U.S.Yahoo NewsIn liberal San Francisco, white responses to George Floyd's killing proved revealing
My feelings about Floyd's killing veered wildly from anger to resignation, but this simultaneous phenomenon — the dozens of daily messages from white people — clouded my own ability to process the news. More horribly, I soon learned that I wasn't the only one on the receiving end of those awkward pleas for absolution. Black friends all over the world were receiving the same messages, delivered in the same manner, from people far and wide.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden officially has enough electoral college votes to win the presidency after California became the latest state to certify its election results
President-elect Joe Biden officially received enough electoral votes to become the next president after California became the latest state to certify its election results. California appointed its 55 electors for Biden, putting him over the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency. President Donald Trump has not conceded the election and continues to contest the results in court.
WorldReutersTurkey in weekend lockdown with coronavirus cases at record highs
Turkey has entered its first full weekend lockdown since May as deaths from coronavirus more than doubled in less than three weeks to hit record highs, with daily infections now among the highest numbers recorded globally. The daily death toll https://tmsnrt.rs/35LkG8h rose to a record high of 196 on Saturday, bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 14,705. Opposition politicians have expressed scepticism however about whether the official death toll reflects the true picture in the country of 83 million people.
- WorldAssociated Press
Armenia: Tens of thousands rally to demand PM's resignation
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched across the Armenian capital Saturday to push for the resignation of the ex-Soviet nation's prime minister over his handling of the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. In six weeks of fierce fighting that ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal on Nov. 10, the Azerbaijani army reclaimed lands that Armenian forces have held for more than a quarter-century. Armenia's opposition parties warned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan there would be civil disobedience across the country if he does not resign by noon on Tuesday.
- NewsReuters Videos
COVID-19 vaccine should not be mandatory: Biden
"No, I don't think it should be mandatory. I wouldn't demand that it be mandatory, but I will do everything in my power, just like I don't think masks have to be made mandatory nationwide... I will do everything in my power as the President of the United States to encourage people to do the right thing," Biden said.
PoliticsThe WeekPelosi says she supports a smaller coronavirus stimulus now because Biden won the election
After six months spent pushing for a more-than $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is fine with something smaller. It's smaller than the $1.5 trillion deal the House's bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus drew up in September, and yet this time around, President-elect Joe Biden's win and forthcoming coronavirus vaccines have Pelosi ready to accept it. Pelosi went on to explain that she had held out for a bigger bill with longer-lasting provisions before she knew who would be the next president — essentially, she thought she wouldn't get a second chance at a stimulus package if President Trump was re-elected.
U.S.ReutersU.S. ends exchange programs with China, calling them 'propaganda'
The U.S. State Department said on Friday it has ended five cultural exchange programs with China, calling them "soft power propaganda tools." The Department said on its website it had "terminated" the Policymakers Educational China Trip Program, the U.S.-China Friendship Program, the U.S.-China Leadership Exchange Program, the U.S.-China Transpacific Exchange Program and the Hong Kong Educational and Cultural Program. It said that the programs had been set up under the auspices of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act - a 1961 law signed by President John F. Kennedy and aimed at boosting academic and cultural exchanges with foreign countries.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA 20-year-old campaign staffer for Sen. Kelly Loeffler died in a car crash before Pence held a campaign event in Georgia
A 20-year-old campaign staffer for Sen. Kelly Loeffler was killed in a three-vehicle crash in Georgia on Friday morning. Harrison Deal was also a former intern for GOP Sen. David Perdue and a close family friend of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The accident came ahead of a campaign event that featured Vice President Mike Pence, who described Deal as "a truly wonderful young man."
WorldReutersViolence erupts during Paris protest against Macron's security law
Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside. It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality and President Emmanuel Macron's security plans, which the demonstrators say would restrict civil liberties.
WorldThe TelegraphTrump orders withdrawal of US troops from Somalia
President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of most US military and security personnel from Somalia, where they have been conducting operations against the Al Shabaab militant group, the Pentagon said Friday. After ordering major troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan recently, Trump's new move reflects his drive to disengage US forces from what he calls "endless wars" abroad, making good on a campaign pledge in the final weeks of his presidency. Trump "has ordered the Department of Defense and the United States Africa Command to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021," the Pentagon said in a statement.
- WorldReuters
Britain's MoD in talks to control steelmaker for nuclear submarines -Sky News
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had enlisted Deloitte to advise it on the talks with privately-owned Sheffield Forgemasters, Sky News said, citing steel industry sources. An outright takeover of Sheffield Forgemasters, which traces its history back to a small blacksmith's forge in the 1750s, was only one of a number of options being considered, and that any agreement was likely to be several months away, Sky News said.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump administration blocked Biden transition team from meeting intelligence agencies, say officials
The Trump administration has blocked Joe Biden's transition team from meeting with officials at US intelligence agencies controlled by the Pentagon, current and former US officials have said. The president-elect's team had asked to meet with senior officials at military intelligence agencies within the Defense Department (DoD), which include the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, but were not allowed to do so, the Washington Post reported. According to the report, the meetings were requested this week, and appeared to have been turned down, or delayed – although officials have since denied that was the case.
PoliticsThe WeekJudge deals potential final blow to Trump's attempt to end DACA protections
Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Friday directed the Trump administration to fully restore the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program, which was designed during the Obama administration to protect younger undocumented immigrants from deportation. Per The New York Times, the decision may be the "final blow" to President Trump's years-long quest to eliminate the program. The order requires the Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice by Monday that it will accept new DACA applicants for the first time since 2017, Bloomberg notes.
- WorldReuters
Mali coup figure named head of transition council
One of the army officers behind an August coup in Mali was named on Saturday to lead a new transitional legislative body, a spokesman for the authorities said. The appointment boosts the number of military figures in key roles, something that has dismayed some political factions. After the ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Aug. 18, hopes of a civilian-led transition were dashed by the appointment of the junta's leader as vice president, while retired colonel Bah Ndaw became president.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAirbus' new $260 million answer to Boeing's 787-8 Dreamliner just began flying passengers but it's already looking like a flop
The Airbus A330-800neo entered service with Kuwait Airways in November after being delivered in October as Airbus' newest passenger jet. It's the smaller variant of the A330neo family but still boasts an impressive range of 8,150 nautical miles and greater efficiency thanks to new Rolls-Royce engines. With only three airlines publicly placing orders for the aircraft, however, it's likely to be a flop.
PoliticsThe IndependentNinety percent of Congressional Republicans refuse to acknowledge Biden’s win
Ninety per cent of Republican lawmakers in Congress have so far refused to say Joe Biden was the winner of the presidential election, according to a survey. Of all 249 Republicans in the US House and Senate, only 25 told the Washington Post they believed the Democrat won against the US president last month. Two lawmakers surveyed by the Post said Donald Trump had actually won the presidential race, in contrast with results and the electoral college, which show Mr Biden won.
WorldReutersChina, U.S. need to proceed together with 'good will': Chinese envoy
China and the United States need to proceed together with "good will" to improve relations, the Chinese ambassador to Washington said on Saturday, as ties remained fraught between the world's two biggest economic powers. On Friday, a Chinese state media editorial said ties are being shifted to "a dangerous path". "In order to put the relations on the right track, to have real improvement of the relations, both sides have to proceed with good will and good faith," Ambassador Cui Tiankai told the Annual Conference of the Institute for China-America Studies via video link.
WorldThe TelegraphRussia starts mass COVID-19 vaccination with Sputnik V shot as clinical tests continue
Moscow began distributing the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine via 70 clinics on Saturday, marking Russia's first mass vaccination drive against the disease, the city's coronavirus task force said. The task force said the Russian-made vaccine would first be made available to doctors and other medical workers, teachers and social workers because they ran the highest risk of exposure to the disease. "You are working at an educational institution and have top-priority for the COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge," read a text message received by one Muscovite, an elementary school teacher, early on Saturday.
ScienceBBCHayabusa-2: Rocks from an asteroid set for delivery to Earth
A capsule containing the material was released by Japan's Hayabusa-2 spacecraft on Saturday morning (GMT), as it approached our planet. Hayabusa-2 grabbed the cosmic treasure trove from Ryugu, one of the primitive building blocks of our Solar System. Scientists say that studying the material from Ryugu could provide insights into how life itself began.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderKellyanne Conway breaks from Trump's refusal to concede, saying 'Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will prevail'
Former White House advisor Kellyanne Conway said in an interview with The 19th that "it looks like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will prevail." Conway's remarks go against President Donald Trump, who is still refusing to concede to Biden and continues to share claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election to undermine the results. With the comment, Conway joins a growing number of Republicans who are acknowledging Biden's victory.
WorldReutersBahrain says it won't allow imports from Israeli settlements
Bahrain will not allow the import of Israeli goods produced in settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, state news agency BNA reported, disavowing comments made by the Gulf state's trade minister earlier this week. Bahrain's Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani had voiced openness to settlement imports, adding that Manama would make no distinction between products produced in Israel or in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. "The minister's statement was misinterpreted and that the ministry is committed to the Bahraini government's unwavering stance regarding adherence to the resolutions of the United Nations," BNA said late on Friday, quoting an official source from the ministry of industry, commerce and tourism.
- LifestyleMiami Herald
Cruises keep getting canceled due to the pandemic. Here’s the latest update
Here are the latest cancellations for each company: Investigation How many coronavirus cases have been linked to cruises? Check out the latest numbers The Miami Herald investigated COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships. Explore the findings of the most comprehensive tracking system of coronavirus cases linked to the cruise industry.
LifestyleUSA TODAYAll-Clad cookware is up to 76% off right now for huge post-Cyber Monday savings
The top-quality brand is known for its high-performing, durable designs: just ask our cooking team, who fell in love with the company's nonstick pan, roasting pan, immersion blender and so much more. Through Saturday, December 5, home chefs looking to upgrade their kitchen collection can enter their email address to shop can't-beat markdowns of up to 76% on Reviewed-approved pots, pans, tools and more. Among the most exciting discounts available at this massive savings event is the All-Clad 13-inch by 16-inch nonstick roaster.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
Giuliani insists 'we have a real good shot' at overturning election
President Trump's attorney gives an update on progress of lawsuits on 'Hannity.
- U.S.Associated Press
Appeals court rules for Trump taking military money for wall
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that a lower court was wrong to bar the Trump administration from taking $3.6 billion from military construction projects for a border wall. A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that El Paso County and the nonprofit Border Network for Human Rights did not have the standing to challenge President Donald Trump's redirecting funds from more than 100 military construction projects, including a $20 million road project at a base located in the city. The appeals court found that neither the county nor the Border Network proved it was directly harmed by Trump's move.
“This metastasizing debt crisis has had tremendous social costs. An entire generation has been set back.”
“It is not the government’s job to step in and rescue those who took on more debt than their future incomes would support.”
“Many student-borrowers need relief, but well-off borrowers who are thriving — thanks to their college degrees — do not.”
“It will stimulate the lagging economy. And though not everyone will directly benefit, the country as a whole will improve.”
“Canceling student debt would cost billions of dollars each year and would exacerbate, not lessen, economic inequalities.”