Yahoo Originals
- Matt BaiClinton’s primetime soap opera reaches its finale
We’ve finally arrived at sweeps week in the televised event posing as our presidential election. And if American viewers can’t quite bring themselves to click away from Donald Trump’s vulgar and monotonous reality show, it’s probably because they’ve had all they can take of the cloying, predictable soap opera that keeps rerunning on the other channel.
- Michael Walsh and Dylan StablefordMarijuana ballot initiatives 2016: Five more states may make pot legal
Election Day might be a major turning point for the marijuana reform movement because five states have ballot initiatives that would legalize cannabis for adult use, regulating and taxing it like alcohol. There are also campaigns in three states to legalize medical marijuana — which would bring the total to 28 — and a slew of local, citywide initiatives. The vote to watch is in California, where polls suggest the “Adult Use of Marijuana” referendum has a substantial lead.
Christopher WilsonMississippi mayor: Attack on church a hate crime, but ‘love trumps hate’“This is a hate crime,” said the mayor of a Mississippi town where a historic black church was a target of arson and vandalism Tuesday night. Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons said that local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, were investigating the burning of 111-year-old Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. “It’s a place where people raise their children, it’s a meeting place for an exchange of ideas, so we know the symbolism of the burning of the black church in the ’50s and ’60s was a way of intimidating folks who had their rights and civil liberties deprived.
- Yahoo News Photo StaffA slow death along the Pilcomayo River
In Paraguay, alongside the Pilcomayo River, black vultures fly over a shrinking pond where a group of crocodilian reptiles known as yacare caimans seek refuge. Water from the river, which divides Paraguay and Argentina in the area of the Gran Chaco, is scarce. This is not an uncommon sight in the region of General Díaz, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) northwest of the country’s capital, Asunción, where the Pilcomayo's waters form lakes and streams that give life to capybaras, birds and caimans.
- Yahoo News Photo StaffPhotos of the day - November 2, 2016
A Lebanese man runs as waves crash on the seafront at the waterfront promenade in Beirut, Lebanon; smoke rise from the ship a day after an explosion at ship breaking yard in Gaddani, Pakistan; and a H-2A rocket carrying Japan Meteorological Agency’s new weather satellite “Himawari-9” is launched at Tanegashima Space Center on the Japanese southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan are some of the photos of the day. (AP/EPA/Getty/Reuters) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
- Colin CampbellObama says FBI investigations shouldn’t ‘operate on innuendo’
President Obama defended Hillary Clinton’s “integrity” as she faces a renewed FBI investigation of emails sent from her private server. In a NowThis News interview released Wednesday, the president ducked a question about whether he was upset that FBI Director James Comey had announced the new twist in the long-running probe so close to Election Day. Obama pointed to Comey’s conclusion in July, following months of investigation into whether Clinton or her aides mishandled classified information, that he would not recommend bringing charges.
- Christopher WilsonThe states where you can change your mind after voting early
Wristbands for voters are seen at a polling station during early voting in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2016. Donald Trump is now making a point of letting Americans know that they can change their vote if they want, and at his rallies and on Twitter he is encouraging any Clinton voters who have changed their mind to vote for him.
- Dylan StablefordClinton endorsed by more publications; Trump campaign denounces support from KKK newspaper
Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally in Dade City, Fla., on Tuesday. With less than a week to go before the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton continues to rack up endorsements, both expected and otherwise, while Donald Trump has received the backing of a group the Republican nominee’s campaign had been trying to distance him from. “Donald Trump would lead a nation divided against itself, with catastrophic consequences at home and abroad.
- Yahoo News Photo Staff2 police officers fatally shot near Des Moines, Iowa
Two police officers were fatally shot in a pair of “ambush-style” attacks around Des Moines, Iowa, early on Wednesday morning, and police were searching for the killer or killers, whose motives were unknown, officials and media reported. One officer was found dead about 1 a.m. local time in Urbandale, an affluent suburb of Des Moines. The second officer was found dead about 1:30 a.m. local time in the city, NBC News reported.
- Yahoo News Photo Staff33 die after mine explosion in Chongqing, China
All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible. Two miners survived Monday’s explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr
Michael IsikoffVideo shows Trump with mob figure he denied knowingA newly uncovered video appears to contradict Donald Trump’s claim that he never knew a high-stakes gambler who was banned from New Jersey casinos for alleged ties to organized crime. The reputed mob figure, Robert LiButti, can be seen standing alongside Trump in the front row of a 1988 “WrestleMania” match in Atlantic City, N.J. LiButti wasn’t there by accident, according to his daughter, Edith Creamer, who also attended the event. The video appears to lend new support to assertions Trump once had close relations with LiButti, who was banned from the state’s casinos in 1991 because of his ties to Mafia boss John Gotti, then the chief of the Gambino crime syndicate.
- Colin CampbellTexas commissioner deletes tweet calling Clinton the C word
Miller, a statewide official running for reelection, had apparently used the insult while touting poll results that showed Donald Trump doing surprising well against Clinton in Pennsylvania. “TRUMP 44,” the tweet read. Miller’s office told the San Antonio Express-News that the commissioner’s account had been hacked, and that everyone with access to his tweets was in the same room with Miller when the message went out.
- Liz GoodwinClinton says Trump doesn’t see women as ‘full human beings’
Hillary Clinton spent the better part of a fiery Florida rally on Tuesday discussing sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump, saying the Republican nominee often does not view women as equal human beings. “When I think about what we now know about Donald Trump and what he’s been doing for the past 30 years, he sure has spent a lot of time demeaning, degrading, insulting, and assaulting women,” Clinton said. The Dade City, Fla., speech came as the polls of the presidential race have tightened and as Clinton has struggled with a negative news cycle rocked by the FBI’s revealing that it was probing additional emails connected to her server.
Andrew RomanoDown Ticket #25: Could James Comey’s revived Clinton email probe swing the Senate to Republicans?Down Ticket is Yahoo News’ complete guide to the most fascinating House, Senate and governors’ races of 2016. Coming to you every Tuesday and Thursday until Nov. 8. What you need to know today.
Yahoo News Photo StaffPhotos of the day - November 1, 2016Radio City Rockette Lauren Renck is nudged by a camel right before Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, blesses the animals at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; A boy plays with a plastic bucket on a beach along the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India; and, A flame continues to burn after a Monday explosion of a Colonial Pipeline in Helena, Ala. These are just a few of the photos of the day for November 1, 2016 See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr
Dylan StablefordReports detail Trump campaign’s alleged ties to RussiaFor those few voters who remain undecided a week before the 2016 presidential election, the choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may come down to which potential new scandal they can look past. The FBI announced on Friday that it had discovered new emails that may be “pertinent” to its investigation of Clinton’s use of a private server while secretary of state. Meanwhile, new reports have emerged alleging “close ties” between Trump and the Russian government.
- Yahoo News Photo StaffNew earthquake rocks Italy, flattens historic basilica
Italy’s most powerful earthquake in 36 years stuck the country’s mountainous center Sunday, panicking shell-shocked residents for the third time in two months and flattening a world famous 600-year-old basilica. Remarkably, there were no reports of anyone dying as a result of the 6.6 magnitude quake, the head of the national civil protection agency said in an update on the impact. “As far as people are concerned, the situation is positive but many buildings are in a critical state in historic centers and there are problems with electricity and water supplies,” Fabrizio Curcio told reporters. The quake struck at 7:40 am (0640 GMT) near the small mountain town of Norcia, unleashing a shock felt in the capital Rome and even in Venice, 300 kilometres (200 miles) away.
Caitlin DicksonKhizr Khan: Muslims need to ‘stand up and condemn’ terrorismKhan and his wife, Ghazala, the Gold Star parents of a fallen Muslim-American soldier, became fixtures of the 2016 presidential election after their appearance at the Democratic National Convention this past summer. At the convention, Khan delivered a harsh criticism of Donald Trump that launched a public feud with the Republican presidential nominee.
- Dylan StablefordComey letter receives surprise criticism from GOP
FBI Director James Comey’s bombshell letter to congressional leaders informing them of newly discovered emails that might be “pertinent” to the bureau’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server is being criticized by a broad spectrum of politicians on Capitol Hill — including several top Republicans. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a four-page letter to Comey on Monday asking for more details on the emails — saying the director’s “difficult decision” to disclose the discovery of the emails so close to Election Day requires more context for voters. “Without additional context, your disclosure is not fair to Congress, the American people, or Secretary Clinton,” Grassley wrote.
Yahoo News Photo StaffOffensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militantsIraqi government forces launched a U.S.-backed offensive on Monday to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, a high-stakes battle to retake the militants’ last major stronghold in the country. Two years after the jihadists seized the city of 1.5 million people and declared a caliphate from there encompassing tracts of Iraq and Syria, a force of some 30,000 Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Sunni tribal fighters began to advance.
Michael WalshPaul Ryan already voted for Donald TrumpHouse Speaker Paul Ryan revealed Tuesday that he has already voted for Donald Trump despite their long, highly publicized rivalry. Ryan hesitantly endorsed the Republican nominee in June but has refused to campaign for him against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Ryan has denounced the mogul’s attacks against a U.S. judge of Mexican heritage, his criticism of a Muslim family of a slain U.S. soldier and his lewd remarks in a leaked “Access Hollywood” tape.
- Yahoo News Photo StaffDeadly Alabama pipeline explosion
For the second time in two months, a pipeline that supplies gasoline to millions of people was shut down, raising the specter of another round of gas shortages and price increases. The disruption occurred when a track hoe — a machine used to remove dirt — struck the pipeline, ignited gasoline and caused an explosion Monday that sent flames and thick black smoke soaring over a forest in northern Alabama, Colonial Pipeline said. A September leak that spilled 252,000 to 336,000 gallons of gasoline occurred not far from the location of Monday’s explosion.
Yahoo News Photo StaffTrump wigs and Hillary masks: Political satire was on parade at Halloween in NYCElection 2016 was clearly the unofficial theme at the annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New York City, as thousands of costumed revelers made their way up Manhattan's 6th avenue after sundown Monday night. From sombreros to walls, and Alicia Machado, and plenty of Trump mask in between, see some of the best political costumes on display at this year's parade. (Caitlin Dickson/Yahoo News) Photography by Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News - Follow Gordon on Instagram See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
- Yahoo News Photo StaffPhotos of the day - October 31, 2016
A child looks on as she wears make-up to participate in an annual Halloween party in central Pristina; Supporters of Christian leader Michel Aoun, holding Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese flags, celebrate the election of the new President Michel Aoun, in Beirut; and, A worker vaccums the red carpet before the arrival of Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos and his wife Maria Clemencia de Santos at Stansted airport in Stansted, Britain. These are just a few of the photos of the day for October 31, 2016. See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr
- Michael WalshSPLC receives backlash after placing activist Maajid Nawaz on ‘anti-Muslim extremist’ list
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is under fire for including Muslim reformer Maajid Nawaz on its new list of anti-Muslim extremists. On Oct. 25, the SPLC and three other liberal civil rights groups — Media Matters for America, the Center for New Community and ReThink Media — released a “Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists,” which profiles 15 “propagandists” who allegedly exploit terrorist attacks to demonize the Islamic faith. a “Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest” and led the campaign against the wrongly labeled “Ground Zero Mosque.” But Nawaz’s placement came as a shock to his supporters.
