thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Venezuela’s Maduro blasts US in speech to world leaders

BOGOTA - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro blasted United States sanctions in his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday , while avoiding any mention of a report accusing his government of crimes against humanity .
In a lengthy , prerecorded speech that ran more than twice the allotted time , the socialist leader denounced what he called a “ criminal , inhuman aggression ” by the U.S. aimed at ousting him from power , and said Venezuela would resist .
“ The world must know that we are prepared to fight with the force of our history , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said , standing before a giant portrait of South American independence hero Simón Bolivar .
The speech marks Maduro ’ s return to the world stage after his absence last year as political tumult embroiled the country .
The U.S. , which doesn ’ t recognize him as Venezuela ’ s legitimate president , has indicted him on drug charges .
Maduro likely would have skipped this year ’ s proceedings too , had the pandemic not forced the U.N. summit to go virtual .
Even though he would have U.N. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a risk by travelling to the U.S. , where there is a $ 15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest .
The South American nation ’ s political feud pitting Maduro against U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó frequently spills into the international arena , where the world ’ s greatest powers have staked a claim in the country ’ s discord .
This year ’ s online General Assembly offered Maduro a leg up , relegating opposition leaders who in 2019 held side events with powerful leaders further along the margins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice heard , releasing his own pre-recorded video in rebuttal to Maduro on social media platforms .
Standing before four Venezuelan flags , he spoke as if addressing a room full of dignitaries , calling his statement “ an act of democratic vindication ” by the nation ’ s “ true representatives.
” “ The dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro with its ties to drug trafficking and human rights violations is also usurping Venezuela ’ s right to speak , ” he said .
The online sphere , as it turns out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Maduro ’ s outsized image on giant screens broadcasting his speech in the green marbled U.N. General Assembly hall nonetheless served as a symbolic microcosm for the country ’ s ordeal .
Though deeply unpopular , Maduro still controls every aspect of life in Venezuela .
Guaidó , though backed by influential world leaders , is increasingly powerless within the beleaguered nation , his popularity dropping as he struggles to rally more than a small crowd of supporters at recent calls for protest .
The United Nations has been providing humanitarian aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuses .
The secretary general has pressed for dialogue .
Though nearly 60 nations support Guaidó , many U.N. members back Maduro .
“ I do think the fact that Maduro is recognized by the majority of U.N. members highlights the difference between Guaidó ’ s democratic legitimacy and Maduro ’ s de facto control on the ground , ” said Geoff Ramsey , a Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America think-tank .
“ Over time Maduro has effectively demonstrated he is the one in charge.
” Peppering his remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strove to present himself as a diplomatic statesman , noting that he recently freed several dozen prisoners , including several high-profile opposition leaders .
And , as he often does , he portrayed himself as a man of dialogue , looking to peacefully resolve the country ’ s ills .
“ It is through political , diplomatic and mutually agreed upon negotiation that we will reach the solution of this dispute inherited from imperial colonialism , ” he said .
At no point did Maduro mention a recent scathing , in-depth report commissioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accuses his government of grisly crimes including torture and killings allegedly carried out by security forces .
The techniques they used included electric shocks , genital mutilation and asphyxiation .
Heads of state from several neighbouring nations have used their platform at the General Assembly to denounce Maduro as an autocrat whose poor handling of his country ’ s oil wealth has led to a humanitarian and economic collapse .
Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra implored the U.N. to help find a political solution to Venezuela ’ s crisis “ before it turns into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially the Venezuelan people who suffer from it.
” Guaidó , for his part , urged U.N. member nations who have been silent until now to join in pressuring the Maduro government to back down .
“ To those who at some point justified or supported Maduro : I want to reiterate the call to do what ’ s right , stop human rights violations that in this instant continue , to collaborate to put an end to the terror that the egregious dictatorship intends to impose , ” he said .
Venezuela @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic decline that even before the COVID-19 pandemic was considered worse than the U.S. Great Depression .
The Trump administration has hit the Maduro government with sanctions .
Maduro characterized the punitive measures as an “ illegal blockade ” that have dealt a crippling blow but which his administration has managed to circumvent .
“ It is a battle for peace , for our homeland , for the region , for humanity , ” he said standing along Venezuelan and U.N. flags in a towering , red-carpeted room .
He also denounced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to peace in this world.
” Online , neither Maduro nor Guaidó seemed to generate wide viewership , though Venezuelans on both sides of the feud weighed in with comments that seemed to reflect a mutual exhaustion from an ordeal that has brought them few solutions .
“ Give us a speech with concrete actions , please , ” one man implored .
“ We are tired .
”

Christine Armario - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Black attorney general chokes up during Taylor announcement

FRANKFORT , Ky. - Kentucky ’ s Black attorney general choked up Wednesday when explaining why a grand jury didn ’ t seek criminal charges against police officers for Breonna Taylor ’ s death — but his sympathetic words fell on many deaf ears .
A grand jury indicted fired Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for shooting into a home next to Taylor ’ s after police entered her house on March 13 .
The FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case .
Attorney General Daniel Cameron cited his own family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some people in Louisville and across the country would be angry at the jury ’ s decision Wednesday .
The jury relied on evidence Cameron presented .
“ I understand that as a Black man , how painful this is ... which is why it was so incredibly important to make sure that we did everything we possibly could to uncover every fact , ” Cameron told a news conference in the capital of Frankfort .
“ My heart breaks for the loss of Miss Taylor , ” Cameron said .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My mother , if something was to happen to me , ” he said , pausing as his voice faltered and he held back tears , “ would find it very hard .
...
I ’ ve seen that pain on Miss ( Tamika ) Palmer ’ s face , ” he said , referring to Taylor ’ s mother .
“ I ’ ve seen that pain in the community.
” But Cameron added that under the law , the officers who fired their weapons at Taylor were justified in using force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at by her boyfriend .
“ If we simply act on emotion or outrage , there is no justice , “ he said .
Some reacted to Cameron ’ s remarks with anger , and claimed he was putting on an emotional show .
“ His statements to me are crocodile tears , ” said Davante Lewis , director of public affairs and outreach at the Louisiana Budget Project in Baton Rouge , a non-profit organization that works with the low-income community and advocates racial equality .
“ A Black face in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it ’ s not about actually fundamentally decolonizing and tearing down the systems of inequality and inequity that have existed in this county since its founding , ” Lewis said .
Cameron , 34 , elected last year as the state ’ s first Black attorney general , is a rising star in the Republican party and was a guest speaker at the GOP convention last month , where he declared himself a “ proud Republican and supporter of President Donald J. Trump.
” The president has placed the attorney general on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court .
Commenting during his convention speech on nationwide protests for racial equality and against the police shootings of Black people , Cameron remarked , “ Even as anarchists mindlessly tear up American cities while attacking police and innocent bystanders , we Republicans do recognize those who work in good faith towards peace , justice , and equality.
“ He added that “ Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts , but neither will we accept an all-out assault on Western civilization.
” Lawren Taylor , a nurse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ was being extremely hypocritical ” in his remarks Wednesday .
“ He can say he understands but his actions are not representing that fact , “ Taylor said .
” If Daniel Cameron was not in that position , he would be like any other Black man : at risk .
If he understood that , he would not have made the choice to speak at the RNC and endorse a leader who is constantly spewing racist rhetoric .
People like Daniel Cameron are dangerous because they give the illusion of change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported from Decatur , Georgia .
Associated Press reporter Haleluya Hadero in Lancaster , Pennsylvania , contributed to this report .

Lisa J. Adams Wagner And Bruce Schreiner - The Associated Press

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada
Postal Code


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Anger, tears for protesters seeking justice for Taylor

LOUISVILLE , Ky. - Angry , confused and shedding tears , demonstrators who spent months calling for justice in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor resumed their protests Wednesday after prosecutors announced a single officer had been indicted — but not on charges involving the Black woman ’ s death .
The protests , which rekindled as soon as news of the grand jury ’ s decision broke Wednesday afternoon , appeared to be largely peaceful , although as the day wore on , police in protective gear clashed with protesters in some areas and used batons to push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Louisville police said an officer had been shot , but did not elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting .
During the protests , officers detained at least four people , who sat on the ground with their wrists bound behind them .
As television cameras broadcast the scene live , a protester pointed at an officer and shouted : “ Say her name !
” An Associated Press reporter saw National Guard members and armoured military vehicles in downtown Louisville .
At one point Wednesday night , police in riot gear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Jefferson Square , which has been at the centre of protests .
The square had largely cleared out ahead of a nighttime curfew as demonstrators marched through other parts of downtown Louisville .
Protests quickly erupted elsewhere as well : Demonstrators marched through the streets of New York , Chicago , Washington , D.C. , Atlanta , and Philadelphia .
Packed into a New York City Plaza , protesters chanted , “ Say her name , Breonna Taylor , ” before marching in the street in downtown Brooklyn , past onlookers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ musicians setting a steady drum beat .
“ It ’ s a volcano built up and now it ’ s exploded , ” said Dekevion Gause , who sat beside a Louisville park memorial to Taylor made of flowers , paintings , and tiny grave markers representing Black people killed by police .
Gause said all of the officers involved in the March 13 raid on Taylor ’ s home should have been charged with manslaughter .
“ It ’ s kind of a slap in the face , “ he said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gause gathered with dozens in Jefferson Square Park , dubbed “ Injustice Square ” by protesters who made it their impromptu hub during months of demonstrations .
People huddled around a single speaker Wednesday to listen as prosecutors announced that fired police officer Brett Hankinson had been charged with wanton endangerment for firing into a home next to Taylor ’ s .
A grand jury brought no charges for killing Taylor , who was shot multiple times by police who burst into her home during a drug raid gone wrong .
While there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartment , her boyfriend shot and wounded a police officer .
State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the officers ’ shots that killed Taylor were fired in self-defence .
Upon hearing the news , many gathered in the square began to cry , expressing confusion and sorrow .
Others exclaimed they had seen this coming .
“ We know that this means that this is the next level of our protest , “ said Shameka Parrish Wright , who joined the protests Wednesday .
“ We got work to do , we got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” She was referring to a push for a state law to ban so-called “ no-knock ” search warrants like the one police had when they went to Taylor ’ s home .
Within minutes of the announcement , about 100 demonstrators marched from Jefferson Square along the downtown thoroughfare of Sixth Street chanting : “ No justice , no peace !
” Many simply sat or stood in stunned silence after hearing the grand jury ’ s decision .
Jefferson Square became the epicenter of Louisville residents ’ outrage over the killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symbol of racial injustice much like George Floyd , the Black man who died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer .
Cameron , a Republican and Kentucky ’ s first Black attorney general , insisted prosecutors had followed the law even though “ my heart breaks for Miss Taylor.
“ “ Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow and grief , ” Cameron said after the charges were announced .

Piper Hudspeth Blackburn - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Another mountain lion found dead on California freeway

LOS ANGELES - Another mountain lion was found dead Wednesday on a Southern California freeway , prompting autthorities to say it was likely the latest of nearly two dozen cougars who have been struck while trying to cross roads that ring their territory .
The mountain lion was found dead on Interstate 101 in Calabasas , the California Highway Patrol tweeted .
The area is northwest of Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Mountains , home to a number of mountain lions that are considered endangered because the region is hemmed in by roads and urban development .
The area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Ana Cholo , a spokeswoman for the National Park Service , which is helping studying the local cougar population .
Some animals have been tagged with GPS collars and researchers have marked some kittens .
The carcass will be examined and genetically tested to determine whether the animal was among those under study .
It didn ’ t appear to have a collar but may have lost it , Cholo said .
At least 21 other mountain lions have been killed by vehicles since 2002 , when scientists with the Santa Monica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population , Cholo said .
“ It clearly shows what the mountain lions are facing , living out here , “ she said .
“ They have a tough time trying to carve out an existence for themselves.
” The area can only support around a dozen adult mountain lions , she said .
Males are highly territorial and each needs 150 to 200 square miles of habitat .
That means they have a tough time finding mates .
At least three mountain lions roaming Southern California have deformities linked to inbreeding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide stark evidence of extremely low genetic diversity within the isolated population .
Recent studies suggest there ’ s an almost 1-in-4 chance that Southern California mountain lions could become extinct in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountain ranges within 50 years .
In April , the state Fish and Game Commission placed Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions on temporary status as endangered for a year while it reviews whether to formally protect them .
The area where the mountain lion carcass was found is only a few miles from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would allow cougars , coyotes , deer , lizards , snakes and other creatures a safe crossing over Interstate 101 .
The $ 87 million crossing , supported mostly by private funding , has entered its final design phase and could break ground this year , with completion expected by 2023 .
Officials say it will be the first of its kind near a major metropolis and the largest in the world , stretching 200 feet ( 61 metres ) above 10 lanes of busy highway and a feeder road just 35 miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LA .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--‘The port came to us’: Story behind AP photo of Beirut blast

JIYYEH , Lebanon - When Mustafa Kinno felt the ground shake and heard the deafening blast toward the port , he frantically called his brother living nearby .
No reply .
He tried a neighbour , who said the family was sitting outside their apartment across from the port when it exploded .
Terrified , Mustafa ran more than two miles ( four kilometres ) to his brother , glass crunching under his feet .
When he arrived , first he spotted his niece Sedra ’ s head poking out of the rubble .
He collapsed and crawled toward her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then he found his younger niece , Hoda , slung her over his shoulder and started walking .
An image of the two , captured by Associated Press photographer Hassan Ammar , has come to symbolize the devastation of the Aug. 4 blast at the Beirut port , which took 193 lives and wounded 6,500 .
In the photo , a dust-covered Hoda , 11 , holds her body stiffly against her uncle ’ s shoulder , a gash bleeding from her forehead , eyes half-closed and face set in a grimace .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular pain of Syrian refugee families like Hoda ’ s .
At least 43 Syrians were among those who died in the explosion , plunging a war-weary community into further misery .
Lebanon now hosts nearly one million Syrian refugees — about one in five people .
“ It was always bad even before the explosion , but we were getting by , ” said Mahmoud , the girls ’ older brother .
“ Now , life is unbearable.
” It wasn ’ t supposed to be this way .
Ali Kinno , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Syria to Lebanon in 2008 to find work , determined to provide a better life for his family .
The residential tower facing the port was still under construction then , and he soon got a job as a concierge .
In 2011 , after Syria ’ s civil war erupted , he fretted for his family ’ s safety .
A year later , after northern Aleppo became a frontline , he asked them to join him in Beirut , the capital of Lebanon .
But the family never quite settled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discrimination — his daughter was harassed on the street , and his sons found it increasingly difficult to get jobs , he said .
The situation got worse as the country ’ s economic crisis set in , culminating in a local currency collapse .
Ali was so protective and scared for his children , especially the two girls , that he didn ’ t let them go to school , despite Sedra ’ s pleas .
Cooped up in their tiny apartment , the children grew closer .
The girls became inseparable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and asthma , they took care of the apartment , especially Sedra .
“ She cooked , made tea , she looked after her younger brother Ahmad , gave him his bath .
She was everything , ” said Ali ’ s wife , Fatima , choking on the last sentence .
It was just after 6 p.m. on Aug. 4 when Ali Kinno asked his son Qoteiba to turn off the generator which provides electricity to their 20-floor residential building .
He also asked 15-year-old Sedra to prepare the tea .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day when the sun begins to soften , and Ali and his family sit outside the building where he works as a concierge , drinking tea and watching the highway that runs parallel to the port .
Only this time , smoke was pouring out of the facility .
Sedra brought the tea and put it on a small table but didn ’ t pour it - the family was animatedly discussing the pink-tinged smoke .
The flames grew bigger , and the fire began making popping sounds .
A convoy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zipped past on the highway .
Alarmed , Ali ’ s wife called for them to go inside the apartment .
That ’ s when they heard the first explosion .
But it was the second blast seconds later that seemed to lift the earth under the port and throw it in their direction .
“ It was as if the port came to us , ” says Ali .
In a flash , the middle-class neighbourhood housing the headquarters of one of Lebanon ’ s most famous fashion designers turned to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything in the air and showering them with debris .
“ Tiles , stones , aluminium , glass .
Everything fell on us , ” said Ali , who suffered a brain hemorrhage , several broken ribs , loss of vision in his left eye and damaged hearing in his right ear that day .
Sedra , who was standing near the entrance to the apartment , died instantly , pinned by tile cladding that rained down from the building .
Hoda suffered a fracture in her neck and other injuries .
Fatima @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and could not move .
That was the scene Mustafa saw when he arrived from across town and carried Hoda away .
Another of Ammar ’ s photos captured Sedra ’ s dead body , in a long flowered dress , carried by her older brother Qoteiba and brother-in-law Fawaz .
In the chaotic aftermath of the explosion , the Kinno family separated , each of them taken to a different hospital .
A man with a scooter offered to take Sedra to the hospital , and Fawaz jumped behind him with Sedra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pronounced dead on arrival .
Mustafa put Hoda in an army vehicle that was ferrying the injured to the hospital .
But the hospital was so overwhelmed with victims that they couldn ’ t operate on her neck and advised that he take her elsewhere .
Eventually he took her in a taxi to a hospital in the Bekaa region , miles away .
Later that night , a Syrian man sat on the pavement in tears outside the hospital where Hoda was initially taken .
He said one of his sisters was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was fractured .
He didn ’ t know where his injured mother and father were taken and was making calls trying to track them down .
It was Mahmoud , Ali and Fatima ’ s eldest son .
He had been at his job as a foreman in Kfour , 40 kilometres ( 25 miles ) north of Beirut .
Unable to reach any of his family in the wake of the explosion , he sat in a taxi for 45 minutes to Beirut .
When the traffic got blocked , he abandoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles home .
“ I saw people dead in their cars along the way ...
The more I saw the more I imagined something horrible has happened to the family , ” he said .
That ’ s when Fawaz called him and broke the news that Sedra had died .
A month after the explosion , the family has been reunited in temporary shelter in an apartment south of Beirut .
They are devastated , still getting treated for injuries and trying to make ends meet as the medical bills pile up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , barely speaks .
She says she doesn ’ t remember the explosion and its aftermath .
Fatima , her mother , says Hoda is obsessed with watching video clips of the blast on social media .
She wakes up several times at night , sometimes crying .
Fatima is dealing with her own demons .
“ Everything scares me now , I see a door and imagine it will collapse on me , ” she says , seated on a sofa with a bandaged leg and a back brace .
Mahmoud , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with responsibilities , now that his father has lost his job .
With his own 4-year-old son to worry about , he says he is looking to smuggle himself out of Lebanon , joining others escaping poverty who recently began attempting to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe .
“ I don ’ t want to stay here another day , ” he says .
The youngest child , 6-year-old Ahmad , was sleeping at the time of the blast , and miraculously escaped virtually unscathed even though the glass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was badly damaged .
But he is now very quiet .
He told his father that when the family gets well , they will go back home and bring Sedra .
Ali keeps going back in his mind to that moment when he lost control over his family ’ s life , feeling utterly helpless .
Ten days after the explosion , he went to the building , stood in front of it and cried for his daughter .
“ She was always in the kitchen .
She loved to cook , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
”

Zeina Karam And Hassan Ammar - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--World leaders who skipped past UN meetings get their moment

BOGOTA - He ’ s not recognized as a head of state by the country he ’ d be visiting .
His diplomatic immunity is granted by the United Nations , not an unfriendly American administration that could decide to pick him up on drug-trafficking charges if he sets foot in the United States .
Then there ’ s the $ 15 million U.S. bounty for information leading to his arrest .
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has good reason not to travel to New York for the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders .
But this year ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be heard without having to come to New York — or risk an uprising back home if he left the country .
Instead , Maduro spoke from the comfort and safety of the presidential palace , renewing his place on the international stage after missing out on last year ’ s event .
“ This opens up an opportunity that Maduro doesn ’ t usually have , ” Venezuelan analyst Luis Vicente Leon said .
“ On a net scale , he comes out winning.
” He ’ s not alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ borders , incurs no travel expenses and allows even the most cautious , prickly or paranoid leaders to have their say without leaving their at-home security bubbles .
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte spoke to the General Assembly for the first time in his four years in office .
Saudi Arabia ’ s King Salman ’ s speech marks only the second time in more than six decades that a sitting monarch from the kingdom addresses the gathering .
And Tanzania ’ s populist president , who rarely leaves the country , will get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a short online speech will give them a leg up at home remains to be seen .
After months of lockdown , much of the world is effectively Zoomed out .
But these leaders ’ voices will almost certainly travel farther than in years past .
The opposite is true for their opposition foes , who generally rely on side events to get their message out as leaders came together in New York .
“ The virtual speeches do give an opening , ” said Shannon O ’ Neil , a vice-president at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the assembly got underway .
“ But the virtual format puts them on the same platform as your regular Zoom , too.
” Venezuela ’ s situation is a case in point : The nation is in the midst of a power tug of war between Maduro and U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó .
Last year , both men sent representatives who carefully avoided crossing paths at the U.N..
While Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez got the main stage , the opposition commanded a powerful presence on the sidelines .
U.S. President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the country ’ s crisis .
This year , Maduro gave his country ’ s official address and Guaidó delivered online remarks on a separate platform .
Guaidó ’ s aides are attending some side U.N. events – none of which are specifically about Venezuela .
The lack of face-to-face meetings is expected to make things more complicated for the opposition , which has been losing momentum over the last year .
“ Without a doubt this format makes it much more difficult to focus just on Venezuela , ” said Miguel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s humanitarian efforts in Washington .
The opposition ’ s lessened visibility also packs an emotional punch .
“ I think in general for Venezuelans every time that Maduro talks trying to represent us all , it ’ s an insult , ” the exiled Venezuelan lawmaker said .
But the online speech also is unlikely to win Maduro any new friends .
A recent U.N. Human Rights Council-commissioned report accuses Maduro ’ s government of committing crimes against humanity , including grisly cases of torture and killings supposedly carried out by security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , genital mutilation , asphyxiation and more .
The allegations are likely to be brought up repeatedly at the virtual assembly .
“ I don ’ t believe he is going to have any added benefit , ” said retired U.S .
Ambassador Nicholas Burns , a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School .
“ If he is speaking on Zoom it might as well attract additional criticism.
” All leaders making an appearance on the U.N. screen could see diminished returns .
“ Most of the leaders are going to see this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Philip Alston , a law professor at New York University .
“ That is always the case to some extent , but given there is no opportunity for photo ops , for meetings with other presidents and so on , the only real value is getting speech out there which restates certain positions for domestic consumption.
” Duterte used the platform Tuesday to defend his drug crackdown that has left more than 5,700 mostly poor people dead .
Tanzania ’ s John Magufuli will speak as he seeks a second term in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders say they ’ ve faced government obstruction at every turn .
And King Salman ’ s speech was the first since his brother addressed the General Assembly in 1957 .
The 84-year-old monarch has generally relied on his foreign minister .
In a short speech Monday to commemorate the U.N. ’ s 75th year , Maduro came out swinging , charging that the world is facing a critical choice between a multipolar world and one dominated by imperialism .
“ A world of diversity , peace and co-operation versus a world of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before a giant portrait of liberation hero Simón Bolivar .
As his speech was broadcast on Maduro ’ s Facebook feed , some chimed in congratulating the “ comrade ” while others blasted him for appearing at all .
“ Thank you , Mr. President , for your work in destroying the country , ” one man wrote .
Fanny González , 60 , watched the feed from her mobile phone .
Though a proud Maduro supporter , she ’ s watched her two adult children leave the country in recent years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have decided to seek a future abroad .
Electricity and water outages are frequent .
Government boxes of food are slower to arrive .
Still , she said it made her proud to watch him from the apartment she credits the late Hugo Chávez ’ s socialist revolution with providing her .
“ Many thought he wouldn ’ t survive , ” she said .
“ But he keeps moving forward.
” Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai , United Arab Emirates , and Cara Anna in Johannesburg contributed to this report @


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Navy releases documents from Cold War loss of submarine

PORTLAND , Maine - The Navy began releasing documents from the investigation into the deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history on Wednesday , but the Navy said the documents released under a court order don ’ t shed any new light on the cause of the sinking .
The first of the documents released were 300 pages from the official inquiry into the sinking of the USS Thresher on April 10 , 1963 .
The loss of the nuclear-powered submarine and all 129 men aboard during a test dive in the Atlantic Ocean delivered a blow to national pride during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for safety improvements .
“ The loss of Thresher was a defining event for the submarine service , ” said Rear Adm. William Houston , director of the undersea warfare division in the office of the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon .
The Thresher story was already well known .
It had undergone sea trials and was back in the ocean for deep-dive testing about 220 miles off Massachusetts ’ Cape Cod .
The first sign of trouble was a garbled message about a “ minor difficulty ” after the 279-foot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 800 feet .
The crew indicated it was attempting to empty ballast tanks in an effort to surface .
The crew of an accompanying rescue ship heard something about the “ test depth.
” Then the sailors listened as the sub disintegrated under the crushing pressure of the sea .
The Navy inquiry found weaknesses in the design and construction of the first-in-class nuclear-powered submarine , which had been built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery , Maine , and based in Groton , Connecticut .
The documents released Wednesday included the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reports , testimony and correspondence .
But there were some redactions .
Even more than 50 years later , technical details including the test depth were redacted .
In the documents , the Navy said it believes an interior pipe burst and caused electrical problems that caused an emergency shutdown of the nuclear reactor .
The documents noted that the commanding officer ’ s evaluation of the first year of operations – before additional work was conducted at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard -- included praise the submarine .
But he also said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he noted a vulnerability of the auxiliary salt water system .
“ He stated , ‘ In my opinion , the most dangerous condition that exists in Thresher is the danger of salt water flooding while at or near test depth , ’ ” the report said .
The brazed joints in pipes were a special concern , and many electrical panels were not adequately protected from sea water in the event of a leak , the report said .
Resting on the ocean floor at a depth of 8,500 feet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a “ shredding machine ” and is spread out over a mile , University of Rhode Island oceanographer Robert Ballard told The Associated Press in 2013 .
Ballard used his 1985 discovery of the RMS Titanic as a Cold War cover for surveying the Thresher .
Not everyone was satisfied with the Navy ’ s conclusions .
Retired Capt .
James Bryant , commander of a Thresher-class submarine , requested the documents under the federal Freedom of Information Act and ultimately went to court to demand the documents ’ release .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned from the documents , most of them classified .
Michael Shafer , whose father and uncle both died on the Thresher , said some of the families need to review the documents to see for themselves and fully understand what happened .
His suspicion is that the Navy was pushing the limits and placing personnel at risk during the Cold War .
“ I want to know the truth , the whole truth .
Not some smoke screen from the Navy , ” he said Wednesday from St. Petersburg , Florida .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to release the documents .
The coronavirus pandemic delayed the review of the documents .
Eventually , more than 1,000 pages of documents will be released .
If there was a silver lining , it was that the tragedy so shook the Navy that it accelerated safety improvements and created a program called SUBSAFE , an extensive series of design modifications , training and other improvements .
One submarine has sunk since then , the USS Scorpion in 1968 , and it was not SUBSAFE-certified , the Navy said .
Some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the main ballast tank blow system that helps a submarine reach the surface was made more effective .
Joy MacMillan , one of four siblings who lost their father , the submarine ’ s chief radioman , said it ’ s helpful to know the tragedy spurred safety improvements .
But it ’ s still important for the families to have the documents , and some closure .
“ After being 57 years in the dark , it ’ s time for the families to know any and all information so that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , ‘ Mistakes were made .
Let ’ s move on , ’ ” MacMillan , of Brentwood , New Hampshire , said Wednesday .
The sinking was the first of a string of calamities in 1963 .
The March on Washington was a turning point in the Civil Rights movement , but the Vietnam conflict grew , white supremacists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama and President John F. Kennedy was assassinated .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--For NBA players, Taylor grand jury decision ‘not enough’

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. - LeBron James sent the word to the Los Angeles Lakers in a group text on Wednesday afternoon , and basketball suddenly seemed irrelevant .
A grand jury in Kentucky had finally spoken .
And James was letting his team know that NBA players , who have spent months seeking justice for Breonna Taylor , did not get what they wanted .
“ Something was done , ” Lakers guard Danny Green said , “ but it wasn ’ t enough.
” Wednesday ’ s decision by the grand jury , which brought no charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing and only three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor ’ s neighbours ’ homes , was not unexpected by many NBA players and coaches .
While there were no drugs in Taylor ’ s apartment , her boyfriend shot and wounded a police officer .
State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the officers ’ shots that killed Taylor were fired in self-defence .
“ I know we ’ ve been using our platform down here to try to bring about education and a voice in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially also spoken out on justice for Breonna Taylor , ” Denver coach Michael Malone said .
“ We have not gotten that justice.
” Teams came to Walt Disney World to finish the season and crown a champion , and hoping that the platform of the NBA ’ s restart bubble could help amplify calls for change .
Players and coaches have used the NBA spotlight to make statements at a time when the demand for racial equality and an end to police brutality is resonating as loudly as it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story — the tale of a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed March 13 by police in Louisville when they burst into her apartment on a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation centred around a suspect who did not live there — has captivated NBA players .
There were no drugs in Taylor ’ s apartment .
Her boyfriend shot and wounded a police officer during the raid and Kentucky State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the officers ’ shots that killed Taylor were fired in self-defence .
Many NBA players have met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family to offer support .
They say her name in news conferences , wear it on shirts , scrawl it onto their sneakers .
“ We have moms .
We have sisters , nieces , aunties .
And just like men of colour have experienced traumatic instances , so have women , ” Boston forward Jaylen Brown said .
“ That is an example of some things that happen to women in our country .
So , we wanted to stand alongside them , but also make it that it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is female , so it ’ s important to show our sisters that we care .
That ’ s why it ’ s been important.
” Even for teams not in the bubble , it mattered .
Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce leads a committee of NBA coaches tasked with finding new ways to use their own platform to create change , and he ’ s encouraged his own players — Black and white alike — to speak out and take action , whether in Atlanta or their own community .
“ Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they went through the information and yeah , they have facts to support whatever the claims may be , ” Pierce said .
“ But that doesn ’ t provide any justice for those that are on the outside , those that feel like the police and law enforcement are there to protect them .
... What currently is happening isn ’ t good enough.
” National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts went a step further .
“ Sadly , there was no justice today for Breonna Taylor , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the result of a string of callous and careless decisions made with a lack of regard for humanity , ultimately resulting in the death of an innocent and beautiful woman with her entire life ahead of her.
” The league shut down for three days last month when a boycott that was started by the Milwaukee Bucks — in response to the shooting by police of a Black man , Jacob Blake , in Kenosha , Wisconsin — nearly caused players to end the season because they felt their pleas for change were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday ’ s news was another disappointment for them .
“ We feel like we ’ ve taken a step back , that we haven ’ t made the progress we were seeking , ” Green said .
“ Our voices aren ’ t being heard loud enough .
But we ’ re not going to stop .
We ’ re going to continue .
We ’ re going to continue fighting , we ’ re going to continue to push , we ’ re going to continue to use our voices .
@


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Breonna Taylor grand jury decision spurs NYC protests

NEW YORK - Demonstrators packed a New York City plaza Wednesday night to protest a Kentucky grand jury ’ s @ @ @ @ @ police officers for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor .
Chanting “ Say her name @ @ @ @ @ the crowd then started marching in the street in downtown Brooklyn , past onlookers and @ @ @ @ @ accompanied by musicians , setting a steady drum beat .
The grand jury indicted one @ @ @ @ @ the March 13 killing , but for shooting into a home next to Taylor ’ @ @ @ @ @ it .
No charges were brought against the two officers who fired their weapon at @ @ @ @ @ .
Prosecutors said they were justified in using force to protect themselves after they were @ @ @ @ @ an emergency medical worker , was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her @ @ @ @ @ during a narcotics investigation .
The warrant used to search her home was connected to @ @ @ @ @ live there , and no drugs were found inside .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--World leaders criticize haphazard response to pandemic

TANZANIA , Tanzania - World leaders gathering remotely Wednesday criticized a haphazard global response to a microscopic virus that has unleashed economic havoc and taken nearly 1 million lives in its march across the globe .
In the words of Kazakhstan ’ s president , it was “ a critical collapse of global co-operation.
” “ Our world has been turned upside down , ” said Ghana ’ s president , Nana Akufo-Addo .
“ We all fell together and looked into the abyss together.
” The coronavirus pandemic and its consequences topped the list of concerns on the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the General Assembly ’ s first virtual high-level meeting .
Countries large and small spoke about struggling to deal with its impact without international co-ordination .
Pleas for the world to work together to combat the scourge and other global problems have taken the forefront at this week ’ s U.N. gathering that itself was altered by the virus .
“ A pandemic is by definition a global challenge ” and requires a global response , but COVID-19 “ has unfortunately revealed how we are tempted to react to immediate threats — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finland ’ s president , Sauli Niinisto .
Instead of uniting behind multilateral efforts to tackle the coronavirus , he said , “ we witnessed a series of national responses , ” which “ raise concerns on how we will be able to combat other global challenges.
” Kazakhstan ’ s president , Kassym-Jomart Tokayev , warned that the world is “ coming close to what some have already called a state of ‘ global disfunction ’ ” as a result of the pandemic , and the global system is now “ on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead to irreversible consequences.
” “ Now is a make-or-break moment for the humankind , ” he warned .
Tokayev called for upgrading national health institutions , taking politics out of the development of a coronavirus vaccine , and revising regulations to improve the World Health Organization and enable all countries to prevent and respond to diseases .
The Kazakh leader proposed establishing an International Agency for Biological Safety based on the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention that would be accountable to the U.N. Security Council .
And he suggested creating a network of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under U.N. auspices .
Many leaders also called for any COVID-19 vaccine that is developed to be shared equally , with Sefik Dzaferovic , chairman of Bosnia ’ s three-member presidency , saying it must be available “ to the entire mankind.
” Dzaferovic said the past few years have seen “ a very strong crisis of multilateralism ” at international organizations including the United Nations , which has become “ an object of strong challenging and even dispute.
” But the pandemic has shown “ their extraordinary significance in today ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has also shown that “ the largest problems of today can no longer be solved by one , three or five states individually.
” As the global death toll from the virus approaches 1 million , many leaders spoke about how dramatically lives have changed in their countries .
Ghana ’ s Akufo-Addo said people everywhere have learned not to shake hands or hug loved ones , not to sing in groups because it ’ s become “ a dangerous activity ” and to worry about the safety of sending children to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the most difficult thing to deal with in these uncertain and unsettling times has been the silence forced on churches , mosques , temples and other places of worship , ” he said .
COVID-19 ’ s economic impact has been felt around the world , even in the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau that has remained coronavirus-free .
President Tommy Remengesau Jr. said the pandemic is affecting the archipelago ’ s economy and has put the country of about 18,000 “ into a level of isolation we have not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is struggling with disrupted supply chains for food and medicine , getting life-saving treatments for patients who used to travel to larger countries as well as keeping families united , college students in school and people working .
“ Private sector unemployment is approaching 50 % , and it will take years to recover what we have lost in months , ” Remengesau said .
The Palau leader , who said he will soon return to life as a fisherman , recalled attending the General Assembly ’ s high-level meeting in 2001 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks .
He called then for the unity and co-operation it inspired to be nurtured .
“ We do not see human evil in this pandemic in the way we did in the perpetrators of 9-11 , “ he said .
“ But the challenge of our response is not so different ... to unite in the face of a shared crisis in a way that might have seemed unlikely a year or two ago.
” The pandemic also “ has shone a crude light on inequality in the world , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 survivor .
Switzerland ’ s President Simonetta Sommaruga , one of the few women leaders to speak , said the pandemic “ has caused untold suffering in the world , “ with the most vulnerable hit hardest .
“ If every crisis is a suffering , it is also a moment of change that allows us to reinvent ourselves , “ she said .
“ So let ’ s reinvent ourselves.
” Some nations , like Iraq , called for more assistance to flow to countries that have less than others .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first address to the U.N. by a Saudi monarch since his father ’ s in 1957 , said that as chairman of the Group of 20 major industrialized nations , the kingdom held a summit of its leaders in March and pledged $ 500 million “ to combat this pandemic and curb its humanitarian and economic impacts.
” Reflecting a wish of all leaders , Iraqi President Barham Saleh said , “ We pray to the almighty God that the next meeting can be held in a pandemic-free world.
” Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who won the presidency in 2019 , spoke of closed borders , the Summer Olympics postponed and the current high-level meeting happening online .
“ A year ago , we would have said that this was the script of an apocalyptic blockbuster , and not the reality of 2020 , ” Zelenskiy said .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--In Taylor case, limits of law overcome calls for justice

“ Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor ” became a rallying cry this summer , emblazoned on T-shirts worn by celebrities and sports stars while protesters filled the streets demanding police accountability .
In the end , none of the officers were charged with Taylor ’ s killing , although one was indicted for shooting into a neighbouring home that had people inside .
The outcome demonstrates the vast disconnect between widespread public expectation of justice and the limits of the law when police use deadly force .
“ Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cameron , the first African American elected to the job in Kentucky , told reporters after the grand jury announced its decision on Wednesday .
“ And that is , that is true here .
But my heart breaks for the loss of Miss Taylor.
” Taylor , a 26-year-old Louisville emergency medical worker studying to become a nurse , was shot several times in her hallway after three plainclothes narcotics detectives busted down the door of her apartment after midnight on March 13 .
The officers entered the home as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across town .
No drugs were found at Taylor ’ s home .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , was with her at the apartment and fired a shot at Louisville police Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly after the door was broken down .
Walker has said he fired because he feared he was being robbed or that it might be an ex-boyfriend of Taylor ’ s trying to get in .
Mattingly was struck in the leg and returned fire , along with other officers who were outside the apartment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor were determined by prosecutors to be justified in using force because they acted in self defence .
The officer who shot into a neighbour ’ s apartment was the one who was charged with a felony .
Brett Hankison faces up to five years in prison on each of the three wanton endangerment charges .
The grand jury ’ s decision was swiftly condemned by activists , celebrities and others as a shocking miscarriage of justice .
Minutes after the announcement , demonstrators began to march down one of the main Louisville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no peace.
” “ The rallying cries that have been echoing throughout the nation have been once again ignored by a justice system that claims to serve the people , “ said attorney Ben Crump , who is representing Taylor ’ s family .
“ But when a justice system only acts in the best interest of the most privileged and whitest among us , it has failed.
” The long-awaited decision came amid calls for police reform across the U.S. spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened against the backdrop of a divisive election season that includes a fight over an open Supreme Court seat and repeated comments from President Donald Trump portraying demonstrators as violent mobs .
The outcome came as no surprise to legal experts , who said murder charges would never stand up in court because the officers were fired at first .
Police are shielded by laws and longstanding court rulings that give them wide latitude to use deadly force to protect themselves or others .
It ’ s been rare to charge police with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and winning a conviction is harder .
“ You can ’ t get justice from a tragedy .
What we have is a series of events that culminated in the use of self defence ” both by Taylor ’ s boyfriend and the officers , said Jan Waddell , a Louisville defence attorney .
“ Just because Breonna was in caught the middle of that and she was the victim of a shooting doesn ’ t mean that either one of those parties engaged in criminal activity , “ he said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired upon first but had a warrant allowing them to legally enter the apartment would have provided them with a powerful defence , experts said .
That made Taylor ’ s case less clear cut than other recent killings that have stirred outrage , like that of Floyd , who died in May after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes .
Prosecutors will likely even face challenges in securing a conviction against Hankison for wanton endangerment , observers said .
The FBI is still investigating potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We see this over and over again where an officer is a criminal defendant in one of these cases ... and when they take the witness stand it seems that juries are very reluctant to second guess the split-second life or death decisions of police officers in potentially violent encounters , “ said Philip Stinson , a former police officer and criminologist at Bowling Green State University .
“ I think that ’ s going to be a difficult case for the prosecution to prevail on if this goes to trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been corrected to reflect that Walker said he shot at the officers because he feared he was being robbed , not because he was being robbed .
It has also been edited to clarify that the shots fired by Hankison entered another home with people inside , not several homes .

Alanna Durkin Richer - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--GOP senators see political, principle gain in court fight

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump marveled at a rally this week about how important Supreme Court nominations are to voters .
But Senate Republicans are with the voters on that .
Despite Democratic cries of hypocrisy , they ’ re hoping the battle over replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg will help them keep their Senate majority as well as Trump ’ s job in the White House .
Beyond the Nov. 3 elections , some feel the generational goal of a solidly conservative court is worth the potential blowback .
“ Most of us came to the Senate , ran for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways for big moments like this — for an opportunity to fill seats on the Supreme Court , ” said Sen. John Thune , R-S.D.
, the GOP whip who is not up for reelection this year .
And whatever their personal views of Trump and his presidency , Republicans also see a political payoff in sticking with him and plunging ahead to confirm his pick to fill the court vacancy before the election .
By Wednesday , as mourners gathered to view Ginsburg ’ s casket on the court ’ s iconic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential winner should name the nominee had slipped by GOP senators .
They were preparing for confirmation hearings as soon as Oct. 12 , with a possible full Senate vote Oct. 29 .
Trump is to announce his choice Saturday .
“ The process is going to go very quickly , ” Trump said at the White House .
The president suggested doing away with confirmation hearings , and said later he wants the new justice confirmed before the election .
“ It ’ s better , ” he said about the timing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden , argue Republicans are stalling a fresh round of COVID-19 relief — as the nation reaches the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus — but rushing the court nomination ahead of the election .
They remind that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell led Republicans in refusing to consider a nominee of President Barack Obama nominee in February 2016 , long before that year ’ s election .
No Supreme Court nominee in U.S. history has been confirmed by the Senate so close to balloting .
But Republicans are eagerly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sensing a reward greater than the risk .
A third Trump justice is certain to tip the court rightward , likely to revisit landmark decisions on abortion , health care , gun rights and other issues .
A liberal icon , Ginsburg would be replaced by a justice more in line with Trump ’ s earlier nominees , Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh .
Even without fresh polling this week , almost all Republicans backed McConnell ’ s push for a quick vote .
“ It ’ s a really exciting time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conservative advocacy group Judicial Crisis Network .
“ This is a new era.
” The top contender for Trump ’ s nomination is Amy Coney Barrett , a judge of the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals in the Midwest .
The president had suggested he might meet Friday with Judge Barbara Lagoa in battleground Florida , but on Wednesday he said they didn ’ t have a meeting planned .
As early presidential voting is underway in several states , only two Republican senators , Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the speedy timetable .
There ’ s little the Democrats can do to block it .
The Senate is controlled by Republicans , 53-47 , with a simple majority needed for confirmation .
Under Senate rules , Vice-President Mike Pence can break a tie .
Biden won ’ t say whom he might pick , denying Trump and Republicans an opportunity to shift attention .
“ We should go to the American people , make the case why this is a gigantic mistake and abuse of power , ” Biden said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign event in North Carolina .
At a rally late Tuesday in Pittsburgh , Trump told supporters how surprised he was in 2016 over voter reaction to the Supreme Court .
That February , just before a crucial presidential primary debate in South Carolina , the sudden death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia sent shockwaves through Washington .
Republicans remember the moment well : Trump on the debate stage started naming possible replacements .
It was a jaw-dropping instant for advocates who have been working to restructure the courts since the Reagan era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , a newcomer to politics who had supported abortion access just years earlier but was now naming conservative judicial champions .
“ I was like , wow , I didn ’ t see that coming , ” said Severino .
Now , as Republicans strain to hold their slim majority in the Senate , they believe the court battle in the countdown weeks to the 2020 election will similarly bring wayward Trump voters back into the fold — or at least they ’ ll go down in defeat having secured the long-sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators facing tough reelections — Martha McSally in Arizona , Thom Tillis in North Carolina , Steve Daines in Montana and Joni Ernst in Iowa — all threw their support behind voting on Trump ’ s choice .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , the chairman of the Judiciary Committee who faces his own tough race in South Carolina , estimated it will help him in win .
Even in Colorado , where the politics are more uncertain , Sen. Cory Gardner joined the push for a new justice — better to be seen as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political risks .
Only the most independent senators — Murkowski and Collins , who faces her own reelection in Maine — declined .
“ These sorts of fights bring Republicans together , ” said Sen. Todd Young , R-Ind.
, the party ’ s Senate campaign chairman .
But Democrats are also fired up against what they see as Trump “ stealing ” another court seat , as Democratic leader Chuck Schumer puts it .
Several Democratic senators spoke well into the night from the chamber floor against voting now .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent times .
Ginsburg , 87 , died Friday of metastatic pancreatic cancer .
Her casket will remain on view through Thursday at the court .
She will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol this week , the first woman accorded that honour .
Associated Press writers Mark Sherman , Kevin Freking , Andrew Taylor and Matthew Daly in Washington , Darlene Superville in Pittsburgh , Alex Jaffe in Wilmington , Delaware , and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report .

Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller And Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--US appeals court in Denver eyes American Samoa citizenship

DENVER - Whether people who live in territories controlled by the U.S. automatically become citizens under a constitutional amendment that secured citizenship for freed slaves was a major focus of arguments Wednesday in a federal appeals court in Denver in a case seeking citizenship rights for residents of American Samoa .
American Samoa , a cluster of islands some 2,600 miles ( 4,184 kilometres ) southwest of Hawaii , is the only U.S. territory where residents have no birthright claim to citizenship .
Instead , they are granted “ U.S .
national ” status , meaning they can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office outside American Samoa or apply for certain jobs .
The only federal election they can cast a vote in is the race for American Samoa ’ s nonvoting U.S. House seat .
In December , a federal judge in Utah ruled in favour of three residents of American Samoa who challenged their status , concluding they were citizens under the 14th Amendment adopted after the Civil War .
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups stopped his ruling from taking effect while the governments of the United States and American Samoa appealed his decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Appeals .
About 55,000 people live in the territory but the ultimate decision will also affect an estimated 160,000 nationals who live in the states , largely concentrated in California , Hawaii , Washington , Utah and Alaska .
The U.S. maintains that the 14th Amendment ’ s grant of citizenship to those born “ in the United States ” does not apply to its territories .
It also claims citizenship is a decision that should be left to Congress , noting that it has granted those rights in other territories such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of American Samoa worries automatic citizenship would hurt its traditional culture , which includes prayer curfews and communal land ownership .
However , lawyer Matthew McGill told a three-judge panel during online arguments that the current system makes the lead plaintiff in the case , John Fitisemanu , a “ modern day Dred Scott ” who can not vote or serve on a jury , referencing the Supreme Court decision denying citizenship to descendants of slaves that the 14th Amendment nullified .
He said the Reconstruction-era Congress wanted to take the question of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics ” forever through the amendment .
Judge Carlos Lucero said it was important to him whether the people of American Samoa want to be citizens .
He noted that the 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , which ended the war between the United States and Mexico and which gave the United States control of Western land , including current day Colorado and Utah , gave people there two years to decide whether or not to become citizens of the United States or Mexico .
“ That is a pretty harsh position to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizenship , ” Lucero told McGill .
However , Judge Robert E. Bacharach questioned whether elected leaders ’ views on who should be citizens should trump the Constitution ’ s protections for citizenship , noting that that democratically elected leaders in the pre-war South also supported the Dred Scott court ruling .
The judges will issue a written ruling at a later date .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--Q&A: What were the results of Breonna Taylor investigation?

LOUISVILLE , Ky. - Six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in her Kentucky apartment , a grand jury delivered a long-awaited answer about whether the officers would be punished .
The jury on Wednesday did charge one of the officers , Brett Hankison , with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that went into another home with people inside .
But jurors didn ’ t indict any of the officers on charges directly related to Taylor ’ s death .
The jury relied on evidence presented to it by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were justified in firing their weapons because Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , had fired one shot at them .
Along with the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota , Taylor ’ s case became a major touchstone for the nationwide protests that have gripped the nation since May , drawing attention to entrenched racism and demanding police reform .
Some questions and answers about Cameron ’ s findings in the Breonna Taylor case : Taylor was a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who lived with her sister in an apartment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenneth Walker , had settled in to watch a movie in her bedroom on the night of March 13 when police came to her door with a narcotics warrant that was one of five issued that night in a wide-ranging sting .
Minutes later , Taylor was fatally shot .
Her death sparked months of protests in Louisville , and celebrities including LeBron James , Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey have called on authorities to criminally charge the police officers who were involved in the raid .
HOW MANY TIMES WAS BREONNA TAYLOR SHOT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six times on the night of her death , but only one of the gunshots was fatal .
Sgt .
John Mattingly had entered the home after the door was broken down , and he was shot once in the leg by Walker , Taylor ’ s boyfriend .
Walker has said he didn ’ t know the police were at the door , and he fired a “ warning shot , “ thinking it was an intruder .
After Walker fired , Mattingly , Hankison and a third officer , Myles Cosgrove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 32 gunshots fired by police .
WHY WAS NO ONE CHARGED WITH SHOOTING BREONNA TAYLOR ?
Cameron said the fatal bullet was fired by Cosgrove , but added that Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in the use of force because they were shot at first .
Cameron said state law “ bars us from seeking charges in Breonna Taylor ’ s death.
” Cameron also said there was no conclusive evidence that any of Hankison ’ s 10 gunshots hit Taylor inside her home .
But Hankison was charged with three counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went into another home with people inside .
WHY WAS OFFICER BRETT HANKISON GIVEN A $ 15,000 BOND ?
Hankison , who was fired from the Louisville department in June , was the only officer charged by the grand jury .
The first-degree wanton endangerment charges are Class D , the lowest level felonies in Kentucky , which have a sentencing range of one to five years in prison upon conviction .
When Hankison was fired , interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder said that Hankison showed “ extreme indifference to the value of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blindly ” into Taylor ’ s home .
WILL THERE BE ANY OTHER CHARGES ?
Cameron said it is unlikely there will be any further criminal charges coming from his investigation from the night of the shooting .
Lawyers for Taylor ’ s family had called for a minimum of manslaughter charges .
Cameron said his team “ walked the grand jury through every homicide offence and then the grand jury was the one that made the ultimate decision.
” Federal officials are continuing to investigate whether the officers committed any civil rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigating a fourth officer , Joshua Jaynes , who sought the warrant for Taylor ’ s home .
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer also said Louisville police are conducting a professional standards investigation to look into if any officers involved in the raid that night need further training or discipline .


thetorontostar--2020-09-23--The Latest: New Mexico adds 3 states to ‘quarantine’ list

SANTA FE , N.M. — New Mexico has added three more states to its list of what it considers places with a high coronavirus risk .
The designation requires travellers arriving in or returning to New Mexico from the 39 states now on the list to quarantine for 14 days .
However , people who can show documentation of a valid negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before or after entry into New Mexico are exempt from the quarantine requirement .
Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham added Colorado , Oregon and Rhode Island to the list Wednesday .
New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on coronavirus positivity rates and per capita infections .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK — Dr. Fauci : Scientists may know about safety of vaccine by December ; don ’ t send college students home if outbreak on campus — The wife of Republican Missouri Gov .
Mike Parson has tested positive for the coronavirus after experiencing mild symptoms .
— Some South Carolina teachers are taking a personal day to fight for safer classrooms amid the pandemic .
— Johnson & Johnson to begin huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine can protect against the virus .
It will test 60,000 volunteers in various countries .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : NEW YORK — The organizers of the New Year ’ s Eve in Times Square celebration say the event will incorporate virtual elements and be scaled down and socially distant on site in response to the coronavirus pandemic .
The Times Square Alliance , Jamestown Properties and Countdown Entertainment say in Wednesday news release that a virtual experience will be created to allow people to take part in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They say the annual event will have an extremely limited group of in-person honorees .
The organizers say the event will honour essential workers and others who have made a difference in 2020 .
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana ’ s statewide mask order will continue for three more weeks under a new order that the governor announced as he faces public discontent over coronavirus restrictions amid his reelection campaign .
Gov .
Eric Holcomb said Wednesday that the mask mandate is being extended Oct. 17 , but added that he will be dropping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sizes as of Saturday .
Holcomb says those restrictions can be removed because Indiana has seen progress in recent weeks in slowing the coronavirus spread .
His action lifts statewide capacity limits for restaurants and bars and crowd limits for social events .
The governor ’ s new order will require bar and restaurant customers to remain seated and maintain distancing .
While limits on crowd sizes for social gatherings and meetings will be removed , those organizing events with more than 500 people must submit a written safety plan to local health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed 15,000 .
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 2,977 newly confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday and 135 more deaths due to COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus .
Health officials say there have been more than 719,000 confirmed cases in Texas .
The total death toll stands at 15,129 .
FARGO , N.D. — North Dakota ’ s governor has directed health officials to put long-term care residents and workers at the head of the line for coronavirus testing .
Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Dakota wrestles with one of the nation ’ s fastest rates of per capita case growth .
North Dakota has reported 26 deaths in the last seven days , with 19 of them in a hot spot of the two counties that include the capital of Bismarck .
Most of those were in a single long-term care facility that Burgum did not name .
The governor says the state will try to return test results for long-term facilities residents and workers within 24 hours , and make a priority of contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Dr. Anthony Fauci says it wouldn ’ t be smart for college administrators to send students home if there ’ s an outbreak on campus .
Fauci told senators that would only make matters worse .
That ’ s because it could make the returning students into disease carriers .
Colleges and universities should plan to accommodate students who ’ ve been exposed to the coronavirus in a separate dorm or maybe a separate floor — that ’ s if the infected students don ’ t need to be hospitalized .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their community , ” Fauci says , “ because of the likelihood of them reseeding infection in a community.
” WASHINGTON -- Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans likely will need to wear masks and stay socially distant to protect themselves from the coronavirus after a vaccine becomes available .
“ The vaccine availability will go a giant step to controlling the infection , but you ’ re not going to completely eradicate it or eliminate it , ” Fauci says .
It ’ s unusual for a vaccine to be 100 % effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are skeptical of vaccinations and may avoid getting a shot .
Even if there ’ s enough vaccine available for the entire U.S. population , it will take time to distribute the shots .
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators are highlighting that COVID-19 is the newest pre-existing medical condition .
That means people who had the disease could be denied health insurance if the Obama-era health law is overturned .
The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg means there are no longer five justices on the court who have previously upheld the Affordable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from turning down people with health problems or charging them more .
“ Any diagnosis of COVID will likely become a pre-existing condition , ” said Sen. Chris Murphy , D-Conn. “ We will see rates skyrocket for anybody who has had COVID.
” The government ’ s leading infectious disease expert , Dr. Anthony Fauci , told senators much remains unknown about the long-term consequences of COVID-19 .
Fauci called attention to the so-called “ long haulers , ” people who have recovered but continue to struggle with a range of symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ disturbing number ” of recovered patients have inflammation of the heart in MRI exams , Fauci says .
ROME — Italy added another 1,640 coronavirus cases to its confirmed toll , in line with its daily average , after conducting a record 103,696 tests in the last 24 hours .
Another 20 deaths were recorded , bringing Italy ’ s official death toll to 35,758 .
That ’ s second-most in Europe after Britain .
Health Minister Roberto Speranza says Italy ’ s testing capacity was a “ strategic issue to confront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatly increased its capacity over the past six months .
It ’ s currently processing around 100,000 tests a day .
Unlike other European countries , Italy has not seen the huge surge in confirmed new infections in recent weeks , averaging around 1,500 per day .
WASHINGTON -- Top federal health officials say they ’ d get a COVID-19 vaccine , once it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration .
Dr. Brett Giroir , an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services , told a Senate hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to take that vaccine .
He added people should have discussions with their health providers about the vaccine .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , says he “ certainly would ” take a vaccine authorized by the FDA .
Several vaccines are in the final stage of testing in the U.S. Fauci says government scientists should know by the end of this year -- November or December -- whether they are safe and effective .
Dr. Robert Redfield , head of the Centers for Disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced the CDC to supersede its guidance .
The clarification now says people without symptoms should be tested .
Redfield told the Senate hearing members it was a misinterpretation .
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci says by the end of this year government scientists should know whether they have a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 .
Fauci is among top officials testifying before the Senate Health , Education , Labor and Pensions committee on Wednesday .
As the government ’ s leading infectious disease expert , Fauci has been a realist about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimistic about the prospects for a vaccine .
Fauci says people who recover from the virus develop antibodies against it , which gives him confidence a vaccine that triggers the immune system will work .
Fauci says several kinds of vaccines are in final-stage testing in the U.S. A single-dose candidate is the most recent trial , which requires thousands of volunteers .
BERLIN — Germany ’ s foreign minister is quarantined after a bodyguard tested positive for the coronavirus .
Heiko Maas ’ ministry says an initial test on the minister was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working with local authorities to establish whether other people need to take measures .
Germany has seen a rise in new infections in recent weeks , though its numbers remain well below those in some other European countries .
Germany has reported more than 278,000 cases and 9,400 confirmed deaths .
PRAGUE — The Czech government imposing new restrictive measures in efforts to curb a surge of coronavirus infections .
The announcement by Health Minister Roman Prymula comes after the Czech Republic registered a record spike of the new confirmed cases last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Tuesday , the number of infected reached 2,394 , the second highest .
Prymula says indoor gatherings are restricted to 10 people if they are standing and to 50 outdoors .
It the visitors are seated , up to 2,000 spectators can attend sports and other outdoor events .
Bars , pubs and restaurants will close at 10 p.m. , starting Thursday .
The Czech Republic has a confirmed total of 53,158 cases and 531 deaths .
Neighbouring Slovakia had 338 cases Tuesday for a confirmed total of 7 , 269 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
LONDON — Scotland has recorded 486 positive coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours , the highest number of daily cases in a single day .
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says almost half of the new cases were from the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area .
She says there were two recorded deaths in the past day , bringing the total confirmed toll to 2,508 .
Sturgeon recently announced a ban on visiting other homes and discouraged car .
The U.K. is witnessing a steep rise in infections .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new restrictions , including early closing times for pubs and restaurants .
DUBAI , United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has recorded 1,083 new coronavirus infections , marking a four-month peak after schools and businesses reopened across the country .
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the UAE to 87,530 and 406 deaths .
While the spike follows an aggressive coronavirus testing campaign , the country hasn ’ t seen such high infection rates since mid-May .
In the months since , authorities have relaxed restrictions .
Dubai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reopened its airport for international travellers and schools resumed in-person instruction .
MADRID — Health authorities in Madrid may extend to more communities the restrictions on movement it imposed on areas of the Spanish capital with high coronavirus infection rates .
About 860,000 Madrid residents already are required to justify trips out of 37 neighbourhoods , mostly working-class areas .
People have complained that the restrictions stigmatize the poor .
The region ’ s deputy health chief , Antonio Zapatero , says a decision on additional measures , including possible customer limits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Zapatero says the outbreak situation in the Madrid region , which has a population of 6.6 million , was one of “ sustained increase.
” Madrid had a contagion rate of 772 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days , nearly three times Spain ’ s national average of 287 cases per 100,000 .
Spain recorded 241 more virus-related deaths on Tuesday , bringing the total confirmed death toll to 30,904 .

ATLANTA (AP) — Putting 19 people on trial at the same time is a difficult assignment for any prosecutor — whether or not one of those defendan…


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--Former VW boss Winterkorn faces trial on 2nd set of charges

BERLIN - A German court has ruled that former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn must face trial on a second set of charges in the company ’ s diesel emissions scandal , this time accused of market manipulation .
Thursday ’ s announcement by the Braunschweig state court followed a decision earlier this month that he must stand trial on fraud charges .
No date has been set for either set of proceedings .
Winterkorn resigned from Volkswagen days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a notice of violation on Sept. 18 , 2015 .
The company had for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on test stands and turned emission controls on , then turned the emission controls off during normal driving .
As a result , the cars emitted far more than the legal U.S. limit of nitrogen oxide , a pollutant that harms people ’ s health .
Prosecutors accuse Winterkorn of knowing about the installation of an illegal “ defeat device ” in about 500,000 cars on the U.S. market and deliberately failing to inform markets in good time of a “ significant financial risk ” that had started to materialize in early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the charges to trial unchanged .
Volkswagen shares dropped sharply after the scandal became public , prompting investors to demand compensation in a separate civil case .
Winterkorn ’ s lawyer has rejected charges that the former CEO had early knowledge of the use of the software in U.S. diesel cars , saying that significant information did not reach him .
On Thursday , lawyer Felix Doerr rejected the market manipulation charges again and said the proceedings will show that they are “ unfounded , ” news agency dpa reported .
Volkswagen has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 35 billion ) in fines and settlements over the scandal .


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--1st Kosovar Albanian arrested on war crime charges

PRISTINA , Kosovo - A special international court said Thursday that a former commander of the separatist fighters in Kosovo ’ s 1998-1999 war has been arrested as part of a war crimes and crimes against humanity probe stemming from the conflict with Serbia .
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers , based in The Hague , said former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Salih Mustafa was arrested based on a “ warrant , transfer order and confirmed indictment issued by a pre-trial judge.
” The court ’ s statement did not identify the charges on which he was indicted .
The court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detention facilities in The Hague and “ appear before the pre-trial judge without undue delay.
” He is the first ethnic Albanian to be arrested on war crimes charges arising from the 1990s conflict .
The Kosovo Liberation Army was made up of ethnic Albanian rebels who wanted Kosovo ’ s independence from Serbia .
Mustafa oversaw fighters in the Llapi area , 35 kilometres ( 20 miles ) north of the capital , Pristina .
He later served as intelligence chief of the Kosovo Security Forces , military troops created in 2009 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular army .
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers and a companion prosecutors ’ office was established five years ago to look into allegations that KLA members committed war crimes and crimes against humanity .
Hysni Gucati of the war veterans ’ association said Mustafa ’ s family reported he was arrested early Thursday and taken to The Hague .
“ To us , the court and its actions are unacceptable , ” Gucati said .
The association has said it anonymously received thousands of confidential files during the last two months , which contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against former top KLA commanders .
It is not clear whether the files were stolen or leaked by someone involved in the investigation .
The war veterans said they would make them public , a move which a court spokesman warned would undermine the proper administration of justice .
The Specialist Prosecutor ’ s Office is investigating how the association came into possession of the documents .
Office spokesman Christopher Bennett said authorities were “ vigorously investigating and prosecuting individuals who commit any such crimes.
” The prosecutors in The Hague also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli , and others for crimes that include murder , enforced disappearances , persecution and torture .
Both men have denied committing any war crimes .
The 1998-1999 war for Kosovo ’ s independence from Serbia left more than 10,000 people dead — most of them ethnic Albanians from Kosovo .
More than 1,600 people remain unaccounted for .
The fighting ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops .
Kosovo , which is dominated by ethnic Albanians , declared independence from Serbia in 2008 , a move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Serbia or its allies Russia and China .

Zenel Zhinipotoku And Llazar Semini - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--From quick shortcuts to slow cookers, how we’re eating now

In normal times , food trends often started in restaurants , with top chefs .
Maybe they got written up in food magazines or blogs .
After some time , you could find the trending ingredients on grocery store shelves .
These days , the pandemic is determining how and what we eat , from quick shortcuts to slow cookers .
There ’ s lots more home cooking , and many more family meals .
Even when people do eat restaurant food , they ’ re often looking for familiar dishes , experts say .
In general , “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ says Esmee Williams , who looks at where home cooking is heading for Allrecipes.com , based in Seattle .
Recipes from the 1960s and ’ 70s like chicken Kyiv , chicken a la king , cheese fondue and salmon patties have become more popular , she says .
“ There ’ s a lot of disappointment happening in our days , so nobody wants tears at the table .
Let ’ s treat ourselves to something we all will like , ” says Williams .
It ’ s part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decor , fashion and beauty .
A year ago , Williams says , many foodies were aspirational in their diets .
Less so now .
As Darren Seifer , a food and beverage industry analyst for the NPD Group in Chicago , puts it , consumers aren ’ t looking to explore new and fancy .
Most “ are just trying to get by.
” Under all sorts of pressure , people are juggling a desire for comfort food with the need to find a healthy diet and avoid “ stress eating , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a food and beverage manufacturer , you need to be thinking about convenience and comfort right now , ” Seifer says .
That leads to some contradictory trends .
Home cooks are doing more with vegetables , particularly seasonal produce , while also hunkering down with indulgent sweets and treats .
Seifer cites higher sales of both vegetables and ice cream in May 2020 , compared to the previous May .
Seifer and Williams also see a trend towards shortcut products , like refrigerated dough , frozen pizza crusts and pancake mixes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describes a morning routine that echoes this trend ; she has been baking refrigerated biscuits or crescent rolls for her young kids , but pairing them with homemade eggs and fresh berries .
She is happy to make breakfast , but doesn ’ t want “ to make EVERYTHING from scratch.
” Baum has been going to more farmers ’ markets this summer and leaning into the idea of cooking what is available .
She says her kids seem to be more open to trying produce they have seen displayed and purchased at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williams : more recipe searches than before for authentic ethnic foods , such as Asian , Mexican and Soul Food .
“ People are travelling with their taste buds , recreating dishes they ate out but now have to cook instead , ?
she says .
“ Also , these dishes connect us with relatives we can ’ t be with right now.
” And don ’ t forget today ’ s fascination with what Williams calls “ self-reliance ” cooking — things like homemade bread , homemade pasta , homemade yogurt and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labour-intensive foods provide a way to keep busy , learn something new , save money and eat well , she says .
In homes where adults are working from home and kids have shorter school days , the dinner hour may well start an hour earlier this fall , Williams predicts .
“ The family meal is back – and it ’ s happening across all three meals .
Home is the epicenter of all activity , and meals are a big part of that , ” she says .
Searches for family-friendly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from last year .
Searches for breakfast recipes are up 35 % , and lunch up 45 % in page views .
“ We are making many more meals for ` we ’ rather than ` me , ’ ” Williams says .
Other trends include simpler recipes , recipes with fewer ingredients , one-pot meals , sheet-pan meals , finger food and pantry-ingredient recipes .
Vegan and vegetarian cooking is on the rise , she says .
Tofu and tempeh searches , which have declined in recent years , are now increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Allrecipes this summer .
Homemade pizza “ is going crazy — family pleasing , creative and fun , a good alternative to takeout , ’ ’ says Williams .
“ People have become more comfortable with yeast , and people are also buying pizza ovens.
” So , which appliances are riding these new waves ?
Multicooker sales are up , as are recipe searches for Instant Pot recipes ( 68 % higher than this time last year on Allrecipes.com ) .
Air fryers and slow cookers are popular .
And sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent in April compared with the previous April , Seifer said .
As for restaurant takeout , digital ordering is growing quickly .
Seifer says pre-pandemic digital ordering ( online or via apps ) made up 6 % of orders ; now it ’ s double that .
Another trend is QR code menus that you pull up on your phone , as opposed to paper menus .
Using a QR code and a phone for payment eliminates the need for handling credit cards and cash .
Katie Workman writes regularly about food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking , “ Dinner Solved !
” and “ The Mom 100 Cookbook.
” She blogs at http : //www.themom100.com/about-katie-workman .
She can be reached at Katie @ themom100.com .


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--Trump-appointed judges under an election-year political lens

NASHVILLE - U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson , a Trump administration appointee who bucked the president ’ s conservative base by blocking a Tennessee law that restricts mail-in voting , had an announcement to make before wrapping up his decision : it had nothing to do with politics .
The declaration dropped as lower-court judges , like Richardson , face greater scrutiny over their perceived ideological purity .
Richardson even took the step of addressing potential critics in his opinion .
Richardson ruled in favour of expanding the ability of first-time voters in this reliably Republican-leaning state to cast mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lifetime-appointed judge said , he had to “ address head-on the proverbial elephant in the room , “ declaring his own impartiality in the case .
In his Sept. 9 ruling , Richardson wrote that he was “ not concerned about how his decisions could aid one side or the other on the political front.
” The judge from Tennessee ’ s Middle District also said his personal opinions on election laws have “ simply no bearing “ on the constitutional claims brought before his bench .
For months , President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be widespread voter fraud in November , even as officials in states that have relied on mail-in ballots cited little evidence of such .
Nominated in 2017 , Richardson wrote he could forgive someone with a “ cynical view ” that voting-rights lawsuits amount to “ really just politics by other means “ — particularly in a presidential election year .
Even before the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg refocused public attention on the judiciary , Richardson ’ s pointed message highlighted a charged atmosphere nationwide : Judges are coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — through the lens of politics .
It ’ s a spotlight even Trump has encouraged by stating he expects his selection of “ conservative judges ” to result in rulings supported by his base .
“ I think it ’ s very unusual to make it so explicit that this decision had nothing to do with the judge ’ s predispositions , ” said Brian Fitzpatrick , a Vanderbilt University law professor .
“ That is something that normally should go without saying.
” Trump ’ s assurances about his judicial picks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some cite it as justification for backing the president , even if they dislike his tone or other policies .
But as Fitzpatrick noted , those who sift and weigh a judge ’ s decisions often overlook the fact that judges must act within the tight confines of law and jurisprudence and “ don ’ t have unfettered discretion like politicians think they do.
” Yet when those jurists , who are sworn to impartial justice , make decisions that don ’ t align with party politics , criticism has flowed freely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the co-equal branches of government including Trump himself .
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts has previously warned that political polarization is skewing how people view the judicial branch , adding that the justices are “ not just another part of the political process.
” Roberts , who was picked by President George W. Bush , has endured GOP anger over decisions — including recent decisions on immigration to pandemic restrictions on church gatherings .
And one of Richardson ’ s colleagues in Nashville , another Trump appointee , took a political pounding from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. District Judge William “ Chip ” Campbell blocked an effort by Tennessee Republicans to bar abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy .
The backlash became the stuff of campaign fodder in Tennessee .
GOP primary opponents in an open U.S. Senate race weighed in .
Bill Hagerty , now the Republican nominee , said he ’ d vote for more “ constitutionalist judges who protect the unborn , ” and opponent Manny Sethi said , “ An activist judge barely waited until the ink was dry to promote his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former federal district judge and director of the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School , said it can be useful for judges to acknowledge a ruling may be controversial and explain it to the public .
“ Judges have to reason out in their opinion and really explain why they reached the result that they reached , “ Levi said , adding it could be helpful “ for a judge to say , ‘ I want to address what I know is on some people ’ s minds.
’ ” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judges have drawn high praise from conservatives .
Earlier this year , U.S. District Judge Justin Walker sided with a church in ruling that Kentucky ’ s largest city could not halt a drive-in Easter time service amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Walker ’ s harsh 20-page rebuke of the officials drew national attention — and praise from Republican leaders .
Meanwhile , U.S. Judge James Ho in Texas has gained attention since being appointed by Trump to a federal appeals court after writing a dissent claiming the courts have treated the Second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ‘ second-class ’ right.
“ He also condemned the “ moral tragedy of abortion ” in a separate opinion .
So far , Richardson has been spared a conservative outcry over his recent vote-by-mail ruling , which blocked a requirement that first-time voters cast ballots in person or show ID at their election office if they wish to vote by mail .
He had already ruled against changing two other Tennessee restrictions on voting by mail .
“ I realize the president maybe lost this one but in another sense he didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levi said , noting Trump ’ s resistance to expanding mail-in voting .
“ He appointed someone who followed the law .
We should all be proud we have people like that on the bench.
” Associated Press writer Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report .

Jonathan Mattise And Kimberlee Kruesi - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--NYC mayor skips Saudi Arabia summit, citing rights concerns

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he is withdrawing from a virtual summit of world cities scheduled to be hosted by Saudi Arabia because of human rights concerns .
The Urban 20 summit is scheduled to run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 ahead of the Group of 20 summit of the world ’ s most powerful industrialized nations .
Human rights activists had urged de Blasio and several other city leaders to boycott the meeting , pointing out that Oct. 2 is the anniversary of the killing of Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown just how crucial it is for cities across the world to work together while standing up for what ’ s right .
We can not lead the world without speaking out against injustices , “ de Blasio said in a statement .
“ We must stand united for combating climate change , advancing peace and protecting human rights .
I urge my colleagues in other global cities to join me in withdrawing from this year ’ s U20 summit and demanding progress.
” Western intelligence agencies have said Crown Prince Mohammed bin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s killing and that the operation that led to his death could not have happened without the prince ’ s knowledge .
The 35-year-old prince has denied any knowledge and condemned the killing .
A Saudi court announced prison sentences for eight men in the killing earlier this month .
The first U20 summit was held in 2018 .
It takes place in the country that is hosting the annual G20 summit .
An email seeking comment was sent to the U20 organizers .


thetorontostar--2020-09-24--Cambridge Analytica ex-boss banned from running companies

LONDON - The former boss of Cambridge Analytica , the political consulting firm brought down by a scandal over how it obtained Facebook users ’ private data , has been banned from holding company directorships for seven years .
Britain ’ s Insolvency Service said Thursday that Alexander Nix is banned from running companies after he permitted Cambridge Analytica ’ s parent firm , SCL Elections Ltd. , and connected firms to “ market themselves as offering potentially unethical services to prospective clients.
” U.K.-based Cambridge Analytica was accused of playing a key role in the 2014 breach of 87 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The company denied it used the data for Trump ’ s 2016 election campaign , but some former employees have disputed that .
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that it was “ entirely possible ” the social media data ended up being used in Russian propaganda efforts .
Cambridge Analytica and other connected firms under Nix ’ s leadership filed for bankruptcy in 2018 .
A statement from the Insolvency Service said Thursday that investigators ’ enquiries confirmed that “ SCL Elections had repeatedly offered shady political services to potential clients over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unethical services offered by the companies included bribery or honey trap stings , voter disengagement campaigns , obtaining information to discredit political opponents and spreading information anonymously in political campaigns , ” the statement said .
“ Alexander Nix ’ s actions did not meet the appropriate standard for a company director and his disqualification from managing limited companies for a significant amount of time is justified in the public interest , ” said chief investigator Mark Bruce .