| Florida man bashes elderly woman with mallet, sets her aflame while delivering for Best Buy Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:43 AM PDT  Jorge Luis Dupre Lachazo, 21, admitted to bashing the victim's head with a mallet and dousing her in a liquid chemical.
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| Epstein's jail guards warned his cellmate 'there will be a price to pay' if he talks about Epstein's suicide, lawyer claims Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:04 AM PDT  Bruce Barket, who represents murder suspect Nicholas Tartaglione, said Metropolitan Correctional Center told him to "shut up" about the suicide.
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| U.S. will act if Iranian tanker tries to deliver oil to Syria: Pompeo Posted: 20 Aug 2019 04:13 PM PDT  The tanker is carrying about 2 million barrels of oil.
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| Tlaib Dismisses Criticism of Anti-Semitic Group That Planned Palestine Trip as ‘Distraction’ Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) defended her aborted plan to attend a trip to Israel and Palestine sponsored by a notoriously anti-Semitic group on Monday, arguing that criticisms of the organization were intended to serve as a "distraction" from Israeli human-rights abuses committed against Palestinians.Tlaib and fellow Democratic representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota were barred from Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week over their affiliation with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The pair were planning on attending a trip to the country that was funded and planned by Miftah, a non-profit Palestinian advocacy group with a lengthy history of endorsing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.Addressing the resulting controversy during a Monday press conference, Tlaib and Omar distanced themselves from Miftah, emphasizing that they weren't aware of the group's background when they decided to attend the trip, and adding that they implicitly trusted the group because other Democratic members of Congress participated in similar trip sponsored by it in 2016."Our colleagues that are senior members, some of whom have served multiple terms, actually told us about the organization. We're not the ones who chose the organization. A U.S.-based sponsor organization chose it. But I think there were five members of Congress that actually went on a trip sponsored by the same organization," Tlaib said when asked about criticisms of Miftah.The freshman Michigan lawmaker went on to argue that, while she was unaware of Miftah's background, recent criticisms of the group represent a cynical attempt to distract from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land."We're just as taken aback and learned from everybody else that there are some issues around the organization. I think these are just distractions into the fact that this had nothing to do really with the agenda or these other issues," she continued. "I think the focus is the hiding of the truth and hiding that the occupation is happening. I think they knew that us setting foot there would basically bring attention to something that many of us feel is very much against international human rights."> Omar & Tlaib feign ignorance about their trip's organizer, MIFTAH, which prev organized a meeting w/Dems & a member of a Palestinian terrorist group> > MIFTAH also praised Palestinian suicide bombers & accused Jews of blood libelhttps://t.co/KNBDWPLsYDpic.twitter.com/r8GKzoi45F> > -- Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) August 19, 2019In 2013, Miftah published an article on its website endorsing an ancient anti-Semitic trope that accuses "Jews [of using] the blood of Christians in the Jewish Passover."The group subsequently apologized for the post, but it has issued no such apology for the numerous articles in which its contributors praise suicide bombers who have killed scores of civilians as legitimate combatants in a war for Palestinian rights.
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| Spain sends navy to save migrants as Italian justice intervenes Posted: 20 Aug 2019 01:52 PM PDT  Spain on Tuesday deployed a naval patrol boat to pick up migrants on a charity rescue boat that has been stranded off Italy's Lampedusa island for days after numerous people jumped overboard in a desperate bid to swim ashore. Prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio also ordered the Open Arms charity vessel preventatively seized after inspecting the Spanish boat on which migrants have spent 19 days and "given the difficult situation on board", a judicial source said. Against the backdrop of a major political crisis in Italy, Patronaggio intervened as part of his probe into alleged kidnapping and refusing to obey orders targeting far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
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| Trump decries 'great disloyalty' of Jews who vote for Democrats Posted: 20 Aug 2019 01:15 PM PDT  President Trump said Tuesday that Jews who voted for Democrats were either ignorant or disloyal.
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| Woman Taking Over a Subway for Her Glamorous Selfie Photoshoot Is the Latest Example of Knowing One's Worth Posted: 20 Aug 2019 08:11 AM PDT  A hero and an icon
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| 2 Proud Boys Convicted in 2018 NYC Clash with Protesters Posted: 20 Aug 2019 09:03 AM PDT  Two members of the alt-right Proud Boys have been found guilty of charges including attempted gang assault for their part in a New York City attack.
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| 4 last wolves in Washington pack killed by state hunters Posted: 19 Aug 2019 11:04 AM PDT  The last four members of a wolf pack that preyed on cattle in a rural Washington state area bordering Canada have been killed by state hunters, prompting protests from environmental groups. The four wolves were part of a pack that originally had seven members and attacked cows, killing or wounding them 29 times since 2018 and nine times over the last month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement last Friday. Agency director Kelly Susewind authorized the killings of the remaining pack members on July 31.
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| A Florida man fed a kinkajou. The next morning, the 'super aggressive' exotic creature attacked him Posted: 20 Aug 2019 03:32 PM PDT ![A Florida man fed a kinkajou. The next morning, the 'super aggressive' exotic creature attacked him]( "A Florida man fed a kinkajou. The next morning, the 'super aggressive' exotic creature attacked him") A Florida man was attacked by a kinkajou, a raccoon-like carnivore native to the rain forests of Central and South America.
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| Police Arrest Two Louisiana Men in 39-Year-Old Cold Case Murder of Teen Posted: 20 Aug 2019 01:53 PM PDT  Rapides Parish Sheriff's OfficeAfter nearly four decades, Louisiana police have charged two men they believe brutally raped and murdered an 18-year-old girl before disposing of her body in the woods.Leo Laird, 64, and Gary Haymon, 54, were both charged on Monday in the death of 18-year-old Donna Gayle Brazzell, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office. The young woman's skeletal remains were found near Nichols Cemetery Road in 1980, but authorities were unable to identify them until last month.The Daring DNA Hunt That Cracked France's Gruesome Cold Case"These cases never, ever leave a policeman's mind," Officer William Earl Hilton, who was first assigned the case, told KBLA. "They prey on you all the time. Especially cases like this that you never solve."Authorities declined to elaborate on what evidence led to Laird and Haymon's arrest, but said "sufficient probable cause was established." Both men have been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and aggravated kidnapping.The mystery began on November 5, 1980, when the sheriff's office responded to a call about "skeletal remains found in a wooded area" near Nichols Cemetery Road. Working alongside Louisiana State University's Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons, investigators were able to determine that the remains, which were likely in the woods for at least two months, belonged to a female victim between the ages of 16 and 21. The lab also created a DNA profile and a facial sketch of the victim but were still unable to make a positive identification. In 2014, the sheriff's office "received information in reference to the case" that led them to name Laird and Haymon as suspects. It remains unclear what new evidence pointed to the two men.Vatican to Open Tombs in Hunt for Teen Missing for 30 YearsThe sketch of the victim proved key to cracking the case five years later, when a woman contacted authorities claiming the picture resembled her long lost granddaughter. After a DNA comparison last month, authorities confirmed the remains belonged to the woman's relative, Donna Gayle Brazzell.Laird, who would have been in his 20s at the time of the alleged murder, was arrested on August 14 and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. He is currently being held on a $1 million bold. Haymon is already serving a 49-year prison sentence for second-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, and public bribery, authorities said. While he was originally set for release in 2047, authorities said arrangements "are in place to have Haymon booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center in reference to his new charges."Quadriplegic Charged in Cold-Case Murder of Bay Area MomRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| CNN Pundit’s Bodyguard Charged with Assault after Removing Reporter Covering Her Speech Posted: 20 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT  CNN pundit April Ryan's security guard has been charged with assault after he forcibly removed a local New Jersey reporter from an event at which Ryan was delivering a speech.Charlie Kravotil, editor of New Brunswick Today, claims that Ryan's bodyguard, 30-year-old Joel Morris, approached him during Ryan's speech at The Heldrich Hotel on August 3 and stole his camera after he refused to stop filming.A video of the incident shows Kravotil, who secured press credentials for the event, following Morris into the lobby of the hotel to retrieve his camera. After the local journalist reclaimed his camera, Morris grabbed his arm, placed it behind his back, and shoved him out of the hotel.Morris has been charged with harassment, assault, and theft in connection with the incident.Kravotil says he was invited to the event and was allowed to film for roughly two hours before Ryan took the stage to deliver a speech, at which point Morris stole his camera but allowed other people in the room to continue filming. He called on Ryan to apologize for the incident in a Monday tweet."She's been silent about the unacceptable and illegal behavior of her bodyguard, Joel Morris, and we are still waiting for her comment on this unfortunate incident," Kravotil said in a video posted to Twitter. "Maybe now that there are criminal charges, we might hear something from her. I hope, sincerely, that she does comment and I hope she does condemn this. This is unacceptable. . . . In our country, we have freedom of the press."Ryan is a vociferous critic of President Trump and routinely disparages him for his rhetorical attacks on the press, even authoring a book on the subject last year entitled Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House.
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| Boycott the Oven With These Summer Slow Cooker Recipes Posted: 20 Aug 2019 02:38 PM PDT |
| Texas school district sued for coloring black pupil's scalp with marker Posted: 20 Aug 2019 11:10 AM PDT  Parents of a black teenager in Texas are suing their Houston-area school district after three white middle school personnel used a marker to blot out a design in their son's scalp. The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed Sunday against the Pearland Independent School District and the three staff members of Berry Miller Junior High who used the marker to color the student's scalp. The three claimed that his "common African American 'fade' haircut violated the Pearland ISD dress code policy," the lawsuit reads.
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| Putin says U.S. is able to deploy new cruise missile in Europe Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:13 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the United States was now in a position to deploy a new land-based cruise missile in Romania and Poland, a scenario he considered a threat that Moscow would need to respond to. The Pentagon said on Monday it had tested a conventionally-configured cruise missile that hit its target after more than 500 km (310 miles) of flight, its first such test since the demise of a landmark nuclear pact this month.
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| 'Storm Area 51' event pushes rural Nevada county to declare emergency Posted: 21 Aug 2019 06:52 AM PDT !['Storm Area 51' event pushes rural Nevada county to declare emergency]( "'Storm Area 51' event pushes rural Nevada county to declare emergency") Lincoln County commissioner pre-signed an emergency declaration ahead of the "Storm Area 51" raid event that's drawn more than 2 million RSVPs.
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| Luntz: ‘I was wrong’ on climate change Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:11 AM PDT  Luntz urged Democrats to "personalize, individualize and humanize" the impacts of climate change
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| Fox News Tried to Get Jill Abramson to Call the New York Times Biased. It Backfired. Posted: 21 Aug 2019 09:34 AM PDT  During a lengthy Fox News interview on Wednesday morning, former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson repeatedly frustrated America's Newsroom anchors Sandra Smith and Jon Scott as she rebuffed their attempts to get her to criticize the paper's coverage of President Trump.In recent days, Fox News has been laser-focused on a transcript of the newspaper's recent town-hall meeting, claiming it showed current Times executive editor Dean Baquet admitting the paper switched narratives from the Russia investigation to racism in an effort to take out the president. Abramson, who has not been shy in her criticism of the paper she once ran, began the segment by immediately praising Baquet as "really doing a brilliant job" under the circumstances of Trump's presidency.Noting that Baquet is "criticized all the time by you at Fox News and by conservatives were being way too hard on Trump and being biased" against him, Abramson went on to say how impressed she was with Baquet for explaining to the staff that their job was to be "independent and to hold power accountable.""Essentially he told reporters and staffers that we started trying to cover the Trump and Russia collusion narrative and that has kind of gone away," Scott countered. "So now we are going to cover President Trump as a racist. Is that essentially what he says, would you agree with that?"The ex-Times editor did not, in fact, agree with that."No, I think you mischaracterized what he said," she replied. "What he was explaining was that the paper had been set up to cover a deep investigative story out of Washington."Abramson added: "And now they were pivoting to an election where the job of The New York Times is to be in the country figuring out how people feel and what they think. It was not telling people get ready to cover a racist administration. That was a complete mischaracterization of what he was saying. I read that transcript twice."Smith, meanwhile, tried a different tack, reading a piece of the transcript in which Baquet says they need to "regroup" following their coverage of the Russian investigation while framing it within conservative criticism."You heard some members of Congress, including Ted Cruz and others, speaking out pretty aggressively about that revealing an intentional shift in coverage from the Russia narrative to now race in covering the president, is that fair?" Smith asked."I think that's an overstatement," Abramson responded. "If you look at the totality of what Dean said it, he was urging his staff to make a pivot to cover out in the country in all America, not just in Washington, but how people are feeling to understand deeply why they elected Donald Trump in 2016 and why they may possibly do so again in 2016."Eventually, the Fox anchors shifted course and tried to get Abramson to blast the Times for changing a headline earlier this month, once again coming up empty as the former editor said the current editorial staff made the right judgment in making the alteration.As the interview came to an end, Smith threw up one final Hail Mary."I know your book writes about old-school journalism and the changing media landscape and what's missing from journalism today," the anchor said. "I will just ask you, does The New York Times fairly cover the news?Does The New York Times fairly cover President Trump?""I think it does fairly cover President Trump, who makes it very difficult to cover him," Abramson answered, adding that it is "extremely difficult" to cover a president who has reportedly said more than 10,000 lies and falsehoods since entering office.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Joe Biden's former brain surgeon explains why he's not too old to be president Posted: 20 Aug 2019 11:04 AM PDT  Biden's surgeon said he's voting for the one candidate that he is "absolutely certain has a brain that is functioning."
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| Airstrikes target Turkish convoy in Syria, raising tensions Posted: 19 Aug 2019 03:29 PM PDT  Airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy inside a rebel-held part of northwestern Syria on Monday, killing three civilians and wounding 12 others, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. Syria said the Turkish convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels who have lost ground this month amid a government offensive to retake their last stronghold in the country. The incident ratcheted up tensions in the region, currently ground zero in the long-running Syrian civil war that has put Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests at stake.
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| China detains employee of Britain's Hong Kong mission, UK urged to act Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:46 AM PDT  A Chinese national working at Britain's Hong Kong consulate has been detained in China's border city of Shenzhen for violating the law, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday, likely worsening already strained ties between Beijing and London. Britain has said it is "extremely concerned" by reports that the staff member at the consulate in its former colony had been detained. Simon Cheng did not return to work on Aug. 9 after visiting the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen the previous day, Hong Kong news website HK01 reported, citing an interview with his girlfriend and family.
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| Phoenix police must now report whenever they point a gun at someone Posted: 20 Aug 2019 12:22 PM PDT  Chief Jeri Williams provided an update on Phoenix Police Department changes following a record number of police shootings in 2018.
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| Fukushima Radiation Becomes Latest Japan-South Korea Sore Point Posted: 21 Aug 2019 02:26 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is becoming the latest source of tension between Japan and South Korea, potentially undercutting Tokyo's effort to promote the 2020 Olympics.In recent days, South Korean officials have summoned a Japanese diplomat to express concern about a planned release of treated radioactive water into the ocean by Tepco, the plant's owner. They're also pushing for independent radiation checks at Olympic venues and proposing a separate cafeteria for their athletes, citing concerns about contaminated food.The radiation dispute is threatening to prolong tensions between the two U.S. allies, who have spent much of the summer trading economic sanctions and diplomatic threats in a tit-for-tat dispute. The feud has exposed lingering mistrust and disagreements over Japan's colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea's radiation concerns contrast with signs of softening attitudes last week on the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender. Japan has also taken steps to show that its recent export controls won't prevent legitimate sales to its neighbor. JSR Corp., one of the materials makers subject to the restrictions, received an export permit this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.No Backing Down"It's gone so far that neither side can back down," said Hiroyuki Kishi, a former trade official turned professor at Keio University in Yokohama, adding that the dispute would probably continue "or get worse." "I'm concerned that Japan may respond emotionally, because the Olympics are seen as very important."South Korea is also mulling whether to maintain an agreement on sharing military information with Japan, and may announce its decision as soon as Thursday, Yonhap News reported. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in Beijing following a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha that the pact was important and should be maintained.'Under Control'The issue of radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was damaged in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, has loomed over Tokyo's Olympic bid from the start. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe threw his weight behind the campaign, assuring the International Olympic Committee in a 2013 speech that the plant was "under control" and would have no impact on the capital.Now, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings Inc. is preparing a release from on-site storage tanks, which are expected to fill up by 2022 with water treated to remove most radioactive elements. An adviser for the company has recommended a controlled release into the Western Pacific -- a common practice at other reactors around the world -- while the environmental group Greenpeace has urged keeping the water in storage.South Korea summoned a Japanese diplomat on Monday, with the Foreign Ministry urging Tokyo to look into international organizations' views on the matter and be more transparent about its plans.Separately, the Korea Sport & Olympic Committee is set to make an official request that international organizations such as Greenpeace monitor radiation at Tokyo Olympic venues, the committee's press officer, Lee Mi-jin, said. South Korean officials have also drawn up a plan to run a separate cafeteria exclusively for South Korean athletes, to ensure they don't eat food from Fukushima, Lee said.The South Korean Food Ministry also announced Wednesday it would step up radiation checks on 17 items imported from Japan, including tea and chocolate.Produce from Fukushima is screened before shipment and is widely available in Japanese supermarkets. Recent data from volunteer organization Safecast shows that radiation levels in Tokyo are somewhat lower than those in Seoul. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee declined to comment on requests from other countries' organizing committees.(Updates with comments from Japanese foreign minister in sixth paragraph. A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Hiroyuki Kishi in fifth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Stephen Stapczynski.To contact the reporters on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net;Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Peter PaeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Former Texans player Mario Williams accused of trespassing in woman's home Posted: 20 Aug 2019 08:38 PM PDT  Mario Williams allegedly cloned a woman's garage remote in order to access her Katy apartment in the middle of the night, court documents say.
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| Neo-Nazi arrested over threat to exterminate Hispanics said 'I thank God every day Trump is president' Posted: 20 Aug 2019 10:58 AM PDT  A man arrested by the FBI on suspicion of threatening to kill Hispanic people in Miami allegedly wrote that he thanked God every day that Donald Trump was president.Eric Lin, 35, made a series of threats against the Hispanic community in the Miami area before being arrested in Seattle.
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| The Trump-Greenland effect: Deplorable policies buried in an avalanche of absurd optics Posted: 21 Aug 2019 01:13 AM PDT  Trump's reality TV 'rivals' are never climate change, or whatever is causing declining life expectancy, or the country that attacked our elections.
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| 23 towns in Texas were hit by possibly the largest-ever ransomware attack, in what could be the first coordinated cyberattack of its kind Posted: 20 Aug 2019 10:34 AM PDT  The coordinated ransomware attack on 23 Texas towns was carried out by a "single threat actor," the Texas Department of Information Resources said.
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| Why Kamala Harris Is Fading in the Democratic Primary Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:30 AM PDT  Anew national CNN poll of the 2020 Democratic primary has some pretty brutal numbers for Kamala Harris. When CNN last polled the presidential race shortly after the first Democratic debate in June, Harris was on Joe Biden's heels, trailing just 17 percent to 22 percent. But according to the latest survey by CNN, conducted August 15 to 18, Biden has rebounded to 29 percent, while Harris has dropped all the way down to 5 percent, tied for fourth place with South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg.What went wrong for Harris?The second Democratic debate was a clear defeat for the California senator, but it's now also obvious that her June debate performance was a Pyrrhic victory.At the first debate, Harris staked everything on attacking Joe Biden's record on busing. It worked for her that night: Biden's immediate response was hapless, Harris was widely declared the winner, and she got a significant bump in the polls.But Harris's line of attack raised an obvious and problematic question for her: Would she support reinstating the policies that Biden opposed?Logically, the answer would appear to need to be "yes.""I support busing. Listen, the schools of America are as segregated, if not more segregated, today than when I was in elementary school," Harris said on June 30. "Where states fail to do their duty to ensure equality of all people and in particular where states create or pass legislation that created inequality, there's no question that the federal government has a role and a responsibility to step up."But there was a problem for Harris: Busing policies were abandoned because they were wildly unpopular, and there's no reason to think they've magically become popular. So Harris equivocated and then backtracked.That attacking Biden on busing would paint the attacker into a corner was predictable. It was in fact predicted. See, for example, the end of this article from March in National Review. (Democratic strategists: Subscribe today!)Going on the offensive and then retreating on busing made Harris seem inauthentic. And the candidate had been dogged by questions of inauthenticity since the start of her campaign because of her waffling on the issue of Medicare for All, the policy at the center of the 2020 Democratic primary.First Harris indicated at a CNN town hall that she supported abolishing private insurance, as Medicare for All proposes. Then Harris said she didn't support abolishing private insurance: She tried to hide behind the fig leaf that Medicare for All allows "supplemental insurance," while obscuring the fact that "supplemental coverage" would be legal for only a very small number of treatments not covered by Medicare for All, such as cosmetic surgery. And cosmetic-surgery insurance doesn't even exist.Harris thought she'd finally figured a way out of the Medicare for All mess in July: She introduced her own plan shortly before the Democratic debates. It tried to split the difference: She promised to transition to a single-payer plan in 10 years (as opposed to Sanders's four-year deadline). This was meant to reassure progressives that they'll get there eventually while also reassuring moderates that there will be at least two more presidential elections before the country goes through with anything crazy.Harris's provision of Medicare Advantage–type plans was also supposed to reassure moderates, but the second debate demonstrated that she still wasn't ready to respond to the fact that her plan would eventually abolish existing private health plans for everyone, and she has no serious plan for how to pay for single-payer.Then there were Joe Biden's and Representative Tulsi Gabbard's devastating attacks on Harris's record as a prosecutor at the second Democratic debate. "Biden alluded to a crime lab scandal that involved her office and resulted in more than 1,000 drug cases being dismissed. Gabbard claimed Harris 'blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until she was forced to do so.' Both of these statements are accurate," the Sacramento Bee reported after the debate.As Harris's backtracking on busing made clear, no one is seriously considering resurrecting the deeply unpopular policies of the 1970s. But criminal justice is very much a live issue in Democratic politics, and that's why the attack on Harris's record as a prosecutor has had such a greater impact than the attack on Biden's record on busing. Biden continues to do very well among African-American voters, while Harris continues to struggle.So Harris's problems go deeper than the fact that she had one good debate followed by one bad debate on matters of style. Both debates revealed she has serious weaknesses on matters of substance. And the hits keep coming on Medicare for All: On Monday, she was savaged by Bernie Sanders after it was reported that Harris told wealthy donors in the Hamptons that she was not "comfortable" with Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All bill, which she co-sponsored and supported until a few weeks ago. There are still five months left until the Iowa caucuses, but the past two months have demonstrated that Harris has deep problems that she can't paper over with some well-rehearsed, well-delivered lines in subsequent debates.
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| The Amazon is burning and smoke from the fires can be seen from space Posted: 21 Aug 2019 08:59 AM PDT  Smoke from record wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest blanketed São Paulo on Monday and could be seen from space.
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| Space telescope offers rare glimpse of Earth-sized rocky exoplanet Posted: 19 Aug 2019 06:06 PM PDT |
| 2015 North Dakota liquid gas spill much bigger than reported Posted: 20 Aug 2019 04:06 PM PDT |
| We can't trust police to protect us from racist violence. They contribute to it Posted: 21 Aug 2019 05:29 AM PDT  White nationalists pervade law enforcement. Fighting far right violence means continuing our fight for police accountabilityProtesters shout anti-Nazi chants after chasing alt-right blogger Jason Kessler from a news conference on 13 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesAs mass violence continues, many of us have become rightly afraid for the people we love. We want justice, but we also want protection.So what are the solutions we're hearing about following this month's violence? One idea we must reject is the idea of trusting law enforcement to protect us from white nationalist violence, given how much they contribute to it. If people in law enforcement want to be seen as experts on defeating white nationalism, shouldn't they have to get rid of all the white nationalists in their own ranks first?White nationalists pervade law enforcement. There is a long history of the military, police and other authorities supporting, protecting or even being members of white supremacy groups. But it's not just history. It was revealed last week that a black man in Michigan came upon KKK materials and Confederate flags in plain view while being shown a home for sale – the home of a police officer on the force for more than 20 years who shot and killed a black man in 2009 without consequence.It's a widespread pattern. As early as 2006, the FBI flagged it. Another FBI report in 2015, not covered nearly enough, indicated that "domestic terrorism investigations focused on militia extremists, white supremacist extremists, and sovereign citizen extremists often have identified active links to law enforcement officers". (And that's the FBI, which has its own history of white supremacy affinity groups.)White nationalists connect through online networks and offline groups, and openly share tactics for infiltrating and influencing police departments, border patrol, the FBI and the military. That was the case for a Virginia police officer – assigned to a high school – who was revealed to be a longtime white nationalist and served as a recruiter for Identity Evropa, one of the groups behind the Charlottesville hate rallies and violence. He was not shy about his cover. In chat messages, he "discussed ways to downplay appearances of racism, while still promoting white nationalism".Another thing many of those like him are not shy about: stoking and celebrating violence, and promoting hateful misinformation and rhetoric. The Plain View Project tracked publicly posted social media material from more than 3,500 confirmed current and retired law enforcement officers, and found that "about 1 in 5 of the current officers, and 2 in 5 of the retired officers, made public posts or comments ... displaying bias, applauding violence, scoffing at due process or using dehumanizing language". The Center for Investigative Reporting was able to identify almost 400 current and retired law enforcement officials who were members of private Facebook "Confederate, anti-Islam, misogynistic or anti-government militia" groups.We have seen racist text messages and emails among active officers revealed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and more, including among those in management with direct authority over law enforcement practices. As the Portland case proved, we must come to terms with the depth of association between senior law enforcement and white nationalist leaders and groups – people they should be investigating and thwarting, not encouraging and helping to evade justice.Neo-Nazis and white supremacists at the University of Virginia after marching through the campus with torches in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. Photograph: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesIt would be naive to look at cases in which agencies have dismissed white nationalists from their ranks as an encouraging sign, whether in police departments, border patrol (an agent with a pattern of racist text messages ran over a Guatemalan migrant with a truck), the coast guard (a white nationalist aimed to "murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country"), military units (more Identity Evropa members in the Marines), or anywhere else.In truth, would the level of violence committed by law enforcement in communities of color, and at the border, even be possible if racial hatred weren't part and parcel of police culture? White nationalists in law enforcement and in many roles in government, such as prosecutors, are dangerous because they routinely abuse their power to attack and debilitate communities of color, including harassment and coercion, financial exploitation, acts of sexual and racially-targeted violence and mass incarceration – all officially sanctioned, and all celebrated as part of the larger white nationalist agenda.Within the FBI, there has been an active movement among white nationalist sympathizers to protect their own by unfoundedly targeting nonviolent black activists: inventing the idea of a black extremist threat to justify surveillance of nonviolent black activists and divert attention from truly violent white nationalist perpetrators. This policy was codified in an internal "Race Paper" that a federal court allowed to remain secret, despite a move for transparency led by my organization, Color Of Change. (And people who have spoken out about internal racism at the FBI have not been treated well.)Investigations have not yet uncovered the extent to which people in law enforcement at all levels are actually involved in white nationalist violence more directly: training and mentorship, advice and tips, offering the social validation that people of color and others are, in fact, the enemy, or offering the social validation that violence is, in fact, the answer.More stories from those who know what's happening inside law enforcement officers' lives would help.But we already know enough. We must change the incentives for law enforcement and their unions – financial, social, cultural and otherwise – that allow the denial of this threat to persist. Instead of allowing news media to praise law enforcement as problem-solvers, we must hold them to account for the harm they enable. Lawmakers across the country must also play their role: investigating the extent of the problem, and forcing a purge of white nationalists and their sympathizers from positions of power and influence – everywhere. Fighting white nationalist violence means doubling down on our fight for police accountability.
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| Hiker Who Survived Being Lost in Montana Wilderness for Days Speaks Out Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:59 PM PDT  Sunday marks a week since Kaden Laga went missing in Montana. He and his wife Arden, who are expecting their first baby, were out visiting family when a normal hike turned into a search and rescue.
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| It looks like the Russians are trying to hide the truth about that nuclear accident in Nyonoksa Posted: 19 Aug 2019 02:07 PM PDT  Evidence is mounting that Russia may be covering up a tragic nuclear accident after a mysterious blast killed seven at a military-weapons testing site.
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| Demolition derby accident kills woman after car flies into crowd Posted: 20 Aug 2019 01:57 AM PDT  A woman was killed and seven other people injured when an out-of-control demolition derby car veered into spectators, it has been reported.The woman, believed to be a paramedic in her 30s, died after the crash in Deer Lodge, Montana, which happened during the final event of a tri-county fair on Sunday.
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| Kashmir families demand answers for 'unaccounted for' deaths Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:13 AM PDT  Rafiq Shagu's wife died shortly after Friday prayers in India's Muslim-majority Kashmir when tear gas smashed through a window in their home and filled the room. Now, with Indian authorities denying their troops have caused any civilian deaths while enforcing a lockdown of more than two weeks in the Himalayan region, he is facing what may be a futile quest to hold those responsible to account. In an interview with AFP, Shagu recalled the horrific events of the August 9 afternoon when he said his wife, Fehmeeda, was teaching her two children at their home in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
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| Waiter shot dead by customer who waited too long for sandwich in France, witnesses say Posted: 19 Aug 2019 01:02 PM PDT  The unidentified customer shot the waiter in the shoulder with a handgun. The restaurant is in the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Grand.
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| See Photos of the 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-S Posted: 19 Aug 2019 10:56 AM PDT |
| Thousands of Central American migrants take free rides home courtesy of U.S. government Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT ![Thousands of Central American migrants take free rides home courtesy of U.S. government]( "Thousands of Central American migrants take free rides home courtesy of U.S. government") More than 2,000 Central American migrants seeking to settle in the United States have given up and accepted free rides home under a 10-month-old program funded by the U.S. government and run by a United Nations agency, according to a U.N. official. The "Assisted Voluntary Return" program has paid for buses or flights for 2,170 migrants who either never reached the United States or were detained after crossing the border and then sent to Mexico to await U.S. immigration hearings, according to Christopher Gascon, an official with the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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| Trial starts in case of fatal shooting over parking spot Posted: 21 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT  A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that a white Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a dispute over a parking space had initiated a similar confrontation just months before, while his defense attorney said the shooting was in self-defense. Prosecutor Fred Schaub said during opening statements of Michael Drejka's manslaughter trial in Clearwater that five months before he fatally shot Markeis McGlockton in July 2018, the defendant had threatened another driver about parking in a handicapped parking spot at the same convenience store. Five months later, Drejka confronted McGlockton's girlfriend for parking in a handicapped space.
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| If China prevails in Hong Kong, religious freedom could be the first right to disappear Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Religious persecution is rampant in China, and Hong Kong residents are right to fear a similar fate. We should not underestimate this threat.
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| Carrie Symonds 'barred from entering the US over Somaliland trip' Posted: 20 Aug 2019 03:59 PM PDT  Boris Johnson's girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, has been barred from visiting the US. She had applied for permission to go to the US in the next few days as part of her job with environmental group Oceana but the request was blocked by the American authorities, the Daily Mail reported. The situation could prove embarrassing for the Prime Minister, who is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France which begins on Saturday. The problem with Ms Symonds' travel plans could be linked to a trip to Somaliland last year. The US does not recognise Somaliland as an independent country, instead viewing it as part of Somalia. Applicants under the electronic system for travel authorisation (Esta) visa waiver programme, which allows Britons to spend up to 90 days in the US, are asked whether they have visited Somalia since March 2011. Ms Symonds visited Somaliland last year with her friend Nimco Ali, a campaigner against female genital mutilation. Following the reports of Ms Symonds' travel difficulties, Ms Ali said on Twitter: "Somaliland is Africa's best kept Secret, it's my birth place and it's stunning. "For 28 years without international assistance we have rebuilt our Country and are the only democracy in the Horn of Africa. I am happy to personally show anyone around the land I was sourced from." Ms Symonds has no official role in Downing Street and no taxpayer-funded support, although she has been pictured at functions in Number 10 with Mr Johnson. Downing Street declined to comment. Ayan Mahamoud, Head of the Somaliland Mission to the UK said, the country is an "independent, peaceful and stable" nation often wrongly confused with neighbours Somalia. She said: "We have a longstanding and positive relationship with the UK Government, and we have been proud to host members of the Government within the last 12 months, numerous Members of Parliament, and thousands of tourists from the UK every year. "We continue to call on the UK Government to support our calls for international recognition and to support Somaliland as we seek to overturn the damaging and unjustified travel restrictions unfairly imposed on our citizens by the US Government."
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