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 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.
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.
WorldReutersArmenia opposition leader detained on vote-buying allegations
Armenian opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan, one of the country's richest businessmen, was put in custody on Friday for two months ahead of a trial on charges of vote-buying in 2017 parliamentary elections. Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, the second-biggest faction in parliament, denied any wrongdoing, saying the criminal prosecution against him was political. Parliament stripped Tsarukyan of his immunity in June, allowing him to be arrested.
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.National ReviewHouse Republicans Call on Attorney General Barr to Investigate Recent Spike in Anti-Catholic Hate Crimes
A group of House Republicans led by Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind.) on Friday called on attorney general William Barr to investigate a recent rise in anti-Catholic hate crimes. There have been 70 instances of anti-Catholic violence in North America this year — with 57 crimes being reported since May alone — according to a letter sent to the attorney general by Banks and 15 other House Republicans. “Bigoted criminals are threatening Catholics and undermining America's core ideal of religious liberty,” Banks said in a statement.
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.
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.
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.Associated PressKentucky lawmaker arrested during protests in Taylor case
A Kentucky lawmaker who spent a night in jail after her arrest during protests demanding justice for Breonna Taylor said Friday that she'll redouble her push for criminal justice reforms. State Rep. Attica Scott was arrested and charged Thursday evening with first-degree rioting, a felony, and two misdemeanor counts: unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. The Black lawmaker on Friday called the charges “ludicrous" and said those arrested were “traumatized” by Louisville police.
PoliticsPoliticoWhen Biden calls a 'lid,' Democrats wet the bed — and Trump starts mocking
If calling a “lid" enters the mainstream American lexicon, this will be the week it all started. Joe Biden called a lid — the arcane term reporters use when a politician is done traveling for the day — at 1:02 p.m. Friday; 9:20 a.m. Thursday; 9:22 a.m. Tuesday and 8:34 a.m. Saturday. Biden's early turn-ins provoked the Twitter set, professionally nervous Democrats (OK, bedwetters) and, notably, Donald Trump to scratch their heads or rain down ridicule.
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.
CelebrityUSA TODAYFact check: Kentucky attorney general is not married to a relative of Mitch McConnell
The claim: Daniel Cameron's wife is related to Mitch McConnell Following outrage over the grand jury charges in the deadly police shooting of Breonna Taylor that sparked a new wave of nationwide demonstrations for racial equality, online posts have surfaced that claim a family connection between two prominent Kentucky politicians. Social media users say Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's new wife and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. are related.
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.
- PoliticsCBS News Videos
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on what's next in Supreme Court fight, fate of the Affordable Care Act
As President Trump gets set to nominate his pick for the Supreme Court, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins "CBS This Morning" to weigh in on the confirmation fight, and what a conservative court could mean for the Affordable Care Act.
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.
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.The Independent‘Let this sink into your hollow skull’: Rihanna condemns Daniel Cameron over Breonna Taylor decision
Popstar Rihanna has criticised Daniel Cameron, Kentucky's attorney general, over his decision not to charge any officers with the killing of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was gunned down during a bungled raid on her home in March. "I'm just gon' [sic] let this sink into your hollow skull," the Barbados-born singer wrote in an Instagram post in which Mr Cameron was tagged, next to a picture of a sign that read: "A cop shot a black woman and was only charged for the shots missed!" Rihanna, 32, published the post on Friday, two days after Mr Cameron, 34, announced that none of the three officers involved in Taylor's death would be charged with killing her.
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.
WorldReutersUK pledges over $400 million for WHO, calls for end to 'ugly rifts'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will pledge on Saturday a 30% increase in funding for the World Health Organization while urging reforms to the global health body and calling for a revival of cross-border cooperation to end "ugly rifts". Delivering a recorded speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Johnson will say the COVID-19 pandemic has increased barriers to trade. "After nine months of fighting COVID, the very notion of the international community looks tattered," he will say, according to advance extracts distributed by his office.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastKiss Your Rights Goodbye When Amy Coney Barrett Joins SCOTUS
President Trump's plan to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court is a shocking political spectacle. The formal announcement Saturday will come the day after Ginsburg became the first woman and the first Jew to lie in state at the Capitol, and less than 40 days before the presidential election. In 2016, Republicans refused to consider President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland, 260 days before that year's election.
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.
WorldAssociated PressNorth Korea accuses South of intrusion to find dead official
North Korea accused South Korea of sending ships across the disputed sea boundary to find the body of a South Korean official recently killed by North Korean troops, warning Sunday the intrusion could escalate tensions. “We urge the South side to immediately halt the intrusion across the military demarcation line in the West Sea that may lead to escalation of tensions,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. Along with its denial, South Korea proposed a joint investigation to resolve discrepancies in each country's account of the South Korean official's death last week.
HealthThe IndependentCoronavirus vaccine: Johnson & Johnson jab shows response in 98% of test participants
One of the numerous proposed coronavirus vaccines has produced a strong immune response in test subjects according to a report issued Friday. Johnson & Johnson's JNJ.N Covid-19 vaccine, called Ad26.COV2.S, was well-tolerated by subjects at two dosing instances in early-to-mid stage coronavirus clinical trials. It is the only Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial in the US that is testing a single dose vaccine.
“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.”