| Trump plan 'historic', peace deals crucial: Israel foreign minister Posted: 18 May 2020 10:50 AM PDT  Israel's new foreign minister said Monday that US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal offered an "historic opportunity" but that regional peace deals must be maintained during its implementation. Gabi Ashkenazi, who became the Jewish state's top diplomat when a new unity government was sworn in on Sunday, made the comments at a transition ceremony in Jerusalem. "The plan will be promoted responsibly and in coordination with the United States, while maintaining peace agreements and the strategic interests of Israel," Ashkenazi said according to a copy of his remarks seen by AFP.
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| Fired scientist Rick Bright says the US coronavirus response has been 'chaotic' and lacks a clear strategy Posted: 17 May 2020 10:09 PM PDT  "I am frustrated at a lack of leadership," Bright told "60 Minutes, adding that the US does not yet have a national strategy to respond to COVID-19.
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| Barr says FBI discovered 'significant ties' between Pensacola shooter and Al Qaeda Posted: 18 May 2020 09:04 AM PDT  Department of Justice officials announced Monday the FBI has obtained evidence linking the gunman who shot and killed three people and wounded eight at Pensacola, Florida's Naval Air Station last year to Al Qaeda.CNN and The New York Times on Monday reported that investigators discovered ties between the Pensacola shooting suspect, Mohammed Alshamrani, and Al Qaeda after breaking through his iPhones' encryption, and Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray subsequently confirmed the development in a news conference."The phones contained information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Alshamrani's significant ties to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, not only before the attack, but before he even arrived in the United States," Barr said.The Department of Justice in January called the Pensacola shooting an "act of terrorism," saying that Alshamrani, a Royal Saudi Air Force member, was motivated by "jihadist ideology." On Monday, Wray said Alshamrani had been "connecting and associating with a number of dangerous" Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives and talked with AQAP in the months prior to the attack. Wray also called the shooting the "brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP associate."The Justice Department previously asked Apple for help in decrypting the shooter's two iPhones, but Wray on Monday said that the FBI received "effectively no help from Apple" and that "unfortunately, the technique that we developed" to access the phones "is not a fix for our broader Apple problem" because of its "pretty limited application."More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Appeals court clears way for execution of Missouri inmate Posted: 18 May 2020 06:07 AM PDT  A federal appeals court has cleared the way for a Missouri death row inmate to be executed Tuesday and ordered his petition for post-conviction relief dismissed, despite questions raised about evidence used to convict him. The Sunday decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacates a 30-day stay of execution granted Friday to Walter Barton by a federal judge. Barton, 64, is set to die by lethal injection for the 1991 killing of 81-year-old trailer park operator Gladys Kuehler.
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| Huge fentanyl haul seized in Asia's biggest-ever drugs bust Posted: 18 May 2020 03:47 AM PDT  Myanmar police say they have seized a huge haul of liquid fentanyl - the first time the dangerous synthetic opioid that is ravaging North America has been found in Asia's Golden Triangle drug-producing region. In a sign that Asia's drug syndicates have moved into the lucrative opioid market, more than 3,700 litres of methylfentanyl was discovered by anti-narcotics police near Loikan village in Shan State in northeast Myanmar. The seizure of the fentanyl derivative was part of Asia's biggest-ever interception of illicit drugs, precursors and drug-making equipment, including 193 million methamphetamine tablets known as yaba. At 17.5 tonnes, that is almost as much yaba as has been seized during the previous two years in Myanmar. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the scale of the bust was unprecedented and Myanmar's anti-drug authorities had "dismantled a significant network" during a two-month operation involving police and military. Also seized were almost 163,000 litres and 35.5 tonnes of drug precursors - substances that can be used to produce drugs - as well as weapons. There were more than 130 arrests.
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| Moldova accuses tycoon of involvement in $1 billion fraud Posted: 18 May 2020 08:20 AM PDT  Moldova's Prosecutor General said on Monday that one of the country's richest people, Vladimir Plahotniuc, had been charged with involvement in the theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014-2015. Plahotniuc left Moldova for the United States last year after his Democratic Party lost power in an election. The scandal triggered street protests, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union froze aid, the leu currency plunged to record lows and inflation climbed into double digits.
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| Jet doing flyover to salute frontline workers crashes, killing 1 Posted: 18 May 2020 03:00 PM PDT  Another person was seriously injured in the wreck, the Royal Canadian Air Force said.
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| Burkina Faso unveils 'corrected' Thomas Sankara statue Posted: 18 May 2020 05:02 AM PDT  A new monument to the African nationalist hero is unveiled after parts of the original "melted".
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| Marianne Williamson endorses Nancy Pelosi’s left-wing opponent Posted: 18 May 2020 06:26 AM PDT  Former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has endorsed Nancy Pelosi's congressional rival in this year's elections, arguing that the speaker of the House deserves a strong challenge from the left as the Democratic Party becomes estranged from progressive ideals.In a video posted on Instagram, Ms Williamson made clear that she respects Ms Pelosi's achievements, which she said "have really paved the way in profound ways for women such as myself" – but that she has become "very, very concerned with the corporatist direction of the party".
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| 'I cannot stress this enough, this will kill you': Fox News host Neil Cavuto was shocked by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus. Posted: 18 May 2020 02:21 PM PDT  "I only make this not to make a political point here, but a life-and-death point," Cavuto said. "Be very, very careful."
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| Xi defends China's virus response, offers vaccine when ready Posted: 18 May 2020 06:58 AM PDT  Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday Beijing has been "transparent" throughout the coronavirus crisis, and offered to share a vaccine as soon as one was available -- as well as $2 billion in aid. Governments including the US and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the virus, which has become a flashpoint in deteriorating tensions between Washington and Beijing. Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have accused China of a lack of transparency over the issue, and repeatedly pushed the theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese maximum-security laboratory.
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| Australia welcomes virus inquiry but condemns China tariff Posted: 17 May 2020 11:59 PM PDT  Australia on Tuesday welcomed international support for an independent coronavirus pandemic investigation as China ratcheted up a bilateral trade rift by placing tariffs on Australian barley. The World Health Organization bowed to calls Monday from most of its member states to launch an independent probe into how it managed the international response to the coronavirus. The "comprehensive evaluation," sought by a coalition of African, European and other countries including Australia, is intended to review "lessons learned" from WHO's coordination of the global response to COVID-19, but would stop short of looking into contentious issues such as the origins of the respiratory virus.
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| How greater diversity in the cockpit could help airlines avoid a looming pilot shortage Posted: 18 May 2020 05:15 AM PDT  Before the new coronavirus hit, the airline industry was bracing for a severe pilot shortage. But just as the pandemic has forced school closures across the country, it's also disrupting aviation training programs, which could mean even fewer pilots are trained to fly tomorrow's fleet of commercial aircraft.There are many reasons for the anticipated shortage, including increased regulation, growing demand for air travel and an aging workforce, coupled with a mandatory retirement age of 65. But there's one cause that also offers a solution: The industry has long struggled to recruit women, people of color and members of other marginalized groups.As a scholar of aviation education and policy, I believe a stronger focus on attracting a diverse workforce and embracing a more inclusive culture is pivotal to ensuring there are enough pilots as Americans return to the skies in record numbers after this crisis passes. Lack of diversityUpon entering the field of aviation in 2014, it took me about a year on the job before I fully grasped that I was, more often than not, the only woman in the room – and frequently the youngest to boot.Eventually, I had the opportunity to critically examine the systemic problems that have led to a lack of diversity in both the academic aviation world and the broader industry it reflects. I found that women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community were significantly underrepresented, yet their mere presence was often used to symbolize progress in diversifying the industry. And little has changed.A review of the latest Civil Airmen Statistics indicates that a little over 4% of Airline Transport Certificate holders – the required certification to fly for a major carrier – are women. No major U.S. carrier hired a female pilot until 1973. The situation is even worse for African Americans, who were not hired to pilot a commercial airplane until the 1960s. Things changed only because of a six-year battle against Continental Airlines waged by Marlon Green, who filed a discrimination complaint against the carrier. In 1963, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in his favor, paving the way for the first black pilot, David Ellsworth Harris, whom American Airlines hired in 1964. Green would follow suit at Continental in 1965.But even today there are few African American pilots. Sociologists Louwanda Evans and Joe Feagin estimate that the number in 2012 was fewer than 700 – less than 1% of all commercial pilots. Fewer than 20 were black women. Pilot shortageI believe this lack of inclusion has contributed to the looming pilot shortage the industry has worried about for several years.Every few years, Boeing releases a report forecasting the number of professionals that the aviation industry will need in the coming years, from pilots and maintenance technicians to cabin crew. In its most recent report, Boeing estimates that North America is short 212,000 pilots through 2038.One of the problems is the field's high barrier for those who lack resources and support. The cost of a flight education at a traditional four-year institution can range from US$50,000 to upwards of $100,000, in addition to rising tuition fees.Another issue is a culture that isn't very inclusive.For an ongoing research project, I've been interviewing African American women in a variety of positions in the aviation industry about the challenges pursuing a successful career in the field. I've found that the lack of mentors, access to the industry, resources and "people who look like you" have all been barriers to entry and retention in the industry. There is also a perception problem, where women are not seen as authoritative enough for positions like captain of an aircraft.In a recent CNN article, aviation writer Kathryn Creedy put part of the blame on work rules that "haven't changed in 50 years." A sexist work environment is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against Frontier Airlines, which is accused of discriminating against pregnant and breastfeeding women. Beyond tokenismIn the various months devoted to recognizing historically marginalized groups such as women, African Americans and LBGTQ people, the aviation industry joins the chorus of group that use the calendar to highlight historic diversity firsts.For example, you'll often see articles in February showcasing the "first African American pilot" or the "first all LGBTQ flight crew." Unfortunately, those firsts did not spark a significant change that led to real diversity in the cockpit, which continues to be dominated by white men. The problem with celebrating diverse talent only during the designated month is that this approach does not require the industry to reflect on why it needs diversity and inclusion policies in the first place. In her 2013 book, "Cabin Pressure: African-American Pilots, Flight Attendants, and Emotional Labor," sociologist Louwanda Evans writes about how mere representation can't paper over entrenched discrimination. And this problem, in turn, is contributing to the looming pilot shortage. The principles of justice and equity should be enough to convince carriers to make their policies and practices more equitable and inclusive to individuals who have not typically been drawn to the industry. But if they need more convincing, the clear economic imperative should do the job. [Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today's news, every day.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * How do you stay safe now that states are reopening? An expert explains how to assess risk when reconnecting with friends and family * Coronavirus murals: inside the world of pandemic-inspired street artShannon McLoughlin Morrison is affiliated with The Ohio State University, and has volunteered for the National Gay Pilots Association and Women in Aviation
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| Iran Warns U.S. Against Making Any Move Against Its Tankers Heading to Venezuela Posted: 18 May 2020 03:19 AM PDT  Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Monday warned that the Islamic Republic will react if the United States government makes any move against its tankers heading to Venezuela.
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| 31 Best Low-Light Indoor Plants and How to Care for Them Posted: 18 May 2020 07:50 AM PDT |
| FBI: US naval base attack 'motivated by al-Qaeda' Posted: 18 May 2020 06:08 PM PDT  The Saudi Air Force officer who killed three Americans in Florida spoke to the terror group in Yemen.
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| US Presses Forward with Afghan Withdrawal Plan Despite Spate of Horrific Attacks Posted: 18 May 2020 05:50 AM PDT  The U.S. still plans to draw down 8,600 troops in Afghanistan by July.
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| Trump said he's taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against the coronavirus. The drug can lead to heart issues and death. Posted: 18 May 2020 03:13 PM PDT  Clinicians don't know, yet, if the drug helps prevent coronavirus infections, but scientists are looking into the idea.
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| Immigration agency asks for emergency funds, will raise fees Posted: 17 May 2020 03:30 PM PDT |
| Elizabeth Warren says her brother's death from coronavirus 'feels like something that didn't have to happen' Posted: 17 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reflected on the death of her oldest brother, Donald Reed Herring, from the coronavirus in an interview excerpt published by The Atlantic.Herring, who was 86, died earlier this year after contracting COVID-19, which has killed nearly 89,000 people in the United States since February.Warren has been open about the affect her brother's death has had on her, placing a particular emphasis on the fact that she and her other siblings weren't able to be by his side — as is the case with so many people who have lost loved ones around the world — because of the infectious nature of the virus. "It's hard to process things things like this because everything is happening at a distance," she told The Atlantic. "And human beings — we're not set up for that. We're wired to be with each other."The senator also said her brother's death, which she said occurred after it seemed like he "rallied" and might come home soon, "just feels like something that didn't have to happen." Read the full excerpt at The Atlantic.More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Republican apologizes for likening Covid-19 curbs to Nazis' persecution of Jews Posted: 18 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Alaska state representative Ben Carpenter told to 'Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself' after objecting to virus screeningAntisemitic and Nazi-sympathizing comments made by a Republican state representative in Alaska, who likened Covid-19 safety measures at the state capitol to the treatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany, brought widespread rebuke and, eventually, an apology. Alaska's legislature is due to return on Monday and representatives were told by email they would be asked to undergo screening as they entered the building. Those who are screened will be given a sticker to show completion. Those who refuse will not be given a sticker. In an emailed reply to the new measures that was obtained by the Alaska Landmine, Ben Carpenter, a Republican wrote: "If my sticker falls off, do I get a new one or do I get public shaming too? Are the stickers available as a yellow Star of David?"The reply drew instant rebuke from colleagues in the house."This is disgusting. Keep your Holocaust jokes to yourself," replied Grier Hopkins, a Democrat.Carpenter initially declined to apologize and in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News made remarks that appeared to show Nazi sympathies. "Can you or I – can we even say it is totally out of the realm of possibility that Covid-19 patients will be rounded up and taken somewhere?" he said."People want to say Hitler was a white supremacist. No. He was fearful of the Jewish nation, and that drove him into some unfathomable atrocities." On Sunday, facing a national backlash, Carpenter apologized in an op-ed for a local paper."I take my responsibility as the voice of the people who elected me very seriously," he wrote. "I also hold the Jewish people in the highest regard."I do not take myself so seriously that I cannot recognize that the words I wrote, and those attributed to me, do not adequately reflect the esteem I hold for either group of people. I hope to correct that error now."
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| Israel court convicts settler of Palestinian arson murders Posted: 18 May 2020 08:14 AM PDT  An Israeli court Monday found a Jewish settler guilty of three murders in an arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents -- a verdict that did little to ease the bereaved family's pain. Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, from the West Bank settlement of Shilo, was also convicted of two counts each of attempted murder and arson, along with conspiracy to commit a hate crime in the 2015 attack. Hours after the verdict, the Palestinian family devastated by the attack told AFP that justice was incomplete, having long insisted that there were several attackers.
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| Texas reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Posted: 18 May 2020 06:56 AM PDT  More than 700 cases were reported Friday in the Amarillo region, where meatpacking plants have been targeted for increased testing.
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| 'Unbelievable': Mom delivers identical quadruplets during COVID-19 pandemic Posted: 18 May 2020 01:42 PM PDT  Having spontaneous identical quadruplets is so rare, occurring anywhere from 1 in 11 million to 1 in 15 million live births.
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| The shortest flight route in the US is now a 29-mile American Airlines trip connecting two of Colorado's most wealthy resort towns Posted: 18 May 2020 10:15 AM PDT  American Airlines' 35-minute flight, spurred by funding conditions in the CARES Act, connects super-wealthy Colorado enclaves Vail and Aspen.
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| Barr throws cold water on Trump’s ‘Obamagate’ campaign Posted: 18 May 2020 10:40 AM PDT  But the attorney general also expressed sympathy for the president's "abhorrent" treatment during the Russia probe.
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| Liberal media does 180 on FBI abuses after bureau goes after Trump team Posted: 18 May 2020 04:11 AM PDT  The liberal press used to denounce FBI abuses until the Trump administration; former deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division Terry Turchie weighs in.
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| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns China over interference with US journalists in Hong Kong Posted: 17 May 2020 09:25 PM PDT  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday he believed China had threatened to interfere with the work of US journalists in Hong Kong, and warned Beijing that any decision impinging on Hong Kong's autonomy could affect the US assessment of Hong Kong's status. "These journalists are members of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting informs Chinese citizens and the world," Mr Pompeo said in a statement. Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the territory was promised a "high degree of autonomy" for 50 years. The system formed the basis of the territory's special status under US law, which has helped it thrive as a world financial centre. Mr Pompeo announced on May 6 that the State Department was delaying a report to Congress assessing whether Hong Kong enjoyed sufficient autonomy from China to continue receiving special treatment from the United States. He said at the time the delay was to allow the report to account for any actions Beijing might contemplate in the run-up to China's May 22 National People's Congress.
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| U.S. Supreme Court heaps more damages on Sudan in embassy bombing cases Posted: 18 May 2020 07:21 AM PDT  The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a legal setback to Sudan on Monday, ruling that the African nation cannot avoid punitive damages in lawsuits accusing it of complicity in the 1998 al Qaeda bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. Siding with hundreds of people hurt and relatives of people killed in the bombings, the justices ruled 8-0 to throw out a lower court's 2017 decision that had freed Sudan from punitive damages awarded in the litigation in addition to about $6 billion in compensatory damages. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not participate in the case.
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| More than 100 countries are calling for an independent investigation into the coronavirus crisis Posted: 18 May 2020 05:52 AM PDT  The two-day, virtual World Health Assembly meeting has begun as more than 100 countries back a resolution calling for a probe into the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.A resolution at the annual assembly calls for an investigation into the global response coordinated by the World Health Organization to the coronavirus crisis, per NBC News. A draft mentioning the need for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the response to COVID-19 is being supported by 116 countries out of 194, including Australia, Britain, Russia, and members of the European Union, Reuters reports. The European Union is presenting the resolution, which also mentions identifying "the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population."Chinese President Xi Jinping in a remote speech at the assembly on Monday claimed the country has acted "with openness and transparency" during the crisis, saying any investigation should only occur after the virus is under control, BBC News reports.President Trump last month announced funding to the World Health Organization would be put on hold "while its mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is investigated," accusing the organization of having a "dangerous bias towards the Chinese government." When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for a coronavirus inquiry last month, Axios notes that China "accused Australia of doing the United States' political bidding." The resolution that has the support of more than 100 countries, though, doesn't actually name China, The Washington Post notes.The United States, Reuters reports, appears likely to back the resolution at the World Health Assembly, with U.S. Ambassador Andrew Bremberg saying, "My hope is that we will be able to join consensus."More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Ex drug cartel hitman 'El Chino Antrax' killed in Mexico Posted: 18 May 2020 03:54 PM PDT |
| Nursing homes' "original sin" may be making virus crisis worse Posted: 18 May 2020 09:29 AM PDT  Roughly one in 15 U.S. nursing homes was cited last year for failing to meet standards for "sufficient nursing staff."
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| First coronavirus case detected in Ecuador Amazon tribe Posted: 17 May 2020 08:13 PM PDT  The first case of the novel coronavirus has been detected in one of Ecuador's indigenous Amazon tribes, the health ministry said Sunday. Waorani organizations -- speaking through the GO Alliance for Human Rights in Ecuador (DDHH) -- warned COVID-19's spread could be "catastrophic and highly lethal" for their community, which is vulnerable to diseases. The first case reported in the Waorani tribe is a "pregnant woman, 17 years old, who began to show symptoms on May 4," the ministry said in a statement.
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| The top health official in a Russian region that claims to have only 29 coronavirus deaths says the real figure is more than 20 times higher Posted: 18 May 2020 08:33 AM PDT  Russia says Dagestan has 3,371 coronavirus infections and 29 deaths. The region's health minister says the figures are actually 13,000 and 657.
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| House passes $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan, faces pushback in Republican-led Senate Posted: 17 May 2020 09:14 AM PDT  More than a dozen House Democrats voted against the measure pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The plan faces pushback in the GOP-led Senate.
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| Republicans devote $20m and 50,000 people into efforts to restrict voting Posted: 18 May 2020 02:14 PM PDT  The RNC is seeking people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe ineligibleDonald Trump's campaign and national Republicans are pumping millions of dollars into efforts to restrict voting and aggressively fight Democratic efforts to make it easier to cast a ballot during the Covid-19 pandemic.The Republican National Committee has allocated $20m so far to oppose Democratic lawsuits across the country seeking to expand voting. Republicans are also seeking to recruit up to 50,000 people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe are ineligible, according to the New York Times.The 2020 election will be the first time in nearly three decades that national Republicans will be involved in such a program. After the RNC was sued over intimidating minority voters in New Jersey in the early 1980s, they agreed to a federal court order not to engage in "ballot security" efforts. The order expired in 2018.Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the RNC, accused Democrats of trying to "destroy" the integrity of elections on a conference call with reporters on Monday. Several studies, however, have shown that voter fraud is exceedingly rare.The new effort is the latest in a high-stakes battle over voting laws that has shaped the last two decades in US politics. Republicans have consistently supported voting restrictions citing voter fraud. Democrats have pushed to make it easier to vote, saying the focus on voter fraud is just an excuse Republicans use to disenfranchise certain Americans, particularly students and minorities."It is a sad commentary on the sorry state of the Republican party that, under Trump, its only hope for winning in November is to try to suppress the vote," said Marc Elias, an attorney who is representing Democrats in many of their suits across the country.Amid Covid-19, the partisan fight has reached a new level. Republicans have fought Democratic efforts in Wisconsin and other states to make it easier to vote by mail. Democrats have sued to overturn requirements they say will make it difficult to cast a ballot during a pandemic, such as requiring people to give a state-approved excuse for why they want to vote absentee or a witness for their ballots. "What we have seen over decades is that Republicans pursue incredibly aggressive voter suppression tactics because their agenda is unpopular and part of their strategy is to make it harder for Americans to vote," said David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. "We're very aware that part of the Republican playbook is voter suppression and we're fighting back."
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| Coronavirus: Why Taiwan won't have a seat at the virus talks Posted: 17 May 2020 06:15 PM PDT  As the world meets to tackle the coronavirus crisis, one of the most successful countries is not invited.
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| Coronavirus 'not a pandemic in Pakistan' says top court, ordering curbs lifted Posted: 18 May 2020 11:06 AM PDT  Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered the government on Monday to lift some of the remaining restrictions imposed on business to halt the spread of the coronavirus, even as the country recorded a rise in infections since beginning to emerge from lockdown. In its decision, which is binding, the court said the virus "apparently is not a pandemic in Pakistan" and questioned why fighting it was "swallowing so much money". The court ordered shopping malls to be reopened if health authorities do not object, and curbs to be lifted on businesses opening on the weekends.
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| Government to make major revisions to PPP to give small businesses more flexibility Posted: 17 May 2020 12:34 PM PDT  Gene Marks, CPA at The Marks Group, joins 'America's News HQ.'
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| Officials: Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in home Posted: 17 May 2020 12:58 AM PDT  The Chinese ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israel's Foreign Ministry said. Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the ambassador's death was believed to be from natural causes. Israel enjoys good relations with China.
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| Saudi naval base gunman had al-Qaeda links, FBI says, slamming Apple for not unlocking his iPhones Posted: 18 May 2020 11:06 AM PDT  A Saudi military student who killed three Americans at a US naval base in December had longstanding links to al-Qaeda, the FBI has revealed. US investigators revealed their findings after a months-long effort to crack the encryption on Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani's two iPhones. They heavily criticised Apple for refusing to help them unlock communications on the terrorist's devices. Alshamrani, 21, a Royal Saudi Air Force flight student, carried out the attack in a classroom building at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. He was there as part of a US-Saudi training programme . FBI Director Christopher Wray said the attack "was actually the culmination of years of planning and preparation." Evidence discovered on the mobile phones showed Alshamrani was radicaliced at least as far back as 2015, and had associated with "dangerous" operatives from the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP]. US Attorney General Bill Barr accused Apple of putting its own financial interests ahead of the nation's in refusing to provide a way to break the encrypted phones. He said: "If not for our FBI's ingenuity, some luck, and hours upon hours of time and resources, this information would have remained undiscovered. "The bottom line is our national security cannot remain in the hands of big corporations who put dollars over lawful access and public safety. The time has come for a legislative solution." Mr Wray said Alshamrani had expressed a desire to learn to fly years ago with plans for a "special operation," enlisting in the Royal Saudi Air Force and joining flight training in the US. He said: "In the months before the attack, while he was here among us, he talked with AQAP about his plans and tactics, taking advantage of the information he acquired here, to assess how many people he could try to kill." The December 6 shooting left three US sailors dead and eight other people were injured. Alshamrani was shot dead by police. Before he died he tried to destroy one of his phones by shooting it. AQAP claimed responsibility, but there was no immediate evidence of a direct link at the time.
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| Texas' coronavirus confinement enforcement was reportedly more strict in border cities than elsewhere Posted: 18 May 2020 07:22 AM PDT  While Texas GOP leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, openly railed against local officials for fining or even jailing (which is now forbidden) residents for breaching the state's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Dallas Morning News reports that their criticism seems to have been disproportionately directed at the state's largest counties, while the order was more strictly enforced in border cities.The Morning News analyzed data from eight counties and nine cities across the state, finding that the most populous areas mostly relied on voluntary compliance with the order, while local authorities in just three border counties issued at least 2,600 citations and made 200 arrests for violations such as not wearing a face mask, having too many people in the same car, or breaking curfew.The city of Laredo, situated on the border, issued almost six times as many citations as Texas' five most populous cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth — combined.But, the Morning News notes, it appears those incidents mostly flew under the radar. "The elephant in the room is it wasn't until a blonde-haired Caucasian woman got involved that the interests of our political leaders were piqued," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said, referring to the criticism of the jailing of Shelley Luther, who opened her Dallas salon in defiance of the order.Two Laredo women, Ana Isabel Castro-Garcia and Brenda Stephanie Mata, were arrested before Luther for offering cosmetic services, but it was Luther's arrest that sparked a change.Republicans pushed back against the idea that their criticism, or lack thereof, was racially motivated; Lt. Government Dan Patrick said government overreach was "egregious" wherever it occurred, while Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant, said the geography-based backlash was natural, since Dallas gets "a lot more attention than Laredo." Read more at The Dallas Morning News.More stories from theweek.com Trump is hemorrhaging older voters, polls show J.C. Penney to close 242 stores McConnell chooses Rubio to lead Senate Intelligence Committee amid Burr investigation
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| Police in China, Dubai, and Italy are using these surveillance helmets to scan people for COVID-19 fever as they walk past and it may be our future normal Posted: 17 May 2020 01:19 AM PDT  Temperature-scanning $7,000 helmets can catch people running a fever. But experts are skeptical about how helpful temperature scanning will really be.
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| Two men caught stealing from convenience store with watermelons on their heads Posted: 18 May 2020 07:37 AM PDT  Two men were caught on camera stealing from a convenience store, while wearing watermelons on their heads as disguises.The men robbed alcohol from convenience store, Sheetz, in the town of Louisa, Virginia, on 6 May, while wearing watermelons on their heads.
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| House tells Supreme Court its investigation into possible impeachable offenses isn't over Posted: 18 May 2020 02:14 PM PDT  The House Judiciary Committee also is looking into improper political influence in the Justice Department's handling of the cases of key Trump allies.
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| SARS antibodies can block COVID-19 infection: study Posted: 18 May 2020 07:47 AM PDT  An antibody from a patient who recovered from SARS has been shown to block COVID-19 infection in a laboratory setting, researchers said Monday in another potential breakthrough in the search for coronavirus treatment. Scientists based in Switzerland and the United States previously isolated the antibodies from the patient in 2003, following the SARS outbreak that killed 774 people. The researchers identified eight antibodies that could bind to both COVID-19 and the infected cells.
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