thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Pope in TED talk: Earth cannot be squeezed ‘like an orange’

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Saturday issued an urgent call to action to defend the planet and help the poor in his second TED talk .
The pontiff , known for his affinity for social media and technology , said in a videotaped message to a TED conference on climate change that the coronavirus pandemic had put a focus on the social-environmental challenge facing the globe .
“ Science tells us , every day with more precision , that it is necessary to act with urgency — I am not exaggerating , science tell us this — if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radical changes in the climate and catastrophes , ” Francis said , looking directly in the camera as he looked up from his prepared remarks .
He set as a goal for the next decade constructing a world capable of responding to current generations , “ without compromising the possibilities of the future generations.
” He framed his call with references to his 2015 encyclical on climate change , “ Laudato Si , “ ( Be Praised ) and the more recent “ Fratelli tutti ” ( Brothers All ) on the failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three paths of action : promoting education about the environment “ based on scientific data and an ethical approach , “ assuring drinking water and an adequate food supply through sustainable agriculture and promoting the transformation from fossil fuels to clean energy sources .
“ We have just a few years — scientists calculate roughly fewer than 30 — to drastically reduce the emissions of gas and the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere , “ the pope said , adding that the transition needs to take into account the impact on the poor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the energy sector .
He called on investors to exclude companies that do not taking into account the environment , as have many faith-based organizations already have .
“ In fact , the earth must be taken care of , cultivated and protected ; we can not continue to squeeze it like an orange .
And we can say this , taking care of the Earth is a human right , ” Francis said .
The six-hour Countdown Global Launch is TED ’ s first-ever free conference , featuring as hosts such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Al Gore , with speakers including Prince William of Britain and Ursula von der Leyen , a leading European Union official .


thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Five things to know about court nominee Amy Coney Barrett

WASHINGTON - Confirmation hearings begin Monday for President Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett .
If confirmed , the 48-year-old appeals court judge would fill the seat of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who died last month .
Ginsburg ’ s replacement by Barrett , a conservative , would shift the balance on the court significantly right , from 5-4 in favour of conservatives to 6-3 .
Here are 5 things to know about her : Barrett was born in Louisiana and attended Rhodes College , a liberal arts school in Memphis , Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to law school in Indiana , at Notre Dame , on a full scholarship .
She ’ d be the only justice on the current court not to have attended either Harvard or Yale for law school .
Barrett was a law professor at Notre Dame for 15 years before Trump nominated her to become a federal appeals court judge in 2017 .
Barret has said that her judicial philosophy is the same as that of the late Justice Antonin Scalia , whom she worked for after law school and has called a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ originalist , ” interpreting laws and the Constitution based on what they were understood to mean when they were written .
“ Judges must apply the law as written , “ Barrett said when she spoke at the announcement of her nomination in the White House Rose Garden last month .
” Judges are not policymakers.
“ Barrett ’ s short tenure as a judge on the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals has led to few noteworthy or controversial opinions .
She has , however , signed onto several decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about during her confirmation hearing .
In 2018 , a three-judge panel ruled that Indiana laws requiring that funerals be held for fetal remains after an abortion or miscarriage and banning abortions because of the sex , race or developmental disability of a fetus were unconstitutional .
Barrett was among four judges who wanted the full court to weigh in and suggested that the laws might be constitutional .
And last year , after a three-judge panel blocked an Indiana law that would make it harder for a minor to have an abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted to have the case reheard by the full court .
In a dissent in a 2019 gun-rights case , Barrett argued that a conviction for a nonviolent felony shouldn ’ t automatically disqualify someone from owning a gun .
Also in 2019 Barrett wrote a unanimous three-judge panel decision making it easier for men alleged to have committed sexual assaults on campus to challenge the proceedings against them .
Barrett would be the seventh member of the court either to be Catholic or have been raised Catholic .
But she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than other members , and faith became a flashpoint during her confirmation to be an appeals court judge .
At Notre Dame , a Catholic university , Barrett was a member of University Faculty for Life .
And in 2006 she signed her name to a newspaper ad sponsored by an anti-abortion group in which she said she opposed “ abortion on demand ” and defended “ the right to life from fertilization to the end of natural life.
” Barrett ’ s membership in a Christian group called People of Praise has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law review article she co-authored decades ago that concluded that Catholic judges are “ morally precluded from enforcing the death penalty.
” At Barrett ’ s 2017 confirmation hearing , Democrats questioned whether her personal views would colour her legal judgment , especially with respect to the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , at one point told Barrett she was concerned “ that the dogma lives loudly within you.
” That remark prompted an outcry from Catholic leaders .
Barrett has joked that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice and that she ’ s used to being in a group of nine : her family .
“ While I am a judge I ’ m better known back home as a room parent , carpool driver and birthday party planner , ” Barrett said in September .
Barrett and her husband , Jesse , a lawyer , are the parents of seven children : Emma , Vivian , Tess , John Peter , Liam , Juliet , and Benjamin .
Vivian and John Peter are adopted and were born in Haiti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has Down syndrome .
Barrett has said that Benjamin ’ s “ brothers and sisters unreservedly identify him as their favourite sibling .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Trump resumes public events with rally on White House lawn

WASHINGTON—U.S .
President Donald Trump made his first public appearance on Saturday since returning from a three-day coronavirus hospitalization , telling supporters at the White House that “ through the power of American science and medicine , we will eradicate the China Virus once and for all.
” “ I want to thank you all for the prayers , ” Trump said from a White House balcony at hundreds of invited guests at a campaign-style event on the South Lawn .
Trump arrived wearing a mask and removed it before speaking .
Trump ’ s comments touched on several of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of voter fraud .
The remarks ran for about 18 minutes , much shorter than Trump ’ s typical freewheeling campaign speeches .
The appearance was designed to show the president — who declared he ’ s “ feeling great ” — has recovered from COVID-19 and is ready to resume work and his race against Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
But the president appeared without certification from his doctors that he ’ s no longer contagious with the deadly virus , and despite the White House not releasing a formal update on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president sat for at least three hours of radio and remote television interviews with conservative media personalities on Friday , and he is expected to resume a heavy campaign travel schedule this week with rallies in Florida , Pennsylvania and Iowa .
Trump has been eager to return to public events following his battle with the coronavirus , aides say — an impatience only heightened by the president falling further behind Biden in polls .
Saturday ’ s event risked deepening concern among voters about Trump ’ s handling of a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his close associates infected and more than 210,000 Americans dead .
After the president ’ s last outdoor event — a Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony to announce his pick of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court — at least 11 attendees tested positive for coronavirus .
While the White House had a testing regime in place to screen for virus cases , few guests wore masks and attendees mingled and sat in proximity to one another both indoors and outdoors .
Trump ’ s physician said Wednesday that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous 24 hours .
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump “ will be clear to go ” on Saturday , when “ he wants to talk to the American people.
” There are medical tests underway to ensure he doesn ’ t transmit the virus when he returns to the campaign trail , she said on Fox News , adding that she ’ d conferred with White House doctor Sean Conley .
McEnany , who herself has tested positive for COVID-19 , is working remotely .
On Saturday , White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them and wear them on the grounds , a person familiar with the matter said , adding that they also needed to undergo a COVID-19 screening on Saturday morning that included a temperature check and a brief questionnaire .
But those rules were put in place not by the White House but by the organizer of the event , the Blexit group , led by Candace Owens , a Trump ally , the person said .
Trump ’ s first trip outside of D.C. will be to Orlando , Florida , on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold an outdoor airport hanger rally .
He ’ ll follow that on Tuesday with a rally at an airport outside of Pittsburgh , and a similar event Wednesday in Des Moines , Iowa .
His campaign is negotiating a town hall on network television on Thursday , according to CNN .
Trump ’ s challenge to win over voters has only intensified in recent days .
His vacillations on a stimulus bill and second presidential debate have fed a developing narrative that he ’ s flailing as a second term slips from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump — to the dismay of fellow Republicans — said he was cutting off talks on an additional coronavirus stimulus bill , only to rapidly reverse course after the announcement rocked markets .
But subsequent days saw a flurry of different and often contradictory statements from the White House .
First , officials said they would resume talks — but only on stand-alone bills to bolster the airline industry and small businesses .
Then Trump said not only did he want a sweeping bill , but was open to levels beyond even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afternoon , the administration was preparing a proposal for a $ 1.8 trillion ( U.S. ) deal that fell below what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has described as her floor , but exceeded levels Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said would be acceptable .
Both House Democrats and Senate Republicans expressed skepticism over the proposal earlier Saturday .
Trump and his campaign team — which , like the White House staff , has suffered coronavirus infections at the highest levels — are searching for ways to reverse the president ’ s slide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second debate because the bipartisan commission organizing the event said it would be held virtually following his diagnosis .
Trump ’ s efforts to force the debate commission to reverse course or reschedule the remaining debates fell flat .
As a result , Trump will either be deprived of one of the final marquee opportunities to reach voters before Election Day or forced to publicly reverse himself .
That ’ s left the president eager to return to the campaign trail , with hopes that his signature rallies can offer him a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enthusiasm for his candidacy .
The president told Fox News host Sean Hannity that his team was looking to organize a rally Saturday night in Florida — the earliest possible date his medical team said he might be able to resume public appearances — and a second event Sunday in Pennsylvania .
White House aides said logistical challenges prevented organizing such events on short notice .
But the president also acknowledged Friday he ’ s still experiencing some symptoms from his brush with coronavirus .
Trump was seen struggling to catch his breath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his return from the hospital on Monday , and occasionally lost his voice during his interview with Hannity on Thursday .
Still , Trump sought to underscore his health Friday through his marathon of interviews with conservative media figures .
That included a two-hour uninterrupted conversation on Rush Limbaugh ’ s syndicated radio show .
On that program , Trump ranked Fox News hosts by how favourable they were to him personally , expressed alarm that Attorney General Bill Barr might not release the findings of a politically charged investigation into the origins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expletive-charged warning to Iran .
Trump followed that up with several more interviews , including an appearance on Mark Levin ’ s talk show .
The president is expected to be interviewed again Sunday morning by Fox Business Network .
“ I feel really good , I feel very strong , I know a lot of people who have had the Covid — or the China virus as I call it because it came from China , ” the president said in an interview on Fox News Friday .
“ But I feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people don ’ t feel that way sometimes for a while afterwards .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Correction: Virus Outbreak-French Hospitals story

PARIS - In a story October 9 , 2020 , about French hospitals struggling with the coronavirus , The Associated @ @ @ @ @ dollar conversion for the 8.5 billion euros in investment the French government promised for the @ @ @ @ @ s the equivalent of about $ 10 billion , not $ 9.3 million .


thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Michigan agency removes foxes, coyotes from unlicensed rehab

Officials removed a half-dozen red foxes , three coyotes and other animals from an unlicensed rehabilitation centre in western Michigan where the owner ’ s 2-year-old granddaughter lost an arm after reaching into a pen that housed two wolf-dog hybrids .
State conservation officers searching the Howling Timbers facility Friday in Muskegon also found 47 dogs that are believed to have been crossbred with wolves or other wolf-dog hybrids , according to Michigan ’ s Department of Natural Resources .
The agency said it learned in August that a girl had been bitten in July after putting her arm into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be allowed near those dogs , ” conservation officer Anna Cullen said in a release .
“ It ’ s not fair to this child who lost an arm .
We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of anyone who may encounter any animal at Howling Timbers , including the health and safety of all the animals at the facility.
” The Natural Resources Department , Muskegon County sheriff ’ s office , and the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are investigating owner Brenda Pearson for operating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 59 , said Saturday that Cullen told her in July that she could start taking in wildlife at Howling Timbers and that she was licensed .
But Cullen claimed after a surprise visit in September that she didn ’ t have the authority to say the license was approved , Pearson told The Associated Press via telephone .
Pearson said she has been in business 27 years and continues to care for the wolf-dog hybrids because they can ’ t be released into the wild .
Pearson said the animals are not bred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collects them from inside and outside Michigan .
It is illegal in Michigan to crossbreed wolves and dogs without a permit .
Her granddaughter may have reached through a chain-link fence for the collar of a penned animal when she was attacked , Pearson said .
“ We ran over and picked her up and her arm was missing from the elbow down , ” she said .
There were no bite wounds on the arm when Pearson picked it up a short time later , she said .
The girl was rushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on her right arm , Pearson added .


thetorontostar--2020-10-10--Judge orders ex-Colombian president freed from house arrest

BOGOTA - Powerful ex-Colombia President Álvaro Uribe was ordered freed from house arrest Saturday while he is investigated for possible witness tampering , the latest chapter in a case that has revealed lingering tensions over the country ’ s peace process .
The nation ’ s Supreme Court had ordered Uribe detained in August during the probe , shocking Colombians and unleashing protests in favour and against the decision .
He was the first president in Colombia ’ s recent history to be ordered placed on house arrest .
But municipal Judge Clara Salcedo ruled Saturday during a virtual hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upheld under a new legal framework under which Uribe is being investigated since resigning his Senate seat after his detention .
“ Thank God , ” Uribe wrote on Twitter as the decision was read .
The decision can be appealed but Uribe was immediately ordered released .
The Supreme Court argued in its 1,554-page decision in August that there was ample evidence to show Uribe had engaged in trying to pressure former paramilitaries into retracting damaging statements against the ex-president .
But the high court later relinquished control of the case when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to the chief prosecutor ’ s office .
Magistrates have since ruled that Uribe should be tried under a different legal framework designed for ordinary citizens , paving the way for his release .
The former president ’ s lawyer argued that because Uribe is only under investigation and has not been charged he should be freed .
Prosecutor Gabriel Ramon Jaimes agreed , telling the judge he believed that Uribe ’ s due process rights had been violated , but he has stressed that the investigation continues .
“ My request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps still to come , ” he said Thursday .
“ There will be no impunity .
There will be justice.
” His supporters contended the house arrest decision was unfair because ex-guerrillas have been allowed to remain free while they testify about war crimes .
His critics argue that the courts have effectively turned a blind eye until now toward numerous accusations that Uribe had ties to paramilitary groups during the conflict .
Such groups were organized by wealthy landlords , sometimes with the complicity of the state , to fight guerrillas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resorting to kidnapping and extortion .
Jaimes said prosecutors will advance their investigation fairly .
“ The victims demand truth , justice and reparations , ” he said .
“ And the justice system should provide effective answers but always within the confines of the law.
” The case has sparked long simmering tensions over Uribe ’ s legacy in Colombia and how to handle those suspected of crimes during the nation ’ s long conflict between the state , paramilitary groups and leftist guerrillas that left hundreds of thousands dead or missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with leading a military offence that pushed the rebels to the negotiating table and the signing of the 2016 peace accord .
President Donald Trump tweeted congratulations to Uribe after Saturday ’ s ruling , praising him as a “ hero ” and U.S. ally in opposing the socialist government in Venezuela .
But Uribe ’ s record is also riddled with accusations of human rights abuses .
During his presidency , military officers killed thousands of poor peasants and passed them off as guerrillas to inflate body counts and get bonuses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him for years .
The Supreme Court ’ s lengthy ruling ordering his house arrest contains transcripts of numerous intercepted calls and covertly recorded conversations in which the former president pushes his lawyer and allies to pressure ex-paramilitaries into testifying that he had no ties to them .
A recently declassified U.S. Department of Defence memo shows at least one high-level official believed that Uribe “ almost certainly ” had dealings with paramilitaries .
Uribe has denied those accusations , saying they are part of a plot against him .
Francisco Bernate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Rosario University , said the next step will be for the chief prosecutor ’ s office to decide if charges should be filed .
“ The ball is totally in the hands of the chief prosecutor to decide the luck of the ex-president , ” he said .
Iván Cepeda , the opposition lawmaker whose initial accusations against Uribe sparked the case , vowed to appeal the ruling , contending that the prosecutor handling the case showed partiality toward the ex-president during the hearing .
“ We believe there is no guarantee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , ” he said .
The ruling comes as Colombia is grappling with implementation of the peace accord ending Latin America ’ s longest-running conflict .
The deal remains divisive and many Colombians believe the terms are far too generous toward ex-combatants .
Under the agreement , most are allowed to remain free so long as they confess their crimes .
Proponents of the accord say such concessions are necessary and irrevocable in order to move past a bloody chapter in the nation ’ s history .
Unlike in the aftermath of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were no immediate protests in favour or against the decision to free Uribe .
Current President Iván Duque , an acolyte of Uribe , did not issue any quick comment on the ruling as he did after the ex-president ’ s house arrest two months ago , much to the criticism of human rights groups who accused him of meddling in judicial affairs .
José Miguel Vivanco , the Americas director for Human Rights Watch , noted that the ruling Saturday is not a judgment against the Supreme Court ’ s detention order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the new framework .
He called on Colombians to respect the judge ’ s decision regardless of their opinion .
“ That ’ s what Uribismo did not do when the Supreme Court ordered Uribe ’ s detention , ” he said .
“ But it ’ s what all Colombians should do now .
”

Christine Armario - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Dem challenger in SC Senate race raises record $57 million

COLUMBIA , S.C. - South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison has shattered congressional fundraising records , bringing in $ 57 million in the final quarter for his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham as the GOP tries to retain control of the chamber in the Nov. 3 election .
Harrison ’ s campaign said Sunday that the total was the largest-ever during a single three-month period by any Senate candidate .
That tops the $ 38 million raised by Democrat Beto O ’ Rourke in 2018 in the final fundraising period of his challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham hasn ’ t released fundraising totals for the previous quarter , although it ’ s likely he ’ s been eclipsed by Harrison .
Last month , Graham made a public plea for fundraising to help him keep up with Harrison , saying on Fox News that he was “ getting killed financially ” by Harrison , who he predicted would “ raise $ 100 million in the state of South Carolina.
” “ The money is because they hate my guts , ” Graham added .
At the end of June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 30 million apiece , money that has come largely from out of-state donors .
For the race overall , not including the most recent quarter , Harrison ’ s in-state contribution amount is 10 % .
Graham ’ s is 14 % .
“ This campaign is making history , because we ’ re focused on restoring hope back to South Carolina , ” said Guy King , Harrison ’ s campaign spokesman .
“ While Lindsey Graham continues playing political games in Washington , Jaime Harrison is remaining laser-focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like health care , broadband access , and COVID relief for businesses and families.
“ The latest fundraising report comes one day before the start of what is predicted to be a contentious hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on President Donald Trump ’ s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
Graham is the committee chairman .
His commitment to confirming Trump ’ s third nominee to the court has become a focal point in the Senate campaign , with Harrison frequently chiding Graham for reversing on previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham has responded by saying he feels Democrats would do the same if given the choice .
Attributing the fundraising success to grassroots support , Harrison ’ s campaign said the $ 57 million came in the form of 1.5 million donations from 994,000 donors .
The average contribution was $ 37 .
During Harrison ’ s Oct. 3 debate with Graham , social media users across the country chimed into tweet threads with pledges to donate as often as they could .
In the two days following that matchup , Harrison ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.5 million — as much as the effort had raised in some previous entire fundraising quarters .
At the beginning of the campaign , Harrison , an associate Democratic National Committee chairman , told The Associated Press he felt it could take $ 10 million to win the race , an amount he felt he could raise given his national-level connections .
To date , he has brought in nearly $ 86 million .
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http : //twitter.com/MegKinnardAP .
AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/ .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--In hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, residents dig out, again

LAKE CHARLES , La .
- First , Hurricane Laura roared ashore with its staggering , 150 mph ( 241 kph ) winds .
Then Hurricane Delta followed , with less wind but with ferocious downpours .
The two back-to-back hurricanes in the space of six weeks have left this pocket of southwest Louisiana blanketed with tarpaulins , debris and flooded streets — but not despair .
Earnestine and Milton Wesley had decided to ride out Delta in their Lake Charles home , damaged just weeks earlier by Laura .
As the wind rustled the tarp above them , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceiling and held on tight .
Water poured in , flooding their den .
“ We fought all night long trying to keep things intact , ” Milton said .
“ And with God ’ s help we made it.
” Hannah Franklin lives in Iowa , a small town of about 3,000 people outside of Lake Charles .
She evacuated for both Laura and Delta , but she said not everyone could .
Some people have been living in tents because they don ’ t have anywhere to go , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region isn ’ t getting the help that it needs .
At the same time , she ’ s been heartened by the way the community has pulled together .
Neighbors check on neighbours , bringing food or water .
“ It ’ s been really , really sad to see .
But at the same time , ” she said , “ it warms your heart to see ... how strong Louisiana is.
” Delta made landfall Friday evening near the coastal town of Creole with top winds of 100 mph ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lake Charles , a city where Hurricane Laura damaged nearly every home and building in late August .
No deaths had been reported by Sunday morning , but a hurricane ’ s wake can be treacherous .
Seven of the 32 deaths attributed to Laura came the day that hurricane struck .
Many others were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from generators , and 10,000 utility workers were dispatched Saturday to get power restored to thousands of customers .
Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter estimated that hundreds of already battered homes took on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stressed — for two weeks the Wesleys had been sleeping on their back porch to escape the heat because they had no power .
“ Add Laura and Delta together and it ’ s just absolutely unprecedented and catastrophic , ” Hunter said .
“ We are very concerned that with everything going in the country right now that this incident may not be on the radar nationally like it should be.
” Before Friday ’ s storm , the streets were already lines with mountains of debris from the prior storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mattresses , tree limbs , twisted metal siding , ruined family treasures .
While Delta was a weaker storm than Category 4 Laura , it inflicted most of its damage with rain instead of wind .
Louisiana Gov .
John Bel Edwards said it dumped more than 15 inches ( 38 centimetres ) of rain on Lake Charles over two days and more than 10 inches ( 25 centimetres ) on Baton Rouge .
The floodwaters surged up the Wesley family ’ s front yard , and they were terrified it would pour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door .
It carried with it bags of trash and muck , swept up from their neighbours ’ piles of debris from the prior storm .
“ The water was something else last night , ” Milton said .
“ We ’ ve never seen it flood so bad out here , to the point I could have swam out here last night , that ’ s just how deep it was.
” On Saturday , they joined other southern Louisiana residents starting the routine yet again : dodging overturned cars on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through knee-deep water to flooded homes with ruined floors and no power , pledging to rebuild .
Edwards said 3,000 Louisiana National Guard soldiers were mobilized to clear roads and distribute meals and tarps .
Delta rapidly weakened once it moved onto land and slowed to a tropical depression Saturday .
Forecasters warned that heavy rain , storm surge and flash floods continued to pose dangers from parts of Texas to Mississippi .
Forecasters said remnants could spawn tornadoes in Tennessee Valley into Sunday , and flash floods could hit the southern Appalachians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an unprecedented Atlantic hurricane season , was the 10th to hit the mainland U.S. this year , breaking a record set in 1916 , Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said .
The governor said Delta disrupted state efforts to set up temporary housing in southwest Louisiana to bring back Laura evacuees scattered across hotels .
More than 9,400 people were being sheltered by the state Saturday , but only 935 were Delta evacuees , Edwards said .
The others were still displaced by Laura .
Many people who had started repairing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undone overnight and the materials they bought “ just scattered about because of the wind , “ he said .
“ Again , it ’ s going to set us back , but it ’ s not going to dictate our future.
” The the double punch of the storms — on top of the pandemic — has left many reeling , said Lake Charles resident Katie Prejean McGrady .
She was nine months pregnant when she and her family evacuated ahead of Laura .
They fled a couple hours north and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver her baby .
They lost part of their roof , their fence and their swing set .
They arrived back in Lake Charles last weekend and had to evacuate again days later , debris from Laura still in their yard .
“ I ’ m taxed out .
And I think that ’ s most people in town , ” she said .
“ There ’ s a mental exhaustion that sets in and then there ’ s a fear of ‘ Does anybody outside this region care ?
’ ” Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Lake Charles , Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge ; Seth Borenstein in Kensington , Maryland ; Alanna Durkin Richer in West Harwich , Massachusetts and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta .

Rebecca Santana, Stacey Plaisance And Alanna Durkin Richer - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Libya to resume oil production at largest field amid talks

CAIRO - Libya ’ s national oil company announced Sunday it was resuming production at the country ’ s largest oil field as rival officials from eastern and western Libya began peace talks , part of preliminary negotiations ahead a U.N.-brokered dialogue set to take place next month .
The National Oil Corporation said it lifted the force majeure imposed at the southwestern Sharara oil field after it reached “ an honour agreement ” with forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Hifter to end “ all obstructions ” at the field .
The corporation ’ s announcement comes three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year-long military attempt to capture the capital , Tripoli , announced an end to a blockade of the nation ’ s vital oil fields .
The Sep. 18 breakthrough was the result of a so-called “ Libyan-Libyan dialogue ” led by Ahmed Matiq , the rival Tripoli government ’ s deputy prime minister , seeking to create a new mechanism to distribute the country ’ s petrodollars more equitably .
Libya ’ s oil production had reached at least 1.2 million barrels a day before powerful eastern tribes loyal to Hifter first seized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including the Sharara field , to protest what they said was the inequitable distribution of revenues .
In total , the oil blockade has deprived the corporation of nearly $ 10 billion in revenue and led to nationwide fuel shortages .
Libya ’ s prized , light crude has long featured in the North African country ’ s civil war with rival militias and foreign powers jostling for control of Africa ’ s largest oil reserves .
Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed popular uprising in 2011 toppled longtime dictator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The country has since split between rival administrations based in the capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi , each backed by armed groups and rival foreign governments .
Meanwhile , representatives of the Benghazi-based House of Representatives and Tripoli-based High Council of State started on Sunday three-day-long U.N.-facilitated talks in the Egyptian capital , Cairo , the U.N. support mission in Libya said .
The mission said the delegations are expected to discuss “ legal and constitutional options which may be put forward to the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamel , kicked off Sunday ’ s talks , saying the time had come for its neighbour Libya to establish peace and agree on “ a constitution that defines powers and responsibilities , and leads to presidential and parliamentary elections , ” according to Egypt ’ s state-run MENA news agency .
Egypt views the instability in Libya as a national security threat and has backed Hifter in his rivalry against the Turkish-backed government in Tripoli .
The first face-to-face meeting of the upcoming political forum is slated to take place in Tunisia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting Oct. 26 , the mission said .
The forum aims to “ generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to the holding of national elections in the shortest possible timeframe , ” the U.N. mission said .
Prior to the Tunisia talks , the rivals are to start face-to-face military negotiations in Geneva on Oct. 19 .
The rival sides held security talks late September that resulted in preliminary agreements to exchange prisoners and open up air and land transit across the country ’ s divided territory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offensive in April 2019 to try and capture Tripoli , but his campaign collapsed within two months when the Tripoli-allied militias , with Turkish support , gained the upper hand , driving his forces from the outskirts of the city and other western towns .
Fighting has died down in recent months amid international pressure on both sides to avert an attack on the strategic city of Sirte .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Her words: Amy Coney Barrett on faith, precedent, abortion

Some notable quotes from Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett , a former Notre Dame law professor and current judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals .
Her confirmation hearings begin Monday at the Senate Judiciary Committee to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
“ However cagey a justice may be at the nomination stage , her approach to the Constitution becomes evident in the opinions she writes .
...
It would be difficult for a modern justice to avoid revealing her position on whether the original public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review .
“ We shouldn ’ t be putting people on the court that share our policy preferences .
We should be putting people on the court who want to apply the Constitution.
” — 2016 speech at Jacksonville University ’ s Public Policy Institute .
“ If anything , the public response to controversial cases like Roe ( v. Wade ) reflects public rejection of the proposition that ( precedent ) can declare a permanent victor in a divisive constitutional struggle rather than desire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watchers embrace the possibility of overruling , even if they may want it to be the exception rather than the rule.
” — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review , citing Roe v. Wade , the 1973 landmark ruling that recognized a woman ’ s right to abortion .
“ I think it is very unlikely at this point that the court is going to overturn ( Roe v. Wade ) .
...
The fundamental element , that the woman has a right to choose abortion , will probably stand.
” — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40th anniversary of the Roe ruling .
“ I don ’ t think abortion or the right to abortion would change .
I think some of the restrictions would change ...
The question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion.
” — 2016 remarks on how a conservative Supreme Court could alter current law on abortion , saying it wasn ’ t likely to try and overturn Roe .
She said the questions the high court would be willing to address would be states ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics operate .
“ ( Catholic judges ) are obliged by oath , professional commitment , and the demands of citizenship to enforce the death penalty .
They are also obliged to adhere to their church ’ s teaching on moral matters.
” — 1998 article co-written by Barrett in the Marquette Law Review on how some Catholic judges would feel torn on certain legal questions because of the teachings of their faith .
“ If you ’ re asking whether I take my faith seriously and I ’ m a faithful Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge.
” — Confirmation hearing in 2017 before the Senate Judiciary Committee considering her nomination for the appeals court , after Sen. Dick Durbin , D-Ill. , asked her if she was orthodox Catholic .
“ Never .
It ’ s never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge ’ s personal convictions , whether they derive from faith or anywhere else on the law.
” — 2017 Senate hearing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected throughout my entire career the proposition that , as you say , the end justifies the means or that a judge should decide cases based on a desire to reach a certain outcome.
” — 2017 Senate hearing .
“ I would decide cases according to rule of law , beginning to end , and in the rare circumstance that might ever arise — I can ’ t imagine one sitting here now — where I felt that I had some conscientious objection to the law , I would recuse .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon the law .
— 2017 Senate hearing .
“ I can ’ t think of any cases or category of cases in which I would feel obliged to recuse on the grounds of conscience.
” — 2017 Senate hearing .
“ A judge may never subvert the law or twist it in any way to match the judge ’ s convictions from whatever source they derive.
” — 2017 Senate hearing .
“ In the Supreme Court , ( adhering to precedent ) is a soft rule ; the Court describes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ‘ inexorable command.
’ ” — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review .
“ Leaving room for new majorities to overrule old ones allows changed membership to change what the Court says the Constitution means.
” — Texas Law Review .
“ If the Court ’ s opinions change with its membership , public confidence in the Court as an institution might decline .
Its members might be seen as partisan rather than impartial and case law as fueled by power rather than reason.
” — Texas Law Review .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is sure enough about her rationale for overruling to pay the cost of upsetting institutional investment in the prior approach .
If she is not sure enough , the preference for continuity trumps.
” — Texas Law Review .
“ Institutional features of Supreme Court practice permit all Justices to let some sleeping dogs lie , and so far as we are aware , no one has ever argued that a Justice is duty-bound to wake them up.
” — 2017 article co-written by Barrett in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pragmatic reasons not to attempt to overturn precedents even if a justice is convinced they were wrongly decided .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--The Latest: Iran has new daily high in virus deaths -- 251

TEHRAN , Iran — Iran has announced its highest single-day death toll from the coronavirus — 251 .
Health Ministry spokesperson Sima Sadat Lari said Sunday that Iran ’ s total death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 28,544 , making Iran the hardest-hit country in its region .
It ’ s previous daily high for deaths of 239 came just four days earlier .
Officials reported 3,822 newly confirmed coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours , raising its total during the pandemic to 500,075 .
Among those recently infected is the head of Iran ’ s atomic energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test positive for the virus .
The government has largely resisted imposing widescale lockdowns as the economy teeters from continued U.S. economic sanctions that effectively bar Iran from selling its oil internationally .
Iran ’ s currency plunged to its lowest level ever Sunday .
HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : — The White House doctor says President Donald Trump is no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say whether Trump had tested negative .
Some medical experts are skeptical that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of transmitting the virus so early .
— Trump makes speech from White House balcony , 1st appearance since return to residence — India ’ s coronavirus cases top 7 million , a re on track to surpass the United States — As a second wave of coronavirus infections hit , European nations seem not to have learned their lessons from the first surge — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismisses the latest White House offer in COVID-19 aid talks but remains hopeful progress can be made toward a deal .
— Queen Elizabeth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurses , delivery drivers , fundraisers and volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic .
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : MOSCOW -- Russia ’ s coronavirus infections have hit a new record for a 24-hour period , with authorities reporting over 13,000 new confirmed cases in the highest daily spike since the beginning of the pandemic .
The 13,634 new infections registered Sunday brought the country ’ s total to nearly 1.3 million , the world ’ s fourth largest caseload .
Russia has also reported over 22,500 deaths .
The Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases every day this past week , but maintain there are no plans to impose a second lockdown .
Russia has lifted most of the virus-related restrictions imposed in the spring .
At the same time in Moscow , which reported 4,501 new cases on Sunday , officials have recommended the elderly to self-isolate at home and have extended this month ’ s school holidays by a week .
Moscow mayor also ordered employers to have at least 30 % of their staff work from home .
ANKARA , Turkey — Turkey will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection cases later this week , after coming under criticism for releasing only figures for patients showing symptoms of COVID-19 .
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in an interview published Sunday by the newspaper Hurriyet that asymptomatic cases will also be included in Turkey ’ s published data beginning Friday .
Turkey ’ s latest daily figures from Saturday showed 1,649 new patients and 56 deaths .
The country has reported more than 334,000 coronavirus patients since the outbreak started , and 8,778 fatalities .
BEIRUT — Lebanon ’ s Interior Ministry has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towns as well as ordering all nightclubs and pubs to close around the country amid a sharp increase of coronavirus cases .
The Ministry said Sunday that the lockdown will begin Monday morning and last until Oct. 19 .
Pubs and nightclubs will be closed until further notice , it said .
The new lockdown comes a week after the ministry ordered a lockdown in 111 villages and towns that ends Monday morning .
Some of those towns are included under the new restrictions .
On Saturday , Lebanon ’ s Health Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raising the country ’ s confirmed total to 52,558 infections and 455 deaths .
Cases in Lebanon have been rising since early July when the country eased a nationwide lockdown and opened its only international airport .
The numbers increased dramatically following an Aug. 4 blast in Beirut that killed and wounded many , as people gathered at hospitals , funerals and anti-government protests .
LONDON -- One of the main medical advisers to the British government has warned that the country is at a “ tipping point ” in its battle against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce fresh lockdown restrictions for virus hot spots in the north of England .
England ’ s deputy chief medical officer , Professor Jonathan Van-Tam , said in a statement that the country is at a “ tipping point similar to where we were in March.
” The U.K. has experienced Europe ’ s deadliest outbreak with more than 42,750 deaths .
Van-Tam laid out his hope that history won ’ t repeat itself in light of better testing and treatments , as well as greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is on Monday expected to impose additional restrictions in areas where the virus has been spreading fastest in recent weeks .
Pubs and restaurants in northern cities like Liverpool or Manchester are expected to be closed .
NEW DELHI — India ’ s confirmed coronavirus toll has crossed 7 million with a number of new cases dipping in recent weeks , even as health experts warn of mask and distancing fatigue setting in .
The Health Ministry on Sunday registered another 74,383 infections in the past 24 hours .
India is expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in coming weeks , surpassing the U.S. , where more than 7.7 million infections have been reported .
The ministry also reported 918 additional deaths , taking total fatalities to at least 108,334 .
Experts say all reported numbers seriously understate the impact of the pandemic , due to limited testing , missed cases and in some instances , concealment by authorities .
India , which has nearly 1.4 billion people , saw a steep rise in cases in July and added more than 2 million in August and another 3 million in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September , when the daily infections touched a record high of 97,894 .
It ’ s averaging more than 70,000 new cases daily so far this month .
WASHINGTON — The White House doctor says President Donald Trump was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say explicitly whether Trump had tested negative for it .
The diagnosis came as the president prepared to resume campaign rallies and other activities .
In a memo released Saturday night by the White House , Navy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for safely discontinuing isolation and that by “ currently recognized standards ” he was no longer considered a transmission risk .
The memo did not declare Trump had tested negative for the virus .
But sensitive lab tests — like the PCR test cited in the doctor ’ s statements — detect virus in swab samples taken from the nose and throat .
Dr. William Morice , who oversees laboratories at the Mayo Clinic , said earlier this week that using the PCR tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could hypothetically measure and track the amount of virus in samples over time and watch the viral load go down .
Some medical experts had been skeptical that Trump could be declared free of the risk of transmitting the virus so early in the course of his illness .
Just 10 days since an initial diagnosis of infection , there was no way to know for certain that someone was no longer contagious , they said .
SEOUL , South Korea __ South Korea says it ’ ll will ease its social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a slowing trend ever after the five-day Chuseok autumn holidays .
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters Sunday that South Korea has counted an average of 59.4 new cases each day in the past two weeks , compared with 91.5 cases in the earlier two weeks .
Earlier Sunday , South Korea reported 58 new cases , taking the country ’ s total to 24,606 including 432 deaths .
Under relaxed distancing guidelines effective Monday , Park says some high-risk facilities like nightclubs and karaoke bars will be allowed to reopen but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like wearing masks and keeping a list of clients .
Park says South Korea will lift a ban on the gatherings of more than 50 people indoor and more than 100 outdoor .
He says community welfare centres will also be reopened while professional sports leagues can have a limited number of fans back , up to 30 % of the stadium capacity .
SYDNEY — The premier of Australia ’ s Victoria state is stepping up his fight with members of the public who don ’ t comply with pandemic regulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refuse a test will have to spend 21 days in quarantine .
The state government has announced mandatory quarantine will be extended by 10 days for close contacts if they decide not to be tested on the 11th day of isolation .
The change takes effect at midnight Sunday .
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said a “ very , very high percentage ” of people had submitted to testing but the rule was designed to provide authorities with an even more complete picture .
“ This is just double-checking , triple-checking that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still got the virus , ” he said .
Victoria reported one more death and 12 new cases on Sunday , taking Victoria ’ s death count from the virus to 810 and the national toll to 898 .
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil ’ s count of COVID-19 deaths surpassed 150,000 despite signs the pandemic is slowly retreating in Latin America ’ s largest nation .
The Brazilian Health Ministry reported that the death toll now stands at 150,198 .
The figure is the world ’ s second highest behind the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Johns Hopkins University .
Brazil ’ s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the severity of the virus while deaths mounted rapidly in Brazil .
The 65-year-old president flouted social distancing at lively demonstrations and encouraged crowds during outings from the presidential residence .
He has rejected governors ’ and mayors ’ lockdowns and other tough measures to contain the virus ’ spread , even after he contracted it himself in July .
But there have been recent signs of relief in Brazil .
Over the last month and a half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The average number of deaths sat at 598 over the last 7 days , the lowest level since the beginning of May .
ANCHORAGE , Alaska — Anchorage public health officials say they are investigating a coronavirus outbreak from a youth hockey tournament that drew teams from around Alaska .
Officials say more than 300 players , coaches and fans were in attendance at the Termination Dust Invitational over a three-day period last weekend .
Teams came from nine cities across the state .
Local health officials did not provide specific numbers as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a result of the event .
But , tournament organizers say they first learned of a positive case in one of the teams on Monday .
They also say they knew of two teams with a positive case each .
ST. LOUIS — Missouri reported more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday , more than doubling its previous daily record .
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said there have been a total of 144,230 confirmed cases since the outbreak started , up 5,066 cases from Friday .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the total to 2,422 .
The new number more than doubles the previous single-day high of 2,084 new cases , which occurred on July 30 .
Data from the state shows that 1,313 people were hospitalized as of Friday , the second-most for any single day .
The rise in hospitalizations is occurring largely in Missouri ’ s rural communities .
Jayne Dees , administrator of the health department in New Madrid County in the Bootheel region of southeast Missouri , told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that people aren ’ t social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a doctor at the SEMO Health Network clinic in New Madrid , said some patients get upset when they are urged to wear masks in the clinic .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--A look at Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s notable opinions, votes

Judge Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump ’ s nominee for the Supreme Court , has written roughly 100 opinions in more than three years on the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals .
Her opinions include cases on guns , sexual assault on campus , immigration and employment discrimination .
She also has signed onto several opinions , including two dealing with abortion , that are sure to be questioned in this week ’ s confirmation hearing .
Summaries of some of her notable opinions : Barrett has twice joined dissenting opinions asking for decisions blocking laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out and reheard by the full appeals court .
Last year , after a three-judge panel blocked an Indiana law that would make it harder for a minor to have an abortion without her parents being notified , Barrett voted to have the case reheard by the full court .
In July , the Supreme Court threw out the panel ’ s ruling and ordered a new look at the case .
In 2018 , a three-judge panel ruled that Indiana laws requiring that funerals be held for fetal remains after an abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sex , race or developmental disability of a fetus were unconstitutional .
Barrett was among four judges who wanted the full court to weigh in and suggested that the laws , signed by then-Gov .
Mike Pence , might be constitutional .
Supreme Court abortion decisions “ hold that , until a fetus is viable , a woman is entitled to decide whether to bear a child .
But there is a difference between ‘ I don ’ t want a child ’ and ‘ I want a child , but only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only children whose genes predict success in life , ’ ” Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the dissenting judges .
Barrett also joined the part of the opinion on the fetal remains law .
“ Many states have laws that prescribe how animals ’ remains must be handled , ” Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the dissenters .
“ The panel has held invalid a statute that would be sustained had it concerned the remains of cats or gerbils.
” Last year , the Supreme Court reinstated the fetal remains law , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sex and developmental disabilities .
In a dissent in the 2019 gun-rights case of Kanter v. Barr , Barrett argued that a conviction for a nonviolent felony — in this case , mail fraud — shouldn ’ t automatically disqualify someone from owning a gun .
The two judges in the majority agreed with Trump administration arguments that the defendant , Rickey Kanter , could not own a gun under federal or Wisconsin law because of his criminal conviction .
Barrett used most of her 37-page dissent to lay out the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 18th and 19th centuries , consistent with her embrace of interpreting laws and the Constitution according to the meaning they had when they were adopted .
Barrett wrote that “ while both Wisconsin and the United States have an unquestionably strong interest in protecting the public from gun violence , they have failed to show , by either logic or data that disarming Kanter substantially advances that interest.
“ She said that her colleagues were treating the Second Amendment as a “ second-class right , subject to an entirely different body of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarantees.
“ Barrett quoted from a 2010 opinion by Justice Samuel Alito that extended gun rights , but the phrase also has been used more recently by Justice Clarence Thomas and other conservatives to complain that the Supreme Court has shied away from recognizing gun rights .
In the same opinion on gun rights , Barrett dipped into constitutional history to note that states did more to protect the rights of people to own guns than their right to vote .
In some states , people who were convicted of crimes lost the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right to legally have a gun , she wrote .
“ And as a right that was exercised for the benefit of the community ( like voting and jury service ) , rather than for the benefit of the individual ( like free speech or free exercise ) , it belonged only to virtuous citizens , ” Barrett wrote .
The right to keep and bear arms conveyed by the Second Amendment , by contrast , protects “ an individual ’ s right to protect himself — not in his right to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote , citing Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s 2008 opinion for the court in a major gun rights case .
Barrett wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel in 2019 that upheld the dismissal of a workplace discrimination lawsuit by Terry Smith , a Black Illinois transportation employee who sued after he was fired .
Smith ’ s claims included that he was called a racial slur by supervisor Lloyd Colbert .
“ The n-word is an egregious racial epithet , ” Barrett wrote in Smith v. Illinois Department of Transportation .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply by proving that the word was uttered .
He must also demonstrate that Colbert ’ s use of this word altered the conditions of his employment and created a hostile or abusive working environment.
” Barrett went on to say that Smith “ introduced no evidence that Colbert ’ s use of the n-word changed his subjective experience of the workplace .
To be sure , Smith testified that his time at the Department caused him psychological distress .
But that was for reasons that predated his run-in with Colbert and had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His tenure at the Department was rocky from the outset because of his poor track record.
” A possible colleague of Barrett ’ s took a different view on racial slurs in 2013 .
Justice Brett Kavanaugh , then serving as a federal appeals court judge in Washington , D.C , said one utterance was enough .
“ But , in my view , being called the n-word by a supervisor ... suffices by itself to establish a racially hostile work environment .
That epithet has been labeled , variously , a term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America , ’ ‘ pure anathema to African-Americans , ’ and ‘ probably the most offensive word in English , ” Kavanaugh wrote .
“ No other word in the English language so powerfully or instantly calls to mind our country ’ s long and brutal struggle to overcome racism and discrimination against African-Americans .
In short , the case law demonstrates that a single , sufficiently severe incident may create a hostile work environment actionable ” under federal anti-discrimination laws .
Barrett wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making it easier for men alleged to have committed sexual assaults on campus to challenge the proceedings against them .
The case involved allegations by a female student at Purdue University that her boyfriend had sexually assaulted her .
The students were identified in court documents as John and Jane Doe .
John Doe sued in federal court claiming sex discrimination after Purdue suspended him for a year and took away his Navy ROTC scholarship .
Barrett concluded Purdue ’ s process was unfair and allowed his lawsuit to continue .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ he said/she said ’ — Purdue had to decide whether to believe John or Jane , ” Barrett wrote .
The judge criticized the university official who ended up siding with the female student .
“ Her basis for believing Jane is perplexing , given that she never talked to Jane .
Indeed , Jane did not even submit a statement in her own words , ” Barrett wrote .
Barrett was in dissent in June when her two colleagues on a 7th Circuit panel put on hold , just in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jeopardize permanent resident status for immigrants who use food stamps , Medicaid and housing vouchers .
Under the new policy , immigration officials can deny green cards to legal immigrants over their use of public benefits .
She wrote that existing immigration law and a Clinton-era welfare overhaul had already limited public assistance to noncitizens .
The administration was just using leeway those laws had given it , Barrett wrote .
The objections of immigrants and their advocates “ reflect disagreement with this policy choice and even the statutory exclusion itself .
Litigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disputes , ” she wrote .
Barrett dissented in the case of a Wisconsin man who admitted that he fatally shot his wife seven times but argued that he had been provoked , making his crime second-degree homicide instead of first-degree homicide , which carries a higher penalty .
A federal judge reviewed the provoking claim in a pretrial hearing without prosecutors present and without allowing the lawyer of defendant Scott Schmidt to speak .
The judge rejected Schmidt ’ s claim of provocation , and he was convicted of first-degree homicide and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a 7th Circuit panel overturned that decision , saying that Schmidt had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to counsel .
Barrett , in her dissent , disagreed that the pretrial hearing where the judge questioned Schmidt about his provocation claim was a situation that required Schmidt ’ s lawyer and said the Supreme Court has never extended the right to counsel outside an adversarial proceeding .
The Supreme Court ’ s “ ’ critical stage ’ precedent deals exclusively with adversarial confrontations between the defendant and an agent of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Perhaps the right to counsel should extend to a hearing like the one the judge conducted in Schmidt ’ s case .
But ( federal law ) precludes us from disturbing a state court ’ s judgment on the ground that a state court decided an open question differently than we would — or , for that matter , differently than we think the ( Supreme ) Court would .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Team investigating deadly Calif. fire seizes PG&E equipment

SAN JOSE , Calif. - Fire investigators looking into what caused a wildfire that killed four people in far Northern California have taken possession of equipment belonging to Pacific Gas and Electric , the utility has reported .
PG & E said in a filing Friday with the Public Utilities Commission that investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection seized some of its electrical equipment near where the Zogg Fire started Sept. 27 .
The fire erupted in Shasta County during high winds and quickly grew , killing four people in the community of Igo , population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tehama County .
As of Friday , it had scorched 88 square miles ( nearly 228 square kilometres ) and destroyed more than 200 buildings , about half of them homes .
It was almost fully contained .
The utility said it does not have access to the evidence collected by Cal Fire , which has yet to determine a cause for the fire .
PG & E , the nation ’ s largest utility , recently emerged from bankruptcy stemming from financial fallout from several devastating wildfires caused by its utility equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destroyed more than 27,000 homes and other buildings in 2017 and 2018 .
Customers in the area where the fire started , near Zogg Mine Road and Jenny Bird Lane north of Igo , are served by a 12,000-volt PG & E circuit .
On the day the Zogg Fire began , the utility ’ s automated equipment in the area “ reported alarms and other activity between approximately 2:40 p.m. and 3:06 p.m. , ” PG & E told regulators .
The line was then de-activated .
The Shasta County Sheriff ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Alaina Michelle Rowe , 45 , who was found dead along a road on Sept. 28 .
The sheriff ’ s department said another victim was a minor but did not report the identity .
KRCR-TV in Redding reported that Rowe and her eight-year-old daughter Feyla died as they tried to escape the fire .
In June , Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in one of the most devastating wildfires in recent U.S. history during a dramatic court hearing punctuated by a promise from the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s largest utility will never again put profits ahead of safety .
PG & E CEO Bill Johnson pleaded guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a November 2018 wildfire ignited by the utility ’ s crumbling electrical grid .
The blaze nearly wiped out the entire town of Paradise and drove PG & E into bankruptcy early last year .
The headline of this story has been corrected to show that PG & E did not tell California that its equipment may have started the fire .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Turkey to report full COVID-19 figures, health minister says

ANKARA , Turkey - Turkey will start to report its total number of coronavirus cases later this week , the @ @ @ @ @ said in an interview published Sunday , after Ankara was criticized for only releasing figures @ @ @ @ @ infection .
Fahrettin Koca told the newspaper Hurriyet that asymptomatic cases would be included in @ @ @ @ @ from Oct. 15 , which would be shared with the World Health Organization .
Last @ @ @ @ @ Turkey had been publishing only the daily number of patients displaying symptoms of COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ medical groups and opposition parties that had long questioned the accuracy of the statistics .
@ @ @ @ @ figures from Saturday showed 1,649 new patients and 56 deaths .
It has reported more @ @ @ @ @ outbreak started , and 8,778 fatalities .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Kalispell woman hikes Continental Divide Trail in 5 months

KALISPELL , Mont .
- Sarah “ Princess ” Williams can count the number of showers she ’ s taken since April on her fingers , toes and two trekking poles .
“ In Missoula I took two , ” she recalled fondly while walking down Camas Road on the edge of Glacier National Park in late September .
On May 4 , Williams started walking north along the Continental Divide Trail ( CDT ) , in Lordsburg , New Mexico , about 100 miles north of the Mexican border .
The CDT is the longest and most rugged of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It stretches roughly 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada , paralleling the Continental Divide the whole way .
By the end , hikers climb and descend almost a half million vertical feet , and pass through 20 national forests , several wilderness areas and multiple national parks .
Williams first had the idea in 2018 , while hiking up to Numa Lookout in Glacier National Park .
“ I was getting ready for another backpacking trip and just thought , ‘ Gosh , I really like this ; I should try a thru @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And then it was true .
That was my entire process of deciding .
There ’ s no bigger purpose to doing this — I just wanted to.
” Four months , two weeks , five days and more than 2,500 miles after setting out , Williams woke up in Polebridge with her hiking companion , Peter “ Moonshine ” Weinberger .
They packed up camp , ate a huckleberry bear claw from the Mercantile , and enjoyed their final 21-mile hike to the Montana-Canada border .
“ I wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to the halfway point , much less Canada , ” Williams said .
“ It wasn ’ t until I made it through the halfway point that I realized it wasn ’ t if I would finish ; it was when.
” TO HIKE OR NOT TO HIKE Leaving civilization behind during a pandemic might sound like the perfect way to achieve true social distancing , but members of the trail community were split on whether anyone should be thru-hiking in 2020 .
Over the spring , articles sprang up in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NPR about the ethics of thru hiking during COVID .
There were two schools of thought : those who suggested there ’ s no better way to socially distance than by walking through some of the most isolated terrain in the United States , and those who worried about potentially bringing the disease to rural communities along the trails and straining emergency services in already stressed towns .
In March , the Appalachian Trail ( AT ) Conservancy urged hikers to “ postpone your section or thru-hike ” for the year .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked hikers to “ avoid long-distance travel on the PCT , ” instead advocating for local , self-supported day hikes .
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition was less clear on guidelines .
Hikers were urged to stay home and enjoy “ local trails and outdoor spaces , ” but other than stopping water-caching operations in southern New Mexico and shuttles to the Southern Terminus , the official position was to follow all guidelines from the CDC , state and local public health departments .
“ At least online there were lots of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hike , ’ ” Williams said .
“ That stance I think changed over time , but they never actually closed the CDT down like they did the other trails , and I never checked again.
” On the CDT , one of the few official closures was the section through Glacier Park , as the Blackfeet Indian Reservation closed its western border along the park .
Williams and Weinberger rerouted out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness along Hungry Horse Reservoir and stayed on the western edge of the park instead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reaction from locals was overwhelmingly positive .
Hitchhiking from the trail into towns was never an issue , and numerous “ trail angels ” bought food after hearing the story — coffee , pounds of dried apricots , and donuts all were made possible through “ trail magic.
” Of the three main long-distance trails , the CDT could be considered the safest to complete in 2020 due to a large popularity discrepancy .
In 2018 , only 92 hikers reported completing the CDT , compared to 1,128 on the AT and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is crowded , with more than 3,000 attempts per year , whereas the CDT averages fewer than 200 .
“ On this trail , there ’ s probably less than 50 northbound hikers and we ’ ve only met like 25 of them , ” Weinberger said , contrasting it with his time hiking the AT when every night he would end up at a shelter with 40-50 other hikers .
“ After a while we stopped running into them because we ’ re all going the same speed and we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of miles without seeing any other northbound hikers.
” When Williams set off from Lordsburg , her dad flew out to hike a few days with her , but then she was on her own .
Unlike the crowded AT or PCT , where hikers routinely congregate at shelters , bump into hiking companions on trail and swap groups whenever pace or interest dictates , odds were much slimmer of finding someone to cover the CDT with .
About 300 miles into her hike , Williams met Weinberger while staying at a Super @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Southern Terminus a week before she had set out .
A rollercoaster painter most recently from Massachusetts , Weinberger didn ’ t plan to do a thru-hike this year .
In early spring he was grieving : his cat had just died and the virus was picking up steam .
Then in April he heard that the Massachusetts governor was about to announce a stay-at-home order .
“ That was basically the catalyst , ” Weinberger said .
“ I was getting really stressed about the virus and the response and figured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the woods , so I just flew down and started hiking.
” A few weeks into his hike , Weinberger was taking an extra rest day ( a “ zero ” in thru-hiker terms ) at the motel to deal with swollen ankles .
He had heard that Williams was packing Epsom salts and hoped they would get him back on the trail .
The two began hiking together and , other than a few short stints apart , spent every day together until Canada .
Weinberger isn ’ t a newbie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AT in 2017 , and the Colorado Trail in 2018 .
His trail name , Moonshine , was established on the AT , when he popped into a liquor store on a town day and all he could find was local moonshine .
As the only hiker in his group packing liquor , it stuck .
Soon after meeting up on the trail , Weinberger bestowed Williams with her own trail name : Princess .
“ At the beginning , every night after I got off my feet I would clean off , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I ’ d always sit on my mat instead of the ground because I didn ’ t want to get my sleeping bag dirty , ” Williams said .
“ So he gave me the trail name Princess , but there ’ s not too many people out here to call me that , basically just Moonshine.
” The two hikers quickly settled into their self-described “ boring ” routine .
“ I mean , honestly , we walk every day , ” Williams told the Flathead Beacon .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adventure ; it just becomes what you do.
” Mornings started around eight , depending how dark and cold it was .
The duo would make breakfast and hike through the day in roughly two-hour stints , broken up by lunch and snack breaks .
Hiking 8-12 hours a day was necessary to make it through the mileage goal of 20-25 miles a day .
Weinberger had the highest single-day mileage total when he covered 60 miles to get across a section of the Great Divide Basin .
Other than that split , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occasionally walking solo but starting and ending each day at the same camp .
“ We pretty much always talk , and I ’ d like to say he retells a lot of stories , ” Williams said .
The duo quickly figured out they had opposite views on politics and trail conditions — she can ’ t stand heat ; he hates the cold and wet — and different ways of approaching hardships .
“ It ’ s a really good thing this trail has thrown us together because I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other out in the real world , ” she said .
“ That ’ s really cool , especially in our current political sphere .
You have to look the person in the face and disagree with them instead of just screaming over your keyboard.
” As trail companions , Williams and Weinberger operate on a very blunt level with each other .
That was made even more important after Colorado , when they got caught high in the San Juan Mountains by the Durecho windstorm .
They were hunkered down in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williams peeked outside and saw Weinberger ’ s tent was gone .
The wind had unstaked it and flung all the contents across the mountainside .
By the time they collected everything , a gust of wind had snapped Williams ’ tent pole , driving it straight through the rainfly .
She sent her tent home and shared Weinberger ’ s two-person tent the rest of the journey .
“ It became more important to communicate and listen to each other because you couldn ’ t just zip yourself in your own tent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have our own side of the tent and it ’ s very consistent.
” “ It was always a bit of a shock coming out of the woods , ” Williams said .
“ We both travelled with masks the whole time but we never really got into the rhythm of living in a COVID community.
” Off the trail , the world is concerned about the global pandemic , upcoming elections , whether fans are allowed at NFL games and undulations of the stock market .
On the trail , life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anxieties are miles and having food — and bears , ” Williams said .
“ You kind of think of Maslow ’ s hierarchy and we ’ re very much at the bottom of it — shelter , safety , food and water .
And when any of those things get potentially threatened , that ’ s when we get stress and anxieties.
” Over five months , there were a few times when any of Williams ’ basics were put on edge .
One moment was in Colorado , when she ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options were limited : she could wait for Weinberger and bum some tablets off of him , or continue on .
“ That was a big moment for me as far as assessing the level of risk I was OK with .
In the bigger picture it was very small , but in the moment it was this big , big thing of , ‘ Am I going to go out into the woods by myself and drink dirty cow water ?
’ ” Williams said .
“ My threshold for taking risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” At another point , after getting bad beta on a section of trail that led to an extra day of rerouting , Weinberger had to ask for food from day-hikers after running out of his own .
Since directly asking for support is a thru hiking no-no , they perfected the art of “ Yogi-ing , ” the practice of casually talking about how difficult it was on the trail and angling for that last Clif bar sticking out of someone ’ s pack .
In general , Williams ’ food supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most impressive feats of her entire hike .
She spent more than six months before her hike cooking and dehydrating all of her food .
With her mother co-ordinating food drops , Williams received curries , gumbos and self-packaged olive oil for meals , along with baked goods her mom routinely included .
“ The amount of support she ’ s had is just ridiculous , ” Weinberger said .
“ I ’ ve never seen anyone on a trail like that.
” Over the course of the trip , six people joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Williams ’ roommates organized letters from various friends and sent them to a trail drop .
“ Taking a step back and seeing my relationships come to me and being so fulfilled by it was one of the biggest things to come out of this , ” Williams said .
“ Once I ’ m back I want to be able to return the love I felt.
” After a short recovery stint in Kalispell , Weinberger will leave for his home in Texas .
Williams will have a few weeks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her job at Youth Dynamics in Kalispell .
The downtime is eagerly anticipated .
“ I expected this trail to be more contemplative and more creative , too , ” Williams said .
She kept a journal on the trail and wrote in it nightly , but along the way , entries devolved from detailed musings on the day to merely listing mileage covered .
Added up , it details 147 days on the trail .
“ I don ’ t think I ’ ll realize how big this actually is for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think it ’ ll take time , maybe looking at a map and realizing that ’ s five months and almost 3,000 miles of my life.
” While that sinks in , Williams will be happy settling for a meal that hasn ’ t been dehydrated and her 23rd shower in five months .
“ I ’ m looking forward to having a more varied routine — we ’ re very regimented out here in what we actually can do , ” Williams said .
“ And I ’ m excited to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Precedent, recusal, Roe: A court nomination viewer’s guide

WASHINGTON - A scant two weeks after her nomination , Judge Amy Coney Barrett goes before a Senate committee that ’ s bitterly split along partisan lines over whether the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death should be filled now or should await the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election .
The Senate Judiciary Committee ’ s hearings are taking place on an accelerated timeline because President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans want her on the bench by Election Day .
Adding to the swirl of politics around the nomination is the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Barrett was introduced as the nominee at a Rose Garden ceremony linked to a cluster of virus cases , including those of Trump and his wife , Melania .
Viewers should expect to see the 48-year-old Barrett portrayed by Republicans as a principled jurist and person of faith in the mode of her mentor , conservative Justice Antonin Scalia , and someone who will decide cases based on the law , not her policy preferences .
Democrats will spend a lot of time talking about the unseemly rush to fill Ginsburg ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ label Barrett a results-oriented conservative whose ascension to the high court would entrench a conservative majority bent on undoing abortion rights , loosening gun restrictions and turning back the clock on environmental regulations and anti-discrimination laws .
Lawmakers know the public is watching , but as the hearing gets going and lawmakers seek to probe the nominee ’ s views , they often slip into using legal jargon and refer to past Supreme Court cases in shorthand .
It can sound as though they ’ re talking in code .
Expect senators to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing , starting Monday : These cases from 1973 and 1992 , respectively , are the two main decisions on abortion rights .
Barrett is the most open anti-abortion nominee to the Supreme Court in decades .
She is certain to be asked repeatedly whether the cases were decided correctly , and whether they should be overturned , She ’ s not likely to answer either question during the hearings .
Barrett signed an anti-abortion newspaper ad in 2006 , was a member of Notre Dame ’ s Faculty for Life and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge .
In Latin , it means to stand by things decided .
It ’ s the legal principle that judges use to base decisions on earlier ones .
When it comes up at confirmation hearings , it ’ s often in reference to abortion rights and it ’ s usually a way of asking if a nominee will overturn certain decisions such as Roe .
Nominees invariably invoke stare decisis , or refer to something as settled law , to try to reassure senators that they have great respect for Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specific one .
Respect for precedent , however , has its limits .
Almost every court opinion raising the issue of abiding by precedents or getting rid of them invokes a line from a 1991 Supreme Court opinion : “ Stare decisis is not an inexorable command.
” The court ’ s 2015 decision declared a nationwide constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry .
Barrett has spoken approvingly of the conservative dissenting voices in the case who argued that states should set the rules on marriage , not unelected judges .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Clarence Thomas , joined by Justice Samuel Alito , wrote that the 2015 decision “ enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots.
” Thomas suggested the court needs to revisit the issue because it has “ created a problem that only it can fix.
” Until then , he said , the case will continue to have “ ruinous consequences for religious liberty.
” That ’ s the shorthanded reference to the Obama-era health law , the Affordable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obamacare.
” The Supreme Court will hear a Trump administration-backed challenge to get rid of the law a week after the election .
A lot of talk will focus on the law ’ s now-toothless mandate to require people to have health insurance or pay a penalty .
In 2017 , Congress got rid of the penalty , a decision that gave rise to the latest court challenge .
The bigger concern is that if the court says the mandate as it now stands is unconstitutional , it will strike down the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic senators in all likelihood will talk a lot about the threat to another provision of the law prohibiting discrimination against people with preexisting health conditions .
Barrett has been critical of Chief Justice John Roberts ’ 2012 opinion upholding the law and his 2015 opinion that preserved subsidies for millions of people to pay for health insurance .
“ I think the dissent has the better of the legal argument , ” she said in 2015 .
It refers to a judge ’ s decision to not take part in a case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it at an earlier stage , or has a financial or personal conflict .
Democrats are going to press Barrett to pledge to withdraw from any election-related cases , and perhaps from any involving abortion .
She is not likely to commit to do so .
A 1984 Supreme Court ruling , in a case involving the Chevron oil company , says that when laws aren ’ t crystal clear , federal agencies should be allowed to fill in the details .
That ’ s what agencies do — on environmental regulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration law .
But a growing conservative legal movement has questioned the Chevron decision .
Several conservative justices have expressed some support for limiting agencies ’ discretion .
If a future Supreme Court were to limit the Chevron ruling , it would mark a big change in the law that would potentially make it harder to sustain governmental regulations .
OK , that ’ s not a legal term , but it will come up anyway .
Roberts famously compared judges to umpires during his 2005 confirmation hearing , saying neither makes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
He said he would remember , if confirmed , that his job is “ to call balls and strikes.
” Lawmakers love to ask nominees about this analogy .
Again , it ’ s not a legal term .
Expect the committee chairman , Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , or the Republican sitting in his place , to interject when Democrats ’ questioning of Barrett gets especially heated or they try to cut in if they feel Barrett is trying to filibuster .
Question time is limited and senators often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the questioning along .
Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Fake asteroid? NASA expert IDs mystery object as old rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. - The jig may be up for an “ asteroid ” that ’ s expected to get nabbed by Earth ’ s gravity and become a mini moon next month .
Instead of a cosmic rock , the newly discovered object appears to be an old rocket from a failed moon-landing mission 54 years ago that ’ s finally making its way back home , according to NASA ’ s leading asteroid expert .
Observations should help nail its identity .
“ I ’ m pretty jazzed about this , ” Paul Chodas told The Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hobby of mine to find one of these and draw such a link , and I ’ ve been doing it for decades now.
” Chodas speculates that asteroid 2020 SO , as it is formally known , is actually the Centaur upper rocket stage that successfully propelled NASA ’ s Surveyor 2 lander to the moon in 1966 before it was discarded .
The lander ended up crashing into the moon after one of its thrusters failed to ignite on the way there .
The rocket , meanwhile , swept past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sun as intended junk , never to be seen again — until perhaps now .
A telescope in Hawaii last month discovered the mystery object heading our way while doing a search intended to protect our planet from doomsday rocks .
The object promptly was added to the International Astronomical Union ’ s Minor Planet Center ’ s tally of asteroids and comets found in our solar system , just 5,000 shy of the 1 million mark .
The object is estimated to be roughly 26 feet ( 8 metres ) based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ballpark of the old Centaur , which would be less than 32 feet ( 10 metres ) long including its engine nozzle and 10 feet ( 3 metres ) in diameter .
What caught Chodas ’ attention is that its near-circular orbit around the sun is quite similar to Earth ’ s — unusual for an asteroid .
“ Flag number one , “ said Chodas , who is director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA ’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California .
The object is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not tilted above or below , another red flag .
Asteroids usually zip by at odd angles .
Lastly , it ’ s approaching Earth at 1,500 mph ( 2,400 kph ) , slow by asteroid standards .
As the object gets closer , astronomers should be able to better chart its orbit and determine how much it ’ s pushed around by the radiation and thermal effects of sunlight .
If it ’ s an old Centaur — essentially a light empty can — it will move differently than a heavy space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s how astronomers normally differentiate between asteroids and space junk like abandoned rocket parts , since both appear merely as moving dots in the sky .
There likely are dozens of fake asteroids out there , but their motions are too imprecise or jumbled to confirm their artificial identity , said Chodas .
Sometimes it ’ s the other way around .
A mystery object in 1991 , for example , was determined by Chodas and others to be a regular asteroid rather than debris , even though its orbit around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even more exciting , Chodas in 2002 found what he believes was the leftover Saturn V third stage from 1969 ’ s Apollo 12 , the second moon landing by NASA astronauts .
He acknowledges the evidence was circumstantial , given the object ’ s chaotic one-year orbit around Earth .
It never was designated as an asteroid , and left Earth ’ s orbit in 2003 .
The latest object ’ s route is direct and much more stable , bolstering his theory .
“ I could be wrong on this .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ overly confident , ” Chodas said .
“ But it ’ s the first time , in my view , that all the pieces fit together with an actual known launch.
“ And he ’ s happy to note that it ’ s a mission that he followed in 1966 , as a teenager in Canada .
Asteroid hunter Carrie Nugent of Olin College of Engineering in Needham , Massachusetts , said Chodas ’ conclusion is “ a good one ” based on solid evidence .
She ’ s the author of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some more data would be useful so we can know for sure , ” she said in an email .
“ Asteroid hunters from around the world will continue to watch this object to get that data .
I ’ m excited to see how this develops !
” The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ’ Jonathan McDowell noted there have been “ many , many embarrassing incidents of objects in deep orbit ... getting provisional asteroid designations for a few days before it was realized they were artificial.
” Last year , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced that an asteroid in solar orbit was likely the abandoned lunar module from NASA ’ s Apollo 10 , a rehearsal for the Apollo 11 moon landing .
While this object is likely artificial , Chodas and others are skeptical of the connection .
Skepticism is good , Howes wrote in an email .
“ It hopefully will lead to more observations when it ’ s next in our neck of the woods ” in the late 2030s .
Chodas ’ latest target of interest was passed by Earth in their respective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2002 .
But it was too dim to see from 5 million miles ( 8 million kilometres ) away , he said .
He predicts the object will spend about four months circling Earth once it ’ s captured in mid-November , before shooting back out into its own orbit around the sun next March .
Chodas doubts the object will slam into Earth — “ at least not this time around.
” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all content .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--Iran has highest day death toll from virus, currency plunges

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran announced on Sunday its highest single-day death toll from the coronavirus with 251 confirmed dead , the same day local media reported two senior officials had been infected and the nation ’ s currency plunged to its lowest level ever .
Health Ministry spokesperson Sima Sadat Lari said the total confirmed death toll now stands at 28,544 , making Iran the hardest-hit country in the region .
Iran had just recently recorded its highest daily death toll four days earlier with 239 new fatalities .
A further 3,822 new cases were confirmed over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 500,075 .
Nearly 4,500 patients are in critical condition .
Among those recently infected is the head of the country ’ s atomic energy organization , the latest senior official to test positive for the virus .
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency said Ali Akbar Salehi , who is also a vice-president of Iran , had confirmed positive for the virus last week and has been in home quarantine since .
The news agency reported that his health condition is currently good .
A separate report by the news agency said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budget and planning , Mohammad Bagher Nobakht , had also tested positive for the coronavirus .
Iran has struggled to contain the spread of the virus across this nation of 80 million people , initially beating it back only to see a spike in cases again , beginning in June .
The government has largely resisted imposing wide-scale lockdowns as the economy teeters from continued U.S. economic sanctions that effectively bar Iran from selling its oil internationally .
Money exchange shops in Tehran sold the U.S. dollar at 315,000 rials on Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dollar at the time of Iran ’ s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
Salehi is known internationally as one of the key Iranian negotiators who took part in those nuclear talks .
The deal curbed Iran ’ s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief , but President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed crushing economic sanctions .
The currency plummeted further on Sunday after the Trump administration ’ s decision on Thursday to blacklist 18 Iranian banks that had so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The move subjects non-Iranian financial institutions to penalties for doing business with them , effectively cutting the banks off from the international financial system .
Meanwhile , Iran has seen several top officials contract the virus over past months , including senior Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri and Vice-President Massoumeh Ebtekar .
A number of Cabinet ministers have also tested positive , including Tourism Minister Ali Asghar Mounesan and the former Industry Minister Reza Rahmani .
The head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who had urged the public not to overreact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior officials to contract the virus in late February .
The virus first appeared in Iran at the same time the government was trying to shore up support for the country ’ s parliamentary elections , which saw the lowest voter turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought its clerical leadership to power .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--SKorea worries about missile shown in NKorea military parade

SEOUL , Korea , Republic Of - South Korea on Sunday urged North Korea to commit to its past disarmament pledges while expressing concerns over the North ’ s unveiling of a suspected new long-range missile during a military parade .
During celebrations marking the 75th birthday of its ruling party in Pyongyang on Saturday , North Korea paraded a variety of weapons systems , including two missiles that were disclosed for the first time to a foreign audience .
One is what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile that is larger than any of the North ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely be an upgraded version of a missile that can be fired from submarines .
While some experts say they could be mock-ups of missiles under development , their disclosures suggest North Korea has been continuously pushing to boost its weapons capability amid a stalemate in nuclear diplomacy with the United States .
South Korea ’ s Defence Ministry said Sunday it was expressing concerns about the fact that “ North Korea unveiled weapons including what was suspected to be a new long-range ballistic missile.
” A ministry statement demanded North Korea abide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animosities .
South Korea ’ s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement urging North Korea to return to talks to produce progress in its past commitment to achieving denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula .
After an emergency National Security Council meeting , council members in South Korea said they ’ ll continue to analyze the strategic significance of the North Korean weapons systems disclosed Saturday and review South Korea ’ s defence capabilities .
Ties between the Koreas remain strained amid the deadlocked nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he would fully mobilize his nuclear force if threatened but avoided direct criticism of Washington .
The fact that Kim maintains his self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests indicates he still wants to keep chances for diplomacy with the U.S. alive .
But some experts say he ’ ll eventually carry out a major weapons test after the U.S. presidential election in November to boost his leverage in potential new negotiations with the U.S. , whoever wins the election .


thetorontostar--2020-10-11--New Zealand PM encourages supporters to vote in election

WELLINGTON , New Zealand - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has visited supporters in an area that is especially popular with her Labour Party , encouraging them to vote in the Oct. 17 general election .
Ardern was thronged by supporters during her visit Saturday to a market in the heavily Polynesian south Auckland suburb of Otara .
Her Labour Party has governed since the 2017 general election , when it was able to forge a narrow majority in New Zealand ’ s 120-seat Parliament in a coalition with the left-wing Greens and right-wing New Zealand First parties .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , with the Labour Party leading the National Party , led by 61-year-old conservative Judith Collins , by as many as 13 points .
Ardern ’ s visit to Otara was an effort to get out the vote in an electorate in which Labour out-polls National by around four votes to one .
“ We ’ re seeing really high turnout at the moment for advance voting , ” said Ardern , who cast her vote in her Auckland district on Oct. 3 , two weeks ahead of the official polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure everyone uses their voice until election day.
“ Voters have four choices to make this year .
They are picking a candidate to represent their electorate and choosing which party to give their “ party vote.
” Seats in Parliament are allocated on the basis of seats won and the percentage of the vote won by each party .
Voters also face two referendums .
They will vote on the decriminalization of cannabis and on the legalization of “ assisted dying ” in limited cases .
This story has been corrected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oct. 10 , not Oct. 3 .