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By Robert A. Vella

For more information on the Jeffrey Epstein case, see:

Jeffrey Epstein Dead in Suicide at Manhattan Jail, Officials Say

US attorney: Epstein abuse probe steadfast despite his death

Jeffrey Epstein’s death is a perfect storm for conspiracy theories

Hong Kong, Moscow protests

From:  Hong Kong police fire tear gas at protesters as confrontation looms

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police fired tear gas at protesters on Sunday as a tenth straight weekend of anti-government demonstrations intensified amid an increasingly aggressive response from the police and Beijing.

Riot police fired volleys of tear gas at crowds of mostly young protesters outside a police station in the working class district of Sham Shui Po. In nearby Cheung Sha Wan, protesters threw objects at police who fired back with tear gas.

The action followed a day of marches by demonstrators of all ages as increasingly violent protests since June have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious crisis in decades, and pose a challenge to the central government in Beijing.

From:  50,000 demonstrate in Moscow in third weekend of protests for fair elections

Aug. 10–MOSCOW — Some 50, 000 people rallied in central Moscow on Saturday to demand fair elections, the largest demonstration in a series of protests this summer that has rattled the Kremlin and posed the biggest political challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in seven years.

Unlike previous rallies, which were met with harsh police crackdown that led to thousands of detentions and violent beatings with truncheons, Saturday ‘s demonstration was approved by the government and saw only scant confrontations between riot police and protesters. Nonetheless, more than 225 demonstrators were detained, almost 150 of them in Moscow and more than 80 at a second protest in St. Petersburg.

The tens of thousands of protesters ignored drizzling rain and unseasonably cold weather to gather in Moscow ‘s Sakharov Square just off the capital city ‘s central Garden Ring road, chanting such slogans as “Russia will be free !” and “Release the political prisoners !”

Oslo mosque shooter

From:  Suspect in mosque shooting near Oslo faces murder charge for woman found dead in his home, police say

The suspect, described as a Norwegian man in his 20s, also faces an attempted murder charge in the shooting, which occurred at Al-Noor Islamic Center and injured one person. The victim sustained minor injuries, Oslo Police Superintendent Rune Skjold said at a news conference.

The shooting occurred at the mosque as Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha this weekend, one of the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar. It marks the height of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Shortly after the attack, investigators found the body of a young woman at the suspect’s home in Baerum, just west of Oslo. Police said the woman was related to the suspect, but did not specify how.

Trump attacks judges

From:  Trump Administration Moves to Decertify Outspoken Immigration Judges’ Union

The Justice Department has moved to decertify the union of immigration judges, a maneuver that could muffle an organization whose members have sometimes been openly critical of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

The department filed a petition on Friday asking the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether the union, the National Association of Immigration Judges, should have its certification revoked because its members are considered “management officials” ineligible to collectively organize, according to a Justice Department spokesman.

The move suggested escalating tensions between overwhelmed immigration judges desperate for greater resources and a Justice Department pushing them to quickly address a backlog of immigration cases.

A KKK policeman

From:  Michigan officer investigated, on paid leave after KKK items found at home

A Michigan police officer is under investigation and on paid administrative leave after potential buyers of his property toured his home and found items inside related to the Confederacy and the Ku Klux Klan.

Robert Mathis, who is black, and his wife, Reyna, toured the home of Officer Charles Anderson, a member of the Muskegon, Michigan, Police Department. On the tour they were confronted with multiple Confederate flags, and a framed document in one of the upstairs bathrooms.

That old, yellow paper turned out to be an application to the Ku Klux Klan.