U.S.The Daily BeastSole Witness Who Heard Cops Announce Themselves in Breonna Taylor Raid Changed His Story
This week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made the bombshell announcement that the cops who fatally shot Breonna Taylor would not be charged with killing her, calling their use of force in the March raid “justified to protect themselves.” In that justification, he said that one witness corroborated the three officers' insistence that they knocked and identified themselves at Taylor's Louisville home while executing a search warrant in connection with a narcotics investigation. It contradicted claims from Taylor's boyfriend, Kenny Walker, and 11 other residents, who said they didn't hear the cops announce themselves.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump mocks protester and thanks audience member after heckler ejected from rally
Donald Trump praised a supporter who confronted a protester at a rally in battleground Pennsylvania, saying the heckler is “going home to his parents” to get “in trouble” while the loyalist who shut him down is “the kind of guy I want working for me.” Mr Trump had not been on stage but for a few minutes when the fracas broke out. Mr Trump watched the apparent silencing of his critic before sending the audience into loud cheers with his reaction.
U.S.INSIDERKyle Rittenhouse's mom reportedly received a 'standing ovation' from the crowd at a Republican event in Wisconsin
Wendy Rittenhouse, the mother of accused Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, reportedly received a standing ovation at a GOP event in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, on Thursday. Rittenhouse was invited by conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, who was speaking at the event about "safety and self-defense" organized by the Republican Women of Waukesha County. Police say Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, from his home in Illinois where he shot three people, killing two of them, at demonstrations following the caught-on-camera police shooting of Jacob Blake.
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionI've known Amy Coney Barrett for over 20 years. Her intellect and heart are unrivaled.
And we certainly could not have imagined that, 22 years later, she would be nominated to serve on the United States Supreme Court. But looking back, everything has changed, except Amy Coney Barrett. The very same qualities that struck me as remarkable on that spring afternoon are the qualities that make her an exceptional judge, award-winning teacher, generous colleague, loyal friend and loving mother.
U.S.National ReviewHouse Republicans Call on Attorney General Barr to Investigate Recent Spike in Anti-Catholic Hate Crimes
A group of House Republicans led by Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind.) on Friday called on attorney general William Barr to investigate a recent rise in anti-Catholic hate crimes. There have been 70 instances of anti-Catholic violence in North America this year — with 57 crimes being reported since May alone — according to a letter sent to the attorney general by Banks and 15 other House Republicans. “Bigoted criminals are threatening Catholics and undermining America's core ideal of religious liberty,” Banks said in a statement.
PoliticsSalonTrump calls on Joe Biden to drop out over allegations his own GOP Senate allies failed to prove
Donald Trump and Joe Biden Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images On Thursday, in a radio interview, President Donald Trump once again promoted unsubstantiated corruption allegations about Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine — and urged Joe Biden to "leave the campaign" because he "was in on it." Trump's remarks come just after his allies in the Senate, led by Homeland Security chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI), released the results of a highly partisan investigation into the Hunter Biden allegations. That report claimed the business dealings were "problematic" but failed to find any evidence that they influenced U.S. foreign policy.
PoliticsThe IndependentProud Boys Portland rally: Fred Perry tells right-wing group to stop wearing its iconic T-shirts
Fred Perry has told Proud Boys to stop wearing its iconic T-shirts ahead of a rally the right-wing group has organised in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday. "It is incredibly frustrating that this group has appropriated our ... twin tipped shirt and subverted our Laurel Wreath to their own ends," the company said in a statement on its website. "To be absolutely clear, if you see any Proud Boys materials or products featuring our Laurel Wreath or any Black/Yellow/Yellow related items, they have absolutely nothing to do with us, and we are working with our lawyers to pursue any unlawful use of our brand."
WorldThe TelegraphAmerican faces two years in prison for posting unflattering TripAdvisor review of Thailand island resort
An American could face up to two years in prison after leaving a negative review for a hotel in Thailand on TripAdvisor. The Sea View Resort on Koh Chang island claims Wesley Barnes launched a barrage of complaints against them after his stay, forcing them to take legal action. "The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionAngry about Breonna Taylor? Do what Barack Obama said in 2016: 'Don't boo. Vote'
We can measure equality in votes Speaking at the Republican National Convention last month, Cameron said that “Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts, but neither will we accept an all-out assault on Western civilization. Cameron also quoted President Dwight Eisenhower, saying that “democracy is a system that recognizes the equality of humans. He's right.
U.S.INSIDERA white supremacist gang member was killed during a shootout with police in California
A known member of a white supremacist gang died during a shootout with police on Thursday in Templeton, California, CNN reports. Christopher Michael Straub fled on foot during a traffic stop, hid, and then ambushed two deputies with a handgun, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. "He was known by us, he was wanted by us, and he was considered armed and dangerous," Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a news conference.
U.S.USA TODAYNotre Dame profs push back on Amy Coney Barrett portrayals: Not just 'an ideological category'
SOUTH BEND, Indiana – When Amy Coney Barrett's colleagues at the University of Notre Dame Law School learned of her nomination for a federal appeals court seat in 2017, they began signing a letter of support for her confirmation. The letter began circulating on a Thursday, recalled professor Stephen Yelderman, who was traveling and could not immediately sign it. When Yelderman returned to the office after the weekend, his colleagues were quick to approach him.
WorldReutersSwiss voters reject curbs on EU immigration: TV projection
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a right-wing party's attempt to scrap a pact allowing the free movement of people from the European Union, according to a projection of results by broadcaster SRF on Sunday. The Swiss People's Party (SVP) had called a referendum on the EU agreement - a vote that was seen as an important test of attitudes towards foreigners who make up a quarter of the population. The broadcaster said its projection, based on partial results from Sunday's plebiscite, showed the motion was defeated 63%-37%.
- WorldReuters Videos
Clashes erupt between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Armenia has declared martial law and a total military mobilization following clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The incident has prompted calls from several world powers for an end to hostilities amid fears of instability in the South Caucasus - which serves as a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets. Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalyan, saying:] "Early in the morning, around 7 a.m.
U.S.Business InsiderTucker Carlson says 'every story' about Jacob Blake and George Floyd is a lie, the same day a federal judge wrote that viewers don't take Carlson's statements seriously
Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Thursday that "every story" told of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake, and other victims of police brutality is "at its core" a lie. Carlson made several claims about Floyd and Blake that omitted certain details. On the same day a federal judge dismissed a defamation case against Fox News, largely due to the network's argument that nobody takes Tucker Carlson seriously, the primetime host said on national television that "every story" about police brutality victims is a lie.
U.S.INSIDERFirefighters battling a Brooklyn blaze discovered up to $1 million cash when bundles started falling on their heads
Firefighters in New York arrived to extinguish a fire in Brooklyn on Thursday and came across approximately $1 million dollars that fell from the resident's ceiling, according to CBS New York. A source from the New York City Fire Department told the New York Post that the money "just kept falling out." First responders in New York reportedly found up to $1 million in cash while trying to extinguish a fire this week, according to CBS New York.
PoliticsAFPSwaggering Trump goes into first Biden debate eager to fight
Donald Trump always fancied himself streetwise, a real tough guy, and at the first presidential debate with Joe Biden next week he'll be wearing the verbal brass knuckles. Trump, 74, is not a leader comfortable with the soaring rhetoric of JFK or Ronald Reagan. He's not one for the nuanced elegance that fans loved -- and detractors saw as aloofness -- in the speeches of Barack Obama.
U.S.The Daily BeastGirlfriend of Dating App Killer ‘Got Off Sexually’ on Torture: Prosecutors
Bailey Boswell, the woman accused of helping her boyfriend strangle a 24-year-old wooed through Tinder, “got off sexually” from talking about killing and torture, prosecutors alleged on Friday, as the bombshell trial involving claims of a vampire sex cult began. Boswell, 26, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and improper disposal of human remains for her role in the 2017 slaying and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe, a cashier at a Lincoln home-improvements store. Prosecutors allege Boswell conspired for weeks with her boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, 52, to lure Loofe to her death.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia will house transgender inmates by gender identity
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Saturday requiring California to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity — but only if the state does not have “management or security concerns.” Advocates say this is dangerous, particularly for transgender women housed in facilities for men. The law Newsom signed Saturday says officers must ask inmates privately during the intake process if they identify as transgender, nonbinary or intersex.
PoliticsSalonLegal experts are freaking out about Bill Barr’s actions to help Trump win
Bill Barr ABC Legal experts are increasingly alarmed by Attorney General William Barr's efforts to help President Donald Trump win re-election. The attorney general has joined the president in attacking voting integrity and civil rights demonstrators, and he has described his role in the election in explicitly religious terms that show Barr believes he represents "moral discipline and virtue" against "individual rapacity," reported The Guardian. "His abuses have only escalated as we have gotten closer and closer to the election, and as the president has felt more and more politically vulnerable," said Donald Sherman, deputy director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
U.S.The IndependentCoronavirus: More than 1,000 New Yorkers test positive in a day for first time since June
More than 1,000 New Yorkers have tested positive for Covid-19 in a single day on Friday. On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced there were 1,005 positive cases out of nearly 100,000 tests on the previous day. Mr Cuomo called for continued practice of virus-mitigation guidelines.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump doesn't expect to have a transfer of power because he's going to win the election
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House press secretary, said on Thursday that President Donald Trump didn't expect to have "any kind of transfer of power." "I think the president feels, like many Americans, that it's not going to matter, because he's going to win on Election Day," she told Fox News. Trump has caused alarm by refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election on November 3.
ScienceAccuWeatherColdest air yet this season to be unleashed across midwestern US as October begins
Residents of the Midwest may be wondering what month the calendar flipped to later this week, as a November-like air mass plunges in with gusty winds, spotty showers and perhaps even some snowflakes. Following a modest cooldown which will push high temperatures 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit below late-September averages early this week, the region will see a more drastic cool-down for the second half of the week. While average temperatures are beginning their rapid descent at this point in the year due to the decreasing sun angle and shorter amount of daylight, the magnitude of this cold spell is still likely to be significant in terms of departures from normal.
PoliticsSalonHere’s why the latest Texas polls are so ominous for the GOP — even if Trump wins the state
Donald Trump and Joe Biden | Texas Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images More polls on the 2020 presidential race have come in for Texas — and once again, former Vice President Joe Biden is within striking distance of President Donald Trump, who is ahead by only 3% in a New York Times/Siena poll and by 5% in a Quinnipiac poll. Texas is still in play for Biden, but even if Trump ultimately wins the Lone Star State, these polls are an ominous sign for the GOP and underscore the inroads Democrats are making in a state that Republicans can no longer take for granted. Texas' U.S. Senate race is another ominous sign for the GOP.
WorldAssociated PressJapan's new PM says stable Japan-China ties key to region
New Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in talks Friday to work closely together by holding high-level meetings including summits, but did not discuss the possibility of a visit by Xi to Japan. I told (Xi) that the stability of Japan-China relations is crucial, not only for the two countries but also for the region and for international society,” Suga told reporters after their phone conversation. His talks with Xi Friday were his first since taking office just over a week ago, replacing Shinzo Abe, who resigned due to poor health.
NewsReutersUK universities grapple with spiralling COVID-19 outbreaks
The University of Glasgow has offered a rent rebate to residents and support with securing food and medical supplies for self-isolating students in a sign of the huge challenge colleges are facing when COVID-19 outbreaks hit campus. Students travelled across the country to start university this month, paying thousands of pounds to live in halls of residence and attend lectures in institutions such as Cambridge, Oxford, University College London and Edinburgh. Robert Halfon, the head of parliament's education committee, said 3,000 students were in lockdown and the health minister said this week he could not rule out asking students to stay on campus over Christmas to prevent the virus from spreading.
“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.”