| Biden says Trump's USPS funding opposition shows he 'doesn't want an election' Posted: 13 Aug 2020 12:27 PM PDT  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is slamming recent comments from President Trump he says prove his opponent doesn't "want an election." Biden spoke Thursday after Trump in a Fox Business interview said he is against the funding for the United States Postal Service that Democrats are pushing for in a stimulus bill, with the president suggesting this is specifically because he wants to prevent universal mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Pure Trump," Biden said of these comments. "He doesn't want an election."The Biden campaign in a statement on Thursday also accused the president of "sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely."In the Fox Business interview, Trump, who has asserted without evidence that increased mail-in voting during the coronavirus crisis would result in widespread voter fraud, had said that without the $25 billion for the USPS that Democrats want and that he is blocking, "you can't have universal mail-in voting, because they're not equipped to have it." > "Pure Trump," Joe Biden says when asked about Pres. Trump's comments on U.S. Postal Service. "He doesn't want an election." https://t.co/JsAo4rBy2e pic.twitter.com/uZyScwGMfk> > -- ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2020More stories from theweek.com Are bread riots coming to America? Postal workers are sounding the alarm as mail sorting machines are removed from processing facilities USPS warns delays could prevent mail-in votes from being counted in nearly every state
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| The DOJ's Yale investigation is 'leveraging the model minority myth' to pit racial groups against each other, Asian-American scholars say Posted: 14 Aug 2020 01:59 PM PDT  The Trump administration DOJ's claim against Yale is just "political messaging for November," according to a senior counsel at the Brennan Center.
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| Riot declared in downtown Portland, protesters tear-gassed Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:49 AM PDT  Local and state police made arrests after demonstrators returned to downtown area despite withdrawal of federal agents
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| 3 women arrested for allegedly attacking a Chili's host for enforcing social distancing Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:57 AM PDT  "I was kind of fighting for my life," restaurant hostess Kelsy Wallace, 17, said. "I was really scared, calling out for my mama."
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| Bald eagle takes down government drone Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:24 PM PDT  The device was mapping shoreline erosion when it was attacked in the air.
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| Venezuela jails 15 for decades over botched invasion Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:51 PM PDT  Venezuela on Friday sentenced 15 people to more than two decades in prison over a failed invasion plot that President Nicolas Maduro has said was an attempt to overthrow him.
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| The Beirut blast leveled historic neighborhoods. Some fear developers may finish the job Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:33 AM PDT  Restoring historic districts badly damaged in the Beirut blast will be a tall order given Lebanon's weak economy and developers' eagerness to move in.
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| U.S. judge dismisses NRA lawsuit challenging gun shop closures in New York state Posted: 14 Aug 2020 01:24 PM PDT  A federal judge on Friday dismissed the National Rifle Association's lawsuit challenging New York's decision to close gun stores in the state in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision came eight days after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the gun rights group, accusing senior leaders of corruption including the improper diversion of millions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino said the NRA lacked standing to challenge on behalf of its members a March 20 executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo requiring gun stores to close in the state because they were "non-essential" businesses.
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| Bison violently attacks motorcyclist in South Dakota Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:04 AM PDT  A motorcyclist has survived a violent attack by a bison in the Black Hills of South Dakota, sheriff's officials said.
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| 43 felony charges, new task forces: Here's what Chicago is doing to combat potential looting Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:33 PM PDT  Dozens of people have been charged in connection with widespread looting in downtown Chicago earlier this week, the county prosecutor said.
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| White House report recommends Georgia issue statewide mask mandate Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:36 AM PDT  Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is trying to stop Atlanta from mandating masks.
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| The US said federal agents have seized millions of dollars in bitcoin from terrorist groups al-Qaeda and Hamas Posted: 14 Aug 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Officials said it's the US government's "largest-ever" seizure of cryptocurrency accounts controlled by terrorist organizations.
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| You Need These High-Design Lawn Games to Maximize Summer Fun Posted: 14 Aug 2020 07:00 AM PDT |
| Scorching temperatures in Death Valley will shatter records in West, southwest Posted: 13 Aug 2020 11:01 AM PDT  Cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson and Salt Lake City could experience record high temperatures in the coming days.
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| A slogan whose ambiguity serves a purpose Posted: 13 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The fact that the slogan "Defund the police" needs explanation is a plus because it serves as a quick, catchy way into a larger, more complex story.
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| Venezuela's National Assembly investigates oil spill Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:31 AM PDT  The opposition-controlled legislature demands to know why oil is washing up on the northern coast.
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| Close contact with a Covid-19 sufferer brings 20 per cent chance of catching virus, study finds Posted: 13 Aug 2020 08:34 AM PDT  Coming into close contact with a Covid-19 sufferer yields a 20 per cent chance of catching the disease, a new study shows. The large-scale survey, by Imperial College London, found antibodies in one in five people who said they had interacted with a positive case. Overall, some 3.4 million people are now estimated to have been infected with coronavirus – about six per cent of the population. The results come from the world's largest home testing programme looking for past evidence of the disease, using fingerprick testing kits. The study tracked the spread of infection across England after the pandemic's first peak, with volunteers testing themselves at home between June 20 and July 13. People living in London were most likely to have been infected, along with those working in care homes and health care, people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people living in larger households. The programme suggested a total of 13 per cent of people living in London had Covid-19 antibodies, compared with less than three per cent in the south-west of England. People working in care homes (16 per cent) and healthcare (12 per cent) returned far higher results than people who were not key workers, at five per cent. The study found that 17 per cent of black volunteers had antibodies, while the categories of Asian and other ethnic minorities had 12 per cent each. The figure among white volunteers was only five per cent. People aged 18-34 showed the highest incidence of antibodies, at eight per cent, while the over-65s had the lowest rate, at just three per cent (the graphic below shows infections by age range during July and August).
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| Rudy Giuliani: US would become ‘banana republic’ if Biden administration prosecuted Trump Posted: 13 Aug 2020 03:20 PM PDT  President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said that if a future administration under Joe Biden tried to prosecute Donald Trump, the country would become a "banana republic."During an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Mr Giuliani was asked "how damaging would it be for a Biden administration to criminally prosecute a former president?"
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| Oregon State Police Withdraws from Portland Courthouse after D.A. Announces He Won’t Prosecute Most Rioters Posted: 14 Aug 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Oregon state police are backing out of an agreement to protect the Portland federal courthouse from rioters, after the Multnomah County district attorney announced he will not prosecute most rioters who are arrested.Portland has seen riots almost every night since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Rioters initially targeted the federal courthouse in the city, but after federal and state law enforcement came to an agreement to jointly protect the courthouse, rioters moved on to attack city police.Multnomah County D.A. Mike Schmidt announced on Tuesday that his office would not prosecute most rioters who have been arrested, except where charges include deliberate property damage, theft, or threat of violence. Police have arrested over 500 people since the riots began, but less than 50 have been prosecuted so far.Oregon state police told KOIN 6 on Thursday that they are ending their deployment at Portland's federal courthouse because of anger over Schmidt's decision after being called in to assist as part of the agreement reached between local authorities and the federal government."The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority," OSP said in a statement.Governor Kate Brown said the withdrawal was being coordinated between all relevant agencies."This transition was made in coordination with local and federal officials," Brown wrote on Twitter. "If further state support is needed in Portland, OSP troopers will be available to return to the city.""The OSP Troopers assigned to this event demonstrated the best traditions of the agency's commitment to service, however, our initial commitment to the City of Portland has concluded and it is time we integrate this valuable resource back to their respective communities," OSP said in a statement to National Review. "OSP will always be here for Portland, as we have for decades and I'll continue to assess subsequent resource demands with the Portland Police Bureau Chief, whom I have a great deal of respect for and a strong working relationship."
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| Mexican government forces out over 1,000 immigration officials accused of corruption Posted: 14 Aug 2020 05:24 PM PDT |
| Cadillac will charge a subscription fee for Super Cruise, its answer to Tesla's Autopilot, after the trial period ends Posted: 13 Aug 2020 10:06 AM PDT  Cadillac's subscription fee for the Super Cruise technology will kick in after the first three years of use are up.
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| Mei Xiang, the National Zoo's female giant panda, is very pregnant and her cub could come as soon as this weekend Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:11 PM PDT  The panda cub could be the first cub at The National Zoo since Bei Bei was born in 2015. He left to China last year.
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| US says Iran forces board ship in international waters Posted: 13 Aug 2020 12:35 AM PDT  Iranian forces boarded a tanker in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, using a helicopter and two ships to take over the vessel for several hours, US officials said. "Today in international waters, Iranian forces, including two ships and an Iranian "Sea King" helicopter, overtook and boarded a ship called the 'Wila'," the US Central Command said in a tweet on Wednesday.
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| Astronomers find "Milky Way look-alike" 12 billion light years away Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:08 PM PDT  The galaxy appears as a near-perfect ring of light — a so-called "Einstein Ring."
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| Nigerian police rescue Kano man locked up in his parents' garage Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:52 AM PDT  The emaciated aged 30 had been left for at least three years without proper care, police say.
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| Antifa website redirected to Biden’s campaign site causes right-wing conspiracy meltdown Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:23 PM PDT  The website for anti-facist group Antifa redirected to Joe Biden's campaign website on Wednesday, which led some people to claim that the Democrats are connected to the organisation.For a few hours on Wednesday, Antifa.com redirected to JoeBiden.com, the campaign website of the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, before it returned back to the original page of the group Donald Trump has described as being run by "anarchists."
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| Drug-dealing stripper wanted white supremacist gang to kill Texas roommate, feds say Posted: 14 Aug 2020 01:29 PM PDT  Besides dancing and dealing, the Dallas man had murder on his mind, according to authorities.
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| China attacks new US demand to register Confucius Institutes Posted: 14 Aug 2020 04:17 AM PDT  China accused the United States on Friday of trying to "demonize and stigmatize" relations between the two countries, in a scathing attack on the Trump administration's designation of Chinese-funded language and culture programs in the U.S. as foreign missions of the Chinese Communist Party. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said branches of the Confucius Institute U.S. Center operating at U.S. schools and colleges are a "bridge and link to help people from all over the world learn Chinese, understand China, and strengthen educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries." Zhao said the accusations against the institutes were without basis and were motivated by "ideological prejudice and self-interest."
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| 'Hyperactive:' Atlantic hurricane season is set to explode with activity by end of August Posted: 13 Aug 2020 09:02 AM PDT  Atlantic hurricane season is expected to go into hyperdrive in the next few weeks as several weather patterns that favor storm formation line up.
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| Americans could be staring down the worst public health crisis in recent history if COVID-19 rages on into the flu season, CDC warns Posted: 13 Aug 2020 06:38 PM PDT  "I'm asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, and be smart about crowds," CDC Director Robert Redfield said
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| 34 Camping Essentials for Your RV, Trailer, or Badass Camper Van Posted: 14 Aug 2020 02:11 PM PDT |
| Fox Host makes ominous prediction about Joe Biden then immediately tries to walk it back Posted: 13 Aug 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Fox News host Jeanine Pirro suggested Wednesday night that "something" was going to happen to presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden that would keep him from appearing on the ballot come November.Her comment during an appearance on "The Five" as she was answering a question about a recent poll from right-wing outlet Rasmussen that claimed more than half of its respondents didn't believe Mr Biden would survive his first term in office.
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| Special Tactics Airman Who Fought Off Taliban Despite Concussion Will Get Silver Star Posted: 13 Aug 2020 12:08 PM PDT  For his actions on May 25, 2013, in Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province, John Grimesey will receive the Silver Star.
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| India Supreme Court finds Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:47 AM PDT  The court took action on its own authority against Prashant Bhushan for allegedly derogatory tweets.
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| Trump and his allies got a win. Palestinians had their isolation writ large. Posted: 14 Aug 2020 07:24 AM PDT  "May you never be sold out by your 'friends,'" veteran Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi tweeted in reaction to the announcement of the agreement.
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| Iowans grapple with aftermath of Monday's deadly derecho, 'a disaster that we have never seen' Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:00 PM PDT  The National Guard arrived in Cedar Rapids on Friday to assist residents there after Monday's deadly derecho storm that was like a hurricane
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| Hand sanitizers made in China, Texas, North Carolina now on the FDA’s Do Not Use list Posted: 13 Aug 2020 02:43 PM PDT  The FDA's Do Not Use hand sanitizer list, once a roll call of Mexican-made hand sanitizers with methanol, now includes hand sanitizers from China, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Utah.
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| The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here's what it'll take to detect the airborne particles Posted: 14 Aug 2020 05:12 AM PDT  A growing body of research shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread from person to person through the air. Indoor spaces with poor ventilation in areas where the virus is prevalent are particularly hazardous.In the fictional world of "Star Trek," public health officials and first responders would be able to determine instantly if a space had a dangerous concentration of airborne virus, and any other pathogen, by simply waving around a tricorder. That technology, imagined 60 years ago, is still firmly in the realm of fiction. However, devices that can rapidly detect particular airborne pathogens – including SARS-CoV-2 – are in the works in various research laboratories. The air we breatheDetection of the presence of airborne virus particles is complicated by the mixture of other particles in the air. The atmosphere includes a large number of floating particles, a significant fraction of which are biological. Typically, with each breath, you inhale about a thousand biological particles.These bioaerosols include live and dead organisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, pollen and plant and animal debris. Viruses are the smallest of these particles. They range in size from 10 to 300 nanometers, or millionths of a millimeter. In contrast, red blood cells average about 6 to 8 microns, or 6,000 to 8,000 nanometers, in diameter. Bacteria range from 1 to 4 microns and fungi 5 to 10 microns. Plant and animal debris is generally larger than 10 microns.Most of these biological particles are not a health concern, because most are bits of plants and animals, including humans. However, it only takes a small number of dangerous microbes to produce a pandemic. IDing bad news microbesTo understand the potential threat from bioaerosols, it's important to identify the small fraction of problematic or pathogenic microbes from among all the bioaerosols present. Bioaerosol identification begins with capturing biological particles from the air, typically by collecting particles on a filter, in a liquid vial or on hydrogels. Often, researchers transfer the collected bioaerosols to a culture medium that is designed to support microbe growth. How the microbes respond to a specific culture medium – the size, shape, color and growth rate of the microbe colony – can indicate the microbe species. This process can take several days to weeks, and is often ineffective. It turns out the scientists can only identify about 1% of airborne microbes with this approach.Increasingly, scientists are relying on gene-based analyses to map viruses and other microorganisms collected in air samples. One popular technique for gene-based analysis is polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which uses an enzymatic reaction to make many copies of a specific gene or portion of a gene so that the genetic sequence – DNA or RNA – can be detected in a sample. A PCR test can be designed to spot gene sequences specific to a microorganism so that detecting the sequence equals identifying the microorganism. This technique is currently the gold-standard for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 from nasal swab samples. PCR-based methods are very accurate in identifying pathogens.Next generation sequencing technology makes it possible to rapidly sequence organisms' whole genomes. Using these techniques, researchers now have the ability to understand the entire population of microorganisms — their diversity and abundance — in the air. Rapid detectionDespite these advances, there is still a lot of work to be done to be able to instantaneously identify the presence of pathogens in air. Current techniques for identifying microbes are expensive, require specialized equipment and involve long processing steps. They also can't detect a species from small amounts of genetic material.Recent advances, however, provide some promise for the development of sensors that can provide quick information about bioaerosols. One approach uses laser induced florescence. In this technique, particles are illuminated with light of a particular color or wavelength, and only biological particles respond by fluorescing, or emitting light. This technique can be used to identify and quantify the presence of biological particles in air in real-time but it doesn't differentiate between a safe and a harmful microbe. Another advance is using mass spectrometry for bioaerosol detection. In this technique, a single bioaerosol particle is blasted apart with a laser and the molecular fragments are immediately analyzed to determine the molecular composition of the particles. Researchers are also using Raman spectroscopy-based sensors. Raman spectroscopy can identify molecular composition from light reflected off of samples without destroying the samples. Big challenge in a small packageThese techniques are advancing instant detection and identification of airborne bacteria and fungi, but they are less efficient in detecting viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. This is primarily because viruses are very small, which makes it difficult to collect them with air samplers and difficult to perform PCR analysis given the small amount of DNA/RNA. Researchers are working to address the limitations of detecting airborne viruses. In our lab at Clarkson University, we have developed a low-cost bioaerosol sensor and collector for wide-scale bioaerosol sampling. This battery-operated sampler uses a micro-sized high-voltage source to ionize airborne viruses, bacteria and fungi and collect them on a surface. Ionization gives the biological particles an electrical charge. Giving the collection surface the opposite charge causes the particles to stick to the surface.Samples from our collector can be analyzed with new portable DNA/RNA sequencers, which allows for near real-time bioaerosol detection with low-cost, hand-held equipment. Where's my tricorder?These advances could soon make it possible to detect a known pathogen, like SARS-CoV-2, with a portable device. But they're still far from being a tricorder. [Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]For one, they require relatively high levels of a pathogen for detection. Being able to identify a virus like SARS-CoV-2 at lower levels that are nonetheless sufficient for disease transmission will require developing sensors with lower detection limits. Additionally, these sensors can only be tailored to detect specific pathogens, not scan for all possible pathogens.Though the equivalent of the tricorder in "Star Trek" isn't around the corner, the need for such a device has never been greater. Now is an opportune time for the emergence of new sensing techniques piggy-backing on the dramatic advances being made in the fields of electronics, computing and bioinformatics. When the next new pathogen emerges, it would be nice to have a tricorder handy.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Rapid home-based coronavirus tests are coming together in research labs — we're working on analyzing spit using advanced CRISPR gene editing techniques * Aerosols are a bigger coronavirus threat than WHO guidelines suggest – here's what you need to knowSuresh Dhaniyala is President, Potsdam Sensors, a startup that is commercializing TracB. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation.Shantanu Sur has received funding from the National Science Foundation Hema Priyamvada Ravindran does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Chainsaw-wielding men covered in blood arrested on Toronto beach Posted: 14 Aug 2020 09:54 AM PDT  Two men have been arrested after appearing on a Canadian beach spattered in blood and wielding chainsaws.Witnesses alleged that they menaced and "charged" at various people gathered at Toronto's Cherry Beach on Sunday morning, before police quickly intervened, responding to reports of a large fight.
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| EU eyes sanctions over disputed Belarus election 'as soon as end-August' Posted: 13 Aug 2020 04:37 AM PDT  The European Union will likely impose new sanctions on Belarus as soon as later this month, diplomats and officials said, after President Alexander Lukashenko cracked down on protests triggered by a disputed election. Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden have spoken publicly in favour of sanctions and Austria was another hawk, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of emergency talks between EU foreign ministers on Friday. Security forces have clashed with protesters in Minsk and other Belarusian cities in recent days after Lukashenko claimed a landslide re-election victory in a vote on Sunday that his opponents say was rigged.
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| New York City's spring coronavirus outbreak was roughly as deadly as the 1918 flu pandemic that killed 50 million people Posted: 14 Aug 2020 12:27 PM PDT  The COVID-19 outbreak more than quadrupled death counts from the previous year, while the Spanish flu merely tripled them.
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| Angolan court sentences ex-leader's son to 5 years for fraud Posted: 14 Aug 2020 06:12 AM PDT  Angola's Supreme Court on Friday handed a five-year jail sentence to Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of the oil-rich country's former president, for fraud when he headed the national sovereign wealth fund.
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