| Obama to George Floyd protesters: Channel 'justifiable anger' into action Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:28 AM PDT  Former President Barack Obama addressed nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, condemning the violence brought on by a "small minority."
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| New Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Most Americans say Trump is a 'racist' and want him to stop tweeting Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:08 AM PDT  By a bare majority, Americans think President Trump is a racist, and want him to stop tweeting, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. The public's response to Trump's tweets and racial attitudes is predictably divided along party lines.
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| Feds Charge Two for Firebombing Minnesota Building During Protests Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:52 PM PDT  They're bringing in the big guns now.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) made its first known intervention on Monday into the spiraling crisis in Minnesota, following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. The federal agency charged two men with firebombing a county building in the town of Apple Valley on Friday, and with possessing Molotov cocktails "not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer." The criminal complaint, brought against Garrett Ziegler and Fornandous Henderson, coincided with warnings from President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr of increased federal involvement in local law enforcement efforts to counter the violence that has wracked multiple American cities.Washington's Hottest Hoax Trend Is DCBlackoutThe ATF's deposition leans heavily on the findings of the Apple Valley Police Department, which arrested Ziegler and Henderson early on May 29, moments after an explosion at the Dakota County Western Service Center. The center contains mostly local judicial facilities and municipal offices. But the ATF complaint notes that it also houses a passport office and provides voter registration assistance and serves as a polling place—which the agency asserted makes it a site of "interstate or foreign commerce," thus justifying federal intervention. Further, the ATF claims at least one tenant of the building receives federal funding. The local cops reported picking up Ziegler's dropped car keys in the parking lot shortly after responding to a fire alarm at the county building, then encountering the pair as they walked along the road just blocks away. After an unsuccessful alleged escape attempt by the two men, police took them into custody. Police described the pair as sooty, and on opening Ziegler's car said they discovered bottles of lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol, an empty box for Mason jars, removed price tags for bandanas, and a receipt for nail polish.The ATF cites an analysis it conducted, and another by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which determined these materials were similar to those used in the Molotov cocktails that hit the Dakota County Western Service Center. It also notes that Henderson related to the AVPD that he and Ziegler had attended protests in Minneapolis near the site of Floyd's killing, although the agent involved described elements of his story as "implausible."Besides accusing Ziegler and Henderson of aiding and abetting one another and damaging the building, the ATF noted that a Molotov cocktail "is a destructive device and a firearm.""As such, Molotov cocktails must be registered on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR), which is maintained by the ATF," the deposition reads, adding that a query of the database did not turn up any Molotov cocktails licensed to either man.Efforts to reach Ziegler and Henderson were not immediately successful. The complaint identifies the former as an employee of the Minnetonka Target store where several of the items in his car were purchased. The deposition alludes to "several individuals," all unnamed, whom it alleges participated in similar attacks on public and private buildings.The Sun-Thisweek, a local outlet, reported on the damage to the building shortly after the incident occurred, and the subsequent arrests. But the perpetrators' names and the involvement of federal authorities and of the ATF in particular, have not been previously revealed.Apple Valley sits due south of the Twin Cities, and is home to 55,135 people and the Minnesota Zoo.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses New York police union of threatening Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter after her arrest at Saturday's protests Posted: 01 Jun 2020 10:34 AM PDT  Ocasio-Cortez urged the NYPD to de-escalate with protesters and told the union to "apologize and own this egregious behavior."
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| Two autopsies differ on details of George Floyd's death Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:43 AM PDT  The county medical examiner and independent forensic pathologists commissioned by Floyd's family both released autopsy reports.
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| D.C. police officer to protesters: 'If I didn't think change was possible, I would just give up' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:35 AM PDT  Hours into the mandatory curfew in Washington, D.C., several police officers were recorded engaging in peaceful dialogue with protesters. While remaining in opposition to the extended protests over George Floyd's death, one officer appeared to commiserate with protesters' desire to seek change.
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| The head of the Minneapolis police union called protests a 'terrorist movement' and blamed politicians for unrest in a leaked email Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:29 PM PDT  Bob Kroll called Black Lives Matter a "terrorist organization" in 2016. In a new email, he said current protests were part of a "terrorist movement."
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| Senator tells MPs Huawei puts US troops at risk Posted: 02 Jun 2020 09:26 AM PDT  Senator Tom Cotton also claimed that the US, UK and their allies could make superior 5G tech.
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| Armenia may face a new lockdown, prime minister says Posted: 02 Jun 2020 09:57 AM PDT  Armenia may have to impose a new total lockdown if people do not follow hygiene rules, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 10,000. Pashinyan, who tested positive along with other members of his family on Monday, warned that a new lockdown could cause a severe economic crisis. "Either the rules are not followed and we go to complete restrictions accompanied by a curfew, subjecting the country to new social and economic shocks, or we cooperate and take control of the situation and achieve quick results," Pashinyan said during a Facebook live video.
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| ‘Wanton thuggery’: Australian reporter knocked down by police live on air as she covered George Floyd protests in DC Posted: 02 Jun 2020 04:56 AM PDT  US riot police were broadcast live on air using aggressive force to push and knock down an Australian reporter and her cameraman as they covered the Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC, prompting an investigation by the Australian embassy.Amelia Brace, a reporter for Australian television network Channel 7, was broadcasting from the White House with cameraman Timothy Myers when police plouged into the crowd with riot shields, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse them.
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| Appeals court mulls making Hillary Clinton testify on emails Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:58 PM PDT  A bid to block her deposition shares legal tactic with Michael Flynn's move to shut down his prosecution.
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| Cop in Las Vegas critically wounded, others elsewhere injured in protests Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:59 AM PDT  "This has been a long night for your police department ... and a tragic night for our community," the Las Vegas sheriff said Tuesday.
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| China's state media says US can now 'enjoy' protests after criticizing China's handling of unrest in Hong Kong Posted: 02 Jun 2020 10:40 AM PDT  A foreign ministry rep tweeted "I can't breathe" above a screenshot of a State Department flack condemning how Hong Kong protesters were treated.
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| UN report: Afghan Taliban still maintain ties with al-Qaida Posted: 02 Jun 2020 04:31 AM PDT  The Taliban in Afghanistan still maintain close ties with the al-Qaida terror network, despite signing a peace deal with the United States in which they committed to fight militant groups, a U.N. report released on Tuesday said. The U.S.-Taliban accord, signed in Qatar's capital of Doha at the end of February, was meant to allow for American troops to gradually leave Afghanistan after 19 years of war and pave way for intra-Afghan negotiations that would shape the country's political future. Under the accord, the Taliban pledged to combat other terror groups — including al-Qaida, which they once harbored — and prevent militants from using Afghan territory to stage attacks on America.
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| Tumultuous Trade Relations Have Created an Exit Door and Opportunity for America Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:07 PM PDT  While walking out of the World Trade Organization is, in part, the right action for Washington, remaining outside of a global free and fair-trade regime is not.
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| The New Top Prosecutor in Ukraine Has Joe Biden in Her Sights Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:00 AM PDT  Ukraine's recently appointed prosecutor general, 41-year-old Iryna Venediktova, is a woman to watch. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, expects her to investigate and prosecute his predecessor. She seems more than enthusiastic about that, and it's a process that's been set up from the start to (once again) try to smear Donald Trump's leading challenger for the presidency of the United States, Joe Biden.On the night of May 19, Venediktova personally approved the beginning of criminal proceedings against former President Petro Poroshenko for high treason and abuse of office. The move was triggered by leaked recordings of confidential conversations that allegedly took place in 2015-2016 between Poroshenko and then Vice President Biden, as well as John Kerry, who was the U.S. secretary of state at the time.Before her appointment as prosecutor general in March, Venediktova—a graduate of Ukraine's police academy who holds the rank of captain—had served Zelensky as acting chief of the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR). She reportedly launched investigations into Poroshenko while in that position, and is said to have clashed with the well-respected prosecutor general at the time, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, because of the way she conducted them. Ryaboshapka was dismissed in March, clearing the way for her to take his position.The nature of the private Biden-Poroshenko recordings and the way they were leaked is reminiscent of the way the Soviet KGB exploited wiretaps and disinformation, but that has not prevented Zelensky and Venediktova from sensationalizing what's now been put on the record.Who Leaked Biden's Calls to Ukraine?It was first presented at a press conference given on May 19 by Andriy Derkach, a member of Ukraine's parliament who has a very pro-Moscow past. Derkach, like Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a graduate of the former Soviet Union's Higher School of KGB, the foreign intelligence training facility now known as the FSB Academy. In recent years Derkach has worked closely with Trump's personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to promote accusations that Biden as vice president strong-armed the Ukrainian government to try to protect the interests of his son, Hunter Biden, who was serving in a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma. Anyone familiar with the history of Ukrainian corruption knows that Biden's pressure on the government in 2015 and 2016 was part of a major campaign by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, as well as the Obama administration, to get Poroshenko to clean up his act. Hanging in the balance were $40 billion in IMF loan guarantees, with a $1 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. opening the way.At the time, one key symbol of reform was the replacement of Poroshenko's long-time crony, Chief Prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was notorious for not convicting any major oligarchs or public officials known for corruption—even those from the infamous regime ousted by the Maidan Revolution in 2014. Starting in the mid-1990s, general prosecutors in Ukraine acquired reputations for exploiting corruption rather than fighting it. Often, prosecutions in Ukraine have been launched to shake down the targets rather than put them in prison.According to an extensive report in the British newspaper The Independent based on multiple interviews with lower level prosecutors, an investigation of the owner of Burisma, the company with Hunter Biden on the board, fit that shakedown scenario precisely. "Neither Shokin nor Poroshenko wanted to investigate [Burisma owner Mykola] Zlochevsky," former deputy prosecutor David Sakvarelidze told The Independent. "They simply began a criminal case, arrested a few assets, and began negotiating with the corruptioneer for a bribe."So, there are no real revelations in the Biden-Poroshenko conversations. What's revealing is the use that Venediktova, Derkach, and Zelensky are making of them."The leaked recordings are a nothingburger," says Poroshenko's defense lawyer, Ilya Novikov, borrowing a term from Biden's spokesman. "But Venediktova rushed to open the case late in the evening after Derkach had published the leaks," Novikov told The Daily Beast. "That to us indicates that President Zelensky personally expected his prosecutor to begin the process before his own press conference [the next day]." In fact, there is no mention of Burisma on the Derkach recordings. But the tough talk does force Ukrainian listeners to realize once again, as they did when they read the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky phone call last year, just how dependent on Washington Kyiv has become.Poroshenko clearly was reluctant to dismiss Shokin, who had been "his" prosecutor on and off for a dozen years, well before Poroshenko (an oligarch who made his fortune selling chocolate candy) moved up the political ladder to the presidency. Poroshenko can be heard on the recording telling Biden he's willing to ditch Shokin even though, according to Poroshenko, Shokin had done nothing wrong. In a subsequent call, Biden congratulates Poroshenko on appointing a new general prosecutor."I know there's a lot more of that that has to be done," says Biden. "But I really, I really think that's good, and I understand you're working with the Rada [Ukraine's parliament] in the coming days on a number of additional laws to secure the IMF [loan guarantees], but congratulations on installing the new prosecutor general. It's going to be critical for him to work quickly to repair the damage Shokin did, and I'm a man of my word, and now that the new prosecutor general is in place we're ready to move forward in signing that new $1 billion loan guarantee."When Derkach presented these recordings to the press in May, he publicly accused Biden of offering Poroshenko $1 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money "in exchange for maintaining Burisma schemes and international corruption." As Derkach described his version of the events, "Biden leaves for Kyiv to put pressure on Petro Oleksiyovych [Poroshenko] regarding Shokin. There's a powerful argument… in Biden's pocket... a $1 billion loan guarantee... such was a price to save [Hunter] Biden from prison." Then Derkach took the recordings to Venediktova. If charged, Poroshenko could face up to 15 years in prison.When President Zelensky marked the end of his first year in power the day after Venediktova drew up the treason charges against Poroshenko, he left no room to doubt he supported them and found the recordings incriminating. "I think it's not the last sign that Ukrainians will see. The prosecutors, law enforcement bodies should react," said Zelensky. "The prosecutor general of Ukraine registered criminal proceedings at the request of deputy [Andriy] Derkach yesterday. They will investigate."During the impeachment proceedings that grew out of the U.S. President Trump's notorious July 25, 2019, phone call pressuring Zelensky for dirt on Biden, Zelensky did his best to avoid taking sides. That will be harder to do if Venediktova continues to pursue the treason case based on Biden conversations. The Ukrainian president still enjoys rare popularity with an approval rating of more than 60 percent, but that is a steep decline from nearly 80 percent last year and Zelensky is the target of increased criticism. Marking the first anniversary of his presidency by threatening his predecessor with accusations of high treason does not look good. "I do not believe Zelensky," Kristina Berdyskykh, a leading Ukrainian political journalist, said on Ukraina 24 television. "All young and progressive members have left Zelensky's team."As these controversies develop, Zelensky's prosecutor will be at the center of them. Less than two years ago, Iryna Venediktova was teaching law at a university in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. "She specialized in theory of civil and corporate law at a not very significant faculty, not on criminal justice," a civil society activist in Kharkiv, Volodymir Rysenko, told The Daily Beast. But in a matter of months, Venediktova's career jumped from a university teacher to a seat at the Rada. She is a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party, and she was made number 3 on its electoral list last year, virtually guaranteeing she would get a seat. Then she was given another head spinning job when Zelensky appointed her to be the acting director of the State Bureau of Investigation.Finally, in March, Venediktova was appointed to be Ukraine's prosecutor general, the first woman to hold that position."When we look at Venediktova from Kharkiv, we see nothing to be proud of," says Rysenko. "We hear Venediktova accusing people in her interviews without any understanding of what presumption of innocence really means." "She has little experience for such a huge job and was appointed on the basis of being a political buddy of Mr. Zelensky," says global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw. "She's reversing the reforms of her predecessor which were lauded by civil society, diplomats and the international community. She has already made several controversial appointments, reinstated incompetent or politically tainted prosecutors rightfully sacked by her predecessor, and blocked civil society and foreign partners from vetting some appointments." The executive director of the non-governmental Anticorruption Action Center, Daria Kaleniuk, does not see any legitimate grounds for triggering a criminal case of high treason based on the recordings. "In my opinion Derkach deserves to be investigated for treason for his long-term work with people like Giuliani, for spreading disinformation and conspiracies, which undermine U.S.-Ukraine strategic relationships," Kaleniuk told The Daily Beast. "I think Zelensky still clearly indicates that he doesn't want to interfere in the American elections and to support any side there; but I am concerned he has appointed Venediktova, who among other strange things—like blocking prosecution reform—makes this nonsense case based on Derkach audio. It shows the lack of professionalism of both the prosecutor general and the president."For progressives in Ukraine, a huge question looming over the treason case is how the Biden-Poroshenko recordings were obtained in the first place, and who passed them on to Derkach. He claims he got them from some "investigative journalists," but nobody knows the journalists' names.Kyiv-based experts following the Bidens, Burisma and Trump ordeal in detail want prosecutor Venediktova to pay serious attention to the source of the leaked recordings."I personally know Derkach," says Yevgeny Kiselev of the TV show Real Politics. "He sounds like he is the bridge between the Ukrainian and Russian special services. In our conversations he bragged about his meetings and connections in Moscow; his father, former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, was involved in publishing compromising recordings to discredit President [Leonid] Kuchma and now Derkach junior is leaking very dubious recordings." "The former foreign minister, Pavel Kilimkin, told me that Poroshenko, Biden and Kerry had lots and lots of conversations about financial aid and about the Congress approving money," Kiselev told The Daily Beast. "He also said that Poroshenko used to invite all sorts of people to those virtual conversations, mostly to show how important he was; one of them must have recorded the conversations—that is a matter for an investigation."The Daily Beast asked Prosecutor General Venediktova if her office has also been investigating the source of the recordings but did not receive any answer.—Christopher Dickey also contributed to this article.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| 'Here to offer you grace': Protesters in Minneapolis bringing peace met with police force Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:31 PM PDT  "We cannot back down now. We have come way too far. We are literally in the midst of history."
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| Iranian professor acquitted of sanctions busting leaves U.S., Zarif says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 10:02 PM PDT  An Iranian professor imprisoned in the United States after being acquitted of stealing trade secrets has left the country and is on his way back to Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Dr. Sirous Asgari is in the air on a flight back to Iran.
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| Tear gas is banned from war — but police still shoot it at protesters, who cough and bleed as a result. At least one has lost an eye. Posted: 02 Jun 2020 11:55 AM PDT  Tear gas canisters can cause permanent injuries, and all the coughing and sneezing that tear gas prompts is bad news for coronavirus spread too.
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| White supremacists attending George Floyd protests, Minnesota officials believe Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:13 AM PDT  Officials in Minnesota believe that white supremacist "agitators" were inciting chaos at protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd.The Minnesota state corrections department said on Sunday that white supremacists were thought to be attending demonstrations in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and making chaos.
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| Michael Flynn judge defends decision to challenge DOJ request to drop case; no 'rubber stamp' Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:35 PM PDT  Judge in Michael Flynn case fires back; defends decision to challenge DOJ move to drop case
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| 'Exactly what President Trump wants': Democratic governors are shunning Trump's calls to 'dominate' protests using military forces Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:40 PM PDT  "Society that's about dominance and aggression — this is what you get," California governor Gavin Newsom said.
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| Philippine exit from key US military pact 'suspended' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:10 AM PDT  The Philippines has told the United States it is suspending its bid to break off a key military pact, the two allies said Tuesday in a sharp turnaround of President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy. Duterte in February gave notice to Washington he was axing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after accusing the US of interference in his internationally condemned narcotics crackdown. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Tuesday the plan has been put on hold for at least six months.
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| Pakistani girl dies of her injuries from Karachi plane crash Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:55 AM PDT  A Pakistani girl who was critically injured on the ground last month when a passenger plane went down in a crowded neighborhood of the port city of Karachi has died at a hospital, her relatives and a doctor said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the plane's black box flight recorders were sent to France, where their data was downloaded Tuesday. The Airbus A320 crash killed 97 passengers and crew members; two passengers survived the crash.
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| China's Navy Is Testing Out Its its First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:37 AM PDT  It's all a part of the PLAN.
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| Ohio woman still missing months after mysterious disappearance from grandparents' house on Christmas Day Posted: 01 Jun 2020 04:17 PM PDT  Parris Hopson, 26, of Columbus, Ohio, was visiting her grandparents in Massillon, Ohio for a family gathering on Christmas Day, December 25, 2020. She left the house saying she needed to go on a walk to clear her head. Relatives say she left her cell phone, debit card and ID behind in her car. The Massillon Police Department is investigating.
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| Amsterdam anti-racism rally criticised for lack of social distancing Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:40 AM PDT  Amsterdam's mayor faced criticism from politicians and health experts on Tuesday after thousands of demonstrators packed the city centre for an anti-racism rally in violation of social distancing rules put in place to ward off the coronavirus. The protesters rallied in support of George Floyd, a black American who died in police custody in the United States last week, their number swelling from an expected 200-300 to several thousands on Monday. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, of the Green Left party, said city authorities were caught off guard by the huge turnout and could not have intervened peacefully.
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| Thousands across the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, and more condemn racism and demand justice at global Black Lives Matter protests Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:21 PM PDT  People outside the US Embassy in Milan wrapped their fingers around their necks and had "I can't breathe" written on their face masks.
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| George Floyd: Anonymous hackers re-emerge amid US unrest Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:52 PM PDT  As the US is engulfed in civil unrest, the masked hackers are being credited with new action.
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| Cops Beaten, Shot, Rammed by SUVs as George Floyd Protests Boil Over Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:09 AM PDT  Violent factions attacked police officers across the U.S. over the last 24 hours as demonstrations against the death of an unarmed black man in police custody have spiraled out of control.George Floyd, 46, died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes while he was handcuffed on Memorial Day. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder, but three other officers who also took part in the brutality or watched on have been fired but not arrested for their role, prompting anger among the demonstrators.In Las Vegas, an officer responding to a looting incident was reportedly shot in the head early Tuesday after exchanging gunfire with an angry mob, according to several Nevada news sources. County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the Las Vegas Review Journal that the officer survived. "He is in extremely critical condition on life support," Lombardo said "This is a sad night for our LVMPD family and a tragic night for our community."Two police officers in Richmond, Virginia, and a third person were reportedly shot during clashes early Tuesday morning. Their condition is unclear. Late Monday night, video of a police officer apparently being run over by an SUV in the Bronx went viral. In the video, which has not been verified by The Daily Beast, an officer is struck by a speeding SUV and left in the middle of an intersection. Moments later, a New York City Police Department vehicle arrives and puts the officer, whose condition is unknown, in the back. In Buffalo, two officers were deliberately targeted by a car in front of the E District police station. New York State Police confirmed to the media that one was a trooper and the other a Buffalo Police officer. Both were taken to the Erie County Medical Center. Both have serious injuries and are in stable condition, according to WTHR News. Posts on social media also captured a fallen officer on Madison Avenue in New York. Details and the circumstances of that officer's condition are unknown. The New York City Sergeant's Benevolent Association tweeted a photo of an officer being attacked by two looters in the Bronx late Monday night. The officer survived that incident and pulled his weapon after the perpetrators ran off, but did not appear to retaliate. Early Monday morning, another officer was rammed by an SUV as he tried to make an arrest after giving chase to looters. Video of that incident posted by New York Daily News shows an SUV with Wisconsin license plates speeding away after the hit and run. That officer was taken to Bellevue Hospital and remains in stable condition.Elsewhere, four police officers were shot in downtown St. Louis after a gunfight erupted as they tried to disperse violent crowds with tear gas and flash bangs. Largely peaceful protests have been held in all 50 states, but violent rioters and looters have moved in as night falls even as curfews are in effect. Thousands of National Guard soldiers who have been called up to bolster local law enforcement have also been involved in skirmishes. In some cases, police have acted aggressively towards peaceful protesters. Over the weekend, a New York City Police Department squad vehicle rammed into a group and on Monday, law enforcement in Washington, D.C. used teargas to scatter peaceful protesters to clear a space for President Donald Trump to take a photo in front of a defaced church.Police have also marched with peaceful protesters and in cities including New York, Portland and Philadelphia, where many have taken a knee against police brutality. On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will be subject to an 8 p.m. curfew throughout the week. He said 700 people were arrested Monday night—the highest numbers since the protests started last week."We will not tolerate violence of any kind. We will not tolerate attacks on police officers. We will not tolerate hatred being created," de Blasio said. "We saw vicious attacks on police officers. That is wholly unacceptable. That does not represent the people of this city. Anyone who attacks a police officer attacks all of us."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| Mark Zuckerberg told enraged employees Facebook might change its policy on politicians using violent speech Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:33 AM PDT  According to a leaked audio recording obtained by The Verge, Facebook may "evolve our policy around the discussion of state use of force."
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| Trump to hold teleconference with governors, security officials on nationwide riots Posted: 01 Jun 2020 06:28 AM PDT  Kristin Fisher reports from the White House on the federal government's response.
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| Minnesota Guard Carrying Guns and Ammo in Response to 'Credible Threat,' General Says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 06:11 AM PDT  The FBI is reporting the threat, the Minnesota Guard adjutant general said.
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| Forget Russia, Pakistan's Tactical Nuclear Weapons Are A Real Threat Posted: 02 Jun 2020 04:00 AM PDT  A dangerous environment.
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| For most churchgoers, controversy between religious freedom and public health is not real Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:38 AM PDT  Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, partisans and our political process may be turning the freedom of religion into a threat to public health.
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| Exclusive: U.S. small business program handed out virus aid to many borrowers twice Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:05 AM PDT  A technical snafu in a U.S. government system caused many small businesses to receive loans twice or more under a federal aid program to help businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly a dozen people with knowledge of the matter said. The money mistakenly handed out could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars that the government and lenders - which made the loans - have been trying to identify and recover in recent weeks, one of the people briefed on the matter said. The technical issue and scale of the resulting duplicate deposits made under the Small Business Administration's $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have not been previously reported.
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| UK warns China: do not destroy the jewel of Hong Kong Posted: 02 Jun 2020 07:34 AM PDT 
China's parliament last week approved a decision to create laws for Hong Kong to curb sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. Mainland security and intelligence agents may be stationed in the city for the first time. "There is time for China to reconsider, there is a moment for China to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong's autonomy and respect China's own international obligations," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament. Hong Kong fell to sixth place from third in the latest ranking of global financial centres, according to the Z/Yen global financial centres index, behind New York, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. It was Asia's top hub in 2019. Raab said the security law was in breach of the "one country, two systems" principle enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and also conflicted with Article 23 of China's own basic law. If it goes ahead, Raab said the United Kingdom will form an alliance of countries to resist China, whose $14 trillion economy dwarfs every Western economy apart from the United States, which has a $21.4 trillion economy.
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| Car appears to run over protesters live on-air in Boston amidst George Floyd protests Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:11 PM PDT  A live broadcast from protests in Boston has appeared to show an SUV drive into a crowd.The incident occurred live on air while WCVB's Peter Eliopoulos described the action unfolding from the protests, which turned violent in the late hours of Sunday.
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| 'You will move, or you will die': A frightened truck driver's widely shared Facebook post says truckers will 'defend themselves' by running over protesters Posted: 02 Jun 2020 11:38 AM PDT  "Air horns will sound, steering wheels will be held tightly, but those brakes will not be touched," the truck driver wrote.
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| Coronavirus: What are President Trump's charges against the WHO? Posted: 01 Jun 2020 07:05 AM PDT  The World Health Organization rejects US criticism it mishandled the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Joe Biden rips Trump 'narcissism,' says he's turned U.S. into a 'battlefield' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 11:37 AM PDT  The apparent Democratic presidential nominee vowed to try to "heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country."
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| Hitler Was a Real-Life Monster: What the Nazis Did to Germany Posted: 01 Jun 2020 06:00 PM PDT  A terrible, terrible group of people.
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| Swarms of Millions of Locusts Devastate Crops in India Amid Economic Crisis Due to Pandemic Posted: 02 Jun 2020 10:54 AM PDT  Millions of locusts that stretch up to 4 miles long crossed into the Western state of Rajasthan from Pakistan at the beginning of May
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| U.S., South Korea agree of funding of Korean workers, Pentagon says Posted: 02 Jun 2020 05:08 PM PDT  The Pentagon on Tuesday said that it had come to an agreement with South Korea on a proposal for Seoul to fund thousands of Korean workers who were put on unpaid leave earlier this year. In a statement, the Pentagon said the agreement meant that South Korea would pay more than $200 million to fund 4,000 Korean workers through the end of 2020.
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| Tropical Storm Cristobal forms, flood threat for Mexico Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:51 AM PDT  Tropical Storm Cristobal formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, bringing some flooding to Mexico's southern Gulf coast and threatening more deadly inundations farther inland. Cristobal was the earliest third named storm of an Atlantic hurricane season on record; in 2016, Tropical Storm Colin formed in the Gulf on June 5. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was now expected to dip inland along the Mexican coast near the low-lying, flood-prone city of Ciudad del Carmen and meander there for a couple of days.
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| George Floyd protests: NYC mayor Bill de Blasio ‘proud’ of daughter after she is arrested Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:29 AM PDT  New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has told reporters that he is proud of his daughter, Chiara de Blasio, for getting arrested at a George Floyd protest over the weekend.Ms de Blasio was arrested on Saturday, at a protest at East 12th Street in Manhattan, for "unlawful assembly," according to NBC News.
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| Independent autopsy reveals George Floyd died from 'asphyxiation' as lawyers call for first-degree murder charges Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:52 PM PDT  A medical examiner in Minnesota has classified George Floyd's death as a homicide, contradicting a preliminary report which found "nothing to support strangulation" as cause of death. Mr Floyd died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes, despite his cries that he could not breathe. The African-American's death, captured on video, has sparked protests in Minneapolis that have spread to dozens of cities around America. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office's report, released on Monday, said Mr Floyd's heart stopped as police restrained him and suppressed his neck, preventing him from being able to breathe. "Decedent experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s)," the report read. Under "other significant conditions" it said Mr Floyd suffered from heart disease and hypertension, and listed fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use.
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| Truck driver who sped into a crowd of protesters on a highway in Minneapolis released from jail without charges Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:26 PM PDT  Bogdan Vechirko drove an 18-wheeler into a large group of peaceful protesters on the highway in Minneapolis on Sunday.
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| WHO pushes to keep ties with 'generous' U.S. despite Trump's exit move Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:51 AM PDT  The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday praised the United States' "immense" and "generous" contribution to global health in a push to salvage relations after President Donald Trump said he was severing ties with the U.N. agency. Accusing it of pandering to China and overlooking an initially secretive response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Trump said on Friday he was ending Washington's relationship with the WHO. "The United States' contribution and generosity towards global health over many decades has been immense, and it has made a great difference in public health all around the world," he said.
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