PoliticsYahoo NewsWhite House dismisses criticism of persistent coronavirus supply chain problems as work of 'useful idiot'
The White House is objecting to a new report from the Government Accountability Office that concludes that seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. continues to struggle with supply chain logistics that have led to shortages of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. The authors of the nearly 400-page GAO report were concerned that not only did those issues continue to persist, but that the Trump administration did not take them seriously enough. “As supply constraints continue,” those investigators wrote, “we found that [the Department of Health and Human Services] and [the Federal Emergency Management Administration] have not developed plans outlining specific actions the federal government will take to help mitigate remaining medical supply gaps needed to respond to the pandemic.”
U.S.Associated PressBeta continues slow trek, bringing rain to several states
A weakened Beta continued its slow trek across several Southern states on Wednesday, bringing rainfall to parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi after having flooded homes and roadways in Texas. Houston began drying out on Wednesday after some parts of the metro area got nearly 14 inches (35.6 centimeters) of rain over the last three days, according to the National Weather Service. “It's not nearly as bad as it could have been,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
WorldBBCPablo Escobar: Money hidden in wall found in drug lord's house
A nephew of infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar has said he found a plastic bag with money worth $18m (£14m) hidden in the wall of one of his uncle's houses. Nicolás Escobar told Colombian media "a vision" indicated where to look for the money in the apartment where he lives in the city of Medellín. He said it was not the first time he found money in places where his uncle used to avoid capture, as Escobar reportedly hid millions in properties.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump’s potential Supreme Court nominee slammed Obama for trying to ‘dramatically flip the balance of power’
President Donald Trump's potential nominee to the Supreme Court previously rejecting the idea of former President Barack Obama filling a vacancy during an election year that she said could “dramatically flip the balance of power” in a recently-resurfaced interview. The interview shows Amy Coney Barrett, a federal judge who sits on the Seventh Circuit, discussing the former president's nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016 following the death of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative stalwart. Ms Barrett suggested in the interview with CBS News that she was against the idea of Mr Obama selecting Mr Garland, often considered an apolitical nominee and centrist judge, because he was not a conservative like justice Scalia.
U.S.Miami HeraldNeighbor angry over kids playing near his yard kills their grandma, Colorado cops say
A Colorado man is accused of shooting and killing a neighbor's grandmother because he was upset over children playing near his yard. Jason Arroyo, 33, was arrested and charged with first degree murder and attempted murder on Sept. 6 in Denver, according to CBS Denver. Witnesses told police that Arroyo shot a 55-year-old woman after a confrontation about the two children playing.
WorldThe Daily BeastU.S.-Trained Forces Are Raping Women in Cameroon—and Rebels Are Beheading Them
IKOM, Nigeria—Lucy was contemplating closing early for the day when soldiers—believed to be from the Cameroon government's notorious Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR)—stormed her shop in the northwestern Cameroon town of Bamenda at the end of August, dragged her outside, asked her to take off the shirt she was wearing, and forced her to sit on the bare ground for hours. “When I asked them what I had done wrong, one of them gave me a terrible slap and began to kick me all over my body,” Lucy, who sells foodstuffs close to a market in Bamenda, told The Daily Beast via telephone. On the same day Lucy was brutalized by government forces in Bamenda, about 80 other women—mostly traders at the local food market—were detained at a police station for three days, many of them beaten and wounded by soldiers who were searching for English-speaking separatists following the killing of a police officer days before.
WorldReutersUK PM Johnson calls on leaders to build back greener after coronavirus
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on other leaders on Thursday to "build back better" after the coronavirus crisis and commit to net zero emission targets. Addressing the United Nations' climate action roundtable, Johnson will say via videolink that world leaders will have an opportunity to announce new and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - their intended reductions in greenhouse gas emissions - at a December summit. Britain will co-host an event with the U.N. on Dec. 12 to mark the five-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which committed all countries to work to limit further rises in global temperatures.
PoliticsBusiness Insider'Why the hell did I do that?': Trump 'went s---house crazy' when criminal-justice reforms failed to improve his polling with Black voters, report says
President Donald Trump reportedly scolded his senior aides after criminal-justice reforms passed under his administration failed to energize Black voters. "Why the hell did I do that?" Trump said, according to administration officials who spoke with The Washington Post. Trump has tried to boost his standing among Black voters, though polling figures show he is trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in terms of support.
U.S.Associated Press2 Louisville officers shot amid Breonna Taylor protests
Hours after a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for Breonna Taylor's death and protesters took to the streets, authorities said two officers were shot and wounded Wednesday night during the demonstrations expressing anger over the killings of Black people at the hands of police. Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said a suspect was in custody but did not offer details about whether that person was participating in the demonstrations. Several shots rang out as protesters in downtown Louisville tried to avoid police blockades, moving down an alleyway as officers lobbed pepper balls, according to an Associated Press journalist.
PoliticsThe Independent'Send me a text': Obama calls on Americans to get in touch with thoughts on US election
Former president Barack Obama has issued a call for Americans to get in touch with their thoughts on the upcoming election, telling them: "Send me a text". "If you're in the United States, send me a text at 773-365-9687 — I want to hear how you're doing, what's on your mind, and how you're planning on voting this year," he added. Unfortunately for fans of Mr Obama, the mobile phone number is unlikely to be his personal contact number; it corresponds with the dialing code of his adopted hometown of Chicago.
BusinessUSA TODAYWhy Amazon packages are randomly showing up at people's doors
The bad news: He was most likely the victim of a "brushing" scam, in which a company creates an online account with a random person's address, ships products to that address and then uses the account to post fake online reviews praising the products. The fraudsters probably found Hunkele's personal information online. The scam gained attention this summer when people all over the United States received unsolicited seeds in the mail from China.
PoliticsThe WeekThe Trump campaign is reportedly 'discussing contingency plans to bypass election results'
President Trump's campaign is discussing "contingency plans" that would involve bypassing the result of November's election, reports The Atlantic. The report delves into possible scenarios if Trump apparently loses the 2020 presidential election but doesn't concede, noting that although we're used to electors being selected based on the popular vote, "nothing in the Constitution says it has to be that way." Citing Republican Party sources, The Atlantic says that Trump's campaign is "discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority."
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‘Bald face lie’: Pence aide turned Covid-whistleblower fires back after White House attack
A former Mike Pence staffer who played a key role in advising the government on its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has accused Keith Kellogg of "bald faced" lies, after the retired Gen. claimed he gave the ex-aide her marching orders from the White House. Olivia Troye, an ex-Homeland Security official, left her role in August under a cloud. The White House reacted furiously to the video and launched a personal attack on Ms Troye, who has come out in support of the president's Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
- NewsKFSN – Fresno
25 Central Valley elementary schools can now hold in-person classes
A total of 25 elementary schools in the Central Valley, including seven in Fresno County, have been given the green light to reopen campuses after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HealthReutersPossible virus vulnerability discovered; about 20% of people with COVID-19 remain asymptomatic
The spike protein on the novel coronavirus that helps it break into healthy cells has a tiny "pocket" that could make it vulnerable to antiviral drugs, researchers have discovered. In a paper published on Monday in Science, researchers note that common-cold-causing rhinoviruses have a similar pocket, and drugs that fit into the pocket by mimicking fatty acids like LA have lessened symptoms in human clinical trials. This suggests, they say, that drugs developed to target the pocket on the coronavirus spike protein might help eliminate COVID-19.
PoliticsThe WeekDemocrats must make the GOP pay for its Supreme Court seat, and McConnell can help, MSNBC's Chris Hayes says
"The stakes are as high as possible" in President Trump's rush to install a Supreme Court justice, but "Republicans probably do have the votes to do this," Chris Hayes conceded on MSNBC Tuesday night. No procedural thing you can do as Democrats to stop them. Democrats need to make the loss of health care for tens of millions of Americans, the squelching of "reproductive freedom," and the judicial assault on clean air and water and climate legislation "stick to the Republicans who are responsible for putting that person on the court," especially the vulnerable incumbents facing tough re-election battles, Hayes argued.
WorldAssociated PressSeoul: North Korea kills S. Korean official, burns his body
South Korea said Thursday that North Korean troops fatally shot a South Korean government official who may have attempted to defect and set his body on fire after finding him on a floating object near the countries' disputed sea boundary. South Korean officials condemned what they called North Korea's “atrocious act” and urged it to apologize and punish those responsible. North Korea is unlikely to accept the South Korean demand, and ties between the rivals — already strained amid a deadlock in broader nuclear diplomacy — will probably suffer a further setback, observers say.
U.S.The Independent'I'm ashamed': George Clooney, Kentucky native, speaks out after Breonna Taylor decision
Kentucky-born George Clooney is among the many outraged after only one police officer was charged in connection with the death of Breonna Taylor. Clooney said he is "ashamed" in a statement issued Wednesday evening, after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron warned that "celebrities, influencers, and activists" and those who "have never lived in Kentucky" would try to pass judgment on the decision and claim "they know our community and the Commonwealth better than we do." Clooney's statement, provided to Deadline, begins, I was born and raised in Kentucky.
PoliticsReutersBad blood from Kavanaugh confirmation may resurface in U.S. Senate hearings
The bitter confirmation battle over President Donald Trump's last Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, looms large for the Senate Judiciary Committee as it prepares for fresh hearings on the Republican's third lifetime appointment to the top court. Two personalities could stand out in hearings expected in the coming weeks: Republican Committee Chairman Senator Lindsey Graham, who mounted a booming defense of Kavanaugh, and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, running mate to Joe Biden, Trump's rival in the Nov. 3 election. Tensions in the Senate are high as the Republican-controlled chamber seeks to vote on the nominee before the election, and cement a 6-3 conservative majority.
BusinessBusiness InsiderSpotify, Epic Games, and Match Group have allied to take on Apple in the raging App Store war
App developers including Spotify, Epic Games, and Match Group have banded together to create a non-profit called the Coalition for App Fairness. The coalition is aimed at taking on Apple over its App Store policies, which member developers claim are anti-competitive. Apple has been in a mounting war with various developers over the commission it takes on in-app purchases.
WorldAssociated PressAs virus surges, critics say UK hasn't learned from mistakes
Luca Richeldi, an adviser to the Italian government on COVID-19, told a committee of British lawmakers this week that he was “shocked” at the slow U.K. response while Italy was “living a collective tragedy. I had the impression that in general what was happening in Italy was not really perceived as something that could happen in the U.K.,” he said. Critics say the government's insistence on going its own way — epitomized and exacerbated by the U.K.'s departure from the European Union in January — has hobbled its response.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump - news: President suddenly cuts short press conference for emergency call
Donald Trump abruptly cut short a press conference on Wednesday to "leave for an emergency phone call". When pressed, Mr Trump said it was a "big call" without offering any further detail. White House reporters, however, later claimed it was for two TV appearances later in the evening.
WorldReutersUK preparing Magnitsky sanctions over Belarus human rights violations: minister
Britain is preparing Magnitsky sanctions against individuals in Belarus in coordination with the United States and Canada, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Thursday, after pointedly criticising the country's recent election. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in for a sixth term after an election that the opposition and several foreign governments say was rigged. "Given Lukashenko's fraudulent inauguration, I have directed the FCDO (foreign office) sanctions team to prepare Magnitsky sanctions for those responsible for the serious human rights violations," Raab told parliament.
ScienceAFPNASA chief warns Congress about Chinese space station
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine told lawmakers Wednesday it was crucial for the US to maintain a presence in Earth's orbit after the International Space Station is decommissioned so that China does not gain a strategic advantage. The first parts of the ISS were launched in 1998 and it has been continuously lived in since 2000. "I'll tell you one thing that has me very concerned -- and that is that a day is coming when the International Space Station comes to the end of its useful life," said Bridenstine.
“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.”