Russian opposition leader Navalny still comatose but stable after transfer to Berlin hospital

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has made it to Berlin after all.Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been comatose since falling ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on Thursday. Medical staff at the Omsk, Russia, hospital where he was previously treated had initially refused to allow his transfer to the German capital, claiming he was too unstable to move, but they appeared to relent after international scrutiny, The Washington Post reports.Upon arrival in Berlin, Navalny was taken to a hospital where he underwent a comprehensive medical examination. Doctors reportedly would not comment on his illness or treatment until those were completed, although his supporters believe he was poisoned at the behest of the Kremlin. The hospital in Omsk denied the claims, but toxicology experts have expressed doubts poison could have been ruled out so quickly, The Associated Press reports. Moscow has similarly been accused of delaying the Berlin transfer.Jaka Bizilj of the German organization Cinema for Peace, which organized the flight, said Navalny is in stable condition. Read more at The Washington Post and The Associated Press.More stories from theweek.com Small-time scams are dissolving America from the inside Kushner reportedly plans Middle East trip to build on Israel-UAE deal The blocks behind Elizabeth Warren during her DNC speech held a secret message for sharp-eyed viewers

As more colleges stay online, students demand tuition cuts

As more universities abandon plans to reopen and decide instead to keep classes online this fall, it's leading to conflict between students who say they deserve tuition discounts and college leaders who insist remote learning is worth the full cost. Disputes are flaring both at colleges that announced weeks ago they would stick with virtual instruction and at those that only recently lost hope of reopening their campuses. Among the latest schools facing pressure to lower tuition are Michigan State University and Ithaca College, which scrapped plans to reopen after seeing other colleges struggle to contain coronavirus outbreaks.

Double hurricane threat as Tropical Storms Laura and Marco advance towards US Gulf Coast

Two tropical storms are advancing across the Caribbean posing potentially historic threats to the US Gulf Coast, with both projected to reach the coast at or close to hurricane force.The current projected track for Tropical Storms Laura and Marco by the US National Hurricane Center puts both storms together in the Gulf on Tuesday, with Marco set to hit near the Texas-Louisiana border and Laura set to make landfall a little less than a day later.

US special forces veteran arrested for passing secrets to Russia

Former Captain Peter Debbins is charged with passing secrets to Russian military intelligence.

A judge asked Trump's lawyers to prove his claims about mail-in voting "fraud" — it did not go well

"There is no iceberg; only an icicle, largely created by confusion and administrative error"

Health officials in 3 states have traced new COVID-19 cases to the Sturgis motorcycle rally where hundreds of thousands of bikers gathered

Phone-location data revealed that visitors came to Sturgis from all parts of the US, including states that recently saw surges in COVID-19 cases.

At least 5 dead in California fires; tens of thousands forced to flee

"We are experiencing fires the likes of which we haven't seen in many, many years," Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

Portland protest turns violent, federal police clear plaza

Federal authorities on Saturday forced demonstrators away from a plaza near a federal building as dueling demonstrations in Portland by right-wing and left-wing protesters turned violent. The area includes county and federal buildings and has been the site of numerous recent protests. A federal courthouse is also near that area.

Sarah Cooper lip syncs to Trump at DNC – and speaks out in support of Biden

The lip-synching comedian and viral star Sarah Cooper made an appearance at the DNC and did what she does best – poked fun at Donald Trump.On a night when comedy at times mixed uneasily with the sombre tone of the final night of the convention as a result of the lengthy tributes paid to Joe Biden’s late son, Beau, who died from a rare cancer in 2015, Cooper managed to find the perfect words.

Slate of proposed bills could change policing in California

“What we’ve seen in this country in the last four months, let alone in the last 50, 60 years as it relates to police killings of Black and brown people, calls for addressing,” said state Sen. Steven Bradford.

Portland clashes rage again outside US immigration building

Protesters in Oregon’s largest city have clashed again with federal agents outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building that has become a new focus of the demonstrations that have gripped Portland for months, officials said Friday. People in a group of about 100 late Thursday and before dawn Friday sprayed the building with graffiti, hurled rocks and bottles at agents and shined laser lights at them, Portland police said in a statement. The violence came a day after protesters clashed with federal agents for the first time since July in a demonstration that also targeted the ICE building.

Mali Coup Leaders Seized Power Days After Returning From Military Training Camp in Russia

ABUJA, Nigeria—The leaders of the coup that ousted Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita spent most of the year training in Russia before returning to boot out the democratically-elected leader at gunpoint, according to sources in the Malian military.The rebels took control of Mali’s largest military base in Kati, just outside the capital, Bamako, on Tuesday before storming Keita’s official residence, seizing the president and forcing him to resign as leader of the West African nation..Numerous media outlets, including the BBC, immediately reported that the coup was led by Malick Diaw and Sadio Camara, two army colonels who hold top positions at the Kati military base and who are reportedly very close friends. But there's something else both men have in common— they were trained by the military in Russia.Two Malian military officials told The Daily Beast that both Diaw and Camara were in Russia before they returned to Mali to stage Tuesday's coup, confirming a local media report. The two officers are said to have departed Bamako for Moscow early in the year to attend military training sponsored by the Russian armed forces, they returned a little over a week before the coup was executed.Sources in the Malian military told The Daily Beast that a number of senior officers suspect Diaw and Camara planned the coup from Russia and that both men had been in contact with others involved in the plot from their training base abroad. Rumors that some officers were contemplating a coup had begun to spread quietly in the military at the start of August, even before the two colonels returned home.“A coup of this nature is not something you plan in a matter of days,” a lieutenant in the Malian army, who previously served in Kati, told The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak. “These two men spent a long time in Russia and within days of their return they executed a coup easily and successfully,” said the lieutenant, who did not partake in the plot. “That should tell you that they worked on this for a long time.”It’s not yet clear if Diaw and Camara sought military assistance or cover from Russia, which has intervened in the election of a number of African leaders in recent years. Some military officials aren't ruling out Russia’s direct involvement. “Maybe in terms of communication they got protection from the Russians," said the army lieutenant. "One will assume that the Russians would have been monitoring their communication lines since the officers were foreign military personnel staying in Russia."Just before midday on Tuesday, soldiers loyal to Diaw, the second highest ranked administrator at the Kati military base, took control of the camp’s armory and began to arrest their superiors. Once they took control of the base, they headed to Bamako where they arrested President Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and drove back to the base with the two men before forcing them to relinquish power.At the time of the coup, Diaw, who is believed to be in his late 30s, was the deputy chief of the Kati military base, a position he is said to have held for more than a year. His role in Tuesday’s coup is likely to earn him an influential position in the junta.Camara, the co-leader of the coup, previously headed the military academy of Kati. BBC Afrique, citing a local news outlet, reported that he was born in 1979. He was director of the Kati military academy for many years until January when he left the post to attend military training in Russia alongside Diaw. He returned to Bamako from Moscow over a week ago to begin a month-long leave period and, unknown to many, to execute a coup. “There were just a few persons who knew they were back from their trip,” a Malian army colonel, who wasn't involved in the coup, told The Daily Beast. "[It was] mostly those close to them and who plotted the coup with the two officers [that knew they had returned from Russia]."Russia has a reputation for swooping into African countries and hoping to reshape their politics for material gain; a candidate backed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian financier indicted in the U.S. for targeting the 2016 presidential election, has emerged as the president of Madagascar; a former Russian intelligence officer is now the top security adviser to the president of the Central African Republic; and the Kremlin has been caught interfering in the domestic politics of eight African countries through social media networks traced to entities tied to Prigozhin.It's still not clear how the Malian coup plotters plan to lead the country they now rule as a military junta, or if they will be inviting any assistance from Moscow.On Wednesday, Assimi Goita, a colonel in Mali's army announced that he had taken charge of the country and declared himself the head of the junta. Goita—one of the five soldiers who announced the coup on the state broadcaster ORTM—met with senior government officials whom he urged to immediately return to work.“By making this intervention, we have put Mali first,” Goita explained to the officials, while trying to justify the forceful removal of Keita.Before the coup, he was head of a special military unit based in central Mali and had taken part in the annual Flintlock training put together by the U.S. military to help countries in the Sahel region better tackle militants.“Mali is in a sociopolitical and security crisis,” he said. “There is no more room for mistakes.”Tuesday's mutiny could turn out to be an even bigger mistake. A similar coup in 2012, which began at the same Kati army base, created nationwide disharmony and political uncertainty. That allowed extremist groups to expand their reach in the north of Mali. Despite a French military intervention, which has slowed their advancement, these jihadists groups are still active in the region and may capitalise on the current leadership crisis to extend their jihad, it remains to be seen what the Kremlin makes of that threat.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.

Maybe Trump shouldn't have set the bar so low for Joe Biden's DNC speech

One of the biggest bits of drama in the otherwise tightly scripted Democratic National Convention was whether the new nominee, Joe Biden, would fumble his big acceptance speech with an embarrassing gaffe or a "senior moment." And why would people think that? Well, President Trump and his campaign have been predicting as much for weeks. They even spent a lot of money on an online ad this week claiming Biden is in "cognitive decline."The DNC appeared unsure, too, prefacing his speech with repeated mentions of Biden's history of stuttering — including a story about his mother threatening to assault a teacher-nun who mocked her son's stutter in class and this moving video from a young Brayden Harrington.But Biden rose to the occasion. And his speech looked even better, it was widely noted, because Trump and his allies had set such a low bar for him to clear.> No one helped Biden tonight more than Trump and his campaign, who spent the last few months setting the expectations so stupidly low by painting Biden as a bumbling idiot suffering from dementia.> > — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 21, 2020> Probably not an awesome idea to make the bar so low it’s “can Joe Biden talk without drooling”> > — The Calamari Comeback Kid (@TylerDinucci) August 21, 2020> Republicans set the bar so low that if Biden was able to just say his name, it'd have been a success. Instead, he gave the best speech of his entire career. The GOP will have no - and I mean *no* - strategy moving forward.> > — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 21, 2020Some people were still not impressed that Biden could read a speech without stumping, but that isn't all he did, of course.> As expected, Joe Biden cleared the absurdly low bar that Trump set for him. But he’s done a whole lot more here. He’s made a case for character and renewal, earnest hope and unity, when that is so needed. How refreshing to hear a man vow to serve those who won’t vote for him.> > — Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) August 21, 2020Maybe the Trump team will learn the art of expectations-setting before the debates. But for now, Biden can finally say: Thanks, Trump.More stories from theweek.com Small-time scams are dissolving America from the inside Kushner reportedly plans Middle East trip to build on Israel-UAE deal The blocks behind Elizabeth Warren during her DNC speech held a secret message for sharp-eyed viewers

Travelers lost over $950,000 in cash in airport security, TSA says. Where did it go?

Don’t forget your cash.

Biden's polling remains steady after DNC, but favorability gets a boost

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, didn't see his general election polling numbers rise in the immediate aftermath of this week's Democratic National Convention, a new Morning Consult poll shows.The poll, which was conducted Friday (one day after Biden gave his acceptance speech completing the four-day DNC) and released Saturday, has Biden up nine points on President Trump, compared to the eight point advantage he enjoyed Monday. But the small improvement is statistically insignificant because of the polls' margins of error.The lack of convention bump so far doesn't appear to be too concerning for the Biden campaign, however. Hillary Clinton did receive a boost in 2016, but Biden was in a stronger position going into the event, and the poll does suggest voters were at least somewhat influenced by the whole thing, since Biden's favorability rating rose three points — and unfavorable views fell by the same amount — since Monday to 51 percent, a single-day high in that category in Morning Consult polling.> 6 point bump for Biden’s favorability thanks to a great DNC https://t.co/sp9AvJ0so2> > — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) August 22, 2020Analysts still think some sort of post-convention bounce should appear in the coming days, though, or else Democrats may start to grow concerned.> DNC went well, but complaints will increase if there’s no bounce. A few with some support: > \- Too much Trump focus, need to build Biden > \- Needed to inoculate on crime, will hear next week > \- Needed to paint Reps as siding with the rich & offer specific econ benefits to middle class> > — Matt Grossmann (@MattGrossmann) August 22, 2020The Morning Consult poll was conducted was conducted Friday among 4,377 likely voters. The margin of error was 1 percentage point. Read more at Morning Consult.More stories from theweek.com Small-time scams are dissolving America from the inside Kushner reportedly plans Middle East trip to build on Israel-UAE deal The blocks behind Elizabeth Warren during her DNC speech held a secret message for sharp-eyed viewers

China approves human testing for coronavirus vaccine grown in insect cells

China has approved human testing for a potential coronavirus vaccine cultivated within insect cells, local government in the southwestern city of Chengdu said on Saturday. China is in a global race to develop cost-effective vaccines to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Using insect cells to grow proteins for the coronavirus vaccine - a first in China - could speed up large-scale production, the city government of Chengdu said in a notice on social media WeChat.

Plane carrying dissident in coma leaves Russia for Germany

A plane carrying a Russian dissident who is in a coma after a suspected poisoning left for a German hospital Saturday following much wrangling over Alexei Navalny’s condition and treatment. The plane could be seen taking off from an airport in the Siberian city of Omsk just after 8 a.m. local time. Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed the departure on Twitter.

Why Parents Love ‘Pandemic Pods’ for School — but Bureaucrats Hate Them

It’s back-to-school season, yet millions of children won’t return to in-person instruction for the foreseeable future. But this fall, some families are improvising to provide some kind of in-person instruction for their children. Earlier this year, when school districts proved unwilling or unable to meet families’ desires for safe, in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents across the nation banded together in “pandemic pods” to take their children’s education into their own hands. In many places, the pods are continuing this school year. And some school districts are not amused.“In recent weeks, discussions have surfaced on creating well-meaning ‘pandemic pods’ and ‘micro-schools’ that un-enroll children and hire private teachers,” read an August 13 statement from the Denver Board of Education. “We want to strongly encourage our families to keep the connection they have to their school and educators.”The statement also asked families to “consider the equity implications of creating or joining pandemic pods,” noting that “for pods to reflect the demographics of the district, there must be three students-of-color for every one white student, two students who qualify for free-and-reduced price lunch for everyone who does not . . .”“Families have an absolute right to work together and pool resources to provide instruction or tutoring,” reads a Fairfax County, Va., public-school press release to families forming pandemic pods. It should have stopped there.The district — which will be online-only this fall — is quite displeased that parents are finding alternative learning arrangements for their children. Although the district conceded it “can’t control these private tutoring groups,” it wanted parents to know that it does “have concerns that they may widen the gap in educational access and equity.”This argument is curious. Public-school proponents generally argue that education is a “public good” -- an individual’s level of education affects others in the community beyond themselves. Americans have broadly agreed to socialize the cost of education because a functioning republic requires an educated citizenry capable of self-government and of the republic’s maintenance. Another societal benefit is that better-educated individuals are more likely to be productive workers who pay taxes and less likely to be dependent on welfare. The proliferation of education also fosters advancements in science and technology that benefit everyone, and leads to a more enlightened society overall.Yet in arguing that pods will exacerbate inequity, public-school proponents are not only treating education primarily as a private benefit, but they’re also treating education as a zero-sum game: If some children know more, that will hurt other children.Buried in this argument is an implicit admission by the districts that the crisis online learning the districts are providing is inferior to the education students could be receiving in pods. Inequity is only an issue if the pods are superior to what the district schools provide while simultaneously being inaccessible to some students based on their socio-economic status. Yet rather than expand access to the pods, districts are trying to shame better-off parents into refraining from providing their children with a superior education.If education truly benefits the public at large, then it makes no sense to hold some kids back from achieving their true potential. Disadvantaged kids need to be lifted up. They aren’t helped by keeping other kids down. The best way to improve the lot of disadvantaged kids is to empower their parents to choose the learning environment that works best for them. Having educated citizens is in the public interest; it shouldn’t matter where that education occurs.Indeed, those concerned about educational inequity should turn a critical eye to the existing district system. In Virginia, children from low-income families are more than two and a half grade levels behind their non-poor peers in eighth-grade reading, and black students are nearly three grade levels behind their white peers. What about education “equity” for these children?Fairfax County currently spends more per pupil than the national average of $15,000 annually. Denver is slightly under national figures at $12,200, and, astonishingly, Washington, D.C., spends $31,000 per child per year. If those education dollars followed the child, low-income families would have much greater access to a wide variety of learning options.Yet defenders of the status quo have worked incessantly to prevent families from accessing alternatives to the residentially assigned district system — the doors to which are largely closed at the moment to in-person instruction. That’s because, due both to school-district myth-making and status-quo bias, we’ve come to believe that this is how education must delivered. Any failure of the one-size-fits-some system to achieve its stated goals is blamed not on a flaw in the system but rather on a lack of sufficient funding, as though D.C. schools would perform at the level of Massachusetts if only they spent $35,000 or $40,000 per pupil instead of $31,000.Pods reject the assumption that residentially assigned and government-run schools are the best way to educate kids. Indeed, the near-infinite variety in the approach to podding calls into question the very notion of a “one best way.”Kids can’t wait for district schools to reopen. States should immediately provide emergency education savings accounts (ESAs) to families, allowing them to take a portion of the money that would have been spent on their child in school to the learning environments of their choice. Five states — Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee — already empower families with ESAs to use for private-school tuition, tutors, textbooks, online learning, special-education services and therapies, and a host of other options. In Arizona, applications for ESAs this summer are triple what they were last year. They’re the perfect policy pairing with pandemic pods.Adults should be doing everything in their power right now to provide education continuity to children. That goes for school-district officials, too. Embracing families’ decision to use pods or any other option that fits their children’s needs would demonstrate that districts really are interested in the “public good” of public education -- regardless of where it takes place.Lindsey M. Burke, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Education Policy and Will Skillman Fellow in Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, and Jason Bedrick is Director of Policy at EdChoice.

Maduro insists a Venezuelan airline evacuate Americans, a ‘non-starter’ in Washington

The U.S. has offered private direct and indirect flights to evacuate Americans. Maduro wants to use Venezuela’s sanctioned airline.

'Melting faster and faster': Greenland lost 1 million tonnes of ice for each minute of 2019

High temperatures saw Greenland lose enough ice to cover the US state of California in more than four feet of water in 2019 alone, a study which suggests the island lost a million tonnes of ice for every minute of the year has said.After two years in which the land masses’ summer ice melt had been negligible, satellite measurements have suggested an excessively hot 2019 saw the loss of 586 billion tons of ice melt from the island.

Open mic catches Sen. Tom Carper cursing during Senate hearing on U.S. Postal Service

Sen. Tom Carper said the "F-word" three times during a virtual Senate hearing on the United States Postal Service, which aired uncensored over C-SPAN.

Trump tries to blame California wildfires on state ignoring his 'raking' leaves theory of forest management

Donald Trump threatened to withhold emergency funding from California because the state had ignored his "raking" theory of forest management to prevent wildfires.As firefighters battled hundreds of wildfires across Northern California, Mr Trump told a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that the state should pay for the damage because they ignored his recommendations after previous fires.

GOP Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona suggests supporters should 'fast a meal' and donate money saved to her campaign as she lags in fundraising

"We're doing our part to catch up to get our message out. But it takes resources," she said. "So anybody can give, I'm not ashamed to ask."

Gulf coast braced for two tropical storms in 24 hours next week – for the first time in 60 years

Two tropical depressions could hit the US gulf coast, possibly as hurricanes, in the same 24-hour period next week, for the first time in six decades.The first weather system – which meteorologists have labelled Tropical Depression Thirteen (TD-13) – was about 305 miles (490 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands early on Friday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).

Michael Bloomberg robbed the DNC

We now know how much the going rate is for a spot at the Democratic National Convention. Michael Bloomberg spoke for five minutes on Thursday night not long before the nominee itself, a role arguably more prominent than that of Bernie Sanders, the much-abused runner-up.The former New York mayor's remarks were exactly what you would expect. He began by pointing out that he is not a Democrat. He gloated about the vast amounts of money he has given to buy politicians in all parties. He quoted a children's book. He talked about the importance of experts, like the ones he deferred to when he doubled down on the brutal policing tactics that have been the subject of protests across the country. He even said "hell" twice.The best part is that he didn't even have to pay for it. Bloomberg reneged on his promise back in March to keep the thousands of paid staff members who carried him to his towering victory in the 2020 American Samoa Democratic primary onboard until the general election. He has given a whopping $18 million to the party itself and just over $4 million to other grassroots organizations this year. He also offered them some useless free office space during the lockdown.At least President Trump was watching. > After the worst debate performance in the history of politics, Michael Bloomberg, commonly known as Mini Mike, is trying to make a comeback by begging the Democrats for relevance. They treated him like a dog - and always will. Before politics, he said GREAT things about me!> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2020More stories from theweek.com The DNC's stirring eulogy for Joe Biden Lori Loughlin sentenced to 2 months in prison for role in college admissions scandal Trump initially responds to Biden's acceptance speech with brevity and correct grammar

Sen. Cassidy tests positive for virus, has COVID-19 symptoms

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing some COVID-19 symptoms. The Republican senator, 62, who is running for reelection on Nov. 3, is experiencing “mild symptoms that began this morning,” from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, his spokesperson Cole Avery said. Cassidy is at least the 13th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus and only the second senator.

Tropical storm forecast to form soon, could approach Florida as Cat 1 hurricane

A tropical depression in the Atlantic may approach South Florida as a Category 1 hurricane early next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Portland man arrested in beating near Black Lives Matter protests

Marquise Love had been sought since police identified him earlier this week as suspect in the Sunday night attack by a group of people on Adam Haner, who had crashed his pick-up truck near the protests. The beating came during rising tensions between left and right-wing protesters that have roiled downtown Portland each night for nearly three months following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in police custody. President Donald Trump called the demonstrations in Portland "crazy" on Friday, as he said cities run by Democrats had become lawless and chaotic.

Leaked USPS email tells postal workers not to reconnect or reinstall sorting machines 'that have been previously disconnected'

Just hours earlier, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said that all service changes will be paused until after Election Day.

Dear Joe Biden: The filibuster will stop all your ideas

On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, a couple rather neglected topics came first in the proceedings — namely, gun control and climate change. Gabby Giffords, a former Democratic member of Congress from Arizona who was shot in the head in 2011, spoke movingly about her long and difficult recovery, and the need for reasonable gun control laws. Several scientists and activists similarly spoke about the stark need for aggressive climate policy to protect America from climate change.It's nice to see the Democratic Party making room for these issues alongside newsier problems like the coronavirus pandemic and the economic collapse. A future President Biden will have more crises on his plate than any president since Franklin Roosevelt in 1933.However, we should remember that unless the Democrats get rid of the Senate filibuster, there will be little or no progress on any of these issues, big or small. Republicans will almost certainly retain more than 40 seats in the Senate and, if the filibuster remains, be able to bottle up almost all legislation there as Mitch McConnell did for nearly the entirety of the Obama presidency. Moderate Democratic senators have long expressed reluctance about getting rid of the filibuster, but the truth is that unless it is abolished, America will remain nearly impossible to govern.More stories from theweek.com 5 bitingly funny cartoons about the Democratic National Convention A confused Kirsten Dunst asks Kanye West why he put her on his campaign poster Joe Biden's incomparable presidential odyssey

Bannon's Chinese host an irritant to Communist Party

The self-exiled Chinese tycoon on whose 150-foot (45-meter) yacht President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was arrested is a high-profile irritant to the ruling Communist Party. Guo Wengui left China in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping that ensnared people close to Guo, including a top intelligence official. Chinese authorities have accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other offenses.

Fact check: COVID-19 is deadlier than the 1918 Spanish flu and seasonal influenza

A claim comparing mortality rates among the three diseases per world population contains misleading information. We rate this claim partly false.

Tropical Storm Laura shifts south, leaving most of Florida outside the projected path

The race to become Tropical Storm Laura goes to tropical depression 13, a system pointed toward the Bahamas and South Florida as a Category 1 hurricane late in the weekend.

Pence calls QAnon 'conspiracy theory' after Trump gives it praise

Vice President Mike Pence denounced QAnon as a “conspiracy theory,” drawing a line of distinction between himself and President Trump, who earlier this week suggested he appreciated supporters of the theory.

Mexican president defends brother hit by cash scandal

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday said footage showing his brother receiving cash was not corruption because the money was for legitimate election funds, but that the prosecutor's office should investigate the videos. The fallout from the videos threatens to damage Lopez Obrador and his government at a time when Mexico is convulsed by a corruption trial of a former state-oil company boss who has alleged graft against previous Mexican presidents. Lopez Obrador said the money given in the videos to his brother, Pio Lopez Obrador, was "contributed" by supporters to pay for things like gasoline and there was no corruption.

Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane didn’t check George Floyd’s ‘counterfeit’ $20 note

The alleged counterfeit $20 bill used by George Floyd wasn't inspected or collected before his fatal arrest in Minneapolis, according to one of the first officers at the scene.Former police officer Thomas Lane said in newly-released audio that he didn't obtain the bill before, during or after the incident that led to Mr Floyd's death on 25 May.

California’s raging wildfires are so big they can be seen from space, images show

367 wildfires are burning across California, including 23 that have been classified as major fires.

American Airlines says it will stop flying to 15 US cities in October, leaving some without an airline — here's the full list

American is trimming its route network in preparation for the expiration of government assistance through the CARES Act scheduled for October 1.

'Fort Lori': Chicago police ban protests on Mayor Lori Lightfoot's block, order arrests for anyone who won't leave

Trump's QAnon embrace draws GOP backlash

“Why in the world would the president not kick QAnon supporters’ butts?” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tweeted.

Commission rejects Trump camp’s request to help broker a fourth debate with Biden

Biden’s campaign long ago agreed to three debates.

Travelers lost about $900K at airport checkpoints last year

Sweden's controversial top epidemiologist is refusing to recommend face masks, claiming it's 'very dangerous to believe face masks would change the game'

Chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnel told the Financial Times: "It is very dangerous to believe face masks would change the game when it comes to COVID-19."

US special forces veteran arrested for passing secrets to Russia

Former Captain Peter Debbins is charged with passing secrets to Russian military intelligence.

Fact check: If the vice president becomes president, House speaker doesn't become new VP

If Joe Biden is elected but unable to serve a full term, Kamala Harris would become president. Nancy Pelosi, as speaker, wouldn't automatically be VP.

"It doesn’t look good": Fox News Judge Andrew Napolitano breaks down the case against Steve Bannon

"It doesn't look good for him right now," Napolitano says on Fox News

Fact check: Vice President Mike Pence 'can't wait' to be on debate stage with Kamala Harris

The vice president has said on at least two occasions that he's looking forward to debating the Democratic senator in October in Utah.

Jill Biden says Trump attacks over husband Joe Biden's mental faculties are 'ridiculous'

Jill Biden has dismissed as “ridiculous” suggestions that her husband Joe Biden, 77, is less sharp-minded than he was in the past as the Donald Trump campaign released an advert attacking his mental faculty. Mr Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, would be the oldest person ever elected to the US presidency if he wins in November and has faced relentless questions from his political opponents about his mental acuity given his age. Mrs Biden starred in the second night of the Democratic convention on Tuesday, giving the closing address and being featured in a short film about her life, and then did a round of TV interviews on Wednesday morning. Asked in one about Trump campaign claims that her husband has “lost a step or two in the last few years” and whether that was a fair issue to raise in an election race, Mrs Biden said: “No, it’s ridiculous.” She went on: “I mean, Joe’s on the phone every single minute of the day talking to governors who are calling him and Nancy Pelosi [the House of Representatives speaker], he’s on the Zoom, he’s doing fundraisers. He’s doing briefings. I mean he doesn’t stop from nine in the morning to eleven at night.”

The Corona Virus

By Unknown Author from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2CQIJXG

Trump will hold a funeral service for his brother at the White House on Friday.

By BY MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3ggKlrh

Stocks Are Soaring. So Is Misery.

By BY PAUL KRUGMAN from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2YkiRLc

Stephen and Ayesha Curry Will Endorse Biden at Democratic National Convention

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2YinDZO