| Critics warn Trump's 'poll watcher' rhetoric is a potential voter suppression tactic Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:29 PM PDT  President Trump's call for his supporters to watch for cheating at the polls this fall is raising concerns about voter intimidation and voter suppression.
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| For some tech workers seeking green cards, the wait just got a little shorter. But it still is measured in decades. Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:28 PM PDT  High skilled Indian workers and their families make up three-quarters of the more than one million prospective immigrants in the United States who are currently stuck in what's known as the employment-based green card backlog.
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| Black woman called police officer ‘master’ as she begged for help upside down in patrol car Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:19 PM PDT  Shataeah Kelly repeatedly told the officer she could not breathe but was ignored
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| What is People of Praise? Trump SCOTUS nominee Barrett has ties to religious group Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:56 PM PDT  The group has been back in the spotlight following the president's latest Supreme Court pick.
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| Yorkie's death at airport facility fuels legal fight Posted: 01 Oct 2020 05:03 AM PDT  It may not rate as an international scandal, but the death of a Yorkshire terrier in U.S. custody is fueling a messy legal battle over the importation of a group of purebred canines imported from Russia. The dog died in September at a private facility at New York's Kennedy Airport used to hold animals from overseas that are denied entry to the U.S. by federal officials. "It's been really, really rough for me to deal with her death," Rachel Hobbs, of Dayton, Ohio, said in a recent interview.
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| Armor attrition in Nagorno-Karabakh battle not a sign US should give up on tanks, experts say Posted: 01 Oct 2020 10:48 AM PDT  As Armenia and Azerbaijan trade deadly blows in what many worry could turn into full-scale war, America's military experts take notes on what not to do.
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| More wildfire evacuations ordered as Northern California braces for powerful winds Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:57 PM PDT  The length of containment lines dug around wildfires in the state is so massive they could stretch from San Diego to New York City, a fire official said.
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| Fact check: Joe Biden faces friendly fire – partly false – over age, pot, prisons and more Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:14 AM PDT  An Instagram user levels strong charges against former Vice President Joe Biden but says he will vote for him against Trump
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| 7 people wounded in shooting at Milwaukee funeral home Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:27 AM PDT  All victims are in stable condition, according to police.
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| Comey Claims He Only Learned Details of Russia Investigation Abuses from IG Report after Leaving FBI Posted: 30 Sep 2020 09:18 AM PDT  Former FBI director James Comey claimed on Wednesday that he learned of various details related to the FBI's investigation in to collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign from the DOJ Inspector General report on FISA abuse, years after Comey had left his former agency.Comey headed the FBI from 2013 until May 2017, when he was fired by President Trump. During Comey's tenure, agents carried out the Crossfire Hurricane probe, investigating allegations that the Trump-campaign had ties to Russian intelligence. Many of those allegations were compiled in the so-called Steele dossier, whose primary source, Igor Danchenko, was revealed last week to be a suspected Russian spy.The DOJ Inspector General report, released in December 2019, detailed "significant" errors and omissions in FBI agents' applications to surveil former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page. That report also cast doubt on the veracity of some allegations in the Steele dossier.On Wednesday, Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify regarding questions on the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Before the Inspector General's report on the dossier…did you know that the information that was reported by [Inspector General Michael] Horowitz that should have raised questions about the reliability of the Steele dossier?" Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas) asked."I learned a lot about the Steele material and the sub-source interviews from the Horowitz report that I didn't know before then," Comey replied.Earlier in the Wednesday hearing, Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), asked Comey if he was aware that the FBI interviewed Danchenko in January 2017."I don't remember anything about interviews with [Danchenko]," Comey said.Comey has previously said he learned many of the details of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from what has been publicly reported. The former director stated in December 2019, following the release of the IG report, that he "didn't know the particulars of the investigation" while he head of the FBI."As a director sitting on top of an organization with 38,000 people, you can't run an investigation that's seven layers below you," Comey told Fox News at the time. Attorney General William Barr criticized Comey's statement several days later, saying "One of the problems with what happened was precisely that they pulled the investigation up to the executive floors."During Wednesday's hearing, Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah), a proponent of reforms to federal surveillance practices, criticized Comey for appearing to know little about the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Mr. Comey, with all due respect, you don't seem to know anything about an investigation that you ran," Lee said.
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| Sen. Cruz predicts if Trump will win the 2020 election Posted: 01 Oct 2020 09:23 AM PDT  Sen. Cruz tells the 'Brian Kilmeade Show' that the 'damage' a Biden-Pelosi-Schumer government would do in two years 'would exceed the damage Barack Obama did in eight years'
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| U.S. Democrats say spy agencies must update approach to China Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:10 AM PDT  U.S. House Democrats said on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence agencies have failed to adapt to the growing threat posed by China and warned Washington would be unable to compete with Beijing in the future without significant changes. A report released by Democrats on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee - chaired by Representative Adam Schiff - called for a full review of intelligence gathering, saying spy agencies had come to treat traditional intelligence missions as secondary to counterterrorism. "The intelligence community has not moved with the necessary alacrity to reorient itself to the growing challenge from China across practically every domain," Schiff told Reuters.
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| ‘He was screaming.’ 67-year-old uses martial arts on senior home intruder, CA cops say Posted: 01 Oct 2020 01:53 PM PDT  "He was screaming because that's one of my techniques, the bent fingers."
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| ‘It Was a Purposeful Trap.’ NYPD Planned Attack and Mass Arrests of Protesters, Human Rights Group Says Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:00 AM PDT  Human Rights Watch says in a new report that video shows NYPD officers trapping protesters in the Bronx before beating and arresting them
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| Maritime operation challenges 'excessive' Venezuela claims: US Navy Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:19 PM PDT  The United States Navy said on Thursday it had undertaken an operation off the coast Venezuela in an effort to challenge the South American country's "excessive maritime claims in international waters."
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| People of Praise, a faith group, deletes mentions and photos of Barrett from its website Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:38 AM PDT  An analysis by the Associated Press was able to track the changes through the Internet Archive.
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| West Virginia mail carrier guilty of election fraud after altering ballot requests to Republican Posted: 01 Oct 2020 03:02 PM PDT  Thomas Cooper admitted to having tampered some of the requests he delivered "as a joke." He did not know any of the voters whose requests he changed.
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| Judge drops suit alleging racist efforts to oust prosecutor Posted: 30 Sep 2020 01:24 PM PDT  A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out a federal rights lawsuit filed by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and blasted her claims that she was the victim of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her from office. Gardner, the city's elected prosecutor, claimed in the suit that "entrenched interests" were intentionally impeding her efforts to reform racist practices that have led to a loss of trust in the criminal justice system.
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| Trump on Biden's late son: "I don't know Beau" Posted: 29 Sep 2020 07:50 PM PDT  At the first presidential debate on Tuesday night, Joe Biden criticized President Trump's alleged comments calling fallen soldiers "losers," saying his late son Beau Biden, who served in Iraq, was "not a loser." Mr. Trump tried to respond with attacks on Biden's other son, Hunter Biden, saying "I don't know Beau."
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| The White House is upping its offer to Democrats to pass a new stimulus bill including $1,200 direct payments, report says Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:06 AM PDT  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are yet to strike a deal but say they are hopeful and talks will continue.
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| Turkey, Iran deploy 'game-changing' drones in north Iraq Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:02 PM PDT  Turkey and Iran are increasingly adopting "game-changing" drones as their weapon of choice against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, prompting fears for the safety of civilians and stoking geopolitical tensions.
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| Marine Corps F-35 and C-130 Collide During Refueling Exercise, All Personnel Found Safe Posted: 29 Sep 2020 07:02 PM PDT  All nine personnel -- one in the F-35B and eight in the KC-130J tanker -- are accounted for.
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| Republicans move forward with plan to investigate presidential election in Pennsylvania Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:39 AM PDT  A proposed Select Committee on Election Integrity would give lawmakers the power to investigate, review and make recommendations on the 2020 election.
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| Police reportedly invited Border Patrol snipers to monitor George Floyd’s burial service Posted: 01 Oct 2020 11:34 AM PDT  George Floyd's death in the hands of Minneapolis police led to nationwide protests and pledges from some police to cut back on heavy-handed crowd control tactics. But that message didn't make it to Floyd's burial service, where local and federal law enforcement forces were prepared to use "deadly force" if they encountered civil unrest, documents obtained by Vice News reveal."As a horse-drawn carriage took Floyd's body to its final resting place" earlier this year in Pearland, Texas, "at least six 'sniper teams' were in place on rooftops and authorized to open fire if the situation spiraled out of control," Vice reports via planning records. Pearland officials also brought in U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to the city to monitor the situation. That included members of the tactical BORTAC unit equipped with "military-grade firepower," Vice writes.The documents spell out the conditions under which certain types of officers could take action. "Officers in soft uniforms" were ready to monitor to "large, peacefully assembling" crowds, while BORTAC was "geared up ready to deploy" if "verbal aggressive language and empty water bottles" were seen. "Deadly force is authorized anytime," the planning records concluded. All of this was done in anticipation of tens of thousands of mourners showing up to the service, the records show. Just a few hundred arrived.Ben Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said he and the family didn't know about the sniper teams and other oversight. Pearland police spokesperson contradicted the documents in saying the sniper teams were brought on in anticipation of "protests from Second Amendment groups or counter-protesters to those groups." Read more at Vice News.More stories from theweek.com 7 savagely funny cartoons about the Trump tax revelations Late night hosts have a pretty good idea why Trump shockingly refuses to condemn white supremacists Texas governor cuts the number of ballot drop-off boxes to 1 in each county
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| Indian police detain key opposition leaders protesting rape Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:51 AM PDT  Indian police detained key leaders of the opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, on Thursday after preventing them from visiting a northern village where a 19-year-old woman from India's lowest caste was allegedly gang raped last month and later died in a hospital. The attack was the latest brutal sexual violence against women to rile India. Police officer Manoj Dixit said the two party leaders were detained for violating an order banning the assembly of four or more people in the area to prevent any violence by protesters.
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| Amy Coney Barrett Signed Letter Urging End of ‘Barbaric’ Roe v. Wade Posted: 01 Oct 2020 07:39 AM PDT  Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett signed a letter in 2006 that included a call for the end of Roe v. Wade, denouncing the seminal court decision that provided a legal right to abortion as "barbaric."The letter came in the form of an advertisement from the antiabortion group St. Joseph County Right to Life, which was based in South Bend, Indiana."The Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion for any reason," the ad read. "It's time to put an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v. Wade and restore laws that protect the lives of unborn children."At the time of the ad, Barrett worked as a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. The views expressed in the letter reflect the thinking of a vast majority of conservatives and many Catholics. But they present potential political problems for Barrett now that she is President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court.Trump, on Tuesday night, tried to downplay the notion that Barrett's confirmation could result in the overturning of Roe, saying that there was no way to know that abortion rights could be affected by her taking the seat of the recently deceased Ruth Bader Ginsburg.The letter from St. Joseph County Right to Life was first reported by The Guardian, which reported that the group also believes that "discarding of unused or frozen embryos created in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process ought to be criminalized."Coming to Barrett's defense, Ramesh Pannuru, a writer for the National Review, argued that she only signed on to one-half of the letter—the part that called for ending "abortion on demand"—and not the adjoining page, which called Roe "barbaric." Both sides were run in the paper by St. Joseph County Right to Life.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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| Massive spider web seen in Missouri photo has some asking: Could it ‘catch’ humans? Posted: 01 Oct 2020 10:01 AM PDT  "Those are the kind that literally 'catch' people if they walk through them at night."
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| House passes COVID relief bill, but it's unlikely to pass Senate Posted: 01 Oct 2020 05:33 PM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that he would not support any legislation that has a price tag of over $2 trillion.
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| Anglo-Saxon skull found with nose and lips cut off is first physical evidence of brutal punishment for adultery Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:03 AM PDT  An Anglo-Saxon skull found in Hampshire with its nose and lips cut off is the first physical evidence of the brutal medieval punishment for adultery. Remains of the young girl, thought to have been aged between 15 and 18, were discovered during a search of a site in the village of Oakridge, in Basingstoke, in the 1960s. Her facial injuries (below) included a cut across her mouth and one through the nose which was so deep it sliced through the surrounding bone, archaeologists and scientists have discovered in a fresh analysis of the cranium. A prominent cut across her forehead also suggests someone had attempted to scalp her. Gruesome punishments were known to have been part of the legal system in Anglo-Saxon times, with thieving slaves and adulteresses among those who could be mutilated for their crimes. However, this is the first time physical evidence of such punishments has been uncovered.
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| Russian scientist detained for allegedly passing technology to China: reports Posted: 01 Oct 2020 04:52 AM PDT |
| Colombian fishermen rescue 94 Haitian migrants adrift at sea Posted: 30 Sep 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Fishermen spot the migrants' boat adrift in the Caribbean sea and tow it to safety.
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| Justice Department must release redacted portions of Mueller report dealing with criminal charges before Election Day, judge rules Posted: 30 Sep 2020 11:55 PM PDT  A judge ruled that the DOJ improperly censored portions of the Mueller report dealing with potential criminal charges and Russia's hacking of the DNC.
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| Seagram's heir faces sentencing in branded sex slave case Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:07 PM PDT  A wealthy benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced leader of a self-improvement group in upstate New York convicted of turning women into sex slaves who were branded with his initials, faces sentencing Wednesday in the federal conspiracy case. Seagram's liquor fortune heir Clare Bronfman is due to appear in federal court in Brooklyn. Bronfman, 41, admitted in a guilty plea last year that she harbored someone who was living in the U.S. illegally for unpaid "labor and services" and that she committed credit card fraud on behalf of Raniere, leader of the group called NXIVM.
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| Chelsea Clinton reveals vicious things trolls have tormented her with Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:00 PM PDT  She defends Barron Trump while speaking about the kinship she feels with other former first children
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| Sarah Sanders and Ari Fleischer give their top takeaways from the first presidential debate Posted: 30 Sep 2020 07:00 AM PDT  Fox News contributors and former White House press secretaries Sarah Sanders and Ari Fleischer weigh in on first general election showdown on 'Fox & Friends'
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| Donald Trump, Seven Springs and his $21 million tax deduction draw scrutiny Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:47 PM PDT  The $21-million tax deduction on his Seven Springs property could bring Trump savings up to $10 million, $2.5 million more than he paid for the estate
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| US makes fresh pitch to Latin America in bid to counter China's influence Posted: 01 Oct 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Experts say Growth in the Americas programme is attempt to reassert US control – and seems likely to anatagonise Beijing Growing tensions between the US and China have prompted clashes at the United Nations, accusations of spying and rumblings of a global trade war.In Latin America, the rivalry has recently prompted a public relations battle over which superpower could provide ventilators and PPE during the pandemic, outcry over a Chinese deepwater fishing fleet and renewed pressure over the adoption of Huawei technology in 5G networks.Now, the US seems intent on countering China's growing commercial influence in the region, with a program challenging Beijing's involvement in infrastructure developments and energy mega-projects.On a recent visit to Suriname and Guyana – which have both recently made major offshore oil discoveries – Mike Pompeo made a direct sales pitch on behalf of US companies."No state-owned operation can beat the quality of the products and services of American private companies," said the US secretary of state. "We've watched the Chinese communist party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear."Pompeo – the first secretary of state to visit either country – also used the opportunity to sign up both nations to the Growth in the Americas programme, more frequently referred to as America Crece, its Spanish translation, which seeks to "catalyze private-sector investment in Latin America and the Caribbean".The project is seen as a direct response to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the $1.5tn foreign and economic policy to establish maritime trade and invest in infrastructure projects in dozens of countries.Nineteen countries in the region have signed up to the BRI, with Chinese firms – many of them partly state-owned – winning major mining, energy and transport projects. Since 2005, China-based firms have invested over $123bn in the region and Chinese banks have loaned $137bn."It's clear that America Crece is a US response to the BRI; Pompeo has consistently criticized what he considers onerous conditions attached to Chinese infrastructure loans," said Rob Soutar, managing editor of Diálogo Chino, a website specialising in China-Latin America relations."Inside China, a number of academics see America Crece as the US attempt to reassert control over Latin America as its unique area of influence – a new version of the Monroe doctrine," he said.In September 2018 the US recalled its top diplomats in Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic after the countries each ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with China.But since then, US pressure appears to have increased, the growth of BRI partnerships has slowed, and Chinese investments in strategic countries such as Panama appear to have hit a speed bump.The America Crece program offers no new budget for regional infrastructure projects, but it does give the US policy a name and a direction."The BRI wants to create infrastructure that supports Chinese interests – built by Chinese companies and with Chinese banks making money on the loans. America Crece, by contrast, involves projects with business cases that make sense for the region and support good governance," said Dr Evan Ellis, a professor of Latin American Studies at the US Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute.But the view that Chinese investment relies solely on backroom deals with Beijing is no longer correct, said Soutar. "In recent years there's been a major shift in the way Chinese firms invest in the region. Increasingly, they invest in equity or form international consortiums to win competitive tenders, such as the Bogota metro system."> We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth and stop spreading rumors about China> > Chinese embassy in SurinameAnd while America Crece is theoretically open to investment from all countries, Colombian president Ivan Duque's description of the programme as a "new phase of Plan Colombia" has given ammunition to those who view it as a way to secure lucrative contracts for US companies.Under the 2000-16 Plan Colombia – which focused on tackling the country's twin guerrilla and narco-trafficking problems – much of the $10bn in aid went to US arms and security firms.Having fallen down the list of US foreign policy priorities under the Obama administration, US diplomatic efforts in Latin America have been revived in recent years. Donald Trump has sought to attract votes in Florida by taking a tough stance on socialist governments in Cuba and Venezuela, but the need resist China's "predatory trade practices" is one of the few things that Republicans and Democrats agree on.The new, straight-talking strategy seems designed to antagonise China."We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop smearing and spreading rumors about China," the Chinese embassy in Suriname said.And while geopolitical rivals search to gain influence over natural resources, infrastructure and trade routes, the best interests of Latin America itself could be sidelined, said Soutar."Both the BRI and America Crece invest overwhelmingly in fossil fuel infrastructure, locking Latin America into a high-carbon development pathway. The region desperately needs investment to rebuild after Covid, but this should be channelled towards low-carbon, climate-resilient development if it's to generate sustained, long-term benefits."
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| Parrots at zoo separated after swearing profusely at visitors Posted: 30 Sep 2020 10:14 AM PDT  "If they teach the others bad language and I end up with 250 swearing birds, I don't know what we'll do," said the wildlife sanctuary's chief executive.
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| One KC-46 delivery has been halted due to electrical system problems Posted: 01 Oct 2020 08:26 AM PDT  The KC-46 tanker has yet another issue, a Senate hearing has revealed.
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| The Mask Hypocrisy: How White House COVID Memos Contradict Administration’s Public Face Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:01 PM PDT  By Lauren Weber and Katheryn Houghton | Kaiser Health NewsWhile the president and vice president forgo masks at rallies, the White House is quietly encouraging governors to implement mask mandates and, for some, enforce them with fines.In reports issued to governors on Sept. 20, the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommended statewide mask mandates in Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. The weekly memos, some of which have been made public by the Center for Public Integrity, advocate mask usage for other states and have even encouraged doling out fines in Alaska, Idaho and, recently, Montana.Masks, a political flashpoint since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, are considered by public health officials to be a top safeguard against spreading the COVID-19 virus as the country awaits a vaccine. But the president's own actions on masks have wavered: He has called them "patriotic" but often doesn't wear one himself and has contradicted the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. During the presidential debate Tuesday, the president said masks were "OK" and then mocked Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's mask-wearing habits. In the audience, some Trump family members and staffers were not wearing masks, despite the rules set by the Cleveland Clinic, which hosted the debate.Trump Family Goes Without Masks to Presidential Debate, Disregarding GuidelinesThe mixed messages and ensuing confusion leave governors, and often state and local health officials, holding the bag of political consequences."At some point, we have to turn the corner on this ridiculous separation of what we're being told is best practice and being guided by science and data, and what the actual practices are by the people who issue them," said Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.So far, 16 states have yet to enact mask mandates for the general public — all of them are run by Republican governors. Three out of 4 Americans support enacting state laws to require mask-wearing in public at all times, according to an August NPR/Ipsos poll.To be sure, messaging and the science on masks have evolved: U.S. public health officials did not recommend mask-wearing until April. And the White House argues the president has been clear."He recommends wearing a mask when you cannot socially distance," White House spokesperson Brian Morgenstern told KHN. "He has worn masks on numerous occasions himself when appropriate and regularly encourages others to do so, as well, when social distancing is not possible."The pandemic task force sends weekly memos to states to share data and recommendations with leaders to help them make decisions, Morgenstern added. "They're free to share that information as they see fit."Courtney Parella, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said that the staffers check the temperature of every attendee before admission to rallies, provide masks and encourage attendees to wear them, and offer hand sanitizer.However, campaign events that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attend often feature crowds of maskless attendees.On Sept. 14, Pence stood before a crowd of hundreds in Belgrade, Montana, to stump for the state's Republicans, including Sen. Steve Daines, gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte and congressional candidate Matt Rosendale. Photos show that most who attended went without masks, including the vice president, despite a mask order in effect for the surrounding county.Montana calls on everyone to wear masks at outdoor gatherings of 50 or more people in counties with at least four active cases when attendees don't stay 6 feet apart.Pence: It's Your Constitutional Right to Get COVID at a Trump RallyPhotos show people sitting and standing close together at the event in southwestern Montana. Pence signed hats as people gathered shoulder to shoulder by the rails of a crowd divider.Six days later, the White House coronavirus reports recommended Montana officials issue fines for those who ignore mask mandates in places the disease is spreading fast."What would be helpful from the White House is consistency in their recommendations and their actions," said Matt Kelley, health officer for the Gallatin City-County Health Department. "It's one thing to make a recommendation to state and local health officials to fine people. It's made more difficult to do that when we have the vice president coming here to a rally where no one, very few people, were wearing masks."During a press call last week, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said he didn't plan to follow the White House advice to punish those without masks. The Democrat, who is running for Senate, said it's better to encourage people to use masks than rely on fines.But Bullock said the point of the White House's request was clear. "Even the federal government says we need to be taking wearing masks seriously," he said. "It's not just governors saying that we should do this and it's not just health experts saying we should be wearing masks."Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is among the Republican governors who have resisted a statewide masking order, despite the White House's recommendation."You don't need government to tell you to wear a dang mask," Parson said in July at a Missouri Cattlemen's Association steak fry, according to the Springfield News-Leader. "If you want to wear a dang mask, wear a mask."Parson and his wife, Teresa, tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday.Spokesperson Kelli Jones said last Thursday that the governor does not plan to enact a mask order, based on an assessment of current COVID data. She added state officials consider the White House reports "really more of an FYI" than a mandate."It's kind of a bizarre document, truthfully," she said. "We read them and look at them — and make our own policy."The reports, which are sent to the governors, also leave local and state public health officials in the dark, said Freeman, of NACCHO."If the White House were truly serious about making these — what sounds like solid, scientific-backed, data-backed recommendations — if they were truly serious about it, tell the world, share them, be transparent," she said.Instead, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said, the White House has fueled the partisan breakdown on masks."One of the many failures of this administration is the politicization of masks, and that has really cost lives," Frieden said. "There is no reason masks should be partisan."Meanwhile back in Montana, Gallatin County appears to be heading toward its third surge in cases since the pandemic began."I don't really have a lot of time to worry about inconsistency of messaging from the White House," health officer Kelley said.The county now has outbreaks in nursing homes and several confirmed cases in schools, he said, and the county's positivity rate is heading toward 10%.KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.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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| US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer Posted: 30 Sep 2020 06:49 AM PDT  The United States will block shipments of palm oil from a major Malaysian producer that feeds into the supply chains of iconic U.S. food and cosmetic brands. It found indicators of forced labor, including concerns about child workers, along with other abuses such as physical and sexual violence. The order against FGV Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia's largest palm oil companies and a joint-venture partner with American consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, went into effect Wednesday, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Trade.
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| Sturgeon faces backlash after saying it may have been better if Eat Out to Help Out had not happened Posted: 01 Oct 2020 12:57 PM PDT  Nicola Sturgeon is facing a backlash from Scotland's crisis-hit hospitality industry after she suggested a popular discount scheme credited with saving businesses and livelihoods should have never been set up. The First Minister questioned whether the Eat Out to Help Out initiative, which saw diners across the UK receive discounts for dining in at pubs and restaurants in August, had contributed to a surge in coronavirus cases. However, representatives of businesses north of the border said the UK Government subsidy scheme, which cost taxpayers £522m, had been a huge success and accused Scottish ministers of failing to listen to their concerns. Stephen Montgomery, spokesman for the Scottish Hospitality Group, said much of the cost of the scheme had been offset by increased tax receipts through VAT and alcohol duty and that it was seen within the industry as a lifeline.
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| Moderna CEO says vaccine won't be ready to be distributed widely until the spring Posted: 01 Oct 2020 06:27 AM PDT  Moderna won't be able to seek emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate earlier than late November, and the vaccine would likely not be available to the general public prior to March, its CEO says.Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told the Financial Times on Wednesday that the company wouldn't have enough data to seek emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its coronavirus vaccine candidate before Nov. 25 at the earliest. He also told the Financial Times that the company wouldn't be able to file for approval to get the vaccine to the entire population until late January at the earliest, meaning that "late [first quarter], early [second quarter]" of 2021 is a "reasonable timeline" for approval. This, CBS News writes, was both a "setback for Moderna" as well as a "blow to claims by" President Trump that a coronavirus vaccine could be ready prior to Election Day. Trump has repeatedly touted such a possibility, and he contradicted experts in his administration during the first 2020 presidential debate on Tuesday while claiming that "we're weeks away from a vaccine."But Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Congress last month that in terms of when a vaccine might be "generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage" of it to "get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at ... late second quarter, third quarter 2021."Given the Moderna CEO's comments, the Financial Times writes that the "most realistic hope of a pre-election vaccine" would be from Pfizer, as that company's CEO says it should know whether its vaccine works by the end of October. But The New York Times writes that "the idea that it will be ready in October is far-fetched." More stories from theweek.com 7 savagely funny cartoons about the Trump tax revelations Late night hosts have a pretty good idea why Trump shockingly refuses to condemn white supremacists Texas governor cuts the number of ballot drop-off boxes to 1 in each county
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