Top seller: August 2020

Monday, August 31, 2020

Worth the wait: Yellowstone’s Giantess Geyser erupts for first time in six years

Giantess is one of the biggest geysers in the national park, and typically explodes between twice and six times a year In these troubled times there comes a point where we all need to let off steam.For this huge geyser in Yellowstone park, the moment was now and the eruption was spectacular, after a six-year wait.But, for the rest of us, watching this natural phenomenon is strangely meditative and beautifully distracting from much of the bad news around, despite the violent geothermal forces propelling it.Giantess Geyser spouted for the first time in more than six years in Yellowstone National Park, which straddles part of Wyoming and a little of Montana, on 25 August, according to the US National Park Service (NPS).“She” has more typically erupted between twice and six times a year in the past, according to the NPS website, and blasts a spout up to 200ft high.“The surrounding area may shake from underground steam explosions just before the initial water and/or steam eruptions,” the NPS website adds.Giantess is one of the biggest geysers in the park, alongside phenomena such as the super-tall Steamboat geyser, the largest active geyser in the world, and the park’s most famous, Old Faithful, renowned for its punctual regularity as it soars from the ground about 20 times a day.Colorful hot spring features in the park include the blue-hued Morning Glory Pool and the psychedelic Grand Prismatic spring, as well as whiffy, sulfurous bubblers and roiling natural pots of scalding hot water fizzing out of the rocks.The features are among more than 10,000 hot springs and geysers in the park, a Unesco world heritage site.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34NyX3W
via IFTTT

Filmmaker Michael Moore warns of 2016 redux, says Trump support is ‘OFF THE CHARTS’

This is not an affirmation of celebration from a Donald Trump supporter, but a warning from filmmaker Michael Moore. The Oscar-winning documentary director posted on social media that signs are pointing to a Trump reelection come November. Moore, an avid critic of the president and advocate of Sen. Bernie Sanders, took to his Facebook page to let his followers know that history may be repeating itself as the president’s poll numbers rise in swing states that will be critical to winning the electoral college.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jyxVgB
via IFTTT

Black Lives Matter is just tip of iceberg. Economic gain, worker protections, voting also key

'My work is about uprooting structural racism from every aspect of our society — our economy, our government and our communities.'

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gDBf88
via IFTTT

Kim Klacik: President Trump is producing real results for the Black community

Republican congressional candidate Kim Klacik joins Maria Bartiromo on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QBEeTQ
via IFTTT

Paul Rusesabagina: Hotel Rwanda film hero arrested

Paul Rusesabagina's efforts to save people during the Rwanda genocide were depicted in a film.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gKDUNs
via IFTTT

Swift Boat mastermind to launch massive super PAC to boost Trump

The late effort, expected to include some of the party's biggest givers, comes as Trump has been overwhelmed by Joe Biden on TV.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QGHkWY
via IFTTT

Will my child be sent home for cough, runny nose? What to know about day care guidelines during COVID-19

With flu, cold and allergy season around the corner, experts say a runny nose or cough is almost inevitable at daycare facilities.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b8NWqs
via IFTTT

Trump defends supporters accused in deadly clashes

The US president suggests right-wing activists in Wisconsin and Oregon acted in self-defence.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EOY2AE
via IFTTT

Zoom revenues skyrocket as profits double

The popular video conferencing app has seen a 458% jump in customer growth compared with last year.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YRjmg4
via IFTTT

Child Trust Funds: Teenagers get first chance to access cash

Savings pots could now be worth more than £1,000 but many teenagers are unaware they exist.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EUq1yJ
via IFTTT

The 1980s 'super recession': When unemployment topped 3m - and kept rising

As the UK copes with being in a recession, how does it compare with the recession in the 1980s?

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EUlQmx
via IFTTT

Rohingya crisis: Growing up in the world's largest refugee camp

Nayeem, 3, is one of 20,000 children born every year in the camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3jCnzfH
via IFTTT

Meet Senegal's first female professional surfer

Khadjou Sambe, 25, defied social expectations to ride the Atlantic waves.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3bdUkfX
via IFTTT

Why this black drive-in cinema is a big hit

Drive-ins are booming, of course. But this one is also responding to the other big story of the year.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3hKtMWl
via IFTTT

Still ill with coronavirus six months later: 'I have no idea how to get better'

For some people Covid just will not go away – one woman’s Instagram diary of her long-haul illness.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/34QT9Sw
via IFTTT

George Ezra opens up about OCD struggle

The musician says he is plagued by intrusive thoughts, and has suffered from OCD "my whole life".

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3jJl8Ij
via IFTTT

Hundreds of migrants still dying in Med five years since 2015

Five years on from the migrant crisis of 2015 hundreds are still dying in the Mediterranean.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QEZRme
via IFTTT

Rival powers jockey for the lead in hypersonic aircraft

The US, China and Russia are pouring money into aircraft that can fly at five times the speed of sound.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lzayFi
via IFTTT

Coronavirus: How teachers are feeling as schools return

Four teachers share their experiences of the pandemic as they prepare to welcome pupils back to school.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lv4SfD
via IFTTT

The traditional crafts in danger of dying out

Who was the last British deckle-maker? Who makes withy pots? And what is an orrery?

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/32GvPUZ
via IFTTT

M&S food goes fully online with Ocado launch

The grocer is making its entire range available for delivery but experts are divided on the move.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3jwTnT8
via IFTTT

Child Trust Funds: Teenagers get first chance to access cash

Savings pots could now be worth more than £1,000 but many teenagers are unaware they exist.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2EUq1yJ
via IFTTT

How this African restaurant adapted to the pandemic

Molly Malone's Restaurant in Johannesburg has converted its carpark into an outdoor 'roadhouse'.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/32KIru3
via IFTTT

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Turkey launches new military drills as East Med tensions mount

Turkey on Saturday launched new military drills in the eastern Mediterranean and Greece accused Turkish jets of an incursion as tensions mount in a maritime standoff between the NATO members.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jujDgY
via IFTTT

Michael Moore warns that Donald Trump is on course to repeat 2016 win

Film-maker says enthusiasm for president in swing states is ‘off the charts’ and urges everyone to commit to getting 100 people to voteThe documentary film-maker Michael Moore has warned that Donald Trump appears to have such momentum in some battleground states that liberals risk a repeat of 2016 when so many wrote off Trump only to see him grab the White House.“Sorry to have to provide the reality check again,” he said.Moore, who was one of few political observers to predict Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that “enthusiasm for Trump is off the charts” in key areas compared with the Democratic party nominee, Joe Biden.“Are you ready for a Trump victory? Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again? Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is no way Trump can win? Are you content with the trust you’ve placed in the DNC [Democratic National Committee] to pull this off?” Moore posted on Facebook late on Friday.Moore identified opinion polling in battleground states such as Minnesota and Michigan to make a case that the sitting president is running alongside or ahead of his rival.“The Biden campaign just announced he’ll be visiting a number of states – but not Michigan. Sound familiar?” Moore wrote, presumably indicating Hillary Clinton’s 2016 race when she made the error of avoiding some states that then swung to Trump.“I’m warning you almost 10 weeks in advance. The enthusiasm level for the 60 million in Trump’s base is OFF THE CHARTS! For Joe, not so much,” he later added.He continued to voters: “Don’t leave it to the Democrats to get rid of Trump. YOU have to get rid of Trump. WE have to wake up every day for the next 67 days and make sure each of us are going to get a hundred people out to vote. ACT NOW!”Moore cited CNN polling of registered voters this month to assert that “Biden and Trump were in a virtual tie”, including a poll that showed the pair tied at 47% in Minnesota. Moore said that Trump “has closed the gap to 4 points” in Michigan.A national CNN poll this month showed that Biden’s lead over Trump has narrowed nationally, 50% to 46%, while a survey from the Republican-leaning Trafalgar Group found Biden and Trump statistically tied at 47% in Minnesota, and Trump narrowly leading Biden in Michigan. The margin of error for the poll, which surveyed 1,048 people, is 2.98%.Moore, a vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders’s leftwing candidacy, warned in October 2016 that “Trump’s election is going to be the biggest ‘f*** you’ ever recorded in human history – and it will feel good,” even as Clinton appeared to be sailing to victory.“Whether Trump means it or not is kind of irrelevant because he’s saying the things to people who are hurting, and that’s why every beaten-down, nameless, forgotten working stiff who used to be part of what was called the middle class loves Trump,” Moore warned at that time.Moore’s latest warnings come as Trump said at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Friday night that he supported seeing the first female president of the United States, but recommended his daughter over the Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.“They’re all saying ‘we want Ivanka,’” Trump told his supporters. “I don’t blame them.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2DbNKdx
via IFTTT

Price of plastic carrier bags to double to 10p next year

The fee for single-use bags will rise to 10p and be extended to all shops from April 2021.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3gDVWRf
via IFTTT

Eat Out to Help Out discount comes to an end

The government's dining discount scheme ends on Monday, but there are calls for it to be extended.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/32DNxbN
via IFTTT

Mauritius oil spill: 'We want to protect our island'

Young locals are helping to prevent environmental damage after an oil leak from a ship that ran aground.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QEtapm
via IFTTT

Government paid influencers to promote Test and Trace

Taxpayer money was used to pay influencers to promote Test and Trace.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3bdp94k
via IFTTT

Price of plastic carrier bags to double to 10p next year

The fee for single-use bags will rise to 10p and be extended to all shops from April 2021.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3gDVWRf
via IFTTT

Norway bunker partygoers poisoned with carbon monoxide

More than 20 people were hospitalised after attending the party in the Norwegian capital Oslo.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3lyzLje
via IFTTT

U.S. military identifies two soldiers killed in Black Hawk training crash

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2Ewxi8q
via IFTTT

Chicago police respond to 10 shootings in about 3 hours Sunday, including 3 homicides and an attack that left 2 officers seriously wounded

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34SKT4J
via IFTTT

A couple received an anonymous note calling their unpainted house an "eyesore," then they received over $48,000 to help with repairs

A couple that has suffered multiple health issues received a note shaming them for their unpainted house. A GoFundMe page raised money for repairs.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bcWbS9
via IFTTT

Fact check: Biden tax plan would raise rates for those who make more than $400K, corporations

The claim that families who make $75,000 would see their tax rate double under the Democratic nominee's plan is false.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ExzNr7
via IFTTT

"His politics are appalling": Steve Mnuchin's family speaks out in disgust over his fealty to Trump

His family has not only criticized him but publically accused him of racism

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b9jTii
via IFTTT

Kentucky AG has received ballistics in Breonna Taylor case

Kentucky's attorney general has received a long-awaited FBI ballistics report in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Attorney General Daniel Cameron tweeted Sunday that there is additional analysis needed now that the report is in his hands, and there would be no announcement on the investigation this week. “We continue to work diligently to follow the facts and complete the investigation,” Cameron tweeted.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32GteKC
via IFTTT

Report: New York tenants were not aware they would be featured at the Republican National Convention

The tenants were interviewed by a HUD official, they said. The RNC was criticized for blurring the lines between the government and partisan politics.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lnzmA9
via IFTTT

Trump to visit Wisconsin city on Tuesday where police shot Black man in the back

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city that has seen unrest since a white police officer shot a Black man in the back, a White House official told reporters on Saturday. Trump will meet law enforcement officials and assess damage in the city where the officer shot Jacob Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down and remains in hospital, the official said. A 17-year-old boy is being held by authorities in Kenosha on suspicion of shooting three people who were protesting the shooting of Blake.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3bdjxqT
via IFTTT

SpaceX may attempt 3 rocket launches on Sunday

SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace company, has scheduled two back-to-back Falcon 9 launches in Florida, just nine hours apart.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3lw4CwM
via IFTTT

A teen activist in New Jersey received a $2,500 bill to pay for police presence at a Black Lives Matter protest she organized

Mayor Mario Kranjac of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, said the bill covered police presence and their overtime hours.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3hFBTDB
via IFTTT

German govt condemns 'unacceptable' attempt to storm Reichstag

The German government Sunday slammed the "unacceptable" behaviour of protesters during a mass rally against coronavirus restrictions in which hundreds were arrested and an attempt was made to storm the Reichstag parliament building.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ENPvy1
via IFTTT

Government paid influencers to promote Test and Trace

Taxpayer money was used to pay influencers to promote Test and Trace.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/3bdp94k
via IFTTT

Government paid influencers to promote Test and Trace

Taxpayer money was used to pay influencers to promote Test and Trace.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3bdp94k
via IFTTT

Eat Out to Help Out discount comes to an end

The government's dining discount scheme ends on Monday, but there are calls for it to be extended.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/32DNxbN
via IFTTT

'We need Eat Out To Help Out to run in the autumn'

A group of restaurateurs wants the Eat Out To Help Out scheme to be brought back in the autumn.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/2DbS2kY
via IFTTT

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Virtually the Best: Kids’ Furniture for an A+ Home-Learning Setup

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34FYkEK
via IFTTT

US Marshals found 39 missing children in a 2-week operation, 15 of whom they say were sex-trafficking victims

The US Marshals located 39 missing children in Georgia, and arrested nine suspects on charges that ranged from sex trafficking to parental kidnapping.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31A7SiS
via IFTTT

Biden's latest ad puts Trump's weirdest moments and empty rallies to a Bad Bunny song

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's latest ads take direct aim at swing states and Latinx Americans across the country.Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is backing the former vice president and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in the 2020 election, and lent one of his hits to a new ad for the Democrats. The ad features footage of excited President Trump fans in 2016 juxtaposed with a sparsely attended recent rally, as well as Trump's Bible photo-op and that time he hugged and kissed a flag. Video of police cracking down on protesters as Trump cheers them on. Bad Bunny's Pero Ya No plays underneath, with its incredibly straightforward lyrics translating to "I loved you before, but not anymore / I liked you, but not anymore."> This is the ad pic.twitter.com/Q28BKybRDd> > -- David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 28, 2020Also on Friday, the Biden campaign debuted a run of ads capitalizing on empty sports stadiums across America's swing states. Text reading "Trump put America on the sidelines. Let's get back in the game," flows over drone footage of stadiums, with locations customized for ad runs in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. A nationwide version also features an ghostly beach and church. > NEW: Biden digital ad targets sports fans, showing footage of empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic> > The campaign has taken over the YouTube masthead nationwide w/ a 30-second version, as well as CBS Sports> > Targeted versions running in AZ, PA, MI, and WI pic.twitter.com/uJQFcHL9uR> > -- Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) August 28, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC polling bounce more about 'subtraction on the Biden side,' pollster suggests 5 more scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention Many uninsured coronavirus patients reportedly don't qualify for Trump's coverage program because of other illnesses

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34L2mMa
via IFTTT

California residents didn't want controlled burns near their homes. Some of those homes then burned in a wildfire.

Experts say prescribed burns are key to avoiding destructive wildfires. But the concerns of some homeowners sometimes stands in the way.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YLPK3G
via IFTTT

Men accused of helping ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escape face U.S. extradition hearing

A U.S. judge on Friday will hear arguments over whether two Massachusetts men can be extradited to Japan to face charges that they helped former Nissan Motor Co Ltd <7201.T> Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee the country to avoid facing financial charges. U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, have been held without bail since their arrests May after being accused of smuggling Ghosn out of Japan in December in a box on a private jet.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jowcdo
via IFTTT

2 officers fired tasers at Jacob Blake before he was shot

Two other officers at the scene were identified as Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2D5S2mw
via IFTTT

Elon Musk confirmed a Russian national tried to bribe a Tesla employee with $1 million in a bungled ransomware attack

The DOJ accused a Russian national of offering $1 million to an employee to install malware. Elon Musk confirmed the employee worked for Tesla.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jr4mxp
via IFTTT

Six US Air Force B-52 bombers make symbolic sweep over all NATO members

The one-off mission, titled "Allied Sky," is meant to signal the alliance's unity and improve interoperability, say U.S. military officials.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34IsDec
via IFTTT

Hurricane Laura's winds batter Louisiana, killing six

Flooding is less than feared, but Governor John Bel Edwards warned people to stay vigilant.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3hzsahM
via IFTTT

Man booked in slaying of 3, including Fort Hood soldier

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gEIZH0
via IFTTT

Does Kyle Rittenhouse Have a Self-Defense Claim?

Kenosha, a city of 100,000 in Wisconsin’s southeastern corner, now confronts the question of when lethal force is justified in two different cases. One, the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer, I addressed yesterday. The other is the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is alleged to have killed two people and injured one during the civil unrest this week, and who has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, reckless homicide, and other offenses.Rittenhouse is a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., about a half hour’s drive from Kenosha. Inexplicably, this underage police cadet from out of state wound up on the streets after curfew in a place where a riot was likely imminent, doing interviews with journalists and openly carrying an AR-15–style rifle.There can be no question that Rittenhouse and whatever adults were in charge of him made idiotic decisions. Minors should not stand guard at riots play-acting at being cops. But even people who knowingly put themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time are allowed to defend themselves against attack when they get there. So the biggest legal question is: Did Rittenhouse defend himself against attack with an appropriate amount of force, or were the people he shot the ones acting in self-defense by trying to disarm him?The very beginning of the situation is not on video that I am aware, but the complaint against Rittenhouse contains some key details from Richard McGinnis, a Daily Caller reporter who was interviewing Rittenhouse at the time:> McGinnis said that as they were walking south another armed male who appeared to be in his 30s joined them and said he was there to protect the defendant. McGinnis stated that before the defendant reached the parking lot and ran across it, the defendant had moved from the middle of Sheridan Road to the sidewalk and that is when McGinnis saw a male ([Joseph] Rosenbaum) initially try to engage the defendant. McGinnis stated that as the defendant was walking Rosenbaum was trying to get closer to the defendant. When Rosenbaum advanced, the defendant did a “juke” move and started running. McGinnis stated that there were other people that were moving very quickly. McGinnis stated that they were moving towards the defendant. McGinnis said that according to what he saw the defendant was trying to evade these individuals.After that, much of the situation was recorded, and the New York Times has done an excellent job of stitching the videos together. This Twitter thread from a co-author of the piece nicely explains the events and (for those willing to watch graphic footage) provides the key clips:> A teenager faces charges in shootings that left 2 people dead in Kenosha, WI. The @nytimes Visual Investigations team reviewed hours of livestreams to track 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse’s movements during and leading up to the shootings. [THREAD] https://t.co/FRCYlS5wgH> > -- Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) August 27, 2020 The first video starts with people already chasing Rittenhouse, one of whom throws something at him. One person even fires a handgun in the air — and another, Rosenbaum, charges at Rittenhouse, who shoots him. After that, there are more shots from an unknown source, and Rittenhouse calls a friend on his phone and leaves.But again he’s pursued, with some protesters urging others to join in, and this time he falls down. Several people move in on him, and he takes shots at three, hitting two. One is holding a handgun and survives a shot to the arm; the other has a skateboard and dies. Again there are additional mysterious gunshots after the fact.Obviously, a big unanswered question right now is how this all really got started. But as we wait for that information, let’s take a gander at the Wisconsin laws at issue.There are two extremes here: justifiable use of deadly force and first-degree intentional homicide. So let’s see what the law says about those two situations, bearing in mind that other charges can apply if Rittenhouse’s behavior fell in between them. (There are plenty of options: Rittenhouse is charged with reckless homicide for the first fatal shooting, first-degree intentional homicide for the second, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the nonfatal one, in addition to charges for reckless endangerment and bearing a dangerous weapon as a minor.)Quite typically for a U.S. state, Wisconsin allows civilian use of deadly force when one “reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.” One major issue, then, will be whether Rittenhouse reasonably thought that the folks engaging with him meant to inflict serious injury, not just disarm him.But what if Rittenhouse provoked the confrontation to begin with? That’s bad for a claim of self-defense, but it doesn’t preclude one. Here’s another excerpt from the Wisconsin statute books:> (a) A person who engages in unlawful conduct of a type likely to provoke others to attack him or her and thereby does provoke an attack is not entitled to claim the privilege of self-defense against such attack, except when the attack which ensues is of a type causing the person engaging in the unlawful conduct to reasonably believe that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. In such a case, the person engaging in the unlawful conduct is privileged to act in self-defense, but the person is not privileged to resort to the use of force intended or likely to cause death to the person's assailant unless the person reasonably believes he or she has exhausted every other reasonable means to escape from or otherwise avoid death or great bodily harm at the hands of his or her assailant.> > (b) The privilege lost by provocation may be regained if the actor in good faith withdraws from the fight and gives adequate notice thereof to his or her assailant.> > (c) A person who provokes an attack, whether by lawful or unlawful conduct, with intent to use such an attack as an excuse to cause death or great bodily harm to his or her assailant is not entitled to claim the privilege of self-defense.So, even if Rittenhouse bears some responsibility for the initial conflict, he can still argue that he did everything he could to escape the situation and withdraw from the fight. Both shooting incidents began with him running away.Moving to the other extreme, to prove first-degree intentional homicide, prosecutors will have to show that Rittenhouse “cause[d] the death of another human being with intent to kill that person” and will have to disprove the existence of any “mitigating circumstances” the defense asserts. If the prosecution fails at the latter task, the offense is knocked down to the second degree.Mitigating circumstances include “adequate provocation,” meaning the victim did something “sufficient to cause complete lack of self-control in an ordinarily constituted person”; “unnecessary defensive force,” meaning Rittenhouse “believed he . . . was in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that the force used was necessary to defend [himself],” even though the belief was unreasonable; and “prevention of felony,” meaning he believed his actions were necessary to stop the “commission of a felony,” even though the belief was unreasonable. In other words, even if Rittenhouse unreasonably thought his actions were necessary, he can get the charge downgraded, though in that case he’ll still have committed a very serious offense.Rittenhouse is already a hero to some and a supervillain to others; in that sense, he is the Bernie Goetz of 2020. The highest charge against him strikes me as a stretch, but beyond that I don’t have any bold opinions yet. The outcome for each shooting will depend on whether Rittenhouse reasonably feared for his life, which in turn might depend on broader context we lack thus far — and even if all three shootings were justified, there are still firearms and reckless-endangerment charges for him to contend with.Where the f*** were this kid’s parents?

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jtTnTY
via IFTTT

Biden notes 'the violence we're witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me.'

There's been a lot of talk at this week's Republican National Convention about the dystopian hellhole of "Joe Biden's America." On Thursday evening, Joe Biden said he wasn't sure President Trump is aware he's been in charge of America for the past three and a half years. "If you think about it, Donald Trump saying, 'You're not going to be safe in Joe Biden's America,'" he told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "All the video being played is in Donald Trump's America." (Or, to be fair, Spain.) Biden formalized that idea in a statement.> Inbox: "Is Donald Trump even aware he's president?" pic.twitter.com/tFLtRNXFW5> > — Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) August 27, 2020"Is Donald Trump even aware he's president?" Biden asked. "These are not images from some imagined 'Joe Biden's America' in the future. These are images from Donald Trump's America today. The violence we're witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me. It's getting worse, and we know why." Trump "refuses to even acknowledge there is a racial justice problem in America," he added. "Instead of looking to calm the waters, he adds fuel to every fire. Violence isn't a problem in his eyes — it's a political strategy. And the more of it, the better for him."White House counselor Kellyanne Conway had actually made a similar point on Thursday morning, telling Fox & Friends that "the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order."Biden said he has "made it clear" there's "no place for violence, looting, or burning. None. Zero." He predicted that Trump would attack him again in his RNC acceptance speech. But, he added, "when Donald Trump says tonight you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America, look around and ask yourself: How safe do you feel in Donald Trump's America?"More stories from theweek.com Trump's RNC polling bounce more about 'subtraction on the Biden side,' pollster suggests 5 more scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention Many uninsured coronavirus patients reportedly don't qualify for Trump's coverage program because of other illnesses

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YMfhty
via IFTTT

Kenosha police union gives its version of Blake shooting

The Kenosha police union on Friday offered the most detailed accounting to date on officers' perspective of the moments leading up to police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back, saying he had a knife and fought with officers, putting one of them in a headlock and shrugging off two attempts to stun him. The statement from Brendan Matthews, attorney for the Kenosha Professional Police Association, goes into more detail than anything that has been released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating. The Sunday shooting of Blake, a Black man, put the nation’s spotlight on Wisconsin and triggered a series of peaceful protests and violence, including the killing of two people by an armed civilian on Tuesday.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QvGr3g
via IFTTT

Arrest made after firefighter’s wallet stolen as he battled wildfires, CA officials say

The thief drained the bank account of the firefighter after the wallet was lifted from his vehicle. officials said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32ztprh
via IFTTT

Forecasters eye two developing systems in the Atlantic: Nana, Omar could be next up on the heels of Hurricane Laura

Although the remnants of Hurricane Laura are still drenching parts of the US Friday, there are already concerns about more storms stirring in the Atlantic.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b2Dm4i
via IFTTT

Portland protesters occupied mayor's presumed condo complex

Police declared a riot at another protest after a fire was set at the police union building.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34JXQxu
via IFTTT

Judge agrees to free Chinese researcher in visa fraud case

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gGthet
via IFTTT

Australia open to talks over where NZ mosque shooter serves life sentence

Australia's prime minister said on Friday he was open to discussions over whether Australian mass killer Brenton Tarrant, jailed for life without parole this week for the New Zealand mosque shootings, should serve his sentence in his home country. Scott Morrison told broadcaster Channel Seven he had not received a formal request from New Zealand for such a transfer, although New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters suggested it after Tarrant was sentenced on Thursday. "We'll have an open discussion and look at the issues around this," Morrison said, adding that the views of the affected families would need to be considered first.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31E828Q
via IFTTT

Mary Trump says GOP convention 'disturbing to watch,' calls portrayal of president a sham

The president's niece said on MSNBC that she was appalled to see her uncle described as a caring family man.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2QxlXY8
via IFTTT

Dramatic last-second launch abort grounds spy satellite

The "hot-fire abort" derailed plans for three launches in just two days from Florida's Space Coast.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GbvfqH
via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Life chances at risk if pupils don't return to school, Williamson says

The education secretary has written an open letter to parents insisting that schools are safe.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YLCuvU
via IFTTT

One in four BHS stores remain vacant four years after collapse

Department store chain closed its last stores in 2016 but finding new uses is a lengthy process.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lxldQH
via IFTTT

One in four BHS stores remain vacant four years after collapse

Department store chain closed its last stores in 2016 but finding new uses is a lengthy process.

from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/3lxldQH
via IFTTT

Friday, August 28, 2020

A soup kitchen in Pakistan has been serving hot meals for 20 years, but is being pushed to the limit in the pandemic

The kitchen, Khana Ghar, charges a token amount for each meal so that customers feel like they've earned it and "their self-respect remains intact."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YITuml
via IFTTT

Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend says she had nothing to do with alleged drug crimes

The ex-boyfriend of Breonna Taylor speaks out and claims she was not involved in illegal activities. Breonna Taylor‘s ex-boyfriend has come forward in an attempt to clear up her alleged involvement in any criminal activity. Jamarcus Glover, 30, was the target of the narcotics investigation leading to the execution of the no-knock warrant that resulted in the police shooting and killing Taylor, the Courier-Journal reports.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b5llCl
via IFTTT

Hong Kong: China arrests 10 after intercepting boat 'fleeing Hong Kong'

Activists were among those detained off Guangdong province on Sunday, Hong Kong media say.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2G2SYJE
via IFTTT

Man arrested after wallet stolen from California firefighter battling wildfires

The sheriff of Santa Cruz County said the suspect admitted the theft and wrote a letter of apology.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YGbHkC
via IFTTT

Republican senator, swarmed by protesters after Trump speech, calls for FBI probe

Republican Senator Rand Paul on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House after listening to U.S. President Donald Trump accept his party's nomination for re-election. Paul told Fox News Channel he believes the group chanting his name and pushing against his impromptu police escort was paid to incite a riot. "I believe there are going to be people who were involved with the attack on us that actually were paid to come here and are not from Washington, D.C., and are sort of paid to be anarchists," Paul said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YJ17t5
via IFTTT

Hurricane Laura's 'unsurvivable' storm surge: It looks like Louisiana was spared, but some rural areas likely hit hard

Gov. John Bel Edwards said Louisiana "caught a break" on storm surge. The National Hurricane Center says the surge was likely as bad as feared.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jmcIpO
via IFTTT

Rights groups call for release of Jordanian cartoonist

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3b3EiW0
via IFTTT

A former SpaceX intern says she reported sexual harassment to HR — and it cost her the opportunity for a full-time job

In a new lawsuit, the former SpaceX intern says her manager made inappropriate comments and wanted to take her to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34OeYCt
via IFTTT

Fox News' Chris Wallace calls out co-hosts for defending armed vigilantes

Fox News' Chris Wallace has a brief legal reminder about vigilante justice.On Wednesday, a 17-year-old who appeared to be aligned with an armed vigilante group was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday night. Several Fox News contributors and hosts discussed the situation in Kenosha on Thursday, with Katie Pavlich saying "on the topic of vigilante justice, when you have no police around ... then there is a void that is filled."Pavlich's comments spurred Wallace to "push back" against the "implication vigilante justice was understandable or justified by the lack of sufficient police action." But Pavlich and the other hosts tried to talk over Wallace and insist he hadn't heard what was just said. "Just as it's fair to say that rioting and looting is a completely inappropriate response to George Floyd or Jacob Blake, vigilante justice is a completely inappropriate response to the rioting on the street," Wallace eventually said, forcefully reminding them "vigilante justice is a crime."> Wallace pushes back in the next segment> > "I've got to push back ... there seemed to be the implication that somehow vigilante justice was understandable or justified by the lack of sufficient police action ... you were saying it filled a void, I don't think that's right" pic.twitter.com/MuWTi4Rio9> > — Lis Power (@LisPower1) August 27, 2020Protests have gone on for days in Kenosha since police shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, with peaceful daytime demonstrations turning violent at night. Fox News' Tucker Carlson is among conservatives defending the alleged killer.More stories from theweek.com McConnell inexplicably claims that Democrats want to tell Americans 'how many hamburgers you can eat' 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention Biden's latest ad puts Trump's weirdest moments and empty rallies to a Bad Bunny song

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3gAATzb
via IFTTT

Right-Wing Goons Hype Kenosha Vigilantes. Locals Tell Them to Get Lost.

As Kenosha, Wisconsin, continues to reel from the police shooting of Jacob Blake, residents are increasingly turning their anger to so-called outside agitators who some say invaded the city to sow chaos amongst the protests—and even kill demonstrators.“They [outsiders] tore up our neighborhood, this is our neighborhood, this is where we shop at. These are not Kenosha people,” Lonnie Stewart, 60, told The Daily Beast. “They’re coming to Kenosha, Wisconsin to destroy our city.”Immediately after a Kenosha police officer shot 29-year-old Blake in the back several times as he tried to get into a van with his kids on Sunday, the Wisconsin city descended into fiery unrest against police brutality. Buildings burned, and cars were razed as activists decried yet another act of police violence against a person of color.That alone provided new fodder for the “outside agitator” narrative—that rogues from out of town have used protests across America over wanton killings by cops as an excuse to riot or incite violence. Those claims haven’t always been baseless, though they are most often used as a premise to crack down on activists. This week, they were also in keeping with the be-very-afraid spirit of the Republican National Convention, which has ignored police violence except to dunk on the unrest that follows it.But after two nights of tense altercations between police in tactical gear and residents and regional activists who defied citywide curfews, hoards of heavily-armed counter-protesters arrived in Kenosha to murderous effect on Tuesday. Police say 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a Blue Lives Matter fanatic carrying a military-style semi-automatic rifle, killed two people and injured a third after traveling from Illinois to co-mingle with other armed vigilantes looking to protect the city. Prosecutors filed five felony charges against him on Thursday, including first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide—as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession of a deadly weapon.Residents say not all “outside agitators” are created equal—and they want the far-right hordes who have taken to cheering on Rittenhouse as some kind of hero to know that.Here Are the Athletes and Teams Boycotting Games to Protest the Shooting of Jacob Blake“I was terrified when I heard that news and I really had hoped it was just talk and that they wouldn’t actually do anything,” Angie Aker, a 41-year-old Kenosha native, said of armed groups. “Kenosha is a peaceful place. It still has a small-town feel to it—almost everybody knows everyone or is only like one or two degrees of separation. There isn’t usually any of this widespread chaos.”Right-wing media have predictably emerged as staunch defenders of the teenager, even justifying his deadly alleged actions as a necessary evil. “Kenosha has devolved into anarchy, the authorities in charge of the city abandoned it,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Wednesday night. “People in charge, from the governor of Wisconsin on down, refused to enforce the law. They stood back and watched Kenosha burn.”“So are we really surprised this looting and arson accelerated to murder?” he continued. “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Everyone can see what was happening in Kenosha. It was getting crazier by the hour.”Rittenhouse appeared on multiple videos taken throughout the night as the peaceful demonstration veered toward something more sinister. The Lake County Public Defender’s Office, which is listed as representing the teenager, declined to comment. Attorney Lin Wood, who represented Covington Catholic graduate Nick Sandmann, had a team gearing up to provide support to Rittenhouse, his assistant told The Daily Beast. The lawyers have also established a defense fund on the teenager’s behalf.In one gut-wrenching video, an armed man matching Rittenhouse’s description tripped over on a street before firing at people who seemed to be making an attempt to disarm him. During the exchange, one person was shot in the head and another in the chest around 11:45 p.m. and never got up. Another video appears to show the teenager firing several shots—before getting up and walking toward police vehicles with his hands up in apparent surrender. A third video appears to show him running away and holding his rifle, where he is heard apparently uttering into his phone, “I just killed somebody.” While authorities have not yet released any names, family and friends have identified Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, and Joseph “Jojo” Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha as the two who were killed, according to several local media outlets. Friends also say Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was shot in the arm during the incident and was expected to survive. Grosskreutz was in Kenosha with the social justice reform group the People's Revolution Movement of Milwaukee, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast.“I had to watch my friend die on Facebook, I had to watch my city burn down,” Marcus Starks, a 35-year-old Kenosha native, and friend of Huber, previously told The Daily Beast. He proceeded to turn his ire to Rittenhouse, the new vigilante prince of the far-right.“That boy had no business being here, let alone with open carry,” Starks told The Daily Beast, adding, “If you’re gonna close this town, close it all the way down.”Officer Rusten Sheskey Identified as Cop Who Shot Jacob BlakeIn a separate video seemingly shot at the boarded-up gas station where Rittenhouse appeared in a Daily Caller video, an individual resembling Rittenhouse is seen chatting with police officers and other vigilante guards. Rittenhouse, whose social media accounts are rife with support for pro-police causes and his affinity for guns, also was interviewed by a Daily Caller reporter before the shootings. “So people are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” Rittenhouse replies in the video posted on Twitter after being asked what he’s doing at the protest. “And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle because I need to protect myself obviously. I also have my med kit.”The Kenosha Police Department said Friday nine people were arrested for disorderly conduct on Aug. 26 after officers received a tip about “suspicious” vehicles with out-of-state license plates meeting up in a remote parking lot. Cops followed the vehicles—which included a black school bus, a break truck, and a tan minivan—to a gas station where some people were attempting “to fill multiple fuel cans.” The vehicles contained items like helmets, gas masks, protective vests, illegal fireworks, and suspected controlled substances, cops said.A Facebook spokesperson said Thursday that none of Rittenhouse’s accounts were reported prior to the shooting. Nor did the company find any evidence that suggested the teenager followed a self-declared militia group, the Kenosha Guard, on the platform—nor was he invited to their event for Tuesday evening, according to Facebook.Still, he seemed to establish himself quickly on the scene. And while outsiders often show up at BLM protests purporting to keep peace, they have also shown a remarkable capacity for—deliberately or otherwise—inciting violence.One of the first prominent instances of property damage tied to George Floyd-era protests, in which a masked man smashed windows in Minneapolis in late May, appears to have been the work of a white supremacist disguised as an anti-fascist, investigators later claimed in an affidavit. Meanwhile, even as initial reports suggested most or all arrests at the Minneapolis-area chaos were from out of state, nearly all of those people were later revealed to be locals. This week, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was one of the first on the far right to fervently defend Rittenhouse, stating on his show Infowars Wednesday that the violence was just an act of self-preservation against what he described as “a community overthrow of the country.” “I told you they’re going to ratchet this up toward the election and try to make the whole thing racial. But it’s not—it’s about a globalist takeover,” Jones said.Jones was among several right-wing pundits defending Rittenhouse’s actions. The Gateway Pundit, a conservative blog, wrote multiple articles based on the extremely graphic videos, seemingly justifying Rittenhouses’s actions as self-defense.In a post now taken-down by Twitter, Ann Coulter declared Rittenhouse should be her president. A contributor for Turning Point USA, a right-wing pro-Trump student organization founded by Charlie Kirk, defended the actions as a “justified shooting,” while former Major League Baseball player Aubrey Huff tweeted on Thursday that Rittenhouse is a “national treasure.”Unrest in Kenosha was also an implicit theme during the third night of the Republican National Convention—even if no one appeared to explicitly embrace Rittenhouse’s alleged actions. Vice President Mike Pence condemned "the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country.”“The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha too,” he added. Even Donald Trump Jr. has inched toward Rittenhouse's defense: The president’s son on Thursday liked a tweet from far-right conspiracy-theorist Mike Cernovich about the teenager’s “Mostly Peaceful Self Defense Initiative.”Aker, the Kenosha native, said even “pockets of libertarians” in the city were defending Rittenhouse. “In their minds, and the way I’ve seen them talking about it, they’re hailing Rittenhouse as a hero,” she told The Daily Beast. “I think the armed militia agitators, while they don’t represent a lot of Kenosha, showed the world the cooperation that is going on between white racist citizens, the children they’re grooming for violence and hate, and law enforcement,” she added. “It’s been more under the surface until this situation, and this really forced it into plain view. It’s probably a good thing that we’re talking about it and seeing it for what it is now. That’s the only good thing to come out of all this.” Officials on Wednesday were already anticipating—if also perhaps inviting—more chaos with a different kind of outsider: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced National Guard troops from Arizona, Michigan, and Alabama, were being deployed to assist local law enforcement as a city-wide curfew remains in place.“Our town not finna be the same no more,” Elicia Pavlovich, a 29-year-old Kenosha native, told The Daily Beast. “It’s never been like this. Never. Seeing this sight, it just hurts me.”—With reporting by Grace Del VecchioRead 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.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3jlJGXv
via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Winter plans revealed in leaked Sage report

A leaked government report suggests a “reasonable worst case scenario” of 85,000 Covid deaths this winter.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YK58xE
via IFTTT

Medal for hero dog Kuno who saved soldiers' lives in Afghanistan

Kuno ran through a hail of bullets to tackle a gunman - and now has prosthetic paws after being shot.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3b3P4vw
via IFTTT

Newspaper headlines: Winter lockdown warning and Christmas vaccine hope

Some papers lead with coronavirus, with the UK's Health Secretary speaking of a possible second wave.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2QADO0c
via IFTTT

Coronavirus unemployment: 'I felt worthless'

Julie changed jobs a week before lockdown - then found herself out of work and ineligible for help.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3luLSO3
via IFTTT

A clever way to provide life-saving oxygen

An invention is saving children’s lives, providing oxygen in hospitals without reliable electricity.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YM1tiN
via IFTTT

Why parcel delivery courier company DPD is in court

Most DPD drivers are on self-employed franchise contracts without sick pay and holiday pay.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2YLzPCn
via IFTTT

Week in pictures: 22-28 August 2020

A selection of remarkable images taken around the world this week.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EC3ZB5
via IFTTT

Jejoen Bontinck: I escaped a life of Islamic terror - now I rap about it

Jejoen Bontinck, an ex-member of Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, wants to use music to move on from his past.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/32xCKzS
via IFTTT

Coronavirus: Bus journeys will be first challenge of new school year

As pupils return, there are concerns buses could be a weak link in the back-to-school safety plan.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EHQwrd
via IFTTT

Amazon fires: Are they worse this year than before?

Blazes are continuing to rage in the Amazon rainforest, despite the Brazilian president's fire ban.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/31FfZuC
via IFTTT

Five things to focus on in your CV

When it comes to CV-writing, maximise your chances of a job by focusing on these five things.

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/3lpT0eH
via IFTTT

Georgia: 'I'm a child of the UK rave scene'

The Mercury Prize nominee on dancefloor culture, working collectively, and how "excess is not cool".

from BBC News - Home https://ift.tt/2EKo7Rv
via IFTTT

Cloud gaming: Are game streaming services bad for the planet?

Remote streaming services may be the future but could cause a sharp rise in emissions, a study shows.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2EN8etf
via IFTTT

Thursday, August 27, 2020

CDC's abrupt change to COVID-19 testing guidelines was evidently forced through while Dr. Fauci was unconscious in surgery

Health experts were left reeling this week by abrupt new guidance from the CDC that said not everyone exposed to COVID-19 necessarily needs to take a precautionary test if they aren't showing symptoms. There might be a reason, though, why the new recommendation "makes no sense" — White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci was literally unconscious when the decision was made."I was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations," Fauci told CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He added: "I am concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is."The CDC's new guidance allegedly resulted from pressure from the Trump administration, CNN adds — but the deliberations happened Thursday of last week, while Fauci was having surgery to remove a polyp on his vocal cord.Previously, testing was recommended "for all close contacts of persons with COVID-19," in order to curb asymptomatic transmission.More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention NBA players have reportedly agreed to resume the season That 'famous' Lincoln quote in Lara Trump's RNC speech? He never said it.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3guxS3f
via IFTTT

Watchdog groups say convention appearances broke Hatch Act

Two White House officials violated the Hatch Act by participating in choreographed events that were aired during this week's Republican National Convention, according to two separate ethics complaints filed by government watchdog groups. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, violated the law when he appeared during a taped naturalization ceremony on White House grounds with President Donald Trump, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, wrote in a complaint filed Thursday. On Wednesday, two law school professors filed a separate complaint against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, arguing he committed an “egregious violation” by delivering a video-taped speech from Israel.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34RBEll
via IFTTT

Private Wisconsin college cancels Pence commencement speech

A private Milwaukee college has canceled plans to have Vice President Mike Pence deliver a commencement address this weekend, citing unrest in nearby Kenosha where police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, and two people were killed during protests that followed. Wisconsin Lutheran College said Thursday that “after further review with careful consideration of the escalating events in Kenosha,” it decided to not have Pence deliver the speech. Pence was scheduled to deliver his speech outside at the private college, which has about 1,200 students and is about 40 miles from Kenosha.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/34EGyBV
via IFTTT

Remote Andamans tribe with just 53 members reports nearly one-in-ten have fallen sick with coronavirus

Four members of a remote tribe living on India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands have tested positive for Covid-19, sparking fears for the group’s survival. The Greater Andamese number as few as 53 and have limited immunity to viruses like Covid-19 due to their isolated nature. They numbered more than 5,000 in the 1850s but when the British colonised the islands successive outbreaks of diseases like measles caused their numbers to plummet. Two of the Great Andamese who have tested positive have been admitted to hospital and two have been quarantined in a care centre. “It is extremely alarming that members of the Great Andamanese tribe tested positive for Covid-19,” said Sophie Grigg, a Senior Researcher at Survival International, an NGO campaigning for the rights of tribal people. “They will be all too aware of the devastating impact of epidemics that have decimated their people”.