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'Anonymous' WH official who wrote about officials thwarting Trump reveals himself

Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, revealed himself Wednesday as the author of an anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed that depicted President Trump as a danger to the nation.

Nice stabbings: Pictured, the church worker among three killed in suspected terror attack

Reports that Nice attacker passed through Lampedusa spark political row in Italy Leo McKinstry: The Nice attack is an appalling assault on Western civilisation Malaysian ex-PM tweets that Muslims have 'right' to kill French people after deadly attack Rakib Ehsan: The vilification of Macron by Muslim countries is disturbing A woman has been decapitated, and two others have been killed, during a knife attack inside the Notre Dame Basilica church in the French city of Nice. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, tweeted that the incident is a "terrorist" attack. Here's what we know so far: At least three people, two women and a man, have been killed, including one woman who was decapitated. The man is reportedly the sexton of the church. The man, a sacristan at the church, has been named locally as 45-year-old, father of two Vincent L. The suspected attacker has been identified as Brahim Aoussaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian migrant who arrived in France from the Italian island of Lampedusa in October. He is reportedly unknown to French security services. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said it was a terrorist attack, and that the "Islamo-fascist" assailant "didn't stop shouting Allahu Akhbar even under medication" after being shot and arrested. France raises its alert status to "terror attack emergency" - PM Castex. President Emmanuel Macron has delivered a defiant message to the French people, saying the attacks would not force France to "give up our values". A Saudi citizen has also been arrested in Jeddah for stabbing a security guard outside the French consulate with "a sharp tool".

Fact check: If he loses election, Biden said he wants to teach, but where is uncertain

A Facebook post lacks context in claiming Biden plans to resume teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, something he did not explicitly state.

VMI to remove statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson

The Virginia Military Institute’s board voted Thursday to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson that currently stands in front of the historic barracks on campus, a school spokesperson said. Spokesman William “Bill” Wyatt said the board also voted to take a number of other steps toward addressing issues of diversity, including directing the adoption of a diversity hiring plan and creating a permanent diversity office. The moves come as VMI, the nation's oldest state-supported military college, is facing an outside investigation into what Virginia officials have characterized as a culture of “structural racism.”

Telescope gives closer look at asteroid worth $10,000 quadrillion

16 Psyche is one of the most massive objects in the solar system's main asteroid belt — and it appears to be made entirely of metal worth approximately $10,000 quadrillion.

2020 polls: Can Trump pull another 2016 upset? The data says no chance

The blue wave is coming - if you believe the polls

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned Rep. Ted Yoho that she won't be 'so nice next time' following harassment incident

"You do that to me again, I won't be so nice next time," Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho the day after he verbally attacked her on the steps of the Capitol.

Jerry Falwell Jr. is suing Liberty University after his forced resignation over sex scandal

The former president was ousted earlier this year and now hints he was victim of political retribution.

Pilot killed as Taiwan fighter jet crashes into sea

A Taiwanese pilot was killed Thursday after his fighter jet crashed off the island's eastern coast during routine training, the air force said, in the second fatal air crash in three months.

Trump aide Stephen Miller preparing second-term immigration blitz

The hardline adviser is said to be ready to unleash executive orders deemed too extreme for a president seeking re-electionThe architect of Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policy, senior adviser Stephen Miller, is said to have a drawer full of executive orders ready to be signed in “shock and awe” style if Trump is re-elected.The former homeland security department chief of staff, Miles Taylor, said this wishlist was reserved for the second term because it included policies that were too unpopular for a president seeking re-election.This comes as no surprise to those who have watched and worried as legal pathways to US immigration shut under Trump, and who wonder not just about for more years of him as president, but also of four more years with Miller at his side.The 35-year-old has managed to keep his position as a senior adviser to the president after being outed for having an affinity for white nationalism and becoming synonymous with unpopular Trump administration policies such as family separation – when thousands of children were taken away from their parents at the southern border to deter would-be migrants. Three years later, more than 500 kids are still yet to be reunited with their parents.Jean Guerrero, author of the Miller biography Hatemonger, told the Guardian: “There’s a number of things they have been cautious about because of the legal and political risks in the first term and I think that in a second term you would see Stephen Miller get much freer rein when it comes to his wishlist of items.”Those items are expected to include attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, making the US citizenship test more difficult to pass, ending the program which protects people from deportation when there is a crisis is their country (Temporary Protected Status) and slashing refugee admissions even further, to zero.Miller wields an unusual amount of power in the administration, particularly the homeland security department (DHS), which is tasked with responding to threats from natural disasters, cybersecurity and terrorism. It is also the base of the country’s immigration agencies, which Miller has zeroed in on with a relentless focus.He was a driving force behind a purge of homeland security officials early last year, which has left some positions in the department vacant or held by temporary officeholders for more than a year. He has even been known to intervene in specific immigration cases by contacting low-level staffers.“Stephen Miller wanted the leadership to constantly have immigration and border issues as their top priority and he ensured that happened by manipulating the bureaucracy, by constantly invoking Trump’s demands, Trump’s desires,” said Guerrero, an investigative journalist. “The cabinet secretaries are aware of Stephen Miller’s relationship with the president.”Miller’s rooted position in the White House was underlined late last year, when a Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) report showed the presidential adviser endorsing white supremacist views in emails to a writer at Breitbart News. It was a discovery that would have brought down prominent figures in other administrations, but not in the Trump White House.In the wake of the report, seven Trump officials in anonymous interviews with the Daily Beast said the story didn’t endanger Miller’s position and two people laughed at the suggestion.The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights was one of at least 55 civil rights groups to demand Miller resign, or be fired, after the report was published. More than 80 members of Congress made the same demand, but nearly a year later, he remains.Becky Monroe, director of the immigrant rights program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said white supremacy and white nationalism are not new to the US but Miller’s staying power underlined how accepted it is in the Trump White House.“This administration’s open embrace of white nationalism and white supremacy has shaped its policies to such an extent that people are feeling emboldened outside the government to commit acts of hate,” Monroe said.In 2018, violent hate crimes and threats reached their highest levels in the US in 16 years, according to FBI data released late last year. Last month, a DHS whistleblower said the agency was told to downplay the threat from white supremacists.In the final months of the 2020 presidential race, Trump has used anti-immigrant rhetoric at substantially lower rates compared with 2016, but his policies continue to dominate the news.Last week, the SPLC released a report based on emails by the White House deputy communications director, Julia Hahn, showing her connections to the white nationalist movement. Hahn had exchanged emails with Miller in the lead-up to the 2016 election while working at Breitbart.Monroe, who worked in the justice department and in the White House during Barack Obama’s administration, said while the US election forces people to consider what four more years of Miller could look like, his influence persists.Monroe said: “His policies and his rhetoric have really taken seed in this administration and they all need to be held accountable.”

Erdogan vows legal response to Charlie Hebdo cartoon showing him lifting skirt of veiled woman

Anger at France deepened in Muslim-majority countries on Wednesday over a Charlie Hebdo cartoon showing Turkey’s president drinking beer while lifting the skirt of a woman wearing a hijab to reveal her naked buttocks. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president, described the cartoonists as “scoundrels” and accused the West of wanting to “relaunch the Crusades”. His office also vowed to take unspecified "legal and diplomatic actions" through the Turkish legal system. His row with France erupted after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a crackdown on Islamists this month, following the beheading of a teacher who showed his class Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Protesters in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu shouted: “Down with France. It insulted our prophet.”

Feds arrest leader of white supremacy group who ran 'hate camp' in Michigan

The leader of "The Base," a national white supremacist group, and one of his associates were charged in Michigan Thursday with multiple crimes.

Tony Chung: Hong Kong activist detained near US consulate charged

Tony Chung was detained as he reportedly planned to claim asylum at the US consulate.

Megyn Kelly slams Sunny Hostin over SCOTUS comments: ‘More intentionally dishonest than stupid’

Megyn Kelly is no stranger to controversy and being called out on social media, but this week she was the one taking the offensive against Sunny Hostin for what she believes to be “intentionally dishonest” rhetoric. Hostin, who serves as a co-host and political analyst on The View, slammed the Republican Party on Tuesday for stealing seats from the Democrats and pushing through right-wing judges in their place. “We all know the Republican Party has been packing the Supreme Court for decades,” Hostin said.

Mitch McConnell Warns of ‘50-50’ Chance that Democrats Flip the Senate

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) warned on Wednesday that Democratic candidates had a "50-50" chance of winning a majority in the Senate in the upcoming general elections.Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but several Republican candidates are facing strong Democratic challengers. Senator Susan Collins (R., Maine) is in a difficult reelection campaign against Maine House speaker Sara Gideon, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina is behind in polling against Democrat Cal Cunningham. Meanwhile Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the most prominent Senate Republicans, is tied in some polls with well-funded challenger Jaime Harrison."It's a 50-50 proposition," McConnell said of Democrats' chances in comments reported by Fox News. "We have a lot of exposure. This is a huge Republican class….There are dogfights all over the country."The Cook Political Report currently lists seven Republican seats as "toss-up," while elections for two Republicans — Martha McSally of Arizona and Cory Gardener of Colorado — are listed as leaning Democrat. McConnell, himself up for reelection, currently holds a strong lead against opponent Amy McGrath."If you look at the Democratic Party today, you ought to be frightened," McConnell said of current liberal candidates. "We're fighting for our way of life."President Trump is also fighting for reelection, with most polls predicting a likely win for Joe Biden. RealClearPolitics polling averages gave Biden a seven-point lead as of Thursday, although some pollsters believe Trump may yet win the race.

A mutated coronavirus strain causes most new COVID-19 infections in Europe and was spread within the continent by tourists, scientists say

The coronavirus variant, known as 20A.EU1, has been identified in 12 European countries as well as in Hong Kong and New Zealand, scientists said.

SCOTUS: N.C. ballots can be counted up to nine days after election

The Supreme Court will allow absentee ballots in North Carolina to be received and counted up to nine days after Election Day.

Polish president backtracks on abortion view amid protests

“It cannot be that the law requires this kind of heroism from a woman,” Duda said in an interview.

Trump rushes struggling GOP senator at rally: 'You got one minute, they don't want to hear this'

President hurried Arizona Senator Martha McSally before calling up three politicians from other states - plus Nigel Farage - to address the crowd

Tourist, 12, and guide lose limbs in shark attack at Sharm El-Sheikh

A young Ukrainian tourist lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost a leg in a rare shark attack over the weekend off Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, officials said on Tuesday. The attack took place on Sunday when two tourists - a mother and her son - and their tour guide were snorkelling in Ras Mohammed national park, the Environment Ministry said. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and an initial investigation showed that the attack involved a 2m-long (6-foot) Oceanic Whitetip shark. The ministry did not release details of the injuries, but a statement by Ukraine's State Agency for the Development of Tourism said that the 12-year-old boy was in intensive care, and that surgery had failed to save his arm. An Egyptian health official said that the family's guide had lost a leg, and the mother suffered light injuries. The health official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media. Officials have closed the area of Ras Mohammed National Park where the attack took place. Shark attacks have been rare in the Red Sea coastal region of Egypt in recent years. But in 2010, a spate of shark attacks killed one European tourist and maimed several others off Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharm el-Sheikh resort at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula is one of Egypt's major tourist destinations that offers European tourists a warm and quick escape from frigid winter temperatures on the continent. Divers are drawn by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore that offer a rich and colourful sea life. Authorities have in recent years sought to revive the vital tourism sector battered by years of instability and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

Woman Beheaded in French Knife ‘Terror’ Attack at Church, 3 Dead

Three people have been killed—including one elderly woman and another person by decapitation—and several others injured in a suspected terror attack inside the Notre-Dame basilica in the French city of Nice. The knife-wielding assailant, who was wounded by police gunfire, allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” several times, including while he was being detained, in what has come to be known as a battle cry for Islamic extremists in Europe.The city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, wrote immediately after the killings that “everything suggests a terrorist attack,” and said the unnamed suspect had been arrested and taken to a hospital in the city. The Paris’ anti-terror prosecutors office said it has opened an investigation. Italian police said late Thursday that the killer is a 21-year-old Tunisian migrant who was smuggled to the Italian island of Lampedusa in September. After he completed the mandatory two-week COVID-19 quarantine, he left the migrant camp and made his way to France. Authorities have his details and fingerprints as part of the immigration process and are working with French police. “The suspected knife attacker was shot by police while being detained. He is on his way to hospital, he is alive,” Estrosi told reporters at the scene. Although a motive has not been confirmed by officials, the mayor expressed his wish to “wipe out Islamo-fascism” from the country.French President Emmanuel Macron declared a state of emergency and ordered security to be strengthened at places of worship across the nation. On Wednesday night, Macron had put France back into lockdown because of its out-of-control resurgence in coronavirus cases. Hours after the attack, he visited the basilica and met with security and rescue personnel.The Nice slashings occurred on the same day that an assailant was shot dead by police near another French city, Avignon, after he reportedly waved a gun at officers, and also as a guard was reportedly attacked outside the French consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Local reports in the French Riviera city say the elderly woman and a man who died were attacked inside the heart of the Nice basilica. The BBC reports a woman who fled to a nearby cafe was stabbed many times and died at a hospital, and that a witness at the scene managed to set off an alarm on a “special protection system” set up by city officials. One eyewitness told the BBC: “We heard many people shouting in the street. We saw from the window that there were many, many policemen coming, and gunshots, many gunshots.”In July 2016, Nice was the scene of unthinkable carnage when an armed French delivery driver attacked a waterfront Bastille Day fireworks party with a truck, killing at 84 people, including 10 children. France has been under high alert for terrorist acts in recent weeks as 14 people suspected of murdering 12 Charlie Hebdo staffers, a female police officer, and four men in a Jewish supermarket in 2015 in retaliation for the publication of cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad went on trial.As the courtroom proceedings opened, two people were stabbed near the publication’s old offices in Paris on Sept. 25 in what the French interior minister then declared was “clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.”The Nice attack also comes less than two weeks after the beheading of middle-school teacher Samuel Paty in Paris after he had shown his students cartoons published by the satirical magazine.Estrosi said the two attacks were similar. “The methods match, without doubt, those used against the brave teacher in Conflans Sainte Honorine, Samuel Paty,” he said.Family of Moscow-Born Teen Who Beheaded Teacher Were from Chechnya Where Charlie Hebdo Cartoons Are DemonizedPresident Macron delivered the eulogy at Paty’s funeral, and said France would not abandon its right to free speech. “We will continue, Professor. We will defend the freedom that you taught so well and we will promote secularism, we will not renounce caricatures, drawings, even if others retreat,” Macron said. “We will continue the fight for freedom and the freedom of which you are now the face.”Macron’s comments have drawn sharp criticism in the Islamic world with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling for a boycott of French goods. In response, Charlie Hebdo published a caricature of Erdogan in his underwear lifting a Muslim woman’s skirt on Wednesday, drawing scorn from Erdogan for what he referred to as a “a grave insult to my prophet.”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.

Justice Thomas's wife spreads unfounded Biden claims, asks followers to repost

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is using her Facebook page to amplify unsubstantiated claims of corruption by Joe Biden.

Karabakh city hit by heaviest shelling in month of fighting: official

Azerbaijan on Thursday launched its heaviest missile strikes in a month of fighting on the largest city in its Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, separatist officials said.

A graphic shows how pumpkin pie looks when you mess up the recipe

Our food reporter made pumpkin pie eight ways to figure out what happens when you add ingredients like condensed milk or extra eggs.

Southwest Airlines just announced 10 new routes and has a new shortest that's only 73 miles long – here's the full list

Fresh from a $1.2 billion third-quarter loss, Southwest is revising its route map and moving into new, larger airports that it's previously avoided.

The Electoral College can pick a president who got fewer votes. Here's why and how.

The 2020 presidential election again highlights one of the most confusing and controversial parts of the U.S. elections: The Electoral College.

Body of missing hip-hop artist found in trunk after Miami car crash

Robert Deupree Avery Coltrain was arrested and charged with illegal transport of human remains and second-degree murder in the death of Brian Trotter.

Joe Biden's biggest problem is that there is no vaccine for Trumpism

Biden's presidency won't suddenly cure COVID because Trump has helped to create a whole culture of resistance to COVID-19 regulations.

Angela Merkel heckled in German parliament after warning against Covid 'lies and disinformation'

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was heckled by opposition MPs during a speech to parliament on Thursday when she took aim at groups spreading "lies and disinformation" as the country continues to battle coronavirus. The speech – which took place the morning after Mrs Merkel announced a range of sweeping measures to tackle the spread of the virus – warned that the German people find themselves in a "dramatic situation". On Thursday morning, Germany recorded 16,774 new daily coronavirus infections, the highest number of new cases within a 24-hour period since the pandemic began.

Egypt says freedom of expression 'stops' when Muslims offended

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday freedom of expression should stop if it offends more than 1.5 billion people, following the display of images in France of the Prophet Mohammad that Muslims see as blasphemous. Sisi also said he firmly rejects any form of violence or terrorism from anyone in the name of defending religion, religious symbols or icons. The Grand Imam of Egypt's al-Azhar university, one of the world's most eminent seats of Sunni Muslim learning, also called on the international community to criminalise "anti-Muslim" actions.

Jeff Bezos may be considering purchase of CNN, according to bankers

Rumours of the purchase stem from investment bankers discussing the potential sale

A couple has lived in a 130-square-foot tiny house for 5 years — here's what a typical week looks like for them

As part of the "A Week in My Tiny House" series, Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons show the reality of living in a tiny house with your partner.

Op-Ed: Time to prepare for an even more deadly pandemic

As lethal as the novel coronavirus has been, a novel influenza could be worse, transmitting even more easily and killing millions more people.

Allegiant passenger removed over flight attendant's mask demands apology from airline

John Peterman states he was denied a request to speak with the plane’s captain to lodge his complaint that a flight attendant was not wearing a mask.

At least 2 killed, 7 injured in Tennessee school bus crash

The school bus was struck by a utility service vehicle operated by Service Electric that lost control and veered into oncoming traffic.

Trump keeps hinting at how desperate his campaign is for votes, telling rally crowds he 'wouldn't be out here' if he didn't need them

At two Tuesday rallies, President Donald Trump complained about the cold but said the pandemic's damage to his campaign meant he needed the votes.

The Government has agreed only three claims by families of deceased Windrush victims

The Government has settled only three of the 71 claims by families of dead victims of the Windrush scandal, according to Home Office data. Around one in eight (12 per cent) of Windrush victims claiming compensation have received payouts, according to the official figures. Of 1,587 claims made to the scheme by the end of September, £1,619,291.42 had been paid out to 196 people, around 12 per cent of those who had applied. The data also showed 71 claims have been made for people who have already died, but only three have resulted in payments so far. Some 124 claims have been subject to an appeal over the decision made, while 81 eligible applicants were told they were not entitled to any money because their claims did not demonstrate that they had been adversely affected by the scandal. The fund has an estimated budget of at least £200 million. Previously, Home Secretary Priti Patel described the scheme as "complicated" and said she wanted to see payments "sped up". Earlier this year, Windrush campaigner Paulette Wilson (see below) died, aged 64, just weeks after delivering a petition to Downing Street calling for action to address the failings that led to the scandal and demanding swift compensation for victims.

FBI arrests five in U.S. accused of trying to coerce political dissenters to return to China

A note left on the door of one victim read, "If you are willing to go back to mainland and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right."

Ruth Bader Ginsburg should have retired under Obama to prevent Trump from filling her seat, says Bill Maher

‘She should have taken the hint,’ says Mr Maher

Venezuela's Maduro says Amuay refinery was hit by a 'terrorist attack'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said the country's Amuay oil refinery was victim of a terrorist attack on Tuesday that involved a "powerful weapon", but said the country had gasoline reserves equivalent to 20 days of consumption. An explosion hit a distillation unit at the 645,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) plant on Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said, though there were no reports of injuries. "Yesterday, the Amuay refinery - one of the most important refineries in Venezuela and Latin America - was attacked with a long, powerful weapon," Maduro said at a press conference, adding that the government was seeking to determine what kind of weapon was involved.

Jeff Van Drew, congressman who ditched Democrats for Trump, struggling in reelection race

A congressman who switched from the Democratic Party to join Republican ranks is struggling in his ace for reelection.

Coronavirus in South Asia: Which countries have rising numbers?

India remains a global hotspot for Covid-19, but what's happening to cases in neighbouring countries?

'A big win for justice!': Texas officials scrap rule that would allow social workers to deny LGBTQ, disabled clients

After backlash, Texas officials have reversed a rule that would have allowed social workers to turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability.

Mother’s body decayed for years in home she shared with her adult children, TN cops say

Police found her skeleton buried under a pile of clothes on a bed

UPS says it lost the cache of documents that Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed would damage Biden's campaign

UPS said a set of documents that Tucker Carlson described as "damning" to the Biden family were lost in transit.

A man waved a sword at a woman blocks away from a polling place, warning her to 'vote for Trump' and photographing her license plate

A man attending a Trump rally in Beverly Hills on Saturday wielded a sword and threatened passersby to vote for Trump, a viral TikTok video showed.

Lev Parnas associate David Correia pleads guilty to fraud and lying

Correia and Parnas faced charges of campaign finance fraud and of duping investors in a company called "Fraud Guarantee" out of more than $2 million.

Florida man charged with changing governor's voting address

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn't initially cast his ballot this week because someone illegally changed his address online, a complication that resulted in a suspect's arrest on felony charges and raised questions about the security of the state’s online registration system. DeSantis went to an early voting site in Tallahassee on Monday to cast his ballot, but was told his address had been changed from the governor's mansion to 2185 Pretty Lane, a small apartment complex in West Palm Beach, 420 miles (675 kilometers) away. The problem was quickly fixed and the Republican governor and close ally of President Donald Trump was allowed to vote.