PoliticsDylan StablefordHere’s what people are betting on for the big debateWill Donald Trump call Hillary Clinton “crooked”? Will the Republican nominee invoke former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandals? Will moderator Lester Holt ask Trump about his evolution on the “birther” conspiracy? Will the NBC News anchor ask Clinton
- ScienceThe DriveSpaceX's New Raptor Rocket Engine Shoots Massive Flames, As It Should
For the first time, SpaceX has fired the Raptor rocket engine Elon Musk and his company intend to use to send people to the Red Planet. SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted photos of the Raptor rocket engine churning out streams of fiery exhaust Monday morning. In a tweet, Musk stated that "SpaceX propulsion just achieved first firing of the Raptor interplanetary transport engine." The announcement of the first successful firing comes a day before a speech at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico where Musk will be discuss his plans for sending humans to other planets in our solar system.
- U.S.ReutersTroubled lawyer shoots nine in Houston before being killed by police
A troubled lawyer opened fire on morning commuters in Houston on Monday, injuring at least nine people before being fatally shot by police, authorities said. Six victims were taken to hospitals and three were treated at the scene after being shot at while inside their vehicles in the wealthy neighborhood of West University Place, acting Houston Police Chief Martha Montalvo told reporters.
WorldAFPRussia under fire at UN as air strikes pound Syria's AleppoThe US accused Moscow of "barbarism" over the worsening carnage in Aleppo, as Syrian and Russian warplanes pounded the city in one of the heaviest bombing raids of the five-year war. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to demand Russia rein in its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and halt intense air strikes, Moscow and Damascus were repeatedly accused of war crimes. "What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counter-terrorism.
- BusinessThe DriveUber Is Researching Flying Taxis
In order to better handle the transportation needs of urban dwellers, Uber is looking into vehicles that could take off and land vertically. In a discussion at the Nantucket Conference yesterday, Uber products head Jeff Holden said the company has been looking into offering short flights around cities “so we can someday offer our customers as many options as possible to move around,” according to Recode. The Uber product boss did not specify whether the vertical-takeoff-and-landing craft, or VTOL, would be piloted like traditional aircraft, remote-controlled, fully autonomous, or some combination thereof, like Airvinci's helicopter drones (pictured above).
- BusinessThe DriveSwizz Beatz Hit With $42M Lawsuit for Supercar Fraud
Swizz Beatz is being sued for $42 million for his alleged role in civil racketeering. A lawsuit filed last week in Brooklyn federal court levies a claim that Swizz Beatz leased at least 10 supercars, including McLarens, Bentleys, Porsches and Ferraris, using a company named Metro Gem Leasing and Funding to bankroll the leases, then illegally resold the vehicles. Metro Gem Leasing and Funding, who filed the suit, says they put up the capital required to help Beatz, real name Kasseem Dean, and his wife Alicia Keys lease a slew of high-end rides.
WorldAssociated PressChina begins operating world's largest radio telescopeThe world's largest radio telescope began searching for signals from stars and galaxies and, perhaps, extraterrestrial life Sunday in a project demonstrating China's rising ambitions in space and its pursuit of international scientific prestige. Beijing has poured billions into such ambitious scientific projects as well as its military-backed space program, which saw the launch of China's second space station earlier this month. Measuring 500 meters in diameter, the radio telescope is nestled in a natural basin within a stunning landscape of lush green karst formations in southern Guizhou province.
- U.S.ReutersCedar Rapids, Iowa, braces for flooding as river expected to crest
Iowa's second-biggest city is hoping to avoid the widespread destruction caused by the U.S. Midwest floods of June 2008 that inundated hundreds of businesses and thousands of homes in Cedar Rapids. "It's crunch time in Cedar Rapids," Mayor Ron Corbett told residents and reporters on Monday. The next 48 hours are the most dangerous." The Cedar River, which winds through the city of around 126,000 in eastern Iowa, is expected to crest early on Tuesday morning at 23 feet (7 m).
- BusinessU.S.News & World ReportIs 4 Percent Still the Safest Retirement Amount?
Back in 1994, William Bergman, a now-retired California financial planner, published a report in the Journal of Financial Planning that pegged 4 percent as the "safest" withdrawal number that would hike the odds of retirees not outliving their money. By and large, Bergman's 4 percent rule was meant to cover 30 years worth of retirement savings. Thus, if a newly-minted 65-year-old retiree could manage to limit annual withdrawals to 4 percent of savings, he or she would still have retirement fund cash available to them by his or her 95th birthday.
PoliticsDylan StablefordHead of Commission on Presidential Debates: It’s not the moderator’s job to fact-checkHostra University students playing the roles of the candidates and moderator go through a rehearsal for the first presidential debate in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sunday. On the eve of the first presidential debate of the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said on Sunday that she doesn’t believe moderators should fact-check the candidates. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get the moderator into essentially serving as the Encyclopedia Britannica,” Janet Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said in an interview with CNN’s “Reliable Sources” from Hofstra University, where Monday’s debate, moderated by NBC’s Lester Holt, will be held.
BusinessAFPAlgeria urges OPEC decision to stabilise oil priceThe world's top oil producers "must take a decision" to stabilise prices, Algeria's energy minister said on Sunday ahead of an OPEC meeting on Wednesday in Algiers. Oil prices are already depressed after two years of oversupply amid deep disagreements between members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Failing to agree on a production freeze could push prices even lower, Noureddine Boutarfa told reporters in Algiers.
WorldABC News VideosKatrina Vanden Heuvel Says This is a 'Rewrite the Rules Election'The Powerhouse Roundtable preview the upcoming presidential debate.
- SportsYahoo News PhotoGrieving the death of José Fernández
Jose Fernandez escaped from Cuba by boat on his fourth try as a teenager, and when his mother fell into the Yucatan Channel during the journey, he jumped in and pulled her out.Fernandez’s heroic backstory made his death early Sunday that much more heart
- BusinessThe DriveMercy, the Nissan GT-R Has Gotten Expensive
The R35 Nissan GT-R, the first generation sold in America, arrived at the L.A. Auto Show nine years ago. The spec (478 hp, 434 lb-ft.) put it squarely in period supercar territory. And the price, under $70,000, had everybody in fits. When the first GT
WorldAssociated PressJordanian writer gunned down outside courthouseA prominent and outspoken Jordanian writer on Sunday was shot dead in front of the courthouse where he had been on trial for posting a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam on social media. A Jordanian security official said the shooter was a former imam, or prayer leader, at a local mosque, and said the man had been motivated by his anger over the cartoon posted to Facebook by writer Nahed Hattar. The shooting was the latest in a string of deadly security lapses in Jordan.
WorldReutersPhilippines' Duterte wants to 'open alliances' with Russia, ChinaPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he would visit Russia and China this year to chart an independent foreign policy and "open alliances" with two powers with historic rivalries with the United States. Duterte said the Philippines was at the "point of no return" in relations with former colonial ruler the United States, so he wanted to strengthen ties with others, and picked two global powers that have been sparring with Washington on the international political stage. Last week, he last declared he would visit China, with which ties remain frosty over a South China Sea arbitration ruling won by the Philippines in July.
- TechnologyTech Media Network (Tom's Guide)The Latest Hint That Apple's Gearing Up to Make Cars
Last Friday (Sept. 23), many in the media were shocked to find out that Chris Ziegler, a founding member and deputy editor of The Verge had been working for Apple for two months while still employed by the technology website. This story is bigger than clandestine work hours, though, as it could be the latest smoke-signal from Apple that the company is working on an automobile project. Ziegler's title at The Verge may have been deputy editor, but anyone familiar with his years of work covering the car industry for the website (his last piece covered a partnership between BMW and Intel) can read between the lines.
SportsThe DriveBMW Drivers Had a Really, Really Bad Day at the NürburgringOn Saturday, the Nürburgring hosted the ADAC Barbarossapreis race, the eighth event on the VLN Endurance Championship calendar. The Germs dominated on home turf, handily sweeping the Nordschleife podium. The No. 8 HARBIO Mercedes-AMG GT3 took the overall
- PoliticsForeign Policy MagazineWhy Are We So Sure Hillary Will Be a Hawk?
If she wins election in November, the conventional wisdom is that Hillary Clinton’s handling of foreign affairs will be less restrained than Barack Obama’s, and that she’d be more willing to use military force to advance U.S. objectives in various corners of the world. Unlike some of the things of which Clinton has been (bizarrely) accused, this particular claim isn’t without some basis. As I’ve observed, most of her close advisors are card-carrying liberal interventionists (or worse), which reinforces concerns that a future Clinton administration would be ready to repeat the same policies that have consistently disappointed in the past.
- U.S.WABC – NYPresidential photographer: Obama helps out George W.
President Barack Obama attended the opening ceremony of the new African American Museum in Washington, D.C. this weekend.
WorldAFPTwo Philippine airliners abort flights due to problemsA Philippine passenger jet heading to Japan was forced to turn back Monday after smoke was detected in the aircraft, while the wheel of a second plane caught fire after it aborted taking off from a separate airport, an aviation official said. The first incident involved a Philippine Airlines flight to Haneda which had just taken off from Manila, said Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the civil aviation authority. PAL said there was no panic and the passengers all disembarked safely and would travel to Japan on another aircraft.
- U.S.Inside EditionCommunity Outraged as Walmart Refuses to Make 'Blue Lives Matter' Cake for Retiring Cop
A community is in uproar after one man claims a Georgia Walmart refused to make a cake with the words "Blue Lives Matter" written across the top. According to Taylor Wilkes of Locust-Grove, the family of a police officer wanted to have a cake made for his retirement party. "Walmart refused to honor her request due to it being 'racist.' Three separate people in management denied her request," Wilkes wrote.
- U.S.Popular MechanicsA Fuel Tanker In The Gulf of Mexico Has Been On Fire For 24 Hours
A fuel tanker continued to burn off the Gulf coast of Mexico on Sunday, a day after it erupted in flames. Firefighting boats were battling the blaze aboard the Burgos, which is owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Firefighters have been using a chemical extinguisher against the fire, according to the Veracruz Port Authority.
U.S.Associated Press2 men arrested, teen detained in California triple slayingTwo men were arrested and a 17-year-old girl was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing three people inside a Southern California home over the weekend, police said. Fullerton police Sgt. Jon Radus would not say if the arrested teen was the missing daughter of two of the victims. "Katlynn Goodwill Yost has been located and she is unharmed," Radus said.
WorldReutersKerry defends diplomacy as Russian-backed forces pound AleppoBy Patricia Zengerle and Lisa Barrington CARTAGENA, Colombia/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry defended his efforts to negotiate with Moscow over the war in Syria on Monday, despite the collapse of a ceasefire that has led to a massive Russian-backed assault on the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo. Medical supplies were running out in eastern Aleppo, with victims pouring into barely functioning hospitals as Russia and its ally President Bashar al-Assad ignored Western pleas to stop the bombing of the last major urban area in opposition hands. Moscow and Damascus launched their assault last week despite months of negotiations led by Kerry that resulted in a short-lived ceasefire this month.
