You Can Get Focused (Hint: Put Down That Phone)

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Movies and Museums Are Coming Back. Should You Go?

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The Judiciary Committee will hold hearings starting Oct. 12. Here is what’s next.

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Why Democrats probably won't boycott Supreme Court confirmation hearings

As Democrats try to beat the odds and prevent the confirmation of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee (almost certainly Amy Coney Barrett) before the November presidential election, some lawmakers and activists have suggested boycotting the Senate Judicary Committee hearings, which are tentatively scheduled for the middle of October. Just don't expect the idea to gain much traction, The Washington Post reports, especially among Democrats who sit on the committee.Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has said he will forego the standard courtesy visit, in which the nominee meets with senators individually, but he does intend to participate in the hearings and he believes "all my Judiciary colleagues will."The risks of skipping out on the hearings seem to outweigh the potential reward, per the Post. If Democrats don't go, Republicans would likely move swiftly though the questioning and toward a committee vote.More specifically, though, a boycott could prevent Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who sits on the committee, from giving a jolt to her own vice presidential campaign, the Post notes. Harris, who is running alongside the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has become well-known for her interrogations of Trump's nominees over the last few years, and there's a sense that she could enhance her ticket's chances during the hearings.With all that in mind, it's more likely that Democrats will try to extend questioning as long as possible and make their case for why the nominee shouldn't be confirmed in a more traditional manner. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com America is the Holy Roman Empire of the 21st century Democrats need to bring retirement back to politics Trump officially nominates Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court

The Trump Administration’s Obamacare Punt

A   group of states has brought a longshot lawsuit to invalidate Obamacare, and the Trump administration has largely supported their position. Democrats have seized the opportunity to charge that Republicans would eliminate legal protections for people with pre-existing conditions. President Trump’s counter has been to promise that he will make sure that they have protection even after Obamacare. A new executive order puts that promise into writing without explaining how he would keep it. What Republicans are telling voters concerned about this issue is: Trust us. The flaw in the political strategy is that they generally don’t.A significant number of people with chronic conditions had difficulty getting affordable insurance before Obamacare. The law dealt with the problem by prohibiting insurers from discriminating on the basis of health status. If you have a chronic condition, they have to sell you the same policy at the same rate they would offer someone in perfect health. That regulation raises the cost of health insurance for healthy people and thus discourages them from buying it. (It also creates an incentive for insurers to design policies that are more attractive to healthy than to sick people.)When they tried to legislate a replacement to Obamacare in 2017, Republicans sought to let states relax that regulation. Under their proposal, states could have required insurers to offer the same policies at the same rates to all customers, regardless of health status, so long as they had previously maintained coverage. That way, people would have had an incentive to purchase insurance while healthy, bringing premiums down. States would have been allowed to make this change only if they had shown that they had credible plans to take care of those who fell through the cracks.This would not have been a return to the pre-Obamacare situation. People would have had much greater ability to maintain continuous coverage than they did back then, thanks both to new forms of federal assistance (tax credits created under Obamacare and largely maintained under Republican replacements) and to the requirement that insurers offer affordable coverage to those who already had it. High-risk pools to assist the uninsured, which had been inadequate to handle the problem before Obamacare, would have much more easily helped a smaller population in need. But Republicans in Congress, largely unfamiliar with the ins and outs of health policy, did not make the case for their approach.Republicans now have three basic choices in answering the question of how they would help people with pre-existing conditions if they replaced Obamacare or courts invalidated it. The first would be to promise that they would reenact Obamacare’s stringent regulation and provide subsidies for those who need it to afford the high premiums it necessitates -- essentially re-creating a lot of Obamacare. The second would be to promise to enact continuous-coverage protections of the type they proposed in 2017. And the third would be to do nothing, telling people with pre-existing conditions that they are on their own (even though the paucity of cheap, renewable catastrophic policies is largely the result of government policies).Our preference would be the second option. The Trump administration, unable to decide among these options, is instead, effectively, promising to choose among them at some future date when the courts have struck down Obamacare or Republicans have unified control in Washington. That refusal to choose lets the Democrats hang the third position around Republican necks while also doing nothing to dislodge Obamacare. It also lets Democrats say that Republicans are dodging the question instead of leveling with the voters. Which is, unfortunately, true.

Sole Witness Who Heard Cops Announce Themselves in Breonna Taylor Raid Changed His Story

This week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made the bombshell announcement that the cops who fatally shot Breonna Taylor would not be charged with killing her, calling their use of force in the March raid “justified to protect themselves.”In that justification, he said that one witness corroborated the three officers’ insistence that they knocked and identified themselves at Taylor’s Louisville home while executing a search warrant in connection with a narcotics investigation. It contradicted claims from Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenny Walker, and 11 other residents, who said they didn’t hear the cops announce themselves. Instead, Walker thought he was being burglarized and fired a warning shot that triggered a tragic chain of events.But, according to documents and audio obtained by VICE News on Saturday, that sole witness initially told investigators days after the March 13 raid that he didn’t actually hear officers Brett Hankison, Jonathan Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove announce themselves.The witness—identified by VICE as Aarin Sarpee but by other outlets and public records as Aaron Julue Sarpee—was picking up his daughter from a unit above Taylor’s when the raid took place.It wasn’t until he was interviewed a second time, about two months after the raid by a sergeant in LMPD’s Public Integrity Unit, that Sarpee said he heard police say, “This is the cops.”Sarpee’s flip-flop, the latest twist in a case that has made Taylor an icon in the Black Lives Matter movement, calls into question the strength of Cameron’s case and the grand jury report, which state officials are demanding be made public.“I never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with, I knew he was too inexperienced with a job of this caliber. I knew he chose to be at the wrong side of the law,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said in a Friday statement. “My hope was that he knew he had the power to do the right thing, that he had the power to start the healing of this city, that he had the power to help mend over 400 years of oppression. What he helped me realize is that it will always be us against them. That we are never safe.”On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted only Hankison, though only for recklessly firing shots that endangered people in other units. Mattingly and Cosgrove—the cop who fired the shot that killed Taylor—weren’t charged.Cameron’s charging recommendations were at least partly based on Sarpee’s testimony, since the attorney general said Wednesday that investigators had “an independent witness” corroborate the officer’s account.No Cops Charged With Killing Breonna Taylor“My office was not tasked with determining if this was a tragedy, as it was,” Cameron said Wednesday, admitting that it was unlikely more charges would be laid. “My job was to put emotions aside and investigate facts to see if state law was violated.”Wednesday’s charges came more than six months after a “no-knock” warrant was issued for Taylor’s apartment as part of a controversial narcotics investigation into the 26-year-old’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover.According to VICE, LMPD’s Public Integrity Unit first contacted Sarpee a week after the shooting. The officers involved in Taylor’s warrant had previously said Sarpee was outside the apartment upstairs and got in an argument with Hankison as they were banging on Taylor’s door.When Sgt. Jason Vance asked Sarpee if he heard anyone identify themselves as law enforcement, he answered: “No, nobody identified themselves.”At the end of the March 21 conversation, Vance told Sarpee investigators would be calling him again to conduct a formal interview. Investigation notes suggest attempts were made to contact Sarpee but he didn’t speak to the Public Integrity Unity again until May 15.In a seven minute call, Sgt. Amanda Seelye pressed Sarpee on whether he knew the individuals entering Taylor’s home were officers and if he heard them announce themselves.This time, Sarpee said he heard police identify themselves, a change that suddenly corroborated the testimonies of the officers at the scene.“It’s been so long now,” Sarpee told Seelye on the call. “I recall some of it.”Sarpee also told The New York Times that he saw the officers as he stepped out onto the exterior staircase of Taylor’s apartment unit with his 2-year-old. He said that before the officers ordered him to go back inside the apartment, he heard at least three loud knocks on Taylor’s door and heard at least one of the officers scream “Police!” Sarpee, however, insisted to the Times he only heard them say the statement once.Despite Sarpee’s changing story, his claim to have heard police from the front of an apartment doesn’t offer complete clarity on whether Taylor and her boyfriend would have heard it from their bedroom towards the back of their unit.Sarpee did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. VICE reported that the witness declined to speak with them, saying he had to speak with his lawyer first. The LMPD and Attorney General’s office also did not immediately respond to request for comment.Hankison was fired in June for “extreme violations” of police protocol after “wantonly and blindly” firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment–including several shots through the patio door and window, and into a neighbor’s apartment—after Walker fired an initial shot. Mattingly, Cosgrove, and the detective who requested the warrant were put on administrative leave. Six more officers are reportedly under investigation for their role in the raid.Earlier this month, the city of Louisville reached a $12 million settlement with Taylor’s family in their wrongful death lawsuit.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.

Federal judge blocks Texas’ elimination of straight-ticket voting

Democrats sued the state in March to overturn the Texas Legislature’s removal of straight-ticket voting.

Virginia governor and wife test positive for Covid

Trump will hold a rally with 4,000 people in the state today, defying Northam's executive order on large gatherings.

Trump news: President claims he could hardly hear the ‘vote him out’ chant at Supreme Court

Follow the latest updates

A white supremacist gang member was killed during a shootout with police in California

Christopher Michael Straub hid and then ambushed deputies after fleeing from a traffic stop, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.

Florida drops Covid restrictions with 14,000 dead

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Friday scrapped Covid-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants the same day the US state saw 122 deaths topping 14,000 dead.

New York reports 1,000 coronavirus cases for first time in months

For the first time since June 5, New York state, the home of the United States' worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began earlier this year, reported just over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period.Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Saturday that the Empire State crossed the quadruple-digit threshold, though he didn't specifically address the number, saying only that New Yorkers should continue to practice social distancing, wear masks, and follow other mitigation guidelines.The state has seen a consistently upward trend in cases over the last week, which has prompted some concern as businesses and college campuses reopen, and officials have noted that spikes in some neighborhoods in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are especially worrisome. But New York also continues to see a high number of daily tests. Data collected by the state shows the positivity rate has remained at 1 percent, or just a tick below, for some time now, indicating that the high volume of tests is a significant factor in the case increase.A new study published by The Lancet on Friday that searched for COVID-19 prevalence in a large nationwide sample of patients on dialysis found that about one-third of those tested in New York showed signs of a previous coronavirus infection. In terms of the study, that's the highest of any state in the U.S. and while it's far from what experts have pinpointed as the target for herd immunity, those experts have also pointed out that numbers like that can still help slow the spread of the virus. Read more at Bloomberg and NBC New York.More stories from theweek.com America is the Holy Roman Empire of the 21st century Why Democrats probably won't boycott Supreme Court confirmation hearings Democrats need to bring retirement back to politics

Louisville police chief under fire for email saying BLM members should be washing her car

Police chief called protesters ‘woke’ in bitter email to staff last month, causing anger

First Black woman named interim police chief in Rochester following death of Daniel Prude

Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan, a former police lieutenant, is currently deputy executive director at the Rochester Housing Authority.

When Biden calls a 'lid,' Democrats wet the bed — and Trump starts mocking

The Democratic nominee is sticking to his strategy: Keep a low profile, and let Trump light himself on fire.

Thousands of mosques in Xinjiang demolished in recent years: report

Chinese authorities have demolished thousands of mosques in Xinjiang, an Australian think tank said Friday, in the latest report of widespread human rights abuses in the restive region.

Florida’s death toll now exceeds 14,000 as state reports 2,795 new COVID-19 cases

Saturday morning, the day after Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Florida in Phase 3 of the Plan for Florida’s Recovery, the state’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 2,795 new cases and 107 more deaths.

‘Let this sink into your hollow skull’: Rihanna condemns Daniel Cameron over Breonna Taylor decision

Attorney general had called on public not to listen to celebrities’ comments on Taylor case

Ted Cruz blocks a U.S. Senate resolution to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The war of words on the Senate floor is likely a preamble to a coming brawl to replace Ginsburg

Wisconsin Republicans tried to stifle a plan for poll workers to collect absentee ballots in parks across Madison

Poll workers in Madison, Wisconsin, are expected to allow people to fill out and turn in an absentee ballot at more than 200 parks in the city.

Florida reopens bars and restaurants with no restrictions

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida was moving into Phase 3 reopening on Friday, lifting all restrictions for restaurants and bars.

Fact check: 'Kingdom of God' comment by SCOTUS contender Amy Coney Barrett lacks context in meme

A 2006 remark about the "Kingdom of God" is missing context in a meme that also falsely attributes views on ending separation of church and state.

Trump Jr calls for 'army' of supporters to 'protect ballots' as he lies about Dems trying to steal election

‘We need every able-bodied man and woman to join Army for Trump’s election security operation’

She said she was raising money for murder victims. Instead she went shopping, cops say

“It’s not Christmas yet, but the Grinch has come to town.”

Wildfires taint West Coast vineyards with taste of smoke

Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation's most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage. Wineries in California, Oregon and Washington have survived severe wildfires before, but the smoke from this year's blazes has been especially bad — thick enough to obscure vineyards drooping with clusters of grapes almost ready for harvest. Day after day, some West Coast cities endured some of the worst air quality in the world.

Temp worker tossed Pennsylvania ballots Trump complained about, official says

The Justice Department announced an inquiry into the discarded ballots on Thursday, which was promoted by the White House and the president's re-election campaign.

'The Five' react to Trump blasting mail-in ballots

The president rails against mail-in voting when asked about peaceful transfer of power

Mary Trump sues family for fraud: "Fraud was not just the family business — it was a way of life"

Trump claims that she was deluded into forfeiting her inheritance following the death of her grandfather and father

Democrats, not Republicans, are hypocrites on filling SCOTUS seat

Democrats accuse Republicans of being hypocrites in the issue of the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, but it is Democrats are are full of hypocrisy.

Coronavirus

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Here’s What 4 of Our Reporters Are Watching as Voting Begins to Unfold

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Portland Prepares for Violent Showdowns, Proud Boys and Tear Gas

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A new Fox News poll shows Biden leading Trump in Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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When Biden calls a 'lid,' Democrats wet the bed — and Trump starts mocking

The Democratic nominee is sticking to his strategy: Keep a low profile, and let Trump light himself on fire.

Suspect in Shooting of Two Louisville Police Officers Identified

The suspect accused of shooting two Louisville, Ky. police officers during protests Wednesday night has been identified by the Louisville Metro Police Department.Larynzo Johnson, 26, was arrested Wednesday and has been charged with assault of a police officer and wanton endangerment. He will be arraigned on Friday.Johnson “intentionally used a handgun to fire multiple bullets at officers” who were at the scene of protests downtown that erupted in response to the state attorney general's decision to charge only one of the police officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor. Police said witnesses observed Johnson firing at officers before fleeing the scene, and video of the incident obtained by law enforcement showed him shooting a handgun in the direction of police. Johnson was also in possession of a handgun when he was arrested, the complaint filed in Jefferson County said.Two Louisville police officers were shot and sustained serious injuries. One of the officers was in surgery Wednesday night.Earlier on Wednesday, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office announced first-degree wanton endangerment charges against one of the officers who shot into the house where Taylor, a black 26-year-old emergency medical worker, was killed on March 13. The officer was not charged with murder, and the other two officers involved in the fatal shooting were not charged.Taylor was shot eight times in her apartment as Louisville police officers executed a search warrant for two men who were known to reside there. The officers who shot her were not charged. The warrant was issued because police suspected that a man connected to a drug ring was receiving packages containing drugs at Taylor’s apartment, but no drugs were found in the raid.Protesters “set fires, caused property damage and failed to disperse after being warned,” according to the complaint. Demonstrators also looted several businesses and climbed on top of city vehicles, police said. Nearly 100 protesters were arrested during the protests.Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency on Tuesday “due to the potential for civil unrest” as the city braced for the grand jury decision on charges against the officers. The mayor also implemented a three-day countywide 9p.m. curfew.Protests also broke out Wednesday night in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

CDC: A salmonella outbreak tracks to ramen and a restaurant food recalled in 32 states

An imported brand of wood ear mushrooms — also called dried fungus, black fungus or kikurage — got recalled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced a 10-state salmonella outbreak to them.

Judge orders Eric Trump to sit for N.Y. attorney general deposition before the election

Eric Trump had tried to delay answering questions in Attorney General Letitia James' investigation of the Trump Organization.

No, the coronavirus did not recently mutate to become more transmissible: 'People are still getting the same virus we saw in the spring'

Scientists are pushing back on a new study that says the new coronavirus has mutated to be more transmissible.

‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests

Arrests of US journalists halfway through 2020 outnumber number of jailed reporters in China in 2019

Anwar Ibrahim: A long-held dream to lead Malaysia

After a decades-long quest to become premier, Mr Anwar may finally rise to the top job.

Nigerian air travel could shut as unions pledge to join strike

Nigeria's airports could shut down on Monday as four key unions said they would join an indefinite nationwide strike to protest an increase in power and petrol prices. A Thursday statement issued by four unions representing pilots, engineers and other aviation professionals said they are "in full support" of a strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress, which represents millions of workers across most sectors of Africa's biggest economy. The signatories included National Union of Air Transport Employees, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals.

A BMW hit a Tesla and left, Miami Beach cops say. But that’s not why a man was arrested

A hit-and-run in Miami Beach early Thursday ended with a BMW crashed in front of one of the city’s most well-known buildings and the arrest of a passenger who, police say, carried a loaded rifle.

At UN, Pakistani leader calls India a sponsor of Muslim hate

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday assailed India’s Hindu nationalist government and its moves to cement control of Muslim-majority Kashmir, calling India a state sponsor of hatred and prejudice against Islam. Khan said at the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders that Islamophobia rules India and threatens the nearly 200 million Muslims who live there. “They believe that India is exclusive to Hindus and others are not equal citizens,” he said in a prerecorded speech to the U.N. General Assembly, which is being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Low tide reveals WWII-era bomb on beach near resort town in UK

The World War II era explosive was found on a beach north of Weston-Super-Mare, a popular seaside vacation town in the Bristol Channel.

Africa's week in pictures: 18 - 24 September 2020

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond.

Britain criticises China over Xinjiang and Hong Kong

Britain on Friday criticised China for human rights violations in Xinjiang region, calling for the United Nations to be given unfettered access to the area. In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, junior Foreign Office minister Tariq Ahmad also criticised China's imposition of national security laws on Hong Kong.

Nine ballots were discarded in Pennsylvania. Now, there’s a D.O.J. investigation.

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How to Move Back Home

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

DOJ sends stern warning to PA county after multiple military ballots found trashed

09/24/20 5:56 PM

A bonanza of polls, but winding up at the same place.

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Trump Administration To Announce Plan to Open Tongass Forest to Logging

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