Month: October 2020

State Department spokesperson John Kirby is raising eyebrows after he released a recap of 2015 “success stories” in which he credits the United States for bringing “peace” and “security” to Syria and “stepping up” to help the country’s people at a difficult time. “The United States and many members of the international community have stepped up to aid the Syrian people during their time of need,” wrote Kirby in his laudatory year-in-review released late last…

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North Carolina’s controversial ag-gag law is facing a court challenge by a coalition of watchdog groups who charge that it violates a citizen’s First Amendment rights and places the safety of animals, families, and food supply at great risk. Anna Myers, executive director and CEO of whistleblower protection and advocacy organization Government Accountability Project (GAP), who announced the legal action on Wednesday, said the law “is one of the most appalling overt attempts to silence…

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has set up an emergency response team to address the outbreak of the Zika virus, the mosquito-borne infection that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading across the Americas with “explosive” speed. Zika cases have now been confirmed in 23 countries and territories. WHO predicts that up to four million people will be infected this year, although most will not develop symptoms. The group’s director-general, Margaret Chan,…

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An Israeli tactic deemed “ineffective” at preventing civilian causalities by a United Nations commission has now been adopted by the United States in its fight against ISIS, according to a U.S. military official. Air Force Maj. Peter Gersten, the deputy commander for operations and intelligence for the U.S.-led coalition, explained at a press briefing Tuesday that the tactic dubbed “knocking on the roof” was, in fact, used during a strike in Mosul, Iraq against a…

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Ahead of Formula 1’s return this week to the Nürburgring, Haas’ Romain Grosjean remembers the sport’s last visit to the Eifel track and the win that eluded him in 2013. The Nürburgring was recently added to this year’s rebuilt schedule to help keep F1 on the European continent amid the global coronavirus pandemic. But seven years ago, the race alternated each season with Hockenheim as the venue for the German Grand Prix, until financial difficulties…

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Brave Soles are hand crafted shoes and accessories designed with upcycled materials. In particular, the soles of their shoes are hand cut from reclaimed tires from landfill and dumping grounds in the Dominican Republic. Born out of a response to the health and environmental crises caused by discarded tires in that country, Brave Soles has carved out a brand that offers a unique, equitable, and circular solution. Reclaimed tires for soles is not a new…

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Democrats risk losing election after election if they focus too much on winning back white blue-collar voters from President Trump, according to progressives worried that young minorities are abandoning the party. “We are not going to get back to national majorities again without these voters,” said Cornell Belcher, the top pollster who worked on both for former President Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaHarris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Five ways America would take…

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Johnson & Johnson must pay $72 million in damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to decades of use of the company’s baby powder and Shower to Shower body powder, a Missouri jury said late Monday. It’s a case that exemplifies, according to Alexandra Scranton, director of science and research at advocacy group Women’s Voices for the Earth, the “great extent that industry will go” to sell their…

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Southern California Gas Co. announced Thursday that it had “temporarily controlled” the massive Porter Ranch gas leak, but the mood for many is nowhere near celebratory. The months-long leak at the the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility forced thousands of residents to relocated, caused thousands of children to switch schools, and prompted many to complain of health effects including nausea, headaches, and nosebleeds. California Governor Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency over the…

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While debating in Miami—the U.S. city arguably most threatened by rising sea levels caused by the warming of the planet—Wednesday night, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders challenged Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to strengthen her positions on climate change by joining him in a call for a tax on carbon and a total ban on fracking nationwide. During the latter part of the debate, when asked by a CNN moderator to discuss his position on climate, Sanders…

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