Monday, September 28 top news briefs
Hello, it is Monday, September 28. Here are today’s top news briefs.
Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court
On Saturday, President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the empty Supreme Court justice seat left behind by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump said Barrett is loyal to the constitution and has towering intellect. If she gets through a Senate confirmation vote, she would tip the balance of the Supreme Court to a 6-3 conservative majority.
Barrett is 48 years old. She is a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which is based in Chicago. She graduated at the top of her class at the University of Notre Dame’s Law School and once worked as a clerk with the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
The New York Times said she has an “almost uniformly conservative voting record in cases touching on abortion, gun rights, discrimination and immigration.”
Barrett will meet with Republican Senators in the next two weeks. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to start hearings on October 12. President Trump and Republicans hope to push through the process to get Barrett in the Supreme Court before the election.
NYT: Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017
The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and that he did not pay any federal income taxes in 10 out of the past 15 years. The NYT said Trump did this by reporting that he lost much more money than he made.
The NYT said Trump received an income tax refund of $72.9 million starting in 2010 and that there is an IRS audit on the refund that is ongoing. The NYT also said Trump has $421 million in loans that are due in a few years.
President Trump tweeted that the NYT used illegal obtained information with bad intent. He said he was entitled to depreciation and tax credits and that his debt is very little when you compare it with his assets. He also pointed out that he has given up his $400,000 a year presidential salary.
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://bit.ly/2RyMogR]
1 million dead worldwide from coronavirus
The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has hit 1 million as of Sunday, according to UPI. Some other trackers say the number is just below 1 million. The first confirmed death was a 61-year-old man in Wuhan, China on January 15. Eight months later, the average daily death toll is 3,800 people. The United States is the worst-affected country with over 204,000 deaths.
$20 million settlement for family of man who was killed while handcuffed in patrol car
Prince George’s County, Maryland will pay a $20 million settlement to the family of William Green, who was shot and killed by a police officer while his hands were handcuffed behind his back. This happened in January of this year. The officer’s name is Michael Owen, Jr. and he was fired and is currently awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges. Green was shot seven times and was sitting in the front seat. The $20 million settlement is one of the largest in the nation over someone being shot and killed by police.
18 killed in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces
In Armenia, there were violent clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that resulted in the deaths of 16 soldiers and 2 civilians. Several helicopters were shot down and multiple tanks were damaged. The fighting happened in a disputed region between the two countries. Both countries have a history of going to war with each other. Russia is a supporter of Armenia, while Turkey supports Azerbaijani. President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. is looking into it very strongly.
50th day of protests against Belarusian president draws 100,000 demonstrators
In Belarus, about 100,000 protesters marched in Minsk to call for the president, Alexander Lukashenko, to be removed. He has been in power for 26 years and was re-elected on August 9, but protesters said the election was manipulated. The protests have been going on for 50 days. The opposition leaders have either been arrested or fled the country out of a fear of being arrested.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54312699
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/26/us/amy-coney-barrett-views-abortion-health-care.html
https://apnews.com/article/archive-personal-taxes-donald-trump-f0e2af5f9f99de9d30dc6b9097121188
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1310587468731879431
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/armenia-shot-azerbaijani-copters-dispute-73272313
https://www.foxnews.com/world/armenia-azerbaijan-clashes-us-international-community-intervene
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/belarus-protests-day-50-1.5740991