| Katie Porter, AOC among House freshmen making their mark by grilling witnesses Posted: 11 Sep 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Those tuning in to high-profile House hearings often find them most interesting toward the end, when junior representatives start asking questions.
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| Student arrested after repeatedly going to high school on online days, NY school says Posted: 11 Sep 2020 01:12 PM PDT  The student argues he should be able to attend classes at school every day.
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| Court-appointed adviser blasts 'corrupt' DOJ move to drop Flynn case Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:35 AM PDT  It's not clear whether the brief by retired jurist John Gleeson will sway the District Court judge deciding Flynn's fate.
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| US mayor of Portland bans the use of tear gas by police Posted: 10 Sep 2020 05:13 PM PDT  The mayor of the protest-hit US city of Portland, Oregon on Thursday ordered city police to stop using tear gas for crowd control purposes.
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| This Scandinavian Villa Was Designed to Blend Into Nature Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:11 AM PDT |
| ‘Are you out of your mind?’: US Navy cancels New York 9/11 flyover tribute amid public outrage Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:24 AM PDT  Planned tribute branded as 'tone deaf', 'insensitive', and 'verging on completely tasteless'
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| Post-COVID heart damage alarms researchers: 'There was a black hole' in infected cells Posted: 10 Sep 2020 10:20 AM PDT  While more studies are needed, researchers and doctors throughout the country are warning of a likely connection between COVID-19 and a serious heart condition.
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| Wisconsin Supreme Court says mailing of absentee ballots should be halted Posted: 10 Sep 2020 04:37 PM PDT  The state Supreme Court told election officials that ballots should not be mailed while the court determines if the Green Party's ticket should be added.
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| Mourners gather to bid farewell to murdered Mexican reporter Posted: 10 Sep 2020 11:29 AM PDT |
| Trump campaign misspells 'Nobel' Peace Prize in ad to fundraise off of his nomination, which anyone can get Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Trump celebrated his second nomination for the award earlier this week on Twitter, reposting several congratulatory tweets from conservatives.
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| An influencer couple revealed their child's gender on Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:35 AM PDT  Anasala Family, a YouTube family channel with over 7.7 million subscribers, did a gender reveal event on the world's tallest building.
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| Australia says security agencies acted on evidence in Chinese journalist raid Posted: 10 Sep 2020 07:23 PM PDT  Australia's security agencies acted on evidence related to a foreign interference investigation when a raid was conducted on Chinese journalists in Australia in June, the country's trade minister said on Friday. The incident, involving four Chinese state media journalists, was revealed by China's foreign ministry this week, in the wake of two Australian journalists departing China after questioning by Chinese police.
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| ‘Rumours spread just like wildfire’: Fire officials deny blazes spreading across Oregon and Washington started by political extremists Posted: 11 Sep 2020 07:40 AM PDT  'Rumours make the job of protecting the community more difficult,' officials say
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| Nearly 100 earthquakes swarm Yellowstone in 24 hours. Here’s what experts are saying Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:31 AM PDT  Is that normal?
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| Return of Saddam-era archive to Iraq opens debate, old wounds Posted: 10 Sep 2020 06:57 PM PDT  A trove of Saddam-era files secretly returned to Iraq has pried open the country's painful past, prompting hopes some may learn the fate of long-lost relatives along with fears of new bloodshed.
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| The Postmaster General Says Ballots Will Arrive On Time. Postal Workers Aren’t So Sure Posted: 11 Sep 2020 08:20 AM PDT  Postal workers say 2020 election ballots may not be delivered on time due to changes made by the Postmaster General
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| Navy Early Warning Plane Damaged After Hitting Parked Super Hornet on Carrier Deck Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:04 AM PDT  It was the second mishap on the Nimitz in two weeks.
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| US Marshals capture Oklahoma man accused of recording sexual assault of 6-month-old baby and posting it on social media Posted: 10 Sep 2020 05:12 PM PDT  Brice Gage Watkins, 22, is facing one count of felony distribution of child pornography and other charges for the alleged sexual abuse of an infant.
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| Tom Ridge: Whistleblower allegation against Trump should outrage all Americans Posted: 11 Sep 2020 08:00 AM PDT  The allegations should make anyone who had the responsibility to brief a U.S. president furious, and it should make all Americans shudder.
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| Florida Supreme Court orders governor to pick new justice Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:53 AM PDT  Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis must pick a new Supreme Court justice because the judge he picked to fill a high court vacancy is constitutionally ineligible to serve, the court said in an order issued Friday. The Florida Supreme Court ordered DeSantis to appoint another judge by Monday, nullifying the appointment of Judge Renatha Francis.
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| US Navy scraps plan to fly fighter jet over New York City on 9/11 anniversary after it sparked outrage Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:51 AM PDT  The announcement that the Navy planned to conduct flight training on 9/11 prompted a New York congressman to ask: "Are you out of your mind?"
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| Explosive material found in Beirut port after blast was stored for years, says president Posted: 11 Sep 2020 05:38 AM PDT  Several tonnes of highly explosive material found at Beirut's port, just weeks after the same chemical was blamed for causing a massive detonation there, had been in storage for 15 years, the Lebanese president said on Friday. The army said on Sept. 2 it had discovered a stockpile close to the port of 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the highly explosive chemical blamed for the huge Aug. 4 blast that killed about 190 people and ruined a swathe of Beirut. Critics said the lack of proper care and attention in storing such highly explosive material revealed the depth of dysfunction in the way Lebanon has been governed.
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| Backpacker burning toilet paper started 2019 wildfire at Grand Canyon, officials say Posted: 10 Sep 2020 10:32 AM PDT  The high winds made the fire spread quickly and burned 64 acres, officials said.
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| Democrat running against QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly drops out of Georgia race for 'personal reasons' Posted: 11 Sep 2020 12:37 PM PDT  Democratic candidate Kevin Van Ausdal, who was running against Republican QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene, has announced he would be dropping out of the Georgia congressional race due to "personal reasons". "I am resigning from my race against Marjorie Taylor Greene," Mr Van Ausdal said in a statement on Friday. "I am deeply saddened by the personal and family reasons that prevent me from continuing on as a candidate for Georgia's 14th Congressional District."
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| Top Medicaid official racked up $3.5 million in consulting charges — and billed it all to taxpayers Posted: 10 Sep 2020 08:48 AM PDT  The person in charge of providing health care for low-income Americans spent several million dollars of taxpayer money on furthering her own career, a congressional investigation has found.Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a member of the coronavirus task force, racked up $3.5 million in consulting charges, event costs, and other things that developed her connections within the Republican party, Politico reports via the investigation set to be published Thursday. That included nearly $3,000 on a "Girl's Night" party, about $1,000 to place an op-ed with Fox News, and dozens more line items before Verma was cut off last year.Politico first reported Verma's excessive spending in March 2019, and her contracts with the consulting firm Nahigian Strategies were soon cut off. But Politico also sparked a congressional probe into those contracts, and investigators sifted through thousands of pages of Verma's emails and billing records. They found that Verma spent more than $3 million over two years in the Trump administration on "handpicked communications consultants used to promote Administrator Verma's public profile and personal brand," congressional Democrats said in a Thursday statement.Among the charges, investigators found Verma spent $115,000 with one consultant who "tried to broker conversations between Verma and well-known Washington reporters," booked conservative media appearances, and even tried to connect her with then-White House communications director Bill Shine, Politico writes. Verma also diverted $13,856 to shoot an "eMedicare" video, including $450 for a makeup artist, and spent at least $3,400 in consulting charges to arrange an appearance on Politico's Women Rule podcast, among many other charges. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com The true Election Day nightmare scenario The epistemic crisis of political polling Are the troops turning on Trump?
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| Inside the National Guard's Daring Rescue of Hundreds from a California Wildfire Posted: 10 Sep 2020 12:43 PM PDT  Two helicopter aircrews pulled more than 214 people from encircling fires last weekend.
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| The death of Breonna Taylor: Report details why Louisville police decided to forcibly enter her apartment Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:24 AM PDT  A report written by Louisville police after officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor sheds more light on why they chose to forcibly enter her apartment.
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| Beijing to impose restrictions on all US diplomats in China Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:29 AM PDT  Beijing will impose "reciprocal restrictions" on all American diplomats on Chinese soil in response to curbs on its embassy personnel in the United States, China's foreign ministry said Friday.
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| 2 Black Senate hopefuls look to make history, usher in a ‘new South’ Posted: 10 Sep 2020 10:49 AM PDT  Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins from Louisiana and Jaime Harrison from South Carolina envision a "new South" to address issues they say have been largely ignored by their longtime incumbent opponents.
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| Facebook board member Peter Thiel reportedly had dinner with a key white nationalist figure in 2016 and said he 'really enjoyed' meeting him Posted: 11 Sep 2020 12:20 PM PDT  The revelation is likely to contribute to internal tensions at Facebook, where employees have protested far-right organizing on the platform.
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| An ominous map shows the entire West Coast with the worst air quality on Earth as historic wildfires spew smoke Posted: 11 Sep 2020 02:15 PM PDT  Wildfire smoke has made air quality in parts of Oregon as bad as some of the worst days of pollution in Delhi, India.
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| Tory Lanez to Megan Thee Stallion after shooting: 'I ... just got too drunk' Posted: 10 Sep 2020 11:58 AM PDT  After he allegedly shot her, Canadian rapper Tory Lanez texted "WAP" hitmaker Megan Thee Stallion that he "got too drunk," according to TMZ.
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| Trump's 'Great American Comeback' campaign ad shows Ukraine stock footage Posted: 10 Sep 2020 01:50 PM PDT  The commercials are running in the battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
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| Nebraska Democrats name third pick to replace Senate nominee Posted: 10 Sep 2020 03:09 PM PDT  After months of bickering, accusations and apologies, Nebraska Democrats again named their candidate for U.S. Senate Thursday, and to no one's surprise, he isn't the Democrat on the ballot. Omaha activist and professor Preston Love Jr. is the Democrats' third choice to compete against Omaha baker and fellow Democrat Chris Janicek, who won the primary and is on the ballot against Republican Sen. Ben Sasse.
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| Rhea Chakraborty: Why is Indian TV obsessed with Sushant Singh Rajput's death? Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:59 AM PDT  Sushant Singh Rajput's death and the media frenzy around his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty have dominated news.
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| Rough arrest of Black teen in southern Louisiana prompts internal police probe Posted: 11 Sep 2020 10:25 AM PDT  One Lafayette officer was put on leave and two more taken of regular duties, following bowling alley confrontation.
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| 'Living hell': Ethiopians detained in Saudi call for help Posted: 11 Sep 2020 03:51 AM PDT  Using a smuggled-in mobile phone, a detained Ethiopian migrant pleaded for help as he described harrowing conditions in a Saudi detention centre -- overcrowded and disease-ridden cells, food scarcity and rising suicides.
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| After Senate bill fails, airline workers look to Congress to save them from October layoffs Posted: 11 Sep 2020 06:40 AM PDT  Without a new stimulus deal, airlines say they will have to furlough thousands of workers by Oct. 1. A GOP bill failed to clear the Senate Thursday.
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| Pompeo’s wife assigned State Dept. work on secretary’s behalf using private email Posted: 11 Sep 2020 12:08 PM PDT  As a congressman, Pompeo was harshly critical of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email system while serving at the State Department.
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| Letters to the Editor: California's heat waves aren't as dramatic as its fires, but they're just as deadly Posted: 11 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Like toxic pollution and COVID-19, heat waves disproportionately affect low-income communities and those with preexisting health conditions.
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| U.S. weekly jobless claims losing momentum labor market recovery showing signs of fatigue Posted: 10 Sep 2020 02:16 PM PDT  The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits hovered at high levels last week, suggesting the labor market recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was stalling.
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| South Dakota governor says study blaming motorbike rally for 260,000 coronavirus infections ‘completely false’ Posted: 10 Sep 2020 02:42 PM PDT  State has reportedly seen 126 per cent increase in cases over last two weeks
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| Farmers hold out at Mexican dam as tensions build Posted: 11 Sep 2020 11:57 AM PDT  Hundreds of farmers continued to hold a remote dam in northern Mexico Friday as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tried to explain to the country why water must be released to the United States under an international treaty. Concern was building that if the farmers refuse to budge, the National Guard would be sent in again and there could be violence. Overnight, power to the La Boquilla dam site in Chihuahua was cut and there were reports that cell phone service there had also dropped, making activists suspect a move by authorities to evict them could be imminent.
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| 'You are a modern day moron': Elon Musk and a former US labor secretary trade blows Posted: 10 Sep 2020 11:44 AM PDT  Robert Reich, who served in President Bill Clinton's cabinet, accused the billionaire of being a "modern day robber baron."
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| USC Professor Who Used Chinese Word That Sounds Like English Slur ‘Not Dismissed Nor Suspended,’ Admin Says Posted: 10 Sep 2020 12:37 PM PDT  The University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business' dean is on the defensive after receiving widespread backlash for his handling of an incident in which a communications professor at the school used a Chinese word that sounded like a slur in English, a new email obtained by National Review shows.Professor Greg Patton was giving a lecture about the use of "filler words" in speech during a recent online class when he used the word in question, saying, "If you have a lot of 'ums and errs,' this is culturally specific, so based on your native language. Like in China, the common word is 'that, that, that.' So in China it might be 'nèi ge, nèi ge, nèi ge.'"A group of students who identified themselves as "Black MBA Candidates c/o 2022" complained to university administration in an email, accusing the professor of pronouncing the Chinese word in a way that resembled the N-word "approximately five times" during the lesson in each of his three communication classes and said he "offended all of the Black members of our Class."The incident led the university to assign another instructor to Patton's class while he "agreed to take a short term pause while we are reviewing to better understand the situation and to take any appropriate next steps," according to a statement from USC to Campus Reform.After an online petition to "Re-instate USC Marshall Professor Greg Patton" collected more than 11,000 signatures and a group of more than 100 global alumni signed a letter criticizing the university's treatment of Patton, dean Geoff Garrett sent an email to Marshall staff on Wednesday saying that he wanted to "offer some clarification about the situation," because "some of the reporting about the situation has been inaccurate." The email had two attached letters — one from the dean and another from provost Charles Zukoski on behalf of the dean and the president.In Garrett's letter, dated September 6, he claimed "It was absolutely not my intention to cast any aspersions on specific Mandarin words or on Mandarin generally.""The student complaints we received had nothing to do with the Mandarin language but focused on the use of a polarizing example Professor Patton used when trying to make a reasonable and important point about communication," he continued. "In his apology to students, he noted he could have chosen a better example to illustrate his point."Patton had apologized in an email last month, saying he had received positive feedback on the lesson in years past but accepted blame for failing "to realize all the many different additional ways that a particular example may be heard across audiences members based on their own lived experiences."Garrett went on to say that Patton agreed to not finish out the accelerated course that ended last week and that administration is "following standard university procedures to explore the complaints students have raised." The provost's letter echoed Garrett's: "the course was scheduled to run for three weeks and, after student complaints were lodged, the professor volunteered to step away for the final two weeks. He was not dismissed nor suspended nor was his status changed. We are required to investigate all complaints and have a thorough process for doing so which we began immediately.""The complaints occurred in a course in communication across cultural lines," the provost continued. "Its purpose is to prepare students to be successful in business around the world. There is no intent to impose U.S. cultural norms on communications in other languages and cultures."Zukoski finished by assuring that the university's "internal procedures are fair and appropriate."However, in an initial August 24 email, the dean had apologized for Patton's use of a "Chinese word that sounds very similar to a vile racial slur in English," saying "understandably, this caused great pain and upset among students.""It is simply unacceptable for faculty to use words in class that can marginalize, hurt and harm the psychological safety of our students," he wrote. "We must and we will do better."He added that he was "deeply saddened by this disturbing episode that has caused such anguish and trauma."The dean's initial apology was in response to the group of students alleging that Patton had purposely mispronounced the word and that the phrase should always be "identified as a phonetic homonym and a racial derogatory term, and should be carefully used." "Our mental health has been affected," the group wrote. "It is an uneasy feeling allowing him to have the power over our grades. We would rather not take his course than to endure the emotional exhaustion of carrying on with an instructor that disregards cultural diversity and sensitivities and by extension creates an unwelcome environment for us Black students."The dean announced his reconsidered stance only after alumni of "more than a dozen nationalities and ethnicities" sent a letter standing behind Patton."Most of us are Chinese, some ethnically, some by nationality, and many others have spent extensive time in China," the letter reads. "Most of us live in China. We unanimously recognize Prof Patton's use of 'nei ge' as an accurate rendition of common Chinese use, and an entirely appropriate and quite effective illustration of the use of pauses. Prof Patton used this example and hundreds of others in our classes over the years, providing richness, relevance and real world impact."The group continued: "We are also deeply disappointed that the spurious charge has the additional feature of casting insult toward the Chinese language, the most spoken in the world, and characterized it and its usage as vile. We feel Marshall should be open to diversity in all areas – not only those areas convenient for the moment. We further suggest that any attempt to degrade this matter and suggest that a Chinese word different in sound, tone, accent, context and language itself is 'exactly like' an offensive US term would be naive, a disgusting and intentional stretch and would further degrade important societal discussion."
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