The Guardian reports: The NFL season on Thursday night got off to a dismal start, and exposed the pernicious sentiments of many in America, when some fans jeered what the league described as “a moment of silence dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality in our country.” The incident was particularly striking because it was meant as a show of …

Page Six reports: A news site didn’t break copyright laws when it published a paparazzi shot it did not own showing actor Jon Hamm‘s pants bulge, a judge ruled Thursday — because of all the fuss surrounding the “Mad Men” star’s member. HuffPost used the viral image showing Hamm strolling down the street on two legs — with an apparent …

Engadget reports: Twitter has banned the accounts of far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers and its founder, Stewart Rhodes. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the group is one of the US’s largest anti-government movements. It claims to have tens of thousands of members, many of whom identify as former law enforcement and military. The group recently tweeted there …

CBS News reports: Even after privately acknowledging that COVID-19 was a virus transmitted through the air in early February, President Trump participated in several campaign rallies in indoor venues before states began to shut down in early March to mitigate the spread of the virus, according to revelations from journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book. “It goes through air, Bob. That’s …

Omaha’s NBC News affiliate reports: Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts will end nearly all of his state’s social-distancing restrictions on Monday even as the number of new coronavirus cases has trended upward over the last few months. Ricketts said all counties except Lancaster County would move into Phase 4, which loosens restrictions and allows outdoor venues to have 100% occupancy and …

The Associated Press reports: A panel of three federal judges said Thursday that Presidential Trump’s order to exclude people in the county illegally when redrawing congressional districts violates the law. The federal judges in New York granted an injunction stopping the order, saying the harm caused by it would last for a decade. The judges prohibited Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, …

Law & Crime reports: The president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani claimed that St. Louis attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey came “very very close” to being “murdered, having their house burned down, and being raped” on that day that they rushed out of their home and pointed guns at protesters. Giuliani interviewed the McCloskeys for an episode of his YouTube series …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden campaign on Thursday seized on the controversy over Trump’s downplaying of the novel coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic with a new digital ad that contrasts what the president privately told journalist Bob Woodward with what he was saying publicly a few weeks later. The ad draws upon audio from Trump’s interviews …

The Wrap reports: Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen will be releasing a podcast titled “Mea Culpa.” It premieres Sept. 14. Like the book he dropped Tuesday, “Disloyal,” it will review his time spent with President Donald Trump. The weekly podcast seeks to “dismantle the Trump legacy,” according to its Apple Podcast’s landing page. The podcast is being produced in partnership …

Gothamist reports: The civilian agency that investigates NYPD misconduct has opened an investigation into the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, Ed Mullins, after Mullins called Bronx Councilmember Ritchie Torres a “first-class whore” last week in a tweet. Mullins, who has been the president of the SBA for 18 years, and has a history of making racist and offensive remarks, …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump explained how much Fox coverage impacts his thinking during a Friday afternoon press conference. “You know, you have people — I watch some of the shows,” Trump said, before listing nine hours of shows on Fox networks that he has watched in the last 24 hours. “I watched Liz MacDonald, she’s fantastic. I watched …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Russian government hackers have targeted at least 200 organizations tied to the 2020 presidential election in recent weeks, including national and state political parties and political consultants working for both Republicans and Democrats, according to Microsoft Corp. China has also engaged in cyberattacks against “high-profile individuals” linked to Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign, while Iranian …

The Friendly Atheist reports: Televangelist Jim Bakker, who said last month that there would be a revolution if Donald Trump wasn’t re-elected, now says Democrats who vote for Joe Biden are just doing it because of their religion: Satan worship. “A lot of people that are voting this week… the next few weeks… they’re voting for their faith, and their …

Reuters reports: Half of Americans believe media reports that President Donald Trump referred to U.S. soldiers as “suckers” and “losers,” despite his denials, but the alleged comments do not appear to have hurt his standing among Republicans, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. Republicans have unflinchingly backed Trump since before he won the White House, with little variation in their approval of …

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state’s election chief lawfully rejected Kanye West’s effort to get on the Ohio ballot. In a 7-0 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that West and his vice-presidential candidate Michell Tidball failed to comply with state law in their effort to make the Ohio ballot. Last month, Ohio …

Politico reports: Twitter said Thursday it will label or remove posts that prematurely declare victory in the upcoming U.S. election, making it the latest social media company to set out a plan for a prolonged vote count and a president who appears primed to dispute results if he does not win. The social network’s rules currently prohibit a narrower set …

Trump’s racist postings get more vivid every day: President Donald Trump raised the prospect of a dystopian future in the future if he fails to win reelection – hours after saying he held back warnings about the nature of the coronavirus to avoid sowing ‘panic.’ Trump made the claim as one of a barrage of tweets Thursday as he fended …

The Daily Beast reports: The president’s personal lawyer has been working closely with “an active Russian agent” trying to smear the president’s chief political rival. That’s the conclusion of the U.S. Treasury Department, which sanctioned on Thursday one of Rudy Giuliani’s Ukrainian allies for interference in the upcoming U.S. elections. Andriy Derkach worked closely with Giuliani—and with the Trump-friendly cable …

The Insider reports: President Donald Trump bragged to the veteran journalist Bob Woodward that he protected Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) from congressional scrutiny after the brutal assassination of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Woodward wrote that Trump called him on January 22 shortly after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During the conversation, Woodward pressed …

The New York Daily News reports: Lower Manhattan retail mecca Century 21, after surviving the 9/11 attacks across the street, couldn’t outlast COVID-19. The retail company is closing its flagship location on Cortlandt St. and its 12 other stores after filing for bankruptcy protection in Manhattan, according to a statement released Thursday. The Manhattan location opened 59 years ago, with …