| Former Justice Department official says Trump is 'basically calling for the shooting of protesters' Posted: 29 May 2020 01:43 PM PDT  Vanita Gupta, head of the department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, said the Minneapolis Police Department was on her "radar" during her tenure.
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| How should the U.S. respond to China's Hong Kong power grab? Posted: 29 May 2020 12:46 PM PDT  The Chinese government passed a law giving it sweeping new powers to stamp out dissent on the semiautonomous island of Hong Kong. Should the U.S. and others nations push back?
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| Lessons from Japan on containing coronavirus could help U.S. reopen safely Posted: 29 May 2020 09:01 AM PDT  In many ways, Japan's experience of the coronavirus pandemic has paralleled America's, and yet Japan's outbreak has stalled — at much lower levels of infection and death.
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| Trudeau: Canadians watching US unrest and police violence in ‘shock and horror’ Posted: 29 May 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Prime minister condemned racism and called on Canada to 'stand together in solidarity' against racial hate as protests continue in US * George Floyd killing – follow live updatesCanadians are watching unrest and police violence in the United States in "shock and horror", Justin Trudeau said on Friday – but the prime minister cautioned that his country also has entrenched problems with racism. The city of Minneapolis has been rocked by a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, after a white police officer knelt on his neck as he lay on the ground following arrest. "Many Canadians of diverse backgrounds are watching, like all Canadians are, the news out of the United States with shock and with horror," Trudeau told reporters at a daily briefing."Anti-black racism – racism – is real. It's in the United States but it's also in Canada and we know people are facing systemic discrimination, unconscious bias and anti-black racism every single day," said Trudeau, calling on the country to "stand together in solidarity" against racial hate. "We have work to do as well in Canada." Racial inequities continue to persist throughout the country – a grim reality that is often apparent during interactions with police. In December 2018, the province of Ontario released a landmark report that found black residents in Toronto – the country's largest city – are 20 times more likely to be shot dead by the police than white residents. "It's a very Canadian tradition to speak in platitudes, to refer to the underground railroad and to speak about Canada as a haven and a place that acknowledges its past mistakes," said Robyn Maynard, author of Policing Black Lives. "But we continue to see similar structural harms and structural kinds of violence as we do in places where leaders make more overtly vitriolic statements towards black communities."Last month, 26-year-old D'Andre Campbell was shot dead by police inside his own home, north of Toronto, after Campbell himself called 911.Earlier this week, the family of Regis Korchinski-Paquet said a police officer shoved the young woman over the balcony of the family's 24th-floor apartment, where she fell to her death. The case is currently under investigation by an arms-length police watchdog.Maynard also pointed out the coronavirus pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on black and indigenous residents, who are overrepresented in the country's prison population."We continue to see prisons and jails being epicentres of outbreaks," she said. "Yet there is failure on the part of the federal government to meaningfully release to release prisoners."Trudeau's unprompted remarks marked a notable departure for a leader who has gone to great lengths to avoid irritating his US counterpart, Donald Trump.Canadian prime ministers have traditionally refrained from discussing political and social turmoil in the US – Canada's main ally and largest trading partner. Justin Trudeau has long spoken about the need to tackle racism, but his re-election campaign was marred by pictures of him in blackface as a young man.
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| EU urges U.S. to reconsider decision to cut ties with WHO Posted: 30 May 2020 06:20 AM PDT  The European Union urged the United States on Saturday to reconsider its decision to cut ties with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "In this context, we urge the U.S. to reconsider its announced decision," they said a day after President Donald Trump announced the move, accusing the U.N. agency of becoming a puppet of China. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also condemned the move and pledged intensive talks with Washington on the issue.
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| Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launches into space Posted: 30 May 2020 01:16 PM PDT  A Falcon 9 rocket with two U.S. astronauts aboard lifted off Saturday en route to the International Space Station. It had been nine years since NASA astronauts had been sent into space.
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| George Floyd death puts spotlight on 'warrior training' for police Posted: 29 May 2020 12:56 PM PDT  After the killing of George Floyd, the controversial practice of imbuing police cadets with a readiness to kill, known as "warrior training," receives fresh scrutiny.
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| Israel police kill Palestinian they mistakenly thought was armed Posted: 30 May 2020 12:53 PM PDT  Israeli police in annexed east Jerusalem on Saturday shot dead a disabled Palestinian they mistakenly thought was armed with a pistol, prompting furious condemnation from the Palestinians. The incident happened in the alleys of the walled Old City near Lions' Gate, an access point mainly used by Palestinians. "Police units on patrol there spotted a suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol," an Israeli police statement said.
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| Letters to the Editor: People who insist on going to church should quarantine themselves Posted: 29 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT  One's right to attend church ends at the tip of another person's nose. People who flout social distancing rules by going to church should quarantine.
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| Taiwan president visits bookshop to show solidarity with Hong Kongers Posted: 29 May 2020 12:30 AM PDT  Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday visited a bookshop that has become a symbol of resistance to perceived Chinese encroachments on Hong Kong's liberties, vowing to give help to the city's citizens fleeing to the democratic island. Tsai this week became the first world leader to pledge specific measures to help people from Hong Kong who may leave the former British colony because of new national security legislation that has triggered fresh anti-government protests. Hong Kong's demonstrators have won widespread sympathy in democratic Taiwan, which China considers as its territory to be taken by force, if necessary.
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| China-India border: Why tensions are rising between the neighbours Posted: 29 May 2020 09:33 PM PDT  Tensions in the Himalaya have the potential to escalate as they pursue their strategic goals.
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| Thirteen years later, mother of Fort Drum soldier found dead after disappearing from bar seeks answers Posted: 30 May 2020 08:09 AM PDT  Patrick Rust, 24, was last seen on March 16, 2007, at a bar in Watertown, New York, called "Clueless." The soldier had just finished two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was stationed in New York at Fort Drum and had just received news he was being assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he'd be trained to become a staff sergeant. Six months later, a farmer found Patrick's skeletal remains in a field about five miles from the bar. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is inves
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| Nurses who have the coronavirus are fighting their employers to get paid time off: 'Nobody really cares about my safety' Posted: 29 May 2020 07:44 AM PDT  Nurses across America have been hailed as heroes. But they've struggled to get paid time off, and have been left wondering how to pay the bills.
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| Wife of officer charged with murder in George Floyd's death files for divorce Posted: 30 May 2020 07:15 AM PDT  Kellie Chauvin's lawyer said she is "devastated" over Floyd's death.
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| Transcripts released of Flynn's calls with Russian diplomat Posted: 29 May 2020 02:38 PM PDT  Transcripts of phone calls that played a pivotal role in the Russia investigation were declassified and released Friday, showing that Michael Flynn, as an adviser to then-President-elect Donald Trump, urged Russia's ambassador to be "even-keeled" in response to punitive Obama administration measures, and assured him "we can have a better conversation" about relations between the two countries after Trump became president. Democrats said the transcripts showed that Flynn had lied to the FBI when he denied details of the conversation, and that he was undercutting a sitting president while ingratiating himself with a country that had just interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
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| Trump’s campaign tries to recapture its magic on the virtual campaign trail. Will it succeed? Posted: 30 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Trump's virtual campaign rallies feature a 3D animated venue designed to make a big splash, in contrast to Biden's rec room. But Biden is still ahead in the polls.
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| Pompeo demands Russia free ill American accused of spying Posted: 30 May 2020 11:16 AM PDT  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday demanded that Russia free a former US marine accused of spying in Russia after the man underwent urgent surgery in a Moscow hospital. Fifty-year-old Paul Whelan had emergency hernia surgery late Thursday after suffering "severe abdominal pain," his brother David Whelan said in a statement Friday. Paul Whelan, who also holds Canadian, Irish and British citizenship, was detained in Moscow in December 2018 for allegedly receiving state secrets.
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| U.S. high court rejects church challenges to state pandemic rules Posted: 29 May 2020 04:22 PM PDT  The U.S. Supreme Court rejected challenges on Friday to curbs on religious services in California and Illinois during the coronavirus pandemic. In the California dispute, the nine justices split 5-4 in rejecting a bid by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista to block the rules issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberal justices in the majority.
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| NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York City is on track to begin reopening the week of June 8 Posted: 29 May 2020 10:29 AM PDT  "We will stay on track by focusing on the hotspots," Cuomo said. "We know down to the zip code where the infection rate is higher than average."
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| GOP eyes flipping Michigan senate seat Posted: 29 May 2020 10:27 PM PDT  As Republicans work to maintain their control of the Senate in November, they're looking to flip seats in some key battleground states. That includes Michigan, where two challengers are looking to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Riley Beggin, a political reporter for Bridge Magazine, spoke with CBS News about the contest.
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| Derek Chauvin, officer arrested in George Floyd's death, has a record of shootings and complaints Posted: 29 May 2020 07:45 PM PDT  The Minneapolis officer fired after George Floyd's death was involved in police shootings during his 19-year career.
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| Trump justice department forces out top FBI lawyer in Flynn case – report Posted: 30 May 2020 02:52 PM PDT  * NBC News: general counsel Dana Boente forced out on Friday * Fox News host Lou Dobbs slammed lawyer in April * Flynn transcripts show he discussed sanctions with RussianA top FBI lawyer who was criticised on Fox News for his role in the investigation of Michael Flynn has resigned after being asked to do so by senior figures at the Department of Justice, NBC News reported on Saturday.The FBI confirmed to NBC that Dana Boente, its general counsel and a former acting attorney general, announced his resignation on Friday after a near-40-year career. NBC cited two sources anonymous sources as saying the decision came from "Attorney General William Barr's justice department".Boente joined the DoJ in 1984 and in 2015 became the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, after being nominated by Barack Obama.In January 2017, he briefly served as acting attorney general, after Trump fired Sally Yates, an Obama-era deputy, for refusing to defend an executive order on immigration.Temporarily overseeing the investigation of Russian election interference, Boente signed a warrant authorising FBI surveillance of Flynn.The retired general, Donald Trump's first national security adviser, was fired for lying to the vice-president about contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the conversations and cooperated with the special counsel Robert Mueller as he took over the investigation of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.Flynn sought to withdraw his guilty plea before sentencing. Earlier this month, Barr said the justice department would drop the case, although a federal judge put that decision on hold.On Friday, the same day Boente was forced out of the FBI, Trump's new director of intelligence and Senate Republicans released transcripts of the calls in question, between Flynn and the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.Opponents of the president said the transcripts proved that Flynn had been treated fairly. Supporters of Trump said they showed Flynn had been treated unfairly.As Trump attempts to construct a scandal called "Obamagate", with the surveillance of Flynn at its centre, his administration is releasing material it hopes will put Obama officials in a bad light.Boente also wrote a leaked memo concerning material put into the public domain about Flynn, which he said was not exculpatory.Trump is notoriously open to the views of key Fox News contributors.On 27 April, the Fox News host Lou Dobbs told viewers: "Shocking new reports suggest FBI general counsel Dana Boente was acting in coordination with FBI director Christopher Wray to block the release of that evidence that would have cleared General Flynn."Trump has reportedly been urged to fire Wray, whom he appointed to replace James Comey, the man he fired in May 2017 in an attempt to close the Russia investigation.Comey's firing led to the appointment of Mueller, who concluded a near-two year investigation without proving criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia.Mueller did, however, obtain convictions of Trump aides and say in his report the campaign was receptive to Russian help. He also laid out extensive evidence of attempts by the president to obstruct his investigation.Trump has fired or forced out FBI and DoJ figures including Andrew McCabe, Comey's deputy, lawyer Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, an FBI agent who worked on the case.On Friday, Wray issued a statement about Boente."Few people have served so well in so many critical, high-level roles at the department," he said. "Throughout his long and distinguished career as a public servant, Dana has demonstrated a selfless determination to ensure that justice is always served on behalf of our citizens."
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| China home-built aircraft carrier conducting sea trials Posted: 29 May 2020 08:56 PM PDT  China's Defense Ministry said the navy's only entirely home-built aircraft is carrying out sea trials to test weapons and equipment and enhance training of the crew.
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| Ethiopian army ‘shot man dead because phone rang’ - Amnesty Posted: 29 May 2020 07:28 AM PDT  It was one of several incidents in a crackdown in Oromia in 2019, Amnesty International says.
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| Moderna starts dosing patients in mid-stage coronavirus vaccine study Posted: 29 May 2020 02:20 PM PDT  There are currently about 10 coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans and experts have predicted that a safe and effective vaccine could take 12 to 18 months from the start of development. Earlier this month, Moderna had released https://in.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moderna/coronavirus-vaccine-from-moderna-appears-safe-shows-promise-in-data-from-eight-people-idINKBN22U1KQ early-stage data that showed the vaccine, mRNA-1273, was safe and produced protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers.
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| Britain accuses the EU of trying to string Brexit talks out until the November deadline Posted: 30 May 2020 08:41 AM PDT  Britain has accused the EU of wanting to string out Brexit trade talks until the November deadline for an agreement in the hope of making the UK cave in to its demands. With the latest round of negotiations beginning on Tuesday, Boris Johnson wants to up the pace of the talks after making it clear that he will not extend the transition period and will not budge on sovereignty issues such as fishing rights. Ministers are anxious to ensure that businesses have as much time as possible to prepare for whatever trading regime is in place when the UK's current arrangements come to an end on December 31. Their aim is to make significant progress before Mr Johnson holds a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July, at which the Prime Minister will formally reject an offer of an extension. But there are fears that EU leaders think that by running down the clock Britain will fold at the last minute. Mr Johnson has made clear he will not blink and is prepared to leave the EU without a trade deal if necessary. A trade deal must be negotiated, translated and presented to the European Parliament by November 26 in order for it to be ratified by the end of the year. The date coincides with MEPs' penultimate plenary session of the year in Strasbourg, with the final one in mid-December coming too late to sign off any deal with the UK. A UK source close to the negotiations said: "We expect next week's round to be constructive and keep the process on track. But then we are going to need things to move forward faster. "We recognise the EU have other important issues on their plate too, as we all do, but they can't just mark time on these talks. "The EU seems to have finally understood we aren't going to move on fundamentals, so they now need to think quickly about how they can find an agreement that reflects this reality." Until now, the talks have been deadlocked over issues including fishing rights, with the EU insisting its members must maintain similar access to British waters as they currently do, and Mr Johnson stating baldly that it will be up to Britain who fishes in its waters from Jan 1.
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| Texas Children's Hospital treating several children with inflammatory illness linked to COVID-19 Posted: 28 May 2020 07:28 PM PDT  Some of the children are reportedly in critical condition. Though the illness itself isn't contagious, but could be deadly if left untreated.
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| Cuomo says N.Y. attorney general will review night of violent protests Posted: 30 May 2020 09:23 AM PDT  Violent clashes between police and civilians took place during protests in Brooklyn on Friday.
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| George Floyd death tests Minneapolis police chief Posted: 29 May 2020 06:13 PM PDT  Medaria Arradondo is the first African American to lead the sometimes troubled department.
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| Trump Announces U.S. ‘Terminating’ Relationship with World Health Organization Posted: 29 May 2020 12:21 PM PDT  President Trump announced Friday that the U.S. is "terminating" its relationship with the World Health Organization over its failure to enact reforms in response to the administration's criticisms of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic."Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today be terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs," Trump said at a press conference.The announcement comes after Trump had threatened to cut U.S. funding to the WHO, alleging that the organization had helped China conceal the severity of the initial coronavirus outbreak in the city of Wuhan. The president noted that the U.S. government provides the WHO with roughly $450 million a year, compared with China's annual contribution of $40 million.Last week, Health Secretary Alex Azar blamed the WHO for mishandling the emerging pandemic."We must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control," Azar said. "There was a failure by this organization to obtain the information that the world needed, and that failure cost many lives."
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| Powell: Fed to soon begin 'challenging' Main Street lending Posted: 29 May 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged Friday that the Fed faces a major challenge with the launch in the coming days of a program that will lend to companies other than banks for the first time since the Great Depression. The Fed's Main Street Lending is geared toward medium-sized companies that are too large for the government's small business lending program and too small to sell bonds or stock to the public. Powell said that Main Street will make its first loans in a "few days."
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| Hong Kong: China fury amid global pressure over security law Posted: 29 May 2020 11:02 AM PDT  The UK and US condemn plans for a new security law at the UN Security Council, drawing Beijing's ire.
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| Exclusive: U.S. warns governments, firms against aiding Iran fuel shipments to Venezuela - envoy Posted: 29 May 2020 12:38 PM PDT  Seeking to deter further shipments of Iranian fuel to Venezuela, the Trump administration has quietly warned foreign governments, seaports, shipping companies and insurers that they could face stiff U.S. sanctions if they aid the tanker flotilla, the U.S. envoy on Venezuela told Reuters on Friday. Elliott Abrams, Washington's special representative on Venezuela, said the pressure campaign targeting heavily sanctioned U.S. foes Iran and Venezuela was being waged "to be sure everyone recognizes this would be a very dangerous transaction to assist."
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| SpaceX's historic launch hurled a sequined plush dinosaur into space with NASA astronauts Posted: 30 May 2020 03:05 PM PDT  The plushie indicates when the Crew Dragon spaceship has reached a state of zero gravity, but neither NASA or SpaceX have explained how it was chosen.
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| How to Screw Up a Vice-Presidential Pick Posted: 29 May 2020 08:12 AM PDT  Joe Biden's choice for vice president is arguably the biggest decision of his campaign—and it could go very, very wrong. And no one knows more about failed veep picks than Steve Schmidt and Philippe Reines, who worked on the McCain/Palin and Clinton/Kaine campaigns.In Episode 12 of The New Abnormal, The Daily Beast's podcast for a world gone off the rails, Schmidt and Reines tell Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson about what went south with Hillary Clinton's VP approach, and how Biden can avoid the same fate."It's not a matter of who you want to go to the movies with. It's a matter of being able to do it on day one," says Reines. "In a perfect world, he would pick Bernie Sanders," he adds. "I mean that would be a horrible world, but in that world he would pick Bernie to consolidate the party and money."On this planet, Reines says, Elizabeth Warren is the best person to help with that consolidation. (Reines says also he wanted Warren on the Clinton ticket in 2016, and that the Massachusetts senator was a finalist for the role.) Schmidt thinks Kamala Harris better rounds out the Biden ticket.Schmidt and Reines also talk about Stacey Abrams and why choosing her would ultimately do more harm than good: "This is not a time to gamble."Asked about Trump's re-election chances, neither of them think things look too good right now. Julián Castro on Why Everyone Hates Ted Cruz"I think right now, Trump is losing," says Schmidt. Reines chimes in: "For those who wanted to make things better, this is a failed experiment and amateur hour is over. Forty million Americans are out of a job. How the hell does a president get re-elected?" Plus! Our dynamic duo asks the important questions, like: What exactly is wrong with Mark Zuckerberg? And will the caregivers at the White House assisted-living facility try to give Donnie the pudding he likes?Listen to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.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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| Army Shoot-Off Will Pit Israel's Iron Dome Against Foreign Competitors Posted: 29 May 2020 10:03 AM PDT  The Army announced its plans to purchase Iron Dome in February 2019 to comply with the fiscal 2019 NDAA.
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| Mississippi mayor ignores calls to resign over comments on George Floyd's death Posted: 29 May 2020 04:03 PM PDT  "What I said, came out in a way that I wish I said it differently," Hal Marx said at a special meeting Thursday night. "It wasn't to minimize that gentleman's death."
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| Coronavirus began spreading in the US in January — predating President Trump's travel restrictions and the detection of community transmission, CDC says Posted: 30 May 2020 11:55 AM PDT  CDC Director Robert Redfield said that the virus first circulated at low levels in the US so diagnostic tests would've missed it.
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| Louis Sheldon, anti-gay Christian group founder, dies at 85 Posted: 29 May 2020 03:51 PM PDT |
| Revealed: the worrying links between Huawei, our universities and China Posted: 29 May 2020 11:20 AM PDT  With its cast iron replica of Budapest's Liberty Bridge and its pale-stoned version of Versailles, visitors to Huawei's research centre in Dongguan could be forgiven for thinking they were in Europe. It is a benign – if eccentric – tribute. But other attempts to forge close ties to the Western culture have much more serious implications. The Telegraph can disclose today that the controversial Chinese telecoms giant backed 17 scientific papers with UK universities, about cutting-edge "dual use" technologies – which can have civilian applications but can also be used in military technology. At least 15 of the papers focused on technology that experts claim could be used to communicate with swarms of drones or on highly advanced image recognition software that experts claim could be used for extreme levels of surveillance. All of them involve collaborations between British universities, including at Edinburgh and Exeter, and Chinese universities heavily involved in military research and named as "high risk" by an Australian think tank.
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