Covington

Zimbabwe police beat protesters defying regime 'worse than Mugabe'

Riot police in Zimbabwe on Friday fired teargas and beat demonstrators who defied a protest ban, as the opposition accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government of surpassing Robert Mugabe's regime in brutality. Scores of people gathered in a square in the capital Harare to demonstrate against the country's worsening economy, despite massive police deployment and a ban upheld by a court the same morning. Police cornered one group of protesters and beat them with batons, an AFP reporter saw.

Portland, Oregon, awaits right-wing rally, counter protests

More than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Federal Protective Service, were in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday to help police there monitor a right-wing rally that's expected to draw demonstrators from around the U.S. Self-described anti-fascists have vowed to confront the rally while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event. In a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention to this small, liberal city.

Woman survives plunging a mile after parachute fails to open

A woman cheated death when she fell nearly a mile to the ground after her parachute and emergency back-up apparently both failed to open.Witnesses who saw her plunge nearly 5000ft to the ground said it was a miracle she wasn’t killed.She hit a clump of trees, breaking her fall, and escaped with only fractured bones, including broken vertebrae.Police Quebec in Canada are investigating whether there was any criminal negligence.After jumping from the plane at a skydiving centre in Trois-Rivieres, the woman escaped with her life by hitting a wooded area.Denis Demers, who saw her fall, told Radio-Canada: "It’s a miracle. I don’t know how a person can survive a fall from an airplane like that."He said it appeared that neither the main parachute nor the emergency back-up had opened.Police told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the 30-year-old parachutist, who has not yet been identified, was an experienced skydiver.She was admitted to hospital but her life was not in danger, they said.Another witness, Oceane Duplessis, said she was getting ready to get on another plane when she saw the woman."We watched all the way to the end. We kept hoping something would happen," she said. "We were very worried. Very."According to Scienceabc.com, a person without a parachute will fall at a typical speed of 120mph – or 60 metres (196ft) a second.The skydive company, which is reported to be investigating, has been contacted for comment.

2 victims in Dayton hit by police bullets; shooter had drugs in system

The Dayton shooter had cocaine, alcohol, and Xanax in his system, according to Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger.

1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Pro Touring Boasts Show Quality

It’s custom-built with low mileage and ready to win some trophies. Volo Auto Museum is excited to announce this incredibly stunning 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Pro Touring for your consideration. With only 270 miles clocked since its custom pro-touring build and $95,000 invested, this is a great value. The car is currently up for sale at a price of $42,995, and you can make an offer right here. An extensive amount of work, heart, and soul was put into this car with precise attention to detail. Every single part of the Z28 was removed from the vehicle during the pro-touring build. Even at first glance, you know that this is a show car. But it doesn’t just boast a mean face, this car handles great and is satisfyingly fast.The exterior has custom body features that will really help it stand out among the sea of muscle cars at any car show. It has a reverse scoop molded into the hood and fender vents, as well as a dovetail out back molted onto the quarters and trunk. Other minor touches include filled-in marker lights, a custom gas filler door, filled seams, and custom door handles. The Carbon Flash Black metallic paint (a Corvette color) is lustrous and goes well with the wide non-metallic black stripe on the center of the hood and trunk. This beauty sits on 18-inch Rev wheels wrapped in Michelin Super Sport performance tires, with wider rubber at the rear.The interior on this ’81 Camaro Z28 has been completely restored from the carpet to the headliner. The instrument panel looks like carbon fiber with great-looking digital gauges. It also has a leather-wrapped steering wheel on a tilt column. Additional cabin features include new Vintage Air Heat electric controls, a new modern stereo with molded-in kick panel speakers and 6x9s in the back, and a digital screen for the fuel injection.This 1981 Camaro Z28 Pro Touring is powered by a desirable, all-aluminum, performance-built LS 5.3-liter V8 engine that puts out 420 horsepower. It also has a NOS system for another instant 150 horsepower! What’s more, this Z28 is equipped with a High Ram polished aluminum Holley intake, Holley EFI electronic fuel injection, Accel coils, stainless headers, and custom polished aluminum air induction tubes. It has 65-pound injectors and a 43-pound fuel pump. A Griffin radiator with dual electric fans and a custom shroud keep this bad boy cool. Pop the hood at a car show and wait for all the oohs and ahhs you’ll get. The engine bay is pristine and is sure to outshine its competition. Read More: * Freshly Restored 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Pro Touring * Burn Rubber For Days In This 1965 Ford Mustang Pro Touring

A couple in Australia and their pet dog were attacked by a giant carnivorous lizard

A 72-year-old man was seriously injured after attempting to break up a fight between his pet dog and a giant Goanna lizard.

Obama told Biden advisers not to let the former Veep ‘damage his legacy’ in his 2020 presidential run

Obama is reportedly concerned that Biden is relying on advisers who are "too old and out of touch with the current political climate,"

Smiling cops take selfie near where dead baby was just found. Missouri city apologizes

“The photos were by no means meant to take away from the extremely serious nature of the incident,” city officials say.

Gingrich on Tlaib visiting Israel, Trump's New Hampshire rally, 2020 Democrat polls

Former House speaker and Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich talks the news of the day on 'Fox & Friends.'

Aid group: Italy must let all migrants off rescue ship

Three ailing migrants and a family member were evacuated Friday from a Spanish rescue ship anchored near a southern Italian island but 134 others remained stuck on the boat as Italy's political battle over migration raged on. The humanitarian ship Open Arms had rescued 147 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya two weeks ago and won a legal battle to enter Italy's territorial waters despite a ban by right-wing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. "I'm not giving up, you can be sure of that," Salvini vowed Friday in a tweet.

Small protests in Moscow for free elections

Russian opposition activists held small one-man protests in Moscow Saturday to demand free elections, as the wave of the Russian capital's larger demonstrations took a breather this weekend. In a move to circumvent restrictions by the authorities, activists took turns to hold protest signs as such demonstrations do not technically need approval. The protests, held at several locations in central Moscow, were a far cry from the wave of rallies in which tens of thousands took to the streets after opposition figures were banned from local elections a month ago.

Jeffrey Epstein investigators remain puzzled by his apparent suicide days later

Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide in a New York City jail cell has left federal investigators with more questions than answers about how the accused child sex trafficker managed to seemingly escape facing justice one final time. The federal Bureau of Prisons has attempted to understand in recent days how Epstein managed to take his own life at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, despite guards being assigned to check his cell every 30 minutes. Officials are also working to learn why Epstein’s cellmate was moved out of their cell the day before the disgraced financier was found unresponsive on Saturday morning and later pronounced dead. Attorney General William Barr has described “serious irregularities” at the prison where Epstein was held and reports have suggested the guards watching over him fell asleep for about three hours at the time of his death. But the Justice Department has not released additional details about the missteps that led to his death before he was set to stand trial over new trafficking and conspiracy charges. The department’s Inspector General has launched an investigation into the death, along with the FBI. The lack of details has led to an emergence of unfounded conspiracy theories alleging Epstein was killed by the “deep state,” or that the multi-millionaire fled to a secretive island and was replaced by a body-double. Those claims were given a megaphone by the White House when Donald Trump retweeted posts on Twitter suggesting there was a link between Epstein’s death and Bill Clinton. Still, investigators remained focused on discovering the most rudimentary facts surrounding his apparent suicide, CNN reported on Friday.That includes a question of whether a prison staff member first found Epstein unresponsive while delivering breakfast to the prisoners, or if someone was already providing aid when he was discovered. The Bureau also wants to know whether the guards documented their checks during the time of Epstein’s death, the outlet reported, and whether there is surveillance footage from inside the jail that matches those logs.There are other confounding factors to Epstein’s death that may add fuel to the fire of conspiracy theories that has already been stoked by the president, including that his cellmate was moved out of their shared space a day before his death. He had also reportedly been found unresponsive weeks earlier after an apparent suicide attempt and was placed on suicide watch. The New York Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released its comprehensive autopsy results, and did not return requests for comment.However, Epstein was no longer on suicide watch at the time of his death, according to officials. The Bureau reportedly believed he had faked the initial suicide attempt.Members of Congress have requested details into the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein’s death and provided the department with a deadline of next week.

Planet 10 times Earth's mass may have smacked Jupiter long ago

Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, may have been smacked head-on by an embryonic planet 10 times Earth's mass not long after being formed, a monumental crash with apparent lasting effects on the Jovian core, scientists said on Thursday. The violent collision, hypothesized by astronomers to explain data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft, may have occurred just several million years after the birth of the sun roughly 4.5 billion years ago following the dispersal of the primordial disk of dust and gas that gave rise to solar system. "We believe that impacts, and in particular giant impacts, might have been rather common during the infancy of the solar system.

GOP candidate drops out of congressional race after calling himself a 'white nationalist'

“I said I was a proud white nationalist," he in a video announcing his exit from the congressional race while wearing a red Trump hat.

Bill Maher Mocks Fox News’ Sean Hannity For Claiming He’s Causing a Recession

HBOLast week on Real Time, host Bill Maher devoted the lion’s share of his opening monologue to President Trump’s bizarre hospital visit in El Paso, Texas, where none of the mass-shooting victims treated there wished to meet with him. He also focused on Tucker Carlson’s divorced-from-reality claim that white supremacy is a “hoax.”On Friday night, the comedian sank his teeth into Trump once more, this time focusing on a jab the president threw at the HBO host during a recent rally in Pittsburgh. “You have one guy on television: ‘I’m telling you he's not leaving—he’s going to win and then he’s not leaving, so in 2024, he won’t leave, I’m telling you.’ This is a serious person,” Trump said on Tuesday. “These people have gone stone cold crazy.” The comment came on the heels of Trump tweeting the following about Maher:Cue Maher: “Trump has been tweeting about me and talking about me at his rallies, so my anxiety level is very high. I’m hoping he’ll get distracted by his new plan—I’m not making this up—he wants to buy Greenland… and name it ‘New Ivanka.’”Yes, the news broke this week that Trump had apparently asked his aides if the country of Greenland could be purchased by the U.S.“He had two Nuremberg rallies this week, and the highlight for me is at the one last night, he told a protester, ‘You have a weight problem!’ That’s like mocking virgins at Comic-Con, isn’t it?” cracked Maher. (It later emerged that it wasn’t a protester at all but rather a supporter.) Maher also unpacked the perilous state of the U.S. economy, which may be headed toward a recession. “Trump, the financial genius, is driving the economy over the cliff,” Maher explained. “His new slogan is: Make America Atlantic City Again. Did you see what happened in the stock market this week? I spent more time gasping for breath than Jeffrey Epstein.” Bill Maher Exposes Fox News’ Tucker Carlson For Claiming White Supremacy Is a ‘Hoax’Later on during the panel portion, where he was joined by The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff and Rick Wilson, Maher defended his position of wishing for a recession to get rid of Trump. “I’ve been saying for about two years that I hope we have a recession, and people get mad at me. Sean Hannity thinks I’m actually causing a recession. I do not have this power but he seems to be wanting to blame it on me, like I’m a genie and could make this happen,” said Maher, before pivoting to Trump’s anti-environment moves, including rolling back the Endangered Species Act. “[Recessions] don’t last forever. You know what lasts forever? Wiping out species—and people.”  What Maher seemed to conveniently overlook is how an economic recession would wipe out many, many people. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

3-year-old girl found alone in boat, man’s body discovered nearby, Texas cops say

Texas authorities found a man’s body after searching for a missing father whose little girl was found sleeping alone in a boat on Lake Granbury on Friday.

Trump administration reverses decision to use 'cyanide bombs' to kill wild animals

The poison-filled traps are used by the federal government to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals for farmers and ranchersA grizzly bear and her cub walk near Pelican Creek in Yellowstone national park, Wyoming. Last year, Wildlife Services killed more than 1.5 million native wild animals across the country, including bears. Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty ImagesAfter sustained public outcry, the Trump administration has voided its decision to reauthorize controversial cyanide traps for killing wildlife.The traps, which are known as M-44s and dubbed “cyanide bombs” by critics, are spring-loaded devices that emit a spray of sodium cyanide to kill their targets. The traps are most frequently used by Wildlife Services, a little-known federal agency inside the United States Department of Agriculture, to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals at the behest of private agriculture operators.Last year, Wildlife Services killed more than 1.5 million native wild animals across the country, including bears, wolves, birds and more. Roughly 6,500 of these deaths were caused by M-44 traps.“I am announcing a withdrawal of EPA’s interim registration review decision on sodium cyanide, the compound used in M-44 devices to control wild predators,” Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, announced in a public statement. “This issue warrants further analysis and additional discussions by EPA with the registrants of this predacide.”In an announcement last week, the EPA said that it had authorized government officials to continue using M-44s on an interim basis. The decision sparked fury among wildlife advocates and others, who decried the decision as a reckless threat to humans and the environment. M-44s, which are deployed on public and private land across the US, have led in the past to the inadvertent deaths of endangered species and domestic pets. They have even harmed humans, including a teenage boy who was poisoned by an M-44 in Pocatello, Idaho, in 2017.Brooks Fahy, the executive director of Predator Defense, a wildlife group that is a leading opponent of M-44 traps, said the EPA’s announcement was a welcome reversal.“Obviously somebody at EPA is paying attention to the public’s concerns about cyanide bombs,” Fahy said in a statement. “It would appear they’re responding to public outrage over the interim decision from last week. Our phone has been ringing off the hook from concerned citizens regarding their greenlight to continue using these horrific devices. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

Lawsuit challenges California's assault weapons ban

A gun-rights group sued Thursday to block California from enforcing its assault weapons ban, contending it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The lawsuit was the latest among gun advocacy and lobbying groups to challenge California's firearms laws, which are among the strictest in the country, and comes after a recent series of deadly mass shootings nationwide involving military-style rifles. The lawsuit was filed in the same San Diego federal court district where a judge in April tossed out a nearly two-decade-old California ban on sales and purchases of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets.

Israel intercepts Gaza rocket after weeks of calm

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at southern Israel on Friday night in what the army said was the first such attack in over a month. A military statement said the projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system, after air raid sirens sounded in the southern town of Sderot and its surroundings. Earlier, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that 32 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli live fire along the Gaza border fence as part of weekly protests there.

Epstein girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell pictured at burger bar in first public sighting since financier’s death

The “missing” former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein and the woman accused of recruiting young women for him – claims she has strongly denied – has been spotted eating at a fast food restaurant in Los Angeles.In the days since the death of the disgraced financier, accused of sex trafficking young girls, much attention has focused on the whereabouts of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late press baron Robert Maxwell, and Epstein’s longtime confidante. Reports suggested she was living in France or elsewhere in Europe, or even in Massachusetts.The matter now seems to have been at least party cleared up after a tabloid newspaper published a picture of her taken in an unlikely location.“Well, I guess this is the last time I’ll be eating here,” the 57-year-old is said to have remarked after being snapped at an In-N-Out restaurant in Los Angeles, according to the New York Post.The newspaper claimed Ms Maxwell was enjoying a burger, fries and a shake, while she sat reading The Book of Honour: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives, a 2000 nonfiction bestseller by journalist Ted Gup.While Ms Maxwell has never been charged with any crimes relating to Epstein’s alleged actions in Florida and New York, this week one of his accusers filed a lawsuit against her, alleging she conspired with members of the disgraced financier’s household staff “to make possible and otherwise facilitate the sexual abuse and rape” the alleged victim she said she endured in 2002 at the age of 15.Three years ago, she was sued for defamation by another of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, for calling allegations against her “obvious lies”. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. Ms Giuffre had said that she was groomed from the age of 15 by Ms Maxwell and forced to have sex with Epstein and several powerful men, all of whom have denied the allegations.The public sighting of Ms Maxwell comes as two women who said they were recruited 15 years ago to provide massages to Epstein, only to be later sexually molested by him at his Manhattan mansion, filed a $100m (£82.3m) lawsuit against the financier’s estate. The lawsuit filed on Thursday night in Manhattan is at least the second against the estate over the 66-year-old’s alleged misconduct, following his 10 August 10 death of an apparent suicide. Lawyers who represented Epstein did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. The plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, said they now live in Okinawa, Japan, and Baltimore. > Jeffrey Epstein’s gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell spotted at In-N-Out Burger in first photos since his death https://t.co/ZeGqWbvFKx pic.twitter.com/cmJC07v5qm> > — New York Post (@nypost) > > August 15, 2019Prior to his death, Epstein had pleaded not guilty in July to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls from 2002 and 2005. Prosecutors said he recruited and paid girls to give him massages, which became sexual in nature. Attorney general William Barr said the government will continue its investigation into any possible co-conspirators.He has also ordered a probe into how Epstein was able to kill himself, while supposedly being under a routine of close monitoring at the New York jail where he was being held awaiting trial. There has been a flood of conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death since he was found a day after fresh documents about the accusations against him were unsealed by a court. Among those to spread such theories has been Donald Trump, who was once a regular associate of Epstein, and who in 2002 told a magazine he was “a terrific guy”. An autopsy of Epstein found that his neck had been broken in several places, two law enforcement sources said. Epstein had been alone in his cell when he was found hanging there. He had previously been on suicide watch.Additional reporting by Reuters

Germany expects No Deal and will not renegotiate, says leaked briefing

Germany expects a No Deal Brexit and is not prepared to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, according to leaked details of an internal briefing paper for Angela Merkel’s government. The leaked paper is the first evidence that Germany may be preparing to let Britain walk away with No Deal rather than back down to Boris Johnson’s demand to drop the Irish backstop. The paper was prepared by civil servants for the German finance minister, Olaf Scholz, ahead of face-to-face talks with the chancellor of the exchequer, Sajid Javid, in Berlin on Friday.  In public, Mr Scholz has said Germany will do everything it can to secure a deal with the UK. But according to details leaked to the usually reliable Handelsblatt newspaper, the briefing paper calls for the European Union to stick to its previous line of refusing to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement. It warns that there is now a “high probability” of a No Deal Brexit on October 31, but says  the EU must not "lose its nerve". Preparations  by Germany and the rest of the EU-27 to manage the impact of No Deal are “largely complete”, and the European Commission is not planning any further emergency measures, it says. Mr Javid is the first senior minister from the Johnson government to hold face-to-face talks with his German counterpart Credit: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP The paper says it is “currently unforeseeable that Prime Minister Johnson will change his tough negotiating position” and predicts that he may use next weekend’s G7 summit in Biarritz for a “big moment” to announce success or failure in negotiations. “Against this background, it is important from the EU perspective to stick to the previous line” of refusing to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, it  says, adding that even if the EU were to agree to drop the Irish backstop, it is not clear that Mr Johnson would be able to win approval for a revised withdrawal agreement in parliament. The UK has made repeated attempts to split the EU side, and “the EU-27’s unity  in adhering to the negotiated exit agreement” has been “decisive”, the paper says. Germany has already passed more than 50 laws and measures to deal with the impact of a No Deal Brexit, and the paper provides details of arrangements in the finance ministry’s area of tax and banking.  It cites a transitional agreement between the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and BaFin, the German financial regulator on cross-border financial services, and says German customes authorities are prepared for the increased workload expected under No Deal.

A Wisconsin college student was arrested after tearing up a classmate's swastika sign

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior Grae Hosmanek was participating in an event organized by Students Supporting Israel when she was arrested.

South Korea holds emergency national security meeting amid new North Korea launches

South Korea's president convened an emergency national security council meeting after his government detected North Korea's launch of two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea.

GPS monitoring violates some sex offenders’ rights, NC Supreme Court rules

Sex offenders have rights, too, and in some cases the state has been violating those rights, the NC Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

Cal Fire said Tubbs Fire wasn’t caused by PG&E. Victims win the right to sue utility anyway

Victims of the deadly Tubbs Fire in 2017 won the right to pursue lawsuits against PG&E; Corp. on Friday in spite of state investigators’ declaration that the utility wasn’t to blame for the fire.

Wisconsin fugitive survives 3 years in makeshift bunker

A Wisconsin fugitive wanted on child sexual assault and child pornography charges hid out for more than three years in a makeshift bunker before a hunter stumbled onto him last week, police said.

Tears and shouting as Australia dilutes Pacific climate warning

A Pacific summit has descended into tears, recriminations and shouting between pro-coal Australia and low-lying island nations facing an existential threat from climate change. The annual Pacific Island Forum wrapped up in Tuvalu late Thursday with Australia and the group's 17 other members sharply at odds, potentially undermining Canberra's efforts to curb China's growing influence in the region. "There were serious arguments and even shouting, crying, people, leaders were shedding tears," Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga told Australia's national broadcaster ABC after the summit broke up with a communique with "watered down" language on global warming.

Rhode Island Prison Officer Resigns After ICE Protesters Allege He Drove a Truck Into Them

'It was a shocking escalation of violence,' says a witness

A former Republican congressman just apologized for helping put 'an unfit con man in the White House'

Former GOP congressman Joe Walsh also called for a Republican primary challenger to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.

California leads latest lawsuit over Trump immigration rule

California and other states are suing the Trump administration over rules blocking green cards for many immigrants who use forms of public assistance.

Philly Mayor Peddles False Narrative for Gun Control After a Man with a Long Criminal History Shoots Six Police Officers

All eyes were on North Philadelphia last night after a gunman fired on police serving a narcotics warrant. At around 4:30 p.m., the suspect barricaded himself in a North Philadelphia home and began a standoff that would last for almost eight hours. During the ordeal, six officers were shot and two were trapped inside the house. Thankfully, the injuries to the police officers were not life-threatening and the two officers trapped inside were evacuated by a SWAT team several hours before the suspect, Maurice Hill, surrendered.After visiting the wounded police officers in the hospital, the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, spoke to reporters and called for gun control. “Our officers need help. They need help. They need help with gun control. They need help with keeping these weapons out of these people’s hands,” Kenney said. “This government, on the federal and state level, don’t want to do anything about getting these guns off the street and getting them out of the hands of criminals.”“It's aggravating. It's saddening,” he said. “It's just something we need to do something about. And if the state and federal government doesn't want to stand up to the NRA and some other folks, then let us police ourselves,” Kenney said.“That argument is B.S. Any evidence that Hill is an NRA member?” Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, told me. “Hill is a threat to everyone around him not because he may or may not be an NRA member but because he has embarked on a life of crime. That is what the problem is. It is not the NRA’s advocacy. And the mayor knows that.”“The lies about cops told by Warren, Harris, and DeBlasio lead to actions like these,” Johnson said. “It’s not the NRA.”Indeed it is not. Maurice Hill has a long and extensive criminal history. Before last night, he had been arrested nearly a dozen times since turning 18 and convicted six times on charges that involved illegal possession of guns, drug dealing, and aggravated assault. He has been in and out of prison; the longest sentence handed him came in 2010, when a federal judge gave him a 55-month term. In 2008, he was convicted of escaping, fleeing from police, and resisting arrest. Along the way, he has beaten criminal charges on everything from kidnapping to attempted murder. Hill has also spent time in federal prison. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to federal firearms violations after he was caught with a Smith & Wesson .357 and later a Taurus PT .45 semiautomatic. His prior felony convictions should have barred him from owning those weapons. “There are plenty of laws. It’s not a lack of gun laws,” Johnson added. “Hill is not in the business of obeying laws.”“That is just Kenney deflecting and pivoting to his DNC talking points,” Gregg Richman, a candidate for common-pleas judge in the Philadelphia suburb of Montgomery County, told me. “It wasn’t a gun-control issue that caused this. It was the failure of this administration along with the DA’s policies of letting serious criminals back on the streets,” Richman said. “This is not about guns but failure of the leaders to support law enforcement.”Jeffrey Roorda, author of The War on Police, a former police officer and the business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, agrees. “Violence, especially deadly assaults on police, are out of control in cities like Philadelphia and St. Louis where the voters have elected so-called reform-minded prosecutors,” he told me. “The truth is that these prosecutors’ sick brand of reform amounts to an amnesty program for deadly criminals who prey on communities of color and target cops for violence,” Roorda says. “We need elected officials who will support cops and their efforts to remove dangerous criminals, like the Philadelphia shooter, from the streets before they go on shooting sprees.”On Kenney’s watch, Philadelphia has been plagued with gun violence. The homicide rate is the highest it has been in over a decade; in 2018, the rate increased 11 percent from the previous year. Kenney, and most other liberals advocating gun control, are ignoring the facts: The overwhelming majority of gun-related crimes are committed by people who own guns illegally. Crafting legislation that affects legal owners will have no impact on this.Kenney and other Democratic politicians such as Julián Castro, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren have all used this incident to push for additional gun-control laws. The press, meanwhile, has sought to cast the fight as just another “active shooter” in America. But the standoff in Philadelphia was no such thing. Americans watching cable news last night watched a career criminal resisting arrest and trying to murder police in the process. Our response to this event should reflect that fact. The mayor needs to look in the mirror.

New Jersey's Teterboro Airport was travel hub of Jeffrey Epstein's sex traffic ring

Jeffrey Epstein's planes recorded at least 730 flights to and from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey between 1995 and 2013, according to flight logs.

Putin gives pilot who landed in cornfield Russia's top medal

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday awarded the nation's highest medal, the Hero of Russia, to the pilot who managed to smoothly land his disabled passenger plane in a cornfield after a flock of birds hit both engines and knocked them out. The experienced captain, 41-year-old Damir Yusupov, said Friday that a quick landing was his only chance and he was not afraid of handling it. Putin also awarded the Hero of Russia to the plane's second pilot, 23-year-old Georgy Murzin and bestowed other top awards on the plane's cabin crew.

Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing weighs in on crisis with poetic adverts

Hong Kong's wealthiest man Li Ka-shing took out a series of enigmatic newspaper adverts on Friday calling for an end to the political violence plaguing the financial hub. The 91-year-old billionaire's adverts -- published in seven newspapers including two staunchly pro-Beijing publications -- used poetry and layered language to deliver a nuanced message promoting peace.

Florida man uses front-end loader to dump dirt on car his girlfriend drove, cops say

Beware boyfriends in front-end loaders.

How Israel's Travel Ban on Reps. Omar and Tlaib Is Uniting Democrats — Including Their Critics

Lawmakers who had criticized Omar months earlier leapt to her and Tlaib’s defense

California sues over Trump move to block green cards for poor immigrants

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday sued to block the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, which would deny immigrants green cards if they are likely to rely on public benefits.

Unprecedented heatwave 'kills thousands of fish' in Alaska

Climate change and warming rivers may have caused the mass death of salmon in parts of Alaska, scientists say.Large numbers of salmon died prematurely in some Alaskan rivers in July according to local reports, and scientists believe the cause could be the unprecedented heatwave that gripped the state last month.“Climate change is here in Alaska. We are seeing it. We are feeling it. And our salmon are dying because of it,” said Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, a biologist specialising in salmon and the director of the Yukon Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, in a Facebook post.> 200 miles of river. Dead chum consistently along entire stretch. None had spawned. 850 counted, many more missed. Likely ruled out mining, disease/parasites. All signs point to heat stress. Sad to see. Hoping this is not the new normal. climatechange salmon yukonriver alaska pic.twitter.com/zAHWSgy3pg> > — Steph Quinn-Davidson (@SalmonStephAK) > > July 29, 2019

Mom knew dad was abusing their kids and said nothing, cops say. They are both in jail

A Bradenton couple is behind bars after Manatee County sheriff’s deputies say the father sexually assaulted his two adopted daughters for years and the mother knew about it and said nothing.

What can a tiny bone tell us about Jeffrey Epstein's death?

The investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's death could hinge on a minute bone in his neck that in the past has shed light on whether a cause of death is a suicide or a murder.

Shoppers panic as security officer fires at man with knife

A man who robbed an armored car guard at a Southern California shopping plaza was captured Friday after the guard fired gunshots that sent panicked shoppers fleeing, police said. No one was injured but the exchange caused chaos and fears of a mass shooting at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. The man wasn't hit and ran off with a bag of money but police swarmed the area and he was captured within an hour at a nearby parking structure a few blocks from the famous Santa Monica Pier.