thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Rescuers reach people cut off by Gulf Coast hurricane

PENSACOLA , Fla. - Rescuers on the Gulf Coast used boats and high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally , even as a second round of flooding took shape along rivers and creeks swollen by the storm ’ s heavy rains .
Across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle , homeowners and businesses began cleaning up , and officials inspected bridges and highways for safety , a day after Sally rolled through with 105 mph ( 165 kph ) winds , a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rain in many places before it began to break up .
Sally ’ s remnants were expected to move into the Atlantic within 24 hours .
A rainmaker to the end , what was left of the storm was forecast to dump as much as 8 inches ( 20 centimetres ) in parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia , prompting warnings of flash flooding and moderate river flooding .
As much as 8 inches of rain fell in central Georgia .
In hard-hit Pensacola and surrounding Escambia County , where Sally ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lapped at car door handles on Wednesday before receding , authorities went door-to-door to check on residents and warn them they were not out of danger .
“ Please , please , we ’ re not out of the woods even if we ’ ve got beautiful skies today , ” said Escambia County emergency manager Eric Gilmore .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis urged Panhandle residents not to let their guard down .
“ You ’ re going to see the rivers continue to rise , ” DeSantis said after an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rivers fed by the storm were cresting in Alabama and the Panhandle on Thursday , although the Shoal , in Florida was still rising , said Steve Miller of the National Weather Service in Mobile , Alabama .
Near Crestview , Florida , portions of Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 — the two main roadways running east to west through the Panhandle — were closed because of flooding from the Shoal , the Florida Highway Patrol said .
Crews carried out at least 400 rescues in Escambia County , Florida , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and water scooters , authorities said .
Rescuers focused their efforts Thursday on Innerarity Point , a narrow strip of land close to Pensacola that is home to waterfront homes and businesses .
Floodwaters covered the only road out .
Richard Wittig and his family were among scores of people hemmed in by floodwaters on an island at the tip of the point .
Two generators powered his house .
“ If I didn ’ t have a working generator , we ’ d be dead .
Nobody can get to us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he and his son rely on oxygen machines to stay alive .
The Florida National Guard said it had deployed about 500 soldiers and airmen to help local authorities evacuate 113 people , though it did not say when and where the rescues took place .
In Alabama , on both sides of Mobile Bay , National Guard soldiers from high-water evacuation teams used big trucks Thursday to rescue at least 35 people , authorities said .
A volunteer rescue group based on Marcos Island , Florida , known as the Marcos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including from an 80-year-old woman in Gulf Shores , Alabama , whose roof had blown off .
When a rescue team arrived , “ she was safe and sound with a neighbour but her house was destroyed , ” said group co-founder ErinMia Milchman .
About 35 miles ( 56 kilometres ) inland , a swollen Murder Creek cut off access between the Alabama towns of Brewton and East Brewton , inundating a grocery store , a tobacco shop , a park and more .
Residents behind a police roadblock gazed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bridge .
East Brewton resident Brenda Davenport said it took only four hours for the water to rise .
“ It could take two days for it to go down , ” she said .
In Orange Beach , Alabama , Janice Sullivan swore she would never ride out a hurricane again .
She and her daughter huddled in a second-floor bathroom as Sally blew ashore .
“ You could hear everything hitting the house , ” she said .
“ You could hear the house moving back and forth .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few people cleaned up in Bristol Park , a creekside neighbourhood where as much as 4 feet ( 1.2 metres ) of water filled brick homes north of Pensacola .
Susan Cutts ’ parents fled rising water inside their home into the garage , where they desperately called for help on a dying cellphone until aid arrived .
“ They were on top of their car when they got to them , ” Cutts said .
At least one death , in Alabama , was blamed on the hurricane .
Nearly 400,000 homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , mostly in Alabama and Florida .
A section of the main bridge between Pensacola and Pensacola Beach collapsed after it was hit by a barge that broke loose during the storm .
At a downtown marina , at least 30 sailboats , fishing boats and other vessels were clumped together in a mass of fiberglass hulls and broken docks .
Some boats rested atop sunken ones .
Also on Thursday , the National Hurricane Center said a new tropical depression formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico .
Forecasters said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it moves slowly over the western Gulf during the next few days .
Meanwhile , Hurricane Teddy strengthened to a powerful Category 4 storm in the Atlantic .
The storm currently poses no threat to land .
An earlier version of this story was corrected to show that the top rainfall amount was about 2 1/2 feet , not 3 1/2 feet .
Calvan reported from Tallahassee , Florida ; Wang from Mobile , Alabama .
Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah , Georgia ; Jeff Martin in Marietta , Georgia ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg , Florida ; Curt Anderson in Miami and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans also contributed .

Jay Reeves, Angie Wang And Bobby Caina Calvan - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--The Latest: Biden says Russia will pay for election meddling

WASHINGTON - The Latest on the 2020 presidential campaign ( all times local ) : Joe Biden says Russia will pay a price for interfering in U.S. elections if he wins the White House .
The former vice-president said Thursday during a CNN town hall staged near his birth city of Scranton , Pennsylvania , that Russia would face repercussions for attempting to influence November ’ s vote .
When pressed by moderator Anderson Cooper , however , he refused to say exactly what that meant .
“ It wouldn ’ t be prudent to be more specific , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought Russian President Vladimir Putin was doing his best to divide Europe .
Biden also said he viewed Russia as an opponent but declined to be quite as critical of China .
Instead , he said he viewed China as a “ serious competitor.
” U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trump ’ s reelection bid .
Russia also interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT ’ S HAPPENING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE : President Donald Trump spoke at the National Archives to commemorate Constitution Day and is holding a rally in central Wisconsin on Thursday night .
His Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , joined Senate Democrats for an online lunch and is participating in a drive-in CNN town hall in Moosic , Pennsylvania , on Thursday night .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : A former adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence has joined the chorus of former Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second term .
Olivia Troye was Pence ’ s former homeland security adviser and served as a member of the White House ’ s coronavirus task force .
She says in a new video released Thursday by the group Republican Voters Against Trump that Trump was more concerned about his reelection chances than the virus .
She says if the president had taken the virus seriously , he would have saved lives .
She also claims Trump once suggested the coronavirus might be a good thing because it would stop him from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people.
” She says she is a lifelong Republican who plans to vote for Democrat Joe Biden for president .
The White House adamantly denies Troye ’ s allegations .
Pence said her remarks read “ to me like one more disgruntled employee that has decided to play politics during election year.
” President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to appeal to his core base of white voters by downplaying the historical legacy of slavery in the United States and blasting efforts to address systemic racism as divisive .
The president spoke Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution .
His speech amounted to a defence of white culture and a denunciation of Democrats , the media and others whom he accused of trying to indoctrinate schoolchildren and shame their parents ’ “ whiteness.
” He also argued that America ’ s founding “ set in motion the unstoppable chain of events that abolished slavery , secured civil rights , defeated communism and fascism and built the most fair , equal and prosperous nation in human history.
” But he did not mention the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the 89 years it was allowed to continue after the colonies declared independence from England .
Nor did the president acknowledge the ongoing fight against racial injustice and police brutality , which has prompted months of protests this year .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is returning to Pennsylvania for a socially distanced town hall near his birthplace of Scranton .
For the first time since winning the nomination , Biden was to face live , unscripted questions from voters .
Thursday ’ s CNN event will have an unusual format because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s being held as a drive-in of 35 cars parked outside PNC Field .
Preparations were made to let audience members watch the candidate speak on a stage and listen on their radios from inside their cars .
President Donald Trump participated in an ABC town hall Tuesday in an auditorium in Philadelphia .
Pennsylvania is considered a crucial battleground state .
The format of Biden ’ s event is a stark reminder of the issue that ’ s been a central focus of Biden ’ s campaign — that the pandemic rages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways large and small , and that stronger leadership in White House could have eased the crisis .
Joe Biden has joined Senate Democrats for a conference call lunch and told them he is taking nothing for granted in the race for the White House and the down-ballot effort to wrest the Senate ’ s majority control from Republicans .
The Democratic presidential nominee fielded questions Thursday afternoon about his strategy win back the chamber and defeat President Donald Trump .
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters says , “ You could tell he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s working hard and is going to be be out there and be much as he possibly can.
” On the private call , Biden did not take on Trump directly but outlined what ’ s at stake in the election .
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow says , “ He just said , ‘ You know what we ’ re up against .
You know why this is so important.
’ ” President Donald Trump is aiming to boost enthusiasm among rural Wisconsin voters , looking to repeat his path to victory four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pivotal battleground state this year , Trump views success in the state ’ s less-populated counties as critical to another term .
He is set to hold a rally Thursday evening in Mosinee , in central Wisconsin , an area of the state that shifted dramatically toward Republicans in 2016 , enabling Trump to overcome even greater deficits in urban and suburban parts of the state .
Trump , hinging his campaign on turning out his core supporters , has increasingly used his public appearances to elevate cultural issues important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden says his presidential campaign will focus on mobilizing people to vote early , especially in places where such ballots are counted quickly , to keep President Donald Trump from declaring victory before all the results are in .
Speaking on a virtual fundraiser with Colorado leaders on Thursday , Biden noted that more Trump supporters are likely to vote in person while his own supporters might cast absentee ballots because of fears about the coronavirus .
Referring to Trump , Biden said , “ His hope is that , by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d have more votes than I would have had , even though only a relatively small percentage of votes ( were ) counted.
” The former vice-president said so many states now have early voting and count ballots quickly that he doesn ’ t believe the scenario will happen .
But he says his team has to stay prepared .
On Friday , both Trump and Biden will travel to Minnesota , which holds its first day of early voting .

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thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Bolivia’s acting leader drops out of presidential election

LA PAZ , Bolivia - Interim President Jeanine Áñez on Thursday dropped out of Bolivia ’ s presidential election scheduled @ @ @ @ @ she wanted to avoid dividing the votes of people who oppose returning the party of @ @ @ @ @ .
She said in a message to the nation that she was ending her candidacy @ @ @ @ @ is a winner who defends democracy “ against the Movement for Socialism party of Morales @ @ @ @ @ last year and went into self-exile amid widespread protests over allegations of electoral fraud .
@ @ @ @ @ is no small thing — it is democracy in Bolivia , ” said Áñez , @ @ @ @ @ Morales fled .
She didn ’ t endorse any of the remaining candidates .
Áñez @ @ @ @ @ in recent opinion polls .
The front-runner is former Economy Minister Luis Arce , the @ @ @ @ @ Socialism , while former President Carlos Mesa is second and civic leader Luis Fernando Camacho @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Police: Man picked up gun before Los Angeles deputies fired

LOS ANGELES - Two deputies told investigators they fatally shot a Black man in South Los Angeles after he picked up a handgun he ’ d dropped during a struggle with one of them , authorities said Thursday .
Dijon Kizzee , 29 , was killed Aug. 31 after the Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies tried to stop him for riding a bicycle in the wrong direction .
They said they were unaware he had a weapon wrapped in a piece of clothing he was carrying at the time .
Kizzee abandoned his bike and ran away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputies locate him , said Capt .
Kent Wegener , the head of the department ’ s Homicide Bureau , and video obtained by authorities shows one of the deputies run up to Kizzee as he walked on a sidewalk .
A brief struggle ensued and Kizzee dropped the clothing and the gun fell out .
Authorities say he picked up the gun ; the video shows him stooping down but a wall blocks a full view and no weapon can be seen .
The two deputies fired 19 times within seconds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and arms and once in the back , Wegener said .
The full autopsy hasn ’ t been completed yet .
The sheriff ’ s department said it released the additional information after investigators were able to interview the deputies — a trainee and his field supervisor .
Their identities have not been publicly released .
The shooting has prompted a series of mostly peaceful demonstrations .
Kizzee ’ s family has retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump , who also represents the families of George Floyd and Jacob Blake .
Floyd was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his neck and Blake was left paralyzed by a police shooting in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
Crump did not immediately respond to a request for comment but previously called Kizzee ’ s shooting a “ despicable and tragic killing.
” “ When officers shoot first and ask questions later , precious lives are lost and police lose credibility and trust from those they are sworn to protect , ” Crump said .
Wegener and Sheriff Alex Villanueva sought to cast the deputies ’ actions as proactive policing in an area of South LA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said since January there have been 12 homicides and 163 assaults with a firearm within a mile of where Kizzee was killed .
Villanueva said the deputies ’ decision to stop Kizzee for making a U-turn in the middle of a road and just in front of the deputies ’ vehicle was appropriate and ultimately revealed he was carrying a semiautomatic handgun with 15 rounds .
The handgun had been stolen in Las Vegas in 2017 , police said , and they showed a video of Kizzee taken days before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and displayed its serial number .
Wegener said Kizzee had a restraining order that prohibited him from having a gun .
He also had convictions for narcotics and firearms violations , Wegener said , and had a pending case in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles that involved an alleged assault on deputies and bringing drugs into a jail .


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Belarus president closes some borders, puts army on alert

KYIV , Ukraine - Belarus ’ president , beleaguered by six weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation , on Thursday announced he was putting troops on high alert and closing the country ’ s borders with Poland and Lithuania .
President Alexander Lukashenko ’ s decision underlines his repeated claim that the wave of protests is driven by the West .
He faces increasing criticism from the United States and the European Union .
Protests began after the Aug. 9 presidential election that official results say gave the authoritarian leader a sixth term in office ; opponents say the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to withdraw troops from the streets , put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west , primarily with Lithuania and Poland , ” Lukashenko said at a women ’ s forum .
Lukashenko also said Belarus ’ border with Ukraine would be strengthened .
“ I don ’ t want my country to be at war .
Moreover , I don ’ t want Belarus and Poland , Lithuania to turn into a theatre of military operations where our issues will not be resolved , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in front of this hall of the most beautiful , advanced , patriotic people I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania , Poland and Ukraine — stop your crazy politicians , don ’ t let war break out !
” He did not mention neighbouring Latvia , which like Poland and Lithuania is a NATO member .
Earlier Thursday , the main opposition candidate in the disputed presidential election said that activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters denouncing the results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by police during the first several days of post-election protests .
Lukashenko ’ s main challenger in the election , former English teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya , said “ we have been given the names of those who were beating and torturing people .
We are preparing a list of officials and law enforcement officers who have taken part in lawless repressions.
” Human rights groups are working with opposition activists to identify the officers and officials , Tsikhanouskaya said , adding that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States , the European Union and Russia .
Tsikhanouskaya , who left for Lithuania in the wake of the election under pressure from Belarusian authorities , said the opposition will name the list in honour of Alexander Taraikovsky , a protester who died in Minsk the day after the election as police dispersed peaceful demonstrators .
Authorities initially said an explosive device Taraikovsky intended to throw at police blew up in his hands and killed him .
However , Associated Press video showed he was not holding any explosives when he fell to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarusian authorities later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet .
The street in the capital of Minsk where Taraikovsky died turned into a pilgrimage site , with thousands of people , including European ambassadors , laying flowers there .
After the initial broad crackdown on protests , Belarusian authorities changed tactics and tried to end displays of dissent with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders .
The U.S. and the EU have criticized the presidential election as neither free nor fair , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition — a call he has rejected .
Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests .
On Thursday , the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the official election results and saying it would not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president once his current term expires Nov. 5 .
Belarus ’ foreign ministry responded strongly , saying : “ We are disappointed that the European Parliament , positioning itself as a serious , objective and democratic structure , could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its nose , overcome one-sidedness and not become a hostage to conventional cliches.
” Russia , Lukashenko ’ s main ally and sponsor , has maintained staunch support for the Belarusian leader .
Moscow announced this week it would offer a new $ 1.5 billion loan to his government .
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday during a trip to Lithuania that the two countries — both Belarus ’ neighbours — will continue to offer medical and material assistance to Belarusians who were hurt and persecuted during the protests .
He argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer at least 1 billion euros in economic support for Belarus and its businesses .
“ It is crucial for Europe to be aware of how important a free and sovereign Belarus is for the security and the welfare of our entire continent , ” Morawiecki said .
Vladimir Isachenkov and Jim Heintz in Moscow and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw , Poland contributed to this report .
Follow all AP stories about the turmoil in Belarus at https : //apnews.com/Belarus


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--US envoy begins second recent high-level visit to Taiwan

TAIPEI , Taiwan - U.S .
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach arrived in Taiwan on Thursday for the second visit by a high-level American official in two months , prompting a stern warning and threat of possible retaliation from China .
Beijing considers Taiwan its own and opposes all official contacts between other countries and the self-governing island .
Krach arrived at an air force base in Taipei , the capital , for a three-day visit .
Wearing a face mask , he bumped elbows in greetings with Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-Jen Tseng .
Krach , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ island in decades , is to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior officials , the island ’ s foreign ministry said .
The visit by Krach , who is under secretary for economic growth , energy and the environment , follows a high-profile trip in August by U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar , the highest-level U.S .
Cabinet official to visit since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979 .
However , the U.S. has maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan since the official diplomatic break and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and provider of defence equipment .
Ahead of Krach ’ s arrival , the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , Kelly Craft , had lunch Wednesday with Taiwan ’ s top official in New York , a meeting she called historic and a further step in the Trump administration ’ s campaign to strengthen relations with Taiwan .
Craft said her lunch with James K.J .
Lee , director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York , was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when the China seat at the U.N. was passed from Taipei to Beijing .
“ I ’ m looking to do the right thing by my president , and I feel that he has sought to strengthen and deepen this bilateral relationship with Taiwan and I want to continue that on behalf of the administration , ” she told The Associated Press .
In Taiwan , Krach is to attend a banquet hosted by Tsai on Friday and hold discussions on the creation of a new economic and commercial dialogue , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. , Hsiao Bi-khim .
He will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui , who led the island ’ s transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July .
Krach ’ s visit and Craft ’ s lunch with Lee are certain to exacerbate mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over the coronavirus pandemic , trade , technology , Hong Kong and the South China Sea .
China condemned the visit on Thursday and warned it could retaliate .
At a daily briefing Thursday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Krach ’ s visit violates U.S. commitments to China and “ bolsters the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and undermines China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait , ” adding that Beijing had “ lodged solemn complaints ” with Washington over the matter .
“ We urge the U.S. to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue ... immediately stop official exchanges and actions of improving substantive relations with Taiwan , and handle Taiwan-related issues cautiously , ” Wang said .
“ China will make necessary responses in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Man shelters from wildfire flames in Oregon river

LYONS , Ore. - An Oregon man says he used a green plastic chair as a shield from a huge , deadly wildfire as he sheltered from the flames on a rock in the middle of a river .
“ Everything around me was on fire , ” Don Myron , 56 , told the Statesman Journal newspaper .
“ That chair helped save my butt.
” Myron had been caught last week in the Beachie Creek Fire in Little North Canyon , one of the areas most impacted by massive blazes that burned across the state .
Four of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are from the area east of the state capital of Salem .
Myron said he was trapped in the canyon by downed trees and flames roaring on strong winds and survived by finding a rock in the middle of the Little North Santiam River where he could stay until the worst passed .
“ If there ’ s anybody who can survive that situation , it ’ s my dad , ” said Chris Myron , Don ’ s son .
“ He ’ s smart , can think on his feet and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was normal , Don Myron said .
His son Chris and his girlfriend visited and “ we just had a good time on the river , ” Myron said .
“ They left that afternoon .
It was blue skies and no wind .
Things changed in a hurry.
” The sheriff ’ s office sent crews out that afternoon to suggest residents evacuate that afternoon .
Even so , most figured it was precautionary .
Myron spent the next few hours watering everything he could around his house and property .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oldest son around 8:45 p.m .
I still felt OK at that point , although there was some smoke.
” The first branch landed on his roof at about 9:15 p.m. Myron went outside , looked up , and saw that the sky had turned orange .
“ I ran to the end of the driveway , looked down the canyon and both sides of the river were engulfed in flames , ” he told the newspaper .
He tried to drive to safety but was stopped by a large log in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the river , up to his waist in water .
He headed downstream , to a place the river widened , and came across three plastic chairs on the side of the river .
He grabbed one .
Wind speeds , which have been estimated at 70 mph ( 113 kph ) or higher , funneled down the canyon .
“ When the wind really kicked up , I picked up the chair and held it in front of me , ” he said .
“ That chair was incredible .
It helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next day emergency vehicles and big rigs reached the area .
“ Let me tell you , that was an awesome sight , ” he said .
“ Thank God I ended up in a wide spot of the river and away from the banks .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Study: Ending census early will cost Florida, Montana seats

ORLANDO , Fla. - Ending the 2020 census at the end of September instead of the end of October , could cost Florida and Montana congressional seats .
It could also result in Texas , Florida , Arizona , Georgia , and North Carolina losing $ 500 million annually in federal funding for healthcare for its neediest residents , according a report released Thursday .
Scenarios modeled by statisticians Jonathan Auerbach and Steve Pierson showed that if the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident ends in September , without an extra month , California , Ohio , or Idaho @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Montana could lose seats they otherwise might have gotten .
The five southern and western states also would lose a half billion dollars in Medicaid annually , the statisticians said .
Their report said a deadline extension also could improve the quality of the demographic data in the census .
The study by Auerbach , a Columbia University statistician , and Pierson , director of science policy at the American Statistical Association , was posted online by the association .
A federal judge in San Jose is considering whether to let the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have it continue through the end of next month .
Government attorneys have argued that the census must finish by the end of September to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for turning over numbers used for deciding how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment .
A coalition of cities , counties and civil rights groups say the 2020 census should be extended an extra month into October so that minority communities aren ’ t overlooked , leading to an inaccurate count .
“ While the exact winners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing Census activities , our estimates indicate significant consequences to an early cessation of data collection operations , “ Pierson said in an email .
“ Conversely , we find apportionment and federal funding determined by decennial census data would better reflect the U.S. population if the deadline were extended.
” During a news conference in Arizona on Thursday , Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham said the statistical agency was prepared to comply with any changes made by the courts or Congress , but otherwise the census was aiming for an end-of-the month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line .
We are motivated , ” Dillingham said in Phoenix .
Supporters of an extension say the extra time is needed to make up for hurdles from the pandemic , wildfires in the West and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast .
Besides determining how many congressional seats each state gets , the census helps determine the distribution of $ 1.5 trillion in federal spending annually .
This week , a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill to extend the head count through October and push back the deadline for turning over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the end of next April .
The Democratic-controlled House passed a similar measure in coronavirus-relief legislation this summer , but the Republican-controlled Senate failed to act on it .
The inaction in the Senate coincided with a directive from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from the numbers used for apportionment .
Last week , a three-judge panel in New York blocked the directive , saying it was unlawful .
Government attorneys late Wednesday asked the judges to suspend their order while their ruling is appealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order prohibits Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross , whose agency oversees the U.S. Census Bureau , from excluding people in the country illegally from the apportionment numbers later this year .


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Ex-Pence adviser says Trump bungled virus; she’s for Biden

WASHINGTON - A former adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence who served on the White House coronavirus task force says President Donald Trump once suggested that COVID-19 might be a good thing because it would stop him from having to shake hands with “ disgusting people.
“ Olivia Troye is the latest former member of the Trump administration to speak out against him and urge voters to deny him a second term .
She joins a growing list that includes Miles Taylor , former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security , and former White House communications director Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not know Troye , who was Pence ’ s homeland security adviser .
In a video released Thursday by the group Republican Voters Against Trump , Troye says working for Trump was “ terrifying ” and says he was more concerned about his reelection chances than about protecting the nation from the virus .
“ The truth is he doesn ’ t actually care about anyone else but himself , ” she says .
Troye alleges that , during one task force meeting she attended , the president said : “ ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing .
I don ’ t like shaking hands with people .
I don ’ t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.
’ ” “ Those disgusting people are the same people that he claims to care about .
These are the people still going to his rallies today who have complete faith in who he is , ” she says , insisting , “ If the president had taken this virus seriously , or if he had actually made an effort to tell how serious it was , he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have saved lives.
“ Asked about Troye as he left the White House late Thursday for a campaign rally in Wisconsin , Trump said he had no idea who Troye is .
“ She worked for the vice-president .
She was on the task force as some kind of a lower-level person .
I have no idea who she is , ” Trump told reporters .
“ I never met her to the best of my knowledge .
Maybe she was in a room .
I have no idea who she is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s just another person that leaves , and whether it ’ s CNN or Washington Post , they say negative things.
” Trump said he had been told about the “ most beautiful going away letter ” written by Troye .
“ She wrote a beautiful letter as I understand it , a letter praising the administration , ” Trump said .
“ But then the people get a hold of her and say , ’ Let ’ s say some bad things about Donald Trump.
’ ” The vice-president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Troye ’ s departure email , dated July 23 and addressed “ Dear Task Force Members.
” Pence chairs the task force .
Troye opened the letter with praise for their dedication and commitment to “ doing the right thing.
” A lifelong Republican , Troye said she plans to vote for Trump ’ s Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , in November .
The White House adamantly denied the exchange Troye described , with White House spokesperson Judd Deere saying “ her assertions have no basis in reality and are flat out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ disgruntled “ and said she generally watched task force meetings from an overflow staff room and was never in private meetings with the president .
“ Ms .
Troye is a former detailee and a career Department of Homeland Security staff member , who is disgruntled that her detail was cut short because she was no longer capable of keeping up with her day-to-day duties , ” added Keith Kellogg , Pence ’ s national security adviser , who said Troye reported to him and never once expressed concern about the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , saying he hadn ’ t read her comments “ but it reads to me like one more disgruntled employee that has decided to play politics during election year.
” “ I couldn ’ t be more proud of the work we ’ ve done , “ he added .
Trump himself told journalist Bob Woodward in recorded interviews that he intentionally downplayed the virus in public comments even though he was fully aware of the danger it posed .
He is also a self-described germaphobe and denounced the practice of shaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Voters Against Trump is one of several groups trying to persuade Republicans and others who once supported the president to vote for Biden .
“ Never before have so many high-ranking staffers of an incumbent president opposed his reelection and endorsed his opponent , ” Sarah Longwell , the strategic director of Republican Voters Against Trump , said in a statement .


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--US envoy to United Nations meets with Taiwan official in NY

TANZANIA , Tanzania - U.S .
Ambassador Kelly Craft had lunch Wednesday with Taiwan ’ s top official in New York , a meeting she called “ historic ” and a further step in the Trump administration ’ s campaign to strengthen relations with the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory .
Craft said her lunch with James K.J .
Lee , director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York , at an outdoor restaurant on Manhattan ’ s East Side was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m looking to do the right thing by my president , and I feel that he has sought to strengthen and deepen this bilateral relationship with Taiwan and I want to continue that on behalf of the administration , ” she told The Associated Press .
The meeting came weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election and barely a day before U.S .
Undersecretary of State Keith Krach is due to arrive in Taiwan in the highest-level visit by a State Department official to the island in decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s President Tsai Ing-wen on his visit and participate in an economic dialogue .
The activity is certain to exacerbate mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic , trade , Hong Kong and the South China Sea .
China ’ s U.N .
Ambassador Zhang Jun told AP on Thursday that the Chinese Embassy in Washington is presenting “ our disagreements ” about U.S.-Taiwan actions to the Trump administration and “ here in New York we are also approaching the U.S. Mission to present our protest.
” He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three U.S.-China communiques , and a U.N. General Assembly resolution .
Warmer American relations with democratic Taiwan are largely a result of strong bipartisan support in Congress , but also appear to show how the Trump administration is willing to defy Beijing ’ s threats and promote an alternative to Chinese Communist Party authoritarianism .
The Trump administration is pressing for Taiwan ’ s inclusion as a separate entity in international organizations like the World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization , and is pushing back against Beijing ’ s diplomatic victories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several small countries abandoning diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favour of China .
Craft said Lee , who was secretary-general in Taiwan ’ s Ministry of Foreign Affairs until July and just arrived in New York , invited her to lunch and she accepted .
“ It was a nice way for the host country to welcome him to New York and to hear about his family and his experience , and obviously his respect and admiration for the Chinese people ” as well as the “ many , many innovations in technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world.
” China has been stepping up its threat to bring the self-governing island under its control by military force with frequent war games and aerial patrols .
It claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has been using its diplomatic clout to stop the island from joining any organizations that require statehood for membership .
Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 when China joined and is excluded from all of its agencies , including the World Health Organization ’ s assembly , where Taiwan ’ s observer status has been stripped .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most robust public health systems in the world , and has won praise for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak .
In May , a tweet from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations , which ambassador Craft retweeted , expressed support for Taiwan ’ s participation in the United Nations , saying the 193-member world organization was founded to serve “ all voices , ” welcome “ a diversity of views and perspectives , ” and promote human rights .
It said “ Barring # Taiwan from setting foot on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the proud Taiwanese people , but to UN principles.
” A spokesperson for China ’ s U.N. Mission expressed “ strong indignation and firm opposition , ” calling the U.S. Mission tweet “ a serious violation ” of the General Assembly resolution that gave China the U.N. seat , three U.S.-China joint communiques , and China ’ s sovereignty and territorial integrity .
Craft said the 24 million people in Taiwan “ need to be heard and they ’ re being marginalized by Beijing.
” “ It really is a shame because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. affairs just like everyone else , ” she said .
“ If the U.S. doesn ’ t stand up to China then who ’ s going to when it comes to Taiwan , and not only Taiwan but Hong Kong and others ?
” Craft said she and Lee “ discussed different ways that we can best help Taiwan become more engaged within the U.N. ” She echoed President Donald Trump in pointing to an email alert sent by Taiwan in December that the WHO ignored , warning about person-to-person transmission of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicated that the infection was highly contagious .
“ Obviously we really are pushing for them to be back into the U.N. , or have a role in the U.N. health assembly , ” Craft said , especially in light of Taiwan ’ s recognition of the danger of human to human transmission of the coronavirus .
Lee called Craft “ a terrific diplomat ” and told AP that he is here to engage and being new in town he appreciates meeting people and making friends .
“ Taiwan and the U.S. share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the rule of law , ” he said .
“ We could make great partners.
” Craft said the next step is “ just being supportive ... and just making sure that he knows that the U.S. appreciates all of their contributions.
” “ They have so much to offer the world and are most unselfish about sharing best practices , ” she said .
“ They care about the relationship ( of ) the Chinese people with the Taiwanese .
They care — which to me spoke volumes.
” Craft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal of promoting democracy and she said she looks forward one day to meeting Tsai .


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--The Latest: New tropical depression forms in the Gulf

Here are the latest developments on tropical weather : MIAMI — A new tropical depression has formed in the Gulf just hours after Hurricane Sally left .
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Thursday evening that Tropical Depression 22 had formed over the southwestern Gulf and was forecast to move slowly over the western Gulf into next week .
There was no threat to land as of Thursday night , but the centre says the depression could become a tropical storm on Friday .
The depression had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph ( 56 kph ) and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 370 kilometres ) east of Tampico , Mexico , and about 330 miles ( 531 kilometres ) southeast of the the mouth of the Rio Grande .
The storm is moving about 5 mph ( 8 kph ) .
Hurricane Sally rolled through the area Wednesday with 105 mph ( 165 kph ) winds , a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet ( 0.3 to 0.8 metres ) of rain in many places .
Hundreds of people were trapped by floodwaters and had to be rescued Thursday by emergency workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PENSACOLA , Fla. — Although once-powerful Hurricane Sally is no longer a serious storm , flooding is still a problem along rivers and creeks swollen by its heavy rains .
Steve Miller is with the National Weather Service in Mobile , Alabama .
He said most rivers fed by the storm were cresting in Alabama and the Panhandle on Thursday , although the Shoal , in Florida , was still rising .
He said the Shoal was expected to crest by late Thursday or Friday .
Near Crestview , Florida , portions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ west through the Panhandle were closed because of flooding from the Shoal .
PENSACOLA , Fla. — Rescuers on the Gulf Coast are using high-water vehicles to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally .
Authorities said crews carried out at least 400 rescues in Escambia County , Florida , on Thursday by such means as high-water vehicles , boats and water scooters .
Across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle , homeowners and businesses began cleaning up , and officials inspected bridges and highways for safety .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 105 mph ( 165 kph ) winds , a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet ( 0.3 to 0.8 metres ) of rain in many places .
MONTGOMERY , Ala. — Though Hurricane Sally has passed , officials in Alabama and Florida are warning that the disaster isn ’ t over yet .
Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings said Thursday morning that inland flooding remains a concern .
He says flooding continues to be a problem in the state ’ s southern counties and they expect many rivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state at noon and continuing through the weekend .
In Florida , Escambia County Emergency Management Manager Eric Gilmore warned “ we are not out of the woods yet , ” noting the dangers from cresting rivers .
Sally sloshed ashore Wednesday morning on the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane .
It has since weakened to a tropical depression .
WARNER ROBINS , Ga. -- County sheriffs in Georgia are reporting numerous trees down and closures of flooded highways and streets as Sally moves across the South , dumping rain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Base closed one of its entrances Thursday morning due to flooding .
In a Facebook post , the base said it would delay the start of the workday for some employees .
Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels .
Sally sloshed ashore Wednesday morning on the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane .
It has since weakened to a tropical depression .
PENSACOLA , Fla. — Pensacola International Airport remains closed and officials say they need to assess the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before it reopens after Hurricane Sally sloshed ashore on the Gulf Coast .
In a statement Wednesday evening , the airport gave no timeline on when it would reopen .
The airport closed Monday as Sally bore down .
The airport typically has dozens of daily flights from airlines that include Delta Air Lines , American Airlines , Southwest Airlines , United Airlines and Frontier Airlines .
It ’ s asking passengers to contact their airlines about cancelled flights .
Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days .
MIAMI — Sally continues to weaken as it moves over the South after hitting the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane but is still a dangerous rainmaker as it moves into Georgia on a path to the Carolinas .
The tropical depression ’ s maximum sustained winds early Thursday have decreased to near 30 mph ( 45 kph ) with additional weakening expected .
As of 5 a.m. EDT , Sally was centred about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Montgomery , Alabama , and is moving northeast near 12 mph ( 19 kph ) .
Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days .
MIAMI — Teddy has become a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph , the National Hurricane Center said .
The storm is currently located about 625 miles ( 1006 km ) east-northeast of The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the northwest at about 12 miles per hour ( 19 kph ) , the general motion it is expected to continue through the weekend .
Additional strengthening is forecasted to happen during the next couple of days , and Teddy could become a major hurricane Thursday night or Friday , the centre said .
PENSACOLA , Florida — Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally ’ s rains could mean more problems for parts of south Alabama and the Florida Panhandle .
Sally had diminished to a tropical depression by late Wednesday .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Georgia on a path to the Carolinas on Thursday .
Authorities warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days .
The National Weather Service says the small city of Brewton , Alabama , can expect moderate to major flooding .


thetorontostar--2020-09-17--Vegas resort tallies 548 COVID-19 positives, 3 worker deaths

LAS VEGAS - One Las Vegas Strip casino company said Thursday that it tallied 548 positive tests for COVID-19 among its 12,000 employees since May , and three workers have died .
Wynn Resorts reported that testing found 51 positive cases of the new coronavirus among returning workers before reopening June 4 , and 497 since then .
In a statement , company CEO Matt Maddox said a 10-person full-time contact tracing team determined that 98 % of those who tested positive contracted the virus outside of work .
A Wynn Resorts spokeswoman said the company has offered support and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died .
Six guests have tested positive among more than 500,000 who have stayed at the 2,700-room Wynn Las Vegas and 2,000-room Encore since they reopened , the company said .
Guests who self-identify with potential exposure to the virus or display symptoms are offered in-room testing .
More than 15,000 employee tests have been conducted , and the positive results of 548 of them amount to a test positivity rate of 3.6 % , which the company noted was below the U.S. national average .
The COVID Tracking Project on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing nationally at 5.4 % .
Tests last Friday found just one positive result among 285 employees , Wynn Resorts said .
Most Las Vegas casino owners do not make coronavirus testing data public .
About 85 % of COVID-19 cases in Nevada have been in the Las Vegas area , home to nearly three-fourths of the state population .
The Southern Nevada Health District on Thursday reported 63,301 cases of COVID-19 in Clark County since the pandemic began , and 1,309 deaths .
Statewide , the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths has topped 1,500 .
For most people , the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
Some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , can experience more severe illness including pneumonia and death .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--‘This is a big moment:’ UK virus restrictions escalating

LONDON - Fresh nationwide lockdown restrictions in England appear to be on the cards soon as the British government targeted more areas Friday in an attempt to suppress a sharp spike in new coronavirus infections .
With more restrictions announced for large parts of England , there is growing speculation that the U.K. as a whole may be sliding toward a lockdown by stealth in the coming weeks , partly because the country ’ s testing regime is clearly struggling to cope with higher demand .
“ We want to avoid a national lockdown altogether , that is the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC radio .
“ It is not the proposal that ’ s on the table.
” His comments came amid mounting speculation that the government will announce fresh curbs on the hospitality sector , such as pubs and restaurants , potentially involving curfews — something already in place in areas under local lockdown restrictions akin to those that existed earlier this year .
According to the BBC , the British government ’ s chief scientific adviser and medical officer have warned of another serious coronavirus outbreak and many more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were no further interventions soon .
Possible measures being considered under this so-called “ circuit break ” are asking some hospitality businesses to close , or limiting opening hours , for a period — potentially two weeks .
Without going into specifics , Hancock said the country has to “ come together ” over the coming weeks to get on top of the spike .
He said the new transmissions are largely taking place in social settings and are already leading to a doubling in the number of people being hospitalized with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The testing conducted has already seen a sharp increase in cases that has raised fears that the country with Europe ’ s deadliest coronavirus outbreak may be in for a second wave during the winter .
Critics say it has lost control of the virus and that ’ s why new measures are being introduced .
Weekly figures released Friday by the Office for National Statistics revealed that an average of 6,000 people in England were estimated to have been newly infected with the virus between September 4 to 10 , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The spike , which has been largely seen among young adults , has already led to lockdown restrictions being reimposed .
Already this week , a ban on social gatherings of more than six people , including children , has come into effect for England .
The other nations of the U.K. — Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland — have announced similar clampdowns on meetings .
There are also more targeted restrictions for those areas seeing acute spikes .
A variety of restrictions were tightened further Friday for huge parts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Midlands and west Yorkshire in response to “ major increases ” in cases .
The new restrictions go into effect Tuesday .
And in a sign that the virus is here to stay through the winter , the mayor of London , Sadiq Khan , cancelled the annual fireworks display on the River Thames .
As the experience of the pandemic has shown , there ’ s usually a lag of a week or two between a rise in cases and hospitalizations and then a subsequent lag for deaths .
Hancock said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus while keeping schools and offices open before “ the cavalry that ’ s on the horizon of the vaccine and mass testing.
” The number of patients being treated for the disease in hospitals in England increased to 894 on Wednesday , up from 472 on Sept. 1 , according to government statistics .
The number of hospitalized patients on ventilators rose to 107 from 59 in the same period .
The worry is that deaths will increase markedly .
Though the U.K. is recording far fewer deaths on a daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it still registered another 21 on Thursday , taking the total of those having died 28 days after testing positive for COVID-19 to 41,705 .
“ This is a big moment for the country , “ Hancock said .
“ We are seeing an acceleration in the number of cases and we are also seeing that the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus is doubling every eight days.
” The sharp spike in cases , coupled with the testing woes that have seen people around the U.K. complaining they have been unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to testing centres far from their homes , has escalated talk of another national lockdown .
Julian Tang , an honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester , said the various measures in place or being considered can act as a “ firebreak “ in stopping the spread of the virus to the more susceptible groups of the population .
“ But these are all incremental and each on their own or in patchy combinations may not be enough , in which case a full local lockdown may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .
Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Official rips critics for attack on daughter with COVID-19

WEST PALM BEACH , Fla. - A Florida county commissioner is firing back at an anti-mask critic who took to social media , claiming to show the official ’ s hypocrisy for pushing coronavirus safety precautions on the public while letting her COVID-19 positive daughter defy them .
After Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay announced Tuesday that her 19-year-old daughter was in the emergency room with COVID-19 , Boca Raton resident Rachel Eade posted pictures and video on Facebook taken from the commissioner ’ s daughter ’ s Instagram page .
Eade has pushed for reopening shuttered businesses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mask policy , the Palm Beach Post reported .
McKinlay shot back with a fiery missive of her own on her county commission Facebook page at those accusing her daughter of wrongdoing .
“ My God , the hate in this community is absurd , “ she wrote .
“ You should be ashamed of it .
I don ’ t give a damn if you don ’ t vote for me again .
Your vote isn ’ t one I want.
” McKinlay , a Democrat , won re-election to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and will be forced out by term limits in 2022 .
Eade told the newspaper she made the post to hold McKinlay accountable because it was “ no different ” than when commissioners used images of people flouting COVID-19 rules at nightclubs to “ make a point that ‘ health advice ’ was not being heeded.
” “ As a representative of the people , this board can not expect to stop the world , shutter businesses in our community , destroy livelihoods , take food off the plates of families and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an entire community , and not expect there to be individuals who investigate whether their actions back up their words , ” Eade told the newspaper .
Critics of the county ’ s measures to control the coronavirus quickly added their own thoughts to Eade ’ s Facebook post .
Josie Machovec , a fellow plaintiff in the mask mandate lawsuit , wrote that the post made her “ rageful because she ( McKinlay ) expects all of us to change our behaviour to ‘ protect ’ her child .
But when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things can and do harm our children she doesn ’ t care .
Only her child ’ s comfort is important.
” “ As a mother , I certainly wish no child ill , but we have to ask why she feels her own child is not bound by the rules she is creating and trying to enforce ?
” Eade wrote .
In one image attached to Eade ’ s post , McKinlay ’ s daughter shows off a tattoo .
She lip-syncs with a friend in a video .
And a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend .
Three days later , she was tested for the coronavirus and learned a week later she was positive , the commissioner said .
McKinlay ’ s test was negative .
“ She was home with me all summer .
She followed the rules , she wore her mask , she washed her hands , ” McKinlay said .
Her daughter attends the University of Central Florida in Orlando , where her mother says she is adhering to the schools coronavirus policies .
“ She takes that threat seriously , ” McKinlay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculous and laughable that people are making these accusations.
” In an Instagram post made Thursday , the daughter said she likely contracted the virus from a friend of her roommate who visited their Orlando apartment .
“ This should show many of you , that jumping to conclusions can often leave you looking quite dense .
Maybe if you put half the time you spent stalking a college girl ’ s Instagram , into worrying about more important things going on in the world , you could help a cause in need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wildfire relief , child trafficking awareness , addiction prevention and Black Lives Matter .
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--AP Exclusive: More migrant women say they didn’t OK surgery

HOUSTON - Sitting across from her lawyer at an immigration detention centre in rural Georgia , Mileidy Cardentey Fernandez unbuttoned her jail jumpsuit to show the scars on her abdomen .
There were three small , circular marks .
The 39-year-old woman from Cuba was told only that she would undergo an operation to treat her ovarian cysts , but a month later , she ’ s still not sure what procedure she got .
After Cardentey repeatedly requested her medical records to find out , Irwin County Detention Center gave her more than 100 pages showing a diagnosis of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surgery .
“ The only thing they told me was : ‘ You ’ re going to go to sleep and when you wake up , we will have finished , ’ ” Cardentey said this week in a phone interview .
Cardentey kept her hospital bracelet .
It has the date , Aug. 14 , and part of the doctor ’ s name , Dr. Mahendra Amin , a gynecologist linked this week to allegations of unwanted hysterectomies and other procedures done on detained immigrant women that jeopardize their ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of medical records for four women and interviews with lawyers revealed growing allegations that Amin performed surgeries and other procedures on detained immigrants that they never sought or didn ’ t fully understand .
Although some procedures could be justified based on problems documented in the records , the women ’ s lack of consent or knowledge raises severe legal and ethical issues , lawyers and medical experts said .
Amin has performed surgery or other gynecological treatment on at least eight women detained at Irwin County Detention Center since 2017 , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an immigration and civil rights lawyer working with attorneys to investigate medical treatment at the detention centre .
Doctors on behalf of the attorneys are examining new records and more women are coming forward to report their treatment by Amin , Free said .
“ The indication is there ’ s a systemic lack of truly informed and legally valid consent to perform procedures that could ultimately result — intentionally or unintentionally — in sterilization , ” he said .
The AP ’ s review did not find evidence of mass hysterectomies as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a nurse at the detention centre .
Dawn Wooten alleged that many detained women were taken to an unnamed gynecologist whom she labeled the “ uterus collector ” because of how many hysterectomies he performed .
The complaint sparked a furious reaction from congressional Democrats and an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security ’ s inspector general .
It also evoked comparisons to previous government-sanctioned efforts in the U.S. to sterilize people to supposedly improve society — victims who were disproportionately poor , mentally disabled , American Indian , Black or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had forced sterilization programs in the 20th century .
But a lawyer who helped file the complaint said she never spoke to any women who had hysterectomies .
Priyanka Bhatt , staff attorney at the advocacy group Project South , told The Washington Post that she included the hysterectomy allegations because she wanted to trigger an investigation to determine if they were true .
Wooten did not answer questions at a press conference Tuesday , and Project South did not respond to interview requests Thursday on behalf of Bhatt or Wooten .
Amin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wooten ’ s complaint , that he has only performed one or two hysterectomies in the past three years .
His attorney , Scott Grubman , said in a statement : “ We look forward to all of the facts coming out , and are confident that once they do , Dr. Amin will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
” Grubman did not respond to new questions Thursday .
Since 2018 , U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it found records of two referrals for hysterectomies at the jail , which is in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 240 kilometres ) from Atlanta .
“ Detainees are afforded informed consent , and a medical procedure like a hysterectomy would never be performed against a detainee ’ s will , ” Dr. Ada Rivera , medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps that oversees health care in detention , said in a statement .
LaSalle Corrections , which operates the jail , said it “ strongly refutes these allegations and any implications of misconduct.
” Women housed at Irwin County Detention Center who needed a gynecologist were typically taken to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the AP by Free and lawyer Alexis Ruiz , who represents Cardentey .
Interviews with detainees and their lawyers suggest some women came to fear the doctor .
Records reviewed by the AP show one woman was given a psychiatric evaluation the same day she refused to undergo a surgical procedure known as dilation and curettage .
Commonly known as a D & C , it removes tissue from the uterus and can be used as a treatment for excessive bleeding .
A note written on letterhead from Amin ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a written summary of her psychiatric evaluation , the woman said , “ I am nervous about my upcoming procedure.
“ The summary says she denied needing mental health care and added : “ I am worried because I saw someone else after they had surgery and what I saw scared me.
“ The AP also reviewed records for a woman who was given a hysterectomy .
She reported irregular bleeding and was taken to see Amin for a D & C .
A lab study of the tissue found signs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s notes indicate the woman agreed 11 days later to the hysterectomy .
Free , who spoke to the woman , said she felt pressured by Amin and “ didn ’ t have the opportunity to say no “ or speak to her family before the procedure .
Doctors told the AP that a hysterectomy could have been appropriate due to the carcinoma , though there may have been less intrusive options available .
Lawyers for both women asked that their names be withheld for fear of retaliation by immigration authorities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 30-year-old woman who was brought to the U.S. from Cameroon when she was 2 , saw Amin after experiencing an irregular menstrual cycle and was told to have a D & C , said her attorney , Van Huynh .
When she woke up from the surgery , Huynh said , she was told Amin had removed one of her two fallopian tubes , which connect the uterus to the ovaries and are necessary to conceive a child .
Binam ’ s medical records indicate that the doctor discovered the tube was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of confronted him on that — that she hadn ’ t given her consent for him to proceed with that , ” Huynh said .
“ The reply that he gave was they were in there anyway and found there was this problem.
” While women can potentially still conceive with one intact tube and ovary , doctors who spoke to the AP said removal of the tube was likely unnecessary and should never have happened without Binam ’ s consent .
The doctors also questioned how Amin discovered the swollen tube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not normally involve exploring a woman ’ s fallopian tubes .
Dr. Julie Graves , a family medicine and public health physician in Florida , called the process “ absolutely abhorrent.
” “ It ’ s established U.S. law that you don ’ t operate on everything that you find , ” she said .
“ If you ’ re in a teaching hospital and an attending physician does something like that , it ’ s a scandal and they are fired.
“ Binam was on the verge of deportation Wednesday , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress and a request for an emergency stay by her lawyer .
Grubman , Amin ’ s lawyer , said in a statement that the doctor “ has dedicated his adult life to treating a high-risk , underserved population in rural Georgia.
” Amin completed medical school in India in 1978 and his residency in gynecology in New Jersey .
He has practiced in rural Georgia for at least three decades , according to court filings .
State corporate records also show Amin is the executive of a company that manages Irwin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and federal investigators sued Amin , the hospital authority of Irwin County and a group of other doctors over allegations they falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid .
The lawsuit alleged that nurses at Irwin County Hospital were trained to follow a doctor ’ s “ standing orders ” — described as “ scripted procedures based on the nurse ’ s diagnosis.
” That meant nurses often decided treatment plans , but they were billed to Medicaid and Medicare as if they doctor did , the lawsuit said .
Investigators linked a standing order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain tests always be run on pregnant patients , without any medical evaluation and regardless of her condition.
” The lawsuit was settled in 2015 with no known sanctions against Amin .
The hospital paid a $ 520,000 settlement , saying no doctor paid any of it and had been “ released from any and all liability.
” The Georgia Medical Board lists Amin as a doctor in good standing with no public disciplinary action .
Board executive director LaSharn Hughes said records of investigations were confidential under state law .
State prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical board after the billing lawsuit because it didn ’ t involve specific allegations of patient harm , said Katie Byrd , a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr .
Associated Press journalist Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Biden makes push for voters on National Black Voter Day

DETROIT - Joe Biden ’ s campaign unveiled a series of nationwide digital events Friday targeting Black voters in swing states — a strategic move by the Democratic presidential nominee to further energize the key demographic as the race heads into its final weeks .
The virtual events , which will commemorate Friday ’ s inaugural National Black Voter Day , will begin with a voter registration and early vote rally in North Carolina featuring vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris as part of the campaign ’ s “ Turn Up and Turn out the Vote Virtual Bus Tour.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congressional Black Caucus ’ PAC and will be spread across a full weekend of events , according to plans shared first with The Associated Press .
Harris will speak about what ’ s at stake for Black Americans in November and urge voters to register and make a plan to vote .
National Black Voter Day was created this year as a collaborative effort by the National Urban League , BET and a number of civil rights organizations .
Black Americans have largely supported Biden ’ s presidential bid and have been credited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cementing his status as front-runner after his decisive primary win in South Carolina .
Throughout the course of his campaign , Biden has detailed plans to address issues facing Black Americans , vowing to address institutional racism in his first 100 days in office .
It ’ s a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump , who has made little effort to unite the country and leaned heavily on “ law and order ” rhetoric .
Black women in particular are viewed as the Democratic Party ’ s most loyal voting bloc but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the election , work remains to capture support among key groups of African Americans including Black men and progressive voters .
The digital events also underscore how the presidential race has been transformed by the coronavirus pandemic , preventing typical in-person voter outreach events .
Black Americans have also been among the hardest hit by the pandemic , suffering high rates of deaths and unemployment from its economic fallout .
Biden ’ s campaign , along with several other organizations marking the first National Black Voter Day , are channeling resources behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the first day of early voting in South Dakota and Minnesota , where Biden will tour a union training centre and deliver remarks .
Friday events are also planned in Georgia , Wisconsin , Virginia , Texas and Pennsylvania —all crucial states Biden hopes to win with the help of Black voters who have sizable populations in each state .
Among a series of Sunday events , the campaign will host a voter protection training with Reps. Cedric Richmond , Lisa Blunt Rochester and Marcia Fudge ; a national Black youth event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the BlackOUT Party , which will serve as the launch of Biden ’ s Black LGBTQ+ engagement program .
Nadia Brown , a Purdue University political science professor , said Biden ’ s targeted push is a smart tactic with few weeks to go before the election .
But Brown said the final days will be key toward connecting with some Black voters who feel Biden needs to do more to earn their vote .
“ This push is what the campaign really needs to do , to sell the Biden and Kamala @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Voters want Biden to come out and talk to them about the things they care about .
What he needs to do now is respond to the people in the streets and say this is not a transactional election , that Democrats really do hear you.
” Kat Stafford is a member of the AP ’ s Race and Ethnicity team .
Follow Stafford on Twitter at http : //twitter.com/kat__stafford or email her at kstafford @ ap.org .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--195 homicides reported in St. Louis, surpassing all of 2019

ST. LOUIS - The shooting death of a woman in St. Louis marks the city ’ s 195th homicide this year , topping the 194 killings in all of 2019 .
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the 24-year-old woman was killed Thursday night in the city ’ s Benton Park West neighbourhood .
Police responded to a shooting call and found the victim shot in the head , unconscious and not breathing .
No further details have been released .
St. Louis has seen a huge spike in shootings , both fatal and non-fatal , since June , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Louis is among a handful of cities where federal agents were sent this summer to help fight gun violence , part of a program called Operation LeGend , named after a 4-year-old Kansas City , Missouri , boy who was shot and killed while sleeping in his father ’ s apartment on June 29 .
The federal task force had made more than 1,000 arrests in cities where it has been deployed since early July , U.S. Attorney General William Barr said last month .
The task force has sent more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies to cities that have high crime rates .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--‘Forrest Gump’ author Winston Groom dead at 77

FAIRHOPE , Ala. - Winston Groom , the writer whose novel “ Forrest Gump ” was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop cultural phenomenon , has died at age 77 .
Mayor Karin Wilson of Fairhope , Alabama , said in a message on social media that Groom had died in that south Alabama town .
A local funeral home also confirmed the death and said arrangements were pending .
“ While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump , Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family , ” Alabama Gov .
Kay Ivey said in a statement .
“ Forrest Gump ” was the improbable tale of a slow-witted but mathematically gifted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th century history — from Alabama segregationist Gov .
George Wallace ’ s “ stand at the schoolhouse door , “ to meetings with presidents .
It was the best known book by Groom , who grew up in Mobile , Alabama , and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965 , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Groom served in the Army ’ s Fourth Infantry Division from 1965 to 1969 , the university said .
His service included a tour in Vietnam — one of the settings for “ Forrest Gump.
” He wrote 16 books , fiction and nonfiction .
One , “ Conversations with the Enemy , ” about a American prisoner of war in Vietnam accused of collaboration , was a Pulitzer Prize finalist , according to the university .
It was “ Forrest Gump ” — and the success of the 1994 movie starring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gump , as well as Sally Field and Gary Sinise — that earned him widespread fame and some financial success .
The novel is considerably different from the film .
Don Noble , University of Alabama professor emeritus of English , and a 40-year friend of Groom ’ s told The Tuscaloosa News that the novel was “ darker ” and “ richer ” than the movie .
“ You can make a lot of money as a comic writer , but you can ’ t get no respect , ” Noble said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really actually quite a fine novel .
It ’ s more subtle and more complicated ... richer than the movie.
” The movie , which also starred Robin Wright and Mykelti Williamson , became deeply embedded in the American psyche and has remained an enduring television staple and huge cultural phenomenon since .
The film dominated the 1995 Academy Awards , winning six Oscars including best picture , best director for Robert Zemeckis and best actor for Hanks .
It was 1994 ’ s No .
2 grossing film at the box @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lion King.
” The basic outlines of Gump ’ s life are the same as they are in the book : Gump plays football under Paul “ Bear ” Bryant at the University of Alabama , serves in Vietnam and starts a major shrimp business .
But the film made major departures .
Gump was not a math savant as he was in the book , and was a more saintly soul .
The film took away Gump ’ s size -- Groom said he envisioned John Goodman playing him -- along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex life .
They “ took some of the rough edges off , ” Groom told the New York Times in 1994 .
Groom also wrote nonfiction on diverse subjects including the Civil War , World War I and Alabama ’ s Crimson Tide football .
In 2005 , Groom released “ 1942 : The Year That Tried Men ’ s Souls , ” which chronicled the first year of U.S. involvement in World War II .
In 2009 he released “ Vicksburg 1863 , ” an account of the Union siege that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical figures like Ulysses S. Grant , William T. Sherman and Jefferson Davis , president of the confederacy .
His most recent novel , El Paso , was published in 2016 .
Groom got $ 350,000 for the rights to “ Forrest Gump ” plus 3 % of the net profit of the movie .
But he got into a serious dispute with Paramount Pictures when they told him a film that had earned over $ 600 million was in the red after expenses .
But years later he wasn ’ t bitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he told the Tuscaloosa News .
“ I would have probably preferred my version of it , but that thing never would have opened.
” The book became a major bestseller in the wake of the film , and Groom got a much better deal for the follow-up novel , 1995 ’ s “ Gump and Co. ” “ I ’ m happy as a pig in sunshine , ” he told the Mobile Register .
Nonetheless , sequel-addicted Hollywood somehow never made the new movie .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Book ‘em: Police find ‘irreplaceable’ tomes stolen in 2017

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - Police in Romania have uncovered a trove of “ irreplaceable ” books including first editions of works by Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton that were stolen in a sophisticated 2017 heist from a warehouse in London , police and the European Union ’ s judicial co-operation agency said Friday .
The stash of some 200 rare and valuable books was discovered Wednesday hidden in a concealed space under a house in rural Romania .
London ’ s Met Police said in a statement that the recovered books have a combined value of more than 2.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ These books are extremely valuable , but more importantly they are irreplaceable and are of great importance to international cultural heritage , “ Detective Inspector Andy Durham said in a statement .
The books were stolen in a raid on a warehouse in west London .
Burglars cut holes in the roof and abseiled down into the building to avoid motion detectors , loaded the books into 16 large bags and clambered back up the ropes to make their getaway through the roof , police said .
A joint investigation involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carabinieri in Italy , supported by EU agencies Europol and Eurojust in The Hague , identified 11 similar burglaries across Britain , that netted some 2 million pounds worth of stolen property .
The Met Police said a Romanian organized crime gang was responsible .
The probe led to a series of raids in the three countries in June 2019 and the arrest of 13 suspects who were charged in the U.K. with involvement in the burglaries .
The Met said that 12 suspects have pleaded guilty and will face sentencing hearings starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is scheduled to go on trial in March .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Dutch government seeks to hold Syria accountable for torture

THE HAGUE , Netherlands - The Dutch government announced Friday it is holding Syria responsible under international law for “ gross human rights violations , ” in a process that could ultimately trigger a case at the United Nations ’ highest court .
The Dutch initiative , invoking the U.N. Convention against Torture , is the latest attempt to hold President Bashar Assad ’ s government accountable amid widespread reports it is mistreating its own citizens against the backdrop of the country ’ s grinding civil war .
“ The Assad regime has not hesitated to crack down hard on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chemical weapons , and bombing hospitals , ” Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement .
“ The victims of these serious crimes must obtain justice , and we are pursuing that end by calling the perpetrators to account , ” Blok said .
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights , Syrian authorities detained around 1.2 million people since the country ’ s conflict began in March 2011 .
As of the beginning of June , 12,325 were documented as having died under torture in Syrian government prisons , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
At least 12,989 are still detained or missing , their fates unknown , according to the report .
Another 16,000 are missing in detention by other factions in Syria ’ s war .
A U.N. Security Council resolution backed by more than 60 countries to refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court was vetoed by both Russia and China in May 2014 .
The Dutch initiative was triggered Friday with a diplomatic note handed to Syrian diplomats in Geneva in which the Netherlands “ reminded Syria of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the torture convention and to compensate victims , the foreign ministry said in a statement .
The note asked Syria to enter negotiations on the issue .
If the two countries can ’ t resolve the dispute , the Dutch government can propose arbitration and if that fails , the Netherlands “ will submit the case to an international court , ” the ministry said .
“ For years , thousands have been systematically starved , beaten , and tortured to their deaths in Syria ’ s prisons .
By using the Torture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Netherlands is standing for countless victims in an action that could ultimately trigger a case at the world ’ s highest court , “ said Balkees Jarrah , the rights group ’ s associate international justice director .
While international efforts to bring Syrian officials to justice have floundered , a German court has attempted to break down the wall of impunity with a case against a man accused of running a government detention centre where thousands were tortured during the early months of the uprising against Assad .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Kremlin chafes at Navalny team taking suspected evidence

MOSCOW - The Kremlin accused colleagues of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday of hampering a Russian investigation by taking items from his hotel room out of the country , including a water bottle the colleagues claimed had traces of the Soviet nerve agent that German authorities said was used to poison Navalny .
Navalny ’ s colleagues revealed Thursday that they removed the bottle and other items from the hotel room in Siberia and brought them to Germany as potential evidence .
because they didn ’ t trust Russian authorities to conduct a proper probe after the Krmlin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flight to Moscow .
“ Regrettably , what could have been evidence of poisoning was taken away , ” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters .
Navalny , the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin , fell ill on the domestic flight on Aug. 20 and was transferred to Germany for treatment at his wife ’ s request two days later .
A German military lab later determined that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok , the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on a former Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 .
Members of the Navalny team said they searched his hotel room in the city of Tomsk upon learning that he collapsed on the flight home .
They said they packed half-empty plastic water bottles and other items and sent them on to Germany for further inspection to help investigate what they suspected to be his poisoning .
Navalny ’ s colleagues said Thursday that a German laboratory subsequently found a trace of Novichok on a bottle from his hotel room .
Top associate Georgy Alburov noted that the German experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Novichok that Navalny consumed , saying he likely transferred a tiny trace of the toxic substance behind when he drank from the container after having already been poisoned .
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the German lab conducted tests on “ various samples from Mr. Navalny , ” but neither she nor other German officials haven ’ t given details of what samples were tested .
The German government had no comment Friday on the Navalny team ’ s statement that Novichok was found on the water bottle taken from Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ labs in France and Sweden backed up the military lab ’ s findings .
The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is having samples from Navalny tested .
German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said those tests were ongoing and Germany had not received any results .
The Kremlin reiterated that before Navalny ’ s transfer to Charite Hospital in Berlin , Russian labs and a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk found no sign of a poisoning .
Moscow has called for Germany to provide its evidence and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other Western leaders to answer questions about what happened to the politician .
“ There is too much absurdity in this case to take anyone at their word , ” Peskov said Friday .
The kremlin spokesman charged that Germany and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have pointed to the other when Russia demanded access to the analyses and samples that allegedly demonstrated his poisoning .
“ The OPCW ’ s technical secretariat tells us , ‘ We don ’ t know anything , turn to the Germans , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We don ’ t know anything , turn to the OPCW , ’ “ he said .
Vyacheslav Volodin , the speaker of the Russian parliament ’ s lower house , suggested Friday without offering any evidence that Western spy agencies could have poisoned Navalny to pave way for new sanctions against Russia .
Asked if the Kremlin agreed with Volodin ’ s theory , Peskov replied , “ We can neither agree nor disagree “ with the claim .
“ The only way to shed light on this incident is to share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work together in analyzing the situation , ” he said .
Merkel ’ s spokesman , Steffen Seibert told reporters Friday that Germany was in contact with its European partners regarding the consequences Russia might face .
“ We have urgently asked Russia to explain itself on this matter , and this demand continues to stand , ” he said .
Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report .

Vladimir Isachenkov - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Police in Indiana say shooting leaves 1 dead, two injured

TERRE HAUTE , Ind .
- A shooting in Indiana that police said apparently stemmed from a college house party @ @ @ @ @ two others were being treated at a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries .
The shooting occurred @ @ @ @ @ Friday , Terre Haute police Sgt .
Ryan Adamson said on Twitter .
He did @ @ @ @ @ in custody but asked that anyone with information call police .
It happened about 2 @ @ @ @ @ from the Indiana State University campus .
Messages left with police was not immediately returned @ @ @ @ @ 75 miles ( 120 kilometres ) west of Indianapolis near the Illinois border .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--EU unveils plan to combat racism, increase diversity

BRUSSELS - The European Commission presented a series of measures Friday aimed at tackling structural racism and discrimination , acknowledging a blatant lack of diversity among the European Union ’ s institutions .
The bloc ’ s executive arm set out its action plan for the next five years , which includes strengthening the current legal framework , recruiting an anti-racism co-ordinator and increasing the diversity of EU staff .
The European Commission ’ s vice-president for values and transparency , Vera Jourová , said that recent anti-racism protests in the U.S. and Europe highlighted the need for action .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reckoning .
The protests sent a clear message , change must happen now , “ Jourová said .
“ It won ’ t be easy , but it must be done .
“ We won ’ t shy away from strengthening the legislation , if needed , ” she said .
“ The commission itself will adapt its recruiting policy to better reflect European society.
” The current College of Commissioners , which oversees EU policies , is made up of 27 members , one from each EU country .
All the members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are white .
Under the plan , data on the diversity of commission staff will for the first time be collected on the basis of a voluntary survey that will help define new recruitment policies .
Meanwhile , the new co-ordinator for anti-racism will be in charge of collecting the grievances and feelings of minorities to make sure they are reflected in EU policies .
The EU said that more than half of Europeans believe that discrimination is widespread in their country .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Fundamental Rights , or FRA , 45 % of people of North African descent , 41 % of Roma and 39 % of people of sub-Saharan African descent have faced such discrimination .
The EU ’ s racial equality directive will also be assessed , with possible new legislation introduced in 2022 .
In the wake of the Black Live Matters protests triggered by George Floyd ’ s death in the U.S. , the European Commission said it would look carefully into discrimination by law enforcement authorities such as unlawful racial profiling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamental rights will continue to collect data on police attitudes towards minorities .
The European Commission also wants to combat stereotypes and disinformation by setting up a series of seminars and promoting commemorative days linked to the issue of racism .
It also encouraged member states to address stereotypes via cultural and education programs , or the media .
A summit against racism is planned next year .
“ Nobody is born racist .
It is not a characteristic which we are born with , ” said Helena Dalli , the EU commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question of nurture , and not nature .
We have to unlearn what we have learned.
” Earlier this year , the European Parliament approved a resolution condemning the Floyd ’ s death and asking the EU to take a strong stance against racism .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Lightning kills 7 in Cambodia, storm hits land in Vietnam

HANOI , Vietnam - A tropical storm made landfall in central Vietnam on Friday , killing one person , while @ @ @ @ @ lightning strike in neighbouring Cambodia .
The lightning struck a wooden stilt house under which @ @ @ @ @ ’ s northwestern Battambang province on Thursday evening .
The dead included a family of @ @ @ @ @ , said Keo Vy , the spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management .
@ @ @ @ @ and strong winds in several coastal provinces , uprooting trees and blowing away roofs .
@ @ @ @ @ man was crushed to death by a falling tree .
At least 23 others were @ @ @ @ @ .
Vietnam had evacuated some 60,000 people in the path of the storm and cancelled @ @ @ @ @ Meteorological Department in Thailand issued a warning Friday saying rains from the storm will cover @ @ @ @ @ , especially northern and northeastern provinces .
Local media reported heavy rain and flooding in @ @ @ @ @ morning .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--China flies 18 warplanes near Taiwan during US envoy’s visit

TAIPEI , Taiwan - China ’ s military sent 18 planes including fighter jets over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force Friday as a U.S. envoy held a day of closed-door meetings on the self-governing island claimed by China .
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach , who handles the economic growth , energy and the environment portfolio , held talks with Taiwan ’ s minister of economic affairs and vice-premier .
He also met with business leaders over lunch and was to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later Friday .
In response to Krach ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Chinese People ’ s Liberation Army held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait , in at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the island ’ s independent identity .
Taiwan ’ s defence ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China crossed into Taiwan ’ s air defence identification zone .
It said it scrambled jets in response and monitored the movements of the Chinese planes .
Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang called the drills a “ legitimate and necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“ “ Recently , the U.S. and ( Taiwan ’ s ruling ) Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion and frequently stir up troubles , “ Ren told reporters Friday morning .
“ Whether it is using Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign powers to threaten others , it is wishful thinking and is destined to be a dead end.
” In a brief message on its microblog , the Eastern Theater Command said the exercises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taiwan Strait aimed at gauging their ability to carry out joint operations .
China ’ s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also defended the move .
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has the “ firm will , full confidence and sufficient ability to thwart all external interference and separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces.
” Beijing views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy .
Krach ’ s trip follows a visit in August by U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Cabinet official to visit since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979 .
It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan , including stepped-up arms sales and support for the island ’ s participation in international forums .
Before Krach ’ s arrival , the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , Kelly Craft , had lunch Wednesday with Taiwan ’ s top official in New York , in a meeting she called historic .
On Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui , who led the island ’ s transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July .
Analysts say the Chinese military response is a clear message to the U.S. to stop what it is doing , since the Chinese side took similar actions when the U.S. health secretary visited in August .
“ I think the Chinese are using this tool to try and stop the kind-of diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan .
It ’ s very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wu , associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore .
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have already reached high levels as the governments spar over the coronavirus pandemic , trade , technology , Hong Kong and the South China Sea .
The frequency of Chinese exercises near Taiwan recalls the last major crisis between them in 1995-96 , when China fired missiles near the island and held war games in a bid to intimidate voters in Taiwan ’ s first direct presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have backfired .
Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two days last week during large-scale war games that it called a “ serious provocation to Taiwan and a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
” Such actions by the Chinese military threaten the entire region , it said , calling on the international community to respond .
China has increasingly relied on military threats and diplomatic isolation to pressure Taiwan .
That follows the apparent failure of its efforts to win over the island ’ s 23 million people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ one country , two systems ” framework used in Hong Kong , with a large majority of Taiwanese favouring maintaining the status quo of de facto independence .
Despite of the frequency of the exercises , analysts said it does not mean imminent war .
“ The signal from Beijing is very , very clear , but does that mean a prelude to war ?
No , far from it , ” said Chong-Pin Lin , a former deputy defence minister in Taiwan .
China cut contacts with Taiwan ’ s government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was reelected by a large margin this year and her Democratic Progressive Party maintained its majority in the legislature .
This story has been corrected to show that the flyover took place Friday , not Monday .


thetorontostar--2020-09-18--Firefighter dies battling wildfire sparked by gender reveal

SAN BERNARDINO , Calif. - A firefighter died battling a wildfire in California that officials said was sparked by a @ @ @ @ @ baby ’ s gender .
The death occurred Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest @ @ @ @ @ Dorado Fire , the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release .
The El @ @ @ @ @ month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was used by a couple to reveal their baby @ @ @ @ @ California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , or Cal Fire , said .
The @ @ @ @ @ being withheld until family members are notified .
The cause of the death was under @ @ @ @ @ sympathies are with the family , friends and fellow firefighters during this time , ” @ @ @ @ @ the release .
The wildfire has burned more than 19,000 acres ( 7,700 hectares ) @ @ @ @ @ contained , according to Cal Fire .
Wildfires have burned more than 3 million acres @ @ @ @ @ are blamed for at least 25 deaths .