| Louisiana doctor accused of attacking college student and calling her the n-word Posted: 12 Nov 2020 03:19 PM PST  Doctor was released on $10,000 bond
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| Biden wants mask mandates nationwide, but he can't actually enforce them. Here's what he could do instead. Posted: 11 Nov 2020 01:59 PM PST  Throughout the presidential campaign, Joe Biden laid out several action items to combat COVID-19, including supporting face mask mandates nationwide.
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| Cracker Barrel apologized and removed a noose-like decoration hanging from the ceiling after a customer called the chain out Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:52 AM PST  The restaurant chain has said the decoration was "an antique soldering iron with an original wrapped cord." The decoration has since been taken down.
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| Georgia senators hold 1st runoff rally in a packed, windowless room as coronavirus cases spike Posted: 11 Nov 2020 09:55 AM PST  If there's ever been a time not to brag about "huge crowds" at a political rally, it's now.In Georgia and across the country, COVID-19 cases are spiking at rates that haven't been seen in months, leading some states to implement new shutdowns and gathering bans. But dozens of supporters of Georgia's Republican senators, approximately half of them maskless, still gathered Wednesday in a windowless room as both senators prepare for runoff races in January, CNN reports.Both of Georgia's Republican senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, failed to get a majority of the vote in their re-election races last week and will face runoffs against Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively. GOP senators are now rallying around Loeffler and Perdue, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joining Loeffler for Wednesday's rally to "save our majority." There was no social distancing or virus protections apparent at the rally, which happened in Cobb County, an Atlanta suburb that's among Georgia's counties with the most COVID-19 cases.> This is what the "Save Our Majority" rally looks like. Speaking before this crowd in a windowless room, Sens. @marcorubio @KLoeffler. Approx 1/3rd to 1/2 of the room is maskless, as Georgia COVID19 infections enter a red zone. pic.twitter.com/ALppPBWkxu> > -- Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) November 11, 2020> My entire @CNN team has physically left this indoor rally. It's not safe given the Covid19 numbers in Georgia. Again, this is the "Save our Majority" rally in Cobb County pic.twitter.com/CyWGEss0Vy> > -- Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) November 11, 2020Georgia isn't alone in seeing COVID-19 cases skyrocket. Case counts are spiking in cities around the country more drastically than they have in months, even before potential spread from celebrations in the wake of Joe Biden's election can be taken into account. > This is today's snapshot of each state's progress in reducing COVID cases/hospitalizations/death, via https://t.co/MfkeAwWTve> > Green is trending better.> > Yellow is caution warranted.> > Red is going downhill. > > Bruised red is uncontrolled spread. pic.twitter.com/vWtSYtSDAT> > -- Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) November 11, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump is reportedly 'very aware' he lost the election but is putting up a fight as 'theater' 7 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's refusal to concede Pope Francis congratulates Biden, discusses addressing climate change and welcoming immigrants in 1st call
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| Saudi will strike those who threaten its security, crown prince warns Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:12 AM PST  Saudi Arabia will strike those who threaten the kingdom's security and stability with an "iron fist", the crown prince said on Thursday, one day after an attack on a Remembrance Day ceremony injured two in the kingdom. Islamic State claimed Wednesday's attack on a non-Muslim cemetery in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah during a World War One remembrance ceremony involving French and other embassies. "We will continue to hit with an iron fist against anyone who thinks of threatening our security and stability," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, said in a speech carried by Saudi state news agency SPA.
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| Huge China-backed trade pact to be signed at Southeast Asian summit Posted: 11 Nov 2020 07:39 PM PST  Fifteen Asia-Pacific nations are set to sign an enormous free trade deal at an online summit that started Thursday, with the pact seen as a coup for China in extending its influence across the region.
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| Letters to the Editor: Armenians aren't in a 'conflict.' They're fighting for their survival Posted: 12 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST  Armenians have documented war crimes against them by Azerbaijani forces. The media need to stop portraying this as merely a "conflict."
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| Trump Considers Founding Digital Media Outlet to ‘Wreck’ Fox News: Report Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:16 AM PST  President Trump is considering founding a digital media company to compete with Fox News, Axios reported on Thursday.Trump has complained vociferously in recent months about Fox polls showing he would lose the presidency, and he was furious after the network projected Joe Biden as the winner of Arizona's electoral votes. Because establishing a cable news alternative to Fox would be expensive and logistically challenging, the president could attempt to found a digital media outlet and try to siphon away Fox subscribers."He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it," a source with knowledge of the plans told Axios.The president currently claims that Democrats have "stolen" the election for Joe Biden, and may use rallies to amplify claims of voter fraud. At those rallies, the source said, Trump is "going to spend a lot of time slamming Fox."Trump engaged in a Twitter tirade on Thursday morning that lent credence to the Axios report, retweeting messages in which users renounced their support for Fox over the network's alleged support for Democrats.> The president just went through the replies of a four day old @greggutfeld tweet and retweeted all of these replies slamming Fox News and praising @newsmax and @OANN. pic.twitter.com/Q2O5Z3UKrR> > -- Yashar Ali �� (@yashar) November 12, 2020If it is established, Trump's new media company could be used as one way to retain influence among Republican voters after Biden is inaugurated in January. The Trump campaign confirmed reports that the president is planning to found a leadership PAC, which would allow Trump to funnel donations toward particular political candidates."The president always planned to do this, win or lose, so he can support candidates and issues he cares about, such as combating voter fraud," campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told the New York Times.Trump has not conceded an election loss to Biden, but is "very aware there is not a path to victory," a top White House aide told NBC reporter Peter Alexander on Thursday. However, the president is continuing to contest the results as a kind of "theater" because he thinks his supporters "deserve a fight," the aide said.
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| ‘Horrific’: Florida man shoots girlfriend, plus roommate who tried to help, police say Posted: 11 Nov 2020 12:36 PM PST  A woman tried in vain to save her housemate who was killed by her boyfriend in their home Sunday morning in the Central Florida city of Bartow, deputies said.
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| Lindsey Graham donates $1 million to Republicans in Georgia while acknowledging Biden should receive briefings Posted: 12 Nov 2020 11:49 AM PST  Republican claims 'tsunami of liberal money' is heading towards Georgia while donating $1 million of his own campaign funds to GOP candidates in the state
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| Any hope of keeping Earth habitable now requires sucking carbon back out of the atmosphere, a new study found Posted: 12 Nov 2020 08:00 AM PST  Even if greenhouse-gas emissions stop now, global warming will continue for centuries, a study shows. The solution: removing carbon from the air.
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| Pelosi calls on Republicans to 'stop the circus and get to work' on addressing the coronavirus crisis Posted: 12 Nov 2020 08:31 AM PST 
At a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scolded Republicans for "continuing to ignore" the COVID-19 crisis.
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| 'Defying the odds': 51-year-old woman gives birth to her own granddaughter Posted: 12 Nov 2020 12:16 PM PST  Julie Loving, 51, carried her daughter's child through gestational surrogacy. After a Nov. 2 delivery, everyone is doing "fantastic and healthy."
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| U.S. threatens Beijing with new sanctions over Hong Kong lawmaker suspensions Posted: 12 Nov 2020 05:26 AM PST  "We're quitting the legislature at this juncture, but we're NOT quitting the Hong Kong democracy fight," said opposition lawmaker Claudia Mo.
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| Sunken boats. Stolen gear. Fishermen are prey as China conquers a strategic sea Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:52 AM PST  Beijing's aggressive South China Sea expansion shows its willingness to defy international laws for President Xi Jinping's visions of power.
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| With air bases at risk, Agile Combat Employment must mature Posted: 12 Nov 2020 06:27 AM PST  The U.S. Air Force must evolve from its dependence on well-established airfields, or risk yielding an operational edge.
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| Trump and his followers are on the 'crazy train' with unhinged election conspiracies, Republican congressman says Posted: 12 Nov 2020 01:34 PM PST  President Trump is taking his followers down a path of increasingly unhinged conspiracies about millions of votes being altered by mysterious forces manipulating computer systems and voting machines, said Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va.
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| Turkey offended by Pompeo's plan to discuss religious issues Posted: 11 Nov 2020 08:00 AM PST  Turkey took offense at a U.S. statement that said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would promote religious freedom during an upcoming visit to Istanbul and called Wednesday on Washington to focus on racism and hate crimes in the United States instead. The State Department said in a statement Tuesday that Pompeo would travel to Istanbul to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Greek Orthodox Christians.
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| Elizabeth Warren calls on Biden to cancel billions of dollars in student debt without help from Congress to aid the struggling US economy Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:59 AM PST  "This is the single most effective executive action available for a massive economic stimulus," Warren wrote in a tweet.
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| Federal appeals court upholds Harvard University's use of affirmative action policies Posted: 12 Nov 2020 09:25 AM PST  The lawsuit charged that Harvard discriminated against Asian American students in order to boost African American and Hispanic enrollment.
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| Plane crashes into Los Angeles neighbourhood Posted: 12 Nov 2020 02:34 PM PST  The FAA says the plane crash occurred during its final approach to the nearby airport
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| Texas tops 1 million COVID-19 cases as surge continues Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:07 AM PST  Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of coronavirus infections engulfs the country.
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| Mexican prosecutors accuse ex-president of directing graft: newspaper Posted: 12 Nov 2020 09:41 AM PST  Ex-Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto ordered aides to bribe lawmakers to enact reforms in the benefit of foreign firms, according to a document from the attorney general's office published Thursday by daily newspaper Reforma. The document, a request for an arrest warrant for an especially powerful former minister in Pena Nieto's 2012-2018 administration, describes the former president as running "a state within a state" that employed "its own system of criminal power" centered on distributing bribes from scandal-plagued Brazilian builder Odebrecht. The arrest warrant request for Luis Videgaray describes more than 121 million pesos ($6 million) in bribe payments allegedly distributed to key members of Congress to ensure passage of a sweeping energy opening to private companies, according to the newspaper.
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| Nikki Haley, a high-profile Republican and possible 2024 presidential hopeful, has remained silent about Trump's unfounded election fraud claims Posted: 12 Nov 2020 02:11 PM PST  The ex-UN ambassador hasn't commented on Trump's refusal to concede the election, sticking instead to tweets about GOP victories down ballot.
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| French-Irish teen's mother criticises Malaysian police at inquest Posted: 11 Nov 2020 01:35 AM PST  The mother of a teenager whose body was found in the Malaysian jungle told an inquest Wednesday the police response to her disappearance while on holiday had been slow and ineffective.
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| Nurse Charged With Murdering 8 Babies and Trying to Kill 10 More Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:11 AM PST  A British nurse has been charged with murdering eight babies, as well as the attempted murders of 10 others, after a years-long investigation into an unexplained spike in baby deaths at a hospital's neonatal unit.It's the third time that Lucy Letby, 30, has been arrested. She was previously detained in 2018 and 2019 as authorities probed the string of infant fatalities at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England. Both times, the nurse was released with no further action against her, but she appeared in court Thursday to finally face 18 formal charges.In the courtroom, the nurse learned that she faces eight charges of "murder of a victim under 1 year old," and each infant victim's name was read aloud to her. According to BBC News, five baby boys and three girls died. They were named Cemlyn Bennett, Joseph Johnson, Barney Gee, Joseph Gelder, Eli Gelder, Elsie McNall, Daisy Parkin, and Maddie Freed.Letby did not speak in court other than to confirm her identity, and her representatives have not said whether or not she plans to plead guilty. The media has been ordered not to report the names of the alleged victims of attempted murder, but there are reportedly five boys and five girls.The charges all relate to a string of baby deaths, and non-fatal collapses, at the Countess of Chester Hospital near Liverpool in 2015 and 2016. According to a National Health Service report into the incidents, the hospital launched a probe after resident doctors became concerned about what was described as a "higher-than-usual number of neonatal deaths on the unit, several of them being apparently 'unexplained' and 'unexpected.'"The police became involved a year later. This week, the inquiry's leader, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes, said that Letby's third arrest came after more than three years of investigative work by his team.Susan Gilby, chief executive of the hospital where Letby is accused of committing the crimes, said in a statement that the major development was of "serious concern" and added that the trust that runs the hospital will be "fully supportive and respectful of the judicial processes."Neil Fern, who is representing some of the families in the legal case, told The Guardian, "The families are overwhelmed with the news and there is a mix of emotion. All the families now have hope that they can finally start to learn the truth of what happened in the first days of their children's lives. We have been working with the families for many years on these cases, and they have had to live with the consequences for all that time."Letby is expected to make another court appearance on Friday.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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| Biden's White House chief of staff pick calls new role 'the honor of a lifetime' Posted: 11 Nov 2020 05:32 PM PST  President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday night that he has chosen Ron Klain as his White House chief of staff, saying Klain has been "invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together," including during the 2009 economic downturn and 2014 Ebola outbreak.After graduating from Harvard Law, Klain joined Biden's Senate team in 1989. Klain has spent the last several decades active in Democratic politics, and he was "Ebola czar" for former President Barack Obama during his second term.In a statement, Biden said Klain's "deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again."Klain called it an "honor of a lifetime to serve President-elect Biden in this role, and I am humbled by his confidence." On Twitter, he thanked people for their "kind wishes" and said he "will give my all to lead a talented and diverse team in a Biden-Harris" White House.More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's refusal to concede Trump is reportedly 'very aware' he lost the election but is putting up a fight as 'theater' Trump's willing accomplices
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| Here's what the CDC suggests for Thanksgiving amid the pandemic Posted: 12 Nov 2020 09:18 AM PST  Some may hold Thanksgiving meals outdoors – others may foregoing celebrating completely.
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| Mr. Potato Head? Another botched art restoration in Spain gets flak online. Posted: 12 Nov 2020 10:03 AM PST  "Nobody knows who would do such a barbarity," Antonio Capel, the artist who shared the photo, told USA TODAY.
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| Disgraced MP who flouted Covid rules 'shows brass neck' with Commons return Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:03 AM PST  A disgraced MP who broke Covid-19 rules by making a return trip from Glasgow to London with the virus has made her first appearance in the Commons since testing positive. Margaret Ferrier, who has continued to defy calls to stand down from her £82,000-per-year job and is sitting as an independent after being stripped of the SNP whip, asked a question by video link about Hong Kong. Opposition parties said the 60-year-old's appearance was a "gross insult to her constituents" and accused her of "brazenly trying to retain her Westminster privileges at the taxpayers' expense". When she initially refused demands to stand down, including from within the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon suggested the delay may have been due to Ms Ferrier being ill with coronavirus.
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| Ghana's former president Jerry Rawlings dies at 73 Posted: 12 Nov 2020 08:10 AM PST  Ghana's former president Jerry Rawlings, who staged two coups and later led the West African country's transition to a stable democracy, has died, according to the state's Radio Ghana and the president. Rawlings was 73. President Nana Akufo-Addo said that Rawlings died Thursday morning at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra, where he had been receiving treatment after a short illness.
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| Lucille Bridges, who took daughter Ruby to become first Black student at all-white school, dies at 86 Posted: 11 Nov 2020 06:39 AM PST  Lucille Bridges, the mother of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, who walked with her then 6-year-old daughter past crowds screaming racist slurs as she became the first Black student at her all-white New Orleans elementary school, has died at the age of 86.
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| Dahleen Glanton: Give Republicans a standing ovation for their voter fraud performance Posted: 12 Nov 2020 08:40 AM PST  One by one, Republicans have taken to the stage to show their support for Donald Trump's ridiculous claim that the presidential election was stolen from him. But it is just a performance. Despite how genuine their acts might appear, the GOP has already abandoned Trump. The problem is that Trump and his supporters don't seem to realize it. This preposterous brouhaha over "illegal ballots" has ...
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| Florida mother arrested after refusing to wear a mask during school board meeting Posted: 12 Nov 2020 01:17 PM PST  Kari Turner, 40, was arrested on Tuesday in front of her two children
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| Hundreds of disillusioned doctors leave Lebanon, in blow to healthcare Posted: 12 Nov 2020 01:06 AM PST  Fouad Boulos returned to Beirut in 2007 from the United States having trained there in pathology and laboratory medicine. Fourteen years later he is leaving his homeland with his wife and five children and returning to the United States to try his luck starting from scratch. In the past year, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the state and banking system, a COVID-19 pandemic and, in August, a huge explosion at the port that destroyed swathes of Beirut.
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| The New York Times ’ Misleading ‘Analysis’ of Benjamin Netanyahu Posted: 11 Nov 2020 03:36 PM PST  'News Analysis," a creative euphemism for "Opinion," is deployed by outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post with increasing frequency. One of the Times' recent offerings in this genre comes from Jerusalem bureau chief David Halbfinger, who writes that "Biden's Win Means a Demotion for Netanyahu and Less Focus on Israel." It's an odd formulation. Benjamin Netanyahu has been Israel's prime minister for over a decade, during presidencies of both parties. I suspect that the Times would consider treating other heads of state as inferior of the United States jingoistic in most other circumstances. But the opportunity to denigrate a conservative Israeli leader demands an exception.Halbfinger's column-in-disguise has more problems than its title. He asserts that "Mr. Netanyahu's stature on the global stage" has been "diminished." He also approvingly quotes the critical Netanyahu biographer Anshel Pfeffer, who holds that "he's gone from Trump's wingman to the guy who polishes the canopy of the F-16." He offers no evidence for these claims. Instead, as proof that Netanyahu is "unusually flummoxed" by Biden's victory, he cites the fact that it took Netanyahu twelve hours after CNN and Fox News projected that Biden would become the 46th president of the United States to offer his congratulations on Twitter and that when he did, he did not by name reference the office of the presidency. Perhaps Halbfinger's conception of being "flummoxed" differs from that of the rest of us.Halbfinger has a similarly unorthodox conception of what constitutes a "calming influence." In his view, the agreements that the Trump administration has brokered between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, and Sudan are not signs of a more stable region. But he does believe that a Biden administration would somehow have a pacifying effect. Especially if it responded to other Arab states' expressing an interest in formalizing relations with the world's only Jewish state by urging them to ask for more concessions from Israel in the Palestinian conflict. His idea of a balanced approach, then, entails the United States urging one of two willing parties in question not to agree to a deal unless one of the two provides more benefits to an unwilling fourth party. Got that?Later in the column, Halbfinger credulously entertains an unsubstantiated hypothetical scenario from Pfeffer in which Biden would invite "Mr. Netanyahu's rivals, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, to Washington for high-profile meetings while snubbing the prime minister." Similarly, he quotes a former adviser to former prime minister Shimon Peres, who speculated that Biden might say, "The party's over. I don't want to fight with you, but I intend to stabilize the situation, and you're going to help me. Forget about annexation. No surprises. No unilateral anything. And I need something constructive from you as well: Make it easier to shore up the Palestinian Authority before it collapses, and Gaza before it explodes. And I promise you I'll bring you into the room when I'm discussing Iran." Neither hypothetical is subject to qualification from Halfbinger. Bibi will just have to do as Uncle Joe tells him, of course — "the party's over."Most mainstream journalists tend to be sharply critical of Netanyahu, whom they characterize as fond of — as Halbfinger does in his piece — "divisive political tactics, denunciations of 'fake news' and playing to working-class voters' resentments." Netanyahu is a flawed man with no shortage of words and actions one can quibble with. But he has deftly guided Israel through every crisis it has faced during his tenure while — contrary to his political opponents' portrayal of him — operating as a pragmatist rather than a winger. Netanyahu knows there will be no good-faith negotiation with the current crop of Palestinian leaders. But with Arab leaders spooked by the Obama administration's absurd and illogical embrace of the Iranian regime, he saw an opportunity for rapprochement and took it.The Left's instinctive contempt for figures such as Netanyahu of course results in biased writing. But perhaps even worse is that it leads to inaccurate and unbalanced analysis. This is particularly true of columns labeled "News Analysis," which are habitually shrill and lacking in insight. Unfortunately, a few hysterical quotes from the expert class, who tend to share the opinion of the author, can suffice to gain this designation and the patina of objectivity that comes with it. Netanyahu's time as prime minister may well be coming to an end. He has, after all, held the position for nearly twelve years. But the idea that Donald Trump's loss will bring it about is the stuff of the New York Times editorial board's fantasies, not of sober analysis.
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| Tropical Storm Eta barrels toward Gulf Coast with heavy rain, wind Posted: 12 Nov 2020 05:27 AM PST  "This is an unpredictable storm in a very unpredictable year," an official said.
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| A NYC councilman said he'll defy Gov. Andrew Cuomo's social-distancing orders to host more than 10 people in his home for Thanksgiving Posted: 11 Nov 2020 04:43 PM PST  "I'll be having more than 10 people at my house on Thanksgiving ... Some family will come from (gasp!) New Jersey," councilman Joe Borelli said.
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| Police response to Washington, D.C., stabbing another sign law enforcement favors Proud Boys Posted: 12 Nov 2020 01:57 PM PST  The far-right Proud Boys brag they're close with police. Last week, Washington, D.C., police echoed their claim about a stabbing, only to retract it.
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| Russian city to demolish derided 'Robot' building Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:48 AM PST  A hulking, never-occupied building sardonically likened to a robot's head that has loomed over the Russian city of Kaliningrad for decades is to be demolished next year, the region's governor says. The building, which later was assessed to be structurally unsound, and became one of the city's most widely known emblems, particularly when the fan zone for the 2018 World Cup matches in Kaliningrad was set up in a vast square next to it. The Brutalist building's protruding covered balconies resembling two eyes and a mouth led to it being nicknamed "The Buried Robot."
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| Can Trump block Biden's victory? Posted: 12 Nov 2020 07:51 AM PST  Since US media declared Joe Biden's White House victory on Saturday, President Donald Trump has refused to concede and repeatedly made baseless claims of election fraud.
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| After backlash, Alton Brown apologizes for 'flippant' Holocaust tweets Posted: 11 Nov 2020 02:10 PM PST  His followers were quick to call him out for the insensitivity of the comparison he made.
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| Thailand seizes nearly $1 billion worth of ketamine Posted: 12 Nov 2020 04:41 AM PST  Thailand has seized almost $1 billion worth of contraband ketamine, most of it probably destined for Europe, Japan or Korea, the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau said on Thursday. Montri Yimyaem, head of the bureau, said the size of the haul pointed to a multinational network, and that Thailand would pursue it with other countries and international agencies.
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| Florida introducing new laws allowing citizens to shoot ‘looters and rioters’ Posted: 11 Nov 2020 11:08 AM PST  'It allows for vigilantes to justify their actions'
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| Portland City Commissioner Who Campaigned to Defund Police Called 911 on Lyft Driver Posted: 11 Nov 2020 02:29 PM PST  Portland's city commissioner, who campaigned to defund the police, called 911 last week on a Lyft driver who refused to close his window.Jo Ann Hardesty, who serves as Portland's city commissioner and has been a prominent voice advocating for defunding the police department in the wake of calls for police reform, has claimed that most 911 calls don't involve a real emergency, the Oregonian reported.As recently as last week, Hardesty expressed support for slashing the police department budget by another $18 million, a proposal that was voted down by the Portland City Council.The confrontation over the Lyft ride began with confusion between Hardesty and the Lyft driver about the pickup point, about which Hardesty expressed her frustration once she entered the vehicle. Shortly afterwards, she demanded that the driver roll up his windows, two of which were cracked to allow circulation as recommend by Lyft's new safety rules for the coronavirus pandemic. The driver explained this to Hardesty and rolled the windows up slightly, at which she became "ballistic," according to the driver, and ask that the windows be closed completely."So I made a decision, it would be in the best interest for both of us to cancel the ride," the Lyft driver, Richmond Frost, said.He pulled off the highway and attempted to drop Hardesty off at a brightly-lit Chevron off an exit. Hardesty, however, refused to exit his car, arguing that she did not want to be left at a gas station alone as a woman at night and in the cold.The driver threatened to call 911, after which Hardesty called 911 herself. Police informed her that a crime had not been committed. The driver then called 911 himself to file a complaint. He said he was unaware Hardesty was the city commissioner until after the incident."It is totally inappropriate to expect a woman to get out of a vehicle in the dead of night because any angry person demands it," Hardesty wrote in a complaint to Lyft."She was not a pleasant person," the driver said. "That has nothing to do with her political position as a Portland council person. I'm out here doing my job. She was very disrespectful to me, made me uncomfortable. I don't feel like I have to sit in a car for anyone to have to argue unrelentingly and be rude and abusive, telling me what I have to do in my own vehicle."
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