| LAPD officer and soon-to-be father dies of COVID-19 complications Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Officer Valentin Martinez, 45, was expecting twins with his partner and joined the force in 2007. The city's mayor has ordered flags to be lowered in his honor.
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| Bernie Sanders slams Tesla CEO Elon Musk, saying it's 'pathetic' that Musk is against another government stimulus package Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:34 PM PDT  "Another government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people imo," Elon Musk said on Twitter on Friday.
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| Prosecutor Falsely Claimed Patricia McCloskey’s Gun Was Capable of Firing When She Brandished It Outside Her Home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Patricia McCloskey's handgun was inoperable when she brandished it to ward off demonstrators who had congregated on her front lawn, but a St. Louis prosecutor ordered crime lab technicians to reassemble the gun in working order and then attested that it was "readily capable of lethal use" in charging documents filed against McCloskey.McCloskey has stated that the handgun she used was inoperable, which under Missouri law would exonerate her from the charge of unlawful use of a weapon. However, assistant circuit attorney Chris Hinckley wrote that the gun was "readily capable of lethal use" when charging McCloskey on Monday, a St. Louis NBC affiliate reported."The firearm could not be test fired as submitted," reads a report from the St. Louis police crime lab obtained by 5 On Your Side. "At the request of ACA Chris Hinckley, the firearm was field stripped and found to have been assembled incorrectly….The firearm was reassembled properly, test fired and functioned as designed." Crime lab workers photographed the disassembly and reassembly process.McCloskey's husband Mark also brandished a firearm, an AR-15 rifle. The couple said they had intentionally rendered the handgun inoperable so that they could use it as a prop in court, in a separate case brought against a gun manufacturer."It's disheartening to learn that a law enforcement agency altered evidence in order to prosecute an innocent member of the community," the couple's attorney Joe Schwartz said. National Review has reached out to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office for comment.The McCloskeys responded to a June 28 incident during which George Floyd protesters broke into their gated community while attempting to reach the house of St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson."The group began yelling obscenities and threats of harm to both victims," a police report stated. "When the victims observed multiple subjects who were armed, they then armed themselves and contacted police."Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt has filed to dismiss the case against the couple.
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| The body of professional poker player Susie 'Q' Zhao has been found charred in a Michigan park Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT  Police are treating Zhao's death as a homicide, and say it is possible her death was connected to her career.
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| Massive protest against governor's arrest challenges Kremlin Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:36 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday across Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk on the border with China to protest the arrest of the regional governor on murder charges, continuing a two-week wave of protests that has challenged the Kremlin. Sergei Furgal has been in a Moscow jail since his arrest on July 9, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has named an acting successor. Protesters in Khabarovsk see the charges against Furgal as unsubstantiated and demand that he stand trial at home.
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| North Korea's Kim says COVID-19 'could be said to have entered the country': KCNA Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:43 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting after a person suspected of having COVID-19 returned from South Korea after illegally crossing the border this month, state media said on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities, who have so far said the country has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Kim declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, calling it a "critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," state news agency KCNA reported.
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| Three storm systems bearing down on United States, Caribbean Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:11 AM PDT  While Hurricane Douglas is barreling toward Hawaii, tropical storms are taking aim at Texas and the Windward Islands.
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| Taking cue from group in Portland, Wall of Moms forms in Chicago to protect protesters Posted: 24 Jul 2020 02:49 PM PDT  CHICAGO - Inspired by protesters in Portland, Oregon, a new group of mothers in the Chicago area plans to offer a human wall of protection for those protesting police brutality and broader racism. Moms attracted widespread media coverage last weekend when they linked arms at Black Lives Matters protests in Portland, and got sprayed with tear gas and pushed away by federal agents who said they ...
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| Iran protests to UN after US jets approach flight over Syria Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:20 AM PDT  Iran protested Friday to the United Nations of a "flagrant violation" of international law after nearby US fighter jets sparked panic on an Iranian passenger plane over war-torn Syria. The incident on Thursday was the latest between arch-foes Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump in 2018 walked out of a nuclear accord with Iran and imposed punishing sanctions. Iran's state television broadcast footage filmed on a mobile phone of screaming passengers as the pilot of a Mahan Air plane on a flight from Tehran to Beirut took emergency action.
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| Republican Rep. Ted Yoho resigns from a Christian non-profit's board after verbally attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:38 PM PDT  The non-profit said it "sought [Yoho's] resignation" after determining his attack on AOC didn't reflect "values of respect and compassion."
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| Man arrested after pulling gun during mask argument at Florida Walmart Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Vincent Scavetta, 28, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm and arrested.
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| A 28-year-old TV reporter who was diagnosed with cancer said the only reason she got tested was because of a viewer's email Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Victoria Price, a WFLA reporter in Tampa, said she likely wouldn't have caught her thyroid cancer early enough if not for a viewer's concerned email.
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| Israeli police use water cannons on protesters, arrest 55 Posted: 23 Jul 2020 11:36 PM PDT  Israeli police used water cannons to disperse protesters in central Jerusalem and arrested at least 55 of them as clashes broke out overnight after thousands staged a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israelis have held a series of demonstrations in recent weeks calling on Netanyahu to resign, citing his trial on corruption charges and his fractious unity government's poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A smaller counterprotest in support of Netanyahu was held nearby, with the two camps separated by metal barricades and a large police presence.
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| Chinese researcher who took refuge in San Francisco consulate in U.S. custody, officials say Posted: 24 Jul 2020 08:17 AM PDT  A Chinese researcher who took refuge from U.S. authorities at China's consulate in San Francisco is now in American custody and is expected to appear in court on Monday, U.S. Justice Department officials said. According to court filings in U.S. District Court in San Francisco this week, Juan Tang, who worked at the University of California, Davis, falsely claimed on her visa application that she had not served in the Chinese military.
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| Professor behind 'vile' racist and sexist tweets found dead in North Carolina home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:17 AM PDT  Mike Adams, professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington, was set to retire Aug. 1 after being slammed by the university for "vile" and "hateful" language.
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| Robert E. Lee statue, other Confederate memorials quietly removed from Virginia Capitol Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:05 AM PDT  The statue of Robert E. Lee and busts of seven other Confederate soldiers were quietly removed from the Virginia Capitol building overnight as states and cities around the country continue to grapple with symbols of America's racist past.
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| The federal ban on evictions ends today, leaving nearly 28 million Americans on the verge of losing their homes Posted: 24 Jul 2020 02:56 PM PDT  The coronavirus crisis prompted states and the federal government to ban eviction so people don't lose their homes. Those bans are now expiring.
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| A white man reportedly yelled offensive racial slur at Black teen who offered him a donut Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:07 AM PDT  "The guy started yelling, using the n-word on him," the teen's mother told the Boston Globe. She said her son had been offering leftover donuts to strangers.
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| Climate expert suggests Biden will have to 'admit there will be tradeoffs' to reach zero carbon goal Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Climate activists and scientists have generally received former Vice President Joe Biden's plan to eliminate U.S. carbon emissions by 2035 warmly, but there will likely be some backlash ahead, especially regarding a potential reliance on wind and solar alternatives, The Guardian reports.David Keith, a climate and energy expert at Harvard University who co-authored research in 2018 that found America's transition to solar and particularly wind would require up to 20 times more land area than previously thought, said windmills certainly shouldn't be abandoned moving forward, but suggested they could be limited. "You should tilt the energy system toward low land footprints, which means focusing on solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage, with wind at the margins," he told The Guardian.Keith added that if the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee defeats President Trump, the incoming Biden administration will need to "admit there will be tradeoffs for a shared national goal" and that "there will be local decisions people don't like" en route to an emission-free future.But while there are concerns about the effect renewable energy systems can have on land and biodiversity, Melissa Lott, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said the side effects of renewables are unequivocally worth getting to zero carbon. Read more at The Guardian.More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| Minneapolis council shifts police media duties to city staff Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:18 AM PDT  The Minneapolis City Council voted Friday to shift police media duties from the Police Department to city staff in what one council member called a move to improve trust, amid calls for changes in policing after George Floyd's death. The shift in media duties won't affect the city's bottom line, but was seen as emblematic of a struggle over the future of policing in Minneapolis, where a majority of council members favor replacing the current department with a different kind of public safety agency. Overall, the City Council members redirected more than $1 million from a $193 million police budget Friday.
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| Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful Posted: 25 Jul 2020 12:28 AM PDT |
| Trump Brags About Siccing 75K ‘Tough’ Feds on Cities Like Chicago Posted: 23 Jul 2020 08:45 PM PDT  President Donald Trump openly mused on Thursday night about sending tens of thousands of federal agents into major U.S. cities experiencing unrest, claiming he could "solve these problems so fast" if those cities just "invited" the 75,000 "tough" feds he supposedly has ready to go.Trump, who recently announced a "surge" of hundreds of FBI and Justice Department personnel into Chicago to ostensibly combat violent crime, mused openly about his recent "law and order" push with Fox News host and close confidant Sean Hannity.The president first brought up Portland, which is currently the scene of a federal crackdown on anti-racism protesters, boasting that he dispatched DHS agents and unmarked federal authorities "because they are anarchists.""That is a level people haven't seen," the president bellowed. "But they are anarchists. They were going wild for 51 days. And we went in and they've done a great job. They were going to rip down the courthouse, a gorgeous federal courthouse. So we went in and we have been very, very strong."After mocking Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for getting tear-gassed by federal agents on Wednesday night, crowing that "they knocked the hell out of him," Trump insisted that he wanted to "help the cities." And what was his offer to mayors of cities such as Detroit and Chicago? "We'll go into all of the cities, any of the cities," the president declared. "We're ready. We'll put in 50,000, 60,000 people that really know what they're doing. They're strong. They're tough. And we can solve these problems so fast, but as you know, we have to be invited in."Trump went on to add that "at some point, we have to do something much stronger than being invited in."Hannity, meanwhile, tied violence in large cities to Democratic leadership, wondering aloud if the president has a message to "people who boast and argue and say you don't have a chance of winning New York, Illinois, California or Washington State?"Complaining that "liberal Democrats" aren't "respecting the police," Trump claimed Democratic governors and mayors are explicitly telling police to not fight crime."They say not to do it," the president huffed. "It is a philosophy. Let me tell you, if Joe Biden ever got in, the whole country would be like that."Trump eventually circled back to Chicago, which has recently been a major focal point on Fox News programming, asserting that people tell him that "they can't believe what is going on" before referencing a recent shooting in the city."It's a shame," he exclaimed. "And we could solve it if they invited us in, we'd go in with 50,000 to 75,000 people. We would be able to solve it like you wouldn't believe it, like quick."Prior to settling for an expansion of Operation Legend when he announced his "surge," the president privately wanted a Portland-style offensive in Chicago. Envisioning a "camera-ready show of force," Trump wanted federal agents to flush out violent gang leaders and leave them "shaking in their boots."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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| Coronavirus: Why won't India admit how Covid-19 is spreading? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 04:22 PM PDT  Experts say India's government must accept the virus is spreading there through community transmission.
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| White House denies Stephen Miller’s grandmother died from coronavirus, despite death certificate stating otherwise Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:33 AM PDT  The White House has denied top advisor Stephen Miller's grandmother died from the coronavirus - despite the death certificate stating otherwise.Mr Miller's 97-year-old grandmother died after his uncle David Glosser, the brother of the advisor's mother, first revealed the women contracted Covid-19.
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| 12 people infected with the coronavirus were falsely told they'd tested negative — and at least one was hospitalized Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Kevin Evans, a Delaware resident who was told he was negative on July 21, was hospitalized two days later after vomiting and falling unconscious.
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| Man accused of running over Sikh man charged with hate crime Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:31 PM PDT  A man accused of running over the Sikh owner of a suburban Denver liquor store after reportedly telling him and his wife to "go back to your country" is now facing a hate crime charge in addition to 16 other charges.
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| A musician who felt the US was unsafe went to South Korea. He posted about his 2-week mandatory quarantine on TikTok, but wouldn't encourage others to leave. Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:14 PM PDT  "They were very cautious the entire time. I was really impressed by how they handled everything," he told Insider.
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| Water wars: Mekong River another front in U.S.-China rivalry Posted: 23 Jul 2020 11:56 PM PDT  The Mekong River has become a new front in U.S.-China rivalry, environmentalists and officials say, with Beijing overtaking Washington in both spending and influence over downstream countries at the mercy of its control of the river's waters. It's a confrontation in which the Trump administration - which has largely maintained funding for an Obama-era environmental and development programmes in the Lower Mekong - is losing ground. The two powers' struggle recently moved into the realm of science - with the U.S. and Chinese governments each touting different reports about whether China's 11 dams on the river were harming nations downstream.
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| Republicans say Milwaukee murder may be linked to support for Trump Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:48 AM PDT  * Party says killing of Bernell Trammell may have been political * 60-year-old supported Trump and Black Lives Matter, locals sayThe Wisconsin Republican party has called for a federal investigation of a fatal shooting on Thursday, to ascertain whether it was motivated by animosity towards Donald Trump.Bernell Trammell, a 60-year-old African American man who was a well-known figure in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, was shot and killed at around 12.30pm on Thursday. Police did not immediately provide any details on possible suspects or motives.However, the Republican party of Wisconsin said the "senseless" murder may have been politically motivated and called upon federal investigators to become involved.Trammell, who ran a business called eXpressions Journal in Riverwest, regularly displayed signs on political and religious matters, including support for Trump as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, according to those who knew him.Trammell was pictured holding a sign calling for a Trump victory in the November election. But community members have said he supported politicians from both sides of the divide, including Lena Taylor, a Democrat who ran for mayor of Milwaukee this year."He believed in democracy. He believed in his right to free speech," local resident John Self told TV station CBS58."I don't think he ever once tried to convert you or change you. He would just tell you what he thought, he would listen to what you had to think, and then he would respect that."
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| Fact check: South Dakota's COVID-19 infection, jobless stats aren't as good as claimed Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A popular meme notes that South Dakota didn't have any stay-at-home orders (true) and that it has had hardly any COVID-19 (false).
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| US Army plans long-range missile fly-offs for future helicopters Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:37 PM PDT  Fly-offs are coming up in the next few years to assess possible long-range missile options for the Army's future fleet of helicopters.
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| Iraqi forces free German woman kidnapped in Baghdad Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:05 PM PDT  A German woman kidnapped in Baghdad this week was freed overnight and handed over to her embassy, officials from the two countries said on Friday. "Security forces have freed activist Hella Mewis," Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement. Iraq's interior ministry said a joint task force, including the elite Falcons intelligence forces and federal police and anti-crime units, carried out the operation in east Baghdad.
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| Retired Marine who marched into Portland chaos with American flag says he was attacked by Antifa members Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:06 AM PDT  Gabriel Johnson tells 'Fox & Friends' what happened when he tried to bring a message of unity to the protests.
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| A North Carolina private school reopened amid national concerns over in-person classes. Days later a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:44 AM PDT  The school said the staff member was asymptomatic and passed a temperature check, WRAL reported. Sixteen students had come in contact with them.
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| Pakistani police probe minister after killing of journalist Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:20 AM PDT |
| South Korea says daily coronavirus cases may top 100, driven by imported infections Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:09 AM PDT  South Korean health authorities said novel coronavirus infections among people arriving from abroad could drive the number of new cases on Friday to more than 100, the first time since the beginning of April that daily cases hit triple digits. The numbers for Friday will not be announced until Saturday, but Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) deputy director Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing a large number of crewmembers on a Russian ship had tested positive, as had a number of South Korean workers brought home on military flights from Iraq. Meanwhile, two South Korean military aircraft arrived from Iraq on Friday, carrying 293 workers who were evacuated as cases swelled in that country.
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| Op-Ed: Biden faces pressure to pick a Black woman as his running mate. Who should it be? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  All the Black women on Joe Biden's shortlist of possible running mates have major strengths. Unfortunately, they each have liabilities, too.
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| China makes $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries for access to coronavirus vaccine Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:29 AM PDT  China has announced a $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries to pay for access to a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Mexican government.The announcement, by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, followed a virtual meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday.
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| FEMA acknowledges Puerto Rico lacks rebuilt homes and a hospital to survive COVID-19 Posted: 24 Jul 2020 03:01 PM PDT  FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor responded to concerns about why thousands still lack a safe home and why Vieques has no hospital since Hurricane Maria.
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| LeBron James group to donate $100,000 toward paying Florida ex-felons' fines so they can vote Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:44 PM PDT  LeBron James is getting involved in helping ex-felons register to vote in Florida.More Than A Vote, the group that James helped establish this year, on Friday announced it would donate $100,000 toward paying fees and fines of people in Florida with past felony convictions so they can register to vote, Politico reports. The group is raising the money to be donated to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition fines and fees fund. Additionally, the group will host an online screening of a documentary about the late Rep. John Lewis, and proceeds will go to the fund. "Your right to vote shouldn't depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it," Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem, who is also a member of More Than A Vote, said.Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 that restored voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences, but the state later passed a law saying that they must pay off court fees and fines before being able to register to vote. That law is facing legal challenges, and a judge in May found it unconstitutional, saying it creates a "pay-to-vote system." But the Supreme Court has allowed the law to stay in effect for now while the legal challenges continue.More Than A Vote was formed in June amid the nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, and the group describes its priority as "combating systemic, racist voter suppression by educating, energizing, and protecting our community in 2020." James said in an interview with The New York Times last month, "Because of everything that's going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we're finally getting a foot in the door. How long is up to us. We don't know. But we feel like we're getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference." More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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