The news out of Hong Kong has taken a turn. Protesters massing by the thousands, seeking truly open elections despite China’s refusal, have suddenly been set upon by roving packs of anti-democratic, pro-government thugs—who’ve been beating people, ripping down tents, and stealing banners. The attacks may derail tentative plans for protest leaders to sit down with Hong Kong’s current boss.
Legal abortion has become almost impossible in the state of Texas—with all but seven clinics set to close in one of America’s most sprawling states—after an appellate court’s ruling gave the state permission to enforce a draconian new anti-choice law.
The national unemployment rate is now below 6 percent—at 5.9 percent—for the first time since 2008. September saw 250,000 new jobs. And longer-term counts of the unemployed have dropped by millions this year. But don’t get too excited. It seems many of these newly employed Americans have settled on jobs they don’t much like.
“Can you catch Ebola on a crowded bus or train if you are standing next to someone who is infected? What if that person sneezes or coughs on you? If the person has symptoms, the answer could be yes.” And yet! And yet! The risks of infection in the United States remain extremely low. (Even if low is still actually a fairly frightening degree above impossible.)
Helping to contain the outbreak in Liberia, where the American who brought the disease home had been traveling, has not been going so well, so far, for the US military. As in, it’s hard to drop supplies and personnel when the airports in Liberia aren’t functional.
Rebuilding the Gaza Strip could cost as much as $4 billion, one Palestinian leader says while asking the world for an infusion of construction cash likely to be burned up the next time Israel dumps a bunch of bombs on the Palestinian territory.
Hearings on the Guantánamo force-feedings will be in public, a judge has ruled, deciding that the White House’s invocation of national security concerns was a bunch of malarkey.
More dirt on the Secret Service! One of Mitt Romney’s aides during the 2012 election says one of the agents protecting the Republican candidate gave up secret details on President Obama’s movements in a bid to sexually impress another Romney staffer.
Hackers might be calling you! Enterprising sneaks busted into JP Morgan Chase’s network and stealing contact info—but not apparently account info—for 76 million American households and 7 million small businesses.
The Oregon Zoo knows nothing drives good press like a naming contest for one of its animals. So now there’s another naming contest. For a lion cub!