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 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.
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.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.
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."
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.
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.
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%.
PoliticsThe IndependentAnalysis: Why Trump was never going to nominate a Cuban-American woman for the Supreme Court
He is not the first sitting president to consider election year politics while mowing a supreme court nominee. In a recent interview, former President Bill Clinton said he considered several then-Cabinet members when he nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the seat that Ms Coney Barrett likely will fill before year's end — if not by Election Day. Mr. Trump has worked hard to keep the sunshine State in his column after nearly winning it for years ago.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump falsely claimed an incident where an election worker improperly discarded 9 votes shows widespread 'voter fraud.' Here's what happened.
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that an incident where nine ballots were accidentally discarded in Pennsylvania was evidence of widespread "voter fraud." Officials in Luzerne County said on Friday that a "temporary seasonal independent contractor" had "incorrectly discarded (the ballots) into the office trash." President Donald Trump again falsely claimed on Friday that an incident where nine ballots were accidentally discarded was evidence of widespread "voter fraud."
WorldAssociated PressPope to UN: Use COVID crisis to come out better, not worse
Pope Francis urged world leaders Friday to use the coronavirus emergency as an opportunity to reform the injustices of the global economy and the “perverse logic” of the nuclear deterrence doctrine, warning that increased isolationist responses to problems “must not prevail.” Francis laid out his appeal for greater involvement and influence of the United Nations in protecting the poor, migrants and the environment in a videotaped speech Friday to the U.N. General Assembly, held mostly virtually this year because of the pandemic. Francis said the world has a choice to make as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis and addresses the grave economic impact it has had on the planet's most vulnerable: greater solidarity, dialogue and multilateralism, or self-retreat into greater nationalism, individualism and elitism.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
PoliticsThe GuardianAmid talk of civil war, America is already split – Trump Nation has seceded
For Trump, blue states don't count because they're Anti-Trump Nation. To Trump and his core enablers and supporters, the laws of Trump Nation authorize him to do whatever he wants. Anti-Trump Nation's laws constrain him, but they're illegitimate because they are made and enforced by the people who reject him.
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.
HealthThe IndependentCoronavirus vaccine: Johnson & Johnson jab shows response in 98% of test participants
One of the numerous proposed coronavirus vaccines has produced a strong immune response in test subjects according to a report issued Friday. Johnson & Johnson's JNJ.N Covid-19 vaccine, called Ad26.COV2.S, was well-tolerated by subjects at two dosing instances in early-to-mid stage coronavirus clinical trials. It is the only Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial in the US that is testing a single dose vaccine.
LifestyleBusiness InsiderFerrari spent 2 years making a one-of-a-kind supercar for a customer — check out the 'Omologata'
Ferrari built a bespoke grand tourer for a "discerning European client" called the Omologata. The car brings classic Ferrari design elements into the 21st century. If you're going to drop a whole lot of money on a new Ferrari, you might as well make sure it's exactly right.
CelebrityUSA TODAYFact check: Kentucky attorney general is not married to a relative of Mitch McConnell
The claim: Daniel Cameron's wife is related to Mitch McConnell Following outrage over the grand jury charges in the deadly police shooting of Breonna Taylor that sparked a new wave of nationwide demonstrations for racial equality, online posts have surfaced that claim a family connection between two prominent Kentucky politicians. Social media users say Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's new wife and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. are related.
“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.”