| QAnon follower wins Senate primary in Oregon Posted: 20 May 2020 08:38 AM PDT  Jo Rae Perkins is a former county chairwoman for the party who prevailed in a four-candidate race and will face incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley in November.
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| White House says the Trump administration is 'keeping people safe' at airports despite a lack of coronavirus screening Posted: 20 May 2020 04:14 PM PDT  Amid growing concerns over a lack of screening for the coronavirus at U.S. airports, WH press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday the Trump administration was taking the issue seriously.
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| Amphan: Kolkata devastated as cyclone kills scores in India and Bangladesh Posted: 21 May 2020 08:43 AM PDT  One of India's major cities is reeling as more than 80 deaths are confirmed along the Bengal coast.
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| Terrorism Motive Suspected in Naval Base Shooting, Second Suspect at Large Posted: 21 May 2020 05:21 AM PDT  Authorities believe a shooting that injured one person at a south Texas naval base on Thursday morning was terrorism-related.The suspect attempted to ram a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi with a vehicle at around 6:15 a.m., a U.S. defense official told CNN.Security guards deployed a barrier to stop the vehicle but the suspect then got out and started firing, the official said.The gunman was then "neutralized" by a security guard, the FBI said. One member of the naval security forces was injured but was in "good condition," the U.S. Navy said. It wasn't immediately clear if the injured person was also the person who took the shooter down.FBI Senior Supervisory Agent Leah Greeves said in a Thursday afternoon briefing that the agency believed the incident was motivated by terrorism, and they were looking for a second person of interest.The base sounded the alarm with a Facebook post early Thursday, writing that an apparent shooter had been sighted near the station's north gate. The warning instructed anyone who was close to the gate to "get out and away to safety" as the rest of the base was ordered to go into its lockdown procedure.Shortly after the initial statement, the base confirmed in a separate Facebook post that the immediate danger appeared to be over.The statement read: "Naval Security Forces at NAS Corpus Christi responded to an active shooter at approximately 6:15 a.m. this morning. The shooter has been neutralized. All gates on the installation remain closed while first responders process the scene. NCIS and local law enforcement are on scene."In a further update, the base wrote, "The active shooter is neutralized, however the scene is not clear. Remain in a lockdown status. For your safety, do not move around the base unless cleared to do so."It's the second terrorism-related attack on a U.S. naval base in less than six months.In December, a gunman killed three men and injured eight others at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. The shooter, Saudi Arabian aviation student Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was participating in a training exchange program with the U.S. Navy. He was killed at the scene.Prior to the shooting, he'd reportedly hosted a dinner party with three other Saudi students and had watched videos of U.S. mass shootings.Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the December shooting. The FBI had confirmed just three days ago that it was the first terrorist attack on American territory that had been directed by a foreign actor since 9/11.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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| Michael Flynn asks appeals court to intervene in his case and assign him to a different judge Posted: 21 May 2020 02:24 PM PDT  Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn's attorneys argued that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has abused his discretion.
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| This Stunning Home in the Middle of Los Angeles Was Inspired by Louis Kahn Posted: 21 May 2020 01:42 PM PDT |
| Noem: Tribes' checkpoints dispute not just about coronavirus Posted: 21 May 2020 10:40 AM PDT  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on Thursday that her stance against Native American tribes operating coronavirus checkpoints on federal and state highways isn't just about the response to the coronavirus pandemic, but about setting "precedent" on tribes' ability to shut down traffic in other situations. Noem threatened to sue the tribes two weeks ago, but then backed away from that plan and instead appealed to President Donald Trump to settle the issue this week. Three tribes — the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe — have set up the checkpoints to keep unnecessary visitors from the reservation who might be carrying coronavirus infections.
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| Bolivia's health minister has been arrested on corruption charges for overspending millions on ventilators that don't even work right Posted: 21 May 2020 06:08 AM PDT  Suspicions around Marcelo Navajas arose after doctors complained the ventilators weren't good enough for intensive care units.
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| Judgment on key aspect of Huawei CFO's extradition trial in Canada due next Wednesday Posted: 21 May 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Meng was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States on charges of bank fraud, and is accused of misleading HSBC about a Huawei Technologies Co Ltd-owned [HWT.UL]company's dealings with Iran. Meng, 48, has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition.
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| Whitmer says she's not ready to welcome Trump, but he's coming to Michigan anyway Posted: 20 May 2020 02:22 PM PDT  Virtually every poll has found that most of Michigan supports the measures Whitmer has implemented, with one placing her approval rating for coronavirus response at 72 percent.
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| Biden's vice president shortlist emerges, as Demings says she's being vetted Posted: 21 May 2020 03:49 PM PDT  Biden has said he expects the vetting process to take five to eight weeks, which would point to an announcement occurring no sooner than July.
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| China's top political meetings open with minute silence over virus, threat to US Posted: 21 May 2020 09:13 AM PDT  China's annual high-level political meetings opened Thursday with a minute's silence for the victims of the coronavirus pandemic and a threat to hit back at the US in an escalating blame game over the disease. More than 2,000 delegates from across the country bowed their heads in silence after singing the national anthem in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. President Xi Jinping and the rest of the 25-member Politburo -- the Communist Party's top leadership body -- were in the middle of the central stage, the only attendees not wearing face masks.
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| Wilson Jerman: Ex-White House butler dies of coronavirus Posted: 21 May 2020 03:34 PM PDT  Wilson Roosevelt Jerman worked for 11 US presidents in over five decades at the White House.
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| A man shot a Waffle House cook after being told he needed a face mask to get served, police say Posted: 20 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT  The customer was turned away after being told he had to wear a protective mask to get served — and returned with a firearm, according to police.
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| Don't want to wear a face mask? 'Schitt's Creek' star Dan Levy has a message for you Posted: 20 May 2020 11:45 AM PDT  Actor Dan Levy, star of "Schitt's Creek," wants you to think about wearing face masks as the "simplest, easiest act of kindness you can do in a day."
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| White House defends airport screening efforts to prevent coronavirus Posted: 20 May 2020 02:29 PM PDT  White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended what the administration has done to screen airport passengers for the coronavirus, and to protect TSA workers from it.
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| Korean ‘comfort women’ groups accused of embezzling donations for victims Posted: 20 May 2020 01:41 AM PDT  A second support group for South Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II is being investigated over claims that senior officials have embezzled millions in donations that were meant for the women. A manager and six staff at the House of Sharing - a shelter for the dwindling number of former sex workers euphemistically known as "comfort women" - have claimed that around $5 million in donations has been siphoned off for unrelated projects and that the residents of the facility do not receive the care that they require. The accusations come just days after the other major support organisation for former comfort women was similarly accused of embezzling donations. Those allegations have lead to demands for an official investigation into Yoon Mee-hyang, a former head of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Ms Yoon was elected as a member of the ruling Liberal Party to the South Korean parliament in last month's elections, but opposition parties are now claiming that the organisation and Ms Yoon personally exploited surviving comfort women and embezzled donations. Korean media have reported that Ms Yoon is suspected of pocketing donations and government subsidies and using those funds for her own purposes. One outlay that has attracted attention was the payment of more than £22,000 to a bar for an event allegedly to promote the council's work. The operator of the bar has stated, however, that the cost of the event was only £6,440 and that it returned more than £3,500 as a donation.
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| India-Nepal territorial dispute flares over road to Tibet Posted: 21 May 2020 02:36 AM PDT  A long-running territorial dispute between India and Nepal has flared over a new Indian-built road to a revered Hindu pilgrimage site in Tibet that Nepal says passes through its territory. India has issued a strongly worded statement in which it objected to a new map issued by the Nepalese government showing the disputed areas as part of Nepal. "This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence," India said in the statement late Wednesday.
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| China supports "improvement" of Hong Kong's political system Posted: 21 May 2020 12:54 AM PDT  China said on Thursday it supports improving the system and mechanism related to the constitution and basic law of Hong Kong and Macau, in comments likely to stir concern that it could take measures to tighten its grip on Hong Kong. "We will push for the long-term stability of one country, two systems ... and continue to support the improvement of implementing the systems and mechanisms of the constitution and basic law," Wang Yang, the ruling Communist Party's fourth-ranked leader and head of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said in a speech.
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| Biden asks Amy Klobuchar to undergo vetting to be running mate Posted: 21 May 2020 01:25 PM PDT  She's one of several potential contenders now being scrutinized by Biden aides ahead of a final decision.
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| Photos and videos show the destruction after 2 dams collapsed in Michigan, threatening a town with 9 feet of flooding Posted: 20 May 2020 09:32 AM PDT  The Edenville and Sanford dams in central Michigan collapsed on Tuesday night, sending floodwaters into nearby towns.
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| Griffin ‘extremely skeptical’ of airborne lasers for missile defense Posted: 20 May 2020 01:36 PM PDT  "I'm extremely skeptical that we can put a large laser on an aircraft and use it to shoot down an adversary missile, even from fairly close," says Mike Griffin.
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| The US father-son duo accused of masterminding Ghosn's Japan escape Posted: 20 May 2020 12:39 PM PDT  The American men accused of smuggling former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn out of Japan are a former US special forces operative who spent time in prison and his football-playing son. On the surface, Michael Taylor, 59, and Peter Taylor, 27, appeared to be living a quintessential American middle-class life in the small, wealthy town of Harvard, Massachusetts.
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| Wear a mask in public? Sure. Majority of Democrats, Republicans say they have, survey shows Posted: 21 May 2020 03:01 PM PDT  More than four out of five Americans said they have worn a mask in public in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to the survey.
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| Crump wants Ahmaud Arbery prosecutor to see young man as someone who ‘could have been her child’ Posted: 20 May 2020 05:07 PM PDT  Ahmaud Arbery family attorney Benjamin Crump is "cautiously optimistic" that the newly appointed prosecutor, Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes, will ensure justice. "We want this black woman to think of Ahmaud as somebody who could have been her child," Crump said.
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| Brutal beating in Iowa should be investigated as hate crime, NAACP says Posted: 20 May 2020 05:05 PM PDT  A black man was leaving his girlfriend's house when he was attacked by white men who accused him of being a burglar, according to the civil rights organization.
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| Guatemala president fumes over infected deportees from US Posted: 21 May 2020 10:24 AM PDT  Guatemala's president questioned his country's relationship with the United States, revealing frustration over the U.S. continuing to send deportees infected with COVID-19 to a country struggling to manage the crisis. "This of allies with the United States isn't true," President Alejandro Giammattei said Thursday.
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| China does not seem to understand independence of Canada's judiciary: Trudeau Posted: 21 May 2020 09:46 AM PDT  China does not appear to understand that Canada's judiciary is independent, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday, taking a rare public swipe at Beijing at a time when bilateral ties are poor. China says Canada must free Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is fighting extradition to the United States.
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| Trump steps up anti-China rhetoric threatening 'very strong' response if Hong Kong law passes Posted: 21 May 2020 11:20 AM PDT  Donald Trump warned China that the US would respond "very strongly" if Beijing imposed tighter control over Hong Kong, as tensions rise between the two countries amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. China's government announced that national security legislation for Hong Kong will be proposed at its annual 'rubber stamp' parliamentary sessions, which opened yesterday, in the latest sign from Beijing plans to crack down on pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous territory. "If it happens, we'll address that very strongly," Mr Trump said as he took questions from the White House on Thursday. Mr Trump has stepped up his attacks on China over the coronavirus pandemic in recent days, appearing to directly blame Chinese president Xi Jinping for a campaign of "disinformation" that helped spread Covid-19 around the world. In a rare shot at his Chinese counterpart, the US president tweeted on Wednesday night: "It all comes from the top. They could have easily stopped the plague, but they didn't!" Mr Trump's comments came as a study suggested that around 36,000 fewer Americans would have died from the pandemic if the US had imposed social distancing measures just one week earlier than it did in mid-March.
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| Colombia: outrage as warlord's son picked to lead victim support project Posted: 21 May 2020 03:15 AM PDT  * Jorge Rodrigo Tovar's appointment 'offensive' – survivors * Father 'Jorge 40' terrorised civilians along Caribbean coastThe son of a notorious death squad leader has been appointed to run the Colombian government's programmes for victims of the country's long civil war, prompting fury among survivors.Jorge Rodrigo Tovar was this week put in charge of a scheme for compensating victims of the conflict – many of whom were terrorised by his father, Rodrigo Tovar, better known in Colombia as "Jorge 40".During the late 90s and early 2000s, the elder Tovar led the Northern Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (or AUC) – which was responsible for a string of massacres and the murder of hundreds of civilians along Colombia's Caribbean coast.In February 2000, militiamen under his command tortured and dismembered over 60 peasant farmers in the isolated village of El Salado, in one of the worst single acts of violence in the five-decade war. Victims – including a six-year old girl and an elderly woman – were stabbed, beaten and strangled to death.Iveth Jiménez's father, Víctor Manuel, a union leader, was forcibly disappeared in 2002 by members of Jorge 40's militia. She was aghast at the news that his son was now coordinating the government's response to victims."They have no right to play with the memory of all those that Jorge 40 has murdered, tortured, disappeared and displaced," said Jiménez. "It's offensive, it's insensitive and it's plain wrong."Her sentiments were echoed by Luz Marina Hache, the spokeswoman for Movice, a group representing victims of crimes committed by state agents."What justice can victims hope for with this announcement?" Hache asked.The conflict between the Colombian state and leftist rebel groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (or Farc) left 260,000 dead and displaced over 7 million. State-aligned paramilitary groups, like the one led by Jorge 40, committed some of the bloodiest atrocities of the 52-year civil war.In 2004, Jorge 40 participated in a controversial demobilisation programme and confessed to about 600 crimes, though he took no blame for any murders. Evidence on his laptop showed that the AUC often collaborated with members of the government.Jorge 40 was extradited to the US in 2008 and is serving a 16-year sentence for drug trafficking offenses. He did not face any charges in American courts related to his militia's conduct during the war.Little is known about the younger Tovar, 30, a lawyer who has participated in several events with former members of the Farc, who themselves demobilised in 2016 following a historic peace deal.Speaking to local magazine Semana, Tovar said he has no intention to resign from his new job. "Everything that is going on fills me with the promise," he said, "to show that I do good work and that the work can speak for me."Some observers saw his new post as evidence of reconciliation in action. Political scientist Katherine Miranda described his appointment as "an example of reconciliation and peace", tweeting: "He shows that hatred and useless wars cannot be inherited, instead turning the page and moving on."
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| A new Swedish coronavirus antibody study suggests the herd-immunity strategy isn't working Posted: 21 May 2020 10:18 AM PDT  Just 7% of people in Stockholm had developed coronavirus antibodies by the end of April, research by Sweden's public-health agency found.
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| Grandmother ordered to delete Facebook photos under GDPR Posted: 21 May 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Privacy laws mean a grandmother needs her daughter's permission to post photos of her grandchildren.
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| Photos show South Korean students eating and learning with plastic screens between them as schools start to reopen Posted: 20 May 2020 05:32 AM PDT  High schools reopened on Wednesday with strict new social-distancing rules to avoid new coronavirus outbreaks.
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| William Bryan Jr., the man who took video of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, arrested on felony murder charge Posted: 21 May 2020 04:49 PM PDT  William Bryan Jr., 50, was arrested Thursday in connection to the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. He's the third man to be arrested in the case.
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| In an orange swirl, astronomers say humanity has its first look at the birth of a planet Posted: 20 May 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Astronomers said the dramatic scene could help scientists better understand how planets come to exist around stars.
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| Stacey Abrams endorses candidates in 7 US Senate contests Posted: 21 May 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Alongside discussions of her own national political ambitions, former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is wading into elections outside her home state, endorsing the campaigns of seven Democrats vying for U.S. Senate seats. On Thursday, Abrams announced that she was backing Democratic candidates in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. In statements provided ahead of her official endorsement, Abrams called Jaime Harrison, the associate chair of the Democratic National Committee who is seeking to block Sen. Lindsey Graham from a fourth term, "a strong leader for the people of South Carolina" who "will work hard to address inequalities" such as in rural health care and infrastructure.
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| US warns India of China 'aggression' at border Posted: 20 May 2020 01:34 PM PDT  The United States on Wednesday accused China of employing border clashes with India to try to shift the status quo, and encouraged New Delhi to resist. Alice Wells, the top US diplomat for South Asia, drew parallels between the growing skirmishes in the Himalayas and Beijing's years of increasing assertiveness in the dispute-rife South China Sea.
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| Mark Cuban Trashes Trump on Hannity: ‘He Just Plays the Victim’ Posted: 20 May 2020 08:48 PM PDT  Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban blasted President Donald Trump during an interview with pro-Trump Fox News host Sean Hannity Wednesday night, claiming the president is constantly playing the "victim card."Cuban, who until recently had been weighing a possible third-party presidential run, ostensibly appeared on Hannity's show to discuss sports leagues reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. The conversation, however, quickly turned to politics and Cuban's apparent support for former Vice President Joe Biden."Let's start with coronavirus alone. You tell me all the things 'Bunker Joe' did on coronavirus that you admire and then I will tell you what I think Trump did that I admire," Hannity said."Well, Joe is not in charge of anything right now, right? He's a candidate, so we can't really put him in that category," Cuban responded before turning the question right back around on Hannity. "But I will listen. What do you think—I mean, what have we got to lose to listen to what you said that Donald did right?"Apparently taken aback, the Trump confidant briefly sputtered before recovering by naming the one decision that he and the president consistently tout as critical during the early days of the pandemic—the partial China travel restrictions.After Cuban agreed that the travel ban was a good idea, Hannity went on to credit the president for the work the administration did in New York, the epicenter of the crisis where nearly 30,000 people have died from the virus."You went on saying that Donald Trump hasn't done a good job with this," Hannity huffed. "I would argue he did a phenomenal job and saved New York's ass."Cuban countered that the administration was caught flat-footed when hospitals suffered personal protective equipment shortages early on, insisting the White House had the chance to fix it but didn't "because no one was truly in charge."Hannity later circled back to the Shark Tank billionaire's support of Biden, suggesting that the ex-veep is in the throes of cognitive mental decline before asking Cuban if he was scared of Biden leading the country."You know what, both sides scare me," Cuban said. "Joe Biden scares me in some areas and President Trump scares me in more areas right now, and I will tell you why. Because I think that Donald doesn't put the best people in place any longer. He did at the beginning and I was proud of him at the beginning, but now he just wants people who are loyal to him. That's a problem and it's created more problems in this pandemic."After Hannity defended Trump's reliance on sycophants, Cuban hit the president for his persistent whining and victimhood."He's the most powerful man in the world and he always plays the victim card," Cuban said. "'The Dems are out to get me, the media is out to get me.' You've got to be the leader, you've got to be the strongest man in the game.""They spied on the guy!" Hannity protested, prompting the Mavs owner to shoot back: "Who cares? He's the most powerful man in the world! Be powerful, be a leader!"Dismissing Trump's claim that he is the "world's best counter-puncher," Cuban concluded by observing that "Trump hasn't been able to knock anybody out—he just plays the victim."Kayleigh McEnany: Trump Supports Vote by Mail 'For a Reason'—Just Not a PandemicRead 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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| Andrew Cuomo is no hero. He's to blame for New York's coronavirus catastrophe Posted: 20 May 2020 03:10 AM PDT  His record was terrible before coronavirus, but his abysmal handling of the crisis should get him thrown out of officeAndrew Cuomo may be the most popular politician in the country. His approval ratings have hit all-time highs thanks to his Covid-19 response. Some Democrats have discussed him as a possible replacement for Joe Biden, due to Biden's perceived weakness as a nominee. And there have even been some unfortunate tributes to Cuomo's alleged sex appeal.All of which is bizarre, because Cuomo should be one of the most loathed officials in America right now. ProPublica recently released a report outlining catastrophic missteps by Cuomo and the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, which probably resulted in many thousands of needless coronavirus cases. ProPublica offers some appalling numbers contrasting what happened in New York with the outbreak in California. By mid-May, New York City alone had almost 20,000 deaths, while in San Francisco there had been only 35, and New York state as a whole suffered 10 times as many deaths as California.Federal failures played a role, of course, but this tragedy was absolutely due, in part, to decisions by the governor. Cuomo initially "reacted to De Blasio's idea for closing down New York City with derision", saying it "was dangerous" and "served only to scare people". He said the "seasonal flu was a graver worry". A spokesperson for Cuomo "refused to say if the governor had ever read the state's pandemic plan". Later, Cuomo would blame the press, including the New York Times for failing to say "Be careful, there's a virus in China that may be in the United States?" even though the Times wrote nearly 500 stories on the virus before the state acted. Experts told ProPublica that "had New York imposed its extreme social distancing measures a week or two earlier, the death toll might have been cut by half or more".But delay was not the only screw-up. Elderly prisoners have died of coronavirus because New York has failed to act on their medical parole requests. As Business Insider documented:"Testing was slow. Nonprofit social-service agencies that serve the most vulnerable couldn't get answers either. And medical experts like the former CDC director Tom Frieden said 'so many deaths could have been prevented' had New York issued its stay-at-home order just 'days earlier' than it did. On March 19, when New York's schools had already been closed, Cuomo said 'in many ways, the fear is more dangerous than the virus.'"The governor has failed to take responsibility for the obvious failures, consistently blaming others and at one point even saying "governors don't do pandemics". (Actually, some governors just don't read their state's pandemic plans.) But much of the press has ignored this, focusing instead on Cuomo's aesthetic presentation: his poise during press conferences, his dramatic statements about "taking responsibility" (even when he obviously hasn't), and his invisible good looks.> Cuomo's record was shameful long before coronavirus beganThe mask mural is yet another publicity stunt mistaken by the press as a sign of leadership. On 29 April, Cuomo unveiled a wall of handmade cloth masks that had been sent to his office by concerned citizens all over America. He called it "a self-portrait of America. You know what that spells? It spells love." Since the arrangement of masks doesn't form words, the mural doesn't actually spell anything, but it is a perfect symbol of Cuomo's leadership failures. Handmade cloth face coverings are not as effective as N95 masks, of course, but if unsuitable for healthcare workers they would still have been perfectly appropriate to distribute to New Yorkers (some of whom have been brutally arrested for not wearing masks). But Cuomo, rather than putting the needs of New Yorkers first, chose to tack hundreds of cloth masks on a wall as a monument to himself.Cuomo's record was shameful long before coronavirus began. He enabled the IDC (Independent Democratic Conference), a group of conservative Democratic state lawmakers, in allying with the Republican minority to block progressive legislation. (Cuomo denies any role in the IDC, but that stretches credulity.) Before the pandemic, he pushed through Medicaid cuts which shut down necessary hospital space in the name of "efficiency" despite the warnings of medical professionals. And on 3 April, as 3,000 New Yorkers already lay dead from the virus and hospitals like Elmhurst in Queens were overwhelmed with cases, Cuomo forced through further Medicaid cuts, slashing $400m from hospital budgets.As the state now staggers to its feet, Cuomo has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to "reimagine education" (which almost certainly means privatization), and with the ex-Google chief Eric Schmidt to – as Naomi Klein puts it – "permanently integrat[e] technology into every aspect of civic life". All of this has happened without the democratic input of New Yorkers, who would likely prefer that the progressive legislators they elected could govern without interference, that their hospitals have enough money to function and that billionaires don't infiltrate and control every element of civic life.There's something disturbing about Cuomo being hailed as the hero of the pandemic when he should rightly be one of the villains. As Business Insider notes, he is now only able to attain praise for his actions because his earlier failures made those actions necessary. He's lauded for addressing a problem that he himself partly caused. Of course, part of this is because Donald Trump has bungled the coronavirus response even more badly, so that Cuomo – by not being a complete buffoon – looks like a capable statesman by contrast. But this is the problem: for too long, Democrats have measured their politicians by "whether they are better than Republicans". This sets the bar very low indeed, and means that Democrats end up settling for incompetent and amoral leaders who betray progressive values again and again. * Lyta Gold is the managing editor and amusements editor of Current Affairs. Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs and a Guardian US columnist
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| Pompeo reportedly hosted dozens of elaborate dinners paid for by American taxpayers — and records showed only 14% of guests were diplomats or foreign officials Posted: 19 May 2020 10:56 PM PDT  Only 14% of invitees were diplomats or foreign officials, while almost 25% were people in the media or entertainment industry.
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| The Voices of Black and Brown People Matter–and They're Finally Being Heard Posted: 21 May 2020 03:24 AM PDT  The voices of black and brown people matter--and they're finally being heard
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| Michigan declares an emergency after 2 dams collapse threatening a town with 9 feet of flooding Posted: 19 May 2020 08:19 PM PDT  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening and deployed the National Guard.
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| Man who recorded Ahmaud Arbery shooting charged with murder Posted: 21 May 2020 04:25 PM PDT  Two men, 64-year-old Gregory McMichael and his 34-year-old son, Travis, have already been arrested and charged with murder.
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| WHO reports 106,000 new coronavirus cases, biggest 1-day increase since start of pandemic Posted: 20 May 2020 02:03 PM PDT  The World Health Organization has reported the largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.The organization on Wednesday said 106,000 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide in the past 24 hours, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning, "We still have a long way to go in this pandemic," Reuters reports.Ghebreyesus added that the WHO is "very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries." Nearly two-thirds of the new cases came from four countries, Ghebreyesus also said while not breaking down which ones, NBC News reports.The United States has reported more than 1.5 million coronavirus cases and over 90,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Wednesday marked the day when all 50 states in the U.S. had started to reopen their economies. More than 4.9 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, and WHO emergencies program head Mike Ryan said Wednesday that "we will soon reach the tragic milestone of 5 million cases."More stories from theweek.com Is QAnon the newest American religion? Trump's lethal aversion to reading We should be grateful for good news in Georgia
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| Trump: US may rethink decision to exit surveillance treaty Posted: 21 May 2020 07:26 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian violations make it untenable for the U.S. to stay in a treaty that permits 30-plus nations to conduct observation flights over each other's territory, but he hinted it's possible the U.S. will reconsider the decision to withdraw. Trump's announcement comes as the U.S. begins new nuclear arms control talks with the Kremlin aimed at replacing an expiring weapons treaty with a modern and potentially three-way accord that brings China into the fold. Senior administration officials say Trump's willingness to leave the Open Skies Treaty is evidence of how prominently arms control verification and compliance will feature in the new talks.
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| Chechen leader hospitalised with suspected coronavirus: reports Posted: 21 May 2020 01:11 PM PDT  The strongman leader of Russia's southern Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, was in hospital in Moscow on Thursday suffering from suspected coronavirus, news agencies reported. News agency RIA Novosti also quoted a medical source as saying that Kadyrov, 43, was in hospital in Moscow, while Interfax quoted a Moscow medical source saying he was being treated and was "suspected of having coronavirus".
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| Here's how the early battleground map has opened up for Joe Biden Posted: 20 May 2020 05:50 AM PDT  First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
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| 'Armed terrorist' shoots 3 people at Westgate Entertainment District near Phoenix; shooter in custody, police say Posted: 21 May 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Arizona State Sen. Martin Quezada tweeted that he witnessed a shooter armed with an AR-15 near the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale.
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| An Apple whistleblower has publicly slammed the company, claiming it violated 'fundamental rights' after Siri recorded users' intimate moments without consent Posted: 20 May 2020 01:51 AM PDT  Thomas le Bonniec revealed last year that while working for Apple he overheard Siri users' private moments including drug deals and people having sex.
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| U.S. aircrafts gather in Japan Posted: 21 May 2020 09:17 AM PDT  U.S. Air Force transport aircraft on Thursday massed at Washington's key Asian military air transportation hub, Yokota Air Base in Japan, to show potential foes and allies it was ready for action despite the coronavirus emergency.
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