| Harry Reid says that Biden should spend 'no more than three weeks' testing Republican cooperation before eliminating the Senate filibuster Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:07 AM PDT  The former Democratic senator from Nevada and Senate Majority Leader insisted that GOP obstruction should not be tolerated.
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| Teacher's elevator death blamed on human error Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:27 AM PDT  Officers found 38-year-old Carrie O'Connor in the elevator on September 14.
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| Trump supporting write-in candidate declares herself governor of Ohio after discussing plot to kidnap Mike DeWine Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:55 AM PDT  A woman who ran as a write-in candidate against Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has unlawfully declared herself governor of the state and been implicated in a plot to kidnap and prosecute Mr DeWine. Renea Turner, who ran against Mr DeWine as a write-in candidate in 2018, posted a video to her Facebook on Thursday in which she places her hand on a Bible and proclaims herself the governor of Ohio. "Ohio is free from Tyrannous leadership," she wrote in a Facebook post following the stunt.
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| A white woman yelled 'f--- Black Lives Matter' at a Starbucks barista after she told her to wear a mask Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:03 AM PDT  An unnamed white woman yelled at barista Alex Beckom when she told her she had to put on a mask in Starbucks. A video of the encounter went viral.
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| Family’s dog turns ‘vicious’ and kills infant as parents slept, Virginia police say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 08:13 AM PDT  The dad killed the dog as soon as he saw what happened, police say
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| Democrats ask Pence not to attend Barrett vote after aides tested positive for COVID-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:15 AM PDT  After several of Vice President Mike Pence's aides tested positive for COVID-19, Democrats are urging him not to attend the Senate's vote on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination.Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote to Pence on Sunday asking him to skip presiding over the Monday vote on Barrett's nomination due to five of his aides recently testing positive for the coronavirus, The Associated Press reports. Pence himself tested negative on Monday, his office said."Not only would your presence in the Senate Chamber tomorrow be a clear violation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy," the letter says.The Democrats go on to say that Pence's presence "would be purely ceremonial" and not "essential," as he will "not need to cast the deciding vote to break a tie" on Barrett's confirmation.Pence's spokesperson previously said he would not be going into quarantine despite being considered a close contact of Marc Short, his chief of staff who tested positive for COVID-19. The spokesperson said the vice president would "maintain his schedule in accordance with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines for essential personnel."White House Strategic Communications Director Alyssa Farah on Monday said Pence would preside over Barrett's confirmation vote, although White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows later said this was "in flux" and he's "not sure what the vice president's plans are for the Senate tonight."More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| France may be at 100,000 virus cases daily as Molotov cocktails thrown at German public health agency Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:22 AM PDT  Pressure in France for local lockdowns is increasing after the government's chief scientific advisor estimated that the country is seeing 100,000 new coronavirus cases every day. On Sunday, 52,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported in France, another daily record - but yesterday Jean-François Delfraissy, the government's chief scientific advisor, said the true figure was probably twice as high. Dr Delfraissy joined other senior doctors in urging the government to introduce local lockdowns or a weekend lockdown that would effectively extend the current 9pm curfew in force in much of the country to weekends in order to limit social contacts.
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| Mexico seizes industrial-scale meth, fentanyl lab in capital Posted: 25 Oct 2020 03:24 PM PDT |
| How to tell if your non–medical grade "fashion mask" is really working Posted: 25 Oct 2020 11:00 AM PDT  As facemasks become fashion accessories, scientists say there are ways to tell if yours is truly effective
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| In pictures: Silverado wildfire rages in California Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:44 PM PDT  The Silverado Fire broke out just before sunrise in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
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| Belarus opposition leader says supporters launching strike Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:14 AM PDT  Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said Monday supporters were beginning a nationwide strike after her deadline expired for strongman Alexander Lukashenko to step down.
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| ‘Trump’s never going to leave Mar-a-Lago - he’ll go back to being a businessman’: President’s neighbours reflect on prospect of life after White House Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:15 PM PDT  President officially moved residency to Sunshine state last year
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| Moments from 60 Minutes' interview with Joe Biden Posted: 25 Oct 2020 04:49 PM PDT  Newsworthy moments from the Democratic presidential nominee's talk with Norah O'Donnell ahead of the 2020 election.
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| 60,000 in Southern California to evacuate after wildfire spreads Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  A fast-moving wildfire forced evacuation orders for 60,000 people in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blaze
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| Protesters storm churches in Poland on the 4th day of unrest after a court ruling tightened the country's already-strict abortion laws Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:17 PM PDT  The court banned abortion in the case of fetal defects, making abortion legal only in cases of incest, rape, or danger to the mother's life.
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| Qatar airport accused of invasive passenger strip-search as it sought mother of newborn baby found in toilet Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:08 AM PDT  Australian officials have raised "serious concerns" with Qatari authorities after airline staff were accused of invasively strip-searching women, including 13 Australians, having taking them off a flight from Doha to Sydney. The events of Friday, 2 October, came to light in a report by Australian broadcaster Seven News on Sunday night. Flight QR908 to Sydney was due to leave Hamad International airport at 8.30pm but was delayed for four hours after a newborn infant, believed to have been prematurely born, was found in a terminal bathroom. Women on board the flight were ordered to disembark without being told why and reportedly forced to strip and undergo an invasive medical examination nearby. After their return to the plane it was allowed to depart. A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told ABC it had raised the incident with Qatari officials. "We have formally registered our serious concerns regarding the incident with Qatari authorities and have been assured that detailed and transparent information on the event will be provided soon," he said. One of the 34 passengers on Flight QR908, Dr Wolfgang Babeck, told Guardian Australia that after about three hours of waiting on board the plane, the airline asked all the women on board to disembark. Upon their return "most of them were very upset", Dr Babeck said.
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| 7 held for suspected tanker hijack after UK commando raid Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:25 AM PDT  Seven stowaways seized when British naval special forces stormed an oil tanker in the English Channel have been arrested on suspicion of hijacking, police said Monday. Hampshire Police said the men, believed to be from Nigeria, were being held at several police stations on suspicion of "seizing or exercising control of a ship by use of threats or force." Special Boat Service commandos were lowered by rope from helicopters onto the tanker, whose crew had locked themselves in a secure part of the ship known as the citadel.
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| Pence Will Not Preside Over Amy Coney Barrett Vote after Possible Coronavirus Exposure Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:13 PM PDT  Vice President Mike Pence will not preside over Monday's Senate vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.Pence is currently on the campaign trail and is scheduled to make a stop in Minnesota on Monday despite an outbreak of coronavirus cases among people in the the vice president's inner circle over the weekend.Five cases of the coronavirus were reported among the vice president's close associates on Saturday, including Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short. Pence and his wife Karen both tested negative for the coronavirus on Saturday.Pence aides told multiple outlets that he will not preside as Senate president over Barrett's confirmation vote after Senate Democrats sounded the alarm that his attendance would amount to a health hazard for other members."Not only would your presence in the Senate Chamber tomorrow be a clear violation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy," Senate Democrats including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote Monday in a letter to Pence, adding that his presence is "is not a risk worth taking."In the event of a tie, Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Barrett. However, Republicans appear to have 52 Republican votes in favor of her confirmation to the high court. The only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Senator Susan Collins of Maine.The confirmation vote is expected to take place around 7p.m. Monday evening and President Trump is scheduled to swear Barrett in shortly thereafter in an outdoor ceremony at the White House.
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| Hundreds of thousands lose power as Northern California braces for more wildfires Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:18 PM PDT  "This is the fire weather forecast I was hoping wouldn't come to pass," a climate scientist said.
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| China set for increase in consumption as COVID-19 rules fade Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:42 AM PDT  Sales of consumer goods increased across the board at the end of the third quarter, an indication that the country is propelling to the next stage of economic recovery.
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| Report: If re-elected, Trump will immediately fire FBI Director Christopher Wray Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:55 PM PDT  Should President Trump win a second term, he plans on immediately firing FBI Director Christopher Wray, two people who have discussed the matter with Trump told Axios. Trump is also expected to quickly replace CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. They aren't the only three people on the chopping block, the sources said, but they are at the top of the list. One official said Trump hasn't fired any of them because of the optics of doing so before the election.Haspel and Wray do not have any fans in Trump's inner circle, Axios reports, with one person saying the "view of Haspel in the West Wing is that she still sees her job as manipulating people and outcomes, the way she must have when she was working assets in the field. It bred a lot of suspicion of her motives." As for Wray, Trump became enraged in September when the FBI director testified that there are no signs of widespread election fraud, despite Trump claiming otherwise.Privately, Trump has complained about Attorney General William Barr, and he's never been too enamored with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, but there are no formal plans to remove them, Axios reports. In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said, "We have no personnel announcements at this time nor would it be appropriate to speculate about changes after the election or in a second term."More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| Russia proposes new missile verification regime with U.S. after demise of treaty Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:29 AM PDT  The Kremlin on Monday proposed that Russia and the United States agree not to deploy certain land-based missiles in Europe and introduce mutual verification measures to build trust following the demise of the INF nuclear arms control treaty. The United States withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, accusing Moscow of violating it, a charge denied by the Kremlin. Global nuclear arms control architecture has come under further strain since then as the former Cold War foes have been unable to agree on a replacement to New START, another major arms control pact that is due to expire in February 2021.
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| Canadian policeman describes arresting Huawei exec Meng Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:12 PM PDT  A Canadian police officer testified Monday about his arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant, revealing that Washington had requested that data on her phone and laptop be secured so that it could not be "erased remotely."
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| A Florida man drove a stolen bulldozer through a neighborhood and destroyed Biden-Harris campaign signs, police say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:18 PM PDT  James Blight, 26, was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and trespassing in Haines City, Florida, in connection to the incident.
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| India's first 'saviour sibling' cures brother of fatal illness Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:04 PM PDT  Her birth has also led to a debate about the ethics of using technology to create a child.
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| Man charged in burning of ballot drop box in Boston Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:43 AM PDT  A man was charged with setting a Boston ballot drop box on fire and damaging dozens of ballots, police said Monday. Worldy Armand, a 39-year-old Boston resident, was taken into custody late Sunday, hours after he started a fire inside a drop box outside the Boston Public Library in the city's Back Bay neighborhood, authorities said. The box contained more than 120 ballots.
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| 18-year-old freshman at University of Dayton apparently dies from Covid-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Michael Lang, 18, died on Thursday "apparently due to complications from" coronavirus after a long hospitalization, officials at the Ohio school said.
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| Tropical Storm Zeta expected to strengthen into hurricane Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:26 AM PDT  The formation of Zeta puts the 2020 hurricane season one name storm away from tying the all-time record.
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| 2020 polls: The Trump ‘hidden voter’ isn’t a real threat this election - here’s why Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:16 PM PDT  House district-level polling is being closely monitored by experts, as it was the canary in the Trump coal mine in 2016. Thus far, that polling actually predicts an even bigger Biden victory
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| Turkey's Erdogan says it's time for two-state solution in Cyprus Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:38 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was time for a realistic proposal about a two-state solution on the divided island of Cyprus to be discussed, and added that the parameters of the current talks were not sustainable. Cyprus was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The European Union admitted the island into the bloc in 2004, represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south.
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| Pakistan opens first metro line after years of delays Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:22 AM PDT  Pakistan's first metro line began operations Monday in the eastern city of Lahore following years of delays, in a country severely lacking public transport or modern infrastructure.
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| Joe Biden rejects Supreme Court term limits Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:10 PM PDT  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has taken a step toward revealing his Supreme Court plans.The last-minute nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has raised allegations from Democrats that Republicans are unfairly gaming the system. It has also led some Democrats to suggest Biden either expand and pack the court with liberal justices if he's elected, or adopt term limits to replace the current lifetime appointments.Biden has so far refused to give a decisive answer on how he'll handle the courts if he wins next week's election. But on Monday, Biden did reveal a bit of his plan, saying "it's a lifetime appointment. I'm not going to attempt to change that at all."Last month, three Democrats in the House introduced a bill to instill 18-year term limits on Supreme Court justices, granting presidents two nominees during each of their terms. Biden has brushed off questions about whether he will support expanding and packing the court, saying he'll give an answer when the election is over.More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| How the name 'Karen' became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:43 PM PDT  The "Karen" meme depicting women who ask to "speak to the manager" has become nearly ubiquitous online. Here is the meme's history and origin.
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| 45 missing kids rescued in Ohio’s largest anti-human trafficking effort, officials say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:38 PM PDT  The U.S. Marshals Service worked alongside 50 state law enforcement agencies.
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| Court Ruling Could Kill Uber and Lyft in California Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:30 AM PDT  Just days before Californians themselves were set to decide on the matter, a state appeals court has ruled that app-based ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft must comply with state law AB5 and classify all of their drivers as employees rather than contractors. The ruling raises the possibility that the companies will simply end operations in the state altogether, both having stated previously that their business model depends on the flexibility of using contractors.The companies claim, and drivers often confirm, that the flexibility of contract work is key to their operations. Employers are required under federal and state law to schedule and track their employees' hours for overtime, unemployment, and other purposes. That's not case with contractors, who are legally considered independent businesses.Critics of the ride-sharing companies, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, claim that's just a dodge to get out of paying overtime and complying with other workplace regulations. Labor unions have pushed for the drivers to be classified as employees, since contractors cannot join unions.A three-judge state appeals court panel on Thursday agreed, rejecting the companies' arguments out of hand. The panel was in full crusader mode, calling the case a "reminder that the foundation of interim injunctive relief lies in equity comes from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was renowned for her expertise in procedure long before she became the national icon known as RBG."The panel said that there was just no reason to assume that forcing ride-sharing companies to operate as traditional employers would in any way hurt their business model, even as it conceded that that model was built around contractors."We recognize that defendants' business models are different from that traditionally associated with employment, particularly with regard to drivers' freedom to work as many or as few hours as they wish, when and where they choose, and their ability to work on multiple apps at the same time," it said.The "multiple apps" point, in particular, is worth noting, because that refers to the ability of drivers to work for multiple different app-based companies at the same time. In other words, the drivers can work for a company and its direct competitor, a situation no traditional employer would tolerate. But a business cannot automatically restrict a contractor from doing that. The ride-sharing companies don't even try. If you've ever taken a ride in an Uber or a Lyft, you've probably also seen a sticker for the other service in the drivers' window.The panel nevertheless argued the companies were employers because the ride-sharing service they provided was the core of their business model, rather than an incidental activity, pointing to a Supreme Court ruling called Dynamex. As for the possibility that the companies cannot function as traditional employers, the panel asserted that just couldn't possibly be true."The People counter, correctly, that a party suffers no grave or irreparable harm by being prohibited from violating the law," the panel said.That is not true in the real world, however: An ill-conceived law can cause great damage. A good example can be found in the case of AB5 itself. In addition to scaring off many employers who use contractors, the law reined in contract work generally, strictly limiting what even traditional freelancers like photographers or musicians could do. State lawmakers were forced to amend the law and carve out exemptions for numerous professions. That's clear proof that they had overreached. Freelancers still claim it's too restrictive.It may yet get worse for Californians. If the state ballot's Proposition 22 to roll back AB5 fails and the panel's ruling stands, the companies have said they'll simply stop operating the state. Customers throughout the state will have limited transportation options — a potential public safety issue, as Mothers Against Drunk Driving has warned. Meanwhile, numerous drivers will be left without a way to make the additional money that ridesharing offers at a time when Californians need the opportunity. The national unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, but the Golden State's rate is 11 percent. California's unemployment has been consistently higher than the national average throughout the year, and the state's effort to reign in gig-economy companies has likely been a factor.
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| Spain declares state of emergency over coronavirus as Italy closes cinemas, theatres and gyms Posted: 25 Oct 2020 09:16 AM PDT  Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday, as Italy closed down event halls and Bulgaria's leader tested positive for coronavirus. Under Spain's state of emergency, which was due to come into force on Sunday, citizens must remain inside their homes between 11pm and 6am unless they have a valid reason, such as work or other essential activities. Regional governments have been allowed to adjust the timing of the start and end of the curfew by one hour, while the Canary Islands have been exempted from the curfew altogether. After Spain recorded 110,000 new cases last week, passing a milestone of one million cases, Mr Sánchez said the situation was "extreme", and urged citizens to "stay at home wherever possible". The state of emergency also allows regional governments to apply a "rule-of-six" limit on social gatherings and seal their borders against non-essential entry or exit, as well as place districts or cities under perimeter lockdowns. Mr Sánchez said he wants parliament to approve the state of emergency for six months, until 9 May. "Experts estimate that is the time we need to overcome the most destructive phase of the pandemic. The cost in terms of lives must be as low as possible," he said. It came as Italy announced it would close cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools, while restaurants and bars were told to shut at 6pm, in a fresh round of tough restrictions. The new rules, which come into force on Monday, were imposed after 20,000 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Saturday. Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, has stopped short of a full nationwide lockdown as the country's economy was severely damaged by a ten-week lockdown imposed earlier in the pandemic. "Our aim is to protect health and the economy," Mr Conte said.
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| Facebook pulls Trump ads that baselessly told people they were victims of election fraud Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:15 AM PDT  Adverts claiming votes had not been counted were seen by 399,000 people, some of whom had already cast ballots
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| China reports surge of asymptomatic coronavirus cases in Xinjiang Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:45 PM PDT  China reported the highest number of asymptomatic novel coronavirus infections in nearly seven months on Monday following the discovery of a cluster of cases linked to a garment factory in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Health authorities found 137 asymptomatic cases on Sunday during a drive to test 4.75 million people in the Kashgar area triggered by an asymptomatic infection in a 17-year-old female garment factory worker reported on Saturday. It was not clear how the teenager was infected though the official Xinhua news agency said all of the new cases were linked to another garment factory where the patient's parents work.
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| 'Worst time to resign' says under-fire Barca president Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:08 PM PDT  Under-pressure Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu suggested Monday that "now would be the worst time" to leave his post.
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| Prince Harry says it took him 'many, many years' to realize unconscious bias exists Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:16 AM PDT  Prince Harry is opening up about how Meghan Markle helped him become aware of unconscious racial bias, which he didn't realize existed for "many years."In a conversation with Black Lives Matter activist Patrick Hutchinson published by GQ on Monday, Harry praised the "incredibly important" movement and described how for a while, he did not realize that unconscious biases exist in society."Unconscious bias, from my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was," Harry said. "I had no idea it existed. And then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realize it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife's shoes."Harry, who has spoken out against racist harassment the Duchess of Sussex has been subjected to, described unconscious bias as a "huge thing globally" and said it's "dangerous" when those in power aren't aware of this."I think one of the most dangerous things is people within positions of power, whether it's politics or whether it's the media, where if you're not aware of your own bias and you're not aware of the culture within your system, then how are we ever going to progress?" Harry said.Harry added that "anyone that's pushing against" such attempts to make progress should "take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror," as "everyone benefits if the Black community gets treated the way they should be treated." He previously spoke on his "awakening" on systemic racism."I've had an awakening as such of my own, because I wasn't aware of so many of the issues and so many of the problems within the UK, but also globally as well," he told the Evening Standard. "I thought I did but I didn't."More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| A cow escaped from home and ended up stuck on a neighbor's trampoline, and yes, there are pictures Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:32 AM PDT  Neighbors woke up to a herd of 40 cows scattered in their yards. This troublemaker needed the help of a tractor to get back on solid ground.
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| He ripped the assistance money out of her hand, and then he ate it, Florida police say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:38 AM PDT  They say finder's keepers. Not sure what they would say about this incident in Central Florida.
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| 60,000 in Southern California to evacuate after blaze grows Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:46 AM PDT  A fast-moving wildfire forced evacuation orders for 60,000 people in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blazes. Strong gusts pushed flames along brushy ridges in Silverado Canyon toward houses in the city of Irvine, home to about 280,000 people.
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| Chicago Public Schools Says Teachers Union ‘Refuses to Even Discuss’ Returning to In-Person Classes Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:53 AM PDT  Chicago Public Schools on Friday pushed back against the Chicago Teachers Union, which filed an unfair labor practice charge last week accusing the city's school district of illegally refusing to negotiate with the union on how to safely resume in-person classes amid health concerns.The union has "refused to even discuss" returning to in-person classes, school district spokeswoman Emily Bolton said in a statement."We are disheartened that CTU continues to obstruct and mislead the public about the necessary planning measures needed to prepare for a potential return to safe in-person learning," Bolton said. "While the district is doing everything in its power to plan for all possible scenarios, the CTU refuses to even discuss a return to in-person learning, even as hundreds of private schools in Chicago are open."Chicago's public schools are scheduled to start in-person classes in phases for pre-K students and some special education students during the school year's second quarter, which begins in two weeks on November 9."We don't know what the health situation will be in a couple of weeks' time, but it would be irresponsible not to plan ahead while thousands of students miss out on valuable learning," Bolton added.However, CTU has accused the city's public school district of violating the union's collective bargaining agreement by neglecting to negotiate the start of in-person learning."We all want to return to our students. We don't want to die doing our jobs, and we don't want to be vectors for spreading illness or death to our students and their families," CTU vice president Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement. "Yet the mayor and CPS simply refuse to lay out and discuss their plan for returning to classrooms, when we know from their own facilities records that these buildings aren't safe."The union has demanded that its certified industrial hygienists be allowed to inspect school air quality in the district's buildings. CPS meanwhile has said it has hired state-certified environmental hygienists to perform inspections, the results of which the district says it will release to the public before schools are opened. The district argued that CTU does not have any legal or contractual right to demand its own inspection.Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have increased in the Chicago area, the city's positivity rate ticking up to 7.5 percent over the last week.Last week, Chicago ordered all non-essential businesses to close at 10 p.m., and more restrictions could be set in motion if cases of the virus continue to rise.
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| Pence urged to skip Barrett vote after aides test positive for COVID-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:50 AM PDT  A deeply torn Senate is set to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, but Democratic leaders are asking Vice President Mike Pence to stay away from presiding over Monday's session due to potential health risks after his aides tested positive for COVID-19.
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| Joe Biden is doubling down on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour despite the economic downturn. It could bump paychecks for over 27 million workers. Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Biden is pushing ahead with raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour even as the pandemic causes many small businesses to close their doors.
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| Mitch McConnell’s Conservative Challenger Gets a Boost... From Dems Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:16 AM PDT  In a last-ditch effort to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a deep-pocketed Democratic group has begun airing ads backing the Libertarian candidate in Kentucky's U.S. Senate contest.A new super PAC called True Kentucky Patriots started buying television and digital ads last week in support of Libertarian Brad Barron, calling him "Kentucky's true conservative for U.S. Senate," in the words of one thirty-second spot. "Barron is one hundred percent pro-Second Amendment, one hundred percent pro-life, and one hundred percent pro-term limits. Sorry Mitch, 36 years is too long."The group is clearly designed to peel off conservative votes from McConnell, who faces a challenge from Democrat Amy McGrath. Federal Election Commission records show that True Kentucky Patriots is affiliated with one of the Senate race's largest independent spenders, a pro-McGrath group called the Ditch Fund.True Kentucky Patriots also shares a treasurer with the Ditch Fund, and both groups have paid a Democratic firm called Beacon Media to produce and place their respective digital ads.It's not uncommon for political operatives to attempt to boost third party candidates that they hope will act as spoilers and split an opposing ideological coalition's votes to the detriment of one major party candidate or the other. But it's less common for groups doing so to disclose those efforts in publicly available campaign finance filings.True Kentucky Patriots hasn't been around long enough to reveal any of its donors, and it won't have to do so until nearly three weeks after election day. But pro-McGrath forces have already attempted to promote Barron's candidacy through other means. Another anti-McConnell super PAC, Fire Mitch Save America PAC, has sent mailers promoting Barron's Senate bid.FEC filings also show that Democrats have sought to boost Barron directly. At least five of Barron's donors have also given to McGrath's campaign. One of them, a New York-based Microsoft employee, even donated to both McGrath and Barron on the same day.Polling in the Kentucky Senate contest has shown McConnell with a consistent lead, though his margin has varied from as little as five points to as much as twelve. The most recent poll of the race has McConnell with a nine-point lead over McGrath, and just four percent saying they support Barron's candidacy, meaning the Libertarian likely will not draw enough votes to tilt the election. The race has nonetheless drawn massive investments from both parties. McConnell and McGrath have together spent nearly $115 million, with outside groups dropping another $26 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.Kentucky isn't the only state where Democrats have attempted to boost a third party spoiler in a tight Senate contest. In South Carolina, Democrat Jaime Harrison's campaign has run ads ostensibly attacking an obscure Constitution Party candidate by calling him too conservative for the state. It appears to be an effort to encourage support for the more right-wing contender among the state's more conservative voters—to the detriment of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.But the most famous would-be spoiler candidate of the 2020 election cycle is Kanye West. A number of Republican operatives have lined up behind his dead-end presidential campaign in an effort to draw votes from Democratic nominee Joe Biden in some key battleground states.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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| Head of Virginia military academy resigns amid report of racist culture Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:41 PM PDT  J. H. Binford Peay III, who had been the institute's superintendent for 17 years, told its board he was stepping down after learning on Friday that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and "certain legislative leaders had lost confidence in my leadership ... and desired my resignation." "You have profoundly changed our school for the better," John William Boland, president of the school's Board of Visitors, said in a letter to Peay. Last week, Northam and several top elected officials and lawmakers wrote to the board to express concern "about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism" at the college.
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