| As Trump courts Black voters, critics see a 'depression strategy' Posted: 18 Sep 2020 03:57 PM PDT  While the president's team touts its efforts to court a community that Republicans have long ignored, critics describe them as part of a cynical "depression strategy" designed to minimize Black American turnout.
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| Texas police officer charged in death of Pamela Turner, a Black woman whose killing was captured on video Posted: 17 Sep 2020 02:53 PM PDT  A Texas police officer was indicted this week in the death of Pamela Turner, a Black woman who was killed outside her apartment more than a year ago.
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| Measures to control coronavirus have brought flu infections to 'historic lows.' Scientists want to keep it that way. Posted: 17 Sep 2020 11:22 AM PDT  Lockdowns and protective measures like the widespread wearing of face masks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have driven influenza infections to record lows, according to a new CDC study.
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| Man, woman who died in California fires didn't evacuate because of 'erroneous information' Posted: 16 Sep 2020 07:24 PM PDT  Fires ravaging California, Oregon and Washington have killed at least 34 people, destroyed thousands of homes and other structures and charred an area about the size of New Jersey.
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| Letters to the Editor: If the L.A. County Sheriff's Department won't clean up its act, disband its union Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Angering the people the department serves while stoking the pain fellow deputies is escalation, pure and simple. It has to end.
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| JPMorgan is reportedly no longer reimbursing junior traders taking Ubers to and from work as the bank orders staff back to the office Posted: 17 Sep 2020 08:35 AM PDT  As the bank plans to bring back employees on September 21, it's ending reimbursements for junior traders Ubering to the office.
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| Exclusive: Trump plans executive order to punish arms trade with Iran - sources Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:45 PM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order allowing him to impose U.S. sanctions on anyone who violates a conventional arms embargo against Iran, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the executive order was expected to be issued in the coming days and would allow the president to punish violators with secondary sanctions, depriving them of access to the U.S. market. The proximate cause for the U.S. action is the impending expiry of a U.N. arms embargo on Iran and to warn foreign actors - U.S. entities are already barred from such trade - that if they buy or sell arms to Iran they will face U.S. sanctions.
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| Biden looks to engage Black men on issues — and rapper Jeezy approves Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:44 PM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden is hoping that barbershop conversations will equate to an increase in voter turnout for the Democratic presidential nominee among Black men in November.
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| Giuliani associates face new federal fraud charges Posted: 17 Sep 2020 02:39 PM PDT  Federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges Thursday against an associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Lev Parnas and his business partner, David Correia, were charged with defrauding investors in a business called Fraud Guarantee. A superseding indictment also charged them with additional campaign finance violations.
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| Woodward says Trump has 'lost his way, not just as a president but as a human being' Posted: 17 Sep 2020 12:11 PM PDT  In a wide-ranging live interview on the Yahoo News "Skullduggery" podcast Thursday, the "Rage" author said the president does not have the capacity "to assess what's real and what's unreal."
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| Seven dead, dozens infected after 'superspreader' wedding in rural US Posted: 17 Sep 2020 11:31 PM PDT  A wedding in rural Maine became a coronavirus "superspreader" event that left seven people dead and 177 infected, renewing fear of the disease in the northeastern US state that had hoped the worst of the pandemic was behind it.
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| Michelob Ultra is hiring someone to travel to national parks — for a hefty salary Posted: 17 Sep 2020 11:56 AM PDT  "Don't worry about gas money, that's on us."
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| He survived an Oregon wildfire by perching on a rock in a river, fending off embers with a chair Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:53 AM PDT  Trapped in a canyon by downed trees and flames, an Oregon man survived on a rock in the middle of a river. He made time for a beer, too.
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| Oracle will have to pore over the TikTok's source code to make sure there are no backdoors as part of its proposed deal Posted: 18 Sep 2020 06:17 AM PDT  TikTok and Oracle will need to convince the Trump administration their proposed deal will keep data secure.
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| Pentagon sending troops to Syria after clashes between U.S., Russian military Posted: 18 Sep 2020 12:38 PM PDT  The troops are meant to discourage Russians from crossing into the eastern area where U.S., coalition, and Syrian Democratic Forces operate, say officials.
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| ‘He is doing his thing because he loves his wife’: Meet Kamala Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff, who wants to be America’s first second husband Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:41 AM PDT  Democratic vice presidential nominee is married with two stepchildren
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| A dentist who pulled someone's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud and 'unlawful dental acts' Posted: 18 Sep 2020 12:34 PM PDT  In a 2016 video, the dentist rolls up to a sedated patient, pulls her tooth while standing on the hoverboard, and rolls away.
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| Pennsylvania Democrats notch key election-related court wins Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:05 AM PDT  Pennsylvania's highest court gave the Democratic Party a series of victories Thursday in the presidential battleground state, relaxing deadlines in its fledgling mail-in voting law, approving more ballot collection sites and kicking the Green Party's presidential candidate off the November ballot. The state Supreme Court, which has a 5-2 Democratic majority, granted the Democratic Party's request to order an extension of Pennsylvania's Election Day deadline to count mailed-in ballots. The extension it granted, in a 4-3 decision, will allow three more days to receive ballots that were mailed before polls closed.
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| Canada's Quebec launches police blitz in bars as COVID-19 cases climb Posted: 18 Sep 2020 09:29 AM PDT  The Canadian province of Quebec on Friday said police would target more than 1,000 bars and restaurants to enforce rules curbing the spread of coronavirus, as authorities raised the alarm over a possible second wave. Quebec and Ontario, the two most populous of the 10 provinces, blame a recent spike in cases on people ignoring limits on parties and regulations on social distancing. Public health officials reiterated warnings that they might lose the ability to manage the pandemic.
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| Some Northern California forests will open, but in SoCal they're still closed Posted: 18 Sep 2020 05:29 PM PDT  Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks remain shut this weekend.
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| Bay Area defendant in killing of Italian police officer apologizes Posted: 16 Sep 2020 08:30 PM PDT  "Many mistakes were made that night and mine were the biggest." One of the Bay Area defendants in the killing of an Italian police officer during a drug deal gone bad in Rome has apologized to the officer's family.
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| Soldier from Fort Bragg killed in Navy base crash in Key West Posted: 17 Sep 2020 12:28 PM PDT  The U.S. Army has identified a soldier struck and killed by a vehicle driven by an on-duty Navy Security Force civilian Monday on a Key West Navy base.
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| Special Ops Plan to Buy New Light-Attack Fleet May Get Pushed Back Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:58 AM PDT  The commander of AFSOC hasn't given up on buying aircraft for close-air support and precision strike.
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| Heat ray 'was sought' against protest in Washington's Lafayette Square Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:11 AM PDT  Military police requested a heat ray before clearing a Washington DC square in June, a major says.
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| Coronavirus: Idaho pastor who called himself 'no-masker' in intensive care with Covid-19 Posted: 18 Sep 2020 10:36 AM PDT  'I want to encourage all of you to begin to regather this Sunday and let nothing hinder you from doing so,' says Paul Van Noy
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| Jerry Harris from 'Cheer' charged with producing child porn. He admitted receiving explicit photos from minors, court records show Posted: 17 Sep 2020 01:57 PM PDT  Harris admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old and offering a 17-year-old money in exchange for nude photos, court records show.
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| 10 senators are at risk of losing reelection. It may be enough to give Democrats a majority in Congress. Posted: 18 Sep 2020 09:08 AM PDT  The Democratic Party currently needs to gain at least a net four seats in the Senate to hold a majority and control over both the House and Senate.
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| US carrier transits Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran Posted: 18 Sep 2020 09:48 AM PDT  The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier safely transited on Friday through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important chokepoint for oil shipments, the U.S. Navy said, as tensions with Iran continue to simmer. In a "scheduled" maneuver, the U.S. sent the carrier and several other warships through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, according to the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th fleet. The Nimitz, America's oldest carrier in active service, carries some 5,000 sailors and Marines.
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| How a 'Hillbilly Brigade' saved an Oregon town from raging wildfires Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:13 AM PDT  Nicole West steered her bulldozer through the smoldering forest, pushing logs into the underbrush and away from the wildfires ripping through Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Behind West, on the front lines of the 136,000-acre (55,000-hectare) Riverside fire, two young men pulled a water tank behind their pickup truck, struggling to douse the flames. In a year when ferocious wildfires have killed at least 34 people and burned millions of acres in Oregon, Washington and California, the brigade has pulled off a miracle in the thick forests around Molalla in recent days, residents and fire officials say.
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| Canada abandons free trade talks with China: minister Posted: 18 Sep 2020 09:26 AM PDT  Canada has walked away from free trade talks with China amid soured relations over a Huawei executive's arrest and the detention of two Canadians in apparent retaliation, foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a newspaper interview Friday.
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| Future teachers often think memorization is the best way to teach math and science – until they learn a different way Posted: 17 Sep 2020 04:24 AM PDT  The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big ideaI found that college students who are taking courses to become teachers can change their beliefs of how science and mathematics should be taught to and learned by K-12 students.Most of these future teachers tell me when they start my course, they believe that K-12 students must memorize science and mathematics knowledge to learn it. They also believe that students cannot acquire knowledge through a process used by scientists and mathematicians called problem-solving. Problem-solving asks students to solve engaging and challenging problems that are provided without a strategy or solution. It also involves group work and a time to present and justify their strategies and solutions to the class. To challenge my students' beliefs, I ask future teachers to teach science and mathematics to students with problem-solving. At first they often resist because they believe that their students can only memorize science and mathematics knowledge. However, after they have asked the students to use problem-solving and find it successful, they discover that students can learn like scientists and mathematicians The evidence and experiences start to change their beliefs.The way I reached these conclusions was by studying future teachers over the course of four years. I studied 113 future teachers' beliefs in 10 sections of a course that I taught on how to teach science and mathematics. Throughout the course, I asked the future teachers to discover science and mathematics knowledge with problem-solving. I also had the future teachers teach students at a local school by asking them to learn with problem-solving.To measure changes in future teachers' beliefs following completion of the class, I asked them to complete a survey at the start and end of the course. At the end, the findings showed that the future teachers were significantly more likely to teach in a way that reflected how scientists and mathematicians solve problems.It also appeared that their teaching of science with problem-solving encouraged their use of the method when they taught mathematics. Conversely, their teaching of mathematics with problem-solving encouraged their use of the method when they taught science. Why it mattersThis study matters because a teacher's beliefs – their personal philosophy about teaching and learning – often determine how they will teach and what students will learn. And because problem-solving is necessary for scientific and mathematical literacy, students need teachers who will expose them to problem-solving. This study also matters because college professors who work with future teachers can employ similar strategies. They can place future educators in situations in which they must confront their beliefs about teaching and learning with evidence and experiences that contradict their beliefs. What other research is being done?Those who do similar research are trying to figure out how to assure future teachers use problem-solving in their future classrooms. I have taught many education students who did quite well in my course, and successfully used science and mathematics problem-solving with their students. However, former students that I ran into years later often told me that they do not use problem-solving as teachers. Instead, they reverted to simply asking students to memorize science and mathematics information. They told me the reason for this is that teachers in their present schools do not use problem-solving. I find this troubling. What's nextIt may be that one way to solidify beliefs about teaching through problem-solving instead of memorization would be for science and mathematics faculty to use problem-solving in their college classrooms. Research shows that similarities and coherence between college courses may increase the likelihood that future teachers will believe in the value of problem-solving. If so, then my students may become less likely to abandon the methods learned in their courses. In turn, they may be more likely to help make their future students more adept at mathematics and science.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * I prepare aspiring teachers to educate kids of color – here's how I help them root out their own biases * The hidden threat of teacher stressPeter C. Cormas 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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| GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn reveals she doesn’t know what an "Amendment" is — on Constitution Day Posted: 18 Sep 2020 02:22 AM PDT  "We will never rewrite the Constitution of the United States," she proudly and wrongly proclaimed on Twitter
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| Tensions build as 18 Chinese fighter jets buzz Taiwan during landmark US visit Posted: 18 Sep 2020 02:43 AM PDT  Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday after a fleet of Chinese military aircraft buzzed the island, stepping up tensions as a senior US official began holding meetings in Taipei. Beijing had earlier announced the start of combat drills in the Taiwan strait aimed at asserting its claim that the island remained "an inalienable part of China". The Chinese government has long considered Taiwan a renegade province, although the democratically-governed island has its own president, currency, foreign policy, passport and military. China has engaged in a bitter war of words and staged multiple drills around Taiwan over recent months to protest growing engagement between the self-ruled island and the US government. Stronger ties between Taiwan and the US have further weakened Washington's diplomatic relations with Beijing, which are already at historic lows as the two nations spar over trade, technology, human rights, coronavirus and espionage.
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| Citigroup employee revealed as Qanon website operator is placed on leave Posted: 17 Sep 2020 04:26 PM PDT  Jason Gelinas was reportedly receiving $3,000 a month in crowdfunding to run the conspiracy theory website
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| Virtual class students overhear fatal shooting between siblings, Wisconsin cops say Posted: 18 Sep 2020 06:20 AM PDT  A teacher called 911 after the shooting.
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| Fauci says he'll take responsibility if a coronavirus vaccine rolled out in the US is faulty Posted: 18 Sep 2020 03:29 AM PDT  In comments to media outlets, Dr. Anthony Fauci sought to reassure the public amid a dispute between President Donald Trump and the CDC over vaccines.
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| Donor cash surges to Harrison, the Democrat taking on Graham Posted: 18 Sep 2020 11:33 AM PDT  It won't be known until Election Day if a poll showing a tightening contest between Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison portends an upset — but the gains are real enough in the Democrat's campaign account. On the heels of a Quinnipiac University poll that has him tied with Graham among likely voters in South Carolina, Harrison's campaign has marked two back-to-back fundraising days of $1 million apiece, bringing his total fundraising to over $30 million. It's a staggering sum, unheard of for a Democrat competing in this conservative state, and matches what Graham has also raised in his pursuit of a fourth term.
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| California's wildfire death toll rises as showers bolster crews in Oregon Posted: 18 Sep 2020 07:35 AM PDT  A firefighter has perished in a blaze that was ignited two weeks at a gender-reveal party, the U.S. Forest Service reported on Friday, as welcomed thundershowers brought some relief to weary fire crews in western Oregon. The firefighter's death on Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles raised the death toll to at least 35 in the catastrophic spate of wildfires raging across the western United States in recent weeks. Twenty-six of those victims have died in California, including two other firefighters - a Forest Service contractor killed in a lightning-sparked fire in northern California, and a private helicopter pilot whose chopper crashed on a water-dropping mission in Fresno County last month.
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| China's 1st Supercarrier Could Feature EMALS Launch Technology: Report Posted: 18 Sep 2020 05:57 AM PDT  The carrier could rival those in the U.S. fleet for size and capability, according to an analysis.
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| Federal Reserve hopes years of zero rates will spur inflation – but there are risks Posted: 17 Sep 2020 11:54 AM PDT  In a healthy economy, prices tend to go up – a process called inflation. While you might not like that as a consumer, moderate price growth is a sign of a growing economy. And, historically at least, wages tend to go up at about the same pace during periods of inflation.But right now, the U.S. economy is far from healthy and inflation has been relatively subdued in recent years, which can hurt growth. This has prompted the Federal Reserve to pledge to keep interest rates at basically zero until at least through 2023 and try to spur inflation by allowing it to rise above the 2% sweet spot it targets for the economy. I've been studying inflation and its impact for many years. A closer look at how inflation works helps show why getting inflation just right, neither too low nor too high, will be very tricky. What is inflation?Inflation is defined as the rate of change in the prices of everything from a bar of Ivory soap to the cost of an eye exam. In the U.S., the most commonly used measure of inflation is based on something called the consumer price index. Simply put, the index is the average price of a basket of goods and services that households typically purchase. It's often used to determine pay raises or to adjust benefits for retirees. The year-over-year change is what we call the inflation rate. The index was up just 1.3% in August from a year earlier. But this is an average across a range of categories. For example, meats, poultry, fish and eggs climbed 7.1%, while the price of airline fares fell 23%. Clearly, the actual change in cost of living will vary from person to person depending on how they spend their money. A moderate amount of inflation is generally considered to be a sign of a healthy economy, because as the economy grows, demand for stuff increases. This increase in demand pushes prices a little higher as suppliers try to create more of the things that consumers and businesses want to buy. Workers benefit because this economic growth drives an increase in demand for labor, and as a result, wages usually increase. Finally, these workers with higher wages go out and buy more stuff, and so this "virtuous" cycle continues. Inflation isn't really causing all this to happen – it is merely the symptom of a healthy, growing economy.But when inflation is too low – or too high – a "vicious" cycle can take its place. Why low inflation is badVery low inflation usually signals demand for goods and services is lower than it should be, and this tends to slow economic growth and depress wages. This low demand can even lead to a recession with increases in unemployment – as we saw a decade ago during the Great Recession.Deflation, or falling prices, is particularly bad. When prices are decreasing, consumers will delay purchases. For example, why buy a new washing machine today if you could wait a few months to get it cheaper? Deflation also discourages lending because it leads to lower interest rates. Lenders typically don't want to lend money at rates that give them a very small return. Fortunately, deflation is rare in developed economies. And too much can be even worseBut getting the balance right isn't easy. Too much inflation can cause the same problems as low inflation. If left unchecked, inflation could spike, which would likely cause the economy to slow down quickly and unemployment to increase. The combination of rising inflation and unemployment is called "stagflation," and is feared by economists, central bankers and pretty much everyone else.It's what can cause an economic boom to suddenly turn to bust, as Americans saw in the late 1970s. The Fed managed to reduce inflation to normal levels only after driving up short-term interest rates to a record 20% in 1979. A balancing actSo the Fed has to tread carefully as it seeks to steer the economy through the worst recession since the Great Depression. Its new policy allowing inflation to rise higher than its 2% target should allow it to strengthen the economy for a longer period and avoid raising rates too soon. But there's a risk. If inflation rises too much above the target, it could spiral out of control like it did in the 1970s.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]Getting it just right – goosing growth without inviting too much inflation – is a tricky endeavor. Fortunately, the Fed is typically very cautious, and although it expects to keep rates at zero through 2023, raising them is well within its powers if inflation does get out of hand before then.This article is an updated version of a story published on Feb. 14, 2019.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * How the Federal Reserve literally makes money * The Federal Reserve is promising to do everything it can to save the economy – but what is that, actually?Richard S. Warr 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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| European lawmakers condemn 'violent repression' in Belarus, call for sanctions Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:51 AM PDT  "MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) also staunchly condemn the mass arrests and ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters," the resolution said.
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| Trump's club charged Secret Service agents $500 a night for rentals even when it was closed for the pandemic Posted: 18 Sep 2020 08:18 AM PDT  Taxpayers' bills for Trump Organization properties have surpassed $1.1 million, The Washington Post reports.As the Post has consistently reported via Secret Service bills, President Trump and his administration have repeatedly funneled government money to the family's properties throughout his term. That has included above-market rates for rentals that ensured Secret Service agents stayed close to Trump and, most recently, payments to one club that was closed for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Post's David Fahrenthold reports via the latest round of receipts and invoices.The coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the service industry this spring, including the Trump Organization's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. But while the club was closed, it still charged the Secret Service more than $21,800 to stay on the property, the Post reports. That included $567-a-night charges for a three-bedroom cottage close to Trump's villa — an "unusually high for a rental home in the area," the Post writes. The invoices also detailed charges for one or two additional rooms, at $142 to $283 per night. Trump didn't visit the club during the pandemic, but his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump did, The New York Times reported at the time.The newly obtained invoices also revealed that Trump's Turnberry resort in Scotland "once charged the Secret Service $1,300 to move furniture," and that the Trump Organization tacked on "resort fees" when agents were guarding Vice President Mike Pence in Las Vegas. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America How the Trump-Russia story was buried The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment
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| Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are set to deny funding to Connecticut schools over inclusive transgender athlete policies Posted: 18 Sep 2020 12:42 PM PDT  According to The New York Times, Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are cutting funding to certain Connecticut schools over their participation in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The conference allows transgender student-athletes to compete with, and against, athletes who share their gender identity, a course of action Trump's administration has repeatedly fought against. If the schools refuse to cut ties with the conference prior to October 1, the education department has vowed to withhold $18 million in desegregation grants.
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