Politics

MISSOURI: Federal Court Blocks 8-Week Abortion Ban

CNN reports: A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Missouri law banning abortions after eight weeks from going into effect. “The various sections specifying prohibitions on abortions at various weeks prior to viability cannot be allowed to go into effect on August 28, as scheduled,” writes Judge Howard Sachs in an 11-page opinion. “However formulated, the legislation on its face …

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Brazil Rejects G7 Offer Of Aid To Fight Amazon Fires, Ridicules Macron For “Predictable” Fire At Notre Dame

Politico Europe reports: The Brazilian government rejected an offer for a fund from the G7 members to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest. G7 leaders, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Biarritz, France, agreed Monday to set up a $20 million fund to help Brazil tackle the ravaging fires, which have sparked international concern and condemnation. Brazil Ambassador’s …

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“Strong” Notorious RBG Delivers Speech At University

CNN reports: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, making her first public appearance since it was announced that she had undergone recent treatment for pancreatic cancer, appeared strong Monday when she accepted an honorary degree from the University at Buffalo. The 86-year-old liberal icon stood as she made remarks and briefly referenced her health, which has again been the focus of public …

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Macron Livid After Bolsonaro Mocks Wife’s Appearance

Sky News reports: A Bolsonaro supporter posted a Facebook meme mocking the appearance of Brigitte Macron, 66, and comparing her unfavourably with Brazil’s first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, 37, along with the caption: “Now you understand why Macron is persecuting Bolsonaro?” Mr Bolsonaro responded: “Do not humiliate the guy, hahaha.” Asked about the comment at the G7 summit in Biarritz, Mr …

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Pope Francis Calls For Prayers To End Amazon Wildfires

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis said Sunday that the Amazon forest is vital for our Earth and is urging prayers that fires there are quickly controlled. Francis added his voice to the chorus of international concern that the blazes in Brazil will have grave repercussions on the world’s environmental health. The pontiff, who is from the neighboring South American …

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Maher On Koch: I’m Glad He’s Dead, Hope He Suffered

“Yesterday David Koch, of the zillionaire Koch brothers, died of prostate cancer. I guess I’m going to have to re-evaluate my low opinion of prostate cancer. He was 79, but his family says they wish he could live longer, but at least he lived long enough to see the Amazon catch fire. “Condolences poured in from all the politicians he …

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Notorious RBG Treated For Pancreatic Cancer

NPR reports: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has just completed three weeks of radiation treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the U.S. Supreme Court disclosed Friday. The radiation therapy, conducted on an outpatient basis, began Aug. 5, shortly after a localized cancerous tumor was discovered on Ginsburg’s pancreas. The treatment included the insertion of a stent in …

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YouTube Spikes 200+ Hong Kong Disinfo Channels

The Verge reports: Google just published a blog post revealing that it has disabled 210 YouTube channels that the company says “behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.” Google cites the behavior as being “consistent with recent observations and actions related to China announced by Facebook and Twitter.” The accounts were …

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Billionaire Right Winger David Koch Dead At Age 79

ABC News reports: David Koch, billionaire conservative activist and philanthropist, has died. He was 79. He and his brother, Charles, co-owned Koch Industries, a Nebraska-based energy and chemical company, since 1983. David stepped down from running the Koch organization last year due to declining health. The Koch brothers helped to build a massive conservative network of donors for organizations that …

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Bolsonaro Defiant As Amazon Fires Raise Global Alarm

The New York Times reports: As dozens of fires scorched large swaths of the Amazon, the Brazilian government on Thursday struggled to contain growing global outrage over its environmental policies, which have paved the way for runaway deforestation of the world’s largest rain forest. The fires, many intentionally set, are spreading as Germany and Norway appear to be on the …

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Corrections Officers Subpoenaed In Death Of Epstein

CNN reports: As many as 20 correctional officers who work at the federal detention center where Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide received grand jury subpoenas last week relating to an investigation into his death, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Investigators are trying to recreate what happened on the night Epstein died nearly two weeks ago at …

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CALIFORNIA: Police Get New Use Of Deadly Force Law

The Sacramento Bee reports: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed what it is believed to be one of the toughest laws in the country regulating when police officers can use use deadly force. The signing of Assembly Bill 392 concludes a legislative battle between law enforcement lobbyists and civil rights groups who, until May, could not agree on how strict …

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Twitter Says China Used Hundreds Of Fake Accounts To “Sow Political Discord” Against Hong Kong Protesters

TechCrunch reports: Twitter says a significant information operation involving hundreds of accounts linked to China were part of an effort to deliberately “sow political discord” in Hong Kong after weeks of protests in the region. In a blog post, the social networking site said the 936 accounts it found tried to undermine “the legitimacy and political positions of the protest …

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CANADA: Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson Comes Out

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson writes for the Ottawa Citizen: I’m gay. There – I said it; or rather, wrote it. Those two words took me almost four decades to utter, but as they say, “Better late than never.” As I look back over the years, there were some telltale signs that I wasn’t straight. As a grade 7 student, I …

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HONG KONG: Disney Star Spurs Boycott Call With Posts Supporting Police Against Pro-Democracy Protesters

From the Hollywood Reporter: Disney’s live-action Mulan remake has a become a surprise flashpoint in Hong Kong’s ongoing pro-democracy, anti-police brutality protests, after the film’s star, Chinese-American actress Crystal Liu, took to social media to voice her support for the Hong Kong police force. Liu’s statement sparked instant outcry in Hong Kong, where the local police have been accused by …

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McConnell Undergoes Shoulder Surgery After Falling

CNN reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell underwent surgery Thursday in Kentucky related to a shoulder fracture he suffered earlier this month. “Senator McConnell had successful surgery yesterday in Louisville, Kentucky to repair a fracture in his shoulder. The surgery was performed without incident, and the Leader is grateful to the surgical team for their skill,” McConnell’s spokesman David Popp …

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70,000+ Sign Petition To Rename Stretch Of Fifth Ave In Front Of Trump Tower In Honor Of Barack Obama

Newsweek reports: More than 70,000 people have signed onto a petition that seeks to rename the portion of Fifth Avenue in front of the Trump Tower in Manhattan after former President Obama. “The City of Los Angeles recently honored former President Barack Obama by renaming a stretch of the 134 Freeway near Downtown L.A. in his honor,” reads the online …

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TUNISIA: Gay Lawyer Launches Campaign For President

France 24 reports: For the first time, an openly gay candidate has thrown his hat in the ring for a presidential election in Tunisia. Mounir Baatour heads the country’s main LGBT rights group. His bid marks a test for post-revolutionary Tunisia’s fledgling democracy. Baatour, a lawyer at Tunisia’s highest court and the president of Shams, a group seeking the decriminalisation …

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Protesters Close Hong Kong Airport For Second Day, China Vows To Punish Violence “Without Mercy” [VIDEO]

The BBC reports: Flight check-in has been suspended at Hong Kong International Airport for a second consecutive day because of anti-government protests. The airport, which is one of the world’s busiest, has been the site of daily protests since Friday. Videos on social media show passengers struggling to get through demonstrators, who have been sitting inside blocking departures. The city’s …

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US House Members Demand Epstein Suicide Probe

The Hill reports: New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) led public calls Saturday demanding answers after disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell due to an apparent suicide. “We need answers. Lots of them,” Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeted. Many immediately began questioning the details surrounding his death after …

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