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Amy Coney Barrett: 5 things to know about the Supreme Court nominee

President Trump announced Saturday that he is nominating Amy Coney Barrett, a respected jurist and conservative darling, to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

Governor seeks review of police protest response in Oregon

Criticism of the law enforcement response to a protest in Portland, Oregon, late Saturday into early Sunday prompted Gov. Kate Brown to ask authorities to review “any alleged incidents” involving their officers. “Journalists and law enforcement officers have difficult jobs to do during these demonstrations, but I do still believe that we can protect free speech and keep the peace,” Brown tweeted.

'Dangerous rate of speed': Two California wildfires explode overnight, forcing thousands to flee

Thousands of Californians fled two blazes that blew up overnight, torching nearly 10,000 acres. More than 3.7 million acres have burned this year.

California law requires prisons to house transgender inmates by gender identity

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Saturday that requires California to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity, only if the state does not have “management or security concerns.”

Lindsey Graham Hints There is ‘More Damning’ Information about the Russia Investigation to be Released

Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) on Sunday said to “stay tuned” for more “damning” information after he released records showing the main source for the Steele dossier had previously been the subject of an FBI counterintelligence investigation for his connections with Russian intelligence."There’s a day of reckoning coming just stay tuned, and there’s more coming, there’s something else coming, more damning than this believe it or not," said the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in an appearance on Fox News.As part of the Senate panel’s probe into the Russia investigation, Graham released declassified documents that showed the FBI had investigated Igor Danchenko, British former intelligence officer Christopher Steele's main source for his dossier, as a possible “threat to national security” a decade ago as a result of his connections with Russian intelligence.The declassified information was revealed to Graham in a letter last week sent by attorney general William Barr, in which the AG referenced what Graham may be hinting at. “I have also alerted the Director of National Intelligence to certain classified information in the possession of the intelligence community, also brought to my attention by [U.S. Attorney John] Durham, which bear upon the FBI’s knowledge concerning the reliability of the dossier,” Barr said in his letter. “Mr. Durham confirms that the disclosure of that information would not interfere with his investigation, and the Department otherwise defers to the DNI concerning the handling of this information.”Durham is leading an investigation into the Russia investigation on behalf of the Justice Department.On Sunday Graham spoke about alleged wrongdoing in the Russia investigation saying there was “three buckets,” including whether there was “any legitimate reason” for special counsel Robert Mueller to be investigating Trump’s campaign for a crime involving Russia."In 2017, there was no evidence that anybody on the Trump campaign was working with the Russians," Graham said.The other two areas of concern are how the FBI may have misled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to obtain warrants to wiretap a member of President Trump’s team and the case against Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Australian firm says its nasal spray reduced coronavirus growth in animal study

Australian biotech company Ena Respiratory said on Monday that a nasal spray it is developing to improve the human immune system to fight common cold and flu significantly reduced the growth of the coronavirus in a recent study on animals. The study was led by British government agency Public Health England. Ena Respiratory said it would be ready to test INNA-051 in human trials in less than four months, subject to successful toxicity studies and regulatory approval.

Miami-Dade announces new safety changes as county enters Phase 3. Here is how it affects you

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced how Phase 3, enacted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will affect the county. Bars and nightclubs can reopen.

Social media reacts to 13,000-gallon red wine spill: 'Thanks, 2020'

Many compared the blood-red spill to the iconic elevator scene in "The Shining," where a torrent of blood rushes into the hallway.

The coronavirus may have 'one big trick.' Scientists are learning how to stop it.

The coronavirus appears to have "one big trick," Shane Crotty, a professor in the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, told Bloomberg.That trick — avoiding the human body's "initial innate immune response for a significant period of time," and, particularly, the response of a substance called interferon that typically helps orchestrate the defense against viral pathogens — is linked to more severe cases. Indeed, new studies published last week in Science found that an insufficient amount of interferon, the production of which may sometimes be inhibited in people with previously "silent" gene mutations, could signal a more dangerous infection because the lack of interferon can overstimulate the rest of the immune system.The good news is that, because scientists are catching on to the virus' strategy, they have a better idea of how to prevent it from causing severe infections. Writes Bloomberg, the work highlights the potential for interferon-based therapies, which are typically used in in the early stages of a viral infection when it's easier to avoid life-threatening respiratory failure. Now, dozens of studies focusing on interferon treatments are recruiting COVID-19 patients. Read more at Bloomberg.More stories from theweek.com Trump literally can't afford to lose the election Most of Trump's charitable tax write-offs are reportedly for not developing property he owns 5 outrageously funny cartoons about Trump's election scheming

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 who are full of hypocrisy.

Haunted house shooter thought someone had cut in line, Michigan police say

Police are searching for the suspect, who they say fled the scene in a blue sedan.

California wine country wildfire forces evacuation of hospital, hundreds of homes

A wind-driven wildfire erupted on Sunday in the heart of northern California's Napa Valley wine country to spread across nearly 2,000 acres (809 hectares), forcing the evacuation of a hospital and hundreds of homes, authorities said. Fire crews were out in force, scrambling to fend off flames threatening neighborhoods and vineyards at the northern end of the famed wine-growing valley and surrounding hillsides, about 75 miles (120 km) north of San Francisco. The blaze, dubbed the Glass Fire, broke out before dawn near Calistoga and raced toward the adjacent communities of Deer Park and St. Helena, with flames reaching within a mile of the Adventist Health St. Helena hospital.

Army Leaders Want to Keep Pace with Diversity in Changing US Population

The plan promotes diversity through 2025 in an attempt to adapt to the country's shifting demographics.

Donald Trump paid just $750 federal income tax in 2016, New York Times reports

Donald Trump paid just $750 (£587) in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the US presidency, according to a bombshell investigation by The New York Times. The US president paid the same amount again in 2017, his first year in the White House, according to the paper, which obtained details of his tax return data. The paper also claimed that Mr Trump paid zero federal income taxes in 11 of the 18 years it was able to scrutinise, partly because of losses made in his businesses. The report comes after years of Mr Trump defying recent political precedent by refusing to publish his tax returns, citing an on-going audit to justify keeping them secret. It dropped less than two days before Mr Trump faces Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, at the much-anticipated first head-to-head debate of the election campaign.

British Museum 'won't remove controversial objects' from display

Cultural institutions received a letter from the government warning them not to remove artefacts.

New York City authorities worry over neighborhood coronavirus hotbeds

Coronavirus infection rates have increased at "an alarming rate" in several New York neighborhoods, particularly among the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, city health authorities warned Sunday, threatening to sanction certain schools if they fail to comply with anti-virus regulations.

NFL legend Joe Montana confronts intruder 'who grabbed grandchild’

The alleged culprit now faces kidnapping and burglary charges.

Cars have hit demonstrators 104 times since George Floyd protests began

Amid thousands of racial justice protests nationwide since George Floyd's death, dozens of drivers have plowed into crowds marching in roadways.

Her words: Amy Coney Barrett on faith, precedent, abortion

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Barrett to fill the seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review, citing Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that recognized a woman’s right to abortion.

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.

Australia begins disposal of over 350 dead whales after mass stranding

Officials were able to rescue 108 whales from the nation's largest-ever mass beaching.

Man convicted of collecting urine from boys now faces child porn charges, Ohio cops say

Officials say the man liked to drink the urine he collected.

Far-right Portland afternoon rally spurs anxiety, but fewer than expected show up

Thousands had been expected at the Portland rally led by the far-right group the Proud Boys. Several hundred showed up, and dispersed quietly.

With EU help, Taiwan gets rare win in China naming dispute

Taiwan said on Monday the European Union had stepped in to help after a global alliance of mayors stopped referring to Taiwanese cities as part of China, in a rare win for the island amid growing Chinese pressure. China has ramped up efforts to get international groups and companies to refer on their websites and in official documents to democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as being part of China, to the ire of Taiwan's government and many of its people. Over the weekend, Taiwan officials expressed anger after the Brussels-based Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy began listing on its website its six Taiwan member cites as belonging to China.

Pelosi expresses hope that deal can be made with White House on COVID-19 relief

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that she thinks an agreement can be reached with the White House on a coronavirus relief package and that talks were continuing.

Remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War returned

The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers who died in the 1950-53 Korean War were returned to China on Sunday in an annual repatriation delayed this year by the coronavirus outbreak. South Korea handed over the remains at a ceremony at Incheon airport outside Seoul, and a Chinese military transport plane flew them to Shenyang, a northeastern Chinese city near the North Korean border. Chinese soldiers fought on the North Korean side against US-led forces in the South during the war on the Korean Peninsula. Most of the 117 remains were found in the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. It was the seventh annual repatriation, and the largest since the 437 returned in the first one in 2014. In all, the remains of 716 Chinese soldiers have been sent back. This year's return, originally planned for the spring, was postponed for several months because of the spread of Covid-19.

Texas man charged with capital murder in deaths of Houston friends missing since 2016

Harvey Lester Cyphers, 53, of Austin, Texas, was arrested and charged with capital murder in the 2016 deaths of friends Sidney Taylor and Krislyn Gibson, both 35, who were visiting Houston for the 2016 Urban Music Festival. They were last seen alive on April 2, 2016. Cyphers was taken to the Travis County Jail where his bond was set at $1.5 million. The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the Austin Police Department are investigating.

South China Sea Watch: China holds drills amid new tensions

A look at developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons. China is holding new military exercises in the South China Sea amid an uptick in tensions between the Asian giant and its Southeast Asian neighbors and the U.S. The Maritime Safety Administration issued a pair of announcements blocking off seas around the area of the exercises running Sunday through Monday but gave no additional details.

Beijing passes law to protect medical whistleblowers

Beijing's city government will protect "non-malicious" medical whistleblowers under a new law, passed months after a Chinese doctor was punished for sounding the alarm at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Salt Lake City airport just opened a massive new terminal with canyon-themed art as Delta relies on the hub as a gateway to the west – see inside

The brand-new terminal comes at a $4.1 billion cost and uses immersive artwork to welcome passengers to Salt Lake City and the Mountain West.

Los Angeles officer 'will be ok' after being injured during shooting inside police station, authorities say

The shooting comes after 2 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were shot in an apparent ambush this month while sitting in a patrol car in Compton.

Here’s why the latest Texas polls are so ominous for the GOP — even if Trump wins the state

Some pundits continue to describe Texas a "deep red state," but at this point "light red" may be more accurate

China's Xi says 'happiness' in Xinjiang on the rise, will keep teaching 'correct' outlook

Chinese President Xi Jinping said levels of happiness among all ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang are rising and that China plans to keep teaching its residents a "correct" outlook on China, Xinhua news agency reported late on Saturday. China has come under scrutiny over its treatment of Uighur Muslims and claims of alleged forced-labour abuses in Xinjiang, where the United Nations cites credible reports as saying one million Muslims held in camps have been put to work.

Pelosi warns House could be forced to decide presidential election

In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi underscored the need for Democrats to expand their majority in the House and win control of state House delegations.

Brain-eating microbe: US city warned over water supply

People in Lake Jackson, Texas, are urged to take precautionary measures amid contamination concerns.

100 Arrested During Unauthorized and 'Unruly' Car Rally in Maryland

People at the event shared videos of confrontations that erupted between police officers and rally attendees

Russian dissident Navalny recovering faster than expected

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is recovering from the suspected assassination attempt last month faster than expected, one of his aides said Sunday. Navalny, who collapsed on a plane from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20 and spent nearly three weeks in a coma, was discharged last week from the Berlin hospital where he was being treated. “He is doing much better, I would say unexpectedly better," Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief of staff, told German broadcaster RTL.

Three Florida police officers fall ill after 'potential poisoning' on night out

Investigators await test results to show whether group was drugged

Airbus' new zero-emission concepts reveal the direction of the aviation industry's planes of the future — here's why today's aircraft aren't cutting it

Travelers might soon find themselves flying on an airplane that's just a massive wing or using hydrogen for fuel, all in the name of sustainability.

France to rule on alleged Rwanda genocide financier's fate

A top French appeals court is to rule Wednesday on whether alleged Rwandan genocide financier Felicien Kabuga will stand trial in France or face a UN tribunal in Tanzania.

Trump and team belatedly reversed course on the debate expectations game

Despite late efforts to recast Joe Biden as a champion debater, the president and his campaign have set the bar exceptionally low for him in the minds of many voters.

As U.S., China squabble at U.N., a plea - and warning - from one of world's smallest states

As China and the United States feuded at the United Nations this week over COVID-19 and climate, one of the world's smallest states pleaded for detente. "Micronesia asks our American and Chinese friends to reinforce their cooperation and friendship with each other ... to achieve what is best for our global community," the Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo told the U.N. General Assembly in a video address.

Wine country wildfire forces hundreds of evacuations

A wind-driven wildfire erupted on Sunday in the heart of Northern California's Napa Valley wine country and spread across nearly 2,000 acres, forcing the evacuation of a hospital and hundreds of homes, authorities said.

Niagara Falls: Free admission and other things you may not know about this tourist spot

Did you know that Niagara Falls actually consists of three falls and that it's a state park that doesn't charge an admission fee?

Carrie Lam: The controversial leader of Hong Kong

A leader handpicked by Beijing has been a divisive figure in a city rocked by political unrest.

Mexico official: definitive COVID-19 toll will take 2 years

Mexico’s top coronavirus official said Sunday that definitive data on the country's death toll from COVID-19 won’t be available for “a couple of years.” The statement by Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell is likely to revive debate about Mexico’s death toll, currently at 76,430, the fourth-highest in the world. Mexico does very little testing, and many people die without a test.

Anti-English sentiment on rise in Scotland, Rennie tells Lib Dems

English people in Scotland are being made to feel like “strangers in their own homes” as a result of rising nationalist bigotry, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has warned. Willie Rennie, in his speech to his party’s virtual conference on Sunday, said that the pandemic was being used by some to “spread hate” and said he felt “uncomfortable” with “the growing anti-English sentiment in Scotland”. He highlighted border protests in the summer in which masked demonstrators waved banners urging motorists crossing the border into Scotland to stay away.

Coronavirus: More than 1,000 New Yorkers test positive in a day for first time since June

Neighbourhoods in Brooklyn, Queens see an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases

Girlfriend of Dating App Killer ‘Got Off Sexually’ on Torture: Prosecutors

Bailey Boswell, the woman accused of helping her boyfriend strangle a 24-year-old wooed through Tinder, “got off sexually” from talking about killing and torture, prosecutors alleged on Friday, as the bombshell trial involving claims of a vampire sex cult began.Boswell, 26, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and improper disposal of human remains for her role in the 2017 slaying and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe, a cashier at a Lincoln home-improvements store.Prosecutors allege Boswell conspired for weeks with her boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, 52, to lure Loofe to her death. Loofe was missing for 19 days after the Tinder date before her body was found in garbage bags scattered among ditches and farm fields in rural Nebraska.Dating App Murder Suspect Cuts Own Throat in Crazy Courtroom OutburstLast July, Trail was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after jurors heard from witnesses who said the 52-year-old convinced his “cult” members he was a flying, mind-reading vampire with a coven of a dozen witches—who he claimed would gain their powers by killing people.During his dramatic trial—in which he cut his own throat “several times”—he claimed Loofe was accidentally strangled during a “sex party.”“They will tell you that Bailey Boswell got off sexually talking about those kinds of things,” Assistant Attorney General Sandra Allen said Friday, describing three women who will testify against Boswell.In opening statements in Dawson County Court on Friday, prosecutors claimed the 26-year-old was a willing participant in the sinister murder plot, pointing to evidence that the couple had conspired to lure several young women into their lifestyle.The three women testifying for the prosecution are set to detail Boswell and Trail’s “rules”—including not wearing clothes in the apartment and participating in group sex—and frequent discussions about “killing and torture.”“Some of these people are just pieces of the puzzle. And they might not make sense when you hear them individually,” Allen said, according to the Omaha-World Herald, adding that in the end “it will all make sense to you.”Allen told the 15-person jury that prior to Loofe’s disappearance on Nov. 15, 2017, she had gushed to a friend about a future second date with Boswell, whom she described as her “dream girl.” But prosecutors allege Trail and Boswell messaged Loofe on Tinder under the name “Audrey” with the intent of “killing, torture, and sex.” (Tinder was formerly owned by IAC, the parent corporation of The Daily Beast.)Allen said cellphone data tracked the 26-year-old and her 52-year-old boyfriend the day of the killing, showing that they followed Loofe to work and bought a hack saw, utility knife, boxes of trash bags, four roasting pans, and duct tape.Dating App Grifters Charged in Nebraska Woman Sydney Loofe’s MurderThat night, while Loofe was on a date with Boswell, Trail strangled the 24-year-old with an extension cord and then used a “fine-toothed saw” to dismember her body, prosecutors alleged. According to court documents, Trail confessed to the murder and told authorities Boswell helped clean up the crime scene.The morning after the date, Loofe was reported missing when she didn’t show up for work at Menards. Nineteen days later, after an extensive search and a manhunt for Trail and Bowell, authorities found her body about an hour-and-a-half drive from her apartment complex outside of Lincoln.In a Facebook video after her arrest, Boswell explained she met Loofe on Tinder and they “drove around Lincoln, smoked weed [and] had a great time.” She took Loofe on another date the following evening, she said.“I gave her my number. We were planning to go to the casino that weekend,” Boswell said. “I haven’t heard from her since.” Allen said that, at the end of the video, Bowell added: “I don’t know where she’s at. I really hope you find her.”Boswell’s defense attorney, however, poked holes at the prosecution’s case and witnesses during his Friday opening statement, cautioning jurors against thinking emotionally.“Look at the state’s evidence critically,” Todd Lancaster said, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. “They want you to be emotional in this case.”Lancaster, who revealed prosecutors will be calling Loofe’s mother as their first witness on Monday, stressed jurors will be “assaulted” by photos of the deceased 24-year-old and will hear emotional testimony.“Remember when you start getting emotional, when you start getting upset about this, think about why the state's giving you that evidence,” the defense attorney said. “It's because their case is weak and they want to rile your emotions up.”Dating App Murder Suspect Aubrey Trail Convicted of Murdering Sydney LoofeDuring his trial, Trail testified that Loofe was accidentally strangled during a “sex party” that the 24-year-old had voluntarily agreed to participate in with him and Boswell. He said that Boswell helped him dispose of the body. The admission came after Trial stunned the Saline County courtroom when he cut his own throat before falling out of his wheelchair and yelling, “Bailey is innocent, and I curse you all.”“I used people for money, I used people for sex… [killing someone] was counterproductive,” Trail testified, according to the Omaha-World Herald, before adding: “I can’t bring Sydney back. I didn’t mean to, but I did.”A 22-year-old woman who claimed to be a follower of Trail’s alleged “cult” took the stand in his trial and told jurors she joined the pair’s depraved world the summer before Loofe was killed. She described how the 52-year-old convinced her she’d need to kill someone and “take their last breath” in order to obtain her magical powers, according to the Norfolk Daily News.She said that she met Trail after communicating with Boswell via Tinder, and the 52-year-old showed her photos of women he claimed had witch powers. She said Boswell was called the “Queen Witch” and Trail referred to himself as “Daddy,” NET Nebraska reported.It wasn’t clear if the 22-year-old would be one of the three women to testify against Boswell, but Lancaster urged jurors to be skeptical about these testimonies.“Do their stories match up?” Lancaster said. “You’re going to hear some crazy things from these women, things that you’ll shake your heads at. Some of what you hear is going to leave you with more questions than answers.”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.

Biden and Trump in tight race in a changing North Carolina

With more than 1.3 million new registered voters since 2016, a key swing state is up for grabs – and filling a Supreme Court seat is a motivator to likely voters