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By : GILLIAN FLACCUS

https://muckrack.com/gflaccus

Protesters in Portland hurled several firebombs at officers in Oregon’s largest city during a demonstration over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, police said, escalating tensions in a city that’s already seen nearly four months of nightly protests over racial injustice and police brutality.

Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said Wednesday night’s demonstrations were the most violent that Portland has seen thus far in four months of nearly nightly unrest since the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minnesota after a white officer held a knee to his neck. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt — who has been criticized for dismissing cases against hundreds of protesters — condemned the violence and called for calm.

Thirteen people were arrested during the demonstration.

U.S. agents with the Federal Protective Service, who were guarding a federal courthouse nearby, offered assistance and the Portland police accepted because it was an “emergency need in the moment,” Davis said at a news conference Thursday.

>>“I can’t say that just because last night was exceptionally violent that that’s the beginning of a trend” he said. “I certainly hope not.”

He added, “We’re at the mercy of people who show up … and what they intend to do.”

No tear gas was used by local or federal law enforcement, Davis said.

Schmidt, the newly elected prosecutor who made waves this summer by deciding not to prosecute protesters arrested for lower-level, non-violent crimes, said a peaceful protest intended to honour Taylor was sabotaged by violence.

>>“I am thankful that no Portland police officers or Portland firefighters were injured,” he wrote in a staPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

By : Carlos Barria and Bryan Woolston

https://muckrack.com/carlos-barria

https://muckrack.com/bryan-woolston

A second night of anti-racism protests got off to a tense but mostly peaceful start in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, a day after a grand jury decided not to bring homicide charges against police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

As a curfew went into effect after dark and police declared an unlawful assembly, a group of 200 to 300 protesters who had marched through the city for hours retreated to the grounds of the First Unitarian Church, set aside by organizers as a sanctuary near the Ohio River waterfront.

Some of the marchers had smashed windows of several local businesses, and even a hospital, along the way, according to a Reuters journalist. But the scene outside the church contrasted sharply with violence that flared the previous night in Kentucky’s largest city.

Angry demonstrations and sporadic clashes between police and protesters in the hours following the grand jury announcement turned bloody late on Wednesday when two police officers on crowd-control duty were shot and wounded.

A suspect was arrested a short time later, and Louisville police chief Robert Schroeder said on Thursday that the two wounded officers were expected to recover.

Schroeder, his department reinforced by state police and Kentucky National Guard troops, said he expected protests to continue for days, and a nighttime curfew was extended through the weekend.

>>“For all of us it is a very tense and emotional time,” Schroeder told a news conference on Thursday. Police said 127 arrests were made in the first night of protests, most for curfew violations or disobeying orders to disperse.

>>The protestsPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

By Jordan Lancaster

https://dailycaller.com/author/jordanlancaster70@gmail.com/

Two police officers were shot in Louisville during Wednesday night’s riots, Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said at a press conference.

Schroeder said at the press conference that both officers who were shot are in stable condition and that there is a suspect in custody.

A crowd that had gathered on the streets scattered after several loud bangs rang out shortly after 8:30 PM.

FBI Louisville later said on Twitter that the FBI Louisville SWAT team was responding to an LMPD officer who was shot.

Although it’s as of yet unclear how many shots were fired, both police radio communications and reports from journalists on scene say multiple gunshots were heard at approximately 8:40 and 9:00 PM.

Protests and riots erupted Wednesday in Louisville following the announcement that one officer had been indicted on charges related to Breonna Taylor’s death.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/23/report-two-louisville-police-officers-shot-during-riot/

President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended a ban on training involving race- and sex-based discrimination for federal contractors to include various “divisive concepts.”

Concepts included in the executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday include the idea that one race or sex is superior, that the United States is fundamentally racist and that an individual should feel “discomfort, guilt, anguish” and other forms of physiological distress or be considered inherently racist, sexist or oppressive based on their race or sex.

“Training like that discussed above perpetuates racial stereotypes and division that can use subtle coercive pressure to ensure conformity of viewpoint,” the executive order states.

The order applies to training provided at executive departments and agencies, the U.S. military, federal contractors and recipients of federal grants.

“Americans should be taught to take PRIDE in our Great Country, and if you don’t there’s nothing in it for you!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday evening.

Earlier this month, Trump directed federal agencies to stop anti-racism training including concepts such as “White privilege,” and “critical race theory” as well as training that “suggests either (1) the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.”

https://www.breitbart.com/news/trump-extends-ban-on-anti-racism-training-for-federal-contractors/

By Susan Ferrechio

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/susan-ferrechio

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attacked President Trump on Thursday for announcing he would accept the result of the election if it ends up at the Supreme Court due to mail-in voting problems.

Democrats accused the president of suggesting in those comments that he would not accept a peaceful transition of power.

“It’s no surprise again because the president has been contemptible of science and governance,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said Thursday. “I have confidence that he won't get away with saying, for example, 'I won with the popular vote on the ground to vote in the mail doesn't count.'”

Across the Capitol, Schumer, a New York Democrat, tore into the president as he does on most days. This time, Schumer claimed Trump told reporters that if he loses the Nov. 3 election, then the election will not be legitimate.

“The gravest threat to American democracy right now is President Trump,” Schumer said.

Republicans have mostly shrugged off Trump’s comments. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, pointed out Hillary Clinton’s advice that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden should not immediately accept the outcome of the election.

“There will be a peaceful transition,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, as he predicted a Trump victory. “I hope you are asking Hillary Clinton the same question.”

Trump and other critics of mail-in balloting say it is vulnerable to voter fraud, discounted votes, and other problems that could call the legitimacy of the election into question. Many states suddenly added a mail-in option in recent weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“You know that Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

By Carly Ortiz-Lytle

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/carly-ortiz-lytle

President Trump and Melania Trump were booed by an unfriendly crowd as they visited the Supreme Court to pay their respects to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Crowds assembled outside of the Supreme Court booed the first couple as they honored Ginsburg, who is lying in repose at the high court. As the president and first lady stepped onto the portico, crowds erupted into boos and chants of "Vote him out!"

Ginsburg died at age 87 on Friday. Her casket arrived at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Her former law clerks served as honorary pallbearers and lined the steps as she arrived at the building for the final time.

A small ceremony was held at the court, where she will lie in repose until Thursday evening. A private interment service will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery.

The president plans to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court on Saturday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated publicly that the Senate will vote on Trump's nominee before the new Senate is seated in January.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/trump-greeted-with-boos-during-visit-to-pay-respect-to-ruth-bader-ginsburg

By Jake Dima

https://dailycaller.com/author/Jake+Dima/

A mob shouted expletives at outdoor diners and sat at an elderly couple’s table in St. Petersburg, Florida Wednesday.

The large group, donning signs and raised fists, chanted “stand up, fight back” in front of the restaurant, according to a video posted to Twitter by Tampa Bay Times reporter Josh Fiallo. One man sat down at an elderly couple’s table before about five others surrounded the diners yelling.

“No. Nope. No, this is my table,” the woman said, according to the footage. She attempted unsuccessfully to force the demonstrator out of the seat.

One demonstrator can be heard saying “Bitch, you shut up,” according to the video.

The mob also referred to the elderly woman as an “ugly ass” and “Karen,” as cars can be heard honking at the multitude of people hoisting signs and reportedly blocking traffic during the incident, the footage showed.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/24/florida-diners-heckled-table-stolen-st-petersburg-tampa-bay-times/

By Ezra Dulis

https://www.breitbart.com/author/ezra-dulis/

Police in Moscow, Idaho, arrested three people Wednesday for violating social distancing rules as their church sang hymns and Bible psalms outdoors — an event held, in part, to protest the city mayor’s mask mandate, which runs to January 2021.

Officers arrested Gabriel Rench, Rachel Bohnet, and Sean Bohnet, according to Moscow Report, a local independent news outlet. A video uploaded to social media shows Bohnet, a local music teacher, and his wife telling officers they refused to comply with an inaudible order. Moscow Report says the apparent infraction is that they refused to show identification.

Footage of the couple’s arrest shows the church body singing the hymn “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” as officers place them in handcuffs.

Police in Moscow, Idaho, arrested three people Wednesday for violating social distancing rules as their church sang hymns and Bible psalms outdoors — an event held, in part, to protest the city mayor’s mask mandate, which runs to January 2021.

Officers arrested Gabriel Rench, Rachel Bohnet, and Sean Bohnet, according to Moscow Report, a local independent news outlet. A video uploaded to social media shows Bohnet, a local music teacher, and his wife telling officers they refused to comply with an inaudible order. Moscow Report says the apparent infraction is that they refused to show identification.

Footage of the couple’s arrest shows the church body singing the hymn “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” as officers place them in handcuffs.

Released that same day, Rench appeared on his talk show to discuss the arrest, playing extended footage of his conversation with officers. One of his companions is heard telling the officers “We backed you guys” at recent Black Lives Matter protests advocating to defund the police. “They didn’t send you [to enforce social distancing] with BLM to go do that when they said Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

By Lucas Nolan

https://www.breitbart.com/author/lucas-nolan/

A recent report states that Attorney General William Barr remains unconvinced that a recently announced partnership between the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and U.S. companies Oracle and Walmart will safeguard user data from Chinese spying.

Fox Business reports that despite the preliminary approval earlier this week of a partnership between the Chinese-owned app TikTok and U.S. firms Oracle and Walmart by President Donald Trump, Attorney General William Barr is not yet convinced that the partnership is sufficient to protect the data of U.S. citizens from the Chinese government.

A spokeswoman for Barr told Fox Business that Barr “is still in the fact-gathering stage and has not reached a final decision or made a final recommendation to the president.” Barr’s concern has reportedly delayed the administration’s approval despite President Trump and Treasure Secretary Steven Mnuchin reportedly being prepared to sign off on the deal. Mnuchin also chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. which has to approve any foreign transaction.

Breitbart News recently reported that a disagreement between TikTok and its potential U.S. partner Oracle over the ownership structure for a U.S.-based version of the company has gone public. The argument raises questions about the stability of the deal that President Donald Trump approved in principle over the weekend, which appeared to save TikTok from being banned in the U.S.

All parties involved in the deal have agreed that Oracle and Walmart would take a combined 20 percent stake in TikTok Global, a new U.S.-based company planned as part of a deal to save the app from being banned over national-security concerns.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/24/report-ag-barr-not-sold-on-tiktok-deal/

By Jennifer Creery

https://hongkongfp.com/author/jennifercreery/

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in an unauthorised assembly on October 5 last year and violating a mask ban, according to a post from his official Twitter account. It occurred while he was reporting to the Central Police Station at around 1 pm on Thursday.

In a rare move, the Hong Kong government invoked a colonial-era emergency law on October 4, 2019, to ban the wearing of masks at demonstrations following months of citywide unrest. Thousands gathered in almost every district the next day to protest the measure, including Wong, 23.

Veteran activist Koo Sze-yiu of the League of Social Democrats has also been arrested on suspicion of participating in an unauthorised assembly that day, his party colleagues confirmed.

The Court of Appeal in April declared the government had the right to enact the controversial anti-mask law, partially overturning a ruling from the High Court last November that found the ban restricted fundamental rights. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, the government made mask-wearing mandatory in all public places, including on transport and outdoors.

https://hongkongfp.com/2020/09/24/breaking-hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-arrested-on-suspicion-of-participating-in-an-unauthorised-assembly/

By : Aamer Madhani And Kevin Freking

https://muckrack.com/AamerISmad#:~:text=Aamer%20Madhani%20is%20a%20reporter%20on%20AP%27s%20White,writer%20at%20the%20Chicago%20Tribune%20and%20National%20Journal.

https://muckrack.com/kevin-freking

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday again declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 presidential election.

>>“We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said at a news conference, responding to a question about whether he’d commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”

Trump has been pressing a monthslong campaign against mail-in voting this November by tweeting and speaking out critically about the practice. More states are encouraging mail-in voting to keep voters safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The president, who uses mail-in voting himself, has tried to distinguish between states that automatically send mail ballots to all registered voters and those, like Florida, that send them only to voters who request a mail ballot.

Trump has baselessly claimed widespread mail voting will lead to massive fraud. The five states that routinely send mail ballots to all voters have seen no significant fraud.

Trump on Wednesday appeared to suggest that if states got “rid of” the unsolicited mailing of ballots there would be no concern about fraud or peaceful transfers of power.

>>“You’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer frankly,” Trump said. “There’ll be a continuation. The ballots are out of control, you know it, and you know, who knows it better than anybody else? The DemPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

By : Bruce Golding

https://muckrack.com/bruce-golding

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.’ ”

The allegations are contained in a footnote to a section of the report that details potential “criminal concerns and extortion threats” involving Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family.

The report also cites “extensive public reporting concerning Hunter Biden’s alleged involvement with prostitution services.”

>>“Records on file with the Committees do not directly confirm or refute these individual reports,” the report says.

>>“However, they do confirm that Hunter Biden sent thousands of dollars to individuals who have either: 1) been involved in transactions consistent with possible human trafficking; 2) an association with the adult entertainment industry; or 3) potential association with prostitution.”

>>Last year, The Post exclusively revealed that a woman who was suing Biden for paternity in Arkansas was a former stripper at a Washington, DC, club that he frequented around the time he was dating the widow of his late brother, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.

>>In January, Arkansas Circuit Judge Holly Meyer ruled Biden was the “biological and legal father” of the baby borPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

By Keoni Everington

https://muckrack.com/keoni-everington/articles

In response to the explosively popular video of People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers crying, China's state-run media is taking offense at Taiwanese news outlets "changing the mood" of the video, claiming that the troops were only crying because they were returning to their barracks.

On Sunday (Sept. 20), Pakistani comedian Zaid Hamid uploaded a video showing several PLA recruits crying on a bus as they are allegedly "transferred to Ladakh Border to face Indian Army [sic]." Hamid then wrote that China's one-child policy is "seriously hurting the motivation level of our Chinese brothers."

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4015246

By Marlo Safi

https://dailycaller.com/author/marlo/

A woman suspected of sending President Donald Trump a package containing the poison ricin was arrested while trying to enter the U.S. from Canada, numerous sources reported.

The woman, who has not been named, was arrested by U.S. authorities at the border crossing in New York State and was carrying a gun, CNN reported.

“The FBI and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety,” a statement to CNN said Saturday.

A spokesperson for the FBI Washington Field Office confirmed to CNN Sunday that an arrest was made and an investigation was ongoing.

Law enforcement officials intercepted the package earlier in the week of Sept. 14. The poison was detected during the screening process that all White House mail goes through at an offsite facility prior to delivery. Two tests were run to confirm the presence of ricin.

The letter was reportedly mailed from St. Hubert, Quebec, a person familiar with the investigation told CNN. The package contained a granular substance with similar physical characteristic to ground castor beans.

Authorities are also investigating additional similar packages mailed to address in Texas that may be linked to the sender, CNN reported.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/21/woman-arrested-ricin-package-president-donald-trump-canada/