daily news updates

Graham begs Fox News viewers in unusual plea for campaign cash" Published on September 26, 2020 at 04:24AM by Paul Farhi, The Washington Post Lindsey Graham apparently needs money for his Senate reelection campaign. And so the South Carolina Republican has taken his appeal for funds to an unusual venue: cable news. Specifically, Fox News. In a pair of interviews on the network on Thursday, Graham pleaded with Fox viewers for campaign cash, in an emotional appeal almost as weepy as Jerry Lewis in one of the later hours of his old charity telethons. "I'm getting overwhelmed," he told prime-time host Sean Hannity. Then, he turned to Hannity's viewers, adding: "Help me. They're killing me moneywise. Help me. You did last week. Help me again." A few hours earlier, on the "Fox & Friends" morning program, Graham delivered a similar message. "My opponent [Democrat Jaime Harrison] will raise almost $100 million," he said. "I...

Samuel L. Jackson to play Nick Fury in new Disney Plus series" Published on September 25, 2020 at 10:00PM by Joe Otterson , provided by Samuel L. Jackson is set to reprise the role of Nick Fury in a new Marvel series currently in development at Disney Plus, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The exact plot details of the show are being kept under wraps, but multiple sources say Jackson is attached to star with Kyle Bradstreet attached to […]

California braces for power shutoffs and warm, windy weekend" Published on September 26, 2020 at 05:48AM by By DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Firefighters and officials at California's largest utility company braced for hot, dry and windy weather in northern and central areas of the state this weekend that may fan the flames of several major wildfires or ignite new ones. Pacific Gas & Electric warned Friday it may cut power from Sunday morning to Monday, potentially affecting 97,000 customers in 16 counties, during which forecasters said a ridge of high pressure will raise temperatures and generate gusts flowing from the interior to the coast. PG&E initially warned that approximately 21,000 customers in three counties would lose power beginning Saturday evening but expanded the potential shutoff when the forecast changed. The utility is tracking the weather to determine if it would be necessary to shut off power to areas where gusts could dama...

Woman accused of sending ricin to White House arrested" Published on September 21, 2020 at 05:39AM by By MICHAEL BALSAMO, ERIC TUCKER and COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin, which was addressed to White House, has been arrested at New York-Canada border, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. The letter had been intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House. The woman was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo and is expected to face federal charges, the officials said. Her name was not immediately released. The letter addressed to the White House appeared to have originated in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said. It was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump and a preliminary investigat...

Kimmel opens to phony crowd at virtual Emmy Awards" Published on September 21, 2020 at 05:20AM by Will Thorne , provided by After a host-less edition last year, Jimmy Kimmel returned to emcee the 2020 Emmys and went straight to the heart of why this year has been an especially calamitous one so far. “The big question is why would have you an award show in the middle of a pandemic, no seriously, I’m asking why are […]

Giants prevent A's from clinching AL West" Published on September 21, 2020 at 05:44AM by By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Baseball Writer OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam, Chadwick Tromp and Darin Ruf added two-run homers, and the San Francisco Giants prevented the Oakland Athletics from clinching the AL West title at home with a 14-2 victory Sunday. The Giants earned their first win in six tries during this year's Bay Bridge Series and go into the season's final week chasing a playoff spot. “Look, we seem to be a team that responds pretty well,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Of course we wanted to clinch today; we wanted to do it at home. We were on a roll the last couple games. It just didn’t happen.” Oakland, already into the playoffs for a third straight season, needed a win or a loss by the rival Astros to secure its first division crown since 2013. Houston won at home against the Diamondbacks. Jake Lamb hit a two-run single in the sixth for Oak...

Here are the many NFL stars who were injured today" Published on September 21, 2020 at 04:50AM by By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer A star-studded cast of NFL players departed their games with injuries on Sunday. Many of them could miss the rest of the season. Start with running back, where Giants star Saquon Barkley is believed to have torn the ACL in his right knee early in their loss at Chicago. All-Pro standout Christian McCaffery departed Carolina's loss to the Buccaneers with a right ankle injury, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert left with a knee injury, and the Rams' Cam Akers hurt his ribs. Plenty of wide receivers went down, too: The Packers' Davante Adams hurt his hamstring in a win over the Lions; the Colts' Parris Campbell was carted off with a leg injury against Minnesota; the Giants' Sterling Shepard sustained a toe injury; and the Broncos' Courtland Sutton left their loss in Pittsburgh with a knee injury. Then there were the quarterbac...

August Complex Fire threatens Emerald Triangle, U.S.'s largest cannabis region Published on September 15, 2020 at 04:03AM by Mike Moffitt The largest wildfire in California history took aim at the largest cannabis-growing region in the United States on Monday.

Thousands evacuated as fires burn through Oregon Published on September 09, 2020 at 04:09PM by Timothy Bella, The Washington Post As wildfires stretching for thousands of acres ripped through southwestern Oregon late Tuesday, the state's governor declared an emergency and tens of thousands of residents faced mandatory evacuation orders to escape the Almeda Fire, the latest blaze to devastate the region in recent days. By early Wednesday, the fire was burning its way toward the central neighborhoods of Medford, Ore., a city of 82,000 people, where many have now been forced to flee their homes. "Pray for Medford," tweeted resident Jeff Carpenter. "We are on fire tonight." Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's emergency order for Jackson County, which includes Medford, came after the National Weather Service placed all of southwestern Oregon an under an extreme fire danger warning for the first time, according to the Oregon Climate Office. Brown, D, had declared emerge...

Cohen's book says Trump hired Obama actor for video" Published on September 07, 2020 at 05:29AM by Maggie Haberman, New York Times President Donald Trump routinely referred to Black leaders of foreign nations with racist insults. He had an abiding admiration for President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to treat Russia like a personal business. And he was consumed with hatred for President Barack Obama. Those are the descriptions that Michael Cohen, a former personal lawyer and self-described fixer for Trump, lays out in his book, “Disloyal: A Memoir,” which paints the president as a sordid, moblike figure willing to engage in underhanded tactics against anyone opposing him. “As a rule, Trump expressed low opinions of all Black folks, from music to culture and politics,” Cohen writes in the book, to be released Tuesday. He describes Trump calling Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule, “no leader.” “Tell me one country run by a Blac...

Oakland Roots plan protest in support of Black Lives Matter" Published on September 05, 2020 at 04:00PM by Douglas Zimmerman On March 7, the Oakland Roots pro soccer team celebrated its first victory of the National Independent Soccer Association spring season. A few days later, pro athletes nationwide began testing positive for COVID-19, which resulted in the cancellation of almost all sports leagues, including the Roots’ remaining spring matches. Then in late May, the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked protests throughout the United States. Pro athletes expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with actions ranging from wearing custom jerseys to the postponement of NBA playoff games. The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin reverberated in the NISA as well, and last weekend’s three scheduled NISA matches were postponed. The Roots were not part of those three matches, but they say the cause of racial justice will be top of mi...

Apple, Google build virus-tracing tech directly into phones" Published on September 02, 2020 at 04:27AM by By MATT O'BRIEN, AP Technology Writer Apple and Google are trying to get more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus by building more of the necessary technology directly into phone software. That could make it much easier for people to get the tool on their phone even if their local public health agency hasn't built its own compatible app. The tech giants on Tuesday launched the second phase of their “exposure notification” system, designed to automatically alert people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus. Until now, only a handful of U.S. states have built pandemic apps using the tech companies' framework, which has seen somewhat wider adoption in Europe and other parts of the world. States must choose whether they want to enable the Apple-Google system. If they do, iPhone users ...

Chadwick Boseman's death puts spotlight on colon cancer" Published on September 02, 2020 at 02:20AM by Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune The gravitas of actor Chadwick Boseman's death at age 43 has been felt around the world. For "Black Panther" fans and the Black community, his greatness was only in midstride, which makes his death even harder. But amid the tweets, TV specials and reruns of "Black Panther" in homage to his body of work, the medical community is speaking up about the rise in colorectal cancer rates among young ...

United ends irritating, expensive change, standby fees for good" Published on August 31, 2020 at 03:33AM by Chris McGinnis United Airlines could be ushering in a new era of ticket pricing policies with its announcement on Sunday that it is getting rid of change fees on domestic trips. And not just for the next month or two – but for good. The airline said it is “permanently getting rid of change fees on all standard Economy and Premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S., effective immediately.”

Trump praises supporters amid deadly clashes with demonstrators" Published on August 31, 2020 at 05:09AM by David Nakamura, Matt Viser and Robert Klemko, The Washington Post WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Sunday amplified his call for federal forces to help subdue protests in American cities, denouncing local Democratic leaders and fanning partisan tensions a day after a deadly clash between his supporters and social justice demonstrators in Portland, Ore., underscored the threat of rising politically motivated violence. Scenes of Trump supporters firing paint and pellet guns at protesters during a "Trump cruise rally" caravan through downtown Portland - a liberal bastion that has been the site of weeks of street demonstrations - raised the specter that the nation's summer of unrest had entered a new phase in which the president's backers are rallying to defend businesses and fight back against Black Lives Matter and other groups he has labeled "a...

Protester killed in Portland as mayor, Trump trade blame" Published on August 31, 2020 at 04:57AM by By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, and President Donald Trump engaged in a real-time argument Sunday as the president sent a flurry of critical tweets about Ted Wheeler as the mayor was holding a press conference about the fatal shooting of a right-wing supporter in his city the night before. After Trump called Wheeler, a Democrat, a “fool” and blamed him for allowing violence to proliferate in the liberal city, the visibly angry mayor lashed out at the president, addressing him in the first person through the TV cameras. “That’s classic Trump. Mr. President, how can you think that a comment like that, if you’re watching this, is in any way helpful? It’s an aggressive stance, it is not collaborative. I certainly reached out, I believe in a collaborative manner, by saying earlier that you need to do your part and I need to d...

California moves to consider reparations for slavery" Published on August 30, 2020 at 05:44AM by By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are setting up a task force to study and make recommendations for reparations to African Americans, particularly the descendants of slaves, as the nation struggles again with civil rights and unrest following the latest shooting of a Black man by police. The state Senate supported creating the nine-member commission on a bipartisan 33-3 vote Saturday. The measure returns to the Assembly for a final vote before lawmakers adjourn for the year on Monday, though Assembly members overwhelmingly already approved an earlier version of the bill. “Let's be clear: Chattel slavery, both in California and across our nation, birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of Black life in California,” said Democratic Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles. She cited disproporti...

Melania Trump's night: GOP convention stars first lady" Published on August 26, 2020 at 05:39AM by By STEVE PEOPLES, MICHELLE L. PRICE and DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The people closest to President Donald Trump — his family — were starring on the second night of the Republican National Convention as the GOP worked to reintroduce the president to American voters in the midst of the campaign and pandemic. First lady Melania Trump was delivering Tuesday evening's keynote address at the White House, while the president's daughter Tiffany and son Eric were to be featured, too. Trump himself played a significant role even before the formal program began. For a second consecutive night, his unscripted remarks threatened to overshadow the convention's carefully crafted message. And there was a separate controversy about one of the speakers, who was pulled from the convention minutes before it began. “The fraud and abuse will be an embarrass...

The peak of the California wildfire season is yet to come" Published on August 26, 2020 at 04:54AM by By DON THOMPSON and HAVEN DALEY, Associated Press VACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) — California’s firefighting agency is in talks with the National Guard and California Conservation Corps about providing reinforcements as an already devastating wildfire season threatens to get even worse. Lightning-sparked fires that have grown to some of the largest in state history have pushed firefighters to the breaking point as they also deal with complications from the coronavirus pandemic and depleted inmate crews. “Historically it’s September and October when we experience our largest and our most damaging wildfires. So to be in the middle of August and already have the second- and the third-largest wildfires in our state’s history is very concerning to us,” Daniel Berlant, chief of wildfire planning and engineering at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Tuesday. For...

Yaz homers on 30th birthday, Giants win 6th in a row" Published on August 24, 2020 at 05:45AM by By JOE STIGLICH, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski celebrated his 30th birthday with a go-ahead home run and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Sunday for their sixth consecutive victory. Trevor Cahill and four relievers held the Diamondbacks to five hits, and the Giants completed their first three-game series sweep of the season. Yastrzemski drove a 3-2 pitch from Luke Weaver (1-4) into the Giants’ bullpen in center field leading off the sixth for a 2-1 lead. His birthday happens to fall on the same weekend as the birthday of his grandfather, Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. “You can’t write that stuff,” Mike Yastrzemski said. “It’s just been really fun to have these opportunities and just try to make the most of them. It’s been fun and we’ve been winning games.” Alex Dickerson added a three-run homer off Hector Rondon in the seventh t...