| Oklahoma becomes latest red state to approve Obamacare's Medicaid expansion at the ballot box Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:31 AM PDT  Oklahoma follows Utah, Nebraska, Idaho and Maine in approving the Obamacare health insurance expansion for low-income residents.
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| After a Black protester is killed in Omaha, witnesses claim a rushed investigation ignored signs of the shooter's allegedly racist past Posted: 01 Jul 2020 12:03 PM PDT  More than 300 people have been arrested in Omaha amid protests against police brutality in the past month. Jake Gardner, who shot and killed James Scurlock, is not one of them.
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| Pence: Florida can thank President Trump for being prepared to handle COVID cases Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The coronavirus case numbers are worse than ever in Florida.
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| US tries to seize Iranian gas heading toward Venezuela Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:46 AM PDT  U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran, the latest attempt to disrupt ever-closer trade ties between the two heavily sanctioned anti-American allies. The civil-forfeiture complaint filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. "The profits from these activities support the IRGC's full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad," prosecutor Zia Faruqui alleges in the complaint.
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| Harvard Grad Says She Was Fired from Deloitte Job for Threatening ‘All Lives Matter’ Supporters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:54 AM PDT  A recent Harvard graduate who threatened to "stab" anyone who told her "all lives matter" has been fired from her job, she announced in a tearful video.Claira Janover, who said in a viral but since-deleted TikTok post that she would "stab" those with "the nerve" to say "all lives matter," posted several tearful videos explaining that her new employer, Deloitte, had fired her."I know this is what Trump supporters wanted because standing up for Black Lives Matter put me in a place online to be seen by millions of people," Janover explained. "The job that I worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me just called me and fired me because of everything."In a second video, Janover claimed that "Trump supporters took my job away from me.""I have gotten death threats, rape threats, violent threats and it's okay — but now it's just like my future is entirely compromised because Trump supporters have decided to come for my life," she stated. "I'm too strong for you. I am too strong for any of you, 'all lives matter' racist Trump supporters. It sucks but it doesn't suck as much as systemic racism."Janover also criticized Deloitte, calling out the company for "cowardice." The firm has not publicly commented on the situation.In the video that led to her firing, Janover warned "all lives matter" supporter that she would stab them. "While you're struggling and bleeding out, I'ma show you my paper cut and say, 'My cut matters too,'" she stated. After the video was picked up and circulated on Twitter, Janover posted a message on the video stating that "For legal reasons this is a joke." She also explained in subsequent videos that her threat was "clearly" an "analogous joke.""Apparently I'm threatening the lives of people — unlike cops, obviously," she added."Anyway, so If I get an email from the Department of Homeland Security or I get kicked out of Harvard or I get arrested or whatever — or I get murdered, according to the many death threats that I'm receiving right now — know that I appreciate you guys standing up for me," she said.
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| Finland's air force drops swastika emblem after century in use Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:57 AM PDT  Finland's air force has quietly removed the last swastikas from unit emblems after over a century in use. Until recently the country's Air Force Command emblem depicted a pair of wings around a swastika, a symbol which pre-dates its associations with Nazism. The change was first observed by Teivo Teivainen, a politics professor at the University of Helsinki, who argued its negative associations made the swastika's ongoing use politically fraught. Professor Teivainen, who has written widely on the issue, said using the swastika could cause difficulties for the Nato country, particularly if worn on the uniforms of deployed personnel. "I have not found many reasonable arguments to support its military usefulness," Mr Teivainen wrote on Twitter on Thursday. The symbol's association with Finland's air force dates to its founding in 1918, when Swedish count Eric von Rosen donated a plane painted with swastikas to the newly independent country. The German Nazi Party adopted the swastika as its logo in 1920. Finland removed the swastika from its aircraft following a postwar armistice with the Soviet Union, but until recently the symbol remained on Air Force Command emblems and some flags and decorations. A spokesman for Finland's air force told the BBC, "as unit emblems are worn on uniform, it was considered impractical and unnecessary to continue using the old unit emblem, which had caused misunderstandings from time to time."
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| 'We're not going anywhere': Seattle's Chop zone dismantled but cause lives on Posted: 02 Jul 2020 06:33 AM PDT  The special police-free zone set up by protesters has now been cleared, but activists say they won't stop the fight for justiceThe occupied protest zone near downtown Seattle known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or "Chop", effectively came to a swift end early on Wednesday morning when officers largely cleared the area of people and encampments, despite some protests lingering overnight into Thursday.Now activists say the relationships built and lessons learned over the last three weeks in the self-proclaimed police-free zone have already had a lasting impact that will live on past the physical presence of Chop."We won, we're winning, we made history," said Rick Hearns, who had become head of security at Chop. "Look what we did here. The world saw it."But the protest area also became the location of a series of night-time shootings, which left a 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man dead and several others seriously injured.In a series of tweets on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle's mayor, Jenny Durkan, highlighted the violence in the zone, saying "the recent public safety threats have been well documented" and "this violence demanded action".She said: "Our conversations over the weekend made it clear that many individuals would not leave, and that we couldn't address these critical public safety concerns until they did."The autonomous zone emerged organically following a series of dangerous clashes between protesters and law enforcement during marches against police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd, and African American, by a white police officer, in Minneapolis in May.Officers in Seattle abandoned their east precinct building as demonstrations closed in, after which protesters camped out around it, with the intention of protecting the building from possible destruction that might be blamed on them.In the days that followed, hundreds more joined, and suddenly several blocks of the city's streets were teeming with people of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, focused on calling for the defunding the city's police department – echoing such protest cries emerging coast to coast, which can mean diverting money budgeted for police departments to social and education services, or even dismantling an entire department and restructuring the law enforcement system.And they wanted an end to police brutality against black people, explained Tarika Powell, an organizer with Seattle Black Collective Voice.> We're going to organize sit-ins, we're going to spam the city officials, we're going to show up> > Jessie Livingston"It was a space where people came to learn. We screened documentaries, we put on people's assemblies every day where people had the opportunity to speak and share their feelings and ideas … we put on educational events every single day," she told the Guardian."We had a space called the conversation cafe where people could come to learn about racism and to talk about it in ways they don't get to do in their daily lives."It spurred not only important conversations and learning, but also lasting bonds, which have since resulted in the organizing of anti-racist protests and the creation of social justice groups.The Seattle Black Collective Voice, for example, was formed after a group of organizers and protesters met in the Chop, explained Powell.Today, there are about 40 people involved with the collective, and they hold weekly educational events, and organize neighborhood cleanups and mental health outreach for people in the African American community."We would have not been able to come together and engage in the work that we're doing if it had not been for Chop," she said.Pay the Fee Tiny Library was launched in a tent at the Chop, and now organizers have set up the library, which includes black, indigenous and people of color and LGBTQ literature, around the city and held events. And a garden started in the Cal Anderson Park is now expected to become a permanent addition to the neighborhood.Protesters have repeatedly stressed that the shootings and violence was not directly connected with Chop, and may have happened anyway . But it resulted in a dramatic decline in occupiers, it concerned local businesses and residents, and amplified officials calling on occupants to disperse.By the time police cleared Chop on Wednesday, following Mayor Durkan's emergency executive order, the area had largely been reduced to a small number of activists and many homeless people, explained Powell.The truth is they "went in and did a violent sweep on homeless people, throwing away their tents and belongings", she said."Those homeless people had come into Chop to be safe from the sweeps. That is the vast majority of people that were in that space since the shooting started."Officers reported on Twitter that they arrested 31 people during the sweep.Some activists have argued that the police precinct was needed as a bargaining chip in order to get their three main demands met, which involve defunding the police, using that money to invest in community health and services, and dropping criminal charges against protesters. Others say another occupation in the city could be a future possibility.Jessie Livingston, 36, a protester who has been camped at Chop almost every day since it was founded, said she didn't know exactly the form the movement might take, but said: "We're going to organize sit-ins, we're going to spam the city officials, we're going to show up to city council meetings, we're going to do everything we know how to do."She added: "We're not going anywhere."
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| America's New B-21 Stealth Bomber Is Just Two-Years Away Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:01 PM PDT  These are much better than the older B-2s and should be ready in the early 2020s.
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| The Best Bike Lights to Illuminate Your Ride Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:26 AM PDT |
| Kentucky election: Democrats flip state Senate seat held by Republicans for 25 years Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Democrats have flipped a state Senate seat previously held by Republicans for the last 25 years.Dr Karen Berg won the special election for Kentucky's 26th Senate District after Republican Senator Ernie Harris announced he was retiring following 25 years in office. She beat Republican candidate Bill Ferko by 14 points.
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| Lindsey Graham Uses Benghazi to Defend Trump on Russian Bounties Posted: 02 Jul 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was among the loudest Republican voices in Congress screaming about the attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya back in 2012. But he apparently has no problem with President Donald Trump's decision to ignore intelligence about Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan. In fact, during a Thursday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, Graham actually used the Benghazi attack to defend Trump and accuse his Democratic colleagues of hypocrisy.After co-host Brian Kilmeade quoted Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who accused Trump of committing "treason," Graham fired back by asking: "Where were all these Democrats when Benghazi was on fire, when they were calling for help from the consulate? The president of the United States Obama was briefed and went to bed and never called anybody for a day and a half while our people were being slaughtered in Benghazi. Where was the outrage then?!" Graham went on to say that in his view the "conflicting intelligence" in this case "does not justify a nation stage conflict with Russia." He also defended Trump's apparent lack of knowledge about the bounties by saying, "You don't tell the president of the United States everything you would tell a second lieutenant!" Co-host Steve Doocy then gave Graham an assist by adding, "It should surprise anybody that it's a big story in The New York Times. I mean, that's what they do! They come up with these big stories to make Donald Trump look bad." "And it's all B.S.," Graham replied. "He wasn't briefed. And there was no consensus." While Trump may not have been verbally briefing about the bounties, the intelligence was reportedly in his Presidential Daily Briefing, which he apparently declined to read. Despite this, Graham said Trump has an "unwavering desire and commitment to protecting our troops on the ground." Fox & Friends ended its interview with Graham by asking about his recent golf outing with Trump. "Who won?" Doocy inquired."I've never seen him play this well," Graham said with a straight face as the co-hosts giggled. "I mean, he's got more on his shoulders—I'm hoping, OK, he's a little distracted. He beat me like a drum." Jake Tapper Exposes Pompeo, Graham and Giuliani's 'Stunning' HypocrisyRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Man and woman who led police on hour-long pursuit were wanted in at least three St. Louis counties Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:43 PM PDT  Court records reveal that the man who led police on a pursuit through the St. Louis Metro Area has been in repeated trouble with drugs.
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| Feds Arrest ‘Ringleader’ in Attempt to Topple Andrew Jackson Statue Near White House Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:07 AM PDT  Federal authorities on Thursday reportedly arrested a male suspect they say was the "ringleader" of an effort to destroy a statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House.Jason Carter, whom authorities said is connected to the loose knit anarchist group Antifa, was arrested Thursday morning at his home and charged with destruction of federal property, Fox News first reported. Carter allegedly led the June 22 effort to topple the statue in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Square near the White House, which protesters said they attacked because Jackson owned slaves and because of his treatment of Native Americans."They were very organized," an unidentified federal law enforcement official told Fox News. "Carter was on top of the statue and directing people.""They had acid, chisels, straps and a human chain preventing police from getting to the statue," the official said.The Justice Department on Saturday announced that four other men face felony destruction of federal property charges for their roles in attacking the statue. According to the department, the four were caught in video footage attempting to pull the statue to the ground.President Trump on Friday signed an executive order to protect American monuments, memorials, and statues in the wake of recent attacks on several monuments of historical figures in cities around the country."Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country," Trump wrote in a tweet announcing the order.At least a dozen other monuments to historical figures have also been targeted, including several Christopher Columbus statues. Statues of Columbus were attacked in recent weeks in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Minnesota as protests continue against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
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| Death toll rises to 26 in Mexican drug rehab center attack Posted: 01 Jul 2020 06:44 PM PDT  The killing of 26 people in an unregistered drug rehabilitation center in central Mexico is the deadliest such attack in a decade and has led to calls for change in a prosperous state that has become a cartel battleground. Authorities in the city of Irapuato in Guanajuato state on Thursday raised the death toll from 24 after two of the seven people injured in the attack died. Police in Guanajuato state said Wednesday's attack occurred at a modest two-story house on the outskirts of Irapuato.
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| Former Pope Benedict's brother Georg dies at 96 Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:03 AM PDT  Georg Ratzinger, the brother of former Pope Benedict who nurtured a very close relationship over decades to his sibling, has died at the age of 96 in the German town of Regensburg on Wednesday, the local archdiocese said. In June, Benedict, aged 93, had spent five days in his native Germany to visit his ailing brother, who was also a priest. It was the first time that Benedict left Italy since 2013, when he became the first Pope to resign in six centuries.
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| Terrifying: Why France Once Pointed Its Nuclear Weapons at Germany Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:53 AM PDT  Any Soviet invasion route would have gone through Germany.
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| Column: Pete Buttigieg on running as a gay man and his struggles with Black voters Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:28 PM PDT  'Nobody two years ago was saying who is going to jump into the millennial, Midwestern, gay mayor lane, right?': Pete Buttigieg on the doors he opened for the LGBTQ community — and the inroads he didn't make
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| Amid COVID-19, Trump administration keeps immigration courts open, putting judges, lawyers and immigrants at risk Posted: 02 Jul 2020 08:42 AM PDT  A labor union representing the nation's immigration judges filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in part over the COVID-19 threat.
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| Dead Suspect in Disappearance of Fort Hood Soldier Sexually Harassed Her: Lawyer Posted: 01 Jul 2020 01:39 PM PDT  A military officer who died by suicide after being confronted about his involvement in Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen's disappearance allegedly walked in on her showering, her family's lawyer said Wednesday. The incident is one of two alleged instances of sexual harassment Guillen, a 20-year-old Private First Class stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, experienced at the hands of her superiors before she went missing from the base's parking lot in April, Natalie Khawam, an attorney for the Guillen family, said at a Wednesday press conference. On Tuesday evening, authorities believe they located Guillen's body, after finding partial remains in a shallow grave near Leon River. The remains are currently being identified by a medical examiner.This Utah Police Chief Was Promoted Even After His Racist Posts Were Exposed. Now Residents Want Him Out.Now her family is demanding a congressional investigation into the military's handling of Guillen's case, alleging the probe has been riddled with "lies." "They lied to our faces every single day that passed for more than two months. My sister was sexually harassed and no one cared," Lupe Guillen, the soldier's younger sister, said at a Wednesday press conference. "My sister is a human too. If this can happen to my sister it can happen to anyone else. She deserves justice!""I want Fort Hood Army base to shut down... They're protecting one another," she added. While details of the Army's Criminal Investigation Command's probe remain under wraps, military officials revealed that a suspect involved in the case died by suicide on Tuesday after being confronted by officers about his involvement in the case. The suspect, who has not been identified, was a "junior soldier from Fort Hood who fled the post" shortly after human remains were found about 20 minutes away from where Guillen was last seen. The Army added that authorities also apprehended another suspect in Guillen's disappearance—a female civilian who is the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. The identified woman is currently in custody at Bell County Jail awaiting charges. "We have made significant progress in this tragic situation and are doing everything possible to get to the truth and bring answers to the family of Pfc. Vanessa Guillen," Chris Grey, the spokesman for Army's criminal investigative organization, said Wednesday.During a Wednesday press conference with Guillen's family members and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Khawam slammed Fort Hood and Army investigators for being "evasive" and accused them of covering up for two other suspects that are currently in custody. "They falsely accounted for her at 3 p.m. the day she disappeared," said Khawam. "What is the cover-up for? She was a soldier. Why aren't they transparent with the family? This was mishandled from the start. It has to be investigated."'Bullies With Badges': Colorado Takes Another Look at Elijah McClain's Death in CustodyThe lawyer added that the suspect, who authorities said died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, worked with Guillen the day she vanished. Mayra Guillen, the 20-year-old's other sister, also revealed Wednesday that she had spoken to that same suspect—claiming he was dismissive and "laugh[ed] at my face" when she went to the military base to ask about the ongoing investigation. "That subject, I met him, not knowing he had something to do with it. I felt he had something to do with it, and I wasn't wrong," Mayra Guillen said. "He had the nerve to laugh in my face and apparently now he kills himself. Why? I don't know, but whoever is responsible has to pay."Authorities say Guillen was last seen on April 22 at 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Regimental Engineer Squadron headquarters. Her family reported her missing hours later when she stopped answering their calls and friends could not find her on the base. Officials later found "her car keys, barracks room key, identification card, and wallet" in the armory room where she had been working earlier in the day. Before Guillen went missing, Khawam said Guillen told family members, friends, and colleagues she had been sexually harassed by her superiors on two separate occasions. The family said Wednesday Guillen's sexual harassment allegations led the military base to "cover-up" her initial disappearance."We need a congressional investigation as soon as possible. They lied to us since day one, Fort Hood. They're hiding," Mayra Guillen said. For months, the Guillen family pressed the Army and lawmakers to pay attention to the case, holding several rallies and garnering the support of community groups. Once the search received national attention, the family launched the "Find Vanessa Guillen" campaign. Several activists and celebrities ultimately joined the effort to find answers about the soldier's disappearance. Army Officer Rushes Home to See Mom—Before She Is Deported to Mexico"Bring back Vanessa… We won't stop until you come back," actress Salma Hayek wrote on Instagram last month.Fort Hood officials stated that since April, hundreds of soldiers have been deployed on a daily basis to search for Guillen in and around Fort Hood, as well as drones, helicopters, and dogs. On June 18, the military also launched an investigation into the sexual harassment claims but later said in a statement they found no credible evidence Guillen was assaulted.Days later, the investigators said they suspected "foul play" was involved in the case—but Khawam said developments in the case have not been relayed to the 20-year-old's family. "Imagine you lose your daughter and you're finding out information from the media? The command doesn't feel they owe this family anything. They're savages! They're dishonorable," Khawam said, adding that she plans to ask lawmakers to propose legislation to protect U.S. soldiers from sexual harassment and sexual assault.Tim Miller, director and founder of Texas EquuSearch, a non-profit that assists in missing-person searches, told The Washington Post the breakthrough in the case hinged on witness accounts. According to Miller, a man was seen struggling with a heavy-duty Pelican transport case shortly after Guillen disappeared. A lid for a similar case was found burned in a mound search on June 20—and her remains were later found just a few feet away by Texas Rangers and cadaver dogs. Miller told the Post that concrete had been poured at the site and recent rainstorms had allowed the shallow grave where the remains were found to settle into the ground. On Tuesday, Miller said, a group of men building a fence nearby noticed a terrible smell and walked over to the gravesite—where they saw hair coming out of the ground. He added that in the nearly two decades he had helped authorities recover nearly 240 sets of remains, he has never seen the level of sophistication that was used at the Leon River site. "This should never have happened and we will never know what happened until we get a congressional investigation because everything we were given was lies," Khawam added on Wednesday. "We don't know who's covering up for who, but it doesn't matter. We lost a life. We lost a beautiful young soldier and it's time we fix our system."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Sen. Scott on COVID-19 surge in Florida: We can beat this without the government taking away our rights Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott says citizens can responsibly combat the virus by being given more information from the government instead of just being told what to do.
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| Elephants are dying by the hundreds in Africa, experts say. Nobody knows why Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:19 PM PDT  "We need to know what the hell is going on."
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| Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:21 AM PDT  Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation. Relations between the NATO members have soured over the Libya conflict, where Turkey supports the internationally recognised government and accuses Paris of backing the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar who tried to capture Tripoli. France denies backing Haftar's offensive on the capital, and accused Turkish warships of aggressive behaviour after its own warship tried to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a UN arms embargo on Libya.
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| Alabama college students are throwing 'COVID parties' where they invite infected people and gamble on who gets sick first, officials say Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:48 AM PDT  As of Thursday, Alabama reported more than 38,000 coronavirus cases. State health authorities have warned intensive-care-unit beds might run out.
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| Military Mystery: What Happened to Russia's New T-14 Tank in Syria? Posted: 01 Jul 2020 07:00 PM PDT  Last month multiple media reports suggested that the Russian military's new T-14 Armata tank had been "battle-tested" in Syria.
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| Sweden's prime minister orders an inquiry into the failure of the country's no-lockdown coronavirus strategy Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:44 AM PDT  The number of new COVID-19 cases in Sweden, where the government opted against a strict lockdown, has increased significantly in recent weeks.
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| Gun-toting restaurateur upsets 5-term Colorado congressman Posted: 30 Jun 2020 08:36 PM PDT  A pistol-packing restaurant owner who has expressed support for a far-right conspiracy theory has upset five-term U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton in Colorado's primary elections. Tipton became the fourth House member to lose renomination bids this year. Republican Reps. Steve King of Iowa and Denver Riggleman of Virginia, and Democrat Daniel Lipinski of Illinois, have already been ousted by challengers.
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| McConnell splits with Trump on defence bill veto and bases named for Confederate generals Posted: 01 Jul 2020 12:55 PM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has split with Donald Trump over the president's threat to veto the annual defence spending bill if it includes a provision to rename military bases named for Confederate figureheads."Well, I would hope the president really wouldn't veto the bill over this issue. ... I hope the president will reconsider vetoing the entire defence bill, which includes pay raises for our troops, over a provision in there that could lead to changing the names," Mr McConnell said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday.
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| Detroit man sentenced to life in prison for killing two gay men and a transgender woman Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:46 AM PDT  19-year-old Devon Kareem Robinson's "actions were disturbing on so many levels," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
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| Memphis police clear downtown plaza, detain protesters who camped out for two weeks Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Protesters have camped outside the Memphis City Hall since June 16. The city said the move was necessary to allow for construction.
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| ‘Because of my stupidity.’ California man dies of COVID-19 after going to barbecue Posted: 02 Jul 2020 08:03 AM PDT  "I think what he wanted people to know, this is a real thing. It's serious, and it kills people."
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| Vietnam, Philippines denounce China military drills in disputed waters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:52 AM PDT  Vietnam and the Philippines on Thursday criticised China's holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China's exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were "highly provocative", while Vietnam's Foreign Ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be "detrimental" to Beijing's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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| Britain recognises Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela after dispute over gold Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:08 AM PDT  Britain has recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's president, the English High Court has ruled, in a case over whether Mr Guaido or Nicolas Maduro should control $1 billion of its gold stored in London. The case was brought by the Banco Central de Venezuela to release $1 billion of gold reserves to help fund the cash-strapped country's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Bank of England said it was unable to act on instructions because it was "caught in the middle" of competing claims for the presidency after disputed elections in 2018. A BCV board appointed by the government of Nicolas Maduro wants the gold released while a rival ad hoc board appointed by Mr Guaido asked for the release to be denied. Commercial Court judge Nigel Teare, sitting at the High Court of England and Wales, was asked to rule on who was authorised to make the demand - Mr Guaido or Mr Maduro. In his judgement, he said: "Her Majesty's Government does recognise Mr Guaido in the capacity of constitutional interim president of Venezuela and, it must follow, does not recognise Mr Maduro as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela."
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| This Picture Proves a U.S. Nuclear Submarine Can Smash Into a 'Mountain' Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:45 PM PDT  Well, an underwater mountain, that is.
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| Immigration judges in lawsuit say US government muzzles them Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:59 AM PDT  Immigration judges said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Justice that they are being muzzled by the Trump administration, marking the latest confrontation between the judges and the federal government. The judges under previous administrations were allowed to speak in their personal capacities on issues relating to immigration if they they made it clear that they were not speaking on behalf of the Justice Department or the court system, said Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, which represents about 460 federal immigration judges.
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| 'Tired of burying our children': 4 toddlers shot in Chicago amid surge in gun violence Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:54 PM PDT  As gun violence surges in Chicago, Black and brown communities are calling for economic investment in their neighborhoods.
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| Miami boy, 11, is youngest Florida victim of COVID-19. He beat other illnesses but not this one. Posted: 02 Jul 2020 11:12 AM PDT  At 18 months old, his body suffering from deformities and his kidneys failing, Daequan Wimberly joined the family of a Miami pastor as a "medical foster child."
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| British PM's father travels to Greece despite UK COVID-19 advisory Posted: 02 Jul 2020 07:19 AM PDT  The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has flown to Greece, despite current advice for British nationals to avoid all but essential international travel. Greek government officials confirmed on Thursday that author Stanley Johnson had arrived, likely via Bulgaria, in the northern region of Pelion, where he has a holiday home, but said there was nothing untoward in his arrival. Photos on Stanley Johnson's Instagram account showed him wearing a mask in what appeared to be an airport.
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| Minnesota state senator reacts to city council members voting to disband police: ‘Hypocrisy’ Posted: 01 Jul 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka tells 'America's Newsroom' it's 'hypocritical' that the city council members want to defund the police, yet have their own protection.
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| Made in America: Meet Iran's 'Zombie' Cannon Posted: 02 Jul 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Neither tank nor artillery piece.
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| Weibo deletes Indian Prime Minister's social media account Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:33 PM PDT  Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, said it had deleted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's account at the request of the Indian embassy, as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer over a border skirmish. Since posting on Sina Weibo the first time in 2015 during a visit to China, Mr Modi has been an infrequent user of the Chinese social media platform. He had more than 200,000 followers and 100 posts before the account was shut. Sina Weibo announced the closure of the account late on Wednesday and the removal comes a few days after India banned dozens of Chinese apps, including Sina Weibo and ByteDance's TikTok, following the border clash between the two nations. The Indian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. Mr Modi was among a handful of foreign leaders with a Weibo account. Others include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. Notably, Mr Modi revealed the birth dates of both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang by wishing them "Happy Birthday" on Weibo. The discussion of senior leaders' private lives is extremely rare in China and the exact birth dates of most of them are not revealed publicly. In contrast, Chinese leaders are rarely active on social media. Foreign social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China. READ MORE: China annexes 60sqkm of India in Ladakh as simmering tensions erupt between two superpowers
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| Judge Blocks Trump Admin. Rule on Third-Country Asylum Seekers Posted: 01 Jul 2020 05:03 AM PDT  A federal judge has overturned a Trump administration policy mandating that asylum seekers first apply for asylum in countries they pass through on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.The policy was aimed at deterring illegal immigration from Central American countries including Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, said that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when adopting the policy. The APA requires that the federal government allow time for Americans to weigh in on certain proposed federal policy changes."There are many circumstances in which courts appropriately defer to the national security judgments of the Executive," Kelly wrote in his opinion. "But determining the scope of an APA exception is not one of them."Among the plaintiffs were advocacy groups for migrants as well as individual petitioners, who argued that the Trump administration policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act. Kelly wrote that the law generally allows asylum seekers to petition no matter what country they passed through.The Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling. However, it is unclear if the ruling will have any immediate effect because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on illegal immigration.U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has since mid-March returned almost all migrants caught crossing the border back to Mexico, fearing possible outbreaks of coronavirus in holding facilities. As a result, the pace of illegal immigration has drastically slowed during the pandemic. ICE has also refrained from arresting migrants who do not pose a public danger, and has not attempted arrests at health care facilities to allow migrants to receive medical care.
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| Fox News Host Wonders When Masks Got ‘Political.’ He Should Watch His Own Network. Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:39 PM PDT  Now that President Donald Trump has finally said that he's "all for masks" amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases, Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy on Thursday wondered why wearing a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19 ever became politicized. "For some reason, over the last couple of weeks, a month, masks have become political," the Fox host remarked during an interview. If he wants to identify that mysterious "some reason," he needn't look any further than his own colleagues.Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. months ago, Fox News hosts and guests have repeatedly criticized face coverings—either by openly mocking them or by claiming mandated mask-wearing is an infringement on personal freedom, particularly by Democratic officials eager to control the population.During an April 24 broadcast of Hannity, for instance, guest host Mike Huckabee and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy—both former Republican elected officials—groused about a then-new Houston mandate that would fine residents up to $1,000 if they didn't wear a mask in public, calling it an example of local government "trampling the constitutional rights of American citizens.""Is this a threat to the long-term life and liberty of the United States and its people?" Huckabee wondered aloud about state and local coronavirus restrictions, prompting Gowdy to make an over-the-top observation about such fines.Trump's Fox News Cabinet Tells Him the Coronavirus Crisis Is Over"So, if I'm going to imprison you or fine you for not wearing a mask, why can't I hold you down and vaccinate you against the flu this fall?" Gowdy grumbled. "I mean, you don't want the flu and COVID-19, so can I involuntarily vaccinate you?"The former congressman went on to compare the possibility of a fine to states giving prisoners early releases due to the pandemic, claiming that you could "go to jail for not wearing a mask but if you kill four dozen women, because of COVID-19, we might let you out."Days later, primetime star Laura Ingraham—who was actually an early and vocal proponent of mask-wearing—insisted that donning face masks had become a way for Democrats and liberals to enforce incessant panic."Now Rush Limbaugh made a great point, as he always does, on the radio the other day and he said the virus itself as it weakens and states start reopening, the media that have been selling panic, panic, panic for weeks and weeks and weeks, they have fewer images to sell their hysteria to justify continued lockdowns," she said on the April 29 broadcast of The Ingraham Angle. "But the masks, well they're kind of a constant reminder. You see the mask and you think, you are not safe. You are not back to normal. Not even close."Ingraham would continue to suggest mask-wearing was a left-wing power grab over the following weeks. On May 26, she insisted that masks should just be a "temporary thing" but that the goal of her political nemeses is to mandate masks "forever." The following evening, meanwhile, she insisted a hatred for the "free market" was behind their desire to keep Americans "locked down and afraid.""They want you masked, not just during the virus, but until the end of time," she declared. "Because remember, there will always be another potential virus lurking out there around the corner."Ingraham and her colleagues also politicized face coverings by ridiculing the appearance of those who wore them—namely presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden—and suggesting the face coverings signal the sort of supposed effeminate weakness right-wing media often associates with its political enemies. By contrast, the Fox stars said, a mask-free Trump exemplified manly strength. "Biden emerged from his basement for the first time in two months to lay a wreath at a war memorial near his home in Delaware," frequent Ingraham guest Raymond Arroyo said on May 26. "It was a grim look: He wore a black mask, the dark Ray Bans. Even his gait was tentative. He projected an image of trepidation, even fear."After Arroyo framed a maskless Trump as representing "the American spirit of defiance in the face of adversity," Ingraham chimed in, saying the public doesn't want to wear masks long-term before claiming Democrats "need that visual to keep people scared.""But for Joe Biden, it's virtue-signaling," Arroyo responded. "It's a way to set himself off from Trump."Ingraham and Arroyo, of course, weren't the only ones mocking Biden for publicly wearing a mask. Infamously, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume fired off a May 25 tweet showing an image of a masked Biden, with his own caption: "This might help explain why Trump doesn't like to wear a mask in public." The post was quickly shared by the president.The following day, Hume said on-air that Biden "looked ridiculous," claiming that is why much of the public doesn't want to don a face covering.Claiming that it was unnecessary for the ex-veep to wear a mask since he was outdoors and could maintain appropriate distance from others, the veteran Fox pundit politicized masks by defending the president's refusal to be publicly seen with a mask."When he looks at that picture of Joe Biden, he thinks Biden looks ridiculous, and he kind of does, and he doesn't want to look that way," Hume professed. "And the fact—the fact that he retweeted that tweet of mine, which I certainly didn't expect, suggests that he agrees with what I said. This is why he won't wear a mask. He doesn't want to look funny."Top-rated host Tucker Carlson, meanwhile, has largely politicized mask-wearing as part of his broader attacks on Democrats, the media, and public-health experts."The citizens who remain stuck in Los Angeles are effectively hostages of the mayor. [Mayor Eric] Garcetti is demanding that anyone who goes outside for any reason as the heat rises in L.A. must wear a mask," Carlson huffed on May 15. "It goes without saying there is no science to back up this order or any of Garcetti's so-called health decisions. In fact, it's possible that requiring masks outside will not prevent a single person from being infected in Los Angeles. But Garcetti doesn't care. Anyone who disobeys this order will be punished."Carlson told his viewers in late March that "of course, masks work," adding that "everyone knows that" while dinging health officials for initially saying masks are unnecessary, noting that the public understood "there's a shortage of masks" and don't want to be lied to.The primetime host once again took issue with Los Angeles' mask ordinance on May 28, claiming that officials recommending hand-washing meant they "are telling you that your face mask is so dangerous that you must wash her hands thoroughly after touching.""It's like a bio-weapon," he exclaimed. "But then you are required to put that same terrifyingly dangerous face mask over your nose and mouth and you are required to do this by law. Good luck, Los Angeles, you don't deserve this."Tucker Carlson's Journey From Coronavirus Alarm-Puller to COVID TrutherThe far-right Fox star also gave voice to so-called "COVID Contrarian" Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter-turned-spy-novelist who has recently become a star on the right for his relentless mission to convince the public that a pandemic that's caused 130,000 Amercan deaths isn't actually dangerous."By the way, not a lot of evidence that masks would help," Berenson told Carlson on June 23. "I know some people are saying it's because those states don't have masks. That's true, how about in Canada where as far as I know mask wearing is not required and has not been a resurgence."If Doocy needs more examples to answer his question of when masks became politicized, he could view some of what the network's slightly more buttoned-up "straight news" side had to say about facial coverings.During the May 28 broadcast of Martha MacCallum's show, the Fox News anchor teased a "hot debate about mask wearing in public," inviting on a guest to explain how "mandatory masks are not about safety, they are about social control.""You are going after what you see as masks as an effort to control us and that it's going to become this slippery slope and pretty soon government will be telling us that our lives are changed forever and that we're going to be wearing these, I guess indefinitely?" MacCallum said."The point of the masks is to teach people that life won't be going back to normal and we have to accept COVID-related regulations that normally we would really balk at because they infringe upon our constitutional rights or liberties," said lawyer Molly McCann, who repeatedly appeared on the network to hype her article for right-wing site The Federalist criticizing mandatory facial coverings.Despite the network's long-documented history of mocking and dismissing and fear-mongering over masks, some Fox News hosts have become loud proponents of donning the facial coverings as a low-cost safety measure.Two pro-Trump hosts, Sean Hannity and Doocy, have begun suggesting that mask-wearing would help states and localities reopen their economies faster and prevent future lockdowns. They both have also seemed to indirectly encourage Trump to publicly wear a mask to set an example from above. And in the early days of the outbreak in New York, even Ingraham encouraged people to wear facial coverings so they could continue going to work, posting tweets showing followers how to make their own facial coverings. "Going back to most jobs after 15 days will require new protocols until this virus burns out—everyone within 6 feet of others MUST wear masks, constant hand washing, gloves, protective goggles if needed," she wrote on March 23. But even before her about-face on masks, the Fox News host still enthusiastically used the facial-coverings as a political football. "The 'experts' are routinely wrong on issues big and small—on wearing masks, on reusable grocery bags...virus modeling and treatments. For years they defended outsourcing to China. So when experts issue edicts, remember their often spectacular record of failure," Ingraham wrote in April. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. 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| Seattle police clear out protester-occupied zone Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:54 PM PDT  More than 30 people are arrested as officers disperse demonstrators from the "lawless" area.
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| 8 Louisiana police officers have been charged after violently beating 2 men who prosecutors said tried to 'surrender without resistance' Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:35 AM PDT  Prosecutors said the officers broke one man's orbital bone and another man's nose in the beating, and punched, kicked, and tased the men.
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