| Scientific American backs Biden in its 1st presidential endorsement Posted: 15 Sep 2020 10:28 AM PDT  The magazine on Tuesday announced the first presidential endorsement in its 175-year history. Its editors said they felt "compelled" to do so because President Trump's rejection of science has cost tens of thousands of American lives.
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| Breonna Taylor's mother reaches $12M settlement, police reform agreement with Louisville Posted: 15 Sep 2020 01:09 PM PDT  The family of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot and killed by police in her Louisville, Ky., apartment earlier this year, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the city for $12 million that includes an agreement to implement a number of police reforms.
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| Three BLM protesters charged following confrontation with Pittsburgh diners Posted: 15 Sep 2020 03:04 PM PDT  Videos of demonstrators shouting at customers previously surfaced online
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| 'Huge rainmaker': Hurricane Sally threatens historic floods Posted: 14 Sep 2020 10:40 PM PDT  Heavy rain, pounding surf and flash floods hit parts of the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama coast on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally lumbered toward land at a painfully slow pace, threatening as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain and dangerous, historic flooding. The storm's center churned offshore 65 miles (105 kilometers) south-southeast of Mobile, Alabama, as Sally crept north-northeast toward an expected Wednesday landfall at 2 mph (3 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
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| 'Completely preserved' Ice Age cave bear carcass found by reindeer herders in Russia Posted: 15 Sep 2020 06:35 AM PDT  Scientists at North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk, Russia, on Monday announced a cave bear carcass was discovered by reindeer herders.
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| Rochester police tried to play down Daniel Prude's killing to avoid 'violent blowback,' documents show Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:57 AM PDT  The Rochester, New York, police department seemingly tried to make itself look better after one of its officers killed a Black man in March.Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man, died by asphyxiation in March after Rochester police put a "spit hood" on his head and held him against the pavement; Prude was experiencing a mental heath incident. Information about the killing sparked nonstop protests when it became public in early September, but as documents the city released Monday show, that's exactly what police leaders were trying to avoid.While Prude died in March, his case remained under wraps in early June as protests began against the death of George Floyd and other police killings of Black people. But then-Deputy Police Chief Mark Simmons was still worried about how Prude's death would be received in that climate. "I am very concerned about releasing this prematurely," he wrote in an email to then-Police Chief La'Ron Singletary. "We certainly do not want people to misinterpret the officers' actions and conflate this incident with any recent killings of unarmed Black men by law enforcement nationally. That would simply be a false narrative, and could create animosity and potentially violent blowback in this community as a result." Singletary wrote back quickly: "I totally agree."The police report on Prude's killing also seemed to be manipulated to push the narrative in the police's favor. While Prude was originally listed as an "individual" on the police report describing the "victim," another officer circled that mark in red pen and wrote "make him a suspect."Singletary resigned last week, calling claims he'd mishandled Prude's death an "attempt to destroy my character and integrity." Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (D) fired Singletary on Monday before he was set to depart, in part citing these documents for her decision. Read more at The New York Times, and find Rochester's full release here.More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment
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| NASA mulls possible mission to Venus after recent discovery of possible life Posted: 16 Sep 2020 01:32 PM PDT  NASA is considering approving by next April up to two planetary science missions from four proposals under review, including one to Venus that scientists involved in the project said could help determine whether or not that planet harbors life. The U.S. space agency in February shortlisted four proposed missions that are now being reviewed by a NASA panel, two of which would involve robotic probes to Venus. One of those, called DAVINCI+, would send a probe into the Venusian atmosphere.
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| Joe Biden’s Latino problem goes beyond Florida Posted: 15 Sep 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Joe Biden is heading to Florida on Tuesday amid worries about his campaign's Latino outreach operation. Recent polls there have seen Biden's lead dwindle to just about 1 percent, in large part due to soft support among Latinos.
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| An 88-year-old Black man killed by officers in California was a former employee of the same police department Posted: 15 Sep 2020 04:24 PM PDT  Robert Coleman, a resident of West Sacramento, worked for the police department for nearly a decade, authorities said.
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| Chinese virologist who claimed coronavirus was created in a lab and fled to US has been suspended by Twitter Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:00 AM PDT  Academic had 60,000 followers before her suspension
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| Colorado city bans ketamine use amid Elijah McClain probe Posted: 15 Sep 2020 10:31 AM PDT |
| Almost two-thirds of millennials, Gen Z don't know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, survey finds Posted: 16 Sep 2020 03:49 AM PDT  An alarming new survey on Holocaust knowledge also found that almost two-thirds of younger Americans don't know that six millions Jews were killed.
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| Navalny posts hospital photo of himself, plans Russia return Posted: 15 Sep 2020 03:12 AM PDT  Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed in Germany where he's recuperating from being poisoned with a nerve agent, wryly joking about being able to breathe on his own. "Hi, this is Navalny," he wrote in the Russian-language post on Instagram in the first image of the 44-year-old since he was taken to Berlin's Charite hospital. Separately, Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh tweeted that once he has recovered, Navalny plans to return to Russia, where he has supported opposition candidates and waged anti-corruption battles.
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| Black man sues cops after being mistaken for burglar at his Wisconsin home, lawsuit says Posted: 16 Sep 2020 01:45 PM PDT  "It could have easily led to another death of an unarmed black man."
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| In a lucky coincidence, a spacecraft is scheduled to fly by Venus just weeks after researchers announced finding potential signs of life Posted: 16 Sep 2020 03:34 PM PDT  The BepiColumbo spacecraft consists of two satellites launched together. It will fly by Venus twice: once in October, and once next August.
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| Republican-led U.S. Senate panel approves subpoenas for Obama-era officials and politicos Posted: 16 Sep 2020 11:43 AM PDT  A Republican-led Senate committee on Wednesday voted to move forward with subpoenas and depositions of dozens of Obama-era officials over the objections of Democrats who say the panel's inquiry is intended to boost President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved moves to subpoena and take depositions from witnesses who the Republican majority say are relevant to its investigation into "Crossfire Hurricane," a code name the FBI used for an investigation it opened during the 2016 election campaign into allegations that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia. Trump and his supporters have aggressively denied such collusion and have suggested that the Obama-era inquiries were politically motivated.
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| Jill Biden's $695 'vote' boots are selling fast days after she wore them in public Posted: 16 Sep 2020 02:46 PM PDT  Stuart Weitzman, which designed Dr. Jill Biden's 5050 Vote boots, has pledged 100% of its profits from the item to a nonprofit organization.
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| ‘She paid the price’: ICE deports immigrant woman weeks after she alleges guards sexually assaulted her Posted: 16 Sep 2020 11:13 AM PDT  The immigrant woman was deported on Monday with little notice, her lawyer says
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| Minneapolis City Council Members Complain of Rising Crime Months after Trying to Defund Police Department Posted: 16 Sep 2020 09:07 AM PDT  Minneapolis City Council members complained of rising crime rates in the city and asked the city's police chief what he is doing about it during a Tuesday meeting on police reform, months after the council proposed dismantling the police department.Council members told police chief Medaria Arradondo that their constituents have reported seeing and hearing street racing which sometimes results in crashes, daylight carjackings, robberies, assaults and shootings, according to an MPR News report."Residents are asking, 'Where are the police'?" said newly elected council member Jamal Osman who has been swamped by resident complaints that calls for police are going unanswered."That is the only public safety option they have at the moment. MPD. They rely on MPD. And they are saying they are nowhere to be seen," Osman said.In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, the City Council voted to remove the requirement to maintain a police department form the city charter — the first step in a longer process to change the charter. The council's proposal to dismantle the police department was set to be on the November ballot until the Minneapolis Charter Commission voted last month to take additional time in reviewing the plan.The council proposed replacing the police department with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention which would provide a "holistic, public health-oriented approach," and a Division of Law Enforcement Services.While the council members floated the idea of ridding the city of its police department, the city has been plagued by months of higher-than-usual crime.Violent crimes such as assaults, robberies and homicides as well as property crimes like burglaries and auto thefts are up compared to 2019, according to MPD crime data reviewed by MPR. More people have been killed in the city in the first nine months of this year than all of last year.The police department has added more officers to patrol and investigative duties and cracked down on robberies, among other measures to fight the increase in crime, the police chief told the council.Council president Lisa Bender, who in June had said fear of dismantling the police department comes from "a place of privilege," accused officers of being defiant in the Tuesday meeting, saying her constituents have said officers have admitted that they're deliberately not arresting people who are committing crimes. "This is not new," Bender said. "But it is very concerning in the current context." Arradondo called the allegations "troubling to hear," and vowed to speak with commanders and the heads of each precinct. "We need to make sure that our communities know that we are going to be there," Arradondo said. "That we're going to be responsive. We've taken an oath to do that."Council members said officers have told residents that they are overworked and understaffed as around 100 officers have left the department or taken leave since the beginning of 2020 — more than double the usual number.The violence has not spared even areas of the city which are normally considered safe, leaving constituents feeling "terrorized."The department recently arrested two groups of teenagers that had been the source of crime in far south central Minneapolis, where recent carjackings and robberies of businesses have scared residents and business owners.Still, council member Phillipe Cunningham, who represents the 4th Ward, where a 17-year-old was fatally shot on Monday, doubled down on the council's approach to crime fighting and prevention, underscoring the importance, in his view, of instituting public health-based approaches to violence prevention. He supports the development of a new community safety agency to replace the police department and criticized some of his fellow council members for flip-flopping in light of the increase in crime."What I am sort of flabbergasted by right now is colleagues, who a very short time ago were calling for abolition, are now suggesting we should be putting more resources and funding into MPD," Cunningham said.The council recently divested more than $1 million from the police budget to pay for "violence interrupters" to intervene and defuse potentially violent confrontations."If we have these systems in place we are getting ahead of the violence," said Cunningham. "That's why I have advocated so strongly for the violence interrupters, because if they are interrupting the violence before the guns are being fired, then the MPD doesn't have to respond to that violence."
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| 'Grossly insufficient': House report excoriates Boeing, FAA over mistakes that led to 737 Max crashes Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:40 AM PDT  The latest version of the 737 jetliner was plagued by a series of mistakes, mismanagement and deception in the certification process.
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| Hurricane Sally: 'Catastrophic flooding' as storm hits US Posted: 16 Sep 2020 01:06 PM PDT  Authorities warn of "historic and catastrophic flooding" as Sally makes landfall.
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| Ukraine, Belarus trade accusations over Jewish pilgrims Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:57 AM PDT  Ukraine and Belarus traded angry accusations Wednesday over thousands of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims who have remained stuck on their border after Ukraine denied them entry because of coronavirus restrictions. Ukraine's presidential office urged Belarusian authorities to stop issuing misleading signals to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish pilgrims that they could eventually cross the border. "We are asking Belarusian authorities to stop fueling the tensions on the border and refrain from spreading false encouraging statements that could leave the pilgrims with a feeling that the Ukrainian border might be opened," it said.
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| A Florida man walking his dog was attacked by an alligator. He used 2 fingers to escape Posted: 16 Sep 2020 09:55 AM PDT |
| Trump's Threat to Pull Funding From Schools Over How They Teach Slavery Is Part of a Long History of Politicizing American History Class Posted: 16 Sep 2020 01:59 PM PDT  "Is the point of history class to introduce young Americans to their heritage of heroes, the glories of American history?"
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| U.S. plans to enforce U.N. sanctions on Iran with its own action Posted: 16 Sep 2020 09:25 AM PDT  The United States said on Wednesday it plans to impose sanctions on those who violate a U.N. arms embargo on Iran, which Washington says will now stay in place instead of expiring in October as agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal. U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela and Iran Elliott Abrams said Washington could deny access to the U.S. market to anyone who trades in weapons with Iran, which President Donald Trump's administration accuses of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
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| ‘Shocking and saddening’: Nearly two-thirds of millennial and Gen Z Americans unaware 6 million Jewish people murdered in Holocaust Posted: 16 Sep 2020 11:34 AM PDT  Survey questioned 1,000 respondents nationwide and 200 interviews in each state
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| US denies sending American accused of spying in Venezuela Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:52 PM PDT  A senior U.S. official on Wednesday rejected claims that the government sent an American citizen to Venezuela where he's been charged with plotting terrorist attacks and labeled a spy. Venezuelan authorities say they captured a man identified as Matthew John Heath with a trove of photos, specialized weapons and cash. "The U.S. government did not send Mr. Heath to Venezuela," Abrams said.
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| Biden goes viral after playing 'Despacito' at Florida campaign stop, as he tries to win Latino voters Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:21 AM PDT  The viral moment came as Biden, who is fighting to win over Latino voters, made his first campaign stop in the critical battleground state of Florida.
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| Mass deaths of migratory birds reported in New Mexico Posted: 16 Sep 2020 11:59 AM PDT  The birds found dead in the south-west since August could number in the millions, researchers say.
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| Jones: Why are privileged outsiders going into communities and burning things down? Posted: 16 Sep 2020 04:00 AM PDT  Lancaster riot suspects held on $1 million bail each; Fox Nation host Lawrence Jones reacts.
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| 'Is that leg really broken?' Rights group documents detainee abuse in Belarus Posted: 15 Sep 2020 04:49 PM PDT  Detainees swept up in protest against Belarus president describe harrowing jailhouse abuse. Major rights group deems some of it torture.
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| Bill Gates says he struggles to trust the CDC and FDA because officials with 'crackpot theories' have sidelined top-notch experts Posted: 15 Sep 2020 10:46 AM PDT  "This is third grade math. I mean, are you kidding?" Gates told STAT, when asked about the FDA's recent misstep on convalescent plasma.
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| Donald Trump warns Iran of severe retaliation if US diplomat attacked to avenge killing of top general Soleimani Posted: 15 Sep 2020 04:53 AM PDT  Donald Trump, the US president, warned Tehran it would face severe military retaliation if reports that it is planning to assassinate a US diplomat prove to be true. "Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!" Mr Trump tweeted on Monday evening. The threat comes a day after Politico reported that Iran was weighing up an assassination attempt against Lana Marks, the US ambassador to South Africa and long-time friend of President Trump. The reported plan is said to be in response to the killing of top Iranian commander General Qassim Soleimani by US forces in January this year. The report was based on documents seen by an anonymous US intelligence official and another who was "familiar with the issue". Ms Marks had been made aware of credible threats to her life, they said. The reporting has not been confirmed by any other major US news organisations or the US government. Serious tensions have been rising between the two countries since the assassination of Gen Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds force, in January.
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| China says military drills near Taiwan were a 'necessary action' Posted: 15 Sep 2020 08:14 PM PDT |
| Michelle Obama recalls moment police officers accused her brother of stealing his own bike as a child Posted: 16 Sep 2020 02:55 PM PDT  Former first lady welcomed her brother, Craig Robinson, and her mother, Marian Robinson, on her latest podcast episode
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| Los Angeles authorities have 'promising leads' in search for gunman who ambushed two sheriff's deputies, offer $175K reward Posted: 14 Sep 2020 09:51 PM PDT  Officials offered a $100K reward for information leading to an arrest after a gunman shot two LA sheriff's deputies in a weekend ambush.
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| Gaza militants fire rockets at Israel as pacts signed in US Posted: 15 Sep 2020 11:16 AM PDT  Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets into Israel on Tuesday, wounding two people in an attack that was apparently timed to coincide with the signing of normalization agreements between Israel and two Arab countries at the White House. The Palestinians are opposed to the agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, viewing them as a betrayal of their cause by the Arab countries, which agreed to recognize Israel without securing territorial concessions.
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| Category 2 Hurricane Sally hits Alabama and is forecast to bring devastating floods to the Gulf Coast as it trundles toward Georgia Posted: 16 Sep 2020 05:27 AM PDT  Forecasters warn of "catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding" along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Sally.
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| U.N.: Boat capsizes near Libya; 24 migrants presumed dead Posted: 15 Sep 2020 12:25 AM PDT  The U.N. migration agency said Tuesday that a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, leaving at least two dozen people drowned or missing and presumed dead, the latest shipwreck off the North African country. Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, told The Associated Press that Libya's coast guard intercepted three boats on Monday, and one of them had capsized.
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| CDC: Almost all of the US kids and teens who've died from COVID-19 were Hispanic or Black Posted: 15 Sep 2020 02:42 PM PDT  Roughly 0.03% of coronavirus cases in kids and teens under 21 have been fatal so far in the US. Overwhelmingly, the deaths have been people of color.
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| Dozens of Retired Generals, Admirals Sign Letter Backing Trump for Reelection Posted: 16 Sep 2020 07:04 AM PDT  The campaign of President Donald Trump released a letter from 235 retired senior officers backing his re-election.
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| Torture rife in Belarus police stations, rights groups say Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:28 AM PDT |
| Police break up huge party thrown by YouTube pranksters at infamous 'Jersey Shore' home Posted: 15 Sep 2020 01:40 PM PDT  Parties thrown by the Nelk Boys continue to draw thousands of fans, even during the coronavirus pandemic
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| Whales stranded in crocodile-infested river Posted: 15 Sep 2020 05:14 AM PDT 
A huge black creature has been spotted emerging from the murky rivers of remote northern Australia. It's a humpback whale, a long way from home. "It was like a Loch Ness monster kind of thing." Marine ecologist Jason Fowler discovered three whales in the crocodile-infested rivers of Kakadua National Park on a fishing trip with friends two weeks ago. "I knew they were humpbacks because I've done a lot of Humpback research in the past. But I could not convince myself I was actually looking at a whale so far up a muddy tropical river that was full of crocodiles. I was completely blown away." Fowler said the whales like to be in open sea at least 10 feet deep, but they appeared stuck in a "hole" in the river. He said it was the first known case of whales in the tropical inland habitat. Parks Australia said in a Facebook post that it appeared some of the whales had since made their way out of the river and just one was left. It had put an exclusion zone around the area as experts decided whether to intervene. The post said that ''the last thing we want is a collision between a boat and whale in waters where crocodiles are prevalent and visibility underwater is zero.'' Fowler says he thinks it's unlikely the whales would be attacked by crocodiles due to their size, but the reptiles still pose a threat. ''The whales are so large, it would be a very very courageous crocodile to try and take a bite out of a whale. The big question in my mind is: what happens at night? What happens when they want to rest and sleep and take it easy knowing that they're flanked by these big crocodiles who are waiting for that moment to strike."
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| 5 Chinese citizens at large, 2 Malaysian suspects arrested in global hacking campaign targeting gaming Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:06 PM PDT  The Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against five Chinese citizens and two Malaysian nationals in a global hacking campaign, allegedly part of APT-41, that targeted more than 100 entities, including online gaming.
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