CelebrityINSIDERDouble tragedy for Larry King as his son and daughter die in the space of 3 weeks
Famed TV interviewer Larry King is mourning the loss of two children, who died in the space of three weeks, according to Page Six. Daughter Chaia, 52, died on Thursday after battling lung cancer, following the sudden death of his son, Andy, 65. Larry and his remaining three children were said to be "distraught."
U.S.Business InsiderLeaked USPS email tells postal workers not to reconnect or reinstall sorting machines 'that have been previously disconnected'
A leaked email to United States Postal Service employees instructed them to not reassemble mail sorting machines that have been dismantled, CNN first reported. The note, written by Kevin Couch, a maintenance operations director, said that workers were "not to reconnect/reinstall machines that have been previously disconnected without approval from HQ Maintenance." Just hours before, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said that all service changes will be paused until after Election Day.
U.S.INSIDERA Georgia police officer was fired after a viral TikTok showed him tasing a Black woman outside her home
A police officer from the Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia was fired after a viral video on TikTok showed he used a Taser on an unarmed woman outside her mother's home. Former officer Michael Oxford had been placed on desk duty following the Tuesday incident but was later fired, the Gwinnett County Police Department announced on Friday, citing inappropriate conduct in the field. "The investigation in this case has shown that Officer Oxford violated our policy and did not meet our core values," the department said in a statement.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: DNC didn't leave out 'under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance
The claim: The phrase 'Under God' was skipped during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention Following the four-day virtual convention, social media posts emerged claiming that Democrats abstained from saying "under God" during the Pledge of Allegiance. The claim was initially shared on Facebook by former U.S. Republican senatorial candidate Peggy Hubbard. "The DNC omitted, One Nation Under God.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastRush Limbaugh: Biden’s ‘Flawless’ DNC Speech ‘Had to Be Taped’
On Thursday night, a series of Fox News hosts and commentators readily acknowledged that Joe Biden “blew a hole” in President Donald Trump's depiction of him as a demented old man by delivering a highly effective speech at the Democratic National Convention. Rush Limbaugh has a different theory. The conservative radio host who not so long ago received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump during a State of the Union address, spent his show Friday pushing the notion that Biden did not, in fact, deliver his speech live.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRats reported feeding on packages of rotted fruit and meat as postmaster general's cutbacks unleash chaos at California's mail centers
Chaos has ensued at mail sorting facilities across California as employees struggle with the recent cutbacks in staffing and equipment. At one mail-sorting facility in South Los Angeles, employees reported seeing gnats and rodents picking apart containers of fruit and meat that had been left to rot, according to the Los Angeles Times. The reports come after recently-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy made a series of sweeping changes to the postal service.
U.S.National ReviewSuspect in Portland Beating Turns Himself in
The suspect in the beating of a truck driver in downtown Portland turned himself in Friday morning, police said. “I am pleased the suspect in this case turned himself in and appreciate all of the efforts to facilitate this safe resolution,” Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement on Friday. A crowd of rioters in downtown Portland beat a man unconscious Sunday night after dragging him from his truck, video footage of the incident shows.
TechnologyBusiness InsiderA US Air Force F-16 pilot just battled AI in 5 simulated dogfights, and the machine emerged victorious every time
An artificial intelligence program developed by Heron Systems went head-to-head against a seasoned Air Force F-16 pilot in a simulated dogfight Thursday. Heron's AI achieved a flawless victory with five straight wins. The "WWII-style" dogfight was part of DARPA's AlphaDogfight competition, which is designed to advance the agency's efforts to build trust in AI and develop manned-unmanned teaming capabilities.
U.S.The Daily BeastEmails Show Georgia School District Asked Students to Disinfect Classrooms for Volunteer Hours
The email from the principal had a lighthearted, friendly tone, but the news she delivered was alarming: Three more students at Creekview High School in Canton, Georgia, had tested positive for the coronavirus—the fourth such letter sent to parents that week. “Come to CVHS to see our lady Grizzlies play at 9:00 10:00 or 12:30,” she wrote. Two days later, after 25 students tested positive and more than a quarter of the student body was placed in quarantine, the entire school was shut down.
U.S.The IndependentMinneapolis police officer Thomas Lane didn’t check George Floyd’s ‘counterfeit’ $20 note
The alleged counterfeit $20 bill used by George Floyd wasn't inspected or collected before his fatal arrest in Minneapolis, according to one of the first officers at the scene. Former police officer Thomas Lane said in newly-released audio that he didn't obtain the bill before, during or after the incident that led to Mr Floyd's death on 25 May. In response to questioning by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Mr Lane said that he didn't look at the alleged $20 forgery being held by the Cup Foods worker identifying Mr Floyd.
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden vows to defeat Trump, end US 'season of darkness'
Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with a vow to be a unifying “ally of the light” who would move an America in crisis past the chaos of President Donald Trump's tenure. In his strongest remarks of the campaign, Biden spoke Thursday night both of returning the United States to its traditional leadership role in the world and of the deeply personal challenges that shaped his life. Virtually every sentence of his 22-minute speech was designed to present a sharp, yet hopeful, contrast with the Republican incumbent.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona suggests supporters should 'fast a meal' and donate money saved to her campaign as she lags in fundraising
Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona suggested her supporters should "fast a meal" and donate the money saved to her campaign as she falls behind in the polls to keep her Senate seat, according to audio obtained by a local news outlet. McSally reportedly made the suggestion at an event in northern Arizona, according to the audio obtained by Arizona Family. "There's an air war going on on television right now, right, you see it," McSally said in the audio.
- WorldWLS – Chicago
Lincoln Park robbery: Woman, 23, punched, thrown to ground in attack, Chicago police say
A 23-year-old woman was attacked and robbed Friday night in Lincoln Park.
BusinessReutersU.S. international airline passenger contact tracing plan stalls, sources say
The Trump administration's efforts to require airlines to collect contact tracing information from U.S.-bound international passengers has stalled, five people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday, adding such a mandate is unlikely this year. Major airlines and administration officials have held talks for months over a long-standing effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mandate the collection and reporting of tracing information from passengers arriving to the United States from foreign destinations. In June, Reuters reported the White House had tasked an interagency working group with adopting an interim solution that could be in place by Sept. 1 as the issue gained urgency with the coronavirus outbreak.
U.S.INSIDERWhy Lori Loughlin will spend 2 months in prison for the college admissions scandal while Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days
Lori Loughlin Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison Friday for her role in the college admissions scandal. Felicity Huffman, meanwhile, was sentenced to just 14 days in prison in September for her role in the scheme. Huffman paid $15,000 to the scheme's ringleader, Rick Singer, to have someone cheat on a college-entrance exam for her eldest daughter.
PoliticsThe Independent‘He took all that money from Build the Wall’: Bannon jokes about financial fraud in resurfaced video
Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Steve Bannon joked about fraud at a We Build the Wall fundraising event, in a clip that has resurfaced the day after his arrest. Mr Bannon was indicted on Thursday, alongside three others, for allegedly funnelling “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the We Build the Wall online fundraising campaign to the founder of the organisation, Brian Kolfage, who was among those charged. We Build the Wall started as a GoFundMe campaign in 2018, and was created to help raise money from public funding to go directly towards building the the US-Mexico border wall at a time when the president was struggling with Congress.
U.S.Business InsiderHealth officials in 3 states have traced new COVID-19 cases to the Sturgis motorcycle rally where hundreds of thousands of bikers gathered
Health officials in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota have now traced multiple new COVID-19 cases back to a motorcycle rally held in Sturgis, South Dakota between August 7 and 16. The rally, which drew hundreds of thousands of bikers to the 6,900-person city, has been tied to 15 new coronavirus cases in Nebraska, seven in Minnesota, and multiple incidences in South Dakota, according to CNN. The event was one of the largest public gatherings in the US since the coronavirus pandemic began.
U.S.Associated PressAP Exclusive: Feds to seek death sentence for Boston bomber
The Justice Department will seek to reinstate a death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man who was convicted of carrying out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Attorney General William Barr said Thursday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said the Justice Department would appeal the court's ruling last month that tossed Tsarnaev's death sentence and ordered a trial to determine whether he should be executed for the attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. Barr said the Justice Department would take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump news: Americans told to prepare for unprecedented dual hurricane threat as president rages against 'deep state' in baseless Covid vaccine conspiracy
Two tropical storms advanced across the Caribbean Saturday as potentially historic threats to the US Gulf Coast, one dumping rain on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands while the other was pushing through the gap between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. Tropical Storms Laura and Marco were both projected to approach the US Gulf Coast at or close to hurricane force, representing a very unusual threat to Americans in their paths. Devastating wildfires in California have torched nearly 1m acres, in areas totalling more than the size of the state of Rhode Island, with 100,000 residents under evacuation orders.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘I’m Not Worried’: Gamblers Pack Casino Surrounded by Raging Wildfires and COVID-19
BROOKS, CA—By Friday evening, northern California's LNU Lightning Complex fire had become the second-largest wildfire in state history, killing at least five people, destroying 500 structures, and forcing evacuations in two cities and an Air Force base. “These fires are going to continue to go up every year,” said Jose Perez, 44, drinking a beer at the casino bar with his mask covering around his neck. Yolo County—yes, that is the name of the jurisdiction in question—years ago divided Capay Valley into two distinct evacuation zones, separated down the center by Highway 16, which runs north and south through the valley and is the only road one can take out.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTesla employees heading to Austin for the upcoming Cybertruck factory are in for a red-hot real estate market
In July, Tesla in July picked Austin, Texas, as the site for its eventual Cybertruck factory. The company's broken ground on the project, and one real-estate agent said employees are already looking for homes in the city. Unlike San Francisco or New York, home prices haven't dipped much in Texas.
PoliticsThe Independent‘You are an idiot’: Trump mocked for tweeting about ‘entrance requirements’ to virtual DNC
Donald Trump has been mocked for suggesting that people needed ID to attend this year's virtual Democratic National Convention (DNC). “To get into the Democrat National Convention, you must have an ID card with a picture...” In years gone by, those wishing to attend the DNC have been asked to buy a ticket and provide photographic ID to gain entry.
WorldReutersGaza-Israel violence prompts stepped-up mediation efforts
Gaza militants fired rockets towards Israel, which responded with air strikes overnight, the Israeli military said, in the most serious escalation of cross-border violence in months, prompting mediators to step up de-escalation efforts. An Israeli military spokeswoman said its Iron Dome system intercepted nine of 12 rockets. Anticipating Israeli retaliation, Hamas, Gaza's Islamist ruler, routinely evacuates personnel from its sites.
CelebrityBusiness InsiderSteve Bannon was arrested on a $28 million yacht owned by an exiled Chinese billionaire — take a look inside
Former Trump associate Steve Bannon was arrested on fraud charges Thursday aboard a $28 million yacht. The vessel where the arrest took place, a 151-foot long yacht owned by an exiled Chinese billionaire, is just as remarkable as federal prosecutors' allegations that Bannon was a part of a group that used a campaign to raise funds for a wall on the US/Mexico border to defraud donors out of millions of dollars. Bannon pled not guilty to the charges.
U.S.Associated PressApology at sentencing deepens mystery of Golden State Killer
Just before receiving multiple consecutive life sentences, Joseph James DeAngelo, the former California police officer who lived a double life as the murderous sociopath dubbed the Golden State Killer, broke his silence to tell a hushed courtroom filled with victims and their family members that he was “truly sorry” for the crimes. It was such an unexpected moment that it brought gasps from those in the gallery, many of whom sat through an extraordinary four-day sentencing hearing filled with graphic and heart-wrenching testimony from dozens of victims. It also reinforced that nobody ever seemed to know what DeAngelo would do and who he was, which helps explain how he eluded detection for four decades while committing at least 13 killings and dozens of rapes.
“Harris brings an unusual blend of social justice progressiveness and law-and-order conservatism.”
“It's hard to imagine Trump-skeptical independents now aching to pull the trigger for Biden with Kamala on the ticket.”
“If Biden wishes, he can delegate the daily barrage of rebukes against his opponent to her. Biden now can rise above the fray.”
“Voters viewed her as among the most qualified to be president on Day 1 — a key positive.”
“Here’s a reality check: Running mates have very little direct effect on voters.”