PoliticsYahoo NewsMcConnell vows to move forward with replacing Ginsburg, but does he have the votes?
Mitch McConnell vowed to hold a vote on a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but the big question is whether he has the votes to confirm a Supreme Court Justice only six weeks before the presidential election. Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have said recently that they would not vote for a Supreme Court nominee if a justice died or retired close to the presidential election. Collins told a New York Times reporter earlier this month that she would not vote for a nominee in October.
PoliticsYahoo NewsSources: Russian aggression against U.S. intelligence satellites sparks congressional briefing
Over recent days, officials from the newly minted U.S. Space Force and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed multiple congressional committees on an “uptick” in Russian military activity in space targeting U.S. defense and intelligence satellites, according to two sources familiar with the matter. While the sources declined to comment on the specifics of recent incidents, which follow general increases in Chinese and Russian aggression in space, these recent actions were deemed “serious enough” to merit briefings on Capitol Hill, said one of the sources. Officials also briefed committees on plans to counter the Russian aggression, the source said.
WorldBusiness InsiderMass suspension of German police officers who shared pictures of Hitler and doctored images of refugees in gas chambers
The widespread sharing neo-Nazi imagery and pictures of Adolf Hitler on far-right chatrooms by German police has led to the suspension of 29 officers. The officers shared extremist content, including Swastikas and doctored images of refugees in gas chambers, according to officials in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Some face charges of spreading Nazi propaganda and hate speech while others are accused of not reporting the actions of their colleagues.
WorldBBCPakistan outcry over police victim-blaming of gang-raped mother
She called her relatives in Gujranwala who advised her to call the motorway emergency numbers and also set off to help her. According to the complaint registered with the police by one of the woman's relatives, the car was broken into by two men in their early- to mid-30s who stole money and jewellery she had on her. They raped her in front of her two children in a nearby field, and then escaped.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Trump to block TikTok, WeChat downloads Sunday
The Trump administration is set to ban U.S. downloads of TikTok and WeChat starting Sunday night. A senior Commerce official told Reuters WeChat and TikTok would be “deplatformed” in the U.S., and Commerce will bar app stores run by the likes of Apple and Alphabet from offering them on any platform “that can be reached from within the United States. It's the harshest sanction yet by Washington against the popular China-based video-sharing and messaging apps.
WorldReutersTaiwan scrambles fighters as Chinese jets again fly near island
Taiwan's air force scrambled jets for a second consecutive day on Saturday as multiple Chinese aircraft approached the island and crossed the sensitive midline of the Taiwan Strait, with the island's government urging Beijing to "pull back from the edge." Taiwan's Defence Ministry said 19 Chinese aircraft were involved, one more than in the previous day, with some crossing the Taiwan Strait midline and others flying into Taiwan's air defence identification zone off its southwest coast. It said China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, sent 12 J-16 fighters, two J-10 fighters, two J-11 fighters, two H-6 bombers and one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft.
U.S.Associated PressTrump shifts on Puerto Rico, releases aid as election nears
President Donald Trump announced the release Friday of $13 billion in assistance to repair years-old hurricane damage in Puerto Rico and pledged to restore its economy, setting aside his past bitter treatment of the island and its leaders as he courts Puerto Rican voters in the U.S., particularly in the crucial swing state of Florida. Trump has spent much of his administration blasting Puerto Rican officials as corrupt and inept, and he has opposed spending to rebuild a power grid and other infrastructure that was wiped out by the Hurricane Maria in September 2017. “I'm the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico," he said at a White House press conference, "no one even close.”
PoliticsThe TelegraphMexico's populist president left embarrassed by failed stunt to sell private jet
Mexico's populist president Andrés Manuel López Obrador was voted in on a pledge to stamp out corruption and largess that went all the way to the country's highest office. For López Obrador, also known by his initials as Amlo, the plane is a symbol of the opulence and waste of the country's political elite, and he vowed to sell it and return the money to Mexicans during his 2018 campaign. After spending nearly two years parked for sale in California and spending almost the same amount of money for having it parked than he would have spent using it (about $1.5 million), Amlo decided in February he would just raffle it off during the September 15 Independence holiday.
U.S.Business InsiderA Florida bar owner is banning customers from wearing masks and asking them to leave if they do
Gary Kirby, the owner of Westside Sports Bar and Lounge in West Melbourne, Florida, has a no-mask policy for his customers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Customers who refuse to take off their face masks at Kirby's bar will be asked to leave, WESH 2 reported. West Melbourne, which is located in Brevard County, doesn't have mask-wearing enforcement for business owners.
U.S.Miami HeraldTwins abduct, beat man for ransom while on house arrest for murder, authorities say
Twin brothers under house arrest on murder charges duct-taped a man and cut his face and toes demanding a ransom payment, authorities said. On Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced 23-year-old twin brothers Devon Cooke and Donavan Cooke, of Miami Gardens, were charged with carjacking and kidnapping after they allegedly abducted and assaulted a man in an attempt to collect ransom money. The brothers were under house house arrest on murder and attempted murder charges when the incident happened.
- WorldAssociated Press
US sends troops, armored vehicles to Syria to counter Russia
The U.S. has deployed additional troops and armored vehicles into eastern Syria after a number of clashes with Russian forces, including a recent vehicle collision that injured four American service members. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. has also sent in radar systems and increased fighter jet patrols over the region to better protect American and coalition forces. "The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation in Syria, but will defend Coalition forces if necessary,” said Urban.
PoliticsThe TelegraphTrump demands new Supreme Court judge 'without delay' as US election upended by death of Ginsburg
Donald Trump has vowed to defy Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish and nominate her replacement immediately, igniting a tumultuous political battle that could determine the result of the US election in November. In doing so the president will redraw the electoral battle lines, making the vote less a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus, and instead an ideological fight over the future of the US Supreme Court. Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and the Democrat leadership in the Senate immediately called for the nomination to be delayed until after the election.
WorldReutersIndia's coronavirus infections surge to 5.4 million
India's coronavirus case tally surged to 5.4 million as it added 92,605 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Sunday. The country has posted the highest single-day caseload in the world since early August, and lags behind only the United States, which has 6.7 million cases in terms of total infections. A total of 1,113 people died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said, taking mortalities to 86,752, which is a relatively low 1.6% of all cases.
TechnologyBusiness InsiderThis $199 acrylic helmet with HEPA filters powered by fans designed to wear instead of a mask is being compared to sci-fi movies
MicroClimate created a visor with air filters that looks like a helmet, called Air. Air is just one of many unusual designs for face coverings since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In the dystopia of 2020, being able to afford a personal microclimate helmet to wear around might be the next status symbol.
U.S.USA TODAYSouthern California jolted by magnitude 4.5 earthquake, another worry after raging wildfires
In a region already reeling from wildfires and smoke-filled skies, a moderate earthquake jolted Southern California Friday. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.5, the U.S. Geological Service reported. It jangled nerves, but no injuries or damage were immediately reported.
U.S.Business InsiderThe physician accused of performing unwanted hysterectomies in an ICE detention center is not a board certified OB-GYN
Dr. Mahendra Amin, a physician accused of performing unnecessary and unwanted hysterectomies in an immigrant detention facility in Georgia, is not a board-certified OB-GYN, The Daily Beast reported. Amin was identified as the doctor named in a complaint filed to the Office of the Inspector general on behalf of a whistleblower who previously worked as a nurse in the Irwin County Detention Center A spokesperson for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) told the Daily Beast that its records show that Amin is not certified by the organization.
- U.S.Associated Press
Man serving life requests death for Indiana prison slaying
A man serving two life sentences at an Indiana prison asked for the death penalty for a slaying of a fellow inmate, but a prosecutor said he is reluctant to pursue it. Tommy P. Holland, 45, of Indianapolis is charged with murder in the stabbing of Clifford Baggett at the Pendleton Correctional Facility on Aug. 9, 2019. Holland appeared in Madison Circuit Court this week and rejected a deal in which he would have pleaded guilty and received a third sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
HealthUSA TODAYCoronavirus updates: US borders with Canada, Mexico to remain closed; almost 200,000 people have died in the US
The ongoing spike is further exacerbated by the fear of "twindemic" as the annual flu season approaches The news comes a day after U.S. health officials reversed controversial guidance on coronavirus testing on Friday and now recommends that people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should get tested, even if they're not symptomatic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention got rid of language posted last month on its website that said people don't need to be tested if they don't feel sick.
WorldThe IndependentOutrage after billionaire Trump donor allowed to avoid Canadian quarantine rules
A billionaire megadonor to Donald Trump, who has publicly criticised coronavirus restrictions, was granted an exemption from Canada's mandatory 14 day quarantine for foreign travellers when she visited the country by private jet. Liz Uihlein, the president of US packaging company Uline, visited Canada through the Pearson airport in Toronto on 25 August to visit one of her company's warehouses, according to CBC News. A company spokesperson told CBC that the three of them were granted a formal exemption from the quarantine rule, which has been active in Canada since March, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
PoliticsThe WeekJoe Biden's head-scratching pandemic performance
Each week, the Trump campaign says, its staff and volunteers knock on one million American doors. Democratic nominee Joe Biden's team has no plans to begin door-to-door canvassing because of COVID-19. It's security theater, and it may well do the Biden campaign more harm than good.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTesla, GM, and Ford all have vastly different approaches to succeeding in the EV market — here's how they compare
In a nutshell: GM is developing an operating system for EVs, Ford is leveraging its icons, and Tesla continues to turn buzz into billions. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The biggest mistake that auto-industry analysts and observers have made in the relatively short history of the modern electric car is to assume the consumer is all that matters.
U.S.BBCMayflower at 400: What we all get wrong about the Pilgrim Fathers
At a time when America is straining under the weight and contradictions of its history, along comes the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower dropping anchor off these shores. The recent death of the African-American congressman John Lewis, a hero of the Freedom Rides and Selma, has reminded us of the climactic battles of the civil rights era in the Sixties. From the modern-day Tea Party to the protesters taking aim at the Confederacy's most celebrated general Robert E Lee; from the argument over whether Washington DC's American football team should call itself the Redskins to the dispute over whether we should still honour the Founding Fathers who owned slaves, no country in the world lives and contests its history with quite such passion and ferocity.
WorldReutersPhilippines' Duterte keeps one meter social distancing rule
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the 1 meter (three feet) social distance requirement on public transport to reduce coronavirus infections, rejecting moves to reduce it to 30 centimetres (12 inches), his spokesman said on Saturday. Health experts have warned that reducing gaps between passengers in trains, buses and jeepneys could result in a surge of infections in the Philippines, which has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. Duterte studied recommendations and decided to retain the 1 meter distancing requirement, including a ban on eating and speaking in public transport, presidential spokesman Harry Roque told state-run PTV4 network.
PoliticsUSA TODAYWho might succeed Justice Ginsburg? Trump's short list begins with these five women (and one man)
A finalist for Trump's second high court nomination, which ultimately went to Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Barrett, 48, is a favorite of religious conservatives. Barrett rocketed to the top of Trump's list of potential nominees after her 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, when Democrats cited her deep Catholic faith not as an advantage but an obstacle.
PoliticsAssociated PressEvangelicals at base of Trump hopes for Pennsylvania repeat
President Donald Trump's homestretch push to repeat his razor thin victory in Pennsylvania four years ago won't happen without white evangelicals, and there are signs that critical component of his coalition hasn't lost the faith. It's a group that has often made the difference for Republicans on the Pennsylvania ballot. Trump's policies have helped keep in the fold evangelicals who otherwise might have been discomforted by his style.
“The SAT is emblematic of higher education’s failure to keep up with the times...Just the stuff that systemic racism thrives on.”
“These tests create unnecessary stress for young people already dealing with mental health challenges.”
“Dropping the SAT requirement makes it harder for colleges to compare applicants against a common standard.”
“The best predictor of college success overall is a simple one: high school grades.”
“What matters more is a broader push to help minority students get better educations.”