| Trump admits greenhouse gases contribute to climate change 'to an extent' Posted: 29 Sep 2020 08:16 PM PDT  For the first time in his presidency, Donald Trump acknowledged that human-generated greenhouse gases contributes to climate change.
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| Despite hopeful speculation, Biden campaign says remaining debates are still on Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:25 PM PDT  At the end of Tuesday night's raucous presidential debate, cable news hosts and pundits immediately began speculating on whether it would be the only one held this year, but Democratic nominee Joe Biden's campaign quickly dashed that dream.Many thought Tuesday's debate was an unmitigated disaster, as Trump routinely interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace. CNN's Wolf Blitzer, for example, called it an "embarrassment for the United States" and wondered whether the next two debates would be canceled.During a phone call with reporters, Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, said he is "going to show up" at the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami. Biden wants to "continue speaking directly to the American people," Bedingfield said, and is looking forward to the debate's town hall format, with the nominees taking questions from undecided voters."There is an open question here based on what we saw from Donald Trump tonight," Bedingfield said. "Is he going to try to bully actual voters? Is he going to insult his way through the next debate? Joe Biden's going to show up. ... We'll see if [Trump] decides to show up in Miami next month." Biden is also planning on attending the third debate set for Oct. 22 in Nashville, Bedingfield confirmed. "We are going to the debates, guys," she said. "We don't know how many different ways we can say it. Yes, we are going to the debates."More stories from theweek.com Rockets reportedly hit Iraqi base where U.S. troops are located Trump pummels Biden — and America Marvel casts newcomer in the role of its 1st Muslim superhero, Ms. Marvel
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| The family of one of the officers who killed Breonna Taylor started an online fundraiser so he can retire early and focus on his 'safety' Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:57 AM PDT  The family of Detective Myles Cosgrove is trying to raise $75,000 so that he can buy out the rest of his service time and retire early.
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| Singapore Airlines is turning a parked A380 superjumbo jet into a restaurant to cater to a travel-hungry population Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Singapore Airlines' fleet of Airbus A380s is now turning into a tourist attraction as the pandemic has rendered the long-range jets obsolete.
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| Marine fighter jet lands safely after crashing in mid-air with another plane in Southern California Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Jet makes emergency landing in farm field after colliding with another plane
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| She escaped N.Korea, but 'raped' by South's spies Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:31 AM PDT 
She ran away from her home in North Korea six years ago to find a safe haven in the South. But it was after meeting a South Korean spy, she says, that another nightmare began. Lee, who we're only identifying by her last name to protect her identity, was raped by the man -- according to the defector and prosecutors. "I was mad at myself, I should have defended or fought with a knife, but I was just unable to fight back when they did that to me." She may not be alone. More than 72% of North Koreans resettled in the South are women and at least a quarter of them encountered sexual violence in the South, but less than 10% sought help, the gender equality ministry found in a 2017 survey. In Lee's case, the suspected abuser called himself Dr Seong. She says he was a mysterious man, and like a father figure to help her start a new life. Seong paid her for info. She had previously worked at a military institute in the north. He also helped her reconnect with her brother, who was detained by secret police in North Korea. But eventually Seong and a colleague, identified by the name Kim, began to sexually abuse her. She says it lasted a year and a half and she was pressed to get two abortions and suffered severe distress. "After all, they were the first people that I trusted, respected and relied upon here in the South." Military prosecutors this month indicted the two men, a lieutenant colonel and a master sergeant with charges of sexual assault and rape. But both men have denied rape, according to the chief military prosecutor. They are said to say it was consensual. Lee's lawyer, Jeon Su-mi, blames the system for enabling agents to take advantage of vulnerable defectors. "The women can't say no, they have to obey and have to go out at midnight if they are requested to. The South Korean surveillance system on North Korean defectors has absolute power like God, even if they are just government employees here." Defectors have complained recently that the government of President Moon Jae-in, who has made improving ties with North Korea a priority, is failing to provide refuge by ignoring rights, stifling political activity and deporting some escapees.
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| Chinese rail stations and airports swamped during holiday, raising fears of fresh Covid outbreak Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:36 AM PDT  People have begun swarming into China's rail stations and airports as the country where the coronavirus pandemic emerged enters into its first major public holiday week after lockdowns began easing, potentially raising the risk of new infections. Nearly half of the country's 1.4 billion people are expected to hit the road during China's "Golden Week," kicking off on Oct 1 as the nation celebrates its founding anniversary. Chinese authorities have relaxed some travel restrictions as the number of daily infections have begun dropping significantly. About 30 people were confirmed with the coronavirus through Tuesday this week, a figure that could rise given increased movement of people over the holiday. As such pandemic precautions remain in place, including detailed contact tracing via mobile phone apps that allow users to flash a green, yellow or red code – a health contagion profile that determines whether someone might pose an infection risk.
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| Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah dies in US hospital at 91 Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, architect of the nation's modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.
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| Comey Claims He Only Learned Details of Russia Investigation Abuses from IG Report after Leaving FBI Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:18 AM PDT  Former FBI director James Comey claimed on Wednesday that he learned of various details related to the FBI's investigation in to collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign from the DOJ Inspector General report on FISA abuse, years after Comey had left his former agency.Comey headed the FBI from 2013 until May 2017, when he was fired by President Trump. During Comey's tenure, agents carried out the Crossfire Hurricane probe, investigating allegations that the Trump-campaign had ties to Russian intelligence. Many of those allegations were compiled in the so-called Steele dossier, whose primary source, Igor Danchenko, was revealed last week to be a suspected Russian spy.The DOJ Inspector General report, released in December 2019, detailed "significant" errors and omissions in FBI agents' applications to surveil former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page. That report also cast doubt on the veracity of some allegations in the Steele dossier.On Wednesday, Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify regarding questions on the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Before the Inspector General's report on the dossier…did you know that the information that was reported by [Inspector General Michael] Horowitz that should have raised questions about the reliability of the Steele dossier?" Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas) asked."I learned a lot about the Steele material and the sub-source interviews from the Horowitz report that I didn't know before then," Comey replied.Earlier in the Wednesday hearing, Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), asked Comey if he was aware that the FBI interviewed Danchenko in January 2017."I don't remember anything about interviews with [Danchenko]," Comey said.Comey has previously said he learned many of the details of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from what has been publicly reported. The former director stated in December 2019, following the release of the IG report, that he "didn't know the particulars of the investigation" while he head of the FBI."As a director sitting on top of an organization with 38,000 people, you can't run an investigation that's seven layers below you," Comey told Fox News at the time. Attorney General William Barr criticized Comey's statement several days later, saying "One of the problems with what happened was precisely that they pulled the investigation up to the executive floors."During Wednesday's hearing, Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah), a proponent of reforms to federal surveillance practices, criticized Comey for appearing to know little about the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Mr. Comey, with all due respect, you don't seem to know anything about an investigation that you ran," Lee said.
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| Wisconsin justices weigh removal of 130K from voter rolls Posted: 28 Sep 2020 08:40 PM PDT  The Wisconsin Supreme Court weighed Tuesday whether to go along with conservatives who argue that 130,000 voters should be removed from the rolls in the hotly contested presidential battleground state, while the Democratic attorney general defended not purging them. The Wisconsin case is one of several lawsuits across the country, many in battleground states, that seek to purge voters from registration rolls. It is being closely watched because President Donald Trump won the swing state by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016.
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| 'Basically nobody' turned off the 1st presidential debate while it was in progress Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:20 AM PDT  Viewers apparently couldn't peel their eyes away from the first presidential debate Tuesday night.Despite widespread criticism of the chaos that unfolded on stage, the final 15 minutes actually rated slightly higher than the opening 15 minutes, and audiences fell just 2 percent from the 9:30 p.m. ET peak by the time it all wrapped up, Nielsen data shows. So, even if they were disappointed with what they witnessed, it seems like those who tuned in were prepared to finish what they started and stay engaged with the national political moment. > Debate rating and share by quarter-hour:> > 9:00 - 42.5/68 > 9:15 - 43.4/68 > 9:30 - 43.7/69 > 9:45 - 43.5/68 > 10:00 - 42.9/68 > 10:15 - 42.2/67 > 10:30 - 42.9/69> > -- Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) September 30, 2020Overall, though, Tuesday's ratings across the major networks dropped significantly from 2016's first presidential debate. > The early TV ratings for the debate last night are down BIG.> > A total of only 29 million viewers across ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS.> > The viewership on broadcast was nearly 43 million in 2016 for the first debate.> > Brutal numbers. Have people lost interest? (Source: TVLine)> > -- David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 30, 2020More stories from theweek.com Rockets reportedly hit Iraqi base where U.S. troops are located Trump pummels Biden — and America Marvel casts newcomer in the role of its 1st Muslim superhero, Ms. Marvel
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| Breonna Taylor case grand juror: We weren’t given the option of indicting the two cops who shot her Posted: 29 Sep 2020 08:25 AM PDT  Grand juror said AG Daniel Cameron misrepresented the deliberations. Cameron agreed to release grand jury recording
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| People with irregular or unusually long menstrual cycles may have a higher risk of dying young Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:00 PM PDT  Menstruation hormone disruptions may be linked to risk of dying from cardiovascular illness, higher chance of other health problems, says a new study
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| Mike Pence reportedly overruled the CDC on extending a cruise ship ban to 2021, the latest example of the White House sidelining expert advice in the pandemic Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:31 AM PDT  The CDC asked on Tuesday to extend the "no-sail order" first imposed in March 2020 to February 2021, but Pence refused, according to Axios.
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| High road at Chilling: India builds Himalayan bridges and highways to match China Posted: 29 Sep 2020 01:58 AM PDT  Ligen Eliyas deftly turns the excavator's hydraulic arm to push a huge boulder into the Zanskar river below in a cloud of dust, clearing another bit of land for a strategic highway that India is hurriedly building near the Chinese border. The construction site near the hamlet of Chilling in the Ladakh region is around 250 km (150 miles) west of the area where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in the most serious confrontation in decades.
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| Fact check: Biden says 1 in 1,000 Black Americans have died from COVID-19. Is it true? Posted: 30 Sep 2020 12:27 PM PDT  "... And if he doesn't do something quickly by the end of the year, one in 500 will have been killed."
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| 4th person killed in devastating California wildfire Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT  Flames devoured swaths of brush and trees in Northern California on Wednesday amid unseasonably hot and dry weather. Officials said wind-whipped flames led two firefighters to deploy the emergency fire shelters they carry. The firefighters were assigned to the Glass fire burning in wine country north of San Francisco Sunday when gusty off-shore winds fanned the fire, prompting them to deploy their fire shelters after flames overwhelmed them.
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| North Carolina senate candidate commits grievous sin: confusing grilling for barbecuing Posted: 29 Sep 2020 01:56 PM PDT  You've got to hand it to North Carolina — they have some truly scrumptious scandals down in the Tar Heel State.Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham found himself in hot water on Monday night after tweeting a photo of himself standing next to a gas grill, spatula in hand as he apparently readied hot dogs and hamburgers. "There's nothing better than BBQ — except for winning this Senate seat, of course," he wrote as a caption.> There's nothing better than BBQ—except for winning this Senate seat, of course. pic.twitter.com/oEsDXIZ5O2> > — Cal Cunningham (@CalforNC) September 28, 2020But North Carolinians quickly took issue with the fact that "the tweet itself appears to suggest, wrongly, that barbecue can be made on a gas grill, or worse, that grilling falls within the realm of barbecue," explains the Raleigh-based News & Observer. Sure enough, Cunningham was soon the target of many angry foodies online:> My dude, folks are not going to think you really have a whole hog on that tiny grill. And I know you are not referring to cooking hotdogs & burgers as "BBQ." > > It may behoove you to issue a statement on NC barbecue forthwith. You can thank me later.> > — Aylett "What's your voting plan?" Colston (@EveryVoiceNC) September 29, 2020> This is Dukakis in a tank bad in North Carolina. Why. https://t.co/POTba6FIot> > — Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) September 29, 2020Sure enough, the North Carolina GOP even issued a statement, slamming Cunningham by writing, "In North Carolina, we have Eastern BBQ and Western BBQ but neither involves a spatula, hot dog buns or gas grills. Cunningham is an elitist trial lawyer, and this BBQ gaffe demonstrates that he is out of touch with North Carolina voters who actually know what North Carolina BBQ is."Cunningham, a native of Lexington, quickly backtracked, telling The News & Observer that he would never mix up grilling with barbecuing. "No self-respecting son of Lexington would ever do that," he emphasized, claiming he'd only used the term because he was showing off his new campaign swag, an apron which reads — perhaps now rather audaciously — "Ambassador for North Carolina BBQ."More stories from theweek.com The worst presidential debate of all time Undecided voters describe Trump as a 'crackhead,' 'arrogant' in post-debate focus group Trump pummels Biden — and America
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| Hathras gang rape: India victim's death sparks outrage Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:33 AM PDT  The 19-year-old woman died after fighting for her life in a hospital for two weeks.
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| A creepy presidential debate ad shows a deepfake of Putin telling Americans they're ruining their own democracy Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:50 AM PDT  In an ad campaign from non-profit RepresentUs, deepfakes of Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin warn Americans that they're ruining their own democracy.
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| AccuWeather's 2020-2021 US winter forecast Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:22 AM PDT  With fall underway, AccuWeather's long-range forecasters are now looking ahead to winter. As Lincoln Riddle reports, it could be an early start to the season for many.
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| Democrats postpone House vote on COVID-19 stimulus bill to give more time for negotiations Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:54 PM PDT  The pared-down version of the legislation passed by House Democrats in May will likely pass the House, but will face opposition in the GOP-led Senate.
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| Top US infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci calls some of Fox News' primetime coverage of the coronavirus pandemic 'outlandish' Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:36 PM PDT  Fauci said that with some reporters, "anything that I would say they'll distort a bit," adding, "I'm not sure there's anything I can do about that."
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| China Accelerates Its Crackdown on Foreign Journalists Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:30 AM PDT  These days, foreign journalists are facing unprecedented challenges in China.A March report from the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) finds that in 2019, "82% of [foreign] reporters [in China] experienced interference or harassment or violence while reporting. . . . 43% said digital/physical surveillance affected reporting. And 70% reported interviews cancelled due to actions taken by Chinese authorities." The FCCC also finds that Chinese authorities continue to restrict foreign journalists' access to certain parts of China, including Xinjiang, where millions of Uighur Muslims languish in internment camps. The most striking finding of the report, however, is that not even a single foreign journalist said working conditions in China had improved from 2018 to 2019.It seems that this state of affairs has only gotten worse in 2020. Just this week, the Washington Post's Anna Fifield published a story about the difficulties she'd faced as a foreign reporter in China. "Reporting in China increasingly feels like reporting in North Korea," she tweeted. Beijing has expelled around 17 foreign journalists this year, including 15 Americans, and is threatening to expel more. Chinese authorities also continue to punish some foreign journalists by refusing to renew their visas.In August, Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent who worked for the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), was detained by Chinese authorities. No charges were filed, and Cheng simply "disappeared." China's foreign ministry waited until early September to announce that she was suspected of "criminal activity endangering China's national security." Her family and friends still do not know her whereabouts, and it is unclear if she has any legal representation.The Chinese Foreign Ministry's announcement of Cheng's detention came after the Australian government was forced to mount a frantic mission to extricate the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's (AFR) Mike Smith from the country. Both had been questioned by Chinese authorities regarding their dealings with Cheng, and both sought help from the Australian consulate. They were allowed to leave China only after a five-day diplomatic standoff. Birtles's former boss, the ex-ABC China bureau chief Matthew Carney, recently disclosed the threats and interrogations that he and his family, including his 14-year-old daughter, had to endure from Chinese authorities back in 2018, which eventually led them to leave the country, too.Early this month, a Los Angeles Times reporter was detained by Chinese police in Inner Mongolia while investigating the central government's push to teach Mongolian children key curriculums in Mandarin rather than Mongolian. Many parents and students have been protesting that effort, which they view as Beijing's latest attempt to erase their cultural identity. The Times reporter said plainclothes men "took her to a police station, where she was interrogated and separated from her belongings, despite identifying herself as an accredited journalist. She was not allowed to call the U.S. Embassy; one officer grabbed her throat with both hands and pushed her into a cell."Beijing's treatment of foreign journalists is appalling. But surprisingly, this wasn't always the case. In fact, for decades, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) welcomed foreign journalists when it found them to be of use in helping achieve its strategic policy goals.The most famous example of this phenomenon was American journalist Edgar Snow. In the 1930s, Snow visited the CCP's stronghold in the Chinese countryside and interviewed its leaders, including Mao Zedong. Back then, the People's Liberation Army was no more than a ragtag bunch of poorly fed, ill-equipped guerrilla fighters. Mao was dismissed by the ruling Nationalist Party as a "bandit," and he was virtually unknown to the West. Mao recognized the help that Snow could provide in solving that problem. He granted Snow access that was unavailable to any Chinese journalist and charmed the American. Snow, who was somewhat naive and ideologically left-leaning, fell for Mao's charisma. Mao asked that the texts of Snow's interviews be translated from English back to Chinese so he could "correct any inaccuracies" prior to the publication, and Snow granted him his wish.The final output was Snow's 1937 book, Red Star Over China, which presented Mao as a great leader who was candid, thoughtful, and funny. It described the goal of the Communist revolution as the creation of a new China that would be egalitarian and democratic. Nowhere did it mention Mao's brutal purge of a rival faction within the Communist Party, which ended with the arrest of over 100 party members and the execution of more than a dozen. The purge was an early indication of Mao's ruthlessness in quashing dissent, and there would be many more like it to come.Unfortunately, the inaccurate portrait painted by Snow's book cast Mao and the Communists in such a positive light that it won them many domestic and international supporters. This, in turn, set a precedent. Recognizing the propaganda value that Snow had provided, Mao invited him back to China several more times over the next three-plus decades. Each time, he manipulated Snow into serving as his mouthpiece for domestic and international audiences.After Mao's death, a succession of Chinese Communist Party leaders followed the same template, welcoming foreign journalists to China as the regime launched its campaign of economic reform and opened up to the rest of the world. These leaders recognized that they needed the foreign press to tell stories about China, and sure enough, the resulting stories helped attract badly needed foreign investment and tourism to boost the country's economy.In a country where corruption is rampant and justice is whatever local authorities say it is, many Chinese people have come to believe that the fastest way to get their grievances heard and resolved is through reporting by journalists, especially foreign journalists. As Yuan Yang, the Financial Times's deputy Beijing bureau chief, has noted, "Sometimes it is not the coverage itself, but the mere appearance of a foreign journalist on the scene, that gets officials to start listening intently to their problems."Sadly, even that means of getting authorities' attention is increasingly being closed off by China's current leader, Xi Jinping, who demands absolute loyalty from all corners of China including the media. Unlike his predecessors, Xi doesn't see foreign media as a friend or a useful tool, but rather as a threat to the narratives advanced by his propaganda and an obstacle to his goal of building a new, China-centric world order. Especially after the coronavirus outbreak, Xi has needed an obedient media to tell a story of Chinese success under his leadership, which has only increased his incentive to keep a tight leash on critical reporting.Xi seems to believe that China is now wealthy, powerful, and resourceful enough that it no longer needs the prestige that foreign media outlets once lent it; state media can tell the stories he wants told both at home and abroad. Since Xi doesn't see foreign journalists as useful to his own strategic objectives, Chinese authorities have intensified their attacks on foreign journalists. If any informed observer had any remaining doubts about the true nature of the Chinese regime, this crackdown should have dispelled them.
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| Opinion: The next presidential debate needs a Trump timeout room Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:18 AM PDT  Tuesday's debate between Trump and Biden could have used a mom -- someone who knows how to exert some discipline over a heedless child.
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| Florida martial arts school billed taxpayers over $350,000 for ‘ghost’ kids, state says Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:23 AM PDT  Funded by public grants, the United Martial Arts Academy in Homestead offered an array of self-defense training, including the "Tiny Tigers" and "Little Dragon" courses for kids.
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| Rep. Katie Porter eviscerates pharma CEO with a brutal math lesson about his $13 million salary Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:51 PM PDT  Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) never wastes an opportunity to roast a CEO.On Wednesday, three pharmaceutical executives, including former Celgene CEO Mark Alles, testified on drug pricing for the House Oversight Committee. While at the company, Alles saw a massive increase in the price of the cancer drug Revlimid -- and Porter broke down just what it got Alles in return.Porter started her takedown by asking Alles if he knew what a Revlimid pill cost in 2005: $215, she reminded him with the help of a whiteboard. And by the time Alles left the company late last year, after its sale to Bristol-Myers Squibb, a single Revlimid pill cost $763. "Did the drug get substantially more effective in that time? Did cancer patients need fewer pills?" Porter questioned, trying to figure out why Celgene upped the price. Alles answered by saying Revlimid proved effective in more patients. "So you discovered more patients who might benefit from paying $763 a pill?" Porter rhetorically responded, outlining how the average senior in her district couldn't even afford one pill.Porter then moved on to tear apart the $13 million Alles made in 2017 as Celgene's CEO. "It's 200 times the average American's income and 360 times what the average senior makes on Social Security," Porter noted. She then reminded Alles just how he made "half a million dollars, personally, just by tripling the price of Revlimid." "The drug didn't get any better, the cancer patients didn't get any better, you just got better at making money," Porter concluded. Watch her questioning below. > Half a million dollars.> > That's the bonus a Big Pharma CEO got for hiking the price of ONE cancer treatment drug.> > How many patients lost their lives because they couldn't afford this medicine? Here's our conversation: pic.twitter.com/mkke6y9tnw> > -- Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) September 30, 2020More stories from theweek.com Rockets reportedly hit Iraqi base where U.S. troops are located Trump pummels Biden — and America Marvel casts newcomer in the role of its 1st Muslim superhero, Ms. Marvel
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| Myanmar political party chief arrested for prison escape Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:42 AM PDT  The leader of a party fielding the second highest number of candidates for Myanmar's November elections has been arrested after local media reported allegations of a shady past, including a prison escape and financial finagling. Despite the arrest of Kyaw Myint, another executive of his United Democratic Party said it will continue campaigning. Despite fielding 1,131 candidates for the Nov. 8 polls — second only to the ruling National League for Democracy party of Aung San Suu Kyi — the party has not won a single seat in the last two elections.
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| 'Utter devastation': Three dead as multiple wildfires in California explode in size Posted: 28 Sep 2020 10:37 PM PDT  "This was pretty devastating," one official said. "Just literally hundreds and hundreds of homes devastated with nothing standing."
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| Fact check: Picture of 'Black Lives Matter protesters' attacking a white man is misleading Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:47 PM PDT  The event where the picture was taken was not a Black Lives Matter protest, USA TODAY found. It was an event in St. Louis involving a statue.
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| Sonic boom heard in Paris and suburbs caused by fighter jet breaking sound barrier Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:08 AM PDT  A loud blast heard throughout Paris on Wednesday briefly caused panic as edgy residents feared a bombing five days after a terrorist attack outside the former offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The noise was caused by a sonic boom as a military jet broke the speed of sound, police said. Pierre Duclos, who was in a café around the corner from the site of the attack on Friday when the explosion-like noise was heard, said: "Everyone looked at each other and a few people got up and went outside. For a while, we thought another terrorist attack was coming and we were all shocked. Some people asked the café owner to close and lock the door. I was here on Friday and frankly I was really worried again today.
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| Space Force Now Has an Official Uniform Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:57 PM PDT  The U.S. Space Force members will wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern as the official service duty uniform.
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| Abcarian: Memo to Biden: Never get in the mud with a pig. You'll get filthy, and the pig will like it Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:37 PM PDT  Poor Chris Wallace, the moderator from Fox News. He was not only asking questions but trying to manage the president's logorrhea.
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| She tried to board a flight barefoot in Miami, airline says. Then came the meltdown Posted: 30 Sep 2020 12:52 PM PDT  Another day, another public meltdown. But this latest melee wasn't over masks.
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| Turkey begins developing its first surface-to-surface, laser-guided missile Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:46 AM PDT  The missile is expected to complement Turkey's unarmed TB2 Akinci drone fleet.
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| U.S., Taiwan to team up on infrastructure in pushback against China Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:56 AM PDT  The United States and Taiwan will work together on infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America, officials said on Wednesday, in an implicit pushback for China's own massive regional investment plans. Washington is deeply suspicious of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative to build roads, railways and other facilities to link China to Europe, Asia and beyond, viewing it as a plan to entrap countries into China's orbit with debt diplomacy. China denies this.
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| San Jose officer facing assault charge in violent arrest of driver Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Video contradicted the officer's claim that the driver resisted commands, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said.
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| Plan to solve Florida's non-existent protest problem is pure 'mini-Trump' Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Governor Ron DeSantis wants to crack down on demonstrators to distract from a disastrous pandemic response, critics sayFor many who heard Ron DeSantis outline his proposed "Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting Act" it was a head-scratcher.Why would Florida's Republican governor suddenly be pushing severe penalties on protesters in a state that escaped the disorder of summer Black Lives Matter gatherings elsewhere? Why threaten to withhold state money from municipalities that defund police even as Florida cities including Miami and Tampa were actually increasing law enforcement spending?To Democrats, civil rights advocates, voters' groups and others who have studied the behavior of a politician they see as a mini-Donald Trump, the governor's solving of problems that appear not to exist was no mystery.A strong law-and-order pitch to voters in the key swing state just weeks before a presidential election deflected attention from a botched response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 14,000 in Florida, they say. And it echoed the fearmongering tactics employed on a national scale that Trump believes will win him a second term in the White House."He doesn't want us to address his terrible track record so he's using law and order as an election stunt to distract and scare voters," said Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative for Orlando."It's a complete act [and] Governor DeSantis is taking a page from Trump's playbook."Eskamani and her colleagues see the DeSantis proposals, which the governor said he wants passed by the state legislature as early as November, as "fear-based legislation" and an assault on first amendment rights.They include a six-month prison sentence for anybody striking or throwing objects at law enforcement officers and designate gatherings of seven or more people resulting in injury or property damage as unlawful. Additionally, any driver who injures or kills a person during such a gathering will not be held liable – raising the prospect of almost legalizing vehicular attacks on protests."We already have laws on the books against violent acts. And calls for racial justice in Florida have been overwhelmingly peaceful," Eskamani said. "I know, I have marched in protest alongside others. Anyone who dares to hit someone or break property, they are arrested."The controversy came in a busy week for the election in Florida during which mail-in voting began and polls showed Trump virtually tied with his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, after trailing all year.DeSantis drew criticism for announcing on Friday that he was removing most remaining coronavirus restrictions even though the state is still a hotspot. Also capturing attention was an escalating spat between DeSantis's administration and Michael Bloomberg, the Democratic former presidential candidate who provided $16m to pay off court fees and fines of convicted felons so they could vote."Timing is everything in politics and they must have seen the same polling showing up in ABC that law and order was number three issue in this election after the economy and Covid," said Susan MacManus, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida."Older people don't like unsettling times, the riots and the violence. On top of some of the other things that are happening, it could be just unsettling enough to cause some of those who were going to vote for Biden to come back home and vote for Trump," she added.DeSantis himself acknowledged his manifesto was not built on anything that had taken place in the state."We have seen attacks on law enforcement, we've seen disorder and tumult in many cities. I will not allow this kind of violence to occur here in Florida," he said during a press conference in Winter Haven, at which he was flanked by senior state Republicans and law enforcement officials.Equality advocates are particularly outraged at the loosely defined clause removing criminal liability from drivers "fleeing for safety from a mob"."[It] would protect individuals who injure protesters with their vehicles just three years after Heather Heyer, an anti-racism activist, was murdered when a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia," said Andrea Mercado, executive director of the political organising group New Florida Majority.Some local government officials, meanwhile, decry the governor's threat to hold back state money from municipalities perceived to have "defunded" police."It seeks to bully local governments from reallocating law enforcement budgets and seeking reforms like we're trying to do," said Sabrina Javellana, vice-mayor of Hallandale Beach."Sanctions only hurt the people he is purporting to help. Many crimes are committed out of poverty. If we can reduce poverty we can reduce crime."Shevrin Jones, a Democratic state senator-elect, said DeSantis was guilty of "blatant overreach" by seeking to criminalize protests."I am confident that all Floridians, white, black, brown, will see this for what it is, a desperate violation of our constitutional rights just ahead of a critical election in which every single vote counts," he said."We're going to fight this tooth and nail. You've just declared war on our civil rights. We're prepared to strap up our boots and in the spirit of John Lewis get in some good trouble."
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| MQ-9 Reaper Drone Flies with Double Hellfire Missiles in New Test Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:36 AM PDT  A new software update on the MQ-9 Reaper allows the hunter-killer drone to carry eight AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
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| Doctor ‘snubbed for trying to tell Trumps to wear masks at debate' Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Melania also took off mask once she sat down
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| Texas DPS responding to plane crash at Hooks Airport Posted: 29 Sep 2020 11:27 AM PDT  Two people, including a student pilot, were on board the aircraft that landed due to issues with the rudder.
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| Biden Staffer Suggests ‘Intolerant’ Views of Orthodox Catholics, Jews, Muslims Should Disqualify Them from Supreme Court Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:31 AM PDT  A staffer on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign on Monday suggested that Orthodox Catholics, Jews and Muslims should not be allowed to serve on the Supreme Court because of their "intolerant" beliefs.The comments came during a Twitter conversation between Biden campaign deputy data director Nikitha Rai and Brookings Institute senior fellow Shadi Hamid in which Rai attacked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's Catholic beliefs. A search for Rai's Twitter account now yields a message saying, "This account doesn't exist."Hamid had responded to a tweet that said Barrett was a trustee at a Catholic school that opposed same-sex marriage as homosexual acts are "at odds with Scripture." Hamid replied, "Wait, why is this news? Isn't this the standard position for any orthodox Catholic?" "Unfortunately yes," Rai said. When Hamid pointed out that Orthodox Muslims and Jews generally hold the same view, Rai said, "True. I'd heavily prefer views like that not be elevated to SCOTUS, but unfortunately our current culture is relatively intolerant. It will be awhile before those types of beliefs are so taboo that they're disqualifiers."> Here's a @JoeBiden staffer saying that orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism should be made "taboo" and driven from the public sphere. Beneath all the talk of "interfaith" and "pluralism," this is what they really believe. pic.twitter.com/PrN8S1qaLG> > -- Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) September 29, 2020The former vice president often touts his Catholic faith on the campaign trail, though critics note that some of Biden's positions — such as his support for abortion and same-sex marriage — stand in opposition to Catholic teachings.Barrett's faith has been widely scrutinized in the media as "extreme" and cult-like since the president announced he would nominate the 48-year-old Notre Dame professor to fill the vacancy on the Court left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Barrett, a former clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, has been attacked for her faith for years now, beginning with her 2017 confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee when Democrats questioned whether her Catholicism should disqualify her from being a judge."Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that dogma and law are two different things, and I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different," Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said at the time."The conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you," Feinstein added. "And that's of concern."
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| 'What is Google Fiber?': Everything you need to know about Google's high-speed internet service Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:50 AM PDT  Google Fiber is a high-speed internet service that Google is currently deploying in 18 cities across the US. Here's what you need to know about it.
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| Father and son chase and shoot at two teens riding ATVs, Mississippi police say Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:44 PM PDT  Police are looking into possible hate crime charges
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