Bucknackt's Sordid Tawdry Blog: USA Gymnastics

06 November 2018

NPR DAILY: Midterm D-Day; El Chapo Trial Begins; London Museum's Peeping Tom Problem 6NOV18

A type of flatworm called a planarian has been sliced into four at Stanford University.

by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson

First Up

Some voters in Minneapolis took advantage of the last day of early voting on Monday.

Jim Mone/AP

Happy election day, friends! Here’s the news we’re following today.

There are dozens of competitive races across the country that will determine control of the House, Senate and governors' seats. These pivotal seats could decide who holds power.

What if the polls are wrong again? The polls show a Democratic advantage in the House and a Republican one in the Senate. But be ready for anything, because surprises in politics always happen. Here are four election scenarios.

The Islamic State dumped at least 6,000 bodies — and possibly more than 12,000 — in mass graves in Iraq, the U.N. says. "Victims include women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities, members and former members of the Iraqi armed forces and police," a new United Nations report says.

Olympic officials move to revoke USA Gymnastics' status as the governing body for the sport. The dramatic step comes in the wake of the scandal involving the former team doctor, Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of athletes.

Jury selection in the “El Chapo” trial began Monday in New York. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the man accused of having run the world's largest drug trafficking organization, has been accused of shipping tons of drugs from South America to the United States and then illegally moving billions of dollars in profits to Mexico.

Four Tennessee death row inmates are seeking execution by firing squad, rather than by lethal injection. Attorneys for the inmates have argued that other methods are quicker and less painful than the three-drug lethal injection protocol used by Tennessee and denounced by some experts as a form of torture.

Digging Deeper

LeBron James warms up prior to the NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

No, black athletes will not Shut Up and Dribble — and they never have.

A new Showtime documentary series offers a pointed and emphatic response to Fox News host Laura Ingraham and her admonition to NBA superstar LeBron James (who was the executive producer of the series) to stay out of politics. Highlights of Shut Up and Dribble include a comparison between NBA rivals Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, an exploration of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s decision to sit out the 1968 Olympics, and the influence of black NBA players on labor issues, endorsement deals and the reaction of white audiences as more black players joined the league.

Today's Listen

Taly Kogon and her son Leo, 10, listen to speakers during an interfaith vigil against anti-Semitism and hate at the Holocaust Memorial late last month in Miami Beach, Fla.

Wilfredo Lee/AP

Is there a cure for hate?

After the Pittsburgh mass shooting, many are wondering how to turn extremists away from violence. But there is very little research, and even less funding, to make that happen. NPR’s Eric Westervelt reports on ways to get violent and violence-prone far-right extremists in America to abandon their ways.

▶ LISTEN

An exterior view of the new addition to the Tate Modern gallery in London in 2016. A handful of apartment owners are suing the museum, arguing it has created a state of

Matt Dunham/AP

Before You Go

Residents in one of London’s toniest apartment buildings are suing the Tate Modern. Seems a few peeping Toms are using the museum’s terrace to spy on people living in the multimillion-dollar glass tower.
Wild! These flatworms can regrow a body from a headless fragment.
Prince’s estate will upload videos from The Purple One’s vast archive on a weekly basis. Check out three rare clips for the songs Endorphinmachine, Rock And Roll Is Alive and Dolphin.
Mac Miller died from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol.
Lowe's will close 51 underperforming stores, including 20 U.S. locations in 13 different states.

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