All About: Obama rebukes Trump, Apple Inc bans Alex Jones, California oil spill

Former U.S. President Barack Obama assailed President Donald Trump and Republicans on Friday, urging Democrats to deliver a check on the administration's "abuses of power" and restore a sense of sanity to politics by voting in November's elections.

Obama rebukes Trump and Republicans for 'abuses of power,' urges Democrats to vote

Former U.S. President Barack Obama assailed President Donald Trump and Republicans on Friday, urging Democrats to deliver a check on the administration's "abuses of power" and restore a sense of sanity to politics by voting in November's elections. In an unusually blistering attack on his successor, Obama said Americans were living in dangerous times and accused Republicans of threatening democracy, dividing the country, undermining global alliances and cozying up to Russia.

Hundreds arrested in multi-day protests of Supreme Court nominee

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing in the Senate this week was frequently disrupted as protesters were removed from the hearing room by police, with more than 200 people arrested. In an unusually intense episode of civil disobedience on Capitol Hill, the four-day Senate Judiciary Committee hearing was targeted for "creative resistance" by liberal activist groups, said Linda Sarsour, Women's March board member.

Apple Inc bans Alex Jones app for 'objectionable content'

Apple Inc said on Friday that it had banned from its App Store the Infowars app belonging to popular U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after finding that it had violated the company's rules against "objectionable content". The move makes Apple the latest tech company or social media platform to take action against Jones, a deeply controversial right-wing radio talk-show host who has suggested that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, among other sensational claims.

Migrant families separated by U.S. are refusing reunification over dangers: ACLU

Immigrant parents separated from their children by the Trump administration and returned to their homes are refusing to be reunited with their children because their countries are so dangerous, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union told a court on Friday. "We've had very difficult conversations with the parents this week," Lee Gelernt of the ACLU told a federal judge in San Diego. "As much as they want to be with their child, and it's heartbreaking, they feel it's too dangerous."

Plains All American Pipeline convicted in 2015 California oil spill

A California jury on Friday found the Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline company guilty on criminal charges of fouling state waters and harming wildlife in a major oil spill three years ago along the Pacific shoreline near Santa Barbara. The verdict closed a chapter in the state's bid to hold Plains All American criminally responsible for an oil spill that ranked as the largest in more than four decades to hit the energy-rich but ecologically sensitive coast northwest of Los Angeles.

U.S. judge orders 32 Florida counties to help Puerto Ricans vote

A federal judge on Friday ordered 32 Florida counties to provide sample Spanish language ballots that could help more than 30,000 Puerto Ricans, including many displaced by last year's Hurricane Maria, to cast votes in the November election. Chief Judge Mark Walker of the federal court in Tallahassee, the state capital, said failing to help eligible voters would likely violate the federal Voting Rights Act, which blocks states from conditioning the right to vote on an ability to understand English.

Police brutality gets spotlight at Toronto film festival

"The Hate U Give" held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, shedding a light on how police brutality affects the lives of black communities. Based on the 2017 young adult novel of the same name, the movie tells the story of Starr, a black teenager, whose life is changed when she witnesses the killing of her childhood best friend by a white police officer.

North Carolina challenges 'unreasonable' U.S. subpoenas for voter data

North Carolina's elections board voted on Friday to challenge federal subpoenas seeking years' worth of voter information from state and local officials, saying the timing, scope and unknown nature of the inquiry were cause for concern. The U.S. Justice Department on Aug. 31 issued the subpoenas on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the state board and as many as 44 county elections boards in eastern North Carolina.

Tropical storm Helene forms near Cape Verde: U.S. NHC

Tropical storm Helene has formed in the Atlantic early Saturday and is expected to become a hurricane early next week as it churns toward the United States, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Helene was located about 375 miles east-southeast of the southernmost Cape Verde islands, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and higher wind gusts, the NHC said on early Saturday.

Two health scares at U.S. airports tied to Mecca pilgrims: U.S. officials

Two major health scares at U.S. airports involving inbound flights are related to pilgrims returning from the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which ended in late August, U.S. health officials said on Friday. On Wednesday, U.S. health officials sent an emergency response team with mobile diagnostic equipment to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after they were told that more than 100 passengers aboard an Emirates airlines flight from Dubai were experiencing flu-like symptoms.