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‘Shy’ Trump voters will power his win, says pollster who called 2016 race

Thanks to the hidden support from voters who are embarrassed to admit they will vote for Donald Trump, the president will be narrowly reelected on Nov. 3, says one of the few pollsters who correctly predicted his 2016 victory.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:34:48 -0400

'A flat-out lie': Breonna Taylor attorneys seek new prosecutor after jurors speak out

The two anonymous grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case who spoke out this week about the deliberations had no agenda other than to pursue the truth, their lawyer said. But their disclosures have spurred calls for a new prosecutor in the case.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:47:12 -0400

Text Messages Appear to Show Meeting between Joe Biden and Son’s Business Partner

Joe Biden appears to have met his son Hunter Biden's business partner in 2017, according to text messages obtained by Fox News.If it took place, the meeting may contradict the former vice president's claim that he "never" spoke with "my son about his overseas business dealings." The text messages came from Tony Bobulinski, the former CEO of SinoHawk Holdings, a joint venture between members of the Biden family and now-defunct Chinese oil company CEFC."Mrng plse let me knw if we will do early dinner w your Uncle & dad and where, also for document translation do you want it simple Chinese or traditional?" Bobulinski wrote in a text to Hunter Biden on May 2, 2017."Not sure on dinner yet and whatever is the most common for a Chinese legal DOC," Hunter replied."Chinese legal docs can be both, i’ll make it traditional," Bobulinski answered. Later on, Hunter replied, "Dad not in now until 11- let’s me I and Jim meet at 10 at Beverly Hilton where he’s staying." "Jim" is James Biden, Hunter's uncle and the former vice president's brother.On the same day, Bobulinski sent a text to James Biden."Great to meet u and spend some time together, please thank Joe for his time, was great to talk thx Tony b," the message states.The Beverly Hilton referred to by Hunter appears to be the Los Angeles branch of the hotel chain. On May 3, one day after the text conversations, Joe Biden participated in a conversation at the Milken Institute's "Global Conference," held in the Beverly Hilton in L.A.Bobulinski has turned over the texts and other documents to various Senate committees for further investigation. Bobulinski also confirmed the authenticity of an email purporting to show that Joe Biden was offered a 10 percent stake in the CEFC-Biden family partnership.Hunter Biden had cultivated a relationship with CEFC and its chairman, Ye Jianming. In November 2017 the Justice Department charged Ye's lieutenant Patrick Ho with corruption and bribery, and Hunter Biden initially agreed to represent Ho in the lawsuit.Ho was eventually sentenced to prison in the U.S. for attempting to bribe the governments of Chad and Uganda. Ye Jianming disappeared in 2018, and is thought to be held by the Chinese government.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:27:20 -0400

Turkish burgers off the menu in Saudi Arabia as trade boycott bites fast food industry

With its spicy sauce and Ottoman-themed packaging, the “Turkish burger” is one of the more exotic choices on the menu at Saudi Arabian restaurant Herfy. Or, at least, it was. This week, the Turkish patty has vanished from the menu and been replaced with an identical “Greek burger,” the latest casualty of Saudi Arabia’s unofficial boycott of Turkish products. “It’s the same thing,” one Herfy worker, Mahmood Bassyoni, told customers as he offered them a taste of the burger, according to Bloomberg news agency. “Just the name changed.” The boycott reportedly began after Recep Tayyip Erdogan outraged Riyadh, one of its main rivals in the Middle East, by claiming that “Arab countries in the Gulf will not exist for long but Turkey will always remain powerful.” Tensions have also simmered over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate and differing attitudes towards Islamist groups in the region. Mr Erdogan has accused Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, of ordering the murder personally, something that he vehemently denies. The Telegraph approached Herfy for comment on whether the rebranding was related to the boycott but had not received a response at the time of publication. According to Arab News, a Saudi news website, the boycott has been gaining steam in recent weeks, with major supermarket Al Sadhan Group expressing support for the campaign. This was followed by dairy firm Tamimi Markets adding its voice to the backlash against Turkish goods, along with a number of online fashion retailers.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:38:28 -0400

Treasure hunter dug through Yellowstone cemetery looking for famous bounty, feds say

He was allegedly seeking the coveted Forrest Fenn treasure, officials said.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 20:03:12 -0400

A 73-year-old in Colorado was fined more than $1,000 after her pet deer gored a woman walking her dog

Tynette Housley, 73, was cited on misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of wildlife and illegally feeding wildlife.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:10:08 -0400

Far-right extremist shot at Minneapolis' police precinct to spark violence during Floyd protests, FBI says

A far-right extremist has been accused of opening fire on Minneapolis' third police precinct and sparking violence during May's George Floyd protests.Ivan Harrison Hunter, a 26-year-old from Texas, was charged Friday with one count of interstate travel to participate in a riot. An admitted member of the "Boogaloo Bois," Hunter opened fire on the precinct and later looted it and helped set it on fire, the FBI said in a sworn affidavit released Friday.The Minneapolis police's third precinct was just a block from where Floyd was killed, and became the center of protests against police violence that devolved into the destruction of the precinct and buildings around it. Hunter is one of several far-right extremists accused of intentionally ramping up that violence. Armed with a mask and tactical gear, Hunter fired 13 rounds at the precinct while officers were inside and ran away shouting "Justice for Floyd," the FBI alleges. He later bragged about "help[ing] the community burn down that police station" on Facebook.Hunter admitted he was member of the Boogaloo movement, a collection of far-right, anti-government extremists intent on sparking a second civil war. He was in contact with other self-described Boogaloo Bois who arranged a trip to Minneapolis. He also texted with Steven Carrillo, another Boogaloo member who later shot and killed a sheriff's deputy in California.More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:43:00 -0400

Indian farmers step up illegal fires as Delhi air crisis worsens

Delhi's smog crisis headed for a new toxic peak on Saturday but farmers are refusing to stop the stubble burning that is widely blamed for the poisonous clouds engulfing the Indian capital.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 06:46:12 -0400

Despite rhetoric, GOP has supported packing state courts

Republican claims that Democrats would expand the U.S. Supreme Court to undercut the conservative majority if they win the presidency and control of Congress has a familiar ring. It's a tactic the GOP already has employed in recent years with state supreme courts when they have controlled all levers of state political power. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia have signed bills passed by GOP-dominated legislatures to expand the number of seats on their states’ respective high courts.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 09:57:04 -0400

Melania Trump pulls her hand away from husband following presidential debate

No description related. Click here to go to original article.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 10:38:15 -0400

Elderly couple who wouldn't evacuate killed in Colorado wildfire

The couple, in their 80s, cherished their home and refused to leave, the sheriff and family said. There are no other known missing people in the blaze.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 02:20:00 -0400

Rep. Stefanik: ‘Joe Biden Is Lying to the American People’ about Hunter’s Business Dealings

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is “lying to the American people” about his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, claimed Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) on Saturday.The House Intelligence Committee member's comments came during an appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend, in which she accused the former vice president of lying when he issued his denial of wrongdoing during Thursday night’s presidential debate. Stefanik detailed her experience asking each witness in President Trump’s impeachment hearings whether there was a conflict of interest, or an appearance of one, created by Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Ukrainian natural-gas firm Burisma Holdings during Joe Biden’s time as vice president. All of the witnesses said yes, she recalled.She said the Obama administration “proactively brought this up as a conflict of interest” while preparing former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch for her Senate nomination. “This is Joe Biden running from his record and trying to wipe away this very clear conflict of interest,” Stefanik said."This is not just a Hunter Biden scandal. This is a Joe Biden scandal, and it's not just Burisma. It's also now the Chinese Communist government and the Chinese Communist Party," she added, referring to allegations of a business arrangement between a Chinese company and the Biden family.During Thursday’s debate, the former vice president claimed there was “nothing unethical” about Hunter Biden’s involvement in Burisma.He said though questions had arisen over whether he had done something wrong in respect to Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Burisma that, “every single solitary person, when [Trump] was going through his impeachment, testifying under oath, who worked for him said I did my job impeccably, I carried out U.S. policy, not one single, solitary thing was out of line.”

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 11:12:22 -0400

Polish President Duda infected with coronavirus; thousands protest against curbs

Polish President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said on Saturday, and police used tear gas on several occasions as thousands of people protested in Warsaw against restrictions aimed at curbing the surging epidemic. Duda's infection was announced in the morning and he said in televised remarks later he was feeling fine.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 02:32:44 -0400

Two largest wildfires in Colorado history are burning at the same time, 10 miles apart

About 700 square miles of wildfires are actively burning in Colorado. Wildfires have scorched more than 1,000 square miles since July 31.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:34:19 -0400

Asian murder hornets: Scientists discover first nest in US

Scientists in Washington state have discovered the first ever “murder hornet” nest in the United States after months of searching. Entomologists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture uncovered the deadly Asian giant hornets’ home on a property in Blaine, next to the Canadian border. The nest containing the world’s largest hornet species will be destroyed on Sunday to protect local honeybees. First discovered in the state in 2019, the invasive species is capable of eradicating an entire bee hive in just a few hours. Scientists have been pursuing the species since the first insect was spotted in December of last year. Read more: Asian hornets: how to spot the garden predator that threatens to destroy Britain's bees

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 20:52:51 -0400

Minn. judge dismisses 1 charge against former cop in Floyd's death

A Minnesota judge has dismissed a third-degree murder charge filed against the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee against George Floyd’s neck, but the more serious second-degree murder charge remains.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 14:46:09 -0400

Venezuelans 'dying slowly' in rat- and roach-infested homes

Sunlight cannot penetrate, the air is fetid and fellow residents include rats and cockroaches -- but that's how 14 families are "dying slowly" in government accommodation in Venezuela's capital Caracas.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 21:15:09 -0400

How Texas could be the linchpin in finally dismantling the Electoral College

A little over a week from Election Day "and everyone with bated breath," columnist Peggy Noonan writes in Friday's Wall Street Journal. Whoever wins, "the changes in how we vote, from early voting to voting by mail, all hastened by the pandemic, will have been established after this election, and won’t go away. This will make things appear more democratic and may leave them more Democratic. Progressive preoccupation with the Electoral College is about to diminish, sharply."No, Republicans should become preoccupied, too, Jesse Wegman argued on Thursday's The Daily podcast. The framers of the Constitution set up the Electoral College because they had to invent a way to "pick the leader of a self-governing republic" and were worried "most people wouldn't know national political candidates," he explained. But they never even discussed today's winner-takes-all system, "and when they saw it start to be adopted in the states in the early 1800s, they were horrified. James Madison, the man we think of as the father of the Constitution, tried to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of winner-take-all rule because he saw how corrosive it was to erase up to half of voters in the state."Madison failed, but Sen. Birch Bayh (D-Ind.) almost got a constitutional amendment enacted in 1969 — President Richard Nixon was on board, it had broad national support, the House approved the amendment, and nearly three-quarters of states were set to approve it, Wegman said. Sadly, "three Southern segregationist senators" filibustered it to death in 1970, killing "the best effort we've ever had in American history to abolish the Electoral College."This only became a partisan issue after George W. Bush then Donald Trump won the Electoral College while losing the popular vote, but it's a double-edged sword, Wegman said. "Right now what we're seeing is some really big and important Republican-majority states are shifting demographically." Texas, with its 38 electoral votes, "is going to turn blue" as soon as 2024, he predicted, and "if Republicans can't win Texas, I think their paths to an Electoral College victory are basically eliminated."In the next eight years, "when both parties have suffered enough in a short enough time period that they realize that it doesn't help anybody," Wegman said, "I think we have the opening to switch to a system in which everybody counts equally, and everybody's vote matters." Listen to Wegman's entire argument at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 09:46:00 -0400

Four years in, Trump has plenty of unfinished business

President Donald Trump swept into office nearly four years ago as an outsider who promised to get things done quickly on behalf of the American people through sheer force of will and unrivaled knowledge about the art of the deal. Trump, as he said he would, tilted the Supreme Court further to the right with confirmation of two conservative justices and likely a third, Amy Coney Barrett, in the coming days. Trump has managed to undermine President Barack Obama’s health care law, but has fallen far short of his promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 08:21:59 -0400

Christian singer to host evangelical ‘worship protest’ on Washington DC’s National Mall with 15,000 expected to attend

The event scheduled this weekend will not require attendees to wear masks or social distance

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:06:01 -0400

Pelosi Refuses to Answer Reporter’s Question on Hunter Biden: ‘I Don’t Have All Day’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) refused on Thursday to answer a reporter's question about corruption allegations against Joe and Hunter Biden.A former business partner of Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, sent documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday purporting to show a business arrangement between members of the Biden family and now-defunct Chinese oil company CEFC. One email that Bobulinski received describes a business deal between Hunter Biden and representatives of the politically-connected Chinese energy firm CEFC in which Joe Biden, who is referred to as "the big guy," is slated to receive a ten percent stake.During a press briefing with the House Speaker on Thursday, a reporter attempted to bring up the corruption allegations.> .@SpeakerPelosi snaps at a reporter asking her about Hunter Biden: "I’m not answering those questions — we’re talking about the coronavirus." pic.twitter.com/p71CSpq8l2> > -- Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 22, 2020"Madame Speaker, these allegations of corruption involving Joe Biden—" the reporter asked, before Pelosi cut her off."Okay, I'm not answering your question, okay?" Pelosi said. "We’re talking about the coronavirus, that’s what I—I don’t have all day for questions, that’s what we’re taking now." Pelosi proceeded to field several additional questions on the pandemic response and negotiations for a potential economic relief bill.President Trump has dug into the allegations against Joe Biden and his son in the run-up to the November elections. While the Biden campaign has denounced the allegations as a smear campaign and possible Russian disinformation, Biden has not denied the veracity of emails purporting to describe the CEFC deal.The New York Post last week revealed documents purportedly from Hunter Biden's laptop detailing additional business dealings in Ukraine. The Biden campaign has also not denied the veracity of those documents.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:22:03 -0400

Report: Pope comments on same-sex marriage initially not broadcast

A Mexican television broadcaster confirmed Thursday that Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions were made during a May 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 06:40:36 -0400

6 things to know about Southwest's new pandemic policy: No, middle seats won't be empty. Yes, you can get a refund.

Southwest Airlines will stop blocking middle seats on its flights in December as holiday travel ticks up.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:41:41 -0400

Hundreds of protesters clash with police over coronavirus restrictions in Naples

Hundreds of protesters in Naples threw projectiles at police and set rubbish bins on fire late on Friday during a demonstration against coronavirus restrictions in the southern Italian city. Calls were issued on social media to challenge a curfew that took effect in the Campania region ahead of the weekend, enacted in response to a spiralling second wave of infections that saw nearly 20,000 new cases detected in the last 24 hours. A mostly young crowd marched through the streets of the regional capital and chanted as the curfew started at 11pm, with some lighting smoke bombs. One carried a makeshift sign that read: "If you close, you pay."

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 23:47:57 -0400

The family of the rescued Zion National Park hiker spoke out after a sheriff's sergeant questioned her survival story — but it's still confusing

Holly Courtier was found 12 days after disappearing on a hike. Her sister spoke to reporters after a sheriff's sergeant questioned the survival story.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 09:41:04 -0400

US embassy in Turkey issues a warning about 'potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings' of Americans and foreigners in Istanbul

In response to the threat, the embassy suspended its services and urged American citizens to be careful, avoid crowds, and keep a low profile.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 10:23:04 -0400

Pennsylvania ballots can't be tossed out over voters' signatures, court says

The prospect of disqualified mail-in ballots poses a greater threat to Biden’s candidacy.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:36:00 -0400

Judge moves criminal case against Texas attorney general

A judge on Friday ordered the long-running criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton returned to his home county in a legal victory for the Republican. Judge Jason Luong ruled that the securities fraud case should continue in Collin County, north of Dallas, siding with Paxton's defense attorneys who argued the case should be returned there after it was moved to Houston. Paxton pleaded not guilty in 2015 and the case has been stalled for years over legal challenges.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:56:28 -0400

The Lincoln Project savages Trump's debate claim that separated migrant kids are 'so well taken care of'

Just minutes after President Trump declared during Thursday night's debate that migrant kids separated from their parents are "so well taken care of" inside U.S. facilities, the Lincoln Project released a searing four-second ad combining his words with the wails of children.This week, lawyers tasked with reuniting migrant kids with their families told a court they haven't been able to track down the parents of 545 children. They were separated under the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, and when asked about this by moderator Kristen Welker, Trump claimed the government is working to find the parents, but added that many are smuggled into the country by coyotes and when kids are placed in U.S. facilities, they are "so well taken care of."Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pushed back, saying the children in question were ripped away from their parents, not smugglers, and called the act "criminal." On Twitter, PBS NewsHour reporter Amna Nawaz said that she has "been inside the border processing centers where many kids and families were held. They were under resourced. Crowded. Staff overwhelmed. Groups of young kids crammed into windowless rooms."The Lincoln Project wasted no time bringing attention to Trump's claim. Their video uses footage from facilities, showing young children wrapped up in mylar blankets inside cages, and the audio is Trump's claim that "they're in facilities that were so clean ... so well taken care of," mixed with the sounds of kids crying. Watch the ad below. > "They're so well taken care of." pic.twitter.com/IysMjSvE0g> > -- The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 23, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 01:58:00 -0400

Senator Hirono’s Double Standard

The biggest controversy arising from Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings last week was the fact that she said she “would not discriminate on the basis of sexual preference.”How was that controversial?According to some Senate Democrats, using the term “sexual preference” is “shameful and offensive.”Patty Murray, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, wrote on Twitter: “Judge Barrett using this phrase is shameful and offensive—and it tells us exactly what we need to know about how she views the LGBTQIA+ community.”Democratic senators Cory Booker and Mazie Hirono, both members of the Judiciary Committee, criticized Barrett for saying “sexual preference” at the hearing. “Let me make clear, ‘sexual preference’ is an offensive and outdated term,” Hirono said to Barrett.> Let me make clear - sexual preference is an offensive and outdated term.> > To suggest sexual orientation is a choice? It's not. It's a key part of a person's identity.> > The LGBTQ+ community should be concerned with WhatsAtStake with Judge Barrett on the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/4TWyATMX0Y> > -- Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) October 13, 2020Barrett apologized: “I certainly didn’t mean and would never mean to use a term that would cause any offense to the LGBTQ community.”“Amy Coney Barrett used an offensive term while talking about LGBTQ rights. Her apology was telling,” read the headline at Vox. But as it turns out, there’s little reason to think the term was offensive before Democrats pounced on Barrett for using it on October 13.Joe Biden used the term “sexual preference” in May 2020, and the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg used it in 2017. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Dick Durbin — both Judiciary Committee members — have used the term in Senate floor speeches over the past decade.On Thursday afternoon, I caught up with Hirono in the Capitol and asked her about the apparent double standard. The Hawaii senator stands by her condemnation of Barrett for saying “sexual preference,” but won’t call on Biden to apologize for using the same term in May 2020:> National Review: Senator, last week at the hearing you mentioned that you thought it was “offensive and outdated” when Amy Barrett used the [term] “sexual preference.” It turns out that Joe Biden said it in May. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it in 2017. Some of your colleagues on the Judiciary Committee said it maybe in 2010, 2012. Do you stand by that criticism?> > Mazie Hirono: Well, of course.> > NR: Do you think Joe Biden should apologize for saying that in May?> > Hirono: Well, look, it’s a lesson learned for all of us. But when you’re going on the Supreme Court and you’ve been a judge, as one of my judge friends said, you should know what these words mean.> > NR: Should Joe Biden apologize, too, like Amy Coney Barrett did?> > Hirono: Joe Biden is not up for the Supreme Court.> > NR: He’s up for the presidency. So, he shouldn’t apologize?> > Hirono: People will decide.> > NR: You don’t want to call on him to apologize?> > Hirono: Oh, stop it. The world is in flames.Of course, the state of the world is the same this week as it was last week when Senators Murray and Hirono smeared Barrett as a bigot for using the term, and the argument that either Barrett or Biden did anything wrong is very weak.The Huffington Post and The Atlantic have printed “sexual preference” instead of “sexual orientation” in the last six years. A gay-rights advocate used the term in a September 25, 2020, interview with the gay-rights magazine The Advocate. No one condemned or criticized any of the media outlets or Democratic politicians who used the term in the past decade.In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the word “preference” carried no negative connotation when used to refer to sexual orientation on October 12, 2020. On October 13, 2020 — immediately after the media and Senate Democrats pounced on Barrett — Merriam-Webster redefined the word “preference” as “offensive” when used to refer to “sexual orientation.”Amy Coney Barrett and Joe Biden may not owe anyone an apology. But Senator Hirono and several of her Democratic colleagues do.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:48:13 -0400

Nigeria Sars protest: Prison break and gunshots heard as unrest continues

Fury over the shooting of protesters in Lagos has spiralled into chaos, with jailbreaks reported.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:09:30 -0400

Protests continue in Rhode Island after moped driver was critically injured in a crash involving police

Protests continued in Providence, Rhode Island, after a man was critically injured in a crash involving a moped being followed by a police cruiser.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:58:17 -0400

Inside the Refugee Camp on America's Doorstep

MATAMOROS, Mexico -- A butter yellow sun rose over the crowded tent camp across the river from Texas, and a thick heat baked the rotten debris below, a mixture of broken toys, human waste and uneaten food swarming with flies.Clothing and sheets hung from trees and dried stiff after being drenched and muddied in a hurricane the week before.As residents emerged from the zipper-holes of their canvas homes that morning in August, some trudged with buckets in hand toward tanks of water for bathing and washing dishes. Others assembled in front of wash basins with arms full of children's underwear and pajamas. They waited for the first warm meal of the day to arrive, though it often made them sick.The members of this displaced community requested refuge in the United States but were sent back into Mexico and told to wait. They came there after unique tragedies: violent assaults, oppressive extortions, murdered loved ones. They are bound together by the one thing they share in common -- having nowhere else to go."Sometimes I feel like I can't hold on anymore," said Jaqueline Salgado, who fled to the camp from southern Mexico, sitting outside her tent on a bucket as her children played in the dirt. "But when I remember everything I've been through, and how it was worse, I come back to the conclusion that I have to wait."Salgado is one of about 600 people stranded in a place that many Americans might have thought would never exist. It is effectively a refugee camp on the doorstep of the United States, one of several that have sprung up along the border for the first time in the country's history.After first cropping up in 2018, the encampment across the border from Brownsville, Texas, exploded to nearly 3,000 people the following year under a policy that has required at least 60,000 asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for the entirety of their legal cases, which can take years.Those who have not given up and returned home or had the means to move into shelters or apartments while they wait have been stuck outside ever since in this camp, or others like it that are now strung along the southwest border.Many have been living in fraying tents for more than a year.The Trump administration has said the "remain in Mexico" policy was essential to end exploitation of American immigration laws and alleviate overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities after nearly 2 million migrants crossed into the United States between 2017 and 2019.The Mexican authorities have blamed the U.S. government for the situation. But they have also declined to designate the outdoor areas as official refugee camps in collaboration with the United Nations, which could have provided infrastructure for housing and sanitation."It has been the first time we have been in this situation," Shant Dermegerditchian, director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' office in Monterrey. "And we certainly don't support this."The U.S. Supreme Court agreed this week to review the policy after it was successfully challenged in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case will not be resolved until after the election, so those living in the camp have months of waiting ahead, if not longer.The camp drew attention during Thursday night's presidential debate, when former Vice President Joe Biden noted, "This is the first president in the history of the United States of America that anybody seeking asylum has to do it in another country," he said. "They're sitting in squalor on the other side of the river."The arrival of the coronavirus has made things much worse. Though only a few cases broke out at the camp, most of the American aid workers who entered regularly to distribute supplies stopped coming, hoping to avoid transporting the virus.The Gulf Cartel, which traffics drugs across the border and is as powerful a force as local law enforcement, moved in to fill the void.The gang charges tolls to camp residents who decide to swim across the river on their own and sometimes kidnaps them for ransom. Beatings and disappearances have also become more common -- sometimes to protect women or children who are being abused, but other times because camp residents have violated the gang's rules about when and where they are permitted to roam outside their tents.Nine bodies have washed ashore on the banks of the Rio Grande near the camp in the last two months; the Mexican authorities said most of the deaths were a result of a rise in gang activity during the pandemic."I haven't done anything, I haven't stolen anything, and still I have to keep escaping. Why?" Salgado said that day in August.She said she and her children were on the run from her abusive husband, who drank excessively and would beat them when he was upset, and because her brother had been kidnapped and killed. Just then, her 11-year-old son, Alexander, who seemed to have only vaguely been paying attention, put down his toys and started to heave."He is constantly nervous," his mother said. "Every time we fought, his anxiety would make him sick and he would end up vomiting."Most children in the camp have not attended formal schooling since they left home. Parents agonize over whether they will be able to make up for the lost time. Some have become worried enough to launch their children across the river on the backs of smugglers, sending them alone on the last leg of their dangerous journey to the United States.Those who cannot bear to make such a decision are often tormented by second-guessing."I was scared I would never see him again because he's all I have," said Carmen Vargas, clinging to the arm of her 13-year-old son, Cristopher, who has a mop of curly brown hair and is tall for his age. "But my son needs to go to school. He's only 13 years old, and practically he has lost two years already."Cristopher teared up listening to his mother describe the life they had left behind. She pulled out identification cards showing that she had been a municipal police officer in Honduras, but said her success became a liability when she put a powerful drug cartel member in jail in 2018. Within hours, the cartel announced a hit on Vargas. She and Cristopher fled, leaving behind the ornate wooden furniture she had saved up to buy and a refrigerator full of food.With cupped palms, Vargas caught beads of sweat that dripped down her forehead as she spoke. She apologized for the stench; just outside her tent, insects crawled around a pile of feces that had washed up when the river flooded. "You have to withstand everything here: sun, water, cold, heat, we have it all."The camp residents are chronically sick with flulike viruses and stomach bugs that wend endlessly through the tents and with respiratory problems aggravated by the dusty air. Their skin is pockmarked from the throngs of mosquitoes that overwhelm the camp after it rains.Most acknowledge that life on the other side of the border would hardly be charmed -- especially if they lost their asylum cases and had to live in the shadows."Without papers, is it still better to be in the U.S. rather than here? Yes, it's a thousand times better," said Lucia Gomez, from Guerrero, Mexico, as she picked up clothing and toys that had been scattered outside their tent by hurricane winds. "They might find you, detain you and deport you," she said. "But if you manage to avoid them, you will be able to put food on the table."In her arms, she held her youngest child, an 8-month-old boy named Yahir, whose back was covered in a bumpy heat rash. Her son William, 16, plopped cherries into his mouth from a plate that was covered in flies.Gomez said her family had made a run for the camp from southern Mexico after their home was ransacked and her husband and father-in-law were shot to death. "A man came in and shouted, 'Put your hands up!'" her 8-year-old son Johan chimed in, holding his arms up as if he were holding an imaginary gun."That is why we wait," she said. "We try to get through this unworthy life. And we try to resist for our children's sake."Volunteer groups bought the laundry basins and water tanks, as well as hand-washing stations and a row of concrete showers that, after months of laying dry in the middle of the camp, were recently connected to a water source.But their efforts have often felt futile. Since the camp appeared, the invisible wall of policies blocking its inhabitants from being allowed into the United States has only grown taller and more fortified.Some have found ways to improvise a modicum of comfort. Antonia Maldonado, 41, from Honduras, stood in a kitchen she had cobbled together under tattered blue tarps suspended from trees. She placed raw chicken onto a grate over an open flame, using a scavenged piece of wood resting on two stacks of upside-down buckets as a countertop.She said she had been looking toward the election for hope that a new administration might ease some of the restrictions put into place by President Donald Trump."Not a leaf gets into that country without his permission," Maldonado said, adding, "I just want to live with dignity. I'm not asking for riches."Some parents pinch pesos to buy decorations and treats from supermarket reject bins for their children's birthdays. But many walk around the camp with bloodshot eyes, constantly on the brink of tears, or in a zombielike state, as if they have shut down emotionally.When Rodrigo Castro de la Parra arrived in Matamoros, he alternated between emotional extremes. In the span of a year, he had gone from being a shy high school student who liked to stay up late at night and draw flowers in his notebook to the head of his entire family. That was after the 18th Street Gang, the most brutal and powerful gang in Guatemala, murdered his mother and sister -- signaling a grudge that meant he and the rest of his relatives could be next on its kill list."I can't sleep," he said one afternoon, sitting outside the tents where he lived with his wife, daughter, grandmother, orphaned niece and his 16-year-old-sister, who had given birth after arriving at the camp. "Sometimes I feel hysterical." He said he worried that someone else in his family could be killed.But only two weeks later, it was Castro de la Parra's body that washed out of the river at one edge of the camp. His death was a mystery. The police investigated it as a possible homicide but ultimately determined that he had drowned.His wife, Cinthia, was still in shock when she took a bus back to Guatemala City for the repatriation of her husband's body. She also hoped to replace her travel documents that had been soaked in his pants when he died.She would need them when she went back with their 2-year-old to try again.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 09:55:49 -0400

Wild hogs running amok in California city. Can bow hunters help get rid of them?

Wild pigs are destroying land due a population boom.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 18:22:28 -0400

North Korea told citizens to stay inside, claiming (with no scientific basis) that a storm of yellow dust coming from China was carrying COVID-19

On Wednesday, North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper warned people of the "danger of invading malicious viruses" inside an approaching storm.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 06:21:18 -0400

The South was a lost cause for Democrats. Now eight key Senate seats are in play.

"You'd sometimes have a good candidate run, but they had no capacity to raise money or get involvement from the national party. That’s changed now," one Democratic strategist said.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 06:01:42 -0400

Man gets 20 years for buying guns used in 2015 terror attack

The man who bought two rifles that husband-and-wife assailants used to kill 14 people in a Southern California terror attack nearly five years ago was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison. Enrique Marquez Jr. supplied the weapons that Syed Rizwan Farook and Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, used on Dec. 2, 2015, to open fire on a meeting and holiday gathering of San Bernardino County employees who worked with Farook. Minutes later, a post on a Facebook page associated with Malik pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State terror group.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 11:22:26 -0400

Scoop: Rudy Giuliani declined offer of compromising Hunter Biden emails and images in May 2019

Giuliani turned the offer down out of credibility concerns, a source familiar with the meeting tells Salon

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:59:11 -0400

Fact check: Biden owns 2 of the 4 homes pictured in a viral meme

A viral meme purports to show four $3 million-$7.5 million homes Biden owns. He only owns two of them, neither of which cost more than $3 million.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 21:39:58 -0400

Senators Collins, Murkowski Vote Against Moving Forward with Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation

Senators Susan Collins (R., Maine.) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) voted on Friday against moving the Senate into an executive session to allow McConnell to expedite the final confirmation vote that is expected to seat Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.The Senate ended up approving the move to executive session — which allows McConnell to file cloture, thereby overcoming any potential filibuster — by a vote of 51-46. Republicans are attempting to confirm Judge Barrett to the Court bench next week, cementing a 6-3 majority of conservative justices.However, moderate Republicans Collins and Murkowski did not support the motion. Collins has already stated she will not vote in favor of Barrett's nomination because of the vote's proximity to the presidential election.Additionally, the Maine senator is in the midst of a difficult reelection campaign against Sarah Gideon, the Democratic speaker of the state House. President Trump is deeply unpopular among Maine voters, and the senator has struggled to keep a level of ideological distance between Trump and herself.Murkowski has not stated definitively how she will vote during the confirmation, although she, like Collins, has repeatedly voiced opposition to holding the confirmation in the week before elections."I’ve shared for a while that I didn’t think we should be taking this up until after the election, and I haven’t changed," Murkowski told Newsweek on Thursday. When asked if her comments meant she intends to vote against Barrett's confirmation, the senator responded, "That means I haven’t changed my mind on that."Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to confirm Barrett on Monday. While Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Il.) has acknowledged that the Democrats cannot effectively stop the confirmation, Democrats engaged in procedural delay tactics on Friday in an attempt to slow the process.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:36:17 -0400

How the End Sars protests have changed Nigeria forever

The campaign against police brutality has encouraged young Nigerians to take on the older generation.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:59:18 -0400

How has China avoided a coronavirus second wave?

Europe is the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic once again, with the number of daily infections doubling in the past 10 days as a second wave hits. But China has avoided a second wave. The question is why? The answer is that its authorities, after being overwhelmed in Wuhan, have fine-tuned an emergency response for surprise cluster outbreaks. Many subsequent waves of infection have emerged in China, a country of 1.4 billion people and nearly 40 times the size of the UK. Cases have cropped up across the country, as far apart as in the south along the border to Vietnam, and in the north near Russia.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 07:31:20 -0400

WATCH: Trump posts his version of '60 Minutes' interview

President Trump uploaded a cut of his "60 Minutes" segment to Facebook on Thursday before its Sunday evening broadcast on CBS. Trump this week abruptly ended his interview with Lesley Stahl and walked off camera.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:44:31 -0400

More heavy rain is coming to South Florida and the Keys. Why, when and how much?

South Florida woke to bright skies and a comfy 79 degrees.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 09:05:43 -0400

GOP House Candidate Sounds Racist Dog Whistle in Attack on Journalist

Madison Cawthorn, a Republican candidate for the House from North Carolina, created an attack website accusing a journalist of leaving a job in academia "to work for non-white males, like Cory Booker, who aims to ruin white males running for office."The journalist, Tom Fiedler, who had written favorably about Cawthorn's opponent, is a former dean of the Boston University College of Communications. He volunteered for the 2020 presidential campaign of Booker, D-N.J.Fiedler has since written articles and fact-checks about Cawthorn for a nonprofit news website in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, where Cawthorn is facing Moe Davis, a former Air Force prosecutor.The attack on Fiedler was reported by The Bulwark, which called it "a despicable smear" echoing racist remarks by President Donald Trump.By late Thursday, the website's language accusing Fiedler of seeking to ruin white male candidates had been deleted. It was changed to read that Fiedler had "become a political operative and is an unapologetic defender of left-wing identity politics.""The syntax of our language was unclear and unfairly implied I was criticizing Cory Booker," Cawthorn said in a statement. "I have condemned racism and identity politics throughout my campaign including during my convention speech when I highlighted M.L.K.'s vision for equality," he said in reference to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.The open congressional seat, which was held by Mark Meadows before he became Trump's chief of staff, has become unexpectedly competitive.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:04:39 -0400

Scott Peterson, who killed pregnant wife, faces death penalty at resentencing

“At this point in time, we are on track to retry" the death penalty case, a prosecutor told a judge in California on Friday.

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 21:26:00 -0400

Mexico reaches deal to pay water debt to US

Mexico announced Thursday it has reached a deal with the United States to pay the shortfall in its annual contribution of water from border-area rivers by giving the U.S. Mexico's rights to water held in border dams that normally supply cities and towns downstream. The agreement announced Thursday allows Mexico to meet the Oct. 24 deadline which, if missed, could have endangered a cross-border water sharing treaty that greatly benefits Mexico. Mexican officials has also worried the water debt could have become an issue in the upcoming U.S. elections.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:16:04 -0400

Senate Judiciary Committee authorizes subpoenas for Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg over Hunter Biden stories

Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said he hoped it would give the panel "leverage" to secure testimony from the CEOs.

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:30:35 -0400

Homeowners with Trump Yard Signs Receive Ominous Warning

‘You have been identified by our group as being a Trump supporter.”Thus begins the text of threatening letters recently sent to homeowners with Trump yard signs in New Hampshire. The letters continue, “We recommend that you check your home insurance policy and make [sure] that it is current and that it has adequate coverage for fire damage. You have been given ‘Fair Warning.’”The menacing notes are just the latest example of the threats, theft, and electoral shenanigans surrounding the final days of campaign season in New Hampshire, whose elite primary status typically makes it a hub of bare-knuckle politics early in the season — but not as much in the fall, despite its battleground stripes.Not so in 2020. State and federal law enforcement are investigating the letters, which were sent through the U.S. Postal Service to three homes in Milford and two in Brookline.Norm Silber, a Republican running for the state House of Representatives, also had one of his signs stolen off public property in his hometown of Gilford in June. “The grandson of one of my supporters saw it happen and wrote down the license plate,” he said. “So I reported it to the police, they ran the plates, called the registered owner, whose name is James Babcock, and he confessed!”Babcock has been charged with theft by unauthorized taking and an election-law violation of tampering with an election sign. However, there has been no trial, said Silber, because the court has been closed due to COVID. That leaves him fuming. “I find that people on the Left are much more willing to engage in this kind of behavior than the Right,” said Silber.Silber is a semi-retired attorney and previously served a couple years on New Hampshire’s House election committee. “Under the state constitution,” he pointed out, “if you’re convicted of violating election law, you lose your right to vote.”Silber’s not the only Republican candidate in the state whose signs have been stolen. “I’ve had a lot of signs that have disappeared or been vandalized,” said Corky Messner, the underdog GOP candidate for U.S. Senate. “I had 4’x8’ signs cut up and destroyed.”Sign stealing is hardly a new practice, but the threats against Trump supporters are more concerning.Republican State Representative Glenn Cordelli has received two threatening postcards, both of which he turned over to police and are now being investigated by postal inspectors. “They were profane,” he said. The postcard reads (according to a copy I reviewed):> Ronald Reagan was a failure, like the [sic] Trump he has f--ed over people. It’s time to trash that Republican sh-. Socialism rules. Get your guns out. . . . Donald Trump is Putins [sic] P-ssy. It’s incredible whatever happened to the moral character that you had.Both postcards — one postmarked Manchester, N.H., the other Boston, Mass. — are seemingly written by the same hand and addressed to his personal post-office box. A couple in New Boston, N.H., had their 16-foot-tall wooden “T” (for Trump) vandalized in their front yard. Security-camera footage shows three people spray-painting “Black Lives Matter” on the “T” and throwing toilet paper on it. Police are also investigating a powder found at its base.With its four electoral votes, New Hampshire is not the most sought-after prize in November but is nevertheless contested. This year, polls continue to show Joe Biden well ahead of President Trump – but his supporters are pressing his case to the end.More than two-dozen Trump supporters gathered on an overcast, late-October day for a sign-waving event in Wolfeboro. Passing drivers honked their horns in encouragement and flashed the “V” for victory as the sign-holders cheered and waved. Occasionally, someone flipped the bird, usually while driving a Prius.A defiant streak ran through it, and tensions flared as they have in towns like this all year. A man in his sixties sported a shirt that read, “If you don’t like Trump, you probably won’t like me — and I’m OK with that.” He said he’s opposed to income taxes (New Hampshire has no personal income tax) but he didn’t know much about how government works and was surprised to learn that New Hampshire has a 400-member House of Representatives. Someone suggested he watch Hillsdale College videos on YouTube, and he replied he’s just signed up for PragerU and is looking forward to learning more about the Constitution.“You’re dumb, you’re dumb, you’re dumb,” said a teenage girl as she walked through the group of Trump supporters, standing on a public sidewalk near Brewster Academy, an elite private boarding school (about $70,000-a-year tuition). The girl and two friends had their phones out, filming the interaction.“Your mother loved you,” a woman holding a homemade anti-abortion sign told the teen. “She had you. She loves you.”“At least I’m smart and not stupid like you,” the girl replied. Earlier in the afternoon, the coach of the Brewster girls’ soccer team had the team run near the sign-wavers while chanting “Black Lives Matter.” The coach filmed the girls, making sure to get the Trump supporters in the background.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 06:30:53 -0400

‘Urban Warfare’ as Europe’s Second Wave Spins Out of Control

ROME—A few hours after the regional governor of the Italian region of Campania where Naples is located announced he would be locking down the entire province to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Neapolitans took to the streets Friday night to defy the order. The situation quickly turned into what one police official likened to urban warfare with protesters lighting dumpsters and ducking teargas being lobbed by police. All the while, the mostly maskless, yelling crowd undoubtedly spread coronavirus even more.Europe is very much out of control when it comes to its second wave, with every single nation in the 27-member zone struggling in a race against time as hospitals fill up and death tolls—which are substantially less than the first wave so far— continue to rise. Millions of people are facing harsh new restrictions as governments play what amounts to whack-a-mole to try to stop the spread of the virus they thought just a few months ago they had defeated. Improved testing in many countries has painted a clearer picture of just how widespread the pandemic is, but because of the number of new infections, systems to contact trace have been overwhelmed, making the spread impossible to control.The U.S. is in Denial Over the Coronavirus Pandemic as Europe Struggles With Second WaveFrance has expanded its Draconian curfew that has stifled Parisian nightlife and put a massive dent in the hospitality sector economy of one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Now 46 million French people will have to be home by 9 p.m. In Wales, a two-week “firebreak” started Friday, meaning everyone but essential workers has to be home by 6 p.m. The Czech Republic has just reached the dubious honor of having the most cases per capita in Europe with 1,148 cases per 100,000 residents, with Belgium and the Netherlands close behind. Ireland is under a six-week lockdown and Slovakia has vowed to test every single citizen to try to mitigate the spread. The Polish president has just tested positive and Germany reached 10,003 COVID-related deaths as the infection rate continues to rise. Filming of Mission Impossible 7 with Tom Cruise has been suspended in Venice as cases there reach record levels. And the Italian government is facing calls by 100 top scientists to mandate strict new measures in the next two or three days, or the outcome could be catastrophic.And it is still only October.Europe’s problems are dire, and citizens are angry that their governments have not been able to come up with any better plan than locking down, which puts already weak economies that were so badly hurt in the first wave of the pandemic at even greater risk of collapse. Ludovic Subran, the chief economist at Allianz warned last week of a high risk serious recession across Europe as new restrictions are put in place. “We see an elevated risk of a double dip recession in countries that are once again resorting to targeted and regional lockdowns,” he said, adding that the European Union’s first bailout $880 billion won’t likely go to growth but be used by many countries like Italy, Spain and Greece to just stay afloat.On Saturday, the group Save Our Rights U.K. is holding a massive demonstration in London to protest not only restrictions being enforced by the British government, but the overall handling of the pandemic, pointing to contact tracing and other means to track the spread of the coronavirus as an affront to privacy. “We believe that the coronavirus regulations that are in place are not proportionate and appropriate, and are causing more harm than good,” Louise Creffield, the group founder told the Guardian. “We are very concerned with protecting people’s human rights: right to privacy, family life, bodily autonomy, medical freedoms, and so on. We are not just concerned with lockdowns per se, we are concerned with the infringements with our privacy by having this track and trace everywhere.”Similar sentiments are now common across Europe, where pandemic fatigue is now evident. And with lack of a feasible containment plan anywhere, the people are angry, desperate and increasingly ambivalent about what is really at stake: thousands of lives.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 08:37:13 -0400

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