| Arizona tells Pence it needs additional 500 health care workers as COVID-19 cases soar Posted: 01 Jul 2020 02:24 PM PDT  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey told Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday that the state needed an additional 500 health care workers as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to set records there.
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| After a Black protester is killed in Omaha, witnesses claim a rushed investigation ignored signs of the shooter's allegedly racist past Posted: 01 Jul 2020 12:03 PM PDT  More than 300 people have been arrested in Omaha amid protests against police brutality in the past month. Jake Gardner, who shot and killed James Scurlock, is not one of them.
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| Harvard Grad Says She Was Fired from Deloitte Job for Threatening ‘All Lives Matter’ Supporters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:54 AM PDT  A recent Harvard graduate who threatened to "stab" anyone who told her "all lives matter" has been fired from her job, she announced in a tearful video.Claira Janover, who said in a viral but since-deleted TikTok post that she would "stab" those with "the nerve" to say "all lives matter," posted several tearful videos explaining that her new employer, Deloitte, had fired her."I know this is what Trump supporters wanted because standing up for Black Lives Matter put me in a place online to be seen by millions of people," Janover explained. "The job that I worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me just called me and fired me because of everything."In a second video, Janover claimed that "Trump supporters took my job away from me.""I have gotten death threats, rape threats, violent threats and it's okay — but now it's just like my future is entirely compromised because Trump supporters have decided to come for my life," she stated. "I'm too strong for you. I am too strong for any of you, 'all lives matter' racist Trump supporters. It sucks but it doesn't suck as much as systemic racism."Janover also criticized Deloitte, calling out the company for "cowardice." The firm has not publicly commented on the situation.In the video that led to her firing, Janover warned "all lives matter" supporter that she would stab them. "While you're struggling and bleeding out, I'ma show you my paper cut and say, 'My cut matters too,'" she stated. After the video was picked up and circulated on Twitter, Janover posted a message on the video stating that "For legal reasons this is a joke." She also explained in subsequent videos that her threat was "clearly" an "analogous joke.""Apparently I'm threatening the lives of people — unlike cops, obviously," she added."Anyway, so If I get an email from the Department of Homeland Security or I get kicked out of Harvard or I get arrested or whatever — or I get murdered, according to the many death threats that I'm receiving right now — know that I appreciate you guys standing up for me," she said.
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| Police officer filmed punching black woman at Miami International Airport Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:20 AM PDT  The police department in Miami-Dade has dismissed two officers after one punched a black woman at Miami International Airport.The department ordered an investigation into the incident on Wednesday night when a video – dated 1 July – was shared online.
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| Sen. Scott on COVID-19 surge in Florida: We can beat this without the government taking away our rights Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott says citizens can responsibly combat the virus by being given more information from the government instead of just being told what to do.
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| College students going to 'COVID parties' to see who gets sick first, Alabama officials say Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:41 PM PDT  Officials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, say young people intentionally went to parties knowing they had the new coronavirus to see whom they could infect.
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| US tries to seize Iranian gas heading toward Venezuela Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:46 AM PDT  U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran, the latest attempt to disrupt ever-closer trade ties between the two heavily sanctioned anti-American allies. The civil-forfeiture complaint filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. "The profits from these activities support the IRGC's full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad," prosecutor Zia Faruqui alleges in the complaint.
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| Italian police seize record amount of amphetamines shipped from Syria Posted: 01 Jul 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Italian police said on Wednesday they had seized about 14 tonnes of amphetamine pills worth around 1 billion euros ($1 billion) arriving from Syria, in what they described as the world's single largest operation of its kind. The shipment was hidden among counterfeit clothing items.
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| Trump Says Coronavirus Will Just ‘Disappear,’ Brags He Looks Like ‘Lone Ranger’ in Mask Posted: 01 Jul 2020 01:18 PM PDT  With coronavirus cases surging to all-time highs and states reversing reopening plans, President Donald Trump once again claimed on Wednesday that the deadly virus would eventually just "disappear." At the same time, the president appeared to change his tune on face-coverings, telling Fox Business that he's "all for masks" while boasting about the single time that he was spotted wearing one, claiming he thought he "looked OK" and that he resembled the "Lone Ranger."Speaking to Fox Business host Blake Burman from the White House, the president bragged that the economy is recovering in a "very strong fashion" as states reopen businesses and public spaces following stay-at-home orders. "And I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus," Trump continued. "I think that at some point, that it's going to sort of just disappear, I hope."Rand Paul's Coronavirus Fix: 'We Just Need More Optimism'Burman, meanwhile, wondered aloud that Trump "still believes" that the disease will just go away, as he's asserted many times in the past. "I do. I do. Yeah," the president said. "Sure. At some point. I think we will have a vaccine very soon, too."Since February, the president has repeatedly assured the public that the virus would "disappear" in the near future. For instance, in early February, the president claimed that it would "go away by April." Later that month, when the nation's cases were still in double-digits, he confidently declared that it would be "close to zero" in a couple of days. Even in recent weeks, after deaths had already exceeded 100,000, the president insisted it will fade away even without a vaccine.Burman eventually moved on to recent studies and models that show that mandatory mask-wearing not only would have a health benefit to the public, but would also be a net positive economically as it would help prevent lockdown. Furthermore, in recent days, some of Trump's top allies at Fox have urged the president to wear a mask."So if there is an economic benefit, sir, and there is a public health benefit, sir, why not go forward and say there should be mandatory masks all across this country?" Burman asked.Trump replied that he didn't think a mandatory order was necessary because "many places" in the country feature people living "very long distances" from each other. Then the president, who has openly mocked his political opponents for wearing masks and has avoided publicly wearing face coverings, claimed he was "all for masks.""I think masks are good," he stated, prompting the Fox host to press whether he'd wear one."I would—I have. I mean, people have seen me wearing one," a rambling Trump responded. "If I'm in a group of people where we're not, you know, ten feet away but usually I'm not in that position and everyone's tested because I'm the president, they get tested before they see me but if I were in a tight situation with people, I would absolutely."North Carolina's Top Two Officials Are at War Over CoronavirusBurman, meanwhile, asked whether the public would see the president wear one at some point. The only instance of the president having been spotted with a face mask occurred during a May trip to a Ford plant, where Trump briefly donned a mask away from the press in a back area while viewing some classic cars."I mean, I have no problem. Actually, I had a mask on," Trump said, referencing the Ford plant moment. "I sort of like the way I looked, OK? I thought it was OK. It was a dark black mask and I thought it looked OK. Looked like the Lone Ranger. But no, I have no problem with that. I think—if people feel good about it they should do it."The Lone Ranger, for the record, wore a domino mask over his eyes.Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar Shut Down Meghan McCain's COVID OutburstRead 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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| Hong Kong: US passes sanctions as nations condemn new law Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:02 AM PDT  The US House Speaker said the law was a "brutal, sweeping crackdown" against Hong Kong's people.
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| The Best Bike Lights to Illuminate Your Ride Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:26 AM PDT |
| Detroit man sentenced to life in prison for killing two gay men and a transgender woman Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:46 AM PDT  19-year-old Devon Kareem Robinson's "actions were disturbing on so many levels," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
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| Kentucky election: Democrats flip state Senate seat held by Republicans for 25 years Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Democrats have flipped a state Senate seat previously held by Republicans for the last 25 years.Dr Karen Berg won the special election for Kentucky's 26th Senate District after Republican Senator Ernie Harris announced he was retiring following 25 years in office. She beat Republican candidate Bill Ferko by 14 points.
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| America's New B-21 Stealth Bomber Is Just Two-Years Away Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:01 PM PDT  These are much better than the older B-2s and should be ready in the early 2020s.
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| Descendants of Confederate soldiers sue city over removal of Florida’s oldest Civil War statue Posted: 01 Jul 2020 03:26 AM PDT  Descendants of Confederate soldiers have sued St. Augustine city leaders over their decision to remove a monument honoring the fallen ancestors.
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| Thousands of Czechs hold 'farewell party' for pandemic in Prague as country registers spike in cases Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:11 AM PDT  Thousands of people in Prague bid a "symbolic farewell" to the coronavirus pandemic with a street party stretching along one of the city's most famous bridges. Around 2,000 people sat at the 515-metre-long table on the medieval Charles Bridge to eat, drink and talk with little or no regard for social distancing, although disinfectant was provided and people were encouraged to bring their own food and refreshments. People wanting to attend the free party, billed as a "unique event" on social media, had to book places in advance. The Czech Republic has been heralded as one of Europe's virus-fighting success stories. The country, which has a population of 10 million, implemented one of the continent's harshest lockdowns, and has managed to keep Covid-related deaths down to 350 and infections below 12,000. "This is a celebration to show people that we are not afraid and do not have to remain locked in our rooms," said Ondrej Kozba, the party's organiser. "The bridge was a good metaphor because it brings people together.
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| Former Pope Benedict's brother Georg dies at 96 Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:03 AM PDT  Georg Ratzinger, the brother of former Pope Benedict who nurtured a very close relationship over decades to his sibling, has died at the age of 96 in the German town of Regensburg on Wednesday, the local archdiocese said. In June, Benedict, aged 93, had spent five days in his native Germany to visit his ailing brother, who was also a priest. It was the first time that Benedict left Italy since 2013, when he became the first Pope to resign in six centuries.
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| Column: Pete Buttigieg on running as a gay man and his struggles with Black voters Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:28 PM PDT  'Nobody two years ago was saying who is going to jump into the millennial, Midwestern, gay mayor lane, right?': Pete Buttigieg on the doors he opened for the LGBTQ community — and the inroads he didn't make
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| Trump reportedly briefed on Russia paying militants to kill US troops the same day he had a 45-minute meeting on the dramatized CPAC play 'FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers' Posted: 30 Jun 2020 09:01 PM PDT  President Donald Trump denies he was briefed on a Russian military intelligence unit paying Taliban-linked militants to kill US forces in Afghanistan.
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| 'Tired of burying our children': 4 toddlers shot in Chicago amid surge in gun violence Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:54 PM PDT  As gun violence surges in Chicago, Black and brown communities are calling for economic investment in their neighborhoods.
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| Minnesota state senator reacts to city council members voting to disband police: ‘Hypocrisy’ Posted: 01 Jul 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka tells 'America's Newsroom' it's 'hypocritical' that the city council members want to defund the police, yet have their own protection.
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| Gun-toting restaurateur upsets 5-term Colorado congressman Posted: 30 Jun 2020 08:36 PM PDT  A pistol-packing restaurant owner who has expressed support for a far-right conspiracy theory has upset five-term U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton in Colorado's primary elections. Tipton became the fourth House member to lose renomination bids this year. Republican Reps. Steve King of Iowa and Denver Riggleman of Virginia, and Democrat Daniel Lipinski of Illinois, have already been ousted by challengers.
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| Terrifying: Why France Once Pointed Its Nuclear Weapons at Germany Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:53 AM PDT  Any Soviet invasion route would have gone through Germany.
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| Elephants are dying by the hundreds in Africa, experts say. Nobody knows why Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:19 PM PDT  "We need to know what the hell is going on."
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| Vietnam, Philippines denounce China military drills in disputed waters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:52 AM PDT  Vietnam and the Philippines on Thursday criticised China's holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China's exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were "highly provocative", while Vietnam's Foreign Ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be "detrimental" to Beijing's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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| Britain recognises Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela after dispute over gold Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:08 AM PDT  Britain has recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's president, the English High Court has ruled, in a case over whether Mr Guaido or Nicolas Maduro should control $1 billion of its gold stored in London. The case was brought by the Banco Central de Venezuela to release $1 billion of gold reserves to help fund the cash-strapped country's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Bank of England said it was unable to act on instructions because it was "caught in the middle" of competing claims for the presidency after disputed elections in 2018. A BCV board appointed by the government of Nicolas Maduro wants the gold released while a rival ad hoc board appointed by Mr Guaido asked for the release to be denied. Commercial Court judge Nigel Teare, sitting at the High Court of England and Wales, was asked to rule on who was authorised to make the demand - Mr Guaido or Mr Maduro. In his judgement, he said: "Her Majesty's Government does recognise Mr Guaido in the capacity of constitutional interim president of Venezuela and, it must follow, does not recognise Mr Maduro as the constitutional interim president of Venezuela."
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| Lindsey Graham Uses Benghazi to Defend Trump on Russian Bounties Posted: 02 Jul 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was among the loudest Republican voices in Congress screaming about the attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya back in 2012. But he apparently has no problem with President Donald Trump's decision to ignore intelligence about Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan. In fact, during a Thursday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, Graham actually used the Benghazi attack to defend Trump and accuse his Democratic colleagues of hypocrisy.After co-host Brian Kilmeade quoted Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who accused Trump of committing "treason," Graham fired back by asking: "Where were all these Democrats when Benghazi was on fire, when they were calling for help from the consulate? The president of the United States Obama was briefed and went to bed and never called anybody for a day and a half while our people were being slaughtered in Benghazi. Where was the outrage then?!" Graham went on to say that in his view the "conflicting intelligence" in this case "does not justify a nation stage conflict with Russia." He also defended Trump's apparent lack of knowledge about the bounties by saying, "You don't tell the president of the United States everything you would tell a second lieutenant!" Co-host Steve Doocy then gave Graham an assist by adding, "It should surprise anybody that it's a big story in The New York Times. I mean, that's what they do! They come up with these big stories to make Donald Trump look bad." "And it's all B.S.," Graham replied. "He wasn't briefed. And there was no consensus." While Trump may not have been verbally briefing about the bounties, the intelligence was reportedly in his Presidential Daily Briefing, which he apparently declined to read. Despite this, Graham said Trump has an "unwavering desire and commitment to protecting our troops on the ground." Fox & Friends ended its interview with Graham by asking about his recent golf outing with Trump. "Who won?" Doocy inquired."I've never seen him play this well," Graham said with a straight face as the co-hosts giggled. "I mean, he's got more on his shoulders—I'm hoping, OK, he's a little distracted. He beat me like a drum." Jake Tapper Exposes Pompeo, Graham and Giuliani's 'Stunning' HypocrisyRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Sweden's prime minister orders an inquiry into the failure of the country's no-lockdown coronavirus strategy Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:44 AM PDT  The number of new COVID-19 cases in Sweden, where the government opted against a strict lockdown, has increased significantly in recent weeks.
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| 8 Louisiana police officers have been charged after violently beating 2 men who prosecutors said tried to 'surrender without resistance' Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:35 AM PDT  Prosecutors said the officers broke one man's orbital bone and another man's nose in the beating, and punched, kicked, and tased the men.
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| Israel's Netanyahu urges caution as virus cases spike Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:41 PM PDT  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to continue wearing masks and respect social distancing measures, as confirmed novel coronavirus cases spiked following the easing of lockdown measures. Israel had imposed tight lockdown restrictions following its first registered COVID-19 case in February, then began cautiously easing them in mid-April. "We don't want to go back to a policy of general lockdown," he said.
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| Immigration judges in lawsuit say US government muzzles them Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:59 AM PDT  Immigration judges said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Justice that they are being muzzled by the Trump administration, marking the latest confrontation between the judges and the federal government. The judges under previous administrations were allowed to speak in their personal capacities on issues relating to immigration if they they made it clear that they were not speaking on behalf of the Justice Department or the court system, said Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, which represents about 460 federal immigration judges.
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| Military Mystery: What Happened to Russia's New T-14 Tank in Syria? Posted: 01 Jul 2020 07:00 PM PDT  Last month multiple media reports suggested that the Russian military's new T-14 Armata tank had been "battle-tested" in Syria.
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| U.S. says leaking nuclear waste dome is safe; Marshall Islands leaders don't believe it Posted: 01 Jul 2020 01:14 PM PDT  The DOE says that radioactive leakage from Runit Dome, a respository for U.S. atomic waste, is insignificant. Marshall Islands leaders are skeptical.
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| Weibo deletes Indian Prime Minister's social media account Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:33 PM PDT  Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, said it had deleted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's account at the request of the Indian embassy, as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer over a border skirmish. Since posting on Sina Weibo the first time in 2015 during a visit to China, Mr Modi has been an infrequent user of the Chinese social media platform. He had more than 200,000 followers and 100 posts before the account was shut. Sina Weibo announced the closure of the account late on Wednesday and the removal comes a few days after India banned dozens of Chinese apps, including Sina Weibo and ByteDance's TikTok, following the border clash between the two nations. The Indian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. Mr Modi was among a handful of foreign leaders with a Weibo account. Others include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. Notably, Mr Modi revealed the birth dates of both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang by wishing them "Happy Birthday" on Weibo. The discussion of senior leaders' private lives is extremely rare in China and the exact birth dates of most of them are not revealed publicly. In contrast, Chinese leaders are rarely active on social media. Foreign social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China. READ MORE: China annexes 60sqkm of India in Ladakh as simmering tensions erupt between two superpowers
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| McConnell splits with Trump on defence bill veto and bases named for Confederate generals Posted: 01 Jul 2020 12:55 PM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has split with Donald Trump over the president's threat to veto the annual defence spending bill if it includes a provision to rename military bases named for Confederate figureheads."Well, I would hope the president really wouldn't veto the bill over this issue. ... I hope the president will reconsider vetoing the entire defence bill, which includes pay raises for our troops, over a provision in there that could lead to changing the names," Mr McConnell said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday.
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| Vanessa Guillen Was Bludgeoned to Death With a Hammer by Fellow Soldier, Lawyer Says Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:12 PM PDT  This story contains graphic details.A lawyer representing the family of slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen has revealed disturbing new details about how the young Houston native is believed to have died after she vanished in late April. Speaking on an episode of the "Crime Stories" podcast hosted by Nancy Grace that aired Thursday, Natalie Khawam said she and the Guillen family had just learned from Army investigators that the 20-year-old was brutally beaten after being called in to work at the Fort Hood armory on April 22. Army investigators discovered "partial human remains" earlier this week they believe belong to Guillen, though they have yet to be positively identified. After reporting for work that day, Guillen is said to have encountered Aaron Robinson, a fellow soldier publicly identified by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division on Thursday as the suspect in Guillen's disappearance. Robinson "displayed a weapon and took his own life" when authorities closed in on him Wednesday morning, the CID said. According to Khawam, Robinson savagely attacked Guillen at the armory after she remarked on his relationship with the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. When Guillen reminded him that the relationship was in violation of military rules, he allegedly picked up a hammer and began "bludgeoning her head over and over." "The whole place was filled with blood," Khawam said. Dead Suspect in Disappearance of Fort Hood Soldier Sexually Harassed Her: LawyerThe suspect then allegedly took Guillen's body to a river and enlisted the help of his girlfriend to dispose of the remains. "They go to the river, they first try to light her body on fire, they try to burn her body, they can't burn her body, they're having a hard time burning her body, so they decide to take the machete out and start dismembering her whole body," Khawam said. After scattering her remains in a shallow grave, she said, they used quick-dry cement to try and cover it. "Ironically, this all happened between midnight and four in the morning when they were burning her body and dismembering her body with a machete. That time was when Vanessa's sister Mayra was arriving at the base. While she's looking for her sister, they are dismembering her body," Khawam said. The CID has confirmed that "the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier" is also in custody in connection with the Guillen case but "because she is a civilian and in the custody of local authorities, Army CID will not be releasing any further information concerning her or her status at this time." The Bell County Sheriff's Office identified the second suspect as Cecily Aguilar and said she is in custody and awaiting a court appearance in federal court on a charge of tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a second-degree felony.Khawam said Robinson managed to flee and shoot himself after authorities tried to hold him at the base in connection with coronavirus precautions rather than getting an arrest warrant. Guillen reportedly confided in family members about experiencing sexual harassment by one of her superiors on the base prior to her disappearance, and Khawam said Robinson was one of the men accused of sexually harassing her. But at a Thursday press conference, Damon Phelps of the CID said Robinson was "not involved" in the sexual harassment inquiry and was in "no way" Guillen's superior. Guillen's family is demanding a congressional investigation into the military's handling of the case, claiming Army authorities have gone out of their way to protect soldiers in the course of the investigation.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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| Memphis police clear downtown plaza, detain protesters who camped out for two weeks Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Protesters have camped outside the Memphis City Hall since June 16. The city said the move was necessary to allow for construction.
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| Analysts: Fire at Iran nuclear site hit centrifuge facility Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:08 AM PDT  A fire and an explosion struck a centrifuge production plant above Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility early Thursday, analysts said, one of the most-tightly guarded sites in all of the Islamic Republic after earlier acts of sabotage there. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran sought to downplay the fire, calling it an "incident" that only affected an under-construction "industrial shed," spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said. The fire threatened to rekindle wider tensions across the Middle East, similar to the escalation in January after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and Tehran launched a retaliatory ballistic missile attack targeting American forces in Iraq.
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| How America Bombed Nazi Germany Back into the Stone Age (And Won World War II) Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:00 PM PDT  By the time the invasion of France began, American bomber losses had dropped to negligible proportions, and the Luftwaffe had been virtually driven from the skies over its own homeland.
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| Fox News anchor Ed Henry fired after sexual misconduct investigation Posted: 01 Jul 2020 07:09 AM PDT  Fox News has fired Ed Henry, a daytime anchor and former head of the White House Correspondents Assn., after an investigation into sexual misconduct.
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| Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:21 AM PDT  Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation. Relations between the NATO members have soured over the Libya conflict, where Turkey supports the internationally recognised government and accuses Paris of backing the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar who tried to capture Tripoli. France denies backing Haftar's offensive on the capital, and accused Turkish warships of aggressive behaviour after its own warship tried to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a UN arms embargo on Libya.
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| India opens vast railway network to private players Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:20 AM PDT  India has opened up its vast railway sector to private companies, allowing firms to operate trains on certain routes, in a bid to boost its stuttering, virus-hit economy. The 167-year-old train network carries 20 million passengers daily but is plagued by deadly accidents, rickety infrastructure, lack of modern amenities and poor investment. In an announcement late Wednesday, the railway ministry said it would now permit businesses to run trains along 109 routes, inviting bids from firms weeks after New Delhi opened up coal mining to the private sector.
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| At least 4 injured in shooting on I-580 in Oakland, authorities say Posted: 01 Jul 2020 06:28 PM PDT  "I'm bleeding out, I'm bleeding out." ABC7 News spoke to a woman who says two of the shooting victims ran up to her car on the freeway begging for help. She got out and used towels to stop the bleeding on one of the victims until authorities arrived.
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| Trump news: Political ally hospitalised for coronavirus after attending Tulsa rally, as president claims he ‘put the flame out’ for virus Posted: 02 Jul 2020 01:53 PM PDT  Following Thursday morning's unemployment numbers, Donald Trump made one of his first public appearances following a growing scandal over US intelligence suspecting Russian military officials of providing "bounties" to Taliban-linked militia.The president championed reports that 4.8m jobs were added in June as states started reopening their economies and people went back to work, with unemployment falling to 11.1 per cent, still higher than at the peak of the recession in 2008.
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| Los Angeles sheriff's department faces a reckoning after another police shooting Posted: 01 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  One of the most powerful local police agencies in the US has a history of abuse. Families of those killed by LASD want systematic changeOne of America's most powerful local law enforcement agencies is facing a reckoning after decades of reports of violence and corruption.The Los Angeles sheriff's department (LASD) is the largest county police agency in the US, with 9,000 officers who patrol nearly 200 different southern California cities and towns in a region bigger than most states. It controls a $3.3bn budget and runs the world's largest jail system.LASD's history of abuse and scandal is as overwhelming as its size. Two weeks ago, amid national protests over the killings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, LASD killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado at his security job at an autobody shop, allegedly shooting him in the back as he fled.The department also faces questions over its handling of the death of Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man found hanging on a tree.The incidents have reinvigorated demands for systemic reforms, with activists and victims' families calling for the defunding and dismantling of the department. Fueling their anger is a widening scandal surrounding alleged gang members and white supremacists within LASD's own ranks; the rehiring of deputies accused of misconduct; "Trumpian" outbursts by the top sheriff; an exploding Covid-19 crisis in LASD jails; and allegations that deputies are intimidating victims' families when they speak out."We should never have let it get to this point," said Jaylene Rea, whose teenage brother was killed by an LASD deputy last year. "I know that our voices are now being heard." 'They run because they're afraid'LA sheriff's deputies have killed more than 330 people since 2000, according to the Youth Justice Coalition LA. In recent years, the LA region has been one of the deadliest in the country for police violence. Between LASD and LAPD – the department that polices the city – officers have on average shot one person every five days.LASD alone has killed six people since the start of anti-brutality protests in May. The shooting of Andres Guardado took place on 18 June. Police say Guardado ran away when they approached him at work and appeared armed. When deputies caught up with him, one fired six rounds, according to police. The department has refused to disclose basic details about why police approached Guardado and why he was killed, and have kept the autopsy report and surveillance footage secret. The family has disputed the department's story, and the deputy who fired the fatal shots was previously accused of making false statements.It's not the first time LASD has provided minimal explanation for why deputies decided fatal force was necessary. Last year, deputies fired 34 times at Ryan Twyman, 24, who was unarmed in his car. In 2018, Anthony Vargas, 21, was shot a dozen times from behind after he fled.PhotosEighteen-year-old Paul Rea was killed on the evening of 27 June 2019 when two deputies pulled over a car that allegedly ran a stop sign in East LA. Rea, who grew up nearby, was a passenger. The officers accused the driver of being high on marijuana and demanded he exit. The officers threatened to kill him if he didn't comply, the driver told prosecutors.Rea broke free and ran, and deputy Hector Saavedra fired a round of shots, fatally hitting him in the neck, authorities said.Prosecutors concluded the shooting was justified "self-defense", citing Saavedra's claims that Rea "punched" him and was armed with a handgun. But in its report approving the killing, the district attorney's office also noted that surveillance video did "not depict a struggle" and did not show Rea punching the officer. Rea also never pulled out a firearm, and the deputy was "unable to describe what the gun looked like", prosecutors said.Rea was 5ft 2in and grew up terrified of police, said Leah Garcia, his mother."They run from you not because they are guilty, but because they are afraid," said Garcia, 39, about the young men in the neighborhood . Garcia said the father of her youngest son was also killed by LASD. She has one memory of getting stopped by deputies with Paul when he was around seven years old: "He screamed, 'Please don't take my mom.'" 'Gangs' of deputiesThe brutality extends beyond killings. Residents have long complained of day-to-day racist harassment, including arbitrary stops and searches, unjustified interrogations and hostile patrolling.In 2013, the FBI charged 18 sheriff's deputies implicated in the systematic beatings of prisoners and accused of collaborating with white supremacists. The top sheriff was later imprisoned. David Diaz, a 69-year-old lifelong East LA resident and the great-uncle of Paul Rea, said that he and nearly every man in his family was at one point arrested and booked by the local sheriff's station, the same division that killed Rea. During the Chicano power movement in the 60s and 70s, it felt as if deputies were competing to arrest as many people as possible, he said. At least nine of his friends were killed by police, he said. "I don't know if this will ever end in my lifetime," he added."I've grown numb to [the police brutality]," said Ceddy Mack, a 31-year-old South LA native whose friend was killed by deputies last year. "They throw me out of my car, tear the whole thing apart, rip my seats out, and there's nothing I can do about it."The historic toxic culture is exemplified in reports of secret societies that operated like criminal gangs and were known for extremely aggressive tactics within LASD's ranks. In the 1990s, one sheriff's station in a Black part of South LA was home to officers with matching neo-Nazi gang tattoos.The LA county sheriff in 2018 announced an investigation into the extent to which such cliques were still operating. The inquiry came after allegations that officers at the Compton station wore matching tattoos of a skeleton holding a rifle. An officer who fatally shot a Black resident during a pursuit, and was allegedly a member of the group, admitted that he had "ill-feelings" toward African Americans, though he later walked back this statement.Among residents, the station is also known for a group of officers that has been nicknamed "the Jump Out Boys". The deputies have a reputation for driving around with their doors partially open so they can jump out at any moment to confront people on the street. The grieving families who can't escape policeThe warfare mentality of some officers means many Black and Brown residents say they fear calling LASD when they need help.Jaylene Rea, Paul's 22-year-old sister, said she and her younger sister both once aspired to join the police force. Jaylene imagined herself as the "officer all the kids know". "I literally thought I could be a good cop for the community. But after learning everything they do, there's no hope."Leah Garcia, Paul's mother, alleged that she has been pulled over twice in recent months, and was forced to sit in the back of the police car before she was released both times. Officers said that they pulled her over due to an issue with her car registration, but then questioned her about whether she belonged to a gang, according to Garcia: "I try not to dwell on it, but I start thinking about my son's last moments. I can't put nothing past them."After Jaylene spoke at a rally on 30 October, deputies drove by the memorial site and moved to arrest two of Paul's friends, according to a lawsuit. As one of them was getting handcuffed, he handed Jaylene a blunt he had been smoking, at which point the deputies detained Jaylene and refused to tell her where they were taking her, the suit said.Her mother said she threw up when she found out Jaylene was arrested, fearing she was about to lose another child. Jaylene was cited for "obstruction of evidence" and released in the morning.Ryan Twyman's family has alleged similar harassment in Compton, noting that at a family gathering on his birthday last month, deputies showed up outside their house and accused them of blocking the street: "My grandkids were in the house. Why did they have to do this?" said Tommy Twyman, Ryan's mother.Ceddy Mack, Ryan's friend, said that two days after he organized a community event in his honor, police arrested him for a parole violation: "I do feel like they wanted to silence me. And they actually did."LASD did not respond to requests for comment. Hundreds of 'justified' killingsSo far, sheriff's deputies have faced little accountability over the brutality.LA county's elected district attorney, Jackie Lacey, has filed criminal charges only once for an on-duty shooting in 2018. It was the first prosecution in nearly two decades and 1,500 police shootings. Lacey declined to comment on Rea's case, but noted she has filed excessive force charges against 24 officers, adding, "I will not be pressured into filing criminal charges when I do not believe they are warranted."The current sheriff, Alex Villanueva, vowed to clean up the department. But since taking office, the Democrat has consistently disappointed the progressives who endorsed him. Villanueva closed internal misconduct investigations before they were concluded, including cases involving deputies accused of crimes such as domestic violence, sexual assault of prisoners and child abuse. He also broke a campaign promise by continuing to allow the local jails to collaborate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). He has defied subpoenas, stonewalled the inspector general and recently attacked the politicians trying to hold him accountable on Twitter.Although some county governments have limited authority to remove sheriffs, there are no such mechanisms in LA. A civilian oversight commission created in 2016 also has minimal power. State and federal authorities can intervene, but rarely do."Villanueva is the Trump of LA law enforcement," said Andrés Dae Keun Kwon, the senior counsel and policy counsel with the ACLU of southern California. Some activists have discussed attempting a recall, which would be difficult to accomplish, Kwon said, adding, "That gets rid of the head of the monster. But it's just going to grow another head. Who is to say we won't get somebody worse?" Struggling to mournOn Saturday, the anniversary of Paul Rea's death, his family gathered at the site of his killing, joined by a group of LA mothers who also lost their sons to police. One by one, they took the bullhorn and told stories of gruesome killings, falsehoods spread by police about their sons, and their fruitless fights for justice. They called for DA Lacey to be voted out in November.Before the speeches began, Jaylene told the Guardian it was too hard for her to speak publicly. "I can't even say my brother's name at a protest, because it hurts," she said. "I snap into reality every time I say his name out loud."The families said prayers and released red balloons into the air.Minutes later, three sheriff's cars drove slowly by the vigil.
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| St. Louis home owner says he's a victim of 'terrorism' and his 'life has been ruined' after his picture goes viral Posted: 30 Jun 2020 10:41 PM PDT  He disputed the claims that he was opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement and said that "my Black clients love us."
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