| 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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| 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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| 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 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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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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| Zimbabwe: Elephants die from 'bacterial disease' Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:24 PM PDT  More than 30 elephants were found lying on their stomachs, according to wildlife officials.
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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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| New York battles COVID-19 hot spots as Washington wrangles over relief Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:50 PM PDT  New York City restaurants welcomed patrons back inside for the first time in months on Wednesday as authorities scrambled to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in some neighborhoods and negotiators in Washington wrangled over a coronavirus relief package. Coronavirus infection rates continued to climb in many of the nine ZIP codes in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn where new clusters have emerged, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. The city is deploying 400 police officers as well as other officials to improve compliance with social-distancing rules and a face-covering mandate in the affected neighborhoods.
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| Trump's abrasive debate behavior may have worsened his relationship with female voters Posted: 30 Sep 2020 05:50 AM PDT  During the debate, Trump spoke to Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace more than he spoke to the American people and that's not going to cut it.
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| Mitch McConnell ‘refusing to debate his election rival if there is a female moderator’ Posted: 29 Sep 2020 11:57 AM PDT  'He continues to resist allowing women to host debates,' said McConnell's opponent in the Kentucky Senate race
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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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| 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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| 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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| Voters react to first 2020 presidential debate Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:07 AM PDT  The latest CBS News Battleground Tracker polls show how Americans are responding to the first presidential debate. CBS News Elections and Surveys Director Anthony Salvanto joined CBSN's Elaine Quijano on "Red and Blue" to discuss the results.
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| Up to 50,000 airline workers could lose their job tonight if Congress doesn't approve more aid Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:36 AM PDT  "Hundreds of thousands of airline workers are facing financial ruin through no fault of our own. How will we take care of our families without a paycheck and health insurance?" said one airline worker.
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| Trump needed the debate to change a race he's losing; instead, he doubled down Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:00 AM PDT  Trump has tried for a year to find an attack that would throw Biden off stride. So far, none have done the job. At the debate, he just repeated them.
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| McConnell shields Judge Amy Coney Barrett from questions about election outcome as she meets with senators Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:51 PM PDT  The Senate majority leader refused to answer if Ms Barrett should recuse herself from election-focused cases
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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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| Man charged in shooting of 2 Los Angeles County deputies Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:20 AM PDT  Prosecutors charged a 36-year-old man Wednesday with a brazen ambush of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies earlier this month, an apparently unprovoked shooting as they sat in a squad car outside a rail station. The deputies suffered head wounds in the Sept. 12 attack and have since been released from the hospital. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said their recoveries will be a long process and include further reconstructive surgeries.
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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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| A 'super healthy' 19-year-old college student has died from coronavirus complications Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:13 AM PDT  Chad Dorrill, a "super healthy" student at Appalachian State University and former star basketball player, died from complications of the coronavirus.
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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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| 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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| Who won the debate? Early polls say Joe Biden. Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:12 PM PDT  Early polls show that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was the runaway winner of the first presidential debate, with CNN's survey showing a full 60 percent of Americans believe he won the night, compared to 28 percent who believe President Trump did — a two-to-one margin.> CNN instant poll of debate watcher: 60% say Biden won, 28% say Trump won. pic.twitter.com/5qIhkFQrwe> > — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 30, 2020Other polls were a little tighter, with a CBS News poll of battleground states finding that 48 percent of debate watchers believed Biden won, compared to 41 percent who thought Trump did and 10 percent who thought it was a tie. "There was no winner, certainly not the United States," wrote Nate Cohn of The New York Times. "And that makes Biden the winner. He's the frontrunner. It's Trump who needed the win, and I think most anyone would agree, as Chris Wallace said, that the president was largely responsible for the debate." Trump trails Biden in RealClearPolitics' average of polls by 6.1 percent.More stories from theweek.com 3 reasons the stakes for the NBA Finals are extra high GOP Sen. Tim Scott calls for Trump to correct his Proud Boys comments: 'If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak' Trump pummels Biden — and America
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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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| 'Women in military, bad idea': Mike Pence’s most controversial comments about women Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Mr Pence has a long history of making eyebrow-raising comments about women
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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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| 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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| '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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| Putin says Belarus facing 'unprecedented external pressure' Posted: 29 Sep 2020 06:51 AM PDT  SHOTLIST MOSCOW, RUSSIASEPTEMBER 29, 2020SOURCE: KREMLINRESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE 1. SOUNDBITE 1 - Vladimir Putin, Russian president (male, Russian, 21 sec): "And now, taking into account the difficult situation in which the Republic of Belarus finds itself, including under conditions of unprecedented external pressure after the presidential elections, I would like to repeat once again: relations between Russia and Belarus are timeless and all-weather." ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: leadPutin says Belarus facing 'unprecedented external pressure'Moscow, Sept 29, 2020 (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that neighbouring Belarus was under unprecedented external pressure, as the Kremlin's ex-Soviet ally faces a deep political crisis over a disputed election.Belarus is in a "difficult situation" and facing "unprecedented external pressure", Putin said in televised remarks, after a presidential vote last month sparked ongoing protests against authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Protesters have taken to the streets of Belarusian cities since Lukashenko claimed a sixth term with 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 election. Putin has promised to provide the 66-year-old strongman with security assistance if the political crisis worsens and gave Belarus a loan of $1.5 billion.Lukashenko has accused various Western countries and NATO of attempting to destabilise his country or support the protest movement.Addressing a forum on the Belarusian and Russian regions, the Kremlin chief said that Moscow was ready to stand by Minsk, describing ties as "timeless and all-weather".Lukashenko's relationship with Putin was strained ahead of the vote last month with Minsk accusing Russia of dispatching mercenaries to plot unrest with the opposition.Putin has long been pushing for even closer integration between the two countries, whose "union state" alliance guarantees close military and economic ties.European leaders have refused to recognise Lukashenko's relection and have promised sanctions on Belarus for vote rigging and a fierce crackdown on post-election protests.Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who claimed victory over Lukashenko in the August vote has rallied Western support for demonstrators since fleeing to neighbouring Lithuania. jbr/am/txw
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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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| GOP loses bid to suspend Wisconsin absentee ballot ruling Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:55 AM PDT |
| 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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| Chunks of ash so big you can hear them land hit the Bay Area as California fires rage Posted: 29 Sep 2020 12:25 PM PDT  "I could hear it landing on my car," a Santa Rosa resident said.
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| 'Miracle on the Hudson' pilot Sully Sullenberger said he'll only fly with airlines that block the middle seat during the pandemic Posted: 29 Sep 2020 07:00 AM PDT  The pilot who famously landed a damaged plane on the Hudson shared his thoughts on airline safety amid coronavirus.
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| Fire on Navy Cruiser Antietam Injures 13 in Philippine Sea Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:15 PM PDT  The fire is the fourth to break out on a Navy ship in recent months.
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| Judge initiates contempt proceedings after Trump’s commerce secretary allegedly defies census order Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:40 AM PDT  Judge Lucy Koh had earlier issued a preliminary injunction ordering the census count to continue through October
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| Senate Democrats Want to Wait until November 4 to Reveal Their Court-Packing Plan Posted: 29 Sep 2020 02:22 PM PDT  If Democrats control Congress and the White House in 2021, will they pack the Supreme Court with additional progressive justices?Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the efforts of the Senate GOP majority to fill the vacancy, it may be the most important question facing Democrats in 2020. But it's a question only a few Senate Democrats are willing to answer.Massachusetts senator Ed Markey tweeted on September 21: "This Republican hypocrisy is shameful but not surprising. If they violate their own precedent, we must expand the Supreme Court." West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, told CNN on Sunday that he "can't support" court-packing.But most Democratic senators have made it clear they don't want to reveal their intentions on court-packing until after the election. "What we need to do before we talk about what happens in the next session of Congress is for Democrats to win the presidency and a majority in the Senate," Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal told National Review in the Capitol last week when asked about court-packing.Before voters go to the polls, should they get to know whether court-packing is likely or even on the table? "There are so many reasons to vote for Democrats now — that we need to focus on the pandemic," replied Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "You know, we just passed 200,000 deaths. The president's failure to deal with the pandemic and the public-health and economic crises and his cruel and reckless indifference [are] costing lives.""I think we've got to wait to get through the election," Pennsylvania Democratic senator Bob Casey said when asked about court-packing. "The key thing right now is people have to understand what's at stake, especially on ACA and preexisting conditions.""No thoughts at the moment," New Mexico Democratic senator Martin Heinrich replied when asked about adding justices to the Court. "We have a job to do before we have that conversation."California senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, dodged the question during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday night."If Judge Barrett is confirmed and the Democrats have control of the Senate next year and the White House and the House of Representatives, should the Supreme Court be expanded?" MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell asked Harris."You know, let's, I think that — first of all — Joe has been very clear that he is going to pay attention to the fact, and I'm with him on this 1,000 percent — pay attention to the fact that right now, Lawrence, people are voting," Harris replied. She said that the winner of the November presidential election should fill the current vacancy, but she never said a word about what a Biden-Harris administration would do on court-packing.It's not clear how likely court-packing would be if Democrats have unified control of Congress and the White House in 2021. It's obviously more likely in a Senate with 54 Democrats than a Senate with 51 Democrats. If they are unwilling to say before the election that they will pack the courts, they will not be able to say in 2021 they have a mandate to do so. And it's worth remembering that Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried and failed to pack the Court when Democrats held 76 out of 96 Senate seats and 334 out of 435 House seats. (The pressure did famously result in one justice's beginning to rule favorably on the New Deal — the "switch in time saves nine.")If Democrats do add justices to the Court, it guarantees that Republicans would do the same the next time they control Congress and the White House. In October 2019, Joe Biden said: "I would not get into court-packing. We add three justices; next time around, we lose control, they add three justices. We begin to lose any credibility the Court has at all."But since the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Biden has repeatedly refused to state his position on court-packing. "It's a legitimate question," Biden said last week. "But let me tell you why I'm not going to answer that question. It will shift the focus. That's what [Trump] wants. Let's say I answer, then the whole debate's gonna be about what Biden said or didn't say. Biden said he would or wouldn't."Asked again about court-packing on Sunday, Biden said: "I know you're going to be upset with my answer. But what I'm not going to do is play the Trump game — which is a good game he plays — take your eye off the issue before us. If I were to say yes or no to that, that becomes a big issue."Given how transformative court-packing would be to our system of government, it's not clear that Biden and Senate Democrats will be able to get away with that non-answer over the next month.
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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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| Vatican Accuses Team Trump of Trying to Exploit Pope Francis Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:06 AM PDT  ROME—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is not having a very good Roman holiday. His 30-plus car motorcade glided over the cobblestone streets of the uncharacteristically dreary, overcast Italian capital Wednesday morning for his second visit in a year. But rather than receiving a hero's welcome, as he did last time—complete with a private audience with Pope Francis and a visit to his ancestral home outside of Rome, he was accused of trying to exploit the pope on President Trump's behalf.The trilateral meeting between the U.S., Italy, and the Holy See should have been a pre-election opportunity to show that U.S. relations with Rome are stronger than ever. Instead, it was overshadowed by Italian headlines mocking Trump's debate debacle in Ohio Tuesday night, topped off by an icy cold shoulder from Pope Francis, who refused to meet Pompeo this time around.Pompeo instead headlined an event called, "Advancing and Defending International Religious Freedom through Diplomacy," put on by U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich in a socially distanced conference room at the posh Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto near the U.S. embassy. Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, gave an address after Pompeo spoke, but the most he could give by way of papal blessing was to say, "His holiness is aware of this meeting."When pressed earlier in the week about why the pontiff was seemingly snubbing Pompeo after having so warmly welcomed him just one year ago, the Vatican press office said the pope doesn't like to hold audiences with high ranking government officials so close to important elections. Immediately after speaking, ANSA news agency asked Gallagher to confirm if the reason "amounted to exploitation of the pope in the final stages of the U.S. presidential campaign." Gallagher answered affirmatively, "Yes, that is precisely why the pope will not meet American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."The pope was also said to be upset by Pompeo's comments regarding the Holy See's growing warmth with China and the renewal of a 2018 agreement that aims to bring Chinese Catholics into the fold by legitimizing the Beijing-mandated Chinese Catholic Church.Pompeo wasted no time on Gingrich's stage in calling out such a move. "Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than it is inside of China today," Pompeo said. "As with all communist regimes, the Chinese Communist Party deems itself the ultimate moral authority."Pompeo reportedly angered the pontiff earlier this month by pressuring the Vatican to abandon the agreement in the conservative Catholic magazine First Things. "The Holy See has a unique capacity and duty to focus the world's attention on human rights violations, especially those perpetrated by totalitarian regimes like Beijing's," he wrote. "What the church teaches the world about religious freedom and solidarity should now be forcefully and persistently conveyed by the Vatican in the face of the Chinese Communist party's relentless efforts to bend all religious communities to the will of the party and its totalitarian program."The Chinese Catholic Church has been a priority for Francis since his election in 2013 and it would seem no amount of pressure from abroad will in any way deter the pope's desire to give Chinese Catholics an opportunity to be blessed by the Vatican.Pompeo's Roman itinerary also includes meetings with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, a member of the Five Star Movement, which has just called for many of their parliamentarians to isolate after a small COVID cluster seemed to be spreading among the party members. He will also get a private tour of the Borghese Gallery before being hosted at the ambassador's residence for a small but glitzy dinner Wednesday night. Thursday, Pompeo will visit a Catholic charity that deals with Syrian refugees and meet privately with the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, where China relations will top the agenda.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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