1 FBI Chief: Russia Again Working To Influence Presidential Election
FBI Director Chris Wray says Russia is again working to disrupt the U.S. presidential election. At a House hearing, Wray testified that that Moscow's intent is to sow divisiveness and discord as the election nears. Wray said the FBI is working aggressively to combat the growing threat, which he called "very active." Wray noted that Russia aims to "denigrate" Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. He insisted that foreign interference in American elections will not be tolerated. But that’s not the only force Americans are fighting. Wray also addressed internal strife – including Antifa, which he says is a real threat, but not an organized group, per say. "Antifa is a real thing. It's not a group or an organization,” he explained. “It's a movement, or an ideology may be one way of thinking of it...it’s not an organization or a structure.” He went on to say that there are a number of investigations into individuals who self-identify with Antifa, whom he describes as “violent anarchist extremists.”
2 Report: The White House Abandoned Plan To Distribute Masks In April
Newly revealed document show that the United States Postal Service had plans to email masks to every American back in April – about 650-million in all. According to reports, the White House feared it would cause a panic...and dropped the plan at the last minute. Neither the Postal Service nor the HHS have commented on the report. Still, the news is pretty ironic considering the new research out of Harvard, which says face masks are the most effective way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during air travel. The study says face masks diminish the release of infectious particles in the air. The study noted that when a symptomatic man and his pre-symptomatic wife, both wearing face masks, flew on a 15-hour international flight, none of the 350 passengers contracted the virus. Similarly, it follows the testimony of CDC Director Robert Redfield, who maintains that masks would be more effective for stopping the spread than a vaccine.
3 Storm Brewing In Gulf Could Become Tropical Depression
Tropical Depression Twenty-Two has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico, and, while forecast to become a tropical storm, is expected to meander before potentially impacting parts of the coast of Texas or northeast Mexico next week. This newly-formed system was designated a tropical depression early Thursday evening after a Hurricane Hunter aircraft mission found a closed low-pressure circulation with sufficient thunderstorms near it. With little wind shear and plenty of warm ocean water, this system is expected to become a tropical storm soon. The next Atlantic Basin tropical storm will be named Wilfred. How strong it will become remains uncertain. Water temperatures are very warm, which supports intensification, and wind shear should remain low to moderate, at most. However, it could be impacted by some dry air and it could eventually churn up enough cooler water below the surface to keep a lid on its intensification.