| Alaska's Senate race rocked by leaked videos, China ties and even a dead bear Posted: 12 Oct 2020 01:04 PM PDT  The race is tight and has faced a series of eccentric controversies.
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| Trump advises Brett Kavanaugh to sue his accusers, trigger full public review of evidence Posted: 13 Oct 2020 02:18 PM PDT  Hours later, the president expressed his admiration for disgraced Fox News CEO Roger Ailes
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| Wisconsin police chief says he has no reason to fire officer who fatally shot Alvin Cole Posted: 12 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  The Black teenager was the third person fatally shot in the last five years by Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah, who is also Black.
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| Boeing and General Atomics join forces on new laser weapon Posted: 13 Oct 2020 02:03 PM PDT  The new high-powered laser will be configured for air and missile defense.
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| A man who lives alone in an airplane hangar in a Utah ghost town has found the ultimate escape Posted: 13 Oct 2020 12:08 PM PDT  Ivo Zdarsky has been living alone in an airplane hangar in the abandoned town of Lucin, Utah, since 2007, social distancing before that was a thing.
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| Residents on edge after KKK cards appear in yards with Biden signs in Tennessee Posted: 13 Oct 2020 01:56 PM PDT  "I was really startled by it and also kind of scared," one woman said.
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| Grand juror: Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron's 'statements and actions' in Breonna Taylor case remain a 'mystery' Posted: 13 Oct 2020 12:32 PM PDT  The grand juror's attorney said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is trying to squelch jurors from commenting on "his misleading remarks."
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| NYPD Arrests Leader of Violent Ultra-Orthodox COVID Protest Posted: 11 Oct 2020 07:17 PM PDT  The Trump-loving political gadfly who led ugly protests against new COVID-19 restrictions in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood was arrested by the NYPD on Sunday night.Within hours, new protests sprung up—with crowds massing outside the Brooklyn home of a journalist who was assaulted while covering last week's demonstrations.Harold "Heshy" Tischler was will be charged with inciting a riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with the mob's Oct. 7 attack on reporter Jacob Korbbluh, police said.Tischler, an inflammatory figure who uses social media to spread his anti-lockdown message, had boasted that he would walk into the 66th Precinct stationhouse and surrender on Monday.But on Sunday night, the NYPD Warrant Squad showed up at his home to haul him in. "You see what they're doing?" he repeatedly yelled to a crowd of neighbors as he was led off in handcuffs."They tricked me," he complained.Tischler lives in Brooklyn's Borough Park, one of several communities that have seen dangerous spikes in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, prompting Gov. Andrew Cuomo to impose new restrictions.During rowdy protests on the streets, Tischler—who sported a Trump bumper sticker on his shirt—oversaw a bonfire of masks, smeared the mayor's wife with slurs, and told his crowd of followers, "You are my soldiers! We are at war!"Why Is the Trump-Loving Provocateur in Brooklyn COVID-19 Protests Walking Free?On Tuesday, Kornbluh, a respected journalist for Jewish Insider, was surrounded by the mob, allegedly at Tischler's urging."Literally hundreds of members of the community tried to beat me up," Kornbluh told The Daily Beast afterward. "Somebody hit me in the head. I was kicked, dragged, and people were saying I deserved to die... calling me Hitler [and a] Nazi.""It took about 10 minutes for the police officers to get me out of the crowd," he added.Kornbluh filed an assault complaint, and as the days passed, the question of why Tischler had not been arrested grew louder—particularly after photos showed him posing with police officers after the protests.In an alarming turn of events, after Tischler's arrest on Sunday night, scores of his supporters converged on Kornbluh's Borough Park home and stood outside chanting "No Heshy, No Peace" while police officers formed a barrier so they couldn't break in.Tischler claims, with no apparent evidence, that Kornbluh harassed him. "I'll be going into prison," he said in his Twitter video on Friday. "I will, of course, be pleading not guilty."Tischler's arrest comes as city officials began enforcing the new COVID rules in earnest. Dozens of summonses with fines totaling more than $150,000 were issued this weekend to houses of worship and businesses in the so-called red zones.> A mob is forming, instigated by Heshy Tischler (from before he was arrested) and his supporters, outside of @jacobkornbluh's home. > > Jacob was the victim of assault by this man's mob, which is why Tischler is in jail. > > I'm very very worried for Jacob. https://t.co/raolh6TO56 pic.twitter.com/lW73uPPgue> > — Elad Nehorai (@PopChassid) October 12, 2020Read 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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| One of Los Angeles County’s largest-ever wildfires may have been sparked by tree branches hitting power equipment, says utility company Posted: 13 Oct 2020 09:07 AM PDT  So far 171 buildings and 87 homes have been destroyed by California blaze
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| U.S. Supreme Court shuts down Dems' anti-corruption lawsuit against Trump Posted: 13 Oct 2020 10:18 AM PDT  The Supreme Court on Tuesday put an end to a lawsuit brought by congressional Democrats that accused President Trump of violating anti-corruption provisions in the U.S. Constitution with his business dealings.
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| Amy Coney Barrett uses the offensive term 'sexual preference' to refer to LGBTQ people, who she falsely claims she's never discriminated against Posted: 13 Oct 2020 08:40 AM PDT  Barrett was a board member at an Indiana private school that barred children with unmarried parents when same-sex marriage was illegal in the state.
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| 'Gut-wrenching': Senator shares how he and first wife decided to seek an abortion Posted: 13 Oct 2020 11:32 AM PDT  "It's a story of how gut-wrenching and complicated decisions can be related to reproductive health," the Michigan Democrat said. "These things happen to folks every day."
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| Family of Iraqi asylum-seekers charter private jet to Germany Posted: 13 Oct 2020 06:28 AM PDT  A family of Iraqi asylum-seekers were caught entering Germany by private jet last week, it has emerged. The family, who are believed to be from the Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq, arrived at Munich airport in a chartered private plane from Istanbul last Friday. A couple named only as 49-year-old Shwana Q and his 44-year-old wife Basoz Q were travelling with their two children aged 12 and 7. They were carrying forged diplomatic passports from the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis and claimed they were on their way to the nearby island of Dominica. They told passport officers they wanted to spend one night in Munich while they waited for a change of aircraft. But the officials became suspicious when none of the family could speak English or French — the two languages generally spoken by diplomats. On closer examination their diplomatic passport cards proved to be forgeries.
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| China says it has captured a group of Taiwanese spies Posted: 12 Oct 2020 12:00 AM PDT |
| Biden reportedly considering Andrew Cuomo for attorney general Posted: 12 Oct 2020 07:28 AM PDT  The 2020 Presidential election may still be a few weeks away, but a new report reveals that if he wins, Joe Biden is considering tapping Andrew Cuomo as the next Attorney General. Whoever wins the November 3 election will be able to nominate a new set of Cabinet members, and according to a report by Axios, several sources close to Biden and/or Cuomo have said that speculation amongst the National Governor's Association and Democratic donors have substantiated the current attorney general rumors. Insider buzz is also suggesting that based on his long friendship with the former Vice President, Cuomo is being seen as a solid candidate.
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| Three-year fugitive captured after calling 911 to say he'd been bitten by a rattlesnake Posted: 13 Oct 2020 11:35 AM PDT  Medics found no evidence of snake bite
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| Virginia governor: Rhetoric coming from White House is 'concerning' Posted: 13 Oct 2020 12:46 PM PDT  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam condemned the "potentially deadly" language about elected officials that Trump used during a press conference on Tuesday.
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| "Nervous breakdown": President Trump attacks Fox News and Drudge Report in early morning tweet spree Posted: 13 Oct 2020 09:12 AM PDT  "People want the TRUTH!" Trump tweeted at the two right-leaning outlets
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| Supreme Court term limits would increase political tensions around justices, not ease them Posted: 13 Oct 2020 05:38 AM PDT  Term limits for justices are unconstitutional and wouldn't solve our problems. We need a better way to lower the political temperature around the court.
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| Megan Thee Stallion says Black women are 'expected once again to deliver' an election win for Democrats but are still 'constantly disrespected and disregarded' Posted: 13 Oct 2020 01:33 PM PDT  The rapper wrote in the NYT about being subjected to "violence" by musician Tory Lanez as well as her SNL debut criticizing Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron.
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| Graham challenger pushing conservatives toward 3rd candidate Posted: 13 Oct 2020 10:22 AM PDT  In a state known for its political shenanigans, the Senate race in South Carolina is living up to that reputation as campaigning between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison enters its closing days. This week, Harrison has been mounting a campaign to cleave voters from Graham and steer them toward a third, more conservative candidate, although that candidate is no longer actively running. The tactic could appeal to South Carolina voters who voted Graham in but have at times critiqued him as not conservative enough for the state.
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| Denver police identify suspect in fatal shooting near dueling protests Posted: 12 Oct 2020 04:06 PM PDT  Matthew Dolloff, 30, was being held for investigation of first-degree murder.
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| How the FBI uncovered Russian spies posing as suburban Americans Posted: 13 Oct 2020 11:43 AM PDT  The agents were observed secretly meeting, passing cash, and hiding encrypted messages online
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| Here's How Much Extra Pay Military Retirees Are Likely to Get with the COLA Increase Posted: 13 Oct 2020 06:33 AM PDT |
| How many Humvees will remain after the US Army brings in its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle? Posted: 13 Oct 2020 08:00 AM PDT  The ratio of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles to Humvees is expected to shake out in the next budget request.
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| He posted fish photos from his Keys vacation. Then he went to jail Posted: 13 Oct 2020 02:49 PM PDT  A North Florida man came to the Florida Keys in August and fished, chronicling his vacation by posting videos and photos on his Facebook page.
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| Pro-Trump Group Closes Campaign by Shopping Dirt on the Lincoln Project Posted: 13 Oct 2020 11:32 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's official super PAC is shopping around opposition research to members of the media on the Lincoln Project, a political group founded by Never Trump Republicans who have run millions of dollars in ads this year attacking Trump and vulnerable Senate Republicans.America First Action, an ostensibly independent outfit supporting the president's re-election, recently circulated a memo to "interested parties" breaking down the Lincoln Project's ad spending and the data it's reported to the Federal Election Commission. The memo, titled "Lincoln Project discrepancies," purports to demonstrate the exorbitantly high fees that the group's principals have pocketed as it buys television ads through their consulting firms.While the memo does not include sweeping condemnations of the group based on its findings, the implication is clear: that the people running the Lincoln Project are in it to enrich themselves. It's a charge leveled at the group by a number of prominent Republicans this year. But it also shows the extent to which the Lincoln Project's broadsides against Trump and his congressional allies have rankled the president's political machine—and consumed time and resources that might otherwise go towards the immediate goal of re-electing Trump in three weeks.Inside The Financial Workings of The NeverTrump PAC Driving Trump CrazyThe Lincoln Project has publicly stated that its role this cycle is to antagonize their former Republican colleagues. The group prides itself in, and measures its success by, the degree to which it's gotten under the president's skin. It's done so in part by airing many of its television ads in the Washington, D.C., media market, where Trump, an avid cable news consumer, is most likely to see them.In that respect, the America First memo is a testament to the group's approach, even as it seeks to raise questions about whether it's engaged in self-dealing.According to the memo, which compared spending data reported to the FEC with the values of the group's ad buys as compiled by the ad tracking service Advertising Analytics, Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen's firm has taken commissions on those ad buys averaging about 27 percent.According to metadata in the document, which was not pitched to The Daily Beast and was obtained through a third party, it was created by America First communications director Kelly Sadler. She did not respond to inquiries about it.Reached by email on Tuesday, Galen told The Daily Beast, "It's a garbage memo and false." He did not respond to more specific questions about the data presented by America First.The extensive business that the Lincoln Project has provided to its principals' consulting firms, including Galen's Summit Strategic Communications and co-founder Ron Steslow's Tusk Digital, has drawn persistent allegations of self-dealing from Trump supporters who allege the group amounts to a "scam PAC."The numbers that America First put together are indeed eye-popping, and, if accurate, would mean that Galen's firm has pocketed more than one of every five dollars the group has reported spending on its broadcast ads. But the memo also tries to raise questions about basic strategic decisions, portraying The Lincoln Project's strategy of advertising in the D.C. market as a means of messing with the president's psyche, as a simple vanity project designed to do little but funnel more ad buys through Galen's firm."Roughly 18.6% of their presidential ad spending has been spent in the DC media market, which based on the results of the 2016 Presidential election, is the most Democratic area of the country," the memo notes. Left unsaid is that the president's campaign has also devoted significant resources to advertising in the D.C. area, and for largely the same reason—to ensure that Trump himself sees the ads.While the Lincoln Project has succeeded in getting the president's attention—and that of political obsessives who marvel at its aggressive anti-Trump efforts—the effectiveness of its strategy in actually persuading voters to turn against Trump is very much in dispute. In general, studies have found that television advertising on its own is not particularly effective at political persuasion.While the Lincoln Project's focus on triggering the president makes it a unique case among political advertisers, it's also expanded its campaign to attack not just Trump but a number of Republican Senators facing difficult reelection contests next month, including Alaska's Dan Sullivan, Colorado's Cory Gardner, Maine's Susan Collins, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, and Arizona's Martha McSally.That down-ballot advertising campaign has fueled criticism from some conservatives who say it's no longer a "Never Trump" group, it's a "Never Republican" one. The criticism doesn't appear to have deterred them."By the way, message back to America First," Galen told The Daily Beast in his email on Tuesday. "We are expanding our buys to defeat as many Republican senators as possible and contribute to the complete and total collapse of Trump and Trumpism."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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| Mexico says one of its citizens was subjected to a non-consensual surgery in ICE detention Posted: 13 Oct 2020 12:27 AM PDT  Mexico's foreign ministry said its citizen was detained at an ICE facility in Georgia where numerous women say they were forced to undergo surgeries.
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| DOJ sues Melania Trump's former adviser for disclosures in her tell-all book Posted: 13 Oct 2020 01:55 PM PDT  The lawsuit includes a demand that a federal judge divert all proceeds from the sale of Winston Wolkoff's book, "Melania and Me," to the federal government.
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| Long Lines at Georgia Polling Place Prompt Hysterical Accusations of GOP ‘Voter Suppression’ Posted: 13 Oct 2020 10:40 AM PDT  Footage showing long lines of enthusiastic early voters in a Georgia county drew predictable cries of "voter suppression" from Democrats and Twitter pundits, while election experts said such allegations were baseless and lacked context.A 70-second video of the line to cast early votes at Gwinnett County station on Monday, shared by an Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter, had racked up over 7.5 million views on Tuesday, with plenty using the footage of those waiting to decry the system.> The line of voters at George Pierce Park in Suwanee…. pic.twitter.com/3stVPEuyZp> > -- tyler, the reporter (@ByTylerEstep) October 12, 2020Democrats seized on the opportunity as a PR stunt to promote their own legislation and cast the long line as evidence of Republican voter suppression."Republicans have spent decades making it harder for Americans to vote, and we're watching the results play out in real time," Senator Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) tweeted, pivoting to promote his own piece of legislation — which would pay voters $100 to wait in line for at least 90 minutes."Lines outside the Trump rally in Florida and lines outside polling places in Georgia both bring shame on the Republican Party," Representative Ted Deutch (D., Fla.) said."These hours-long lines to vote are the *deliberate* design of gop leaders and rightwing judges to steal the voting rights of communities of color and a threat to democracy in every community," Representative Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.) added.Liberal political pundits and activists joined the chorus. "Want to guess which candidate won this area of Georgia on [sic] 2016. You already know the answer," Obama digital alum Tim Fullerton tweeted — apparently unaware that Hillary Clinton won Gwinnett County in 2016 by six percentage points. Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum sarcastically remarked that the video was from "Georgia - the state, not the country."Former Obama ethics czar Walter Shaub compared the scene to his own experience: "This despicable disparity is on purpose. This is what voter suppression looks like," he stated. A Google employee — a "Product Lead for Identity," according to his LinkedIn profile — said that video proved why "everybody should be able to vote online."But none of the reactions made note of the fact that the Gwinnett line formed on the first day of early voting, after months of corporate hype about the importance of early voting, nor that it fell on a federal holiday. Neither was it mentioned that Georgia saw a record 126,876 people vote on Monday — a 41 percent increase over the first day in 2016.Some tried to offer nuance on the viral clip. "Long lines in the first two hours of early voting are not actually indicative of a problem or too few polling locations. Do not cover them as if they are," ProPublica reporter Jessica Huseman, who regularly covers elections and voter data, tweeted.As independent journalist Jeryl Bier calculated, Gwinnett County's nine early voting stations will be open from 7a.m. to 7p.m. for the next 19 days, amounting to over 1,800 hours of early voting time.After former U.S. senator and current MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill claimed that the video "is a picture of voter suppression," Cook Political Report editor and election expert Dave Wasserman injected some context into the discussion.> Facts:> > 1) Gwinnett Co., GA has *nine* advance voting centers open 9-12 hours a day, including weekends, between 10/12 and 10/30 > 2) This is the first day of in-person voting in the highest-enthusiasm election in GA history> > Let's give it a few days before jumping to conclusions. https://t.co/BPjb4hIvvF> > -- Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 12, 2020"Fair enough. But seems like folks were not prepared for this level of voting, and long lines are discouraging," McCaskill responded.
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| Police link random slayings in northern Virginia to MS-13 Posted: 13 Oct 2020 09:24 AM PDT |
| Father of three still missing nearly six weeks after disappearing from North Carolina home Posted: 13 Oct 2020 03:50 PM PDT  Cory Dale Moore, 32, was last seen at his grandmother's house in Sanford, North Carolina, around 2 p.m. on September 3, 2020. His family said he left the house on foot without his shoes. His wallet and phone are also missing. Cory hasn't accessed his bank or social media accounts. The Lee County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina is investigating.
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| Australia seeks answers on reported Chinese coal 'ban' Posted: 13 Oct 2020 02:27 AM PDT  Australia on Tuesday called for China to clarify whether restrictions have been placed on the import of Australian coal, a move that would deal a serious blow to the country's already struggling economy.
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| Biggest World War Two bomb found in Poland explodes while Navy defuses it Posted: 13 Oct 2020 04:16 PM PDT  The biggest World War Two bomb ever found in Poland exploded under water on Tuesday as navy divers tried to defuse it.
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| US Army firms up requirements for future long-range assault aircraft ahead of competition Posted: 13 Oct 2020 05:37 AM PDT  The Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program has passed through a requirements gauntlet, and the service is prepping to release a draft request for proposals.
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| Trump barred from moving $3.6 billion from military to fund border wall construction: Federal court Posted: 13 Oct 2020 03:53 AM PDT  The new border wall projects in Texas would have covered more than 60 miles, according to the ACLU
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| New Zealand Deputy PM Humiliates U.S. COVID Denier: ‘He Obviously Got an Education in America’ Posted: 13 Oct 2020 05:50 AM PDT  To be fair, it's probably easier to be a COVID-19 denier in New Zealand than in the United States. The island country has effectively eliminated the virus, twice, and life is now carrying on largely as normal.However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't expect to be absolutely torn to pieces if you start spouting virus conspiracy theories in public there. Sadly for one man, conspicuous by his American accent, that is exactly what happened at a campaign rally in the city of Tauranga this week.The COVID denier piped up at a campaign event led by Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, and deputy prime minister in the coalition with prime minister Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party. Ardern's government has been glowingly praised around the world for its decisive pandemic response which has seen New Zealand record one of the lowest death tolls from the virus on the planet, at only 25 people.The man, who wasn't named in a news report about the incident from TVNZ, can be heard on video doubting that the virus exists. "Where's your evidence that there is a virus that causes the disease?" the man asked, apparently holding something he'd printed out from the internet.The denier had already annoyed Peters by trying to ask more than his one allotted question, so the lawmaker didn't hold back in his response to the man. "Sit down, sit down," said the deputy prime minister. "We've got someone who obviously got an education in America—220,000 people have died in the U.S., there are eight million cases to date."Peters added: "We've got 79,000 cases just today, probably in India, and here is someone who gets up and says 'the Earth is flat.'" The deputy PM then witheringly told the man: "Sorry, sunshine, wrong place."Inevitably, the man didn't realize that he'd been resoundingly humiliated in public and tried to respond to what Peters had said, but he was told: "Quiet, we have manners at our meetings as well."Last week, New Zealand moved to lift the last of its virus restrictions after going 10 days with no new cases in Auckland, which had experienced a small cluster. Unrestricted gatherings are allowed throughout the nation, and there's no physical distancing rules in bars and restaurants.To date, New Zealand has recorded 1,800 positive tests and 25 deaths, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S., meanwhile, has tallied over 7,800,000 cases and 215,000 deaths.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 McDonald's workers say they were called 'ghetto,' had their hours cut, and were unjustly fired in a new lawsuit Posted: 13 Oct 2020 10:13 AM PDT  The lawsuit claims that McDonald's has a systemic problem with racism, pointing to three other racial-discrimination suits filed this year.
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| Tanishq: Jewellery ad on interfaith couple withdrawn after outrage Posted: 13 Oct 2020 08:01 AM PDT  The Tanishq ad was criticised on social media for showing an Indian interfaith marriage baby shower.
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| Accused Kenosha gunman won't face charges in Illinois Posted: 13 Oct 2020 02:20 PM PDT  A 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face charges in his home state of Illinois, prosecutors said Tuesday. An investigation revealed the gun used in the Kenosha shooting was purchased, stored and used in Wisconsin, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office said. There is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois, it said.
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| Armed pro-Trump vigilantes plan to show up at election day polling sites amid fears of voter intimidation Posted: 12 Oct 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The Oath Keepers, a far-right group who recently counter-protested at a Breonna Taylor demonstration, said that they would be out on 3 November
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| Russia shuns US lunar program, as space cooperation under threat Posted: 12 Oct 2020 12:53 PM PDT  Russia is unlikely to participate in the Moon-orbiting station planned by the United States, a Russian official said Monday, marking the probable end of the type of close cooperation seen for two decades on the International Space Station (ISS).
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| Angela Merkel warns EU to get ready for no deal ahead of Boris Johnson's Brexit deadline Posted: 13 Oct 2020 05:34 AM PDT  Angela Merkel warned the EU must get ready for UK trade negotiations to fail as Boris Johnson told ministers the UK should have "no fear" over a no deal Brexit if his October 15 deadline is missed on Thursday. The Prime Minister told his Cabinet he believed a deal could still be done by Thursday's European Council summit in two days' time but that was ruled out by Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator. Mr Johnson will speak to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, on Wednesday after being briefed on whether a free trade agreement is in sight by David Frost, his chief negotiator. Mrs Merkel said the EU wanted to secure the trade deal and appeared to urge other member states to compromise in a speech to a Brussels-based EU institution. "Unfortunately we have to prepare for the event there will be no agreement," the German Chancellor said, "We also have to take into account the reality; an agreement has to be in the interests of both parties, in British interests as well as the interests of the 27 member European Union." In Luxembourg, Mr Barnier told Europe Ministers that not enough progress had been made on fisheries, the level playing field or enforcement to get the deal done by the summit. He made it clear he expects negotiations to continue beyond Mr Johnson's deadline until the end of the month. EU diplomats said that Mr Barnier had their' "full support". UK government sources claimed Michel Barnier was to blame if the deadline was missed. They accused him of being unable to marshall the 27 member states behind necessary compromises in sectors such as fishing, where France has vowed to show "no weakness". "The EU will continue to work for a fair deal in the coming days and weeks," Michel Barnier tweeted. "There is some movement here and there, but it is not sufficient by far and no tunnel in sight," an EU diplomat said. The "tunnel" is Brussels jargon for secret intense talks to clinch a deal. "Level playing field, fisheries and enforcement measures remain the key controversial issues," the diplomat said. "The EU have been using the old playbook in which they thought running down the clock would work against the UK," a British government source said. "But in fact all these tactics have achieved is to get us to the middle of October with lots of work that could have been done left undone."
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| NFL icon Herschel Walker says Black people are not oppressed, slams celebs who say otherwise Posted: 13 Oct 2020 04:28 PM PDT  NFL legend Herschel Walker isn't shy about expressing his views and is now criticizing other celebrities who claim Black people are oppressed. Walker took to social media on Monday to refute the narrative that the United States was no place for Black people, much less that they were "oppressed" in a video uploaded to Twitter.
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| King of Thailand Runs Out of Friends, at Home and Abroad Posted: 13 Oct 2020 05:29 AM PDT  The billionaire king of Thailand is running out of friends, at home and abroad.King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who spends much of his time in Germany, in a hotel in the Bavarian Alps accompanied by a modern-day harem of up to 20 female consorts, has now been warned by Angela Merkel's government not to conduct state business from German soil.His residency there, which was revealed at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis when the hotel sought special permission to stay open, has become a flashpoint for unprecedented protests in Thailand against the repressive state and its semi-divine royal family.The protests have been inflamed by reports of the king's vast wealth, estimated by London's Financial Times at between $30bn and $40bn, after sovereign funds were effectively put under his direct control by the leaders of a successful 2014 coup. He is believed to be the world's richest king. Accounts of his gilded life at the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmish-Partenkirchen, where his retinue of 20 concubines who have all been given the same honorary surname includes his fourth wife, are not helping either his domestic or international image.Being one of the king's girlfriends is not without risk, however, as illustrated by the fate of his "official" mistress, Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 35, who was named Chao Khun Phra, which means "royal noble consort," shortly after he married his fourth wife, Queen Suthida.In October 2019, it was announced that Sineenat had been stripped of the title in a palace statement that called her "ungrateful" for conducting a rivalry with Queen Suthida.She is believed to have spent ten months in jail, but earlier this year she was restored to her former position, with a statement published in the government's Royal Gazette saying Sineenat was "untainted" and therefore entitled to the royal noble consort title and all her previous posts within the palace.As The Daily Beast recently reported, Vajiralongkorn is also alleged to have built up an extraordinary fleet of 38 jets and helicopters for the exclusive use of the Thai royal family.Reports of his medieval privilege, not carried by local mainstream media due to strict prohibitions, now trickle back into the country via social media and Facebook. Thailand earlier this year sought to get Facebook to remove a group critical of the monarchy that had more than a million members, but failed in the attempt.His overseas existence has led to him being dubbed "The German" by some protesters.Although he flew back to Thailand on Saturday, and is expected to remain there to the end of the month, the king's de facto residency in Bavaria has now also begun to raise eyebrows in Germany as well, with Merkel's government explicitly saying last week that the Thai king should stop conducting state business while in Germany.Maria Adebahr, spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry, said that the government had repeatedly stressed to Thailand's ambassador to Berlin that "foreign affairs of state should not be pursued from German soil," adding, "We have made our position very clear."The issue even made it into the German parliament. Frithjof Schmidt, an MP for the opposition Greens, asked why the German government had for months been allowing the king to engage in domestic politics from Bavaria. Heiko Maas, the foreign minister, replied: "We would always clearly counteract efforts by guests in our country to conduct affairs of state from our country."Schmidt, along with many Germans, is deeply uncomfortable that their country may effectively be providing a headquarters for a repressive regime: Schmidt cited the example of the king's role in unilaterally preventing his elder sister, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, from running as a candidate in the March 24 election.The move against the princess was widely seen as further evidence of a skewed race in which the prime minister, and leader of Thailand's 2014 coup, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, had an unfair advantage, as 250 members of the Senate who help chose the PM were simply selected by the junta.Strict laws preventing direct criticism of the monarch, his household, and even his pets are being openly and widely defied for the first time as part of ongoing student-led protests against the government."It's the biggest issue of all in Thailand," Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak, told the Financial Times. "The royal institution can interfere in politics because they have enough money."If we don't say it now, when are we going to say it?"Opponents of the commanding position and privilege of the Thai royal family have been emboldened in recent months as rallies by student protesters against the establishment have seen their numbers swelling. Thailand is battling a deep recession brought about by COVID-19 and the collapse of the pivotal tourist trade.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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