| What the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings reveal about Kamala Harris Posted: 13 Aug 2020 12:49 PM PDT  Kamala Harris's questioning of Brett Kavanaugh when he was nominated to the Supreme Court won the senator praise for her prosecutorial skill.
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| 43 felony charges, new task forces: Here's what Chicago is doing to combat potential looting Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:33 PM PDT  Dozens of people have been charged in connection with widespread looting in downtown Chicago earlier this week, the county prosecutor said.
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| North Korea's leader is tapping his own private food reserve to feed the country, and it could be a worrying sign Posted: 15 Aug 2020 05:00 AM PDT  "It reflects the perfect storm of economic stresses that North Korea is suffering right now," a former CIA branch chief in Korea told Insider.
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| Chainsaw-wielding men covered in blood arrested on Toronto beach Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:54 AM PDT  Two men have been arrested after appearing on a Canadian beach spattered in blood and wielding chainsaws.Witnesses alleged that they menaced and "charged" at various people gathered at Toronto's Cherry Beach on Sunday morning, before police quickly intervened, responding to reports of a large fight.
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| Vaccine makers including Moderna must hit U.S. timing goals for full payments Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:04 AM PDT  The United States is tying payments for COVID-19 vaccines to timing milestones for production and approval, according to public documents and a Trump administration official, putting pressure on drugmakers including Moderna Inc to meet ambitious targets. In a deal with Moderna announced this week, federal agencies negotiated a sliding scale of payments. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, biotech's $1.5-billion deal pays out in full if its vaccine receives regulatory clearance by January 31, 2021, according to filings.
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| More than 50 Confederate symbols moved, taken down in wake of George Floyd's death, study says Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:56 PM PDT  In the months since George Floyd died in Minneapolis while in police custody, protests have rippled across the United States, with hundreds of demonstrators rallying against systemic racism and calling for justice. Among some of the more prominent changes sparked by Floyd's death is the speedy removal and renaming of landmarks and monuments representing the Confederacy. Such symbols have come ...
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| Mexico to keep US border closed to non-essential travel Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:47 PM PDT  Mexico plans to extend the closure of its shared border with the United States for another month to non-essential travel, Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday. The current agreement runs through Aug. 21, but Ebrard said it does not make sense to reopen the border at this time. "We already told the United States that we're of the idea that it's extended because of what we have along the strip on their side," Ebrard said, referring to a surge in cases in the southwestern United States.
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| US seizes millions of dollars of Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela Posted: 14 Aug 2020 01:47 PM PDT  The US says it seized 1.1 million barrels of fuel from four tankers en route to Venezuela.
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| Oregon State Police Withdraws from Portland Courthouse after D.A. Announces He Won’t Prosecute Most Rioters Posted: 14 Aug 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Oregon state police are backing out of an agreement to protect the Portland federal courthouse from rioters, after the Multnomah County district attorney announced he will not prosecute most rioters who are arrested.Portland has seen riots almost every night since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Rioters initially targeted the federal courthouse in the city, but after federal and state law enforcement came to an agreement to jointly protect the courthouse, rioters moved on to attack city police.Multnomah County D.A. Mike Schmidt announced on Tuesday that his office would not prosecute most rioters who have been arrested, except where charges include deliberate property damage, theft, or threat of violence. Police have arrested over 500 people since the riots began, but less than 50 have been prosecuted so far.Oregon state police told KOIN 6 on Thursday that they are ending their deployment at Portland's federal courthouse because of anger over Schmidt's decision after being called in to assist as part of the agreement reached between local authorities and the federal government."The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority," OSP said in a statement.Governor Kate Brown said the withdrawal was being coordinated between all relevant agencies."This transition was made in coordination with local and federal officials," Brown wrote on Twitter. "If further state support is needed in Portland, OSP troopers will be available to return to the city.""The OSP Troopers assigned to this event demonstrated the best traditions of the agency's commitment to service, however, our initial commitment to the City of Portland has concluded and it is time we integrate this valuable resource back to their respective communities," OSP said in a statement to National Review. "OSP will always be here for Portland, as we have for decades and I'll continue to assess subsequent resource demands with the Portland Police Bureau Chief, whom I have a great deal of respect for and a strong working relationship."
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| Jared Kushner Is Working on More Middle East Pacts With Israel Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:00 PM PDT  With 89 days to go until the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates that marks a significant step in establishing peace in the Middle East—a promise Trump made in his first 100 days in office.Speaking with reporters Thursday, Trump joked that he wanted the pact, an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations, "to be called the Donald J. Trump accord." National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said it "wouldn't surprise him" if Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize because of his role in helping broker the deal.But for all the intentional focus by the White House on the president Thursday, senior administration officials say it was Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner who worked behind the scenes over the last several months to smooth out the agreement and convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ) to agree to it publicly in the lead up to the 2020 election. Thursday's announcement is an extension of a years-long effort by Kushner to construct a working Middle East Peace Plan, an accord formally announced by President Trump in January, and officials say they expect the president's son-in-law to deliver similar agreements between Israel and other Arab nations in the next several weeks.Revealed at Last: Trump's Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal to End All PeaceTrump's announcement Thursday highlights the critical role Kushner could play in delivering foreign policy wins for the president in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. It also underscores the extent to which Kushner has cultivated his personal relationships with world leaders, including Netanyahu, to advance the Trump administration's interests. While some national security officials have previously chided Kushner for operating outside of the traditional interagency process, some senior officials now acknowledge the importance of the president's son-in-law continuing to use his connections to broker these deals and bolster Trump's chances at winning in November. "There's no way this would have gotten done without Jared," one senior official said. As Trump's foreign policy and national security teams work to bolster the president's foreign policy credentials in the lead up to the election, senior administration officials, including those in the national security apparatus, say the White House is increasingly focused on introducing additional agreements between Israel and other Arab nations. One official said Kushner and other senior officials were in talks with Bahrain about a similar pact.Other national security officials who spoke to The Daily Beast said that while they view the Israel-UAE agreement as a step forward in establishing peace in the region, they are concerned about the leeway it gives Netanyahu to backpedal on one of the deal's major points.Israel and the UAE have, among other things, signed on to establishing embassies, increasing trade, and partnering on the fight against the coronavirus. Under the agreement, Israel has also promised to temporarily suspend annexation of the West Bank. On that particular point, though, Netanyahu and MBZ on Thursday offered different statements. MBZ said on Twitter that an "agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories." But Netanyahu said during a speech Thursday evening Jerusalem time that he was still "committed to annexing parts of the West Bank to Israel." Netanyahu was criticized Thursday for seemingly flipping on an issue he'd promised to carry out during his recent campaign.Those officials also said they were wary of any Israel-UAE agreement that dealt with annexation without the input of the Palestinians. "This could just be an agreement for an agreement's sake," said one senior administration official. "We have to see what actually comes out of this and if both sides follow through. I'm not going say this isn't a big deal. It is. But I'm not confident that this pact gets rolling anytime soon."Since June, Kushner has worked closely with U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman to iron out the details of the Israel-UAE deal, said two senior administration officials, particularly on the language around annexation. In Washington, Kushner also worked with the Near Eastern Affairs Desk at the State Department and with Brian Hook, the special adviser on Iran, officials said. Hook traveled to Israel in July and spoke with Netanyahu about the accord, one other senior official said.While O'Brien oversaw the U.S. outreach to the Israelis and Emiratis, the bulk of the negotiations took place between Kushner, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Otaiba and Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, officials said. Kushner is close with both ambassadors and has for years consulted with them in the drafting of his Middle East Peace Plan. Senior officials pointed to Otaiba's presence at the Middle East Peace Plan unveiling in Washington in January, where Trump announced the deal alongside Netanyahu, as the first public sign that the UAE was willing to work with Jerusalem. Since then, officials said, the administration has attempted to draw in the UAE on the idea of normalizing relations with Israel—a difficult task given the peace plan's focus on the lasting security of Israel and the Palestinians rejecting it from the beginning. Otaiba recently published an op-ed in a prominent Israeli newspaper in which he outlined the ways in which Israel and the UAE could cooperate on technology, climate change, and science. "Annex will be an unmistakable sign indicating whether Israel views matters the same way," he said.With the announcement Thursday, Otaiba seemed to indicate that the UAE would continue to pressure Israel to adhere to its plans to suspend annexation. "The UAE will continue to remain a strong supporter of the Palestinian people–for their dignity, their rights and their own sovereign state," Otaiba said in a statement Thursday. "They must benefit too in normalization. As we have for fifty years, we will forcefully advocate for these ends."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Fauci slammed Tucker Carlson, saying he 'triggers some of the crazies' to attack him and that it's 'ridiculous' that he needs personal security to protect him Posted: 15 Aug 2020 02:21 AM PDT  Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly criticized infectious-diseases expert Anthony Fauci's expertise of late.
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| Bison violently attacks motorcyclist in South Dakota Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:04 AM PDT  A motorcyclist has survived a violent attack by a bison in the Black Hills of South Dakota, sheriff's officials said.
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| U.S. judge dismisses NRA lawsuit challenging gun shop closures in New York state Posted: 14 Aug 2020 01:24 PM PDT  A federal judge on Friday dismissed the National Rifle Association's lawsuit challenging New York's decision to close gun stores in the state in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision came eight days after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the gun rights group, accusing senior leaders of corruption including the improper diversion of millions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino said the NRA lacked standing to challenge on behalf of its members a March 20 executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo requiring gun stores to close in the state because they were "non-essential" businesses.
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| North Korea lifts lockdown in city, rejects flood, virus aid Posted: 13 Aug 2020 05:44 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lifted a lockdown in a major city near the border with South Korea where thousands had been quarantined for weeks over coronavirus worries, state media said Friday. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency also said Kim replaced Kim Jae Ryong as premier following an evaluation of the Cabinet's economic performance and appointed Kim Tok Hun as his successor. Entering the last year of an ambitious five-year national development plan, Kim Jong Un in December declared a "frontal breakthrough" against international sanctions while urging his nation to stay resilient in a struggle for economic self-reliance.
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| Herman Cain died two weeks ago, but his social media accounts are still bashing Democrats Posted: 13 Aug 2020 03:58 PM PDT  "How well prepared is Kamala Harris for the presidency? We take a look. We're not impressed and you won't be either," said a post on Cain's account.
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| ‘The President Was Not Encouraging’: What Obama Really Thought About Biden Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:11 AM PDT  Behind the friendship was a more complicated relationship, which now drives the former vice president to prove his partner wrong.
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| Mei Xiang, the National Zoo's female giant panda, is very pregnant and her cub could come as soon as this weekend Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:11 PM PDT  The panda cub could be the first cub at The National Zoo since Bei Bei was born in 2015. He left to China last year.
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| The US said federal agents have seized millions of dollars in bitcoin from terrorist groups al-Qaeda and Hamas Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Officials said it's the US government's "largest-ever" seizure of cryptocurrency accounts controlled by terrorist organizations.
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| 3 women arrested for allegedly attacking a Chili's host for enforcing social distancing Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:57 AM PDT  "I was kind of fighting for my life," restaurant hostess Kelsy Wallace, 17, said. "I was really scared, calling out for my mama."
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| Mexican government forces out over 1,000 immigration officials accused of corruption Posted: 14 Aug 2020 05:24 PM PDT |
| Wild boar who stole German nudist's clothes to be culled Posted: 14 Aug 2020 08:24 AM PDT  A trained marksman is to be deployed to shoot a wild boar that stole the clothes of a naked German man, Berlin authorities said on Friday. The boar made international headlines last week after photographs of the portly nudist giving chase were shared on social media. But in a sad postscript to the incident, the local forestry department said yesterday (FRI) the boar would have to be killed as it has lost its fear of humans and presents a danger to public safety. The boar in question emerged from the forest with two cubs last week and made its way through crowds of Berliners seeking to cool off in the Teufelsee, one of the city's many lakes. "You have to put yourself in the boar's position," Katja Kammer of the Grunewald forestry department told local RBB television. "The sun is hot on its black fur. So it heads for water or into a swamp." Forestry officials have been tracking the boar in question for some time, Ms Kammer said. "Fortunately, there have not been any serious incidents involving wild boar at the Teufelssee." Wild boar numbers are regularly controlled by licensed hunters around Berlin and many other major German cities. When the population becomes too high. the boars emerge from the forests to look for food and can turn aggressive when they encounters humans. In one famous incident, four people including a police officer were injured when they were attacked by a 265-pound boar that had wandered into the Berlin neighbourhood of Charlottenburg in 2012.
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| ‘Wish I had my baby back.’ Suspect who shot Indiana toddler in mom’s car wanted by FBI Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:08 AM PDT  "This little girl's life was stripped from her in an act of senseless violence."
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| US economist proposes $12 trillion in slavery reparations to eliminate black-white wealth gap Posted: 14 Aug 2020 07:13 AM PDT  A renowned economist has said that $12 trillion should be afforded to black Americans in reparation for slavery to help the close wealth gap.Duke University professor, William Darity Jr, and writer, Kirsten Mullen, jointly published a report for The Roosevelt Institute, an American liberal think tank, laying out a case for slavery reparations.
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| Authorities to allow sea lion killing to help struggling salmon population Posted: 14 Aug 2020 03:27 PM PDT  U.S. authorities on Friday gave wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling salmon and steelhead trout.
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| Trump dismisses concerns that banning WeChat could hurt Apple's iPhone sales: 'Whatever' Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:09 PM PDT  On Friday, a reporter asked the president what he thinks about the WeChat ban potentially hurting Apple, to which Trump replied, "whatever."
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| An Arizona school district canceled its reopening plans because too many teachers refused to show up Posted: 15 Aug 2020 05:05 AM PDT  Nearly half the teachers in the J.O. Combs Unified School District said they would not show up. Arizona has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 34 Camping Essentials for Your RV, Trailer, or Badass Camper Van Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:11 PM PDT |
| 9th Circuit ends California ban on high-capacity magazines Posted: 14 Aug 2020 10:21 AM PDT  A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday threw out California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution's protection of the right to bear firearms. "Even well-intentioned laws must pass constitutional muster," appellate Judge Kenneth Lee wrote for the panel's majority. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office said it is reviewing the decision and he "remains committed to using every tool possible to defend California's gun safety laws and keep our communities safe."
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| Georgia governor to drop mask lawsuit against Atlanta mayor and city Posted: 13 Aug 2020 12:48 PM PDT  Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced on Thursday that he plans to drop a lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the city, possibly ending a months-long feud over an order for people to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. Kemp had sued Bottoms and the city of Atlanta to stop enforcement of a local mask mandate aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. While the governor is to drop the lawsuit, filed last month, his office said it may still pursue an executive order to strike down any local mask mandates.
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| He was working security at a Key West bar. Police say he’s part of a murder plot Posted: 15 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Key West police and U.S. Marshals arrested a man working security at a bar in the Southernmost City this week who is a suspect in a stalking and attempted murder case in Nebraska.
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| Nigerian police rescue Kano man locked up in his parents' garage Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:52 AM PDT  The emaciated aged 30 had been left for at least three years without proper care, police say.
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| Hillary Clinton would 'consider' working for a Biden administration Posted: 14 Aug 2020 06:53 AM PDT  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would consider a role in Joe Biden's administration if the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is elected in November."I'm ready to help in any way I can because I think this will be a moment where every American – I don't care what party you are, I don't care what age, race, gender, I don't care – every American should want to fix our country," Ms Clinton said.
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| Bald eagle takes down government drone Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:24 PM PDT  The device was mapping shoreline erosion when it was attacked in the air.
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| Americans could be staring down the worst public health crisis in recent history if COVID-19 rages on into the flu season, CDC warns Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:38 PM PDT  "I'm asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, and be smart about crowds," CDC Director Robert Redfield said
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| Greece has secretly sent away more than 1,000 migrants, taking them to the edge of the country's territorial waters and then abandoning them at sea Posted: 14 Aug 2020 08:11 PM PDT  "I left Syria for fear of bombing — but when this happened, I wished I'd died under a bomb," Najma al-Khatib told The Times.
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| Mourners gather in Houston to remember slain soldier Posted: 13 Aug 2020 08:48 PM PDT  Vanessa Guillen, who was last seen on April 22, was memorialized nearly four months after she is said to have been killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood, a U.S. Army base in Texas. Mourners gathered at Cesar Chavez High School in Houston, where Guillen grew up playing soccer and dreaming of joining the military. "She's very happy where she is next to God and the Virgin Mary," Lupe Guillen said.
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| Trump says ready to move on coronavirus aid, blames Democrats for holdup Posted: 14 Aug 2020 06:57 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is ready to move stimulus money into a U.S. economy hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, but blamed Democrats for holding up a deal in talks that broke down a week ago. The Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled House of Representatives went into an informal recess after last week's negotiations ended with the parties $2 trillion apart. At a Friday news conference, Trump said he was prepared to provide Americans with direct payments as well as rental assistance and money for small businesses, state and local governments.
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| Police: North Carolina man faces murder charge in shooting death of 5-year-old boy Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:27 PM PDT  Darius Sessoms, 25, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant in North Carolina.
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| Amber Alert resolved for 16-year-old Florida teenager, authorities say Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:09 AM PDT  UPDATE: The Amber Alert for the unidentified 16-year-old girl has been resolved Friday night, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.
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| Lukashenko reaches out to Putin, claiming Belarus protests also threaten Russia Posted: 15 Aug 2020 07:14 AM PDT  Belarus' embattled President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday appealed to his long-time ally Russian President Vladimir Putin as protesters continue to call for his resignation following his recent disputed election victory, which the opposition alleges he rigged.Lukashenko has been in power for 26 years, but the so-called "last dictator in Europe" is facing one of his strongest challenges yet, as tens of thousands of people remain in the streets, CEOs in the country's up-and-coming information technology sector threaten to leave, and even some riot police put down their shields and embrace demonstrators.He said it is necessary to contact Putin because the protests are "not a threat to just Belarus anymore." The appeal comes at a rare point of uncertainty in the two countries' relationship, Reuters notes. Lukashenko has recently balked at deepening economic and political ties with Moscow, fearing a breach of Minsk's sovereignty. Russia, in turn, had scaled back subsidies propping up Lukashenko's government, but it seems Putin and Lukashenko are on the same page when it comes to the demonstrations.> Putin answered the call. Kremlin read-out: "Lukashenko spoke of Belarus post-election situation. Both sides voiced confidence problems resolved soon. Main thing is that destructive forces trying to harm mutually beneficial co-op of the 2 countries...don't exploit these problems"> > — Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) August 15, 2020Meanwhile, the opposition is re-emerging after Lukashenko cracked down on potential challengers, including Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran against him in last week's election. Tikhanovskaya left the country for Lithuania this week for safety reasons, but resurfaced on social media Friday and said she is ready to enter talks with Lukashenko, mediated by international partners. Read more at Reuters and NPR.More stories from theweek.com Trump's Post Office meddling is plainly illegal Are bread riots coming to America? Biden campaign preparing '360 degree effort' to engage Caribbean-American voters in Florida
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| After months of haggling, Lockheed moves on German air defense bid Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:55 AM PDT  Lockheed Martin and MBDA Deutschland have submitted another bid for Germany's next-generation air defense system, following negotiations throughout the summer that some observers said nearly tanked the project.
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| Scorching temperatures in Death Valley will shatter records in West, southwest Posted: 13 Aug 2020 11:01 AM PDT  Cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson and Salt Lake City could experience record high temperatures in the coming days.
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