Nigerians are calling for police reform and an end to police brutality and corruption. »»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS ...
In the 11 days since the protest commenced, top Nigerian entertainers have made major moves in ensuring that their voices are in solidarity not just with the protesters but against the systems needing reform.
In no particular order, here is a list of Nollywood stars actively protesting:
The revered filmmaker has been very vocal about her stand on the protests since its inception days ago.
So far, she has remained active on Twitter with tweets reiterating the demands of the people. In addition, the actress wrote an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.
After her day-long episode with aggrieved Twitter users, the actress took to the streets of Ibadan, where she is currently filming, to speak up against police brutality. But it doesn't end on the streets for Abraham.
The actress has been actively sharing airtime to online protesters. Recently, she engaged NIDCOM chairman, Abike Dabiri via Twitter on Nigerians in Cairo who were arrested for protesting.
Amid the actor's offline and online protests, he has been very vocal about his personal experience with officers of now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as a youth corps member.
The actor shared on Facebook how he was arrested and detained for one week and how the trauma nearly ruined his life.
It has been the whole nine yards for the colleagues turned close friends. Since the protests began, the actresses have taken to sensitizing market women, protesting at popular spots and providing self-funded refreshments for protesters.
From joining other protesters at major protest point, Henshaw has also lent her resources to supporting the online protest with tweets, retweets and free airtime for users.
While the filmmaker has been quite vocal especially on Twitter, she has also taken the extra step to provide online protesters with airtime.
The veteran actor is currently flooding his Instagram account with useful information on the SARS protests.
https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/endsars-nollywood-actors-actively-leading-protests/0x9h4pf
A mum, accused of killing her own three-year-old daughter by attacking her with a hammer, is in a critical condition in hospital after trying to take her own life.
Natalia Petunina is said to have attacked little Lisa after taking an overdose of antidepressants while they were alone at their apartment in the town of Kirovgrad, Russia on Friday.
The child was found lying in a pool of blood by her father, Vladimir, minutes after her horrific death, the local prosecutors office said.
The shocked man, who came home from work to have lunch, immediately called an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived and announced the girl was already dead before reporting her violent death to the police.
Forensic experts said the child died after being hit multiple times with a hammer on her head.
Petunina, who tried to kill herself at the scene, was rushed to hospital where doctors are battling for her life.
Police spokesman Valeriy Gorelykh told local media: ''After, apparently, realising what she had done, the mother tried to take her own life.
''She did not accomplish her plan because her husband came home from work to have lunch and called emergency services.''
Sverdlovsk Region Investigative Committee have launched a criminal case for murder of a minor against the mother, who faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Petunina had been taking antidepressants and could take too much medicine that caused the overdose, say investigators.
Mr Gorelykh added: ''Shortly before the tragedy, the mother took a much larger dose of drugs than she should have taken.
''That could provoke the aggression towards the child.''
Petunina's relatives confirm she suffered from depression and took antidepressants.
https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/10/35-year-old-mum-hammers-three-year-old.html
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Kano Indigenes Protests Over Death Of 17-year-old Boy In Police Custody
The indigenes set tres on fire, chanting songs while calling for an end to police brutality.
Kano Indigenes Protests Over Death Of 17-year-old Boy In Police Custody
There was chaos following an ongoing protest in Kano state after a 17-year-old boy identified as Saifullah died in police custody.
According to Amnesty International, it was alleged that Saifullah was tortured to death by the police.
It was further learnt that protesters have barricaded the main Kofar Mata road and set tyres on fire, chanting songs while calling for an end to police brutality.
See Tweets Below;
https://www.tori.ng/news/156789/kano-indigenes-protests-over-death-of-17yearold-bo.html
A former BBNaija winner has been slammed by an angry social media user.
Mercy Eke has been accused of making sure that new housemates do not shine, even after they have left the lockdown house.
The lady claimed that Mercy is always doing things to trend and outshine them, even though she won the previous edition.
“Who does she think she is? Mercy is wicked. She don’t want a female winner to emerge this year. She succeeded. Okay now the housemates are out trying to do things to make people see them, she don’t want them to shine”, the lady said.
See video below:
'Be Careful of The Woman You Get' - Nigerian Man Cries Out After Ex-lover Tore All His Certificates
A Nigerian man has warned other men to be very careful of the woman they end up with after a horrible experience.
The man cried out on Twitter
A man has taken to Twitter to share an ugly experience he had with his ex-lover.
According to Twitter user, Black Excellence, his ex lover tore all his certificates including work contracts and company documents.
Sharing a photo of his shredded certificates, he advised men to be careful of the kind of lady they hook up with.
He however did not mention what ensued between them which made her tear up all his certificates.
“This day is still fresh on my mind like it was yesterday. Just make sure the type of lady you get has something between their ears.
All my documents, kcpe,kcse,undergrad and Mba, birth certs,work contracts, company documents etc”
See his tweet below; 
https://www.tori.ng/news/156798/be-careful-of-the-woman-you-get-nigerian-man-cries.html
A dismissed staff of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ezekiel Adamu Pam, has turned full circle.
He is now immersed in the business of those he was hunting before, dealing in cannabis business.
But his time may be up as he has been arrested, caught with 254kg of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa.
According to Niger State NDLEA, the 46 year-old ex-staff was arrested on 9 October.
The Acting Commander of the agency in the state, Mr Aloye Oludare, said the suspect was arrested in Mokwa, in Mokwa Local Government Local Area.
Oludare said Adamu Pam with staff Number SN 5454 was dismissed last year.
” They loaded the car in Ado Ekiti in company of another suspect who escaped heading to Adamawa state,” Oludare said.
He said that the suspect would be charged to court after the agency completed its investigation.
The Acting Commander appealed to the public to always report any suspicious activity or individuals to relevant authorities.
Such whistleblowing, he said, will enable the agency to rid the state of drug trafficking and its attendant crimes.
https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/10/19/ndlea-ex-staff-ezekiel-adamu-pam-goes-into-cannabis-trade/
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday reaffirmed that his administration recognizes the democratic rights of the Nigerian youths to peaceful protests.
Buhari who urged the youths to beware of anarchists who may hijack their gatherings for selfish motives stated this when he received the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.
Briefing the State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the minister said Buhari has advised the youths to always be on alert so that miscreants would not take advantage of their genuine intention.
“Firstly he said, he recognizes their democratic rights to protest.
“Secondly, he made an appeal that this protest wherever held should be done in a peaceful manner.
“And thirdly, he said the Nigerian youth should be on their guard to make sure that elements that would infiltrate and distract them from the very purpose of their protest should be prevented from doing so,’’ he said.
The minister, who disclosed that he updated the president on developments concerning the End SARS demonstrations across the country, said the President assured the youths that their five-point demands would be implemented.
According to him, plans are on to implement long-lasting reforms that will give birth to a new Police Force that the country will be proud of.
He said: “The President assured me that the demands of the protesters are being met in a timely fashion, some have been met already and the process to meet others is on.
“So, he says he has accepted their demands and government is already responding at various levels.
“The president said the youth of this country have spoken, he has heard and he has since gone to work for the youth of our country; not only as a President but as a father.
“Indeed, he said, he is a father to this generation of our youth and his desire is to see that they are well protected, that they live in a country where they enjoy their freedoms and they do not suffer from any form of Police brutality.
“The President promised that he will ensure that the reforms as promised are met and he will make sure that they are long-lasting and that the reforms will deliver for our country a Police Force that we will be proud of.”NAN quoted him as saying.
Dare further appealed to the youth to end their protests and give room for the government to address their demands.
https://dailypost.ng/2020/10/19/end-sars-beware-of-anarchists-who-may-hijack-protest-buhari-tells-protesters/
Actor Yul Edochie has called for the resignation of President Buhari. He made the call via his Twitter handle on Monday afternoon, October 19.
According to Yul, President Buhari was very vocal during the Goodluck Jonathan administration and called for the resignation of the former President on the basis of poor performance.
He opined that President Buhari has performed worse than Jonathan, therefore he should resign from office.
”President Buhari was very vocal during the previous Govt. He called for Goodluck’s resignation on the basis of poor performance. Today Buhari’s performance is worse than that of Jonathan. We put our hopes in him & he failed us. I call for Buhari’s resignation. #ENDBADGOVERNANCE” he tweeted
https://www.36ng.ng/2020/10/19/yul-edochie-calls-for-president-buharis-resignation/
Iran has announced that it is more likely to sell weapons to other countries, rather than buy them, after the end of a longstanding UN arms embargo.
Iran on Monday said that it is more inclined to sell weapons rather than buy them, after it announced the end of a longstanding UN conventional arms embargo.
Tehran said the ban imposed more than a decade ago was lifted "automatically" as of Sunday, based on the terms of a 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, from which Iran’s enemy the United States has withdrawn.
"Before being a buyer in the arms market, Iran has the ability to supply" other countries, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
"Of course, Iran is not like the United States, whose president seeks to sell deadly weapons to slaughter the Yemeni people," he added, referring to US weapons purchased by Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition in Yemen, fighting Houthi rebels backed by Tehran.
The lifting of the embargo allows Iran to buy and sell military equipment including tanks, armoured vehicles, combat aircraft, helicopters and heavy artillery.
According to Khatibzadeh, Iran will "act responsibly" and sell weapons to other countries "based on its own calculations."
In Syria, Iran has been a key backer of President Bashar Al-Assad, whose forces have slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people in the country’s long-running conflict.
The embargo on the sale of arms to Iran was due to start expiring progressively from October 18, under the terms of the UN resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal.
However, Washington has argued that arms sales to Iran would still violate UN resolutions, and has threatened sanctions on anyone involved is such deals.
President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the nuclear deal and unilaterally begun reimposing economic sanctions on Iran in 2018.
Iran's defence minister Amir Hatami told state television on Sunday that his country relies primarily on its own military capabilities.
He said that the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s taught Tehran the "importance of self-reliance", and led it to "produce 90 percent of our defence needs locally."
Hatami added that "a number of countries" have contacted Iran on potential arms trade.
#EndSARS protesters are currently inside Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The protesters in their hundreds are preventing movement in and out of the busiest airport in the country.
Since the protest began 11 days ago, this is the first time that the protesters would disrupt activities inside the airport.
They have been blocking roads around the airport, worsening the traffic logjam in Ikeja and its environs but this is the first time that protesters will march into the airport.
Many passengers were stranded inside one of the halls at the airport.
In a social media post, one of the protesters said they decided to invade the international wing of the airport after security operatives chased them away from the local wing.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state has appealed to #EndSARS protesters demonstrating against police brutality and extrajudicial killings to leave the roads and embrace dialogue.
Legit.ng reports that this was contained in a statement issued on Monday, October 19, by the governor’s chief press secretary, Gboyega Akosile.
Speaking while swearing-in members of the judicial panel of inquiry and restitution at the State House in Marina, Sanwo-Olu said the pain expressed and concerns raised by the protesters were genuine and legitimate.
He said:
"Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has again appealed to the youths demonstrating against police brutality in the State to leave the roads and embrace the dialogue for the resolution of their agitations.
"The governor, on Monday, said the State Govt. had shown sincerity and willingness to address all concerns raised by the protesters, given the actions taken so far, including the constitution of the judicial panel of inquiry and setting up of compensation funds for the victims.
“Let me reiterate that I am on the side of the young people out there. I understand your pain and I know your concerns are genuine and legitimate. While we are able to immediately acquiesce to some of your demands, some others will require time. We ask you to bear with us as we dutifully work on your demands.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Lagos state government inaugurated an eight-member judicial panel of enquiry to investigate complaints of police brutality and human rights violations committed by operatives of the disbanded SARS.
It was reported that the panel which was being headed by retired Justice Doris Okuwobi would be joined by 2 youth representatives and a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Most writers who are looking to take on extra freelance work flock to online job boards.
This makes sense, after all these platforms are used by people who are actively looking for writers.
You should always look to have multiple sources of work, to both increase your scope for growth and to minimize risk.
To develop another source of consistent writing work it can be worth taking a more proactive approach in making sales by looking for people who indicate that they would benefit from working with a writer, but who are not openly soliciting such work.
To help get you started with this, here are three types of business that are often in need of freelance writing work (whether they openly say this or not), how to find them, and how to approach them for such jobs.
1. PR agencies
PR agencies are almost always responsible for producing copy and content on behalf of their clients.
However, given the rate of client churn in this industry and that each client will have a different need in terms of quantity of content, most PR agencies use a combination of in-house and freelance writers to produce their clients’ copy.
Often PR companies will openly be advertising for remote, freelance writer roles on their website or Linkedin page, but even the ones who do not may well be open to taking on more freelance writers if you can show them that you can provide good quality and reliable work.
Approaching these companies is a three-step process. These steps are:
Finding the agencies themselves
Sourcing the person in charge of recruitment and finding their email address
Sending them an email pitching your services.
Here is a breakdown of how to do these three steps.
1. Finding the PR agencies
This is very simple.
All you have to do is make a Google search for agencies in your local area. I would recommend starting with your local area, as most people tend to want to “buy local” (its always a nice hook in your outreach to say you live locally), and this also guarantees that you are a native speaker of the language that your target agency operates in.
Once you have exhausted all the agencies in your local area, you can expand outwards to your country and then internationally.
So, simply Google “PR agency in [my local area]” to find your local agencies.
Once you have put together a list of local PR agencies, it’s now time to find the person responsible for hiring writers, and their contact details.
2. Sourcing the person in charge of recruitment and finding their email address
The best place to find the person in charge of recruiting writers at a PR agency is the company’s Linkedin page.
When on the company’s Linkedin profile page, go to the “people” tab and you will be presented with a list of profiles and a search bar at the top of the listing.
At larger agencies (approximately 20 or more in house staff) there will likely be a dedicated Human Resources manager who is responsible for recruiting. You can find them by searching for the following keywords:
“Human resources”
“People”
“Staffing”
“Recruitment”
“We’re hiring”
If there is no clear dedicated HR person, or the agency is on the smaller side, then just look for the Managing Director (or equivalent) at the company.
Once you have identified the best person to contact, it’s now time to find their email address.
Email addresses can also be quickly searched for using a Google search along with some advanced search operators.
Here is the search string to use: [“@domain”] email [target person’s name] (do not use the square brackets.
So if you wanted to find the email of Bob Jones who works at Freelance Writing Jobs, you would Google:
“@freelancewritinggigs.com” email Bob Jones
This search forces Google to reveal any page that contains the words Bob Jones, email (or a synonym of this) and @freelancewritinggigs.com. Any page which contains all of these terms should have the relevant person’s email, or at least a good email to find them on.
If you cannot find the target person’s email, then just use a generic company email or contact form, but make it to the attention of the target person.
3. Sending an email pitching your services
PR agencies want to know that you can produce a wide range of content, with consistent quality and on a reliable basis.
Your email to them should focus more on past examples of work than who you are. So long as your email is clear about who you are and what you want, that is all that is necessary.
Here is an example email template to get this type of work:
Hi {{first}}
{{Brief introduction of yourself.}}
I’m emailing you to see if you are looking to take on any writers on a freelance basis?
I know that your content demands from clients fluctuate, so I’m happy to help you with the workload during busier periods.
I have extensive experience in the following industries: {{list industries that you have the most experience}} but am happy to try my hand at anything.
Here is my portfolio {{attach a link to your website or portfolio in Dropbox}} and links to a couple of the articles that I am most proud of.
{{links to articles}}
Do let me know if this is of interest. Happy to take a call to discuss further: {{leave phone number}}
Thanks,
As with any cold email, always follow up with your prospects.
2) Online Businesses and Blogs
Businesses that operate purely online generally have a greater need for content than brick and mortar businesses because their brand is built entirely from their digital copy.
Most online businesses are on the smaller side of things, and they usually have just a handful of people responsible for churning out all their content. If you can demonstrate that you are capable of writing articles that will drive traffic to their website, they should be more than happy to work with you.
Now, since most blogs and online businesses revolve around a narrow niche, and most of the site’s visitors are passionate about that niche, a site owner will be much more willing to work with you if you can demonstrate familiarity with that industry.
Relevant past writing samples are key to your success here.
The first step to connecting with these businesses is therefore to brainstorm all the industries that you have experience in. It’s worth taking the time here to look for microniches related to your past experience, as this will give you a load more targets.
Once you have a list of industries, Google the following:
Running “affiliate disclaimer”.
As we can see from the above screenshot, three of the top five results here are running websites that market running products.
The reason why this Google search gives you online businesses in a particular industry is that the most common form of monetization for these businesses is affiliate marketing.
All websites that engage in affiliate marketing need to have an affiliate disclaimer, so searching around this will reveal the affiliate marketing sites in your chosen industry.
Given that most of these businesses are small operations, just use the generic email address to get in contact with whoever runs the website. You can usually find this on the “contact us” page of the website or in the left column of their Facebook page.
It’s also checking out the website’s “about” page to find the name of the website owner so you can personalize your email.
Once you have found the relevant contact details, this is the type of email that you would want to send:
Hi,
I am a freelance writer with a particular interest in [industry] due to [say where your interest stems from – the more authentic the better].
I am looking for freelance writing work, so was wondering if you had articles that needed writing. I can help with the ideation process if needed.
I am not looking to link to any external companies (I know that wheeze). I am looking for paid work but am happy to do an article for free just to show you what I’ve got.
Here are some articles I have written in this industry before.
(link to your best articles in that industry).
Let me know if you are interested.
Two points are important to note:
Specifically state that you are not looking to link to an external company. Often marketers pretend to be freelance writers to build links to third party companies. Your chances of being accepted are much higher if you clearly state that this is not your agenda.
With all the writing samples in the world, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Offer to write an article for free and if it’s the type of content that they like they will likely want to hire you for future work.
2. Local businesses with blogs
Countless local businesses start a blog with the best intention in the world to update it regularly, but it falls to the wayside.
This presents an opportunity for you to help them pick up the slack.
Much like with online businesses, you will be seen as a much more valuable asset by business owners if you have relevant industry experience. You should therefore target businesses that are both in your local area and who are relevant to your past experience.
To find these businesses, simply Google:
[your industry] in [your chosen area] “blog”.
Therefore if you want to work with dental practices in London, you should Google:
Dentist in London “blog”
All these results are London based dental practices that have blogs.
With these results, you should look through their blogging history.
Businesses that regularly publish posts probably do not need a writer, so look for ones that are only occasionally updated, or that once had a regular output but have now stopped.
It’s now time to reach out to these businesses.
Generally, with local businesses, you just want to contact the company owner. They can be found on the about us or LinkedIn page of the business.
Try to find their personal business email if you can.
For local businesses, you want to send the following email:
Hi {{first name}},
Introduce yourself and say that you are local.
I am a freelance writer with a particular interest in [industry] due to [say where your interest stems from – the more authentic the better].
I see that you have a blog on your website, but that it is not updated too regularly.
If you still want regular blog posts (and who doesn’t, given its benefit to your business) then I may be able to help you with that.
I am ultimately looking for paid work but can provide the first post for free, just to see my quality of writing.
Here are some articles I have written in this industry before.
(link to your 2 best relevant posts).
If you are interested, feel free to give me a call at (phone number).
Thanks,
Again, offering to write the first post for free will show an impressive amount of belief in the quality of your work.
Even with a detail-oriented approach to business development such as this one, sales is ultimately a numbers game.
Do not give up after sending 10 or so emails. Carry on until you get work. Once you know how many emails you need to send out to get a yes, you will start to have a predictable, and scalable, source of freelance writing work.
This article was written by Oli Graham, Marketing Manager at content agency RightlyWritten. Oli started his career as a freelance writer while he was still at college, and has worked in a number of agency-side marketing roles, including Public Relations, SEO, and social media marketing.
A federal judge Friday ordered the Justice Department to find out directly from President Donald Trump whether he really intended to declassify all Russia investigation documents without redactions when he tweeted exactly that last week.
The judge’s directive was issued in response to two emergency motions filed last week by BuzzFeed News seeking the immediate release of Russia-related documents in response to Trump’s tweets.
The move by the judge could be a watershed moment for those who have gone to court and sought the release of records based on the president's tweets. For nearly four years, the government’s position has been that Trump’s tweets should not be taken literally, while in other instances the government has argued that they’re official statements.
During an extraordinary 30-minute hearing Friday morning, US District Court Judge Reggie Walton rejected a government attorney’s assertion that Trump’s Oct. 6 tweets were “ambiguous” and should not be interpreted as orders to declassify anything specific.
Matt Topic, an attorney representing BuzzFeed News, disagreed. He told Walton there can’t be anything more clear than Trump’s tweet that called for the release of every document from the Russia probe without any redactions.
Walton also disagreed with the government's stance. He said Trump’s tweets in which the president stated he has “fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining” to the Russia investigation are “unambiguous” and clearly indicated what his intent was.
“I don’t think anything more is required,” Walton said.
Justice Department attorney Courtney Enlow argued that the White House counsel informed the government that Trump’s tweets were not declassification orders and don’t require the disclosure of any additional documents in BuzzFeed News’ ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuits related to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. She said deference in the matter should be given to the government.
In a declaration filed earlier this week, Bradley Weinsheimer, associate deputy attorney general, wrote that — after consulting with the White House counsel — what Trump authorized for declassification actually was documents related to the ongoing review by Attorney General Bill Barr into the genesis of the Russia investigation.
Walton, who had previously ordered the Justice Department to confer with the White House and obtain the official position regarding the declassification and release of documents related to the Russia investigation, indicated to Enlow that he wasn’t interested in the White House counsel’s position. Rather, he wanted Trump’s.
“The American public has a right to rely on what a president says his intent is,” he said.
So, he ordered the Justice Department to have a conversation directly with Trump and to find out whether his tweets really meant to declassify and release all Russia-related investigation documents and to file the president's response with the court.
Walton set another hearing for Wednesday. He ordered the Department of Justice to file by Tuesday “a declaration by the President or an individual who has conferred directly with the President regarding whether the President intended to order the declassification and release without redaction” FBI interview summaries of witnesses from the Mueller probe, an unredacted copy of the Mueller report, and other related documents.
In a powerful essay for Lena Dunham's newsletter Lenny, published May 31, 2016, Keys discussed how her many years in the public eye had altered her perception of beauty and perfection. "I remember when I first started to be in the public eye. Oh my gawd! Everyone had something to say," she wrote. "'She's so hard, she acts like a boy, she must be gay, she should be more feminine!' But the truth is, I was just from New York, and everyone I knew acted like that."
Keys continued, "But this wasn't the streets of New York. This was the harsh, judgmental world of entertainment and my biggest test yet." Keys said the pressures of the industry turned her into a "chameleon" who was "constantly changing so all the 'they's' would accept me." She wrote, "Every time I left the house, I would be worried if I didn't put on makeup: What if someone wanted a picture?? What if they POSTED it??? These were the insecure, superficial, but honest thoughts I was thinking. And all of it, one way or another, was based too much on what other people thought of me."
https://www.nickiswift.com/24148/real-reason-alicia-keys-stopped-wearing-makeup/
Former Vice President Joe Biden has won the TV ratings battle against President Donald Trump after an evening of dueling town halls, according to data reported by CNN.
The 2020 Democratic candidate drew 13.9 million viewers to his town hall on ABC, beating Trump's 13 million total for his NBC News town hall broadcast at the same time.
The former vice president's event was only played on ABC, whereas the president's event aired on three different channels — NBC, CNBC and MSNBC.
The ratings are based on TV viewership. Online streaming figures are not included.
The competing town halls replaced a second presidential debate, which was canceled after Trump refused to participate virtually, a change made by the Commission on Presidential Debates due to health concerns about his recent COVID-19 diagnosis. The White House physician announced earlier this week that the president is no longer infectious and has tested negative.
Following the cancelation, Biden filled the lost time by scheduling a town hall at 8 p.m. EST for Thursday. Trump later followed suit and announced a town hall on NBC in the same time slot.
NBC faced substantial criticism for agreeing to host Trump's town hall at the same time as Biden's.
"We are simply asking that NBC air the President's town hall either before or after Vice President Biden's so that American voters can have the opportunity to watch both," a letter from over 100 NBC employees read. The event went ahead as planned.
The two are set to face-off on the same stage again at the final presidential debate on October 22.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/warroom/~3/sAbge-Wbtq0/biden-drew-23m-more-viewers-than-trump-town-hall-early-ratings-show-2020-10
President Donald Trump on Friday attacked Maine Sen. Susan Collins over her stated opposition to Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, lashing out at one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans less than three weeks from Election Day.
“There is a nasty rumor out there that @SenatorCollins of Maine will not be supporting our great United States Supreme Court Nominee,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Well, she didn’t support Healthcare or my opening up 5000 square miles of Ocean to Maine, so why should this be any different. Not worth the work!”
Despite the president’s assertion, Collins’ opposition to Barrett’s nomination and likely confirmation is more than a rumor. In fact, the senator argued last month that the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled by whoever wins the presidency on Nov. 3.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/16/trump-susan-collins-scotus-reelection-fight-429799
A Detroit woman says she was startled mid-flight when she woke up to find that a “well-known” North Carolina pastor was peeing on her.
Alicia Beverly was returning home to Detroit from Las Vegas on Monday night with her sister when the event occurred after she dozed off during a red-eye flight on Delta.
“It felt warm, like on the side of me I felt something warm,” Beverly told WJBK.
The sensation made her wake up, where her worst fears were confirmed.
“I jump up and I seen his private area out and I screamed and that woke everybody up,” Alicia said. “By that time I actually looked at him and I see him shake himself off and I’m like this man just peed on me! I looked and there was a puddle of pee in the seats!”
Luckily a few passengers ran over to help her, while an off-duty cop restrained the man. Sources who spoke with the pastor told WBJK that he suffered a bad reaction to a sleeping aid.
“He didn’t say anything the whole time he was standing there,” Alicia continued.
Unfortunately for Alicia, she was forced to sit in her urinated soaked clothes for the remainder of the flight until the plane landed at Detroit Metro Airport.
The pastor was taken into custody but was not charged, the FBI has not yet made a decision to move forward as they oversee incidents which occur in the air.
While she’s grateful for everyone who came to her aid during the flight, she is suffering incredibly because of the event.
“It was a lot. My anxiety was really high literally. Since then I have only gotten four hours of sleep,” she said.
https://madamenoire.com/1194961/this-man-just-peed-on-me-detroit-woman-says-she-woke-up-to-a-well-known-pastor-urinating-on-her-during-flight/
(CNN) President Donald Trump is the only modern American president to never release any of his tax returns -- either while running for office or during his time in office. He's offered a series of explanations for why that is, including that he is under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and that his taxes are too complicated for anyone to understand.
The questions surrounding Trump's tax returns have only grown more urgent in the wake of a series of New York Times articles based on copies of Trump's returns they were able to obtain, that suggest, among many other things, that Trump has paid little to no federal taxes in the last two decades and that he is personally responsible for more than $400 million in loans that come due over the next four years.
Which brings me to Thursday's town hall with Trump -- in which moderator Savannah Guthrie asked the President about his loans and his tax returns. I'm posting the full exchange -- warning: it's very long -- between the two because, well, you have to see it to believe it. Here we go:
Guthrie: On the subject of taxes, as you know, The New York Times has obtained, it says, years of your tax returns among other things. It says that you have debts of approximately $421 million that you have personally--
Trump: Yes.
Guthrie: -- guaranteed and that will come due in the next four years. The question is on behalf of voters: who do you owe $421 million to?
Trump: OK. First of all, let me answer. What they did is illegal, number one. Also the numbers are all wrong with the numbers they released. And just so you understand when you have a lot of real estate. I have real estate. You know a lot of it, OK, right down the road, Doral, big stuff, great stuff. I'm very under -- when I decided to run I'm very under levered fortunately but I'm very under levered. I have a very, very small percentage of debt compared -- in fact some of it I did as favors to institutions that wanted to loan me money. $400 million compared to the assets that I have all of these great properties all over the world and frankly the Bank of America building in San Francisco. I don't love what's happening to San Francisco.
Guthrie: Well do I hear you right, it sounds like you're saying--
Trump: 1290 Avenue (inaudible) one of the biggest--
Guthrie: $400 million isn't that much.
Trump: -- office buildings.
Guthrie: But are you confirming that, yes, you do owe sum $400 million?
Trump: What I'm saying is that it's a tiny percentage of my net worth.
Guthrie: That sounds like yes.
Trump: And you will see that soon because we're doing things. We've given -- I think it's 108 or 112 pages of financial detail to elections and we have to file as the president. As any politician you have to file. Nobody ever looks at that. When they do they see how incredible a company is but more importantly they see where this debt is. No, I don't owe Russia money, I don't owe -- I owe a very, very small -- it's called mortgages. People have a house, they put a mortgage --
Guthrie: Yes. Any foreign bank, any foreign entity?
Trump: Not that I know of but I will probably because it's so easy to solve and if you'd like to do -- I will let you know who -- who I owe whatever small amount of money. I want to say two things. Number one, it's a very small amount of money. Number two, it's very straight -- it's very, very straight but it's a tiny percentage of the work. Did you ever hear the expression, under levered?
Guthrie: Yes.
Trump: I am extremely under levered.
Guthrie: Well, here's the thing, you could clear this up tonight by just releasing your tax returns yourself. I mean that's what I don't understand.
Trump: Well, I'll tell you what --
Guthrie: I think people are just wondering, you're the only --
Trump: As you know, I'm under audit. It turned out that I am under audit.
Guthrie: Yes, but the IRS said -- you are --
Trump: They actually -- excuse me. No, no, but you --
Guthrie: But the IRS says that doesn't stop you from releasing.
Trump: But you accused me of not being under audit previously and so did other people at NBC and I am under audit.
Guthrie: You are.
Trump: So that was solved. That's what -- I am under audit. No person in their right mind would release prior to working out the deal with the IRS. And I'll go a step further. I'm treated very badly by the IRS. They treat me very, very badly. You have people in there from previous administrations that treat me very badly. But we're under audit. It's very routine in many ways but we're under audit. They like to change the game, change the rules, do everything. You saw what they did with the Tea Party people. You saw what they did with the religious groups.
Guthrie: But to be clear, there is no law or rule that prohibits you from releasing your tax returns.
Trump: No, except common sense and intelligence and having lawyers that say -- because I would love to release them, and as soon as we come to a conclusion I will release them and very gladly. But if you go to elections and if you take a look you'll see 112 -- I think its 112, it talks about the income, which is rather massive. It talks about all of the properties, they have them listed. You can never learn more. But you know what happened; people went there, all the reporters went there. It was like a feeding frenzy. This was originally when I filed it. And I file it every year. I update it every year. My son is here, they run the company. I don't run the company. You know -- you know --
Guthrie: It also says that you paid $750 in taxes in the year you were elected. Is that true or not?
Trump: Yes, because that's a statutory number. It's a statutory -- it's not that --
Guthrie: But is that true?
Trump: I think it's a filing number. You pay $750, it's a filing -- or a filing fee.
Guthrie: But is that all you paid because most people here probably paid more?
Trump: No, I don't know. I can't tell you this, if they have my tax returns, as you know, they have to go to jail. It's illegal. But their numbers were wrong. But let me tell you what else. I don't owe money to any of these sinister people. This has been going on for years now. Russia, Russia, Russia. It turned out to be a hoax and it turned out to be that Hillary Clinton and the Democrats were dealing with Russia, not me. It's a whole hoax. So I would not mind at all saying who it is but it's very small. When you look at vast properties like I have and they're big and they're beautiful and they're well located, when you look at that the amount of money, $400 million is a peanut. It's extremely under levered. And it's levered with normal banks, not a big deal.
Guthrie: All right. Let's take a break. We'll get more voter questions right after this.
Whoa boy. Amid all of the spin and misdirection that Trump attempted in that series of car-crash answers, Guthrie was able to extract a number of admissions from Trump.
Let's go through them -- in the order he said them.1) Trump does have more than $400 million in loans coming due. Yes, he insists that $400 million is nothing compared the immense value of his various properties around the world. But when asked directly by Guthrie whether he owes $400 million, Trump responds: "What I'm saying is that it's a tiny percentage of my net worth." To which Guthrie interjects "that sounds like yes." Which, well, exactly. As for Trump's ability to pay off the loans, it's worth noting here that he appears to have paid off
Yes, he insists that $400 million is nothing compared the immense value of his various properties around the world. But when asked directly by Guthrie whether he owes $400 million, Trump responds: "What I'm saying is that it's a tiny percentage of my net worth." To which Guthrie interjects "that sounds like yes." Which, well, exactly. As for Trump's ability to pay off the loans, it's worth noting here that he appears to have paid off a total of zero on the principal on a $100 million loan he took out on Trump Tower in 2012.
2) Trump won't say whether he has loans with foreign banks or foreign governments. While this isn't definitive proof that Trump does owe money to a foreign government or a foreign bank (or both) you would think that if he didn't owe money to one of these places, he would say it. Right? What you probably wouldn't think he would say is this: "Not that I know of but I will probably because it's so easy to solve and if you'd like to do -- I will let you know who -- who I owe whatever small amount of money."
3) Trump is under audit (still). Trump has used the under-audit excuse since at least early 2016 to explain why he is not releasing any of his taxes. (As Guthrie rightly notes, there is nothing in the law that says a president under audit can't release his taxes anyway; Richard Nixon did just that.) Trump confirmed to Guthrie that he remains under audit as of Thursday night. Which, well, I guess that's possible?
4) Trump seemingly only paid $750 in taxes in 2016. All but confirming the Times report regarding the meager amount he paid in taxes the year he was elected president, Trump told Guthrie that "you pay $750, it's a filing -- or a filing fee." She followed up by asking whether that was all he paid that year in taxes. "No, I don't know," the President responded. Which very likely means yes, because again, if he paid more than $750 in taxes in 2016, don't you think he would have taken the opportunity to say that? Of course he would!
Like I said, there was a lot more in Trump's answers than he probably meant there to be. Which is a credit to Guthrie's questions. And to The New York Times' reporting -- the vast majority of which Trump himself confirmed was right on Thursday night.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/politics/trump-tax-returns-nbc-town-hall-savannah-guthrie/
Yesterday, Google announced that it is adding a new hum to search feature to its search tools. This would allow the users to just hum the tune and search for any song that is stuck in their heads.
Notably, this could be very beneficial for those who could not remember the lyrics of the song. You can just hum the tune of the song and Google will try to identify the song with that tune and show you the results.
It is a common case scenario, where a nice song playing at the coffee shop, stucks into our head. Due to some of the other reasons, we could not recall the lyrics of the songs.
You can literally search for the song that goes "da daaaa da da daaaa na naa naa ooohh yeah?" and Google will use the machine learning capabilities to search and identify the song the resembles the hum that you searched in the first place.
Besides, users would be able to hum, whistle, or sing a melody and let Google do its job for searching the song. However, you need to make sure that you have the latest version of the Google app installed on your device.
Good thing is that Google has not limited this feature only to the Google App on Android. Instead, the iOS users can also take advantage of this Google hum to search feature on their Apple devices.
You simply need to tap on the mic icon and say "what's this song?" or click the newly added "Search a song" button and then hum the tune you remember for 10-15 seconds.
Google will make use of the inbuilt machine learning and will try to closely show the result that is likely a match. Users will be able to listen to the search results and take note of the song's name if that is perfect to your hum.
Once the search is complete, you can view the matching videos, listen to the audio that is correct to your hum, find the lyrics of the song, and much more.
To go into the details, Google explains this feature using machine learning models to "transform the audio into a number-based sequence representing the song’s melody." It then compares the melody with the existing songs.
The machine learning models are trained on a variety of sources. For instance, humans singing, whistling, or humming, as well as studio recordings.
Apparently, this feature is currently available in English on iOS and in more than 20 languages on Android. Google will expand this to more languages as the days go on.
The coronavirus has killed at least 1 million people across the globe, a nightmarish milestone in the world's fight against the virus that emerged from Wuhan, China, late last year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Roughly half of the world's total Covid-19 fatalities have been reported in only four countries — the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to Hopkins data.
The U.S. reached a death toll above 200,000 people last week, more than any other country on the planet. Declared a pandemic over six months ago, the coronavirus has swept through nearly every nation and has infected more than 33 million people along the way, according to Johns Hopkins. It's shuttered businesses and schools, wreaking havoc on global economies and leaving millions unemployed.
"One million is a terrible number, and I think we need to reflect on that before we start considering a second million," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's health emergencies program, told reporters on Friday.
CNBC has compiled a package of stories that will run Monday and Tuesday looking back at how the coronavirus pandemic has changed health care, the economy and society itself since its discovery less than nine months ago.
Please check back here for links to these coming stories and more as they are published:
A timeline of the insidious path the coronavirus took around the world to kill more than 1 million
From a wet market in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus infiltrated Asia within weeks of its discovery before traveling to Europe, hitting the U.S. in January in Washington state and New York City. It's since spread throughout Latin America and now Africa.
Medical historian compares the coronavirus to the 1918 flu pandemic: Both were highly political
A historical look at how the Covid-19 outbreak compares with the 1918 flu pandemic — from the diseases themselves to resistance to wearing masks during both outbreaks. There was even a 1918 epidemiologist who withstood criticism for his public health recommendations, similar to Dr. Anthony Fauci today.
From Bangalore, India, to Sao Paulo, doctors and health workers share personal stories about the coronavirus outbreak from across the world.
The coronavirus is shifting the power balance in air travel to last-minute leisure passengers
Milan is out and the Rocky Mountains are in. The pandemic is turning airlines' most price-sensitive customers, leisure travelers, into a prize. Carriers are adding more vacation destinations and trying to create softer, gentler policies for a group that has long taken a back seat.
How the U.S. economic response to the pandemic stacks up to the rest of the world
While the U.S. health response to the coronavirus pandemic has faced criticism, the economic response has been among the best in the world. In the throes of the pandemic, the Federal Reserve and U.S. lawmakers moved swiftly to implement unprecedented stimulus aimed at supporting the largest economy in the world during a global halt to economic activity.
Texas governor declares disaster after brain-eating amoeba that killed 6-year-old found in city's water
Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster in a Texas county after a deadly brain-eating amoeba was detected in a city's water supply and tied to the death of 6-year-old boy this month.
Residents of Lake Jackson were advised to boil their water before using it after Naegleria fowleri was found in their water system. A previous warning that extended to other cities in Brazoria County said not to use the water at all, but that warning was lifted, and now only the boil advisory remains in effect for Lake Jackson.
Abbott on Sunday declared a disaster in Brazoria County, saying that three of 11 water tests in the county found N. fowleri, "posing an imminent threat to public health and safety, including loss of life."
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it was alerted Friday evening to the presence of N. fowleri in the Brazosport Water Authority supply.
Environmental officials initially warned all users of Brazosport's system not to use the water, but said later Saturday that "the issue has been narrowed to the city of Lake Jackson’s water distribution system."
Authorities "are actively working on a plan to flush and disinfect the water system," but it was unknown how long that will take, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said.
Microbe in Texas city's water: Officials lift warning on water in Texas but advise to boil before drinking
Earlier this month, 6-year-old Josiah McIntyre died after contracting the microbe.
"He was an active little boy," Josiah's mother, Maria Castillo, told KTRK-TV. "He was a really good big brother. He just loved and cared about a lot of people."
According to the Houston Chronicle, Josiah's relatives said he was tested for strep, COVID-19 and other diseases when he got sick with a fever, headaches and vomiting, but by the time doctors realized it was N. fowleri, it was too late.
"We just want people to be aware that it’s out there," his grandmother, Natalie McIntyre, said Saturday during a fundraiser, the Chronicle reported.
First grader Josiah McIntyre died earlier this month.
The 6-year old was infected with a rare brain-eating ameba that's normally found in freshwater.
Except the family didn't visit any lakes or rivers.
Josiah played at a Lake Jackson splash pad and with a home water hose. pic.twitter.com/g7L4nV35Ol— Melissa Correa (@KHOUmelissa) September 26, 2020
N. fowleri can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an infection that destroys brain tissue and can kill within five days. The boy died Sept. 8.
The CDC says N. fowleri is commonly found in lakes in the South, especially in the summer, but getting sick from it is rare, with only 34 documented cases in the U.S. from 2009 to 2018. Those who do get sick are generally infected through their nose after swimming or diving in warm freshwater. The CDC says N. fowleri also can spread via inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or contaminated tap water.
While Lake Jackson residents are under the boil advisory, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said they should not allow water to go up their nose or sniff the water while bathing and showering. An infection cannot occur from swallowing infected water, the CDC says.
Josiah's grandparents said they suspect he was infected after inhaling infected water at a "splash-pad" they visited shortly before he fell ill, the Houston Chronicle reported. A hose at the boy's house also tested positive for the microbe, according to KTRK-TV.
Josiah's death prompted city officials to test their water and close the splash-pad, KTRK-TV reported
N. fowleri and warm weather: Diseases like West Nile, EEE and flesh-eating bacteria are flourishing due to climate change
The microbe can cause symptoms similar to bacterial meningitis, including headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, making an initial diagnosis challenging, the CDC says. The infection progresses rapidly, eventually causing neck stiffness, seizures, hallucinations and coma.
Contributing: The Associated Press https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/28/texas-brain-eating-amoeba-lake-jackson-boil-advisory-josiah-mcintyre/3559790001/
