PoliticsSalonDemocrats alert inspector general that GOP's Biden probe “directly implicated” Perry in corruption
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry Alex Wong/Getty Images The Republican report aimed at raising questions about the dealings of Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden in Ukraine appears to have accidentally implicated former Energy Secretary Rick Perry in an energy scheme in the foreign nation, according to the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. Republicans led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. released their much-hyped report on Hunter Biden's role at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma on Wednesday.
U.S.NBC News'Ashamed of this decision': Backlash toward Kentucky AG piles on after no charges are filed in Breonna Taylor's death
The death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman fatally shot by Louisville police in March, thrust Kentucky's top prosecutor, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, onto a national stage just a few months after he took office. In May, when the Louisville Metro Police Department turned over its files to Cameron as independent special prosecutor, scrutiny immediately began over how the untested attorney general would handle such a high-profile incident after months of public outcry to "arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" and whether he could satisfy a community cleaved by racial unrest and accusations of police brutality. He ultimately brought the criminal case before a grand jury this week.
PoliticsThe Independent‘They cover my shrapnel wounds’: Veteran Senate candidate responds to critics using photo of her tattoos
After a Republican super PAC in Texas posted a photo of Senate candidate MJ Hegar featuring her tattoos and calling her a “radical,” Hegar had a quick response on Twitter: the tattoos covered shrapnel wounds she received as an Air Force helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. A pro-Cornyn Super PAC is using a photo of my tattoos to make me seem 'radical. That's pretty funny to me,” Hegar tweeted on Thursday, referring to her opponent in the race, longtime GOP Senator John Cornyn.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA voting advocacy group recorded over 40,000 new voter registrations in the 2 days after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Voter registration spiked following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Vote.org, a nonprofit that allows people to register through its website, told Business Insider that they had 40,771 new voter registrations on the Saturday and Sunday following Ginsburg's death. After the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week, voter registration surged according to voting advocacy groups.
- NewsFOX News Videos
Senate committees release interim Hunter Biden probe report
Author Peter Schweizer joins 'Bill Hemmer Reports' for analysis
PoliticsSalonSanders tells Fox that Trump doesn’t plan to exit: He doesn't expect "any type of transfer of power"
Sarah Sanders and Donald Trump Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday that President Donald Trump is not planning for a peaceful transfer of power because he expects to win. During a press conference on Wednesday, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses in November. "We're going to have to see what happens.
U.S.INSIDERInvestigators say they found thousands of child porn images in the home of a popular kids' YouTuber
A science educator whose YouTube channel "The Happy Scientist" taught children about science has been indicted on federal child pornography charges. Investigators allege that John Robert Krampf, 64, knowingly received and possessed pornographic content "involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age," court documents show. Dixie State University Police Chief Blair Barfuss, involved in the case in his capacity as a special agent on the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, told Insider that Krampf admitted to "downloading multiple files of child abuse material."
WorldThe Independent‘I’m very ashamed’: Argentine lawmaker suspended after kissing woman’s breast during virtual session of congress
A lawmaker in Argentina has been suspended after he was spotted kissing a woman's breast during a virtual session of congress. Juan Emilio Ameri, who represents the northern province of Salta, was seen by both colleagues and members of the public committing the lewd act as the chamber of deputies held a special meeting broadcast on Zoom. Footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media, sparking outrage and quickly leading to a vote in which the 47-year-old was suspended pending an investigation.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionDemocrats, not Republicans, are hypocrites on filling SCOTUS seat
In 2016, President Obama appointed Merrick Garland to fill the seat left vacant by the untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell argued that “Article II, Section II of the Constitution grants the Senate the right to withhold its consent, as it deems necessary” and that tradition holds that when a Supreme Court vacancy exists in an election year when there is a president of one party and a Senate controlled by the other, the nomination should wait until after the election. 11 Republican Senators, in a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, wrote in February of 2016 that you have to go back to 1888 “in order to find an election year nominee who was nominated and confirmed under divided government, as we have now.”
PoliticsSalonTed Cruz blocks resolution honoring Ginsburg after Tucker Carlson pushes conspiracy theory about her
Tucker Carlson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Ted Cruz Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images The Republican conspiracy theory that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not actually have a dying wish to have the winner of the 2020 election choose her replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court was on display on the Senate floor on Tuesday. "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," Ginsburg dictated in a statement released by her granddaughter, Clara Spera. Related video: Trump reveals list of potential SCOTUS picks, including Ted Cruz But there's a right-wing conspiracy theory that the quote is not accurate, thus giving Republicans freedom to ignore her wish.
U.S.INSIDERAmy McGrath, Mitch McConnell's Senate opponent, demands that Kentucky's AG release the full grand jury report that led to no charges for Breonna Taylor's killing
People flocked to a Louisville memorial honoring Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot and killed after officers entered her home on a no-knock warrant. On Wednesday, three officers involved in the incident were not indicted in relation to Taylor's death. The decision sparked protests across the state and across the country demanding justice for Taylor.
PoliticsThe Independent‘It’s time to resign’: Top Democrat calls for Trump staff exodus after he refuses to commit to peaceful transition of power
A top Democrat did not mince words in a new interview after Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power, calling on “any Republican of good conscience” in the administration to resign. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Mr Trump's "autocratic intentions are as clear as the writing on the wall” following a contentious press conference the president held on Wednesday. “This is a moment that I would say to any Republican of good conscience working in the administration: It is time for you to resign,” the Democratic leader said in an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCoronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx reportedly says she is 'distressed' at direction of White House COVID-19 task force
US COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx told those close to her that she is "distressed" at the direction of the White House coronavirus task force and is weighing if she will remain with the team, CNN reported Wednesday. The White House coronavirus expert told people close to her that she felt her role was diminished after neuroradiologist Dr. Scott Atlas joined the task force. "The president has found somebody who matches what he wants to believe," a source close to Birx told CNN.
WorldReutersTwo stabbed near Charlie Hebdo's old offices, France opens anti-terror probe
France opened an anti-terror investigation after two journalists were stabbed in Paris on Friday near the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine that was attacked by Islamist militants in 2015. Prime Minister Jean Castex, who rushed to the scene, said the main attacker had been arrested. Castex said the two wounded were attacked at random when taking a cigarette break.
PoliticsSalon“Unthinkable”: Trump’s says "get rid of the ballots," and "there won't be a transfer of power"
U.S. President Donald Trump Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to refuse to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, sparking concerns on both sides of the aisle. Trump continued to push debunked conspiracy theories about voting by mail to sow doubt in the election during a news conference at the White House before suggesting that if we "get rid" of mail-in ballots there would not be a transfer of power. "Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump told reporters.
U.S.INSIDER2 Black Lives Matter demonstrators are facing life in prison. Experts say the 'deeply disturbing' potential sentences are an 'unprecedented' form of government overreach.
Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman are facing life in prison after officials said they lit a police van on fire with a Molotov cocktail at a Black Lives Matter protest in Brooklyn in May. Experts told Insider that the charges are "unprecedented" and "deeply disturbing." Early on the morning of May 30, New York police officers arrested two lawyers during a Black Lives Matter protest.
SportsThe IndependentESPN cuts off analyst Jalen Rose as he calls for arrest of cops in Breonna Taylor case
Basketball analyst Jalen Rose got cut off by ESPN on a live broadcast as he called for the arrest of the police officers in the Breonna Taylor case. The former NBA star weighed in after the announcement that none of the three officers would be charged with her killing. “It'd also be a great day to arrest the cops that murdered Breonna Taylor,” shouted Rose as he discussed the fourth game of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
- WorldReuters
Belarusian taxi driver who helped protester flee lights up internet
An unnamed Belarusian taxi driver who helped a man escape from riot police during protests against veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko has transfixed social media users who have avidly shared footage of the dramatic incident. The 16-second video clip, filmed by a Euroradio.fm reporter, features a movie-like pursuit and escape that unfolded in a Minsk residential area on Wednesday evening as crowds protested against what they said was the illegitimate inauguration of Lukashenko. The video, viewed by tens of thousands of people on various online platforms, shows a young man being chased by baton-wielding policemen in riot gear who then manages to jump into a taxi.
PoliticsThe WeekWhite House press secretary says Trump will 'accept the results of a free and fair election'
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is trying to spin President Trump's election fraud allegations back on Democrats. In a Wednesday press conference, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he's not re-elected this fall, and alleged without evidence Democrats are running a "scam" to steal the election. The comments earned widespread condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike, and got a bit more clarity from McEnany on Thursday.
U.S.Associated PressOwner of fire-stricken ship to pay $1.8M for Sri Lankan help
The owner of a large oil tanker that caught fire off Sri Lanka's coast has agreed to pay $1.8 million to the island nation for its help in extinguishing the blaze, an official said Thursday. MT New Diamond, which was carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil, was damaged by two fires over a week in early September. Last week, Attorney General Dappula de Livera submitted an interim claim of $1.8 million for services provided by the Sri Lankan navy, air force, ports authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority since the ship caught fire on Sept. 3.
BusinessBusiness Insider'It's like being in a sci-fi nightmare film': Whole Foods employees say Amazon workers are crowding stores, ignoring virus protocols, and hounding them for help as online orders surge
Tensions are mounting between Whole Foods employees and the workers who pick and pack Amazon's Prime Now online orders, according to interviews with seven Whole Foods employees. The Whole Foods employees said they were suffering from understaffing and struggling to keep shelves stocked as a growing number of Amazon Prime workers canvass stores to fill online orders. A manager at a Whole Foods store in the Northeast called Prime workers "vultures" who "come in and pick every department clean."
WorldBBCKim Jong-un apologises for killing of South Korean official - South
The South Korean government has said he may have been trying to defect to the North but his family has denied this. The killing - the first of a South Korean citizen by North Korean forces for a decade - has caused outrage in the South. The border between the Koreas is tightly policed, and the North is thought to have a "shoot-to-kill" policy in place to prevent coronavirus from entering the country.
PoliticsThe Independent'In the US, we count ballots': Trump slapped down by Electoral Commission chief over call to dump mail votes
A US Electoral Commission chief issued a sharp rebuke against Donald Trump on Wednesday after the president called for mail ballots to be dumped, as he refused to say whether he would leave office in the event of an election defeat to Democrat rival Joe Biden. Ellen Weintraub, Federal Commission Commissioner (FEC), warned the president that America does not simply "get rid" of ballots. In case anyone is unclear on the concept, in the United States of America, we do not 'get rid of' ballots.
WorldReutersCOVID rising again in Sweden amid return to 'hugs and parties': PM
Some areas of Sweden are seeing a worrying resurgence of coronavirus infections because many people seem to have set aside months of caution in favour of full-on social life once again, its prime minister said on Thursday. Unlike most countries, Sweden eschewed a mandatory national lockdown against the pandemic, instead calling for personal responsibility, social distancing and good hygiene to slow rather than eradicate a disease seen as here to stay. Though still with a COVID-19 caseload much lower than in many other European countries, Sweden has recorded a gradual rise in new infections in recent weeks.
BusinessBusiness InsiderNY transit workers created an underground 'man cave' in Grand Central to 'get drunk and party,' MTA says
Three New York transit employees converted a Grand Central Terminal storage room into a secret lounge, according to a Thursday report from the Office of the MTA Inspector General. The Metro-North Railroad suspended all three without pay, but they deny the allegations. Three New York transit workers built a secret underground 'man cave' where they would 'hang out and get drunk,' according to a report issued Thursday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Office of the Inspector General.
“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.”