| Election 2020: Live coverage, updates and results Posted: 05 Nov 2020 07:26 AM PST  Yahoo News is providing complete coverage of the election, with instant updates and real-time analysis as the votes are counted.
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| Pennsylvania Republicans are already trying to cast doubt on the state's election results Posted: 03 Nov 2020 09:42 PM PST  Pennsylvania Republicans wasted no time Tuesday night in firing the first shot of what is likely to be at least a weeklong political knife fight in that state, potentially with the presidency at stake.
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| The Supreme Court heard a case concerning LGBTQ rights and religious liberty about one week after Amy Coney Barrett joined the bench Posted: 05 Nov 2020 12:00 AM PST  The case represents a "legal supernova clash" between the rights of LGBTQ people and the First Amendment right to religious liberty, one expert said.
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| ‘A nightmare case.’ Florida man thought he shot an intruder, but it was his pregnant wife, sheriff says Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:04 PM PST  A Martin County man thought he heard someone outside his bedroom door in the middle of the night Wednesday. Thinking it was an intruder, the man shot at them. But it wasn't an intruder. It was his pregnant wife, reports say.
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| College student found dead in dorm after testing positive for coronavirus Posted: 04 Nov 2020 08:04 AM PST  Bethany Nesbitt, 20, was found dead in a residence hall at Grace College in Indiana. The coroner said Covid-19 was a contributing factor while the cause of death was a pulmonary embolus.
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| Mississippi's new magnolia flag starting to fly after vote Posted: 04 Nov 2020 02:02 PM PST  A new Mississippi flag without Confederate images was flying in parts of the state on Wednesday, one day after a majority voters approved the design that has a magnolia encircled by stars and the phrase "In God We Trust." Officials hoisted the flag outside Hattiesburg City Hall and on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. "Mississippi voters sent a message to the world that we are moving forward together," former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson said in a statement.
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| Tired of blue state life, rural Oregon voters eye new border Posted: 04 Nov 2020 03:30 PM PST  As a hotly contested election highlights the United States's deep divisions, rural voters in liberal blue-state Oregon have approved a radical solution -- splitting off to join neighboring deep-red conservative Idaho.
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| 5 states just passed ballot measures to legalize marijuana, but policy experts say people already in prison on drug convictions have a hard path to freedom Posted: 04 Nov 2020 07:34 PM PST  Five states — New Jersey, Mississippi, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota — voted to legalize marijuana on Tuesday.
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| A man was banned from Yellowstone after trying to fry chicken in a hot spring Posted: 05 Nov 2020 02:13 PM PST  Park Rangers found the man near Yellowstone's Shoshone Geyser Basin region with cooking pots and two chickens in a burlap sack.
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| The USPS can't account for 300,000 absentee ballots, but that's probably not as bad as it sounds Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:12 AM PST  U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan was furious Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service had defied his order to sweep postal processing facilities in 15 states Tuesday to find missing absentee ballots and deliver them on time. The USPS had said in a court document that 300,000 ballots had been scanned into facilities but not scanned out, suggesting they were misplaced.Instead of complying with Sullivan's order, the USPS kept to its own schedule, raising concerns that tens of thousands of ballots would not be delivered in time to be counted. "It just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth for the clock to run out — game's over — and then to find out there was no compliance with a very important court order," Sullivan said. He suggested he would demand a deposition from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.Notably, there were 81,000 untraced ballots spread across postal districts in key swing states with a combined 151 electoral votes, The Washington Post reports, though, according to its analysis, the missing ballots "are unlikely to affect the outcome of the presidential race." In many cases, USPS said, the ballots had been hand-sorted and delivered without an exit scan. The USPS did not provide data to indicate how prevalent that practice has been, though it did disclose that 7 percent of ballots in its sorting facilities Tuesday were not delivered in time to be counted."Even in a worst-case scenario where all potentially misplaced ballots in a state are permanently lost, those ballots amount to just a fraction of both current two-party vote margins and estimates of the number of outstanding ballots yet to be tallied," the Post reports. In Georgia, for instance, the maximum 6,624 missing votes represent just 8 percent of the margin between President Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.In other states, though, the number of missing ballots is larger — more than 11,000 in Pennsylvania and 16,000 in Florida — and the untraced absentee votes in Arizona make up 24 percent of the outstanding margin between Biden and Trump, the Post reports. Also, its analysis that "misplaced mail ballots will not be a significant factor in final vote tallies" has the caveat that it might be a factor if "the final presidential vote margins shrink to low three- or four-digit numbers in the coming days." In some states, like Arizona and Georgia that's a distinct possibility.More stories from theweek.com Fox News brings Trump to his knees The left just got crushed Biden's potential Cabinet picks may be limited 'to those who Mitch McConnell can live with'
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| Australian bookmaker pays out $17 million on Biden victory ahead of official result Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:29 PM PST  An Australian bookmaker said on Thursday it has paid out A$23 million ($16.5 million) to people that had bet on Joe Biden becoming the next U.S. president though the official result is still to be determined. Former Vice President Biden has said he is headed to victory, though President Donald Trump has claimed that he has won and is pursuing lawsuits and a recount. "We have supreme confidence that Biden will end up in the Oval Office," a spokesman for the Australian bookmaker said.
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| SCOTUS to hear dispute over Catholic organization’s refusal to allow LGBT parents to foster Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:48 AM PST  In a case pitting LGBT rights against religious rights, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to hear arguments in a dispute over the city of Philadelphia's refusal to place children for foster care with a Catholic Church-affiliated agency that excludes same-sex couples from serving as foster parents.
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| Black men drifted from Democrats toward Trump in record numbers, polls show Posted: 04 Nov 2020 12:45 PM PST  Most Black men supported Biden, but overall, Democrats have been losing Black male support since 2008, according to NBC exit poll data.
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| Remains of missing Los Angeles firefighter found in Mexico Posted: 04 Nov 2020 05:12 PM PST |
| Minnesota's Peterson voted out of Washington after 30 years Posted: 03 Nov 2020 11:48 PM PST  The Minnesota Democrat was defeated by a female GOP recruit.
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| A senior TikTok executive admitted the company used to censor content critical of China, 'specifically with regard to the Uighur situation' Posted: 05 Nov 2020 06:04 AM PST  TikTok's UK director of public policy said Wednesday that the company had previously taken a "blunt instrument" approach to censorship.
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| People want Amanda Knox to delete an 'insensitive' tweet saying that the next presidency can't be worse than her 4 years in Italy Posted: 04 Nov 2020 08:54 AM PST  "Whatever happens, the next four years can't be as bad as that four-year study abroad I did in Italy, right?" Knox tweeted.
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| Trump, Biden locked in close race as vote-counting stalls Posted: 04 Nov 2020 12:12 AM PST  Despite many polls promising an easy win for former Vice President Joe Biden, he found himself in a tight race with President Trump early Wednesday morning.
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| When will battleground GA declare presidential winner? Update from top voting official Posted: 04 Nov 2020 08:50 AM PST  As America waits to see if Biden or Trump will take battleground Georgia, hundreds of thousands of ballots were being counted on Wednesday.
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| Oregon becomes 1st state to decriminalize drug possession as New Jersey, Arizona legalize marijuana Posted: 03 Nov 2020 09:40 PM PST  States across the U.S. are poised to take big steps toward legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana and other drugs.Both New Jersey and Arizona are projected to approve ballot measures legalizing recreational marijuana, The New York Times and The Associated Press project. Meanwhile Oregon is expected to take a completely unprecedented step, decriminalizing the possession of some illegal drugs and establishing treatment to help people with drug addictions.Several drug-related measures were on ballots across the country, and all those that would loosen drug restrictions seem to be winning as election night wears on. Arizona is projected to approve the legalization of recreational marijuana for people over 21, and to expunge marijuana offenses. New Jersey is projected to legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana by those 21 and up. Meanwhile South Dakota is projected to overwhelmingly approve a measure to let people with "debilitating medical conditions" to posses 3 oz. of marijuana, per the Times.In Oregon, voters have opted to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, Oxycodone and methamphetamine, per Oregon Public Broadcasting. Possessing a small amount of those drugs would be redefined as a civil offense similar to a traffic violation. The measure would also fund treatment and harm-reduction efforts for those with drug addictions, paid for by a tax on marijuana.Mississippi's proposal to legalize medical marijuana, Montana's measure to legalize recreational marijuana and set its legal age at 21, and South Dakota's proposal to legalize recreational marijuana are still uncertain, but early results point in their favor.More stories from theweek.com Biden is now projected to receive more votes for president than any other candidate in U.S. history Trump blames nonexistent 'surprise ballot dumps' for growing Biden margins Polling was terrible again. It isn't going anywhere.
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| Russia's coronavirus tests show false negatives up to 40% of time, official says Posted: 04 Nov 2020 11:42 PM PST  Russia's coronavirus tests give false negative results up to 40% of the time, a health official said on Thursday as new infections rose and Moscow's mayor warned of a worsening situation. Sergei Avdeev, the health ministry's lead external consultant on pulmonology, said coronavirus tests often showed false negatives, not because of a problem with the tests, but because the swabs were not taken properly.
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| An already soaked South Florida prepares for possible Tropical Storm Eta Posted: 05 Nov 2020 08:19 AM PST  South Florida and the Florida Keys should start preparing for wind and rain beginning late this weekend and lasting into early next week
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| Mexico police arrest man over 2019 Mormon killings Posted: 05 Nov 2020 07:08 AM PST  Three women and six children from the US were killed, in a possible case of mistaken identity.
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| Fact check: Claim noting time between CARES Act and Barrett confirmation is true Posted: 05 Nov 2020 07:58 AM PST  The Senate confirmed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the fraction of the time it's been considering a second coronavirus relief bill.
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| North Korea bans smoking in public places - will it help Kim kick the habit? Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:17 AM PST  North Korea has introduced smoking bans in some public places to provide citizens with "hygienic living environments," raising questions about whether the nation's chain-smoking supreme leader may kick the habit himself. The new law introduced on Wednesday by the governing Supreme People's Assembly aims to protect the lives and health of North Koreans by tightening the legal and social controls on the production and sale of cigarettes, state media KCNA reported. The law stipulates that smoking is banned in specific venues, such as political and ideological education centres, theatres and cinemas, and medical and public health facilities. KCNA added that the law indicates penalties for breaking rules. North Korea has notoriously high smoking rates. Some 46 per cent of men smoked tobacco as of 2017, according to a World Health Organization survey. Apparently, no women smoke. Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is the nation's most famous smoker, and has been frequently seen on state media lighting up a cigarette.
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| Georgia voters ousted the district attorney who oversaw Ahmaud Arbery's case Posted: 04 Nov 2020 10:03 AM PST  The longtime Republican prosecutor had declined to investigate the death of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was followed, shot, and killed by a group of white men.
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| Kayleigh McEnany suggests Pennsylvania should toss out all mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, even though the Supreme Court said they should be counted up to 3 days after Posted: 05 Nov 2020 07:36 AM PST  The Supreme Court ruled in October the state can count mail ballots for up to three days after Nov. 3, as long as they are marked Election Day.
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| Key West voters put limits on cruise ships — but a lawsuit is pending Posted: 05 Nov 2020 04:00 AM PST  Key West voters on Tuesday changed the way the island will do business with the cruise industry.
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| Although now required by California law, ethnic studies courses likely to be met with resistance Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:27 AM PST  In August 2020, California passed a law that requires college students in the state university system to take an ethnic studies course in order to graduate. In essence, the California state legislature has made it mandatory for the nearly 500,000 students in the Cal State system to take the classes that student activists and others fought for universities to implement decades ago. While these classes are not without controversy, as a scholar who studies racial dynamics on college campuses, I argue their benefits outweigh their liabilities.These classes are offered throughout the country at colleges and universities as varied and diverse as Bowling Green State University and the University of Washington. When these classes are taught as they were intended – with a heavy focus on issues of race and fighting racism – research shows they can improve college students' cognitive and social development. They can also reduce individual racial prejudice. Ethnic studies occupies a unique place within higher education. The field's existence is owed to grassroots struggles of communities of color and their allies. These struggles frequently came in the form of sit-ins, hunger strikes and other forms of targeted agitation. Many scholars trace the roots of ethnic studies to the Third World Liberation Front strike at San Francisco State University in 1968, where these classes were part of the activists' demands. Thus, ethnic studies came about as a result of activism by students of color and professors who sought to shine the light on the histories and cultural contributions of racially marginalized people, while documenting their struggles for social justice. From this history, meaningful ethnic studies treats racism as a systemic reality as opposed to an individual flaw. It also explores how other forms of discrimination and oppression – such as sexism, genderism and ableism – reinforce racism and vice versa. White students' resistanceIn my view, the merits of ethnic studies stand on their own, especially at a time of substantial racial unrest. However, making these classes a graduation requirement will undoubtedly change the dynamics and composition of the students who take these courses. Simply put, these classes will now have more white students who are there only because they must be, not because they choose to be.While there is some research on white students' resistance in ethnic studies classes specifically, there is substantial evidence regarding how they engage with other classes where race is the primary focus. For example, when college courses focus on racism, it is frequently framed by white students as a form of hating white people.The sensitivity to perceived "anti-white" content is so high that in October 2019, Jennine Capó Crucet's novel, "Make Your Home Among Strangers," was the subject of a literal book burning at Georgia Southern University. Exploring the effects of systemic racism on communities of color can provoke a reaction of what education scholar and author Robin DiAngelo calls "white fragility," or "a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves." The problem with white fragility is that it frequently emerges within college classrooms when the subject is racism. It can also take the form of white student resistance and evasiveness. This resistance has been shown to negatively affect instructor course evaluations, particularly for instructors of color.Part of this dynamic is that white men often see classes that address race and racism as less academically rigorous than other courses. Compulsion questionedGiven this context, some people have asked me if it would not make more sense to make ethnic studies optional instead of mandatory. I disagree with this premise because Black, Latino, Indigenous and Asian American students are often subjected to a Eurocentric curriculum in their undergraduate studies. In looking at the research, I have seen little evidence that students of color resist these Eurocentric courses the same way that their white peers resist courses that focus on race. Additionally, I had a student directly ask me, "When am I going to use ethnic studies? Isn't that just for racial activists? I am going to be an engineer." I have two responses to this.First, students are constantly asking when they are going to use specific pieces of the general education curriculum, and that is not the point of these courses. They are meant to provide a well-rounded college experience. A university education is meant to be one in which English majors take math courses and chemistry majors take classes in the humanities. Second, a general education curriculum is a reflection of what an institution values. Increasingly, those values include promoting racial equity. This is because racism is a systemic reality which requires a collective response – not exclusively being the responsibility of "racial activists." [You're smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation's authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]Anti-racism makes many white students feel uncomfortable because it functions as a type of social agitation. As the esteemed sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois reminds us, "Agitation is a necessary evil to tell of the ills of the suffering. Without it many a nation has been lulled to false security and preened itself with virtues it did not possess." Meaningful ethnic studies courses can contribute to this type of necessary agitation. In my view, making them mandatory can challenge all students to explore, understand and address the realities of racial oppression. Ethnic studies is not a panacea for all issues of race and racism, but I believe it is an important central component moving forward. Yes, there will be predictable resistance to these course requirements, but in a way, that is what makes an ethnic studies requirement so critically important.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Nolan L. Cabrera, University of Arizona.Read more: * Why I teach a course called 'White Racism' * For parents of color, schooling at home can be an act of resistanceNolan L. Cabrera does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Pope shakes up running of Vatican funds after London property scandal Posted: 05 Nov 2020 04:43 AM PST  Pope Francis has stripped the Vatican's Secretariat of State of control over its own funds, moving them to the supervision of its economic offices in an attempt to contain the fallout of a scandal over a luxury London property deal. The Secretariat of State is the most important department in the Vatican administration, overseeing the Holy See's diplomacy and general affairs inside the Vatican and has historically controlled its own funds, investments and real estate holdings. An investigation into the London deal, which involved several middlemen, led to the suspension last year of five Vatican employees, the resignation of its police chief and the exit of the former director of its Financial Information Authority.
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| Eta's second act: Florida now in storm's path after it made landfall in Nicaragua as Category 4 Posted: 04 Nov 2020 08:48 AM PST  While it's too soon to determine Eta's intensity, timing and impacts from wind and rainfall, Florida should pay attention to this system.
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| US Postal Service blows court-ordered deadline to check for missing ballots. About 300,000 can't be traced Posted: 03 Nov 2020 08:54 PM PST  The window is closing fast. The deadline for mail-in ballots either ends as the polls close tonight or has already passed in 29 states.
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| Vienna gunman was caught trying to buy ammunition in July Posted: 04 Nov 2020 07:10 AM PST  The Islamic State gunman who murdered four people and injured 22 in a terror attack in Vienna on Monday was caught trying to buy ammunition in the summer, officials have admitted. Kujtim Fejzulai was not under surveillance despite having been released from jail only last December for attempting to join Isil. He had succeeded in convincing the authorities that he had been deradicalised, according to Karl Nehammer, the Austrian interior minister. It has now emerged that police in neighbouring Slovakia notified the Austrian authorities that he had been caught trying to buy ammunition there in July. The disclosure came as one of Fejzulai's victims was identifed as Nexhip Vrenezi, 21, a Muslim originally from the same Albanian immigrant community in North Macedonia as Fejzulai. On the night of Fejzulai's rampage, he was shot four times as he left a pub to have a cigarette. There is no indication that the two men knew each other. Meanwhile the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said that he would use an EU summit next month to urge fellow European Union leaders to unite together against political Islam. His words echoed those of President Emmanuel Macron of France, who has said in the wake of recent terror attacks on French soil that Islamism was incompatible with French values. "I expect an end to the misconceived tolerance and for all the nations of Europe to finally realise how dangerous the ideology of political Islam is for our freedom and the European way of life," Mr Kurz told Die Welt, a German newspaper. Fejzulai's attempts to buy ammunition in Slovakia has highlighted its reputation as one of the easier places in Europe to buy weapons. Two of the gunmen who carried out the 2015 attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris obtained assault rifles there. But the country has tightened gun controls since then and Fejzulai was refused ammunition because he did not have a valid gun license. He travelled there with another man in a car registered to the mother of another known Islamist. Mr Nehammer told a press conference the warning from Slovakia had been investigated by Austria's BVT domestic intelligence agency. He put the fact it was not acted on further down to a "failure of communication" and pledged to set up an independent inquiry.
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| 'Magic' mushrooms could treat long-term depression 4 times better than anti-depressants, study finds Posted: 05 Nov 2020 10:27 AM PST  Johns Hopkins researchers' findings suggest psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in "magic" mushrooms, could be a depression treatment alternative.
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| Pennsylvania secretary of state says "majority" of ballots counted Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:14 PM PST  As of Thursday afternoon, Trump had 50.2% of the vote in Pennsylvania compared to Biden's 48.5%, with 92% of the vote counted.
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| The ultimate guide to marijuana legalization Posted: 05 Nov 2020 06:17 AM PST  Four states voted to legalize recreational cannabis, and Mississippi voted to allow medical marijuana.
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| Missing mountain biker found dead after falling from hillside, California cops say Posted: 04 Nov 2020 12:53 PM PST  Rescuers initially couldn't reach the mountain biker, officials said.
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| Meet Adrian Tam, the Gay Man Who Beat a ‘Proud Boys’ Leader in Hawaii’s Election Posted: 05 Nov 2020 01:34 AM PST  Adrian Tam was not worried for himself while out on the campaign trail in Hawaii, he said. Instead, he was concerned for the safety of his volunteers and supporters, wearing shirts and face masks bearing his name, because his opponent was Nick Ochs, the leader of a Hawaii chapter of the far-right paramilitary group the Proud Boys."Fortunately, nothing bad happened," Tam, 28, told The Daily Beast. "We were met with happiness and joy by people." Tam was ultimately victorious in his bid to represent District 22—covering Waikiki, Ala Moana, and Kakaako on Oahu—in the Hawaii House of Representatives. He won the seat with 63 percent of the vote, and is now the only out LGBTQ representative in the statehouse.The Demented Drama Behind a Chart-Topping Band Going Full Proud BoyOn Wednesday, Tam told The Daily Beast that he was happy there had been a record turnout in Hawaii. "As a first-time candidate, like many first-time candidates, there may have been a little anxiety going into it. I am just grateful that we won, the anxiety is lifted. Now the hard work begins today." The major issues he is focusing on are around homelessness, public safety, condominiums, coronavirus, the economy, and diversifying the regional economy away from tourism.The biggest challenge he faced was not Ochs, said Tam, but defeating longtime Democratic incumbent Tom Brower in the primary. "This was a 'change election,'" said Tam. "A lot of new candidates are younger, and won races or open primaries."He is also the only out LGBTQ member of the legislature. "It feels great," said Tam. "I always say representation matters. I am glad that I can bring that perspective to the legislature when it comes to making decisions. I always say a legislature should reflect what a state looks like. I am glad to be the only one, but I hope I am not the last one."LGBTQ issues did not come up with constituents, Tam said. "People were more concerned about the economy and their livelihoods. But I had a lot of people who are LGBTQ tell me that they were excited about our campaign. They really wanted us to win."Ochs' campaign had "thrown a lot of insults and attacks" at him, Tam said, "but we stayed on message, with the plans and ideas we had to move Hawaii forward. I'm really glad our message got through, and the community voted resoundingly to send me to the legislature. I am grateful for this opportunity that was given to me by the voters, and I promise I am going to work hard for them."It concerns Tam that the Proud Boys have a presence in Hawaii. "But I am happy and very hopeful that members of the community realized they didn't represent the values of Hawaii. Groups like these will always exist, but it's up to us to not only tune them out, but to get our message out there and change minds so more people don't join them."Tam muted Ochs on social media, although friends told him when his opponent attacked him online. In September, Facebook deleted Ochs' campaign page for violating terms of service and community standards, a move Ochs condemned. (The Daily Beast reached out to Ochs for comment via Hawaii's GOP, and received no response.)Local ABC news station KITV reported that the Democratic Party of Hawaii had denounced Ochs "for a history of offensive posts on social media about the Black, Jewish, and LGBT communities, as well as a video showing Ochs urinating into active lava fissure at the Kilauea volcano."At his first presidential debate with Joe Biden, President Trump infamously asked the Proud Boys to "stand by." In a 2018 interview with Hawaii Public Radio, Ochs said of the Proud Boys: "We are a social club, a fraternity. Proud Boys are what you'd call the 'new right' or, to make it simpler to understand, the 'alt lite.' The only thing you have to do to become a Proud Boy is declare yourself to be a proud Western chauvinist. It's just to say that we think Western culture is the best and we need make no apology for that."He said the Proud Boys believed America to be "the greatest country on Earth, Canada, Western Europe. Let's not overcomplicate this. What's today's big controversy? The president is in trouble for, I know you have polite listeners, calling certain parts of the world crap holes, specifically, Haiti… and Africa, sure. Objectively these countries don't have anywhere near the standard of living that countries in the West do. Everyone agrees that Haiti is a crap hole. I think speaking honestly is just speaking honestly, and the fact a controversy erupts from that is why we exist."Ochs, who was endorsed by Roger Stone, Donald Trump's former informal campaign adviser and longtime ally, told KITV that he was not a racist or white supremacist. "I'm happy to talk to anyone. And again, I am either the world's worst racist, or I'm not a racist. You have to acknowledge that a white supremacist does not marry a Black woman and have a mixed family, that is not what that word means and the people that are throwing it around are disingenuous."* * *"It was the biggest leap I had ever made in my life."Tam was born and raised in Honolulu; his mother and father, he writes on his website, "were hard-working immigrant parents from Hong Kong and Taiwan who fled with their families from hardships in their home countries in search for a better life in the United States." His father was an assistant to a draftsman, and his mother was a saleswoman at Maui Divers. His family went on to open Central Pacific Properties Inc., a local small real estate firm.Tam left Hawaii to attend Penn State University, where he studied history, thinking he might go to law school or do a master's degree. He returned to Hawaii—aged 23—to work at his family's real estate business. He felt he wasn't making enough money, and left after a year to take on an administrative job at the state legislature, "where I immediately fell in love with public service," he told The Daily Beast. In 2016, Tam served as a legislative aide, and in 2017 he was appointed to manage the office of Sen. Stanley Chang. The Victory Fund, which supported a number of successful LGBTQ candidates in election races including Tam, said that during his tenure Tam "has been instrumental in the passage of Hawaii's conversion therapy ban for minors, as well as working with stakeholders in passing a ban on gay panic defense."Tam told The Daily Beast that last year he decided he would run for public office himself. "I saw that our community and state were hurting, and needed new voices, new leadership, new ideas, and new innovations, and so I threw my hat into the ring. It was the biggest leap I had ever made in my life."Tam came out as gay while at college. He said he had "never faced many challenges in terms of employment. It's never been an issue for me really, but I understand it's important to have a seat at the table. As Elizabeth Warren once said, 'If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu.'"His family—mom, dad, sister, and grandmother—"are my biggest supporters. They are ecstatic, over the moon, right now, and have been in this with me since the primary." Tam is single. Right now, he is focused on his new job, "and whatever happens happens in that part of my life."Tam believes the victories of young, first-time candidates shows Hawaii was "definitely in the mood for change this election cycle. I am also happy that when we join the legislature, long-time legislators will also be there. I truly believe we have lot to learn as new candidates, and I want to learn from the more experienced ones. We're not there to destroy everything and start from scratch. We want to build on what we have so far."Hawaii, said Tam, like the rest of America was extremely divided. He quoted Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "A great man once said that the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle. It is the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings too far in one direction it will go back." Tam hopes this election will prove to be once such moment."I believe there have been heated exchanges between family members, friends, peers, and colleagues in Hawaii. There are definitely a lot of people who voted for Biden and others who voted for Trump who do not see eye to eye. But in Hawaii we respect each other. We have this thing called the 'Aloha Spirit,' which means that at the end of the day, no matter what our beliefs are, we remain friends and cordial and respectful. We have not had riots or unrest here. There have been protests, but it hasn't escalated to what I've seen on the mainland."This reporter asked if Ochs had call Tam to concede, or if the the pair had spoken since Tam's victory."We have not spoken," Tam said. His tone suggested he didn't much mind about that, this reporter said."I am fine either way, said Tam. "I know it is not easy being a candidate, so I understand."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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| Why Amy Coney Barrett may reduce conservative Christians' fears — and help all Americans Posted: 05 Nov 2020 06:02 AM PST  Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation might begin a path that will put Christian conservatives' anxiety to rest, which bodes well for all Americans.
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| Germany approves 5.4 billion euro purchase of 38 Eurofighter jets: source Posted: 05 Nov 2020 08:16 AM PST  The German parliament's budget committee approved a 5.4 billion euro ($6.35 billion) contract to buy 38 Eurofighter jets from Airbus for the country's air force on Thursday, a source said. The deal is part of the German defence ministry's long-term plan to acquire up to 93 Eurofighter jets along with 45 F-18s from Boeing. The 38 jets approved on Thursday are supposed to replace the oldest Eurofighter jets of the German fleet which are of only limited operational use according to experts.
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| Mom gets 40 years in deaths of 2 babies left in trash bags Posted: 05 Nov 2020 09:07 AM PST  A South Carolina mother who skipped the trial where she was convicted of homicide by child abuse for throwing two of her newborns away in trash bags moments after they born will spend 40 years in prison. Alyssa Dayvault turned herself in the day after her trial ended and remained in jail until Thursday, when Circuit Judge Steven John opened the envelopes where he placed her sealed sentences after the jury verdict Oct. 15. Dayvault hid her pregnancies in 2017 and 2018 from everyone, including her boyfriend and her mother, gave birth at her North Myrtle Beach home alone then put the newborns into trash bags and threw them away, prosecutors said.
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| Crenshaw: Despite being outspent, Texas Republicans stopped blue wave in its tracks Posted: 05 Nov 2020 05:55 AM PST  Texas remains red despite the Democrats' push to flip the state blue; reaction and analysis from Rep. Dan Crenshaw on 'Fox & Friends.'
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| Trump ally Angela Stanton-King loses Georgia House race with less than 15% of the vote Posted: 04 Nov 2020 06:37 PM PST  Nikema Williams defeated Angela Stanton-King in a landslide victory in the race for the late Congressman John Lewis' seat in Georgia. Williams won the seat with 85.1% of votes to Stanton's 14.9%, The New York Times reports. The landslide victory was by a margin of 71%.
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| Trump Campaign Declares Victory in Pennsylvania Despite Ballots Still Being Counted Posted: 04 Nov 2020 01:06 PM PST  President Donald Trump's campaign on Wednesday declared victory in Pennsylvania, though hundreds of thousands of votes are still to be counted.Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters the campaign is "declaring a victory in Pennsylvania," saying they had won the battleground state "based on math" though the Associated Press and other outlets have said the race is too close to call.> Bill Stepien on press call: "We are declaring a victory in Pennsylvania. This is not based on gut or feel. This is based on math."> > -- Tessa Berenson (@tcberenson) November 4, 2020The campaign also revealed it had filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania and Michigan to temporarily halt counting of ballots. In Michigan, the campaign contended it wasn't given "meaningful access" to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process.The announcement comes shortly after the AP projected Democrat Joe Biden had won in another battleground state, Wisconsin, giving Biden 248 electoral votes to Trumps' 214, with 76 yet to be called, per the AP. To claim victory, a candidate will need to reach 270 electoral votes.Trump's campaign said earlier Wednesday it would demand a recount in Wisconsin citing "reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results.""The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so," Stepien said.Twenty electoral votes are up for grabs in Pennsylvania, which the president won four years ago by 44,292 votes, or less than 1 percentage point. His 2016 victory made him the first Republican to win Pennsylvania since 1988.The last Democrat to lose Pennsylvania but win the White House was Harry Truman in 1948.
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| Here’s what marijuana actually does to your body and brain Posted: 04 Nov 2020 09:37 AM PST  As of Election Day 2020, 1 in 3 Americans live in a state where adults can legally buy cannabis. Here's what we know about the drug.
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| Nursing home residents who leave don’t need to test for COVID when they return, state says Posted: 05 Nov 2020 04:55 PM PST |
| Simone Biles slammed a Christian group after it criticized the ad campaign she did with Jonathan Van Ness for 'pushing the LGBTQ agenda' Posted: 05 Nov 2020 09:30 AM PST  Olympic gymnast Simone Biles slammed the group on Twitter and vowed that "the LGBTQIA will always have my support and feel welcome on my socials."
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