thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh goes on despite US mediation

Rocket and artillery barrage hit residential areas in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday hours after the United States hosted top diplomats from Armenia and Azerbaijan for talks on settling their decades-long conflict over the region .
The heavy shelling forced residents of Stepanakert , the regional capital of Nagorno-Karabakh , into shelters , as emergency teams rushed to extinguish fires .
Local officials said the city was struck with Azerbaijan ’ s Smerch long-range multiple rocket systems , a devastating Soviet-designed weapon intended to ravage wide areas with explosives and cluster munitions .
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said other towns in the region were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was no immediate information about casualties .
Officials in Azerbaijan claimed that the town of Terter and areas in the Gubadli region came under Armenian shelling early Saturday , killing a teenager .
They also said 13-year-old boy died Saturday of wounds from an earlier shelling of Ganja , Azerbaijan ’ s second-largest city .
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994 .
The current fighting that started Sept. 27 marks the worst escalation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end and has killed hundreds , perhaps even thousands , according to official reports .
After two failed attempts by Russia to broker a truce , the U.S. waded onto the scene on Friday , with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosting the Armenian and Azerbaijan foreign ministers for separate talks .
“ Both must implement a ceasefire and return to substantive negotiations , ” Pompeo said in a tweet after the negotiations .
Those words were ignored on the ground .
“ Just now a bomb exploded in my garden , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only gave his first name amid the war jitters , said after the overnight attack .
“ If this is the so-called cease-fire , let the whole world see this cease-fire.
” Georgiy , who was born in Stepanakert , said he would stay home despite the fighting .
“ This is my motherland , I ’ m not going to leave it , ” he said .
“ All the people will stand until the last.
” According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials , 963 of their troops have been killed , and 37 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t disclosed its military losses , but said that over 60 civilians were killed and about 300 were wounded in the four weeks of fighting .
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that according to Moscow ’ s information , the death toll from the fighting was significantly higher than officially reported by the warring parties , nearing 5,000 .
Russia , the United States and France have co-chaired the so-called Minsk Group set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to mediate in the conflict , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly three decades .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that to end hostilities Armenian forces must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh .
He has insisted that Azerbaijan has the right to reclaim its territory by force since international mediators have failed .
Turkey has thrown its weight behind Azerbaijan , vowing to support its ally “ on the battlefield or the negotiating table.
” It has trained Azerbaijani military and provided it with strike drones and long-range rocket systems that gave Azerbaijan a strong military edge on the battlefield .
Armenian officials say Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is sending Syrian mercenaries in to fight on Azerbaijan ’ s side .
Turkey has denied deploying combatants to the region , but a Syrian war monitor and Syria-based opposition activists have confirmed that Turkey has sent hundreds of Syrian opposition fighters to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh .
Avet Demourian in Yerevan , Armenia , Aida Sultanova in London and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--In New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is raising big money for a contest she’s almost sure to win

All the money in the world is not likely to influence the outcome of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s re-election bid in November .
But that has not stopped people from trying : The contest has improbably become the second-most expensive House race in the country .
Money has been pouring in from all sides .
Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y. , has raised $ 17.3 million ( U.S. ) , much of it from small donors attracted to her star power , progressive policies and outsize social media presence .
Her Republican challenger , John Cummings , a 60-year-old former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boys in the Bronx and a former officer for the New York Police Department , has collected $ 9.6 million in his first bid for office .
His campaign war chest exceeds all but a dozen or so House incumbents .
He has a donor list any fundraiser would envy .
And over the last three-month reporting period , Cummings actually took in more money than Ocasio-Cortez , raising $ 5.5 million to her roughly $ 4 million .
The contest is such a magnet for money that even Michelle Caruso-Cabrera , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Democratic primary but will be on the ballot representing the Serve America Movement , has raised $ 2.4 million and lent her campaign another $ 1 million .
The torrent of donations is the latest example of how Ocasio-Cortez , 31 , has become a draw for Republican candidates to seek donors based off resentment of her .
“ I guarantee you 75 per cent of his contributors don ’ t know anything about him , ” Tom Doherty , a Republican strategist , said of Cummings .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he ’ s running against AOC .
The people that are interested in that race financially are giving because it ’ s AOC.
” The big-money contest is also a reflection of how a spotlight race can fuel millions of dollars to favoured political strategists and causes , sometimes far removed from the actual candidates .
Cummings has made heavy digital and cable advertising buys , blanketing his district , which covers parts of Queens and the Bronx , and even some areas outside it .
He has hired consultants like Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founder , Nathan Sproul , a longtime Republican operative , has faced fraud accusations over the years .
Cummings has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on mailers , hiring Big Dog Strategies , whose clients include the Congressional Leadership Fund , a super PAC dedicated to helping Republicans win a majority in the House , and America First Action , a pro-Trump super PAC .
He has also hired Smart Media Group , a Virginia firm that works closely with the National Republican Senatorial Committee , to handle multiple six-figure media ad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 560,000 on Facebook ads over the last three months , according to Facebook ’ s ad library , a public database of all ads on its platform .
An overwhelming majority of the campaign ’ s contributors are from outside of New York .
“ Long term , this race doesn ’ t help you build the party that I think we need , ” Doherty said .
“ That ’ s not a race that we ’ re going to win , but that ’ s where we are at in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent heavily on Facebook ads , buying $ 1.6 million worth in the last 90 days .
Part of the ad buy is geared toward building her own small-donor network to avoid having to rely on Facebook , which Ocasio-Cortez has criticized for not fact-checking political advertisements , according to her campaign .
She has also spent campaign funds to support an effort to get New Yorkers to fill out the census and to distribute meals to New Yorkers struggling financially because of the pandemic .
One digital advertisement Ocasio-Cortez ran about census @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ensure that our fundraising yields real investments into the community beyond transactional politicking , ” said Lauren Hitt , a spokeswoman for Ocasio-Cortez .
Just in the last two weeks , Cummings ’ campaign has spent more than $ 2.4 million , while Ocasio-Cortez ’ s campaign spent $ 614,000 .
Cummings has used his ads to introduce himself to voters as someone who has lived and worked in the Bronx for decades , suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez was an outsider who attended schools in Westchester County .
He criticized her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Queens .
Cummings is trying to appeal to moderate Democrats , whom he calls “ Joe Crowley Democrats , ” a reference to the former high-ranking Democratic leader whom Ocasio-Cortez defeated in an upset primary victory in 2018 .
“ She has done an unbelievable job of creating a national persona for herself but has neglected the district , ” Cummings said in an interview .
Chapin D. Fay , Cummings ’ campaign manager , acknowledged that an upset was still unlikely , given the district ’ s overwhelmingly Democratic composition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fundraising totals underscored how polarizing Ocasio-Cortez is among voters .
“ I just sensed that national fundraising against someone like AOC would be successful , ” Fay said .
“ I can ’ t take credit for knowing it was going to be this successful , but we knew he would be able to put a few bucks together to run a race.
” Fay , who previously served as the press secretary and director of public affairs for Gov .
George E. Pataki , has also benefited from the flow of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company founded by Fay , collected tens of thousands of dollars for managing the campaign and handling local media buys .
Cummings , who said he supports President Donald Trump and defended his much criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic , has not focused on the president , who is deeply unpopular in his hometown .
He said he plans to continue meeting voters on the street until election day because he believes there may be a local undercurrent of dissatisfaction with Ocasio-Cortez .
“ They dislike her , they dislike what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I ’ m doing , ” he said .
“ If we close strong , I think we can pull this race off.
” Cummings said he has requested a debate but does not expect his opponent to agree to one .
Ocasio-Cortez ’ s campaign said it had received one last-minute debate invitation from a “ third-party moderator , ” but she was committed elsewhere .
“ To be fair , ” Cummings said , “ no one wants to debate a high school civics teacher .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-10-24--TV reporter goes missing in southern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A reporter working for Pakistan ’ s leading Geo News television has gone missing in the southern port city of Karachi , family and colleagues said Saturday .
Geo bureau chief in Karachi , Fahim Siddiqi , said police registered the journalist ’ s disappearance as an “ abduction ” case without naming suspects .
Ali Imran Syed , 40 , left home late Friday evening telling his wife that he would be back in half an hour but did not return .
Azhar Abbas , head of the Geo TV , said he has contacted provincial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing reporter ” and “ ensure his safety “ .
Siddiqi said the reporter ’ s abduction may have been related to his work on recent political events , including the arrest of an opposition leader who is the son-in-law of former premier Nawaz Sharif .
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said in a tweet no one should “ disappear in a democracy ” .
Pakistani media has been facing renewed pressure from state agencies that have sought to control the topics covered by the media and even restrict the selection of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and press freedom advocates often accuse the Pakistani military and security agencies of pressuring media outlets to prevent critical coverage .
In December last year , a Karachi based reporter with the Express Tribune newspaper , Bilal Farooqi , was arrested on charges of spreading hateful content against the country ’ s military on social media .
In July , Matiullah Jan was briefly detained .
Jan is known for criticism of Pakistan ’ s military and security agencies .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Study: Climate change could interrupt Yellowstone geysers

JACKSON , Wyo .
- A team of scientists and storytellers will soon be creating futuristic murals to help Yellowstone National Park ’ s visitors understand what the park will look like late this century .
“ The temperature is going to be 2 to 3 degrees Celsius higher than it is now , but that doesn ’ t mean very much , ” University of Wisconsin ecologist Monica Turner told the Jackson Hole News & Guide this summer .
“ What we ’ d like to do is show them.
” Her research — and the coming murals — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pine forests , which are projected to burn more frequently , leaving vistas more open and meadow-filled .
Other vegetation will likely shift on the landscape , as will the species that live there .
As they set the scene for the mural of Old Faithful , perhaps the famous geyser ought to be dormant .
A new study headed by U.S. Geological Survey research hydrologist Shaul Hurwitz shows that during the driest of times , Old Faithful goes dormant .
If those conditions repeat — and climate scientists forecast a much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ century — it could have major implications for Old Faithful and Yellowstone ’ s approximately 500 other geysers .
“ Eruption intervals might increase , ” Hurwitz said .
“ Or if it ’ s going to be as arid as it was … it might even stop the geyser.
” The dry period in history when Old Faithful is believed to have gone dormant fell about 650 to 800 years ago , just before the Little Ice Age .
Hurwitz and seven others recently detailed the suspected century-plus lull in the pages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where they published the article “ Yellowstone ’ s Old Faithful Geyser Shut Down by a Severe Thirteenth Century Drought.
” Co-authors included tree ring scientist John King , research ecologists Greg Pederson and Justin Martin , research chemist David Damby , earth and planetary science professor Michael Manga , geologist Jeff Hungerford and hydrologist Sara Peek .
Mineralized wood that former Yellowstone naturalist George Marler found near the Old Faithful eruption mound over 60 years ago is partly what inspired the study .
Building off that discovery , Hurwitz and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 additional chunks of wood from near the geyser .
“ We used radiocarbon methods to date those pieces , ” Hurwitz said , “ and they all came within like 100 years of each other.
” The similarities in age were significant because all the wood studied came from trees — likely lodgepole pine — that would have been growing during the 13th or 14th century , which was a period of severe regional drought all over the western United States .
Trees , of course , wouldn ’ t fare too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the geyser was regularly showering 200-plus-degree water into the air and onto the ground .
“ The trees wouldn ’ t have been growing there if the geyser were erupting , ” Hurwitz said .
“ Today if you go to any Yellowstone geyser there are no proximate trees.
” Although it was a period of dormancy that enabled the trees to grow , it was Old Faithful ’ s return that preserved the evidence they existed .
Silica in the geothermally heated water quickly mineralized the woody remnants , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other organisms that typically break down Yellowstone ’ s trees in 300 years or less .
While an extended period of extreme drought can stop Old Faithful altogether , less dramatic swings in climate can still influence eruption frequency .
Research looking at modern conditions has also found that during wet years Old Faithful erupts slightly more often than it blows during drier times .
Hurwitz said it ’ s hard to predict with precision what ’ s ahead for 130-foot-high geyser that predictably goes off every 90 minutes or so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s going to happen and that Old Faithful is going to go dry , ” Hurwitz said .
“ We say that if the climate models are true , the eruption intervals will become much longer and longer , and if it ’ s really extreme for a sustained amount of time it might go dry.
” Climate change and the aridity it ’ s expected to deliver isn ’ t the only threat to Old Faithful ’ s famous reliability .
Large earthquakes like the 1959 Hebgen Lake quake and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iconic geyser ’ s activity , decreasing the frequency of its eruptions , Hurwitz said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Asia Today: Sri Lanka closes harbours after 609 test positive

COLOMBO , Sri Lanka - Authorities in Sri Lanka on Saturday closed at least two fishery harbours and many stalls after a surge of 609 cases linked to the country ’ s main fish market .
The government also widened the curfew in parts of Colombo , the capital .
At least 11 villages were isolated in densely populated Western province , which includes Colombo .
Health authorities on Wednesday temporarily closed the fish market on Colombo ’ s outskirts after 49 traders tested positive for the coronavirus .
By Saturday , the number of cases went up to 609 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being tested .
Authorities say the outbreak is related to a cluster in a garment factory early this month , which has grown to 3,426 cases , almost half the country ’ s total of 6,287 .
It broke a two-month lull in infections .
Several thousand people have been asked to quarantine at home .
Schools and key public offices are closed , gatherings banned and restrictions imposed on public transport .
Sri Lanka has had 14 deaths from the coronavirus .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northeast Melbourne have been told to immediately get tested for COVID-19 after the emergence of seven new cases on Saturday .
There were no deaths .
Both schools will be closed for the next two weeks .
Already about 800 residents in Melbourne ’ s northern suburbs have been isolating because of the school outbreak .
Warnings have been circulated to workers , including taxi drivers , who might have visited the area .
The state ’ s death toll remained at 817 on Saturday and the national figure at 905 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The updated figures Saturday followed the city ’ s most significant anti-lockdown protest on Friday .
A “ Freedom Day ” rally began mid-afternoon and continued for several hours , erupting at times in violent scuffles between police and demonstrators , many of whom did not wear masks .
Police arrested 16 people and handed out dozens of fines .
Three police officers were injured and one was taken to a hospital .
— South Korea reported 77 new cases of the coronavirus , mostly from the greater capital area , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals and nursing homes .
Figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the country ’ s caseload to 25,775 , including 457 deaths .
Among the 1,484 active cases , 60 are in serious condition .
Fifty-nine of the new cases were reported from densely populated Seoul metropolitan area , which has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak since summer .
Hundreds of cases have been linked to a handful of hospitals and nursing homes .
Officials are testing thousands of medical workers to stem infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tied to international arrivals , including passengers from the United States , the Philippines and India .
— India reported 53,370 new coronavirus cases , taking the overall tally past 7.8. million .
The Health Ministry on Saturday also reported 650 deaths , driving the country ’ s toll to 117,956 .
The highest number of new infections is coming from Maharashtra , Kerala and Karnataka states .
They ’ re also reporting the maximum number of daily recoveries .
Last month , India hit a peak of nearly 100,000 cases in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections have fallen by about half and deaths by about a third , even as testing has remained consistent .
India is still adding more than 50,000 cases a day as the country prepares for a festival season when large crowds gather .
Health officials have warned about the potential for the virus to spread .
Follow all of AP ’ s coronavirus pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--No escaping from Wales: UK police to enforce travel ban

LONDON - A police force in England says it will try to stop people from leaving Wales , which has started a 17-day lockdown to slow a surging rate of coronavirus infections .
The Gloucestershire Constabulary will patrol routes from Wales and pull over drivers they believe are making long journeys .
Travelers without a good excuse will be asked to turn around .
If they don ’ t comply , officers will inform their Welsh counterparts so they can take action because Gloucestershire police don ’ t have the authority to fine people travelling from Wales , the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of coronavirus restrictions imposed by authorities throughout the U.K. , which has Europe ’ s deadliest coronavirus numbers , with 44,661 confirmed virus deaths .
Some 1,756 of those occurred in Wales , which has a population of about 3 million .
Under the U.K. ’ s system of devolved authority , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland have established their own public health rules .
Meanwhile , the national government in Westminster has created a three-tiered virus alert system that applies to England alone .
South Yorkshire on Saturday became the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tightest level of virus risk restrictions in England — following Liverpool , Greater Manchester and Lancashire .
But it is the Welsh government that has imposed one of the U.K. ’ s strictest lockdowns , including a ban on non-essential travel .
Under rules that took effect Friday evening , Wales also closed most businesses and restricted high schools to online instruction .
Another English police force , West Mercia , also said it will be working with their Welsh counterparts to “ enforce , where necessary , the relevant rules for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are continuing to rise across Britain .
Professor Neil Ferguson , whose modelling led to the U.K. ’ s original lockdown in March , told the BBC that the current situation was “ worrying.
’ ’ “ We are in a critical time right now , ’ ’ he said .
“ The health system will not be able to cope with this rate of growth for much longer .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--AP FACT CHECK: Trump and Biden in their last clash on stage

WASHINGTON - A more measured President Donald Trump does not necessarily mean a more truthful one .
In the final debate of the presidential campaign , he was loose with facts on the crisis of the time — the pandemic — and much else .
Trump did , though , exploit confusion sowed by Joe Biden during the primaries , when the Democrat occasionally made his position on energy sound more to the left than it actually is .
Trump accurately called out Biden when Biden denied he had ever vowed to ban fracking .
That was never Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that way .
TRUMP : “ We ’ re rounding the turn .
We ’ re rounding the corner .
It ’ s going away.
” THE FACTS : No , the coronavirus isn ’ t going away .
It ’ s coming back .
New cases are on the rise toward their summer peak .
Deaths have also been increasing .
The United States has hit a daily record of coronavirus cases with more than 83,000 reported infections , thousands more than the previous U.S. peak in July .
The U.S. death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the tally published by Johns Hopkins University .
The total U.S. caseload reported Friday was 83,757 , topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16 .
The seven-day rolling average of positive test rates has risen in 40 states over the past two weeks , from Oct. 8 to Oct. 22 , according to the COVID Tracking Project .
A few states seeing rising cases have very low levels of COVID-19 , but in most states the increase comes on top of already concerning background levels of the coronavirus .
TRUMP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about shutdowns .
But forget about him .
His Democrat governors — ( Andrew ) Cuomo in New York — you look at what ’ s going on in California , you look at Pennsylvania , North Carolina .
Democrats — Democrats all .
They ’ re shut down so tight , and they ’ re dying.
” BIDEN : “ Look at the states that are having such a spike in the coronavirus .
They ’ re the red states .
They ’ re the states in the Midwest or the states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s where the spike is occurring significantly.
” THE FACTS : Neither of them is right .
Coronavirus is a public health problem that affects people no matter where they live or what their politics are .
Some Republican-led states that were quick to reopen saw a surge of virus cases in the summer and are still struggling to get their transmission rates down .
Florida ’ s test positivity rate is about 12 % currently , a level indicating widespread transmission .
South Dakota is approaching 35 % .
Democratic-led states such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the initial wave closed down and got their virus transmission rates down to very low levels .
But they ’ re now seeing rebounds in certain communities , prompting them to target renewed restrictions .
Nevada and Pennsylvania are two states with Democratic governors and high transmission rates at 20 % and 10 % respectively by week ’ s end , based on a 14-day trend .
TRUMP on the toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. : “ So as you know 2.2 million people , modeled out , were expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his first line in the debate , and it is false .
The U.S. death toll from the pandemic was not expected to be that high .
Such an extreme projection was merely a baseline if nothing at all were done to fight the pandemic .
Doing nothing was never an option and public health authorities did not expect over 2 million deaths .
Trump often cites the number to put the reality of more than 220,000 deaths in a better light and to attempt to take credit for reducing projected mortality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and his officials discussed an actual projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths , the president held out hope of keeping deaths under 100,000 .
“ I think we ’ re doing better than that.
” He has repeatedly moved the goal posts to make the massive mortality and infection numbers look better .
THE FACTS : Yes he did .
But he misspoke on one occasion , prompting his campaign to correct him after , and left unclear just where he stood at least one other time .
In a March Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he became president , there would be “ no more — no new — fracking.
” His campaign quickly clarified that Biden meant he would ban new gas and oil permits — including fracking — on federal lands only .
The vast majority of oil and gas does not come from federal lands .
That is Biden ’ s consistent position , stated frequently and in writing .
Longer term , Biden has spoken about helping the country move toward a midcentury future free of fossil fuels .
That does not equate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRUMP , speaking about children who were separated from parents at the U.S.-Mexico border : “ They are so well taken care of .
They ’ re in facilities that are so clean.
” THE FACTS : Not so .
At the height of the family separations in 2018 , Border Patrol facilities were cramped well beyond capacity with migrants who were kept in squalid conditions , according to watchdog reports and the lawyers responsible for a federal settlement that governs how children are cared for in immigration custody .
Long-term facilities for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaning the administration held people in the small border stations for much longer than the 72 hours normally allowed by law .
The stations are hardly meant for long-term care .
Children were not provided hot meals and families slept on the floor on top of Mylar blankets .
Flu and sickness ran rampant , and hundreds of small children were kept together without adequate care .
TRUMP , on immigrants who are released from custody in the U.S. to wait out their cases being allowed to stay : “ They say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the people come back .
We have to send ... Border Patrol out to find them.
” THE FACTS : That ’ s false .
There are far fewer no-shows for immigration hearings among those who are released pending their cases .
According to Justice Department statistics , a majority come back for their hearings .
BIDEN : “ Not one single person with private insurance would lose their insurance under my plan , nor did they under ‘ Obamacare , ’ they did not lose their insurance , unless they chose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” THE FACTS : He ’ s wrong about the Affordable Care Act , also known as “ Obamacare.
” President Barack Obama promised if you liked your health insurance , you could keep it under his health plan , but that ’ s not what happened for some .
When the law took effect in 2014 , several million people lost individual health insurance plans that no longer met minimum standards established by the law .
A backlash forced the White House to offer a work-around , but the political damage was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complicated area that almost any action has the potential for unintended consequences .
TRUMP : The Paris accord meant “ we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars ... .
They did a great disservice .
They were going to take away our business.
” THE FACTS : The Paris accord , an international agreement that aims to halt the rise in global temperatures , is based on voluntary emission reductions .
No nation was forced to do anything .
TRUMP on his taxes : “ They keep talking about $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filing fee .
... Tens of millions of dollars ( in income taxes ) I prepaid.
” On his China bank account : “ I was a businessman in 2013 and I closed the account in 2015.
” THE FACTS : Trump is not being honest about his taxes .
Reporting by The New York Times , which obtained his tax records , contradicts his claims .
The IRS does not charge taxpayers a filing fee , though tax preparation services do .
The $ 750 that Trump paid in 2016 and 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government , not a tax preparation service .
It ’ s not clear what Trump is talking about with regard to prepaying his taxes , but what matters is what he ultimately owed the government .
Americans often have their income tax payments deducted from their paychecks .
The Times reported that Trump , starting in 2010 , claimed and received an income tax refund that totalled $ 72.9 million , which was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS .
The Times said a ruling against Trump could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nor did Trump close his Chinese bank account , according to Alan Garten , a lawyer for Trump ’ s company .
He told the newspaper that the account remains open , though the company ’ s office in China has been inactive since 2015 .
TRUMP : “ Joe got $ 3.5 ( million ) from Russia .
And it came through Putin because he was very friendly with the former mayor of Moscow , and it was the the mayor of Moscow ’ s wife .
...
Your family got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to have to explain why.
” THE FACTS : There is no evidence of this .
Trump is falsely characterizing a recent report by Sen. Ron Johnson , R-Wis. , who investigated Biden ’ s son , Hunter , and his business dealings in Ukraine .
The report did not allege that Joe Biden himself got $ 3.5 million or that Russia President Vladimir Putin had anything to do with such a payment .
Nor does the report allege that Hunter Biden pocketed the money himself .
The report said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he co-founded .
Hunter Biden ’ s lawyer has said in a statement to reporters that his client had no interest in and was not a founder of the firm .
TRUMP to Biden : “ I know more about wind than you do .
It ’ s extremely expensive.
” THE FACTS : No it isn ’ t .
His point is outdated .
Wind-energy costs hit all-time lows as of 2019 , averaging less than 2 cents per kilowatt-hour for newly built projects , making it increasingly competitive with other generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Energy Department ’ s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab .
“ Land-based utility-scale wind is one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today , ” the department says .
Wind and solar have become much cheaper as their industries grow and technology improves .
It ’ s why solar and wind are expanding , along with cheap natural gas , while coal plants and nuclear plants are closing .
This , despite regulatory rollbacks by the Trump administration to benefit the oil , gas and coal industries and undo Obama-era efforts against climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s very intermittent .
It ’ s got a lot of problems.
” Trump ’ s opinion about wind power being unreliable isn ’ t shared by many big energy users .
By next year , renewables such as wind and solar will be providing more of Americans ’ electricity than nuclear- and coal-fired power plants do , says the government ’ s Energy Information Administration .
And it says that by 2045 , renewables will surpass even natural gas in powering U.S. electricity plants .
TRUMP : “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ windmills is more than anything that we ’ re talking about with natural gas.
” Wind turbines produce pollution when they are manufactured and little to none when in operation , federal scientists say .
Even taking manufacturing emissions into account , wind power is far cleaner than natural gas .
Scientists in the Energy Department ’ s Natural Renewable Energy Laboratory calculate that wind turbines produce an average of 0.4 ounces of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour generated , over their lifetime .
That includes emissions from manufacturing .
Natural gas produces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 22.6 ounces per kilowatt-hour .
THE FACTS : That ’ s obviously not true .
But turbines do kill many .
Studies find that wind turbines kill an average of 230,000 birds a year in North America , says the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service .
The number will grow as more turbines are deployed .
Glass windows in buildings kill an estimated 599 million per year and vehicles , about 214 million a year , the agency says .
Altogether , the agency estimates that wind turbines are responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turbines are an additional threat to birds , if a comparatively small one .
Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer , Seth Borenstein , Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar , Josh Boak and Eric Tucker contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

Calvin Woodward And Hope Yen - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Poland’s President Duda tests positive for coronavirus

WARSAW , Poland—Poland ’ s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for the coronavirus but is feeling well , his spokesman said Saturday .
Duda ’ s diagnosis comes amid a huge surge in confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and virus-related deaths in Poland , a nation that saw only very low infection rates in the spring .
His spokesman , Blazej Spychalski , said on Twitter that the 48-year-old conservative leader was tested the day before and his result was positive .
He said the president is in isolation .
“ The president feels good , ” Spychalski said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the relevant medical services.
” Duda ’ s key constitutional roles include guiding foreign policy and signing legislation .
But many of his duties are ceremonial , and most of the country ’ s day-to-day governance is the responsibility of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki ’ s government .
The fast spread of the virus is pushing Poland ’ s strained health system to the breaking point .
Doctors say patients are now dying not only from COVID-19 , but from other illnesses that overwhelmed hospitals are not able to treat .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it is not clear where it will find the doctors and nurses to staff them .
Duda on Friday visited the National Stadium in Warsaw , which is being transformed into one of the field hospitals .
He also bestowed state honours Friday on Iga Swiatek , the 19-year-old Polish tennis player who won the French Open earlier this month , and her father and trainer , Tomasz Swiatek .
Duda and the Swiateks wore masks and gloves , but stood very close and shook hands as the president pinned the awards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others on her team have no symptoms but would go into quarantine .
She said they are tested regularly and would be tested again in three days .
The Polish government has imposed new restrictions starting Saturday that are just short of a lockdown in hopes of bringing the country ’ s outbreak under control .
The prime minister appealed to Poles to strictly observe these “ serious restrictions ” in order to protect lives .
On Saturday , the European Union nation of 38 million recorded 13,628 new cases and 179 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in one day since the start of pandemic .
There are now some 11,500 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 911 of them on respirators , the Health Ministry said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--UN: Nuclear weapons ban treaty to enter into force

TANZANIA , Tanzania - The United Nations announced Saturday that 50 countries have ratified a U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons triggering its entry into force in 90 days , a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by the United States and the other major nuclear powers .
As of Friday , the treaty had 49 signatories , and the United Nations said the 50th ratification from Honduras had been received .
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the 50 states and saluted “ the instrumental work “ of civil society in facilitating negotiations and pushing for ratification , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. chief said the treaty ’ s entry into force on Jan. 22 culminates a worldwide movement “ to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons ” and “ is a tribute to the survivors of nuclear explosions and tests , many of whom advocated for this treaty , ” he said , Guterres said the treaty “ represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons , which remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations , ” Dujarric said .
Beatrice Fihn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Abolish Nuclear Weapons , the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition whose work helped spearhead the nuclear ban treaty , said : “ This moment has been 75 years coming since the horrific attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , and the founding of the U.N. which made nuclear disarmament a cornerstone.
” “ The 50 countries that ratify this Treaty are showing true leadership in setting a new international norm that nuclear weapons are not just immoral but illegal , ” she said .
The 50th ratification came on the 75th anniversary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially established the United Nations and is celebrated as UN Day .
“ The United Nations was formed to promote peace with a goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons , ” Fihn said .
“ This treaty is the U.N. at its best — working closely with civil society to bring democracy to disarmament.
” The treaty requires that all ratifying countries “ never under any circumstances ... develop , test , produce , manufacture , otherwise acquire , possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
” It also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons or nuclear explosive devices — and the threat to use such weapons -- and requires parties to promote the treaty to other countries .
Once it enters into force all countries that have ratified it will be bound by those requirements .
The United States had written to treaty signatories saying the Trump administration believes they made “ a strategic error ” and urging them to rescind their ratification .
The U.S. letter , obtained by The Associated Press , said the five original nuclear powers -- the U.S. , Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America ’ s NATO allies “ stand unified in our opposition to the potential repercussions ” of the treaty .
It says the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons , known as the TPNW , “ turns back the clock on verification and disarmament and is dangerous ” to the half-century-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty , considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts .
“ The TPNW is and will remain divisive in the international community and risk further entrenching divisions in existing nonproliferation and disarmament fora that offer the only realistic prospect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It would be unfortunate if the TPNW were allowed to derail our ability to work together to address pressing proliferation.
” Fihn has stressed that “ the nonproliferation Treaty is about preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eliminating nuclear weapons , and this treaty implements that .
There ’ s no way you can undermine the Nonproliferation Treaty by banning nuclear weapons .
It ’ s the end goal of the Nonproliferation Treaty.
” The NPT sought to prevent the spread of nuclear arms beyond the five original weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to not pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states ’ access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy .
Rebecca Johnson , a co-founder and first president of the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons , said : “ The ban treaty is as much about just making it much more possible for people all around the world to see nobody needs nuclear weapons , and they ’ re actually an impediment , an obstacle -- they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the real security threats we have on the ground from COVID to climate.
” She said in an AP interview that nuclear weapons can ’ t prevent or deal with conflicts like the most recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh .
“ They ’ re just in the way , and they ’ re highly expensive , and the governments that have them are distracted from the real security issues by trying to constantly pay for these arms races that they ’ re still obsessed with.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press interview on Wednesday : “ It is clear for me that we will only be entirely safe in relation to nuclear weapons the day where nuclear weapons no longer exist .
We know that it ’ s not easy .
We know that there are many obstacles.
” He expressed hope that a number of important initiatives , including U.S.-Russia talks on renewing the New Start Treaty limiting deployed nuclear warheads , missiles and bombers and next year ’ s review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty , “ will all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the final objective must be to have a world with no nuclear weapons.
” The treaty was approved by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on July 7 , 2017 by a vote of 122 in favour , the Netherlands opposed , and Singapore abstaining .
Among countries voting in favour was Iran .
The five nuclear powers and four other countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons — India , Pakistan , North Korea and Israel — boycotted negotiations and the vote on the treaty , along with many of their allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima , who has been an ardent campaigner for the treaty , said : “ When I learned that we reached our 50th ratification , I was not able to stand.
” “ I remained in my chair and put my head in my hands and I cried tears of joy , ” she said in a statement .
“ I have committed my life to the abolition of nuclear weapons .
I have nothing but gratitude for all who have worked for the success of our treaty .
@


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Lee Kun-Hee, force behind Samsung’s rise, dies at 78

SEOUL , Korea , Republic Of - Lee Kun-Hee , the ailing Samsung Electronics chairman who transformed the small television maker into a global giant of consumer electronics , has died .
He was 78 .
A Samsung statement said Lee died on Sunday with his family members , including his son and de facto company chief Lee Jae-yong , by his side .
Lee Kun-Hee had been hospitalized since May 2014 after suffering a heart attack and the younger Lee has run Samsung , the biggest company in South Korea .
The Samsung statement says “ all of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are grateful for the journey we shared with him.
” Lee Kun-hee inherited control from his father and during his nearly 30 years of leadership , Samsung Electronics Co. became a global brand and the world ’ s largest maker of smartphones , televisions and memory chips .
Samsung sells Galaxy phones while also making the screens and microchips that power its rivals , Apple ’ s iPhones and Google Android phones .
It is South Korea ’ s largest family-controlled business conglomerate and helped make the nation ’ s economy , Asia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shipbuilding , life insurance , construction , hotels , amusement park operation and more .
Samsung Electronics alone accounts for 20 % of the market capital on South Korea ’ s main stock market .
Lee leaves behind immense wealth , with Forbes estimating his fortune at $ 16 billion as of January 2017 .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Pence adviser Marty Obst catches coronavirus, adding to White House outbreak

WASHINGTON—One of Vice President Mike Pence ’ s closest political advisers , Marty Obst , tested positive for coronavirus infection this week , according to three people familiar with the matter , adding to the number of cases in and around the White House .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear if Obst developed symptoms of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
Obst tested positive on Wednesday , two of the people said .
He was quiet on Twitter that day , with just one retweet , but has since been active on the social media platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden .
While he ’ s not a government employee , Obst is frequently in contact with Pence and his staff and visits the White House grounds .
Obst and spokespeople for Pence didn ’ t immediately respond to requests for comment .
The coronavirus has swept the White House since September , infecting U.S. President Donald Trump , his wife and youngest son , and a number of top aides , including his campaign manager , his press secretary , and the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee .
The outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s handling of the pandemic , which polls show has been widely panned by voters .
Pence ’ s press secretary Katie Miller contracted COVID-19 in May .
Pence himself has so far escaped infection .
The virus has infected about 8.6 million Americans so far and more than 225,000 have died .
The U.S. is in the midst of yet another surge of infections , with new cases exceeding 83,000 on Friday , a record .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Tropical depression forms south of Cuba, set to strengthen

MIAMI - A tropical depression formed Saturday afternoon south of Cuba amid forecasts that the system would become a named tropical storm later this weekend and possibly a hurricane within days , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said .
The Miami-based centre said Tropical Depression 28 emerged about 405 kilometres south-southeast of the western tip of Cuba .
At 8 p.m. EDT , the storm was 386 kilometres from that location .
It had top sustained winds of 45 kph and was moving toward the north-northwest at 4 kph .
Forecasters said the depression is expected to strengthen into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurricane status over the southern Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday .
The centre said the storm is expected to remain south of Cuba on Sunday and approach Mexico ’ s Yucatan Peninsula — or the Yucatan Channel — late Monday before entering the southern Gulf .
The government of Cuba has issued a tropical storm watch for the province of Pinar del Rio .
The hurricane centre said people on Mexico ’ s Yucatan Peninsula should monitor the progress of the storm , which is expected to gradually strengthen over the next 72 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located about 985 kilometres northeast of Bermuda on Saturday afternoon .
The storm had top sustained winds of 130 kph with higher gusts , making it a Category 1 hurricane .
It is expected to move quicker toward the northeast through Sunday , and become a large , powerful post-tropical cyclone by late Sunday , the National Hurricane Center warned .
Large ocean swells generated by the hurricane could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada during the next couple of days .
This year ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hurricane centre has turned to the Greek alphabet after running out of official names .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Haiti president rebuffs elections calls by US. Instead, he announces constitution reform

Haitian President Jovenel Moise , who has been under pressure by Washington to hold long-overdue elections in Haiti as soon as “ it ’ s technically feasible , ” declared Friday that there will be no elections until a new constitution is adopted .
“ This constitution is like an act of corruption that was signed with a category of people in this country , ” said Moise , complaining about his weakened presidency and the need for a prime minister to be in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the country .
He then said that only after Haitians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” on a new constitution will elections take place .
Moise ’ s declaration during an address to the nation is the opposite of what the Trump administration and the Organization of American States have been pushing ever since Parliament became dysfunctional in January , leaving Haiti to be ruled by decree .
While the U.S. has declined to put a date on when Haitians should head to the ballot box to renew both chambers of Parliament and local offices , which expired in July , the OAS has said legislative , local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by January .
The organization ’ s expectation is that elections in Haiti , where there is still no political consensus , millions of qualified voters without voter registration cards and deep insecurity , would take place no later than April 2021 .
Elections , which were due last October , failed to take place because of violent anti-government protests and Moise ’ s failure to send an electoral law to Parliament to vote on before the terms of all members of the lower Chamber of Deputies expired the second Monday in January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate .
It ’ s unclear how Moise ’ s announcement will be received .
The international community itself appears to be divided on the question of constitutional reform versus elections .
While the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince , for example , has been vocal about the need for elections in Haiti , it has not showed any public support for Moise ’ s campaign to reform the constitution .
The United Nations , on the other end , has been supportive .
Helen La Lime , U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ’ representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional reform , going as far as penning a June 15 editorial in the country ’ s daily , Le Nouvelliste , advocating for a Haitian-owned constitutional reform process .
The representative of the European Union , Sylvie Tabesse , said this week that conditions in Haiti do not exist for a EU electoral observation mission to be sent in .
In addition to concerns about the increase in violence and criminality and the lack of political consensus with members of the opposition , Tabesse said the EU is unclear about the status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two of its last missions , in 2015 and 2016 .
The purpose of the recommendations is to help limit a deeper crisis once a vote takes place and to help ensure the fairness of the vote and disputes by candidates afterward by , for example , having them go before professionals who have been properly trained to litigate .
“ We know that some work has been done but we don ’ t have clarity on what was done exactly , ” Tabesse told the Miami Herald in an interview earlier in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a provisional decree that is not taking into account many of our recommendations.
” Tabesse said the EU is reluctant to send electoral observation missions to any country where previous missions issued recommendations that have not been implemented .
Tabesse made clear that the concerns raised about an EU electoral observation mission have nothing to do with the larger debate about whether elections should take place in Haiti and when .
The EU , however , stands ready to support the government in addressing the shortcomings it has identified , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is pressing for transition over elections , opinions vary about a new constitution .
Some political observers point out that the amended 1987 constitution , ratified after the fall of the nearly 30-year Duvalier family dictatorship , has never been respected .
Others , including those who agree on the need for a new constitution , question whether Moise should be the one to do it .
They argue that his recent controversial decision to task a newly appointed nine-member Provisional Electoral Council with organizing a constitutional referendum is unconstitutional and illegal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forbids such a referendum .
“ Jovenel Moise went too far , ” said former senator and presidential candidate Steven Benoit .
“ You spent three-and-a-half years with a majority in Parliament ... you want to change the constitution , propose your amendment.
” Moise did not say Friday how a referendum will take place .
Instead , he spent the address laying out his reasons for a new constitution , blaming it for Haiti ’ s instability and ongoing political crisis .
Since coming into office in 2017 , he has faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resignation , rogue police officers demanding better working conditions and teachers demanding better pay .
Last year before lockdowns began across the Americas with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic , anti-government protesters in Haiti shut down the country for much of the year , forcing the closures of schools and businesses .
The current constitution , said Moise , whose own five-year presidential term is the subject of a constitutional dispute , doesn ’ t correspondent to Haiti ’ s culture or how Haitians understand authority .
“ It doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ ( It ’ s ) a blockage in the governance of the country because all of the institutions can not function with the model of this constitution.
” Hinting that Haiti needs a strong presidency , Moise said he ’ s obligated , under the current constitution , to have a prime minister to execute a program that doesn ’ t respect the engagement the president wants .
“ The president always finds himself in difficulty to respect the engagement he took in his electoral campaign with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a modern constitution , ” Moise said .
“ This new constitution should be adapted to our culture , it should be simple .
It should be clear ... and it should be easy to apply .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Authorities find 2 abducted girls after 2 boys are killed

MISSION , Kan. - Authorities found two girls who were abducted from a Kansas home where two boys were discovered dead Saturday , and a suspect is in custody .
The Kansas Amber Alert System said about 7 p.m. on Twitter that the girls were found by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol near Erick , Oklahoma .
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation earlier identified the girls as 3-year-old Aven Jackson and 7-year-old Nora Jackson .
An Amber Alert said the suspect in the abduction is the girls ’ father , 40-year-old Donny Jackson .
Leavenworth County Emergency Management said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person of interest in the homicides .
The time of the abduction and killings are unknown .
Authorities began investigating around 1:15 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from an adult who discovered the homicide scene at the home where Jackson lived when one of the children didn ’ t show up for a soccer game , Maj. James Sherley , of the Leavenworth County Sheriff ’ s Department , said in a news briefing .
Less than an hour before the discovery was made , the Kansas Highway Patrol made an unrelated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicle on U.S. 169 near the Oklahoma border .
The stop was for a traffic infraction , Sherley said .
The abducted children were in the vehicle , according to an update posted on the KBI website .
The names of the slain boys weren ’ t immediately released .
Sherley said he believed the boys were 11 and 14 and were the girls ’ siblings .
The FBI referred questions to the patrol , which said the sheriff ’ s office was answering questions in the case .
Sherley said “ there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family “ but that the motive wasn ’ t clear .
He added : “ At this time investigators are trying to determine what went on with the family dynamic that got us to this point .
”

Heather Hollingsworth - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Opposition activist leaves embassy haven to flee Venezuela

MEDELLIN , Colombia - Prominent opposition activist Leopoldo López has abandoned the Spanish ambassador ’ s residence in Caracas and left Venezuela after years of frustrated efforts to oust the nation ’ s socialist president , his party said Saturday .
The 49-year-old former Caracas-area mayor has been holed up at the ambassador ’ s residence since a failed military uprising he led in April 2019 aimed at ousting President Nicolás Maduro .
He has been jailed , under house arrest or in a foreign embassy refuge for nearly seven years .
“ We won ’ t rest and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to attain the freedom that we Venezuelans all deserve , “ López tweeted late Saturday .
He said the decision to leave had not been ‘ ’ simple ’ ’ and that more details on plans for democratic change in Venezuela will be announced in coming days .
In a statement from Popular Will , the party López founded , leaders confirmed he had left the country to continue his work from abroad in a decision they deemed “ best for the country and the fight for Venezuela ’ s freedom.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imprisonment inside Venezuela , Leopoldo López is still not totally free , like all Venezuelans , so long as there exists a dictatorship that violates the human rights of the people , ” the party said .
It is unclear how López left the ambassador ’ s residence , given the heavy state security presence permanently stationed outside the property .
Travel by land has grown increasingly difficult because of widespread fuel shortages .
Filling up a vehicle with gas can take hours if not days and checkpoints manned by security forces have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message directed to Maduro on Twitter , U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó said his political mentor had gotten out of Venezuela by “ evading your repressive apparatus.
” He added to López ’ s efforts to remove Maduro would continue from abroad as part of the opposition strategy to garner international support .
There was no immediate reaction from Venezuelan authorities .
López was sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison after being convicted of inciting violence during anti-government protests in which three people died and dozens were wounded .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house arrest after more than three years in a military jail .
Even from his confines , López has remained an influential figure in Venezuela ’ s opposition , advising Guaidó , who claims he is the country ’ s interim president because Maduro ’ s 2018 reelection was not legitimate .
But after drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets last year , the opposition has struggled to regain momentum .
Maduro remains firmly in control of the nation ’ s military and nearly all other government institutions .
López @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held up by the government as a trophy as it prepares to retake control of the National Assembly in December legislative elections that Guaidó has vowed to boycott .
López had long stubbornly refused to leave even when his wife and children fled to Spain last year .
He would join dozens of anti-government politicians who have fled Venezuela over recent years , many leaving covertly to avoid potential persecution or jail time .
“ It ’ s probably the clearest sign that the continued opposition effort to unseat Maduro has floundered that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chosen to finally leave , ” said Raul Gallegos , a Colombia-based analyst at Control Risks consultancy .
López pursued a strategy in 2014 known as “ The Exit , ” consisting of street protests months after Maduro was elected .
The strategy failed and ultimately divided the opposition .
That combativeness led to his arrest and conviction on insurrection charges branded a sham by human rights groups .
His hardline stance , backed by Washington , would ultimately come to dominate the fractious opposition , which rallied behind Guaidó .
A follower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president and is now recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela ’ s rightful leader .
The years López spent at a military prison , during which he read the works of Nelson Mandela and kept up a rigorous exercise regimen , solidified his image as a man willing to risk his own skin to rid the country of Maduro .
He sought allies among his former jailers in the military and in 2019 reappeared on a highway overpass with a small band of national guardsmen calling for an uprising against Maduro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ López took refuge in the ambassador ’ s residence .
Since then , López has struggled to maintain the same leadership .
While Guaidó named him his cabinet chief , many in the opposition coalition , envious of his influence in Washington , sought to quietly undermine him , accusing him of having a messiah complex and failing to build consensus .
His departure comes just days after Spain ’ s Ambassador Jesus Silva—who has been the dean of Caracas ’ dwindling diplomatic community—was recalled by Spain ’ s leftist government to Madrid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a career diplomat , was a firm backer of López .
But as a holdover from previous Spanish administrations who was once expelled by Maduro , he was less effective an interlocutor when Spain ’ s socialist government took power .
Even as his whereabouts remained unknown , some opposition leaders were praising López ’ s decision to flee .
“ We await you in the diaspora to continue fighting for the freedom of all of Venezuela , ” said Antonio Ledezma , a former Caracas mayor who himself fled in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation in 2017 after being briefly jailed on charges of plotting to oust Maduro .

Joshua Goodman And Christine Armario - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--While her father rails against ‘idiot’ scientists, Ivanka Trump talks ice cream

FRANKLIN , WIS.—U.S .
President Donald Trump had just been on “ Fox and Friends , ” demanding that his attorney general “ act ” against his opponent before the election .
He had , the day before , called Joe Biden a “ criminal , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci a “ disaster , ” government scientists “ idiots ” and members of the news media “ real garbage.
” Ivanka Trump , meanwhile , was visiting suburban Milwaukee and Franklin for none of this .
“ I learned that the first ice cream sundae was created in this amazing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ older daughter and senior White House adviser said from a small stage of a sunlit function room overlooking a pond .
There would be no mentions of Hunter Biden in here , no reference to Hillary Clinton , “ Barack Hussein Obama , ” China virus , witch hunts , fake news , antifa or rigged elections .
Instead , the first daughter came armed with local fun facts and pleasing asides .
She skipped the Trump-branded red meat and went straight to dessert .
“ Wisconsinites eat 21 million gallons of ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an icebreaker .
She likes to collect souvenir trivia like this from the road , which she will then serve up at home as cool mom fodder .
“ My children , upon hearing this , want to move to Wisconsin , ” she continued .
“ So , the Kushners might be coming to town !
” The crowd was heavy with the just the kind of white suburban female voters who have become her father ’ s demographic kryptonite .
They have been fleeing his coalition with such abandon that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Suburban women , will you please like me ?
” the president pleaded at a rally in Pennsylvania last week .
By wide margins , they do not , especially the white suburban voters who went for Donald Trump last time .
A remarkable 56 per cent of white women said they held a very unfavourable view of the president in a New York Times/Siena College poll .
These include many independents and former Republicans who self-identify as moderate or conservative and are likely to be put off by the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much as it ’ s possible , the Trump campaign is attempting to deploy the first daughter as a demographic paratrooper targeting at-risk women of the changing suburbs .
Speaking to a gathering in the wooded outskirts of Milwaukee — a polite , professionally dressed and economically comfortable group — she focused more on points of friendly consensus ( who doesn ’ t love ice cream ? )
and seemed determined to offer a stark departure , at least rhetorically , from the tornado of grievance and belligerence that has marked so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was happy to leave that to her dad and brothers and the rest of the boys .
Eric Trump did a raucous , partially masked rally in the packed basement of a bowling alley here last week .
Later , Donald Trump Jr. would appear on Fox News and link Hunter Biden , Joe Biden ’ s son , to “ human trafficking and prostitution rings.
” Sen. Ron Johnson told a Trump rally in Janesville last weekend that supporters of Biden “ don ’ t particularly love America.
” Wisconsin is home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has burned for Donald Trump from the outset .
It is as hotly contested and divided as any state .
The discord has even extended to the stars of Happy Days — set in the Milwaukee suburbs of the 1950s .
Ron Howard ( who played Richie Cunningham ) , Henry Winkler ( Fonzie ) and other alums of the show joined a “ virtual reunion ” of the cast to raise money for Democrats .
But Chachi was not cool with this at all .
“ What a shame to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americana to promote an anti-American socialist , ” tweeted Scott Baio , a vocal Trump supporter who played Fonzie ’ s apprentice cousin on the beloved sitcom .
It is not clear that any safe zone is possible inside the Trump enterprise , given the president ’ s all-consuming personality and the commotion of his presidency .
“ The first family , including the president , are all going to have different styles , ” explained Mercedes Schlapp , a former White House official and campaign surrogate who asked questions of the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s important to talk about what the president has done for this country in a short period of time , ” Schlapp said in an interview .
“ It ’ s important not to get lost in the noise that so much of the mainstream media is wrapped up in.
” Schlapp was asked whether Donald Trump himself was responsible for creating some of that noise .
“ Look , ” Schlapp said , chuckling , “ The president punches when he needs to punch.
” His daughter has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her own way of telling it .
Still , a surrogate can stray only so far from a campaign ’ s dominant message and messenger .
Ivanka Trump could speak with endless poise about all the important lessons her father instilled ( “ Find something you ’ re passionate about , because that ’ s the path to happiness ” ) .
She could focus on suburban parenting concerns such as school choice and education reform , and lament “ the loss of social interaction for our kids ” during the coronavirus outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration , caravans , walls or family separation .
And then , later in the day came a report that the parents of 545 children who had been separated from them at the southern border could not be located .
“ On the one hand , a president ’ s family member can offer a softening and humanizing touch , ” said Gil Troy , a presidential historian who has written extensively on first families .
In such a polarized and binary environment , he added , Ivanka Trump can still offer some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not like her father but who would be loath to support Biden .
“ Ivanka can still be proof that is ‘ See , he ’ s not that bad , ’ ” Troy said .
“ She is trying to be some port in the storm.
” At a certain point , though the contrast becomes too stark .
“ It becomes almost a countercampaign rather than a supporting one , ” he said .
And while Ivanka Trump may avoid the vitriolic language of her father and brothers , she has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics find just as distasteful or ill-advised .
She was , reportedly , a proponent of her father ’ s march across Lafayette Square last spring during protests against racial injustice , culminating in a Bible-waving photo-op in front of the fire-damaged St. John ’ s Church .
The widely derided performance stands as one of the most notorious spectacles of the Trump presidency .
As perhaps the president ’ s most influential aide , his daughter tends to be studiously quiet in public , even over policies she is believed to personally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knack for oblivious gestures : drawing backlash , for instance , after she tweeted a photo of herself cuddling her 2-year-old son amid reports of migrant children being forcibly taken from their mothers by border agents .
Ivanka Trump and her husband , Jared Kushner , also offer ready-made foils of privilege .
The Lincoln Project , a super PAC of anti-Trump conservatives , sponsored two Ivanka and Jared themed billboards in Times Square this past week ; one featured a grinning Ivanka Trump next to national and statewide death tallies from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their removal and threatened legal action . )
On the reelection trail , she is offering a campaign version of daytime TV .
“ It ’ s a breath of fresh air to hear that positive tone , ” said Joe Krupa of Franklin through a navy blue , MAGA-emblazoned mask .
“ I ’ m really sick of all the Debbie downers and the negativity , ” he said .
To be clear , Krupa said he blamed this negativity on the rampant “ hatred for Trump ” that exists from Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s work for a Ukrainian energy company , he added , “ should be an even bigger scandal than Watergate.
” Krupa seemed to be getting slightly worked up for a second but stopped himself — as if this was not the right vibe for the Ivanka Hour .
“ It ’ s more of the boys ’ role to talk about Hunter Biden and all of the other stuff that ’ s wrong with Joe Biden , ” said Krupa ’ s friend , Lois Dombrowski of Caledonia , another Milwaukee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump spoke of her father ’ s willingness to look beyond party orthodoxy and support creative solutions : one local example involved an initiative to help Wisconsin farmers whose goods were shut off from supply chains after the coronavirus hit .
“ Farmers were literally taking this beautiful milk and pouring it down the drain , ” Trump said .
Like her father , she is fond of breathless adjectives ( “ amazing ” “ unbelievable ” ) and applying them to common nouns ( “ beautiful milk ” ) “ Why do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” Schlapp asked the first daughter .
How does she endure all the incoming — all the attacks , biases , hatreds and all she had to deal with ?
In short , Ivanka Trump said she does what she does for the same reason her father does what he does — for love .
“ We love this country , we love the people of this country , ” she said .
“ For all the negativity , for all the noise and all of the biased reporting that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prayers ” — the she paused — “ The love is just a beautiful counterbalance.
” In a sense , Ivanka Trump is still attempting to serve as a counterbalance of her own to an otherwise dark campaign .
She aims to present , for what it ’ s worth , an alternative reality check to a version of Donald Trump that seems deeply embedded at this late stage .
Of all the Trump ambassadors , she offers the most disciplined message , sharing a pitch that rarely makes reference to “ idiot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among family surrogates , she makes an odd kind of black sheep .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Colombia reaches 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases

BOGOTA - Colombia reached 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday , becoming the second country in Latin America to report that number in less than a week .
The nation of 50 million saw cases peak in August and has seen a decline since but still continues to register around 8,000 new infections a day .
Epidemiologists expect to see another marked increase by the end of the year , a prognosis that has put medical workers like nurse Freddy Harvey Rodríguez and his doctor son at one of Bogota ’ s largest hospitals on edge .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be worse , ” Rodríguez said on a recent afternoon .
Argentina hit 1 million confirmed cases on Monday and Peru and Mexico are expected to reach the grim marker in the weeks ahead .
Brazil ranks third worldwide in the number of virus cases and passed 1 million infections back in June .
Colombia has become the eighth country to hit 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases .
Besides Argentina and Brazil , the others are the United States , India , Russia , France and Spain , according to Johns Hopkins University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to register some of the highest caseloads , diagnosing more than 100,000 confirmed infections each day , though the World Health Organization reports that Europe is now seeing even larger numbers as a second virus wave strikes .
Experts say the region is experiencing a table-top like effect in which cases remain relatively high instead of dramatically dropping .
In a number of countries , the virus has begun spreading to areas that had previously registered relatively few cases .
“ The behaviour of the virus is different , ” said Dr. Luis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of the Andes in Colombia .
“ It ’ s not big resurgences but new outbreaks.
” In Colombia , a six-month lockdown helped slow contagion and gave officials time to expand the number of ICU beds .
While cases rose dramatically in Bogota , stretching hospital capacity , the city has managed to avoid the sorts of dire scenes seen elsewhere in the region of patients lined up outside hospitals , struggling to find a bed .
Nonetheless , the cost has been high : Nearly 30,000 people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers like colleagues of Rodríguez .
One count by a medical association estimates that nearly 200 physicians and other workers have died .
Rodríguez said his son spent over $ 100 buying him protective gear at the start of the pandemic .
The pair still worry about getting sick .
Both work at Bogota ’ s Kennedy Hospital , which is located in a sprawling working-class neighbourhood .
The area has the highest total number of cases anywhere in the bustling capital .
Dr. Camilo Rodríguez said he arrives to work in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treats COVID-19 patients .
He lost a close friend and mentor to the virus and fears spreading it to his family .
As an extra precaution , he showers at the hospital before going home .
“ Infecting myself would be infecting my family , ” he said .
The path of the virus through Latin America is a consequence of weak public health systems , social factors like poverty and poor government decisions early on that resulted in flawed or limited testing and little contact tracing .
Today the region is home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest total cases around the globe .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Europe, U.S. watch case totals grow, debate new restrictions

CHICAGO - Confirmed coronavirus infections continued to soar Saturday in many parts of the U.S. and Europe .
In some cases , so did anger over the restrictions governments put in place to try to stem the tide .
Oklahoma , Illinois , New Mexico and Michigan were among states announcing new record highs in daily confirmed cases Saturday , a day after a nationwide daily record of more than 83,000 reported infections , according to Johns Hopkins University .
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun , Michigan ’ s chief medical executive , said it ’ s “ now more important than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The 3,338 new COVID-19 cases in her state topped the old record by more than 1,300 .
German authorities reported a record one-day total of new coronavirus cases this weekend while leaders in Spain and Italy debated how to control the resurgent virus amid public pushback to curfews despite a global death toll topping 1.1 million people .
In Italy , officials huddled with regional authorities on Saturday to determine what new restrictions could be imposed as confirmed cases surpassed half a million .
Premier Giuseppe Conte has said he doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , as he did at the pandemic ’ s start .
In past days , several governors ordered overnight curfews in their regions to stop people from congregating at night outside bars and other venues .
One such curfew fueled anger in Naples , triggering a violent clash by protesters with police .
Italian media said protesters hurled rocks , pieces of broken ceramic tiles and smoke bombs at police while they battled back with tear gas .
Elsewhere in Europe , police in Warsaw , Poland , used tear gas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new virus restrictions , and anti-lockdown demonstrators gathered in London ’ s Trafalgar Square .
Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese on Saturday branded the Naples protests “ unacceptable ” and said prosecutors were investigating .
According to Health Ministry figures , Italy ’ s one-day new caseload of confirmed infections crept closer to 20,000 on Saturday , a slightly bigger daily increase than Friday .
The nation ’ s confirmed death toll , second-highest in Europe after Britain ’ s , rose to 37,210 after 151 more deaths .
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning in Madrid to prepare a new state of emergency , a strategy used twice since the start of the pandemic .
The first in March ordered strict home confinement across the nation , closed stores , and recruited private industry for the national public health fight .
The second went into effect two weeks ago , focused on transit limits in the Madrid area .
In Germany , Chancellor Angela Merkel urged citizens again to reduce their number of social contacts as the nation recorded a new daily high for infections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases from both Friday and Thursday because of a three-hour data outage at the country ’ s disease control agency Thursday .
Forty-nine more people died , bringing the overall death toll past 10,000 .
The chancellor said in her weekly podcast “ if we all obey ( to social distancing ) we will all together survive this enormous challenge posed by the virus.
” Other European countries have tightened restrictions hoping to cope with their own rising case counts .
Slovenia closed down hotels , shopping malls and other non-essential shops as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new daily infections and deaths in the small country of 2 million people .
Greece unveiled a mask requirement and a mandatory nightly curfew for Athens and other areas deemed high risk .
In South America , Colombia became the eight country to reach 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday , according to the Colombian Ministry of Health .
Two of the others are also in Latin America : Argentina , which hit that mark on Monday , and Brazil , which has more than 5 million confirmed cases .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 240,000 lives , according to the COVID-19 Dashboard published by Johns Hopkins .
The total U.S. caseload reported Friday was 83,757 , topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16 .
Many rural communities are bearing the brunt .
In Columbia , Tennessee , Maury Regional Medical Center said Friday it was suspending elective surgical procedures that require an overnight stay for two weeks , beginning on Monday .
The Daily Herald reported that it was treating 50 COVID-19 inpatients , 20 of whom were in the medical centre ’ s 26-bed intensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regional ’ s chief medical officer , said small home gatherings have become the emerging threat through which the disease is being spread in the six-county region the medical centre covers .
“ In our homes , we all let our guard down , ” Chaney said .
“ You think it is safe to not socially distance , and you take your masks off .
That is spreading the disease very rapidly .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Appeals court halts order requiring Georgia pollbook backups

ATLANTA - A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted a lower court ’ s order that said every polling place in Georgia must have at least one updated paper backup of the electronic pollbooks that are used to check in voters .
U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg last month issued the order requiring the backup and other measures amid the context of a broader lawsuit filed by voting integrity activists that challenges Georgia ’ s voting system .
She called the order “ a limited common sense remedy ” to impediments voters have faced .
The state appealed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court of Appeals .
A three-judge panel of the appeals court voted 2-1 to stay Totenberg ’ s order while the appeal is pending .
The voting integrity activists had asked Totenberg to order the paper backup .
They had argued that malfunctioning electronic pollbooks created bottlenecks that resulted in voters waiting in long lines during the state ’ s primary election in June and runoff election in August .
The KnowInk PollPads are part of the new election system the state bought last year from Dominion Voting Systems for more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , the state ’ s top elections official , to generate and provide election superintendents in each county a list of electors updated at the close of the in-person early voting period to contain all the information in the electronic pollbook .
The secretary of state was then to instruct the election superintendents to provide at least one paper backup at each polling place on Election Day .
The paper backups were to be used to determine voter eligibility and precinct assignment in the case of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
She also ordered that efforts be made to ensure that county election officials and poll workers are trained on using paper pollbook backups and emergency ballots and that a sufficient stock of emergency paper ballots be maintained .
Circuit Judges Barbara Lagoa and Andrew Brasher voted to stay Totenberg ’ s order .
The two-paragraph appeals court ruling says Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan dissented in part and would not have stayed the requirement for the state to provide county election officials with an updated pollbook that can be printed and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper backup to each polling place to be used in case of equipment malfunction or emergency .
“ We thank the 11th Circuit for recognizing that , with record turnout and the difficulties of conducing an election during a pandemic , local election officials have enough on their plates without last minute additions from federal judges , ” Raffensperger said .
Robert McGuire a lawyer for the Coalition for Good Governance and individual voters — who had requested the paper pollbook backups as plaintiffs in the lawsuit — noted that the judges in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason for granting the stay .
“ Unfortunately , that means we are left to guess why two of the appellate judges felt that voters will be harmed by the common-sense protection of having a paper pollbook backup to guard against power outages and equipment malfunctions on Election Day , ” he said .
“ Murphy ’ s law says Georgia voters will soon find out why the trial court judge found that simple protection should be in place.
” The broader lawsuit challenges Georgia ’ s election system , saying it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerabilities .
The activists want Totenberg to order the state to scrap its new touchscreen ballot-marking machines in favour of hand-marked paper ballots .
Totenberg said in a ruling earlier this month that she has serious concerns about the election system , but she declined to order a switch to hand-marked paper ballots for November .
A change so close to the election “ can not but cause voter confusion and some real measure of electoral disruption , ” she wrote .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Eyes turn to Texas as early voting surge surpasses 2016

AUSTIN , Texas - Texas has already cast nearly 7 million votes , more than anywhere in America , and Glen Murdoch couldn ’ t get his ballot in fast enough after becoming a U.S. citizen this summer .
“ I was champing at the bit , ” said Murdoch , who moved to Austin from Australia shortly after President Donald Trump took office , and cast a ballot last week to vote him out .
It ’ s a rush to the polls in Texas like seldom seen before .
Ten days before Election Day , Texans have already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did in 2016 and are nearly 80 % of the way toward hitting the total — both early and on Election Day — counted four years ago .
The voting bonanza has some Democrats optimistic that decades of low turnout and undisputed Republican dominance may soon be a thing of the past .
But what that it all means for Texas is far from clear .
Voters don ’ t register by party in the state , making it difficult to know which party or presidential candidate has an edge .
Polls are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden has swung through Texas , focusing on clear battleground states instead like Arizona and Florida .
The striking numbers are across the board — in big cities that are solidly Democrat , in tipping-point suburbs where Republicans are losing ground and , to a lesser extent , in heavily Latino counties along the border .
In Harris County , home to Houston , more than 1 million votes have already been cast .
Democrats have long believed a breakthrough was only a matter of rousing millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s booming Latino population .
Roughly 50 % of voters currently registered to vote in Texas have never voted or vote infrequently , according to the voter information firm L2 .
A turnout surge could come with major political consequences .
Democrats believe they have a shot at winning control of the statehouse , a half-dozen competitive U.S. House races and a Senate seat , not to mention 38 electoral votes that could seal the deal for Biden .
Republicans say Democrats are getting way ahead of themselves as usual , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will likely be historic .
Derek Ryan , a GOP data analyst , predicted this week that Texas turnout would likely surpass 12 million , or roughly 3 million more voters than 2016 — more than the population of neighbouring New Mexico .
“ It ’ s hard to say , ‘ Yes , if we reach 12 million then Democrats win , ’ because you never know , ” said Abhi Rahman , a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party .
“ But on balance , yes , if we reach 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election.
” Republicans don ’ t buy it .
In Austin ’ s fast-growing suburbs , Williamson County went for Trump by 9 percentage points four years ago .
GOP county chairman Steve Armbruster said most of the county ’ s nearly 370,000 registered voters now have no recent primary history .
He feels confident the GOP will win a good chunk of them .
“ I haven ’ t seen any kind of support or excitement or enthusiasm on the Democrat side , ” Armbuster said after returning from a local Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a moment when cases of the novel coronavirus , blamed for more than 17,000 deaths in Texas , are rising again and a wave of lawsuits over voting rules continue .
Whereas the vast majority of states are allowing widespread mail-in voting because of coronavirus fears , Texas is only one of five that refused , choosing instead to expand early voting by one week .
That extended period helps explain Texas ’ huge numbers so far with still a week of early voting to go .
With most voters ineligible to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Texas may be revealed sooner than other states on Election Night .
“ We know from 2018 there at least a half-million people that don ’ t mind switching back and forth between parties as they go down the ballot .
And that ’ s a significant number , ” said Steve Munisteri , a GOP strategist and adviser to Republican Sen. John Cornyn , who is in a close reelection battle against Democrat MJ Hegar .
More than 56 million voters have already cast their ballot across the country , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 150 million Americans may vote .
In Texas , the focus is on suburbs where Democrats made significant inroads in 2018 .
A major battleground is Collin County , outside Dallas , which has more than 1 million residents and backed Trump by 17 percentage points in 2016 .
Two years later , Democratic congressman Beto O ’ Rourke came within 5 percentage points of winning the booming county during his close but failed U.S. Senate run .
More than half of the county ’ s voters have already gone to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The same is true in neighbouring Denton County , another traditional GOP stronghold .
On Saturday , Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott made a second campaign swing this week through the North Texas area that will be decisive in whether Democrats claim a majority in the Texas House for the first time in 20 years .
In heavily Latino counties along the border , turnout has not been as high as elsewhere .
In Hidalgo County , the percentage of registered voters who ’ ve already cast a ballot is slightly down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Houston , Bob Bailey cast his vote early for Trump with only the economy in mind .
He hadn ’ t cut his shaggy hair in months , but what worried him most about the pandemic was his job at a gymnastics centre .
Half his co-workers — roughly two dozen people — have been laid off , and he said the business is only breaking even since reopening .
“ My job , everybody ’ s job , ” said Bailey , 60 , ticking off his worries outside one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centres around Houston , which is three times as many as a normal election year .
“ We ’ re not making a lot of money.
” AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Murkowski’s nod gives Barrett extra boost for Supreme Court

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett won crucial backing Saturday when one of the last Republican holdouts against filling the seat during an election season announced support for U.S. President Donald Trump ’ s pick ahead of a confirmation vote expected Monday .
Sen. Lisa Murkowski declared her support during a rare weekend Senate session as Republicans race to confirm Barrett before Election Day .
Senators are set Sunday to push ahead , despite Democratic objections that the winner of the White House on Nov. 3 should make the choice to fill the seat of the late Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination already appeared to have enough votes for confirmation from Senate Republicans who hold the majority in the chamber .
But Murkowski ’ s nod gives her a boost of support .
Only one Republican , Sen. Susan Collins of Maine , is now expected to vote against the conservative judge .
“ While I oppose the process that has led us to this point , I do not hold it against her , ” Murkowski said .
The fast-track confirmation process is like none other in U.S. history so close to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sham , ” Democrats mounted procedural hurdles to slow it down .
But the minority party has no realistic chance of stopping Barrett ’ s confirmation , which is set to lock a 6-3 conservative court majority for years to come .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell noted the political rancour , but defended his handling of the process .
“ Our recent debates have been heated , but curiously talk of Judge Barrett ’ s actual credentials or qualifications are hardly featured , ” McConnell said .
He called her one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public office “ in a generation.
” Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans the only way to remove the “ stain ” of their action would be to “ withdraw the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett until after the election.
” With the nation experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases , Democrats made several unsuccessful attempts to force the Senate to set aside the judicial fight Saturday and instead consider coronavirus relief legislation , including the House-passed Heroes Act that would pump money into schools , hospitals and jobless benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned aside those efforts and kept Barrett ’ s confirmation on track .
Barrett , 48 , presented herself in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter of cases on abortion , the Affordable Care Act and presidential power — issues soon confronting the court .
At one point she suggested , “ It ’ s not the law of Amy.
” But Barrett ’ s past writings against abortion and a ruling on the Obama-era health care law show a deeply conservative thinker .
Trump said this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undo the health law when the justices take up a challenge Nov. 10 .
At the start of Trump ’ s presidency , McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators , rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections .
With a 53-47 GOP majority , Barrett ’ s confirmation is almost certain .
Murkowksi noted said she doesn ’ t believe moving forward a week before “ a pitched presidential election — when partisan tensions are running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t think this will help our country become a better version of itself.
” But she said , ” I ’ ve lost that procedural fight.
” She said she will vote against the procedural steps in the days ahead , but ultimately join Republicans in confirming Barrett .
Collins , who faces a tight reelection in Maine , is now the only Republican who has said she won ’ t vote for the nominee so close to the election .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , the chairman of the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the proceedings , but said he could not live with himself if the Senate failed to confirm someone he said was such an exceptional nominee .
Graham called Barrett a “ role model ” for conservative women and for people strongly held religious beliefs .
By pushing for Barrett ’ s ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election , Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost , in much the way they believe McConnell ’ s refusal to allow the Senate to consider President Barack Obama ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s death .
Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening .
Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her , but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead .

Lisa Mascaro And Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--Former home of Jennifer Dulos goes on the market for $1.75M

FARMINGTON , Conn. - The former home of Jennifer Dulos , the Connecticut mother of five who prosecutors say was killed by her estranged husband last year , is going on the market for $ 1.75 million .
The 10,000-square-foot , six-bedroom house in Farmington , Connecticut is being listed as part of the sell-off of the estate of Fotis Dulos , Jennifer Dulos ’ estranged husband , The Hartford Courant reported Saturday .
Fotis Dulos , a luxury home builder , took his own life in January while facing a murder charge .
Jennifer Dulos ’ body has still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the home in 2012 .
Jennifer Dulos moved out with the children in 2017 , according to court records .
Jennifer Dulos and the children , who are now living with her mother in New York , settled in New Canaan , Connecticut .
She disappeared from that town on May 24 , 2019 , after dropping the children off at school .
Police said Fotis Dulos attacked Jennifer Dulos in her garage and drove off with her body .
He denied the allegations .
A lawyer administering Fotis Dulos ’ estate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dulos legally dead so he can access certain funds to pay creditors , but a probate judge on Thursday said she needed more time to decide .
Two other people are awaiting trial on allegations they helped cover up the killing — Michelle Troconis , a former girlfriend of Fotis Dulos , and Kent Mawhinney , a friend of Fotis Dulos and his former lawyer .
Each has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder .


thetorontostar--2020-10-24--One killed in shooting by Border Patrol agent in Texas

LAREDO , Texas - A U.S. Border Patrol agent investigating suspected human smuggling with other agents in Texas fatally shot @ @ @ @ @ carrying people believed to be in the country illegally , federal officials said Saturday .
@ @ @ @ @ and Customs Enforcement officials and the Webb County constable ’ s office had stopped a @ @ @ @ @ found several people inside the trailer , according to a statement from Customs and Border @ @ @ @ @ semi then arrived at the scene , according to a statement , and law officers @ @ @ @ @ the tractor-trailer when the driver began moving in reverse , pinning a Border Patrol agent @ @ @ @ @ agents then opened fire , shooting the driver , who was pronounced dead at the @ @ @ @ @ was taken to a hospital , where he as treated and released Saturday , according @ @ @ @ @ names have been released .
The shooting is being investigated by Laredo police , the @ @ @ @ @ and ICE , the statement said .