| Jacob Blake’s mother says she has ‘utmost respect’ for Trump after revealing she missed his call Posted: 26 Aug 2020 05:20 AM PDT  Julia Jackson, the mother of Wisconsin man Jacob Blake, who was shot several times by police on Sunday, says she has the "utmost" respect for president Donald Trump as she apologised for missing his call."And then also, for president Trump, I'm sorry I missed your call!," Ms Jackson told CNN in a press conference on Tuesday. "Because, had I not missed your call maybe the comments you had made would have been different. I'm not mad at you at all. I have the utmost respect for you as the leader of our country."
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| 2 New Jersey cops admitted they dressed in disguises and vandalized the cars of a man who filed complaints against them Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:55 AM PDT  The two Asbury Park cops, who smashed car windows, pleaded guilty to criminal fourth-degree criminal mischief. They can't work as officers anymore.
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| Bahrain recommits to two-state solution despite push for Israel deal Posted: 26 Aug 2020 05:21 AM PDT  Bahrain said Wednesday it was committed to the creation of a Palestinian state in talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, implicitly rejecting his push for Arab countries to swiftly normalise ties with Israel.
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| Viral videos show Black Lives Matter protesters confronting diners in Washington, D.C. Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:16 PM PDT  Black Lives Matter protesters faced online backlash after video captured a group confronting diners at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
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| ‘Putin’s Chef’ Threatens to Destroy Alexei Navalny in the Courts if He Survives Poisoning Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:31 AM PDT  A notorious ally of Vladimir Putin says he will use Russia's corrupt courts to destroy Alexei Navalny financially if the stricken opposition leader ever recovers from a chemical agent believed to have been slipped into his tea.Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was sanctioned by the U.S. for financing online efforts to distort the 2016 presidential election, used a company to buy out debts owed by Navalny so that he could increase the financial pressure on the anti-corruption campaigner.He chose the moment that Navalny was at his weakest—unconscious in a hospital bed—to make the announcement. "I intend to strip this group of unscrupulous people of their clothes and shoes," Prigozhin said.Navalny, the leading opponent of President Putin's government, is in a coma in a Berlin hospital, where German doctors say they found evidence of cholinesterase inhibitors in his body, which could indicate the use of weapons-grade nerve agents.Prigozhin got the nickname "Putin's chef" because of the success of his catering company, but his empire, which includes billions of dollars in Russian government contracts, stretches well beyond food preparation. The U.S. government accuses him of funding the Internet Research Agency, an online troll farm that helped to get Donald Trump elected president. Prigozhin is also accused of financing Wagner, a private army used by the Kremlin for some of its most nefarious overseas missions, but he denies any involvement.On Tuesday night, his company Concord announced that it would do everything it could to collect a court-ordered fine of 88 million rubles (around $1.2 million) that he bought from Moskovsky Shkolnik (Moscow Schoolboy), a company Navalny was found guilty of defaming in a video report, according to the Moscow Times. Prigozhin was quoted as saying on Concord's social-media accounts Wednesday, "If comrade Navalny kicks the bucket, I personally don't intend to persecute him in this world. I'll put this off for an indefinite time and then I'll compensate myself to my pleasure." He added that if Navalny survives, he would be liable "according to the full severity of Russian law" to pay off his court-ordered debt.Navalny was rushed to a hospital in Omsk last week after losing consciousness on a flight back to Moscow, after campaigning against Putin in local elections.Ivan Zhdanov, a key ally of Navalny and director of his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), has claimed that Putin must have authorized the suspected poisoning. "He hates what the FBK does too much, exposing him and his entourage."The Kremlin brushed off the accusation as "hot air" and stood by earlier reports from a Siberian hospital where Navalny was first treated that said no evidence of poisoning had been found. 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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| Hurricane Laura ‘will cause unsurvivable storm surge’ Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:12 PM PDT  Hurricane Laura, heading for Texas and Louisiana, is now a Category 4 storm, weather officials say.
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| 'We appreciate you guys': Wisconsin police in armored vehicles thanked armed militia and gave them water bottles Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:34 PM PDT  "We got to save a couple, but we'll give you a couple," a voice from the law enforcement speaker said. "We appreciate you guys, we really do."
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| Biden seemingly didn't get a convention polling bump — and his lead is sliding in some swing states Posted: 26 Aug 2020 07:13 AM PDT  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden shouldn't get too comfortable. It's been a few days since the end of the Democratic National Convention, and as FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver notes, Biden hasn't seen a typical post-DNC bump in his polling numbers. And while he was once handily leading in several states Hillary Clinton surprisingly lost in 2016, those advantages are starting to slip as well.Clinton lost Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 2016 — three states that were usually seen as reliably Democratic before that election. Even as of late August 2016, Clinton had a clear lead over Trump in those states: 9 points in Michigan, 9.2 in Pennsylvania, and 11.5 in Wisconsin. But while Biden still has leads in those states, just as he did a month ago, those advantages have narrowed to below Clinton's margins.> Swing state polls on August 25th:> > Pennsylvania > • 2016: Hillary +9.2 > • 2020: Biden +5.7> > Michigan > • 2016: Hillary +9.0 > • 2020: Biden +6.7> > Wisconsin > • 2016: Hillary +11.5 > • 2020: Biden +6.5 > > Florida > • 2016: Hillary +2.9 > • 2020: Biden +4.8> > https://t.co/oJFSBQcvK3 https://t.co/7DibWSRCSb> > — Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) August 25, 2020Nationally, Biden still has a wide 8.8 point lead over Trump, according to FiveThirtyEight's polling average — even higher than the 5.7-point lead Clinton had at this point in 2016. But as Clinton herself has recognized, national popular votes don't matter when the Electoral College gets in the way.More stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC role is a much bigger mistake than Republicans realize Trump calls for drug tests before presidential debates Karen Pence is the RNC's most fascinating person
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| Oil tankers breaching U.S. sanctions to secretly ship Iranian oil Posted: 26 Aug 2020 03:29 AM PDT  A maritime research firm described a complex "ballet" performed by Iranian and foreign vessels to flout U.S. sanctions.
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| A woman says that the 19-year-old Kansas House candidate who admitted to revenge porn choked and slapped her within the last year Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:53 AM PDT  Kansas House candidate Aaron Coleman admitted to bullying and harassing girls in middle school. His ex says he assaulted her in the last year.
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| ‘Catch-up’ stimulus checks to be sent out soon, IRS says. Here’s who will get them Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:23 AM PDT  About 50,000 people will receive the payments, the IRS says.
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| Vehicle collision with Russians injures 4 U.S. troops in eastern Syria Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:57 PM PDT  In the most violent skirmish in months between U.S. and Russian forces in Syria, a vehicle collision in the eastern part of the war-torn country left American troops with concussions, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.
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| Israel keeps up Gaza strikes after Qatar joins mediation bid Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:09 AM PDT  Israeli warplanes struck a Hamas target in Gaza overnight, the military said Wednesday, even as a Qatari envoy joined efforts to broker an end to the almost three-week flare-up.
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| U.S. military presence needed in Asia, Philippines' foreign minister says Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:08 AM PDT |
| Kyle Rittenhouse, 17-year-old charged in Kenosha protest shootings, considered himself militia, social media posts show Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:01 PM PDT  Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with shooting three people during a Kenosha protest, thought of himself as a militia member, according to social media posts
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| Coast Guard Watch Opens Fire After 8-Foot Shark Crashes Swim Call Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:49 AM PDT  There is a reason the Navy and Coast Guard post armed guards on shark watch during swim calls.
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| Only Native American on federal death row executed Posted: 26 Aug 2020 04:27 PM PDT  Lezmond Mitchell's execution for his part in a 2001 double murder has renewed a debate over tribal sovereignty.
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| 'The forest ... is resetting': California wildfires burned hundreds of ancient redwoods, but much of the forest seems to have survived the blaze Posted: 24 Aug 2020 09:48 PM PDT  A wildfire ravaged through the historic Big Basin Redwood State Park Monday, taking down hundreds of ancient trees in a fiery blaze.
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| A 3-pound fish was worth $1,000 for this Idaho angler, officials say. Here’s how Posted: 25 Aug 2020 03:58 PM PDT  Anglers who catch a tagged fish get $1,000 and there are 95 tagged fish still available in the "walleye lottery."
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| India indicts Pakistani militant in 2019 Kashmir bombing Posted: 26 Aug 2020 01:46 AM PDT  India's anti-terrorism agency named a Pakistan-based militant leader as the prime mastermind of a 2019 car bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian soldiers and brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war. The National Investigation Agency filed a charge sheet on Tuesday that named Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and 19 others among the accused. "The investigation has revealed that the Pulwama attack was the result of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based leadership of terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammad," the document says.
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| Letters to the Editor: Does Louis DeJoy think so many Americans are easily fooled about the Postal Service? Posted: 25 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expects Americans to think the removal of sorting machines will improve USPS efficiency. That's absurd.
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| China warns of 'shadow' over ties with Australia, tells it to stop whining Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:06 AM PDT  A top Chinese diplomat in Australia warned against a "shadow" over the two nations' ties on Wednesday, saying that Beijing was disappointed by a Chinese firm's failure to win Australian regulatory approval for a takeover deal. Tension between Australia and its main export market of China has risen in recent months, particularly after Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. Wang Xining, China's deputy head of mission in Canberra, dismissed concerns about China's attempts to influence Australian politics, saying its views were candidly presented and did not affect people's choice of a political system.
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| Fact check: 'Sharia patrol force' won't roam Minneapolis if police force is dismantled Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:18 PM PDT  A distortion of one state representative's unfounded claims led some to believe a 'Sharia patrol force' will soon police Minneapolis. It won't.
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| Trump administration taps Vietnam refugee as new ICE chief Posted: 25 Aug 2020 05:02 PM PDT  The Trump administration is tapping Tony Pham, the top attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as the new head of the agency, The Washington Examiner and BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday.Pham was born in what was then Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and came to the United States as a refugee in 1975 and became a U.S. citizen 10 years later. BuzzFeed notes the Trump administration has dramatically cut the U.S. refugee program. Prior to joining ICE, Pham was a prosecutor in Richmond, Virginia, and later oversaw the Virginia Peninsula Regional jail."As a seasoned leader with [the Department of Homeland Security], Tony will ensure ICE continues to safeguard our country's borders from crime and illegal immigration," an ICE spokesperson told BuzzFeed.Pham is replacing Matt Albence and will serve in an acting role. Read more at The Washington Examiner and BuzzFeed News.More stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC role is a much bigger mistake than Republicans realize Joe Kennedy's once-promising Massachusetts Senate primary challenge might be a bust, polls show NHC warns of 'unsurvivable' storm surge from Hurricane Laura
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| Kenosha shooting: Video appears to show gunman approaching police Posted: 26 Aug 2020 09:22 AM PDT  At least two people were killed and one was injured by a gunman at a protest Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wis., over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Video of the incident appears to show a man with a rifle falling to the ground as protesters ran toward him. He then fires multiple shots at several people nearby. The footage later shows the gunman approaching police on the scene with raised arms, though it does not show if he was detained by police.
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| Congolese poacher accused of killing 500 elephants sentenced to 30 years' hard labour Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:15 AM PDT  A poacher who is believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 500 elephants will spend the next 30 years in forced labour after he was convicted of ivory trafficking and attempting to kill park rangers in the Republic of Congo. Mobanza Mobembo Gérard has been dubbed 'the butcher of Nouabale Ndoki' National Park, a swathe of rainforest two and a half times the size of Greater London which stretches across the Congo Republic's borders into the Central African Republic and Cameroon. It is believed that Gérard, 35, first started hunting expeditions in 2008 and soon led a team of around 25 poachers through the bush to kill hundreds of rare forest elephants with military-grade weapons. The poaching chief, who is originally from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, was convicted last week by a court in the Congo Republic's Sangha region, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WSC), an NGO. The Telegraph understands that Gérard has been surrounded or imprisoned several times by rangers over the last three years but has always managed to either shoot his way out or escape prison. His trial and sentencing marked the first criminal conviction of a wildlife trafficker in the Republic of Congo. Previously, environmental crimes were tried in civil courts and incurred a maximum sentence of five years. Gérard will also be required to pay damages of $68,000 (£51,710) to injured rangers. "This detention is a major first in the battle against poaching and illegal smuggling of wildlife products," said Richard Malonga, the head of WCS Congo which works in the Nouabale Ndoki park. "This creates opportunities to criminalise acts of poaching, and punish poachers even more severely." The sentence "sends an extremely strong message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted at the highest levels," WCS regional director Emma Stokes said in a statement on Monday. Nouabale Ndoki National Park in the north of the Congo Republic was created in 1993 and was named as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2012. It is a rare sanctuary in central Africa for endangered forest elephants, gorillas and chimpanzees. A hundred years ago, there were an estimated 10 million elephants who roamed across Africa's savvanahs and forests. But thanks to the lucrative ivory trade, poaching has decimated the continent's elephant population. There are now only an estimated 350,000 elephants left in Africa and approximately 10 to 15,000 of them are killed every year for their ivory tusks. Most of the ivory is shipped to East Asia where a booming middle class use it in jewellery, ornaments and sometimes in traditional Chinese medicine. China has historically been the biggest buyer of ivory but demand there has reportedly fallen significantly since Beijing banned the ivory trade at the end of 2017. However, last week wildlife conservationists, rangers and safari tour guides told The Telegraph that poaching and bushmeat hunting has been surging across parts of Eastern and Southern Africa since the world went into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. Rangers in Kenya, another major wildlife sanctuary, told the newspaper that the pandemic has wrought havoc on many rural communities who often depend on tourism revenue to put food on the table. With the tourism revenue almost completely gone, the rangers said that many people were turning to bushmeat hunting or commercial poaching to feed their families.
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| Man accused of firing shots at South Carolina Trump backers Posted: 25 Aug 2020 02:04 PM PDT  A man has been accused of firing gunshots at a gathering of President Donald Trump's supporters along a road in South Carolina. Marquise Damarius Asomani, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested after police responded to a report of shots fired Monday evening in Fort Mill, the Fort Mill Police Department said in a statement Tuesday. About 30 people had gathered and were waving American flags and holding up "Trump" signs, said Sgt. Bill Rhyne with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
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| The Best Duvet Covers That Are Also Better for the Planet Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:58 PM PDT |
| Cissie Graham Lynch attacks trans rights in RNC speech Posted: 26 Aug 2020 06:29 AM PDT  Lynch, the granddaughter of late evangelical pastor Billy Graham, referred to transgender girls as "boys" in her Republican National Convention speech.
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| Groups sue Trump administration over rule on hunting in Alaska preserves Posted: 26 Aug 2020 03:29 PM PDT  Thirteen environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday seeking to overturn a rule allowing hunters in Alaska national preserves to bait bears, kill wolf pups in dens and engage in other controversial practices. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, targets a National Park Service rule change made final in June, claiming it violates the agency's primary purpose. "The century-old governing mission of the National Park Service includes protecting America's ecosystems and wildlife, not turning lands into massive game farms," Jim Adams, Alaska regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
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| Fauci warns against rushing approval of COVID-19 vaccine following report that Trump administration wants to do just that Posted: 24 Aug 2020 07:02 PM PDT  Dr. Anthony Fauci said the "one thing you would not want to see with a vaccine" is authorizing its use before it's been clinically proved to work.
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| Joe Kennedy's once-promising Massachusetts Senate primary challenge might be a bust, polls show Posted: 26 Aug 2020 12:54 PM PDT  Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) doesn't look like he'll be getting a promotion after all.When Kennedy announced his Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, there seemed to be a chance his more centrist bid might pan out, and he even got House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) endorsement. But more and more polls keep putting Markey back on top, including two released Wednesday just days before primary ballots are counted.Markey, a progressive and co-author of the Green New Deal, has the support of 52 percent of likely Massachusetts Democratic Primary voters, a poll from the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion shows. Just 40 percent said they'd vote for Kennedy, putting Markey safely over Kennedy even if the 6 percent of undecided voters in the poll went in the challenger's favor.Another poll released Wednesday from the progressive think tank Data for Progress meanwhile gives Markey an 8-point advantage over Kennedy. Markey gets 46 percent support to Kennedy's 38 among likely Democratic primary voters, though a large 16 percent said they remain undecided.Earlier, albeit limited, polls indicated Markey and Kennedy's race was close, and some even gave Kennedy a sizable lead. Massachusetts' Senate primary election is Sept. 1, and early voting is already open.UMass Lowell surveyed 800 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters online from Aug. 13-21, with a 4.1 percent margin of error. Data for Progress surveyed 732 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters between Aug. 24 and 25 using text-to-web and panel responses, with a 4 percent margin of error.More stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC role is a much bigger mistake than Republicans realize Trump calls for drug tests before presidential debates Karen Pence is the RNC's most fascinating person
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| Jurassic Park or Florida? Researchers just captured 3 huge ‘alligator snapping turtles’ Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:42 AM PDT  Awww, how cute. Not really.
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| A Kentucky man is facing $569,000 in fines after being accused of violating Canada's COVID-19 rules Posted: 26 Aug 2020 02:42 PM PDT  John Pennington, 40, of Walton, Kentucky, was arrested and charged in connection to a June trip he took to Banff in Alberta, Canada.
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| Court: School transgender bathroom policy unconstitutional Posted: 26 Aug 2020 10:34 AM PDT  A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Virginia school board's transgender bathroom ban is unconstitutional and discriminated against a transgender male student who was barred from using the boys bathrooms in his high school. The ruling is a victory for transgender rights advocates and Gavin Grimm, a former student at Gloucester High School who was required to use restrooms that corresponded with his biological sex — female — or private bathrooms. The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Gloucester County School Board violated Grimm's constitutional rights when it banned him from using the boys bathrooms.
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| ‘We’re losing, dude, and we’re going to get really hurt’: Trump Jr believes father will be defeated by Biden, report says Posted: 25 Aug 2020 03:40 PM PDT  Donald Trump Jr is reportedly concerned that his father may not win re-election come November.The New York Times reported the claim on Tuesday.
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| Phil Hogan to resign as EU trade commissioner after Irish golf dinner that broke Covid rules Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:56 AM PDT  Irish EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan was set to resign on Wednesday night, his spokesman said, after days embroiled in a growing scandal for attending a golf dinner in Ireland's County Galway which breached coronavirus rules. Phil Hogan had offered a "fulsome and profound apology" but he struggled to defend his actions during an interview in Irish television (RTE) on Tuesday evening and has been forced to step down. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Hogan said: "This evening I have tendered my resignation ... It was becoming increasingly clear that the controversy concerning my recent visit to Ireland was becoming a distraction from my work as an EU Commissioner and would undermine my work in the key months ahead. "I deeply regret that my trip to Ireland ... caused such concern, unease and upset." Pressure had been mounting after it was revealed he attended the event at the Oireachtas Golf Society in Galway on August 19 which resulted in a number of senior officials, including Ireland's agriculture minister, resigning from their jobs.
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| For US Air Force pilots, the toughest training flights are going virtual Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:22 AM PDT  A new virtual training environment will help Air Force pilots prepare for war against countries like Russia and China.
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| U.S. Army Corps asks appeals court to reverse Dakota Access pipeline ruling Posted: 26 Aug 2020 05:21 PM PDT  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday asked an appeals court to reverse a ruling which scrapped an environmental permit that allows the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline to operate on U.S. land. Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to detail options by the end of the month for resolving the loss of the permit. On Wednesday, ACE and Dakota Access, controlled by Energy Transfer LP , argued that the district court abused its discretion in vacating the permit and ordering a thorough environmental study to be conducted.
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| Palm Beach County man used his unlicensed daycare to shoot child pornography, cops say Posted: 25 Aug 2020 11:03 AM PDT  When David Manas was arrested on 30 counts of child pornography possession in July, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says his Google account included something else unsettling: PDFs referencing "Manas Family Daycare" with the suspect's home address.
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| 'Disaster inside a disaster': California wildfires and COVID-19 form twin crises Posted: 26 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT  "It is manifestly an unsafe situation," a veteran firefighter said.
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| Mark Meadows dismisses concerns about possible Hatch Act violations at GOP convention as "hoopla" Posted: 26 Aug 2020 11:04 AM PDT  Numerous legal experts allege that administration officials have violated the Hatch Act during the GOP convention
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