| Trump narrows the battleground deficit, but Biden remains above 270 electoral votes Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:47 AM PDT  First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
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| California wildfires: Family whose gender-reveal party sparked huge blaze could face multi-million dollar fine Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:01 AM PDT  Blaze has engulfed some 8,000 acres of land, authorities say
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| Palestinians set to soften stance on UAE-Israel normalisation: draft statement Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:22 AM PDT  The Palestinian leadership has watered down its criticism of the normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates before an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday at which the accord will be debated. A draft resolution presented by the Palestinian envoy, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal. Announced on Aug. 13, the accord was the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, and was forged largely through shared fears of Iran.
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| $300,000 raised for salon owner accused of "setting up" Pelosi Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Salon owner Erica Kious received support after saying she is thinking of relocating her business due to threats following the viral video.
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| Allegiant passenger removed after dispute over flight attendant's face mask Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:05 PM PDT  Allegiant removed a man Monday after he repeatedly interrupted the pre-flight safety briefing to tell the flight attendant to put her mask back on.
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| Tuscaloosa Mayor Reopens College Bars as COVID-19 Skyrockets at University of Alabama Posted: 07 Sep 2020 09:37 AM PDT  The mayor of Tuscaloosa is letting bars near the University of Alabama reopen on Tuesday, even though the school just reported more than 800 new cases.In a press release, Mayor Walt Maddox citied a "positive trend" in results, saying an overall decline in community positivity rates "provides an opportunity for a limited reopening of bars which have sacrificed a great deal to protect our healthcare system and economy." At the same time, the university reported 846 new cases over the last week—the largest increase in a single week since classes began.Maddox shut down all bars in the area for two weeks in late August, after more than 500 University of Alabama students tested positive in the first five days back on campus. The latest tally shows an increase in average daily cases from that first report, though a slight decline from a truncated, three-day report the week before. The university boasted about the trend in a press release, with Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences Richard Friend claiming it "shows that the UA System Health & Safety Plan is working."University of Alabama to Profs: Don't Tell Students About COVID-Infected ClassmatesThe release pointed out that only 65 students had tested positive the day before. But even Friend noted that they had yet to see the full benefits of bars being shuttered in the area, saying that they were only "starting to see the results of those decisions."Even some students were outraged with the decision. One who identifies himself as a freshman at the university tweeted that the mayor was making a "huge mistake" and that the decision made him feel less safe on campus."Cases aren't going down. They are skyrocketing," he wrote. "Why are our politicians constantly failing to do the right thing? I just don't get it."Maddox initially ordered bars shut down and bar service suspended at restaurants for two weeks on Aug. 24, after photos of coeds flocking to local bars, maskless and packed together, surfaced on social media. The university also suspended all social gatherings on or off campus, and instituted a 14-day moratorium on student events outside of classes."The ever-increasing number cases of coronavirus on campus will create two major disruptions for the city of Tuscaloosa if left unabated," Maddox said at the time, citing disruptions to the economy and the health care system. "I know this is not easy. I know the coronavirus has taken so much but we must finish the job."His updated order issued Friday allows lounge establishments to operate at 50 percent capacity if they do not exceed 100 people and also allows other establishments to serve alcohol only to seated customers.The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.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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| Georgia to investigate 1,000 alleged cases of double voting in primary Posted: 08 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Georgia's top election official said Tuesday that his office has identified about 1,000 cases of double voting in the June primary election — a felony he's determined to see prosecuted.
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| Nebraska police officer dies 2 weeks after he was shot Posted: 07 Sep 2020 08:43 AM PDT  A Nebraska police officer who was shot two weeks ago while attempting to arrest a 17-year-old on an assault charge died Monday, authorities said. Luis "Mario" Herrera, a 23-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, was shot while serving a warrant Aug. 26, The Lincoln Journal Star reported. "Sadness does not begin to describe fully our community's sense of loss with the passing of Investigator Mario Herrera," Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said in a brief statement.
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| Catholic priest says Democrats are going to hell — and Texas bishop backs him up Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:20 AM PDT  "Repent of your support of that party and its platform or face the fires of hell," the priest said.
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| ‘Cult’ booted from Hawaii island following protests over cultural appropriation Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:55 AM PDT  Group previously forced to leave Kauai for own safety
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| Wreckage of sunken WWII battleship found off Norway Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:48 AM PDT  The 571-foot Karlsruhe led the attack on Kristiansand during the invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940.
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| Tropical trouble for the Carolinas? Forecasters eye system in the Atlantic Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:07 PM PDT  A tropical disturbance about 300 miles southwest of Bermuda could become a tropical depression as it moves northwest over the Atlantic this week.
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| Entire Rochester Police Leadership Resigns After Daniel Prude Death Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:07 PM PDT  The chief of the Rochester Police Department announced he would resign Tuesday following the release of shocking footage of the March death of a 41-year-old Black man in police custody.La'Ron Singletary leaves the department after 20 years under heavy scrutiny over the death of Daniel Prude. He said earlier this week he would not depart his position.His top two officers in the department—Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito and Deputy Chief Mark Simmons—also announced they would step down from their positions. Simmons will stay on as a lieutenant, as will resigning commander Henry Favor. Another commander, Fabian Rivera, resigned Tuesday. Singletary did not name a successor. City council members told Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle they learned of the resignations as they happened. The city's mayor, Lovely Warren, had previously accused Singletary of failing to handle the Prude incident properly, saying she only learned of the March death in August after Prude's family obtained bodycam footage. She also said earlier this week that she ultimately supported Singletary. The New York Attorney General's office has opened an investigation into the death.The Brutal History of Spit Hoods, the Creepy Tool Cops Used on Daniel Prude"For the past two decades, I have served this community with honor, pride, and the highest integrity," Singletary wrote in a resignation letter. "As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character. The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity." He decried what he described as the "mischaracterization and the politicization" of Prude's death.According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Singletary's personnel file depicted him as a "patient and professional" law enforcement officer. He started in the department as an intern in 1998, and the mayor previously described him as "dedicated to changing the culture of policing."Prude died March 30, seven days after Rochester police detained him, put a spit hood over his head, forced him to the ground, and rendered him brain dead. The Monroe County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint due to excited delirium due to acute phycyclidine [PCP] intoxication." His brother had called 911 for assistance dealing with Prude's mental health crisis.Joe Prude called the police's actions "cold-blooded murder." He called for the Singletary's resignation and those of other top police department officials. Mounting outrage over Prude's death, the shocking police body-worn camera footage of his detainment, and the amount of time that elapsed before police went public with the incident have inspired protests for nearly a week in Rochester.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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| Putin is using RT to double down in Belarus: 'If you arrest the right 500 people, the other 100,000 won't show up' Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:07 PM PDT  "This is the first stage of propping up your dictator ally: Solidify control over state media. Then bolster intelligence gathering on who opposes you," a NATO source said.
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| Joe Biden tells A.F.L.-C.I.O. members he'll be 'the strongest labor president you have ever had' Posted: 07 Sep 2020 05:17 PM PDT  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spent part of his Labor Day at the A.F.L.-C.I.O headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he promised that if elected, he will be "the strongest labor president you have ever had."Biden vowed to increase the wages of essential workers, hold business executives liable if they interfere with unionization efforts, and pass the PRO Act to give workers more bargaining and organizational rights, The New York Times reports. "Wall Street did not build this country," Biden said. "You did — the great American middle class. And the middle class was built by unions — unions — and the American people now finally get it after a long time of being convinced that unions were a problem, not the answer." A Gallup poll released at the end of August found that 64 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, up 16 points from a 2009 low point.More stories from theweek.com Senate Republicans are apparently struggling to find 51 GOP votes for a COVID-19 relief bill Are the troops turning on Trump? Ellen DeGeneres says she's coming back for a new season, and 'yes, we're gonna talk about it'
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| ‘Whatever it takes’: Trump says he’s willing to spend his own money as campaign’s cash advantage evaporates Posted: 08 Sep 2020 07:21 AM PDT  Meanwhile, Biden has seen his fundraising soar in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign.
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| Dallas' 1st Black female police chief to step down Nov. 10 Posted: 08 Sep 2020 03:09 PM PDT  U. Reneé Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Dallas police force, has submitted her resignation effective Nov. 10, the city announced Tuesday. Hall's resignation letter, which the city provided to The Associated Press, didn't give a reason for stepping down. Hall is the latest in a parade of big city chiefs to resign or retire amid the protests and unrest that have swept the county since George Floyd, a Black man who was on the ground and handcuffed, died in May after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes.
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| Iranian fuel seized by U.S. to reach Texas within days Posted: 08 Sep 2020 09:46 AM PDT |
| At least 11 dead in massacres in Colombia Posted: 07 Sep 2020 08:02 PM PDT  At least 11 people were killed in three separate group killings in Colombia, police said Monday, one of the deadliest days since FARC guerrillas signed a peace accord with the government in 2016.
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| Officer shoots 13-year-old boy with autism after mom calls 911 for help, Utah cops say Posted: 08 Sep 2020 08:17 AM PDT  "He's a small child. Why didn't you just tackle him?"
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| Hospital: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is out of a medically induced coma Posted: 07 Sep 2020 06:30 PM PDT  After being placed in a medically induced coma, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is "being weaned off mechanical ventilation" and is "responding to verbal stimuli," Berlin's Charité Hospital announced on Monday.Last week, the German government said tests showed "unequivocal evidence" that a "chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group" was used to poison Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Charité Hospital said it "remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects" of Navalny's "severe poisoning."Navalny became sick on Aug. 20 while on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. Before being flown to Berlin, Navalny was treated by Russian doctors who claimed he was not poisoned. The Kremlin has denied playing any role in the incident.In 2018, a Novichok nerve agent was used to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy living in England, and his daughter. These chemical weapons were first developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and few scientists outside of Russia have much experience working with them, CNN reports.More stories from theweek.com Senate Republicans are apparently struggling to find 51 GOP votes for a COVID-19 relief bill Are the troops turning on Trump? Ellen DeGeneres says she's coming back for a new season, and 'yes, we're gonna talk about it'
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| Trump ex-campaign chief accused of spending like a ‘drunken sailor’ amid reports $800 million of funds already spent Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:18 AM PDT  Brad Parscale was demoted from campaign chief role in July
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| Black teenager attacked by corrections deputy Posted: 07 Sep 2020 02:06 PM PDT  A now-viral video shows a Florida deputy attacking a teenager who is currently in custody at a juvenile detention center. WWSB ABC7 reports Sarasota County deputy Neil Pizzo was placed on administrative leave following the incident. In a surveillance video, the deputy is seen choking 17-year-old Terrence Reed.
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| Colorado school officials called the sheriff and suspended a 12-year-old Black boy after he showed a toy gun in his Zoom class Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:12 AM PDT  Isaiah Elliott's parents say the school went straight to the sheriff's office before asking them if the "Zombie Hunter" gun was real or fake.
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| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe faces new charge while on temporary release says Iran state media Posted: 08 Sep 2020 05:31 AM PDT  An Iranian court issued a new unspecified charge against British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported. The British-Iranian dual national has been detained in Tehran since 2016 on sedition charges, but was temporarily released from Evin Prison prison in March amid the coronavirus outbreak after serving nearly all of her five-year sentence. She is barred from leaving the country. "The branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary court summoned Nazanin Zaghari and her designated lawyer this morning and informed her of a new indictment," an unnamed official told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news website. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested during a holiday in April 2016 and accused of plotting the "soft toppling" of Iran's clerical establishment. Her family and employer deny the accusations against her. They say the 41-year-old from Hampstead, north London, was in Iran with her young daughter Gabriella to visit family. "Our colleague is innocent and remains unlawfully held hostage for crimes she has not committed," said Antonio Zappulla, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO. "We had desperately hoped there might be an end in sight to her trauma," he said in a statement. "Instead, she now faces a new charge – details of which remain hidden – following a secret appearance at the country's revolutionary court today." Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn Tulip Siddiq tweeted that she had spoken with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and could "confirm that she was taken to court this morning and told she will face another trial on Sunday." Her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who has campaigned relentlessly for her release, believes his wife's release is contingent on the UK paying Iran money owed on a cancelled 1970s weapons deal. "The failure to resolve this issue has resulted in Nazanin being taken hostage, and other people being taken hostage," Mr Ratcliffe said in a BBC Panorama documentary broadcast last month. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has acknowledged that he is seeking to pay a debt to the Iranian government, in a letter reported in the Guardian on Friday to lawyers acting for families of dual nationals detained in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The debt derives from Chieftain tanks ordered by the shah of Iran. When the Shah was overthrown in 1979, Britain did not deliver the 1,500 tanks to the new Islamic republic nor return the money. International arbitration in 2008 found that the UK owed the debt, thought to be worth about £400m. Neither the UK nor Iran acknowledges a link between the payment of the debt and freeing of British prisoners in Iran. Mr Ratcliffe said last month he feared his wife, who was due for release in March 2021, could face a second trial. "Behind closed doors, they keep saying there's a second court case, they keep talking about running it," he told ITV. Amnesty International condemned the reports of a new charge against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. "Nazanin has already been convicted once after a deeply unfair trial, and there should be no question of her being put through that ordeal again," said Kate Allen, the advocacy group's UK director. "As a matter of absolute urgency the UK government should make fresh representations on Nazanin's behalf, seeking to have any suggestion of a second trial removed."
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| Raging wildfires destroy Washington town, roar through California, Oregon Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:46 AM PDT  Firefighters and emergency responders searched on Tuesday for residents of tiny Malden, about 300 miles (480 km) east of Seattle, a day after a firestorm destroyed 80% of its homes, along with the fire station, post office, city hall and library. "The scale of this disaster really can't be expressed in words," said Brett Myers, sheriff of Whitman County, where the town of 200-300 people is located. The fire that destroyed Malden erupted about noon on Sunday, and was driven by 40 mile-per-hour-winds that blew directly into the town, Myers said in an interview.
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| A Misleading Attempt to Bolster the ‘Mostly Peaceful’ Riots Narrative Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:43 PM PDT  Has this summer's unrest been "mostly peaceful," as some have claimed? A new study from Roudabeh Kishi and Sam Jones at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) has been trumpeted as sufficient justification for the media's attempt to push this line. Kishi and Jones's partisan framing have doubtlessly contributed to this misunderstanding. "In more than 93 percent of all demonstrations connected to the movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity," they explain. "Violent demonstrations, meanwhile, have been limited to fewer than 220 locations," they assure us. More remarkable is their assertion that the media is responsible for the public's increasingly negative view of the Black Lives Matter movement. They lament the "disproportionate coverage of violent demonstrations" and dismiss the claim that "antifa is a terrorist organization" as a "mischaracterization." They advise that we not let ourselves be manipulated by "the media focus on looting and vandalism . . . there is little evidence to suggest that demonstrators have engaged in widespread violence."While Kishi and Jones may be surprised that the media is more inclined to cover violent riots than peaceful protests, the people living and working in the neighborhoods ravaged by those riots do not share their confusion. For widows such as Ann Dorn, whose husband, David, was killed in St. Louis by people attempting to loot a pawn shop he was protecting, it is readily apparent why the violence matters. Nineteen people had already died in riot-related violence two weeks into the protests in early June. For small-business owners already struggling to stay afloat under the pressure of a pandemic, it is similarly self-evident. In a six-day period from May 29 to June 3, rioters were responsible for over $400 million in damage across the country. As of June 9, 450 New York City businesses had been looted or otherwise vandalized. In Minneapolis and St. Paul — where riots first broke out after George Floyd's death — 1,500 businesses have sustained damage. As Brad Polumbo has observed, the socioeconomic shadow cast by that damage will be a long one, as business owners will be loathe to invest in an area in which the government cannot guarantee that their property will be protected. Tragically, because the riots are concentrated in urban settings, they disproportionately take the lives and damage the property of minorities.Yet Kishi and Jones remain sanguine about the role that Black Lives Matter has played in the destruction, and insist that where violence has occurred, it is largely attributable to the far right. As evidence, they cite the fact that a single member of the Hells Angels gang was caught smashing windows in Minneapolis in late May. That behavior is worthy of condemnation and imprisonment, but Kishi and Jones can't help themselves from laying the blame of all of the ensuing violence on this single incident. According to their analysis, those smashed windows "helped spark an outbreak of looting following initially peaceful protests." If a man smiles and shakes your hand before pulling a gun on you, the initial feigned friendliness may not have been genuine. If a man sees smashed windows and thinks, "That looks like fun," he was probably never especially opposed to committing acts of violence.The ACLED researchers further excuse lawlessness in American cities by conveniently ignoring the aforementioned harm caused to blameless families and businesses, asserting that "in many cases" the "violent demonstrations have specifically targeted statues seen to represent the country's legacy of racist violence." Notably, Kishi and Jones draw no distinction between efforts to tear down statues of Confederate leader Jefferson Davis versus those of Christopher Columbus. Moreover, while Rich Lowry has convincingly argued that conservatives should not feel any particular affinity toward Confederate monuments, all Americans should share an attachment to the rule of law.Kishi and Jones's assessment of data also changes depending on if they feel the numbers carry enough water for Black Lives Matter. They dismiss violence in 7 percent of demonstrations as miniscule, yet count a similar proportion of violent incidents inspired by anger at monuments as "very many." Kishi and Jones also express outrage at the fact that there has been "government intervention" in about 9 percent of the demonstrations, "despite the fact that demonstrations associated with the BLM movement have been overwhelmingly peaceful." Per their own analysis, that makes for a difference of only 2 percent between the protests that have turned violent and the ones in which authorities have stepped in.None of this is to say that the many peaceful protesters who have participated in marches around the country have no legitimate grievances, or to call those participants violent criminals. The Republican majority in the Senate has acknowledged issues with our criminal-justice system and proposed legislation to address many of them — legislation blocked by their Democratic colleagues for political purposes. But it is to suggest that that hundreds of violent riots resulting in billions of dollars in damage, lost life, and a fraying social fabric is not an issue to be set aside. And it's also to suggest that the efforts of academics and journalists attempting to set them aside are as transparent as they are egregious.
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| Trump disputes Atlantic report that he called service members ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ Posted: 07 Sep 2020 11:30 AM PDT  President Trump on Monday denied reports that he repeatedly mocked deceased American service members and skipped a visit to a veterans' cemetery out of concern that the rainy weather would mess up his hair.
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| China passed 'extraordinary' virus test, says bullish Xi Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:04 AM PDT  China has passed "an extraordinary and historic test" with its handling of the coronavirus, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday at a triumphant awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with bugle calls and applause.
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| Police chief stabbed in face with ice pick after answering his door, SC cops say Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:25 PM PDT  The suspect is accused of saying the chief was "going to die."
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| Search for missing livestock ship crew off Japan resumes Posted: 07 Sep 2020 07:46 PM PDT  Japanese coast guard ships resumed searching on Tuesday for a livestock ship and its 40 missing crew members off Japan's southern islands after the efforts were suspended due to a typhoon. The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress signal early Sept. 2 while it was sailing in stormy conditions in the East China Sea as a typhoon passed the area. Two survivors were rescued and the body of a third crew member was recovered before a second typhoon halted the search.
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| Senate Republicans are apparently struggling to find 51 GOP votes for a COVID-19 relief bill Posted: 08 Sep 2020 04:49 AM PDT  The Senate is getting back to work Tuesday after its August recess, and along with averting a government shutdown at the end of September, their agenda includes trying to pass a COVID-19 economic relief package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have agreed on a tentative plan to avoid a shutdown, but coronavirus relief talks are at an impasse. The House passed a $3.4 trillion package in May and the White House doesn't want the price tag to top $1 trillion, maybe $1.5 trillion."Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other top Senate Republicans have been scrambling to round up votes for a narrow economic stimulus package they could put on the floor and hammer Democrats for opposing," Politico reports, but their "gambit may fall short," since "McConnell doesn't even have 51 votes for the Republican proposal, according to GOP senators and aides, let alone the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster."Some Senate Republicans want the narrow $500 billion bill to include language related to "school choice," while others say they are alarmed at the sharply rising federal deficit and believe the U.S. economy will recover without any extra aid.McConnell said last week he doesn't "know if there will be another package in the next few weeks or not," adding, "It's harder to do now because we've moved closer and closer to an election." But "the inability to get 51 GOP votes would be a big defeat for the White House and Senate GOP leadership," Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer argue at Politico's Playbook newsletter. They are also "skeptical of all the 'we-decided-not-to-shut-it-down' talk" from Pelosi and Mnuchin, pointing out that nobody actively plans to shut down the government, and "we don't think we've seen the last frame of this movie yet — nor do many in the Capitol and White House."More stories from theweek.com Are the troops turning on Trump? Ellen DeGeneres says she's coming back for a new season, and 'yes, we're gonna talk about it' Nate Silver: 'It's no longer "too soon" to look at polls'
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| Wyoming blanketed in snow after wild temperature swing Posted: 08 Sep 2020 01:26 PM PDT 
A blast of cold Canadian air was expected to push through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, bringing with it at least 6 inches (15 cm) of snow and winds gusts of 35 mph (56 kph) throughout the day and into Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The cold front follows a long spell of hot, dry weather that plagued the region for the last two months. At midday on Tuesday, the temperature dipped to 35 degrees Fahrenheit in Denver, where snow was falling with gusty winds, a day after Colorado's capital reached 93 degrees, the 73rd day of temperatures above 90 degrees, tying the city's record. Since forecasters began keeping records about 150 years ago, a one-day change in temperature of 55 degrees or more has occurred two dozen times in Denver, according to the NWS. The NWS warned the storm could produce freezing rains and white-out conditions, while downing trees and power lines, potentially causing electricity outages. The precipitation was welcome news to crews battling Colorado wildfires, particularly the 102,000-acre Cameron Peak blaze in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The cold front will push east into the Southern Plains and central United States, where heavy rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast through the week.
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| Record floods threaten pyramid sites in Sudan Posted: 08 Sep 2020 06:25 AM PDT  Record floods in Sudan have threatened sites housing the royal pyramids of Meroe and Nuri, two of the country's most important archaeological areas, an official said on Tuesday. The royal bath at Meroe, a basin that fills during the annual flooding of the Nile, was at risk from unprecedented water levels, and teams have been working since Monday to protect the site from being swamped, said Hatem al-Nour, director of Sudan's antiquities and museums authority. Meroe is an ancient city on the east bank of the River Nile about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of the capital Khartoum.
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| ByteDance is giving its 60,000 employees cash bonuses after working 'endless hours' amid TikTok ban 'noise' Posted: 08 Sep 2020 11:08 AM PDT  The bonuses are to "thank everyone for their efforts and dedication" as ByteDance and TikTok face challenges brought on by politics and COVID-19.
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| Last two journalists working for Australian media leave China Posted: 07 Sep 2020 05:36 PM PDT  The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them, the Australian government and Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Tuesday. ABC's Bill Birtles and The Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith landed in Sydney after flying from Shanghai on Monday night, ABC reported. Both had sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds in recent days. The journalists left after Australia revealed last week that Australian citizen Cheng Lei, business news anchor for CGTN, China's English-language state media channel, had been detained. Australian embassy officials in Beijing told Birtles last week that he should leave China, ABC reported. Birtles was due to depart Beijing on Thursday and was holding a farewell party on Wednesday when seven police officers arrived at his apartment and told him he was banned from leaving the country, ABC said. Birtles was told he would be contacted on Thursday to organise a time to be questioned about a "national security case", ABC said. Birtles went to the Australian embassy where he spent four days while Australian and Chinese officials negotiated. Birtles agreed to given police a brief interview in return for being allowed to leave the country. Smith had similarly holed up at the Australian consulate in Shanghai. Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed that her government had provided consular support to the two journalists to assist their return to Australia. "Our embassy in Beijing and Consulate-General in Shanghai engaged with Chinese government authorities to ensure their wellbeing and return to Australia," she said. Australia's travel warning of the risk of arbitrary detention in China "remains appropriate and unchanged," she added. ABC news director Gaven Morris said Birtles was brought back to Australia on the Australian government's advice. "This bureau is a vital part of the ABC's international newsgathering effort and we aim to get back there as soon as possible," Morris said. "The story of China, its relationship with Australia and its role in our region and in the world is one of great importance for all Australians and we want to continue having our people on the ground to cover it," he added. The newspaper's editor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury and editor Paul Bailey described the situation as "disturbing". "This incident targeting two journalists, who were going about their normal reporting duties, is both regrettable and disturbing and is not in the interests of a co-operative relationship between Australia and China," they said in a statement. Relations between China and Australia were already strained by Australia outlawing covert interference in politics and banning communications giant Huawei from supplying critical infrastructure. They have worsened since the Australian government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of and international responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Birtles told reporters at Sydney airport that his departure was a "whirlwind and ... not a particularly good experience". "It's very disappointing to have to leave under those circumstances and it's a relief to be back in a c country with genuine rule of law," Birtles said. Smith told his newspaper: "The late-night visit by police at my home was intimidating and unnecessary and highlights the pressure all foreign journalists are under in China right now." Smith said at the airport he had felt "a little bit" threatened in China. "It's so good to be home, so happy, I can't say any more at the moment, it's such a relief to be home, so really happy," Smith said. "It was a complicated experience but it's great to be here," he added.
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| High turnout by Trump’s base won’t be enough to get him re-elected Posted: 06 Sep 2020 07:13 PM PDT  According to an analysis provided to the Washington Post,
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| Belarus opposition figure 'tore passport to pieces' to avoid expulsion Posted: 08 Sep 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Authorities in Belarus tried to forcibly expel leading opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from the country but she tore up her passport in defiance and jumped out a car window to stay, her allies said Tuesday.
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| Israeli startup’s counter-drone augmented reality system to deploy with US forces Posted: 08 Sep 2020 02:04 PM PDT  A new joint Israeli and U.S. program aims to develop an augmented reality based control for unmanned systems to engage in small drone-on-drone warfare.
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| New virus cases knock hopes of reviving Southeast Asia's holiday hotspots Posted: 07 Sep 2020 07:39 PM PDT  BALI, Indonesia/BANGKOK (Reuters) - A spike in coronavirus infections in Indonesia's holiday island of Bali and Thailand's first locally transmitted case in 100 days have dealt further blows to Southeast Asian hopes of reviving vital tourism industries. Plans to reopen Bali to foreign tourists from September have been postponed indefinitely, while Thailand's proposal for the cautious reopening of Phuket island has come into doubt. As well as trying to encourage domestic tourism industries, some Southeast Asian countries have been considering "travel bubbles" with others as a way to get businesses restarted.
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