| Who will Trump nominate to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Some possible contenders. Posted: 18 Sep 2020 08:11 PM PDT  Hours after the announcement that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died Friday evening, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared that if President Trump made a nomination, as he is expected to, McConnell would bring it up in the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority.
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| A Vermont grocery store worker was fired after stopping a purse snatcher who stole from an elderly woman Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:42 AM PDT  Amir Shedyak, a grocery store employee, told local news that he was fired after trying to stop a purse snatcher during a shift in August.
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| Three dead after rare Mediterranean storm batters Greece Posted: 20 Sep 2020 03:23 AM PDT  Three people have died after Cyclone Ianos, a rare storm known as a medicane, battered Greece, flooding streets and homes, Greek authorities said on Sunday. Ianos uprooted trees and caused power cuts on the Ionian islands and the western Peloponnese. It swept through central Greece on Saturday, hitting the cities of Karditsa and Farsala before it moved south to the island of Crete.
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| Postal workers are catching COVID by the thousands. It’s one more threat to voting by mail Posted: 19 Sep 2020 08:59 AM PDT  More than 50,000 workers have taken time off for virus-related reasons, slowing mail delivery
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| US town hopes herd of goats will protect against wildfires Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:26 AM PDT  An Oregon town has recruited a herd of goats to head off the risk of another wildfire. According to the latest estimate, more than 938,000 acres of land were destroyed by the blazes which swept through the state in the north-west of the US. Forest City, a town with around 25,000 inhabitants 25 miles west of Portland, is taking drastic measures to ensure it does not suffer the same fate as other parts of the state. The 230 goats are set to start work this week, chomping through the vegetation in a 14-acre grove which has been earmarked for use as a city park. They have been hired from a company called Healing Hooves, based in Washington State which rents out its goats to landowners in the region. Renting the goats costs around $800 (£489) a day, not counting the costs of transportation. The animals are corralled by an electric fence. The goats are marshalled by Craig Madsen, who has been going the work for more than 18 years. As fires raged across California and Oregon, Donald Trump said poor land management by local authorities was to blame for the spread of the flames. Ecologists believe removing excess vegetation, especially near power lines and timber, is one way of minimising the risk of a catastrophic wildfire. Mr Madsen believes his herd of goats can clear an acre of brush in about a day and a half. The terrain at Forest City is ideal for his team. "Some of the grove backs onto people's yards. It's pretty steep, but goats don't mind fences and slopes," Mr Madsen told the Telegraph. "They chew up the undergrowth and if its a fire that is creeping slowly they create a fire break. "The ideal terrain for them is somewhere they have to climb. Their hooves grow fast so rocks can help trim them. "They are pretty agile and they are great for this kind of terrain. Goats have their preferences. They like to browse and prefer blackberries, brush and broad-leaved plants. "People say that goats will eat anything, but actually they are pretty picky."
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| Southern California jolted by magnitude 4.5 earthquake, another worry after raging wildfires Posted: 19 Sep 2020 04:11 AM PDT  In a region already reeling from wildfires and smoke-filled skies, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake jolted Southern California.
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| Walmart and Amazon donate to QAnon-promoting lawmaker Posted: 19 Sep 2020 12:58 PM PDT  Walmart, Amazon and other giant companies donated money to the reelection campaign of a Tennessee state lawmaker who used social media to promote the QAnon conspiracy theory.
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| ‘We’re Not Scared’: Tens of Thousands of Motorcyclists Pack Lake of the Ozarks for Bike Rally Posted: 18 Sep 2020 09:09 PM PDT  Along the Bagnell Dam Strip in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, thousands of motorcycles are tightly parked in the middle of a two-lane highway.Tourists from across the country have been cutting loose along the historic stretch, known as the "main party hub" of the Missouri resort area, for months—but over the last three days, the highway lined with bars, hotels, and concert venues has been home to one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the Midwest: Lake of the Ozarks' Bikefest. Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts have flooded the area for the annual rally, which started Wednesday, participating in five days of rides, fairs, music concerts, and coordinated stops at local bars and restaurants. Did Sturgis Really Infect 250,000 People?In one video from Thursday night, hundreds of patrons—most maskless—could be seen crowding into the strip's bars and restaurants, clearly flouting federal social distancing recommendations. And Bikefest is not the only gathering at the lake this weekend. Hundreds are expected to show their support for President Trump at a boat parade taking place across the 92-mile-long lake."There are thousands of bikes here. A lot of people here—this weekend there will be even more people," Dan Ousley, a 51-year-old local who has participated in Bikefest for years, told The Daily Beast. "It's great to see. Honestly, I think that the COVID-19 thing is a little overblown, to be honest. We made national news for having large crowds, but we just want to live our life."Ousley, who is hosting a 15-mile "Bikefest-Trump parade" ride on Saturday that is expected to attract a couple hundred participants, admitted that local residents are "not real big on masks here," because they don't want to "infringe on anyone's rights.""Around here, if people don't want to go out and want to stay home, that's totally fine. We're all about freedom here," he said. "We did the whole stay-at-home order thing and enough's enough. People have to live and feed their families and life goes on."Health experts, however, are concerned that Bikefest, which was attended by 125,000 bikers last year, and the Trump boat parade will lead to a surge in the already fast-growing number of COVID-19 cases in Missouri, a state that even the White House has deemed in danger. "For mass gatherings like this bike rally, it is very unlikely people are going to social distance. People are going to congregate from all over the country, and it will likely spur a chain of transmissions that has impacts in various different states," Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who specializes in infectious diseases, told The Daily Beast. "It will be a major task for public health officials because it is very difficult to track this mobile population." The rally comes just weeks after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, a 10-day event that attracted nearly a half-million visitors. The August gathering has since been deemed a coronavirus "super-spreader" event that infected hundreds and killed at least one biker. RNC Speaker Kristi Noem Is a Master of COVID DelusionBut several participants of Bikefest told The Daily Beast they're not at all worried about the rally becoming the next Sturgis, with one rider insisting that participants "are thinking and acting responsibly as it relates to spreading a virus." For Greg Surdyke, the 54-year-old owner of Surdyke Yamaha, whose store is participating in Bikefest this weekend, the ongoing pandemic—which has already killed nearly 200,000 Americans—shouldn't get in the way of an annual tradition. Surdyke's store is just one of the 24 bars and restaurants participating in Bikefest's passport system. Each participating rider must get their "passport stamped" at all the participating venues to be entered in a raffle for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Surdyke's store is also handing out free "beer n' brats" to bikers as they go on a ride that spans three counties. "Motorcycle riders have one thing in common. They all thrive on freedom, thrills, and camaraderie," Surdyke told The Daily Beast, adding that he will be participating in the festival on Saturday. "I can assure you 10 times more good will come out of this showing of freedom than will arise from COVID-19."Since the state lifted its coronavirus restrictions in June, Missouri has seen COVID-19 cases climb. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 1,780 residents have died from the coronavirus and 110,129 more have been infected. Now among the top 10 states for cases per capita, Missouri is currently battling a daily positive COVID-19 test rate of about 11 percent and an average of 1,000 new cases each day. The state, which does not have a mask mandate and has left all public health decisions up to local officials, has also seen record daily hospitalizations over the last week, according to data from the Missouri Hospital Association."As the number of COVID-19 cases in our community continues to climb, we again face a stark truth: This pandemic is not just happening somewhere else—it's happening here," CEO Dane Henry of Lake Regional Health System wrote in a July letter. "Although many are wary of the national coverage and political debate about COVID-19, the fact is there are things you can and should do to protect yourself, your family, and others. Here's why—we are now seeing widespread COVID-19 cases in each of the counties Lake Regional serves, as well as a recent uptick in the number of patients hospitalized with, and dying from, this illness."The rising number of cases has also put Missouri on the White House's radar, according to a September report by the administration's Coronavirus Task Force. The task force recommended that bars and some dining establishments be restricted in counties marked as "yellow" or "red" zones," where there are higher rates of transmission. The White House also recommended a mask mandate for Missouri—which Gov. Mike Parson publicly rejected.Among the counties in the "red zones" are Camden and Miller, which cover the Lake of the Ozarks. Combined, the two counties have 1,187 active COVID-19 cases. While local leaders have not yet instituted any official restrictions, the Camden County Health Department has posted over a dozen guidelines for residents, including avoiding gatherings of over 50 people and eating and drinking in bars. Labor Day Fun as Coronavirus Rages Could Doom the FallSimilar concerns were also raised before the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Since the August rally, cases in North Dakota and South Dakota have surged, and experts are still trying to determine the full extent of the event's nationwide impact. "The lessons from Sturgis are that this chain of transmission will happen in any mass gatherings and it will have mass consequences," Adalja said. "So in this case, social distancing, mask-wearing, and screen people entering the bike even would be beneficial. At the very least, anyone that attends a mass gathering should get tested a couple of days after the event."But despite pleas for public health officials to beef up coronavirus measures in Missouri, local leaders in the Ozarks have refused to take a hardline approach. In an interview with the Kansas City Star, Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawski admitted that he has been concerned about the ongoing pandemic for months, but does not expect Bikefest participants to wear masks or adhere to other coronavirus prevention guidelines. "But this is our last event of the year and I keep thinking, 'Let's just get through this,' and then we can quite frankly go to sleep for a few months," Murawski said. "And hopefully by next year, it's gone. Probably not, though."Murawski and the governor's office did not respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment. Organizers for Bikefest also did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Julie Fowler, a local who has gone to Bikefest for the last decade, thinks this year's rally is "going to be bigger" than ever before because "people are desperate to get out.""It won't be as big as Sturgis—it never has been. Though I think the organizers would like it to be," Fowler told The Daily Beast. "But I think people are desperate to get out and also Missouri just passed a no-helmet law and that's huge for a lot of these bikers. Also, we don't have a mask mandate at the lake area."The 56-year-old is eager to participate in the Trump boat rally with hundreds of other residents clad in presidential paraphernalia. Fowler insisted that since everyone will be in their own boats, "absolutely no one is worried at all about COVID-19." "We're not scared of COVID-19 around here," said Fowler, adding that she still practices social distancing and wears a mask in public. "Trump supporters, whenever we get together, we just have a good time. We want to live our life. We don't have to live in fear, we don't want to fear corona."But not all residents in the Lake of the Ozarks are unconcerned about the potential consequences of these dual events. Coronavirus Is Surging So Much in South Carolina They're Building Tent HospitalsKim Flynt, a 58-year-old who has lived near the Ozarks for about six years, is very anxious about the huge event—telling The Daily Beast that while Bikefest has been a great way to generate local business in the past, it "seems nuts" to hold it during the pandemic. "Most of the residents that live here are older adults that can't afford to get sick," Flynt said. "If our governor would have taken some initiative and had a mask mandate, we wouldn't be where we are."Flynt said she and her husband will stay home this weekend to avoid the crowds. "I truly have never seen it so packed," she said, adding that her biggest concern is what will happen to her home after "everyone goes on their merry way." "They will leave behind the virus at our restaurants, bars, and even grocery stores.""The only saving grace is most of the bars will close soon for winter." Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Republican congressman says Ruth Bader Ginsburg ‘pro-abortion laws’ responsible for deaths of ‘30 million innocent babies’ Posted: 19 Sep 2020 11:40 AM PDT  A Republican congressman and Senate candidate has foregone any gesture of sympathy upon the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, instead using the occassion to suggest pro-abortion laws she "defended" were responsible for the deaths of "innocent babies". Georgia representative Doug Collins, who is running to unseat fellow Republican Kelly Loeffler, tweeted his unvarnished message in the hours after Justice Ginsburg's death. "RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws," he wrote.
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| Trump tells supporters 'you'll never see me again' if he loses to Biden Posted: 20 Sep 2020 08:20 AM PDT  Trump made similar remarks in 2016, saying, "I don't think I'm going to lose, but if I do, I don't think you're ever going to see me again."
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| Planned Black community in Georgia draws interest for a reality TV show Posted: 19 Sep 2020 10:05 AM PDT  Last week, nearly two dozen families in Georgia made headlines for pooling money to purchase land in a Georgia town with a vision to build a safe-haven community for Black people. The news garnered widespread attention, including interest from big wigs in the entertainment sphere hoping to develop a reality TV show about the forthcoming community dreamed to be Freedom, Georgia, per TMZ. The group of 19 families, led by Ashley Scott and Renee Walters, bought 97 acres of land in Toomsboro, Georgia, a rural town of about 500 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, about two hours south of Atlanta.
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| Louisville federal buildings close as city awaits state findings on Breonna Taylor Posted: 19 Sep 2020 04:10 PM PDT  Federal officials have not announced why at least two buildings are closing to the public, but there is anticipation of a possible announcement on the Breonna Taylor investigation.
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| Gore-Tex: Inventor of waterproof fabric Robert Gore dies aged 83 Posted: 20 Sep 2020 05:32 AM PDT  Robert W. Gore's invention has been used in space suits, guitar strings and waterproof jackets.
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| Recipe: Bobby Flay's Salisbury Steak Posted: 20 Sep 2020 04:36 AM PDT  The chef and restaurateur demonstrates for "Sunday Morning" viewers his rendition of a classic ground-beef-and-gravy dish
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| Abbey service, flypast mark 80 years since Battle of Britain Posted: 20 Sep 2020 05:07 AM PDT  Military jets flew over central London and a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a major air campaign against Nazi Germany during World War II. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the service, which was attended by under 100 guests — a much smaller audience compared to the 2,000 people usually invited to the annual event — to allow for social distancing. In a speech, Air Vice Marshal John Ellis honored public health workers in their fight "against an invisible army" as he compared the Battle of Britain with the country's current battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Here's What Every Current Supreme Court Justice Said About the Passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Posted: 20 Sep 2020 11:28 AM PDT  "To me, as to countless others, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero"
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| US sends armoured vehicles to Syria as UN urges Turkey to probe militia's human rights abuses Posted: 20 Sep 2020 05:16 AM PDT  The US military has sent half a dozen armored vehicles on a 90-day mission to reinforce its troops in eastern Syria, less than a month after four US soldiers were injured during an altercation with Russian troops in the area. The military said fewer than 100 soldiers would accompany the vehicles. There are currently less than 1,000 US troops in Syria, a number that has remained approximately the same since the end of the US military offensive that deprived the Islamic State [IS] of most of the territory in Syria. Russia has deployed military forces to Syria in support of the Syrian regime, while US troops conduct joint patrols and operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a militia it backed in 2015 to fight against IS. The US and Russia have previously clashed with each other in Syria, such as a 2017 incident that led to the deaths of around 300 Russian military contractors. "The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation in Syria, but will defend Coalition forces if necessary," said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military's Central Command. Also on Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Turkey to investigate war crimes committed by groups it backs in northern Syria. Turkey began launching major military operations in 2016 in order to remove Syrian Kurdish militia groups, including the US-supported SDF, from areas they controlled along the Syrian-Turkish border.
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| Donald Trump hints he could fire FBI director over Antifa disagreement Posted: 18 Sep 2020 07:47 PM PDT  President continues public criticism of Bureau chief over domestic and foreign threats
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| The US police department that decided to hire social workers Posted: 19 Sep 2020 02:00 AM PDT  In 2016, the Alexandria, Kentucky, police chief talked the city into hiring a social worker – and four years on, the current chief sees the program as indispensable The Alexandria police chief, Mike Ward, was "sick and tired" of sending his officers to respond to 911 calls that they lacked the skills and time to handle. In this small Kentucky town of 10,000 people 15 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, two-thirds of the calls police responded to were not criminal – instead, they were mental health crises and arguments resulting from long-brewing interpersonal conflicts.Police would show up, but they could rarely offer long-lasting solutions. Often, it was inevitable that they would be called back to the same address for the same problem again and again."We've been tasked – sometimes unjustifiably – with solving the problems of our community," said Ward, who retired last year. "Just call the police, they'll take care of it. And we can't do that. It's unrealistic."In 2016 he decided to try a new approach: he talked the city into hiring a social worker for the police department. "To an officer, they all thought I was batshit crazy," he said of the police.The current police chief, Lucas Cooper, said he was "the most vocal opponent" of the plan at the time, thinking that the department should be using its budget to hire more officers for a force he viewed as stretched thin. But now four years later, Cooper sees the program as indispensable: it frees officers from repeat calls for non-criminal issues and gets residents the help they needed, but couldn't get.As social justice protests continue across America, there has been a push for a reckoning on the role of police in society as well as calls to defund or reimagine policing. Among those calls have been suggestions that police – who invariably show up in most parts of the country if you dial 911 for a mental health or substance abuse emergency – should not be the primary responders to non-violent, non-criminal emergency calls and that cities should devote greater resources to social services.While police remain the first responders for those kinds of calls in Alexandria, they are not in some cities in America.Operating for more than three decades, the Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets program in Eugene, Oregon, dispatches a medic and a crisis worker instead of a police officer to non-violent calls involving mental illness, homelessness and addiction. In Dallas, three-person teams made up of a paramedic, a social worker from a local hospital and a police officer are dispatched to mental health calls in the south central part of the city. A number of other cities across the US are either putting together or considering similar programs.> I've been told by individuals that they're very glad I didn't show up in a police cruiser at their home and that they're more likely to talk to me> > Cassie HensleyPolice encounters with mentally ill people can have deadly consequences: according to the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center, people suffering from untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in interactions with law enforcement. Earlier this month in Utah, a 13-year-old boy with autism was shot several times by police after his mother dialed 911 to request help as her son was experiencing a mental breakdown. In Alexandria two social workers are now on the police department's payroll. But while working for the police, they are not cops: they do not have arresting powers and they do not carry weapons. They ride in a Ford Focus instead of a police cruiser. They wear polo shirts, not police uniforms, and carry a radio with a panic button in case they find themselves in danger."We're like a non-threatening type of follow-up," said Cassie Hensley, one of the department's social workers. "I've been told by individuals that they're very glad I didn't show up in a police cruiser at their home and that they're more likely to talk to me."The social workers in Alexandria are not first responders. Instead, they follow up with people who have had interactions with police or they respond to a call after police officers have made sure the scene is safe for them to enter.They work with a wide range of people, from persons suffering from mental illness and substance abuse to the homeless and indigent. They also act as advocates for survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.Police departments employing social workers are rare: in recent months, interest has spurged in Alexandria's program – so much so that the department drew up an 11-page document explaining their use of police social workers to send to other departments that send inquiries.Cooper, the Alexandria police chief, says the use of social workers helps reduce repeat emergency calls while also getting residents the help that police officers don't have the skills, resources or time to provide.He gave the example of a Vietnam war veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and would call 911 in the early hours of the morning after waking from nightmares."He just didn't have anybody else – so all he knew to do was call 911 and he knew police would come and he would talk to them," said Cooper.Over the course of a year, the man called 911 about 60 times. When cops would show up and speak with him, he would calm down, but sometimes it could take hours, diverting away police resources at a time of day when few officers were on duty."We knew we weren't solving the problem, we were just putting a Band-Aid on it every time he called," said Cooper.When the department hired on its first social worker in 2016, she was able to work with the man and connect him with medical treatment with Veterans Affairs. His calls to 911 stopped."These people end up calling the cops because they don't know who else to call," said Tara McLendon, an associate professor at Northern Kentucky University's School of Social Work who helped the Alexandria police department devise its police social worker program. "And then mental illness symptoms fester and you end up in really horrible situations that I'm thinking we can prevent."After social workers connect with persons in the community who need their help, they ask that they call them directly instead of 911 for anything that is not an actual emergency.> These people end up calling the cops because they don't know who else to call> > Tara McLendonAdding social workers is cheaper than adding on new officers: while a new officer would cost the department around $100,000 up front, adding a new social worker – who does not need to be equipped with a weapon or kitted-out cruiser – costs about half of that, according to Ward.On Tuesday, Kentucky's largest city, Louisville, said its police force would establish a social worker program. The move is part of a slew of promised police reforms in the city following the March police killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black 26-year-old ER tech whose name has been a rallying cry at racial justice protests in Kentucky and around the US."We often ask our police officers to not only keep the peace, but to deal with challenges that society has failed to address, from mental health to homelessness to substance abuse and everything in-between," said Louisville's mayor, Greg Fischer. "That's not fair to our officers. It's not the right way to address these challenges.Neither Cooper nor Ward believe social workers can replace cops."Social workers do not supplant police officers – they augment," said Ward. "So you've got to have a number of police officers necessary to cover calls of service in your community first and foremost."Jerry Ratcliffe, a former British police officer who is a criminal justice professor at Philadelphia's Temple University, warned that replacing police with social workers is not as easy as some might hope."The sense that social workers are an order of magnitude better than police at dealing with some of these issues – I'm not certain there is strong evidence yet to support that, but I'm open to its possibility," he said.Alex Vitale, a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and the author of The End of Policing, said police work and social work should be separated and that police officers should simply not be the first responders on many types of emergency calls."The police see the world through a lens where every encounter is potentially deadly," he said.Vitale warned that many – such as undocumented persons, people on probation and those who simply do not trust the criminal justice system and law enforcement – likely probably not be comfortable working with a social worker who is employed by a police force."Rather than trying to turn police departments into hubs for social work, we should just have more social workers doing social work," he said.
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| Subway train derails in Manhattan after striking debris on track Posted: 20 Sep 2020 07:04 AM PDT  A train derailed after coming into contact with debris on the roadbed as it was pulling into a subway station in Manhattan Sunday morning, according to the MTA.
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| Boss lures maids to home, chains 1 to bed; other dies trying to escape, TX cops say Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:42 AM PDT  The man told one of the women he had inappropriate photos of her, police say.
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| Army’s New Target Tracking System Aims to Quicken Artillery Kills Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:58 AM PDT  Test teams of soldiers will attempt to reduce the time it takes to see and hit targets to less than 20 seconds.
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| A California firefighter died while battling a wildfire that was sparked by a gender reveal party Posted: 20 Sep 2020 06:30 AM PDT  The firefighter died after going missing in the San Bernardino National Forest. Those at the party could face charges for the death, say investigators.
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| Ginsburg's death on Rosh Hashanah especially significant for some Jewish Americans Posted: 19 Sep 2020 02:20 PM PDT  Just as many Jews in the United States were sitting down to a post-sunset Rosh Hashanah dinner on Friday, preparing to dip apples in honey to signal the sweetness of the year to come, news came of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Ginsburg, the first female Jewish member of the U.S. Supreme Court, died on one of the holiest days in Judaism, as many of the country's nearly six million Jews welcomed the new year 5781, based on the Hebrew calendar. "I heard of Ruth's death while I was reciting the Mourner's Kaddish at the Rosh Hashanah service," fellow Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer said in a statement, referring to a prayer in memory of the dead.
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| Iran vows 'hit' on all involved in US killing of top general Posted: 19 Sep 2020 02:40 AM PDT  The chief of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened Saturday to go after everyone who had a role in a top general's January killing during a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. U.S. President Donald Trump warned this week that Washington would harshly respond to any Iranian attempts to take revenge for the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, tweeting that "if they hit us in any way, any form, written instructions already done we're going to hit them 1000 times harder." The president's warning came in response to a report that Iran was plotting to assassinate the U.S. ambassador to South Africa in retaliation for Soleimani's killing at Baghdad's airport at the beginning of the year.
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| Why Trump could possibly end up "behind bars" if he loses Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:30 PM PDT  Journalist Jeff Wise examines the type of prosecutions that Trump could face if he loses the presidential election
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| Russia's top space official tried to claim that the planet Venus belongs to the Kremlin Posted: 19 Sep 2020 06:22 AM PDT  The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, also said the country plans to send its own mission to Venus.
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| Sixty-nine percent of Americans have no confidence in Trump on coronavirus vaccine, poll reveals Posted: 20 Sep 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Two-thirds of Americans say they are likely to get coronavirus vaccine
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| Canadian police make arrests as tempers flare in lobster feud Posted: 19 Sep 2020 12:57 PM PDT  Indigenous people launch their own fishery, bringing them into conflict with commercial operators.
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| ‘Horrific act of violence’: Rochester, New York, grieves for 2 students killed in mass shooting that injured 14 others Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:27 PM PDT  The shooting that left 2 people dead and 14 others injured brought further tumult to a city already gripped by civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Supreme Court Justices mourn the death but praise the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Posted: 19 Sep 2020 12:25 PM PDT  All of Ginsburg's colleagues on the Supreme Court shared fond memories of their travels, lunches, and inspirational moments with the "pathbreaking" judge.
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| Trump's 1776 commission is proof America is spiraling toward fascism Posted: 19 Sep 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Trump is setting up the commission to teach students 'the miracle of American history' – which sounds like a core part of the fascist process of taking powerSign up for the Week in Patriarchy, a newsletter on feminism and sexism sent every Saturday. Gilead here we comeCan we use the F word yet? Can we finally admit that America is dipping its feet in fascism? Armed militias are roaming the streets; Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to discredit the results of the 2020 election; the press has been labelled the "enemy of the people"; there are credible allegations that migrant women in detention camps are being coerced into having their uteruses removed; "anti-fascists" have been branded public enemy number one. And now Trump has announced a "national commission to support patriotic education" – in other words, a racist propaganda program."Leftwing rioting and mayhem are the direct result of decades of left-wing indoctrination in our schools," Trump declared in a speech on Thursday. He went on to condemn critical race theory and the 1619 Project, the New York Time's Pulitzer-prize winning initiative to reframe American history by placing the consequences of slavery at the center. "[T]he crusade against American history is toxic propaganda [that] will destroy our country," he announced. Per Trump, the only way to save the United States is to revise its history entirely; to gloss over violent colonialism and slavery and pretend America doesn't have a bigoted bone in its body. Which is why, Trump said, he is setting up a 1776 Commission to teach students "about the miracle of American history". Well, "miracle" is certainly one way to describe something completely made-up.The federal government doesn't have jurisdiction over school curriculum – but don't let that reassure you into thinking that Trump's 1776 Commission is pure puff. Whenever Trump comes out with an outrageous plan there are always people rushing to point out that he won't actually be able to follow through with it; that checks and balances will stop him. But Trump has already stormed through many of these checks and balances; he's already normalized behaviour that would have brought down any other president. If he gets another term there are no limits to what he might do; hello re-education camps, goodbye reproductive rights! And that, ultimately, is what his speech on Thursday was about; it wasn't so much about American history as it was about America's future. It was a promise to his base that he will Make America White Again.Hannah Arendt famously talked about the banality of evil – unspeakable horrors are often perpetuated by unthinking people simply "doing their job". What we're living through right now might be characterized as the inanity of evil. Trump is still treated as a figure of fun a lot of the time. A buffoon incapable of becoming a "proper" fascist. Objective White Men™ have lined up to lecture us all on how Trump isn't all that bad and belittle fear of what he is capable of as "elite hysterics." (Easy to talk dismissively about "hysterics" when you don't have a uterus that Trump wants to control.) But as Madeleine Albright explained in a discussion of her 2018 book, Fascism: A Warning, "Fascism is not an ideology; it's a process for taking and holding power." Propaganda like the 1776 commission, narratives that make a dominant cultural group feel like victims, is a core part of that process. The most patriotic thing a person can do is tell the truth, and the truth is that America is spiraling towards fascism horrifyingly fast. Is Ice removing migrant women's uteruses?A privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center in Georgia has been accused of coercing migrant women to have hysterectomies without their informed consent. The Department of Homeland Security is now investigating the allegations, some of which were submitted as a whistle-blower complaint by a nurse at the facility. It's hard to wrap your head around how something this horrific could be happening but, as Moira Donegan explains, "the allegations of forced sterilizations would make the Irwin county detention center only the latest in America's long history of eugenics, which has disproportionately targeted women of color". Emily Ratajkowski on buying herself back"All these men, some of whom I knew intimately and others I'd never met, were debating who owned an image of me," the model writes in a powerful essay for the Cut. "I have learned that my image, my reflection, is not my own." Should Margaret Court's name be removed from a prestigious tennis arena?Andy Murray is the latest person to say he reckons the Australian Open should consider removing Court's name from the arena at Melbourne Park. While 78-year-old Court may be a tennis legend she is also a raging homophobe: she once warned that tennis is full of lesbians intent on recruiting impressionable youngsters. Kathryn Farmer becomes the first female CEO of a major American railroadFarmer will become CEO of Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF Railway next year. Almost all of the US kids and teens who've died from Covid-19 were Hispanic or BlackAccording to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 121 kids and young adults under 21 have died from Covid-19. "Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native persons accounted for 94 (78%) of these deaths." Donald Trump is accused of sexual assault for the millionth timeThe 26th time, actually, but who's counting? The week in porridge-archyIt delights me to inform you of the existence of the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship, an annual cook-off held in (where else?) Scotland. Not even Covid-19 can get in the way of oatmeal enthusiasts: the competition will be held online this year, with creative spins on the dish reviewed by an official Porridge Committee. Gruel-ing work.
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| Hundreds of 'Arizona Republicans for Biden' signs have been stolen and vandalized across the state where poll shows Trump and Biden neck and neck Posted: 20 Sep 2020 12:14 PM PDT  The signs had been displayed over the summer by a political action committee called "Arizona Republicans Who Believe In Treating Others With Respect."
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| White House says it will ‘move in Trump time’ on Supreme Court vacancy Posted: 19 Sep 2020 10:24 AM PDT  White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah joins 'America's News Headquarters'
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| Thailand protests: Activists challenge monarchy by laying 'People's Plaque' Posted: 20 Sep 2020 12:10 AM PDT  Protesters cement a "People's Plaque" in a park and march in Bangkok calling for political reforms.
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| Tens of thousands attend Bangladesh Islamist leader's funeral Posted: 19 Sep 2020 03:05 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn the controversial leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamist group as his funeral was held on Saturday in a rural southeastern town, police said.
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| National Foundation for Gun Rights raises $50K to 'support' Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse Posted: 20 Sep 2020 02:13 PM PDT  The National Foundation for Gun Rights believes Kyle Rittenhouse was defending "himself and business owners" when he fatally shot two people.
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| Susan Collins says the president elected on November 3 should be the one to pick the next Supreme Court justice Posted: 19 Sep 2020 01:57 PM PDT  Sen. Susan Collins stopped short of refusing to vote on a nominee before the election — she merely said she believed it would be most fair to wait.
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| Florida bar owner prohibits patrons from wearing masks Posted: 20 Sep 2020 10:33 AM PDT  Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gary Kirby, the owner of Westside Sports Bar and Lounge in West Melbourne, Florida started banning masks on September 11. Taking a hard stand against customers wearing face coverings inside his business, Kirby placed a sign on his door that prohibits masks upon entry. Residents of West Melbourne, which is in Brevard County, are encouraged to wear a mask and follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendations, Don Walker, the communications director for Brevard County told Fox News.
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| Meet Brock Pierce, the Presidential Candidate With Ties to Pedophiles Who Wants to End Human Trafficking Posted: 20 Sep 2020 01:55 AM PDT  In the trailer for First Kid, the forgettable 1996 comedy about a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president's son, the title character, played by a teenage Brock Pierce, describes himself as "definitely the most powerful kid in the universe." Now, the former child star is running to be the most powerful man in the world, as an Independent candidate for President of the United States. Before First Kid, the Minnesota-born actor secured roles in a series of PG-rated comedies, playing a young Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks, before graduating to smaller parts in movies like Problem Child 3: Junior in Love. When his screen time shrunk, Pierce retired from acting for a real executive role: co-founding the video production start-up Digital Entertainment Network (DEN) alongside businessman Marc Collins-Rector. At age 17, Pierce served as its vice president, taking in a base salary of $250,000.DEN became "the poster child for dot-com excesses," raising more than $60 million in seed investments and plotting a $75 million IPO. But it turned into a shorthand for something else when, in October of 1999, the three co-founders suddenly resigned. That month, a New Jersey man filed a lawsuit alleging Collins-Rector had molested him for three years beginning when he was 13 years old. The following summer, three teens filed a sexual-abuse lawsuit against Pierce, Collins-Rector, and their third co-founder, Chad Shackley. The plaintiffs later dropped their case against Pierce (he made a payment of $21,600 to one of their lawyers) and Shackley. But after a federal grand jury indicted Collins-Rector on criminal charges in 2000, the DEN founders left the country. When Interpol arrested them in 2002, they said they had confiscated "guns, machetes, and child pornography" from the trio's beach villa in Spain. While abroad, Pierce had pivoted to a new venture: Internet Gaming Entertainment, which sold virtual accessories in multiplayer online role-playing games to those desperate to pay, as one Wired reporter put it, "as much as $1,800 for an eight-piece suit of Skyshatter chain mail" rather than earn it in the games themselves. In 2005, a 25-year-old Pierce hired then-Goldman Sachs banker Steve Bannon—just before he would co-found Breitbart News. Two years later, after a World of Warcraft player sued the company for "diminishing" the fun of the game, Steve Bannon replaced Pierce as CEO.The 'Varsity Blues' Screenwriter's Cold-Blooded Crusade Against L.A.'s HomelessCollins-Rector eventually pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and registered as a sex offender. In the years that followed, Pierce waded into the gonzo economy of cryptocurrencies, where he overlapped more than once with Jeffrey Epstein, and counseled him on crypto. In that world, he founded Tether, a cryptocurrency that bills itself as a "stablecoin," because its value is allegedly tied to the U.S. dollar, and the blockchain software company Block.one. Like his earlier businesses, Pierce's crypto projects see-sawed between massive investments and curious deals. When Block.one announced a smart contract software called EOS.IO, the company raised $4 billion almost overnight, setting an all-time record before the product even launched. The Securities and Exchange Commission later fined the company $24 million for violating federal securities law. After John Oliver mocked the ordeal, calling Pierce a "sleepy, creepy cowboy," Block.one fired him. Tether, meanwhile, is currently under investigation by the New York Attorney General for possible fraud. On July 4, Pierce announced his candidacy for president. His campaign surrogates include a former Cambridge Analytica director and the singer Akon, who recently doubled down on developing an anonymously funded, $6 billion "Wakanda-like" metropolis in Senegal called Akon City. Pierce claims to be bipartisan, and from the 11 paragraphs on the "Policy" section of his website it can be hard to determine where he falls on the political spectrum. He supports legalizing marijuana and abolishing private prisons, but avoids the phrase "climate change." He wants to end "human trafficking." His proposal to end police brutality: body cams. His political contributions tell a more one-sided story. Pierce's sole Democratic contribution went to the short-lived congressional run of crypto candidate Brian Forde. The rest went to Republican campaigns like Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, John McCain, and the National Right to Life Political Action Committee. Last year alone, Pierce gave over $44,000 to the Republican National Committee and more than $55,000 to Trump's re-election fund. Pierce spoke to The Daily Beast from his tour bus and again over email. Those conversations have been combined and edited for clarity. * * *You're announcing your presidential candidacy somewhat late, and historically, third-party candidates haven't had the best luck with the executive office. If you don't have a strong path to the White House, what do you want out of the race? I announced on July 4, which I think is quite an auspicious date for an Independent candidate, hoping to bring independence to this country. There's a lot of things that I can do. One is: I'm 39 years old. I turn 40 in November. So I've got time on my side. Whatever happens in this election cycle, I'm laying the groundwork for the future. The overall mission is to create a third major party—not another third party—a third major party in this country. I think that is what America needs most. George Washington in his closing address warned us about the threat of political parties. John Adams and the other founding fathers—their fear for our future was two political parties becoming dominant. And look at where we are. We were warned. I believe, having studied systems, any time you have a system of two, what happens is those two things come together, like magnets. They come into collision, or they become polarized and become completely divided. I think we need to rise above partisan politics and find a path forward together. As Albert Einstein is quoted—I'm not sure the line came from him, but he's quoted in many places—he said that the definition of insanity is making the same mistake or doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result. [Ed. note: Einstein never said this.] It feels like that's what our election cycle is like. Half the country feels like they won, half the country feels like they lost, at least if they voted or participated. Obviously, there's another late-comer to the presidential race, and that's Kanye West. He's received a lot of flak for his candidacy, as he's openly admitted to trying to siphon votes away from Joe Biden to ensure a Trump victory. Is that something you're hoping to avoid or is that what you're going for as well?Oh no. This is a very serious campaign. Our campaign is very serious. You'll notice I don't say anything negative about either of the two major political candidates, because I think that's one of the problems with our political system, instead of people getting on stage, talking about their visionary ideas, inspiring people, informing and educating, talking about problems, mentioning problems, talking about solutions, constructive criticism. That's why I refuse to run a negative campaign. I am definitely not a spoiler. I'm into data, right? I'm a technologist. I've got digital DNA. So does most of our campaign team. We've got our finger on the pulse. Most of my major Democratic contacts are really happy to see that we're running in a red state like Wyoming. Kanye West's home state is Wyoming. He's not on the ballot in Wyoming I could say, in part, because he didn't have Akon on his team. But I could also say that he probably didn't want to be on the ballot in Wyoming because it's a red state. He doesn't want to take additional points in a state where he's only running against Trump. But we're on the ballot in Wyoming, and since we're on the ballot in Wyoming I think it's safe—more than safe, I think it's evident—that we are not here to run as a spoiler for the benefit of Donald Trump. In running for president, you've opened yourself up to be scrutinized from every angle going back to the beginning of your career. I wanted to ask you about your time at the Digital Entertainment Network. Can you tell me a little bit about how you started there? You became a vice president as a teenager. What were your qualifications and what was your job exactly?Well, I was the co-founder. A lot of it was my idea. I had an idea that people would use the internet to watch videos, and we create content for the internet. The idea was basically YouTube and Hulu and Netflix. Anyone that was around in the '90s and has been around digital media since then, they all credit us as the creators of basically those ideas. I was just getting a message from the creator of The Vandals, the punk rock band, right before you called. He's like, "Brock, looks like we're going to get the Guinness Book of World Records for having created the first streaming television show."We did a lot of that stuff. We had 30 television shows. We had the top most prestigious institutions in the world as investors. The biggest names. High-net-worth investors like Terry Semel, who's chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, and became the CEO of Yahoo. I did all sorts of things. I helped sell $150,000 worth of advertising contracts to the CEOs of Pepsi and everything else. I was the face of the company, meeting all the major banks and everything else, selling the vision of what the future was. You moved in with Marc Collins-Rector and Chad Shackley at a mansion in Encino. Was that the headquarters of the business? All start-ups, they normally start out in your home. Because it's just you. The company was first started out of Marc's house, and it was probably there for the first two or three months, before the company got an office. That's, like, how it is for all start-ups. You were later a co-defendant in the L.A. County case filed against Marc Collins-Rector for plying minors with alcohol and drugs, in order to facilitate sexual abuse. You were dropped from the case, but you settled with one of the men for $21,600. Can you explain that? Okay, well, first of all, that's not accurate. Two of the plaintiffs in that case asked me if I would be a plaintiff. Because I refused to be a part of the lawsuit, they chose to include me to discredit me, to make their case stronger. They also went and offered 50 percent of what they got to the house management—they went around and offered money to anyone to participate in this. They needed people to corroborate their story. Eventually, because I refused to participate in the lawsuit, they named me. Subsequently, all three of the plaintiffs apologized to me, in front of audiences, in front of many people, saying Brock never did anything. They dismissed their cases. Remember, this is a civil thing. I've never been charged with a crime in my life. And the last plaintiff to have his case dismissed, he contacted his lawyer and said, "Dismiss this case against Brock. Brock never did anything. I just apologized. Dismiss his case." And the lawyer said, "No. I won't dismiss this case, I have all these out-of-pocket expenses, I refuse to file the paperwork unless you give me my out-of-pocket expenses." And so the lawyer, I guess, had $21,000 in bills. So I paid his lawyer $21,000—not him, it was not a settlement. That was a payment to his lawyer for his out-of-pocket expenses. Out-of-pocket expenses so that he would file the paperwork to dismiss the case. You've said the cases were unfounded, and the plaintiffs eventually apologized. But your boss, Marc Collins-Rector later pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and registered as a sex offender. Were you aware of his behavior? How do you square the fact that later allegations proved to be true, but these ones were not?Well, remember: I was 16 and 17 years old at the time? So, no. I don't think Marc is the man they made him out to be. But Marc is not a person I would associate with today, and someone I haven't associated with in a very long time. I was 16 and 17. I chose the wrong business partner. You live and you learn.You've pointed out that you were underage when most of these allegations were said to take place. Did you ever feel like you were coerced or in over your head while working at DEN?I mean, I was working 18 hours a day, doing things I'd never done before. It was business school. But I definitely learned a lot in building that company. We raised $88 million. We filed our [form] S-1 to go public. We were the hottest start-up in Los Angeles. In 2000, you left the country with Marc Collins-Rector. Why did you leave? How did you spend those two years abroad?I moved to Spain in 1999 for personal reasons. I spent those two years in Europe working on developing my businesses.Interpol found you in 2002. The house where you were staying reportedly contained guns, machetes, and child pornography. Whose guns and child porn were those? Were you aware they were in the house, and how did those get there?My lawyers have addressed this in 32 pages of documentation showing a complete absence of wrongdoing. Please refer to my webpage for more information.[Ed. Note: The webpage does not mention guns, machetes, or child pornography. It does state:"It is true that when the local police arrested Collins-Rector in Spain in 2002 on an international warrant, Mr. Pierce was also taken into custody, but so was everyone at Collins-Rector's house in Spain; and it is equally clear that Brock was promptly released, and no charges of any kind were ever filed against Brock concerning this matter."]What do you make of the allegations against Bryan Singer? [Ed. Note: Bryan Singer, a close friend of Collins-Rector, invested at least $50,000 in DEN. In an Atlantic article outlining Singer's history of alleged sexual assault and statutory rape, one source claimed that at age 15, Collins-Rector abused him and introduced him to Singer, who then assaulted him in the DEN headquarters.]I am aware of them and I support of all victims of sexual assault. I will let America's justice system decide on Singer's outcome.In 2011, you spoke at the Mindshift conference supported by Jeffrey Epstein. At that point, he had already been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Why did you agree to speak?I had never heard of Jeffrey Epstein. His name was not on the website. I was asked to speak at a conference alongside Nobel Prize winners. It was not a cryptocurrency conference, it was filled with Nobel Prize winners. I was asked to speak alongside Nobel Prize winners on the future of money. I speak at conferences historically, two to three times a week. I was like, "Nobel Prize winners? Sounds great. I'll happily talk about the future of money with them." I had no idea who Jeffrey Epstein was. His name was not listed anywhere on the website. Had I known what I know now? I clearly would have never spoken there. But I spoke at a conference that he cosponsored. What's your connection to the Clinton Global Initiative? Did you hear about it through Jeffrey Epstein?I joined the Clinton Global Initiative as a philanthropist in 2006 and was a member for one year. My involvement with the Initiative had no connection to Jeffrey Epstein whatsoever.You've launched your campaign in Minnesota, where George Floyd was killed by a police officer. How do you feel about the civil uprising against police brutality? I'm from Minnesota. Born and raised. We just had a press conference there, announcing that we're on the ballot. Former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley was there. So that tells you, when former U.S. Senators are endorsing the candidate, right? [Ed. note: Barkley was never elected to the United States Senate. In November of 2002, he was appointed by then Minnesota Governor Jesse Venture to fill the seat after Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash. Barkley's term ended on Jan. 3, 2003—two months later.] Yes, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. My vice-presidential running mate Karla Ballard and I, on our last trip to Minnesota together, went to visit the George Floyd Memorial. I believe in law and order. I believe that law and order is foundational to any functioning society. But there is no doubt in my mind that we need reform. These types of events—this is not an isolated incident. This has happened many times before. It's time for change. We have a lot of detail around policy on this issue that we will be publishing next week. Not just high-level what we think, not just a summary, but detailed policy. You said that you support "law and order." What does that mean?"Law and order" means creating a fair and just legal system where our number one priority is protecting the inalienable rights of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" for all people. This means reforming how our police intervene in emergency situations, abolishing private prisons that incentivize mass incarceration, and creating new educational and economic opportunities for our most vulnerable communities. I am dedicated to preventing crime by eliminating the socioeconomic conditions that encourage it.I support accountability and transparency in government and law enforcement. Some of the key policies I support are requiring body-cams on all law enforcement officers who engage with the public, curtailing the 1033 program that provides local law enforcement agencies with access to military equipment, and abolishing private prisons. Rather than simply defund the police, my administration will take a holistic approach to heal and unite America by ending mass incarceration, police brutality, and racial injustice. Did you attend any Black Lives Matter protests?I support all movements aimed at ending racial injustice and inequality. I have not attended any Black Lives Matter protests. My running-mate, Karla Ballard, attended the March on Washington in support of racial justice and equality.Your platform doesn't mention the words "climate change." Is there a reason for that?I'm not sure what you mean. Our policy platform specifically references human-caused climate change and we have a plan to restabilize the climate, address environmental degradation, and ensure environmental sustainability. [Ed. Note: As of writing the Pierce campaign's policy platform does not specifically reference human-caused climate change.]You've recently brought on Akon as a campaign surrogate. How did that happen? Tell me about that.Akon and I have been friends for quite some time. I was one of the guys that taught him about Bitcoin. I helped make some videogames for him, I think in 2012. We were talking about Bitcoin, teaching him the ropes, back in 2013. And in 2014, we were both speaking at the Milken Global Conference, and I encouraged him to talk about how Bitcoin, Africa, changed the world. He became the biggest celebrity in the world, talking about Bitcoin at the time. I'm an adviser to his Akoin project, very interested in the work that he's doing to build a city in Africa. I think we need a government that's of, for, and by the people. Akon has huge political aspirations. He obviously was a hugely successful artist. But he also discovered artists like Lady Gaga. So not only is he, himself, a great artist, but he's also a great identifier and builder of other artists. And he's been a great businessman, philanthropist. He's pushing the limits of what can be done. We're like-minded individuals in that regard. I think he'll be running for political office one day, because he sees what I see: that we need real change, and we need a government that is of, for, and by the people. You mentioned that you're an adviser on Akoin. Do you have any financial investments in Akoin or Akon City?I don't believe so. I'd have to check. I have so much stuff. But I don't believe that I have any economic interests in his stuff. I'd have to verify that. We'll get back to you. I don't believe that I have any economic interests. My interest is in helping him. He's a visionary with big ideas that wants to help things in the world. If I can be of assistance in helping him make the world a better place, I'm all for it. I'm not motivated by money. I'm not running for office because I'm motivated by power. I'm running for office because I'm deeply, deeply concerned about our collective future. You've said you're running on a pro-technology platform. One week into your campaign last month, a New York appeals court approved the state Attorney General's attempt to investigate the stablecoin Tether for potentially fraudulent activity. Do you think this will impact your ability to sell people on your tech entrepreneurship? No. I think my role in Tether is as awesome as it gets. It was my idea. I put it together. But I've had no involvement in the company since 2015. I gave all of my equity to the other shareholders. I've had zero involvement in the company for almost six years. It was just my idea. I put the initial team together. But I think Tether is one of the most important innovations in the world, certainly. The idea is, I digitized the U.S. dollar. I used technology to digitize currency—existing currency. The U.S. dollar in particular. It's doing $10 trillion a year. Ten trillion dollars a year of transactional volume. It's probably the most important innovation in currency since the advent of fiat money. The people that took on the business and ran the business in years to come, they've done things I'm not proud of. I'm not sure they've done anything criminal. But they certainly did things differently than I would do. But it's like, you have kids, they turn 18, they go out into the world, and sometimes you're proud of the things they do, and sometimes you shake your head and go, "Ugh, why did you do that?" I have zero concerns as it relates to me personally. I wish they made better decisions. What do you think the investigation will find?I have no idea. The problem that was raised is that there was a $5 million loan between two entities and whether or not they had the right to do that, did they disclose it correctly. There's been no accusations of, like, embezzlement or anything that bad. [Ed. Note: The Attorney General's press release on the investigation reads: "Our investigation has determined that the operators of the 'Bitfinex' trading platform, who also control the 'tether' virtual currency, have engaged in a cover-up to hide the apparent loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds."]But there's been some disclosure things, that is the issue. No one is making any outrageous claims that these are people that have done a bunch of bad—well, on the internet, the media has said that the people behind the business may have been manipulating the price of Bitcoin, but I don't think that has anything to do with the New York investigation. Again, I'm so not involved, and so not at risk, that I'm not even up to speed on the details. [Ed note: A representative of the New York State Attorney General told Forbes that he "cannot confirm or deny that the investigation" includes Pierce.] Fake Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs Lead QAnon Crazies to Target Chrissy Teigen and BeyoncéWe've recently witnessed the rise of QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Hollywood is an evil cabal of Satanic pedophiles and Trump is the person waging war on them. You mentioned human trafficking, which has become a cause for them. What are your thoughts on that? I've watched some of the content. I think it's an interesting phenomenon. I'm an internet person, so Anonymous is obviously an organization that has been doing interesting stuff. It's interesting. I don't have a big—conspiracy theory stuff is—I guess I have a question for you: What do you think of all of it, since you're the expert?You know, I think it's not true, but I'm not running for president. I do wonder what this politician [Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene], who's just won her primary, is going to do on day one, once she finds out there's no satanic cabal room. Wait, someone was running for office and won on a QAnon platform, saying that Hollywood did—say what? You're the expert here. She won a primary. But I want to push on if we only have a few minutes. In 2006, your gaming company IGE brought on Steve Bannon as an investor. Goldman later bought out most of your stock. Bannon eventually replaced you as CEO of Affinity. You've described him as your "right-hand man for, like, seven years." How well did you know Bannon during that time? Yes, so this is in my mid-twenties. He wasn't an investor. He worked for me. He was my banker. He worked for me for three years as my yield guide. And then he was my CEO running the company for another four years. So I haven't worked with Steve for a decade or so. We worked in videogame stuff and banking. He was at Goldman Sachs. He was not in the political area at the time. But he was a pretty successful banker. He set up Goldman Sachs Los Angeles. So for me, I'd say he did a pretty good job. Steve Bannon, in His $1,400 Hotel Suite, Rails Against the 'Elite'During your business relationship, Steve Bannon founded Breitbart News, which has pretty consistently published racist material. How do you feel about Breitbart?I had no involvement with Breitbart News. As for how I feel about such material, I'm not pleased by any form of hate-mongering. I strongly support the equality of all Americans.Did you have qualms about Bannon's role in the 2016 election?Bannon's role in the Trump campaign got me to pay closer attention to what he was doing but that's about it. Whenever you find out that one of your former employees has taken on a role like that, you pay attention.Bannon served on the board of Cambridge Analytica. A staffer on your campaign, Brittany Kaiser, also served as a business director for them. What are your thoughts on their use of illicitly-obtained Facebook data for campaign promotional material? Yes, so this will be the last question I can answer because I've got to be off for this 5:00 pm. But Brittany Kaiser is a friend of mine. She was the whistleblower of Cambridge Analytica. She came to me and said, "What do I do?" And I said, "Tell the truth. The truth will set you free."[Ed. Note: Investigations in Cambridge Analytica took place as early as Nov. 2017, when a U.K. reporter at Channel 4 News recorded their CEO boasting about using "beautiful Ukranian girls" and offers of bribes to discredit political officials. The first whistleblower was Christopher Wylie, who disclosed a cache of documents to The Guardian, published on Mar. 17, 2018. Kaiser's confession ran five days later, after the scandal made national news. Her association with Cambridge Analytica is not mentioned anywhere on Pierce's campaign website.]So I'm glad that people—I'm a supporter of whistleblowers, people that see injustice in the world and something not right happening, and who put themselves in harm's way to stand up for what they believe in. So I stand up for Brittany Kaiser. Who do you think [anonymous inventor of Bitcoin] Satoshi Nakamoto is?We all are Satoshi Nakamoto.You got married at Burning Man. Have you been attending virtual Burning Man?I'm running a presidential campaign. So, while I was there in spirit, unfortunately my schedule did not permit me to attend.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| British bomb disposal expert dies in explosion on Solomon Islands Posted: 20 Sep 2020 09:15 AM PDT  A British bomb disposal expert has been killed in an explosion in the Solomon Islands. Luke Atkinson, 57, was working for Norwegian People's Aid, an 81-year-old humanitarian organisation, specialising in mine disposal and relief aid. Mr Atkinson, from London, was a programme manager working on creating a database of unexploded ordnance, dating back to the Second World War. Trent Lee, an Australian in his 40s who was a chemical weapons adviser, was also killed. Police are working overnight to clear the site of the explosion in a residential area of Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital. The blast could reportedly be heard three miles away, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. "Explosives ordinance disposal officers will have to render the scene safe before forensics and other investigators access the scene to find out what happened," Inspector Clifford Tunuki said. According to ABC, investigators are trying to ascertain why the explosives were taken to a flat, which serves as the project office. The Solomon Islands, which was a major battleground in the war, is strewn with unexploded ordnance and workers have been trying to clear the site ahead of the 2023 Pacific Games. "There is a worldwide problem with the remnants of war all kinds of munition are left after conflict and it takes a tremendous toll on societies," Per Nergaard, the deputy general secretary of Norwegian People's Aid, told the Telegraph. "We have been doing for the last 25 years. We are among the largest in the humanitarian field." Mr Nergaard paid tribute to Mr Atkinson. "Luke is a very experienced ex-army guy and worked with us for more than 10 years in various countries. "I knew him very well, I have been working with him since the mid-90s. He was a fantastic person. "You could deploy him at any theatre he would be an extremely accomplished manager at these kind situations."
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