| Oklahoma becomes latest red state to approve Obamacare's Medicaid expansion at the ballot box Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:31 AM PDT  Oklahoma follows Utah, Nebraska, Idaho and Maine in approving the Obamacare health insurance expansion for low-income residents.
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| Simon Cheng: UK asylum for ex-consulate worker 'tortured in China' Posted: 01 Jul 2020 08:09 AM PDT  Simon Cheng is granted asylum in the UK almost a year after he was detained by Chinese authorities.
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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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| Finland's air force drops swastika emblem after century in use Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:57 AM PDT  Finland's air force has quietly removed the last swastikas from unit emblems after over a century in use. Until recently the country's Air Force Command emblem depicted a pair of wings around a swastika, a symbol which pre-dates its associations with Nazism. The change was first observed by Teivo Teivainen, a politics professor at the University of Helsinki, who argued its negative associations made the swastika's ongoing use politically fraught. Professor Teivainen, who has written widely on the issue, said using the swastika could cause difficulties for the Nato country, particularly if worn on the uniforms of deployed personnel. "I have not found many reasonable arguments to support its military usefulness," Mr Teivainen wrote on Twitter on Thursday. The symbol's association with Finland's air force dates to its founding in 1918, when Swedish count Eric von Rosen donated a plane painted with swastikas to the newly independent country. The German Nazi Party adopted the swastika as its logo in 1920. Finland removed the swastika from its aircraft following a postwar armistice with the Soviet Union, but until recently the symbol remained on Air Force Command emblems and some flags and decorations. A spokesman for Finland's air force told the BBC, "as unit emblems are worn on uniform, it was considered impractical and unnecessary to continue using the old unit emblem, which had caused misunderstandings from time to time."
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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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| 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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| More than 100 armed police officers are clearing away Seattle's CHOP 'autonomous zone,' overturning toilets as they go Posted: 01 Jul 2020 07:32 AM PDT  The city's mayor issued an order to clear "unlawful assembly" in the area. The move comes days after two teenagers were shot in the zone.
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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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| Feds Arrest ‘Ringleader’ in Attempt to Topple Andrew Jackson Statue Near White House Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:07 AM PDT  Federal authorities on Thursday reportedly arrested a male suspect they say was the "ringleader" of an effort to destroy a statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House.Jason Carter, whom authorities said is connected to the loose knit anarchist group Antifa, was arrested Thursday morning at his home and charged with destruction of federal property, Fox News first reported. Carter allegedly led the June 22 effort to topple the statue in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Square near the White House, which protesters said they attacked because Jackson owned slaves and because of his treatment of Native Americans."They were very organized," an unidentified federal law enforcement official told Fox News. "Carter was on top of the statue and directing people.""They had acid, chisels, straps and a human chain preventing police from getting to the statue," the official said.The Justice Department on Saturday announced that four other men face felony destruction of federal property charges for their roles in attacking the statue. According to the department, the four were caught in video footage attempting to pull the statue to the ground.President Trump on Friday signed an executive order to protect American monuments, memorials, and statues in the wake of recent attacks on several monuments of historical figures in cities around the country."Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country," Trump wrote in a tweet announcing the order.At least a dozen other monuments to historical figures have also been targeted, including several Christopher Columbus statues. Statues of Columbus were attacked in recent weeks in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Minnesota as protests continue against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
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| Pence: Florida can thank President Trump for being prepared to handle COVID cases Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The coronavirus case numbers are worse than ever in Florida.
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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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| The Best Bike Lights to Illuminate Your Ride Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:26 AM PDT |
| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 'It’s going to cause an uproar': Sioux president says Trump not welcome to visit Mount Rushmore Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:35 PM PDT  The president of the Oglala Sioux tribal council has said that Donald Trump should not attend Mount Rushmore's fourth of July fireworks celebration in South Dakota on Friday.President Julian Bear Runner cited health fears over the coronavirus and also said that Mr Trump's attendance is an insult to Native Americans on whose stolen land it was built.
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| Hong Kong: Mike Pompeo threatens China with new measures after Beijing enacts draconian security law Posted: 30 Jun 2020 07:29 PM PDT  The United States has threatened Beijing with new countermeasures after China imposed draconian national security laws on Hong Kong. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State called the enactment of the sweeping measures a "sad day for Hong Kong, and for freedom-loving people across China" and reiterated the White House's commitment to abolishing the city's special status under US law. "Per President Trump's instruction, we will eliminate policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment, with few exceptions," Mr Pompeo said. "The United States will not stand idly by while China swallows Hong Kong into its authoritarian maw," he warned. Read more: What does the new security law mean for Hong Kong?
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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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| 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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| Indian groom's wedding, funeral leave over 100 infected with coronavirus Posted: 01 Jul 2020 06:11 AM PDT  More than 100 people have tested positive for coronavirus in India after attending the wedding -- and then funeral -- of the groom, who reportedly tied the knot while ill with the disease. Officials in Bihar state said Wednesday the 26-year-old groom had symptoms of the deadly virus when he got married on June 15. "So far 111 people who either attended the wedding or the funeral have tested positive," said Raj Kishor Chaudhary, chief medical officer in Patna, the state capital.
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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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| 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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| With 'Partial Human Remains' Found in Texas, Family of Missing Soldier Vanessa Guillen Say They Believe She Is Dead Posted: 01 Jul 2020 01:53 PM PDT  An attorney for the family missing solider Vanessa Guillen said during a press conference that they "believe that her remains were found"
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| Democrats say troop threats should be pursued 'relentlessly' Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:09 PM PDT  The two top Democrats in Congress said Thursday that any threats to U.S. troops must be pursued "relentlessly," rebuking President Donald Trump after receiving a highly classified briefing about intelligence that Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump, who has downplayed the threat, was "soft" on Russian President Vladimir Putin and distracted by less important issues. Trump has called reports of the intelligence assessments a "hoax" and has so far declined to address whether the U.S. has or will respond to Russia.
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| Judge Blocks Trump Admin. Rule on Third-Country Asylum Seekers Posted: 01 Jul 2020 05:03 AM PDT  A federal judge has overturned a Trump administration policy mandating that asylum seekers first apply for asylum in countries they pass through on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.The policy was aimed at deterring illegal immigration from Central American countries including Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, said that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when adopting the policy. The APA requires that the federal government allow time for Americans to weigh in on certain proposed federal policy changes."There are many circumstances in which courts appropriately defer to the national security judgments of the Executive," Kelly wrote in his opinion. "But determining the scope of an APA exception is not one of them."Among the plaintiffs were advocacy groups for migrants as well as individual petitioners, who argued that the Trump administration policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act. Kelly wrote that the law generally allows asylum seekers to petition no matter what country they passed through.The Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling. However, it is unclear if the ruling will have any immediate effect because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on illegal immigration.U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has since mid-March returned almost all migrants caught crossing the border back to Mexico, fearing possible outbreaks of coronavirus in holding facilities. As a result, the pace of illegal immigration has drastically slowed during the pandemic. ICE has also refrained from arresting migrants who do not pose a public danger, and has not attempted arrests at health care facilities to allow migrants to receive medical care.
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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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| 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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| 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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| Alabama college students are throwing 'COVID parties' where they invite infected people and gamble on who gets sick first, officials say Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:48 AM PDT  As of Thursday, Alabama reported more than 38,000 coronavirus cases. State health authorities have warned intensive-care-unit beds might run out.
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| Man and woman who led police on hour-long pursuit were wanted in at least three St. Louis counties Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:43 PM PDT  Court records reveal that the man who led police on a pursuit through the St. Louis Metro Area has been in repeated trouble with drugs.
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| 'You’ve been warned': Florida sheriff says he may deputize gun owners against protesters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:19 AM PDT  Critics have likened Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels' actions to "a call for vigilantism" after his comments about protesters.
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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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| McConnell warns Democrats about changing Senate rules to kill the filibuster Posted: 01 Jul 2020 02:36 PM PDT  The Senate GOP leader spoke as some experts believe there's a fair chance his party could lose control of the chamber in November.
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| Stonewall Jackson removed from Richmond's Monument Avenue Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:45 AM PDT  Work crews wielding a giant crane, harnesses and power tools wrested an imposing statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson from its concrete pedestal along Richmond, Virginia's famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday, just hours after the mayor ordered the removal of all Confederate statues from city land. Mayor Levar Stoney's decree came weeks after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the most prominent and imposing statue along the avenue: that of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which sits on state land.
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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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| Made in America: Meet Iran's 'Zombie' Cannon Posted: 02 Jul 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Neither tank nor artillery piece.
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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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| 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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| Turkey asks EU to correct 'mistake' of travel list exclusion Posted: 01 Jul 2020 02:36 AM PDT  Turkey said on Wednesday it is disappointed by the European Union's decision to exclude it from a list of countries recommended for non-essential travel and called on the bloc to correct the "mistake" as soon as possible. The Turkish Foreign Ministry statement came after the EU excluded Turkey, along with the United States and other countries, from its initial travel "safe list". "The measures Turkey has taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic as well as her efforts and success in this respect are evident," ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in the statement.
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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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| Fox’s Neil Cavuto Grills GOP Rep Who Wants to Disband Coronavirus Task Force Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:05 PM PDT  Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto had an intense confrontation with Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) on Thursday over his demand that the White House coronavirus task force disband, calling the Trumpian congressman out over his home state's exploding COVID-19 cases and his own lack of health expertise.Biggs recently called for the Trump administration to scrap its pandemic task force over his belief that its public health experts, namely Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, were undermining President Donald Trump as the president pushes for the economy to continue to reopen.Interviewing Biggs on Thursday's broadcast of Your World with Neil Cavuto, the veteran Fox anchor—who has frequently been the target of the president's ire over his critical Trump coverage—immediately pressed Biggs on whether he thought masks could help stem the spread of coronavirus.Hospital Workers to 'Complacent' Americans: Stop Right Now"I have to tell you, I'm reticent to believe that if a mask works so well, then why is L.A. spiking and surging with COVID cases when they've had a mandatory mask regulation in effect for seven weeks now," the Arizona congressman replied. "There is no empirical evidence that that is the case."Cavuto, meanwhile, pointed out that while localities may have had mask ordinances, the issue may have been enforcement and getting residents to follow the guidelines. Biggs, however, insisted that the actual problem was that masks themselves aren't very effective, despite copious studies showing otherwise. "You don't think it has any benefit at all?" Cavuto shot back. In recent days, Republicans and even some of Trump's staunchest Fox allies have attempted to get the president to embrace mask-wearing to keep the economy open amid a spike in cases.The Fox host pivoted to Biggs' demand that the task force shutter, asking the Freedom Caucus chair whether or not he thought it was risky."No, I don't. I appreciate what the vice president has done and I think he is done a great job," he replied before criticizing Fauci, complaining that the top infectious disease expert has been "inconsistent" with his message.Cavuto, however, implored Biggs to "forget Dr. Fauci for a second" and think about what's happening in his home state, which is currently suffering from the worst coronavirus surge in the nation."You have hospitalizations and ICU bed use, the highest of this crisis," Cavuto exclaimed. "You are telling people to get rid of it? People are listening to you and you're saying we can ease up!"After Biggs accused the Fox anchor of "cherry-picking data," Cavuto retorted he was doing no such thing before accusing Biggs of just wanting to get rid of the commission because it is saying things he doesn't like.The far-right lawmaker argued that they were "undermining" Trump, prompting Cavuto to ask whether it was the president's job to have health experts he defers to. Biggs, meanwhile, downplayed Birx and Fauci's expertise by wondering aloud about when they last saw patients."When's the last time you have?" Cavuto snarked back."I'm not a trained physician," Biggs replied."But you're telling the ones who are to get out!" Cavuto shouted in response. "To get off the commission!"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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