PoliticsLA Times'Poll Position' 9/23: Biden strong in red states; Collins struggling at home
Joe Biden continues to make inroads against President Trump in states that went Republican four years ago, new polling suggests. If Democrats can flip a few of them — especially Arizona or Florida — while maintaining their 2016 wins, Biden's path to victory would be a straightforward one. Elsewhere in the world of data, a Senate race in Maine illustrates the perils of moderation in the modern GOP and — following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Friday — a partisan divide is clear over when the next Supreme Court justice should be chosen, and by whom.
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.
U.S.The Daily BeastTucker Carlson Accuses BLM of Lying About Breonna Taylor’s Death, Gets Major Fact Wrong
Fox News host Tucker Carlson reacted Wednesday night to Louisville police officers dodging charges in the killing of Breonna Taylor by claiming Black Lives Matter had peddled a “lie” about the 26-year-old's fatal shooting, all while falsely accusing Taylor's boyfriend of being a drug dealer. With protests erupting in Louisville hours after a grand jury decided not to charge three cops with killing Taylor, Carlson recapped the decision while complaining about the way Taylor's death had been portrayed by social justice activists and the press. “In March, three Louisville police officers served a search warrant at the apartment of a woman called Breonna Taylor,” Carlson said.
WorldThe Independent‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests
At least 50 journalists in the US have been arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the US, while dozens of others have also been injured by rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas. The US Press Freedom Tracker has collected nearly 500 incidents from 382 reports, from the unrest in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's killing by police in late May, to demonstrations in more than 70 cities across 35 states since. At least 46 journalists were arrested between the end of May and the beginning of June, according to data collected by the organisation.
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.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionSupreme Court term limits do not require a constitutional amendment
A plan to fix the appointment process already has the support of the vast majority (77% of Americans favor restrictions on length of SCOTUS service vs. 23% against) of the American people: ending life tenure for future justices. What's more, this would not require amending the Constitution. Article III states judges and justices “hold their offices during good behavior,” which historically has been understood to mean that not until death do they and their robes part.
WorldBBCClaremont killings: Australian man guilty of two 1990s murders
An Australian man has been found guilty of murdering two women in separate abductions in the 1990s, but not guilty over the killing of a third woman. The case has been one of Australia's highest-profile mysteries for more than two decades, and came to be known as the Claremont serial killings. Bradley Robert Edwards, 51, denied killing Jane Rimmer, 23, Ciara Glennon, 27, and Sarah Spiers, 18, in Perth.
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.
CelebrityMiami HeraldKodak Black wants out of his hellacious Kentucky prison, stat, new lawsuit says
Being behind bars is certainly no fun, but for Kodak Black it's hell, a new suit claims. The Pompano Beach rapper has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons claiming poor conditions at Big Sandy high-security federal prison outside of Inez, Kentucky. The “Tunnel Vision” singer was transferred in April from FCI prison in Kendall to Big Sandy after a fight with a fellow inmate.
U.S.USA TODAYKentucky grand jury indicts 1 of 3 police officers in fatal Breonna Taylor shooting – but not for her death
But neither he nor two other Louisville officers who fired their weapons at Taylor's apartment — Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove — were charged with killing Taylor, an unarmed Black woman. And Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made it clear he expects no further criminal charges to be filed in connection with the events at Taylor's apartment that night. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was shot six times by the officers and died in the hallway of her South Louisville apartment during an attempted LMPD search for drugs and cash that went horribly wrong.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump aides didn't tell him about RBG's death during Minnesota rally because they were afraid his supporters might cheer
President Donald Trump's aides refrained from informing him about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death while he was onstage during a rally Friday night because they were afraid the crowd would cheer if he announced it, according to The New York Times. Trump intends to fill Ginsburg's seat before the election and has the necessary support from Republicans in the Senate to move forward. President Donald Trump had barely taken the stage during a rally in Minnesota on Friday night when the news broke that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died at the age of 87.
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.
ScienceBBCTasmania pilot whales: Australia to euthanise stranded animals
Several surviving pilot whales beached in a mass stranding in Tasmania will be euthanised as they cannot be saved, officials have said. About 380 whales have already died in Australia's worst stranding on record. Tasmania's government said 88 of the animals had been rescued so far and there was hope for another 20.
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.
PoliticsSalonMitch McConnell’s re-election campaign slapped with FEC flag over suspected accounting errors
Worthington also pointed out that there were contributions received after the 2020 primary election that are designated for the 2020 primary. "These contributions may only be accepted to the extent that the committee has net debts outstanding from the 2020 primary election," Worthington wrote. Worthington also pointed out that there were contributions received after the 2020 primary election that are designated for the 2020 primary.
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Rep. Gaetz: I spoke with Florida attorney general, criminal probe may already be underway for Bloomberg
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz says Mike Bloomberg may face a criminal probe for paying fines for felons in Florida; reaction from 'Outnumbered.
U.S.ReutersColleges reopenings in-person likely added 3,000 U.S. COVID-19 cases per day: study
The findings call into question the practicality of face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are important as colleges and universities plan their spring 2020 semesters, said researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Indiana University, the University of Washington and Davidson College. To track COVID-19 cases and study their association with students attending classes at college campuses, the team used location data from a database of cellphone users who agreed to share information. The researchers noted significant increases in counties where colleges had reopened for face-to-face instruction, especially in and around campuses with students who came from areas with higher incidences of COVID-19.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastMary Trump Sues Her Uncle—the President—for Fraud
Mary Trump, the president's niece whose tell-all book has roiled the Trump family, is suing the commander-in-chief and his siblings, accusing them of committing fraud in an attempt to deprive her of millions of dollars associated with the family's real estate empire. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in a New York court and obtained by The Daily Beast, names Donald Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry, and their late brother Robert Trump, in the alleged fraud and civil conspiracy. “For Donald J. Trump, his sister Maryanne, and their late brother Robert, fraud was not just the family business—it was a way of life,” the lawsuit, first reported by The New York Times, begins.
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.
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.
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Covid uptick in 6 NYC neighborhoods
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is targeting six neighborhoods that have seen recent upticks in coronavirus cases, with an emphasis on expanded testing and contact tracing.
U.S.Business InsiderThe partner of a protester who was shot and killed in Kenosha is suing Facebook alleging it enabled paramilitary violence against protesters
A federal lawsuit alleges Facebook was negligent when it failed to remove an event page encouraging armed vigilantes to attend protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "Use hollow bullets," posted another. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of four plaintiffs, including the partner of a man killed at the protests, argues that Facebook essentially enabled right-wing violence.
PoliticsUSA TODAYJoe Biden endorsed, Trump excoriated by nearly 500 retired top military, national security officials
Nearly 500 generals, admirals and former national security officials from both parties endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, and blasted President Donald Trump as "not equal" to the challenges of the job in a letter released Thursday. The letter, signed by 489 members of the group called the National Security Leaders for Biden, includes former Obama administration Defense Secretaries Ash Carter, Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, along with former Navy Secretary and NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, who served under both former Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush. Among the retired senior officers is Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, who until last year was the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump.
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.
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.
“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.”