Trump Makes Terrible ‘Jokes’ And A Bromance Is Rekindled

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IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Trump: Are Assassination Jokes Funny Yet? No? Okay

If crossing lines were an Olympic sport, Trump would have a medal to match his hair. While speaking at a rally in North Carolina, Republican nominee Donald Trump hinted at the assassination of Hillary Clinton as a possible solution for gun-rights activists. Trump was speaking about the next president’s power to appoint Supreme Court justices when he said, “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks.” This was followed by the joke, “Although the Second Amendment people… maybe there is, I don’t know.” The *wink wink, nudge nudge* wasn’t exactly coy. Critics were quick to call his phrasing reckless and admonish him for even jokingly endorsing violence, especially considering the recent gun violence and political climate in the US today.

And if Clinton’s week wasn’t bad enough…

The parents of two Americans killed while on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi filed a lawsuit against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The wrongful-death lawsuit charges that the attack that killed four Americans, including their sons Sean Smith and Tyrone Woods, “was directly and proximately caused, at a minimum” by Clinton’s use of a private email server while in the State Department. This, obviously, won’t be Clinton’s first stint in court over the Benghazi attacks. Just last fall, she answered eight hours of questioning from a Republican-led House committee over her handling of the attacks. The committee later filed a report in June, finding no new evidence of wrongdoing. But what’s another court appearance? It’s not like she’s busy.

Putin And Erdogan To Rekindle Lost Love

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan decided to turn a blank page in their strained relationship with the latter’s visit to Russia yesterday. Ties between the two strongmen frayed after Turkish pilots shot down a Russian jet for violating Turkish airspace while bombing Syria. However, Erdogan’s relationship with the US and Europe has recently come under strain after they criticized him for an over-zealous crackdown following a failed coup in Turkey last month. Sensing an opportunity to drive another wedge through NATO and bolster his “shirtless strongman” alliance, Putin decided to phase out sanctions on Turkey and bring the two countries together. The coup has united most of Turkey behind its usually polarizing President as many Turks support the government’s crackdown and are wary of Western criticisms of it.

GOOD READ: London Review Of Books On The Two Narratives Regarding The Attempted Coup

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Satellite Images Suggest China Miiiiiight Be Lying

When it’s China’s word versus satellite images presented by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, who are you going to believe? The US repeatedly asked – nay, begged – to refrain from militarizing their holdings in the South China Sea, but perhaps the Chinese thought that was merely a suggestion. Pictures taken in late July reveal hangars and spaces for fighter jets in the Spratly Islands, though China denies any military-grade construction is being used for military. Maybe air force hangars really are the new condos? After an international court in The Hague ruled against China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea, the international community worried that tensions were mounting. China still feels it owns most of these waters, much to the annoyance of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, who all have claims of their own.

Kosovo Lawmaker Has A Tear Gas Tantrum

It’s not every day that a politician thinks to himself, “I should bring tear gas to work today, just in case.” Nonetheless, the thought crossed the mind of Driton Caushi, a member of Kosovo’s largest opposition party, when Parliament voted on a crucial border deal that would give Kosovo visa-free access to the EU. Officials had to flee the parliament hall when he opened the tear gas canister during a meeting. As Caushi was led away by police, he urged the opposition party to persevere against the “criminal government” at all costs. There have been several acts of this sort in recent months. Those against the deal believe Kosovo will lose about 20,000 acres of land to Montenegro as a result. The Prime Minister, and his biggest supporters the US and EU, strongly deny this claim.

Texas Suffers Its First Zika-Related Death

Yesterday marked a new feeling of defeat in the battle against Zika virus. Health officials announced that the virus claimed the life of an infant in Texas yesterday, the first Zika-related death in the state. The baby was born with microcephaly, a condition in which the child’s head is abnormally small and brain development is incomplete. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 babies were born in the US with Zika-related birth defects. Now that Miami is also battling its own Zika outbreak, officials are expecting stillbirths and similar deaths to increase.

The Basics: What You Need To Know About Zika

KEEPING OUR EYE ON 

India: The world’s longest hunger strike ended on Tuesday when Indian human rights activist Irom Sharmila broke a 16-year fast with a lick of honey. She began her fast when 10 people were killed by a government run pro-military group near the city of Imphal.

Delta: The airline announced that it was grounding 300 additional flights on Tuesday. This comes a day after the computer outage which crashed their communication and booking system. In total, about 1,000 flights were cancelled.

Bahamas: Search teams recovered the black box data recorder from El Faro, the cargo ship that sank last year and killed 33 people. Although the wreckage was discovered a month after the ship sunk, investigators could not retrieve the black box until now.

 LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Meth Lab Found Under Wal-Mart Parking Lot

Finally, the one-stop shop America craves. Police “stumbled on” a meth lab under the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Amherst, New York this week. Police don’t know how long the underground lab was in operation, but it was found inside of a giant drainage pipe that a six-foot person could walk through, so it wasn’t exactly well hidden. People may have just mistaken it as an extension of Wal-Mart’s food court. No word yet on if the meth lab upheld the franchise’s commitment to offering the lowest price possible.