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  • Exclusive: Fate Winslow, sentenced to life in prison for selling $20 worth of pot, is released after serving 12 years

    More than a decade into a life sentence for assisting in the sale of $20 worth of marijuana to an undercover cop in Louisiana, Fate Winslow is set to be released on Wednesday. "Today redemption has come," he told Yahoo News in an email.

  • ‘I’m not saying they’re not a bunch of f*****s’: Biden’s deputy chief of staff pick says of working with Republicans

    Jen O’Malley Dillon became first woman to manage successful Democratic presidential campaign this year

  • Florida's Sun Sentinel found an odd gap in state COVID-19 deaths ahead of the election

    While looking at Florida's COVID-19 death tally, the South Florida Sun Sentinel found a pattern suggesting the state "manipulated a backlog of unrecorded fatalities" so the daily death numbers were artificially low ahead of the November presidential election, the newspaper reported Tuesday.There is a lag between the date a person dies of COVID-19 in Florida and the date the state reports the death as part of the public count. The Sun Sentinel found that with just a few exceptions, starting on Oct. 24, Florida stopped including deaths that occurred more than a month earlier in daily counts. It wasn't until Nov. 17, two weeks after the election, that these backlogged deaths were consistently included in the daily tally.These deaths have "long formed a significant part of the daily totals in Florida" because it can take some time for death reports to make it from a doctor's office to the health department, the Sun Sentinel reports. For example, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 20, the state included in its daily tallies 1,128 deaths that took place at least one month earlier. This accounted for 44 percent of the deaths that were announced over those four weeks.On Oct. 21, the state said it would start conducting additional reviews of each suspected COVID-19 death in Florida before adding it to the official count. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a supporter of President Trump, has a history of downplaying the coronavirus pandemic, and the Sun Sentinel reports he has also speculated that the death statistics in the state were inflated. The Sun Sentinel said it asked several state officials about the data patterns, including the spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, and no one would comment.Scott David Herr, a Florida computer scientist who tracks the state's daily COVID-19 data, told the Sun Sentinel "it's hard to know if there was a limitation around election time or random other things were happening. The Department of Health hasn't explained why lags have been inconsistent. When they keep changing whatever is going on behind the scenes, when the lags keep changing, that is where it gets confusing." Read more at the Sun Sentinel.More stories from theweek.com The plan to disinfect the White House before Biden moves in is a 'huge waste of time and effort,' experts say Joe Biden still doesn't get it Republicans' hedonic treadmill problem

  • Turkish 'intelligence agent' claims he was ordered to assassinate Austrian politician

    A suspected Turkish intelligence agent turned whistleblower is being held under arrest in Austria after he handed himself in to authorities claiming he had been ordered to assassinate a prominent politician. In a clear sign Austrian authorities are taking the claims seriously, the targetted politician has been under police protection since the investigation started and is not allowed to leave her home without a bullet-proof vest. Lawyers for the arrested man, Feyyaz Öztürk, an Italian citizen of Turkish heritage, will confirm only that he is being held on charges of spying for a foreign state and that he willingly turned himself in to the Austrian authorities. Prosecutors refused to comment on the grounds the investigation is ongoing. But a police report on his initial interrogation leaked to the Austrian press and seen by the Daily Telegraph reveals details of his claims, that, if proved, would raise serious concerns over how far Turkey is prepared to go to silence its critics under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and whether it is ready to resort to assassinations on European soil. In the interrogation, Mr Öztürk claims he was blackmailed by Turkey’s MIT intelligence service into taking part in an operation to assassinate Berivan Aslan, an Austrian regional politician of Kurdish heritage. “It wasn’t important whether she got hurt or died,” he told Austrian police. The aim, he claimed, was to “spread chaos” and for Ms Aslan and others to “get the message.” He also claimed violent attacks were planned against two other politicians, including Peter Pilz, a household name in Austria and the former leader of the opposition Now party. When offered the opportunity, Daniel Mozga, Mr Öztürk’s lawyer. declined to challenge the authenticity of the leaked report. He confirmed a police interrogation had taken place shortly before it was first published by a news website run by Mr Pilz. In what has become a major embarrassment to the Austrian authorities, Mr Öztürk attempted to hand himself in at a police station in the southern city of Graz in April but was turned away because of coronavirus rules — a detail confirmed by Mr Mozga.

  • Sudan: Ethiopian forces killed troops in cross-border attack

    Sudan’s military Wednesday said a cross-border attack by Ethiopian forces and militias left causalities among Sudanese troops, a development that could strain ties between the two neighbors. The military said in a statement that the attack took place late Tuesday as forces were returning from a sweep of the Abu Tyour area in the al-Qadarif province along the border with Ethiopia. Separately, military officials said the attack left at least four troops, including a major, dead and wounded a dozen others.

  • Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill to Block Abortion of Fetuses Capable of Feeling Pain

    Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would outlaw abortions for fetuses capable of feeling pain.The pro-life group Democrats for Life in America announced the content of the bill on Facebook and in an online petition. While the bill has been submitted to the House, its full text was not immediately available, and it was not clear what week of pregnancy Gabbard's bill designates as the limit for obtaining an abortion. Similar legislation has designated the 20th week of pregnancy as the cutoff."Former Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard introduced her SECOND Pro-Life bill this week, which would amend Title 18 of the U.S. code to give pain-capable fetuses rights under the law," DFLA wrote on Facebook. "Tulsi has previously voted against this bill three times, but is now the SPONSOR of the new bill. This is proof that DFLA can convince Democrats to join the right side of history."Last week, Gabbard also introduced legislation that aims to ensure medical care to babies born alive after an attempted abortion. National Review has reached out to Gabbard's office for comment.Gabbard ran for president in the Democratic primary, but polled well below other candidates throughout the race. The Hawaii representative dropped out in mid-March and endorsed Joe Biden.In October 2019, Gabbard announced that she would not run for reelection to the House in Hawaii. It is unclear what the congresswoman's plans are for when she leaves office.

  • Pregnant woman has hands amputated and is thrown from back of truck by Mexican drug cartel for ‘being a thief’

    The grisly incident happened in the Central Mexican state of Guanajuato.

  • Iran’s president accuses Israel of killing nuclear scientist to provoke war

    Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Monday claimed that Israel was behind the killing of a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the 2000s in an effort to start a war in the last days of President Trump's administration.

  • Report: Of the hundreds of people invited to Mike Pompeo's indoor holiday party, a few dozen showed up

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo found out what happens when you send out 900 invitations to an indoor holiday party during a pandemic that has killed at least 300,000 Americans: not that many people show up.The Tuesday event for the families of diplomats in high-risk locations was hosted by Pompeo and his wife, Susan, in Washington, D.C. As of Monday night, only about 70 people had accepted their invitations, and even fewer showed up, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post. Pompeo had been scheduled to speak, but canceled his address and had someone else deliver a message in his place, the Post reports.Government health officials have urged people not to attend indoor gatherings amid the pandemic, and several lawmakers and the American Foreign Service Association, a nonpartisan union representing diplomats, asked Pompeo to cancel the party over concerns it would be a super-spreader event. The State Department had said masks would be required and social distancing enforced; photos obtained by the Post show a masked Santa greeting children, with maskless people sitting down to eat around him.One woman, the wife of a diplomat now overseas, told the Post she RSVPed no on her invitation over worries that if she became sick, there wouldn't be anyone to take care of her children. "It was a completely irresponsible party to throw," she said.More stories from theweek.com The plan to disinfect the White House before Biden moves in is a 'huge waste of time and effort,' experts say Joe Biden still doesn't get it Republicans' hedonic treadmill problem

  • Trump's Palm Beach neighbours in bid to stop president moving to Mar-a-Lago

    Donald Trump's neighbours in Florida are taking legal action to prevent him from moving permanently to his Mar-a-Lago beach residence after leaving office next month. The neighbours this week sent a letter to town officials and the US Secret Service, urging them to inform the president that he would not be allowed to move to his hotel in Mar-a-Lago full time, so as to “avoid an embarrassing situation” when he is forced out at a later date. They cite an agreement Mr Trump signed in 1993 when he sought to turn what had been a private residence into a social club. Club members who wished to stay at Mar-a-Lago could do so for no more than seven days at a time for three nonconsecutive weeks. Mr Trump bought Mar-a-Lago, a 118-room mansion built in the 1920s, for $7million in 1985. In 1995, he converted the home into a private club in a bid to generate revenue. For years, residents have complained about traffic caused by the president’s more than 30 trips to the club since 2017. They have also claimed its flagpole is in violation of local height restrictions. The letter, seen by the Washington Post, was penned by a lawyer for the DeMoss family, which made its fortune selling life insurance.

  • Exclusive-Suspected Chinese hackers stole camera footage from African Union - memo

    As diplomats gathered at the African Union's headquarters earlier this year to prepare for its annual leaders' summit, employees of the international organization made a disturbing discovery. Someone was stealing footage from their own security cameras. Acting on a tip from Japanese cyber researchers, the African Union's (AU) technology staffers discovered that a group of suspected Chinese hackers had rigged a cluster of servers in the basement of an administrative annex to quietly siphon surveillance videos from across the AU's sprawling campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital.

  • India arrests dozens over call centre 'drug cartel' scam

    The suspects, who targeted Americans, took more than $14m from their victims, Delhi Police say.

  • 27 Best Coffee Table Books to Buy & Gift This Year

    Discover the top tomes for every interest—from fashion to design to travel–that our editors loved this yearOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Azar says Trump administration negotiating to buy more Pfizer vaccines after passing on earlier offer

    Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday that U.S. officials "are engaged in active negotiations" with Pfizer to purchase more of the company's COVID-19 vaccines, per Politico. The comment seemingly backs up an earlier report from The New York Times, in which anonymous sources familiar with the matter said the same thing.The Trump administration this summer reportedly turned down an offer to expand on the initial order to buy more than 100 million vaccine doses, and Pfizer went on to strike agreements with other governments, including the European Union. That raised some questions stateside, though it seems the administration was hedging its bets since several other vaccine candidates have appeared promising, as well.The shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was the first rolled out in the U.S., however, and there is widespread confidence in its efficacy and safety, so it seems the White House is working to enhance its supply after all. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com The plan to disinfect the White House before Biden moves in is a 'huge waste of time and effort,' experts say Joe Biden still doesn't get it Republicans' hedonic treadmill problem

  • Biden Breaks Silence on Hunter Tax Probe, Says He’s ‘Confident’ Son Did Nothing Wrong

    President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed a federal investigation into his son Hunter Biden's tax affairs, saying he is "confident" the younger Biden did nothing wrong.Asked by Fox News' Peter Doocy whether he is confident his son did nothing wrong, the former vice president responded, "I'm confident."On Wednesday of last week, Hunter Biden announced that federal prosecutors were investigating his "tax affairs" and expressed a similar conviction as his father, saying he handled his finances appropriately.“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” he said in a statement.

  • EU to bring forward vaccine approval amid growing anger in Germany

    The European Union is to bring forward its meeting to approve the coronavirus vaccine to next week amid public anger in Germany over the delay. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced the move on Tuesday as Angela Merkel’s government faced a growing backlash over its insistence on waiting for EU approval. A leading German economist warned the delay could cost thousands of lives, and the country’s highest-selling newspaper asked “Why the hell don’t we start vaccinating and saving lives?” A full week after vaccinations began in the UK, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is still waiting for approval in the country where it was developed, because Mrs Merkel’s government refuses to issue an urgent fast-track approval. “We are not making an urgent approval, but a proper approval,” Jens Spahn, the German health minister, told a press conference. “We said from the start that we would do it on a European and not a national basis. ‘We’ is stronger than ‘me’.”

  • U.S. finalizes shower head rule after Trump complaints about hair rinsing

    The U.S. Energy Department on Tuesday finalized two rules easing energy standards on consumer fixtures and appliances, including one on shower heads after President Donald Trump complained some showers don't adequately rinse his hair. The rules are part of Trump's last-minute efforts to roll back rules that limit production or consumption of oil, gas and coal as part of his "energy dominance" policy. Trump had complained in July at a White House event that water does not flow strongly enough from showers to his liking.

  • Suspect arrested in shooting that left 3 dead at Texas car dealership, building

    The accused gunman, who was unidentified by police, was charged with capital murder and held at Tarrant County Jail with a $1 million bond.

  • Congress getting close to a coronavirus relief deal, including smaller stimulus checks

    After months and months of negotiations, Congress may finally have a coronavirus deal.Earlier Wednesday, congressional leaders pledged to stay in Washington until they passed a coronavirus stimulus bill and a package to fund the government. But they may not have to stay late after all, as Politico reports negotiators are "on the brink" of a new coronavirus relief bill that includes direct stimulus payments to Americans. The last coronavirus relief bill expired at the end of July, and some of its unemployment provisions were set to run out at the end of December. A breakthrough in stagnating negotiations came last month as a group of bipartisan senators worked out a $760 billion relief package that Democratic leaders and some Republicans agreed to support. As of Wednesday, that package has increased to $900 billion, but details are scant, CNN reports. It will likely exclude the liability shield for businesses facing coronavirus-related lawsuits that Democrats opposed, as well as local and state funding Republicans weren't fans of. And while senators on both sides of the aisle demanded another round of stimulus checks, they may not be happy with how small they are.Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), one of the centrist senators who organized the original bipartisan bill, affirmed to CNN on Wednesday that congressional negotiators will "maybe" agree to some direct payments "in lieu of state and local" funding. He wasn't sure exactly how much the checks would be, but said they "wouldn't be more than $1,200," and would likely be in the "$500-600 range." > Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who is leading a bipartisan relief bill effort, says the deal within reach may include direct payments: > > "I know it wouldn't be more than $1,200, but I think it'll be in the probably $500-600 range." pic.twitter.com/Fb6XEPKwe8> > -- The Recount (@therecount) December 16, 2020More stories from theweek.com The plan to disinfect the White House before Biden moves in is a 'huge waste of time and effort,' experts say Joe Biden still doesn't get it Republicans' hedonic treadmill problem

  • 3 Female Marine Officers to Attempt Infantry Officer Course as Another Graduates

    The Marine Corps will soon have its second female infantry leader.