U.S.NBC NewsEx-officer indicted for fatally shooting Texas woman whose dog ran at him
A former police officer in Arlington, Texas, who fatally shot a woman as he was aiming for her dog was indicted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Ravinder Singh on Wednesday, more than a year after the Aug. 1, 2019 death of Margarita Brooks, the county's District Attorney's Office said in a press release. Singh, who resigned from the Arlington Police Department in 2019, faces up to two years in state jail or a fine of up to $10,000.
WorldAFPChina launches counter-mechanism to US sanctions list
China said Saturday it had launched a mechanism enabling it to restrict foreign entities, a much-anticipated move seen as retaliation to US penalties against Chinese companies such as telecom giant Huawei. An announcement by the Ministry of Commerce did not mention any specific foreign entities, but broadly spelled out the factors that could trigger punitive measures, which may include fines, restrictions on import-export business or investment in China, and the entry of personnel or equipment into the country. It covers "foreign enterprises, other organisations and individuals", it said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump says Kamala Harris can't be the first woman to be president because she 'comes in through the back door'
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, couldn't become the first woman to be president. "This is not what people want. And she comes in through the back door — this would not be what people want, especially because it's her," Trump said during a campaign rally in Wisconsin.
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.
BusinessNBC NewsAmerican Airlines CEO says hundreds of thousands will lose their jobs without additional emergency aid
"Hundreds of thousands of people will be out of work, and service to small communities will be discontinued," if a new round of emergency airline funding is not approved, American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said on NBC's "TODAY" show Friday morning. Parker's comments come after emergency talks at the White House on Thursday, when executives from the major U.S. airlines met with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in a last-minute plea for additional funding in order to avoid tens of thousands of layoffs across the entire airline sector. "We airline CEOs are here on behalf of the people that work for us, keeping our country moving when our country is largely paralyzed,” Parker told reporters outside the White House after the meeting.
U.S.Associated PressFeds explored possibly charging Portland officials in unrest
The Justice Department explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials in Portland, Oregon, after clashes erupted there night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators, a department spokesperson said Thursday. The revelation that federal officials researched whether they could levy criminal or civil charges against the officials — exploring whether their rhetoric and actions may have helped spur the violence in Portland — underscores the larger Trump administration's effort to spotlight and crack down on protest-related violence. The majority of the mass police reform demonstrations nationwide have been peaceful.
PoliticsThe IndependentBill Gates says Donald Trump’s travel bans worsened coronavirus pandemic
Bill Gates says that Donald Trump's travel bans may actually have worsened the coronavirus pandemic not helped it. The billionaire Microsoft founder insists in a new interview that the speed with which the bans were introduced at the beginning of the crisis did not allow for proper testing or quarantines. Gates makes the claims in the interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday set to air this weekend.
- ScienceKTRK – Houston
Lovely weather Saturday as we prepare for TS Beta
We'll enjoy some fantastic weather Saturday ahead of impacts from Tropical Storm Beta.
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.
HealthMiami Herald‘We’ve never seen a tumor this big,’ Florida Keys sea turtle rescuers say
A loggerhead sea turtle with an enormous tumor the size of a basketball on its right flipper is scheduled to go into surgery to remove it Saturday at a renowned Florida Keys animal hospital. The male turtle was found tangled in fishing line off Duck Key in the Middle Keys on Thursday by boaters who brought it aboard their boat and took it to the Turtle Hospital in the city of Marathon. The hospital is solely dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles.
U.S.USA TODAYBoater rescues man stranded under bridge: 'He was out there all night in just shorts'
In five years aboard the Tropical Hideaway Too, Jerry Ash has ridden out some bad storms before, but Hurricane Sally was different. Anchored at the Perdido Key RV Resort and Marina in Pensacola, Florida, Ash and his compatriots in their similarly tied up sailboats, hunkered down for the night before the winds picked up. “I've been through some bad ones before, but I know better,” Ash said about riding through a hurricane on the boat.
U.S.Business InsiderA dentist who pulled someone's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud and 'unlawful dental acts'
An Alaska dentist who pulled a woman's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud, embezzlement, and "unlawful dental acts." The video was part of prosecutors' case against Seth Lookhart, who was found guilty of defrauding his customers by administering unnecessary procedures to rack up Medicare charges. Prosecutors are seeking $2.2 million in damanges, and Lookhart could also permanently lose his medical license in the state.
HealthThe IndependentMichigan residents urged to stay indoors as scientists race to deal with threat of rare mosquito-borne disease
Authorities are urging Michigan residents to stay indoors after dark to stay protected from mosquito bites, after a resident is suspected to have been infected with a rare deadly virus. On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that a resident of Barry County, Michigan, was suspected of having Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), which is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness. In addition to the suspected case, 22 horses across 10 counties in the state have been confirmed to have EEE, which has put residents of those areas at risk of being infected.
PoliticsSalonGOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn reveals she doesn’t know what an "Amendment" is — on Constitution Day
Marsha Blackburn Getty/Jim Watson It's Constitution Day in America, which is generally the day in which politicians try to prove their immense knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. founding documents. Occasionally some of them misquote it, instead citing the Declaration of Independence, but Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) took another route. "We will never rewrite the Constitution of the United States," she proclaimed proudly on Twitter.
WorldReutersNetherlands prepares case against Syria for 'gross human rights violations'
The Netherlands is preparing a case against Syria at the U.N.'s highest court, seeking to hold the government of President Bashar al-Assad accountable for human rights violations, including torture and the use of chemical weapons, the Dutch foreign minister told parliament on Friday. Syria has been informed of the legal step, which precedes a possible case at the International Court of Justice, the U.N.'s court for disputes between states in The Hague. "Today the Netherlands announced its decision to hold Syria responsible under international law for gross human rights violations and torture in particular," Foreign Minister Stef Blok wrote in a letter to legislators.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFauci says he'll take responsibility if a coronavirus vaccine rolled out in the US is faulty
Dr. Anthony Fauci replied in the affirmative on Thursday when asked by MSNBC's Chris Hayes whether he would "take the heat" for any problems with a vaccine. Redfield projected that a vaccine wouldn't be widely available until the new year — a sentiment largely echoed by health experts — but Trump argued one could come sooner. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading US infectious-disease expert, has pledged to "take the heat" for any problems with a vaccine for COVID-19.
WorldUSA TODAY'May her memory be a revolution': Supporters say Rosh Hashanah brings special meaning to Ginsburg's death
The world learned of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death as Rosh Hashanah began — a holy time for Jews that has brought both comfort and special meaning to her death for some of her supporters. Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish New Year. When someone dies then, “it feels like that person did not get another year,” book critic Ruth Franklin told USA TODAY on Friday.
WorldAssociated PressVirus clusters at French universities give Europe a lesson
The clutches of cases are a warning sign for countries elsewhere in Europe, where most universities are readying to resume teaching and research in coming weeks. “We go back to university in conditions that are a bit extreme, and we fear we might get COVID-19,” Elise Gilbert, 20, who is studying literature at the Sorbonne, said of the overcrowding students encountered. France's experience so far stands in contrast to what's happening in Britain, where virus-driven changes on campuses mean university life will look a lot different this term.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘We’re Not Scared’: Tens of Thousands of Motorcyclists Pack Lake of the Ozarks for Bike Rally
Along the Bagnell Dam Strip in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, thousands of motorcycles are tightly parked in the middle of a two-lane highway. Tourists from across the country have been cutting loose along the historic stretch, known as the “main party hub” of the Missouri resort area, for months—but over the last three days, the highway lined with bars, hotels, and concert venues has been home to one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the Midwest: Lake of the Ozarks' Bikefest. Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts have flooded the area for the annual rally, which started Wednesday, participating in five days of rides, fairs, music concerts, and coordinated stops at local bars and restaurants.
U.S.INSIDERBetsy DeVos and the Trump administration are set to deny funding to Connecticut schools over inclusive transgender athlete policies
According to The New York Times, Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are cutting funding to certain Connecticut schools over their participation in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The conference allows transgender student-athletes to compete with, and against, athletes who share their gender identity, a course of action Trump's administration has repeatedly fought against. If the schools refuse to cut ties with the conference prior to October 1, the education department has vowed to withhold $18 million in desegregation grants.
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."
- WorldAssociated Press
Cyprus: Only handful of tourists showed COVID-19 symptoms
Cyprus is trying to salvage a dismal tourist season by touting that only five of the roughly 200,000 tourists that have spent their holidays on east Mediterranean island nation this summer have exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms. Cyprus' Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios said those five people received medical treatment free-of-charge and were sent back home symptom-free. The Cypriot government has placed countries in separate categories according to their coronavirus infection rates, requiring passengers arriving from category “B” countries to obtain a medical certificate declaring them virus-free 72 hours prior to boarding a Cyprus-bound aircraft.
PoliticsUSA TODAYWho might succeed Justice Ginsburg? Trump's short list begins with these four women (and one man)
A finalist for Trump's second high court nomination, which ultimately went to Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett, 48, is a favorite of religious conservatives. Barrett rocketed to the top of Trump's list of potential nominees after her 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, when Democrats cited her deep Catholic faith not as an advantage but an obstacle.
PoliticsBusiness Insider10 senators are at risk of losing reelection. It may be enough to give Democrats a majority in Congress.
A September Quinnipiac University survey showed that Gideon currently holds a 12 percentage point lead in the polls over Collins in a 54%-42% split among likely voters. Gideon's lead appears to be increasing as polling from August by Quinnipiac University had Gideon up by just 4 points. "The tide has turned on Senator Susan Collins, who was so popular in Maine that she won nearly 70 percent of the vote the last time she ran.
ScienceINSIDERThousands of migratory birds are 'falling out of the sky' in a mass die-off that could be linked to the West Coast wildfires
"Hundreds of thousands" of migratory birds are dropping dead across the Southwest in what scientists are calling the largest mass die-off in recent history. Scientists first began investigating the phenomenon in late August after numerous reports of clusters of dead birds found in states including New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska. Scientists are unsure why this mass die-off is happening, but have addressed several factors including climate change and the ongoing wildfires as possible reasons for the deaths.
“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.”