| Dr. Birx says 'we have to change our behavior now' as U.S. faces 'essentially three New Yorks' Posted: 24 Jul 2020 06:27 AM PDT  The White House's coronavirus task force coordinator is imploring Americans to change their behavior "now."Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator of President Trump's coronavirus task force, spoke to Today on Friday as new COVID-19 cases have continued to climb in the U.S. and especially in Texas, California, and Florida."I just want to make it clear to the American public: what we have right now are essentially three New Yorks with these three major states," Birx said. "And so we're really having to respond as an American people, and that's why you hear us calling for masks and increased social distancing to really stop the spread of this epidemic."New York was for a time the hardest-hit state in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic; its daily number of new COVID-19 cases has since fallen. California earlier this week surpassed New York as the state with the most reported coronavirus cases total, though its population is much larger, and New York has still reported more COVID-19 deaths. Texas and Florida have also faced surging COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.Birx described the nation's COVID-19 outbreak as "very serious," and speaking on Trump's recent decision to cancel the Florida portion of the Republican National Convention, she said this is an example of the kind of steps that are needed as the virus continues to spread."This is a signal to the American people: we have to change our behavior now before this virus completely moves back up through the north," she said. "We can do that, and we can do that as an American people." > White House task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx talks to @SavannahGuthrie about the rising coronavirus cases in states including Florida, Texas and California. > > "What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks with these three major states," she says. pic.twitter.com/mczzED47NX> > -- TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 24, 2020More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| LAPD officer and soon-to-be father dies of COVID-19 complications Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Officer Valentin Martinez, 45, was expecting twins with his partner and joined the force in 2007. The city's mayor has ordered flags to be lowered in his honor.
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| Viewer spots Florida reporter Victoria Price's cancer growth Posted: 24 Jul 2020 04:06 PM PDT  After watching an on-air broadcast, an eagle-eyed viewer urged Victoria Price to see a doctor.
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| Prosecutor Falsely Claimed Patricia McCloskey’s Gun Was Capable of Firing When She Brandished It Outside Her Home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Patricia McCloskey's handgun was inoperable when she brandished it to ward off demonstrators who had congregated on her front lawn, but a St. Louis prosecutor ordered crime lab technicians to reassemble the gun in working order and then attested that it was "readily capable of lethal use" in charging documents filed against McCloskey.McCloskey has stated that the handgun she used was inoperable, which under Missouri law would exonerate her from the charge of unlawful use of a weapon. However, assistant circuit attorney Chris Hinckley wrote that the gun was "readily capable of lethal use" when charging McCloskey on Monday, a St. Louis NBC affiliate reported."The firearm could not be test fired as submitted," reads a report from the St. Louis police crime lab obtained by 5 On Your Side. "At the request of ACA Chris Hinckley, the firearm was field stripped and found to have been assembled incorrectly….The firearm was reassembled properly, test fired and functioned as designed." Crime lab workers photographed the disassembly and reassembly process.McCloskey's husband Mark also brandished a firearm, an AR-15 rifle. The couple said they had intentionally rendered the handgun inoperable so that they could use it as a prop in court, in a separate case brought against a gun manufacturer."It's disheartening to learn that a law enforcement agency altered evidence in order to prosecute an innocent member of the community," the couple's attorney Joe Schwartz said. National Review has reached out to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office for comment.The McCloskeys responded to a June 28 incident during which George Floyd protesters broke into their gated community while attempting to reach the house of St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson."The group began yelling obscenities and threats of harm to both victims," a police report stated. "When the victims observed multiple subjects who were armed, they then armed themselves and contacted police."Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt has filed to dismiss the case against the couple.
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| Massive protest against governor's arrest challenges Kremlin Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:36 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday across Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk on the border with China to protest the arrest of the regional governor on murder charges, continuing a two-week wave of protests that has challenged the Kremlin. Sergei Furgal has been in a Moscow jail since his arrest on July 9, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has named an acting successor. Protesters in Khabarovsk see the charges against Furgal as unsubstantiated and demand that he stand trial at home.
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| Manson follower Leslie Van Houten could get parole Posted: 24 Jul 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been recommended for parole after serving nearly five decades in prison.
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| North Korea's Kim says COVID-19 'could be said to have entered the country': KCNA Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:43 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting after a person suspected of having COVID-19 returned from South Korea after illegally crossing the border this month, state media said on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities, who have so far said the country has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Kim declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, calling it a "critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," state news agency KCNA reported.
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| Republican Rep. Ted Yoho resigns from a Christian non-profit's board after verbally attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:38 PM PDT  The non-profit said it "sought [Yoho's] resignation" after determining his attack on AOC didn't reflect "values of respect and compassion."
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| Professor behind 'vile' racist and sexist tweets found dead in North Carolina home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:17 AM PDT  Mike Adams, professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington, was set to retire Aug. 1 after being slammed by the university for "vile" and "hateful" language.
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| Man arrested after pulling gun during mask argument at Florida Walmart Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Vincent Scavetta, 28, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm and arrested.
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| Iraqi forces free German woman kidnapped in Baghdad Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:05 PM PDT  A German woman kidnapped in Baghdad this week was freed overnight and handed over to her embassy, officials from the two countries said on Friday. "Security forces have freed activist Hella Mewis," Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement. Iraq's interior ministry said a joint task force, including the elite Falcons intelligence forces and federal police and anti-crime units, carried out the operation in east Baghdad.
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| Christian abortion critics urge Dems to change platform Posted: 24 Jul 2020 06:05 AM PDT  A group of more than 100 Christian pastors, religion professors and other advocates is urging the Democratic National Committee to adopt a party platform that's friendlier to abortion opponents. In a letter organized by the anti-abortion group Democrats for Life and set to be sent Friday, the group of Christians calls on the Democratic Party to rescind its platform's support for ending restrictions on federal funding for abortion. Last year, Joe Biden, the Democrat's presumptive presidential nominee, shifted his position to back an end to restrictions on government funding for abortion.
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| Chinese researcher who took refuge in San Francisco consulate in U.S. custody, officials say Posted: 24 Jul 2020 08:17 AM PDT  A Chinese researcher who took refuge from U.S. authorities at China's consulate in San Francisco is now in American custody and is expected to appear in court on Monday, U.S. Justice Department officials said. According to court filings in U.S. District Court in San Francisco this week, Juan Tang, who worked at the University of California, Davis, falsely claimed on her visa application that she had not served in the Chinese military.
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| De Blasio Quotes Marx’s Communist Manifesto in Discussion on Relationship with NYC Business Community Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:28 AM PDT  New York mayor Bill de Blasio quoted Karl Marx when outlining the relationship he wanted his office to have with the city's business community, in an appearance on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.Host Brian Lehrer asked de Blasio how the mayor was approaching businesses for help with recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Lehrer said that the mayor was not known for extensive outreach to the business community given his focus on issues of wealth inequality."There's an underlying truth in the fact that my focus has not been on the business community and the elite," de Blasio said. "I am tempted to borrow a quote from Karl Marx here…""They'll love that on Wall Street," Lehrer interjects."Yes they will," de Blasio laughs. "There's a famous quote that 'the state is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie,' and I use that openly to say no, I read that as a young person and thought, well, that's not the way it's supposed to be."The quote comes from the first chapter of Marx's Communist Manifesto, in which Marx outlines his theory of the progressive advancement of the class of the bourgeoisie at the expense of the proletariat.The mayor continued in the interview, "We need to work with the business community, we will work with the business community, but the city government represents the people, represents working people….A lot of folks have just sort of hit a wall when I say guys, you're gonna have to pay more taxes, and we're gonna have policies that favor working people more."De Blasio ended by saying he knows that many businesses want to help with a "comeback" for the city, and that his administration "really appreciate[s] that."The interview was not the first time de Blasio has quoted a communist figure. In 2019, the mayor apologized after quoting communist revolutionary Che Guevara at a rally of striking airport workers in Miami."I did not know the phrase I used in Miami today was associated with Che Guevara & I did not mean to offend anyone who heard it that way. I certainly apologize for not understanding that history," de Blasio wrote on Twitter after backlash from Miami's Latino community, many of whom are Cuban exiles.
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| Hong Kong lawmaker says, "I don't know how I can protect myself" Posted: 24 Jul 2020 06:37 AM PDT  "We were supposed to have rule of law. But now it's rule by law, or even rule by fear," pro-democracy legislator Tanya Chan told CBS News.
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| Coronavirus: The week when everything changed for Trump Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:44 PM PDT  The president underwent a series of U-turns in an effort to save his re-election chances.
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| Bernie Sanders slams Tesla CEO Elon Musk, saying it's 'pathetic' that Musk is against another government stimulus package Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:34 PM PDT  "Another government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people imo," Elon Musk said on Twitter on Friday.
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| Three storm systems bearing down on United States, Caribbean Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:11 AM PDT  While Hurricane Douglas is barreling toward Hawaii, tropical storms are taking aim at Texas and the Windward Islands.
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| A white man reportedly yelled offensive racial slur at Black teen who offered him a donut Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:07 AM PDT  "The guy started yelling, using the n-word on him," the teen's mother told the Boston Globe. She said her son had been offering leftover donuts to strangers.
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| Iran protests to UN after US jets approach flight over Syria Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:20 AM PDT  Iran protested Friday to the United Nations of a "flagrant violation" of international law after nearby US fighter jets sparked panic on an Iranian passenger plane over war-torn Syria. The incident on Thursday was the latest between arch-foes Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump in 2018 walked out of a nuclear accord with Iran and imposed punishing sanctions. Iran's state television broadcast footage filmed on a mobile phone of screaming passengers as the pilot of a Mahan Air plane on a flight from Tehran to Beirut took emergency action.
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| Minneapolis council shifts police media duties to city staff Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:18 AM PDT  The Minneapolis City Council voted Friday to shift police media duties from the Police Department to city staff in what one council member called a move to improve trust, amid calls for changes in policing after George Floyd's death. The shift in media duties won't affect the city's bottom line, but was seen as emblematic of a struggle over the future of policing in Minneapolis, where a majority of council members favor replacing the current department with a different kind of public safety agency. Overall, the City Council members redirected more than $1 million from a $193 million police budget Friday.
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| Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful Posted: 25 Jul 2020 12:28 AM PDT |
| Robert E. Lee statue, other Confederate memorials quietly removed from Virginia Capitol Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:05 AM PDT  The statue of Robert E. Lee and busts of seven other Confederate soldiers were quietly removed from the Virginia Capitol building overnight as states and cities around the country continue to grapple with symbols of America's racist past.
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| Letters to the Editor: Ruth Bader Ginsburg could have saved us a lot of worry before 2016 Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The health of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a survivor of multiple cancers before Trump became president, is now a constant worry for progressives.
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| First charges announced as part of 'Operation Legend' in Chicago Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:31 AM PDT  "Operation Legend has strengthened our efforts to apprehend and charge illegal gun offenders in Chicago."
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| The federal ban on evictions ends today, leaving nearly 28 million Americans on the verge of losing their homes Posted: 24 Jul 2020 02:56 PM PDT  The coronavirus crisis prompted states and the federal government to ban eviction so people don't lose their homes. Those bans are now expiring.
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| Man accused of running over Sikh man charged with hate crime Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:31 PM PDT  A man accused of running over the Sikh owner of a suburban Denver liquor store after reportedly telling him and his wife to "go back to your country" is now facing a hate crime charge in addition to 16 other charges.
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| Evacuations in Texas as Hurricane Hanna intensifies before making landfall Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:53 AM PDT  A hurricane developing near Texas has prompted evacuations and emergency warnings from local officials as the storm was expected to bring flash flooding and life-threatening storm surges to a region badly hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic.Storm Hanna, the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season, was forecast to make landfall on the Texas coast on Saturday, threatening one of the nation's Covid-19 hot spots.
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| A musician who felt the US was unsafe went to South Korea. He posted about his 2-week mandatory quarantine on TikTok, but wouldn't encourage others to leave. Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:14 PM PDT  "They were very cautious the entire time. I was really impressed by how they handled everything," he told Insider.
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| Armenians and Azerbaijanis clash in Moscow Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:33 AM PDT  Azerbaijanis and Armenians have engaged in a series of fights and violent rampages in Moscow, venting their anger over recent cross-border clashes between the two ex-Soviet nations. Moscow police said Saturday they have detained over 30 people on charges of involvement in fights and disturbances. In St. Petersburg, police detained dozens Saturday in a bid to prevent another big fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
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| Mexico City mayor warns of potential coronavirus rebound as hospitalizations rise Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:24 PM PDT  The mayor of Mexico City warned on Friday of a possible resurgence of coronavirus cases in the sprawling capital in the coming months, noting that hospitalizations have been on the rise in recent days. Mexico City and its surrounding areas, home to more than 20 million people, have been the epicenter of the country's pandemic after infections were first detected in late February. Cases began to level off in mid-June, but authorities now fear that downward trend could reverse.
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| Thai gay activists raise Pride flags in Bangkok Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:06 PM PDT  The rally in Thailand's capital is the latest in a series of youth-led pro-democracy protests.
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| Republicans say Milwaukee murder may be linked to support for Trump Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:48 AM PDT  * Party says killing of Bernell Trammell may have been political * 60-year-old supported Trump and Black Lives Matter, locals sayThe Wisconsin Republican party has called for a federal investigation of a fatal shooting on Thursday, to ascertain whether it was motivated by animosity towards Donald Trump.Bernell Trammell, a 60-year-old African American man who was a well-known figure in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, was shot and killed at around 12.30pm on Thursday. Police did not immediately provide any details on possible suspects or motives.However, the Republican party of Wisconsin said the "senseless" murder may have been politically motivated and called upon federal investigators to become involved.Trammell, who ran a business called eXpressions Journal in Riverwest, regularly displayed signs on political and religious matters, including support for Trump as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, according to those who knew him.Trammell was pictured holding a sign calling for a Trump victory in the November election. But community members have said he supported politicians from both sides of the divide, including Lena Taylor, a Democrat who ran for mayor of Milwaukee this year."He believed in democracy. He believed in his right to free speech," local resident John Self told TV station CBS58."I don't think he ever once tried to convert you or change you. He would just tell you what he thought, he would listen to what you had to think, and then he would respect that."
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| US Army plans long-range missile fly-offs for future helicopters Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:37 PM PDT  Fly-offs are coming up in the next few years to assess possible long-range missile options for the Army's future fleet of helicopters.
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| A North Carolina private school reopened amid national concerns over in-person classes. Days later a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:44 AM PDT  The school said the staff member was asymptomatic and passed a temperature check, WRAL reported. Sixteen students had come in contact with them.
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| Chinese researcher charged with US visa fraud is in custody Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:42 PM PDT  A Chinese researcher accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application she submitted so she could work in the U.S. was booked Friday into a Northern California jail and was expected to appear in federal court Monday. Sacramento County jail records show Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of China's People's Liberation Army.
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| China makes $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries for access to coronavirus vaccine Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:29 AM PDT  China has announced a $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries to pay for access to a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Mexican government.The announcement, by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, followed a virtual meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday.
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| Fact check: South Dakota's COVID-19 infection, jobless stats aren't as good as claimed Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A popular meme notes that South Dakota didn't have any stay-at-home orders (true) and that it has had hardly any COVID-19 (false).
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| Doctors are posting bikini selfies in protest of a study that said it is 'unprofessional' for female medics to share bikini photos online Posted: 24 Jul 2020 08:08 AM PDT  Three male researchers created fake social media profiles to collect photos of female doctors in bikinis for the 2019 study.
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| South Korea says daily coronavirus cases may top 100, driven by imported infections Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:09 AM PDT  South Korean health authorities said novel coronavirus infections among people arriving from abroad could drive the number of new cases on Friday to more than 100, the first time since the beginning of April that daily cases hit triple digits. The numbers for Friday will not be announced until Saturday, but Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) deputy director Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing a large number of crewmembers on a Russian ship had tested positive, as had a number of South Korean workers brought home on military flights from Iraq. Meanwhile, two South Korean military aircraft arrived from Iraq on Friday, carrying 293 workers who were evacuated as cases swelled in that country.
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| Idris Khattak: 'My father was taken and I don't know why' Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:11 AM PDT  Unknown men put a bag over Idris Khattak's head and took him from his car on a highway interchange.
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| Op-Ed: Biden faces pressure to pick a Black woman as his running mate. Who should it be? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  All the Black women on Joe Biden's shortlist of possible running mates have major strengths. Unfortunately, they each have liabilities, too.
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| 12 people infected with the coronavirus were falsely told they'd tested negative — and at least one was hospitalized Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Kevin Evans, a Delaware resident who was told he was negative on July 21, was hospitalized two days later after vomiting and falling unconscious.
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| Oklahoma prosecutor will not charge man who drove in crowd Posted: 24 Jul 2020 03:37 PM PDT |
