| Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend offered plea deal if he would claim Taylor was part of ‘organized crime syndicate’ Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:35 PM PDT  Breonna Taylor's ex-boyfriend was offered a plea deal if he would claim that she was part of an "organized crime syndicate." Jamarcus Glover, Taylor's ex-boyfriend and the focus of the no-knock raid which took her life, pled not guilty to drug charges Friday.
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| U.S. CDC reports coronavirus deaths increase by 1,006 to 182,149 Posted: 30 Aug 2020 10:36 AM PDT  The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 29 versus its previous report a day earlier. The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
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| 75-year-old Buffalo man shoved by police speaks out on incident after month in hospital Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:15 AM PDT  Martin Gugino, 75, was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police in June, and the incident drew wide criticism. Now Gugino tells his side.
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| Ex-adviser to first lady: Working for Trumps was a 'mistake' Posted: 31 Aug 2020 03:35 PM PDT  A former friend and adviser of Melania Trump says it was "the worst mistake of my life" to work for President Donald Trump and his family, lashing out at the first lady for not defending her over questions about costs for the presidential inauguration she helped produce. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was an unpaid White House adviser to the first lady until February 2018, when her contract was terminated as questions about inaugural spending arose. "When it really counted, Melania wasn't there for me," Wolkoff writes in "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady," to be published Tuesday.
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| Cheng Lei: Australian anchor on Chinese TV detained in China Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:18 PM PDT  Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen, worked as a news presenter for government-run CGTN in Beijing.
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| Russian opposition activist hospitalised after attack outside his home Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:24 AM PDT  A 22-year-old Russian opposition activist has been hospitalised after what supporters said was a vicious attack by two men outside his house in Moscow. Yegor Zhukov, who came to prominence last year when he was arrested and tried over opposition protests, posted pictures of his bruised and bloody face to social media following the attack. He was taken to hospital for an MRI scan which showed he had "fortunately managed to avoid serious injuries or internal bleeding," a spokesman said. The activist "remained calm and even joked about what happened," his team said in a social media post, adding that he was allowed home following tests.
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| Macron in Lebanon calls for speedy government formation Posted: 31 Aug 2020 02:55 PM PDT  French President Emmanuel Macron called Monday for the swift formation of a crisis government in Lebanon following the designation of a new prime minister.
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| John Oliver rains fire and cold fury on the RNC 'racial panic' and the Kenosha troubles Posted: 31 Aug 2020 02:03 AM PDT  This week's Last Week Tonight was, unusually, about things that happened last week, "and the reason we're doing that is that this has been one hell of a week," John Oliver explained Sunday night. "Tonight we're going to talk about two things in particular: The Republican National Convention, and the horrific events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was repeatedly shot in the back by police and a vigilante killed two people."Kimberly Guilfoyle's loud RNC speech "very much set the tone for the week," Oliver said. "The main theme of the convention seemed to be 'Telling Lies in Front of Flags,' because it was four days of a full-throated denial of objective reality," Oliver continued -- most significantly the assertions that COVID-19 and racism are things of the past."A lot of the RNC's messaging on race seemed intended not so much to win over Black voters as to reassure white people that they could vote Republican without being racist," even as the GOP served up a "steady diet of barely disguised racial panic," Oliver said. That brought him to Kenosha, and the Fox News response: "Let's be clear: A 17-year-old vigilante with a rifle cannot maintain order, because a 17-year-old vigilante with a rifle trying to maintain order is himself the definition of disorder -- except, of course, if you're a regular viewer of Tucker Carlson, a show that exists to teach its viewers precisely three things: property damage is violence, homicide is order, and pillows are for sale."The police shooting of Blake and excuses for the white vigilante offer a clear "visual illustration of the differences between being Black and white in America," Oliver said, and "it's somehow especially infuriating" that the events in Kenosha happened concurrently with the RNC's simultaneous denial of racism and stoking of racial violence.The "exhaustively depressing" reminders of racism were lightened a bit by the "genuinely extraordinary" NBA walkout, Oliver said. "History has repeatedly shown us the system does not respond until it is forced to," and "real discomfort is the only thing that's going to bring about real change here." Voting won't be nearly enough, he said, "because as much as I or the RNC would like to believe that Joe Biden will be an agent of radical change, there's just no reason to believe that." He ended on a fiery, NSFW note, and you can watch below. More stories from theweek.com Data firm predicts election 'chaos' as Trump seems to win in a landslide before losing as more votes are counted Ron Jeremy hit with 20 more sexual assault charges involving 13 women Pandemic adviser with no epidemiology background reportedly pushes White House to adopt herd immunity strategy
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| Liberty University opens investigation into 'all facets' of Jerry Falwell Jr.'s tenure Posted: 31 Aug 2020 03:24 PM PDT  Liberty is also exploring a new coach and mentor to help ensure all Liberty employees are fulfilling their 'spiritual responsibility.'
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| Leaked email reveals CVS district leader instructed pharmacy staff not to tell patients their medications were filled by someone who tested positive for COVID-19 Posted: 31 Aug 2020 11:00 AM PDT  A CVS technician said a district leader threatened to fire staff if they told patients their medications were filled by a COVID-positive worker.
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| New report deepens mystery around Trump’s sudden and suspicious visit to Walter Reed hospital Posted: 31 Aug 2020 02:40 PM PDT  Vice President Mike Pence was reportedly prepared to take over the presidential duties
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| Japan country profile Posted: 31 Aug 2020 08:44 AM PDT  Provides an overview of Japan, including key events and facts about this earthquake-prone country on the western rim of the Pacific.
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| Kentucky AG has received ballistics in Breonna Taylor case Posted: 30 Aug 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Kentucky's attorney general has received a long-awaited FBI ballistics report in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Attorney General Daniel Cameron tweeted Sunday that there is additional analysis needed now that the report is in his hands, and there would be no announcement on the investigation this week. "We continue to work diligently to follow the facts and complete the investigation," Cameron tweeted.
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| Soldier who made ‘vile’ Holocaust joke to 3 million TikTok followers punished, Army says Posted: 31 Aug 2020 04:48 PM PDT  "He wrote: 'For legal reasons this is a joke.' ... Would he look into the eyes of Survivors liberated by @USArmy and tell them this?" the Auschwitz Memorial Museum said in a tweet.
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| Indiana Congressman introduces bill to ban protest 'thugs' from receiving unemployment aid Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:53 AM PDT  U.S. Rep. Jim Banks introduced a bill that would ban people from receiving unemployment aid if convicted of a federal offense related to protests.
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| Tesla Model S on autopilot slammed into a police car because the driver was watching a movie on his phone, authorities say Posted: 31 Aug 2020 07:31 AM PDT  Nobody was injured in the crash, and the doctor behind the wheel of the Tesla was charged with two crimes.
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| Trump pushes to keep tax returns from NY prosecutor, eyes possible Supreme Court appeal Posted: 31 Aug 2020 01:46 PM PDT  President Donald Trump on Monday urged a federal appeals court not to let Manhattan's top prosecutor have his tax returns, saying "the deck was clearly stacked against" him, and said he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if necessary. The argument was made in a filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which on Tuesday will hear arguments on Trump's bid to delay Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's subpoena for the tax returns during Trump's appeal.
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| You Can’t Be Pro-Life Unless You Oppose Abortion Posted: 31 Aug 2020 03:30 AM PDT  Election times in non-pandemic years can bring out some of the best and the worst of America. Both parties, in their convention productions, were maybe a mix of both. The aspirational, inspirational moments are the best, which, of course, may be a bit too much of a promise about what electing one ticket to the White House could ever possibly do. At the same time, they are important reminders that policy isn't mere ideological adherence -- it affects human lives, family lives. It's important, noble work. In campaign season, it can become harder to remember it isn't everything, though.We don't get our meaning from politics, politics is a necessary exercise -- our vote and our engagement in politics is one way we live out our civic responsibilities. Politics is not a never-ending reality-TV show for our entertainment or distraction. It's not religion. As Sister Deidre Byrne put it during her Republican Convention segment, there's such a thing as eternal life, and this life -- including politics -- should be part of our expressions of gratitude for our very lives and part of how we express hope for something greater. Anything inconsistent with that journey should have no place in politics.This leads us to abortion. There's a lot of dismissal of "single-issue voters" these days. Believe me, I see it in my inbox. That makes an assumption that isn't a given -- not everyone who is opposed to abortion is planning on voting for Donald Trump. There are debates about whether voting for someone other than Trump is a cop-out -- "blood on your hands" some on the right will argue. But set that debate aside for a moment: In recent weeks I've expressed my disappointment in Joe Biden. The Democrats have refused to give an option to people who consider abortion the preeminent human-rights issue. For that, I have been told I am a "so-called" pro-lifer.I actually agree with all those who insist that pro-life needs to mean more than defending the life of the unborn -- we as individuals and as a society must do all that we can to make life plausible, to ensure that single mothers and families have a fighting chance. We can't look away from the children in foster care who will never have a shot if someone doesn't give them the love of a family. Absolutely, pro-life should mean more than opposition to abortion. And anyone who has been around the pro-life movement has seen that it so often is people full of love for a mom who just needs some confidence and resources -- people walking with her, and, yes, for more than nine months.The other day, a Catholic priest responded to one of my columns mentioning Joe Biden and abortion. He explained that he considers Biden pro-life and that he's voting for him. Here's the problem with that: While I'm with the priest and believe that we absolutely must help vulnerable children in all kinds of situations, you can't be pro-life and adhere to the extremist abortion policies of the Democratic Party.There's a reason that the Democrats didn't talk much about abortion during their convention -- because that's not the pitch they want to make to people. The vast majority of Americans want to see some restrictions on abortion, they don't see abortion as a good, but they want women in desperate situations to have options. "There but by the grace of God go I." But like other words we use in our politics, the word "pro-life" is drained of meaning if it means contrary things -- if "pro-life" means that you can claim to be personally opposed to abortion but publicly supportive of it through all nine months of pregnancy, and even to the moments after a baby is born, having survived an abortion attempt. Democrats' current abortion stance is a radical expansion of abortion. Just look to Andrew Cuomo for an example of that. A supposed leading light of Democratic politics expanded legal abortion in a state that was already considered the abortion capital of the country, and he celebrated it by lighting up the Empire State in pink neon. And he is lauded despite his decision that caused so many COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes in the state.The Democratic Party has chosen to double down on the death of innocents. That is what abortion is: It is a law that says the unborn can be treated as inconvenient and thrown away. The value of that human life is determined by the mother under the influence of the circumstances and pressures she finds around her. That they have to use euphemisms to make it attractive exposes the underlying rot.I have hopes that in a non-election year, people who call themselves pro-life and those who choose the pro-choice label can work together on foster care and adoption and paid family leave and other issues that we can agree on that are not the A-word. I'd like to see a day when fewer people consider themselves pro-choice, because they see the pregnancy help centers and communities who truly live the Beatitudes and help women and anyone in need. In the meantime, let's not lose our heads -- or our souls -- over an election. There's more to life, there's more to do.Essential to that, too, though, is honesty: The Republicans are far from perfect, to say the least. And the Democrats refuse to stand for the vulnerable unborn. It's a lie to call them pro-life and an abdication of responsibility not to insist on something better.This column is based on one available through Andrews McMeel Universal's Newspaper Enterprise Association.
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| An LA teacher said she and her daughter had to flee their home after she received threats for wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt to class Posted: 30 Aug 2020 09:22 AM PDT  On the first day of school, the English teacher in Los Angeles wore a shirt that read, "I can't breathe," a message associated with the BLM movement.
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| Key air monitors offline after Laura hits Louisiana gas hub Posted: 30 Aug 2020 11:13 AM PDT  Hazardous emissions from a chlorine plant fire, abruptly shuttered oil and gas refineries and still-to-be assessed plant damage are seeping into the air after Hurricane Laura, regulators say, but some key state and federal monitors to alert the public of air dangers remain offline in Louisiana. While the chlorine fire was being monitored as a potential health threat, Louisiana environmental spokesman Greg Langley says he knows of no other major industrial health risks from the storm in the state. With dozens of petroleum, petrochemical and other industrial sites, Louisiana is home to communities with some of the nation's highest cancer risks, according to Environmental Protection Agency rankings.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly allowed in person legal visit despite coronavirus lockdown Posted: 30 Aug 2020 10:46 AM PDT  Ghislaine Maxwell has reportedly been allowed an in-person visit by her legal team in what is believed to be the first permitted in a New York City federal jail during the pandemic lockdown. According to the New York Daily News, Maxwell, who is facing six criminal charges, was allowed to hold a face to face meeting at Sunset Park's Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Friday morning. All involved reportedly wore masks during the meeting. Other inmates, who have been in lockdown since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, have had neither family, nor legal visits. Maxwell has been held on remand for less than two months. "I'm incredulous really that she was the first one when there are those of us who have been waiting for nearly six months to have an in-person visit with our clients," Susan Marcus, a lawyer representing detainees in the centre, told the paper.
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| Hawaii to require visitors to fill out online 'Safe Travels' form before travel Posted: 31 Aug 2020 12:08 PM PDT  Beginning Tuesday, Hawaii will require all visitors to fill out a "Safe Travels" application, including health and contact information, before travel.
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| Arkansas sheriff who was secretly recorded using racial slurs reluctantly resigned and insisted he's not racist Posted: 30 Aug 2020 02:32 PM PDT  An Arkansas sheriff who was secretly recorded using racial slurs reluctantly resigned on Friday after saying that he was "by no means a racist."
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| Leaked memo: White House counsel pushed to downgrade Kushner’s clearance over "serious" concerns Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:30 AM PDT  Don McGahn wrote that an FBI background check raised "serious additional concerns" about Kushner's clearance
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| Schools are more segregated than 30 years ago. Here's what's driving the change. Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:18 AM PDT  School integration programs once broke down barriers. Today, white and Black students in cities like Minneapolis are growing up apart.
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| Philippines extends partial coronavirus curbs in Manila until Sept. 30 Posted: 31 Aug 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday partial restrictions in and around the capital Manila will be kept for another month starting Sept. 1 to tackle a rising number of coronavirus cases and further expand hospital capacity. Duterte announced the decision in a late night televised address after the health ministry reported another 3,446 new cases of the coronavirus and 38 fatalities that day, taking its total count to 220,819 cases with 3,558 deaths. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the daily reported cases "remains high," citing a need to intensify anti-COVID-19 measures to slow the infection rate, which is the highest in Southeast Asia.
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| UN labor body: Qatar 'dismantles' kafala employment system Posted: 30 Aug 2020 05:42 AM PDT  New labor rules in the energy-rich nation of Qatar "effectively dismantles" the country's long-criticized "kafala" employment system, a U.N. labor body said Sunday. The International Labor Organization said as of now, migrant workers can change jobs before the end of their contracts without obtaining the permission of their current employers. Qatar also has adopted a minimum monthly wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals ($275) for workers, which will take effect some six months after the law is published in the country's official gazette, the ILO said.
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| Trump's approval rating amongst black voters gets big boost following the Republican National Convention Posted: 31 Aug 2020 03:24 AM PDT  Host of 'Reality Check' on Fox Nation, David Webb weighs in.
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| Two licensed pilots with families identified as the men killed in Broward plane crash Posted: 31 Aug 2020 11:42 AM PDT |
| Hour by hour: Hurricane Laura raged outside my front door. I hunkered down for the night. Posted: 30 Aug 2020 07:28 AM PDT  At night, you can't see tornadoes coming. You can't see how far the trees bend. You can't sleep because of the sounds of the storm.
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| Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin requested dismissal of murder charges in George Floyd killing Posted: 30 Aug 2020 09:36 AM PDT  In a new court filing, Chauvin's attorney explained that Minneapolis officer "acted according to MPD policy, his training, and within his duties."
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| 5 accidentally revealing lines from Trump supporters at the RNC Posted: 31 Aug 2020 02:19 AM PDT  RNC speakers tried unconvincingly to portray a softer side of Trump and downplay his rough edges
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| Letters to the Editor: California's blackouts prove it: We still need oil and gas for energy Posted: 30 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  California's leaders need to set aside ideology and admit that in the near term, the state still needs fossil fuels to prevent blackouts.
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| U.S. warship transits Taiwan Strait for second time in two weeks Posted: 30 Aug 2020 10:58 PM PDT |
| Ethiopia seeks US clarification on reported aid cut over dam Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:53 AM PDT |
| India 'thwarts China's military movements' at disputed border Posted: 30 Aug 2020 11:23 PM PDT  India said on Monday it had foiled an attempt by Chinese troops to change the status quo on their disputed and ill-defined border in a fresh flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries. "On the Night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," the Indian army said in a statement. It said Indian soldiers foiled the Chinese bid to "unilaterally change facts on the ground". There was no immediate comment from China. For months, troops have been locked in a faceoff in the western Himalayas where both sides accuse the other of violating the Line of Actual Control, or the de facto border. In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed during a clash in the Galwan valley, following which the two sides agreed to pull back. But despite several rounds of talks, troops remain faced off at other points, including the high altitude Pangong Tso lake which both claim. The Indian army said the latest flare-up took place along the lake. "Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground," it said. India and China have not been able to agree on their nearly 3,500 km (2,000 mile) border over which they went to war in 1962. The flare up this summer is the most serious in over half a century. Military officials of the two countries were holding a meeting at a border point to resolve the latest crisis, the Indian army said.
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| Walesa warns Poles against populism on 40th Solidarity anniversary Posted: 31 Aug 2020 05:55 AM PDT  Poland's anti-communist icon Lech Walesa on Monday warned against populism as his deeply divided country marked 40 years since a landmark deal gave rise to the freedom-fighting Solidarity trade union.
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| Decommissioned Navy Warship Blasted and Sunk in Pacific Exercise Posted: 31 Aug 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Ships and aircraft from ten nations participating the exercise sank the amphibious cargo ship in a live-fire exercise.
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| Hitler’s Quest for Power Was Nearly Derailed Multiple Times. But the System Enabled His Rise Posted: 31 Aug 2020 09:30 AM PDT  A determined strongman, not taken seriously by the elites but enabled by a core of passionate supporters, bent events his way just as his country went into free-fall
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