| Why is Trump so restrained about the Biden sexual assault allegation? Posted: 24 May 2020 09:00 PM PDT  The president rarely misses a chance to sling mud but he has been uncharacteristically quiet about Tara Reade's claimSometimes Donald Trump portrays his election rival, Joe Biden, as a sleepy geriatric who should be in a care home because "he doesn't know he's alive". At others, the president speaks of Biden as a wily manipulator who conspired with the deep state and China.But in this scattergun approach, the US president has been uncharacteristically reluctant to use what, in normal times, would seem standard political ammunition: an allegation of sexual assault.It took more than a month after Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer, alleged on a podcast that Biden sexually assaulted her in a Capitol Hill basement in 1993, for Trump to publicly address the matter.Even then, the US president's comments on 30 April were unusually milquetoast. "I don't know anything about it," Trump said. "I don't know exactly – I think he should respond. You know, it could be false accusations. I know all about false accusations. I've been falsely charged numerous times. And there is such a thing."Then, speaking on Fox News's Fox & Friends, usually a comfort zone, he again declined to go for Biden's jugular. "Look, he's got to fight that battle," he said. "I've had battles, too, where I've had false accusations, many times. I've had many false accusations made, I can tell you that. Many. And maybe it is a false accusation. Frankly, I hope it is, for his sake."The first and most obvious explanation for the president's reticence is that he himself has been accused of assault and unwanted touching by a long list of women, some far more recently than Reade's account. He also denies the allegations. On the other hand, Trump has never allowed perceived double standards to get in the way of his scorched earth tactics in the past.Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: "It's surprising in a way because usually Trump doesn't pull back on things even when they do seem hypocritical or ironic or choose your adjective. Yet he is in this particular instance. I don't know if he's waiting for something to happen or whether he's waiting to see how it plays out before he does anything. He seems to be finding what seem to him more fruitful attack routes against Obama and other things and people than against Biden right now."In 2016 Trump's campaign was rocked by the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he could heard bragging about using his fame to grab women's private parts. Instead of quitting, he went on the offensive against his rival Hillary Clinton by highlighting sexual assault allegations against her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and even inviting those accusers to a press conference before a presidential debate.But this November will witness the first presidential election since the rise of the MeToo movement, which has encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against prominent men in politics, show business and other industries.Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate and frequently cites his work as lead sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act. Both candidates are keenly aware that suburban women could be a pivotal demographic in the final vote.While Trump remains taciturn, Republicans have instead focused much of their response on Brett Kavanaugh, the supreme court justice whose nomination was nearly derailed by sexual misconduct allegations. The Trump campaign pointed to statements made by Democrats during the Kavanaugh episode to portray them as hypocritical.Erin Perrine, principal deputy communications director at the Trump campaign, said: "During Justice Kavanaugh's hearings, Biden made clear that all women should be believed when they come forward with allegations of sexual assault. Biden's own work during the Obama administration lowered standards for such accusations on college campuses as to effectively institute a presumption of guilt. In a dramatic shift, Biden now says 'believe women' doesn't actually mean 'believe women.'"Trump himself, however, has preferred to take aim at other targets, seeking to implicate Biden in a so-called "Obamagate" conspiracy that many seen as an attempt to deflect attention from the coronavirus pandemic – likely to prove a more significant issue in November.Amid Democratic alarm that the Reade allegation could dent Biden's support among women, the former vice-president vehemently denied it in an interview on the MSNBC network on 1 May and repeated that position in a series of media appearances.The story has faded from prominence in recent days, especially after the PBS NewsHour interviewed 74 former Biden staffers, of whom 62 were women, and found none said that they had experienced sexual harassment, assault or misconduct by Biden, nor ever heard rumors or allegations to that effect.By pushing the case, Trump may have more to lose than to gain. Rich Galen, a former Republican strategist, said: "The case against Biden keeps getting thinner and thinner so I'm not sure that there's much there. And all the people who's accused Trump, it would be like listing the names of the people who died in Vietnam every night."Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, added: "Trump, if nothing else, knows how to read his audience: 'No, they're not going to buy anything I sell on this point.' There's no need to even open that Pandora's box because it's a Pandora's box for him, not Joe Biden. I think that's why the president has largely decided not to engage at that level."My sense is right now, despite what others in the campaign may want to do, there is no energy from the president himself to open up that door and go through it."
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| Feds looking at Ahmaud Arbery's death as a hate crime, attorneys say Posted: 25 May 2020 02:43 PM PDT  U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia said his office is looking into why Glynn County and the state of Georgia took so long to make arrests, Arbery's family's attorneys said.
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| Taiwan considers revoking Hong Kong's special status on law fears Posted: 24 May 2020 05:52 PM PDT  China's planned national security law may prompt Taiwan to revoke the special status it extends to Hong Kong, President Tsai Ing-wen said, a move that could anger Beijing and make it harder for Hong Kongers to visit and invest. China is proposing the new legislation for the Chinese-ruled city after months of anti-government protests, and the decision has already ignited renewed unrest in Hong Kong and prompted condemnation from Western capitals. The demonstrators have won widespread sympathy in democratic Taiwan, and the support for the protesters by Tsai and her administration has worsened already poor ties between Taipei and Beijing.
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| Venezuela celebrates docking of tanker with Iran gasoline Posted: 25 May 2020 08:44 AM PDT  Venezuelan authorities celebrated Monday as the first of five Iranian tankers loaded with gasoline docked in the South American country, delivering badly needed fuel to the crisis-stricken nation that sits atop the world's largest oil reserves. The gasoline shipments are arriving in defiance of stiff sanctions by the Trump administration against both nations, and they mark a new era in the burgeoning relationship between Venezuela and Iran, which is expanding its footprint in the Western Hemisphere. "We keep moving forward and winning," Venezuela's Minister of Energy Tareck El Aissami tweeted.
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| Putin makes Kremlin appearance as virus restrictions ease Posted: 25 May 2020 08:43 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin made a rare recent appearance in the Kremlin on Monday as Russia prepares to ease lockdown restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic. The 67-year-old has worked remotely over the past few weeks from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, chairing meetings with officials by video conference.
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| Chris Wallace Grills Dr. Birx: Did White House ‘Underestimate’ Virus and ‘Reopen Too Soon?’ Posted: 24 May 2020 08:35 AM PDT  Fox News anchor Chris Wallace pressed White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx on the rising coronavirus death count, asking Birx if the Trump administration has "underestimated" the strength of the virus as it rushes to fully reopen the economy.With all 50 states now at least partially reopened amid the pandemic and people flocking to beaches and parks to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, the Fox News Sunday host noted that models have increasingly upped their projections of COVID-19 deaths as states ease social-distancing restrictions."Early this coming week we're going to reach 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus and those models that you're citing now talk about close to 150,000 deaths by August," Wallace wondered aloud. "What happened, doctor?"Birx brought up initial projections that showed that up to 2.4 million Americans could perish if no actions were taken, which also predicted up to 240,000 deaths with stay-at-home orders implemented. "Those are the figures we continue to stand by in this first wave," she added."But to press it a little bit, a month ago, you are saying we were going to come down below the low end of the model, which is 100- to 240,000, to 60,000," Wallace fired back. "So I guess my question is, in this last month, did you underestimate the strength of the virus, did we reopen too soon, did we reopen without sufficient restrictions?"Somewhat deflecting, Birx said the task force has used "different models" all along to understand not just what is happening in the United States but other countries that have been hit hard by the virus."We understand that our mortality rates are less than those three countries and that's really due to the incredible work of our front-line hospital workers," she continued. "But we understand that these number of infections has led to this level of mortality and our job now going forward is to do everything we can to prevent additional hospitalizations and additional mortality."Wallace took that opportunity to bring up videos and images of big Memorial Day crowds at beaches and events, asking Birx—who said last week that Americans could go to beaches if they stayed socially distant—if she was concerned as to what she was seeing."Well, you know, last time we spoke I was concerned about people coming together without masks even during the protests and now I'm very concerned when people go out and don't maintain social distancing," she replied.During a separate interview on ABC's This Week, Birx was asked by host Martha Raddatz whether she thought opening up these spaces was appropriate in hindsight."I think it's our job as public health officials every day to be informing the public of what puts them at risk," Birx answered. "And we've made it clear that there's asymptomatic spread.""So we really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical," she continued. "And if you can't social distance and you're outside, you must wear a mask."When Raddatz pointed out that social distancing and mask-wearing was not being witnessed at these packed spaces, Birx shrugged and merely replied that it is "our job to continue to communicate" that it is important to socially distance in these "different venues."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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| Several high school students in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a drive-through graduation parade Posted: 25 May 2020 02:51 PM PDT  The Lovett School in Atlanta did not disclose how many students had tested positive for COVID-19, but described the number as "several."
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| Jeffrey Epstein: Up to 130 people claim they could be child of dead financier with £470m fortune Posted: 25 May 2020 04:15 AM PDT  More than 100 people claim they could be the offspring of the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is thought to have had a personal fortune of around £470 million.A DNA company, which set up a website called epsteinheirs.com, said as many as 130 people had come forward – including a number of Britons – since the site's launch.
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| Nasa SpaceX launch: 10 questions about the mission Posted: 25 May 2020 05:23 PM PDT  BBC News answers questions about the first orbital launch of astronauts from US soil in nine years.
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| Democratic VP contender Demings slams Trump 'gall' over Biden black voters gaffe Posted: 24 May 2020 10:40 AM PDT  * Congresswoman offers glimpse of running mate role * Opinion: Black Americans are in an abusive relationship * US politics live – rolling reportVal Demings, a Democratic representative from Florida among contenders to be Joe Biden's presidential running mate, has castigated Donald Trump for having the "gall and nerve" to use a gaffe by Biden as a weapon on the campaign trail.Biden apologised on Friday, for saying that if African Americans "have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black".The remark prompted gleeful tweets from Trump, fierce attacks from supporters of the president and criticism from Biden's own backers."The vice-president shouldn't have said it," Demings told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday."But I really think the gall and the nerve of President Trump to try to use this in his campaign, he who has since day one done everything in his power, supported by his enablers, to divide this country, particularly along racial lines …"Look, let's talk about race because we definitely need to, we see it in housing, we see it in voting rights, we see it in healthcare, we see it in education. Mr President, let's do have a serious conversation about race in America and how about working for all people that you are supposed to represent, not just the privileged few."It was the kind of fiery defence Biden would expect from someone talked about as a possible running mate.The former vice-president and presumptive Democratic nominee to face Trump in November has committed to choosing a woman. Many – including the interviewer who elicited the controversial comment on Friday, radio host Charlamagne tha God – think the running mate should also be African American."I don't even care about the words," Charlamagne told MSNBC's AM Joy on Sunday, "and the lip service and the apology is cool, but the best apology is actually a black agenda. They got to make some real policy commitments to black people."California senator Kamala Harris and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams – a target of retweets in dubious taste from Trump on Saturday night – are thought to be the most likely running mate picks.But Demings, a former Orlando police chief, delivered a decent mini-audition for a traditional running mate role by going firmly on the offensive.Asked about expressions of outrage from the Republican South Carolina senator Tim Scott and former Utah representative Mia Love, Demings said: "I think it's interesting that the president searched high and low to find [an] African American member of the Senate and a former member of Congress to speak out on this issue."It'd be nice to hear other Republicans, male or female, speak out."In fact many did, including former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who is of Indian heritage and who many think is lining up a White House run of her own in 2024, or could even be considered as a replacement for Mike Pence as Trump's own pick for VP.Haley called Biden's remark "gut wrenchingly condescending"."Regardless of color, gender, or class, to label any individual with what he or she is expected to think, believe, and vote is demeaning and disrespectful," she said. "Not to mention arrogant and entitled."On Sunday, CNN host Dana Bash asked directly if Demings wanted to be vice-president. She did not answer directly, but made it clear she would serve if asked.
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| Trump has busy Memorial Day schedule amid coronavirus crisis Posted: 25 May 2020 07:34 AM PDT  President Trump has a busy appearance schedule on Memorial Day amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| EU must present united front to shield pandemic-hit banks: regulator Posted: 25 May 2020 06:01 AM PDT  European countries need to join forces to shield their banks from the coronavirus outbreak, one of the bloc's top regulators said on Monday, potentially using a 500 billion euro ($545 billion) EU recovery fund to do so. The remarks from Jose Manuel Campa, who leads the European Banking Authority (EBA), will rekindle a divisive debate about whether rich countries such as Germany should support banks of poorer neighbours such as Italy. Campa made his comments days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron proposed an EU recovery fund to help the bloc's worst-hit members to rebuild their economies after the coronavirus outbreak.
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| Kim Jong Un makes first public appearance in weeks Posted: 24 May 2020 01:50 PM PDT  It's his first public appearance since May 1, when state-run media reported he attended at a factory opening after rumors flew that he was gravely ill.
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| Russian prosecutors seek 18 years for ex-US marine in spy trial Posted: 25 May 2020 08:24 AM PDT  Russian prosecutors on Monday called for a former US marine charged with spying to be sentenced to 18 years in prison, after a closed-door trial denounced by Washington and his family. Paul Whelan, 50, was detained in Moscow in December 2018 for allegedly receiving state secrets, but he insists he was framed when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos. Whelan's lawyer told reporters that prosecutors had requested 18 years for his client in a strict-regime penal colony, just short of the maximum 20-year sentence.
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| Italy to recruit army of 60,000 volunteers to enforce social distancing rules Posted: 25 May 2020 06:51 AM PDT  Italy wants to recruit an army of 60,000 volunteers to help enforce social distancing rules, amid fears that a second wave of infections could be looming. The volunteers would not have any policing powers but would patrol piazzas, parks, playgrounds, markets, bar areas and beaches, asking people not to congregate in large groups. They would be drawn from the ranks of the unemployed, those on income support and those who have been furloughed as a result of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. The "civic assistants", as they would be known, would monitor gatherings and pass on information to the police and the Civil Protection Agency. They would not be able to force people to disperse. They would work up to three days a week for a maximum of 16 hours. The scheme will be voluntary – they will not be paid but will be able to continue claiming unemployment and other benefits.
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| COVID-19 Has Turned Paradise Into a Privacy Nightmare Posted: 25 May 2020 01:39 AM PDT  When Tara Trunfio stepped off her flight from Boulder to Maui, she didn't see the leis and grass skirts that so many visitors expect. Instead, the 23-year-old saw masked officials warning that visitors who don't comply with the islands' 14-day quarantine requirement would be arrested. A Hawaiian get-away sounds magical to the millions of cooped-up Americans who want to trade in their virtual beach background for the real thing. But a trip to the beach can quickly turn into a stay in jail. That's just what happened to Trunfio, who drew national attention this month after being arrested for allegedly violating quarantine.For years, Americans have debated the shape their national borders should take, but the newest border controls have increasingly been built on state lines. We're a long way off from Berlin Wall-style barricades along your local interstate, but in the COVID-19 era governors have issued quarantine orders for out-of-state residents and returning visitors. Rhode Island, Florida, and Texas have stopped out-of-state drivers (sometimes using the National Guard) to remind them of quarantine requirements and obtain a signed compliance agreement. But the most alarming restrictions come from a state that doesn't have to worry about people driving into town.She Tried to Escape Her Ex—but the Courthouse Was ClosedIn recent weeks, Hawaii has rolled out the so-called "Safe Travels System," giving officials information on how travelers comply with the state's 14-day quarantine requirement. On its face, the plan mirrors those imposed at a growing number of national borders—the U.S. included—in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. For jurisdictions with few COVID-19 cases, forcing newcomers to quarantine in hopes of containing the spread of a deadly illness can be a perfectly rational public policy.But as lockdowns show signs of easing in some states, the system in Hawaii is bringing the potential civil-liberties pitfalls of disease detective work into clearer—and more disturbing—focus.If you forget to register before you get on a plane to Hawaii right now, you're in for a show. If you refuse to register or provide a false contact number upon arrival, police can arrest you on the spot. Some authorities are going even further, searching property tax records to verify travelers' lodgings. Airport personnel roll mobile kiosks from gate to gate, checking phone numbers and addresses, making 7,600 phone calls in just the first 2 weeks to ensure numbers are legit and that people are staying put.But while Safe Travels may be a practical requirement to enter Hawaii, it's not a legal one. There's no law or regulation requiring travelers to use the app. Even the Safe Travels website couches things in voluntary terms: "All persons traveling to or within Hawaii are encouraged to register your trip into the Hawaii Safe Travels System to expedite your exit from the airport." But when a Washington man recently arrived in Honolulu without a confirmed address or proof he had funds to pay for a place to stay, he was sent back.For the travelers who do "volunteer" to use the Safe Travels System, it's not enough to just register with the site. For two weeks, travelers have to check in daily, reporting their health condition and address. Safe Travels will then use travelers' location data to confirm where travelers are. While Americans are being asked to give sensitive health and location data to Hawaii officials, those same officials are reluctant to share how that data is being used. (The Hawaii Department of Transportation and governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)Safe Travels' FAQ website claims that data is only shared with "authorized personnel responsible for quarantine monitoring and enforcement," but we have no way of knowing who those people are. And even if it's just law enforcement agencies— as opposed to private entities—enforcing quarantine, that is no reassurance at all. Effectively, Americans have no way of knowing how much data a state might collect on them, how long it is held, or if Tapiki, the private firm that co-developed Safe Travels, has access to the data. (Tapiki did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)If and when the app gets it wrong, there's reason to fear users of color will pay the price. As GPS signals are often less accurate in densely constructed urban areas, lower-income travelers might be at higher risk of a false alarm. And it's completely unclear how individuals will navigate Hawaii's requirements when they stay in locations without reliable internet or cell service. Many of those most at risk from COVID-19, such as the elderly and communities of color, also lack access to a smartphone. As a result, Hawaii is threatening to turn the digital divide into a criminal offense.The consequences are enormous. At a time when COVID-19 can easily turn detention into a death sentence, Hawaii authorities have already arrested approximately 20 people for violating quarantine, including a Florida man and an Illinois woman after witnesses saw them with shopping bags. A California man similarly was charged after allegedly traveling from his Hawaiian home to Costco. More recently, a second Colorado tourist was being sought after police learned she had canceled her reservation at the hostel where she registered to stay.Here's What Trump's Black Male Supporters Say They See in HimEven when this surveillance web paints an accurate picture of human behavior, it erodes public trust and cooperation at a time when they are needed most. In-state residents must quarantine at the address listed on their government-issued ID, creating an acute risk for many, such as survivors of domestic violence and those living with immunocompromised relatives or roommates. For undocumented Americans, the system creates yet another tool with which people could theoretically be tracked by ICE, coming just months after the Trump Administration reportedly purchased similar location data from commercial vendors.Hawaii's case is likely the most extreme to date, but it's far from unique. In Washington State, civil rights watchdogs expressed alarm that the state was implementing manual contact-tracing requirements without adequate safeguards. Under the state's effort, not only would 1,400 contact tracers be hired, but businesses would be required to keep a log of every customer they contacted. Across the country, New York City's top civil rights watchdog expressed similar alarm at the lack of safeguards for data collected by the city and state's combined contract tracing program, which may hire as many as 18,000 tracers. And at the same time, Silicon Valley's effort to get into the COVID-19 tracking business has seen sharp pushback from civil rights and immigrant justice groups, including our own.America stands at a crossroads in the COVID-19 fight, and the choices we make now may impact our society for generations. For those trying to fend off a loss of life unparalleled in modern history, the call for surveillance is increasingly urgent. But surveillance skeptics not only question the privacy costs of a public health dragnet, they fear new tracking tools will harm public health instead of helping. Without safeguards and public trust, surveillance measures might drive those on the margins of our society into the shadows, undermining the very contact tracing this technology is supposed to help. For states that erect new barriers, it may provide a temporary relief from the onslaught of new cases. But it will also deeply damage the sense of national unity that we will need for our long, unrelenting fights against disease and death.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| ‘Something isn’t right’: U.S. probes soaring beef prices Posted: 25 May 2020 03:30 PM PDT |
| President told to ‘just stop’ offensive tweets by own side after lashing out with insults and conspiracy theories as US death toll heads toward 100,000 Posted: 25 May 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Donald Trump spent the weekend ahead of Memorial Day playing golf and pushing conspiracy theories on Twitter, insulting his political enemies like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Stacey Abrams and insinuating that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is guilty of murder.His tweet storm only continued on Memorial Day before he visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia, and Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Delaware, to honour those who've lost their lives while fighting for America.
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| Hong Kong protests flare up again, as demonstrators issue calls for independence Posted: 24 May 2020 07:17 AM PDT  Hong Kong's pro-democracy, anti-government protests were back in full force Sunday for the first time since COVID-19 lockdowns began, while riot police fired tear gas on the crowds for the first time in weeks.Thousands of mostly young people took to the streets just days after China signaled it planned to directly impose national security laws against subversion, sedition and terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces on the city. The demonstrators believe Beijing's plan to bypass Hong Kong's local government and legislature violated the "one country, two systems" agreement it signed with the United Kingdom during a territorial exchange in 1997. The plan is backed by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam but faced international condemnation.China has denied the move will affect Hong Kong's autonomy, but many of the protesters now think independence — considered a red line by Beijing — is the only way forward. "I think this is the termination of one country, two systems," one protester told The Wall Street Journal. "Hong Kong is lost. The most important thing is to fight back against the Communist Party." Read more at The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.More stories from theweek.com Trump still hasn't taken his annual physical and it's starting to get weird How social conservatives traded causes for clichés WHO temporarily pauses hydroxychloroquine study, citing safety concerns
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| Americans spend holiday at beaches and parks as virus death toll nears 100,000 Posted: 24 May 2020 08:43 AM PDT  This year it has also become a time to mourn the loss of more than 97,000 people due to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. The New York Times filled its entire front page with the names and selected details of 1,000 victims on Sunday seeking to illustrate the humanity of the lives lost.
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| Muslims finding new ways to celebrate Eid amid coronavirus Posted: 24 May 2020 03:35 PM PDT  This year, Muslims are relying on Zoom calls, live-streamed sermons and drive-through celebrations.
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| Palestinian government ends coronavirus lockdown Posted: 24 May 2020 05:09 PM PDT  The Palestinian government is ending its two-month coronavirus lockdown in the occupied West Bank, prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced Monday after a steady decline in new cases. Shops and businesses will operate as normal from Tuesday, while government employees will return to work after the Eid holiday on Wednesday, Shtayyeh told a press conference. Mosques, churches and public parks will also reopen, though with social distancing measures.
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| FBI investigating Ahmaud Arbery shooting as possible hate crime, lawyer says Posted: 25 May 2020 03:19 PM PDT  Attorney for family of black jogger shot by white men says federal authorities are looking into prosecutors and police in caseThe FBI is investigating the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger, by two white men as a possible hate crime, the Arbery family's attorney said Monday, claiming that federal authorities had launched a criminal inquiry into two district attorneys and the police department involved in the case.Lee Martin, who represents the family of Arbery, 25, whose 23 February killing in Brunswick, Georgia, was captured on a graphic video recording that sparked national outrage, said he met with officials from the Department of Justice last Thursday.Martin said they told him federal investigators were looking into potential "criminal and civil" violations by two officials who later recused themselves from the case. They are George Barnhill of the Waycross judicial district, who recommended no arrests, and Jackie Johnson of Glynn county, who has denied accusations she ordered police to make no arrests on the day the unarmed Arbery was shot.The Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called on both Barnhill and Johnson to resign and face charges of obstruction of justice.Martin said the FBI was also looking into the actions of the Glynn county police department.The suspects Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were finally arrested by the Georgia bureau of investigation (GBI) and charged with Arbery's murder on 8 May, three days after the video received national publicity, and 74 days after the shooting.The case took a further step forward last Thursday, when the GBI arrested the man who recorded the video, William Bryan Jr, and charged him with felony murder."This is a vast conspiracy at this point," Martin said in a four-and-a-half-minute video posted on Monday on TMZ. "They're spreading the net here. They said the GBI doesn't anticipate making any additional arrests, but the FBI very well may."Martin has been highly critical of the pace of the investigation into the shooting. He said he was told a further part of the FBI probe was whether the actions of anybody involved in the case breached Arbery's rights of equal protection under the US constitution and civil rights law."All citizens are entitled to the same protection under the law," he said. "This case makes it clear that all black citizens in south Georgia aren't getting the same protection because if you shoot anybody in the street in broad daylight, just in general you expect at least an arrest. There were no arrests made."Neither the Department of Justice nor the US attorney's office for the southern district of Georgia responded to the Guardian's request for comment on Monday, a federal holiday.But in an 11 May statement, a DOJ representative, Kerri Kupec, confirmed investigators were assessing evidence "to determine if federal hate crime charges are appropriate".Gregory McMichael, a former law enforcement officer, told detectives he suspected Arbery of burglary, and that Arbery had attacked his son before being shot. Police initially treated the shooting as a case of self-defense and allowed the McMichaels to go free, despite the video of the shooting suggesting a different story.
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| California issues guidelines for church reopenings Posted: 25 May 2020 02:47 PM PDT  Religious services in California will look much different under rules unveiled Monday that limit attendance to 100 people and recommend worshippers wear masks, limit singing and refrain from shaking hands or hugging. The state released guidance under which county health departments can approve the reopening of churches, mosques, synagogues and other houses of worship. Others with outbreaks — such as Los Angeles County, which has about 60% of California's roughly 3,800 deaths — may choose to delay.
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| Russia records its highest daily death toll from the coronavirus as its number of new cases appears to decline Posted: 24 May 2020 07:31 PM PDT  Russia denies that it has manipulated coronavirus data and maintains that its mortality rate from the virus is among the lowest in the world.
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| Coronavirus live updates: U.S. death toll nears 100,000 on muted Memorial Day weekend Posted: 24 May 2020 08:05 AM PDT  Here are the latest updates from around the world.
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| Elizabeth Warren to host private fundraiser for Biden: NY Times Posted: 23 May 2020 06:47 PM PDT  Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has agreed to host a high-dollar fundraising event for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the plans. The senator's promise to abstain from private fundraising events - or even phone calls with wealthy contributors - was a key feature of her own campaign to become the Democratic Party's nominee to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Warren was one of the last in the previously wide field of Democratic candidates to drop out of the race before Biden became the party's presumptive nominee.
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| Hong Kong Restaurants Are Going to Great Lengths to Protect Diners From Coronavirus. Here’s What They Could Teach the U.S. Posted: 25 May 2020 04:14 AM PDT  Hong Kong hasn't recorded a cluster of coronavirus cases related to restaurants since late March. Here's how eateries are protecting customers
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| Baby gorilla injured at Seattle Zoo Posted: 25 May 2020 07:28 AM PDT  A baby gorilla was badly injured at a Seattle zoo on Saturday when he was caught in a skirmish between his family group members, zookeepers said.
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| SpaceX ready to launch astronauts into space for the first time Posted: 23 May 2020 07:48 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump will be among the spectators at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch, which has been given the green light despite months of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The general public, in a nod to virus restrictions, has been told to watch via a livestream as Crew Dragon is launched by a Falcon 9 rocket toward the International Space Station. NASA's Commercial Crew program, aimed at developing private spacecraft to transport American astronauts in to space, began under Barack Obama.
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| Latino workers face discrimination over spread of coronavirus in meat plants Posted: 25 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Reports of Latinos being refused service after more than 10,000 meatpacking workers, many Latino, contract Covid-19 in the USEthnic minorities have been the hardest-hit by the coronavirus in the US, and now Latino workers are facing fresh difficulty, as they and their communities suffer discrimination after contracting coronavirus in meat processing plants and warehouses.More than 10,000 meatpacking workers, many of them Latino, have contracted coronavirus in the US, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union, and dozens have died.Latino advocates say workers are also now experiencing racism due to fears they have contracted the virus in the workplace."We've received reports that some workers at a plant were turned away from grocery stores and not allowed in, because they were presumed to have the coronavirus because they worked at the local meatpacking plant," said Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac)."We've also heard in Marshalltown [Iowa] people were being refused service because they thought they were positive for Covid-19 – just because they were Latino," Garcia added.Latino workers have been particularly hard-hit in some areas by their reliance on jobs in meat processing plants or large warehouses which have been kept open during the pandemic, despite reports of poor health and safety standards and a lack of protective equipment."Four out of every five Latinos are considered essential workers," Garcia said. "They're in construction, food processing, grocery stores, they're farm workers. So they don't have the luxury of being able to work from home, and therefore they're being exposed to Covid-19 in ways that many American workers are not.Compounding that, Garcia said, is the lack of health insurance among some Latino workers. Garcia said Lulac is investigating "multiple cases" of Latino employees complaining about workplace conditions "and then being fired".The outbreaks in meat plants have been shocking.In April an outbreak at the JBS meat processing plant in Colorado killed three workers, while many of Iowa's more than 8,000 coronavirus cases have been linked to plants including Tyson Foods, in Waterloo. Tyson Foods was forced to suspend operations at the end of April after 180 coronavirus infections were linked to the plant.There was a similar story in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, which became one of the worst-hit areas early on in the crisis. Health officials identified Cargill, a meat-processing plant, as one of the sources of the virus."The Cargill plant is upwards of 90% Latinx," said Jamie Longazel, an associate professor at John Jay College and author of Undocumented Fears: Immigration and the Politics of Divide and Conquer in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.With the Latino meat plant workers, some of whom are undocumented, frequently living paycheck to paycheck, they could not afford to not go to work – particularly as large plants tend not to offer sick pay."They were demonized because the workers were then spreading it to their family members, so it became that the Latinx community was more affected," Longazel said. Elsewhere in the US anti-Latino sentiment has come from officials. In Wisconsin, the supreme court chief justice, Patience Roggensack, was criticized in early May after she seemed to downplay a coronavirus outbreak among workers at a meatpacking facility in Brown county, where a large proportion of the workers are minorities and immigrants."[The surge in coronavirus cases] was due to the meatpacking – that's where Brown county got the flare," Roggensack said. "It wasn't just the regular folks in Brown county."Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of the Wisconsin-based Voces de la Frontera immigrant-rights group, criticized Roggensack's remarks as "elitist" and "racist", and told the Guardian that Latinos had been subjected to "legalized discrimination" through their work."Without a question they have been discriminated against, because they are disproportionately more vulnerable to exposure and to having them or their families or their community impacted by the Covid-19," Neumann-Ortiz said.If there is one positive, Neumann-Ortiz said, it's that the backlash could trigger a greater effort to change workplace conditions."It's forcing workplace organizing to happen, in a way that wasn't there before because the stakes are so high," Neumann-Ortiz said. In some cases workers have refused to go to work due to unsafe conditions, which has forced companies to temporarily close down facilities to deep-clean plants, or provide better PPE."There is a new struggle on the frontline and it's going to be here for a while to come," she said.
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| Reports: Russian mediation reopens major highway in NE Syria Posted: 25 May 2020 05:22 AM PDT |
| The private jet version of the Boeing 787 can cost more than $200 million and fly over 18 hours. Take a look at some its most luxurious designs. Posted: 25 May 2020 05:43 AM PDT  The BBJ 787 Dreamliner is like the hybrid of private jets costing over $200 million. The jet can fly over 18 hours with a bedroom and shower onboard.
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| U.S. ambassador to Germany reportedly stepping down Posted: 24 May 2020 03:40 AM PDT  Richard Grenell will not return from Washington after an interim job as head of U.S. intelligence.
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| Bayer says it makes progress in settlement talks over weedkiller Posted: 24 May 2020 11:49 PM PDT  Bayer said on Monday it had made progress seeking a settlement over claims its glyphosate-based Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, after Bloomberg reported the company reached a verbal agreement on about 50,000 to 85,000 cases. In April, Bayer's management regained shareholder support for its handling of the litigation process. Bloomberg cited people familiar with the negotiations as saying that the deals have yet to be signed and Bayer is likely to announce the settlements in June.
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| Joe Biden forced to make his fundraisers fully virtual – bar the price tag Posted: 25 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The pandemic has led the presumptive Democratic nominee, like other politicians to take his high-dollar events onlineThe coronavirus pandemic may have driven Joe Biden into his basement and forced his campaign online, but one crucial factor is still the same: his run for the White House still needs to raise giant amounts of money.But, in these days of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, campaign fundraisers do not include the usual finger food and wine or fancy parked cars outside a posh home right out of the pages of Architectural Digest.Instead it has become normal to host a high-dollar fundraiser via online video conferencing services. The thing that hasn't changed? The hefty price tags of what can be tens of thousands of dollars that donors are charged for glorified Zoom meet-ups, or even one-on-one video chats with the candidate himself or his powerful surrogates."You don't get to go drink wine and eat cheap cheese, but the campaigns are still able to provide access to the candidate," said Democratic strategist Connor Farrell, a veteran Democratic fundraising consultant. "The campaigns are still able to provide access to the candidate in a different format. You can't pull someone aside and mention your favorite bill, but you still get face time with the candidates and that's ultimately the attraction of in-person events."So I think a lot of the draw is still there."According to a set of fundraising invitations for Biden's campaign, obtained by the Guardian, upcoming fundraisers featuring him or high-profile surrogates still include the fundraising levels one would expect for physical high-dollar gatherings.A Biden campaign event featuring the presumptive Democratic party nominee himself and moderated by the Sacramento mayor, Darrell Steinberg, and former California treasurer Phil Angelides starts out at the guest level of $500 and goes all the way up to a co-chair level at $41,100. A virtual reception on 27 May featuring the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg starts out at $1,000 to be an "advocate", and goes up to $50,000 to be a co-chair.Events are still spotted with celebrities too. A "Rock out on a night in with Joe Biden" virtual fundraising event on 28 May includes performances by Sheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright, David Crosby and Joe Walsh. Donations for that event start at $250 and go all the way to $100,000.The events are lucrative. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to headline at least two events between mid-May and June for Biden and the Democratic National Committee. The first event on Tuesday raised $2m.It's not just the Biden campaign and Democrats, though, or even just presidential candidates. In Iowa, an invitation for a fundraiser for the Republican senator Joni Ernst on 3 June has fundraising levels ranging from $500 to $5,000. The invitation, reported by Politico, is not contingent on being in person or virtual."If it is not possible to gather in person for this event, we will host a virtual meeting and plan an in-person gathering at a later date," the invitation read.A fundraising invite for a 14 May event for the New Hampshire Republican congressional candidate Matt Mowers featuring the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie starts at $250 for the "individual" level and goes all the way to $1,000 for the chair level."A web link for this exclusive video conference will be emailed prior to the event," the invitation read.
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| Republicans sue California governor over vote-by-mail order Posted: 24 May 2020 07:27 PM PDT  RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Democrats are using "this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda ..."
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| A rare two-faced cat named Biscuits and Gravy was born in Oregon Posted: 25 May 2020 06:45 AM PDT  Biscuits and Gravy, or Biscuit for short, eats and breathes from two separate mouths and noses. It's known as a Janus cat, after the Roman god.
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| US urges probe into alleged ethics breach at African Development Bank Posted: 25 May 2020 10:02 AM PDT  The US Department of the Treasury has called on the African Development Bank (AfDB) to carry out an independent probe into alleged ethics breaches by its president, Akinwumi Adesina. In a letter obtained by AFP on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed "deep reservations" about the outcome of an internal inquiry clearing Adesina, and urged the appointment of an independent outside investigator. The letter, dated May 22, was sent to the chair of the AfDB's board, Ivorian Planning and Development Minister Niale Kaba.
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| Israel's Netanyahu says he's been framed Posted: 24 May 2020 08:40 AM PDT 
Benjamin Netanyahu professed his innocence at the start of his corruption trial on Sunday (May 24), describing the country's first criminal prosecution of a serving prime minister as "tainted" and "stitched up". Flanked by members of his Likud party, Netanyahu appealed to public opinion, addressing the cameras as he called the allegations against him "hallucinatory" and an attempt to bring down a strong right wing prime minister - and adding that he would stand tall, with his head high. Netanyahu was indicted in November in cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly granting favors to media tycoons in exchange for favorable coverage. He arrived at court after chairing the first session of his new "unity cabinet" - sworn in a week ago after a surprise power-sharing deal with his main opponent Benny Gantz. But outside the court crowds of protesters showed how divided public opinion is over Netanyahu's trial. Some, like Leoni Amedi there to show their support. "I hope he will be strong, very strong for us, for all of us, for all Israel, we love him very much." Others like Rafael Malinovitz, their anger. "Hopefully the court is going to make justice and is going to send him to jail." Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving leader, now in office for more than 11 straight years, plus three in the 1990s.
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| Murder suspect with 'strong ties' to Newtown, Connecticut, is manhunt subject Posted: 24 May 2020 01:51 PM PDT  Peter Manfredonia, 23, is being sought in a Friday attack that left one dead and one injured, as well as the death of an acquaintance.
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| Asian shares climb, Tokyo gains on hopes for reopening Posted: 24 May 2020 08:57 PM PDT  Asian shares are mostly higher, with Tokyo stocks gaining on expectations that a pandemic state of emergency will be lifted for all of Japan. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 1.5% in morning trading to 20,682.78. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.2% to 22,659.62.
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| Russia’s Pushing a Quack COVID Cure All Over Africa Posted: 25 May 2020 01:40 AM PDT  ABUJA, Nigeria—U.S. President Donald Trump is not the only figure threatening the World Health Organization while endorsing dubious coronavirus treatments. In Africa, news outlets and social media posts notorious for spreading Russian-created disinformation and conspiracy theories are leveling all sorts of allegations against the WHO, ranging from incompetence to fraud.At the center of the attacks is what appears to be a coordinated campaign promoting an herbal concoction the Moscow-backed government of Madagascar claims will cure COVID-19. The attacks on the WHO intensified when the agency released a statement on May 4 warning Africans against using untested remedies for treatment of the coronavirus after the Malagasy government began to extoll—and export in large quantities—an untested herbal infusion sometimes bottled like soda that's called Covid-Organics. The main component for the tonic is artemisia annua, known as sweet wormwood, which has been shown to have some therapeutic value against malaria (PDF).Russians Are Using African Troll Factories—and Encrypted Messaging—to Attack the U.S.The WHO announced its support for traditional medicines if they are "scientifically proven" to be effective, but warned pointedly that "the use of products to treat COVID-19, which have not been robustly investigated can put people in danger, giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention."The herbal remedy's biggest booster is Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina, a 45-year-old media entrepreneur elected in 2018 with help from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose meddling, as detailed by the New York Times, was blatant even by Kremlin standards. (Rajoelina denies getting any assistance.)Covid-Organics has not gone through clinical trials. An aide to Rajoelina told the BBC the tonic was "tried out" on fewer than 20 people over three weeks before it was launched in April—a "test" that does not even begin to meet scientific or medical standards.Rajoelina's response? He accused the West of condescending behavior toward traditional African therapy, telling French media that the product would have been globally accepted "if it was a European country that had actually discovered this remedy.""[Madagascar] has come up with this formula to save the world," said Rajoelina, who claims the herbal tonic cures COVID-19 patients within 10 days. "No country or organization will keep us from going forward."Rajoelina has gained lots of support in East Africa, especially in Tanzania (another country that has established deep ties with the Kremlin in recent years). Its controversial leader, President John Pombe Magufuli, has openly endorsed Covid-Organics and also insinuated recently that the WHO artificially inflated the number of COVID-19 cases in his country.All this parallels, however weirdly, the kinds of assertions and statements made by the U.S. president about miracle cures—ranging in his case from hydroxychloroquine to household bleach, thought not yet Covid-Organics—as well as the failings of a World Health Organization he says is under China's thumb. And the similarities in the narrative are not entirely coincidental. Many of the African sites spreading these stories also are enthusiastic supporters of Trump. A number of Tanzanian newspapers have criticized the WHO for its refusal to approve Covid-Organics. A pro-government publication, Tanzania Perspective, particularly, reported that Rajoelina accused the WHO of offering him a $20 million bribe to poison the herbal tonic. A spokesperson for the Malagasy president later denied that wild claim, but not until it had gone viral on social media across the continent, including broadcasts on WhatsApp by such groups as One Africa, One Success (OAOS), a platform for African students studying in Russia that has been used to spread disinformation and conspiracy theories targeting the U.S. and defending Trump.Members of the OAOS have also claimed in their messages that Bill Gates has prevented the WHO from approving coronavirus therapies—including hydroxychloroquine—that supposedly have proven to be effective in Africa, a narrative that has been picked up by high-profile politicians in the continent and extended to Covid-Organics."Madagascar claims to have a herbal-based cure for Covid 19," tweeted Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Nigeria aviation minister and a die-hard Trump supporter. "Why is it that the @BillGates-controlled @WHO refuses to take Africans seriously even where some of these 'cures' have yielded appreciable positive results?"Back in Madagascar, numerous media outlets, some of which were used by Russia to publish fawning articles about Rajoelina to help him win the 2018 presidential election, have accused the WHO of ineffectiveness, claiming that the agency is being manipulated by certain high powers to undermine Madagascar's coronavirus treatment discovery."What you see mostly in the papers is that the WHO doesn't care about finding a coronavirus cure," Thierry Pam, a French freelance journalist living in Madagascar, told The Daily Beast. "No one says anything good about the WHO."One social media post that went viral across Africa in late April claimed that Putin actually ordered a million doses of Covid-Organics and called on Africans not to listen to the WHO. Agence France Presse (AFP) reported the story was totally bogus. There was never such an order, Madagascar's authorities denied it, and, officially at least, Russia usually supports WHO efforts to address the pandemic. But disinformation campaigns often are at odds with officially stated policies because their objectives are different. The focus of Russia's activities has been to drive a wedge between Africa and other international players, whether the U.S., European nations, or China. The Covid-Organics controversy is potentially just another tool to create resentment, as reflected in President Rajoelina's assertions that his country's "cure" for the pandemic is being ignored by the West because it is from Africa.Much of the news that people in Madagascar see or listen to is content created by media outlets set up by the operations of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Putin who was indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for allegedly financing the Internet Research Agency that worked to influence the U.S. 2016 presidential election.A leaked document viewed last year by The Guardian revealed that Russia "produced and distributed the island's biggest newspaper, with 2 million copies a month." The Russians also run a French-language news service, Afrique Panorama, based in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo, according to The Guardian's report.Madagascar is one of Africa's poorest nations, with about 80 percent of its 25 million people living on less than $2 per day, but it has managed to ship tens of thousands of doses of Covid-Organics to several countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Comoros, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. Many of these reportedly have been sent for free, leading to suggestions that Madagascar may have gotten Russia's help to produce large amounts of the drug. Since his election, Rajoelina has promoted closer ties with Moscow. Most notably, he has strengthened his military cooperation and allowed a company owned by Prigozhin, which had acquired a major stake in a government-run firm that mines chromium under Rajoelina's predecessor, to keep control of the operation. This despite protests by workers complaining of canceled benefits and unpaid wages.Meanwhile, in a country where tests have been very limited, and some of those marred by controversy, hundreds of people are now known to be infected with the virus, and the numbers are rising rapidly. The first two confirmed COVID-19 deaths were reported just this week.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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| German government, regions tussle over reopening from lockdowns Posted: 25 May 2020 05:51 AM PDT  Germany's central and regional governments sparred on Monday over when and how far to ease social-distancing rules, with allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that scrapping them risks a new wave of coronavirus infections. The row erupted after Bodo Ramelow, premier of Thuringia state, said on Saturday he would scrap rules on mask-wearing and distancing, relying instead on local measures that would be applied against any localised outbreaks. Germany's 16 federal states set most rules affecting day-to-day life in the country.
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| Security officials launch review of Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G network Posted: 25 May 2020 12:23 AM PDT  Security officials have launched a review of Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G network in the wake of US sanctions. Following the recent announcement that America would place additional laws on the telecommunications giant, the UK Government confirmed that the National Cyber Security Centre was "looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK's networks." It comes after this newspaper revealed that Boris Johnson intended to reduce Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister has instructed officials to draw up plans that would reduce China's involvement in the UK's infrastructure to zero by 2023. In Prime Minister's Questions last week Mr Johnson hinted that greater measures would be taken to tackle hostile countries like Russia and China to protect the UK's "technological base". He said it was "absolutely right to be concerned about the buying up of UK technology by countries that may have ulterior motives" and added that the Government was "bringing forward measures to make sure we protect our technological base"
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| Second immigrant dies of COVID-19 while in ICE custody Posted: 25 May 2020 12:32 PM PDT  Santiago Baten-Oxlag, of Guatemala, is the second known immigrant to die of coronavirus complications while detained by U.S. immigration authorities.
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