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Water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and is crucial to life as we know it, but how it got here has been a longstanding scientific debate.The puzzle was a step closer to being solved Thursday after a French team reported in the journal Science they had identified which space rocks were responsible, and suggested our planet has been wet ever since it formed.Cosmochemist Laurette Piani, who led the research, told AFP the findings contradicted the prevalent theory that water was brought to an initially dry Earth by far-reaching comets or asteroids.According to early models for how the Solar System came to be, the large disks of gas and dust that swirled around the Sun and eventually formed the inner planets were too hot to sustain ice.This would explain the barren conditions on Mercury, Venus and Mars — but not our blue planet, with its vast oceans, humid atmosphere and well-hydrated geology.Scientists therefore theorized that the water came along after, and the prime suspects were meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites that are rich in hydrous minerals.But the problem was that their chemical composition doesn’t closely match our planet’s rocks.The carbonaceous chondrites also formed in the outer Solar System, making it less likely they could have pelted the early Earth.Planetary building blocksAnother group of meteorites, called enstatite chondrites, are a much closer chemical match, containing similar isotopes (types) of oxygen, titanium and calcium.This indicates they were Earth’s and the other inner planets’ building blocks.However, because these rocks formed close to the Sun, they had been assumed to be too dry to account for Earth’s rich reservoirs of water.To test whether this was really true, Piani and her colleagues at Centre de Recherches Petrographiques et Geochimiques (CRPG, CNRS/Universite de Lorraine) used a technique called mass spectrometry to measure the hydrogen content in 13 enstatite chondrites.The rocks are now quite rare, making up only about two percent of known meteorites in collections, and it is hard to find them in pristine, uncontaminated condition.The team found that the rocks contained enough hydrogen in them to provide Earth with at least three times the water mass of its oceans — and possibly much more.They also measured two isotopes of hydrogen, because the relative proportion of these is very different from one celestial object to another.”We found the hydrogen isotopic composition of enstatite chondrites to be similar to the one of the water stored in the terrestrial mantle,” said Piani, comparing it to a DNA match.The isotopic composition of the oceans was found to be consistent with a mixture containing 95% of water from the enstatite chondrites — more proof these were responsible for the bulk of Earth’s water.The authors further found that the nitrogen isotopes from the enstatite chondrites are similar to Earth’s — and proposed these rocks could also be the source of the most abundant component of our atmosphere.Piani added that research doesn’t exclude later addition of water by other sources like comets, but indicates that enstatite chondrites contributed significantly to Earth’s water budget at the time it formed.The work “brings a crucial and elegant element to this puzzle” wrote Anne Peslier, a planetary scientist for NASA, in an accompanying editorial.
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Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily DebunkClaim: Convalescent plasma has been “proven to reduce mortality by 35%” in those with COVID-19 infections.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: FactCheck.org Social Media DisinfoScreenshot Circulating on social media: Video purporting to show a COVID-19 patient who was nearly buried alive.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: Agence France-PresseFactual Reads on CoronavirusCan mosquitoes spread the coronavirus?
No. While mosquitoes can spread some diseases, most notably malaria, experts say COVID-19 is not among them.
— Associated Press, August 25
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The Midwestern U.S. city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, remained calm Thursday after the first relatively peaceful night of protests since Sunday’s shooting of an African American man, Jacob Blake.  Demonstrators appeared to be more subdued Wednesday night after the chaos of the previous night when, police said, a 17-year-old from the neighboring state of Illinois fatally shot two demonstrators and wounded another. The teen was arrested Wednesday and was facing charges of first-degree intentional homicide, according to media reports.Armed groups that had been walking the streets were not seen Wednesday night, and protesters stayed clear of a courthouse where demonstrators and police had faced off earlier.    A sign, a bottle of alcohol and flowers are left in tribute to victims of a shooting during Tuesday night’s protests, at the site of the incident, during a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wis., Aug. 26, 2020.Demonstrators visited the scene where the protesters were killed and injured Tuesday, praying and laying flowers. Daijon Spann said he joined the demonstration to pay tribute to one of the people who were killed.  “I couldn’t take it anymore,” Spann told the Associated Press. “I couldn’t just sit and watch my friend die.” Police account of shootingEarlier Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice released the first official account of the shooting, which was caught on camera and led to four consecutive days of protests in Kenosha, about 60 kilometers south of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.  According to the report, Kenosha police had been called to a residence “after a female caller reported that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.”  Demonstrators take part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Aug. 26, 2020.The report says officers unsuccessfully used a Taser when trying to arrest Blake, 29, in the home’s front yard, then trailed him as he walked to his vehicle and opened the driver’s door. The Wisconsin DOJ said that as Blake leaned into the car, Officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department, grabbed Blake by his shirt and fired his service weapon seven times into his back. None of the other officers on the scene fired their weapons.   The report noted that Kenosha police do not have body cameras on their uniforms.  Investigators said Wednesday that they found a knife on the driver’s side floorboard in Blake’s car, but no other weapons. The report said Blake had told officers he had a knife in his possession, although it was unclear whether Sheskey knew of the knife when he shot Blake or if Blake threatened the officer with the knife.  Attorneys for Blake say their client did not pose a threat to police and denied he was even in possession of a knife. They say he only wanted to get three of his young children who were in the vehicle “out of a volatile situation.” Calm in Kenosha began to prevail hours after the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday that it would open a civil rights inquiry into the police shooting of Blake. Blake was shot in the back Sunday, leaving him partially paralyzed from the waist down along with serious injuries to several of his internal organs.    The Justice Department said in a statement that the probe would be handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with Wisconsin state law enforcement investigators and other state authorities.   Arrest in IllinoisAs the investigation into Blake’s shooting continued, police arrested Kyle Rittenhouse at his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 24 kilometers from Kenosha. Rittenhouse, who was being held in Illinois, was also charged as a fugitive from justice, according to court records. His extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday.  Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during news conference following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Aug. 27, 2020.According to Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse will be charged as an adult and has been assigned a public defender. The public defender’s office had no comment. On Tuesday, cellphone video was released showing a person carrying what appears to be an assault rifle running down a street and being chased by a group of people. The person shot at several of his pursuers as they began to surround him after he fell to the ground.  Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters Wednesday that what happened Tuesday night in the streets of Kenosha was why people should not try to take the law into their own hands.  “I had a person call me and say, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the city of Kenosha?’ … What happened last night … was probably the perfect reason why I wouldn’t,” Beth said.  President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he would “be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!” 
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The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday it will open a civil rights probe into the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.Jacob Blake was shot in the back Sunday, leaving him partially paralyzed from the waist down along with serious injuries to several of his internal organs.The Justice Department issued a statement saying the probe will be handled by the FBI in cooperation with Wisconsin state law enforcement investigators and other state authorities.Earlier Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice released the first official account of the shooting that was caught on camera and led to four consecutive days of protests in Kenosha, located more than 60 kilometers south of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.According to the report, Kenosha police had been called to a residence “after a female caller reported that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.”The report says officers unsuccessfully used a Taser when trying to arrest the 29-year-old Blake in the home’s front yard, then trailed him as he walked to his vehicle and opened the driver’s door.The remains of the cars burned by protesters the previous night during a demonstration against the shooting of Jacob Blake are seen on a used cars lot in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 26, 2020.The Wisconsin DOJ said as Blake leaned into the car, Officer Rusten Sheskey,  a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department, grabbed Blake by his shirt and fired his service weapon seven times into his back.  None of the other officers on the scene fired their weapons.The report noted that Kenosha police do not have body cameras on their uniforms.Investigators said Wednesday they found a knife on the driver’s side floorboard in Blake’s car, but no other weapons. The report said Blake had told officers he had a knife in his possession, although it is unclear whether Sheskey knew of the knife when he shot Blake or if Blake threatened the officer with the knife.Attorneys for Blake say their client did not pose a threat to police and denied he was even in possession of a knife. They say he only wanted to get three of his young children who were in the vehicle “out of a volatile situation.”As the investigation into Blake’s shooting continues, authorities said a 17-year-old male was arrested in Illinois in connection with the shooting deaths of two people late Tuesday night during a third consecutive night of protests in Kenosha.Police arrested Kyle Rittenhouse at his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 24 kilometers from Kenosha. Rittenhouse, who is being held in Illinois, was also charged as a fugitive from justice, according to court records. His extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday.According to Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse would be charged as an adult.On Tuesday, cellphone video was released showing a person carrying what appears to be an assault rifle running down a major street and being chased by a group of people. The apparent gunman shot at several of his pursuers as they began to surround him after he fell to the ground.Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters Wednesday that what happened in the streets of Kenosha on Tuesday night is why people should not try to take the law into their own hands.Demonstrators protests the shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 26, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.”I had a person call me and say, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the city of Kenosha?’ …Oh, hell no. What happened last night…was probably the perfect reason why I wouldn’t,” Beth said.President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday he would “be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!”White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany released a statement Wednesday that said, “President Trump condemns violence in all forms and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness.”Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced he was doubling the number of National Guard troops deployed to Kenosha to 500.U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec tweeted that FBI agents and U.S. Marshals were being deployed to the city in response to the unrest.In a video tweeted Wednesday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he talked to Blake’s parents and told them “justice must and will be done.””Once again, a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick. Is this the country we want to be? Needless violence won’t heal us. We need to end the violence and peacefully come together to demand justice,” Biden said.Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, also talked about the Wisconsin shootings during an online event Wednesday in Michigan, and said, “And what happened there is so tragic and still represents the two systems of justice in America. There are still two systems of justice in America.”The National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their scheduled playoff game on Wednesday to protest Blake’s shooting, prompting four other teams to boycott their scheduled games. The boycott caused a ripple effect across other major professional sports, with the Women’s NBA, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer also boycotting and postponing games.  
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Hurricane Laura has weakened slightly after making landfall earlier Thursday morning in the southeastern state of Louisiana as a dangerous Category 4 storm.  The National Hurricane Center says Laura is now carrying maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers an hour, making it a Category 3 storm on the five-level scale that measures a hurricane’s potential strength and destructiveness. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 5 MB480p | 7 MB540p | 9 MB720p | 17 MB1080p | 35 MBOriginal | 40 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioHurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday morning in the coastal town of Cameron, Louisiana, located about 86 kilometers south of Lake Charles. The storm triggered life-threatening storm surges, flash floods and extreme winds when it first made landfall, but forecasters are now saying Laura will weaken rapidly as it makes its way northward across Louisiana Thursday, eventually becoming a tropical storm later in the day.  The storm continues to head towards the city of Lake Charles at a rapid speed of 24 kilometers an hour, but storm surge, tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches in parts of neighboring Texas and Louisiana have been discontinued. Laura is still predicted to soak parts of the South with massive rainfall as it moves inland and weakens.      But forecasters say it could strengthen back to a tropical storm as it moves into the warm Atlantic by early next week and threaten the northeast.     Laura killed 24 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti when it struck there as a tropical storm earlier this week.   
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A New Zealand court has handed down a life sentence without parole to a self-avowed white supremacist who admitted to killing 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand last year.Australian Brenton Tarrant did not speak when Christchurch High Court Judge Cameron Mander handed down the sentence Thursday on the last day of a four-day sentencing hearing. It is the first time a life sentence without parole has ever been imposed in New Zealand.Judge Mander called Tarrant’s actions “inhuman” as he handed down the sentence and described the 29-year-old as “entirely self-absorbed.”“You are empty of any empathy for your victims,” the judge told Tarrant.Tarrant told the judge through his court-appointed lawyer that he did not oppose his life sentence without parole. He had dismissed his original lawyers last month.About 90 survivors and family members of the March 15, 2019, attacks at the al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch gave victim statements during the sentencing hearings. Tarrant sat impassively as the witnesses testified in varying degrees of emotions, from red hot anger to expressions of forgiveness.Tarrant unexpectedly pleaded guilty back in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism. Hours before carrying out the shootings, Tarrant published a long manifesto online explaining his reasonings for the attacks. He then livestreamed the attacks on Facebook, which was viewed by scores of people around the world before it was taken down.It was the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history. The massacre led to a ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles and a new nationwide firearms registry that traces every gun in New Zealand.
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Health care workers in Peru protested outside the Ministry of Health and one of largest hospitals in the capital, Lima, Wednesday, demanding better working conditions and pay as infections of the novel coronavirus spread among their colleagues.The protesters washed disposable masks outside of the National Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins to bring attention to what they complain is a lack of protective supplies.During Wednesday’s street demonstration, anti-riot police attempted to stop protesters from advancing.Healthcare professionals say they deserve better pay considering the heightened risk they take using inadequate protective gear while attending to patients with the contagious disease.Minister of Health Pilar Mazzetti on Monday called the street demonstrations regrettable, saying medical workers taking part in the protests neglected their patients.Dr. Godofredo Talavera, president of the Medical Federation, rejected a claim saying personnel participating in the demonstrations were off duty.Peru has confirmed more than 610,000 coronavirus cases and more than 28,000 deaths, both tallies among the highest in Latin America.       
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The only Native American on federal death row was put to death Wednesday, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had urged President Donald Trump to halt the execution on the ground it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty.With the execution of Lezmond Mitchell for the grisly slayings of a 9-year-old and her grandmother, the federal government under the pro-death penalty president has now carried out more executions in 2020 than it had in the previous 56 years combined.Asked by a prison official if he had any last words for victims’ family members and other witnesses behind glass at the death chamber, Mitchell responded, “No, I’m good.”Mitchell was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m. EDT after receiving a lethal injection of pentobarbital inside the small, pale green death chamber at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. The lethal injection began about 26 minutes before he was pronounced dead.Mitchell, 38, and an accomplice were convicted of killing Tiffany Lee and Alyce Slim, 63, after the grandmother offered them a lift as they hitchhiked on the Navajo Nation in 2001. They stabbed Slim 33 times, slit Tiffany’s throat and stoned her to death. They later mutilated both bodies.Late appeals failTribal leaders’ bid to persuade Trump to commute Mitchell’s sentence to life in prison failed, as did last-minute appeals by his lawyers for a stay. The first three federal executions in 17 years went ahead in July after similar legal maneuvers failed. Keith Nelson, who was also convicted of killing a child, is slated to die Friday.Critics accuse Trump of pushing to resume executions after a nearly 20-year hiatus in a quest to claim the mantle of law-and-order candidate. Mitchell’s execution occurred during the GOP’s convention week.”Today’s decision means we will never know for sure whether anti-Native American bias influenced the jury’s decision to sentence Lezmond Mitchell to death,” his lawyers, Jonathan Aminoff and Celeste Bacchi, said in a statement, reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case. “Mr. Mitchell’s life is in President Trump’s hands, and we hope the president will demonstrate his respect for tribal sovereignty and grant Mr. Mitchell the mercy of executive clemency.” Nelson also is slated to die at the Terre Haute prison, where all federal executions are carried out with pentobarbital. Nelson’s lawyers say pentobarbital can cause severe pain and should be deemed unconstitutional.Death-penalty advocates say the Trump administration’s restart of executions is bringing justice too long delayed to victims and families. There are currently 58 men and one woman on federal death row, many of whose executions have been pending for over 20 years.’He will have to answer to God’Donel Lee, Tiffany Lee’s older brother, thanked Trump for not stopping the execution and criticized the opposition by the Navajo Nation president.”He will have to answer to God why he wanted this murderer to live,” Donel Lee said. “But now I’m at peace with it and justice is served. Now he [Mitchell] has to answer to God, and I hope my little sister was standing there with God while he judged him.”Tiffany Lee’s father, Daniel Lee, has told The Associated Press, he believes in the principle of “an eye for an eye” and wanted Mitchell to die for the slayings. He also said Navajo leaders don’t speak for him: “I speak for myself and for my daughter.”Family and friends described Slim, a school bus driver who was approaching retirement, as gracious, spiritual and well-liked by students on her route.Michael Slim, the grandson and cousin of the victims, has sat on both sides of the courtroom during Mitchell’s court cases. An outlier in his family, he supported putting Mitchell to death but gradually changed his mind over the years and said that should be left up to God.”We are all guilty of sin, so it’s not fair for us to condemn someone,” he said. “It’s not my job to say ‘we should kill him.’ “Slim wrote to Mitchell last year saying he wanted to be his friend and advocate for him to be released from death row. As the execution neared, Slim said he was in constant prayer.”I keep thinking good thoughts about him,” he said Tuesday.
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A typhoon that grazed South Korea, ripping off roofs and knocking out power to more than 1,600 households, made landfall in North Korea early Thursday. South Korean authorities said there were no immediate reports of casualties, and North Korea has not reported any damages.Packing maximum winds of 133 kph, Typhon Bavi was barreling north and just 70 kilometers southwest of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, South Korea’s weather agency said.South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said there were no immediate reports of casualties, despite damage to buildings, walls, roads and other structures. The Korea Meteorological Administration warned that strong winds will continue in the Seoul capital area and the country’s central region through the morning.Power was knocked out in 1,633 South Korean homes, including 887 on the southern resort island of Jeju, which was the first part of the country to be hit by the typhoon on Wednesday, and more than 600 in mainland regions. By 6 a.m., power had been restored to most of the homes, but at least 96 households in the island county of Sinan remained without electricity.More than 430 domestic flights in and out of Jeju and the southern mainland city of Busan were canceled as of Thursday morning. South Korean authorities also halted some railroad services, shut down public parks and sea bridges and moved hundreds of fishing boats and passenger vessels to safety.Dozens of makeshift coronavirus testing stations had been dismantled in the capital Seoul and other major cities out of concerns the tents and booths would not withstand the strong winds.North Korea’s state media did not immediately report of any damage caused by the typhoon.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said earlier this week that leader Kim Jong Un had called for thorough preparations to minimize casualties and damages from the typhoon.The storm comes weeks after torrential rains caused flooding and massive damages to homes and crops in North Korea, inflicting further pain to an economy ravaged by pandemic-linked border closures and U.S.-led sanctions over Kim’s nuclear program.State media said a typhoon warning was issued in most areas of North Korea, with officials moving fishing boats and applying protective measures to buildings, farms and railroads. 
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A small number of U.S. troops were injured during an incident with Russian forces in Syria, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. While such interactions between American and Russian forces are not rare, the incident highlights the risks of troops from both countries operating in close proximity in northern Syria and the potential for an escalation in tensions. One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the injuries were a result of a collision and not any exchange of fire. The other official said the incident took place earlier this week in northeastern Syria and the injuries were mild. FILE – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 4, 2020.The Pentagon and the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the region, declined to comment. The U.S. military said the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart Wednesday, but provided no details on what was discussed. The U.S. military does not generally comment on injuries. However, last month a paratrooper was killed during a vehicle rollover accident in eastern Syria. Previous encountersVideos on social media showed Russian military vehicles, backed by a pair of helicopters, driving dangerously close to U.S. armored vehicles. The origin of the videos was unclear.  Earlier this year, another video showed a close interaction between troops on a Syrian road. About 500 U.S forces remain in northern Syria after a sharp reduction in troops that were initially there to drive out Islamic State militants from all of their strongholds in the country.Some of the areas also have oil resources, something President Donald Trump has cited as a justification for keeping U.S. troops partnered with Kurdish allies in the region. The injuries were first reported by Politico.  
 
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Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily DebunkClaim: “The overall lethality of [COVID-19] (IFR) is about 0.1% to 0.3% and thus in the range of a severe influenza.”Verdict: InaccurateRead the full story at: Health Feedback Social Media DisinfoScreenshot Circulating on social media: Claim that a contact tracing program developed by Apple and Google has been secretly inserted onto phones and tracks user’s location.Verdict: MisleadingRead the full story at: Agence France-Presse Factual Reads on CoronavirusThe coronavirus may shut down the immune system’s vital classrooms
In many infections, the immune system builds so-called germinal centers in the spleen or lymph nodes to train cells that make antibodies, but the structures fail to develop in some COVID-19 cases.
— Science, August 25
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One person has been shot and killed during a third consecutive night of protests in the midwestern U.S. city of Kenosha, Wisconsin over the shooting of a Black man by police on Sunday. The victim was one of several people who were shot and wounded as protests stretched from Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.  News outlets say the shooting occurred during a confrontation between protesters and several bystanders several blocks from the city courthouse, where protesters had clashed with police for several hours until they were forced out of the area.   Cell phone video on social media reportedly showed a man firing into a crowd after he fell to the ground.  Tuesday’s violent protests came hours after the father of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot Sunday, said his son is paralyzed from the waist down.  Blake’s father, who is also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper Tuesday his son has “eight holes” in his body from his confrontation with police. He said doctors do not know if the paralysis will be permanent.   Ben Crump, the lawyer for the injured man, said it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again. He said Blake’s spinal cord was severed and his vertebrae shattered. Another family lawyer said several organs were damaged as well.A protester tosses an object toward police during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis., on third night of unrest following the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake.Police have so far released almost no information about what led up to the shooting Sunday evening other than to say they were responding to a domestic dispute.   Wisconsin Governor Police clear a park during clashes with protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis., during demonstrations over the Sunday shooting of Jacob Blake.Cellphone video of the incident on Sunday shows Blake walking around the front of an SUV, in which three of his children were sitting. Two police officers appear to be following with their guns pointed at him. When Blake opens the car door and leans in, an officer appears to grab his shirt from behind and fires. In the video, seven shots were heard along with people screaming and shouting.  Crump told ABC News one officer fired all seven shots, four of which hit Blake. Crump said there is no sign Blake was armed, adding he was trying to break up an argument between two women. It is unclear who the women are and their ties to Blake and his children.   Sunday’s shooting came after a spring and summer of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in May while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. There have also been other highly publicized killings of African Americans by police.  The shootings gave new life to the Black Lives Matter movement, and elevated racism and law and order into key issues for the presidential campaign.  The officers involved in Sunday’s shooting are on administrative leave.   The president of the Kenosha police union, Pete Deates, is urging people not to jump to conclusions about Sunday’s incident.  “As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident,” he said.    Pastor Norma Urrabazo of the International Church of Las Vegas included Blake as she led the opening prayer on the second night of the Republican National Convention Tuesday.     “We pray for healing and comfort to Jacob Blake and his family. We pray for your protection over those who put their lives in harm’s way to bring safety and security to our streets,” she said.    Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday “These shots pierce the soul of our nation. Equal justice has not been real for Black Americans and so many others … we must dismantle systemic racism.”  
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Two Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers have been arrested and charged in relation with  anti-government protests last year that rocked the semi-autonomous city. Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were arrested early Wednesday morning at their homes, according to a post on the Facebook page of the Democratic Party.   Lam was arrested on suspicion of taking part in a riot on July 21 of last year, when more than 100 men attacked pro-democracy protesters and passengers at the Yuen Long  subway station with steel rods and canes.  Protesters have accused police of arriving late on the scene and allowing some of the armed attackers to leave.   Lam has also been charged with Hui in connection with a July 6 protest in the Tuen Mun district.Pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui (R) speaks to the media outside the West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong on August 24, 2020.At least 14 other people were also arrested Wednesday in relation to last year’s massive protests, which began when the government announced plans to approve an extradition bill that would have sent criminal suspects to mainland China to face trial.  The controversial measure was eventually withdrawn, but the protests continued and evolved into a demand for greater democracy for Hong Kong, which was granted an unusual amount of freedom when Britain handed control of the city back to China in 1997. The often violent protests prompted Beijing to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong that would subject anyone believed to be carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power or collusion with foreign forces to trial and possible life in prison if convicted. Lam and Hui are the latest high-profile pro-democracy figures who have been arrested since the law went into effect on July 1.  They include 72-year-old Jimmy Lai, the publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and 23-year-old Agnes Chow, a former leader of Demosisto, a political party founded by fellow activist Joshua Wong.  The party disbanded shortly after the new security law went into effect last month.    Hong Kong authorities have also disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in September’s legislative elections that have since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disqualified candidates included Wong, who was one of many pro-democracy activists who were nominated in an unofficial primary held back in July.  
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Bahrain for talks Wednesday before heading to the United Arab Emirates. Pompeo’s schedule in Manama includes meetings with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and King Hamad Al Khalifa.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is welcomed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa after arriving at Manama International Airport in Manama, Bahrain, Jan. 11, 2019.In Abu Dhabi, the State Department said Pompeo would be discussing the agreement the United Arab Emirates and Israel signed earlier this month to normalize their relations as he meets with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Pompeo is on a multi-nation trip this week amid a Trump administration push for other Arab nations to follow the UAE in normalizing ties with Israel. He was in Sudan on Tuesday where, according to a statement from State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, Pompeo and Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Abdel Fattah el-Burhan discussed the “continued deepening of the Israel-Sudan bilateral relationship.”US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Khartoum, Sudan, Aug. 25, 2020.Ortagus said they also discussed “the importance of the military’s continued support for the civilian-led transitional government and Sudan’s path toward democracy.”  Pompeo began his trip Monday in Israel where he said the United States will ensure Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East under any potential U.S. arms deals with the United Arab Emirates.   “The United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge.  We will continue to honor that,” said Pompeo after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.      “But we have a 20-plus year security relationship with the United Arab Emirates as well, where we have provided them with technical assistance and military assistance,” he added.      The top U.S. diplomat’s trip to the Middle East comes after Washington helped broker the Israel-UAE deal earlier this month, a pact that Netanyahu said heralds a new era for the region.      But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal is a “betrayal” of Palestinians.  The Israel-UAE deal is seen as breaking a tradition among most Arab countries not to make peace with Israel until Israel and the Palestinians make peace.   Pompeo is also traveling to Oman to close out his trip. Bahrain and Oman are seen as the next Gulf countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. 
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This week the Republican Party is hoping to pave the way for a repeat of President Donald Trump’s 2016 win by energizing the party faithful and wooing undecided voters. Public opinion polls show the president trailing Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden. At the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, VOA’s Carolyn Presutti spoke with several voters who said they did not back Trump in 2016, but they will this year.Camera: Mary Cieslak 
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In claiming that the 2020 election could be “rigged” by the Democrats, U.S. President Donald Trump recently hinted he may deploy federal authorities to polling places around the country on Election Day to root out corrupt practices that would impact the presidential election. Asked during a Fox News interview last week if he planned to deploy federal monitors to polling stations Nov. 3 to prevent fraudulent voting, Trump replied, “We’re going to have everything.” “We’re going to have sheriffs, and we’re going to have law enforcement, and we’re going to have, hopefully, U.S. attorneys. And we’re going to have everybody, and attorney generals,” he told conservative host Sean Hannity. “But it’s very hard.”   Trump has steadily stepped up his largely groundless assertions that the U.S. voting system — especially the surge in voting by mail in the face of the coronavirus pandemic — is rife with corruption and needs a watchful federal eye. FILE – Voters drop off ballots in the Washington State primary, in Seattle, March 10, 2020.While it was not clear if Trump was engaging in idle speculation or if he was serious, some observers took his latest remarks to suggest he not only wants “poll watchers” but law enforcement officers posted at voting precincts. Poll watchers, often appointed by political party committees, are deployed by the tens of thousands every election cycle. Their job is to monitor voting irregularities and to challenge the qualifications of a voter if they have suspicions.  FILE – A poll watcher watches as voters sign in at the Martha O’Bryan Center community building in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2016.But law enforcement presence at U.S. polling places is uncommon. Federal laws prohibit the deployment of troops and armed agents to the polls, while a number of states restrict their presence. Here is a look at the legality of deploying law enforcement officers at the polls. Can Trump send local sheriffs to the polls?   The United States has a system of limited government. While the national government is “supreme” under the U.S. Constitution’s “Supremacy Clause,” states are accorded broader “police powers” under the Tenth Amendment.   In a landmark decision in 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court “interpreted the Tenth Amendment to specifically mean that the federal government cannot directly order state and local law enforcement officials as if they were agents of the federal government,” said Edward Foley, a constitutional law professor and director of the election law program at Ohio State University.  Can the president send armed federal agents to the polls?  A FILE – Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies in Washington, March 3, 2020.Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a recent interview with CNN that the Department of Homeland Security lacks the authority to deploy agents to the polls.  Hans von Spakovsky, a former federal prosecutor, said it is highly unlikely that Trump will order the deployment of troops and agents to polling places.  However, “if the president ordered someone at DHS or DOJ to do something that violated the statute, I don’t think they would follow the (order),” said von Spakovsky, now a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.   Is there any precedent for sending law enforcement officers to the polls?  During the 1981 gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey, the Republican Party posted off-duty sheriffs and police officers at polling places in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. The Democratic National Committee sued, claiming the “ballot security program” was part of a broader voter intimidation effort. Under public pressure, the Republicans agreed to settle the following year by entering a “consent decree.”    The decree, in force for 35 years, prohibited the Republican Party from undertaking “ballot security” at polling places in heavily minority communities.    Von Spakovsky said that while political parties cannot post armed personnel inside polling places, they should be allowed to hire former law enforcement officers as poll watchers.    What do state laws say about police presence at polls?  A patchwork of state laws governs law enforcement presence at polling stations, Foley said. While some states such as Iowa allow police officers to provide security on Election Day, others such as Pennsylvania and Florida explicitly prohibit their presence, unless they are there to cast ballots.   “There is a sense that sometimes the presence of local police officers carrying their firearms could be an intimidating factor,” Foley said. “The idea is to try to make voting as less of a hostile environment as possible.”  Conservatives say they do not object to local jurisdictions using police officers to guard polling stations.  “I don’t have a problem if states want to do it. If they simply want to post an officer at the polls to make sure there is no violence, there is no violation,” von Spakovsky said. 
 
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This week, Valdya Baraputri had been scheduled to broadcast live from the Republican National Convention. Instead, she and a colleague were on a flight home to Indonesia on Monday, after the U.S. Agency for Global Media did not renew the J-1 visas that allowed them to work for Voice of America.  Baraputri is one of at least 15 VOA language service journalists due to return to their country of origin in coming weeks. Their J-1 visa renewals came up as USAGM’s new leadership initiated a review into the specialized entry permits for individuals with unique skills. Another 20 journalists, including some who are from repressive countries, have visas expiring by the end of the year.  FILE – The facade of the Voice of America building is seen in Washington, June 15, 2020.VOA, which broadcasts in 47 languages, relies on the specialized regional knowledge, contacts and language skills provided by its journalists from around the world.  USAGM, which oversees Voice of America and four other networks, announced last month it was conducting a case-by-case assessment of J-1 renewal applications. The chief executive is responsible for giving the final approval of visa renewals submitted by the broadcasters.  Visa review The review was aimed at improving agency management, protecting U.S. national security and ensuring that hiring authorities are not misused, a USAGM spokesperson said in a July statement.FILE – Congressman Eliot Engel addresses the media in the Riverdale section of New York, June 23, 2020.In a statement Friday, Rep. Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said USAGM has failed to provide answers to Congress about the visa renewal process.  “It’s unconscionable that a U.S. government agency would create such fear and uncertainty for people whom we asked to do a job,” Engel said. “Congress’ attempts to seek answers from USAGM on this matter have been met with silence. It’s clear that the agency is just trying to run out the clock until these journalists are forced to leave.”Pack is scheduled to testify before the House committee on Sept. 24.Engel, a Democrat Party representative for New York, warned that some VOA journalists were at risk, especially those returning to repressive countries that regularly jail or harass the media. US Media Agency Reports Years-long Problems With Vetting Employees Report published by USAGM’s new CEO says problems with vetting employees, including some foreign nationals, go back almost a decade Grant Turner, a former CEO and chief financial officer for the agency, who is one of at least seven staff the USAGM placed on administrative leave on August 12 over investigations into security issues, said the security review and the J-1 visa issue are part of a pattern of mismanagement in recent months.  Turner told VOA the loss of staff in VOA’s language divisions could lose VOA vital audiences in countries such as Iran, China and Venezuela, where citizens have very limited access to independent news. He added that not renewing visas was “a betrayal of promises” the agency made to foreign reporters who came to work for VOA.  The USAGM said Turner and others were placed on leave to restore “respect for the rule of law in our work.” Turner said he rejects the reasons given for his being placed on leave.  J1 visa status  Since 1961, the Exchange Visitor Program, which includes J-1 visas, has provided short-term work opportunities in the United States for professionals, teachers and foreign students. This April, Trump issued a proclamation suspending some economic immigration as part of measures aimed at assisting the domestic job market during the coronavirus pandemic.  A lawsuit challenging the legality of the order is pending.  Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School and co-author of “J Visa Guidebook,” told VOA that J-1 and other work-based visa holders bring “substantial economic benefits” to the U.S.  “Many of these jobs are specialized and, depending on the nature of the job, it may not be feasible for an employer to find a U.S. worker to replace them,” he added. Yale-Loehr said that while visa sponsors do not have legal obligations to renew visas of employees, “They may have a moral obligation if they’re sending J-1 workers back to harm’s way.”  Visas holders fearing persecution if they return to their home countries have a right to seek asylum, Yale-Loehr said.  Baraputri, who co-hosts a weekly news program for the VOA Indonesian service, said it is much easier to cover issues deemed sensitive in Indonesia from the U.S.  As well as losing their jobs, the journalists are forced to return on flights during the coronavirus pandemic. In Baraputri’s case, she will have to pay for two weeks in a hotel as a quarantine measure before returning to her multigenerational home in Jakarta.  
 
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