Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
September 24, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Police not charged in Breonna Taylor shooting . . . A state investigation into the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor has laid bare the final moments of her life, revealing the 26-year-old EMT was killed while standing next to her boyfriend after she was shot by cops six times. According to investigators' findings, Taylor was struck by the gunfire while standing in the hallway of her home alongside boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Earlier
reports had said Taylor was sleeping in bed when officers barged in and opened fire. It also confirmed cops did indeed knock while serving a warrant at apartment 4 of 3003 Springfield Drive in the early hours of March 13. Daily Mail
Protestors take to the streets nationwide after Breonna Taylor decision . . . A riot was declared in Portland over night with cops pelted with Molotov cocktails as thousands took to the streets across America after a decision not to indict any police officers over the death of Breonna Taylor. Protesters took to the streets of Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Oakland, and other major cities to vent their anger
over the decision not to prosecute any officers for murder in the fatal March shooting of the 26-year-old EMT from Louisville. In New York City, demonstrators packed into a plaza while one protester took a megaphone and threatened 'an eye for an eye'. A crowd of hundreds was chanting 'Say her name, Breonna Taylor,' and then started marching in the street in downtown Brooklyn, past onlookers and honking cars. They were accompanied by musicians, setting a steady drum beat. Daily Mail
Two Louisville police officers shot; suspect arrested . . .Two Louisville Metro Police Department officers were shot during protests on Wednesday night following a grand jury's decision in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder told reporters during a preliminary briefing that the officers sustained non life-threatening injuries. One was in surgery, and the other was alert and in stable
condition, he said. USA Today
Biden sides against cops . . . Joe Biden released a statement questioning whether justice 'could be equally applied in America' after a grand jury declined to indict three officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. In a statement issued last night, the former vice-president said: 'In the wake of her tragic death, we mourn with her mother, family, and community and ask ourselves whether justice could be equally applied
in America. Daily Mail
Trump says he may reject stricter FDA vaccine standards . . . President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the White House may not approve tougher FDA guidelines for authorizing the emergency use of any coronavirus vaccines. "That has to be approved by the White House," Trump said. "We may or may not approve it." Trump also suggested that the FDA's decision to revise the standards, first issued in June, "was a political move
more than anything else." The president has repeatedly vowed that a vaccine would be available by Election Day, although prominent scientists within his administration have said it's extremely unlikely. Politico
Trudeau: Canada is already in second wave of coronavirus . . . Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning Canadians that the second wave has arrived in many parts of the country. “We’re on the brink of a fall that could be much worse than the spring,” Trudeau said Wednesday during a 12-minute takeover of suppertime television. “It’s all too likely we won’t be gathering for Thanksgiving [Oct. 12], but we still have a shot at Christmas.” Politico
Dogs trained to detect the virus . . . Dogs trained to detect the novel coronavirus began sniffing passenger samples at Finland’s Helsinki-Vantaa airport this week, authorities said, in a pilot project running alongside more usual testing at the airport. The dogs’ efficiency has not been proven in comparative scientific studies so passengers who volunteer to be tested and are suspected as carrying the virus are instructed to also take a swab to
confirm the result. Reuters
|
|
Trump won't commit to transfer of power . . . President Trump wouldn’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the November election and predicted the outcome would be decided by the Supreme Court, a reason he wants to quickly fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I think this will end up in the Supreme Court. And I think it’s very important that we have nine justices,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday. Trump was asked if he would commit to a peaceful transfer whether he won or lost in November. “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” he responded. “I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots …The ballots are out of control.” Pressed on the question, the president said, “Get rid of the ballots and
… we’ll have a very peaceful. There won’t be a transfer. Frankly, there’ll be a continuation.” Wall Street Journal
This is being described as an authoritarian move. All he is saying is that we have to understand whether the election has been done fairly and the votes counted accurately before we can declare a winner. And that it will probably go to the Supreme Court. He's not saying he wouldn't abide by the Court's decision.
Trump allies see political gold in Dems' extreme response to pending SCOTUS pick . . . Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot by threatening to stack the Supreme Court with sympathetic justices and raising the specter of impeachment, according to Republican strategists who see an opportunity to paint Joe Biden as intent on upending constitutional norms. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declined to rule out impeaching President Trump if he
races to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat, while the party’s Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, hinted to allies that he would be open to increasing the size of the bench in order to overwhelm a conservative majority. Those messages are a gilt-edged way to mobilize the Trump base on Nov. 3, according to a former White House official. “The court-packing stuff is a gift wrapped in a big red bow,” he said. Washington Examiner
Pelosi: Christ would not want Trump honored at National Catholic Prayer breakfast . . . This seems pretty rich from the leader of the party of abortion on demand and limits on freedom of religious expression by business owners. According to the Washington Examiner: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday bashed Catholic supporters of President Trump ahead of his appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. “What would Christ do?
We always say that,” Pelosi said. “Well, there’s a big difference between what Christ would do and what they’re honoring this morning.” White House Dossier
Trump to sign "born alive" executive order . . . President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he intends to sign the Born Alive Executive Order to protect babies born alive after failed abortions.
The president spoke Tuesday morning at the virtual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast where said Catholics are “amazing people, great, great people,” and thanked religious Americans for their prayers for him and his wife. He also said that he will safeguard “the eternal truth that every child, born and unborn, is made in the
image of God.” Daily Caller
Judge says Eric Trump must testify before Election Day . . . A judge in New York on Wednesday ordered Eric Trump to comply with a subpoena from the state’s attorney general in the coming weeks, rejecting an effort from the president’s son to stall a deposition until after
Election Day. The New York attorney general’s office is investigating whether the Trump Organization, of which Trump is an executive vice president, has been illegally inflating its assets in order to get tax breaks and attract investors. The Hill
Video || Johnny Carson takes down Joe Biden for plagiarism 33 years ago
White House officials accused of making false claims to block Bolton book . . . White House officials were accused on Wednesday of improperly trying to block former national security adviser John Bolton from releasing his best-selling memoir by falsely claiming it contained classified
information. The accusation was made in a letter filed with a federal court in Washington by a lawyer for former National Security Council official Ellen Knight, a career official who oversaw the prepublication review of Bolton's 'The Room Where It Happened.' Knight had by late April cleared the memoir for its planned June 23 publication, only to then see the process 'commandeered by political appointees seemingly for a political purpose,' leading to a U.S. Department of Justice
lawsuit to block publication, her lawyer Kenneth Wainstein said in the letter. Reuters
Report links Hunter Biden to prostitution or trafficking ring . . . Hunter Biden allegedly sent “thousands of dollars” to people who appear to be involved in the sex industry, according to Wednesday’s report released by Senate Republicans. The report claims unspecified records show
that Biden “has sent funds to non-resident alien women in the United States who are citizens of Russia and Ukraine and who have subsequently wired funds they have received from Hunter Biden to individuals located in Russia and Ukraine.” “The records also note that some of these transactions are linked to what ‘appears to be an Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring.’ ” New York Post
Trump to pay respects to Ginsburg at Supreme Court . . . President Trump will pay his respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg Thursday by visiting her casket at the Supreme Court. “The president will pay his respects to the late justice on Thursday at the U.S. Supreme Court where she will be lying in repose,” White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told reporters on Wednesday. The casket arrived at the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning. A private
ceremony is being held for family and friends. White House Dossier
Where do they get phrases like this, “lying in repose”? Of course, she is in repose. She’s very reposed. In fact, she is so reposed, she is deceased. The phrase is meant to distinguish from lying “in state,” which you can only do in the U.S. Capitol. She will eventually make her way there, but while at the Supreme Court, she
is in repose.
|
|
China pouring billions into the Caribbean . . . China has poured billions of dollars of investment into the Caribbean while signing tax and trade deals in an attempt to wrest the region out of the West's sphere of influence and bring it under the sway of Beijing. The Chinese government has invested at least $7 billion in six Caribbean nations since 2005, records show - building roads, ports and the five-star Baha Mar casino
and resort in the Bahamas - though the true figure is thought to run well into the tens of billions. While some of the money arrives as part of trade and investment deals, much of it is offered as 'soft loans' for infrastructure projects that are harder to track and typically come with requirements to use Chinese contractors for the work. The loans also provide long-term leverage for Beijing over the cash-strapped island nations. Daily Mail
China peddling communist propaganda in US state and local governments . . . The Chinese Communist Party is engaged in an effort to infiltrate and conduct espionage on state and local U.S. governments, the latest front in a growing proxy war between America and the Communist regime, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "CCP campaigns targeting state-level officials, and local interests, have been in full swing for years, and they're
increasing in intensity," Pompeo said. "The Party and its proxies aim to make Americans receptive to Beijing's form of authoritarianism." Washington Free Beacon
|
|
North Korean troops killed missing South Korean official . . . North Korean troops shot dead a South Korean fisheries official who went missing earlier this week, before dousing his body in oil and setting it on fire in what was likely an effort to prevent a coronavirus outbreak, South Korea’s military said on Thursday. South Korea’s military said evidence suggested the man was attempting to defect to the North Why the
47-year-old official was shot was not known, but North Korean troops appear to have been acting under anti-coronavirus orders, South Korea’s military said. Reuters
|
|
Airlines face desolate future as attempts to reopen crumble . . . Almost eight months into the pandemic, with cities reentering lockdown and a vaccine likely months away, it’s apparent there will be no quick comeback. International air traffic in July was 92% below 2019 levels, and there was little sign of improvement in August, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
More than 400,000 airline jobs have been cut since February. Bloomberg
|
|
California to ban gasoline-powered cares after 2035 . . . On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered regulators to phase out the internal combustion engine and ban the sale of all new gasoline-fueled cars after 2035. With that, California became the first state in America to impose such a prohibition and delivered the biggest jolt yet to automakers already under pressure to give up fossil fuels and deliver a new
generation of electric vehicles. Bloomberg
|
|
Tesla owners locked out of their cars . . . Tesla drivers locked out of their cars after a complete network outage hit its internal service and customer mobile app were able to get back in after about an hour. The hitch comes a day after the company lost $50 billion in its market value due to its failed 'Battery Day.' The mobile app holds a digital key and and only owners who have a physical version have been able to
access and drive their vehicle - leaving those without stranded. Daily Mail
|
|
Do you love Cut to the News? Let your family and friends know about it! They'll thank you for it. Spread the word . . .
By Email - use the message that pops up or write your own. On Facebook - On FB, write your own message
Thank you for doing it.
Have a great day.
Keith
Keith Koffler
If you enjoy Cut to the News, please help support it. You can make a single contribution or set up regular payments, like a voluntary subscription. Donate here today. Thank you for your generosity.
Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning.
|
|
|
