.USA TODAY'An incredibly tragic day for Ocala': Florida police chief Greg Graham killed in plane crash
A Florida police chief who had recently earned his pilot's license was killed in a small-plane crash on Sunday morning. The death of Greg Graham, who became Ocala's 30th police chief in January 2012, according to the Star-Banner of the USA TODAY Network, stunned the central Florida city northwest of Orlando. "An incredibly tragic day for Ocala.
WorldReutersNew fighting flares over Nagorno-Karabakh as Aliyev warns against Russian involvement
New fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces on Sunday over the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh as both sides blamed each other for blocking a peaceful settlement to the conflict. Armenia accused Azeri forces of shelling civilian settlements. The weekend's clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the foreign ministers of both countries in a new peace push on Friday.
ScienceBBC'Murder hornet': First nest found in US eradicated with vacuum hose
The first nest of Asian giant hornets found in the US has successfully been destroyed by scientists. The nest, in the state of Washington, was found by putting tracker devices on the hornets and it was sucked out of a tree using a vacuum hose. The invasive species insects, known as "murder hornets", have a powerful sting and can spit venom.
WorldAssociated PressMalaysia's king rejects PM's proposal to declare emergency
Malaysia's king on Sunday rejected a proposal by embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to declare a state of emergency to fight a new outbreak of the coronavirus. The plan by Muhyiddin, which involves suspending Parliament, has sparked national outrage, with critics slamming the move as an undemocratic means for him to hang on to power amid challenges to his leadership. The palace said in a statement that Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah “is of the opinion that there is currently no need for His Majesty to declare a state of emergency in this country or any part of Malaysia."
U.S.USA TODAYTropical Storm Zeta forms with sights set on Gulf Coast, could be a hurricane by late Monday
Tropical Storm Zeta formed early Sunday with its sights set on hurricane strength and the beleaguered Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center expects Zeta to reach weak Category 1 status in the warm belly of the Gulf of Mexico by late Monday before coming ashore somewhere between Florida's western Panhandle and western Louisiana later in the week. The previous record for earliest 27th named storm was Nov. 29, 2005, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach.
PoliticsReutersBarrett's U.S. Supreme Court confirmation edges closer after Sunday vote
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Sunday moved closer toward a final confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday, just over a week before Election Day. The Senate voted 51-48, largely along party lines, on Sunday afternoon to limit debate on the nomination, teeing up the final vote that is expected to take place on Monday evening. With Republicans controlling the chamber 53-47 and no indication of an internal revolt against the conservative appeals court judge replacing liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett looks almost certain to take up a lifetime appointment on the bench over universal Democratic opposition.
BusinessBusiness InsiderBillionaire James Dyson just sold his Singapore penthouse at a massive loss a year after his company scrapped plans to design an electric vehicle in the city
Dyson founder James Dyson just sold Singapore's most expensive penthouse at a loss. Since then, Dyson cancelled its hyped electric car project because it was not commercially viable. James Dyson, billionaire inventor of the Dyson vacuum, just sold the largest and most expensive penthouse in Singapore.
WorldAssociated PressThai protesters rally ahead of parliamentary debate
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in Thailand's capital again on Sunday, seeking to keep up pressure on the government a day before a special session of Parliament that was called to try to ease political tensions. The rally took place at the busy Rajprasong intersection, in the heart of Bangkok's shopping district. Few protesters turned out in the first hour of the rally, but their numbers later swelled to several thousand, who listened to rude denunciations of the government in chants, speeches and even songs.
WorldMiami Herald‘Catastrophic’ shark attack critically injures Australian spearfisher, officials say
A 59-year-old man spearfishing near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia suffered “catastrophic” injuries Sunday in a shark attack, officials say. Paramedics airlifted the man from Britomart Reef to a Townsville hospital, where he's listed in critical condition, after the 12:30 p.m. attack, The Guardian reported. “There was obviously evidence of a very significant shark bite to the patient's upper thigh, pelvic region,” said David Humphreys, a doctor with LifeFlight Australia, NBC News reported.
PoliticsReutersPutin rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Biden family business
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden's past business ties with Ukraine or Russia, marking out his disagreement with one of Donald Trump's attack lines in the U.S. presidential election. Putin was responding to comments made by Trump during televised debates with Democratic challenger Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Trump, who is trailing in opinion polls, has used the debates to make accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in unethical practices in Ukraine.
PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats planning 30-hour 'digital filibuster' to try to stop Amy Coney Barrett being confirmed
The Senate will vote on Sunday to send the federal judge's nomination to a full vote, which will be held on Monday. With little remaining hope of blocking her confirmation to the court, and her replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Democrats have announced a symbolic show of defiance. Unlike an actual filibuster, which slows proceedings and can make an unpopular bill run out of time and therefore be blocked, the digital filibuster will not affect the outcome.
PoliticsAssociated PressEarly vote total exceeds 2016; GOP chips at Dems' advantage
With nine days before Election Day, more people already have cast ballots in this year's presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days. The opening of early voting locations in Florida, Texas and elsewhere has piled millions of new votes on top of the mail ballots arriving at election offices as voters try to avoid crowded places on Nov. 3 during the coronavirus pandemic. The result is a total of 58.6 million ballots cast so far, more than the 58 million that The Associated Press logged as being cast through the mail or at in-person early voting sites in 2016.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAirbus created a remote-controlled aircraft with flapping wingtips to see how much it could increase efficiency
Airbus created the AlbatrossONE, a small-scale remote-controlled aircraft with wingtips that can flap like a bird during turbulence to better handle the strong gusts of winds. These hinged, flapping wingtips help reduce drag, therefore saving fuel and consequently decreasing carbon dioxide emissions. Airbus has completed two flight tests of the AlbatrossONE, and the most recent test in July used wingtips that were 75% longer than the ones used during the initial test.
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Alzheimer's disease study by IBM cites language as an early sign of disease
An artificial intelligence program analyzing language predicted whether people with no memory or thinking problems would develop Alzheimer's disease later in life, researchers said. The study by IBM, funded by drug giant Pfizer, found a computerized model analyzing language patterns accurately predicted up to 74% of participants diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease later in life. The study is the latest in an emerging research field focusing on early detection of Alzheimer's disease, the memory-robbing disease that afflicts about 5.8 million Americans.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump reportedly doesn't 'want to help some' GOP senators amid warnings of 'potentially catastrophic' election
Josh Holmes, a top adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), told Politico he thinks the Republican Party could win more Senate races than people expect on Nov. 3, but the fact that there are so many close contests means "you could have a whole bunch of scenarios play out on Election Day." The worst-case scenario for the GOP, he said, is "potentially catastrophic." As it turns out, the party may not get that much help from President Trump when it comes to avoiding such a fate.
TechnologyBusiness InsiderAn Italian company created the world's first 3D-printed fiberglass boat — take a closer look at the sleek 'Mambo'
Startup Moi Composites built a striking vessel it's calling the first 3D-printed fiberglass boat. The firm built its Motor Additive Manufacturing Boat — MAMBO for short — to showcase its 3D-printing abilities. Moi says its "continuous fiber manufacturing" process lets it create unusual shapes that aren't possible with traditional methods.
PoliticsAssociated PressReid says Biden should end Senate filibuster after 3 weeks
Former Senate leader Harry Reid says if Democrats win the presidency and the Senate, Joe Biden should take “no more than three weeks” to test bipartisanship before ending the filibuster so Democrats can overcome what they call Republican obstruction and pass bills. The retired Nevada Democrat told The Associated Press in an interview that he understands Biden wants to work with Republicans, as the former vice president and Delaware senator has in the past. But Reid said there is just too much that needs to be done in the country to wait around trying to reach agreements under the decades-old Senate practice of requiring 60 votes to advance legislation.
“Many are longtime Republicans wrestling with what they see as a choice between two lousy candidates.”
“Some undecideds turn out to be people who’ve long felt alienated from the two big political parties.”
“They’re not following the 24-hour news cycle. The election and politics are just not a high priority.”
“One common trait: at this stage of the game, the undecided voter doesn’t fit into an easy political profile.”
“More realistically...these voters may not be motivated to vote at all in the 2020 election.”