- PoliticsThe Guardian
Joe Biden inspires no one – not even his own wife
Much like Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden's Democratic primary campaign has thus far cloaked itself in an aura of inevitability. You might not like Joe Biden. Jill Biden, the former vice-president's wife, made the case bizarrely explicit on MSNBC earlier this week.
- NewsThe Independent
Death row inmate who always maintained his innocence executed by lethal injection
A death row inmate who always maintained his innocence has been executed for the abduction, rape and murder of a student more than 20 years ago. Larry Swearingen received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in the Texan city of Huntsville for the 1998 killing of 19-year-old Melissa Trotter. After he was convicted two years later, Swearingen always maintained his innocence in her death and claimed that his conviction was based on junk science.
WorldAFPEx-US marine says injured by Russian prison guards
A former US marine who was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges said Friday he had been injured by guards in the prison where he is being held awaiting trial. "I was injured in the prison... the prison doesn't want to tell you," Paul Whelan told journalists from a cage in a Moscow court, which was to decide on whether to extend his provisional detention. Whelan arrived in the court handcuffed and escorted by two security guards wearing black masks and plain clothes.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Ex-wife, children of Atlanta surgeon Christopher Edwards found dead in apparent murder-suicide
ATLANTA – The ex-wife and two adult children of a prominent Atlanta surgeon and housing chairman were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide. The shooting victims were identified as Dr. Marsha Edwards, 58; Christopher Edwards Jr., 24; and Erin Edwards, 20, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Authorities say they believe Marsha Edwards shot both of her children before turning the gun on herself.
- NewsAssociated Press
Jet catches fire in Northern California; 10 aboard unhurt
All 10 people aboard a small jet escaped injury Wednesday after the aircraft aborted its takeoff at a small Northern California airport, went off the runway and burst into flames, officials said. The pilot of the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet aborted its takeoff at Oroville Municipal Airport for unknown reasons shortly before noon, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. The plane was carrying two pilots and eight passengers, and "all were accounted for, no injuries," said Joe Deal, Oroville's fire and police chief.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
2020 Toyota GR Supra vs. 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350: Which Is the Better Driver's Machine?
This is a fight between the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the 2020 Toyota GR Supra. Carroll Shelby's first Mustang GT350 was built in 1965, constructed in a small industrial building in Venice, California. Now, with the return of the Supra for 2020—albeit with more than a little help from BMW—these two legends are finally rolling off assembly lines at the same time.
- WorldReuters
Russia rocket accident likely had two explosions, Norway monitor says
An explosion that killed five Russian scientists during a rocket engine test this month was followed by a second blast two hours later, the likely source of a spike in radiation, Norway's nuclear test-ban monitor said on Friday. The second explosion was likely from an airborne rocket powered by radioactive fuel, the Norsar agency said - though the governor of Russia's Arkhangelsk region, where the blast took place, dismissed reports of another blast. "The aftermath of the incident does not carry any threat," the governor, Igor Orlov, told the Interfax news agency.
- NewsINSIDER
Drivers in Idaho keep harassing busloads of immigrants' children on their way to pre-school
Idaho motorists have reportedly been harassing buses carrying children under the age of five. The buses drive low-income children of migrants or agricultural workers to federally funded educational programs during the day. Idaho drivers have reportedly been harassing busloads of young kids, prompting a local nonprofit to remove signs from the buses that identify the riders as children of migrant workers.
- WorldBloomberg
Modi Ally Calls for Boycott of China Companies on Kashmir, Trade
Indians should stop buying from Chinese companies and the government should reconsider trade concessions to its biggest neighbor after China allied with Pakistan on Kashmir, according to an economic policy group linked with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Companies like technology giant Huawei Technologies Co. should be barred from accessing the Indian market in the future and Chinese companies should be banned from state tenders, Ashwani Mahajan, co-convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliated to the ruling party's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said in an interview Thursday.
- PoliticsNational Review
Trump Claims He Is ‘Seriously’ Considering Ending Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Immigrants
President Trump said Wednesday that he is “seriously” considering issuing an executive order to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump argued that it is “frankly ridiculous” that the U.S. affords citizenship to babies born to immigrants who entered the country illegally. “We're looking at that very seriously, birthright citizenship, where you have a baby on our land — you walk over the border and have a baby,” Trump told reporters.
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
L.L. Bean's Huge End-of-Summer Sale Is Taking Up to 70% Off
Gear up for colder weather with jackets, fleece sweaters, boots, and more. From Popular Mechanics
WorldAFPFamily of detained UK consulate worker rejects 'made-up' report
The family of a staffer at the UK consulate in Hong Kong have rejected a "made-up" report by Chinese state media that he was detained in the mainland for visiting prostitutes. Simon Cheng disappeared after visiting the city of Shenzhen from the semi-autonomous city on August 8, and the Foreign Office in London said both British officials and relatives have been unable to speak to him since. The Global Times, a tabloid state-run newspaper, said he had been detained for "soliciting prostitutes", citing police in Shenzhen, which lies on the China-Hong Kong border.
- NewsUSA TODAY
More NRA drama: Legal team shaken up as group cuts ties with longtime outside attorney
The National Rifle Association's outside legal team was reportedly shaken up on Thursday, during what can only be described as a turbulent time for the gun rights lobbying group. Since the spring, the NRA's president, chief lobbyist and several board members have also parted ways with the organization. In the apparent next phase of a continuing civil war within the NRA, the country's most powerful gun lobbying organization cut ties with outside attorney Charles Cooper, the New York Times and both Washington Post both reported.
- NewsAssociated Press
North Dakota court overturns life term in cut from womb case
A judge overstepped by giving a life prison sentence to a man whose girlfriend cut the baby from the womb of an unsuspecting neighbor, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, ordering that the man be resentenced. William Hoehn, of Fargo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the August 2017 attack on Savanna Greywind, who died of her injuries but whose baby survived. Hoehn's girlfriend, Brooke Crews, admitted that she sliced Greywind's baby from her womb.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Newt Gingrich says slavery needs to be put 'in context,' calls 1619 project a 'lie'
WASHINGTON – Appearing on "Fox and Friends" on Monday morning, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said that The New York Times' 1619 Project was "a lie." The 1619 Project is an effort by the Times to commemorate the 400th anniversary of slavery's beginning in America. The 1619 Project aims to "reframe the country's history, [understand] 1619 as our true founding, and [place] the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are."
- WorldReuters
U.S. will aggressively enforce sanctions over Iran tanker: State Department official
The United States will aggressively enforce its sanctions to prevent the private sector from assisting an Iranian oil tanker that is traveling through the Mediterranean and that Washington wants seized, a State Department official said on Thursday. "The shipping sector is on notice that we will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions," the official told Reuters days after warning countries not to allow the tanker to dock. Ship tracking data has shown the ship, Adrian Darya, formerly called Grace 1, last heading toward Greece, although Greece's prime minister said it was not heading to his country.
- NewsBusiness Insider
Democratic presidential candidates have a new approach for tackling gun violence: Treat it as a public-health crisis
Warren and Booker have outlined the need to fund public-health research to inform better policies to address gun violence, saying they will fund and use the tactics of community-based intervention. These programs use data to locate high-risk areas for gun violence. Community members then intervene to mediate and de-escalate violence and refer people to social services.
PoliticsFOX News VideosFederal appeals court rules Colorado was 'wrong' to force electors to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016
Bradley Moss and John Yoo weigh in on a federal court ruling in Colorado on the Electoral College that could make its way to the Supreme Court.
- NewsThe Independent
Trump claim doctors treating mass shooting victims 'were coming out of operating rooms' to meet him dismissed by hospitals
Two hospitals have denied Donald Trump's claim doctors “were coming out of operating rooms” to meet him when he travelled to Texas and Ohio to console victims of two mass shootings. "At no time did, or would, physicians or staff leave active operating rooms during the presidential visit,” University Medical Center (UMC) spokesperson Ryan Mielke told local TV station KVIA. “When I went to Dayton and when I went to El Paso, and I went into those hospitals, the love for me – and 'me' maybe as the representative of the country – but for me, and my love for them was unparalleled, these are incredible people,” Mr Trump said.
- LifestyleMashable
This 26-pound cat is in need of a forever home
A Philadelphia animal shelter is looking for someone with a huge heart to help this huge kitty. Morris Animal Refuge tweeted that a cat named BeeJay, or Mr. B for short is currently up for adoption. He is an absolute whopper on the cat scale, weighing in at a jaw-dropping 26 pounds.
WorldYahoo News VideoBeijing fires back after Trudeau vows to stand up to China
Beijing on Thursday accused Ottawa of worsening relations after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to stand up to China amid deepening diplomatic and trade disputes.
WorldAFPRussia launches floating nuclear reactor in Arctic despite warnings
Russia will launch the world's first floating nuclear reactor and send it on an epic journey across the Arctic on Friday, despite environmentalists warning of serious risks to the region. Loaded with nuclear fuel, the Akademik Lomonosov will leave the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin its 5,000 kilometre (3,000-mile) voyage to northeastern Siberia. Nuclear agency Rosatom says the reactor is a simpler alternative to building a conventional plant on ground that is frozen all year round, and it intends to sell such reactors abroad.
- NewsAssociated Press
Man with arsenal allegedly threatened hotel mass shooting
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A cook at a Los Angeles-area hotel was arrested after he allegedly threatened a mass shooting and stockpiled guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at his home, police said Wednesday. Rodolfo Montoya, 37, was taken into custody Tuesday at his Huntington Beach home, police said. Montoya was upset over a work-related human resources issue when he told a co-worker at the Long Beach Marriott on Monday that "he was going to shoot up fellow employees and people coming into the hotel," Police Chief Robert Luna said.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
Viral Blue Bell saga continues: Third ice cream licker arrested in Texas
A 24-year-old shown in a viral video licking a carton of Blue Bell ice cream and then putting it back inside a store freezer case at a Walmart in Port Arthur, Texas was arrested Thursday night. Walmart says surveillance video shows that D'Adrien Anderson, the third in a series of Blue Bell ice cream lickers caught on video, then removed the same carton before any customer could purchase it and bought the tub himself, according to KTRK-TV. For Walmart, Anderson's stunt has been costly.
- PoliticsNational Review
McConnell Warns Democrats against ‘Radical’ Plan to Snuff Out Legislative Filibuster
Senator Mitch McConnell warned Democrats on Thursday against killing the legislative-filibuster rule, the Senate's 60-vote threshold for shutting down debate on a piece of legislation. McConnell recalled warning then-Senate majority leader Harry Reid in November 2013 against the “nuclear option” of altering Senate rules in order to prevent members of the minority party from filibustering non-Supreme Court nominees. Reid's proposal prevented Republicans from filibustering the recently reelected Barack Obama's cabinet nominees, who were facing their confirmation hearings.
