Oklahoma City

Treasure-seeker charged with damaging Yellowstone during hunt

Rodrick Dow Craythorn allegedly dug in the park looking for the Forrest Fenn treasure. The chest was later found in Wyoming.

Rousing emotion as 'The Great Gatsby' reopens in London West End

Amid the sharp suits and glamorous dresses in 1920s styles, the fashion accessory of 2020 - the face mask - stood out as guests lined up in a socially distanced queue for the relaunch of "The Great Gatsby" in London's West End on Thursday evening. Billed by organisers as the first press night of the West End autumn season, strict COVID-19 measures were in place at the Mayfair townhouse hosting the performance. Audience members checked into the venue via an app, had their temperatures taken, sanitised their hands, and were seated at properly spaced tables for the performance.

U.S. stock futures dip, yen gains after final Trump-Biden debate

U.S. S&P 500 E-minis were down 0.1% at 3,445.75 points at 0230 GMT. The S&P 500 index closed down 0.5% at 3,453.49 on Thursday. The dollar was a few pips higher, while the safe-haven yen was up 0.1% at 104.71 per dollar.

Man with van full of guns had checklist to 'execute' Joe Biden, authorities say

Authorities alleged that Alexander Treisman posted a meme about killing the Democratic presidential nominee and had a checklist with a note to "execute" him.

Judge dismisses Trump campaign lawsuit against New Jersey over mail ballots

Trump's re-election campaign filed the lawsuit in August. U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp wrote that the plaintiffs "fail to establish they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims." "We are disappointed with the ruling and are assessing our options," Republican National Committee National Press Secretary Mandi Merritt said in a statement cited by Bloomberg News.

Peru rejects AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine purchase deal

The Peruvian government said on Thursday that it refused to sign a coronavirus vaccine purchase agreement with AstraZeneca PLC because it did not provide sufficient data from its studies and offered minimal amounts of inoculations. Prime Minister Walter Martos said in a news conference that the government had asked AstraZeneca for data from its vaccine studies, but that the firm had not sent the information. "The other labs have caught up with us accordingly, however AstraZeneca has not," Martos said.

Australia's COVID-19 hotspot sees active cases fall to four-month low

Australia's Victoria state - the epicentre of the country's COVID-19 outbreak - on Friday reported that active coronavirus cases have fallen to a four-month low, paving the way for an acceleration in the easing of social distancing curbs. The active infections are a relief to state authorities amid heightened fears of a fresh cluster after a case in a school in Melbourne's northern suburbs prompted authorities to order 800 people to self-isolate. Australia has recorded just over 27,400 COVID-19 infections, far fewer than many other developed countries.

From mute buttons to Hunter Biden: Four takeaways from the Trump-Biden debate

The mute button is not being used, however, for the remaining 11 minutes of each segment, so there is still plenty of opportunity for the candidates to mix it up. Whether thanks to the mute button or not, the debate got off to a relatively civil start as the two candidates made their opening statements and allowed each other to answer questions from moderator Kristen Welker without interruption. Trump, in particular, seemed to be on his best behavior.

South Korea finds no link between flu shot, boy's death as toll rises

South Korea's forensic agency has found no links between a 17-year-old boy's death and a flu shot he had taken, the Yonhap news agency reported, amid rising concerns about the safety of the vaccines following the death of at least 32 people. The toll has reached 25 over the past week as of Thursday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said, sparking calls from doctors and politicians for a halt to the programme. Yonhap reported on Friday there were seven new deaths overnight.

Mexico reports 479 more coronavirus deaths, six states with new outbreaks

Officials also said six of Mexico's 32 federal entities now are showing signs of new outbreaks, after previously bringing down the number of infections. Other states registering new waves of cases are Aguascalientes, Durango, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro and Zacatecas, said Jose Luis Alomia, the health ministry's head of epidemiology. Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

China reports 18 new coronavirus cases

China reported 18 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Oct. 22, compared with 14 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Friday. China reported 11 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 25 a day earlier. As of Oct. 22, mainland China had 85,747 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said.

Treasure hunter dug through Yellowstone cemetery looking for famous bounty, feds say

He was allegedly seeking the coveted Forrest Fenn treasure, officials said.

Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard professor who's represented Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and OJ Simpson, really wants his name unredacted from Ghislaine Maxwell's 418-page deposition

Ex-Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz is facing his own sexual misconduct accusations stemming from his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Blood of recovered COVID-19 patients shows little benefit as treatment

Using blood of recovered COVID-19 patients - or so-called convalescent plasma - as a potential treatment is of little benefit in helping hospitalised patients fight off the infection, according to results of a clinical trial in India. Published in the BMJ British Medical Journal on Friday, the results show that convalescent plasma, which delivers antibodies from COVID-19 survivors to infected people, failed to reduce death rates or halt progression to severe disease. The findings, from a study of more than 400 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, are a setback for a treatment that U.S. President Donald Trump touted in August as an "historic breakthrough".

Sewage can reveal COVID outbreaks, UK project finds

Traces of COVID-19 can be successfully detected in sewage, helping to give health officials an early warning of local outbreaks of the virus, the British government said on Friday. A project, originally launched in June, has now proved that fragments of genetic material from the virus can be detected in waste water, indicating if a local community or institution is experiencing a spike in cases. The government said this would allow health officials to identify large outbreaks especially where there were carriers not displaying any symptoms and to encourage people to get tested or take precautions.

Police fatally shoot Black teen and wound woman in Illinois

Marcellis Stinnette, 19, was taken to a nearby hospital where he died of his injuries.

Beets and milk? Suspect with odd taste arrested in burglary, Oregon cops say

Considering that the beets were suspected of being stolen, Dwight Schrute would likely not approve.

Second anonymous juror in Breonna Taylor case speaks out

A second juror has come forward to speak about the continuing controversy surrounding the Breonna Taylor grand jury trial. The also anonymous juror says that he or she can confirm that murder charges were not even on the table for the grand jury to consider. “The grand jury was only allowed to consider the three Wanton Endangerment charges against Detective Hankinson,” the statement read.

White supremacists behind majority of US domestic terror attacks in 2020

Data stands in stark contrast to claims by Donald Trump, who has argued that leftwing violence is a major threatWhite supremacists and other rightwing extremists have been responsible for 67% of domestic terror attacks and plots so far this year, with at least half of that violence targeting protesters, according to a new analysis from a centrist thinktank.The report found only a single deadly “far-left” attack in 2020, the shooting of Aaron Danielson, a rightwing activist, by a self-described “anti-fascist” during a protest in Portland this August. Experts on extremism said this was the first killing linked to an anti-fascist in the United States in 25 years.Violent rightwing actors were responsible for 41 politically motivated attacks and plots this year, while “far-left” actors were responsible for 12, according to analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who have assembled a database of domestic terror attacks going back to 1994.The new data stands in stark contrast to claims by Donald Trump and justice department officials, who have responded to massive protests against police violence and racism by arguing that leftwing violence is a major threat, and that anti-fascist, or “antifa”, activists should be designated as a domestic terror group.Despite months of political unrest, a much smaller number of Americans have been killed in domestic terrorism incidents this year than in previous years, CSIS analysts found, in part because there has not yet been a politically motivated mass shooting.In total, only five people died in five domestic terror incidents this year through 31 August, the analysts concluded, including Danielson, a supporter of the far-right Patriot Prayer group. The other deaths include two law enforcement officers shot dead by an anti-government “boogaloo” extremist in California; the son of a New Jersey judge shot to death by an anti-feminist terrorist; and a Black Lives Matter protester shot dead during a protest in Austin, Texas.In recent years, the annual number of victims of domestic terrorism attacks has been much higher, ranging from 22 to 66 people, according to the CSIS database, with single incidents, such as the mass shooting targeting Latinos in an El Paso Walmart last year, or the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, leaving dozens of people dead.Some high-profile incidents are not included in CSIS’s tally of domestic terrorism attacks, including the shooting deaths of two Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this August.In the Kenosha incident, the analysts did not see a clear “political motivation” by the alleged 17-year-old shooter, or evidence that the killings had been premeditated, said Seth Jones, the counter-terrorism expert who led the creation of CSIS’s dataset.But Jones said it was noteworthy “how much domestic terrorism in the US shifted over the summer of 2020 into cities”, with a noticeable increase in the number of car attacks on protesters, and in street violence.One of the fatal incidents that was coded as “violent far-right” domestic terrorism in the CSIS database was carried out by an army sergeant in Texas who has not yet faced any criminal charges in the case.Garrett Foster was shot to death during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, on 25 July. Daniel Perry, the army sergeant who was named as the shooter, has claimed he was acting in self-defense.The CSIS report cites a series of social media comments Perry made in the months before the shooting, including, “Now is the time to take up arms and protect yourselves against violence”, and a response to a Trump tweet about protesters in Oklahoma, “Send them to Texas we will show them why we say don’t mess with Texas”, in categorizing the shooting as politically motivated terrorism.Clint Brody, a lawyer for Perry, criticized the authors of the report for trying “to equate an act of self-defense with domestic terrorism”, and said that Foster, the protester who was killed, had also made troubling posts on social media.Asked for comment, the Austin police department and local district attorney’s office said only that the investigation was ongoing.The 11 non-fatal incidents analysts coded as “far-left political violence” include the burning of a police precinct in Minneapolis that was known locally as “a playground for renegade cops”; attempts to set police cars on fire in New York City and Tacoma, Washington; molotov cocktail and other incendiary attacks on government buildings in Portland, Seattle, and Apple Valley, Minnesota; and an assault on a Democratic state senator who was filming protesters tearing down statues in Wisconsin.The non-fatal rightwing attacks include a knife attack that wounded three members of an Asian-American family in Texas; a shooting at a shopping center in Arizona by a man prosecutors said was part of the misogynistic “incel” movement; multiple terror plots by The Base, a neo-Nazi group trying to instigate a race war; and several threats and violent incidents linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory.CSIS defines terrorism as “the deliberate use – or threat – of violence by non-state actors in order to achieve political goals”, and analysts cautioned that they had omitted many violent incidents in 2020 in which the political motivation was not clear.For instance, “though some sources recorded over 100 far-right vehicle attacks at protests in 2020”, the CSIS database only “verified 11 as terrorist attacks”, the analysts wrote.The percentage of rightwing domestic terrorism attacks would have been higher if CSIS had categorized “boogaloo” anti-government extremists as rightwing, as many experts do. Instead, they classified the emerging violent movement as “other”.The New America Foundation, a liberal thinktank that maintains a database of fatal domestic terrorism incidents since 9/11, agreed with CSIS that the Portland shooting should be seen as an act of “far-left wing” terrorism, but categorized the Kenosha shooting as an incident of far-right violence.While it is possible to debate the classification of specific cases, Jones said, the broader trend in the data is clear: white supremacists and similar actors pose the greatest domestic terror threat to the United States today, a finding that is consistent across multiple databases maintained by researchers who track extremist violence, and that was recently confirmed by a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment, which said that white supremacists “remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland”.

U.S. consumer watchdog proposes changing rules on accessing borrower financial data

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Thursday said it is seeking public comment on a proposal to modify rules governing the access and use of consumer financial data which is collected by a growing number of online financial institutions. The watchdog proposed updating the 2010 Dodd-Frank Financial Reform law to ensure online banks, financial technology firms and data aggregators act in a consumer's best interest when collecting their data, the agency said. "While consumer access to financial records can enable the development of innovative and beneficial consumer financial products, it can also present consumer risks," it said in a statement.

Germany readies for coronavirus vaccine before end of year: Bild

Germany is making preparations to start vaccinations against the coronavirus before the end of the year, Bild daily reported on Friday. The health ministry plans to create 60 special vaccination centres to ensure the vaccines can be stored at the proper temperature and has asked the country's 16 federal states to provide addresses for them by Nov. 10, Bild reported without citing its sources. At a video conference earlier this week, Health Minister Jens Spahn, who himself tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, said Germany's BioNTech was close to getting a vaccine approved, Bild cited participants as saying.

Goldman Sachs will pay $2.9 billion after pleading guilty to bribing foreign leaders with Malaysia's money

Goldman Sachs has pleaded guilty to criminal charges for the first time in its long history.The bank pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of conspiring to violate anti-bribery laws as it helped Malaysian financiers and leaders siphon money from the country's economic development fund. It will pay $2.9 billion to U.S. authorities, including $1.3 billion to the Justice Department, the DOJ said in a Thursday press conference. That's the largest penalty ever charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which bars U.S. companies from bribing foreign leaders, CNN reports.The DOJ alleged Goldman Sachs of playing a role in a scheme in which a Malaysian financier, a former prime minister's family, and other powerful people in the country lifted $2.7 billion from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund. Those people used the money to buy yachts, van Gogh and Monet paintings, and even a share in developing the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Goldman already settled with Malaysia over the summer to pay back $3.9 billion.Despite its role in the 2008 financial crisis and dozens of other scandals, Goldman Sachs has never before had to plead guilty to criminal charges, The New York Times notes. The bank did have to pay fines to cover some of those past issues, but this $5.1 billion sum is more than it paid after "peddling bonds backed by risky mortgages a decade ago," the Times writes.More stories from theweek.com Men, this should be so easy A painful postpartum injury is plaguing America's moms — but nobody really talks about it Trump doubles down on the jerk vote

Walmart sues federal government over opioid case

Walmart said certain officials in the U.S. Justice Department are threatening to sue the retail giant, claiming pharmacists should have refused to fill otherwise valid opioid prescriptions. "We are bringing this lawsuit because there is no federal law requiring pharmacists to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship to the degree DOJ is demanding," Walmart, which runs one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, said in a statement https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/10/22/walmart-sues-doj-and-dea-seeking-clarity-for-pharmacists-in-dispensing-prescription-opioids.

North Carolina man plotted to assassinate Biden, FBI claims

A North Carolina man had plans to assassinate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden before he was ultimately arrested by the FBI, according to federal court documents. Federal officials detailed the shocking plot in court filings in a case against Alexander Hillel Treisman, who was arrested in May on child pornography charges. The FBI requested that Treisman remain behind bars until his trial, using the alleged assassination plot as justification.

Grandmother’s pill mills made millions in Tennessee, feds say. She’s going to prison

Sylvia Hofstetter was sentenced to more than three decades in prison after prosecutors said she pocketed $4 million distributing oxycodone and other opiates.

A 73-year-old in Colorado was fined more than $1,000 after her pet deer gored a woman walking her dog

Tynette Housley, 73, was cited on misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of wildlife and illegally feeding wildlife.

More than 47 million ballots cast in U.S. election, eclipsing 2016 early turnout

U.S. voters have cast more than 47 million votes for the Nov. 3 presidential election, eclipsing total early voting from the 2016 election with 12 days to go, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project. The surge comes after many states have expanded mail-in voting and in-person early voting as a safe way to vote during the coronavirus pandemic and amid voter eagerness to weigh in on the political future of Republican President Donald Trump, who is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Joe Biden. Biden leads Trump in national opinion polls, although surveys in crucial battleground states indicate a tighter race.

Ghislaine Maxwell deposition unsealed after court ruling

* Document contains details about Jeffrey Epstein relationship * Maxwell charged with involvement in Epstein’s sexual crimesA court document containing detailed information about Ghislaine Maxwell and her relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unsealed on Thursday morning in New York just moments before a court-imposed deadline.This document, an April 2016 deposition, is among about a dozen long-awaited Maxwell files that have been unsealed, with the first filing involving Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer alleging the British socialite avoided a question “about allegedly ‘adult’ sexual activity related to Jeffrey Epstein”.She also tried to distance herself from and play down links between Epstein and former US president Bill Clinton, who had used the financier’s private plane.And Maxwell claimed she did not introduce Britain’s Prince Andrew to minor sex partners, in the tense and defensive deposition that was part of a civil case. While the name is redacted in this deposition, the description of events involving this redaction echoes claims involving Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.Maxwell was also asked at the time about speculation that Epstein may have performed shady financial work for the US and possibly the Israeli governments.She also provided additional information on her romantic ties to Epstein and how he provided her with financial assistance. Asked if she had considered herself Epstein’s girlfriend, Maxwell replied: “That’s a tricky question. There were times when I would have liked to think of myself as his girlfriend.”In the deposition, Maxwell denied inviting under-18s to Epstein’s homes, except, she said, the children of friends in a social setting, but fudged on whether she “brought” Giuffre as a 17-year-old to Epstein’s home.“Virginia Roberts [as her name was then] held herself out as a masseuse and invited herself to come and give a massage,” Maxwell said.Under further questioning, she had added: “She was a masseuse and in the form and as my job, I was to have people who he wanted for various things including massage. She came as a masseuse.”The unsealing of Maxwell’s deposition, which she had given during past civil litigation involving Giuffre, came after an appeals panel ruled it could be released, and a lower court urged a swift unsealing.Maxwell’s lawyers failed to persuade the US second circuit court of appeals panel of judges to overturn Manhattan federal court judge Loretta Preska’s July ruling to release the 418 pages of sworn testimony.The appeals judges decided on Monday that Preska rightly determined that the public had a right to access the documents.Sigrid McCawley, partner at Boies Schiller Flexner who represents Giuffre, praised the unsealing.“This is a long time coming and a welcome step towards revealing the evidence of the scope and scale of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking ring. The public should know today’s unsealing is only a small part of the total evidence,” McCawley said in a statement.“As the evidence comes out, it will be clear why Ms Maxwell and others who enabled Jeffrey Epstein are fighting so hard to keep it concealed. As our client Virginia Giuffre bravely asserts, they did not act alone.”In the civil case where this deposition originated, Giuffre maintained that Maxwell drew her into Epstein’s circle as a teen, under the false pretences of providing work as a masseuse. Giuffre alleged that Maxwell and Epstein pressured her to engage in sex with rich and powerful men, such as Britain’s Prince Andrew.Giuffre’s 2015 civil action said that Maxwell defamed her in claiming she was a liar for alleging the pair participated in sexual impropriety. Prince Andrew has adamantly denied Giuffre’s claims.Maxwell, who was arrested in July for alleged sexual crimes, conspiracy and perjury involving Epstein, argued in court papers that unsealing the deposition from this old civil case “will lead to a violation of [her] due process right to a fair trial by an impartial jury” in her criminal proceedings.Maxwell has pleaded not guilty in her criminal case. The Manhattan US attorney’s office used her deposition – which Maxwell believed was confidential – in its perjury accusation against her in the criminal case, claiming she lied under oath.Maxwell, meanwhile, in her 2016 deposition, denied that she and Bill Clinton – who is among the rich and powerful men who interacted with Epstein – were together on a Caribbean island with the late sex offender.In this portion of unsealed documents, Maxwell avoided giving specifics on Epstein and Clinton’s relationship.“This is a subject of defamation about Virginia and the lies she has told and one of the lies she told was that President Clinton was on the island where I was present. Absolutely 1,000% that is a flat-out total fabrication and lie.”“You did fly on planes, Jeffrey Epstein’s planes with President Clinton, is that correct?” she was asked.“I have flown, yes,” she replied.“Would it be fair to say that President Clinton and Jeffrey are friends?” Giuffre’s lawyers asked.“I wouldn’t be able to characterize it like that, no,” Maxwell said.“He just allowed him to use his plane?” the lawyer pressed.“I couldn’t categorize Jeffrey’s relationship,” Maxwell said.Maxwell denied ever seeing Epstein having sex with anyone and recoiled at a suggestion in court that she had had three-way sex with Epstein and Giuffre.“That is just one other disgusting thing she added,” Maxwell said of Giuffre.She explained why she stuck by Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender in Florida, before his arrest in New York years later.“I’m a very loyal person and Jeffrey was very good to me when my father passed away,” she said, referring to the late press baron Robert Maxwell. “And I believe that you need to be a good friend in people’s hour of need …”According to the Associated Press, Epstein largely invoked the fifth amendment, which protects a person against self-incrimination, during a deposition later in 2016.“Fifth,” he replied when he was asked if Maxwell was “one of the main women” he used to procure underage girls for sexual activities.While the lawyers’ lines of inquiry to Maxwell often raised more questions than answers, fascinating detail emerged about purported government work by Epstein.“Do you know if Jeffrey Epstein had any relationship with the US government either working for the CIA or the FBI in his lifetime?” Maxwell was asked, prompting an objection from her lawyer.“I have no knowledge of that,” she ultimately answered.“Do you know if Jeffrey Epstein has any friends that are in the CIA or FBI?” she was pressed, eventually saying: “I have no idea.”“Are you aware of an investigation of Jeffrey Epstein in the early 80s relating to the SEC?” the lawyer asked her, apparently referring to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, a financial oversight agency.And: “Are you aware that Jeffrey Epstein has told people that he worked for the government to recover stolen funds?” Giuffre’s lawyer asked.Maxwell denied knowledge.“Has he ever told that you he worked for the US government?” Maxwell was asked, to which she replied: “I have no knowledge, I don’t recollect him telling me he worked for the government,” she said.And Maxwell denied knowledge of whether Epstein was affiliated with or ever worked for the Israeli government.

Trump orders review of auto parts firm pension cuts

President Donald Trump ordered a review of decade-old pension cuts to some retirees at a former General Motors auto parts unit, the White House said on Thursday, 12 days before the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election. In a memo released by the White House, Trump ordered the heads of the Treasury, Commerce and Labor departments to address cuts to non-union retiree pension payments within 90 days at Delphi Corp after the pension plan was turned over to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) in 2009.

UN chief appeals for cease-fires, warns pandemic wins wars

The United Nations chief is appealing for cease-fires in the world’s major conflicts, from Yemen and Libya to Afghanistan and Nagorno-Karabakh, warning that if fighting continues “the only winner is the pandemic.” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an interview with The Associated Press that he was renewing his March 23 call for an immediate halt to all conflicts to tackle the coronavirus crisis and to spotlight the most serious global hotspots ahead of Saturday’s 75th anniversary of the entry into force of the U.N. Charter, which officially established the United Nations and is celebrated as U.N. Day.

Ex-Trump aide Manafort beats Manhattan prosecutor's bid to revive NY fraud charges

A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld the dismissal of state fraud charges against Paul Manafort, saying that reviving the case against U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman would violate double jeopardy rules. In a 4-0 vote, the intermediate-level Appellate Division rejected Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's claim that his case against Manafort warranted an exception to a state law against trying him twice for the same conduct.

California must cut San Quentin prison population amid pandemic, court rules

Officials showed ‘deliberate indifference’ to plight of prisoners during coronavirus, first district court of appeal saidA California court has ordered state corrections officials to cut the population of the state’s oldest prison to less than half of its designed capacity, citing officials’ “deliberate indifference” to the plight of prisoners during the coronavirus pandemic.State prison officials said Wednesday that they are deciding whether to appeal against the order, which otherwise will force them to parole or transfer about 1,100 inmates serving time in San Quentin state prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.San Quentin was the site of one of the nation’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. At least 28 inmates have died of the virus, and 2,200 or about 75% of the prison population were infected at the peak of the outbreak. Nearly 300 employees were sickened and one died.The outbreak at the facility was “the worst epidemiological disaster in California correctional history”, the first district court of appeal in San Francisco said in Tuesday’s ruling.The three-justice court said officials’ decision not to cut the inmate population by half, as recommended by prison officials’ outside advisers in June, was “morally indefensible and constitutionally untenable”.Assemblyman Marc Levine, a Democrat who represents the area, said that without a further significant reduction, “it is not a question of if another Covid-19 spike will happen at San Quentin, it is a question of when”.> It is not a question of if another Covid-19 spike will happen at San Quentin, it is a question of when> > Assemblyman Marc LevineHowever, there is only one current active coronavirus case at San Quentin, and two other California prisons now top it for both active cases and cumulative number of infections. Avenal state prison in the Central Valley saw a resurgence of infections in September after cases dropped in July. Folsom state prison near Sacramento didn’t report a positive case until August, but within weeks cases jumped and reached a peak of more than 600 infections.San Quentin’s outbreak flared when prison officials botched the transfer of prisoners from a southern California prison in May. San Quentin had zero cases before more than 100 new inmates arrived. Within three weeks, 500 people tested positive for the virus. The rapid spread sparked outcry from public health experts, attorneys and activists, who demanded that prison officials and the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, grant the release of ageing and medically vulnerable people in the prison population. Cases exploded, driven by “the unique architecture and age” of the prison that opened in 1852, and its “exceedingly poor ventilation, extraordinarily close living quarters and inadequate sanitation”, wrote experts at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and the University of California, San Francisco.The prison then housed more than 3,500 inmates, many with multiple health vulnerabilities, the experts found. Cutting the population by half would allow many inmates to be housed separately and let officials clear more space to keep inmates spaced for treatment, quarantine or to reduce the virus’ spread, they said.The three appellate justices said the state failed to present any evidence to the contrary. Their unanimous order requires prison officials to house no more than 1,775 inmates in space designed for about 3,100 inmates and a staffed capacity of nearly 4,500 inmates. The population can be reduced by transfers to other prisons or paroles, the court said. State prisons now hold fewer than 98,000 inmates, so those from San Quentin could probably be absorbed elsewhere, the court said.Only about 700 San Quentin inmates could not be considered for release, the court said, because they can never be paroled or are on the nation’s largest death row.“It’s a monumental decision and it is the right decision and it supports our contention that people in San Quentin’s right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment has been violated since the start of the outbreak,” said Danica Rodarmel, the state policy director for the San Francisco public defender’s office.Her office and others next month are asking a judge in Marin county, home to San Quentin, to free more than 300 of the prison’s inmates on similar legal grounds. Lawyers in those cases also are arguing that the prison’s population must be reduced at least 50%, but say releases – not transfers – are the answer because botched transfers “caused this problem to begin with”, Rodarmel said.State officials “respectfully disagree with the court’s determination”, the corrections department spokeswoman Dana Simas said in an email, saying the department “has taken extensive actions to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic”.The department has released more than 21,000 people since March through earlier releases or because they finished their sentences, “resulting in the lowest prison population in decades”, she said. San Quentin’s population was trimmed to the current roughly 2,900 inmates.Still, the court finds that the “severe limits” on who is eligible for expedited release won’t “result in substantial population reduction at San Quentin”, according to the court. The state’s initiatives only apply to those with nonviolent felonies and 180 days or less on their sentences. This means that “virtually all” of the people, currently serving life sentences are excluded. As of 2019, lifers made up more than a third of San Quentin’s population, according to the filing. The court says if this group is left out of release efforts because of their convictions, the 50% drop will be impossible.Current inmate coronavirus cases “are the lowest they have been since May”, Simas said, with fewer than 500 current infections and more than 14,000 recovered. Statewide, 71 inmates and 10 employees have died.The justices’ sweeping ruling came in lawsuit by a 64-year-old San Quentin inmate Ivan Von Staich, who is serving 17 years to life for second-degree murder on top of a 13-year sentence for attempted murder.He was housed with a 65-year-old inmate in a cell “so small that you can touch the walls with your hands”, where both tested positive for the virus. The court ordered him removed from the prison, noting that he has already been accepted at a residential facility supervised by the corrections system.

Putin says he allowed foe Navalny to get treatment abroad

Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected accusations of the Kremlin's involvement in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying Thursday that he personally allowed his political foe to be flown to Germany for treatment. Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator and Putin's most visible and determined opponent, fell ill on Aug. 20 during a domestic flight in Russia and was flown to Germany two days later. Navalny asserted that his poisoning only could have been ordered by spymasters who wouldn’t have made such decisions without Putin’s personal involvement.

A drug deal set up with Snapchat went wrong. Shots were fired in a Publix parking lot, cops say.

A drug deal set up through Snapchat ended with gunfire in front of a Boynton Beach Publix after police say a 21-year-old woman, who was selling the drugs, was conned by a man who paid her with fake cash.

Ghislaine Maxwell questioned about ‘puppet’ used during alleged sexual assaults, court documents show

Prince Andrew previously faced accusations of groping two young women during incidents involving ‘caricature’

ICE officers accused of torturing African detainees

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are being accused of using violence and threats to make African immigrants sign their own deportation orders. According to the outlet, lawyers believe the efforts are being made in an attempt to fly African migrants to their home countries before the election this November.

White House releases raw footage of Trump's '60 Minutes' interview

The footage shows Stahl, a veteran journalist who has interviewed Trump twice before, asking direct questions and refuting some of Trump's answers on topics including healthcare and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," Trump said in post on his Twitter profile on Thursday morning, with a link to his Facebook page, where he posted the nearly 38 minute interview.

Morocco reports daily record of 4,151 new coronavirus cases

Morocco’s health ministry reported 4,151 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the largest one-day rise on record, with nearly half of cases in economic powerhouse Casablanca. The surge in cases came after Morocco eased some restrictive measures earlier this month, allowing children back to public schools in Casablanca and opening more mosques. There are now 29,118 active cases in Morocco, which has a coronavirus fatality rate of 1.7% and a recovery rate of 82.7%, according to health ministry data.

Goldman Sachs to pay $3bn over 1MDB corruption scandal

The investment bank will pay a record sum for violating bribery laws in the 1MDB corruption affair.