| Obama endorses challenger to Maine's Susan Collins, under fire for Kavanaugh confirmation vote Posted: 04 Aug 2020 02:04 PM PDT  Democratic Senate candidate Sara Gideon is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in a race that could help decide which party controls the Senate for at least the next two years.
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| Gun sales spike among African-Americans: 'Our ancestors died for us to vote, they also died for us to be able to carry guns' Posted: 03 Aug 2020 02:59 PM PDT  When Americans panic, they buy guns — lots of them. During the first six months of 2020, amidst the global coronavirus pandemic, gun retailers reported a record 10.3 million firearm transactions, according to a new survey by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). And while various demographic groups are buying guns in 2020, African-Americans currently account for the highest increase in gun purchases.
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| Bill Gates issued a stark warning for the world: 'As awful as this pandemic is, climate change could be worse' Posted: 05 Aug 2020 07:44 AM PDT  Gates said to understand the impact climate change will have, we need to "look at COVID-19 and spread the pain out over a much longer period of time."
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| Beirut Ignored Public Warning There Was a Russian ‘Bomb’ at the Port Posted: 05 Aug 2020 02:38 AM PDT  Years before a devastating blast killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 in Beirut Tuesday, a maritime analyst issued a public warning that a Russian "floating bomb" was languishing in the city's docks.Maritime monitoring systems tracked the Rhosus into port in Beirut in September 2013. The ship, which was flagged in Moldova, listed its official cargo as "agricultural commodities." The 2,750 metric ton cargo of ammonium nitrate would primarily be used for fertilizers or high power explosives. To put it in context, less than two metric tons of ammonium nitrate was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The Russian-owned cargo ship called into port in Beirut for reasons unknown, possibly after running into trouble at sea en route from Georgia to Mozambique. Beirut authorities blocked it from leaving and the dangerous cargo was offloaded and stored in Hanger 12 in the port a year later, according to the maritime monitoring website Fleetmon. Mikhail Voytenko, a Russian maritime analyst based in Thailand, warned in July 2014 that the ship, which he said was owned by a Russian operator, was effectively a "floating bomb." Voytenko said the ship's owners had abandoned the ship and its crew, and the Lebanese authorities had failed to protect the deadly cargo. "There are a lot of restrictions, regulations and rules to stick to when talking about storing explosives like ammonium but they just stored it in a warehouse and forgot about it," he told The Daily Beast by phone from close to the Laem Chabang port in Thailand where he works.The Russian captain of the abandoned ship, Boris Prokoshev, and three Ukrainian crew members Valery Lupol, 3rd mechanic Andrey Golovyoshkin and boatswain Boris Musinchak, were made to stay on the ship with the deadly cargo after the other six crew members were released. They launched an appeal to get out, writing to Russian and Ukrainian journalists and to a group that supports seamen."The shipowner abandoned the vessel. The cargo owner has ammonium nitrate in the hold," Musinchak wrote in an email to both the Assol Seamen Aid Foundation and the diplomatic services of Ukraine. "It is an explosive substance... This is how we live for free on a powder keg for 10 months."A Lebanese court then gave permission to unload the cargo, but not before asking the sailors to find a buyer for it themselves, which they claimed in the email they could not because all communication was stripped from the ship. On Wedensday, Prokoshev appeared on Russian television, insisting that even the lawyer who tried to free them was corrupt and not concerned about the fate of the ammonium nitrate. "For some reason, the consignee did not lift a finger to get his cargo out," he said.The ship was owned and operated by Igor Grechushkin, a Russian, who now moved to Cyprus, according to the stranded sailors. Calls to Grechushkin were not immediately answered.As well as the public warning, Lebanese officials had repeatedly ignored warnings by port authorities about the ammonium nitrate that sparked the devastating explosion.Badri Daher, the current head of Lebanon's customs authority, told reporters on the scene that the explosion was linked to the ammonium nitrate. Several people in the open source intelligence community later tweeted photos of loosely packed bags of white powder, assumed to be the substance. The Daily Beast has not verified the authenticity of the photos.On June 27, 2014, Shafik Merhi, then head of the Lebanese Customs Authority wrote to Lebanese officials under the heading "urgent matters," asking for help to secure the explosives, according to a copy of the letter shared on Twitter by human rights activist Wadih Al Asmar. Merhi then reportedly sent five more letters, in December 5, 2014, May 6, 2015, May 20, 2016, October 13, 2016, and October 27, 2017, pleading for help, according to Al Jazeera, which reports one as saying, "In view of the serious danger of keeping these goods in the hangar in unsuitable climatic conditions, we reaffirm our request to please request the marine agency to re-export these goods immediately to preserve the safety of the port and those working in it, or to look into agreeing to sell this amount."Another letter, this time written by Daher, the incoming head of Lebanese Customs Authority reiterated the warning of "the danger of leaving these goods in the place they are, and to those working there."Lebanon's new prime minister Hassan Diab, who came to the job in January 2020, alluded to the theory that the devastation could have been avoided, promising that "all those responsible for this catastrophe will pay a price."President Donald Trump referred to the explosion as an attack, though local authorities say it was likely set off by a welder working nearby. "I've met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that . . . this was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event," Trump said at a White House briefing. "They seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind."On Wednesday, hundreds were still reported missing from the massive explosion, which generated seismic waves similar to a 3.3 magnitude earthquake. Beirut port, which is dubiously nicknamed the Cave of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves because of the alleged corruption tied to its management, has been under intense scrutiny in recent months after the October Revolution began last fall. 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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| George Floyd: Leaked police bodycam footage shows how fatal arrest began Posted: 04 Aug 2020 02:28 AM PDT  Leaked body camera footage shows George Floyd begging for his life in the moments leading up to his arrest and subsequent death at the knee of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.Video recorded on the body cameras of two other former officers, Thomas Lane, 37, and J. Kueng, 26, shows the initial moments of the confrontation between Mr Floyd and officers outside a Minneapolis shop on 25 May.
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| New York City to enforce traveler quarantine with COVID-19 checkpoints Posted: 05 Aug 2020 08:14 AM PDT  New York City will put up COVID-19 quarantine checkpoints at key entry points to ensure that incoming travelers from 35 states with outbreaks comply with the state's 14-day quarantine mandate, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. "Travelers coming in from those states will be given information about the quarantine and will be reminded that it is required, not optional," de Blasio told a news briefing. The Sheriff's Office, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, will begin deploying checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings into New York City on Wednesday.
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| Direct-to-Consumer Furniture Brand Burrow Expands Its Offerings Posted: 04 Aug 2020 02:00 PM PDT |
| This is what it looked like after the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima 75 years ago Posted: 05 Aug 2020 02:57 AM PDT  On August 6, 1945, a U.S. bomber famously known as the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, marking a historic act of nuclear warfare.
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| Missouri votes to approve Medicaid expansion, overriding GOP opposition Posted: 05 Aug 2020 07:51 AM PDT  The state becomes the sixth to expand Medicaid via ballot initiative, providing health care to more than 230,000 low-income residents.
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| Biden may have narrowed his VP list down to Kamala Harris and Susan Rice Posted: 05 Aug 2020 05:17 AM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden could be down to two contenders in his search for a running mate.A new report from Axios details how Biden confidants believe he has narrowed his list down to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice. While the report cautions that things could change, it notes that these confidants "would be surprised if he picks anyone else."As far as Harris goes, Axios writes that Biden's brain trust has "deep and trusting relationships" with those who are pushing for the California senator while touting her skills as a prosecutor. But on the other hand, according to the report, Rice is "getting a big bounce" from former President Barack Obama's alumni, who say that picking her would "guarantee the enthusiastic presence" of Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama on the campaign trail.Other possible contenders include Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who the report says is in third place behind Harris and Rice, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). The Washington Post previously reported that Biden was expected to interview five or six finalists but that there was a sense that he still doesn't have "a clear favorite."Though Biden had previously said he intended to make his running mate pick in the first week of August, the announcement is no longer expected to come until next week, prior to the Democratic National Convention's start on Aug. 17. Read more at Axios. More stories from theweek.com Republicans offer $400/week unemployment benefits, but stimulus bill talks remain divided Why Obama still drives Republicans nuts Trump's aides are reportedly promising him re-election if he 'nukes' his China trade deal
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| Massive Beirut Explosion Shows Mushroom Clouds Aren't Just for Nukes Posted: 05 Aug 2020 05:53 AM PDT  Physics explains why the intense blast produced the menacing mushroom shape.
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| Trump ramps us attacks as Biden considers running mate Posted: 03 Aug 2020 09:00 PM PDT  Trump campaign unveils new ads; Bryan Llenas reports.
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| Biden VP prospect Karen Bass claims Scientology hadn't been 'exposed' before her 2010 praise of it, despite several high-profile media probes in the 1990s and 2000s Posted: 03 Aug 2020 11:31 AM PDT  There had been dozens of media reports and investigations over the Church of Scientology's alleged abuses prior to 2010.
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| Lebanon PM Blames Beirut Explosions on Shipment of Ammonium Nitrate Sitting in Port Since 2013 Posted: 04 Aug 2020 03:59 PM PDT  Massive explosions that rocked the city of Beirut on Tuesday were fueled by a 2,750-ton shipment of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in port since 2013, Lebanon's prime minister announced."I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened, to hold him accountable and impose the most severe penalties," Prime Minister Hassan Diab told reporters on Tuesday evening. It was not immediately clear why the ammonium nitrate was stored at that location, or how it ended up there.The explosion destroyed Beirut's port and the surrounding area. At least 78 people were killed and thousands more injured in the incident, with city hospitals unable to find room for all patients. Residents of the island nation of Cyprus reported hearing the explosion, and the Beirut newsroom of CNN as well as Lebanon's Daily Star were destroyed."It's like Hiroshima," Beirut mayor Jamal Itani said at a press conference. "There is lots of destruction and the wounded are lying in the streets."The disaster hit as Lebanon continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic as well as hyperinflation and looming economic collapse.While tensions between Lebanon and Israel have increased following an attempt by militants to infiltrate Israel's Golan Heights on Monday, officials from Israel and terror group Hezbollah have denied involvement in the incident.
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| Letters to the Editor: Putting mom-and-pop landlords out of business isn't a solution to evictions Posted: 05 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  A state bill to offer tax credits that can be redeemed for cash doesn't give small landlords what they need most: a monthly rent check.
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| Poll shows Mitch McConnell with large lead over Democratic Senate rival Amy McGrath Posted: 04 Aug 2020 12:42 PM PDT  Independent polling firm Morning Consult shows Sen. Mitch McConnell with a commanding 53% to 36% lead over his Democratic challenger Amy McGrath.
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| How Kim Jong Un Won the War Over North Korea’s Nukes Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:09 AM PDT  North Korea has nukes. They work. They can threaten American military bases and cities. Not only is the United States powerless to rid the Korean Peninsula of atomic warheads, thanks to Kim's nukes it's also powerless to force regime-change on Pyongyang.In short, Kim Jong Un won. That's the chilling thesis of an eye-opening new book about North Korea's decades-long effort to develop and deploy nuclear weapons. "There is good reason to believe that, for all intents and purposes, the Korean Peninsula will only be 'denuclearized' when nuclear weapons are abolished worldwide," Ankit Panda writes in Kim Jong Un and the Bomb."The reason for this is simple," continues Panda, an analyst with the Federation of American Scientists and a contributor to The Daily Beast. "Kim faces a hostile superpower adversary—the United States—and his survival can only be guaranteed by these weapons, which must be credibly usable."Panda's book challenges long-held misconceptions about Kim and his regime, underscores the enduring allure of nukes to rogue regimes. and puts in their place a succession of U.S. presidents—including Donald Trump, whose abortive charm offensive failed to dent Kim's atomic rearmament.Kim Jong Un's Ugly Christmas Surprise: A Return to Threats of WarThe key to understanding North Korea's nuclear strategy is that it's rational, despite popular characterizations of the Kim regime as "befuddling, infantile or silly," according to Panda.North Korea is the world's sole example of a communist monarchy, Panda explains. The regime rules with one goal in mind: protecting itself. "Kim Jong Un's overarching goal, and the regime's core objective, is survival," Panda writes. "Part of this objective will be for Kim Jong Un to successfully raise his suspected three children, bequeathing the North Korean throne to one of them as his father did to him."Kim Jong Un's father and grandfather had the same goal. Grandfather Kim Il Sung toyed with the idea of an atomic arsenal as the ultimate means to regime-survival. But it was his son Kim Jong Il, Jong Un's father, who got serious about nukes. His determination to make North Korea the world's ninth nuclear power deepened in 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq.That's when Jong Il decided that nukes represented "the sole means of averting the fate that would eventually befall Saddam Hussein."He abandoned a 1994 agreement with the United States that traded economic and diplomatic benefits for a winding-down of North Korea's nuclear efforts. The Kim regime under Jong Il doubled down on the development of regional-range rockets and the production of weapons-grade plutonium. North Korea tested its first atomic warhead in 2006. Soon the regime possessed nuclear-capable rockets that could strike U.S. bases in South Korea, Japan, and Guam. The regime's strategy, it seems, is to nuke American facilities the moment it detects the United States building up forces for an attack on North Korea—and then deter a retaliatory U.S. atomic attack by threatening to launch additional nukes at Seoul or Tokyo. The Kim regime "knows that to have a chance at survival, North Korea would need to go first and go big," Panda writes.President Barack Obama approached the North Korea problem cautiously. When Jong Il died in 2011 and Jong Un took his place as the head of the Kim regime, the Obama administration bet that sanctions would pressure North Korea's new leader, then just 27 years old, to negotiate in good faith."That was a bad bet," Panda writes. As was Obama's bet that his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, would win the 2016 presidential election and continue his administration's policy toward North Korea.When Trump won, it ushered in a chaotic new era in U.S.-North Korean relations. "Obama implored his successor to treat Pyongyang as the priority it should be," Panda writes. Instead, Trump spent 2017 taunting and threatening Kim on Twitter while assuring the world that North Korea would never develop a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile that could allow the regime to lob an atomic warhead around the world and strike American cities.Trump was wrong. North Korea tested ICBMs three times in 2017. This new long-range rocket capability only bolstered Kim's "go first and go big" strategy. The Nuclear Threats From Iran and North Korea, Working Together, Grow by the DayAfter three more major rocket tests in 2017, Kim claimed his scientists had enough data to build and deploy an effective atomic arsenal for the foreseeable future. In April 2018, Kim announced he would suspend testing of his "treasured sword," his nickname for his nukes. "Kim had declared his deterrent complete and was turning toward diplomacy," Panda writes. Trump, wager for a diplomatic win, was happy to oblige. In the course of three summits in 2018 and 2019, Kim and Trump smiled, posed for the cameras, and made vaguely positive statements about peace. Kim offered to blow up one of his nuclear test sites—a site that he no longer needed and which he could easily rebuild anyway. All he wanted in exchange was an end to all sanctions. Trump balked. In December, Kim announced a resumption of nuclear testing. His apparent goal now is to develop smaller nukes that can fit on smaller rockets. Realistically, nothing can stop him."Kim Jong Un now presides over a nuclear state," Panda writes. "North Korea's success with its own nuclearization has forced the world into an unsavory—if gradual—process of recognizing that coexistence will in all likelihood be the only plausible path going forward.""Coexistence is not automatic or easy," Panda warns. "It requires coming to terms with the basic fact that, just as the United States and its allies deterred North Korea for decades before it had nuclear weapons, so too does North Korea deter its adversaries today from pursuing a forcible change to its leadership."Kim's 'treasured sword' is here to stay."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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| Family tells AP: Iran abducted California man while in Dubai Posted: 04 Aug 2020 04:10 AM PDT  A California-based member of an Iranian militant opposition group in exile was abducted by Iran while staying in Dubai, his family said Tuesday. The suspected cross-border abduction of Jamshid Sharmahd appears corroborated by mobile phone location data, shared by his family with The Associated Press, that suggests he was taken to neighboring Oman before heading to Iran. Iran hasn't said how it detained Sharmahd, though the announcement came against the backdrop of covert actions conducted by Iran amid heightened tensions with the U.S. over Tehran's collapsing nuclear deal with world powers.
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| Aerial footage shows the full scale of Beirut's devastating explosion, which killed 100 and reduced buildings into rubble Posted: 05 Aug 2020 05:26 AM PDT  The government said the blast was caused by a stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been kept at the port for years.
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| Former Census Bureau directors warn of 'seriously incomplete' count after Trump administration cuts it short Posted: 04 Aug 2020 12:19 PM PDT  Four former Census Bureau directors say it's a big mistake to cut counting efforts short. The Census Bureau said last week it would stop its in-person count on Sept. 30, a month earlier than its scheduled end date of Oct. 31. The move left census workers concerned a "massive undercount" is imminent. The former directors, who worked under nine past presidents, reflected that fear in a Tuesday statement, and called for the count's data delivery date to be extended to April 30, 2021, to avoid "seriously incomplete enumerations in many areas across our country."In-person census interviews are used to count people who didn't respond to a paper or online census, and are essential for counting underrepresented and hard-to-reach populations. The four former directors acknowledged the in-person count was supposed to happen from May 15 through July 31, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This rescheduling led the Census Bureau to determine it needed four more months beyond the end of 2020 to tabulate congressional redistricting and apportionment stemming from the count, and the former directors agreed."Our expert opinion is that failing to extend the deadlines to April 30, 2021, will result in seriously incomplete enumerations in many areas across our country," the former leaders said, calling on Congress to make those necessary legal extension. In addition, they asked Congress "to require the Census Bureau to continue data collection operations through Oct. 30, 2020."More stories from theweek.com Republicans offer $400/week unemployment benefits, but stimulus bill talks remain divided Why Obama still drives Republicans nuts Trump's aides are reportedly promising him re-election if he 'nukes' his China trade deal
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| China 'to retaliate' if U.S. acts against journalists Posted: 04 Aug 2020 05:25 AM PDT 
China is vowing to retaliate against the the United States if Washington continues, quote, "hostile action" against Chinese journalists - journalists who may be forced to leave in coming days if their U.S. visas aren't extended. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said no Chinese journalist in the United States has been granted a visa extension since the U.S., in mid-May, limited their stay to 90 days, with an option to extend. Wang didn't say how many Chinese journalists were affected or what retaliation China might consider. But the editor of China's Global Times newspaper -- which is published by the Communist Party -- said earlier that U.S. journalists based in Hong Kong would be among those targeted should Chinese journalists be forced to leave the United States. The two countries, whose relations have deteriorated sharply recently over various issues including trade and the novel coronavirus, have exchanged several tit-for-tat actions involving journalists in recent months. Such a move would also follow the recent closures of diplomatic consulates in both countries.
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| What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Posted: 04 Aug 2020 10:22 PM PDT  Latin America surpassed Europe on Tuesday to become the region with the highest novel coronavirus death toll, according to a Reuters tally. Brazil, the Latin American country most affected by the coronavirus, had recorded a total of 95,819 deaths as of Tuesday. Australia's Victoria state reported a record rise in new coronavirus cases and deaths on Wednesday, as it prepared to close much of its economy to control a second wave of infection that threatens to spread across the country.
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| Woman charged with assault after mask dispute at Staples leaves customer with broken leg Posted: 04 Aug 2020 04:35 PM PDT  The customer, walking with a cane, asked the woman to put her mask on at the New Jersey location. The woman then threw the customer to the ground.
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| CNN Anchor Drags Trump Campaign Adviser: ‘You’re Just Saying a Bunch of Crap!’ Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:17 PM PDT  CNN anchor Brianna Keilar on Tuesday got fed up with Trump campaign senior advisor Mercedes Schlapp during a heated exchange on mail-in voting, eventually telling the longtime lobbyist that their conversation was "pointless" because she was "just saying a bunch of crap."Keilar, who in recent weeks has held various pro-Trump figures' feet to the fire in combative interviews, brought on Schlapp to talk about President Donald Trump's sudden pivot to encouraging Floridians to vote by mail after baselessly warning for months that mail-in ballots are rife with fraud."Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True," Trump tweeted on Tuesday. "Florida's Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail!"Schlapp was left with the unenviable task of defending the president's whiplash-inducing hypocrisy, attempting to not only make the distinction between absentee and mail-in voting but also trying to justify why some states' mail vote is "safe and secure" while others are not.Schlapp continually insisted to definitively claim that a persistent "fraud issue" with mail-in voting exists, prompting Keilar to fire back that voter fraud is "statistically insignificant" with mail ballots. The CNN anchor also called out Schlapp for conflating the problems with mail-in voting in recent New York City primaries—which largely revolve around delays in counting a surge of ballots—with voter fraud.Schlapp eventually veered away from alleging widespread voter fraud to expressing concerns that Democrats would harvest ballots this election, causing the CNN host to note that "only evidence of ballot harvesting was by Republicans in North Carolina.""You know that," Keilar added. "They had to redo the election."Nevertheless, the Trump flack continued to fret that mail-in voting would cause problems "like we've seen in states like New York," again pushing Keilar explaining to viewers that those issues have nothing to do with fraud.At one point, when Schlapp said it was "very problematic" to move towards universal mail-in voting while simultaneously claiming voters should have options that include mail and absentee ballots, Keilar asked her if she could explain the difference between absentee and mail-in voting."I've learned this as well as we go through this process, there are some that are interchangeable and then absentee voting is you're absent from your home state and you request a ballot and you send it back and it is verified," Schlapp replied. "And in mail-in voting, you're mailing in these ballots across the board unverified and that is where it produces a problem.""They're not unverified," an exasperated Keilar snapped back. "You know there are safety precautions in place such as barcodes. There are some people who even worry about they don't necessarily want to use snail mail. There are places that they could drop off ballots. You know there are precautions to ensure that the ballots will be counted."As the increasingly hostile back-and-forth wound down and Keilar accused Schlapp of "sowing doubt" and fear into the minds of voters, the CNN anchor finally let her frustration boil over when the Trump flack claimed people will vote after Election Day."This is just pointless, okay," Keilar exploded. "This is pointless. I get it, you're just saying a bunch of crap! Okay. You're saying a bunch of crap."As Keilar pointed out that we're in the middle of a pandemic and Team Trump appears to be trying to put obstacles in the way of voters rather than providing more options, Schlapp asserted that Nevada was making it legal to vote after the date of the election."We'll be checking that. Mercedes, it is very nice to have you," Keilar snarked at the end.Nevada, which recently approved a plan to mail ballots to all registered voters, has extended the deadline for ballots to be counted up to one week after Election Day. The ballots, however, must be postmarked no later than the day of the election.'Tooning Out the News' Busts Matt Schlapp for His Big 'Pandemic Payday'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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| Smile more? Some critics see sexism in debate over Biden VP Posted: 03 Aug 2020 05:31 PM PDT  The debate over Joe Biden's running mate has recently ticked through a familiar list of stereotypes about women in politics as the Democratic presidential candidate and his allies stumble through a search they had hoped would stand out for its inclusion and diversity. Instead, the vice presidential vetting has resurfaced internal party divisions between the old-guard establishment and a younger generation that's more attuned to gender and racial biases and willing to speak out. "The fact is that although we've come really far in the last 100 years, we haven't come far enough for women candidates to be treated with the same level of decency as the male candidates are," said Donna Brazile, a former Democratic National Committee chair.
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| US announces 'highest level' visit in decades to Taiwan Posted: 04 Aug 2020 07:34 PM PDT  The United States on Wednesday announced its "highest level" visit in decades to Taiwan, a move sure to infuriate China at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing are at historic lows. Washington's trade office in Taipei confirmed that health chief Alex Azar would lead an upcoming delegation to the self-ruled island, which China's communist leaders claim and have vowed to one day seize. "This marks... the first Cabinet member to visit in six years, and the highest level visit by a US Cabinet official since 1979," the American Institute in Taiwan said.
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| A massive explosion just devastated Beirut. Here's what the unbelievable destruction looks like for people on the ground. Posted: 04 Aug 2020 05:33 PM PDT  Buildings have been torn apart, and casualties are mounting. One reporter who was on the scene said that it is "absolute chaos" in Beirut.
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| Apple Fire: Massive California wildfire forces evacuations Posted: 03 Aug 2020 11:04 AM PDT  Around 7,800 people are told to leave their homes in southern California because of the fire.
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| An Arkansas Black Lives Matter group was confronted by an armed militia. One protester carried a flamethrower as a 'deterrent.' Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:22 PM PDT  An organizer told Insider that he had received more than 100 death threats from opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement before the protest.
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| Modi, Muslims to attend temple ceremony on contested India site Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:14 AM PDT  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and two prominent Muslims who lived through deadly riots following the razing of a mosque in 1992 plan to attend the foundation-laying ceremony for a Hindu temple on Wednesday on the same site. Modi, whose Hindu nationalist party had led demands for a temple there dedicated to the god-king Ram, will unveil a plaque, his office said in a statement. Construction of the temple was made possible by a verdict last year from the Supreme Court awarding the disputed site to the Hindus.
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| Army Special Forces Colonel Faces Court-Martial on Sexual Assault Charges Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:31 PM PDT  Col. Kevin M. Russell is facing five counts of violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
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| Miner who discovered the largest tanzanite gems ever has now found a third - and it's worth millions Posted: 04 Aug 2020 11:59 AM PDT  A Tanzanian miner, who became a millionaire off of his first findings in June 2020, discovered a third rare Tanzanite gem.
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| Sen. Ron Wyden is introducing a privacy bill that would ban government agencies from buying personal information from data brokers Posted: 04 Aug 2020 01:15 PM PDT  The bill, dubbed "The Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale," is expected to roll out in the coming weeks, per a report from The Verge.
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| White House responds to Trump encouraging voting by mail in Florida after criticizing it for months Posted: 04 Aug 2020 12:08 PM PDT  White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany responded Tuesday to President Trump's encouraging of voting by mail in Florida after criticizing it for months.
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| Experts: Obstacles to charging police in Breonna Taylor case Posted: 04 Aug 2020 08:59 AM PDT  Despite mounting public pressure to file criminal charges nearly five months after Breonna Taylor's death, prosecutors may face significant obstacles to bringing homicide-related charges against police officers who were shot at when sent to her house with a warrant, legal experts said. Taylor, a 26-year-old Louisville emergency medical tech studying to become a nurse, was shot multiple times March 13 after being roused from sleep by police at her door. Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the first African American elected to the job in Kentucky, has declined to put a timetable on his decision since taking over the case in May.
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| This May Be The Most Absurd, Trumpian Drama Ever Posted: 05 Aug 2020 01:34 AM PDT  The federal agency primarily responsible for the distribution of foreign aid has been roiled in recent days by the most Trumpian of dramas, one involving an anti-LGBT political appointee, blundering conservative operative Jacob Wohl, accusations of stalking, prostitution, and the potential hiring of a young conservative with past racist writings. The chaos seemed set to crest with a slap-dash press conference scheduled for this Thursday. But within a day of the presser's announcement, the main protagonist was apparently recanting her accusations and insinuating that Wohl had stolen her phone and signed into her Twitter account to send the offending messages that set off the fireworks that got her fired. The setting of the entire mess was the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency known largely as a bit of a backwater when it comes to the government's foreign policy apparatus, but one with a $16.8 billion foreign aid budget. On Monday a political appointee and deputy White House liaison there, Merritt Corrigan, took to Twitter to accuse her employer of "anti-Christian" bias. Corrigan's appointment at USAID has been under fire for months over anti-gay tweets she made in 2019 and 2020, including accusing the United States of being a "homo-empire" devoted to a "tyrannical LGBT agenda," tweeting that "female empowerment is a civilizational calamity," and advocating for the creation of a "Christian patriarchy." But on Monday, her targets were both USAID itself and House Foreign Relations Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-NY), whom she accused of soliciting prostitutes. As Corrigan's initial tweets went up, she claimed USAID gave her a 3 p.m. deadline to resign or be fired. When the deadline passed, Corrigan said she was fired.On its own, the episode was bizarre. But then it got much weirder. Jacob Wohl Charged With Felony in CaliforniaCorrigan, who is/was apparently dating Wohl, announced that she'd be appearing Thursday in front of Wohl associate Jack Burkman's Northern Virginia house—a site that has previously hosted farcical attempts to smear Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) with lurid sexual allegations. There, she would further denounce USAID, accuse a Politico reporter who covered her resignation of stalking her, and demand that Engel debate her and Burkman. In a press release announcing the press conference, Burkman and Wohl claimed that Wohl, who is currently facing two felony charges related to security sales in California, had "been working behind the scenes with Corrigan for months."Jacob Wohl's Bogus Warren Accuser Exaggerated His Military Service RecordEngel's office did not return a request for comment. And, perhaps, for good reason. The accusations have no proof or merit, and as the story unfolded it became increasingly difficult to get a read on where the truth actually began and the innuendo and smears ended. On Tuesday afternoon, Corrigan deleted her tweets attacking USAID and stopped responding to messages from The Daily Beast. Wohl claimed in an interview Tuesday that a coterie of Trumpworld personalities had convinced Corrigan to backtrack on her claims. And Burkman claimed that Corrigan had "buyer's remorse" after sending her tweets. "Somebody does something and then they regret it," Burkman said. But later in the day, a conduit sent a statement from Corrigan herself that was darker in implication. Corrigan now claimed she'd become the pawn of individuals who had attempted to "ruin" her. "I would like to apologize," it read. "Especially to the people who have been affected or hurt by the messages sent from my Twitter account, and the claims made in my name over the past 24 hours. I did NOT send these messages, and while I vehemently protested about them being sent in my name, my devices were not in my control. I see now that I was part of an abusive scheme and I was used to attack people that have nothing to do with me."I will not be participating in any press conferences as claimed in my name, and will have nothing to do with individuals who forced me to hand over my devices so they could control me and the output in my name. Due to naivete and inexperience, I became involved with people who abused my trust, conned me, and claimed they were working in my interest. I became powerless in a situation, and I deeply regret not reaching out to people who knew better, or could help me."Corrigan is far from the first Wohl associate to bail on one of his press conferences. But she does appear to be the first to have formally held such a high post at a government agency. And her drama illustrates the degree to which the once-staid USAID has become a stomping grounds for a twisted, absurdist circus involving Trumpian figures who despise one another and are notorious for trying to conduct botched operations against their political foes.Prior to the apparent change of course, Corrigan had also made one other noteworthy assertion—that USAID was set to hire yet another controversial political appointment: conservative personality Kyle Kashuv, whose admission to Harvard was revoked last year over racist remarks he made in high school. Kashuv, a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, rose to fame on the right in the aftermath of the shooting as a conservative counterweight to pro-gun control Parkland students. Kashuv's opposition to the gun control measures pushed by his classmates earned him a visit to the White House, and a position at conservative campus group Turning Point USA. Along the way, Kashuv antagonized Wohl and some of his right-wing associates for actions like criticizing anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer for wearing a Nazi-era Jewish star to protest her Twitter ban. Harvard Pulls Pro-Gun Parkland Survivor Kyle Kashuv's Admission Over Racial SlursBut Kashuv's star on the right imploded in May 2019, when he was exposed by a fellow classmate for writing racist messages and Google Doc notes. In one text message, Kashuv complained that a classmate dated "ni**erjocks." In the aftermath of the reporting on Kashuv's remarks, Harvard revoked Kashuv's admission to its undergraduate class.Corrigan claims Kashuv has been offered a political appointment to be a special assistant to USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick, after initially being considered for a congressional liaison position. That job offer, she adds, was one point of disagreement with her fellow USAID officials that ultimately led to her speaking out against the agency. "I don't believe that he's a real conservative, and his prior media was going to bring a lot of negativity to USAID," Corrigan told The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast wasn't able to confirm that Kashuv has been offered a position at USAID, but did obtain a document dated July 31 purporting to be an offer letter from USAID, offering Kashuv a position with roughly $50,000 annual salary as an assistant to Glick, pending a security clearance. The purported offer letter to Kashuv listed the phone number of a USAID employee. When a reporter for The Daily Beast called the number, the woman who answered identified herself as a USAID employee but refused to answer questions about the letter."I'm sorry, I can't answer your call," the woman said, before hanging up.USAID declined repeated requests to comment on whether the agency had offered Kashuv a position, but a spokesperson said USAID would investigate "any complaints of anti-Christian bias" made by Corrigan.Kashuv didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. Glick, who called Kashuv a "rockstar" in a May tweet, also didn't respond to requests for comment. 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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| Argentina secures deal on 'impossible' debt Posted: 04 Aug 2020 02:44 PM PDT  Recession-hit Argentina announced on Tuesday it has reached an agreement with three major creditors over the restructuring of a $66 billion debt, which the IMF described as a "very significant step" to solving its latest sovereign default crisis. The government of President Alberto Fernandez had set an August 4 deadline to complete a deal but it has now pushed the date to August 24 "to give effect to the agreement," which came after months of wrangling and extensions. "We resolved an impossible debt in the biggest economic crisis in memory and in the midst of the pandemic," said a delighted Fernandez.
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| Turkey clamps down again after 'severe' jump in virus Posted: 04 Aug 2020 12:18 PM PDT  Turkey rolled out new inspection and enforcement rules on Tuesday after coronavirus cases jumped above 1,000 for the first time in three weeks, in what the government called a grave rise during peak holiday season. President Tayyip Erdogan's government had called 1,000 a critical threshold to reconsider rules. The Interior Ministry said the nationwide rules - including some fines for violations - were needed to sustain the fight against the pandemic that has killed 5,765 and infected 234,934, putting Turkey seventeenth globally in a Reuters tally of total cases.
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| Fewer Americans say they would resume daily activities as coronavirus cases increase, survey finds Posted: 03 Aug 2020 03:41 PM PDT  As the number of COVID-19 cases rises, some Americans lose confidence in resuming daily activities, according to a new survey.
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| Beirut explosions: Blast detonated 2,750 tons of chemicals - latest news and video Posted: 04 Aug 2020 09:57 AM PDT  At least 100 dead and more than 4,000 injured, officials say Thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated Everything we know so far 'It was like a nuclear explosion': How terrified residents fled the fireball Explained: What is ammonium nitrate? In pictures: Ancient city ripped apart The president of Lebanon has said that 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were detonated in massive blasts in Beirut that have killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000. Explosions shook Lebanon's capital on Tuesday and the death toll is expected to rise. Lebanon's health minister said residents who are able to leave should, saying the hazardous materials in the air after the explosion can have long-term deadly effects. Officials said the chemicals were stored in a warehouse for six years without safety measures. Lebanon's Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, said that those responsible would "pay the price" and said the warehouse at the epicentre of the blast had been "dangerous". "I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability," he said in a televised speech. "Facts about this dangerous warehouse that has been there since 2014 will be announced and I will not preempt the investigations."
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| Trump news: Atlanta mayor 'disgusted' by president's comments about John Lewis, as White House rules out new lockdown Posted: 04 Aug 2020 12:00 PM PDT  Donald Trump said US Covid-19 deaths were lower "than the world" in an interview with Axios on HBO overnight, as America's death toll surpassed 155,000 and continued to be the world's highest total.The president also declined to compare deaths by population with other countries, telling Axios's Jonathan Swan that "you can't do that", while downplaying the recent deaths of 1,000 Americans a day during the public health crisis and defending his administration's response to the pandemic.
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| Prospect of 2nd Boston Marathon bomber trial brings anguish Posted: 04 Aug 2020 06:42 AM PDT  After Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted in 2015, the family of the youngest victim urged prosecutors to abandon their bid for the death penalty, warning that years of appeals would only keep him in the spotlight and prolong their unthinkable suffering. Five years later, the prospect of a new trial to decide whether Tsarnaev should be executed after an appeals court tossed the 27-year-old's death sentence has brought anger and anguish to a community in many ways still healing from the April 15, 2013, attack. Federal prosecutors will likely appeal Friday's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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