‘Trump has created a cult,’ North Carolina's Cooper says in campaigning for Democratic governors
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper chairs the Democratic Governors Association and has been making the rounds promoting campaigns of Democratic candidates for governor. On Wednesday, he was interviewed by Pluribus News, a national legislative news site, and talked about what’s at stake for voters this election year.
He called former President Donald Trump’s Republican followers “a cult” and said the majority of the Republican Party supported “an autocracy.”
“I know that we’ve been pulled apart and that we are diametrically opposed and often closed-minded about these kinds of issues,” Cooper said during the interview, after talking about national issues including inflation.
“That’s what happens when you have a cult. There’s no question that Donald Trump has created a cult,” Cooper added. “I do believe that there are enough people in this country who do understand that the majority of the Republican Party has decided that they are OK with an autocracy as long as their guy is in charge, and that protecting and preserving our democracy is crucial,” Cooper went on to say.
—The Charlotte Observer
12,000 suspected fentanyl pills found in candy boxes at LAX security checkpoint
LOS ANGELES — Authorities seized about 12,000 pills believed to contain fentanyl that a person tried to bring in candy boxes through a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday morning.
Narcotics detectives and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force agents made the seizure around 7:30 a.m., according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
The suspect tried to go through Transportation Security Administration screening “with several bags of candy and miscellaneous snacks with the intent of boarding a plane,” deputies said.
Security officers discovered that the candy boxes contained pills believed to contain fentanyl, deputies said. “The suspect fled prior to being detained by law enforcement but has been identified and the investigation is ongoing,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
—Los Angeles Times
Study: Marine protected areas’ powerful 'spillover effect' helps fish and fishers
Scientists have shown for the first time that protecting highly valuable but imperiled tuna in huge marine preserves pays off in the recovery of so many of the migratory fish that catch rates for some species increased 54% near a Hawaii reserve where fishing had been banned.
That’s due to what is called the “spillover effect,” when protected tuna populations grow so healthy that they expand beyond a marine protected area. Those reserves, however, must be carefully designed and tailored to the biology of the species being safeguarded, according to the researchers.
Scientists have previously proved that marine protected areas that prohibit fishing benefit populations of coral, lobsters and other critters that don’t travel much and are more easily studied. But whether those preserves help tuna, which can migrate thousands of miles from their spawning grounds, had been an open question.
The findings of the peer-reviewed study published Thursday in the journal Science have significant implications, as rising ocean temperatures due to climate change are expected to alter tuna migration and complicate efforts to protect the fish.
—Bloomberg News
Beer levels too low in third of Oktoberfest steins, say inspectors
MUNICH — Visitors to this year's Oktoberfest, the annual German beer fest in Munich, were likely to have been served too little beer in their steins, the popular liter-mugs of beer often served in the south of Germany.
The relevant authority, the Munich District Administration Department (KVR), revealed on Thursday that it had carried out random checks during the festival, which concluded that 31% of mugs had seen beer levels too low at this year's Oktoberfest.
The local newspaper "tz" first reported the results.
The report's methods recorded an improper pour when a mug was filled to less than 15 millimeters below the 1-liter mark. Last year, this had only been the case in 18% of samples. In 2018, it occurred in 14% of samples.
—dpa
