U.S. officials who analyze and combat disinformation aimed at undermining democracies say foreign actors are now focusing on two topics: spreading falsehoods about coronavirus vaccine development and the U.S. elections.
In an interview with VOA, the State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for Global Engagement Center Lea Gabrielle said President Donald Trump’s health also is an active topic of online discussion among overseas audiences.
“When we see the trending narratives, we are seeing that news of the president being infected with COVID is trending in the online information space,” Gabrielle told VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching on Wednesday during a Skype interview.
After years in which American intelligence focused on Russian-style disinformation tactics, U.S. officials say during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has learned from the Kremlin’s approach, even using it to shape online narratives inside China’s tightly controlled domestic inter..


Foreign Disinformation Campaigns, COVID-19 and US Election

When he set out to plant his crops earlier this year, Illinois farmer Ron Moore was preparing for another year of trade uncertainty with China, one of the largest purchasers of the more than 300 hectares of soybeans he grows on a family farm he has tilled since 1977.
The year 2020 would prove to be unlike any growing season Moore had witnessed. A global pandemic upended the food supply chain, pushing down wholesale prices for livestock and the foodstuffs they consume.
“They [thinned herds] are not going to eat a lot of corn and they’re not going to eat a lot of soybean meal,” Moore explained to VOA during a break in this year’s harvest. “So that decimated demand for the grains that provide the feed for the livestock.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported a 35% drop in soybean prices that coincided with a multiyear trade war with China that saw Beijing turn increasingly to Brazil and other U.S. competitors for the staple. The pandemic reduced Chinese purchases even further..


Illinois Farmers Voice Support for Trump Despite Hardships

President Donald Trump says he will not participate in the presidential debate originally scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, allowing Democratic nominee Joe Biden to take part in an ABC News town hall event in Philadelphia that evening.
Trump rejected the change to a virtual format announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates, which explained that the format was necessary because of the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Asked about the virtual format on Fox Business, Trump said, “I&#039;m not going to waste my time in a virtual debate. That&#039;s not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate is ridiculous. And then they cut you off whenever they want.”
Virtual debate OK with Biden
The Biden campaign had said the former vice president would be willing to participate in a virtual debate.
In a statement, the Biden campaign said, “we hope the Debate Commission will move the Biden-Trump Town Hall to October 22 so that the president is not..


Trump Says He Won’t Take Part in Virtual Debate; Biden Makes New Plans

With less than a month before the election, President Donald Trump&#039;s COVID-19 diagnosis has returned the pandemic to the forefront of the presidential race. While his administration sought to project an image of a president who is recovering quickly, his campaign is working to frame his illness as an electoral asset.
Since his return Monday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump has projected an image of an incumbent ready to return to the job. On Wednesday he left the executive residence to work briefly from the Oval Office, where he received updates on Hurricane Delta and the ongoing negotiation with congressional Democrats on the emergency economic rescue package.
Throughout his convalescence Trump has remained very active on Twitter, with posts that included attacks on his political opponents, statements on his nomination of conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as well as several assurances of his physical well-being.
FEELING GREAT!
— Do..


Trump Campaign Works to Frame His COVID-19 Illness as Electoral Asset

Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger California Senator Kamala Harris squared off Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the November 3 election. Here are some of key quotes from the debate, which was moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page.
The coronavirus pandemic
Harris: &#8220;On January 28, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it&#039;s lethal. In consequence that it is airborne that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted, because it is airborne. And they knew what was happening and they didn&#039;t tell you.&#8221;
Asked about the COVID-19 death toll, Pence: &#8220;I want the American people to know that from the very first day President Donald Trump has put the health of America first.&#8221;
Pence: &#8220;The reality is when you look at the Biden plan [for dealing with the pandemic] it reads an awful lot like what President Trump and I and our task force have been doing ..


Key Quotes from Mike Pence – Kamala Harris Debate

TAG: voa news 10-9-20

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REP. ANDY BIGGS TALKS LAKEN RILEY TRIAL VERDICT

REP. MATT ROSENDALE EXPLAINS WHAT CONGRESS NEEDS TO DO TO GET TRUMP'S AGENDA GOING

HOW CAN TRUMP FIX AMERICA'S ECONOMY?

HERE'S AN EASY WAY YOU CAN KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

SHOULD BIDEN STEP DOWN AND LET KAMALA TAKE OVER THE REST OF HIS TERM?

RUDY GIULIANI WEIGHS IN ON TRUMP'S SENTENCING

CONGRESSMAN TIM BURCHETT TALKS FEMA NOT HELPING TRUMP SUPPORTERS, TRANS BATHROOM DRAMA

JUDICIAL WATCH'S TOM FITTON TALKS TRUMP USING MILITARY TO AID IN DEPORTATION EFFORTS

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Rick Has Sports and Rick Has News To Wrap The Show

Damon Shares Thoughts on How Mike Rogers Would Be If Chosen As FBI Director, Rick Has News

Slick Has Sports and Rick Has News on Matt Gaetz

Damon Starts Hour Two with a Message for Jay Leno and The Guys Discuss Gaetz's Case with Biden's DOJ

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AMERICANS WANT TRUMP BACK

THE BIDEN BLAME GAME

MAGA MUST PREVAIL IN GOP FIGHT

THE MAGA KING VS. THE MALARKEY KING

FOR GOD’S SAKE, THIS MAN (BIDEN) CANNOT REMAIN IN POWER

The petition collected 216 signatures, roughly 14% of the company workforce.

Simon & Schuster employees tell publisher no book deals for Trump administration authors

The U.S. military established the facility after the 9/11 terror attack.

Pentagon closes Guantanamo Bay facility that housed KSM, moves the detainees to main site, report

"I don’t think it’s necessary," Reeves said about vaccine passports, "and I don’t think it’s a good thing to do in America."

Mississippi Governor Reeves joins Florida's DeSantis in opposing 'vaccine passports'

Department of State says it still objects to ICC decisions, but will pursue other remedies.

U.S. lifts sanctions on International Criminal Court officials

Leaders also discussed Ukraine's "plan to tackle corruption and implement a reform agenda."

Biden holds first call with Ukrainian president as concerns grow over Russian military presence

Sen. Marsha Blackburn says she has 'tax-free' alternative to Biden infrastructure plan

While Iran and the US are set to meet, they will be in separate rooms. Instead, European diplomats will convey info to each country.

U.S. and Iran agree to talk about Iran nuke deal

The last time migrant apprehensions were this high was over twenty years ago.

Number of migrants apprehended at US southern border in March, most per month in two decades

"All wireless broadband data services be temporarily suspended until further notice," the Myanmar military said in a directive.

Myanmar military cuts wireless internet service amid protests over coup

The monthly increase is the biggest since August 2020.

Economy added 916,000 jobs in March, as vaccine rollout helps speed coronavirus recovery

Among those selected are Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge.

Biden names 'Jobs Cabinet' to sell his $2 trillion infrastructure-jobs package to Congress, America

Trump also teased a possible 2024 presidential run, responding that there was "hope."

Trump considering holding a rally soon, says 'hope' he'll run again in 2024

A school dean said, "These types of xenophobic comments and stigmatizations around location or ethnicity are more than troubling."

University of Cincinnati won't renew contract of professor who called COVID-19 'the Chinese virus'

"Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. Andrzej Duda is a moron," writer Jakub Zulczyk posted on Facebook.

Polish writer faces prison for calling Polish President Duda a 'moron'

Senate confirms Marty Walsh to serve as Labor Secretary

Politics

Stinchfield: RINOS are Hurting the GOP

END THE MASK MADNESS

AMERICA NEEDS SARAH PALIN IN CONGRESS

Democrat Congressman: Borrowing for Biden's entire infrastructure plan 'not the wisest thing to do'

Congressman: Dems will use 'reconciliation' to pass Biden's infrastructure bill if GOP opposes it

The United States returns to a unified government this week as Joe Biden becomes the 46th president and Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate. With the U.S. House continuing under the Democratic party leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden has an opportunity to enact big legislative changes. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.


With Control of the White House and Congress, Democrats Have 2 Years to Enact Change

With U.S. President-elect Joe Biden set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, one question being debated is whether Congress will pursue a second impeachment of outgoing President Donald Trump over his alleged role in last Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol building. Michelle Quinn reports.


US Lawmakers Discuss Next Moves as Nation Grapples to Understand Violence at Capitol Building

What started as a day of celebration for Black organizers, voters and other Georgians who helped deliver two historic Senate runoff victories was overshadowed Wednesday when a violent, mostly white mob of President Donald Trump&#039;s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
But Black leaders and organizers say the rioters&#039; insurrection won&#039;t deter the momentum achieved after the hard-fought victories of Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Instead, it serves as a harsh reminder of the work that lies ahead for the nation to truly grapple with white supremacy and racism, which Trump&#039;s presidency emboldened.
&#8220;It&#039;s a little bit bittersweet because on one hand it feels like vindication that if we invest in our communities and our organizations, then amazing things can happen,&#8221; said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, which estimates that it reached 2.8 million individuals in Georgia through text and phone banking campaigns, digital and social med..


Black Leaders Cheer Georgia Success, Push for More Progress

Lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled to meet Wednesday in a joint session of Congress to count and certify electoral votes based on the result of the November presidential election.
This usually routine and ceremonial function — a final step after the Electoral College officially elected Joe Biden on December 14 — has turned into a litmus test of Republican lawmakers&#039; loyalty to President Donald Trump. More than 100 Trump loyalists are set to challenge certification.
Here&#039;s what we can expect from the meeting.
What usually happens?
Under the 12th Amendment, both chambers must meet to officially count and certify the Electoral College results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties in the Senate and House are appointed as &#8220;tellers&#8221; from each chamber. Vice President Mike Pence, in his capacity as president of the Senate, presides over the joint session. If he cannot presi..


Will Congress Block Certification of Biden’s Victory?

More than 100 Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and a dozen senators say they will join an almost assuredly futile effort Wednesday to try to block certification of the Electoral College vote showing that Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the November election.
The certification of the 306-232 Electoral College vote favoring Biden is the last step before he is set to be inaugurated as the country’s 46th president on January 20.
Both chambers of Congress would need to uphold the challenges to Biden’s victory for the election outcome to be upended. Democrats narrowly control the House and are certain to certify Biden’s win, while the Democratic minority in the Senate, along with some Republicans who have acknowledged Biden’s win, are likely to do the same in the Senate.
Trump, who for weeks has made baseless claims that he was defrauded of election to a second four-year term, continues to cheer on protests of his loss, an outcome that will m..


Dozens of House, Senate Republicans Joining Likely Futile Effort to Reject Biden Victory

Congress has overridden President Donald Trump&#039;s veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since Trump took office nearly four years ago.
In an extraordinary New Year&#039;s Day session, the Republican-controlled Senate easily turned aside the veto, dismissing Trump&#039;s objections to the $740 billion bill and handing him a rebuke weeks before his term ends.
Trump had lashed out at lawmakers from his own party on Twitter, charging earlier this week that &#8220;Weak and tired Republican &#039;leadership&#039; will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass.&#8221;
Trump called the looming override vote a &#8220;disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech. Negotiate a better Bill, or get better leaders, NOW!&#8221;
The 81-13 vote in the Senate followed an earlier 322-87 override vote in the House of the widely popular defense measure. The bill provides a 3% pay raise for U.S. troops and guides defense policy, cementing decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems a..


In a First, Congress Overrides Trump Veto of Defense Bill 

The congressional joint session to count electoral votes is generally a routine, ceremonial affair. But President Donald Trump&#039;s repeated efforts to challenge Democrat Joe Biden&#039;s victory will bring more attention than usual to next Wednesday&#039;s joint session of the Senate and the House.
The congressional count is the final step in reaffirming Biden&#039;s win, after the Electoral College officially elected him on Dec 14. The meeting is required by the Constitution and includes several distinct steps.
Some Republicans who are echoing Trump&#039;s baseless claims of fraud have said they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail. A group of House Republicans had been looking for a senator to sign on because there must be support from at least one member of each chamber to force the votes. That support came Wednesday from Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a possible contende..


How Congress Will Count Electoral College Votes

U.S. President Donald Trump is spending the holiday weekend at his Florida resort as both Democrats and Republicans wait to see whether he will sign a critical pandemic relief and government funding package that he sharply criticized earlier this week.
The $2.3 trillion spending legislation, which includes $892 billion for coronavirus relief, has been flown from Washington to his Mar-a-Lago club to be available for him to sign into law. Trump has not specifically threatened to veto the bill, but he surprised lawmakers in both parties by labeling the legislation as a “disgrace” after it had been passed in the House and Senate, capping months of negotiations.
President Donald Trump&#039;s motorcade drives to Trump International Golf Club, Dec. 25, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla.Trump said the package gave too much money to special interests and foreign aid, and said direct payments of $600 for most Americans should be increased to $2,000. That was seen as a rebuke to members of his own Re..


US Spending Bill Awaits Trump’s Decision

U.S. President Donald Trump vetoed a $740 billion bill setting policy for the Department of Defense on Wednesday, despite its strong support in Congress, raising the possibility that the measure will fail to become law for the first time in 60 years.
Trump said he vetoed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, because it &#8220;fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military&#039;s history, and contradicts efforts by my administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions.&#8221;
&#8220;It is a &#039;gift&#039; to China and Russia,&#8221; he said in a message to the House of Representatives.
Although his previous eight vetoes were all upheld thanks to support from Trump&#039;s fellow Republicans in Congress, advisers said this one looked likely to be overridden, just weeks before he leaves office on January 20.
Both the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-majority House of Re..


Major Defense Bill, Strongly Backed in Congress, Draws Trump’s Veto

Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday.
A Democratic aide said in an email that an agreement had been reached late Saturday and that compromise language was being finalized to seal a deal to be unveiled on Sunday.
The breakthrough involved a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers that was defused by an odd couple: the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.
“We’re getting very close, very close,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier Saturday as he spent much of the day going back and forth with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Toomey had been pressing a provision to close down Fed lending facilities that Democrats and the White House said was too broadly worded and would have tied the hands of the incoming Biden administration.
The COVID-19 legislation has been held up after months of di..


Deal on Fed Removes Obstacle to US COVID Relief

Congress passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night, averting a partial government shutdown and buying yet more time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package.
The virus aid talks remained on track, both sides said, but closing out final disagreements was proving difficult. Weekend sessions were on tap, and House leaders hoped for a vote on Sunday on the massive package, which wraps much of Capitol Hill&#039;s unfinished 2020 business into a take-it-or-leave-it behemoth.
The House passed the temporary funding bill by a 320-60 vote. The Senate approved it by voice vote almost immediately afterward, and President Donald Trump signed it late Friday.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, walks to his office from the Senate Floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Dec. 18, 2020.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said both sides remain intent on closing the deal, even as Democr..


Congress Averts Shutdown; Fight Continues Over Pandemic Aid

Republican and Democratic congressional leaders expressed hope late Tuesday about reaching an agreement on a new round of coronavirus aid that has eluded U.S. lawmakers for months.
&#8220;I think we&#039;re moving in the right direction,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said after two rounds of talks. “I think there&#039;s a possibility of getting it done.”
The meetings included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
&#8220;We&#039;re making progress and hopefully we can come to an agreement soon,” Schumer said. “I think there is a genuine desire to come to an agreement.&#8221;  
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, speaks virtually with retired U.S. General Lloyd Austin, nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be his Secretary of Defense, at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 15, 2020.Without a deal, several key programs are set to expire at the end of month, including unemployment aid that reaches 12 million out-of-work A..


Lawmakers Race to Make COVID-19 Aid Deal Ahead of Holiday Break

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday that could prevent Chinese companies from listing their shares on U.S. exchanges unless they adhere to U.S. auditing standards.
The measure passed by unanimous voice vote, after passing the Senate earlier this year, sending it to the White House, which said President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.
&#8220;The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act&#8221; bars securities of foreign companies from being listed on any U.S. exchange if they have failed to comply with the U.S. Public Accounting Oversight Board&#039;s audits for three years in a row.
While it applies to companies from any country, the legislation targets Chinese companies such as Alibaba, tech firm Pinduoduo Inc. and oil giant PetroChina Co Ltd.
Measures taking a harder line on Chinese business and trade practices generally pass Congress with large margins, as both Democrats and Trump&#039;s fellow Republicans echo the president&#039;s hard line against B..


Bill Forcing Chinese Firms to Meet US Accounting Standards Passes Congress

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says time is running out for U.S. lawmakers to reach an agreement on a second massive round of aid addressing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
With just a handful of days left in session this year, members of Congress are racing to reach an agreement after months of fruitless negotiations.
McConnell told reporters Tuesday he had been in discussion with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows earlier in the day to determine what legislation U.S. President Donald Trump would be willing to sign.
“The way you get a result, you have to have a presidential signature. So, I felt the first thing we needed to do was to find out what the president would in fact sign. We believe we&#039;ve got the answer to that,” McConnell said. He added that given the dwindling days in session, any agreement on coronavirus relief would more than likely be tied to the omnibus bill funding the U.S. government past a D..


US Lawmakers Running Out of Time to Pass Coronavirus Aid

At least there won&#039;t be a government shutdown.
But as lawmakers return to Washington for an abbreviated preelection session, hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.
Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in COVID-19 rescue legislation into law this spring replaced by partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.
Expectations in July and August that a fifth bipartisan pandemic response bill would be agreed on despite increased obstacles has been replaced by genuine pessimism. Recent conversations about COVID-19 aid among key players have led to nothing.
Democrats seem secure in their political position, with President Donald Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren&#039;t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as n..


Hopes Fade for Coronavirus Deal as Congress Returns to Work

Congress

FOOD INSECURITY IS COMING TO AMERICA

CRIME WAVE DUE TO DEMOCRAT POLICIES, NOT PANDEMIC

RITTENHOUSE SPOKESMAN DAVID HANCOCK BLASTS MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOR ATTACKS ON TRIAL JUDGE BRUCE SCHROEDER

The U.S. military Wednesday announced its plan to implement a series of recommendations for dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment among its personnel.

US Military Announces Plan for Sexual Assault Reforms

Tourists Run for Their Lives in Latest French Quarter Mass Shooting

Police say they are still combing through the suspect's history to find the reason for the events of last week's attack at the Capitol.

Suspect in Capitol attack 'intentionally struck' officers, police

Video shows retired Army Sgt. Kenneth Harrelson inside Capitol with Oath Keepers. Wife says members are "not terrorists."

FBI searches retired Army sergeant's home, charges him with conspiracy in Capitol riot

Road was major route for illegal border crossings in late 1990s

U.S. immigration officials yet to determine if deadly California crash was human trafficking

Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton, a member of the Capitol Police board, said he wasn't consulted on calling in National Guard.

Top Capitol official says breach damage exceeds $30 million, not consulted on calling National Guard

The influential anti-Donald Trump group Lincoln Project is denouncing one of its co-founders after multiple reports that over several years he sexually harassed young men looking to break into politics.
The Lincoln Project in a statement on Sunday called co-founder John Weaver, 61, &#8220;a predator, a liar, and an abuser&#8221; following reports that he repeatedly sent unsolicited and sexually charged messages online to young men, often while suggesting he could help them get work in politics.
&#8220;The totality of his deceptions are beyond anything any of us could have imagined and we are absolutely shocked and sickened by it,&#8221; the Lincoln Project, the most prominent &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; Republican super PAC to emerge during the 45th president&#039;s time in the White House, said in its statement.
The online magazine The American Conservative first reported the sexual harassment allegations earlier this month.
Days later, Weaver, a strategist who advised the late Republican Sen. John McCain and former Ohio ..


Young Men Accuse Lincoln Project Co-Founder of Harassment

The FBI is issuing new security warnings ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, citing potential armed protests in state capitals nationwide. Meanwhile, Congress is considering proposals to establish a national bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov


Armed Protests Feared Ahead of Inauguration

A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after president-elect Joe Biden takes office.
U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery&#039;s execution date for Jan. 12. Montgomery had previously been scheduled to be put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, this month, but Moss delayed the execution after her attorneys contracted coronavirus visiting their client and asked him to extend the amount of time to file a clemency petition.
Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery&#039;s execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12. But Moss ruled on Wednesday that the agency was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while a stay was in plac..


Judge Delays Execution of Only Woman on US Death Row

The Justice Department is investigating the finances of President-elect Joe Biden&#039;s son, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The revelations put a renewed spotlight on questions about Hunter Biden&#039;s financial history, which dogged his father&#039;s successful White House campaign and were a frequent target of President Donald Trump and his allies. They also come at a politically delicate time for the president-elect, who is weighing his choice to lead an agency that is actively investigating his son.
The tax investigation was launched in 2018, the year before the elder Biden announced his candidacy for president. Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of the investigation on Wednesday, saying he learned about it for the first time the previous day.
&#8220;I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demons..


Hunter Biden Tax Probe Examining Chinese Business Dealings

As an elite political fundraiser, Imaad Zuberi had the ear of top Democrats and Republicans alike — a reach that included private meetings with then-Vice President Joe Biden and VIP access at Donald Trump&#039;s inauguration.
He lived a lavish, jet-setting lifestyle, staying at fine hotels and hosting lawmakers and diplomats at four-star restaurants. Foreign ambassadors turned to Zuberi to get face time in Congress.
He was a charming networker and an inveterate namedropper. His Facebook account was filled with pictures of him next to the powerful and famous: having dinner with Hillary Clinton and Robert De Niro and rubbing shoulders with Trump&#039;s then-chief of staff Reince Priebus outside Mar-A-Lago. Zuberi raised huge amounts for Clinton in the 2016 election before becoming a top donor to the Trump Presidential Inauguration Committee.
But federal prosecutors say Zuberi&#039;s life was built on a series of lies and the lucrative enterprise of funding American political campaigns an..


‘Mercenary’ Donor Sold Access for Millions in Foreign Money

Some of the data Iran used to unleash a deluge of emails designed to intimidate U.S. voters just weeks before the country’s presidential election came directly from one state’s voter registration database.
U.S. officials confirmed the finding late Friday in an alert issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which has been coordinating U.S. election security efforts.
The alert said Iranian hackers targeting websites belonging to various U.S. states, including state election websites, “successfully obtained voter registration data in at least one state” by exploiting what it described as website misconfigurations.
That data was then used as part of an Iranian campaign last week to intimidate voters in at least four states, including Arizona, Alaska, Pennsylvania and Florida.
The “spoofed” emails were designed to make it look as though they had come from the Proud Boys, a far-right group that has rallied behind Pre..


US Confirms Iran Hacked Voter Registration Data in 1 State

In the U.S. state of Michigan, authorities have apprehended 13 men accused of conspiring to abduct and possibly kill the state’s governor. The plot, which involved a self-styled militia group armed with semi-automatic weapons and explosives, was timed to disrupt the U.S. election and incite an insurrection. Matt Dibble spoke to experts who are warning that provocative messaging from leaders and under-regulated social media could be driving the American political climate towards violence.
Camera: Sam Paakkonen Producer: Matt Dibble


Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor Raises Alarm Over US Election Violence

MILWAUKEE &#8212; Seven people, including the shooter, have been killed in a Wednesday afternoon attack near Molson Coors&#8217; Milwaukee campus, a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says. RELATED COVERAGE: Live blog: Updates on shooting near Molson Coors Harley-Davidson, other nearby businesses placed on lockdown There is significant police activity with dozens of squad cars at the [&hellip;]


Report: 7 dead, including shooter, in attack near Milwaukee Molson Coors campus

The violence of the left over President Trump support has reached near epidemic proportions. We wrote about the man who drove his van into a Trump tent while supporters were registering voters. Now we have a man physically slapping a 15 year old boy in the face over his red MAGA hat at a polling place, and [&hellip;]


Leftist Slaps Juvenile Over Trump Support; Woman Triggered by Red Punches Retired Cop Same Reason

House Democrats asked for documents from federal prosecutors and Florida law enforcement officials on Friday as part of a probe into how financier Jeffrey Epstein received a secret plea deal more than a decade ago after he was accused of molesting underage girls.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, asking for all emails about the plea deal and how victims should have been notified.
Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled Epstein’s victims should have been consulted under federal law about the deal.
Epstein reached the deal in 2008 with then-Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta’s office to end the federal probe that could have landed him in prison for life. Epstein instead pleaded guilty to lesser state charges, spent 13 months in jail, paid financial settlements to victims and registered as a sex offender.
Acosta was appointed Labor Secretary by President Donald Trump, but he resigned in July amid renewed scrutiny of the sec..


House Asks for Documents in Epstein Probe From DOJ

As he prepared to announce his candidacy for president on Sunday, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a page from an old political playbook.
Appearing in a black church in the city&#039;s Brooklyn borough last week, the multibillionaire media mogul apologized for long pushing a now-defunct policing tactic that had disproportionately targeted African American and Hispanic residents.
Known as &#8220;stop and frisk,&#8221; the controversial policy, imposed between 2003 and 2013, allowed New York City police to stop, temporarily detain, and search anyone suspected of carrying weapons and other contraband.
&#8220;I was wrong,&#8221; Bloomberg declared to the congregation. To those who had been wronged by the policy, he said, &#8220;I apologize.&#8221;
Criminal justice policy records
Bloomberg is the latest Democratic candidate forced to reckon with a criminal justice policy record that critics view as too punitive to minorities.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has been criticized for backing a 1994 crime bill ..


TAG: voa news 10-9-20

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