| 'Totally irresponsible': Dems criticize Pence presiding over Amy Coney Barrett vote after aides contract COVID-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 08:53 AM PDT  "As vice president, I'm president of the Senate. And I'm gonna be in the chair because I wouldn't miss that vote for the world," Pence said Saturday.
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| Joe Biden rejects Supreme Court term limits Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:10 PM PDT  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has taken a step toward revealing his Supreme Court plans.The last-minute nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has raised allegations from Democrats that Republicans are unfairly gaming the system. It has also led some Democrats to suggest Biden either expand and pack the court with liberal justices if he's elected, or adopt term limits to replace the current lifetime appointments.Biden has so far refused to give a decisive answer on how he'll handle the courts if he wins next week's election. But on Monday, Biden did reveal a bit of his plan, saying "it's a lifetime appointment. I'm not going to attempt to change that at all."Last month, three Democrats in the House introduced a bill to instill 18-year term limits on Supreme Court justices, granting presidents two nominees during each of their terms. Biden has brushed off questions about whether he will support expanding and packing the court, saying he'll give an answer when the election is over.More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| Teacher's elevator death blamed on human error Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:27 AM PDT  Officers found 38-year-old Carrie O'Connor in the elevator on September 14.
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| France may be at 100,000 virus cases daily as Molotov cocktails thrown at German public health agency Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:22 AM PDT  Pressure in France for local lockdowns is increasing after the government's chief scientific advisor estimated that the country is seeing 100,000 new coronavirus cases every day. On Sunday, 52,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported in France, another daily record - but yesterday Jean-François Delfraissy, the government's chief scientific advisor, said the true figure was probably twice as high. Dr Delfraissy joined other senior doctors in urging the government to introduce local lockdowns or a weekend lockdown that would effectively extend the current 9pm curfew in force in much of the country to weekends in order to limit social contacts.
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| Columnist Peggy Noonan slammed for saying Harris’ dancing is ‘embarrassing’ Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Sen. Kamala Harris enjoyed a lighthearted moment in the rain but conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has derided it as "embarrassing." When Harris, the vice-presidential Democratic candidate, was on the campaign trail last week in Jacksonville, Florida she glided her Chuck Taylor's in rhythm to Mary J. Blige's "Work That" during a downpour. Harris dancing along with an umbrella quickly went viral.
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| Trump supporting write-in candidate declares herself governor of Ohio after discussing plot to kidnap Mike DeWine Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:55 AM PDT  A woman who ran as a write-in candidate against Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has unlawfully declared herself governor of the state and been implicated in a plot to kidnap and prosecute Mr DeWine. Renea Turner, who ran against Mr DeWine as a write-in candidate in 2018, posted a video to her Facebook on Thursday in which she places her hand on a Bible and proclaims herself the governor of Ohio. "Ohio is free from Tyrannous leadership," she wrote in a Facebook post following the stunt.
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| Man charged in burning of ballot drop box in Boston Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:43 AM PDT  A man was charged with setting a Boston ballot drop box on fire and damaging dozens of ballots, police said Monday. Worldy Armand, a 39-year-old Boston resident, was taken into custody late Sunday, hours after he started a fire inside a drop box outside the Boston Public Library in the city's Back Bay neighborhood, authorities said. The box contained more than 120 ballots.
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| Florida Democrats need to flip 3 state Senate seats. Here’s why they’re going for 2. Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:50 AM PDT  Florida's government could undergo a seismic shift it hasn't seen in more than a quarter century.
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| 60,000 in Southern California to evacuate after wildfire spreads Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:57 PM PDT  A fast-moving wildfire forced evacuation orders for 60,000 people in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blaze
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| Protesters storm churches in Poland on the 4th day of unrest after a court ruling tightened the country's already-strict abortion laws Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:17 PM PDT  The court banned abortion in the case of fetal defects, making abortion legal only in cases of incest, rape, or danger to the mother's life.
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| How to tell if your non–medical grade "fashion mask" is really working Posted: 25 Oct 2020 11:00 AM PDT  As facemasks become fashion accessories, scientists say there are ways to tell if yours is truly effective
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| China Communist Party plenum kicks off in Beijing Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:43 AM PDT  The three-day meeting comes amid speculation that President Xi intends to be "president-for-life".
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| ‘Trump’s never going to leave Mar-a-Lago - he’ll go back to being a businessman’: President’s neighbours reflect on prospect of life after White House Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:15 PM PDT  President officially moved residency to Sunshine state last year
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| The Electoral College can pick a president who got fewer votes. Here's why and how. Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:06 AM PDT  The 2020 presidential election again highlights one of the most confusing and controversial parts of the U.S. elections: The Electoral College.
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| Family’s dog turns ‘vicious’ and kills infant as parents slept, Virginia police say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 08:13 AM PDT  The dad killed the dog as soon as he saw what happened, police say
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| 18-year-old freshman at University of Dayton apparently dies from Covid-19 Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Michael Lang, 18, died on Thursday "apparently due to complications from" coronavirus after a long hospitalization, officials at the Ohio school said.
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| A Florida man drove a stolen bulldozer through a neighborhood and destroyed Biden-Harris campaign signs, police say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 01:18 PM PDT  James Blight, 26, was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and trespassing in Haines City, Florida, in connection to the incident.
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| Turkey's Erdogan says it's time for two-state solution in Cyprus Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:38 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was time for a realistic proposal about a two-state solution on the divided island of Cyprus to be discussed, and added that the parameters of the current talks were not sustainable. Cyprus was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The European Union admitted the island into the bloc in 2004, represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south.
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| China set for increase in consumption as COVID-19 rules fade Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:42 AM PDT  Sales of consumer goods increased across the board at the end of the third quarter, an indication that the country is propelling to the next stage of economic recovery.
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| India's first 'saviour sibling' cures brother of fatal illness Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:04 PM PDT  Her birth has also led to a debate about the ethics of using technology to create a child.
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| Court Ruling Could Kill Uber and Lyft in California Posted: 26 Oct 2020 03:30 AM PDT  Just days before Californians themselves were set to decide on the matter, a state appeals court has ruled that app-based ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft must comply with state law AB5 and classify all of their drivers as employees rather than contractors. The ruling raises the possibility that the companies will simply end operations in the state altogether, both having stated previously that their business model depends on the flexibility of using contractors.The companies claim, and drivers often confirm, that the flexibility of contract work is key to their operations. Employers are required under federal and state law to schedule and track their employees' hours for overtime, unemployment, and other purposes. That's not case with contractors, who are legally considered independent businesses.Critics of the ride-sharing companies, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, claim that's just a dodge to get out of paying overtime and complying with other workplace regulations. Labor unions have pushed for the drivers to be classified as employees, since contractors cannot join unions.A three-judge state appeals court panel on Thursday agreed, rejecting the companies' arguments out of hand. The panel was in full crusader mode, calling the case a "reminder that the foundation of interim injunctive relief lies in equity comes from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was renowned for her expertise in procedure long before she became the national icon known as RBG."The panel said that there was just no reason to assume that forcing ride-sharing companies to operate as traditional employers would in any way hurt their business model, even as it conceded that that model was built around contractors."We recognize that defendants' business models are different from that traditionally associated with employment, particularly with regard to drivers' freedom to work as many or as few hours as they wish, when and where they choose, and their ability to work on multiple apps at the same time," it said.The "multiple apps" point, in particular, is worth noting, because that refers to the ability of drivers to work for multiple different app-based companies at the same time. In other words, the drivers can work for a company and its direct competitor, a situation no traditional employer would tolerate. But a business cannot automatically restrict a contractor from doing that. The ride-sharing companies don't even try. If you've ever taken a ride in an Uber or a Lyft, you've probably also seen a sticker for the other service in the drivers' window.The panel nevertheless argued the companies were employers because the ride-sharing service they provided was the core of their business model, rather than an incidental activity, pointing to a Supreme Court ruling called Dynamex. As for the possibility that the companies cannot function as traditional employers, the panel asserted that just couldn't possibly be true."The People counter, correctly, that a party suffers no grave or irreparable harm by being prohibited from violating the law," the panel said.That is not true in the real world, however: An ill-conceived law can cause great damage. A good example can be found in the case of AB5 itself. In addition to scaring off many employers who use contractors, the law reined in contract work generally, strictly limiting what even traditional freelancers like photographers or musicians could do. State lawmakers were forced to amend the law and carve out exemptions for numerous professions. That's clear proof that they had overreached. Freelancers still claim it's too restrictive.It may yet get worse for Californians. If the state ballot's Proposition 22 to roll back AB5 fails and the panel's ruling stands, the companies have said they'll simply stop operating the state. Customers throughout the state will have limited transportation options — a potential public safety issue, as Mothers Against Drunk Driving has warned. Meanwhile, numerous drivers will be left without a way to make the additional money that ridesharing offers at a time when Californians need the opportunity. The national unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, but the Golden State's rate is 11 percent. California's unemployment has been consistently higher than the national average throughout the year, and the state's effort to reign in gig-economy companies has likely been a factor.
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| 7 held for suspected tanker hijack after UK commando raid Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:25 AM PDT  Seven stowaways seized when British naval special forces stormed an oil tanker in the English Channel have been arrested on suspicion of hijacking, police said Monday. Hampshire Police said the men, believed to be from Nigeria, were being held at several police stations on suspicion of "seizing or exercising control of a ship by use of threats or force." Special Boat Service commandos were lowered by rope from helicopters onto the tanker, whose crew had locked themselves in a secure part of the ship known as the citadel.
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| Report: If re-elected, Trump will immediately fire FBI Director Christopher Wray Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:55 PM PDT  Should President Trump win a second term, he plans on immediately firing FBI Director Christopher Wray, two people who have discussed the matter with Trump told Axios. Trump is also expected to quickly replace CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. They aren't the only three people on the chopping block, the sources said, but they are at the top of the list. One official said Trump hasn't fired any of them because of the optics of doing so before the election.Haspel and Wray do not have any fans in Trump's inner circle, Axios reports, with one person saying the "view of Haspel in the West Wing is that she still sees her job as manipulating people and outcomes, the way she must have when she was working assets in the field. It bred a lot of suspicion of her motives." As for Wray, Trump became enraged in September when the FBI director testified that there are no signs of widespread election fraud, despite Trump claiming otherwise.Privately, Trump has complained about Attorney General William Barr, and he's never been too enamored with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, but there are no formal plans to remove them, Axios reports. In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said, "We have no personnel announcements at this time nor would it be appropriate to speculate about changes after the election or in a second term."More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| Canadian policeman describes arresting Huawei exec Meng Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:12 PM PDT  A Canadian police officer testified Monday about his arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US extradition warrant, revealing that Washington had requested that data on her phone and laptop be secured so that it could not be "erased remotely."
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| Texas boy, 3, dies after accidentally shooting himself in the chest at birthday party Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:18 AM PDT  The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said its "thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this tragic accident."
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| Harry Reid says that Biden should spend 'no more than three weeks' testing Republican cooperation before eliminating the Senate filibuster Posted: 25 Oct 2020 07:07 AM PDT  The former Democratic senator from Nevada and Senate Majority Leader insisted that GOP obstruction should not be tolerated.
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| Russia proposes new missile verification regime with U.S. after demise of treaty Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:29 AM PDT  The Kremlin on Monday proposed that Russia and the United States agree not to deploy certain land-based missiles in Europe and introduce mutual verification measures to build trust following the demise of the INF nuclear arms control treaty. The United States withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, accusing Moscow of violating it, a charge denied by the Kremlin. Global nuclear arms control architecture has come under further strain since then as the former Cold War foes have been unable to agree on a replacement to New START, another major arms control pact that is due to expire in February 2021.
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| How the name 'Karen' became a stand-in for problematic white women and a hugely popular meme Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:43 PM PDT  The "Karen" meme depicting women who ask to "speak to the manager" has become nearly ubiquitous online. Here is the meme's history and origin.
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| Fox News COVID Infection Sends Election Plans Into ‘Chaos’ Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:57 PM PDT  Fox News has been planning its election night coverage for weeks, prepping staff and on-air talent for the biggest news night of the year. But now Fox faces uncertainty after the network's president and many of its key on-air stars may have been exposed to COVID-19."Everyone is in a panic about election night," said one current Fox News staffer.On Sunday, The New York Times reported that top Fox News executives and talent will quarantine and get tested after flying on a network-chartered flight from Nashville to New York—following Thursday night's presidential debate—with a staffer who later tested positive for the coronavirus. Passengers included network president Jay Wallace and on-air political hosts and analysts like Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Dana Perino, and Juan Williams. (A Fox News spokesperson would not confirm the Times story or the exposure, citing employee confidentiality.)All four of those stars were expected to play key in-studio roles for Fox's election-night coverage. But now it's unclear how the network plans to proceed with its top talent potentially unable to gather in the same room."I believe it will put election night-plans into chaos," another current Fox staffer told The Daily Beast under condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. "It will be like starting from scratch... It's not good for anyone." The employee added: "It's insane that there's a possibility the anchors will have to host the biggest night of 2020 from their homes.""We have multiple contingency plans in place and always have back-up plans for all kinds of scenarios, even without a pandemic," a Fox News spokesperson told The Daily Beast. In a Monday internal memo obtained by The Daily Beast, Wallace and CEO Suzanne Scott acknowledged that some staffers had tested positive for COVID-19, and said that the network would reduce staff in buildings and implement "enhanced testing procedures." The executives said that the network will further pare down its in-person election night coverage, and that "only those employees who are critical to that night's production will be permitted to work from [Fox's Midtown Manhattan headquarters]."Fox News Host Wonders When Masks Got 'Political.' He Should Watch His Own Network.The plane debacle isn't the only reminder of the danger of the pandemic for the network's employees in recent days. Last week, an internal memo was sent to Fox News staffers noting that web video producer Rob Brown, who had been with the network since 1999, had died. While the memo did not specify a cause of death, several sources, including a family member, confirmed to The Daily Beast that Brown—who had not been in the office since March—died from coronavirus complications."Rob was a wonderful employee and a bright light to those of us who were blessed to have worked alongside him," a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."The news of last week's debate-night flight exposure has alarmed Fox News staff, many of whom have felt relatively safe because of the network's fairly robust testing protocols and skeleton in-person staffing at the Washington and New York City offices.Still, some employees were not surprised by the exposure of leadership and talent, noting how Fox execs have sent large groups of staffers to travel for the debates—even when the network had no primary role in the events."Last week in Nashville, [NBC reporter Kristen] Welker was the moderator. But NBC had almost no footprint. ABC had almost no footprint," one source familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast. "But [Fox News] had a huge, huge footprint? Why is that?" (In addition to Wallace, MacCallum, Baier, Williams, and Perino, the network separately flew in pundits Karl Rove, Katie Pavlich, and Donna Brazile.)Williams and Perino, who co-host late-afternoon talk show The Five, both showed up at the offices on Friday after the flight in which they were potentially exposed to the virus, raising alarms among staffers after the Times report, per network insiders. And several of the show's unabashedly pro-Trump hosts, Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters, meanwhile, have taken an ambivalent stance towards large-scale anti-coronavirus measures like a national mask mandate, which experts say could save tens of thousands of lives."They think mask-wearers are punks," the source said of Watters and Gutfeld, noting how the pair have repeatedly echoed Trump's dismissive suggestions that we are "turning the corner" on the pandemic that has now killed more than 225,000 people in the United States, with no end in sight. A recent Instagram post from The Five's official account shows Watters standing in the greenroom without a mask.In light of their colleagues' at-times cavalier attitude towards the coronavirus—both on- and off-air—some Fox staffers have begun to re-examine in-office behavior and expressed concerns that some colleagues aren't taking the crisis seriously enough."In the elevators, everyone's good about masks," one source said. "But in the offices, nope."Since the pandemic began, the network has been operating with a skeleton crew from its hubs in New York City and Washington, D.C., and have taken some precautions to ensure that staff are tested. Some network talent take regular weekly saliva tests facilitated by the network, and the traveling cohort to major events including debates and conventions receive rapid tests. Fox News also installed plexiglass in the control rooms between seats and the building is routinely sanitized.Still, some employees have been hesitant about returning back to in-studio programming amid the pandemic, including Williams himself. The Five returned to the studio in recent weeks and has featured the hosts sitting in socially-distant high chairs. Prior to the pandemic, the set featured all five hosts crammed together around a small table.While on-air talent is subject to the network's rigorous testing protocols, they appear to be sending a message to viewers that social-distancing isn't that important. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, for instance, were seated nearly shoulder-to-shoulder throughout Thursday evening's coverage of the presidential debate. Both Bret & Martha were tested by the Commission on Presidential Debates before entering the debate hall which is why they sat without being distance. Baier, meanwhile, further noted on Monday that he has since tested negative.Thursday's debate coverage wasn't the only time that lack of social distancing was noticed on-air. Following the first presidential debate last month in Cleveland, Ohio, pro-Trump Fox News host Sean Hannity interviewed presidential son Donald Trump, Jr.—who refused to follow mask-wearing requirements during the debate—inside the debate hall as the two sat right next to each other. (They even joked about being so close together without masks.) Fox News commentator Donna Brazile, who also traveled to Nashville, was in Salt Lake City for the vice-presidential debate and was within arm's length of anchor Bill Hemmer on set.> No social distancing happening on the Fox News set this morning. pic.twitter.com/EPhZNHtgN0> > — Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 7, 2020Besides the network sending big teams to cover these political events, Fox News stars have also individually placed themselves in harm's way.For instance, Laura Ingraham and Pete Hegseth—both Trump loyalists and informal presidential advisers—were present at the Rose Garden ceremony last month announcing Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination that turned into a super-spreader event. This even resulted in one especially awkward on-air moment, in which Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner mistakenly believed that Hegesth had confessed to testing positive for the coronavirus.—Lachlan Cartwright contributed reporting. Diana Falzone was an on-camera reporter for Fox News from 2012 to 2018. In May 2017, she filed a gender discrimination and disability lawsuit against the network and settled, and left the company in March 2018. She was represented by attorney Nancy Erika Smith.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| In California: Fires prompt evacuations in OC; PG&E cuts off power to 1M people Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:23 PM PDT  Plus: Restaurants sue state over liquor licenses paid during shutdowns, and Californians will reconsider affirmative action at the ballot box
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| Rats help clear minefields in Cambodia – and suspicion of the military Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:59 AM PDT  Editor's note: Dr. Darcie DeAngelo is a medical anthropologist at the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) at Binghamton University, State University of New York. In this interview, she explains the relationship between locals who live near minefields in Cambodia and the mine detectors, often former military combatants, who are viewed with suspicion because of divisions caused by the series of civil wars between the 1970s and 1990s. Why are there so many unexploded bombs and minefields in Cambodia?Cambodia is known for being the site of U.S. bomb droppings during the Vietnam War and for the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, which also planted land mines from 1975 to 1979. Today a majority of Cambodia's population is age 35 or younger, which means most of the population has grown up since the Khmer Rouge regime ended in 1979. This statistic fails to take into account the uneven distribution of the regime's end in the country as fighting continued in the northwest of the country where the Vietnamese and their Cambodian allies fought to keep the Khmer Rouge army out of the country. Most of the land mines in Cambodia were planted between 1985 and 1989, when the Vietnamese-allied government installed a "bamboo curtain" against the invading Thai and Khmer Rouge along the Thai-Cambodia border in the northwest. This area, called the K5 belt, remains the most densely land-mine-contaminated region of the world, a 1,046-kilometer (650-mile) strip of land with "up to 2,400 mines per linear kilometer." Cambodia's problem of millions of undetonated land mines makes it the country with the highest population of amputees in the world. On average it has 100 land mine accidents per year. Why are the military and other de-mining organizations viewed with suspicion by the locals?Land mine clearance requires a huge amount of military infrastructure. Decontamination, which is the term used for removal of land mines, depends on the same military skill sets that contamination depends on. So people who are de-miners are often soldiers or former combatants in Cambodia, and the divisions from the civil war still run deep. The largest de-mining organization in the country is part of the military branch of government. The current Cambodian state has been running operations to clear the land mines since the 1990s, but the state is also rumored to grab village lands, disappear people who disagree with the ruling party, and quell legitimate protests, so de-miners carry a stigma of military corruption. After war and mass atrocity, the state loses legitimacy. And so what happens is the villagers distrust even peacekeeping efforts, so even efforts to decontaminate the country result in a kind of mistrust. When you distrust the state, you need to build state legitimacy, and de-mining offers a real opportunity for states to do so. They can rehabilitate soldiers and build relationships between villagers and soldiers. But in Cambodia, I heard from villagers that they distrusted the de-miners and found them untrustworthy. They didn't think that their land would be returned to them when the land mines were cleared, which causes some problems when it comes to information about where the land mines are. How does mine clearing with rats work?Rats are being used in de-mining because of their incredible sense of smell, relatively low cost of maintenance and ease of transport. Just like dogs, they don't detect any false positives, as a metal detector would.In the minefield, the rat is connected to two de-miners who walk on cleared corridors with the decontaminated area in between them. The de-miners step down the field in unison as the rat sniffs for mines in the pit, scratching twice when it smells TNT. Then the de-miner maps the location, and clicks a clicker, telling the rat it can go get its reward, a delicious banana. The rats don't get blown up by the mines because they're so light. The rats each weigh 1 to 3 pounds, so they are weightless to a land mine, which usually requires a minimum of 11 to 35.3 pounds of pressure to activate. How did the introduction of rats to de-mining change how it is viewed in Cambodia?Rats have successfully been used to decontaminate Mozambique in Africa, and as for their import into Cambodia, the success story really lies in the fact that the organizations using them have been able to obtain donations and become independent so that they can work on demilitarizing the de-mining industry.Rats don't fit in with the military aesthetic of de-mining, unlike dogs, which are military aid animals and have been used within militaries for centuries. The image of a soldier proudly standing next to his dog is very different from a soldier cradling a small rat in his arms. So when the villagers first saw the rat, they were a little bit puzzled, but I actually think the rat humanized the de-miners in a way that demilitarized them. When they see the rat with a soldier, it's more of this kind of absurdity. So it make them pause and think, "OK, what is a rat doing there?" Villagers have said in interviews that they wondered about it and it made them take a second glance. It undermines the kind of villainous characterization of the de-miners for the villagers. APOPO, an organization that uses the rats in de-mining, posts publicity photos where the rats snuggle with their handlers. Since then the land mine detection dog organizations have started posting photos of their dogs being playful, and pictures of the puppies. So there is an effect which pervades other organizations, and demilitarization is seen as something to be valued, even in a highly militarized industry. These are opportunities for demilitarization of de-mining for the country itself, for the state and for people's trust in authorities.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Darcie DeAngelo, Binghamton University, State University of New York.Read more: * Rise of the super rat: rodents detect landmines, sniff out TB, find disaster victims * Cambodia has come a long way in 25 years of peace – but it's far from perfectDarcie DeAngelo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| Trump reportedly doesn't 'want to help some' GOP senators amid warnings of 'potentially catastrophic' election Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:13 AM PDT  Josh Holmes, a top adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), told Politico he thinks the Republican Party could win more Senate races than people expect on Nov. 3, but the fact that there are so many close contests means "you could have a whole bunch of scenarios play out on Election Day." The worst-case scenario for the GOP, he said, is "potentially catastrophic."As it turns out, the party may not get that much help from President Trump when it comes to avoiding such a fate. Trump privately told donors this past Thursday at a fundraiser in Nashville, Tennessee, that he isn't sure the party will maintain its Senate majority, The Washington Post reports. "I think the Senate is tough actually," Trump said at the event, an attendee told the Post on condition of anonymity. "The Senate is very tough. There are a couple senators I can't really get involved in. I just can't do it. You lose your soul if you do. I can't help some of them. I don't want to help some of them."Instead, the president reportedly said he believes the GOP will "take back the House," a stance that he made clear during Thursday's presidential debate, as well. Trump's optimism about the lower chamber isn't shared by many Republican officials and strategists, who consider it a long shot. Read more at Politico and The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| Pakistan opens first metro line after years of delays Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:22 AM PDT  Pakistan's first metro line began operations Monday in the eastern city of Lahore following years of delays, in a country severely lacking public transport or modern infrastructure.
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| Suspect arrested for allegedly abducting two girls from home where two boys found dead Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:24 AM PDT  Donny Jackson, 40, was arrested after allegedly abducting his two daughters, who were later found safe. It is unclear what his relationship is to the two dead boys.
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| The Barrett Vote: There’s Not a Good Reason for Mike Pence to Preside Over It Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:54 PM PDT  Five aides to Vice President Mike Pence, including chief of staff Marc Short, have tested positive for COVID-19. Pence and Short reportedly were in close contact as recently as Friday, but Pence has decided to continue campaigning across the country — and preside over the Supreme Court confirmation vote of Amy Coney Barrett in the U.S. Senate on Monday night — rather than self-quarantine as the CDC recommends."As vice president, I'm president of the Senate," Pence said at a rally in Florida on Saturday. "And I'm going to be in the chair because I wouldn't miss that vote for the world."Presiding over the vote obviously would make the vice president feel good, and the photo of the moment could come in handy in 2024, but Pence's presence is not necessary. There are 52 senators who intend to vote for Barrett and 48 senators who intend to vote against Barrett. It would take the absences of four Republican senators who support Barrett to make a tie-breaking vote by Pence necessary.So why would the vice president be in the Senate on Monday night, three days after he was in close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus?Pence has been testing negative on a daily basis over the weekend, but it's not clear how effective tests are at detecting infections before the onset of symptoms. Why take the risk sitting in a windowless room with a bunch of senators who are in their 70s and 80s? As the presiding officer of the Senate, Pence would be sitting fairly far away from senators, but floor staff would be in closer proximity.Any senator who wants to do so may cast a vote from a doorway to the Senate chamber, as a few did on Sunday during the vote to cut off debate on the Barrett nomination. But even if it's not very risky, Pence's presence creates a controversy that tarnishes Senate Republicans a week before the election. Earlier this month, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell criticized the White House's cavalier approach to the virus.It's true that Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer has insincerely tried to use pandemic concerns to block a vote on Barrett. Last week, Schumer said it was too dangerous for the small number of Judiciary Committee members to conduct a socially distanced hearing. This past week, Schumer forced the Senate into a closed session that required the doors to the Senate chamber to be literally locked with the senators stuck inside — a stunt to show the Democratic base that he was fighting. When he speaks on the Senate floor, Schumer takes his mask off, as most other Republican and Democratic senators do. But Schumer's insincerity is not a reason for Pence to do something that has no potential upside and presents at least some risk to others.President Trump's former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb was asked on Sunday during an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation whether Pence was putting others at risk by campaigning. "He could be closely monitored, so the short answer is yes, but you can closely monitor the vice president," Gottlieb said. "I would understand why they wouldn't want to quarantine the vice president, but they need to be very explicit about what they're doing, and the risks that they're taking. He should be wearing a high-quality mask — an N95 mask — at all times. He should be distancing wherever possible. They should be serially testing him."Outdoor campaign events may be ill advised because there are still staffers who have to travel with Pence, but it's even harder to justify a totally unnecessary appearance at the Senate on Monday.
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| China reports surge of asymptomatic coronavirus cases in Xinjiang Posted: 25 Oct 2020 05:45 PM PDT  China reported the highest number of asymptomatic novel coronavirus infections in nearly seven months on Monday following the discovery of a cluster of cases linked to a garment factory in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Health authorities found 137 asymptomatic cases on Sunday during a drive to test 4.75 million people in the Kashgar area triggered by an asymptomatic infection in a 17-year-old female garment factory worker reported on Saturday. It was not clear how the teenager was infected though the official Xinhua news agency said all of the new cases were linked to another garment factory where the patient's parents work.
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| The states with and without travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:49 AM PDT  Some US states require travelers to get tested for the coronavirus and self-quarantine for 14 days, while others have no travel restrictions in place.
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| Fort Sill Just Became the First Training Base to Get the New Army Greens Uniform Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:26 PM PDT |
| American Airlines is planning a charm offensive to reassure skeptical fliers the Boeing 737 Max is safe, report says Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:31 AM PDT  American Airlines is planning ways to soothe passenger fears about flying on the Boeing 737 Max plane, CNBC reported.
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| Young and progressive voters aren’t just ‘settling for Biden’ anymore; they’re going all in Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:05 PM PDT  The general election is a week away, and groups like Settle for Biden hope to be the push that gets young voters and progressives to the polls.
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| Foreign students show less zeal for US since Trump took over Posted: 25 Oct 2020 08:13 AM PDT  On a recruiting trip to India's tech hub of Bangalore, Alan Cramb, the president of a reputable Chicago university, answered questions not just about dorms or tuition but also American work visas. The session with parents fell in the chaotic first months of Donald Trump's presidency. After an inaugural address proclaiming "America first," two travel bans, a suspended refugee program and hints at restricting skilled worker visas widely used by Indians, parents doubted their children's futures in the U.S.
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| AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine is looking especially promising for the elderly Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:04 AM PDT  Another potential coronavirus vaccine is moving along, with especially good news for the elderly.AstraZeneca announced Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine in development with the University of Oxford has produced a similar immune response in both younger and older adults. The vaccine also results in low adverse responses among older people, the pharmaceutical giant said. That's a standout response considering COVID-19 tends to be more severe in older patients.Several dozen coronavirus vaccines are in the works around the globe, with AstraZeneca's one of many undergoing clinical testing. It's unclear when AstraZeneca will publish the results of its large ongoing trial that will help determine its vaccine's safety, but it is expected to be one of the first vaccine candidates to seek regulatory approval, Reuters reports. This vaccine is expected to protect people from the coronavirus for about a year.More stories from theweek.com The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters The 19 greatest and worst presidential campaign ads of the 2020 election The Trump administration has surrendered to the pandemic
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| 'Worst time to resign' says under-fire Barca president Posted: 26 Oct 2020 05:08 PM PDT  Under-pressure Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu suggested Monday that "now would be the worst time" to leave his post.
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| Tesla's beta test of "full self-driving" system worries drivers, pedestrians — and even owners Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:25 PM PDT  Tesla warned drivers they should remain vigilant and be ready to take over at a moment's notice or the car could "do the wrong thing."
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| Atlanta rapper Silento charged with driving 143 mph Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:52 PM PDT  Atlanta rapper Silento was arrested on Friday and accused of driving 143 mph on Interstate 85, according to authorities.
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| A cow escaped from home and ended up stuck on a neighbor's trampoline, and yes, there are pictures Posted: 26 Oct 2020 10:32 AM PDT  Neighbors woke up to a herd of 40 cows scattered in their yards. This troublemaker needed the help of a tractor to get back on solid ground.
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