| Full coverage: Biden wins 2020 presidential election Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:03 AM PST  Yahoo News is providing complete coverage, with live updates on the election and transition of power.
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| The reason Alaska has still counted only half of its ballots Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:23 AM PST  The state's three electoral votes are likely headed to President Trump, but a number of down-ballot races are still in flux.
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| UK politician slammed after referring to Kamala Harris as 'the Indian' Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:30 AM PST  Lord Kilclooney said he did not know her name and identified the U.S. vice president-elect by her ethnicity.
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| Militant Islamists 'behead more than 50' in Mozambique Posted: 09 Nov 2020 02:28 PM PST  A football pitch in a village was turned into an "execution ground", reports say.
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| John Major suggests two-vote independence referendum to break impasse over future of UK Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:46 AM PST  Sir John Major has said that offering two votes on Scottish independence - including a confirmatory referendum once negotiations over separation are complete - could break an impasse over the future of the UK. In a lecture on Monday night, the former Prime Minister warned that Boris Johnson's current strategy of refusing to allow a second referendum to take place under any circumstances could play into the SNP's hands. Instead, he suggested that UK ministers could agree that an independence referendum takes place, but only on the condition that a second vote was later held to confirm a Yes vote so that "Scottish electors would know what they were voting for, and be able to compare it to what they now have." Nicola Sturgeon was one of the leading voices in favour of a 'People's Vote' after the UK voted to leave the EU. Although the campaign to secure a second EU referendum failed, the arguments put forward in favour of a referendum on the final Brexit deal were similar to Sir John's proposal for a two-vote process on independence.
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| Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers threaten to resign 'en masse' Posted: 09 Nov 2020 03:22 AM PST  Pro-democracy members of Hong Kong's legislature will resign "en masse" if Beijing moves to disqualify four of them for violating the city's Basic Law, the bloc said Monday.
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| Florida Keys escaped the worst of Tropical Storm Eta. But there’s still cleanup to do Posted: 09 Nov 2020 01:26 PM PST  For Keys residents who went through a Category 4 hurricane three years ago, Tropical Storm Eta wasn't much to talk about.
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| MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham didn't disclose he reportedly helped write Biden's presidential acceptance speech when commenting on it Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:48 PM PST  MSNBC contributor Jon Meacham was asked to comment on President-elect Joe Biden's acceptance speech on air over the weekend, which he did — without properly disclosing his role in helping to write it, The New York Times reported Monday.Meacham is a presidential historian, Pulitzer Prize recipient, the former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, and was reportedly tapped to help write Biden's speeches, including his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech and his presidential acceptance speech, which was delivered Saturday night. While a spokesman for Biden de-emphasized Meacham's involvement in the speechwriting process, Biden's speech did seem to bear some echoes of Meacham's work. For example, Biden has reportedly reached out in the past to discuss Meacham's 2018 book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels; Biden also spoke of the "soul of America" in his Saturday speech.Meacham has appeared three times on MSNBC since Saturday, and in none of his appearances did he disclose his involvement in the Biden campaign, Mediaite writes. Before Biden's address on Saturday, Meacham even praised the message he'd reportedly helped craft by saying: "Vice President Biden, I think, represents a kind of tonic for a toxic politics." Afterwards, asked by anchor Brian Williams if the speech was more traditionally presidential, Meacham replied: "Absolutely." The Times reports that Meacham will no longer be a paid contributor on MSNBC going forward, but may continue to appear as a guest.Meacham has not made any secret of his preference for Biden, however, having endorsed the candidate in an op-ed over the summer. "To record history doesn't mean you are removed from it," he's previously said.More stories from theweek.com Trump might be starting to come to terms with having lost 2020 — by setting his sights on 2024 Does it matter if Donald Trump never concedes? Trump will reportedly start reading obituaries of dead people who almost certainly didn't vote
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| Pentagon chief fired via Trump tweet Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:00 PM PST  Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday became the latest Trump administration official to be fired by presidential tweet.
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| Trump in 2016 said ‘badly defeated’ Democrats were demanding recounts to ‘fill up their coffers’ Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:43 AM PST  Donald Trump, whose campaign wants recounts in Wisconsin following his election defeat, once derided the same demands from Democrats as attempts to "fill up their coffers". "The Green Party scam to fill up their coffers by asking for impossible recounts is now being joined by the badly defeated & demoralised Dems," the then president-elect wrote on Twitter in 2016. Four years on, his campaign is due to request a recount in Wisconsin within days, and was reported to have taken donations to do so, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
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| Meat processing plant ordered to shut down after Covid outbreak, company sues New Mexico Posted: 09 Nov 2020 03:19 PM PST  Officials in the state ordered the Stampede Meat plant closed after six employees tested positive in four days.
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| How 'the first Pearl Harbor' convinced the Japanese they could pull off a similar attack on the US Posted: 09 Nov 2020 04:30 PM PST  The British raid on Taranto in November 1940 gave the Royal Navy control in the Mediterranean, but it was also a very valuable lesson for Japan.
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| Miss USA Cheslie Kryst said she was 'frightened' by how Congress handled Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination Posted: 09 Nov 2020 02:55 PM PST  Miss USA Cheslie Kryst told Insider "it was clear our legislators didn't care" that most Americans wanted the nomination to occur after the election.
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| Eta hits the Florida Keys and is expected to become hurricane Posted: 09 Nov 2020 02:02 PM PST  A strengthening Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys on Sunday night, days after leaving scores of people dead and over 100 missing in Mexico and Central America.
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| Austria police raid dozens of 'Islamist-linked' targets Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:19 AM PST  Austrian police on Monday raided more than 60 addresses allegedly linked to radical Islamists and seized millions of euros in cash, with orders for 30 suspects to be questioned.
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| Pfizer COVID Vaccine 90 Percent Effective in Trials, Company May Request Approval by End of November Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:10 AM PST  Pfizer announced on Monday that its coronavirus vaccine developed with BioNTech SE prevented 90 percent of infections in a trial with tens of thousands of volunteers, in a major step toward authorization of a vaccine for general use.The Pfizer vaccine trial enrolled 44,000 participants in total, with no serious safety issues arising from the vaccine itself. Trials will continue until at least 164 participants become sick with at least one symptom of coronavirus, and full data for the vaccine's efficacy was still incomplete as of Monday. The duration of immunity caused by the vaccine is as yet unknown.However, Pfizer said it could ask the Food and Drug Administration by the end of November for emergency authorization of the vaccine."This is about the best the news could possibly be for the world and for the United States and for public health," William Gruber, Pfizer senior vice president for vaccine clinical research and development, said in a statementThe vaccine utilizes mRNA—molecular couriers that carry genetic messages—to cause cells in the body to build a specific protein found in coronavirus, which in turn causes the body to produce antibodies and immunizes the patient. The use of mRNA in vaccines constitutes a new technology that has only in the last several years been developed effectively.With just 94 participants in the trial infected with coronavirus, the vaccine is proving much more effective than was initially hoped. Researchers expected new coronavirus vaccines to be about 60 to 70 percent effective.BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin commented that the 90 percent rate of effectiveness was "extraordinary.""It shows that Covid-19 can be controlled," Sahin told Bloomberg.Pfizer and BioNTech have said that 50 million doses of the vaccine will be produced by the end of 2020, with another 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.
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| Dining with Biden: Beijing restaurant recalls visit from U.S. president-elect Posted: 09 Nov 2020 08:22 AM PST  A Beijing restaurant owner congratulated her "old friend" and one-time customer Joe Biden on Monday after the U.S. Democratic candidate emerged victorious in a tightly fought U.S. presidential election, and invited him back to try some pork liver. The publicity following Biden's visit nine years ago boosted business for quite a while, with many customers coming in and asking for the "Biden set," said owner Yao Yan, 66. Biden had dined on noodles and steamed buns for lunch in August 2011 at the Yaoji Chaogan restaurant in the Chinese capital's Drum Tower district, during an official visit to Beijing as U.S. vice president.
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| Where is Mike Pence? VP missing in action as Trump administration rejects election loss Posted: 08 Nov 2020 11:33 AM PST  Whereas he appeared on the campaign trail with Donald Trump right up to the eve of election day, Mike Pence has kept a low profile in public since the results began filtering in – and even as the Trump administration fought back hard against indications the president was losing. While some Republicans have begun distancing themselves from the president and his false claims that the election was stolen from him, others – such as senator Lindsey Graham and much of the top White House staff – seem determined to fight it until the bitter end, doubling down on the president's statements (most of them issued via Twitter). Mr Pence, for now, is in neither camp, raising questions about what he will do next even as it remains unclear He is not usually kept in the background by the administration, and has no particular record of breaking with the president publicly at politically tense moments.
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| Utah governor issues statewide mask mandate amid virus surge Posted: 08 Nov 2020 02:34 PM PST  Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency and ordered a statewide mask mandate in an attempt to stem a surge in coronavirus patient hospitalizations that is testing the state's hospital capacity. Herbert and the Utah Department of Health late Sunday issued executive and public health orders requiring residents to wear face coverings in public, at work and when they are within 6 feet (2 meters) of people who don't live in their households. Several of the state's largest counties already required masks, but Herbert, a Republican, had resisted extending the rule to the entire state despite a two-month surge of cases.
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| Heroic soldier forced to deny claims he did not earn his gallantry medal, ahead of auction to raise funds for his mother Posted: 09 Nov 2020 06:14 AM PST  A soldier recognised for his heroic actions in Afghanistan has had to deny claims he did not 'earn' his gallantry award, days before his medals are auctioned. Deacon Cutterham was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for throwing away a Taliban grenade that landed near his patrol in 2011. His collection of seven medals are expected to fetch around £120,000 at auction on Thursday. However, the former Serjeant of 1st Battalion, The Rifles, has been forced to deny suggestions he fabricated his actions on the day in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. One former colleague told the BBC: "I don't believe he earned that medal and now he might make money from it." Another soldier said: "We didn't care if he wanted to tell people how brave he was. What we care about now is him making financial gain from this." Mr Cutterham denies all claims. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph Mr Cutterham, 37, from Bristol, said he was selling his medals to help his mother in her retirement. Of his anonymous critics he said: "I'm really sorry that some people feel that way. "The action happened as per the citation and I stand by those events. I didn't write the citation, the commanders did. "You don't get awarded the second highest medal for bravery without it going through the mill." Speaking in 2012, Mr Cutterham described the actions of that day. He said he did not throw the grenade as it could have exploded in the air, sending shrapnel in all directions. Instead he "posted" it into a ditch, a much more deliberate act akin to forcefully placing the grenade in a specific area. His decision would have meant he had deliberately held onto the grenade for longer than absolutely necessary in a bid to get in in a safe place. Mr Cutterham said: "Grenade came over the top. With that I shouted 'grenade' and then advanced on it, picked the grenade up and and then posted it, and it literally went off as soon as I pulled my hand away - and prevented me and my lead scout from getting serious injuries or death." He said the grenade, which had been thrown over a wall, had landed in a water-filled ditch. "I had seen exactly where it had landed but couldn't see it in the stream. "I quickly placed my hand in the water to search for it and placed my hand directly on the grenade, shouted to take cover and posted it." The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is an operational award given to all ranks of the services in recognition of one or more acts of outstanding bravery during active operations against the enemy. The citation on Mr Cutterham's award reads: "The action itself was utterly courageous, carried out with composure and clarity of thought. "Cutterham's gritty leadership and gallant act saved lives and inspired his men." Mr Cutterham joined the Army at 16 and served in Iraq and Afghanistan during a 19-year military career. He was evacuated from Afghanistan having fallen through a roof some weeks after the grenade incident. He suffered a head injury and woke up two days later in Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham. He said the medal's controversy had "hit him hard". "I didn't think putting these medals up would get such negative feedback, but it is what it is," he said. An MoD Spokesperson said: "Our service personnel display exceptional gallantry and courage while performing duties at home and abroad. Acts of courage that warrant an honour or award are rigorously scrutinised before being approved. "If serving personnel have a grievance, there is a formal process for them to register their complaint through their Chain of Command, which would be looked into accordingly."
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| People are calling out Katy Perry after she urged fans to reach out to family 'who do not agree' with election results Posted: 09 Nov 2020 08:34 AM PST  The singer said after the election was called, she reached out to family members who didn't agree to "tell them I love them and am here for them."
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| Another Las Vegas resort, Park MGM, closing midweek due to visitor slump Posted: 09 Nov 2020 01:17 PM PST  Starting today, Las Vegas resort Park MGM will close at noon on Mondays and reopen again at noon on Thursdays.
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| Florida man facing capital murder charge after allegedly shooting girlfriend Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:47 PM PST  The victim allegedly told her roommate that she was afraid her boyfriend might kill her after the two had argued Sunday morning.
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| 'Choking on blood': AFP's report on final day of Nuremberg trials Posted: 08 Nov 2020 06:27 PM PST  On the last day of the Nuremberg trials, the top surviving Nazi leaders made their final speeches from the dock, with most trying to minimise their role in the regime's crimes.
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| Biden Camp: AOC Won’t Be Disappointed by ‘Incredibly Progressive and Aggressive’ Agenda Posted: 08 Nov 2020 09:42 AM PST  The Biden team is promising that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) will not be disappointed by the president-elect's "incredibly progressive and aggressive agenda" once he takes office.Asked by NBC host Chuck Todd whether the New York progressive would be "disappointed or not when she sees the agenda of the Biden administration in the first six months," Biden's campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield answered in the negative."No. I think that Vice President Biden campaigned on an incredibly progressive and aggressive agenda," Bedingfield responded Sunday on NBC. "Take a look, for example, at his climate plan. It's the boldest, biggest climate plan that's ever been put forward by a nominee running for president and now a president-elect. He's going to make good on those commitments. He spent time during this campaign bringing people together around this climate plan.""It's a big, aggressive plan," she continued. "It's the perfect example of the kind of big effort that he is going to make to meet this moment and meet these crises we're in."Ocasio-Cortez expressed frustration in a New York Times interview published Saturday, several days after the general election, that Democrats frequently fail to keep their more progressive promises after they win elections.The Democratic party has been "extremely hostile to anything that even smells progressive," the 31-year-old self-described "democratic socialist" lamented told the Times.Democrats "learned that progressive policies do not hurt candidates," she declared, adding that "sponsoring the Green New Deal was not a sinker."In a CNN interview on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez said she believes Biden won the election in part because he worked to unify progressives and more moderate members of the Democratic Party.
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| House majority whip says Democrats lost seats in Congress this year because of calls to 'defund the police' Posted: 08 Nov 2020 07:46 AM PST  Calls to defund the police gained steam earlier this year, but the movement has divided Democrats over the best next steps for police reform.
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| U.K. military chief warns of World War III 'risk' amid rising global uncertainty Posted: 09 Nov 2020 04:02 AM PST  Current global uncertainty and anxiety amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic could risk another world war, the head of Britain's armed forces has warned.
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| Twitter immediately flags Trumps first six tweets as misleading on day after Biden’s win Posted: 08 Nov 2020 10:23 AM PST  Twitter immediately flagged all six of Donald Trump's first tweets of the day as possibly misleading on Sunday, one day after his rival Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election. On Sunday morning, the president used Twitter to lash out further at the electoral process and promote continued baseless claims of election fraud by posting quotes attributed to Newt Gingrich and a legal analyst. All six of the posts were flagged by the social media platform within an hour of their publication by the president, with small blue exclamation points appearing underneath the post to alert users.
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| Utah governor declares new state of emergency as coronavirus spreads Posted: 08 Nov 2020 10:28 PM PST  "Due to the alarming rate of COVID infections within our state, tonight I issued a new state of emergency with several critical changes to our response", Herbert said on Twitter. The total number of coronavirus infections in the United States rose past 10 million late on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally.
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| GM recalls 217K vehicles to fix leak that can stop travel Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:14 AM PST  General Motors is recalling more than 217,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because transmission oil can leak, causing them to stop moving or possibly catch fire. Also included are the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu and 2018 and 2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, as well as the 2019 through 2020 Buick Encore and Enclave, the Cadillac XT4, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Blazer. GM says in government documents posted last weekend that two bolts may be missing from the stop-start mechanism, allowing the fluid to leak.
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| Farmers are depleting the Ogallala Aquifer because the government pays them to do it Posted: 09 Nov 2020 05:13 AM PST  A slow-moving crisis threatens the U.S. Central Plains, which grow a quarter of the nation's crops. Underground, the region's lifeblood – water – is disappearing, placing one of the world's major food-producing regions at risk. The Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer is one of the world's largest groundwater sources, extending from South Dakota down through the Texas Panhandle across portions of eight states. Its water supports US$35 billion in crop production each year.But farmers are pulling water out of the Ogallala faster than rain and snow can recharge it. Between 1900 and 2008 they drained some 89 trillion gallons from the aquifer – equivalent to two-thirds of Lake Erie. Depletion is threatening drinking water supplies and undermining local communities already struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, hospital closures, soaring farm losses and rising suicide rates. In Kansas, "Day Zero" – the day wells run dry – has arrived for about 30% of the aquifer. Within 50 years, the entire aquifer is expected be 70% depleted. Some observers blame this situation on periodic drought. Others point to farmers, since irrigation accounts for 90% of Ogallala groundwater withdrawals. But our research, which focuses on social and legal aspects of water use in agricultural communities, shows that farmers are draining the Ogallala because state and federal policies encourage them to do it. A production treadmillAt first glance, farmers on the Plains appear to be doing well in 2020. Crop production increased this year. Corn, the largest crop in the U.S., had a near-record year, and farm incomes increased by 5.7% over 2019. But those figures hide massive government payments to farmers. Federal subsidies increased by a remarkable 65% this year, totaling $37.2 billion. This sum includes money for lost exports from escalating trade wars, as well as COVID-19-related relief payments. Corn prices were too low to cover the cost of growing it this year, with federal subsidies making up the difference. Our research finds that subsidies put farmers on a treadmill, working harder to produce more while draining the resource that supports their livelihood. Government payments create a vicious cycle of overproduction that intensifies water use. Subsidies encourage farmers to expand and buy expensive equipment to irrigate larger areas. With low market prices for many crops, production does not cover expenses on most farms. To stay afloat, many farmers buy or lease more acres. Growing larger amounts floods the market, further reducing crop prices and farm incomes. Subsidies support this cycle.Few benefit, especially small and midsized operations. In a 2019 study of the region's 234 counties from 1980 to 2010, we found that larger irrigated acreage failed to increase incomes or improve education or health outcomes for residents. Focus on policy, not farmersFour decades of federal, state and local conservation efforts have mainly targeted individual farmers, providing ways for them to voluntarily reduce water use or adopt more water-efficient technologies. While these initiatives are important, they haven't stemmed the aquifer's decline. In our view, what the Ogallala Aquifer region really needs is policy change. A lot can be done at the federal level, but the first principle should be "do no harm." Whenever federal agencies have tried to regulate groundwater, the backlash has been swift and intense, with farm states' congressional representatives repudiating federal jurisdiction over groundwater. Nor should Congress propose to eliminate agricultural subsidies, as some environmental organizations and free-market advocates have proposed. Given the thin margins of farming and longstanding political realities, federal support is simply part of modern production agriculture. With these cautions in mind, three initiatives could help ease pressure on farmers to keep expanding production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to allow environmentally sensitive farmland to lie fallow for at least 10 years. With new provisions, the program could reduce water use by prohibiting expansion of irrigated acreage, permanently retiring marginal lands and linking subsidies to production of less water-intensive crops.These initiatives could be implemented through the federal farm bill, which also sets funding levels for nonfarm subsidies such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. SNAP payments, which increase needy families' food budgets, are an important tool for addressing poverty. Increasing these payments and adding financial assistance to local communities could offset lower tax revenues that result from from farming less acreage. Amending federal farm credit rates could also slow the treadmill. Generous terms promote borrowing for irrigation equipment; to pay that debt, borrowers farm more land. Offering lower rates for equipment that reduces water use and withholding loans for standard, wasteful equipment could nudge farmers toward conservation.The most powerful tool is the tax code. Currently, farmers receive deductions for declining groundwater levels and can write off depreciation on irrigation equipment. Replacing these perks with a tax credit for stabilizing groundwater and substituting a depreciation schedule favoring more efficient irrigation equipment could provide strong incentives to conserve water. Rewriting state water lawsWater rights are mostly determined by state law, so reforming state water policies is crucial. Case law demonstrates that simply owning water rights does not grant the legal right to waste water. For more than a century courts have upheld state restrictions on waste, with rulings that allow for adaptation by modifying the definitions of "beneficial use" and "waste" over time. Using these precedents, state water agencies could designate thirsty crops, such as rice, cotton or corn, as wasteful in certain regions. Regulations preventing unreasonable water use are not unconstitutional. [Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]Allowing farmers some flexibility will maximize profits, as long as they stabilize overall water use. If they irrigate less – or not at all – in years with low market prices, rules could allow more irrigation in better years. Ultimately, many farmers – and their bankers – are willing to exchange lower annual yields for a longer water supply. As our research has shown, the vast majority of farmers in the region want to save groundwater. They will need help from policymakers to do it. Forty years is long enough to learn that the Ogallala Aquifer's decline is not driven by weather or by individual farmers' preferences. Depletion is a structural problem embedded in agricultural policies. Groundwater depletion is a policy choice made by federal, state and local officials. Stephen Lauer and Vivian Aranda-Hughes, former doctoral students at Kansas State University, contributed to several of the studies cited in this article.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Matthew R Sanderson, Kansas State University; Burke Griggs, Washburn University, and Jacob A. Miller, Kansas State University.Read more: * Farmers are drawing groundwater from the giant Ogallala Aquifer faster than nature replaces it * Crop insurance is good for farmers, but not always for the environmentMatthew R Sanderson has received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Burke W. Griggs has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jacob A. Miller has received funding from the National Science Foundation.
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| Fugitive convicted of rape used dead boy’s identity in Florida for decades, feds say Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:29 PM PST  Douglas Bennett, now 76, disappeared for 44 years after he was convicted of kidnapping and raping a woman in the 1970s, according to court filings.
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| A woman shed infectious coronavirus particles for at least 70 days without showing symptoms, a study found Posted: 08 Nov 2020 06:14 AM PST  The case study suggests that immunocompromised patients could be infectious longer than previously thought.
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| Surgeon Who Saved Biden’s Life Recalls Fateful Prediction Posted: 08 Nov 2020 02:06 AM PST  Dr. Neal Kassell was standing by the door to the operating room when then-Sen. Joe Biden was wheeled in for a second aneurysm operation in May 1988.Biden reached up from the gurney and grabbed the neurosurgeon's arm."He looked me in the eye and said, 'Doc, do a good job, because someday I'm going to be president,'" Kassell told The Daily Beast on Saturday, after his former patient's prediction had come true.Biden rode the gurney on into the OR at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Kassell followed once Biden had been anesthetized for his second microsurgical craniotomy.The first operation had been that February after a scan had located two aneurysms at the base of Biden's brain, the larger to the right, the smaller to the left. Kassell and a fellow neurosurgeon, Dr. Eugene George, decided to begin with the larger one. It was liable to burst at any moment, with possibly fatal results.Biden had withdrawn from the 1987 race for the Democratic nomination for president five months before. His chances of surviving that first operation and thereby having any future at all had been estimated at only 50-50.The first operation began with a surgical team cutting a hole in the top of Biden's skull and removing the plug of bone as if it were, by Kassell's subsequent description, "the top of a cookie jar." Kassell then used a microscope to guide a probe between the brain and the skull. He located the ballooned artery and was applying a spring clip to it when his view through the microscope was suddenly occluded by blood.The aneurysm had burst and Biden might very well have died right there on the table had the blood shot into his brain. It instead went the other way, and Kassell was able to clear the lens and finish securing the clip before there was any damage.In the recovery room, Biden was able to wiggle his fingers and toes and compute from a wall clock that the operation had taken nine hours. He would later write that he had come close enough to dying that he realized "a single moment of failure—even one so public and wounding as the end of my presidential campaign—could not determine my epitaph."What Do We Actually Know About Our Aging POTUS Candidates' Health?By the time of the second operation three months later, Biden was again ready to turn fate into destiny. The moment came when he gazed into Kassell's eyes and made the prediction that some might have assumed to be at least partly in jest.Biden ran for the Democratic nomination in 2008, dropped out—and became Barack Obama's vice-president in 2009. He might have run again for president in 2016 had he not been still unnerved by son Beau Biden's death from brain cancer at Walter Reed the year before.Joe instead focused on launching the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative, and Kassell agreed to serve on its Blue Ribbon Panel. Hillary Clinton ran for president, got the nomination, and lost to Donald Trump.When the pandemic hit, Kassell was one of thousands of doctors who were deeply offended and alarmed by Trump's anti-scientific approach. Trump grew only more aggressively ignorant as nearly a quarter million Americans died of COVID-19."Unimaginable," Kassell told The Daily Beast.Thanks in part to Kassell, Biden was around to make another presidential run. He cited the science and wore a mask and sought to preserve social distancing as he proceeded to win the Democratic nomination.Donald Trump Jr. and his ilk cited Biden's past brain operations as proof he was not up to the job. Kassell retorted that he had seen Biden's brain and it was just fine; the clips still in his brain actually made it less likely those arteries would rupture.Meanwhile, Trump learned nothing after he caught COVID-19 and had a brief stay of his own at Walter Reed. He remained indifferent to the ever-mounting number of unlucky souls who did not recover as he had. He announced that the pandemic was all but over, saying "we're rounding a turn," even as the county was witnessing a record spike in cases.But such a depressing number of Americans still supported him that the early results on Election Day raised the possibility that he would get another term before Biden pulled ahead.On Saturday, four days after an election that was initially too close to call, multiple TV networks declared Biden the winner. Trump had proven unable to dismiss Biden votes as easily as he had dismissed COVID-19 cases. Those of us who had dreaded a second Trump term welcomed what felt like deliverance such as his favorite poet, Seamus Heaney, described in verse written for a Northern Ireland theatre company in 1990.> "History says don't hope> > On this side of the grave.> > But then, once in a lifetime> > The longed for tidal wave> > Of justice can rise up.> > And hope and history rhyme."Word that justice had indeed risen up to couple hope with history reached Kassell at home on Saturday. His daughter, Nicole Kassell, a film director who won an Emmy for HBO's Watchmen, sent her father a video of the spontaneous celebrations near her home in Harlem. Cars were honking. People were cheering and dancing in the streets."Pandemonium," the doctor said in an approving tone.Dr. Kassell recounted to The Daily Beast what Biden had said to him that day 32 years ago while being wheeled in for the second brain operation. The Daily Beast noted that the successful efforts by Kassell and his surgical team in addressing the two aneurysms had kept Biden among the living. And that now meant we will have a new president who will actually address the pandemic.Kassell responded with a line from the Bible."Save one life, you save the world."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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| 'We are stunned': Two Georgia races will decide which party controls the Senate Posted: 09 Nov 2020 01:09 PM PST  The high-stakes contests will shape the course of President-elect Biden's administrative appointments and legislative agenda.
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| California Voters Chose Basic Economics over Feel-Good Policy in ‘Rent Control’ Referendum Posted: 09 Nov 2020 03:30 AM PST  For once, California got it right.The deep-blue state went for Joe Biden on Election Day, a result which was never really in doubt. But in a key policy referendum on expanding "rent control" in the state, California voters wisely rejected a proposal to allow local governments to place price freezes on rental housing.Proposition 21 asked Golden State voters whether cities should be allowed to impose rent controls on housing that had been occupied for more than 15 years. Under the status quo, rent "stabilization" policies, which limit rent increases, are allowed. But this ballot measure would have allowed localities to institute rent freezes.Pushed by labor unions, Democratic politicians, and even the ACLU, the proposition aimed to make housing more affordable for struggling Californians."This initiative will allow California cities to pass sensible limits on rent increases and protect families, seniors and veterans from skyrocketing rents," Senator Bernie Sanders said in his endorsement of the ballot measure.> We're honored to receive the endorsement of Senator @berniesanders for the Rental Affordability Act. > > Bernie has stood up for working people for his entire career and he's been a stalwart advocate for the expansion of rent control laws, nationwide, on his presidential campaign. pic.twitter.com/3tDQzfvGqp> > -- Yes on 21 (@YesOn21CA) November 16, 2019The campaign was rooted in emotional appeal and calls for empathy. But with nearly 60 percent against the referendum, Californians wisely saw through the rhetoric and recognized rent control for the fallacy that it is.The reason rent control always fails comes down to simple supply and demand.By capping rental prices at artificially low, below-market rates, rent control limits the supply of housing. In the short run, property owners are incentivized to use their properties for purposes other than renting, such as converting them to condos.It also reduces the incentive for landlords to renovate or even maintain their properties because they can't recoup their costs in increased compensation. And those lucky enough to secure rent-controlled apartments will hoard them, even if they can afford the rent at market prices.In the long run, rent control diminishes the return on rental units, so developers will build less new rental housing. They will be incentivized to instead build more commercial property and luxury housing, which are not typically subject to rent-control laws. This is, of course, exactly the opposite of what lawmakers wanted.The underlying problem of unaffordable housing is caused by the fact that in many cities there are far more apartment seekers than there are properties available for rent. Paradoxically, rent-control measures intended to fix this situation end up exacerbating the underlying shortage driving it in the first place.Despite the continued political viability of the feel-good left-wing policy, the demerits of rent control are something of a settled matter among economists across the political spectrum.In a 2012 IGM Forum survey, economists were asked if they agreed that rent-control measures in U.S. cities such as San Francisco and New York City had succeeded in recent decades. More than 80 percent said no. Only 2 percent thought they had successfully made housing more affordable."Rent control discourages supply of rental units," said MIT economist David Autor. "Incumbent renters benefit from capped prices. New renters face reduced rental options.""Next question: does the sun revolve around the earth?" Chicago Booth economist Richard Thaler responded.Studies and empirical evidence have confirmed economists' skepticism of rent-control policies time and time again.Rent-control policies in Cambridge, Mass., were allowed to lapse in 1994. Afterwards, studies found that benefits had accrued to a select group of lucky renters but imposed billions in increased costs on other city residents who faced higher rents. Research also showed that the proportion of low-income residents in the city had actually declined under rent control, suggesting the net effect had been to decrease affordability.A 2019 study examining rent-control policies in San Francisco during the 1990s found clear evidence of failure. It concluded that rent control ultimately reduced the supply of housing by 15 percent and "likely drove up market rents in the long run, ultimately undermining the goals of the law."Even the left-leaning Brookings Institution has concluded that "rent control appears to help current tenants in the short run, [but] in the long run it decreases affordability, fuels gentrification, and creates negative spillovers on the surrounding neighborhood."Thankfully, the evidence against rent control was so mounting that even California voters didn't fall for it this time. Hopefully, their real estate realism spreads to blue states across the nation.
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| Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat Posted: 09 Nov 2020 08:40 AM PST  The self-styled "free speech" application topped US download charts in the wake of the election.
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| Utah declares state of emergency over surge in Covid cases Posted: 09 Nov 2020 09:33 AM PST  Utah governor Gary Herbert has issued a state of emergency over an "unsustainable" up-tick in coronavirus cases and hospitalisations across the state. The Republican governor on Sunday used Twitter to announce the emergency, as well as a number of preventative measures. College students, at the same time, will be tested for the coronavirus weekly, in a bid to stop outbreaks on college campuses.
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| The states with and without travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:27 AM PST  Some US states require travelers to get tested for the coronavirus and self-quarantine for 14 days, while others have no travel restrictions in place.
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| Gunmen kill reporter in Mexico's most violent state Posted: 09 Nov 2020 02:05 PM PST |
| Southwest is reportedly looking to acquire up to 30 Boeing 737 Max jets even though travelers say they don't want to fly on the troubled plane Posted: 09 Nov 2020 04:15 PM PST  Southwest is looking for a bargain by eyeing the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that were built but not delivered to an airline due to order cancellations.
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| Don Lemon reacts to Biden victory: ‘I didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed’ Posted: 08 Nov 2020 05:52 AM PST  The news of Joe Biden being elected the next president of the United States on Saturday has prompted many to react in emotional ways. This includes CNN's Don Lemon, who commented on the decision during a newscast that evening. Starting with a deep sigh, Lemon began by saying: "I almost can't talk right now, because of the emotion."
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| 2024 Republican candidates to descend on Georgia to keep Senate Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:59 PM PST  Candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are set to descend on the state of Georgia in the coming weeks ahead of two high-profile Senate runoffs. The pair of races will take on huge importance because, if Democrats can beat both sitting Republican senators, they would achieve a 50-50 tie in the Senate. When the Senate is split the vice president casts the deciding vote, meaning Kamala Harris would give Democrats control. With the White House, and control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats would have a greatly increased chance of forcing through their agenda. As Georgia became a rallying cry for Republicans potential 2024 candidates, including Florida senator Rick Scott, and South Carolina senator Tim Scott indicated they would be there shortly. Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's former UN Ambassador and a probable 2024 contender, wrote on Twitter: "All eyes will go to Georgia as we look at the fate of the Senate. Take a moment and show your support today and let's win this in January!" Responding to Democrat Senate leader Chuck Cchumer's comment that "we take Georgia, then we change the world," Ms Haley wrote: "Not on our watch. The fight may move to Georgia but victory is in our future." Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr also pushed the importance of Georgia on social media. A spokesman for Mr Trump Jr said he would be "very involved" in the fight to keep the two Georgia seats on Jan 5. In Georgia if no candidate reaches 50 per cent there is a runoff. The first Georgia race saw Republican senator David Perdue, who is seeking a second term, receiving 49.8 per cent of the vote last week, compared to Democrat Jon Ossoff, who got 47.9 per cent. In the other contest, black Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock got 32.9 per cent to sitting Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler's 25.9 per cent. But there were several other Republican and Democrat candidates in that race, and when the totals were added up by party they proved about equal. Georgia has not elected a Democrat senator for two decades but changing demographics and the trend of recent elections suggest Demcorats have a chance at winning the runoffs, according to political analysts. Andra Gillespie, a professor of political science at Emory University, said: "Whichever party has the better turnout operation will be the one that wins."
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| Republicans are disgruntled with the party and want civility, empathy and compassion: Cindy McCain Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:07 AM PST  Cindy McCain tells 'Outnumbered Overtime' why she thinks some Republicans crossed over to vote for President-elect Joe Biden.
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| NASA chief Jim Bridenstine says it's in the 'best interest of NASA' for him to resign rather than work for the Biden administration Posted: 09 Nov 2020 11:52 AM PST  Bridenstine said NASA's next administrator should be someone with a closer relationship to Biden and his team.
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| Obama threw Cuba a lifeline. Biden shouldn’t do the same thing. It didn’t work | Opinion Posted: 09 Nov 2020 12:46 PM PST  Since President Obama's goodwill outreach to the Castro regime, every indicator of freedom reveals the enhanced repression of the Cuban people by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). At the same time, the Castro regime has been bolstering Nicolas Maduro's corrupt regime in Venezuela.
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