| Critics warn Trump's 'poll watcher' rhetoric is a potential voter suppression tactic Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:29 PM PDT  President Trump's call for his supporters to watch for cheating at the polls this fall is raising concerns about voter intimidation and voter suppression.
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| For some tech workers seeking green cards, the wait just got a little shorter. But it still is measured in decades. Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:28 PM PDT  High skilled Indian workers and their families make up three-quarters of the more than one million prospective immigrants in the United States who are currently stuck in what's known as the employment-based green card backlog.
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| Black woman called police officer ‘master’ as she begged for help upside down in patrol car Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:19 PM PDT  Shataeah Kelly repeatedly told the officer she could not breathe but was ignored
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| As Brazil's wetlands burned, government did little to help Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:12 AM PDT  After hours navigating Brazil's Pantanal wetlands in search of jaguars earlier this month, Daniel Moura beached his boat to survey the fire damage. "We used to see jaguars here all the time; I once saw 16 jaguars in a single day," Moura, a guide who owns an eco-tourism outfit, said on the riverbank in the Encontro das Aguas state park, which this year saw 84% of its vegetation destroyed. The world's largest tropical wetlands, the Pantanal is popular for viewing the furtive felines, along with caiman, capybara and more.
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| Religious group scrubs photos and mentions of SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett from website: report Posted: 01 Oct 2020 10:24 AM PDT  Former members of People of Praise say wives were taught to always obey their husbands – and provide sex on demand
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| ‘He was screaming.’ 67-year-old uses martial arts on senior home intruder, CA cops say Posted: 01 Oct 2020 01:53 PM PDT  "He was screaming because that's one of my techniques, the bent fingers."
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| 7 people wounded in shooting at Milwaukee funeral home Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:27 AM PDT  All victims are in stable condition, according to police.
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| Maritime operation challenges 'excessive' Venezuela claims: US Navy Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:19 PM PDT  The United States Navy said on Thursday it had undertaken an operation off the coast Venezuela in an effort to challenge the South American country's "excessive maritime claims in international waters."
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| 'I'm tired of it': Fox News reporter John Roberts loses temper over White House 'deflecting' on Trump's refusal to condemn white-supremacist groups Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:06 PM PDT  "Stop deflecting. Stop blaming the media. I'm tired of it," Roberts said in an impassioned reaction to Thursday's press briefing.
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| Republicans move forward with plan to investigate presidential election in Pennsylvania Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:39 AM PDT  A proposed Select Committee on Election Integrity would give lawmakers the power to investigate, review and make recommendations on the 2020 election.
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| 'Inshallah': Biden praised by Muslim Americans but accused of cultural appropriation for using Arabic phrase Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:41 AM PDT  Mr Biden invoked phrase while criticising Mr Trump on his still unreleased tax returns.
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| Berlin police investigate officers suspected of racist chat Posted: 01 Oct 2020 10:54 AM PDT |
| Sarah Sanders and Ari Fleischer give their top takeaways from the first presidential debate Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:00 AM PDT  Fox News contributors and former White House press secretaries Sarah Sanders and Ari Fleischer weigh in on first general election showdown on 'Fox & Friends'
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| Hundreds of earthquakes continue to rattle Southern California, USGS says Posted: 30 Sep 2020 05:50 PM PDT  The area south of the Salton Sea has been shaken relentlessly since Wednesday afternoon, data shows.
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| Yorkie's death at airport facility fuels legal fight Posted: 01 Oct 2020 05:03 AM PDT  It may not rate as an international scandal, but the death of a Yorkshire terrier in U.S. custody is fueling a messy legal battle over the importation of a group of purebred canines imported from Russia. The dog died in September at a private facility at New York's Kennedy Airport used to hold animals from overseas that are denied entry to the U.S. by federal officials. "It's been really, really rough for me to deal with her death," Rachel Hobbs, of Dayton, Ohio, said in a recent interview.
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| Turkey, Iran deploy 'game-changing' drones in north Iraq Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:02 PM PDT  Turkey and Iran are increasingly adopting "game-changing" drones as their weapon of choice against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, prompting fears for the safety of civilians and stoking geopolitical tensions.
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| House passes COVID-19 stimulus bill opposed by Senate as negotiations stall out Posted: 01 Oct 2020 05:18 PM PDT  The bill will face opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate.
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| The Irish Supreme Court ruled that Subway's sandwich rolls don't meet the legal definition of bread because they have too much sugar Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:50 AM PDT  The five-judge panel ruled that Subway's bread was too sugary to be considered a staple food that is exempt from value-added tax.
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| Marine Corps F-35 and C-130 Collide During Refueling Exercise, All Personnel Found Safe Posted: 29 Sep 2020 07:02 PM PDT  All nine personnel -- one in the F-35B and eight in the KC-130J tanker -- are accounted for.
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| Police reportedly invited Border Patrol snipers to monitor George Floyd’s burial service Posted: 01 Oct 2020 11:34 AM PDT  George Floyd's death in the hands of Minneapolis police led to nationwide protests and pledges from some police to cut back on heavy-handed crowd control tactics. But that message didn't make it to Floyd's burial service, where local and federal law enforcement forces were prepared to use "deadly force" if they encountered civil unrest, documents obtained by Vice News reveal."As a horse-drawn carriage took Floyd's body to its final resting place" earlier this year in Pearland, Texas, "at least six 'sniper teams' were in place on rooftops and authorized to open fire if the situation spiraled out of control," Vice reports via planning records. Pearland officials also brought in U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to the city to monitor the situation. That included members of the tactical BORTAC unit equipped with "military-grade firepower," Vice writes.The documents spell out the conditions under which certain types of officers could take action. "Officers in soft uniforms" were ready to monitor to "large, peacefully assembling" crowds, while BORTAC was "geared up ready to deploy" if "verbal aggressive language and empty water bottles" were seen. "Deadly force is authorized anytime," the planning records concluded. All of this was done in anticipation of tens of thousands of mourners showing up to the service, the records show. Just a few hundred arrived.Ben Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said he and the family didn't know about the sniper teams and other oversight. Pearland police spokesperson contradicted the documents in saying the sniper teams were brought on in anticipation of "protests from Second Amendment groups or counter-protesters to those groups." Read more at Vice News.More stories from theweek.com 7 savagely funny cartoons about the Trump tax revelations Late night hosts have a pretty good idea why Trump shockingly refuses to condemn white supremacists Texas governor cuts the number of ballot drop-off boxes to 1 in each county
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| What is People of Praise? Trump SCOTUS nominee Barrett has ties to religious group Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:56 PM PDT  The group has been back in the spotlight following the president's latest Supreme Court pick.
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| Conservative hoaxers face charges over false voter robocalls Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:13 PM PDT  Two conservative operatives were charged Thursday in connection with false robocalls that aimed to dissuade Black residents in Detroit and other Democratic-leaning U.S. cities from voting by mail, Michigan's attorney general announced. Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 54, each face four felony counts in Detroit, including conspiring to intimidate voters in violation of election law and using a computer to commit crimes, Attorney General Dana Nessel said. The calls falsely warned residents in majority-Black Detroit and cities in at least four other states that if they vote by mail in the Nov. 3 election they could be subjected to arrest, debt collection and forced vaccination, Nessel said.
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| Gandhis attacked and arrested in India after attempted visit to gang rape victim's family Posted: 01 Oct 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Two prominent leaders of India's opposition Congress Party were attacked and arrested by police on Thursday while trying to visit the family of a gang rape victim whose death has sparked nationwide protests. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi claim their convoy was stopped by police in Greater Noida, a satellite city on the outskirts of New Delhi, before he was beaten with wooden sticks known as lathi and wrestled to the ground. Footage shared on social media by Mr Gandhi's team shows police pushing him, after which he appears to fall. "Just now, police pushed me, lathi-charged me and threw me to the ground," Mr Gandhi told Asian News International. "I want to ask, can only Modi-ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped so we started walking." The Congress Party has condemned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the brutal gang rape of the 20-year-old Dalit woman, who died from her injuries on Tuesday after fighting for her life for two weeks. The opposition party argues the BJP has not done enough to ensure women's safety in India, where 91 women are raped each day.
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| Russian scientist detained for allegedly passing technology to China: reports Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:52 AM PDT |
| Fact check: Biden says 1 in 1,000 Black Americans have died from COVID-19. Is it true? Posted: 30 Sep 2020 12:27 PM PDT  "... And if he doesn't do something quickly by the end of the year, one in 500 will have been killed."
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| Mnuchin presents counteroffer on COVID bill in meeting with Pelosi Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:34 AM PDT  The treasury secretary said he and Pelosi are prepared to give negotiations over a coronavirus relief bill "one more serious try."
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| HK police arrest dozens in China national day protest Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:11 AM PDT 
Hong Kong riot police arrested dozens of people on Thursday (October 1), as they tried to stop anti-government marchers gathering at China national day celebrations. Police had banned the protest, citing coronavirus restrictions on group gatherings and violence at previous marches. Hundreds of officers conducted stop-and-search activities and cordoned off areas. "Today is a day for national mourning. What should we celebrate? Hong Kong has become a place like this, what's worth us celebrating? Right?" Protesters wanted to march against Beijing's imposition of a sweeping national security law on June 30 and demand the return of 12 Hong Kong people who were arrested at sea by Chinese authorities in August as they tried to reach self-ruled Taiwan. Thursday's protests came even as Chief Executive Carrie Lam said -- at a flag raising ceremony earlier in the day -- that stability had returned to the city. ''During the last three months we have been able to see clearly in front of our eyes how peace has returned to society, as the national security has been safeguarded in the city. Once again the people can enjoy their basic rights and freedom in the society in accordance to the law.'' China's National Day on October 1 is resented by Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists. But for pro-Beijing supporters, it is an opportunity to drum up patriotism in China's most restive city.
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| In California wine country, wildfire-fatigued residents weigh the unthinkable: Moving out Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:52 PM PDT  The thought of leaving the picturesque wine country is not typically tempting. But as wildfires become a repeat occurrence, some say it's time to go.
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| MQ-9 Reaper Drone Flies with Double Hellfire Missiles in New Test Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:36 AM PDT  A new software update on the MQ-9 Reaper allows the hunter-killer drone to carry eight AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
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| Colombian fishermen rescue 94 Haitian migrants adrift at sea Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Fishermen spot the migrants' boat adrift in the Caribbean sea and tow it to safety.
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| Hundreds of Honduran migrants set out for US amid pandemic Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:38 AM PDT  GUALÁN, Guatemala (AP) — About 2,000 Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States entered Guatemala on foot Thursday morning, testing the newly reopened frontier that had been shut by the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities had planned to register the migrants as they crossed and offer assistance to those willing to turn back, but the group crossed the official border at Corinto without registering, pushing past outnumbered Guatemalan police and soldiers who made little attempt to stop them. In one group were four teenagers, all friends and neighbors from San Pedro Sula, from which hundreds of migrants had set out the previous night.
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| ‘It Was a Purposeful Trap.’ NYPD Planned Attack and Mass Arrests of Protesters, Human Rights Group Says Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Human Rights Watch says in a new report that video shows NYPD officers trapping protesters in the Bronx before beating and arresting them
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| 'I'm tired of it': Fox News reporter angrily hits back at criticism of his white supremacy question Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:04 PM PDT  'For all of you on Twitter who are hammering me for asking that question, I don't care,' says John Roberts
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| Thieves trying to take marijuana end up with bags full of hemp, Oregon cops say Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:49 PM PDT  "One subject was carrying a large bushel of plants in his arms in addition to his bagful," the sheriff's office said.
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| Anglo-Saxon skull found with nose and lips cut off is first physical evidence of brutal punishment for adultery Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:03 AM PDT  An Anglo-Saxon skull found in Hampshire with its nose and lips cut off is the first physical evidence of the brutal medieval punishment for adultery. Remains of the young girl, thought to have been aged between 15 and 18, were discovered during a search of a site in the village of Oakridge, in Basingstoke, in the 1960s. Her facial injuries (below) included a cut across her mouth and one through the nose which was so deep it sliced through the surrounding bone, archaeologists and scientists have discovered in a fresh analysis of the cranium. A prominent cut across her forehead also suggests someone had attempted to scalp her. Gruesome punishments were known to have been part of the legal system in Anglo-Saxon times, with thieving slaves and adulteresses among those who could be mutilated for their crimes. However, this is the first time physical evidence of such punishments has been uncovered.
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| Sen. Cruz predicts if Trump will win the 2020 election Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:23 AM PDT  Sen. Cruz tells the 'Brian Kilmeade Show' that the 'damage' a Biden-Pelosi-Schumer government would do in two years 'would exceed the damage Barack Obama did in eight years'
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| Biden Staffer Suggests ‘Intolerant’ Views of Orthodox Catholics, Jews, Muslims Should Disqualify Them from Supreme Court Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:31 AM PDT  A staffer on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign on Monday suggested that Orthodox Catholics, Jews and Muslims should not be allowed to serve on the Supreme Court because of their "intolerant" beliefs.The comments came during a Twitter conversation between Biden campaign deputy data director Nikitha Rai and Brookings Institute senior fellow Shadi Hamid in which Rai attacked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's Catholic beliefs. A search for Rai's Twitter account now yields a message saying, "This account doesn't exist."Hamid had responded to a tweet that said Barrett was a trustee at a Catholic school that opposed same-sex marriage as homosexual acts are "at odds with Scripture." Hamid replied, "Wait, why is this news? Isn't this the standard position for any orthodox Catholic?" "Unfortunately yes," Rai said. When Hamid pointed out that Orthodox Muslims and Jews generally hold the same view, Rai said, "True. I'd heavily prefer views like that not be elevated to SCOTUS, but unfortunately our current culture is relatively intolerant. It will be awhile before those types of beliefs are so taboo that they're disqualifiers."> Here's a @JoeBiden staffer saying that orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism should be made "taboo" and driven from the public sphere. Beneath all the talk of "interfaith" and "pluralism," this is what they really believe. pic.twitter.com/PrN8S1qaLG> > -- Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) September 29, 2020The former vice president often touts his Catholic faith on the campaign trail, though critics note that some of Biden's positions — such as his support for abortion and same-sex marriage — stand in opposition to Catholic teachings.Barrett's faith has been widely scrutinized in the media as "extreme" and cult-like since the president announced he would nominate the 48-year-old Notre Dame professor to fill the vacancy on the Court left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Barrett, a former clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, has been attacked for her faith for years now, beginning with her 2017 confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee when Democrats questioned whether her Catholicism should disqualify her from being a judge."Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that dogma and law are two different things, and I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different," Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said at the time."The conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you," Feinstein added. "And that's of concern."
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| Parrots at zoo separated after swearing profusely at visitors Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:14 AM PDT  "If they teach the others bad language and I end up with 250 swearing birds, I don't know what we'll do," said the wildlife sanctuary's chief executive.
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| US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:49 AM PDT  The United States will block shipments of palm oil from a major Malaysian producer that feeds into the supply chains of iconic U.S. food and cosmetic brands. It found indicators of forced labor, including concerns about child workers, along with other abuses such as physical and sexual violence. The order against FGV Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia's largest palm oil companies and a joint-venture partner with American consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, went into effect Wednesday, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Trade.
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| US Army to upgrade bigger units with new electronic warfare gear Posted: 01 Oct 2020 07:36 AM PDT  The Army has outlined plans for a new electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber capability for larger echelons.
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| US makes fresh pitch to Latin America in bid to counter China's influence Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Experts say Growth in the Americas programme is attempt to reassert US control – and seems likely to anatagonise Beijing Growing tensions between the US and China have prompted clashes at the United Nations, accusations of spying and rumblings of a global trade war.In Latin America, the rivalry has recently prompted a public relations battle over which superpower could provide ventilators and PPE during the pandemic, outcry over a Chinese deepwater fishing fleet and renewed pressure over the adoption of Huawei technology in 5G networks.Now, the US seems intent on countering China's growing commercial influence in the region, with a program challenging Beijing's involvement in infrastructure developments and energy mega-projects.On a recent visit to Suriname and Guyana – which have both recently made major offshore oil discoveries – Mike Pompeo made a direct sales pitch on behalf of US companies."No state-owned operation can beat the quality of the products and services of American private companies," said the US secretary of state. "We've watched the Chinese communist party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear."Pompeo – the first secretary of state to visit either country – also used the opportunity to sign up both nations to the Growth in the Americas programme, more frequently referred to as America Crece, its Spanish translation, which seeks to "catalyze private-sector investment in Latin America and the Caribbean".The project is seen as a direct response to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the $1.5tn foreign and economic policy to establish maritime trade and invest in infrastructure projects in dozens of countries.Nineteen countries in the region have signed up to the BRI, with Chinese firms – many of them partly state-owned – winning major mining, energy and transport projects. Since 2005, China-based firms have invested over $123bn in the region and Chinese banks have loaned $137bn."It's clear that America Crece is a US response to the BRI; Pompeo has consistently criticized what he considers onerous conditions attached to Chinese infrastructure loans," said Rob Soutar, managing editor of Diálogo Chino, a website specialising in China-Latin America relations."Inside China, a number of academics see America Crece as the US attempt to reassert control over Latin America as its unique area of influence – a new version of the Monroe doctrine," he said.In September 2018 the US recalled its top diplomats in Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic after the countries each ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with China.But since then, US pressure appears to have increased, the growth of BRI partnerships has slowed, and Chinese investments in strategic countries such as Panama appear to have hit a speed bump.The America Crece program offers no new budget for regional infrastructure projects, but it does give the US policy a name and a direction."The BRI wants to create infrastructure that supports Chinese interests – built by Chinese companies and with Chinese banks making money on the loans. America Crece, by contrast, involves projects with business cases that make sense for the region and support good governance," said Dr Evan Ellis, a professor of Latin American Studies at the US Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute.But the view that Chinese investment relies solely on backroom deals with Beijing is no longer correct, said Soutar. "In recent years there's been a major shift in the way Chinese firms invest in the region. Increasingly, they invest in equity or form international consortiums to win competitive tenders, such as the Bogota metro system."> We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth and stop spreading rumors about China> > Chinese embassy in SurinameAnd while America Crece is theoretically open to investment from all countries, Colombian president Ivan Duque's description of the programme as a "new phase of Plan Colombia" has given ammunition to those who view it as a way to secure lucrative contracts for US companies.Under the 2000-16 Plan Colombia – which focused on tackling the country's twin guerrilla and narco-trafficking problems – much of the $10bn in aid went to US arms and security firms.Having fallen down the list of US foreign policy priorities under the Obama administration, US diplomatic efforts in Latin America have been revived in recent years. Donald Trump has sought to attract votes in Florida by taking a tough stance on socialist governments in Cuba and Venezuela, but the need resist China's "predatory trade practices" is one of the few things that Republicans and Democrats agree on.The new, straight-talking strategy seems designed to antagonise China."We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop smearing and spreading rumors about China," the Chinese embassy in Suriname said.And while geopolitical rivals search to gain influence over natural resources, infrastructure and trade routes, the best interests of Latin America itself could be sidelined, said Soutar."Both the BRI and America Crece invest overwhelmingly in fossil fuel infrastructure, locking Latin America into a high-carbon development pathway. The region desperately needs investment to rebuild after Covid, but this should be channelled towards low-carbon, climate-resilient development if it's to generate sustained, long-term benefits."
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| Republicans distance themselves from Trump's remarks on white supremacists as White House aides double down Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:44 PM PDT  'I think he misspoke,' Senator Scott says, but adds Mr Trump should 'correct' his comments
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| Father and son chase and shoot at two teens riding ATVs, Mississippi police say Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:44 PM PDT  Police are looking into possible hate crime charges
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| Facebook bans ads that seek to delegitimize the election or make false claims about voting Posted: 01 Oct 2020 10:45 AM PDT  The policy change appears aimed at President Trump's use of social media to spread falsehoods about mail-in voting election and claims of voter fraud.
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| Sturgeon faces backlash after saying it may have been better if Eat Out to Help Out had not happened Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:57 PM PDT  Nicola Sturgeon is facing a backlash from Scotland's crisis-hit hospitality industry after she suggested a popular discount scheme credited with saving businesses and livelihoods should have never been set up. The First Minister questioned whether the Eat Out to Help Out initiative, which saw diners across the UK receive discounts for dining in at pubs and restaurants in August, had contributed to a surge in coronavirus cases. However, representatives of businesses north of the border said the UK Government subsidy scheme, which cost taxpayers £522m, had been a huge success and accused Scottish ministers of failing to listen to their concerns. Stephen Montgomery, spokesman for the Scottish Hospitality Group, said much of the cost of the scheme had been offset by increased tax receipts through VAT and alcohol duty and that it was seen within the industry as a lifeline.
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