| Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Most Americans deny Trump virus response is a 'success' — nearly half say Obama would be doing better Posted: 07 May 2020 06:43 AM PDT  The unfavorable comparison between the current president and his predecessor is one of the clearest signs to date of an emerging dynamic that will define the remainder of Trump's term and the presidential election.
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| Reade tells Kelly she wants Biden to drop out of presidential race Posted: 07 May 2020 05:33 PM PDT  Tara Reade, a former Senate aide to Joe Biden who has accused him sexual assault, told Megyn Kelly in a new interview that she wishes the former vice president would end his bid for presidency.
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| A polar-vortex event is set to hit the northeastern US this weekend, bringing snow and potentially record-breaking springtime cold Posted: 07 May 2020 11:42 AM PDT  Parts of the northeastern US may see snow and record-cold temperatures as a polar-vortex event oozes south from the Arctic.
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| Teenager Ran Away to Be With Boy She Met on Dating Site. A Week Later She Was Dead. Posted: 08 May 2020 11:14 AM PDT  A South Dakota teenager has admitted to slaying a 16-year-old girl who "ran away" from home to live with him after they met on an online dating website, authorities said.Michael Campbell, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Thursday for the death of Shayna Ritthaler, a 16-year-old from Moorcroft, Wyoming, who was reported missing from a local coffee shop on Oct. 3. Less than a week later, her body was found in the basement bedroom of Campbell's home."We got into an argument and then I shot her," Campbell said during a change-of-plea hearing on Thursday, before referring to the teenager as his girlfriend, according to the Associated Press. "I shot her in the head."Meade County State's Attorney Michele Bordewyk said in court that the two teenagers met on an online chat and dating website, Badoo. After weeks of talking online, the pair eventually planned for Campbell to drive to Wyoming so Ritthaler could "run away and live with him in his house," prosecutors said in court on Thursday, the Argus Leader reported.On Oct. 3, Ritthaler was seen getting into Campbell's car at a coffee shop about four hours outside of Cheyenne. Prosecutors say the 17-year-old then drove her back to his home in Sturgis, South Dakota, about an hour away.But back at Campbell's home that he shared with his mother, the teenagers got into an argument. While Bordewyk said it wasn't clear what sparked the argument, it escalated when Campbell grabbed a gun and shot Ritthaler once in the head. The 17-year-old shot her "without the design to cause her death," Bordewyk said, according to AP. When asked by Judge Kevin Krull if he had any justification for killing Ritthaler, Campbell replied: "No."On October 6, authorities found Campbell's car and questioned him. The next day, Ritthaler's body was found in his basement and the 17-year-old was arrested immediately.Many details surrounding the shooting remain unclear because a Meade County judge sealed the case's affidavit on Oct. 10 at the request of the county prosecutor who cited the "potential publicity" of a case that had a "sensitive nature."After his arrest in October, Campbell pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity with first and second-degree murder but changed his plea in Meade County Court as part of an agreement with prosecutors. The plea agreement dismissed the murder charges and recommended a 55-year prison sentence. He will be sentenced on July 10. Steven Titus, the teenager's defense lawyer, said Thursday that the killing was unplanned and said drugs and alcohol were involved. Krull also said that Campbell suffers from PTSD, but Titus said he would wait until sentencing to discuss his client's mental state.Titus said he planned to make a "compelling case" as to why the plea deal and the 55-year sentence was fair, while Bordewyk said three of Ritthaler's family members will make victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing. Campbell was being held on a $1 million bond at a juvenile jail in Rapid City. As part of his change of plea on Thursday, Krull told the teenager he was barred from making contact with the Ritthaler family for the rest of his life and he owed them more than $83,000 in restitution. 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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| Armed activists escort black lawmaker to Michigan's Capitol after coronavirus protest attended by white supremacists Posted: 07 May 2020 11:40 AM PDT  Rep. Sarah Anthony told Yahoo News that her security detail, made up of local black and Latino activists, came together because the armed protesters bearing white supremacist symbols represented a "different level of terror."
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| EU agreed to Chinese censorship over coronavirus origins Posted: 07 May 2020 05:43 AM PDT  The European Union agreed to Chinese censorship of a public letter by its ambassadors that removed any mention of the fact the coronavirus pandemic originated in China, it has emerged. The EU's foreign affairs service agreed to cut out a reference to the "outbreak of the coronavirus in China" as a reason for a cancelled EU-China summit in the letter, which was published in the state-run China Daily newspaper. The European External Action Service (EEAS) excised the reference after coming under pressure from China's foreign ministry. Two weeks ago, the EEAS was forced to deny it had bowed to Beijing by watering down language in a report accusing China of a campaign of disinformation about the virus. It was revealed EU officials softened some of the language condemning China after repeated calls by Chinese officials. "It is of course regrettable to see that the sentence about the spread of the virus has been edited," said Nicolas Chapuis, the EU's ambassador to China, who co-signed the opinion piece with the 27 ambassadors to China of the bloc's member states.
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| Indian migrant deaths: 16 sleeping workers run over by train Posted: 08 May 2020 01:02 AM PDT  The workers fell asleep on the tracks while trying to make their way home during India's lockdown.
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| Woman heartbroken by Smithfield Foods' response to grandfather's death from coronavirus Posted: 08 May 2020 01:42 PM PDT  "I want you to know he died in the hospital alone, isolated, and scared," she wrote in an Instagram message to Smithfield Foods.
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| Jetliner hits and kills person as it lands at Austin airport Posted: 08 May 2020 09:33 AM PDT  Southwest Airlines says pilot spotted the person shortly after it touched down and maneuvered to try to avoid the person.
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| Trump blasts 'human scum' who investigated his administration as Justice Department drops criminal case against Michael Flynn Posted: 07 May 2020 02:59 PM PDT  President Trump excoriated the administration of President Barack Obama as "human scum" who attempted to undermine him by "targeting" former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
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| New Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows mixed reactions to Biden's handling of Tara Reade assault claim Posted: 07 May 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Nearly half of people polled were "not satisfied" with Biden's response to Reade's allegations. Only 19 percent said they were "very satisfied."
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| Man who took video of Ahmaud Arbery's shooting will also be investigated, Georgia official says Posted: 08 May 2020 11:03 AM PDT  A day after a father and son were jailed on murder charges, Georgia investigators say the man who filmed the incident is also being investigated.
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| Pence staffer who tested positive for coronavirus is Stephen Miller's wife Posted: 08 May 2020 12:33 PM PDT  The staffer of Vice President Mike Pence who tested positive for coronavirus is apparently his press secretary and the wife of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller.Reports emerged on Friday that a member of Pence's staff had tested positive for COVID-19, creating a delay in his flight to Iowa amid concern over who may have been exposed. Later in the day, Trump said the staffer is a "press person" named Katie.Politico reported he was referring to Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary and the wife of Stephen Miller. This report noted this raises the risk that "a large swath of the West Wing's senior aides may also have been exposed." She confirmed her positive diagnosis to NBC News, saying she does not have symptoms.Trump spilled the beans to reporters, saying Katie Miller "hasn't come into contact with me" but has "spent some time with the vice president." This news comes one day after a personal valet to Trump tested positive for COVID-19, which reportedly made the president "lava level mad." Pence and Trump are being tested for COVID-19 every day.Asked Friday if he's concerned about the potential spread of coronavirus in the White House, Trump said "I'm not worried, no," adding that "we've taken very strong precautions."More stories from theweek.com Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way Star Wars is reportedly bringing back Boba Fett Trump reportedly got 'lava level mad' over potential exposure to coronavirus
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| Panicked over 'murder hornets,' people are killing native bees we desperately need Posted: 08 May 2020 12:39 PM PDT  Asian giant hornets (a.k.a. murder hornets) have been spotted only in Washington state and Canada. Traps elsewhere are killing beneficial native wasps and bees.
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| Heat, humidity at edge of human tolerance hitting globe Posted: 08 May 2020 11:02 AM PDT  Researchers found that temperature extremes previously thought to be rare have been recorded more than 1,000 times in 40 years.
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| Sarah Palin visits Dallas salon that stayed open amid lockdown Posted: 08 May 2020 03:50 AM PDT  Palin's visit came a day after Shelley Luther was sentenced to 7 days in jail for refusing to close her business during stay-at-home orders.
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| Venezuela orders arrest of 3 in US for role in failed plot Posted: 08 May 2020 11:16 AM PDT  Venezuela's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest Friday of a former Green Beret and two opposition figures living in the United States for their purported role in a botched operation aimed at removing Nicolás Maduro from power. Tarek William Saab said Venezuela will seek the capture of Jordan Goudreau, a military veteran who has claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as Juan José Rendón and Sergio Vergara, two U.S.-based advisers to opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
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| Coronavirus: Meat shortage leaves US farmers with 'mind-blowing' choice Posted: 07 May 2020 09:56 PM PDT  As the virus disrupts the food chain, millions of pigs could be put down without ever making it to table.
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| Tennessee is one of the first states to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's what life is like in my home state, which had crowded checkout lines at the grocery store even at the height of social distancing. Posted: 07 May 2020 10:01 AM PDT  Gov. Bill Lee issued a "safer at home" order in March but stopped short of a shelter-in-place citing personal liberties.
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| Cuomo says he feels like for the first time New York is 'ahead of the virus' Posted: 08 May 2020 10:17 AM PDT  At his daily press conference on Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he feels like, for the first time, the state is "ahead" of the coronavirus because of efforts made to control the outbreak.
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| Ethiopia jails former minister for corruption Posted: 08 May 2020 05:55 AM PDT  An Ethiopian court on Friday convicted a former cabinet minister on corruption charges and sentenced him to six years in prison. The conviction comes amid a push by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to crack down on corruption in the public sector. Several former senior government officials and executives of state-owned enterprises have already been arrested and jailed.
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| Brazil government warns of economic collapse in 30 days Posted: 08 May 2020 08:54 AM PDT  Brazil could face "economic collapse" in a month's time due to stay-at-home measures to stem the coronavirus outbreak, with food shortages and "social disorder," Economy Minister Paulo Guedes warned Thursday. Brazil, Latin America's biggest economy, is also the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the region. But far-right President Jair Bolsonaro - who appeared alongside Guedes, his free-market economics guru - opposes stay-at-home measures to slow the virus, saying they are unnecessarily damaging the economy. "Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on (store) shelves and production may become disorganized, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder," Guedes said. "This is a serious alert." Bolsonaro, who has compared the new coronavirus to a "little flu," said he understood "the virus problem" and believed that "we must save lives." "But there is a problem that's worrying us more and more... and that's the issue of jobs, of the stalled economy," Bolsonaro added. "Fighting the virus shouldn't do more damage than the virus itself."
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| These are the most dangerous jobs you can have in the age of coronavirus Posted: 08 May 2020 04:34 PM PDT  For millions of Americans, working at home isn't an option. NBC News identified seven occupations in which employees are at especially high risk of COVID-19.
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| Tara Reade: Biden sex attack accuser urges him to quit race Posted: 07 May 2020 06:56 PM PDT  Tara Reade offers to take a lie detector test about her claim, on condition Mr Biden do so also.
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| Did we just witness one of the nuttiest foreign policy blunders in American history? Posted: 07 May 2020 02:57 AM PDT  I cannot be the only American who somehow missed the news that on March 26 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the United States would offer bounties of a combined $55 million for the capture of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and four of his top associates. By the end of March, most of the country was living under some sort of mandatory lockdown. People were fighting for toilet paper and stocking up on bags of rice and making plans for aspirational quarantine reading. Millions of us were preparing for Mad Max.It now appears that we were thinking of the wrong '80s action flick. Last weekend it was reported that a group of more than 100 American mercenaries, including two former Green Berets and one ex-agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration, had failed in some kind of apparent coup attempt and that some of them were being detained by the Maduro government. What was being called "Operation Gideon" perhaps unsurprisingly failed to bring about regime change, much less result in the apprehension of the country's socialist dictator. Reports suggest that 50 of the mercenaries stormed Venezuela by sea, joining up with around the same number of fellow soldiers of fortune already waiting behind enemy lines. The Venezuelan army (and Maduro's own paramilitary loyalist forces) outmatched them by around 350,000. A small ragtag band of American warriors attempts to force the commies out of South America against all odds? This is basically the plot of Predator if the Predator hadn't shown up.Pompeo maintains that the United States government was not involved in this offensive. For what it's worth, he is probably telling the truth. Instead it appears that the plot was launched long ago by a bunch of former Venezuelan military officials who have been training deserters from the Maduro regime in secret Colombian camps for a year. One of the principals, a retired general named Cliver Alcalá, was arrested in the United States back in March for drug smuggling and is imprisoned in New York.Operation Gideon was, not to put too fine a point on it, at odds with both federal social distancing guidelines and current recommendations from the World Health Organization. It was also absolutely insane. Convincing Maduro, whose presidency is considered illegitimate by the United States and around 80 other countries, to release captured Americans is going to be an enormous hassle for everyone involved. Pompeo says that the Trump administration is prepared "to use every tool" to secure their freedom. This includes, presumably, the threat of military force. What other options are realistically on the table? Official recognition of the Maduro regime? The imposition of additional economic sanctions upon what is arguably the worst economy in the Western hemisphere during the middle of a global public health crisis? A nice handwritten apology note saying, "Sorry, next time we want to encourage bored ex-servicemen to collaborate with your own generals in a revolutionary plot on the pretext that you are involved in high-level drug trafficking, we will, well, there won't be a next time?"Under virtually any other circumstances a story like this one would be a foreign policy blunder worthy of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in terms of the lunatic scope of its ambition, if not, thankfully, in the number of lives lost, American or otherwise. Instead it is likely to be forgotten amid the pandemic. This does not mean that it is lacking in significance.The main lesson of Operation Gideon is that whatever the Trump administration claims about the importance of Venezuela to American foreign policy, they have no serious interest in doing anything about Maduro, much less in helping ordinary citizens for whom a carton of eggs now costs more than a month's wages. It is easy to rail against the undeniable wickedness of the communist dictatorship there; it is harder to displace it. Sounder heads would leave off talk of gazillion-dollar bounties and hope that the worldwide collapse in oil prices might force Maduro out of power, at which time the United States would be better positioned to help a new government.The other lesson is that, whatever we owe the people of Latin America after a half century of destroying their economies through unfair trade arrangements and our addiction to vile drugs, we lack the national will to help them, just as we failed to move the needle against the Taliban in Afghanistan despite 20 years of trying. This is why, no matter how illogical it seems, one of our nation's two major political parties has committed itself to the principle that virtually unlimited immigration is the only feasible solution. So far, no one is proving them wrong.More stories from theweek.com Sen. Joe Manchin forgot to mute a call with Senate Democrats while he went through an Arby's drive-through Trump reportedly got 'lava level mad' over potential exposure to coronavirus The full-spectrum failure of the Trump revolution
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| AOC and other New Yorkers are slamming JetBlue's planned flyover around ground zero to honor frontline workers Posted: 07 May 2020 02:02 PM PDT  New Yorkers decried JetBlue's flyover on social media, saying it could spark memories of the September 11 attacks for residents.
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| Airline middle seats won't stay empty forever in the name of social distancing. Here's why Posted: 08 May 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Permanently blocking middle seats and limiting the number of passengers per flight is a costly move for airlines and would increase ticket prices.
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| Two arrested in Georgia as anger builds over shooting of Ahmaud Arbery Posted: 07 May 2020 05:57 PM PDT  More than two months after an unarmed black man was shot in south Georgia, protesters across America are asking why it took so long for police to investigate.
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| Taliban founder's son appointed military chief of insurgents Posted: 07 May 2020 10:05 AM PDT  The son of the Afghan Taliban's late founder has been appointed as the insurgents' military chief in a political reshuffle to check the power of his predecessor, senior militant figures have said. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob has been announced head of the military commission for the movement trying to overthrown the internationally-backed government in Afghanistan. His appointment was confirmed as the militants have significantly ramped up attacks following a withdrawal agreement with America. The appointment of the son of Mullah Mohammad Omar, the one-eyed founder of the Taliban, reins in the former military leader Sardar Ibrahim as the movement closes in on negotiations with the Afghan government. Mullah Yaqoob will keep his previous post as deputy to the movement's overall leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada, but will now also oversee military operations. Mullah Omar died in 2013, though the insurgent movement continued to release statements in his name until it finally admitted he was dead in 2015. Two senior Taliban figures told the Telegraph that the decision had been made at the insistence of factions in the Taliban and among Pakistan's military who still have influence over the insurgents. Ibrahim had been considered too hostile to Pakistan and too close to Iran, the sources said. Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, confirmed the appointment but would not comment on the reasons for it. The post of military chief has formally been vacant for several years, but Ibrahim has been de facto nationwide leader while officially deputy in charge of southern military operations. Ibrahim will remain as Mullah Yaqoob's deputy.
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| Idaho governor appeals to Supreme Court to stop trans inmate's surgery Posted: 08 May 2020 03:03 PM PDT  A lower court had ruled that the prisoner's gender-affirming surgery is a medical necessity, and denying it constituted a violation of the Eighth Amendment.
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| A ‘new reality’: California takes cautious first steps in reopening plan Posted: 08 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Governor Gavin Newsom announced new guidelines that move the state into the second phase of a four-step process to reopeningCalifornia took its first cautious steps towards reopening, seven weeks after the state became one of the first to order its residents to stay at home to curb the spread of the coronavirus.A small set of retailers, including bookstores and clothing shops, were allowed to reopen their businesses with curbside service on Friday but not have customers in their stores. Manufacturers' warehouses considered low risk for the virus could reopen as well.The new guidelines were announced by the California governor, Gavin Newsom, and move the state into the second phase of a methodical four-step process to full reopening. They also allow some local governments to move faster with reopening than the state overall if the counties meet certain testing and tracing requirements and have a healthcare system that can handle a potential surge.In this phase, roughly 70% of the state's economy will reopen with modifications in place, Newsom said at his Friday briefing. Though optimistic at the direction the state was heading, he warned Californians to "be sober about this reality"."We continue to want to remind you and need to remind you of the incredible importance of vigilance at this moment," he said. "This pandemic has not gone away. We may be exhausted by it, we may be chomping at the bit to get back to some semblance of normalcy, but we had 1,898 new positive cases yesterday. We had 81 families torn apart because of the loss of a loved one."Newsom said the state government wants to work with local counties who could open up sooner. "Not every part of the state will move at the same time," he acknowledged.The governor also announced California would send every registered voter a mail-in ballot in the upcoming November elections. Newsom signed an executive order Friday that he hopes will give voters a choice and make sure they "don't feel like they have to go into a concentrated, dense environment where they feel like their health is at risk"."There's no safer, physically distancing way to exercise your right to vote than from the safety and convenience of your own home," said California secretary of state Alex Padilla. Voters will still have the option to vote in person, he added.In many cities, this week's changes did not lead to immediate dramatic changes. Several local governments have announced they will take more time to open up, and many smaller retail stores have already organized curbside pickup. In the Los Angeles region, where half of the state's Covid-19 deaths have occurred, officials are maintaining most restrictions and making only "minor adjustments", allowing some brick-and-mortar business to start curbside pickup, including music stores, bookshops, florists and clothing stores.The county, which remains the primary coronavirus hotspot in California, was also reopening some popular hiking trails and golf courses, but have said residents must continue to practice social distancing and wear face coverings if near others. This first phase, LA officials said, is the beginning of "a slow and gradual change to a new reality" for Angelenos.The beaches in Orange county, which Newsom shut down after they drew massive crowds last month, are also reopening, but officials are keeping many parking lots closed and only allowing "active recreation" like running and swimming while banning sunbathing and stationary hangouts.The city of San Francisco said it, too, will allow some businesses to open with curbside pickup, but was delaying that move until 18 May. Like LA, bookstores, florists and music stores will be the first merchants allowed to operate storefront pickup, the city said."Giving businesses the option to reopen and provide storefront pickup will provide some relief for everyone in our city – allowing some people to get back to work, while still protecting public health," the mayor, London Breed, said in a statement. "The last thing we want is to see a spike in the number of cases or hospitalizations, so we're going to be keeping close track of our key Covid-19 indicators and will be ready to make any adjustment needed to keep our community healthy."Streets and sidewalks in Oakland's Chinatown appeared reanimated on Friday morning, with more traffic than they've seen since mid-March.Many grocery store workers wore full face shields, as shoppers sifted through produce displayed outside the markets. "Today's been the busiest, that's the only difference," said a stockperson at Aloha Market. "It's mostly grocery stores and restaurants around here, so not a lot has changed – just more people".On the eve of Mother's Day weekend, business appeared to be buzzing at From Heart Florist. Staff made fast work out of flower arrangements, prepping bouquets for pickup orders and delivery.Some rural counties in northern California didn't await the governor's decision. Modoc county was the first last week to allow its only movie theater to resume operations. Yuba and Sutter counties started opening up businesses such as retail stores, gyms, salons and tattoo parlors on Monday, prompting a warning from the governor they were making "a big mistake".In Yuba City and Marysville on Tuesday, few customers wore masks when they entered stores or strolled along the sidewalks. The counties' public health commissioner warned the business communities the next day to make sure employees and customers adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear face coverings. "It has become clear a number of businesses are not enacting required protocols to ensure the safety of the community," Dr Phuong Luu said.State regulators have begun contacting businesses opening early, but are focusing less on penalizing them and more on gaining voluntary compliance. Thirty-three salons in two counties that had reopened in defiance of the statewide order have now shut down again, Newsom said. "They're now working with us in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation," he said.Businesses across California, America's most populous state, are eager to follow suit. Since the stay-at-home order was issued on 19 March, more than 4 million Californians have been put out of work. Newsom projected on Thursday the state will have a budget shortfall of $54.3bn because of the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus.Small groups of protesters have gathered in cities across the state in recent weeks, urging Newsom to open up.Public health officials have cautioned, however, that the state has not seen a sustained decline in Covid-19 cases, and that its capabilities to test people and trace who might have been exposed to the virus are nowhere near those of countries like South Korea and Germany that have successfully eased restrictions.By Thursday, California had recorded more than 61,000 confirmed cases and 2,500 deaths. If the numbers continue to decline, the next phase in the governor's plan could see salons, gyms, movie theaters and in-person church services resume. That phase, however, could be months away. Phase four would end all restrictions and allow for large gatherings at concerts and sporting events.Jefferson Wagner, owner of Zuma Jay surf shop along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, put up a sign that said "no mask, no service" as he prepared to reopen on Friday, allowing customers to order in advance and pick up surfboards, apparel or other items in the parking lot. "We've got full inventory. We're well stocked after two months of doing nothing," said Wagner, 66, who is also a longtime Hollywood special effects operator. "We've gotta get these businesses open … though in LA and Malibu, we're not the kind to run around and carry banners and firearms to protest."
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| Union opposes reopening U.S. meat plants as more workers die Posted: 08 May 2020 02:58 PM PDT  The largest union representing U.S. meatpacking workers said on Friday it opposed the reopening of plants as the Trump administration had failed to guarantee workers' safety. At least 30 meatpacking workers have died of the novel coronavirus and more than 10,000 have contracted it, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents more than 250,000 meatpacking and food processing workers, said in a statement. The pandemic caused at least 30 meatpacking plants to temporarily close over the past two months, resulting in a 40% drop in pork production capacity and a 25% drop in beef production capacity, the union said.
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| World War II in Europe Ended 75 Years Ago—But the World Is Still Fighting Over Who Gets to Say What Happened Posted: 08 May 2020 07:26 AM PDT  The outcome could affect the lessons the world takes from World War II
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| Russia is fast becoming a coronavirus epicenter, with health workers still reporting PPE shortages. Putin is already thinking about reopening. Posted: 08 May 2020 04:19 AM PDT  On Thursday, the country reported its largest one-day increase in new cases of 11,231 — yet President Putin already has his eyes on reopening.
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| Scientists obtain 'lucky' image of Jupiter Posted: 08 May 2020 05:44 AM PDT  The Hawaii-based Gemini telescope produces a super-sharp picture of the gas giant in the infrared.
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| 3 nurses strangled in Mexico; border mayor gets coronavirus Posted: 08 May 2020 02:00 PM PDT  Three sisters who worked in Mexico's government hospital system were found murdered by strangling, authorities in the northern border state of Coahuila announced Friday, stirring new alarm in a country where attacks on health care workers have occurred across the nation amid the coronavirus outbreak. Two of the sisters were nurses for the Mexican Social Security Institute and the third was a hospital administrator, but there was no immediate evidence the attack was related to their work. The National Union of Social Security Employees called the killings "outrageous and incomprehensible."
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| Off-duty officer body slams Walmart shopper irate over face mask rule Posted: 07 May 2020 07:28 PM PDT |
| Democrats hope to flip Arizona, as GOP shores up defenses Posted: 08 May 2020 12:14 PM PDT  Of the candidates seeking to upset a Republican incumbent this cycle, Senate candidate Mark Kelly has outraised every other Senate hopeful in the country.
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| You Touch Public Surfaces All Day. Here's How to Stay Safe From Coronavirus. Posted: 08 May 2020 09:39 AM PDT  From the moment COVID-19 started spreading in the U.S., you probably heard recommendations to wash your hands after contact with what are called high-touch surfaces: elevator buttons, public fauc...
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| Delta, citing health concerns, drops service to 10 US airports. Is yours on the list? Posted: 08 May 2020 03:41 PM PDT  Delta said it is making the move to protect employees amid the coronavirus pandemic, but planes have been flying near empty
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| CNN legal analysts say Barr dropping the Flynn case shows 'the fix was in.' Barr says winners write history. Posted: 08 May 2020 05:23 AM PDT  The Justice Department announced Thursday that it is dropping its criminal case against President Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn twice admitted in court he lied to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's U.S. ambassador, and then cooperated in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. It was an unusual move by the Justice Department, and CNN's legal and political analysts smelled a rat."Attorney General [William] Barr is already being accused of creating a special justice system just for President Trump's friends," and this will only feed that perception, CNN's Jake Tapper suggested. Political correspondent Sara Murray agreed, noting that the prosecutor in the case, Brandon Van Grack, withdrew right before the Justice Department submitted its filing, just like when Barr intervened to request a reduced sentence for Roger Stone.National security correspondent Jim Sciutto laid out several reason why the substance of Flynn's admitted lie was a big deal, and chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was appalled. "It is one of the most incredible legal documents I have read, and certainly something that I never expected to see from the United States Department of Justice," Toobin said. "The idea that the Justice Department would invent an argument -- an argument that the judge in this case has already rejected -- and say that's a basis for dropping a case where a defendant admitted his guilt shows that this is a case where the fix was in."Barr told CBS News' Cathrine Herridge on Thursday that dropping Flynn's case actually "sends the message that there is one standard of justice in this country." Herridge told Barr he would take flak for this, asking: "When history looks back on this decision, how do you think it will be written?" Barr laughed: "Well, history's written by the winners. So it largely depends on who's writing the history." Watch below. More stories from theweek.com Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way Star Wars is reportedly bringing back Boba Fett Trump reportedly got 'lava level mad' over potential exposure to coronavirus
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| US mercenary says group plotted to seize Venezuela's presidential palace Posted: 07 May 2020 02:24 PM PDT  Airan Berry, captured by security forces, says group aimed to haul Maduro away 'however necessary'An American soldier of fortune captured during a botched attempt to seize Venezuela's leader has claimed his group had plotted to raid Nicolás Maduro's presidential palace before spiriting him away "however necessary".Airan Berry, 41, was one of two US mercenaries captured by Venezuelan security forces this week after what appears to have been a catastrophically executed attempt to topple Maduro by sneaking into the South American country in a pair of weather-beaten fishing boats.In an edited televised confession, broadcast by Venezuelan state television on Thursday, Berry claimed one of the group's key objectives was to commandeer the heavily fortified Miraflores palace in the capital, Caracas.Asked how they planned to extract Maduro from the 19th-century building, the Iraq veteran answered: "I'm not exactly sure – however necessary."Berry said the group had also planned to "secure the airstrip" at La Carlota, a military airbase at the heart of Venezuela's capital, in order to fly Maduro out of the country.The base is six miles west of the Miraflores palace and was the scene of a failed attempt to spark a military uprising against Maduro on 30 April last year.Asked where the plane would have taken Maduro, Berry, a former special forces engineer sergeant in the US army, replied: "I assume that it is the United States."Berry's declarations were broadcast one day after a similar video featuring the group's other North American member, Luke Denman.Denman, 34, told his interrogators his mission had been to apprehend Maduro and take him to the US. "I thought I was helping Venezuelans take back control of their country," he said.There was no sign any lawyers were present during either alleged confession, or that the men were not speaking under duress.In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ephraim Mattos, a former Navy Seal who knows Denman, said the former special forces soldier appeared to signal he was speaking under duress by moving his eyes while talking about Donald Trump's supposed involvement in the planned attack."He looks off screen real quick," Mattos told the newspaper. "That's him clearly signaling that he's lying. It's something that special forces guys are trained to do."Berry named two other highly sensitive targets in his statement: the installations of Venezuela's military counter-intelligence service, DGCIM, and the Bolivarian national intelligence service, Sebin.Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since the death of his mentor, Hugo Chávez, in 2013, has led the country into a devastating economic collapse, with millions of citizens fleeing overseas during his presidency.On Tuesday he portrayed the botched incursion as a 21st-century version of the failed US invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and alleged the mercenaries had been working for Trump.The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, raised eyebrows this week by denying "direct" involvement in the plot.The Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has also been linked to the conspiracy, has denied currently being involved with the US-based private security firm that employed Berry and Denman. But his spokespeople have declined to say whether they previously did have such connections.
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| Relax Social Distancing? South Korea’s Giving It a Try—With Some Scary Results Posted: 08 May 2020 10:31 AM PDT  SEOUL—South Koreans may be proud of their record relegating coronavirus to the status of a relatively minor menace, but the kind of voluntary social distancing called for now is hard. If anyone doubted that, a new outbreak in one of Seoul's legendary nightclub districts provides an unsettling reminder.South Korea never locked down the way many other countries have, but it did enforce strict rules to keep people from getting so close to each other that the novel coronavirus could run rampant.The fresh outbreak that began last week started in gaudy clubs where the rules of common sense had been dissipating as the dangers of the coronavirus began to fade. No one was wearing masks, and social distancing had ceased to be a priority. Now the search is on to find everyone who might have been in close quarters with one person who was diagnosed as having had COVID-19.He was not identified publicly other than as the 29-year-old source of at least 18 cases, including three foreigners, in five clubs in Itaewon, which was once the stomping ground of American GIs near the former U.S. military headquarters in central Seoul. Officials feared the bug could spread among more than 1,500 people who'd been at those clubs renowned for noise, drinks, fast food at inflated prices, still more for hostesses at some of them. The clubs often are crowded late into the night.The sudden upsurge haunted Koreans just as the government this week was going through the motions of relaxing its strict guidelines, counting on everyone to observe "voluntary social distancing in daily life." Somewhat ambiguously after the incident, night club owners were advised to "restrict business" for one month, suggesting it would be a good idea to cool it—or maybe even close—voluntarily. They were also asked to write down the names of customers—invaluable for tracing future cases—and told everyone had to be wearing face masks. Oh, and, if more cases did break out, owners would have to pay medical expenses.By late Friday night, many owners and managers seemed to have gotten the idea. A lot of the bars were closed and the often crowded main drag through Itaewon was bereft of its usual weekend traffic. All of which supported the view of Son Young-rae, director of strategy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, that we should expect the virus "inevitably to come back in daily activities," though clearly he was not thinking so soon.Son, talking about removal of strict rules before the news of the nightclub incident had gotten around, was confident, "When we have a second outbreak, the speed of the spread will be remarkably slow." Notice Son is not talking about if but when. A second surge is taken as a given.The outbreak in Itaewon may not be enough to warrant restoring rigid formal rules, but officials are wary. Son's superior, Kim Ganglip, vice health minister, said "when the social distancing campaign was in effect" an order on quarantine measures "was valid for nightlife establishments." Now "we will see if additional measures are needed."For now, while owners of nightclubs are expected to do as told, voluntarily or not, ordinary folks can decide for themselves whether to stand six feet apart or wear face masks. By next week, schools and libraries should be reopening, some faster than others. People can work out at fitness centers and go to theaters, and nobody's ordering them to line up six feet apart at cash registers in shops and restaurants.It's hoped that everyone knows enough to do that almost instinctively, even as a strict protocol remains in place for those entering the country from abroad.With at least half the new cases of the virus blamed on passengers off international flights, stringent testing remains in force at airports.The results of the test come back usually after one night at a government facility. The vast majority are negative, but new arrivals are still quarantined for two weeks with friends or relatives or, if on their own, in a spartan room for two weeks at a cost of nearly $100 a day, including meals deposited in carefully wrapped packages outside doors.The only exceptions are those on urgent business who plan to stay for just a few days. They can get a waiver from Korean embassies or consulates abroad after testing negative for the virus. So far only 200 people have gotten the waiver.No matter what, Son had to admit, "it is impossible to terminate or remove COVID-19." Rather, he said, "we can control the situation."At a virtual briefing for foreign correspondents for which they sent in questions, Son played up voluntary distancing even as coffee shops, stores, subways, and buses filled with rush hour crowds. The only sign that people were thinking seriously about COVID-19 was that most were wearing face masks.Some, however, chose to let them slip down below their noses and mouths while a few were no longer bothering to wear them at all.The Korean system, held up as an example before the world after the disease broke out in early February among members of a religious sect in Daegu, a major city 140 miles southeast of here, clearly has worked remarkably well. As of Friday, the Korean Center for Disease Control reported 10,822 cases, up 12 from the day before, including 256 deaths, no increase from the previous day. According to Worldometer calculations, COVID-19 has killed only five out of every 1 million people in South Korea. By comparison, there are 233 per million in the United States, where more than 76,000 people with the disease have died.As South Korea tries to relax restrictions, it is not counting on the population developing immunity any time soon. Son was realistic about the simple fact there's no cure yet for the virus and it's going to frighten Koreans, and the rest of the world, for at least another year or two, maybe longer."Until we have a vaccine or cure, we can have a reappearance," he said, citing the danger of the disease spreading from people who are asymptomatic—showing no signs of the illness and never tested. "It's very difficult to root out."Son spoke before Korean mayors and governors gathered in an emergency session to talk about new guidelines for the nightclubs that were going strong, at least until last weekend. Those who had visited the King Club, Club Queen, and Trunk Club, all places where the latest "super-spreader" had been, were advised to quarantine themselves.The possibility loomed of South Korea again imposing restrictions while Son and others defended the need for voluntary compliance rather than legal orders on social distancing and other common-sense strictures, including wearing face masks and washing hands.Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director general at the Korea Center for Disease Control, counted on what he said would be the "etiquette of people entirely participating" in "the Korean spirit" but acknowledged, "We all agree that the COVID-19 world is very different from the past."He portrayed Koreans as banding together against the disease and saw very little chance of many if any suffering from relapses, or recurrence of the bug once they've been tested as cured.On the basis of 300 cases so far in which tests have shown "reactivation of COVID-19," he said, "there has not been infection or contagion."Laboratory analyses on "whether there's a reactivated virus," he explained, showed that "reactivation was not clinically significant." In fact, while the virus was detected, there had "not been a single case" of anyone coming down with the disease that way.Kwon seemed somewhat less certain about the level of immunity as determined by tests for antibodies capable of fighting the virus, but did say "we have a detailed plan" that depends on cooperation from the Korean public, 70 percent of whom "usually agree to public health testing." One reason testing was readily accepted, he said, was a public health system in which all Koreans get extremely low-priced medical care.An important element in the battle is plasma from patients who are ill. "Plasma can be developed for finding a cure," he said, citing an ongoing "active investigation on developing plasma."Kwon was not optimistic, however, about coming up with the answer right away, or even this year or next. "We will have a concrete picture by next year," he said, but "the vaccine requires higher safety than the treatment"—often carried out in a life-or-death effort simply to save a patient by whatever means have a chance of working.Critical to Korea's success so far, in Kwon's view, was the decision to let people know what's going on, and to track down, via cellphone signals and other means, every place anyone diagnosed with the disease has been."Openness and transparency didn't just come alone," he said. Only after the outbreak five years ago of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), in which 38 Koreans died, was a law passed that requires information sharing.One result has been not only the willingness to cooperate but also the means to pass along warnings as soon as possible. The words "emergency alert" show up on the screens of mobile devices whenever a case is discovered and diagnosed, as happened at least twice on Friday. The first notice did not give out the name of the person but did reveal where he or she lived and had been."COVID-19 developed with huge speed," said Son Young-rae from the health ministry. "It was very important to carry out diagnostic tests actively."By attacking the spread of the disease quickly and aggressively, however, South Korea never resorted to lockdowns and shutdowns as in the U.S. and Europe."We will keep monitoring and controlling the system," Son said. "If the numbers are increasing, we will go back to the system we had in the beginning": social distancing.Not long after he spoke, millions of cellphones buzzed with another "emergency alert." Anyone who had been in those nightclubs in Itaewon, the message advised, "should stay home."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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| Should Schiff step down from House Intelligence Committee after release of Russia docs? Posted: 07 May 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff is reportedly in 'panic mode' as House transcripts appear to contradict claims on collusion evidence in the Russia probe; Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe and former D.C. Democrat Party Chair Scott Bolden debate.
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| Silicon Valley companies may have to give up providing ubiquitous free snack selections when offices reopen Posted: 07 May 2020 09:45 AM PDT  The grab-and-go nature of free snacks may not have a place in reopened offices with physical distancing measures in place.
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