| Fox News Host Admits She Doesn’t Trust Fox Polls, Deliberately Misleads Pollsters Posted: 16 Jul 2020 12:27 PM PDT  Fox News host Melissa Francis admitted on Thursday that she doesn't trust her own network's polling—conducted by a group considered among the industry's most trustworthy pollsters—while also claiming on-air that she deliberately misleads pollsters when they call her.With President Donald Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden by double digits in many national and battleground state polls, a narrative has formed that there are so-called "secret Trump voters" who don't feel comfortable expressing their support for the president. A recent Monmouth poll in Pennsylvania, which finds Biden up by 13 points, shows that a majority of voters in the state believe a secret Trump vote exists."The media consistently reports that Biden is in the lead, but voters remember what happened in 2016. The specter of a secret Trump vote looms large in 2020," Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray wrote upon the poll's release.During a Thursday afternoon Fox News discussion on Brad Parscale's demotion as Trump campaign manager, Francis expressed her distrust of political polling by citing her own experience with deceiving pollsters.After fellow Fox host Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery said the 2016 polls were "completely wrong" and that current polls are using that same methodology, Francis noted that she is "familiar" with the polls because she has been polled twice recently."Because I'm not affiliated with a party, I am married, I have three children," she said. "I think I am a woman of a certain age, so I am sort of the vote that people are looking for. I have a blast when they call me.""None of the information—sometimes I'm somebody who voted for [New York Mayor Bill] de Blasio but now I was thinking about Trump," Francis continued. "Sometimes it just depends how I toy with these folks."After this writer tweeted out a clip of Francis' comments while asking "are Fox News hosts now claiming they openly lie to pollsters to help push the narrative that all the polls are wrong," the Fox News personality responded that polling is "garbage.""Any pollster who calls me - I do not tell the truth," she wrote. "It's not their business. But I misled them left and right in equal measure. Polling is in fact garbage. I also do *always* disclose where I work and ask from whom they purchased my information."When asked whether this meant that she believed her own network's polls are also "garbage," Francis replied: "I don't trust any polling at all based on my personal experience."Interestingly, despite claiming to find all polling to be "garbage," Twitter sleuths pointed out that she has a history of boosting polling data that supports various Fox-friendly narratives.Francis later tweeted that she has never heard anyone tell her they've been contacted by a pollster but that she personally has been polled "20 times in the past 5 years." She added that this has "undermined my own personal confidence in polling, that is my opinion."According to poll analysis digital outlet FiveThirtyEight, Fox News is rated as one of the most accurate polling organizations, with an A rating. Furthermore, much has been made about the inaccuracy of the 2016 presidential election polls. Post-election analysis, however, shows that the accuracy of the national polls was pretty much on par with every election of the past 50 years. The average of the final polls was also largely in line with Hillary Clinton two-point popular vote win.Beyond that, polling since the 2016 election has been even more accurate. During the 2018 midterm elections, which resulted in a blue wave in the House of Representatives, non-partisan polls were far more accurate than any average poll since 1998. 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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| Investigators: Texas couple defrauded Army out of millions Posted: 16 Jul 2020 09:43 AM PDT  Federal agents have seized more than 20 vehicles and the money from 10 bank accounts belonging to married U.S. Army veterans in Texas, saying the pair used personal information stolen from soldiers to defraud the military out of as much as $11 million. Army investigators obtained warrants last month to confiscate the funds and property and to collect evidence of the alleged fraud during their search of the home of the retired sergeants, according to recently unsealed federal court records. In an affidavit seeking to search Kevin Pelayo and Cristine Fredericks' home in Killeen, a city near Fort Hood about 150 miles (240 kilometres) southwest of Dallas, investigators described how the couple allegedly used a transportation reimbursement program for federal employees to swindle the Army out of $2.3 million to $11.3 million.
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| US Navy investigates massive four-day USS Bonhomme blaze Posted: 17 Jul 2020 03:01 PM PDT  Temperatures on board raged up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit as flames ravaged the warship.
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| A White House document says 18 states are in the coronavirus 'red zone' and should limit gatherings, close gyms, and mask up Posted: 16 Jul 2020 04:49 PM PDT  The document identifies states with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents last week and recommends stark changes to those states' policies.
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| Top House Republican threatens to cut funding to states, cities that don't protect statues Posted: 16 Jul 2020 09:58 AM PDT  The Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on Thursday that would cut federal aid to state and local governments if they do not protect statues, after protesters attacked monuments to people who owned slaves or fought for the Confederacy. "It is wrong to erase our history," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement, criticizing "left-wing mobs" who have attacked statues across the United States. Under his bill, introduced with fellow Republican Representatives Jim Jordan and Sam Graves, some federal funds would be withheld if local governments do not "restore order or arrest rioters."
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| Ousted Florida scientist Rebekah Jones’ whistleblower complaint takes aim at governor Posted: 17 Jul 2020 08:09 AM PDT  The former data scientist accuses Gov. Ron DeSantis' health agency of seeking to falsify statistics used to justify the state's reopening.
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| A Las Vegas man has been arrested after police said he 'goaded' a homeless man into performing a fatal backflip for $6 Posted: 16 Jul 2020 02:11 PM PDT  In a video livestreamed on Facebook, the man could be heard telling viewers he had offered the homeless man cash for the deadly stunt.
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| U.S. extends ban on cruise ships as CDC says coronavirus 'continues to expand rapidly' Posted: 16 Jul 2020 04:11 PM PDT  The prohibition was extended from July 24 to Sept. 30.
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| Kamala Harris made her mark confronting Joe Biden. Could they end up as running mates? Posted: 16 Jul 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' debate confrontation over race still echoes a year later as Biden weighs his vice presidential pick.
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| Cuomo slams Trump over coronavirus response, says CDC report shows 'terrible failing on behalf of the federal government' Posted: 16 Jul 2020 07:53 PM PDT  ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, citing a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, took President Donald Trump to task Thursday over the federal coronavirus response. The governor touted the report because it backs his argument that the virus came to New York through Europe, not China. "It will be a double-barreled shotgun of incompetence," Cuomo told ...
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| 'This is urgent': Second round of stimulus checks 'a necessity' in next coronavirus package, Pelosi says Posted: 16 Jul 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding Congress send out a second round of stimulus checks for American taxpayers as negotiations heat up between Democrats and Republicans for a fifth round of federal coronavirus relief.Earlier this year, Congress approved the Treasury Department to cut $1,200 checks to every American taxpayer, with extra monetary benefits for parents with children under 18.
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| NYPD sergeants union chief Ed Mullins appears on Fox News with a QAnon mug behind him Posted: 17 Jul 2020 03:21 PM PDT  Mullins refused to say whether the mug was his or whether he endorses the QAnon conspiracy in a Friday call with Business Insider.
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| Analysis: Risks grow after blast hits Iran's nuclear program Posted: 15 Jul 2020 11:21 PM PDT  A mysterious explosion and fire at Iran's main nuclear facility may have stopped Tehran from building advanced centrifuges, but it likely has not slowed the Islamic Republic in growing its ever-increasing stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Limiting that stockpile represented one of the main tenets of the nuclear deal that world powers reached with Iran five years ago this week — an accord which now lies in tatters after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from it two years ago. The larger that stockpile grows, the shorter the so-called "breakout time" becomes — time that Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon if it chooses to do so.
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| Attorney general taps another Justice Department insider for top prosecutor job Posted: 16 Jul 2020 02:40 PM PDT |
| New Mexico officer facing second-degree murder charges in chokehold death of Antonio Valenzuela Posted: 17 Jul 2020 07:23 AM PDT  Las Cruces Police Officer Christopher Smelser is now facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of Antonio Valenzuela.
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| ‘Overwhelmed and Terrified’: Las Vegas’ Reopening Backfires Terribly Posted: 17 Jul 2020 11:53 AM PDT  As the coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel the United States, Las Vegas seems to be operating business as usual. Casinos have been open since June 4—undeterred by the 123 visitors who have tested positive for the highly contagious virus and the 51-year-old Caesars employee who died in late June.But it's not business as usual for doctors and nurses in Las Vegas' besieged health-care system, who say they are "overwhelmed and terrified" about the massive influx of new cases in a state officially deemed a "red zone" by the White House. "I would say in the last month we've been completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and our hospital is running out of space," one Las Vegas emergency room doctor, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of professional retaliation, told The Daily Beast on Friday. "Not only are we overwhelmed and terrified, but based on the numbers for the rest of the country, it's only going to get worse for us."'A Sinking Ship': Arizona Docs Say Ducey Steered State Into COVID-19 SurgeOne of the states that loosened coronavirus restrictions in May, Nevada has set records for new cases throughout July. The rate of new cases per 100,000 residents is higher than the national average, putting Nevada in the top ten states for cases per capita—alongside Arizona, Texas, and Florida, now the epicenter of the pandemic. In Las Vegas, where local officials protested against the stay-at-home order, the hospital system is starting to feel the effects of the cascading outbreak. The Las Vegas area set a new record of 1,315 new cases on Thursday, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.And Sin City is a microcosm for the whole state—which also shattered COVID-19 numbers on Thursday with 1,447 new cases and six new deaths. ICUs are at about 84 percent capacity. "It's even more troubling that COVID-19 in Nevada is disproportionately impacting communities of color," Bethany Khan, the communications director for the Culinary Union in Las Vegas, told The Daily Beast on Friday. "Workers fear that they will contract the virus and bring it home to their families or possibly die from it."At least 626 people have died from the coronavirus and 31,915 have been infected in Nevada—continuing a trend across much of the South and West after states lifted lockdown measures. Worse still, the rate of positive COVID-19 test results has reached a staggering 24.3 percent, rising continuously over the last month.Las Vegas Not-So-Politely Declines Mayor's Bonkers Offer to Become Virus 'Control Group'To curtail the surge, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has rolled back premature reopening plans, introduced a mask mandate, and closed down bars in seven counties, including Vegas. But he left it up to local leaders to enact more restrictive measures—and Las Vegas seems to be operating as usual. In the weeks after Nevada's casinos reopened on June 4, after being shuttered for three months, at least 123 visitors have tested positive for the coronavirus.Brian Labus, a professor of public health and outbreak investigation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told The Daily Beast that while cases in the state are surging, state officials have "stepped up" and taken "the main steps" to ensure the spread is curtailed. "The problem comes down to the fact that people didn't take the social distancing seriously when we reopened," Labus said. "I think the mask mandate will have a big dent on cases."Labus also stressed that Sin City "exists for tourism" and therefore has a unique issue of balancing "its economy with the safety issues.""You have to remember the kind of people who are coming to Las Vegas right now. It's the people who are the least concerned about this outbreak right now—least likely to follow the social distancing," he said, noting that tourists are not counted in Nevada's numbers."When you are on vacation, you want to forget about all your problems—and that includes the coronavirus. But there is still a pandemic, and not following health guidelines puts everyone at risk."Khan said the pressure on reopening the strip has meant "hotel and casino workers are working in fear every day." Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has been notably silent after calling the state shutdown in March "total insanity" and suggesting Las Vegas could be a "control group" to test the impact COVID-19 would have on a community that didn't close its doors. Over 500 Employees at Trump's Las Vegas Hotel Have Been Laid Off Amid Coronavirus"We would love to be that placebo side so you have something to measure against," she said during a wild April interview on CNN that prompted residents to begin efforts to remove her. Goodman's office did not respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment.Late last month, Adolfo Fernandez, a 51-year-old employee at Caesars Entertainment on the strip, died after testing positive for COVID-19. The utility porter died just two days after getting his virus diagnosis—and before the casino implemented a company-wide mask policy.The Culinary Union has since filed a lawsuit against several major casinos—including The Signature at the MGM Grand—to protect workers returning to work. The lawsuit states that the casino hotels have not adopted precautions to address the virus, have not conducted adequate tracing, and haven't informed employees of positive tests among co-workers. Khan, who said 20 union members and their spouses or kids had died from COVID-19 in the last three months, stressed that the lawsuit was aimed at ensuring that hotel and casino workers don't have to live "with the same fear every day they go to work."The White House, according to a report obtained by the Center of Public Integrity, believes Nevada is already facing catastrophic virus consequences. In a July 14 document from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, public health officials said Nevada had reached "red zone" status—meaning there were more than 100 new cases for every 100,000 residents in the prior week. Nevada had about 173 new cases per capita in the previous week, compared to the national average of 119. "Las Vegas continues to have [a] concerning rise in cases," the report said, noting that its county is one of the top three in the state with the highest COVID-19 cases. (Clark County, Washoe, County and Elko County represent 97.9 percent of the new cases in Nevada.)In order to combat the surge, the White House document suggested Nevada—and 17 other states—limit large gatherings, close down indoor establishments, and issue a mask mandate. A New York Times study also showed Nevada's surge to be among the highest in the world. The study of the number of daily infections between June 28 and July 5 showed Arizona and Florida are the two most infected places in the world. Nevada placed ninth, before Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, and the country of Panama. Nevada also ranked before Brazil, a country seen as one of the world's most severe hot spots with more than 2 million cases recorded since March. "The big surge in cases in Nevada [is] among Las Vegas residents—but even if Las Vegas puts a bunch of measures in place, it wouldn't matter unless it was implemented statewide. You can't just focus on one jurisdiction, because people move around," Labus said. Las Vegas hospitals are feeling the surge of new cases and are overwhelmed, understaffed, and short on supplies—unable to keep up with what researchers believe is the "tipping point" before a state loses control of the pandemic. For the ER doctor, who said he had worked over 100 hours this week alone, the fear is knowing that the worst of the virus is yet to come for Las Vegas. He also said that some of the hospital's beds are being taken up by patients from out-of-state, like Arizona."This is uncharted waters and it seems like everyone in Las Vegas has been too lax about the pandemic," the doctor said, stressing that local officials have not taken the necessary precautions to ensure they "stop the virus in its tracks months ago.""People here in Las Vegas don't see this pandemic as an issue—well, once the hospitals are filled and there is nowhere to go, they will realize they should have been more careful."A spokesperson for University Medical Center in Las Vegas confirmed to The Daily Beast the hospital's ICU occupancy had exceeded 90 percent but stressed they "have the ability to significantly expand this capacity." "Following a detailed planning process, we have teams in place to activate alternative surge space throughout UMC as needed. We are currently using extra space within a large PACU [post-anesthesia care unit] to care for a small number of patients with non-COVID-related medical concerns," the spokesperson said, adding that the hospital had not received any virus patients from Arizona. The hospital does take out-of-state trauma patients who need additional care.According to the Nevada Hospital Association, the state recorded its highest day for hospitalizations this week, with 1,051 on Tuesday. By Thursday, about 77 percent of staffed beds across the state were occupied, and 785 confirmed virus patients were admitted. About 40 percent of the state's ventilators are in use.Sixto Zermeno, a bellman at The Signature at MGM Grand, said in a video announcing the union's lawsuit, that he hadn't been able to see his daughter for three weeks while he recovered from COVID-19."[G]etting this disease has been extremely difficult for me and my family," he said. "I have not been able to see my nine-year-old daughter in person since I tested positive—I haven't been able to hug my daughter or see her for 3-weeks now."The Signature at MGM Grand had three months to prepare and they didn't. None of our upper management had a clue what to do and that's unfortunate. They put a lot of us and our families at risk."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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| Minneapolis City Council Declares Racism a ‘Public Health Emergency’ Posted: 17 Jul 2020 12:45 PM PDT  The Minneapolis City Council on Friday declared racism a public health emergency, a move that comes after weeks of unrest following the police custody death of George Floyd in May that sparked national outrage.The council approved a resolution that states the city of Minneapolis will recognize "the severe impact of racism on the well-being of residents and city overall and allocate funding, staff, and additional resources to actively engage in racial equity in order to name, reverse, and repair the harm done" to black, Indigenous and people of color."Racism has various forms including historical, individual, systemic and that has not only continued to present day, but has been institutionalized to ensure the concentration of material, power and resources into the hands of white bodied individuals," reads the resolution, written by council members Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham.Minneapolis has some of the "starkest racial inequities in the country," the resolution says, including in the areas of poverty, home ownership, and obtaining a high school diploma.Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as he pleaded for air, during which time he passed out. Within days, demonstrations and riots against racism and police brutality broke out in the city and in metropolitan areas around the country. Rioters burned a police precinct building in Minneapolis and damaged businesses around the city."It's past time that we begin to address these systemic issues that have been plaguing our society for decades," Jenkins said. "Naming this issue allows us to begin to dismantle its structures moving forward."In June, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights filed a civil rights discrimination charge against the city's police department, launching an investigation into the department's polices and practices over the last decade with an eye to determining whether it has used "systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color."After Minneapolis faced calls to overhaul and defund the city's police department, the city council last month announced that a veto-proof majority had voted to dissolve the department. That proposal was opposed by both the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.
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| Abu Dhabi crown prince targeted by French torture probe: sources Posted: 17 Jul 2020 09:56 AM PDT  French authorities are opening an investigation into accusations of complicity in acts of torture against the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, sources said Friday. Multiple sources with knowledge of the case told AFP that a French investigating magistrate had been mandated to take on the probe, which will notably look at acts allegedly committed in the war in Yemen. An initial investigation had been opened in October 2019 against the prince, who is known as MBZ, after two complaints were filed when he came to Paris on an official visit in November 2018.
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| 'We'll see him in court': Atlanta mayor questions Georgia gov's 'bizarre' lawsuit over mask mandate Posted: 17 Jul 2020 06:32 AM PDT  Keisha Lance Bottoms said she thinks it's no coincidence Gov. Brian Kemp filed the suit after she pointed out President Trump violated the city's mask law.
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| Dustin Honken: Iowa drug kingpin third US federal execution in as many days Posted: 17 Jul 2020 01:22 PM PDT  A meth kingpin convicted of killing five people has become the third person this week to be executed by the US government.Former Iowa chemistry student Dustin Honken, 52, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 4.36 pm, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
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| Democrat outpaces top of GOP field in Senate race in Kansas Posted: 16 Jul 2020 03:49 PM PDT  The presumed Democratic nominee for an open Senate seat in Kansas raised almost $1.3 million more than the top-tier Republican primary candidates combined during the second quarter of the year, despite a GOP candidate loaning $1.5 million to his own campaign. Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier's finance numbers worry establishment Republicans at a time when many of them fear a new political action committee with Democratic ties could steer the GOP nomination to polarizing conservative Kris Kobach.
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| Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls White House press secretary 'Karen' Posted: 16 Jul 2020 03:45 PM PDT  "Hey, Karen. Watch your mouth," the mayor tweeted in response to the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, describing her as "derelict."
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| U.S. passenger flights to India can resume July 23 Posted: 17 Jul 2020 03:17 PM PDT |
| CNN Anchor Shreds Trump Spox on President’s COVID Response: ‘Here Are the Facts’ Posted: 17 Jul 2020 09:30 AM PDT  CNN anchor Poppy Harlow on Friday shut down Trump campaign spokesperson Mercedes Schlapp over the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, pointing out how many times the president has said the virus that's killed nearly 140,000 Americans would just "go away" and "disappear."In a contentious 15-minute CNN interview, Schlapp was steamrolled almost immediately by Harlow, who came prepared with a list of facts to push back on the Trump flack's inevitable spin.After tangling over the issue of mask mandates and how experts show they could stem the spread of the disease, Harlow brought up a patient who recently died, noting he expressed regret for believing coronavirus was a hoax."For months and months, why did the president continue to downplay the severity of this?" Harlow pressed the Trump spokesperson, prompting her to blow up."He never downplayed it," she yelled. "That you're saying that he downplayed the severity of this, this president has taken decisive and bold actions from the beginning. When his medical experts said, look, we need to put the travel restrictions on China, the president acted immediately. You know what Joe Biden said?!"The CNN anchor, however, told Schlapp to stick to the president's handling of the virus and not pivot to Biden, telling Schlapp that she thinks "it does a disservice" to viewers to deflect and argue.Kathy Griffin Almost Threw Down With Mercedes Schlapp at the WHCD"Let's not fight, let's talk about the facts," Harlow said. "Here are the facts. You said the president didn't downplay this. Exactly one month ago today, the president said, 'It's fading away.'""January 22 in Davos, Switzerland, 'It's totally under control,'" the CNN anchor continued. "February 22, 'We shut it down.' February 10, it 'goes away in April with the heat, a lot of people think.' February 26, 'The risk to the American people remains low.' February 28, quote, 'This is their new hoax.' May 8, 'It is going to go away without a vaccine.' That's what I'm talking about."Schlapp reacted by claiming the president has ensured that both Democratic and Republicans governors across the nation have received necessary supplies and resources, causing Harlow to note that Maryland's GOP governor had to go to South Korea to get masks."He praised the president," a desperate Schlapp interjected. "He praised the president beforehand."Later in the interview, Harlow listed off a series of recent polls that show that a vast majority of the American public doesn't trust the president's handling of the pandemic, noting that Trump "has a serious credibility crisis here."Having already asked why Trump and his advisers have recently attacked top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and dumped oppo research on him, Harlow highlighted that public polling shows that far more people trust Fauci over Trump.Schlapp's response: Attack the pollsters themselves, specifically Quinnipiac, which she claimed was way too "skewed" towards Democrats. Harlow, however, brought up several times in the past where the president has praised Quinnipiac.'Tooning Out the News' Busts Matt Schlapp for His Big 'Pandemic Payday'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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| Black Americans report hate crimes, violence in wake of George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter gains Posted: 17 Jul 2020 03:53 PM PDT  Across the U.S., Black people have reported incidents of alleged hate crimes and violent backlash as Black Lives Matter has gained broad support.
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| Maxwell could "squeal" on "well-known names," Epstein accuser says Posted: 16 Jul 2020 01:22 PM PDT  Maxwell is facing criminal charges in connection with Epstein and was denied bail this week.
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| Nearly a third of Florida children taking a coronavirus test are positive — and no one knows why Posted: 17 Jul 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Roughly 31% of people under 18 tested positive. The numbers seem to call into question research showing kids spread the virus less.
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| First Cambodian to return after deportation inspires others after gaining U.S. citizenship Posted: 16 Jul 2020 02:35 PM PDT  "There's this belief that once you get deported, that's the final sentence of your life and there's no chance of returning to a life back here, let alone a life with citizenship," one advocate said.
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| First a pandemic, then the floods: Villagers in southern China face devastation again Posted: 15 Jul 2020 06:00 PM PDT  As levees break and houses topple into rivers, Chinese farmers and migrant workers in rural areas of Jiangxi province struggle to survive.
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| Analysis: Trump wants a 2016 repeat in a very different year Posted: 16 Jul 2020 01:30 PM PDT  In the summer of 2016, Donald Trump was trailing in the polls. With time running out, he changed up his campaign leadership team, though not his own mercurial behavior. Four years later, and in the midst of another summer slump, Trump is hoping a similar campaign shakeup will help put him on the path to another come-from-behind victory in November, this time against Democrat Joe Biden.
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| The US government spent $1.75 million on an Airbus A321 passenger jet just to blow it up — here's why Posted: 17 Jul 2020 05:56 AM PDT  The US government typically purchases aircraft that are built in the US or by American manufacturers. Except when it just wants to blow them up.
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| Scientists unravel secrets of ultra-black fish swimming the deepest depths Posted: 16 Jul 2020 08:14 AM PDT  "In the deep, open ocean, there is nowhere to hide and a lot of hungry predators," said zoologist Karen Osborn of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, a co-author of the research published in the journal Current Biology. At such depths, bioluminescence - light emission by living organisms - is the only light source.
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| Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls White House Press Secretary ‘Karen’ following insult at briefing Posted: 17 Jul 2020 11:41 AM PDT  Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called Kayleigh McEnany "Karen" in response to an insult the Press Secretary made against her in a White House briefing.At a press briefing on Thursday Ms McEnany branded Mayor Lightfoot "the derelict mayor of Chicago" when answering a question on police brutality.
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| Ex-Assistant Accused of Stealing Charged in Grisly NYC Murder of Tech CEO Posted: 17 Jul 2020 07:04 AM PDT  A former executive assistant to tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh, whose dismembered body was found in his luxury Manhattan apartment this week, was charged with second-degree homicide on Friday.Tyrese Haspil, 21, was taken into custody by the NYPD on Thursday night in connection with the gruesome slaying of the 33-year-old startup whiz.A law-enforcement source told The Daily Beast that detectives began zeroing in on Haspil after finding message exchanges in which Saleh had accused him of stealing tens of thousands of dollars over a period of time.Investigators ran a credit-card check and determined that Haspil's was used to buy a saw and cleaning supplies from a nearby Home Depot the day after the murder. His card was even used to pay for rides to and from the crime scene, a law-enforcement source said. Saleh was the co-CEO of Gokada, a Nigerian-based motorbike ride-share company, akin to a two-wheeled Uber. He also had an investment firm called Adventure Capital, and Haspil listed himself as chief of staff on one social-media site.Haspil, who has his own marketing and consulting company, was described by police as the former executive assistant to Saleh who, among other things, handled the finances.While Saleh had not reported Haspil's alleged theft to the cops, he had given Haspil the opportunity to repay the missing funds over time, police said on Friday.Family of Butchered Tech Whiz Begs NYPD to Find 'Evil' KillerInstead, on Monday afternoon, Saleh was followed into the elevator at his Lower East Side condo complex by a man dressed in a black designer suit with a mask and hood to match. Detectives who watched video of the encounter said he looked like the "Grim Reaper."The elevator opened right into Saleh's $2 million apartment, which occupied the entire seventh floor of the 10-story building—and his assailant stepped in behind him. Investigators believe he may have used a Taser on Saleh, who crumpled to the floor.The elevator doors then closed, so videocameras did not capture what happened next, but the autopsy made it plain: Saleh was killed by multiple stab wounds to the torso.The killer, detectives believe, waited until the victim's blood coagulated before cutting up the body with an electric saw and putting parts in contractor garbage bags.When NYPD cops arrived at the apartment Tuesday afternoon, alerted by a concerned family member, they found Saleh's torso, with the head and limbs removed. They suspected the butcher was interrupted and fled before he could get rid of all the remains.Cops Hunt for 'Grim Reaper' After CEO's Cut-Up Body Found in NYC Luxury ApartmentHaspil appears to have expensive tastes, as reflected not just by the black designer suit that police say he wore to the murder scene but also by the numerous Louis Vuitton items he posted for sale on Tradesy.com, including a pair of $660 shoes, which he marked down from $795.Saleh's family issued an anguished statement on Wednesday begging police to find the person behind a crime "we still cannot fathom.""There are no words or actions to provide any of us comfort except the capture of the person who exhibited nothing short of evil upon our loved one," it said."We need and urge the NYPD and other members of law enforcement to work diligently to get to the bottom of this horrific crime and bring justice for Fahim."Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in upstate New York, Saleh began dabbling in digital businesses in high school, hit it big with an app called PrankDial, and then set his sights on the developing world. He invested in Colombia, launched a company in his parents' native Bangladesh, and then created Gokada."His brilliant and innovative mind took everyone who was a part of his world on a journey and he made sure never to leave anyone behind," the family said. "Fahim found success at an early age and built on it year after year, while remaining grounded and committed to helping others. No matter what he did, he did it while thinking of the greater good and his family. His parents and his sisters were his light and he was theirs."His alleged killer has a scant public profile, with his Instagram and Twitter accounts locked. It appears Haspil ran track at Long Island's Valley Stream Central High School, where he took part in the Future Business Leaders of America competition, winning a first-place prize in a national competition for website design.It's not clear whether or where he attended college. On a freelance site, he advertised himself as a software developer and graphic designer and wrote that "as an entrepreneur, I understand the importance of proactivity and results and I've learned the meaning of responsibility and accountability."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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| Fact check: DeVos never said 'only' 0.02% of children will die if schools reopen in the fall Posted: 17 Jul 2020 07:23 AM PDT  Numerous posts on social media claim Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said "only" 0.02% of children will die of COVID-19. She never said that.
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| It’s do or die for Germany’s new missile defense weapon Posted: 17 Jul 2020 09:18 AM PDT  The ongoing negotiations with industry suggest there is still no common ground on the legal framework for costs and risks associated with the next-generation program.
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| Ethiopia's River Nile dam: How it will be filled Posted: 16 Jul 2020 05:42 AM PDT  It is not like a bath with a tap that can be turned on and off at will.
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| Biden's bid touts faith, courts even religious conservatives Posted: 17 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's appeal to religious conservatives is a cornerstone of his political identity. Standing backstage next to Biden, Pete Buttigieg asked the lifelong Catholic about the prayer beads and fell into a conversation about loss, family and faith. Biden "often talks about the comfort and meaning that he's drawn from faith," said Buttigieg, Biden's primary rival-turned-endorser.
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| 'We failed children' but they still have to go back to school, government advisory panel says Posted: 17 Jul 2020 05:25 AM PDT  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found younger and special needs kids especially need to go back, and urged precautions.
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| Japan's Abe faces anger over tourism subsidy as Tokyo COVID-19 cases hit record Posted: 16 Jul 2020 07:49 PM PDT  The Japanese government is facing potentially damaging blowback after excluding Tokyo residents from a multibillion dollar campaign aimed at reviving domestic tourism, even as the capital on Friday reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's $16 billion "Go To" tourism campaign was intended to promote travel across the country, but officials agreed on Thursday to exclude Tokyo because of the resurgence in infections there. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike reported 293 new cases on Friday, a fresh daily record after the city recorded 286 cases a day earlier.
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| Facing up to 60 years for killing her 5-year-old, mom tells court: 'I miss him and there's nothing I wouldn't do to bring him back' Posted: 16 Jul 2020 05:52 PM PDT  CHICAGO - Near the top of a small hill in a Palatine cemetery rests the remains of a 5-year-old boy buried in Superman pajamas and in a casket handmade and blessed by Trappist monks. Etched in the flat marker is the image of a praying angel and the words, "Loving Brother Andrew Freund." The nickname "AJ" appears in the center of a Superman emblem on the top right side. There is no mention on ...
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| Plague squirrels spread ‘Black Death’ in Colorado and kill teenage boy in Mongolia Posted: 17 Jul 2020 10:48 AM PDT  The "Black Death" has returned to Colorado after an infected squirrel passed the bubonic plague onto a human in the state for the first time in five years.It comes as health authorities continue to monitor an outbreak of bubonic plague after a 15-year-old boy died in Mongolia from eating an infected marmot, a type of ground squirrel.
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| Details released in crash of plane carrying Earnhardt Jr. Posted: 17 Jul 2020 10:56 AM PDT  Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a pilot struggled to open a crashed airplane's wing emergency exit as the aircraft began to burn and fill with smoke before the race car driver and his family managed to escape from the main door, according to new details about the 2019 accident released by the National Transportation Safety Board. Documents released Thursday by the NTSB provide pilot, passenger and witness statements about the Aug. 15, 2019 plane crash at an airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Earnhardt was with wife Amy, 15-month-old daughter Isla, two pilots and the family dog when their Cessna Citation Latitude crashed.
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| Walmart closing 2 Houston-area stores for disinfecting Posted: 16 Jul 2020 07:34 AM PDT  Don't stop by these locations today! Walmart brought in a third-party service to professionally disinfect the stores amid COVID-19 concerns.
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