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Democrat says Republican ad claiming he protects pedophiles is aimed at QAnon followers

Rep. Tom Malinowski, locked in a tight reelection race, says an attack ad meant to appeal to QAnon sympathizers has been unleashed on him by Republicans.

Sole Witness Who Heard Cops Announce Themselves in Breonna Taylor Raid Changed His Story

This week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron made the bombshell announcement that the cops who fatally shot Breonna Taylor would not be charged with killing her, calling their use of force in the March raid “justified to protect themselves.”In that justification, he said that one witness corroborated the three officers’ insistence that they knocked and identified themselves at Taylor’s Louisville home while executing a search warrant in connection with a narcotics investigation. It contradicted claims from Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenny Walker, and 11 other residents, who said they didn’t hear the cops announce themselves. Instead, Walker thought he was being burglarized and fired a warning shot that triggered a tragic chain of events.But, according to documents and audio obtained by VICE News on Saturday, that sole witness initially told investigators days after the March 13 raid that he didn’t actually hear officers Brett Hankison, Jonathan Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove announce themselves.The witness—identified by VICE as Aarin Sarpee but by other outlets and public records as Aaron Julue Sarpee—was picking up his daughter from a unit above Taylor’s when the raid took place.It wasn’t until he was interviewed a second time, about two months after the raid by a sergeant in LMPD’s Public Integrity Unit, that Sarpee said he heard police say, “This is the cops.”Sarpee’s flip-flop, the latest twist in a case that has made Taylor an icon in the Black Lives Matter movement, calls into question the strength of Cameron’s case and the grand jury report, which state officials are demanding be made public.“I never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with, I knew he was too inexperienced with a job of this caliber. I knew he chose to be at the wrong side of the law,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said in a Friday statement. “My hope was that he knew he had the power to do the right thing, that he had the power to start the healing of this city, that he had the power to help mend over 400 years of oppression. What he helped me realize is that it will always be us against them. That we are never safe.”On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted only Hankison, though only for recklessly firing shots that endangered people in other units. Mattingly and Cosgrove—the cop who fired the shot that killed Taylor—weren’t charged.Cameron’s charging recommendations were at least partly based on Sarpee’s testimony, since the attorney general said Wednesday that investigators had “an independent witness” corroborate the officer’s account.No Cops Charged With Killing Breonna Taylor“My office was not tasked with determining if this was a tragedy, as it was,” Cameron said Wednesday, admitting that it was unlikely more charges would be laid. “My job was to put emotions aside and investigate facts to see if state law was violated.”Wednesday’s charges came more than six months after a “no-knock” warrant was issued for Taylor’s apartment as part of a controversial narcotics investigation into the 26-year-old’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover.According to VICE, LMPD’s Public Integrity Unit first contacted Sarpee a week after the shooting. The officers involved in Taylor’s warrant had previously said Sarpee was outside the apartment upstairs and got in an argument with Hankison as they were banging on Taylor’s door.When Sgt. Jason Vance asked Sarpee if he heard anyone identify themselves as law enforcement, he answered: “No, nobody identified themselves.”At the end of the March 21 conversation, Vance told Sarpee investigators would be calling him again to conduct a formal interview. Investigation notes suggest attempts were made to contact Sarpee but he didn’t speak to the Public Integrity Unity again until May 15.In a seven minute call, Sgt. Amanda Seelye pressed Sarpee on whether he knew the individuals entering Taylor’s home were officers and if he heard them announce themselves.This time, Sarpee said he heard police identify themselves, a change that suddenly corroborated the testimonies of the officers at the scene.“It’s been so long now,” Sarpee told Seelye on the call. “I recall some of it.”Sarpee also told The New York Times that he saw the officers as he stepped out onto the exterior staircase of Taylor’s apartment unit with his 2-year-old. He said that before the officers ordered him to go back inside the apartment, he heard at least three loud knocks on Taylor’s door and heard at least one of the officers scream “Police!” Sarpee, however, insisted to the Times he only heard them say the statement once.Despite Sarpee’s changing story, his claim to have heard police from the front of an apartment doesn’t offer complete clarity on whether Taylor and her boyfriend would have heard it from their bedroom towards the back of their unit.Sarpee did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. VICE reported that the witness declined to speak with them, saying he had to speak with his lawyer first. The LMPD and Attorney General’s office also did not immediately respond to request for comment.Hankison was fired in June for “extreme violations” of police protocol after “wantonly and blindly” firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment–including several shots through the patio door and window, and into a neighbor’s apartment—after Walker fired an initial shot. Mattingly, Cosgrove, and the detective who requested the warrant were put on administrative leave. Six more officers are reportedly under investigation for their role in the raid.Earlier this month, the city of Louisville reached a $12 million settlement with Taylor’s family in their wrongful death lawsuit.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Fact check: Joe Biden did not botch the Pledge of Allegiance in speech

An eight-second clip from a speech purports to illustrate another Joe Biden gaffe. But what is missing is the rest of the speech.

North Korea warns of naval tensions during search for slain South Korean

North Korea said on Sunday it is searching for the body a South Korean official killed by its troops, but warned that South Korean naval operations in the area threatened to raise tensions by intruding across a disputed sea border. After South Korean President Moon Jae-in convened a ministers' meeting to discuss North Korea on Sunday, the presidential Blue House reiterated calls for Pyongyang to allow a joint investigation into the killing. It urged the restoration of military communication hotlines that the North severed earlier this year as relations soured.

Kyle Rittenhouse's mom reportedly received a 'standing ovation' from the crowd at a Republican event in Wisconsin

Kyle Rittenhouse faces multiple felony charges, including homicide, after shooting three people at a Jacob Blake demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Tucker Carlson says 'every story' about Jacob Blake and George Floyd is a lie, the same day a federal judge wrote that viewers don't take Carlson's statements seriously

Carlson's allegations of dishonesty came after Fox News argued in court that he's prone to hyperbole, exaggeration, and "loose, figurative" language.

Two People Injured After Driver Speeds Into Southern California Protest

A man and a woman suffered "major injuries" after the car struck them and were transported to the hospital, but are expected to survive

Yitzhak Rabin memorial: AOC pulls out of event honouring former Israeli leader

Memorial due to take place next month

Remains of 117 Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War returned

The remains of 117 Chinese soldiers who died in the 1950-53 Korean War were returned to China on Sunday in an annual repatriation delayed this year by the coronavirus outbreak. South Korea handed over the remains at a ceremony at Incheon airport outside Seoul, and a Chinese military transport plane flew them to Shenyang, a northeastern Chinese city near the North Korean border. Chinese soldiers fought on the North Korean side against US-led forces in the South during the war on the Korean Peninsula. Most of the 117 remains were found in the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. It was the seventh annual repatriation, and the largest since the 437 returned in the first one in 2014. In all, the remains of 716 Chinese soldiers have been sent back. This year's return, originally planned for the spring, was postponed for several months because of the spread of Covid-19.

Clashes erupt between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia has declared martial law and a total military mobilization following clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The incident has prompted calls from several world powers for an end to hostilities amid fears of instability in the South Caucasus - which serves as a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets. [Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalyan, saying:] "Early in the morning, around 7 a.m. the Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale aggression, including missile attacks..." On Sunday (September 27) Armenia said Azerbaijan had carried out an air and artillery attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan said it had simply responded to Armenian shelling. There were reports of civilian casualties on both sides. Nagorno Karabakh is a mainly ethnic Armenian region that is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan. It declared independence in 1991, during the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the two countries have been at loggerheads ever since. Authorities inside Nagorno Karabakh also declared martial law on Sunday, and mobilized the male population. The two sides regularly accuse each of attacks and 200 people were killed when the conflict flared in 2016. On Sunday, Turkey said majority Christian Armenia should immediately cease hostilities against mainly Muslim Azerbaijan while Russia's foreign ministry - a mediator in decades of conflict between the two sides - call for a cease fire and talks. France said it was "extremely concerned" and said both sides should end hostilities.

Transcript: Don McGahn on "Face the Nation"

The following is a transcript of an interview with former White House Counsel Don McGahn that aired Sunday, September 27, 2020, on "Face the Nation."

Ballistics report doesn't support Kentucky AG's claim that Breonna Taylor's boyfriend shot cop

A Kentucky State Police ballistics report failed to match a bullet that hit a Louisville cop in the thigh to a shot fired by Breonna Taylor's boyfriend.

Federal judge blocks Texas’ elimination of straight-ticket voting

Democrats sued the state in March to overturn the Texas Legislature’s removal of straight-ticket voting.

An Irish tourist in Rome defaced the Colosseum by carving his initials into the walls of the ancient structure, according to a report

The tourist was reported by security guards on Monday for defacing the inside of the historic site using a metal point, CNN reported.

Army Leaders Want to Keep Pace with Diversity in Changing US Population

The plan promotes diversity through 2025 in an attempt to adapt to the country's shifting demographics.

Texas man charged with capital murder in deaths of Houston friends missing since 2016

Harvey Lester Cyphers, 53, of Austin, Texas, was arrested and charged with capital murder in the 2016 deaths of friends Sidney Taylor and Krislyn Gibson, both 35, who were visiting Houston for the 2016 Urban Music Festival. They were last seen alive on April 2, 2016. Cyphers was taken to the Travis County Jail where his bond was set at $1.5 million. The U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the Austin Police Department are investigating.

As U.S., China squabble at U.N., a plea - and warning - from one of world's smallest states

As China and the United States feuded at the United Nations this week over COVID-19 and climate, one of the world's smallest states pleaded for detente. "Micronesia asks our American and Chinese friends to reinforce their cooperation and friendship with each other ... to achieve what is best for our global community," the Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo told the U.N. General Assembly in a video address.

American faces two years in prison for posting unflattering TripAdvisor review of Thailand island resort

An American could face up to two years in prison after leaving a negative review for a hotel in Thailand on TripAdvisor. The Sea View Resort on Koh Chang island claims Wesley Barnes launched a barrage of complaints against them after his stay, forcing them to take legal action. "The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP. Mr Barnes is accused of causing "damage to the reputation of the hotel", as well as arguing with them during his stay about a corkage fee for alcohol brought to the hotel. He was arrested by immigration police and returned to Koh Chang for a brief detention, but is now out on bail. Mr Barnes, who works in Thailand, had penned multiple reviews on different sites over the past few weeks, the hotel alleges. In one posted in July, he claimed to have encountered "unfriendly staff" who "act like they don't want anyone here". Another post, which accused the hotel of “modern day slavery”, was removed by TripAdvisor for violating its guidelines. The Sea View Hotel said they only took legal action to discourage further reviews from being posted, and had attempted to contact Mr Barnes beforehand. "We chose to file a complaint to serve as a deterrent, as we understood he may continue to write negative reviews week after week for the foreseeable future," the hotel said. Thailand has notorious anti-defamation laws that have faced condemnation from human rights organisations in the past. They argue the laws can be used to stifle free expression. If found guilty for defamation, offenders can face two years imprisonment and a 200,000 baht (£4,965) fine. In December 2019, a Thai journalist was handed a two year sentence for libelling a chicken farm on Twitter. Suchanee Cloitre was convicted for a post she made about a legal dispute over working conditions at the Thammakaset farm. “I’m shocked and did not think the sentence would be so harsh,” Ms Suchanee told Reuters after the sentencing.

Three Florida police officers fall ill after 'potential poisoning' on night out

Investigators await test results to show whether group was drugged

Koch-backed advocacy group launched a 'full-scale' campaign to push Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation

The Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity will start phone banking to encourage lawmakers in 11 key states to support Trump's SCOTUS nomination.

Seattle officer on leave after video shows cop rolling bicycle over protester's head

A livestream shows an officer rolling a bike over the head or neck of a person lying in the street amid a protest in Seattle.

A Miami-Dade teacher gave her $425K life savings to a pilot. Here’s where he is today

A Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher spent a career building a $425,447 retirement nest egg. Licensed pilot Michael Atkins spent three years convincing her to loan it to him.

Trump's SCOTUS nomination will 'motivate voters on the left in a way we haven't seen:' Laura Fink

Rebelle Communications CEO Laura Fink joins 'America's News HQ' to discuss President Trump's nomination for the Supreme Court.

40 years after Oktoberfest attack, survivor's wounds still healing

That evening on September 26, 1980, Robert Platzer, then 12, was having a great night out. He had been on fairground rides, eaten bags of sweets and even bought a helium balloon -- all that a child dreams of at the Munich Oktoberfest.

Firefighters battling a Brooklyn blaze discovered up to $1 million cash when bundles started falling on their heads

According to local news, firefighters had to cut through a ceiling to extinguish the fire when cash started falling out.

Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes kill at least 16, undermine regional stability

At least 16 military and several civilians were killed on Sunday in the heaviest clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2016, reigniting concern about stability in the South Caucasus, a corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets. The clashes between the two former Soviet republics, which fought a war in the 1990s, were the latest flare-up of a long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that is inside Azerbaijan but is run by ethnic Armenians. Nagorno-Karabakh said 16 of its servicemen had been killed and more than 100 wounded after Azerbaijan launched an air and artillery attack early on Sunday.

Cadets among 26 people killed in Ukraine military plane crash

A total of 26 people, most of them air cadets, have been killed in a military plane crash in Ukraine. Footage of the crash released by officials on social media showed the smouldering remains of the Antonov-26 transport plane. Most of the dead were students of the Kharkiv National Air Force University, the air force said in a statement. There were 27 people on board, 20 cadets and seven crew. On Saturday, the death toll rose after three more bodies were found under the charred remains of the plane and one of the two survivors died in hospital from extensive burns. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the crash as a "terrible tragedy". "We are urgently creating a commission to investigate all the circumstances and causes of the tragedy," he wrote on Facebook. Mr Zelensky visited the only remaining survivor in a military hospital in Kharkiv, posting a picture of the 20-year-old cadet lying in bed with a bandaged head and right arm. He said the cadet, Vyacheslav Zolochevsky, "came to his senses near the wreckage of the An-26." "The plane was destroyed, there was fire, darkness and bodies all around. One of the guys was burning," he said on Facebook, adding that Zolochevsky rushed to try and save him. The second cadet died in hospital. Doctors said that Mr Zolochevsky suffered a concussion but his life was not in danger.

Utah family sues police, claiming 'gratuitous violence'

The family of a Utah man who was shot at nearly 30 times and killed as he ran from police filed a lawsuit Friday against Salt Lake City and its police department. The family of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal family allege the officers engaged in “gratuitous violence” by shooting at him between 27 and 29 times after he was already on the ground and incapacitated. “Despite the family’s attempts to negotiate, it is apparent that the SLCPD and the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office (are) not interested in real reform,” the family’s attorneys wrote in a statement.

Progressive group buys Amy Coney Barrett internet domain to protest nomination

The group warns Ms Barrett would overturn the Affordable Care Act and reverse Roe v. Wade

Lawyer says officer thought Blake was trying to kidnap child

The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month told investigators he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children and that he opened fire because Blake started turning toward the officer while holding a knife, the officer’s lawyer contends. Sheskey saw Blake put a child in the SUV as he arrived, but he didn’t know that two other children were also in the back seat, Matthews said.

Miami-Dade announces new safety changes as county enters Phase 3. Here is how it affects you

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced how Phase 3, enacted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will affect the county. Bars and nightclubs can reopen.

As Facebook prepares to outsource tough content decisions to its new 'Supreme Court,' experts warn it still operates within a dictatorship and can't legislate a better government

Facebook's independent oversight board lets the company off the hook on controversial decisions while letting it keep the power to make the rules.

CDC Calls Off Minnesota COVID-19 Study After Reports of Racism and Intimidation Against Surveyors of Color

The voluntary and in-person survey was developed by the CDC to examine the impact of public health emergencies

New Fort Hood Commander Orders Training Pause to Rebuild Soldiers' Trust

Maj. Gen. John Richardson IV has launched a yearlong effort to heal the base's deeply scarred image.

Pelosi expresses hope deal can be reached with White House on COVID-19 relief

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said on Sunday she thinks a deal can be reached with the White House on a coronavirus relief package and that talks were continuing. Formal talks between Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows aimed at hammering out a relief package broke down on Aug. 7 with the two sides far apart.

Cars have hit Black Lives Matter demonstrators 104 times since George Floyd protests began

Amid thousands of racial justice protests nationwide since George Floyd's death, dozens of drivers have plowed into crowds marching in roadways.

Yom Kippur synagogue attack leaves German Jews still uneasy

As Jews around the world gather Sunday night to mark the beginning of Yom Kippur, many in Germany remain uneasy about going together to their houses of worship to pray, a year after a white-supremacist targeted a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle on the holiest day in Judaism. Since then, security has been increased at Jewish institutions across the country, but many wonder whether it is enough amid reports of increasing anti-Semitism and the Halle attack still fresh in their minds. Naomi Henkel-Guembel was inside the building that day a year ago, and didn't immediately understand what was happening when she heard a loud bang outside.

Robert Reich on the 6 crucial races that will flip the Senate

Here are six key races you should be paying attention to

Brain-eating microbe: US city warned over water supply

People in Lake Jackson, Texas, are urged to take precautionary measures amid contamination concerns.

Man convicted of collecting urine from boys now faces child porn charges, Ohio cops say

Officials say the man liked to drink the urine he collected.

Greece warms to EU asylum pact but refugee groups rage

Greece's government has cautiously welcomed a plan from Brussels to reform the EU's shaky asylum system, but charity groups working with refugees on the ground have blasted a continued "outrageous containment policy".

BMW's most iconic sports car wears a wild grille and starts at $69,900 — check out the brand-new M3

That grille, oh my God that grille. It's bigger than ever. What do you think: good, or the stuff of nightmares?

15-year-old girl facing deportation after hospital arrest

A Texas teen's hospitalization led to her aunt's immigration arrest and her placement in a U.S. government shelter for migrant minors.

China's Xi says 'happiness' in Xinjiang on the rise, will keep teaching 'correct' outlook

Chinese President Xi Jinping said levels of happiness among all ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang are rising and that China plans to keep teaching its residents a "correct" outlook on China, Xinhua news agency reported late on Saturday. China has come under scrutiny over its treatment of Uighur Muslims and claims of alleged forced-labour abuses in Xinjiang, where the United Nations cites credible reports as saying one million Muslims held in camps have been put to work.

Thousands of protesters gather to call for Netanyahu's resignation, despite a strict second lockdown

Thousands of Israelis protested outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, demanding his resignation over how the government has handled the coronavirus pandemic. The protests continue weeks of anti-Netanyahu demonstrations despite a strict lockdown order and one of the worst infection rates in the world. Draconian new lockdown measures came into force on Friday that closed many businesses, banned large gatherings and ordered people to stay close to their homes. Protesters say Mr Netanyahu's government is bungling the response to the pandemic. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, failed to pass a measure that would ban the right to protest more than a kilometre away from home which would have seen an end to the weekly demonstrations outside Mr Netanyahu’s official residence. Mr Netanyahu rejected allegations that tougher lockdown rules were in part intended to quash the protests, which he has often called “anarchist” and “ludicrous”.

Russian dissident Navalny recovering faster than expected

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is recovering from the suspected assassination attempt last month faster than expected, one of his aides said Sunday. Navalny, who collapsed on a plane from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20 and spent nearly three weeks in a coma, was discharged last week from the Berlin hospital where he was being treated. “He is doing much better, I would say unexpectedly better," Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief of staff, told German broadcaster RTL.

Supreme Court could become more conservative on guns, abortion and other key issues

If Congress confirms President Donald Trump’s nominee to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court would become more conservative, and also perhaps more ready to tackle certain hot-button issues like abortion and guns. Chief Justice John Roberts would also likely become less able to steer the outcome in divisive cases.

Marine Lance Corporal Apprehended, Charged with Armed Robbery After Fleeing Camp Lejeune

Lance Cpl. Shawn M. Miller was last seen around 6 p.m. Thursday in Jacksonville, the town outside Lejeune.

New aftermath footage of police raid that killed Breonna Taylor shows Louisville officers violating investigation policies

The footage shows officers involved in the raid on Taylor's apartment walking throughout the scene unescorted, a violation of their police department rules.

OTR: Simmering feud between Gov. Charlie Baker, President Donald Trump boils over

The two Republicans have very different takes on mail-in voting, as the president lashed out at the Governor of Massachusetts on Twitter.