WorldYahoo NewsThe CIA sent a team of 4 operators on a spy mission targeting China. None came back.
The company is, in fact, a commercial cover for the CIA's Maritime Branch, according to a former CIA employee. We build these companies from whole cloth, from the ground up,” the former CIA employee told Yahoo News, which is not identifying its name, since it is still used in ongoing covert operations. Maritime Branch is one of the CIA's paramilitary components.
U.S.Associated PressGiuliani associates face new federal fraud charges
Federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges Thursday against an associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Lev Parnas and his business partner, David Correia, were charged with defrauding investors in a business called Fraud Guarantee. A superseding indictment also charged them with additional campaign finance violations.
PoliticsBusiness Insider10 senators are at risk of losing reelection. It may be enough to give Democrats a majority in Congress.
A September Quinnipiac University survey showed that Gideon currently holds a 12 percentage point lead in the polls over Collins in a 54%-42% split among likely voters. Gideon's lead appears to be increasing as polling from August by Quinnipiac University had Gideon up by just 4 points. "The tide has turned on Senator Susan Collins, who was so popular in Maine that she won nearly 70 percent of the vote the last time she ran.
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.NBC NewsEx-officer indicted for fatally shooting Texas woman whose dog ran at him
A former police officer in Arlington, Texas, who fatally shot a woman as he was aiming for her dog was indicted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Ravinder Singh on Wednesday, more than a year after the Aug. 1, 2019 death of Margarita Brooks, the county's District Attorney's Office said in a press release. Singh, who resigned from the Arlington Police Department in 2019, faces up to two years in state jail or a fine of up to $10,000.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump says Kamala Harris can't be the first woman to be president because she 'comes in through the back door'
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, couldn't become the first woman to be president. "This is not what people want. And she comes in through the back door — this would not be what people want, especially because it's her," Trump said during a campaign rally in Wisconsin.
BusinessNBC NewsAmerican Airlines CEO says hundreds of thousands will lose their jobs without additional emergency aid
"Hundreds of thousands of people will be out of work, and service to small communities will be discontinued," if a new round of emergency airline funding is not approved, American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said on NBC's "TODAY" show Friday morning. Parker's comments come after emergency talks at the White House on Thursday, when executives from the major U.S. airlines met with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in a last-minute plea for additional funding in order to avoid tens of thousands of layoffs across the entire airline sector. "We airline CEOs are here on behalf of the people that work for us, keeping our country moving when our country is largely paralyzed,” Parker told reporters outside the White House after the meeting.
U.S.The WeekTrump's club charged Secret Service agents $500 a night for rentals even when it was closed for the pandemic
Taxpayers' bills for Trump Organization properties have surpassed $1.1 million, The Washington Post reports. As the Post has consistently reported via Secret Service bills, President Trump and his administration have repeatedly funneled government money to the family's properties throughout his term. That has included above-market rates for rentals that ensured Secret Service agents stayed close to Trump and, most recently, payments to one club that was closed for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Post's David Fahrenthold reports via the latest round of receipts and invoices.
U.S.Business InsiderA dentist who pulled someone's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud and 'unlawful dental acts'
An Alaska dentist who pulled a woman's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud, embezzlement, and "unlawful dental acts." The video was part of prosecutors' case against Seth Lookhart, who was found guilty of defrauding his customers by administering unnecessary procedures to rack up Medicare charges. Prosecutors are seeking $2.2 million in damanges, and Lookhart could also permanently lose his medical license in the state.
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.
- WorldReuters
Russia to resume flights with Belarus, others next week
Russia will resume flights with Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan from Sept. 21 and with South Korea from Sept. 27, Russia's coronavirus crisis centre, a government body, said in a statement on Friday. The flights will operate in both directions and will be weekly, the centre said. The centre also said that it was suspending the government's special evacuation flights, a program launched to return Russian citizens to Russia after international air travel links were suspended in spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Only a ghoul would tweet something like this’: Republican senators under fire for online responses to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death
Several Republican senators have been heavily criticised for their public responses to the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – one of them for sending out fundraising messages just minutes after her death. First-term Iowa senator Joni Ernst, whose chances of re-election are on a knife-edge, expressed her condolences at Justice Ginsburg's passing on Twitter – only for her campaign to send out fundraising messages. Local political news site Iowa Starting Line reported that just 10 minutes after the announcement of Justice Ginsburg's death, the Ernst campaign sent Supreme Court-themed calls for donations by both texts and emails.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: Video online of Kamala Harris calling young people 'stupid' is missing context
Facebook post by conservative political organization ForAmerica insinuates Harris might not be an asset for the Biden campaign with young voters after all. What do we know about this population, 18-24? They are stupid,” Harris tells a laughing audience in the video clip posted to the social network.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderJared Kushner reportedly said 'free markets will solve' the PPE shortage in March. Nurses are still paying for that approach.
New reporting on a March 21 meeting in the White House Situation Room quotes Jared Kushner as saying it was "not the role of government" to solve the PPE shortage and prevent states from outbidding each other, according to Vanity Fair. "The federal government is not going to lead this response," Kushner said, according to Vanity Fair. A PPE shortage persists today, with one survey finding 58% of nurses in Florida, Kansas, Missouri and Nevada saying they had to reuse N95 masks for five days or more by the beginning of September.
U.S.INSIDERJerry Falwell, Jr. was found intoxicated and bleeding at his home following a bombshell report alleging a years-long sexual affair between him, his wife, and another man
Emergency calls reveal that Jerry Falwell Jr. was found intoxicated and injured on August 30, a week after a news report alleging a years-long sexual affair between him, his wife, and another man, the Huffington Post reported on Thursday. Falwell's wife called 911 after she had to break into her own home to reach Falwell, who she said was intoxicated and bleeding. The incident came after Falwell resigned as president of Liberty University following several scandals.
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.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionOp-Ed: Democrats have a secret weapon to thwart a rapid Ginsburg replacement. They should use it
Wouldn't it be nice if Democrats and Republicans could just agree that the fair and right course would be to not replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until after the presidential inauguration in January? We could simply stick, for now, with the precedent established by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when he refused to hold a vote on the nomination of Merrick Garland to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. At the time, nearly nine months before the 2016 presidential election, he declared, “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice.
- PoliticsFOX News Videos
Gov. Huckabee reacts to Biden saying Trump could have prevented all virus deaths: ‘Outrageous’
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is accused of exaggerating his pandemic record during his town hall; reaction and analysis from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on “America's Newsroom.
- WorldReuters
British bird group issues gag order over Taiwan-China issue
A British-based wild bird body has issued a gag order telling employees not to comment on its decision to expel a Taiwan conservation group that refused to sign a document related to the Chinese-claimed island's political position. Taiwan's Chinese Wild Bird Federation (CWBF), based in a small Taipei office, this week became the latest and unlikely front in the geopolitical battle between China and democratically-run Taiwan. In a statement on its Facebook page, CWBF said BirdLife International removed it as a partner after it refused to sign a document committing to not promote or advocate the legitimacy of the Republic of China or the independence of Taiwan from China.
BusinessBusiness InsiderBill Gates says Elon Musk couldn't be confused with Steve Jobs and that electric cars are 'far easier' than other climate change technology
Bill Gates doesn't think it's fair to call Elon Musk "the next Steve Jobs," the billionaire philanthropist said during an interview on Bloomberg TV Thursday. When asked by Bloomberg's Erik Schatzker if Musk was indeed the next Jobs, Gates replied: "If you know people personally, that kind of gross oversimplification seems strange. Elon's more of a hands-on engineer; Steve was a genius at design and picking people and marketing.
ScienceINSIDERThousands of migratory birds are 'falling out of the sky' in a mass die-off that could be linked to the West Coast wildfires
"Hundreds of thousands" of migratory birds are dropping dead across the Southwest in what scientists are calling the largest mass die-off in recent history. Scientists first began investigating the phenomenon in late August after numerous reports of clusters of dead birds found in states including New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska. Scientists are unsure why this mass die-off is happening, but have addressed several factors including climate change and the ongoing wildfires as possible reasons for the deaths.
- ScienceKTRK – Houston
Tropical Storm Beta strengthens overnight
We'll enjoy some fantastic weather Saturday ahead of impacts from Tropical Storm Beta.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘We’re Not Scared’: Tens of Thousands of Motorcyclists Pack Lake of the Ozarks for Bike Rally
Along the Bagnell Dam Strip in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, thousands of motorcycles are tightly parked in the middle of a two-lane highway. Tourists from across the country have been cutting loose along the historic stretch, known as the “main party hub” of the Missouri resort area, for months—but over the last three days, the highway lined with bars, hotels, and concert venues has been home to one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the Midwest: Lake of the Ozarks' Bikefest. Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts have flooded the area for the annual rally, which started Wednesday, participating in five days of rides, fairs, music concerts, and coordinated stops at local bars and restaurants.
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Liberal indoctrination': Donald Trump rails against modern teaching of U.S. history
Corrections and clarifications: The article has been updated to reflect that Wilmington, Del., officials had the Caesar Rodney statue removed. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday accused Democrats and educators of attempting a "liberal indoctrination of America's youth" through alternative views of the nation's history, while the subjects of those attacks said he is fueling racial divisions in an election year. "Our mission is to defend the legacy of America's founding, the virtue of America's heroes, and the nobility of the American character," Trump said during what aides billed as the first "White House Conference on American History."
BusinessMiami HeraldShopping centers stay strong in South Florida. One county has a 92.9% occupancy rate
Density is helping sustain occupancy rates in Miami-Dade County's shopping centers, making it the healthiest market in South Florida. Miami-Dade has a 92.9% occupancy rate among its shopping centers, according to a third-quarter report by Boca Raton-based 11th St. Capital. Palm Beach has an 88.8% occupancy rate, and Broward has an 88.6% occupancy rate.
“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.”