PoliticsAFPTrump launches fresh attack on McCain after widow endorses Biden
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a fresh mocking attack on John McCain, the Republican senator who died in 2018, after McCain's widow threw her support behind Joe Biden in the election. In a particularly aggressive tweet the Republican leader once again criticized John McCain who was one of the few in the Republican party to openly castigate him. "I hardly know Cindy McCain other than having put her on a Committee at her husband's request," he tweeted.
U.S.The Independent‘Good guys are demonized, criminals are canonised’: One of the officers in Breonna Taylor raid speaks out in fiery email
A Louisville sergeant at the centre of the Breonna Taylor investigation sent a mass email on Tuesday defending police actions as "legal, moral and ethical". It comes as Louisville police declared a pre-emptive state of emergency in anticipation of findings from the state's attorney general, who has been investigating possible criminal charges against the officers involved Ms Taylor's death. In the email sent to more than 1,000 colleagues about 2 am on Tuesday morning, Jonathan Mattingly said the next few days would be tough whatever the outcome as they were pawns in a political game.
- WorldAssociated Press
Pakistan sentences 2 to death for deadly 2012 factory fire
A Pakistani court on Tuesday sentenced two political party operatives to death for starting a fire at a garments factory in Karachi in 2012 that killed 260 people after the factory owners refused to pay bribes. The tragedy drew attention to the routine flouting of safety codes in Pakistan, where business owners often bribe local officials to avoid paying fines. The two who were sentenced to death were members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which has long dominated Karachi politics.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestWhy We’re Never Buying Rectangular Rugs Again
Squiggly, wavy, snaky textiles have captured our hearts Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsMiami HeraldIf the Senate doesn’t consider a replacement for Bader Ginsburg now, it’s not doing its job | Opinion
They carry on now as if the Constitution provides otherwise, but the simple fact is that in our system of self-governance, the president nominates Supreme Court justices and the Senate confirms or rejects them — all at their discretion and on their timetable. I realize reason isn't in fashion these days, but reason is the bulwark of our system. Ask yourself these two simple questions: In voting to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election, would Republicans be doing anything that isn't provided for in the Constitution?
PoliticsThe Daily BeastSenate Republicans Release Hunter Biden Hatchet Job Weeks From Election Day
Senate Republicans have released their controversial report on Joe Biden and his son Hunter's former dealings with Ukraine in a politically-charged move to taint Biden's campaign weeks out from Election Day. The investigation, which was spearheaded by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) focuses on Hunter Biden's work for Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings—a key issue in last year's impeachment of President Donald Trump.
U.S.USA TODAY'Placed intentionally to cause harm': Michigan city closes playgrounds after discovery of 41 razor blades
A group of people at a Michigan playground discovered 39 razor blades on the equipment, prompting authorities to close playgrounds across the city, police said. Officers recovered an additional two blades after they were called at about 4:40 p.m. Monday to the playground, according to a news release from the Eaton Rapids Police Department. "Some of the blades appeared to have been placed intentionally to cause harm," police said on Facebook.
U.S.Business Insider4 people have been charged after a Black man's body was found burning in an Iowa ditch
Four people were charged on Tuesday in connection to the killing of Michael Ronnell Williams, a Black man whose body was found burning in a ditch in rural Iowa on September 16. Steven Vogel, who police said knew Williams, has been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. The president of the local NAACP chapter said, however: "We understand the fear this kind of incident evokes," according to the Des Moines Register.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
Some Republicans changing stance on Supreme Court nomination process
Fox News' Chad Pergram breaks down the White House's approach to filling the Supreme Court vacancy.
PoliticsCBS NewsSchumer invokes "two-hour rule" to block Senate committee hearings
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer invoked the "two-hour rule" Tuesday, a measure that constrains the scheduling and duration of Senate committee meetings. The move was intended to retaliate against Republicans, who have agreed to vote on confirming President Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Under the rule, no Senate committee or subcommittee can meet after the Senate has been in session for two hours or after 2 p.m. The move threatened to delay a briefing on national security and a confirmation hearing for Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
PoliticsThe IndependentMichael Bloomberg pays off $16m in fines to help 32,000 black and Hispanic felons vote in Florida
Michael Bloomberg has raised $16.1m to pay off fines and court debts of 32,000 convicted felons so they're eligible to vote for Joe Biden in Florida. The former New York City mayor's contribution makes up the bulk of $20m raised by Florida Rights Restoration Coalition following a recent court ruling that allows convicted felons to regain their right to vote. Black or Latino voters who were already registered to vote, with outstanding fines of less than $1,500, were eligible for the race-based payback initiative, according to Axios and The Washington Post, which first reported Mr Bloomberg's $16.1m fundraising.
BusinessMiami HeraldWalmart rolling back two of its COVID-19 precautions as customer behaviors change
If you're headed to Walmart sometime soon, operations may look a little different — the retailer says it plans to roll back two of its COVID-19 policies. Walmart is doing away with one-way aisles and will reopen second sets of doors that had previously been closed due to coronavirus concerns, the company told McClatchy News in an email. Walmart did not say when the changes will take place, but attributed the move to customer behavior.
BusinessReutersU.S. Labor Department could make it easier to treat workers as independent contractors
The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday said it would soon propose a rule that could make it easier to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, a major issue for the "gig economy" and other industries that use contractors to contain costs. During a phone call with reporters, senior department officials said the rule, if adopted, would provide courts with a "cleaner and easier-to-use process" than the complex multi-factor test currently applied in lawsuits alleging workers have been misclassified. Independent contractors are not entitled to many of the legal protections afforded to employees, such as minimum wage and overtime pay.
U.S.PoliticoPence calls 200,000 Covid deaths a ‘heartbreaking milestone’ but says things could’ve been worse
As the U.S. passed a grim milestone of 200,000 coronavirus-related deaths, Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday sent his condolences to victims and their families while also saying things could have been worse. Six weeks from the election, Pence spoke at a Make America Great Again event in Gilford, N.H., to raise support for President Donald Trump in a state that he narrowly lost in 2016. Addressing the news of the new 200,000 death count midday, Pence called it a “heartbreaking milestone.”
PoliticsSalonJoe Biden is already being cagey about expanding the Supreme Court
Let's say I answer that question, then the whole debates gonna be about what Biden said or didn't say, Biden said he would or wouldn't. The discussion should be about why he is moving in a direction that's totally inconsistent with what founders wanted. The Constitution says voters get to pick a president who gets to make the pick and the senate gets to decide.
U.S.USA TODAYAs more schools offer in-person options, what happens to the students who stay virtual?
Not a sustainable model': A peek at how one high school handles its COVID-19 challenges In the hybrid schedule, students stay with the same teachers that they had during the all-virtual phase, meaning teachers have classes with students on the hybrid schedule and those who are fully virtual. Jan Combs, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, told the school board in August that there were multiple reasons for keeping classes together regardless of their learning format. It allowed families to switch between in-person and virtual instead of making a long-term commitment to one format or the other, she said.
HealthThe Independent'Sobering and stunning': Dr Fauci warns against surging Covid cases as death toll reaches 200,000 and Trump remains silent
Dr Anthony Fauci has warned that the US must significantly reduce its daily average of new coronavirus cases by following simple public health protocols or risk another surge in infections, as the nation's death toll for Covid-19 has eclipsed the loss of more than 200,000 lives. Guidelines urged by public health officials for months – wearing face coverings, avoiding groups, physically distancing from others – “are not being universally implemented,” he said. Dr Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has clashed with Donald Trump and his allies over his realistic remarks cast against the president's false claims and attempts to downplay the gravity and lethal impact of the virus, which he admitted to journalist Bob Woodward in an attempt to prevent nationwide “panic.”
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCindy McCain, wife of the late GOP Sen. John McCain, endorses Joe Biden, following a report of Trump privately disparaging military members
Cindy McCain, the wife of the late GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, formally endorsed Joe Biden for president. "My husband John lived by a code: country first," McCain wrote in a tweet. Biden initially announced McCain's endorsement during a fundraiser Tuesday.
ScienceAssociated PressVenezuelans care for animals injured during pandemic
Shut in by quarantine measures for the new coronavirus, Carmen Borges shares her small apartment in Caracas with her hustand, two daughters and, of late, a squirrel pup rescued by a neighbor. The animal scurries across the kitchen floor and sleeps on the balcony in a nest improvised from a white towel. She feeds it by hand, and for a few weeks gave it human milk from her daughter, who recently gave birth.
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionMy generation is being raised to hate America — it’s time to stand up for our history
Anti-Americanism has spread across college campuses like a wildfire, igniting rage and resentment against anything perceived as oppressive — even the American flag. In a Gallup poll this June, only 63% of U.S. adults say they are either “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be American, the lowest level of patriotism ever recorded since Gallup first asked the question in 2001.
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.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
President Trump, Democrats in Supreme Court showdown over replacing Ginsburg
Washington Examiner columnist Byron York weighs in on upcoming Supreme Court battles.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastSCOTUS Battle Pours Lighter Fluid on South Carolina’s Senate Race
Most everyone following the heated U.S. Senate contest in South Carolina recognizes that the opening of a U.S. Supreme Court seat—six weeks before Election Day—has shifted the balance of the race. Sen. Lindsey Graham was already facing a determined challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death last Friday. Less than a day later, Graham officially discarded his stance from 2016 that high court appointments shouldn't be made in an election year—and fully embraced his role as President Donald Trump's warrior in securing a third Supreme Court justice.
ScienceUSA TODAYOnly in Arizona: Bobcats clinging to a saguaro cactus caught on camera
Mindy King was enjoying a hike with her dad earlier this week in Apache Junction, Arizona, when they spotted a rare sight: two bobcats clung to the side of a saguaro cactus. King and her dad on the morning of Sept. 16 were on a trail near Goldfield Mountains when they stumbled upon the bobcats. "At first, obviously, it was exciting to see them but then I kind of realized, 'Oh, they're up there for a reason,' " King told The Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: Former VP says he is worried Americans are at risk of becoming numb to the coronavirus death toll
The Biden campaign released a new attack ad roasting Donald Trump's coronavirus response, latching onto Bob Woodward's revelations that "he knew" the true extent of the threat posed to Americans. It comes as the president himself gave Joe Biden praise as a professional that would do well in the upcoming debates, but not without slipping in a jab that the ex-VP is "not all there". The Democratic presidential challenger, meanwhile, accused Republicans of treating the fight to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court like “a game”.
“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.”