| Citing zero evidence, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich asks Attorney General Bill Barr to send federal agents to arrest election workers in Pennsylvania Posted: 06 Nov 2020 09:22 AM PST  In an interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Newt Gingrich claimed that the voting system in Pennsylvania was "corrupt."
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| The USPS can't account for 300,000 absentee ballots, but that's probably not as bad as it sounds Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:12 AM PST  U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan was furious Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service had defied his order to sweep postal processing facilities in 15 states Tuesday to find missing absentee ballots and deliver them on time. The USPS had said in a court document that 300,000 ballots had been scanned into facilities but not scanned out, suggesting they were misplaced.Instead of complying with Sullivan's order, the USPS kept to its own schedule, raising concerns that tens of thousands of ballots would not be delivered in time to be counted. "It just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth for the clock to run out — game's over — and then to find out there was no compliance with a very important court order," Sullivan said. He suggested he would demand a deposition from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.Notably, there were 81,000 untraced ballots spread across postal districts in key swing states with a combined 151 electoral votes, The Washington Post reports, though, according to its analysis, the missing ballots "are unlikely to affect the outcome of the presidential race." In many cases, USPS said, the ballots had been hand-sorted and delivered without an exit scan. The USPS did not provide data to indicate how prevalent that practice has been, though it did disclose that 7 percent of ballots in its sorting facilities Tuesday were not delivered in time to be counted."Even in a worst-case scenario where all potentially misplaced ballots in a state are permanently lost, those ballots amount to just a fraction of both current two-party vote margins and estimates of the number of outstanding ballots yet to be tallied," the Post reports. In Georgia, for instance, the maximum 6,624 missing votes represent just 8 percent of the margin between President Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.In other states, though, the number of missing ballots is larger — more than 11,000 in Pennsylvania and 16,000 in Florida — and the untraced absentee votes in Arizona make up 24 percent of the outstanding margin between Biden and Trump, the Post reports. Also, its analysis that "misplaced mail ballots will not be a significant factor in final vote tallies" has the caveat that it might be a factor if "the final presidential vote margins shrink to low three- or four-digit numbers in the coming days." In some states, like Arizona and Georgia that's a distinct possibility.More stories from theweek.com Fox News brings Trump to his knees Trump is reportedly 'taken aback' that his rants against mail-in ballots may have hurt him The left just got crushed
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| Rupert Murdoch’s daughter-in-law urges Fox to ‘put country above profits’ Posted: 06 Nov 2020 04:49 PM PST  Kathryn Murdoch weighs in on the row over Fox News' coverage of the election, in true Succession style
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| 'We're seeing more than ever': white shark populations rise off California coast Posted: 06 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST  CSU Long Beach shark lab has tagged a record amount of white sharks, signaling a healthy ecosystem – and warmer watersChris Lowe is no longer surprised when he sees drone footage of juvenile white sharks cruising near surfers and swimmers in southern California's ocean waters.Lowe directs the shark lab at California State University, Long Beach, and for the past 12 years he's been monitoring populations of juvenile white sharks off the southern California coast with tags, drones and planes. This year, Lowe has already tagged a record 38 sharks, triple the number that were tagged last year. "Normally they'd be leaving by now, but instead we are seeing more sharks than ever."Two years ago, Lowe was asked by the state to investigate in more detail what sharks are doing along the beaches and how they behave in proximity to people – research that officials hope will help predict where and when the sharks show up and will help educate the public about the animals.White sharks have been affected by humans for more than a century. Commercial fisheries caught them for years (many a fish taco was probably shark, Lowe said) and sharks' primary adult food – marine mammals – has been hunted to the brink of extinction.California moved to protect its white shark population in 1994, and has seen its numbers rise steadily since. In southern California, most sharks spotted near beaches are juveniles.White sharks are born at 4.5 to 5ft long, and grow a foot each year for their first five years of life. They love southern California's shallows because the water is warmer (young sharks lack the ability to retain heat in colder waters), safer from predators and full of their preferred food: stingrays. When they reach 10ft, they switch food sources to marine mammals like seals, and they spend more time away from the shoreline.Lowe studies the animals from the land, in the water and from the skies.He works closely with lifeguards, who are on the frontlines during the summer and fall beach season. His team also goes out to tag sharks, when they try to surgically implant the animals' back with a finger-sized acoustic transmitter that connects with listening stations all along the coastline.> Heading out to look for baby white sharks to tag w/ Dr. Chris Lowe of CSULB's shark lab. pic.twitter.com/UMNqhlHLwz> > — Jill Replogle (@jillrep) June 28, 2017The acoustic stations display where the sharks are spending their time, and they allow the research team to track individual sharks for years – even when they cross the southern border with Mexico to Baja California. Some of the transmitters will last for a decade. "It's a little like how you get a bill at the end of the month for a toll road," said Lowe. "We use the same technology – the only difference is we get the bill, they don't."> New animations by @native.illustrator showing how our passive acoustic telemetry shark tracking tech works. sharkspies trackingnotslacking pic.twitter.com/W5zzna4TAZ> > — Chris Lowe (@CSULBsharklab) September 18, 2020In addition to tagging and tracking, the team also uses an autonomous underwater robot that can rise up and down and looks like a torpedo. It carries a full set of oceanographic sensors on its nose and a video camera. The robot allows the researchers to make high-resolution three-dimensional maps, and study why sharks are hanging out where they are: is it because there are more stingrays, warmer water, or fewer people?Aerial drones are the team's final piece of tech – the researchers fly drone surveys from the San Diego border with Mexico to Santa Barbara, to identify sharks' location and size, and to see when they are close to people. "We can go through and count how many people are in the water, surfers, fishers, paddle boarders, and plot the distance to any shark," Lowe said.Lowe has found that not only are there more kid-sharks in the waters, they're around longer, too. Juvenile white sharks typically leave California waters for Baja California in the fall, and return in the spring, but that pattern has been changing – probably due to warmer waters and an abundance of food. "We may have white sharks here year-round," he said.Up in Monterey Bay in northern California, David Ebert, who directs the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, has seen a similar rise in numbers of juvenile white sharks off the coast.Ebert recalled taking a helicopter ride in 2015 over the Monterey Bay and being astounded by what he saw from the sky: little sharks hanging out in small groups, right off the beach.On one hand, the growing presence of the juveniles is a good sign, he said, because it shows the ecosystem is clean and there is enough food to support the sharks. But it also points to how the climate crisis, and warmer ocean temperatures, can shift the range of the animals. Southern California used to be at the northern limit of their range, and now it might be in the middle, Ebert said.Even with more sharks in the water, Ebert said humans have little to fear from the juveniles. Since 1950, when the state started keeping records, there have been on average only three or four attacks a year in California, Ebert says – even as the state population has swelled from 15 million to 40 million. "There are so many people in the water: you have paddle boards, kayaks, wetsuits, but the number of attacks hasn't really changed. That tells you that people are not on the menu, they're not out here hunting people.""They're an amazing animal to see in person," he added. "I think it's one of those rare wildlife experiences, you can spend your whole life out there on the water and never see one."Lowe, too, said that generally when he sees sharks swimming around people, the people have no idea – and the sharks generally don't care.He and his team now hope to create a shark forecast – "it's going to be a sharky week!" – that can help educate beachgoers about the sharks in California's waters. Lowe said he could see a future where lifeguards can post signs about where the juveniles are hanging out, alongside information about the tides and waves. He says that if you happen to see a group of sharks on the beach, it's actually a cause for celebration: "They are keeping the stingray population down, and they generally don't care about people."
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| Michigan couple with 14 sons welcome their first daughter after nearly three decades Posted: 06 Nov 2020 01:43 PM PST  A Michigan couple whose large family attracted attention by growing to include 14 sons has welcomed their first daughter nearly three decades after the birth of their first child.
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| Fact check: Viral video shows Pennsylvania poll workers fixing damaged ballots Posted: 06 Nov 2020 01:25 PM PST  A viral video claiming to show a poll worker committing voter fraud in Delaware County is false. Poll workers were fixing damaged ballots.
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| Russia denies speculation Putin may step down for health reasons Posted: 06 Nov 2020 07:44 AM PST  The Kremlin has denied speculation that Vladimir Putin is on the brink of resigning, after a new law that would grant him lifetime immunity from prosecution sparked reports he was about to stand down for health reasons. Mr Putin, who has already led the country for two decades, won the right to extend his rule until 2036 when Russians approved changes to the constitution in a referendum this summer. But some analysts suggested the president had no intention of staying on for another 16 years, and that the changes simply allowed him to set his own timetable for departure rather than serve as a "lame duck" until his current term ends in 2024. A raft of legislation considered by MPs this week added fuel to that speculation, including a law that would grant former presidents immunity from prosecution even after leaving office. Another law proposed they also be made senators for life. Mr Putin's spokesman, however, dismissed the rumours as "nonsense", rubbishing a British tabloid report that the president was suffering from Parkinson's disease and that his family had urged him to step down. "The president is doing well," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. Mr Putin, Russia's longest-ruling leader since Stalin, has made several televised addresses since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but has rarely appeared in public. The 68-year-old has held talks with officials via video-link from a windowless bunker, though some meetings have been conducted in person. Over the course of his rule, the president has emphasised his rude health, with photo opportunities of topless horse rides, river walks and judo matches.
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| Fort Hood soldier arrested in woman's death over a year ago Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:53 AM PST  Killeen, Texas police say they got tip that he was at the motel where her body was found and his DNA matched DNA found on her body.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spars with her centrist Democratic colleagues over policy and rhetoric after House Democrats suffer unexpected losses Posted: 06 Nov 2020 02:13 PM PST  House Democrats' unexpected electoral losses this week prompted renewed debate over the party's policies and message.
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| Aspirin vs. ibuprofen: The key differences and which one you should take Posted: 06 Nov 2020 12:12 PM PST  Aspirin and ibuprofen are both anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat pain, inflammation, and fever — though they have some key differences.
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| Missouri poll worker kept COVID diagnosis mostly to herself Posted: 06 Nov 2020 01:36 PM PST  O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri election judge who came to work despite testing positive for the coronavirus died in her sleep after a 15-hour shift at the polls, the director of her county's election office said Friday. The woman worked Election Day as an election judge supervisor at Memorial Hall in Blanchette Park in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles. St. Charles County Election Authority Director Kurt Bahr said in a phone interview that the woman had previously worked several other elections, as had her sister at a different polling site.
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| Kindergartner reportedly dies of Covid-19 in Texas Posted: 06 Nov 2020 12:53 PM PST  "This doctor told us that our child would be fine, and our child didn't even make it twenty-four hours," the child's father said.
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| Navy Awards $9.47 Billion to Start New Class of Nuclear Submarine Posted: 06 Nov 2020 05:48 AM PST |
| Detroit Police Shoot and Kill Schizophrenic Man, Blame Mental Hospital For Releasing Him Posted: 06 Nov 2020 01:44 AM PST  Michael Moza was still wearing his hospital wristband when Detroit police killed him in a hail of gunfire during a car chase early Wednesday morning.Moza, who'd just turned 30, was struggling with schizophrenia and had tried checking into a psychiatric hospital hours before he died. But his family says the hospital released Moza without the medication he desperately needed.Maegan Davis, Moza's sister, told The Daily Beast he was upset when he visited her Tuesday night. "I told the doctor, 'If anything happens to me, it's on you,'" Moza said of the medic who allegedly let him go.Now Davis is piecing together Moza's final moments, before he became the third person with mental illness to be fatally shot by Detroit cops since July. "He didn't deserve this," Davis said. "I can't emphasize enough what a kind, soft, goodhearted person he was."Vancouver Braces for Protests After Police Kill 21-Year-Old Black Man in Bank Parking LotIn a press conference Wednesday, Police Chief James Craig urged reporters to hold the mental health facility accountable for allegedly turning Moza away. He shifted blame for Moza's death to the Detroit Receiving Hospital's psychiatric center."This system is broken," Craig said. "He was crying out for help. He wanted the help, and now he's no longer here."Craig detailed Moza's final movements and how officers went from disarming an "armed and dangerous" shooter to trying to save his life. Most of Craig's comments, however, focused on the alleged failings of mental health workers, not law enforcement."I've been talking about the broken system—it falls on deaf ears," Craig said, adding, "When are we going to challenge and find out what's going on at the crisis center? Why are people being released? And if they are being released, is it because of short staff?"Detroit Receiving Hospital, which is affiliated with the Detroit Medical Center network, didn't return messages. A hospital spokesman would only tell The Detroit News: "We cannot provide any information about patients at the crisis center."For her part, Davis said Moza has been hospitalized at Detroit Receiving Hospital's crisis center previously for schizophrenia. Craig told reporters hospital staff should have looked up Moza's records and realized he had "a caseworker."Moza wasn't the only alleged patient of the crisis center to be killed by cops. The hospital also reportedly treated 28-year-old Darrien Walker, who attacked officers with a sword and dagger before they fatally shot him July 30.Craig told the News his department took Walker to the crisis center in early July after he allegedly brandished a gun at a neighbor. "He was back on the street in less than 24 hours," Craig said. "So our officers tried to get this obviously mentally ill person some treatment, but what good did it do? What kind of treatment, if any, did (hospital staff) give him? Or was he just released? We don't know."Last Friday, a Detroit police sniper killed a 42-year-old man who held his girlfriend hostage in a nine-hour standoff. The Detroit Free Press reported the unidentified suspect had bipolar disorder, hadn't taken his medication for 48 hours, and had a history of violence. Craig said the incident marked the 28th this year involving a barricaded gunman—and that half those cases involved suspects with mental illnesses."This system is broken and it needs to be fixed," Craig said after the man's death last week. "This needs to be a priority, this is a public safety concern."Moza encountered police just five days after the sniper takedown. Craig said Moza fired 13 bullets into a home in southwest Detroit Tuesday around 4 a.m. No one was injured, and police had no immediate suspects.Later that morning, Moza worked as an election poll worker and called EMS after having a mental health episode. Police responded and brought Moza to Detroit Receiving Hospital's psychiatric crisis center, which reportedly released him hours later.Moza allegedly returned to the same house around 1 a.m. Wednesday and fired shots again. After receiving a description of the suspect's vehicle, police tried to pull Moza over. He led a sergeant on a high-speed chase across the city's east side, in a pursuit that was called off because of speed, Craig said.Still, cops caught up with Moza, and during a second pursuit, Moza allegedly fired shots at the officers. Craig said one sergeant shot back through the windshield of his police cruiser, and a second sergeant may have also fired into Moza's car. A sergeant then blocked Moza and his vehicle stalled."Multiple officers fired rounds at the suspect," Craig said. "The suspect then took off from that location, he went a short distance at a high rate of speed, went through a fence and collided with a parked semi-tractor truck." Craig said a sergeant pulled Moza from the wreckage and tried to save his life before an ambulance arrived. Craig didn't say how many times Moza and the responding officers fired shots.But the barrage of gunfire concerns Davis, who says she visited the crime scene and took her own photos of the yellow evidence markers dotting the pavement. She claimed she counted 98 shell casings at the crash site.Davis said Moza was diagnosed with schizophrenia 10 years ago and "suffered greatly" from the disorder which included symptoms of paranoia. "There were a lot of scary moments but never any violent moments. He wasn't a violent person. I don't think Michael had ever been in a fight in school," Davis said. "He was super loving and family oriented. He suffered a lot of loss in his life."Moza's father and older brother died when he was young, and his mother died two years ago. She said her sibling struggled with schizophrenia and drug addiction, and for the first time, he was living on his own and managing his medications. "He was doing really well, so all of this was so shocking," Davis said.Davis said something seemed off in Moza's voice Monday and she wondered if he was off his medication. He told her he'd been in a fight with someone, but Davis assumed the altercation might have been a delusion. She said she now believes this squabble might have been why Moza shot up a particular house.Asked about the police response, Davis said, "I do understand that you cannot shoot at a police officer without there being an exchange of fire."But Davis questioned why what appears to be 98 bullets were necessary to stop one suspect with a single handgun. "It felt like overkill," she said."They won't even tell us how many times he was hit," Davis said. "They're telling us we have to wait until there's an autopsy performed."In the meantime, Davis has organized a GoFundMe page to pay for Moza's funeral."He was scheduled … November 4th, to receive his medication," Davis wrote. "Instead, we are mourning the loss of a compassionate, loving and generous member of our family."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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| Fact check: Wisconsin has more registered voters than ballots cast Posted: 05 Nov 2020 04:58 AM PST  A Facebook meme falsely claims there were more votes counted than actual registered voters in Wisconsin.
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| Missing California girl found hiding in closet in home with secret trapdoor Posted: 06 Nov 2020 04:57 AM PST  The 14-year-old, who went missing on Oct. 22, was found in a home with a trapdoor that led to a secret sleeping area under the house. Her bedding and phone were found there, police said.
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| Election protester who reportedly tried to strangle police officer with chain is resident of psychiatric facility Posted: 06 Nov 2020 11:28 AM PST  'We will be reviewing this incident, and bring any additional perpetrators to justice,' says authorities
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| Congress' QAnoner is already picking fights with her Republican colleagues Posted: 06 Nov 2020 12:49 PM PST  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) made a pretty mild statement about the ongoing presidential vote count and President Trump's attempts to hold on to the White House. Incoming congressmember Marjorie Taylor Greene spun it into a show of loyalty to the president.Crenshaw, a frequent ally of Trump, made clear Friday that, perhaps unlike the president, he would accept Trump's potential election loss. But he also called for "investigations" and "the court process" to happen before there's a final call.> It should not be partisan to suggest calmly that investigations occur and the court process plays out. > > Americans need to be sure of the winner and loser. The winners should especially want that.> > — Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 6, 2020That's where Greene, a QAnon conspiracy-supporting, newly elected House Republican, came in. She declared in a response to Crenshaw that "Republicans can't back down," and that Crenshaw's "loser mindset is how the Democrats win.""You're a member of Congress now, Marjorie. Start acting like one," Crenshaw shot back.> Did you even read past the first sentence? Or are you just purposely lying so you can talk tough? No one said give up. I literally said investigate every irregularity and use the courts. You're a member of Congress now, Marjorie. Start acting like one. https://t.co/47a7Gqq4lH> > — Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 6, 2020Greene was elected to Congress on Tuesday and has been sharing nonstop misinformation and conspiracies ever since, retweeting every pro-Trump talking point out there and getting repeatedly censored in the process.More stories from theweek.com Trump allies reportedly discussing who will have to break the news of his potential loss Fox News brings Trump to his knees The day the world stopped paying attention to Donald Trump
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| Pubs and restaurants warn they face being wiped out and accuse SNP of ignoring businesses Posted: 05 Nov 2020 10:24 AM PST  Scotland's hospitality firms face being wiped out by Nicola Sturgeon's "illogical" five-tier lockdown system unless her government stops ignoring a blueprint that could save them, industry leaders said on Thursday. Stephen Montgomery, of the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG), told The Daily Telegraph that the SNP administration must start heeding proposals to help pubs and restaurants stay solvent, which the industry presented on Monday last week. None were included in Ms Sturgeon's five levels of restrictions, unveiled three days later, and he expressed frustration that a minister with whom the industry held talks appeared not to have even read them. Mr Montgomery and Nic Wood, whose Signature group includes 22 pubs, warned the SNP government did not understand the crisis facing the industry or that "there will be nothing left" if ministers do not give them a "seat at the table" with input into key decisions.
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| Army Still Wants a Precision Infantry Weapon to Destroy the Enemy From Behind Cover Posted: 06 Nov 2020 06:05 AM PST |
| Editorial: Religious freedom is no excuse for discrimination against gay couples Posted: 06 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST  The Supreme Court must not allow a loophole in anti-discrimination laws.
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| Are yams and sweet potatoes the same? 5 questions answered about the favorite fall food Posted: 05 Nov 2020 07:00 AM PST  Sweet potato and yam are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Here's how to tell the difference.
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| GOP pushes back on Trump’s baseless claims about fraud and winning election with ‘legal votes’ in Thursday speech Posted: 06 Nov 2020 12:13 PM PST  GOP lawmakers pushed back on President Trump's Thursday address, making unsubstantiated and what some called "dangerous" claims about the election process, including claims of fraudulent activity among election workers who are still counting ballots in key battleground states.
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| Illinois' billionaire governor tried to hike taxes on the rich. It didn't pass. Posted: 06 Nov 2020 10:37 AM PST  Gov. JB Pritzker said at a Nov. 4 press conference the people of Illinois "deserved a fairer tax system, and you still do. But that didn't happen."
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| ‘Knives Are Out’ After Dem Strategy Fizzles in House Races Posted: 05 Nov 2020 01:34 AM PST  The Democrats have kept control of the House of Representatives, but no one's popping any champagne.It will be a smaller, louder, and perhaps more ideologically volatile majority than what Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has led over the last two years. And it could be full of political tripwires for her—and for a possible President Joe Biden—if they're in the position of governing while Republicans retain their grip on the Senate.A slew of moderate lawmakers, whose wins in the 2018 midterms handed the gavel again to Pelosi, have lost or are on track to lose their seats. Meanwhile, several establishment Democrats are set to be replaced by staunch progressives, shifting Democrats' political center of gravity further left in the lower chamber of Congress.Election 2020: Live ResultsDemocrats came into Tuesday optimistic that the party would actually expand its House majority by picking off GOP-held seats in suburbs and rural areas, which would have preserved the centrist wing's powerful sway in the caucus. Those hopes have evaporated.This, in short, was not the flock Pelosi was expecting. Instead, the party is left to figure out how such a seemingly promising election year went south, with Democrats spending Wednesday blaming Donald Trump, Pelosi and her leadership team, and each other in order to explain what happened. Democrats in the moderate and progressive wings in the party, in particular, traced the disappointing 2020 result to the other side's flaws, and for many, long-simmering concerns about the political sensibilities of the party's tenured leadership bubbled up to the surface.Those battle lines are forming just as it seems that the common enemy who caused the temporary truce in Democratic internal warfare, Trump, is headed for defeat. Democrats' intra-party political differences, once on the back burner, could again roar into view as the party's margin of error for legislation in the House grows slimmer."It's a little early to figure out what that's going to feel like," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI), a member of House Democratic leadership. Kildee allowed that it was possible that the absence of Trump could flare up the party's fault lines on key issues. "There are a lot of unanswered questions," he told The Daily Beast. "I think we will be focused on the possible, and finding out what is possible, what is the next step in this long march to more a perfect union, rather than what do we have to do to prevent its destruction."For now, however, there is a lot of frustration and anger within the party's ranks. Democratic aides described a downcast mood among members and staffers on Wednesday as the new House map grew clearer. One aide predicted that a backlash was brewing that could fuel a stronger challenge to Pelosi and her leadership team than the ones that have fizzled out in years past.Internally, top House Democrats down to some in the rank-and-file are furious at Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), the leader of the party's House campaign arm, for the disappointing outcome, congressional sources told The Daily Beast."The knives are out for Cheri," said a Democratic aide, who called her the "most obvious scapegoat."But some Democratic lawmakers insist there was only so much that Bustos, or anyone, could do this year. Kildee said that it was the "atmospherics of 2020"—high turnout for Trump in key districts—that hurt House Democrats, not any particular strategic missteps."All of us didn't quite expect this particular set of atmospherics. I think that's what that was about," said Kildee. "What we would have done is pretty much what we did."Party strategists like Kristen Hawn, however, are looking at the results Wednesday and seeing a reckoning—arguing that Democrats need to do some soul-searching and seriously sharpen their messaging around what it is they're exactly for."We had all the money in the world," said Hawn, a former top aide to the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, referring to the strong fundraising from Bustos' Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and from individual candidates. "It was incredibly disappointing."But Hawn voiced frustration with the caucus' more liberal members, who she suggested made it much easier for the GOP to stick the "socialist" label that appeared to damage some endangered incumbents in places like south Florida. "As much as our members were doing everything right, the party was getting in the way," she said.Progressives, meanwhile, saw in the results a repudiation of moderate politics and Pelosi's iron grip on House Democrats."Nancy Pelosi is very bad at messaging and strategy, and extremely good at controlling her caucus," said a strategist in the party. "That's a bad combination when everyone defers to her unexplainable strategy on coronavirus relief and then Democrats lose seats everywhere to a party that just killed 200,000 people and lost millions of jobs. It's malpractice, and we just keep following her. It makes no sense."Most of the roughly 40 Democratic lawmakers in competitive elections, known as "frontliners," entered Tuesday heavily favored to keep their seats, even in districts that Trump carried easily in 2016. In fact, even some Republicans were privately bracing for the Democratic majority to grow by flipping even more seats deep in GOP territory.But as results rolled in, the blue wave receded—big time. As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly all of the Democrats running to keep seats Trump won by 10 or more points four years ago had lost. It was not shocking that two Democrats in the deepest Trump turf, Reps. Kendra Horn (D-OK) and Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), were defeated by GOP rivals.The political pain spread across the Democratic caucus as the night went on, however. Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), one of Biden's youngest elected endorsers and considered to some as a centrist contrast to millennial progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), was defeated by Ashley Hinson in northeastern Iowa. Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC), another young moderate, fell short to Nancy Mace in South Carolina in a race many Democrats thought he'd win. And Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), who pulled off a major upset in rural New Mexico just two years ago, lost decisively to Republican Yvette Herrell.So it went, from upstate New York to rural Minnesota to south Florida—where two incumbents in districts Hillary Clinton carried tanked alongside Trump's wave in the region. While the GOP has been projected to flip seven seats, Democrats have flipped just two, both in North Carolina, and only because a redistricting order reworked the state's map.While the moderates dropped, several progressives cemented gains they made earlier in the year. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York, both backed by Justice Democrats, are officially headed to the House, having defeated longtime incumbents in primaries earlier this year. They're expected to join forces with the four current members of the "Squad," who also all won easily. And other members-elect, like Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres of New York, are also poised to bring very progressive politics to the caucus.Despite the loss of several moderates, the caucus is not going to rapidly shift leftward, as a number of safe, tenured moderates and center-left Democrats hold sway and leadership.But aides aligned with the progressive wing of the party are expecting this new energy to successfully push major legislation to the left—a key objective for the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which scored some wins in the last Congress but came up short in the eyes of some members in party fights over issues like immigration and health care. The original members of the Squad have not been shy about withholding their votes for legislation they believe is good but not great, and the new arrivals could behave similarly. Those votes will matter if the Democratic majority is shaved off by a number of seats.Dems Prepare to Push Pelosi on $1.8 Trillion Relief PlanIn a letter to Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday evening, Pelosi framed the results as positively as she could. Hailing what she called a "clear choice" from voters for Biden, the speaker promoted a House majority that would help him enact their shared agenda."Though it was a challenging election, all of our candidates—both Frontline and Red to Blue—made us proud," wrote Pelosi, referring to the DCCC's programs for candidates in competitive races. "Our discipline in building a massive battlefield proved essential in keeping the Majority. Our success enabled us to win in our 'mobilization, messaging and money,' forcing Republicans to defend their own territory."Most Democrats can't point to one specific thing—other than a more Trump-favorable environment than they expected—to explain the losses. But some have wondered if another COVID-19 stimulus bill might have helped.For months, Pelosi had gone back and forth with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, haggling over a sweeping second round of pandemic relief. With the two sides seemingly stuck over the price tag—Pelosi, backed by much of her caucus, wanted at least $2 trillion—pressure mounted on her in the waning days of the 2020 campaign to accept the Trump administration's offer of $1.8 trillion instead.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who wanted to pass a bill a fraction of the size, was always going to be a major impediment to such a deal. But that didn't stop some vulnerable Democrats from calling on leadership to deal with the administration.In caucus calls, The Washington Post reported, lawmakers such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) urged a stimulus deal before Nov. 3, warning that they needed to deliver something economically significant to their constituents. Spanberger is currently locked in a too-close-to-call race in her purple Virginia district.In mid-October, The Daily Beast reported that a trickle of members had privately discussed pushing her to take Mnuchin's offer. And a handful of progressives, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), made their requests more public, citing the urgent need to provide relief for struggling Americans well before Biden would hypothetically take office.Looking back, some Democrats now say that approving a stimulus plan—or even the appearance of a deal with the administration—might have provided a much-needed boost to vulnerable incumbents like Spanberger.An aide to a frontline Democrat who won on Tuesday told The Daily Beast that the first round of stimulus—the CARES Act, which passed in March—was an essential component of persuading voters that the Democrat deserved another term."We were successful on those really local, COVID-specific wins," said the aide, referencing the Paycheck Protection Program that injected hundreds of billions of dollars into small businesses. "We heard about it over and over again."One Democratic aide said that a pre-election deal would've helped dispel even further the GOP campaign talking points that moderate Democrats were aligned with Ocasio-Cortez or the "socialist" wing of the party.Kildee, for his part, said he's "worn out" on Democrats blaming Democrats for things he argues Republicans are responsible for. "I can see someone say it would have been better if we had gotten [a stimulus]," he said. "The Republicans were never going to agree to a stimulus."It's not lost on many Democrats that this 2020 result they did not expect only increases the stakes for the bipartisan dealmaking that hasn't happened for months: a divided Congress with narrower majorities in both chambers will be under immense pressure to produce a new COVID relief bill, no matter if Biden or Trump wins."We're going to have to negotiate," said Hawn. "It might be kind of a healthy exercise in democracy, the way things have shaken out."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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| Glut of pheasants caused by lockdown shooting ban could threaten songbirds, warn conservationists Posted: 06 Nov 2020 07:52 AM PST  A glut of pheasants caused by the lockdown shooting ban could impact songbird populations, the RSPB has warned. Countryside organisations have spoken out after the government ruled that hunting and most shooting is unable to continue over the lockdown period. This is because people cannot meet in groups of more than two, or stay overnight to take part in recreational activity, meaning most shoots will be unviable. Tim Bonner, the Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said that woods will be full of the birds as they are unable to be shot. He said there would be "woods full of pheasants released and acclimatised to the wild which will have to be fed and protected until December while every shoot day has to be cancelled. The pinnacle of a year's work brought to a sudden and complete halt. Their colleagues in Wales and Scotland have been wrestling with their own lockdowns and restrictions, but this is the most serious blow to the countryside since we were released from the first lockdown in the summer." The countryside campaigner added that the lockdown would be a "huntsman's or gamekeeper's worst nightmare" because of the kennels full of dogs and woods full of unshot birds. A Natural England commissioned review found that large, dense populations of pheasants can compete with songbirds for food, including seeds and insects. An RSPB spokesperson confirmed to the Telegraph that it is likely heightened pressure will be put on native bird populations because shooters will be unable to reduce the pheasant populations. Martin Harper, director for conservation at the RSPB said: "Every year around 60 million non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges are released into our countryside. This is twice the biomass of all UK's native breeding birds. "Last month, Defra acknowledged in their response to the legal challenge on releasing gamebirds on protected sites, the release of this huge quantity of gamebirds can have direct and indirect impacts on our environment. What's more, the number released has been increasing." He recommended the shooting industry spends lockdown improving the environment for Britain's birds, adding: "Sadly, because this is an unregulated activity we do not have a baseline against which we can compare the impact of the forced end to this year's shooting season. That said, a pause buys time for both the shooting industry to massively improve environmental standards and for governments across the UK to get a better understanding of the impact that gamebird shooting is having on our countryside and end environmentally unsustainable forms of shooting." Last week, the government confirmed it would be putting in place a licensing system for pheasant releases close to Special Protected Areas, in order to mitigate the environmental damage reports have shown they cause in large numbers. This was in response to a judicial review brought by BBC presenter Chris Packham's wildlife campaign group, and it is likely to affect around a quarter of shoots.
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| Simone Biles slammed a Christian group after it criticized the ad campaign she did with Jonathan Van Ness for 'pushing the LGBTQ agenda' Posted: 05 Nov 2020 09:30 AM PST  Olympic gymnast Simone Biles slammed the group on Twitter and vowed that "the LGBTQIA will always have my support and feel welcome on my socials."
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| AP sources: Texas AG's affair tied to criminal allegations Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:40 PM PST  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the center of criminal allegations against him, according to two people who said Paxton told them about the relationship. Austin developer Nate Paul said in a deposition this week that Paxton recommended the woman for her job with Paul's real estate company, according to a transcript of his deposition obtained by the AP. The attorney general's top deputies reported their boss to the FBI in September for alleged bribery, abuse of office and other crimes. Those allegations stem in part from Paxton's decision to investigate Paul's claims that a federal judge and the FBI broke the law in searches of his home and offices last year.
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| Al Gore says 2020 election 'completely different' to his 2000 battle with George W Bush Posted: 06 Nov 2020 08:19 AM PST  Former VP and rival took battle to supreme court
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| Russian scientists discover huge walrus haulout in Arctic circle Posted: 06 Nov 2020 05:47 AM PST  Scientists in northern Russia have discovered a huge walrus haulout on the shores of the Kara Sea where their habitat is under threat from shrinking ice and human activity. The haulout, a place of refuge where walruses congregate, reproduce, and socialise, is located in a remote corner of Russia's Yamal peninsula, and scientists say they counted over 3,000 animals there last month. Walrus haulouts have traditionally been located on drifting sea ice or on Arctic islands, scientists say.
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| New Mexico elects all women of color to the House for first time in the state's history Posted: 06 Nov 2020 06:46 AM PST  The state confirmed victories for Deb Haaland, Yvette Herrell, and Teresa Leger Fernandez in all three of New Mexico's Congressional districts.
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| Apple's iPhone 12 Mini is the small phone everyone has been waiting for after years of giant screens Posted: 06 Nov 2020 07:51 AM PST  Apple's iPhone 12 Mini is the company's smallest phone in years, making it even smaller than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE. And people are excited about it.
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| Police: Suspect in police shooting in Wisconsin in custody Posted: 06 Nov 2020 03:49 AM PST  A man suspected of shooting two police officers in Wisconsin on Friday and who is wanted in North Dakota for attempted murder has been arrested, police said. Delafield Police Chief Erik Kehl says the man was arrested without resistance in a field not far from the Holiday Inn where the officers were shot in Waukesha County, about 27 miles (43 kilometers) west of Milwaukee. Police earlier identified the man as 23-year-old Nathanael Benton, wanted in Fargo for a shooting.
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| Pence, absent from Trump's press conference, tweets his support from afar Posted: 05 Nov 2020 06:03 PM PST  Vice President Mike Pence wasn't at President Trump's White House press conference on Thursday evening, but he approved of his message.Trump made multiple baseless claims about the election, including that Democrats are trying to "steal" it. He said that "legal votes" are in his favor and Democrats are relying on "illegal votes." Pence later echoed Trump's comments on Twitter, saying, "I stand with President @realDonaldTrump. We must count every LEGAL vote."Based on Trump's remarks, it appears as though the president considers mail-in ballots to be "illegal votes," even though they are perfectly legal. Each state has different rules for mail-in ballots — in California, for example, as long as a ballot is postmarked by Nov. 3 and arrives up to 17 days after the election, it will be counted. In Iowa, ballots have to be postmarked no later than Nov. 2 and arrive at county auditor's offices by noon on Nov. 10.Ahead of the election, Trump railed against mail-in ballots, trying to claim they are tied to voter fraud, and told his supporters to vote for him in person. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, more people requested absentee ballots, and in some cases, states sent ballots to all registered voters. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden backed expanded mail-in voting, and those ballots have been benefiting him in battleground states like Pennsylvania.More stories from theweek.com Trump allies reportedly discussing who will have to break the news of his potential loss Fox News brings Trump to his knees The day the world stopped paying attention to Donald Trump
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| RNC Chair: Republicans aren’t being given access to have surety in election integrity that we deserve Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:05 AM PST  RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel argues there's 'still a path for Trump's reelection and will fight in states with irregularities.'
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| Two million face unemployment when furlough ends in March, economists warn Posted: 06 Nov 2020 07:34 AM PST  Up to two million people who have been furloughed unnecessarily are facing unemployment in March, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned. Paul Johnson, the director of the economic research institute, claimed that millions of Britons "in sectors that have not been particularly affected" by the coronavirus pandemic risk losing their jobs when the scheme comes to an end. It comes after Rishi Sunak extended the job retention scheme across the UK until the end of March to "give businesses security through the winter". However, Mr Johnson warned: "I think there's a real concern here that we know that there were probably more than two million still on furlough in October, many of whom in sectors that have not been particularly affected by this crisis, who we might think will continue to on furlough right through until March and then the jobs won't be there at the end." The Chancellor also announced support for the self-employed on Thursday, with the next income support grant for November to January increasing to 80 per cent of average profits up to £7,500. Mr Johnson warned that the self-employment scheme was "wasteful on the one hand and badly targeted on the other". "A large amount of that money is going to self-employed people who have seen little or no reduction in their incomes whilst a million or more have seen big reductions in their incomes and are getting no support at all," he added.
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| Littoral combat ship Detroit is being towed into port after another engineering failure Posted: 06 Nov 2020 11:31 AM PST  It's the latest setback for the hobbled LCS.
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| 'It stops here': Danish mink farmer sees no future after mass cull Posted: 05 Nov 2020 08:51 AM PST  The plan is now in tatters, after the government announced this week that the country's entire mink population must be culled to prevent a mutated coronavirus from spreading in the animals and in humans. The decision, described as a "black day" by the organisation representing a sector that exports $800 million worth of mink pelts annually, was particularly painful because Jeppesen's 36,000 minks are healthy and free from the virus. Jeppesen said the industry, which employs 4,000 people in Denmark, would probably never recover from the blow.
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| McConnell may stop Biden from picking liberal Cabinet: report Posted: 05 Nov 2020 04:25 PM PST  According to a new report, potential president Joe Biden may limit his Cabinet choices to moderates if he does take office. As Axios reports, the former vice president's transition team will consider limiting its prospective Cabinet nominees to those who satisfy Mitch McConnell.
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| The Leonid meteor shower is coming — here’s when and how to watch Posted: 05 Nov 2020 01:06 PM PST  Set your alarm to catch the Leonids!
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| Kansas City man sentenced in death of missionary from China Posted: 06 Nov 2020 05:27 AM PST  A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for killing a Christian missionary from China and wounding two others while high on PCP. Curtrail Hudson, 20, was sentenced Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court, the Kansas City Star reported. A jury found Hudson guilty in February of second-degree murder and five other charges in the April 2018 shooting that killed 38-year-old Xindong Hao.
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| 'This is getting insane': Republicans break from Trump immediately after wild and false speech Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:26 PM PST  "Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose," one Republican lawmaker previously said.
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| Caste discrimination taints corporate India Posted: 05 Nov 2020 11:42 PM PST  A winner of industry awards, Snehapoo Padavattan should have raced up India's corporate ladder. There was just one problem. She belongs to the country's lowest caste, the Dalits.
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| Angler got an up-close look at a ‘monster’ lionfish. By spearing it, he set a record Posted: 05 Nov 2020 11:19 AM PST  The angler was originally hunting for red snapper when he caught sight of the invasive species.
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