PoliticsThe WeekPete Buttigieg rebuts Fox News' attack on Hunter Biden: 'If they want to make this about the business deals of a government official...'
Former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was back on Fox News on Thursday night ahead of the final presidential debate, where he faced questions about the recent stories alleging misconduct by Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. "It's not even clear what [they're] claiming it adds up to," Buttigieg said of Biden's opponents and the new claims. Host Bret Baier jumped in to clarify that the unsubstantiated allegation is that Joe Biden was "discussing all of his business deals" with his son.
PoliticsThe IndependentMitch McConnell’s hand is discoloured and bandaged – but he insists nothing is wrong
After photos showing his hand discoloured and bandaged went viral earlier this week, Mitch McConnell denied that he had any health issues. The Republican Senate Majority Leader was pictured reaching down to pick up a face mask he had dropped, showing the skin on his right hand much darker than the rest of his body, and a bandage around his thumb. The Independent has contacted Senator McConnell's office for comment but was yet to receive a response.
U.S.National ReviewThird-Degree Murder Charge Dismissed against Derek Chauvin in Death of George Floyd
Video shows Chauvin pressing his knee onto Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while he is handcuffed and yelling that he can't breathe. Cahill also upheld the charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter against the officers – Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane and J. Alexander Kueng – who were present at the time of the video. More from National Review Atlanta Mayor Orders Protesters to 'Clear Out' After 8-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shot Portland DA Declines to Prosecute Host of Riot-Related Offenses, Citing 'Depth of Emotion' Surrounding Racial Justice Ammon Bundy Comes Out in Support of BLM, Calls to Defund the Police
U.S.INSIDERA sheriff's sergeant is questioning the rescued Zion National Park hiker's story, saying there's no way she could have survived for 2 weeks off river water
Holly Courtier was found in Zion National Park in Utah on Sunday, nearly two weeks after she disappeared on a day hike. Sgt. Darrell Cashin, who helped the search-and-rescue effort, now says he has questions about Courtier's story and pointed out discrepancies. For example, Courtier's daughter told CNN that her mother hit her head early in the hike and became so dehydrated that she couldn't open her mouth.
PoliticsReutersDemocrats seize on U.S. Supreme Court election deadlock in Barrett fight
The Supreme Court's deadlock this week in a key election case illustrates the power President Donald Trump's nominee Amy Coney Barrett could wield and reveals why Republicans are hurrying to install her as a justice, Democrats said on Wednesday in their latest pitch to block her U.S. Senate confirmation. Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the four other conservative justices and joined with the court's three liberals on Monday in denying a request by Republicans seeking to block a state court's ruling that extended the deadline for the delivery of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania by three days.
WorldAssociated PressSudanese return to streets over dire living conditions
Sudanese protesters took to the streets in the capital and across the country Wednesday over dire living conditions and a deadly crackdown on demonstrators in the east earlier this month. The protests came on the anniversary of a 1964 uprising that ended six years of military rule. Sudan is currently ruled by a joint civilian-military government, following the popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir last year.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestKobe Bryant’s Widow Vanessa Lists Tuscan-Style Southern California Home
It's unclear how much the couple paid for the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house seven years ago. The exterior of the single-story abode features a charming brick façade with wall-climbing greenery; inside, the 2,300-square-foot home boasts lofted wood-beam ceilings, hardwood floors, and intricate chandeliers. The kitchen, which revolves around an oversize limestone-topped center island with a farmhouse sink, features a colorful patterned backsplash.
PoliticsThe IndependentDon Jr ripped to shreds for claiming he worked his way to top
Donald Trump Jr has been mocked for claiming that he worked his way up in the Trump Organisation. Mr Trump Jr, 42, made the claims on Thursday, while attempting to criticise Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden. My father gave me an opportunity to work my way up in his company.
- WorldReuters
Sri Lanka parliament strengthens presidential powers
Sri Lankan lawmakers approved amendments to the constitution that strengthened the powers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and took away parliament's role in making key appointments such as judges and the police chief. Rajapaksa, a former defence chief who oversaw the military defeat of Tamil separatists a decade ago, swept to power last November and has since consolidated control. In August, his party and its allies overwhelmingly won a parliamentary election on an election plank that included doing away with a previous constitutional amendment in 2015 that had put more power in the legislature's hands.
ScienceAssociated PressNASA spacecraft sent asteroid rubble flying in sample grab
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft crushed rocks and sent rubble flying as it briefly touched an asteroid, a strong indication that samples were collected for return to Earth, officials said Wednesday. Scientists won't know until next week how much was gathered at asteroid Bennu — they want at least a handful of the cosmic rubble. “We really did kind of make a mess on the surface of this asteroid, but it's a good mess, the kind of mess we were hoping for,” said lead scientist Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona at Tucson.
PoliticsThe IndependentLindsey Graham accused of dodging debate as polls show challenger Jaime Harrison closing in
Senator Lindsey Graham skipped a debate and insisted he would not return to his home state of South Carolina until Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed by the senate, as polls showed him facing an increasingly tough re-election bid. The senator did not attend the debate previously scheduled for Wednesday against his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, stating at a rally earlier in the week that he was “headed back to Washington” and adding: “I'm not coming back until Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court Justice.” Recent polls have shown Mr Harrison, associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former chair of the state's Democratic Party, rising in his bid to unseat the Republican incumbent.
PoliticsThe WeekThe Lincoln Project savages Trump's debate claim that separated migrant kids are 'so well taken care of'
Just minutes after President Trump declared during Thursday night's debate that migrant kids separated from their parents are "so well taken care of" inside U.S. facilities, the Lincoln Project released a searing four-second ad combining his words with the wails of children. This week, lawyers tasked with reuniting migrant kids with their families told a court they haven't been able to track down the parents of 545 children. They were separated under the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, and when asked about this by moderator Kristen Welker, Trump claimed the government is working to find the parents, but added that many are smuggled into the country by coyotes and when kids are ...
LifestyleArchitectural Digest26 Neutral Rugs That Make the Case for Beige
Warm up any room with a wallet-friendly classic. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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Biden: Trump's coronavirus response 'absolutely tragic'
Former vice president Joe Biden sounds off on White House coronavirus response at second debate
- WorldReuters
EU cuts Canada from safe traveller list, adds Singapore
The European Union is set to cut Canada, Georgia and Tunisia from a "white list" of countries from which travellers can visit the bloc without COVID-related restrictions such as quarantines or mandatory tests, while adding Singapore. A meeting of ambassadors from the 27 EU nations on Wednesday chose to remove the three countries because of sharp increases in COVID-19 infections there, whereas the situation in Singapore had improved. The proposal will be formalised by the end of the week as long as none of the 27 EU countries object, said two EU diplomats with knowledge of the meeting.
BusinessBusiness InsiderA California appeals court unanimously upheld a ruling that Uber and Lyft must reclassify their drivers as employees under the state's gig work law
A California appeals court on Thursday unanimously upheld a lower court ruling requiring Uber and Lyft to reclassify their drivers as employees under the state's gig work law, AB-5. Uber and Lyft have sought to avoid being forced to comply with the ruling by trying to convince voters to exempt them from AB-5 via a ballot measure into which the companies have poured nearly $200 million. A California appeals court handed Uber and Lyft a major legal defeat on Thursday, ruling that a lower court was correct in granting an injunction forcing the companies to reclassify their drivers as employees under the state's gig worker law AB-5.
BusinessMiami HeraldCoke bids adieu to 200 drink brands, slashing portfolio in half
The Coca-Cola Company is cutting its portfolio in half, kicking at least 200 beverage brands to the curb by end of year. The money-saving move will allow Coke to focus on its most profitable products so that it may “emerge stronger from the pandemic,” the company said in a news release Thursday. The news comes nearly a week after the beverage giant announced it would discontinue its once popular sugar-free soft drink Tab after more than 60 years on shelves across the world.
HealthBusiness InsiderA 28-year-old volunteer in AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine trial has died, but a report says he was in the control group and given a placebo
A volunteer in AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine trial in Brazil has died. The man, 28, died from complications of COVID-19, Brazil's O Globo newspaper and CNN Brasil reported. According to O Globo, he was in the control group and was given a placebo instead of the trial vaccine.
PoliticsThe ConversationAn expert in nonverbal communication watched the Trump-Biden debate with the sound turned down – here's what he saw
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met on Oct. 22 for the final debate in the 2020 election and, like the first debate, it was unusual. What's more, with norm-breaking interruptions and stealing of speaking time an inherent part of Donald Trump's debate strategy, the contentious crosstalk between the two candidates and the moderator made long sections of the candidates' first debate nearly impossible to hear or follow. Although news coverage generally focuses on what the candidates say, as a political psychologist who studies nonverbal behavior, I focus less on the rehearsed answers and more on the space between talking points.
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Britain and EU to resume trade talks
On Wednesday (October 21) EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that an EU-UK trade deal was still "within reach". UK negotiator David Frost later tweeted confirmation that talks were back on. One analyst on Thursday said that "while we've been here before, there is the distinct prospect that a pathway to some form of agreement is opening up".
WorldLA TimesAs Myanmar prepares to vote, a COVID-19 outbreak is exposing the country's meager progress
The last time Myanmar held elections in 2015, an unbridled optimism rose from decades of isolation and military rule to deliver a landslide victory to a civilian party led by human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi. For many, the early promise of Suu Kyi's political ascent has been betrayed by a government that has failed to bring prosperity and often overlooks minorities. The country's election commission, criticized for a lack of independence, announced last week it would cancel voting in parts of the country where ethnic minority populations have shunned Suu Kyi's ruling National League for Democracy party — disenfranchising 1.6 million people and inflaming tensions in places long marred by violence.
HealthBusiness InsiderA 26-year-old coronavirus patient who was pronounced brain dead in June just walked out of the hospital a survivor
A 26-year-old North Carolina coronavirus survivor returned home Tuesday after being declared brain dead in June. She had suffered complications including strokes, which have struck other young coronavirus patients for reasons doctors don't fully understand. Doctors also don't know why some critically ill young patients who were previously healthy die while others bounce back.
WorldReutersAnalysis: Biden presidency could cut slow path to resumed Iran, Venezuela oil exports
Democratic U.S. presidential hopeful Joe Biden's promised return to diplomacy with OPEC-members Iran and Venezuela could cut a path for a return of their oil exports should he win, but not before many months at least of verifications, talks and deal-making. The timing of a potential resumption of shipments is crucial to world oil markets: U.S. President Donald Trump's unilateral sanctions on the two countries since taking office in 2017 have blocked up to 3 million barrels per day (bpd), or 3% of world supply. Iran has taken the biggest hit, with exports shrinking by around 2 million bpd to around 500,000 bpd.
BusinessLA Times'Outnumbered' co-host Melissa Francis is off the air and her status at Fox News is in doubt
Melissa Francis, regularly seen on the popular Fox News midday talk show "Outnumbered," has been off the air for two weeks and is probably at the end of her six-year run at the network, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment and requested anonymity. Francis, 47 has not been seen on the program since Oct. 7. A Fox News representative did not comment on her status, saying only that she is still an employee and its daytime programming is being revamped.
EntertainmentThe WeekQuibi founder reportedly told newly-unemployed staffers to listen to a song from Trolls to cheer themselves up
Quibi is officially shutting down after just six months, and it sounds like the company went out on a fittingly bizarre note. On Wednesday, the short-form streaming service announced it's already shutting down after launching in April, and according to The Wall Street Journal, "employees will be laid off and will be paid a severance." But the Journal's report also includes the odd detail that when founder Jeffrey Katzenberg discussed the news on a video call with employees, he apparently "suggested Quibi staffers listen to the song 'Get Back Up Again,' sung by actress Anna Kendrick in the animated film Trolls to buoy their spirits."
“Until solar and wind power take more of the energy load, I like not paying an arm and a leg to heat my house.”
“It is imperative to ramp down greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.”
“Any kind of ban on fracking would cause severe damage to our stressed economy.”
“Climate scientists are urging us to leave all fossil fuels in the ground so that they’ll never be burned. That includes natural gas.”
“Any immediate economic repercussions to the economy can be offset if oil-and-gas companies are made to pay their fair share.”