world news: 2020-09-13

Saturday, 19 September 2020

State Department, Officials Accidentally Feature Navy Planes in Air Force Birthday Messages

The State Department on Friday posted a tweet to honor the Air Force, but used a photo of the Blue Angels.

Suspects open fire on home of New Jersey police officers and newborn baby; reward offered

Assailants opened fire on the home of two New Jersey police officers Tuesday night, with two bullets piercing the front door.

Noul turns deadly while making landfall in Vietnam

Noul made landfall as a tropical storm in central Vietnam on Friday leading to at least one death, as reported by the Bangkok Post.VnExpress stated that Noul prompted the closure of several airports in central Vietnam on Friday, including Da Nang's airport, which led to several dozen cancellations and delays.Noul produced 310 mm (12.20 inches) of rain in Da Nang from Thursday into Friday as the storm moved onshore.> ⛈️Tropical storm Noul has made landfall in Vietnam with strong winds and torrential rain. It's tracking west across Vietnam, Laos & northern Thailand. pic.twitter.com/70Oi8yHwlC> > -- BBC Weather (@bbcweather) September 18, 2020CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APPHeavy rainfall and flash flooding from Noul will now move inland across Indochina through the weekend.Noul (known as Leon in the Philippines) first became a tropical storm on Tuesday night as a broad area of low pressure strengthened across the South China Sea after crossing the Philippines. This satellite loop shows Noul strengthening across the South China Sea on Thursday evening, local time, before landfall in central Vietnam. (CIRA/RAMMB) Now that Noul is inland and losing wind intensity, AccuWeather meteorologists expect flooding rainfall to be the predominant concern through the weekend.AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman explains, "Even though Noul will lose wind intensity and fall below tropical storm status, it will still pose a significant flooding threat into Sunday." Widespread rainfall totals of 100-150 mm (4-6 inches) are expected from this storm with 200-250 mm (8-10 inches) of rain in the mountainous terrain across central Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and southern Myanmar. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 400 mm (16 inches) will be possible in the hardest-hit areas.The heaviest rain from Noul is expected to shift from Vietnam and Laos during the end of the week into Thailand and southern Myanmar through the weekend.This amount of rainfall as the storm tracks inland can lead to flooding and mudslides. Road closures are possible and some isolated communities could be inaccessible for several days.AccuWeather forecasters will continue to monitor Noul into the beginning of next week since what is left of the system after tracking over land is expected to emerge over the Bay of Bengal and can bring impacts to India next week.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

White House announces nearly $13 billion in aid for Puerto Rico three years after Hurricane Maria

The U.S. emergency agency is sending almost $13 billion to Puerto Rico, directed at the territory's energy and education systems, to help it recover from 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria, the White House said on Friday. The "federal share" of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grants to the territory totals $11.6 billion, with most money, $9.6 billion, going to the battered power authority, according to a White House announcement, which did not provide details on the remaining funds or explain why they were not part of the federal share. Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced said in a statement the full FEMA package is $12.8 billion, with $10.5 billion for power.

Outside the Supreme Court, Mourners Honor Ginsburg’s Legacy

By BY AISHVARYA KAVI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3mz90vr

With a battle looming, Biden will seek to link the Supreme Court vacancy to the future of health care.

By BY SHANE GOLDMACHER, KATIE GLUECK AND THOMAS KAPLAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3ccbco0

Trump Supporters Disrupt Early Voting in Virginia

By BY NICK CORASANITI AND STEPHANIE SAUL from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3mBfaeD

Matthew Wolff Leads Bryson DeChambeau at U.S. Open as Power Paves the Way

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2H72Ylt

Social conservatives see a goal within reach, thanks to their bargain with Trump.

By BY JEREMY W. PETERS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2EhNev5

Trump Approves Deal Between Oracle and TikTok

By BY ANA SWANSON, DAVID MCCABE AND ERIN GRIFFITH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2HhMc3i

Trump says he will nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg next week.

By BY MICHAEL CROWLEY from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2RH6Dsf

Court rulings in critical swing states make it easier to vote this November — but may delay results

A Michigan judge ruled Friday that if a mail-in ballot is postmarked by Nov. 2, the day before the election, election officials must count it if it arrives by the end of the day on Nov. 16.

Trump Finally Admits Many Americans Won’t Get Vaccine Until April

President Trump on Friday said that the U.S. expects to have enough coronavirus vaccines for every American by April. “We’ll have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year and likely much more than that,” Trump said at an afternoon press conference. “Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April. And again I’ll say that even at that later stage a delivery will go as fast it comes they can deliver.”Despite Trump saying “three vaccines are already in the final stage,” there is still no certainty when a safe and effective vaccine will indeed be approved for the American public. The Global Rush to Approve a COVID-19 Vaccine Keeps Getting CreepierThe claim from the president put him closer to the timeline the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testified to lawmakers about earlier this week. Trump challenged Dr. Robert Redfield's words during a tumultuous press conference Wednesday by claiming that his timeline on when a COVID-19 vaccine would be ready was “incorrect.” Redfield had told lawmakers earlier this week that he thought a vaccine wouldn’t be “generally available to the American public” until “late second quarter, third quarter of 2021.” Trump Claims Vaccine Will Be Ready by Fall, Says CDC Director Was ‘Confused’ That answer caught Trump’s ire as he described the leading medical official in his own administration as “confused,” and pushed a much more aggressive timeline for later this year, throwing out different potential months the vaccine could land. “When he said it, I believe he was confused… We’re ready to go as soon as the vaccine is approved,” Trump insisted Wednesday. “We’re not going to say ‘in six months,’ we’re going to start giving it to the general public.”When a reporter pressed Trump about his timeline given the April date he had just offered, the president deferred to Dr. Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist advising the president on the virus. Atlas reiterated Trump’s point about having “over 100 million doses manufactured,” by the end of the year. People on the “prioritized list including high risk, including first responders, will have the ability to take the vaccine, no one’s being mandated to be vaccinated, at the latest in January.”“And as we said....there will be hundreds of millions of doses delivered for people to take it during the first quarter and so that by April every single American who wants to be vaccinated will have the ability to be vaccinated,” Atlas said. “It’s not a forced vaccination of course.” Atlas taking the question—rather than leading health officials who often spoke at the former White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings earlier in the pandemic like Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci, was another sign of how much the public face of the White House response to the pandemic has changed. Neither Birx nor Fauci were in attendance in the briefing room Friday.-With additional reporting from Allison Quinn Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Sources: Russian aggression against U.S. intelligence satellites sparks congressional briefing

Over recent days, officials from the U.S. Space Force and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed congressional committees on an “uptick” in Russian military activity in space targeting U.S. defense and intelligence satellites.

Thai national park sends rubbish back to tourists

If you're leaving your rubbish in a Thai national park, you might be reunited with it by post.

Japan police arrest fraud suspect linked to ex-PM's event

Japanese police on Friday arrested a man on fraud charges linked to annual cherry blossom viewing parties that were hosted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the new government ruled out an investigation into how the party and its budget were used. Abe's annual cherry party came into question last year when opposition lawmakers pointed out the number of guests and high cost, accusing Abe of using taxpayers' money to entertain constituents. Abe has denied any wrongdoing or personal ties with the suspect and is not facing any criminal investigation so far.

New Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Only 22% of Americans think the 2020 presidential election will be 'free and fair'

Both Republicans and Democrats harbor grave and growing doubts about whether the upcoming election will accurately reflect the will of the people.

NC woman still missing two years after she left baby with family reportedly to visit sick mother in Mexico

Nancy Troche Garcia, 28, was last seen in Asheboro, North Carolina on May 20, 2018, when she dropped her baby off with the baby’s father. She then reportedly went to the father’s sister’s house nearby and asked her if she would help care for the baby since she would be traveling to Mexico to care for her sick mother. But her mother told police that she was not sick and there were no plans for Nancy to come to Mexico. Nancy’s burgundy 2001 Chevy Impala is also missing. The Asheboro Police

Virtual class students overhear fatal shooting between siblings, Wisconsin cops say

A teacher called 911 after the shooting.

Covid-19 Singapore: A ‘pandemic of inequality’ exposed

Life has returned to normal for many in Singapore, but one group of people still remain in lockdown.

The differences between Trump, Biden campaign strategies

The 'Special Report' panel compare and contrast the Trump and Biden campaign strategies.

CDC — again — changes COVID-19 guidelines. Now asymptomatic people need a test

The change replaces a controversial update from Aug. 24 that said individuals who don’t have symptoms don’t need to get tested.

Tropical Storm Wilfred could form in Gulf; Hurricane Teddy remains a major Category 4

Friday, 18 September 2020

NATO keeps France-Turkey probe under wraps as tempers flare

A NATO investigation into a naval standoff between French and Turkish ships in June has been rated too sensitive to discuss in public and does not apportion blame, as Paris and Ankara wage a war of words, diplomats have told Reuters. On June 10, a French frigate on a NATO mission tried to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship suspected of smuggling arms to Libya. France says the frigate was harassed by Turkish navy vessels escorting the cargo ship, and accuses Turkey of breaking a U.N. arms embargo.

Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are set to deny funding to Connecticut schools over inclusive transgender athlete policies

According to The New York Times, Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are cutting funding to certain Connecticut schools over their participation in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The conference allows transgender student-athletes to compete with, and against, athletes who share their gender identity, a course of action Trump's administration has repeatedly fought against. If the schools refuse to cut ties with the conference prior to October 1, the education department has vowed to withhold $18 million in desegregation grants.

Giuliani associates face new federal fraud charges

Federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges Thursday against an associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Lev Parnas and his business partner, David Correia, were charged with defrauding investors in a business called Fraud Guarantee. A superseding indictment also charged them with additional campaign finance violations.

Anti-mask pastor hosts church gathering of hundreds in Washington, officials say

Pastor Greg Locke said face masks are “the dumbest thing that’s ever been created by humanity.”

Hizbollah 'smuggling ammonium nitrate to Europe for attacks' says US counterterrorism official

Hizbollah has smuggled caches of ammonium nitrate to Europe to use in attacks, a top US counterterrorism official has said. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group had moved ammonium nitrate through Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, Ambassador Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism within the US Department of State, told reporters in a briefing on Thursday. Ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound often used for explosives which is also sold commercially for use as a fertiliser, caused the August explosion at a Beirut port which killed 190 people and wounded over 6,500. Some 2,750 tonnes exploded when a warehouse caught on fire. Hizbollah, which has a political and a militant wing, is in control of parts of the eastern Mediterranean port. “Today the US government is unveiling new information about Hezbollah’s presence in Europe,” Mr Sales said. “Since 2012, Hezbollah has established caches of ammonium nitrate throughout Europe by transporting first aid kits that contain the substance. I can reveal that such caches have been moved through Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.”

Canada's Quebec launches police blitz in bars as COVID-19 cases climb

The Canadian province of Quebec on Friday said police would target more than 1,000 bars and restaurants to enforce rules curbing the spread of coronavirus, as authorities raised the alarm over a possible second wave. Quebec and Ontario, the two most populous of the 10 provinces, blame a recent spike in cases on people ignoring limits on parties and regulations on social distancing. Public health officials reiterated warnings that they might lose the ability to manage the pandemic.

Trump says Kamala Harris can't be the first woman to be president because she 'comes in through the back door'

President Donald Trump said Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's vice-presidential pick, had acted in "no way for a woman" to become president.

Cómo el héroe de ‘Hotel Rwanda’ cayó en la trampa de un dictador vengativo

By BY ABDI LATIF DAHIR, DECLAN WALSH, MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF AND RUTH MACLEAN from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/3cjzP23

In the Most Litigated Election Ever, Early Democratic Wins but Few Clear Signals

By BY MICHAEL WINES AND NICK CORASANITI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2RHw7Wp

Is Biden’s lead holding firm or waning?

By BY NATE COHN from NYT The Upshot https://ift.tt/32LkrZk

Trump and Pence push the Chamber of Commerce on Democratic endorsements.

By BY MAGGIE HABERMAN AND NICHOLAS FANDOS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3iKWXJg

Trump Declares He Is Now ‘the Best Thing That Ever Happened’ to Puerto Rico

By BY PETER BAKER AND PATRICIA MAZZEI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/35QwdDG

In Minnesota, Trump launches into sexist attacks, unaware of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.

By BY ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/35QwWoo

The Radical Project of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By BY ROBIN STEIN AND MEG FELLING from NYT Obituaries https://ift.tt/3hM62jH

Life Inside a Quarantine Dorm

By BY NATASHA SINGER from NYT Podcasts https://ift.tt/2RJ0E68

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court’s Feminist Icon, Is Dead at 87

By BY LINDA GREENHOUSE from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2EcRZG2

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at 87

09/18/20 4:37 PM

Will Trump refuse to leave office? Woodward says 'anything is possible in Trumpworld'

In a wide-ranging interview on the Yahoo News "Skullduggery" podcast Thursday, Woodward said the president's efforts to undermine the public's confidence in the election could result in his refusal to leave office.

Trump accused of sexual assault by former model Amy Dorris in new interview

Model alleges the president forced his tongue down her throat

Wilfred might form in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday. It’s the last name on the list.

If the system turns into Wilfred, it would be the 21st named storm.

Oracle will have to pore over the TikTok's source code to make sure there are no backdoors as part of its proposed deal

TikTok and Oracle will need to convince the Trump administration their proposed deal will keep data secure.

Michigan residents urged to stay indoors as scientists race to deal with threat of rare mosquito-borne disease

‘This is an ongoing threat to the health and safety of Michiganders,’ says Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive Dr Joneigh Khaldun

Despite Simpatico Politics, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Can’t Make President Donald Trump’s Unemployment Plan Work

President Donald Trump is greeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida upon his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport on Sept. 8, 2020. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be President Donald Trump’s favorite Governor. Trump claims ownership of DeSantis based on a crucial endorsement in his 2018 primary, and DeSantis has fully embraced Trump’s style of politics.

Saturday, 19 September 2020

Friday, 18 September 2020

Thursday, 17 September 2020