Bardstown

Trump tries to undermine the legitimacy of the election with baseless claims at debate

President Trump made several false claims about the accuracy and integrity of American elections during the first presidential debate on Tuesday night. 

Emily Jolley: Mother who shared QAnon posts believed to have kidnapped her son

Utah resident has shared numerous conspiracy theories on personal Facebook page

The White House is upping its offer to Democrats to pass a new stimulus bill including $1,200 direct payments, report says

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are yet to strike a deal but say they are hopeful and talks will continue.

‘He was screaming.’ 67-year-old uses martial arts on senior home intruder, CA cops say

“He was screaming because that’s one of my techniques, the bent fingers.”

Marine Corps F-35 and C-130 Collide During Refueling Exercise, All Personnel Found Safe

All nine personnel -- one in the F-35B and eight in the KC-130J tanker -- are accounted for.

Armor attrition in Nagorno-Karabakh battle not a sign US should give up on tanks, experts say

As Armenia and Azerbaijan trade deadly blows in what many worry could turn into full-scale war, America’s military experts take notes on what not to do.

Sea level: Greenland ice loss worst in 12,000 years

Ice loss from Greenland's massive ice sheet will cause sea levels to rise more during the 21st century than they have during any 100-year period in the last 12,000 years, even if global warming is held in check, scientists said Wednesday.

Judge says government's suit over Bolton book can proceed

The Trump administration can move forward with its lawsuit against former national security adviser John Bolton over his tell-all book, a judge ruled Thursday in denying a request to dismiss the complaint. The Justice Department alleges that Bolton's book, “The Room Where It Happened,” contains classified information, and the government sued in June to try to prevent the release.

Who was the instigator in contentious first presidential debate?

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov join 'The Story' to discuss

Comey Claims He Only Learned Details of Russia Investigation Abuses from IG Report after Leaving FBI

Former FBI director James Comey claimed on Wednesday that he learned of various details related to the FBI's investigation in to collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign from the DOJ Inspector General report on FISA abuse, years after Comey had left his former agency.Comey headed the FBI from 2013 until May 2017, when he was fired by President Trump. During Comey's tenure, agents carried out the Crossfire Hurricane probe, investigating allegations that the Trump-campaign had ties to Russian intelligence. Many of those allegations were compiled in the so-called Steele dossier, whose primary source, Igor Danchenko, was revealed last week to be a suspected Russian spy.The DOJ Inspector General report, released in December 2019, detailed "significant" errors and omissions in FBI agents' applications to surveil former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page. That report also cast doubt on the veracity of some allegations in the Steele dossier.On Wednesday, Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify regarding questions on the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Before the Inspector General's report on the dossier…did you know that the information that was reported by [Inspector General Michael] Horowitz that should have raised questions about the reliability of the Steele dossier?" Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas) asked."I learned a lot about the Steele material and the sub-source interviews from the Horowitz report that I didn't know before then," Comey replied.Earlier in the Wednesday hearing, Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), asked Comey if he was aware that the FBI interviewed Danchenko in January 2017."I don't remember anything about interviews with [Danchenko]," Comey said.Comey has previously said he learned many of the details of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from what has been publicly reported. The former director stated in December 2019, following the release of the IG report, that he "didn’t know the particulars of the investigation" while he head of the FBI."As a director sitting on top of an organization with 38,000 people, you can’t run an investigation that’s seven layers below you," Comey told Fox News at the time. Attorney General William Barr criticized Comey's statement several days later, saying "One of the problems with what happened was precisely that they pulled the investigation up to the executive floors."During Wednesday's hearing, Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah), a proponent of reforms to federal surveillance practices, criticized Comey for appearing to know little about the Crossfire Hurricane probe."Mr. Comey, with all due respect, you don't seem to know anything about an investigation that you ran," Lee said.

The family of one of the officers who killed Breonna Taylor started an online fundraiser so he can retire early and focus on his 'safety'

The family of Detective Myles Cosgrove is trying to raise $75,000 so that he can buy out the rest of his service time and retire early.

New poll shows Lindsey Graham, Jaime Harrison tied in South Carolina

A new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday shows Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Jaime Harrison, his Democratic challenger, tied at 48 percent among likely voters.The survey also found that 48 percent of voters see Harrison in a favorable light compared to 43 percent who have a favorable opinion of Graham, and 51 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of Graham, compared to 35 percent who hold an unfavorable view of Harrison. Harrison is outspending Graham on advertisements and also bringing in more money from grassroots supporters, and Graham in turn has been making regular appearances on Fox News, asking viewers for money.The race is also tight in the state between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, with Trump leading Biden by 1 percentage point, 48 to 47 percent. Trump won South Carolina by about 14 points in 2016, with 54.9 percent of the vote.The survey was conducted from Sept. 23 to 27, with 1,123 likely voters polled. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.More stories from theweek.com 7 savagely funny cartoons about the Trump tax revelations Biden campaign to launch in-person canvassing efforts in a 'huge reversal' Fox News' John Roberts angrily tells off the White House for its refusal to denounce white supremacy

Chinese rail stations and airports swamped during holiday, raising fears of fresh Covid outbreak

People have begun swarming into China’s rail stations and airports as the country where the coronavirus pandemic emerged enters into its first major public holiday week after lockdowns began easing, potentially raising the risk of new infections. Nearly half of the country’s 1.4 billion people are expected to hit the road during China’s “Golden Week,” kicking off on Oct 1 as the nation celebrates its founding anniversary. Chinese authorities have relaxed some travel restrictions as the number of daily infections have begun dropping significantly. About 30 people were confirmed with the coronavirus through Tuesday this week, a figure that could rise given increased movement of people over the holiday. As such pandemic precautions remain in place, including detailed contact tracing via mobile phone apps that allow users to flash a green, yellow or red code – a health contagion profile that determines whether someone might pose an infection risk.

Massive spider web seen in Missouri photo has some asking: Could it ‘catch’ humans?

“Those are the kind that literally ‘catch’ people if they walk through them at night.”

Venezuela condemns US warship 'provocation'

Venezuela condemned on Thursday the presence of a US warship off its coast, describing it as "a deliberate act of provocation".

Hundreds of Honduran migrants set out for US amid pandemic

GUALÁN, Guatemala (AP) — About 2,000 Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States entered Guatemala on foot Thursday morning, testing the newly reopened frontier that had been shut by the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities had planned to register the migrants as they crossed and offer assistance to those willing to turn back, but the group crossed the official border at Corinto without registering, pushing past outnumbered Guatemalan police and soldiers who made little attempt to stop them. In one group were four teenagers, all friends and neighbors from San Pedro Sula, from which hundreds of migrants had set out the previous night.

MQ-9 Reaper Drone Flies with Double Hellfire Missiles in New Test

A new software update on the MQ-9 Reaper allows the hunter-killer drone to carry eight AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

Biden Staffer Suggests ‘Intolerant’ Views of Orthodox Catholics, Jews, Muslims Should Disqualify Them from Supreme Court

A staffer on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign on Monday suggested that Orthodox Catholics, Jews and Muslims should not be allowed to serve on the Supreme Court because of their “intolerant” beliefs.The comments came during a Twitter conversation between Biden campaign deputy data director Nikitha Rai and Brookings Institute senior fellow Shadi Hamid in which Rai attacked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s Catholic beliefs. A search for Rai's Twitter account now yields a message saying, "This account doesn't exist."Hamid had responded to a tweet that said Barrett was a trustee at a Catholic school that opposed same-sex marriage as homosexual acts are "at odds with Scripture." Hamid replied, “Wait, why is this news? Isn’t this the standard position for any orthodox Catholic?” “Unfortunately yes,” Rai said. When Hamid pointed out that Orthodox Muslims and Jews generally hold the same view, Rai said, “True. I’d heavily prefer views like that not be elevated to SCOTUS, but unfortunately our current culture is relatively intolerant. It will be awhile before those types of beliefs are so taboo that they’re disqualifiers.”> Here’s a @JoeBiden staffer saying that orthodox Christianity, Islam, and Judaism should be made “taboo” and driven from the public sphere. Beneath all the talk of “interfaith” and “pluralism,” this is what they really believe. pic.twitter.com/PrN8S1qaLG> > -- Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) September 29, 2020The former vice president often touts his Catholic faith on the campaign trail, though critics note that some of Biden’s positions — such as his support for abortion and same-sex marriage — stand in opposition to Catholic teachings.Barrett’s faith has been widely scrutinized in the media as “extreme” and cult-like since the president announced he would nominate the 48-year-old Notre Dame professor to fill the vacancy on the Court left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Barrett, a former clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, has been attacked for her faith for years now, beginning with her 2017 confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee when Democrats questioned whether her Catholicism should disqualify her from being a judge.“Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that dogma and law are two different things, and I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different,” Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said at the time.“The conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you,” Feinstein added. “And that’s of concern.”

7 people wounded in shooting at Milwaukee funeral home

All victims are in stable condition, according to police.

Justice Department must release redacted portions of Mueller report dealing with criminal charges before Election Day, judge rules

A judge ruled that the DOJ improperly censored portions of the Mueller report dealing with potential criminal charges and Russia's hacking of the DNC.

‘It Was a Purposeful Trap.’ NYPD Planned Attack and Mass Arrests of Protesters, Human Rights Group Says

Human Rights Watch says in a new report that video shows NYPD officers trapping protesters in the Bronx before beating and arresting them

'I'm tired of it': Fox News reporter angrily hits back at criticism of his white supremacy question

‘For all of you on Twitter who are hammering me for asking that question, I don’t care,’ says John Roberts

Could Southern California earthquake swarm lead to the ‘big one?’ Here’s what to know

“Quakes make other quakes more likely, but only nearby.”

Turkey, Iran deploy 'game-changing' drones in north Iraq

Turkey and Iran are increasingly adopting "game-changing" drones as their weapon of choice against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, prompting fears for the safety of civilians and stoking geopolitical tensions.

Myanmar political party chief arrested for prison escape

The leader of a party fielding the second highest number of candidates for Myanmar’s November elections has been arrested after local media reported allegations of a shady past, including a prison escape and financial finagling. Despite the arrest of Kyaw Myint, another executive of his United Democratic Party said it will continue campaigning. Despite fielding 1,131 candidates for the Nov. 8 polls — second only to the ruling National League for Democracy party of Aung San Suu Kyi — the party has not won a single seat in the last two elections.

Trump, Biden trade barbs over performance in office at first debate

Trump attacks Biden over son Hunter's foreign business dealings; senior political correspondent Mike Emanuel reports.

Colombian fishermen rescue 94 Haitian migrants adrift at sea

Fishermen spot the migrants' boat adrift in the Caribbean sea and tow it to safety.

Republicans move forward with plan to investigate presidential election in Pennsylvania

A proposed Select Committee on Election Integrity would give lawmakers the power to investigate, review and make recommendations on the 2020 election.

Parrots at zoo separated after swearing profusely at visitors

"If they teach the others bad language and I end up with 250 swearing birds, I don't know what we'll do," said the wildlife sanctuary's chief executive.

Republicans distance themselves from Trump's remarks on white supremacists as White House aides double down

‘I think he misspoke,’ Senator Scott says, but adds Mr Trump should ‘correct’ his comments

Co-founder of burn center hits, kills 2 kids as they cross street, California cops say

Roller blades and a scooter were found near the scene of the crash.

US Army to upgrade bigger units with new electronic warfare gear

The Army has outlined plans for a new electronic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber capability for larger echelons.

AP: Trooper's mic records talk of beating, choking Black man

In graphic, matter-of-fact chatter picked up on his body-camera mic, a Louisiana State trooper implicated in the death of a Black man can be heard talking of beating and choking him before “all of a sudden he just went limp.” It is the most direct evidence to emerge yet in the death last year of Ronald Greene, which troopers initially blamed on injuries from a car crash at the end of a chase. Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who died last week in a single-car crash, is heard recounting the May 2019 arrest of Greene in rural north Louisiana on audio provided to the AP through an intermediary who asked not to be identified because the case remains under investigation.

China Accelerates Its Crackdown on Foreign Journalists

These days, foreign journalists are facing unprecedented challenges in China.A March report from the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) finds that in 2019, “82% of [foreign] reporters [in China] experienced interference or harassment or violence while reporting. . . . 43% said digital/physical surveillance affected reporting. And 70% reported interviews cancelled due to actions taken by Chinese authorities.” The FCCC also finds that Chinese authorities continue to restrict foreign journalists’ access to certain parts of China, including Xinjiang, where millions of Uighur Muslims languish in internment camps. The most striking finding of the report, however, is that not even a single foreign journalist said working conditions in China had improved from 2018 to 2019.It seems that this state of affairs has only gotten worse in 2020. Just this week, the Washington Post’s Anna Fifield published a story about the difficulties she’d faced as a foreign reporter in China. “Reporting in China increasingly feels like reporting in North Korea,” she tweeted. Beijing has expelled around 17 foreign journalists this year, including 15 Americans, and is threatening to expel more. Chinese authorities also continue to punish some foreign journalists by refusing to renew their visas.In August, Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen of Chinese descent who worked for the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), was detained by Chinese authorities. No charges were filed, and Cheng simply “disappeared.” China's foreign ministry waited until early September to announce that she was suspected of “criminal activity endangering China's national security.” Her family and friends still do not know her whereabouts, and it is unclear if she has any legal representation.The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s announcement of Cheng’s detention came after the Australian government was forced to mount a frantic mission to extricate the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review’s (AFR) Mike Smith from the country. Both had been questioned by Chinese authorities regarding their dealings with Cheng, and both sought help from the Australian consulate. They were allowed to leave China only after a five-day diplomatic standoff. Birtles’s former boss, the ex-ABC China bureau chief Matthew Carney, recently disclosed the threats and interrogations that he and his family, including his 14-year-old daughter, had to endure from Chinese authorities back in 2018, which eventually led them to leave the country, too.Early this month, a Los Angeles Times reporter was detained by Chinese police in Inner Mongolia while investigating the central government’s push to teach Mongolian children key curriculums in Mandarin rather than Mongolian. Many parents and students have been protesting that effort, which they view as Beijing’s latest attempt to erase their cultural identity. The Times reporter said plainclothes men “took her to a police station, where she was interrogated and separated from her belongings, despite identifying herself as an accredited journalist. She was not allowed to call the U.S. Embassy; one officer grabbed her throat with both hands and pushed her into a cell.”Beijing’s treatment of foreign journalists is appalling. But surprisingly, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, for decades, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) welcomed foreign journalists when it found them to be of use in helping achieve its strategic policy goals.The most famous example of this phenomenon was American journalist Edgar Snow. In the 1930s, Snow visited the CCP’s stronghold in the Chinese countryside and interviewed its leaders, including Mao Zedong. Back then, the People’s Liberation Army was no more than a ragtag bunch of poorly fed, ill-equipped guerrilla fighters. Mao was dismissed by the ruling Nationalist Party as a “bandit,” and he was virtually unknown to the West. Mao recognized the help that Snow could provide in solving that problem. He granted Snow access that was unavailable to any Chinese journalist and charmed the American. Snow, who was somewhat naive and ideologically left-leaning, fell for Mao’s charisma. Mao asked that the texts of Snow’s interviews be translated from English back to Chinese so he could “correct any inaccuracies” prior to the publication, and Snow granted him his wish.The final output was Snow's 1937 book, Red Star Over China, which presented Mao as a great leader who was candid, thoughtful, and funny. It described the goal of the Communist revolution as the creation of a new China that would be egalitarian and democratic. Nowhere did it mention Mao’s brutal purge of a rival faction within the Communist Party, which ended with the arrest of over 100 party members and the execution of more than a dozen. The purge was an early indication of Mao’s ruthlessness in quashing dissent, and there would be many more like it to come.Unfortunately, the inaccurate portrait painted by Snow’s book cast Mao and the Communists in such a positive light that it won them many domestic and international supporters. This, in turn, set a precedent. Recognizing the propaganda value that Snow had provided, Mao invited him back to China several more times over the next three-plus decades. Each time, he manipulated Snow into serving as his mouthpiece for domestic and international audiences.After Mao’s death, a succession of Chinese Communist Party leaders followed the same template, welcoming foreign journalists to China as the regime launched its campaign of economic reform and opened up to the rest of the world. These leaders recognized that they needed the foreign press to tell stories about China, and sure enough, the resulting stories helped attract badly needed foreign investment and tourism to boost the country’s economy.In a country where corruption is rampant and justice is whatever local authorities say it is, many Chinese people have come to believe that the fastest way to get their grievances heard and resolved is through reporting by journalists, especially foreign journalists. As Yuan Yang, the Financial Times’s deputy Beijing bureau chief, has noted, “Sometimes it is not the coverage itself, but the mere appearance of a foreign journalist on the scene, that gets officials to start listening intently to their problems.”Sadly, even that means of getting authorities’ attention is increasingly being closed off by China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, who demands absolute loyalty from all corners of China including the media. Unlike his predecessors, Xi doesn't see foreign media as a friend or a useful tool, but rather as a threat to the narratives advanced by his propaganda and an obstacle to his goal of building a new, China-centric world order. Especially after the coronavirus outbreak, Xi has needed an obedient media to tell a story of Chinese success under his leadership, which has only increased his incentive to keep a tight leash on critical reporting.Xi seems to believe that China is now wealthy, powerful, and resourceful enough that it no longer needs the prestige that foreign media outlets once lent it; state media can tell the stories he wants told both at home and abroad. Since Xi doesn’t see foreign journalists as useful to his own strategic objectives, Chinese authorities have intensified their attacks on foreign journalists. If any informed observer had any remaining doubts about the true nature of the Chinese regime, this crackdown should have dispelled them.

Polish divers hope Nazi shipwreck holds key to Amber Room treasure

Polish divers say they have found the wreck of a German World War Two ship which may help solve a decades-old mystery - the whereabouts of the Amber Room, an ornate chamber from a tsarist palace in Russia that was looted by the Nazis. Decorated with amber and gold, the Amber Room was part of the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg, but was last seen in Koenigsberg, then a Baltic port city in Germany but now the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. It was from Koenigsberg that the Karlsruhe steamer set sail in 1945 with a heavy cargo, before being sunk by Soviet warplanes off the coast of Poland.

Space Force Now Has an Official Uniform

The U.S. Space Force members will wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern as the official service duty uniform.

Despite hopeful speculation, Biden campaign says remaining debates are still on

At the end of Tuesday night's raucous presidential debate, cable news hosts and pundits immediately began speculating on whether it would be the only one held this year, but Democratic nominee Joe Biden's campaign quickly dashed that dream.Many thought Tuesday's debate was an unmitigated disaster, as Trump routinely interrupted Biden and moderator Chris Wallace. CNN's Wolf Blitzer, for example, called it an "embarrassment for the United States" and wondered whether the next two debates would be canceled.During a phone call with reporters, Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, said he is "going to show up" at the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami. Biden wants to "continue speaking directly to the American people," Bedingfield said, and is looking forward to the debate's town hall format, with the nominees taking questions from undecided voters."There is an open question here based on what we saw from Donald Trump tonight," Bedingfield said. "Is he going to try to bully actual voters? Is he going to insult his way through the next debate? Joe Biden's going to show up. ... We'll see if [Trump] decides to show up in Miami next month." Biden is also planning on attending the third debate set for Oct. 22 in Nashville, Bedingfield confirmed. "We are going to the debates, guys," she said. "We don't know how many different ways we can say it. Yes, we are going to the debates."More stories from theweek.com Children 17 and under contract and spread COVID-19 like adults, large new study finds Rep. Katie Porter eviscerates pharma CEO with a brutal math lesson about his $13 million salary Undecided voters describe Trump as a 'crackhead,' 'arrogant' in post-debate focus group

California wildfire scorches wine country as death toll rises

The Zogg Fire is burning in Shasta and Tehama counties and has scorched more than 51,000 acres.

Barrett meets Romney ahead of judicial hearings

Judge Amy Coney Barrett continued meeting senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday, as part of a day of brief visits with pivotal Republican senators in preparation for her fast-track confirmation before the Nov. 3 election. (Sept. 30)

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Pastor did exorcism on toddler and used meth with church members, Arkansas cops say

Lloyd Eddie Lasker Jr., 49, told police he “tried to exorcise the demon” in a 2-year-old and said he “used meth in the church several times,” according to court documents.

US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer

The United States will block shipments of palm oil from a major Malaysian producer that feeds into the supply chains of iconic U.S. food and cosmetic brands. It found indicators of forced labor, including concerns about child workers, along with other abuses such as physical and sexual violence. The order against FGV Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia’s largest palm oil companies and a joint-venture partner with American consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, went into effect Wednesday, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade.

US makes fresh pitch to Latin America in bid to counter China's influence

Experts say Growth in the Americas programme is attempt to reassert US control – and seems likely to anatagonise Beijing Growing tensions between the US and China have prompted clashes at the United Nations, accusations of spying and rumblings of a global trade war.In Latin America, the rivalry has recently prompted a public relations battle over which superpower could provide ventilators and PPE during the pandemic, outcry over a Chinese deepwater fishing fleet and renewed pressure over the adoption of Huawei technology in 5G networks.Now, the US seems intent on countering China’s growing commercial influence in the region, with a program challenging Beijing’s involvement in infrastructure developments and energy mega-projects.On a recent visit to Suriname and Guyana – which have both recently made major offshore oil discoveries – Mike Pompeo made a direct sales pitch on behalf of US companies.“No state-owned operation can beat the quality of the products and services of American private companies,” said the US secretary of state. “We’ve watched the Chinese communist party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear.”Pompeo – the first secretary of state to visit either country – also used the opportunity to sign up both nations to the Growth in the Americas programme, more frequently referred to as America Crece, its Spanish translation, which seeks to “catalyze private-sector investment in Latin America and the Caribbean”.The project is seen as a direct response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the $1.5tn foreign and economic policy to establish maritime trade and invest in infrastructure projects in dozens of countries.Nineteen countries in the region have signed up to the BRI, with Chinese firms – many of them partly state-owned – winning major mining, energy and transport projects. Since 2005, China-based firms have invested over $123bn in the region and Chinese banks have loaned $137bn.“It’s clear that America Crece is a US response to the BRI; Pompeo has consistently criticized what he considers onerous conditions attached to Chinese infrastructure loans,” said Rob Soutar, managing editor of Diálogo Chino, a website specialising in China-Latin America relations.“Inside China, a number of academics see America Crece as the US attempt to reassert control over Latin America as its unique area of influence – a new version of the Monroe doctrine,” he said.In September 2018 the US recalled its top diplomats in Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic after the countries each ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with China.But since then, US pressure appears to have increased, the growth of BRI partnerships has slowed, and Chinese investments in strategic countries such as Panama appear to have hit a speed bump.The America Crece program offers no new budget for regional infrastructure projects, but it does give the US policy a name and a direction.“The BRI wants to create infrastructure that supports Chinese interests – built by Chinese companies and with Chinese banks making money on the loans. America Crece, by contrast, involves projects with business cases that make sense for the region and support good governance,” said Dr Evan Ellis, a professor of Latin American Studies at the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute.But the view that Chinese investment relies solely on backroom deals with Beijing is no longer correct, said Soutar. “In recent years there’s been a major shift in the way Chinese firms invest in the region. Increasingly, they invest in equity or form international consortiums to win competitive tenders, such as the Bogota metro system.”> We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth and stop spreading rumors about China> > Chinese embassy in SurinameAnd while America Crece is theoretically open to investment from all countries, Colombian president Ivan Duque’s description of the programme as a “new phase of Plan Colombia” has given ammunition to those who view it as a way to secure lucrative contracts for US companies.Under the 2000-16 Plan Colombia – which focused on tackling the country’s twin guerrilla and narco-trafficking problems – much of the $10bn in aid went to US arms and security firms.Having fallen down the list of US foreign policy priorities under the Obama administration, US diplomatic efforts in Latin America have been revived in recent years. Donald Trump has sought to attract votes in Florida by taking a tough stance on socialist governments in Cuba and Venezuela, but the need resist China’s “predatory trade practices” is one of the few things that Republicans and Democrats agree on.The new, straight-talking strategy seems designed to antagonise China.“We advise Mr Pompeo to respect facts and truth, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop smearing and spreading rumors about China,” the Chinese embassy in Suriname said.And while geopolitical rivals search to gain influence over natural resources, infrastructure and trade routes, the best interests of Latin America itself could be sidelined, said Soutar.“Both the BRI and America Crece invest overwhelmingly in fossil fuel infrastructure, locking Latin America into a high-carbon development pathway. The region desperately needs investment to rebuild after Covid, but this should be channelled towards low-carbon, climate-resilient development if it’s to generate sustained, long-term benefits.”

Anglo-Saxon skull found with nose and lips cut off is first physical evidence of brutal punishment for adultery

An Anglo-Saxon skull found in Hampshire with its nose and lips cut off is the first physical evidence of the brutal medieval punishment for adultery. Remains of the young girl, thought to have been aged between 15 and 18, were discovered during a search of a site in the village of Oakridge, in Basingstoke, in the 1960s. Her facial injuries (below) included a cut across her mouth and one through the nose which was so deep it sliced through the surrounding bone, archaeologists and scientists have discovered in a fresh analysis of the cranium. A prominent cut across her forehead also suggests someone had attempted to scalp her. Gruesome punishments were known to have been part of the legal system in Anglo-Saxon times, with thieving slaves and adulteresses among those who could be mutilated for their crimes. However, this is the first time physical evidence of such punishments has been uncovered.

One KC-46 delivery has been halted due to electrical system problems

The KC-46 tanker has yet another issue, a Senate hearing has revealed.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are about to max out their state unemployment benefits

It's been nearly nine months since the coronavirus pandemic launched America into its steepest unemployment crisis in recent history. But another emergency could be around the corner if the federal government doesn't act.Over the past few weeks, Americans who lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic have started to hit the maximum number of weeks their states will allow them to receive unemployment benefits. They've since been registering for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, a federal unemployment program meant to make up for expired state benefits.New and continuing unemployment claims did fall in the past week, but 183,000 Americans filed for PEUC benefits in the week ending Sept. 12, Labor Department numbers out Thursday revealed. That's a steady jump from weeks before, and economists expect those new registration numbers will only continue to grow.> Continuing claims for expanded benefits (PEUC) jumped again. NOT GOOD. Labor market scarring is continuing to grow. pic.twitter.com/BqycGZDzhL> > — AnnElizabeth Konkel (@AE_Konkel) October 1, 2020But the PEUC benefits won't last forever. They provide Americans with up to 13 weeks of benefits, and the program as a whole will expire at the end of 2020. Some states, including New York, have introduced extended benefits programs to cover those still unemployed after PUEC expires, but others, as well as the federal government, have nothing coming up after Dec. 31.The federal government's other unemployment program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, extends 39 weeks of benefits to self-employed people and contractors who aren't eligible for state unemployment benefits. It covers about half of Americans receiving unemployment benefits right now, but it's also set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress and President Trump agree on another pandemic stimulus package extending it.More stories from theweek.com 7 savagely funny cartoons about the Trump tax revelations Biden campaign to launch in-person canvassing efforts in a 'huge reversal' Fox News' John Roberts angrily tells off the White House for its refusal to denounce white supremacy

In California wine country, wildfire-fatigued residents weigh the unthinkable: Moving out

The thought of leaving the picturesque wine country is not typically tempting. But as wildfires become a repeat occurrence, some say it's time to go.

U.S. Treasury warns cyber insurers payments to hackers may violate sanctions

The warnings, which referenced malicious programs known as ransomware, came in advisories from Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). "Will victims who are insured still decide to make the payments?" Dantiki said.