| Explainer: Democratic 'court packing' would prompt a gloves-off political fight Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:04 AM PDT  The vow by Republican President Donald Trump and the Republicans to quickly fill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat despite a looming election has revived talk among some Democrats of expanding the number of justices on the court. Here are a few things to consider about "court packing." The number of justices on the high court has remained at nine since 1869, but Congress has the power to change the size of the bench and did so several times before that.
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| Solomon Islands: Men working for WW2 bomb clearing agency die in explosion Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:07 PM PDT  The men were working to help dispose of the many unexploded World War Two bombs on the islands.
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| 'Remarkable' new data shows decline in on-time mail delivery after DeJoy took over as postmaster general Posted: 21 Sep 2020 09:05 AM PDT  New data obtained by The Guardian provides a more specific look at how the changes implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy affected the U.S. Postal Service's on-time first-class mail delivery rate after he took over the role in June.In what North Carolina A&T history professor and former postal worker Philip Rubio described as a "remarkable graphic illustration," The Guardian shows that rates plummeted not long after DeJoy stepped in. The USPS was delivering first-class mail on time about 93 percent of the time during most of the first half of 2020, just shy of its 95 percent goal, and was averaging nearly 91 percent at the moment of leadership transition. But by August the national rate had dipped to about 81.5 percent, and was even lower in some postal districts, reaching as far south as 63.6 percent in northern Ohio and just over 61 percent in Detroit, although it's worth pointing out that Detroit had also fallen well below the national average for multiple weeks earlier in 2020, jumping back up shortly before DeJoy arrived. As The Guardian notes, those districts are both in key swing states, which will likely raise some eyebrows, given that DeJoy has already had critics accuse him of trying to slow deliveries with an increase in mail-in ballots expected for the general election because of the coronavirus pandemic.DeJoy denied those allegations during congressional testimony and explained that any slowdowns that occurred were the result of a bumpy transition. DeJoy went on to pause the reforms he put in place until after the election, but The Guardian's analysis shows that delivery speed is still lagging in several districts. View the trends of delivery rates in postal districts across the country at The Guardian.More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment
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| A Vermont grocery store worker was fired after stopping a purse snatcher who stole from an elderly woman Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:42 AM PDT  Amir Shedyak, a grocery store employee, told local news that he was fired after trying to stop a purse snatcher during a shift in August.
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| U.S. Space Force deploys troops to the Arabian Desert Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:51 AM PDT  The newly formed U.S. Space Force is deploying troops to a vast new frontier: the Arabian Peninsula.
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| Boss lures maids to home, chains 1 to bed; other dies trying to escape, TX cops say Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:42 AM PDT  The man told one of the women he had inappropriate photos of her, police say.
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| Sixty-nine percent of Americans have no confidence in Trump on coronavirus vaccine, poll reveals Posted: 20 Sep 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Two-thirds of Americans say they are likely to get coronavirus vaccine
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| The cruise industry will implement these COVID-19 precautions: testing, masks, ventilation, more Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:03 AM PDT  The cruise industry has announced mandatory changes designed to make it safe to sail during the COVID-19 pandemic – ideally by the end this year.
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| Israel court says woman can be extradited in child sex case Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:28 AM PDT  An Israeli court on Monday approved the extradition of a former teacher wanted in Australia on charges of child sex abuse, potentially paving the way for her to stand trial after a six-year legal battle. Malka Leifer, a former educator who is accused of sexually abusing several former students, has been fighting extradition from Israel since 2014. Leifer maintains her innocence and the battle surrounding her extradition has strained relations between Israel and Australia.
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| Supreme court: Joe Biden accuses Trump and Republicans of abuse of power Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:56 AM PDT  * Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg rocks presidential race * Trump will pick woman; McConnell promises vote * 'I will fight!': mourners' vow at supreme court vigil * Opinion: Democrats can still have the last laughJoe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, made an urgent plea on Sunday to the conscience of Senate Republicans, asking them to defy Donald Trump and refuse to ram through his nominee to the supreme court before the November election.Trump has said he plans to nominate a woman in the coming days, to fill the seat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal justice who died on Friday at age 87.Speaking in Philadelphia, Biden demanded that the people be heard. He accused Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, of hypocrisy after he stonewalled Merrick Garland, Barack Obama's pick for the court in 2016, also an election year."Look, I'm not being naive," the former vice-president said. "I'm not speaking to President Trump, who'll do whatever he wants. I'm not speaking to Mitch McConnell, who'll do what he wants, and he does."I'm speaking to those Republicans out there, Senate Republicans, who know deep down what is right for the country and consistent with the constitution."People have already begun voting in an election that is just six weeks away, Biden added. "The people of this nation are choosing their future right now, as they vote. To jam this nomination through the Senate is just an exercise in raw political power and I don't believe the people of this nation will stand for it."> Let the people speak, cool the flames that have been engulfing our country> > Joe BidenIt would represent an "abuse of power", he said. "This is constitutional abuse."Biden said he spoke to Ginsburg's family on Saturday night and noted that the justice dictated a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."Biden said: "As a nation, we should heed her final call."The right to healthcare, clean air, clean water, equal pay for equal work and the rights of voters are all at stake, Biden insisted. "Healthcare in this country hangs in the balance before the court."Biden, who often reached across the aisle in a decades-long career as a US senator from Delaware, added: "We need to de-escalate, not escalate, so I appeal to those few Senate Republicans, the handful who really will decide what happens: please follow your conscience. Don't vote to confirm anyone nominated under the circumstances President Trump and Senator McConnell have created."Don't go there. Uphold your constitutional duty, your conscience, let the people speak, cool the flames that have been engulfing our country. We can't keep rewriting history, scrambling norms, ignoring our cherished system of checks and balances."On Saturday night, Trump told a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he would select a female justice. "I actually like women much more than I like men, I have to say," said a man who has denied accusations of sexual misconduct from more than 20 women, eliciting laughter from a crowd that chanted: "Fill that seat!"On Sunday, Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email that said "the People want to FILL THAT SEAT!"Whether enough Republican senators will consent to ram through Trump's nomination remains on a knife edge. On Sunday, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined fellow moderate Susan Collins of Maine in arguing that the Senate should wait."For weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential supreme court vacancy this close to the election," Murkowski said. "Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed."The nine-member court has the power to hold presidents to account and rule on issues including abortion rights, gay rights and voting rights. A week after the election it is set to rule on a healthcare law that protects millions with pre-existing conditions.> We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country> > Nancy PelosiTrump has already appointed two justices but both were conservatives succeeding conservatives. A pick to replace Ginsburg could tilt the court right for decades, imperiling precedents such as Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that effectively legalised abortion.The current frontrunner for the vacancy is Amy Coney Barrett of Chicago, a federal appeals judge and the ideological opposite of Ginsburg. A Catholic and outspoken opponent of reproductive rights, Barrett was described by the New York Times as having "a rock-star reputation in conservative circles".Another leading contender is Barbara Lagoa, an appeals judge in Atlanta. She is Cuban American and the first Hispanic woman appointed to the Florida supreme court. Either choice might rally conservatives wavering over Trump because of his behaviour and pandemic response.The struggle threatens to be among the most explosive Washington has seen for decades, stress-testing a system many see as broken and rattling a country already reeling from the coronavirus, economic collapse and a racial reckoning.McConnell has vowed to grant Trump's pick a hearing. On Sunday he received backing from some prominent colleagues.Ted Cruz, senator for Texas, told ABC's This Week "the right thing to do is for the Senate to take up this nomination and to confirm the nominee before election day". Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate judiciary committee and previously said he would oppose filling a vacancy in an election year, pledged to support Trump in "any effort to move forward".But if McConnell does hold a vote before the election, he will need to hold together at least 50 of his 53-strong caucus, aware Vice-President Mike Pence would break any tie. Having lost both Collins and Murkowski, the margin of error is wafer thin with Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Mitt Romney of Utah seen as potential obstacles.Democrats have limited options but could strike back quickly. If they win the White House and a Senate majority, they could expand the supreme court to from nine to 11 justices.Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, tweeted: "If McConnell and Senate Republicans were to force through a nominee during the lame duck session – before a new Senate and president can take office – then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the supreme court."Asked if Democrats might even move to impeach Trump or attorney general Bill Barr during a lame duck session, in a bid to stall the process, Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, told ABC: "Well, we have our options."We have arrows in our quiver that I'm not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country. This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election with statements that he and his henchmen have made."A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday found that 62% of respondents thought Ginsburg's replacement should be chosen by winner of the election. But the issue will fire up both party bases.Democrats took in a record $91.4m in fundraising in just over 24 hours after Ginsburg's death. Republicans hope this late plot twist could yet rescue Trump in an election where an NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll on Sunday showed Biden leading by nine points, 51% to 42%.
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| Exclusive: Brazil's Lula says he will back anyone who can take on Bolsonaro Posted: 20 Sep 2020 04:03 AM PDT  Brazil's former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, barred from elected office due to corruption convictions, said he is open to backing any candidate who can beat far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections. "I am prepared to support any candidate who is committed to the working people of Brazil and against Bolsonaro," Lula told Reuters on Friday in an interview via video conference. Whether or not he himself runs in the next general election, Lula said depends on the courts.
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| Lost whale swims free from crocodile-infested river in Australia Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:13 PM PDT  A humpback whale has found its way back to sea weeks after it got lost in a murky, crocodile-infested river in northern Australia. There have been no previous recorded sightings of whales in remote East Alligator River in the Northern Territory's World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, and no one can explain why at least three of the blue water mammals ventured so deep inland in a river with little visibility. The last of the trio managed to navigate its way through shallow channels at the broad river mouth and back into Van Diemen Gulf over the weekend, Kakadu National Park manager Feach Moyle said. "It made its way out on the high tides and we're pleased it appeared to be in good condition and not suffering any ill effects," Moyle said in a statement. Humpbacks follow the western Australian coast in their annual migration from the tropics to Antarctica. A group of recreational sailors first spotted the lost trio on Sept. 2 more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the river mouth. Two of the whales had disappeared before wildlife authorities arrived a week later. Northern Territory government whale and dolphin scientist Carol Palmer said it was a mystery why a whale would stray so far up a shallow river full of crocodiles. "It could have been chased up by some big sharks or maybe it was just a wrong turn," Palmer said. Despite the river's name, there are no alligators in Australia. It was named after the river's many crocodiles by European explorers who apparently couldn't tell the difference. Authorities thought the whale was too big to be attacked by crocodiles, unless it became weak or sick.
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| Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts traveled to the Lake of the Ozarks for a bike rally weeks after a similar event in Sturgis was linked to COVID-19 cases in 8 states Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:39 AM PDT  Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawski said last week that he didn't expect motorcyclists to wear masks to Bikefest because "that's just the way they are."
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| Leaked files contain more evidence of Kremlin links to one of the biggest donors to Boris Johnson's Conservative party Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:47 AM PDT  The husband of a major donor to Boris Johnson's Conservatives has allegedly been secretly funded by a Russian oligarch with links to Vladimir Putin.
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| Shark attacks a snorkeler in the Florida Keys, sheriff’s office says Posted: 20 Sep 2020 11:16 AM PDT |
| Bull rider killed in Texas rodeo Posted: 21 Sep 2020 07:01 AM PDT  Rider was studying animal sciences at Oklahoma State University
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| Florida man fights off attacking alligator by poking its eyes; survives with 65 stitches Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:04 AM PDT  Mark Johnson, 61, was attacked by alligator and survived with 65 stitches. Here's the trick he used, which FWC warns doesn't always work.
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| Armed and Black. How a group of men licensed to carry guns say they are seeking racial justice Posted: 21 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Armed Black groups like the Minnesota Freedom Fighters work to protect the streets as calls for racial justice mount.
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| Trump told Bob Woodward that with Mitch McConnell by his side, he's 'broken every record' on judges Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:40 PM PDT  During several of his interviews with author Bob Woodward, President Trump proudly mentioned judicial appointments and how he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have "broken every record," The Washington Post reports. The Post obtained audio recordings of their conversations, and Woodward also writes about the topic in his new book, Rage. During an interview last December, Trump told Woodward, "You know what Mitch's biggest thing is in the whole world? His judges." McConnell, he continued, "will absolutely ask me, 'Please, let's get the judge approved instead of 10 ambassadors.'"The Post notes that Trump would often get the numbers wrong, telling Woodward in March he signed his 220th judge and thought by the end of his first term he might be at "260, 270, maybe even 280, maybe even 300." As of this week, the Senate has confirmed 216 of his judges. In January, Trump boasted that "the only one that has a better percentage is George Washington, because he appointed 100 percent. But my percentage is, you know, like, ridiculous."In May, Trump said the more than 100 court vacancies left by former President Barack Obama were "golden nuggets," not mentioning that those were open because McConnell made sure to block and delay Obama's nominees. Woodward quipped to Trump that "maybe they'll put a statue of you outside the Supreme Court," a suggestion that thrilled the president. "Oh, what a good idea," he responded. "I think I'll have it erected tomorrow. What a great idea. I think I'll use it. I won't say it came from me." Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment
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| Ginsburg flap shows Supreme Court, justices are too important Posted: 21 Sep 2020 05:15 AM PDT  SCOTUS fight reveals something is wrong with our judicial system and the state of our nation.
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| Australia coronavirus cases 'set to be lowest in months' Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:38 AM PDT  Hopes are rising after the badly-hit state of Victoria reports just 14 new infections in 24 hours.
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| New Zealand ends all pandemic restrictions outside main city of Auckland Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:33 PM PDT  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday lifted all coronavirus restrictions across the country, except in second-wave hotspot Auckland, as the number of new infections slowed to a trickle. "Our actions collectively have managed to get the virus under control," she told reporters in Auckland. New Zealand, a nation of five million, appeared to have halted community transmission of COVID-19 earlier this year, but a fresh outbreak in Auckland in August prompted the government to place the city back in lockdown.
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| Army’s New Target Tracking System Aims to Quicken Artillery Kills Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:58 AM PDT  Test teams of soldiers will attempt to reduce the time it takes to see and hit targets to less than 20 seconds.
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| Navalny asks for his clothes back as no official probe into poisoning launched in Russia Posted: 21 Sep 2020 04:25 AM PDT  Alexei Navalny, Russia's opposition leader who was in a medically induced coma for weeks, has asked authorities to return belongings and clothes that were seized from him as no official inquiry has been launched into his poisoning in Russia. Mr Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, fell suddenly ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow last month and spent weeks on a ventilator in a coma before regaining consciousness earlier this month. Several European laboratories independently confirmed that he had been poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok that was previously used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. Russian officials have launched a preliminary investigation but one month after Mr Navalny was poisoned no criminal investigation has been started. The opposition leader's team revealed last week that they managed to retrieve water bottles from his hotel room shortly after he fell sick on the plane and that traces of Novichok were found on one of those bottles. The clothes that Mr Navalny wore when he fell ill were seized by authorities before his medical evacuation to Germany. Mr Navalny in a blog post on Monday slammed the Russian government for refusing to investigate his poisoning. "I get a feeling as if I slipped in a supermarket and broke a leg instead of falling into a coma on a plane," he said. Mr Navalny, a lawyer, said that authorities are obliged to return his clothes that might contain traces of the poison now that the one-month deadline for opening a criminal probe has passed. "Thirty days of the preliminary investigation have been used to hide this important piece of evidence," he said. "My clothes are an important piece of evidence given the fact that Novichok was found on my body and that contamination by touch is quite possible. I demand that my clothes be packed in a plastic bag and returned to me." The 44-year old opposition leader said on Saturday that he is now being able to work with a "tremble" but added that simple tasks are still a challenge for him. Doctors have said his condition is improving but said it was too early to rule out long-term damage to his health.
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| 'Never be seen again': Where Confederate statues go after being taken from public spaces Posted: 21 Sep 2020 12:26 AM PDT  More than 130 Confederate monuments and other historic statues were taken down across three dozen states amid a wave of protests and calls for racial justice over the past four months.
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| It's the economy, stupid: Biden frames the choice as between Scranton and Park Avenue Posted: 20 Sep 2020 04:00 AM PDT  The 2020 winner must rebuild an economy slammed by COVID-19. Trump has an edge but Biden seeks to be the Main Street choice to Wall Street's Trump.
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| Does Trump have enough votes to confirm RBG’s replacement? A look at the senators who might block his nomination Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:12 AM PDT  Republican leaders came forcefully following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to urge their senate colleagues to toe the party line and demand the vacancy is filled before the November election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter to Republicans on Friday telling them to "keep your powder dry" and avoid falling under pressure to announce their stance on whether the open seat on the nation's highest court should be filled just six weeks ahead of election day. "Over the coming days, we are all going to come under tremendous pressure from the press to announce how we will handle the coming nomination," the senate majority leader wrote to his colleagues.
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| Ilhan Omar says no Republicans have even privately condemned death threats against her Posted: 21 Sep 2020 09:10 AM PDT  Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.), one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, has faced constant threats of violence since her election in 2018. They include public threats from Republicans set to join her in the House in January — and absolutely no condemnation from congressmembers on the other side of the aisle, she tells the The New York Times Magazine.In an interview with the Times, Omar discussed "hateful" attacks against her from Fox News' Tucker Carlson, as well as the rise of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican House candidate in a far-right Georgia district who held a gun next to a photo of Omar's "Squad" in a campaign video. Greene's video is just one of many "dangerous" people spouting "bizarre, ill-informed conspiracies" about Omar and other Democrats and "terrorizing so many of us," Omar said.But despite receiving "a few death threats that have been very publicized where people have been arrested and are incarcerated for it," Omar said she has received no support or condemnation from Republicans. "I can't remember a public statement or private comment of support," she continued.> Interesting juxtaposition here between Biden-esque cries that there are good and decent Republicans who are simply too scared to speak out publicly against Trump and the reality that Ilhan Omar describes. pic.twitter.com/hxAjTS6XSV> > — Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) September 21, 2020Despite being "discouraged" by this lack of unity "sometimes," Omar said she "have hope" that "the lived reality of what exists in American cities and towns" isn't the same as what's online. Read more at The New York Times Magazine.More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment
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| The CIA sent a team of 4 operators on a spy mission targeting China. None came back. Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:48 AM PDT  In 2008, the CIA sent a team of four operators on a spy mission targeting China. None came back. Internally, the CIA officers blamed the mission failure and deaths of four of their men on Bob Kandra, the Special Activities Division chief at the time.
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| Taiwan military says it has right to counter attack amid China threats Posted: 20 Sep 2020 10:18 PM PDT  Taiwan said on Monday its armed forces have the right to self-defence and counter attack amid "harassment and threats", in an apparent warning to China, which last week sent numerous jets across the mid-line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Tensions have sharply spiked in recent months between Taipei and Beijing, which claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if needed. Chinese aircraft crossed the mid-line to enter the island's air defence identification zone on Friday and Saturday, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets to intercept them, and President Tsai Ing-wen to call China a threat to the region.
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| Miami schools could open for some students Sept. 30, rest of willing students on Oct. 7 Posted: 21 Sep 2020 10:11 AM PDT  The Miami-Dade County School Board may have to meet again to listen to all the public comments submitted on the topic of whether to reopen schools for in person learning.
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| Brain wrapped in aluminum foil washes ashore on Wisconsin beach Posted: 21 Sep 2020 06:54 AM PDT  A medical examiner's office has confirmed the brain is not human. Which begs the obvious question, what kind of brain is it?
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| Meet Brock Pierce, the Presidential Candidate With Ties to Pedophiles Who Wants to End Human Trafficking Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:55 AM PDT  In the trailer for First Kid, the forgettable 1996 comedy about a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president's son, the title character, played by a teenage Brock Pierce, describes himself as "definitely the most powerful kid in the universe." Now, the former child star is running to be the most powerful man in the world, as an Independent candidate for President of the United States. Before First Kid, the Minnesota-born actor secured roles in a series of PG-rated comedies, playing a young Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks, before graduating to smaller parts in movies like Problem Child 3: Junior in Love. When his screen time shrunk, Pierce retired from acting for a real executive role: co-founding the video production start-up Digital Entertainment Network (DEN) alongside businessman Marc Collins-Rector. At age 17, Pierce served as its vice president, taking in a base salary of $250,000.DEN became "the poster child for dot-com excesses," raising more than $60 million in seed investments and plotting a $75 million IPO. But it turned into a shorthand for something else when, in October of 1999, the three co-founders suddenly resigned. That month, a New Jersey man filed a lawsuit alleging Collins-Rector had molested him for three years beginning when he was 13 years old. The following summer, three teens filed a sexual-abuse lawsuit against Pierce, Collins-Rector, and their third co-founder, Chad Shackley. The plaintiffs later dropped their case against Pierce (he made a payment of $21,600 to one of their lawyers) and Shackley. But after a federal grand jury indicted Collins-Rector on criminal charges in 2000, the DEN founders left the country. When Interpol arrested them in 2002, they said they had confiscated "guns, machetes, and child pornography" from the trio's beach villa in Spain. While abroad, Pierce had pivoted to a new venture: Internet Gaming Entertainment, which sold virtual accessories in multiplayer online role-playing games to those desperate to pay, as one Wired reporter put it, "as much as $1,800 for an eight-piece suit of Skyshatter chain mail" rather than earn it in the games themselves. In 2005, a 25-year-old Pierce hired then-Goldman Sachs banker Steve Bannon—just before he would co-found Breitbart News. Two years later, after a World of Warcraft player sued the company for "diminishing" the fun of the game, Steve Bannon replaced Pierce as CEO.The 'Varsity Blues' Screenwriter's Cold-Blooded Crusade Against L.A.'s HomelessCollins-Rector eventually pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and registered as a sex offender. In the years that followed, Pierce waded into the gonzo economy of cryptocurrencies, where he overlapped more than once with Jeffrey Epstein, and counseled him on crypto. In that world, he founded Tether, a cryptocurrency that bills itself as a "stablecoin," because its value is allegedly tied to the U.S. dollar, and the blockchain software company Block.one. Like his earlier businesses, Pierce's crypto projects see-sawed between massive investments and curious deals. When Block.one announced a smart contract software called EOS.IO, the company raised $4 billion almost overnight, setting an all-time record before the product even launched. The Securities and Exchange Commission later fined the company $24 million for violating federal securities law. After John Oliver mocked the ordeal, calling Pierce a "sleepy, creepy cowboy," Block.one fired him. Tether, meanwhile, is currently under investigation by the New York Attorney General for possible fraud. On July 4, Pierce announced his candidacy for president. His campaign surrogates include a former Cambridge Analytica director and the singer Akon, who recently doubled down on developing an anonymously funded, $6 billion "Wakanda-like" metropolis in Senegal called Akon City. Pierce claims to be bipartisan, and from the 11 paragraphs on the "Policy" section of his website it can be hard to determine where he falls on the political spectrum. He supports legalizing marijuana and abolishing private prisons, but avoids the phrase "climate change." He wants to end "human trafficking." His proposal to end police brutality: body cams. His political contributions tell a more one-sided story. Pierce's sole Democratic contribution went to the short-lived congressional run of crypto candidate Brian Forde. The rest went to Republican campaigns like Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, John McCain, and the National Right to Life Political Action Committee. Last year alone, Pierce gave over $44,000 to the Republican National Committee and more than $55,000 to Trump's re-election fund. Pierce spoke to The Daily Beast from his tour bus and again over email. Those conversations have been combined and edited for clarity. * * *You're announcing your presidential candidacy somewhat late, and historically, third-party candidates haven't had the best luck with the executive office. If you don't have a strong path to the White House, what do you want out of the race? I announced on July 4, which I think is quite an auspicious date for an Independent candidate, hoping to bring independence to this country. There's a lot of things that I can do. One is: I'm 39 years old. I turn 40 in November. So I've got time on my side. Whatever happens in this election cycle, I'm laying the groundwork for the future. The overall mission is to create a third major party—not another third party—a third major party in this country. I think that is what America needs most. George Washington in his closing address warned us about the threat of political parties. John Adams and the other founding fathers—their fear for our future was two political parties becoming dominant. And look at where we are. We were warned. I believe, having studied systems, any time you have a system of two, what happens is those two things come together, like magnets. They come into collision, or they become polarized and become completely divided. I think we need to rise above partisan politics and find a path forward together. As Albert Einstein is quoted—I'm not sure the line came from him, but he's quoted in many places—he said that the definition of insanity is making the same mistake or doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result. [Ed. note: Einstein never said this.] It feels like that's what our election cycle is like. Half the country feels like they won, half the country feels like they lost, at least if they voted or participated. Obviously, there's another late-comer to the presidential race, and that's Kanye West. He's received a lot of flak for his candidacy, as he's openly admitted to trying to siphon votes away from Joe Biden to ensure a Trump victory. Is that something you're hoping to avoid or is that what you're going for as well?Oh no. This is a very serious campaign. Our campaign is very serious. You'll notice I don't say anything negative about either of the two major political candidates, because I think that's one of the problems with our political system, instead of people getting on stage, talking about their visionary ideas, inspiring people, informing and educating, talking about problems, mentioning problems, talking about solutions, constructive criticism. That's why I refuse to run a negative campaign. I am definitely not a spoiler. I'm into data, right? I'm a technologist. I've got digital DNA. So does most of our campaign team. We've got our finger on the pulse. Most of my major Democratic contacts are really happy to see that we're running in a red state like Wyoming. Kanye West's home state is Wyoming. He's not on the ballot in Wyoming I could say, in part, because he didn't have Akon on his team. But I could also say that he probably didn't want to be on the ballot in Wyoming because it's a red state. He doesn't want to take additional points in a state where he's only running against Trump. But we're on the ballot in Wyoming, and since we're on the ballot in Wyoming I think it's safe—more than safe, I think it's evident—that we are not here to run as a spoiler for the benefit of Donald Trump. In running for president, you've opened yourself up to be scrutinized from every angle going back to the beginning of your career. I wanted to ask you about your time at the Digital Entertainment Network. Can you tell me a little bit about how you started there? You became a vice president as a teenager. What were your qualifications and what was your job exactly?Well, I was the co-founder. A lot of it was my idea. I had an idea that people would use the internet to watch videos, and we create content for the internet. The idea was basically YouTube and Hulu and Netflix. Anyone that was around in the '90s and has been around digital media since then, they all credit us as the creators of basically those ideas. I was just getting a message from the creator of The Vandals, the punk rock band, right before you called. He's like, "Brock, looks like we're going to get the Guinness Book of World Records for having created the first streaming television show."We did a lot of that stuff. We had 30 television shows. We had the top most prestigious institutions in the world as investors. The biggest names. High-net-worth investors like Terry Semel, who's chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, and became the CEO of Yahoo. I did all sorts of things. I helped sell $150,000 worth of advertising contracts to the CEOs of Pepsi and everything else. I was the face of the company, meeting all the major banks and everything else, selling the vision of what the future was. You moved in with Marc Collins-Rector and Chad Shackley at a mansion in Encino. Was that the headquarters of the business? All start-ups, they normally start out in your home. Because it's just you. The company was first started out of Marc's house, and it was probably there for the first two or three months, before the company got an office. That's, like, how it is for all start-ups. You were later a co-defendant in the L.A. County case filed against Marc Collins-Rector for plying minors with alcohol and drugs, in order to facilitate sexual abuse. You were dropped from the case, but you settled with one of the men for $21,600. Can you explain that? Okay, well, first of all, that's not accurate. Two of the plaintiffs in that case asked me if I would be a plaintiff. Because I refused to be a part of the lawsuit, they chose to include me to discredit me, to make their case stronger. They also went and offered 50 percent of what they got to the house management—they went around and offered money to anyone to participate in this. They needed people to corroborate their story. Eventually, because I refused to participate in the lawsuit, they named me. Subsequently, all three of the plaintiffs apologized to me, in front of audiences, in front of many people, saying Brock never did anything. They dismissed their cases. Remember, this is a civil thing. I've never been charged with a crime in my life. And the last plaintiff to have his case dismissed, he contacted his lawyer and said, "Dismiss this case against Brock. Brock never did anything. I just apologized. Dismiss his case." And the lawyer said, "No. I won't dismiss this case, I have all these out-of-pocket expenses, I refuse to file the paperwork unless you give me my out-of-pocket expenses." And so the lawyer, I guess, had $21,000 in bills. So I paid his lawyer $21,000—not him, it was not a settlement. That was a payment to his lawyer for his out-of-pocket expenses. Out-of-pocket expenses so that he would file the paperwork to dismiss the case. You've said the cases were unfounded, and the plaintiffs eventually apologized. But your boss, Marc Collins-Rector later pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and registered as a sex offender. Were you aware of his behavior? How do you square the fact that later allegations proved to be true, but these ones were not?Well, remember: I was 16 and 17 years old at the time? So, no. I don't think Marc is the man they made him out to be. But Marc is not a person I would associate with today, and someone I haven't associated with in a very long time. I was 16 and 17. I chose the wrong business partner. You live and you learn.You've pointed out that you were underage when most of these allegations were said to take place. Did you ever feel like you were coerced or in over your head while working at DEN?I mean, I was working 18 hours a day, doing things I'd never done before. It was business school. But I definitely learned a lot in building that company. We raised $88 million. We filed our [form] S-1 to go public. We were the hottest start-up in Los Angeles. In 2000, you left the country with Marc Collins-Rector. Why did you leave? How did you spend those two years abroad?I moved to Spain in 1999 for personal reasons. I spent those two years in Europe working on developing my businesses.Interpol found you in 2002. The house where you were staying reportedly contained guns, machetes, and child pornography. Whose guns and child porn were those? Were you aware they were in the house, and how did those get there?My lawyers have addressed this in 32 pages of documentation showing a complete absence of wrongdoing. Please refer to my webpage for more information.[Ed. Note: The webpage does not mention guns, machetes, or child pornography. It does state:"It is true that when the local police arrested Collins-Rector in Spain in 2002 on an international warrant, Mr. Pierce was also taken into custody, but so was everyone at Collins-Rector's house in Spain; and it is equally clear that Brock was promptly released, and no charges of any kind were ever filed against Brock concerning this matter."]What do you make of the allegations against Bryan Singer? [Ed. Note: Bryan Singer, a close friend of Collins-Rector, invested at least $50,000 in DEN. In an Atlantic article outlining Singer's history of alleged sexual assault and statutory rape, one source claimed that at age 15, Collins-Rector abused him and introduced him to Singer, who then assaulted him in the DEN headquarters.]I am aware of them and I support of all victims of sexual assault. I will let America's justice system decide on Singer's outcome.In 2011, you spoke at the Mindshift conference supported by Jeffrey Epstein. At that point, he had already been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Why did you agree to speak?I had never heard of Jeffrey Epstein. His name was not on the website. I was asked to speak at a conference alongside Nobel Prize winners. It was not a cryptocurrency conference, it was filled with Nobel Prize winners. I was asked to speak alongside Nobel Prize winners on the future of money. I speak at conferences historically, two to three times a week. I was like, "Nobel Prize winners? Sounds great. I'll happily talk about the future of money with them." I had no idea who Jeffrey Epstein was. His name was not listed anywhere on the website. Had I known what I know now? I clearly would have never spoken there. But I spoke at a conference that he cosponsored. What's your connection to the Clinton Global Initiative? Did you hear about it through Jeffrey Epstein?I joined the Clinton Global Initiative as a philanthropist in 2006 and was a member for one year. My involvement with the Initiative had no connection to Jeffrey Epstein whatsoever.You've launched your campaign in Minnesota, where George Floyd was killed by a police officer. How do you feel about the civil uprising against police brutality? I'm from Minnesota. Born and raised. We just had a press conference there, announcing that we're on the ballot. Former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley was there. So that tells you, when former U.S. Senators are endorsing the candidate, right? [Ed. note: Barkley was never elected to the United States Senate. In November of 2002, he was appointed by then Minnesota Governor Jesse Venture to fill the seat after Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash. Barkley's term ended on Jan. 3, 2003—two months later.] Yes, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. My vice-presidential running mate Karla Ballard and I, on our last trip to Minnesota together, went to visit the George Floyd Memorial. I believe in law and order. I believe that law and order is foundational to any functioning society. But there is no doubt in my mind that we need reform. These types of events—this is not an isolated incident. This has happened many times before. It's time for change. We have a lot of detail around policy on this issue that we will be publishing next week. Not just high-level what we think, not just a summary, but detailed policy. You said that you support "law and order." What does that mean?"Law and order" means creating a fair and just legal system where our number one priority is protecting the inalienable rights of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" for all people. This means reforming how our police intervene in emergency situations, abolishing private prisons that incentivize mass incarceration, and creating new educational and economic opportunities for our most vulnerable communities. I am dedicated to preventing crime by eliminating the socioeconomic conditions that encourage it.I support accountability and transparency in government and law enforcement. Some of the key policies I support are requiring body-cams on all law enforcement officers who engage with the public, curtailing the 1033 program that provides local law enforcement agencies with access to military equipment, and abolishing private prisons. Rather than simply defund the police, my administration will take a holistic approach to heal and unite America by ending mass incarceration, police brutality, and racial injustice. Did you attend any Black Lives Matter protests?I support all movements aimed at ending racial injustice and inequality. I have not attended any Black Lives Matter protests. My running-mate, Karla Ballard, attended the March on Washington in support of racial justice and equality.Your platform doesn't mention the words "climate change." Is there a reason for that?I'm not sure what you mean. Our policy platform specifically references human-caused climate change and we have a plan to restabilize the climate, address environmental degradation, and ensure environmental sustainability. [Ed. Note: As of writing the Pierce campaign's policy platform does not specifically reference human-caused climate change.]You've recently brought on Akon as a campaign surrogate. How did that happen? Tell me about that.Akon and I have been friends for quite some time. I was one of the guys that taught him about Bitcoin. I helped make some videogames for him, I think in 2012. We were talking about Bitcoin, teaching him the ropes, back in 2013. And in 2014, we were both speaking at the Milken Global Conference, and I encouraged him to talk about how Bitcoin, Africa, changed the world. He became the biggest celebrity in the world, talking about Bitcoin at the time. I'm an adviser to his Akoin project, very interested in the work that he's doing to build a city in Africa. I think we need a government that's of, for, and by the people. Akon has huge political aspirations. He obviously was a hugely successful artist. But he also discovered artists like Lady Gaga. So not only is he, himself, a great artist, but he's also a great identifier and builder of other artists. And he's been a great businessman, philanthropist. He's pushing the limits of what can be done. We're like-minded individuals in that regard. I think he'll be running for political office one day, because he sees what I see: that we need real change, and we need a government that is of, for, and by the people. You mentioned that you're an adviser on Akoin. Do you have any financial investments in Akoin or Akon City?I don't believe so. I'd have to check. I have so much stuff. But I don't believe that I have any economic interests in his stuff. I'd have to verify that. We'll get back to you. I don't believe that I have any economic interests. My interest is in helping him. He's a visionary with big ideas that wants to help things in the world. If I can be of assistance in helping him make the world a better place, I'm all for it. I'm not motivated by money. I'm not running for office because I'm motivated by power. I'm running for office because I'm deeply, deeply concerned about our collective future. You've said you're running on a pro-technology platform. One week into your campaign last month, a New York appeals court approved the state Attorney General's attempt to investigate the stablecoin Tether for potentially fraudulent activity. Do you think this will impact your ability to sell people on your tech entrepreneurship? No. I think my role in Tether is as awesome as it gets. It was my idea. I put it together. But I've had no involvement in the company since 2015. I gave all of my equity to the other shareholders. I've had zero involvement in the company for almost six years. It was just my idea. I put the initial team together. But I think Tether is one of the most important innovations in the world, certainly. The idea is, I digitized the U.S. dollar. I used technology to digitize currency—existing currency. The U.S. dollar in particular. It's doing $10 trillion a year. Ten trillion dollars a year of transactional volume. It's probably the most important innovation in currency since the advent of fiat money. The people that took on the business and ran the business in years to come, they've done things I'm not proud of. I'm not sure they've done anything criminal. But they certainly did things differently than I would do. But it's like, you have kids, they turn 18, they go out into the world, and sometimes you're proud of the things they do, and sometimes you shake your head and go, "Ugh, why did you do that?" I have zero concerns as it relates to me personally. I wish they made better decisions. What do you think the investigation will find?I have no idea. The problem that was raised is that there was a $5 million loan between two entities and whether or not they had the right to do that, did they disclose it correctly. There's been no accusations of, like, embezzlement or anything that bad. [Ed. Note: The Attorney General's press release on the investigation reads: "Our investigation has determined that the operators of the 'Bitfinex' trading platform, who also control the 'tether' virtual currency, have engaged in a cover-up to hide the apparent loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds."]But there's been some disclosure things, that is the issue. No one is making any outrageous claims that these are people that have done a bunch of bad—well, on the internet, the media has said that the people behind the business may have been manipulating the price of Bitcoin, but I don't think that has anything to do with the New York investigation. Again, I'm so not involved, and so not at risk, that I'm not even up to speed on the details. [Ed note: A representative of the New York State Attorney General told Forbes that he "cannot confirm or deny that the investigation" includes Pierce.] Fake Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs Lead QAnon Crazies to Target Chrissy Teigen and BeyoncéWe've recently witnessed the rise of QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Hollywood is an evil cabal of Satanic pedophiles and Trump is the person waging war on them. You mentioned human trafficking, which has become a cause for them. What are your thoughts on that? I've watched some of the content. I think it's an interesting phenomenon. I'm an internet person, so Anonymous is obviously an organization that has been doing interesting stuff. It's interesting. I don't have a big—conspiracy theory stuff is—I guess I have a question for you: What do you think of all of it, since you're the expert?You know, I think it's not true, but I'm not running for president. I do wonder what this politician [Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene], who's just won her primary, is going to do on day one, once she finds out there's no satanic cabal room. Wait, someone was running for office and won on a QAnon platform, saying that Hollywood did—say what? You're the expert here. She won a primary. But I want to push on if we only have a few minutes. In 2006, your gaming company IGE brought on Steve Bannon as an investor. Goldman later bought out most of your stock. Bannon eventually replaced you as CEO of Affinity. You've described him as your "right-hand man for, like, seven years." How well did you know Bannon during that time? Yes, so this is in my mid-twenties. He wasn't an investor. He worked for me. He was my banker. He worked for me for three years as my yield guide. And then he was my CEO running the company for another four years. So I haven't worked with Steve for a decade or so. We worked in videogame stuff and banking. He was at Goldman Sachs. He was not in the political area at the time. But he was a pretty successful banker. He set up Goldman Sachs Los Angeles. So for me, I'd say he did a pretty good job. Steve Bannon, in His $1,400 Hotel Suite, Rails Against the 'Elite'During your business relationship, Steve Bannon founded Breitbart News, which has pretty consistently published racist material. How do you feel about Breitbart?I had no involvement with Breitbart News. As for how I feel about such material, I'm not pleased by any form of hate-mongering. I strongly support the equality of all Americans.Did you have qualms about Bannon's role in the 2016 election?Bannon's role in the Trump campaign got me to pay closer attention to what he was doing but that's about it. Whenever you find out that one of your former employees has taken on a role like that, you pay attention.Bannon served on the board of Cambridge Analytica. A staffer on your campaign, Brittany Kaiser, also served as a business director for them. What are your thoughts on their use of illicitly-obtained Facebook data for campaign promotional material? Yes, so this will be the last question I can answer because I've got to be off for this 5:00 pm. But Brittany Kaiser is a friend of mine. She was the whistleblower of Cambridge Analytica. She came to me and said, "What do I do?" And I said, "Tell the truth. The truth will set you free."[Ed. Note: Investigations in Cambridge Analytica took place as early as Nov. 2017, when a U.K. reporter at Channel 4 News recorded their CEO boasting about using "beautiful Ukranian girls" and offers of bribes to discredit political officials. The first whistleblower was Christopher Wylie, who disclosed a cache of documents to The Guardian, published on Mar. 17, 2018. Kaiser's confession ran five days later, after the scandal made national news. Her association with Cambridge Analytica is not mentioned anywhere on Pierce's campaign website.]So I'm glad that people—I'm a supporter of whistleblowers, people that see injustice in the world and something not right happening, and who put themselves in harm's way to stand up for what they believe in. So I stand up for Brittany Kaiser. Who do you think [anonymous inventor of Bitcoin] Satoshi Nakamoto is?We all are Satoshi Nakamoto.You got married at Burning Man. Have you been attending virtual Burning Man?I'm running a presidential campaign. So, while I was there in spirit, unfortunately my schedule did not permit me to attend.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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