| As Democrat Biden's running mate search nears end, contenders jockey for position Posted: 31 Jul 2020 07:45 PM PDT  Biden and his vice presidential selection will formally accept the party's nomination at the Democrats' national convention, scheduled for Aug. 17-20, and he is expected to announce his pick before it begins. U.S. Representative Karen Bass, a Black lawmaker from California who was not seen as a candidate early on, has risen to the top tier alongside two other Black women, Senator Kamala Harris and former national security adviser Susan Rice, according to Democratic officials and Biden allies. A half dozen other women also remain under consideration, including senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative Val Demings, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell granted stay of execution by US court, delaying release of incriminating court papers Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:09 AM PDT  The release of court documents said to incriminate Ghislaine Maxwell has been delayed after a US court granted the British socialite at the heart of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal a stay of execution, it has emerged. Papers including her deposition statement will be kept under wraps in what her legal team will view as a welcome victory. The decision by judges sitting in the Second Circuit of the US Court of Appeals was announced in a two-page order published yesterday. The documents, said to contain the 58-year-old British socialite denying any knowledge of sex-trafficking for the multi-billionaire financier, were due to be unsealed on Monday. Prosecutors have claimed the April 2016 deposition suggests Ms Maxwell had perjured herself by claiming not to know about sex-traffcking. It is claimed she is recorded saying while under oath: "I don't know what you're talking about."
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| As COVID-19 sweeps across the South, the Army finds it’s not immune Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:00 AM PDT  The U.S. Army is facing a significant COVID-19 challenge as infection rates soar across the south and southeast, where most of the service's installations are located. And now the disease is having a major impact on the Army's second-largest installation.
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| Florida man once bitten by alligator is chomped by 8-foot shark while on vacation Posted: 02 Aug 2020 04:48 PM PDT  Justin Stuller is now sporting two dozen stitches and a small limp after tangling with an eight-foot lemon shark in the Florida Keys.
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| An Arizona congressman who tested positive for the coronavirus criticized Republican lawmakers for refusing to wear masks in the Capitol Posted: 02 Aug 2020 03:35 AM PDT  Arizona Democrat Rep. Raúl Grijalva tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday but is currently asymptomatic.
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| SpaceX Crew Dragon heads for Sunday splashdown Posted: 01 Aug 2020 12:02 PM PDT  Splashdown will set the stage for operational Crew Dragon flights to begin later this year.
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| Homeland Security official reassigned after intelligence reports on journalists covering protests Posted: 02 Aug 2020 07:34 AM PDT  A US intelligence official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been reassigned following revelations that his office compiled "intelligence reports" on journalists and analysed communications between protesters amid ongoing demonstrations in Portland, Oregon.Brian Murphy was removed from his post following a report in The Washington Post revealing that the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis sent open source intelligence reports to federal law enforcement agencies containing information from two reporters who had published leaked unclassified government documents while covering Black Lives Matter protests.
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| Seven, Including Alaska State Lawmaker, Killed in Mid-Air Plane Collision Posted: 01 Aug 2020 08:13 AM PDT  None survived the crash, officials said
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| Joe Biden nears final decision on running mate Posted: 31 Jul 2020 10:40 PM PDT  As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. The campaign hasn't finalized a date for naming a running mate, but three people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans said a public announcement likely wouldn't happen before the week of Aug. 10. Biden said in May that he hoped to name his pick around Aug. 1 and told reporters this week that he would "have a choice in the first week of August."
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| As Trump threatens to ban TikTok, Sarah Cooper mocks him, again, on the platform Posted: 01 Aug 2020 11:39 AM PDT  After President Trump threatened to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, Sarah Cooper took to the app to impersonate him yet again and explain"how to tick tack."
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| Pelosi says she has no confidence in White House coronavirus adviser Birx Posted: 02 Aug 2020 06:41 AM PDT  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she does not have confidence in White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, linking her to disinformation about the virus spread by President Donald Trump. "I think the president has been spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee so, I don't have confidence there, no," Speaker Pelosi told ABC's "This Week" when asked if she has confidence in Birx. Birx, asked about Pelosi's comment during an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," said she had great respect for Pelosi and attributed the criticism to a New York Times article on the White House pandemic response that described Birx as having embraced overly optimistic assessments on the virus.
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| Crashed plane packed with cocaine was bound for Australia, police say Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:02 AM PDT  The overloaded plane - which had over 500kg of cocaine on board - crashed shortly after take-off.
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| Transcript: Mark Meadows on "Face the Nation" Posted: 02 Aug 2020 08:21 AM PDT  The following is a transcript of an interview with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that aired Sunday, August 2, 2020, on "Face the Nation."
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| ‘Murder hornets’ trapped in US for first time as officials race to eradicate colonies before breeding season Posted: 02 Aug 2020 06:38 AM PDT  As the US grapples with the world's worst coronavirus outbreak, a new threat is emerging as Asian giant hornets – known as "murder hornets" due to their lethal sting to humans – are gaining a foothold in the country.After they were first found in Washington State in May this year, the 2-inch (5cm)-long hornets have now been trapped for the first time – giving officials an indication – firstly that their traps work, and secondly of where nests could be situated.
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| UK lobbies US to support controversial new nuclear warheads Posted: 01 Aug 2020 08:48 AM PDT  Letter from defence secretary seen by Guardian draws Britain into debate pitting Trump administration against many DemocratsThe UK has been lobbying the US Congress in support of a controversial new warhead for Trident missiles, claiming it is critical for "the future of Nato as a nuclear alliance".A letter from Britain's defence secretary, Ben Wallace, seen by the Guardian, urged Congress to support initial spending on the warhead, the W93.The letter, sent in April but not previously reported, draws the UK into a US political debate, pitting the Trump administration against many Democrats and arms control groups over whether the the $14bn W93 programme is necessary. The US navy already has two warheads to choose from for its submarine-launched Trident missiles.The close cooperation on the W93 casts further doubt on the genuine independence of the UK deterrent – parliament first heard about it when US officials accidentally disclosed Britain's involvement in February – and the commitment of both countries to disarmament.The UK is also supporting the administration's efforts to speed up work on the warhead and its surprise $53m request for initial weapon design work in the 2021 budget, two years ahead of the previous schedule.Sceptics believe the rush is intended to lock in funding before the election. A Biden administration would be likely to review or even cancel the W93 programme."These are challenging times, but it is crucial that we demonstrate transatlantic unity and solidarity in this difficult period," Wallace told members of the House and Senate armed services committees. "Congressional funding in [2021] for the W93 program will ensure that we continue to deepen the unique nuclear relationship between our two countries, enabling the United Kingdom to provide safe and assured continuous-at-sea deterrence for decades to come."The British intervention comes as the initial funding for the warhead hangs in the balance. It was approved by the House and Senate armed services committees but blocked at least temporarily, by a House energy and water subcommittee last month.Congressional staffers said they could not recall such a direct UK intervention in a US debate on nuclear weapons."We've never had a letter of this sort before, so it was a little bit surprising that this is the issue that they chose to weigh in on," a committee aide said. The UK insists its Trident nuclear deterrent is autonomous, but the two countries share the same missiles and coordinate work on warheads. The current UK Trident warhead, the Holbrook, is very similar to the W76 warhead, one of two the US navy uses in its own Trident II missiles.The US and UK versions of the W93 are also expected to resemble each other closely. Both countries will use the same new MK7 aeroshell, the cone around the warhead that allows it to re-enter the earth's atmosphere, which will cost another several hundred million dollars.Little has been disclosed about the W93, but it is thought to be based on a design that was tested during the cold war but not made part of the US stockpile at the time. It will potentially be the first new warhead design in the US stockpile since the cold war and is expected to be of considerably higher yield than the current W76, which is already six times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima 75 years ago next week.The demand for funding for the W93 is particularly controversial in the US as the W76 and a higher-yield submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) warhead, the W88, have already been subject to multibillion-dollar upgrades."This is excess on top of excess," Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, said. "We already have two SBLM warheads. The W76 just went through a major life extension programme and is slated to be good into the early 2040s, and the W88 is going through a major alteration."The US can continue to assist the UK's arsenal without rushing the development of an unnecessary, at least $14bn new-design, third SLBM warhead," Reif added.The total cost of the US nuclear weapons modernisation programme is expected to be far in excess of $1tn.The US and Russia, which is also upgrading its arsenal and developing new weapons, together account for more than 90% of all the nuclear warheads on the planet, and both countries are putting increasing emphasis on them in their rhetoric and defence postures.Under Donald Trump, the US has now left three nuclear agreements and his administration is reluctant to extend the last major arms control deal with Russia, the 2010 New Start treaty, which is due to expire in February.The bonfire of nuclear accords, combined with the huge amounts spent on weapons like the W93, are a threat to the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the fundamental bargain by which countries without nuclear arms pledged not to acquire them on condition the recognised nuclear powers (the US, UK, France, Russia and China) took steps to disarm, under article six of the treaty."When I look at something like the W93, it's not, in and of itself, a violation of article six," said Daniel Joyner, a University of Alabama law professor specializing in nuclear treaties. "It's just a further data point to evidence, the current non-compliance of the US and UK with article six."In his letter to the congressional committees, Wallace wrote: "Your support to the W93 program in this budget cycle is critical to the success of our replacement warhead programme and to the long-term viability of the UK's nuclear deterrent and therefore, the future of Nato as a nuclear alliance."Alexandra Bell, a former state department official and now senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said the US-UK special relationship had shown greater solidarity in promoting new weapons than in arms control."The UK is noticeably missing when it comes to emphatic support for New Start extension, but yet at the same time it feels comfortable directly telling members of Congress what they should do about our own modernization plans," Bell said. "I think that's weird."Asked about the purpose of Wallace's letter, a UK defense ministry spokesman said: "The UK's existing warhead is being replaced in order to respond to future threats and guarantee our security. We have a strong defence relationship with the US and will work closely with our ally to ensure our warhead remains compatible with the US's Trident missile."According to official figures, the US W76 warhead is viable until 2045 at least - and the UK version is expected to last until the late 2030's, so there is no urgent technical need for replacement.Greg Mello, executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, said nuclear weapons hawks at the Pentagon, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Los Alamos National Laboratory were pushing to lock in spending in case there is a change of administration."They would like to get this program endorsed by Congress this year, and they're very close to it," Mello said. "Once it is a programme of record, it will take more for a future administration to knock it out."
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| Bass addresses past remarks praising Scientology Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:22 AM PDT  The top-tier contender to be Joe Biden's running mate said in a statement she was trying to find an "area of agreement" with the church.
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| Taiwanese pay respects to former President Lee Teng-hui Posted: 31 Jul 2020 11:53 PM PDT  Taiwan's leaders and its people were paying their respects Saturday to former President Lee Teng-hui, who died this week at age 97 after bringing full democracy to Taiwan and incurring the wrath of China in the process. A traditional funeral bier was set up at the Taipei Guest House, an ornate European-style building that was home to Japanese governors during Taiwan's 1895-1945 colonial period. Among the visitors Saturday was current President Tsai Ing-wen, who wrote in a book of condolences, "You shall forever be watching over democratic Taiwan."
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| Marine Corps Plan to Ditch Tanks Could Burden the Army, Experts Say Posted: 01 Aug 2020 07:14 AM PDT  Some Marine Corps tank companies have cased their colors, winding up decades-long missions.
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| TikTok teens are making memes saying they'll show up at the White House to confront Trump over app ban Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:37 AM PDT  President Trump on Friday said he'd issue an executive order to ban TikTok in the US. Creators on the platform responded in true TikTok fashion.
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| Dunkin' worker accused of spitting in state trooper's coffee Posted: 01 Aug 2020 08:13 PM PDT |
| Tropical Storm Isaias moves up coast of virus-hit Florida Posted: 02 Aug 2020 12:58 PM PDT  The storm is travelling slowly up the coast, bringing strong winds and rain to the US state.
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| Rep. Raúl Grijalva tests positive for COVID-19, is symptom-free Posted: 02 Aug 2020 08:58 AM PDT  Rep. Raúl Grijalva has tested positive for COVID-19 after days in D.C. that included a hearing with Rep. Louie Gohmert, who also tested positive.
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| Letters to the Editor: John Lewis deserves to be remembered as a modern-day founding father Posted: 01 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  A reader says "thank you" is not enough to convey the gratitude this country ought to have for the late Rep. John Lewis.
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| China uses Hong Kong security law against US and UK-based activists Posted: 31 Jul 2020 05:37 PM PDT  * Arrest warrant issued for campaigner and US citizen Samuel Chu * Britons also among those wanted for 'incitement to secession'Hong Kong police have issued arrest warrants for six pro-democracy activists living in exile, the first time the city's authorities have used a sweeping new law to target campaigners living outside Hong Kong.They include Samuel Chu, an American citizen who lives in the US, Nathan Law, a prominent campaigner who recently relocated to the UK after fleeing Hong Kong, and Simon Cheng, a former British consular staffer who was granted asylum in the UK after alleging he was tortured in China.Chinese state media reported that the six men were wanted for "incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces".The move comes a month after China introduced a controversial national security law in Hong Kong. China said the legislation targets the crimes of "secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces" and carries penalties as severe as life in prison.Critics warned that it would be used to target legitimate opposition, and highlighted the unusual decision to make the law applicable to both Hong Kong residents and non-residents. That apparently gives China jurisdiction beyond its own borders.Chu, who runs the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy organization dedicated to furthering Hong Kong's freedom and democracy, is the first person targeted under this aspect of the law.He said China was sending a clear message to other activists by ordering his arrest."I would really emphasize how outrageous this really is," Chu told the Guardian. "I am the first non-Chinese citizen that essentially is being targeted. I think they do intend to try to make this an example."Several countries have since suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong, including the UK, Australia and Germany, as a possible safeguard against attempts to use the national security laws to round up activists abroad. The US ordered an end to Hong Kong's special economic status earlier in July.Chu, who has lived in the US as an American citizen since 1996, said the charges amounted to China "targeting a US citizen for lobbying my own government"."We always knew that when the national security law went into effect there was a very troubling and illogical, irrational idea that they were claiming jurisdiction over anyone who is not even a Hong Kong resident, who is anywhere in the world, doing anything that they deemed threatening," he said.> HK police is targeting a US citizen for lobbying my own gov't. I might be the 1st non-Chinese citizen to be targeted, but I will not be the last. If I am targeted, any American/any citizen of any nation who speaks out for HK can-and will be-too. > > We are all Hong Kongers now. pic.twitter.com/KQYGcStY1e> > — Samuel Chu 朱牧民 (@samuelmchu) July 31, 2020The other activists charged wereRay Wong, Wayne Chan and Honcques Laus.Wong, who is currently in the UK, told Reuters the charges showed that the Chinese government was afraid of the advocacy work of Hong Kong activists internationally."I think they want to cut off our connection with people in Hong Kong … it will make people fear that they may violate the national security law by contacting us," Wong said.
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| 'Back To The Future' With Biden’s female VP Pick Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:00 AM PDT  A woman VP or president is long overdue.
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| Portland police declare unlawful assembly during protest Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:57 PM PDT  The Portland Police Bureau declared an unlawful assembly Saturday night when people gathered outside a police precinct in Oregon's largest city and threw bottles toward officers, police said. Until that point, federal, state and local law enforcement had been seemingly absent from the protests Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The demonstrations — that for weeks ended with tear gas, fireworks shot towards buildings, federal agents on the street and injuries to protesters and officers — have recently ended with chanting and conversations. Activists and Oregon officials urged people at Saturday night's protest in Portland to re-center the focus on Black Lives Matter, three days after the Trump administration agreed to reduce the presence of federal agents.
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| Wilford Brimley dies at 85 Posted: 02 Aug 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Actor Wilford Brimley, who starred in "Cocoon," "The Natural" and "The Firm," has died at age 85.
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| U.S. coronavirus 'extraordinarily widespread,' White House experts say Posted: 02 Aug 2020 12:03 PM PDT  The United States is in a new phase of the novel coronavirus outbreak with infections "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas as well as cities, White House coronavirus experts said on Sunday. Coronavirus cases continue to surge in some parts of the country and the public health officials are trying to work with governors to tailor responses for each state. "We are in a new phase," said Dr. Deborah Birx.
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| Egypt tells Elon Musk its pyramids were not built by aliens Posted: 02 Aug 2020 05:10 AM PDT  Egypt invited the billionaire to visit, after he appeared to tweet support for conspiracy theorists.
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| Letters to the Editor: The cult of Trump is starting to inflict casualties. Just ask Louie Gohmert Posted: 02 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Rep. Louie Gohmert is remaining stridently anti-mask even after being diagnosed with COVID-19, because he things that's what Trump wants.
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| Chief Whip 'failed to act in Tory MP rape case' Posted: 02 Aug 2020 12:58 PM PDT  The Government's Chief Whip was on Sunday night accused of failing to act for four months on complaints against a former minister who was arrested for a suspected rape at the weekend. Mark Spencer was under mounting pressure to explain why he failed to launch an investigation into the alleged behaviour of the senior Conservative, who has not been suspended by the party despite the seriousness of the allegations. The MP, who has not been publicly named, was arrested on Saturday after a woman in her 20s made a complaint of rape and sexual assault, before being bailed later that evening until a date in mid-August. The Telegraph has established that the woman - who was working as a parliamentary aide - made a complaint to Mr Spencer on April 1, but says she became frustrated when nothing was done and sought a second meeting with him, which she says he declined. She also alleges that she told Mr Spencer - the man in charge of party discipline - that the MP issued threats against her if she spoke to anybody, but that Mr Spencer simply reassured her that the MP in question would not carry out his threat.
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| Israel's Netanyahu rails at media over protests against him Posted: 02 Aug 2020 03:51 AM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday railed at swelling protests against his rule, saying they were egged on by a biased media that distorts facts and cheers on the demonstrators. Netanyahu has faced a wave of protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators calling for the resignation of the long-serving leader, who is on trial for corruption charges. Netanyahu has painted the protests as dens of "anarchists" and "leftists" out to topple "a strong right-wing leader."
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| U.S. Navy's first Black female fighter pilot gets her Wings of Gold Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:36 AM PDT  "It would've been nice to see someone who looked like me in this role; I never intended to be the first. I hope it's encouraging to other people," said Swegle.
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| Russia and Belarus at odds over arrest of suspected mercenaries Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:38 AM PDT  A dispute between Moscow and Minsk over the detention of more than 30 men who Belarus accused of being Russian mercenaries deepened on Saturday, as the two sides contradicted each other about the group's plans. The arrests this week, shortly before an Aug. 9 presidential election in Belarus, could further strain relations between Minsk and its traditional ally Russia, which soured after the neighbours failed to agree on an oil supply contract for this year. Russia said on Thursday that the men, who it described as employees of a private security firm, had stayed in Belarus after missing their connecting flight to Istanbul.
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| Scientists and environmental groups 'alarmed' by huge rise in Amazon wildfires Posted: 02 Aug 2020 07:43 AM PDT  "It's a terrible sign," said Ane Alencar, science director at Brazil's Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM).
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| Coronavirus: How the travel downturn is sending jet planes to 'boneyards' Posted: 02 Aug 2020 04:20 PM PDT  Amid the pandemic, commercial air fleets are grounded in some of the world's most remote locations.
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| Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, cites 'bullying' by Trump after impeachment testimony Posted: 01 Aug 2020 08:42 AM PDT  Vindman cited intimidation and bullying from the White House for his decision to retire. He will retire at the lower rank of lieutenant colonel instead of colonel.
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| Editorial: California faces an eviction catastrophe. Newsom, lawmakers need to act now Posted: 02 Aug 2020 03:00 AM PDT  As the downturn continues and tenant protections expire, we could see a tidal wave of evictions and a surge in homelessness even as the pandemic rages on.
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| If the Senate doesn't bail out the childcare industry, economists see women leaving the workforce en masse Posted: 02 Aug 2020 05:55 AM PDT  Women are more likely than men to scale back their hours or prioritize flexibility, which would widen the wage gap and weaken the economic recovery.
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| Texas will now allow people taking the bar exam to bring their own menstrual products Posted: 02 Aug 2020 07:19 AM PDT  The Texas Board of Law Examiners will allow test-takers to bring their own menstrual products after previously forbiding them over security concerns.
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| Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi discuss emergency negotiations on COVID relief bill Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:32 AM PDT  We're not close yet, but it was a productive discussion, says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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| Arizona congressman tests positive for coronavirus Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:58 AM PDT  Representative Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, has tested positive for coronavirus but feels fine and has gone into isolation, he said in a statement on Saturday. Grijalva, 72, was told of the positive test by the attending physician of the capitol, he said. Grijalva chaired a hearing this week attended by Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who has also tested positive and who has been photographed without a mask.
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| New probe into reports Bay Area police badges mark killings Posted: 31 Jul 2020 07:48 PM PDT |
