| Michigan Gov. Whitmer calls Trump's latest attacks 'incredibly disturbing' Posted: 18 Oct 2020 07:51 AM PDT  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday called President Trump's broadsides targeting her "incredibly disturbing" given that authorities recently announced a foiled antigovernment militia kidnapping plot against her.
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| Dr. Birx reportedly asked Pence to remove COVID-19 adviser pushing 'junk science' Posted: 19 Oct 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Dr. Deborah Birx has reportedly been trying to get controversial adviser Dr. Scott Atlas removed from the White House coronavirus task force.A new report in The Washington Post describes the "discord on the coronavirus task force" that has reportedly "worsened" ever since the arrival of Atlas, a neuroradiologist who has no background in epidemiology. Atlas has reportedly "succeeded in largely sidelining" other doctors on the White House coronavirus task force, has challenged analysis from Birx and others with what experts have dismissed as "junk science," and is seen by colleagues as "ill-informed, manipulative and at times dishonest."Birx, who serves as the task force's response coordinator, recently confronted Vice President Mike Pence about Atlas, telling his office he should be removed from the task force and that she "does not trust" him nor does she believe "he is giving Trump sound advice," the Post also reports. Her effort was evidently unsuccessful, and Pence reportedly "did not take sides" in the conflict.The report also describes how Atlas has baselessly claimed to the task force that the United States is close to achieving herd immunity, an idea scientists have rejected, and that all coronavirus restrictions should be lifted. This, the Post says, led Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to demand he produce data to support his claims during a "fierce debate." Atlas over the weekend also falsely claimed that masks don't work in fighting COVID-19, leading Twitter to remove the post."These days, the task force is dormant relative to its robust activity earlier in the pandemic," the Post writes. "Fauci, Birx, Surgeon General Jerome Adams and other members have confided in others that they are dispirited." Read more at The Washington Post. More stories from theweek.com Will Kansas go blue? What happened to third party candidates? If Roe falls
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| Queen grants rare royal pardon to murderer who fought off a terrorist knife attacker with a 5-foot narwhal tusk on London Bridge Posted: 18 Oct 2020 04:55 AM PDT  Steve Gallant was on his day release at a conference set up to help rehabilitate prisoners when the terror attack took place last November.
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| As virus surges, Iran breaks one-day record for deaths again Posted: 19 Oct 2020 04:01 AM PDT  Iran's single-day death toll from the coronavirus smashed a record set less than a week ago, with 337 dead confirmed Monday as a resurgence of infections is overwhelming hospitals. On social media, Iranian news outlets dramatically dubbed the day "Black Monday" and lamented the grim milestone — which represented a significant increase over Iran's previous one-day record of 279 set Wednesday. Health officials announced last week that Iran's capital, Tehran, had run out of intensive care beds for virus patients, and overwhelmed hospitals across the city suspended all nonemergency treatments.
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| Shanghai zoo fatal bear attack: Visitors see worker being killed Posted: 19 Oct 2020 01:51 AM PDT  The fatal attack in Shanghai Wild Animal Park's "wild beast area" is under investigation.
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| Spain's regions tighten COVID-19 measures as one million case milestone looms Posted: 19 Oct 2020 07:30 AM PDT  Several Spanish regions toughened their coronavirus restrictions on Monday, seeking to curb a second wave of contagion that looks set to drive the country with Western Europe's highest case load above one million infections this week. Authorities in the northern region of Castile and Leon announced they would seal off the city of Burgos and nearby Aranda de Duero to all but essential travel from Tuesday night after infection rates in the area surpassed 500 cases per 100,000 people. "We are in circumstances similar to those of March or April," Burgos Mayor Daniel de la Rosa told state broadcaster TVE, recalling the beginning of the pandemic, when many Spaniards were confined to their homes to stop the spread.
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| Op-Ed: Airlines don't deserve another taxpayer-financed bailout Posted: 19 Oct 2020 04:00 AM PDT  A bailout will only reward airlines for outrageous executive salaries and stock buybacks. To help employees, renew the $600-a-week jobless benefit.
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| The week in polls: Trump roars back in Florida, Biden gains in Georgia Posted: 19 Oct 2020 09:04 AM PDT  In the Senate, a poll found Doug Jones may not be doomed after all. And another found Lindsey Graham's race may not be as tight as believed.
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| Supreme Court justices chastise Vermont on the limits of police power in 'deer jacking' case Posted: 19 Oct 2020 08:40 AM PDT  Vermont's high court ruled that game wardens had a legal right to wander around the land of a homeowner suspected of illegally hunting deer at night.
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| Chief: Indiana police recruit fired for ties to neo-Nazis Posted: 18 Oct 2020 12:45 PM PDT  A police recruit in Indiana was fired less than 24 hours after the department was notified that the officer had been involved in a neo-Nazi online chat forum.
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| Many homes likely lost in north-central Colorado fires Posted: 18 Oct 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Nearly 3,000 people were forced to flee from a fast-moving fire in north-central Colorado and authorities believe a large number of homes were destroyed. The CalWood Fire started around noon Saturday near the Cal-Wood Education Center, which is about 17 miles (27 kilometers) from downtown Boulder. The National Center for Atmospheric Research's Mesa lab recorded gusts of 59 mph (95 kph) on Saturday.
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| Family of Moscow-Born Teen Who Beheaded Teacher Were from Chechnya Where Charlie Hebdo Cartoons Are Demonized Posted: 19 Oct 2020 06:15 AM PDT  MOSCOW—The man known as 'Putin's attack dog' has spent years promoting a violent response to the publication of controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. When a teenager from a Chechen family beheaded a school teacher in France on Friday for sharing these images with his class, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin-backed ruler of Chechnya, took to social media to lecture France about its "unacceptable attitude to Islamic values."Kadyrov has worked hard to make the French controversy a cause célèbre in the Muslim-majority region of Russia. He gathered hundreds of thousands of Chechens for an anti-Charlie Hebdo rally, just a few days after terrorists killed 12 and injured 11 people at the satirical newspaper's office in January, 2015. That was the biggest rally ever seen in the Northern Caucasus. With a white vest on, Kadyrov spoke to a crowd of about a million people, calling on Muslims to rise against those who "deliberately kindle the fire of religious hostility."When Charlie Hebdo republished the cartoons on September, 2nd to mark the opening of a trial of those involved in the terror attack, Chechnya's official Instagram account responded with a call in the Chechen language saying: "May the Almighty punish them for their deeds as quickly as possible." Two days later Chechen mufti Salakh Mezhiyev condemned the French publication, as part of "the West's well-planned attack against Islam." A rain of angry statements followed, Instagram users called to make Charlie Hebdo "burn in hell."Parents of Student Arrested After Teacher Beheaded for Showing Anti-Muslim CartoonSvetlana Gannushkina, the head of Moscow's Civic Assistance Committee, said there could be no doubt what the Chechen leader was advocating. "The message Kadyrov has been sending his people is pretty clear, she told The Daily Beast. "He calls for Muslims to take measures against those mocking Muhammad."The son of a Chechen émigré family in the suburbs of Paris did just that on Friday. A French teacher of geography and history, 47-year old Samuel Paty, was decapitated in the street in the Conflans Saint-Honorine neighborhood by a Abdullah Anzorov, 18, about a week after he had showed the Muhammed cartoons to his students.Witnesses heard Anzorov yell during the attack: "Allahu Akbar!" The attacker was later shot dead after firing a plastic pellet gun at police. The authorities have arrested at least ten members of Anzorov's Chechen family.The teenager himself was born in Moscow and only visited Chechnya as a young child, but Grigory Shvedov, editor-in-chief of the Caucasian Knot media site, told The Daily Beast that Kadyrov's influence stretched well beyond the republic's borders. "It has to do with so-called 'Kadyrovtsy,' they are responsible for spreading intolerance, hatred of critical thinking," he said. "The murder in France took place after Chechnya's main mufti condemned Charlie Hebdo."Kadyrov, whose hardline policies is fully supported by President Putin, did condemn the terrorist attack at the end of his social media tirade but he also doubled down on his criticism of the cartoonists and those who would challenge Islamic fundamentalism. "While speaking out categorically against any manifestation of terrorism," he wrote. "I also urge not to provoke believers, not to offend their religious feelings."Kadyrov has been lecturing on public morality and behavior for years. Enjoying Kremlin-backed power in his republic, he forbade smoking and drinking, banned women from entering state buildings without scarves on, and called for a crusade against his own LGBT citizens in order "to purify our blood."Chechen nationals across the world continue to follow Kadyrov, watching his videos and messages on Telegram and Instagram. His own Instagram account was blocked after U.S. sanctions, but he continues to spread his message via the republic's official account.Yekaterina Sokirianskaya, the founder of the Conflict Analysis and Prevention Center think tank, has been researching Chechen émigrés in Europe and the U.S. "Many Chechens in the West are shocked, ashamed, they condemned the murderer for spoiling their nation's reputation," she said. "As my own research showed, most young Chechen refugees blend in, learn languages, study and work on the West; they have no other home, since returning to Chechnya would be too dangerous for most of them."Judging by how much Anzorov rushed to photograph his beheaded victim and publish photographs on Twitter, he was prepared for a demonstratively violent act for some time, using the teacher as a pretext."The shocking photographs were published on Twitter in a post addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron, which read: "I have executed one of your dogs."Chechnya watchers in Russia believe that many Muslims who oppose Kadyrov's domestic policy have been seduced by his criticism of Charlie Hebdo and French politicians who support tolerance and freedom of speech. "Kadyrov makes statements about Muslims in Myanmar, Muslims in Palestine, he has ambitions of becoming the leading voice for all Russian Muslims," Sokirianskaya told The Daily Beast.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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| White supremacists across the country indicted on drug and firearm charges Posted: 17 Oct 2020 01:27 PM PDT  According to the U.S. Justice Department, 21 Utah-based white supremacists have been indicted for allegedly selling drugs and firearms. In recent days, similar charges were brought against white supremacist gang members in Texas, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
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| Michigan Republican fundraised at DeVos family home while trying to downplay financial ties Posted: 19 Oct 2020 03:00 AM PDT  John James bought ads to distance himself from Betsy DeVos as super PAC funded by family poured millions into race
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| Sweden is moving away from its no-lockdown strategy and preparing strict new rules amid rising coronavirus cases Posted: 18 Oct 2020 07:54 AM PDT  Sweden is preparing to give local authorities the power to strongly recommend people against using public transport and visiting busy public places.
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| A tabloid got a trove of data on Hunter Biden from Rudy Giuliani. Now, the FBI is probing a possible disinformation campaign. Posted: 18 Oct 2020 04:09 PM PDT  The FBI is examining whether the material supplied to the New York Post by Rudy Giuliani is part of a disinformation campaign by Russia.
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| Churches torched on anniversary of protests in Chile Posted: 18 Oct 2020 05:24 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of Chileans gathered in the central square of Santiago to mark the one-year anniversary of mass protests that left over 30 dead and thousands injured, with peaceful rallies on Sunday devolving by nightfall into riots and looting. People gathered early in the day in demonstrations downtown and in cities throughout Chile that gained size and fervor through the evening. Many touted signs and rainbow coloured homemade banners calling for a "yes" vote next Sunday in a referendum over whether to scrap the country's dictatorship-era Constitution, a key demand of the 2019 protests. The demonstrations, while largely peaceful early on, were marred by increasing incidents of violence, looting of supermarkets and clashes with police across the capital later in the day. Fire truck sirens, burning barricades on roadways and fireworks on downtown streets added to a sense of chaos in some neighbourhoods. Interior Minister Victor Perez spoke late in the evening, praising the early, peaceful rallies while blasting the late-night mayhem. He called on Chileans to settle their differences by voting in the upcoming Oct. 25 constitutional referendum.
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| Large 2,000-year-old cat discovered in Peru's Nazca lines Posted: 18 Oct 2020 10:19 AM PDT  The 37m feline figure, said to have been created some 2,000 years ago, escaped notice for centuries.
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| Judge strikes down 'arbitrary and capricious' USDA rule ending food stamps for 700,000 unemployed Posted: 19 Oct 2020 02:46 AM PDT  A federal judge in Washington, D.C., stuck down a Trump administration rule Sunday that had attempted to end food stamp benefits for up to 700,000 unemployed adults. The U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized the rule last year, but Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell had put a hold on its implementation in March, on the same day President Trump declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency. Congress then froze the new rule's requirements for the duration of the state of emergency. In s scathing 67-page ruling, Howell formally struck the rule down.The USDA's rule, designed to stop states from waiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements during economic downturns, "radically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice, leaving states scrambling and exponentially increasing food insecurity for tens of thousands of Americans," Howell wrote. The USDA "has been icily silent about how many [adults] would have been denied SNAP benefits had the changes sought ... been in effect while the pandemic rapidly spread across the country," he added, and that "utter failure to address the issue renders the agency action arbitrary and capricious."Two other proposed rule changes are still in the works; one would limit access to SNAP benefits for working poor families and the other would affect unity allowance deductions, The Washington Post reports. "A study by the Urban Institute indicated the combined impact of these rules would cut 3.7 million people from SNAP in an average month. Benefits would be reduced for millions more, and 982,000 students would lose automatic access to free or reduced-price school meals."More stories from theweek.com Will Kansas go blue? What happened to third party candidates? If Roe falls
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| China accuses Canada of condoning alleged anti-China remarks Posted: 19 Oct 2020 03:22 AM PDT |
| A man was found living in the rafters of a Nevada supermarket after his foot fell through the ceiling Posted: 17 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  Police told local outlets that Matthew Hammar had "made himself at home" before he was discovered in the rafters of a Raley's supermarket.
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| Cruise ship rescues 24 people from boat off Florida coast Posted: 18 Oct 2020 10:53 AM PDT  A Carnival Cruise Line ship rescued two dozen people, including two children, from a sinking boat 37 miles off the Florida coast, the cruise line reported Saturday.
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| Neil deGrasse Tyson says asteroid could hit day before election Posted: 19 Oct 2020 08:01 AM PDT  Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson posted a picture of an asteroid approaching Earth saying that it could strike the planet before the election on Nov. 3. "Asteroid 2018VP1, a refrigerator-sized space-rock, is hurtling towards us at more than 40,000 km/hr," he wrote in a tweet Saturday. "It may buzz-cut Earth on Nov 2, the day before the Presidential Election."
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| What police plan to do about armed men at the polls on Election Day Posted: 18 Oct 2020 03:02 AM PDT  "I feel like I'm walking on the edge of a razor blade," a Virginia police chief told NBC News.
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| National steelworkers union shines 'Biden Harris' sign on Trump Tower in Chicago Posted: 18 Oct 2020 01:33 PM PDT  The 98-story Chicago skyscraper previously sparked controversy from the public after an enormous, LED "TRUMP" logo was stamped on it.
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| 'Overjoyed': Missing Zion National Park hiker Holly Courtier found alive after 12 days Posted: 18 Oct 2020 03:05 PM PDT  Park rangers located Courtier after receiving a "credible tip from a park visitor," the National Park Service said in a Sunday news release.
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| Taiwan and Chinese diplomats injured in fight in high-end Fiji hotel Posted: 19 Oct 2020 02:37 AM PDT  Taiwan and China have become embroiled in a diplomatic spat on the Pacific island of Fiji, after government officials from both sides were allegedly injured during a fight at an event in a high-end hotel to mark Taiwan's National Day. The incident occurred amid growing tensions between Beijing and Taipei over Taiwan's global status, and as both sides vie for diplomatic and economic influence in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Monday that it had asked the Fijian police to investigate the October 8 incident. The fight resulted in a Taiwanese diplomat being sent to hospital after trying to prevent two Chinese embassy officials from entering the venue to photograph people who were attending. The Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan - a democratic island of 24 million which it has never ruled - as its own territory. It tries to undermine Taiwan internationally and strongly objects to Taipei having independent ties with any other nations. Taiwan, a strong US ally, has formal relations with four countries in the region, although not with Fiji. According to the Taiwanese foreign ministry, two Chinese diplomats stormed into a celebration marking Taiwan's national day to "harass" their guests.
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| 6 Russian military officers charged in vast hacking campaign Posted: 19 Oct 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Six current and former Russian military officers sought to disrupt through computer hacking the French election, the Winter Olympics and U.S. hospitals and businesses, according to a Justice Department indictment unsealed Monday that details destructive attacks on a broad range of political, financial and athletic targets. The indictment accuses the defendants, all alleged officers in the Russian military agency known as the GRU, in destructive attacks on Ukraine's power grid; in a hack-and-leak effort directed at the political party of French President Emmanuel Macron in the days leading up to the 2017 election; and to impede an investigation into the suspected nerve-agent poisoning of a former spy and his daughter. The indictment does not charge the defendants in connection with interference in American elections, though the officers are part of the same military intelligence unit that prosecutors say interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by hacking Democratic email accounts.
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| Lopez Obrador criticizes DEA role in Mexico after ex-army chief's arrest Posted: 18 Oct 2020 03:00 PM PDT  Mexico's president has criticized the historic role played by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in his country, days after a former Mexican army chief was arrested in Los Angeles on drug charges at the behest of the DEA. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador described Thursday's arrest of ex-Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos as evidence of rampant corruption in past governments. Speaking in the southern state of Oaxaca on Saturday, Lopez Obrador said the DEA had dealt for years with Cienfuegos and Genaro Garcia Luna, Mexico's security minister from 2006 to 2012, who has also been charged in the United States with drug-trafficking offenses.
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| Ankara-backed nationalist ousts president in Turkish Cypriot poll Posted: 18 Oct 2020 10:56 AM PDT  Right-wing nationalist Ersin Tatar, backed by Ankara, scored a surprise victory in a run-off presidential election Sunday in breakaway northern Cyprus, ousting pro-reunification incumbent Mustafa Akinci.
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| Federal government to execute first woman since 1953 Posted: 17 Oct 2020 12:36 PM PDT  Lisa Montgomery was given the death penalty in 2008 for killing mother-to-be Bobbie Jo Stinnett, cutting the baby from her womb, and then pretending it was her own.
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| Japan to export defense tech to Vietnam under new agreement Posted: 19 Oct 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Japan has been pursuing such pacts in recent years to bolster ties with Southeast Asian countries and sustain its own defense industry.
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| Journalist went undercover with French police. He found racism, brutality and a toxic culture. Posted: 19 Oct 2020 03:13 AM PDT  "It's a police force where you can do whatever you want," Gendrot told NBC News.
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| Floridians ask judge to declare Trump debating "a public nuisance" so he doesn’t spread COVID Posted: 19 Oct 2020 03:28 AM PDT  A group of Miami-Dade residents have filed the suit to prevent Trump from visiting the state
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| Mark Zuckerberg reportedly signed off on a Facebook algorithm change that throttled traffic to progressive news sites — and one site says that quiet change cost them $400,00 to $600,000 a year Posted: 19 Oct 2020 07:26 AM PDT  Facebook worried that an algorithm change would negatively impact right-wing media, so they dinged traffic to liberal news outlets, WSJ reported.
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| 'I saw a big mushroom cloud': Clues sought in Virginia shopping center explosion that rattled residents for miles. Posted: 18 Oct 2020 01:36 PM PDT  Investigators hunted for clues behind a thunderous explosion that leveled a strip mall, injured five people and rattled residents in Harrisonburg, Va.
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| A Hasidic Jewish wedding in New York that expected 10,000 guests is stopped by New York officials over coronavirus infection fears Posted: 18 Oct 2020 05:48 AM PDT  The wedding, for the grandson of a revered Hasidic rabbi, was scheduled to happen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Monday.
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| China tells U.S. companies that they are welcome in its market Posted: 19 Oct 2020 02:38 AM PDT  China welcomes U.S. companies to actively participate in its market and will strive to create a fair and just environment, the industry ministry said on Monday, citing a meeting it held with firms such as Qualcomm Inc and General Motors. Xiao Yaqing, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, made the comments during a video meeting held with a delegation sent by the US-China Business Council, the ministry said in a statement published on is website. Executives from the headquarters of companies like General Motors and Qualcomm attended the meeting, alongside the heads of the US-China Business Council, the statement said, adding that Xiao had also commented on how there were good market prospects in areas like 5G technology and new energy vehicles.
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| Tension and defiance in trenches of Karabakh Posted: 19 Oct 2020 06:21 AM PDT  Scorched grass, some trees on the horizon and coils of barbed wire are visible from a small slit in the wall protecting a trench on the frontline of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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| Black officers break from unions over Trump endorsements Posted: 18 Oct 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Police unions have largely supported President Trump's reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism. But a number of Black law enforcement officers are speaking out, saying their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were ignored.
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| Inside Canada's decades-long lobster feud Posted: 19 Oct 2020 08:31 AM PDT  A fight over indigenous rights has erupted in Canada's billion-dollar lobster fishing industry.
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| Battleground Tracker: Biden leads in Wisconsin, has edge in Arizona Posted: 19 Oct 2020 04:01 AM PDT  The coronavirus continues to shape the race heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
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| Elon Musk says SpaceX has a 'fighting chance' of sending its giant Starship rocket to Mars in 2024 — 2 years later than previously hoped Posted: 19 Oct 2020 08:28 AM PDT  SpaceX founder Elon Musk previously set an "aspirational" timeline for a Mars launch by 2022. Its Starship rocket is still a prototype.
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| Fact check: It's true, Ginsburg said bipartisanship needed 'true patriots' on both sides Posted: 18 Oct 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A quote attributed to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a social media post is confirmed. She did speak of a need for bipartisanship.
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