| Whitmer: I had 'conversation' with Biden campaign about vice presidency Posted: 19 May 2020 11:32 AM PDT  The Michigan governor said she is focused on the coronavirus threat but that the Biden campaign has had a "conversation" with her about VP job.
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| He thought the coronavirus was 'a fake crisis.' Then he contracted it. Posted: 18 May 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Brian Hitchens said he thought that the coronavirus "is a fake crisis" that was "blown out of proportion" and "wasn't that serious."
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| Navy Cruiser Commanding Officer Fired After 4,000-Gallon Fuel Spill Posted: 18 May 2020 05:10 PM PDT  Capt. Erica Hoffmann, commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea was relieved of her duties.
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| China abductions: Parents find son snatched in hotel 32 years ago Posted: 19 May 2020 05:42 AM PDT  Li Jingzhi quit her job to search China for her son, Mao Yin, who went missing in 1988.
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| China protests at support of U.S. and others for Taiwan at WHO Posted: 19 May 2020 06:41 AM PDT  The Chinese envoy to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday denounced the support shown by the United States and others to Taiwan during its annual ministerial assembly and said that was undermining the global response to the pandemic. Taiwan lobbied hard to be included as an observer at the two-day virtual meeting and received strong support from the United States, Japan and others, but says it was not invited due to opposition from China. "There are still a few countries determined to plead for Taiwan authorities, seriously violating relevant U.N. and WHO resolutions and undermining global anti-epidemic efforts," Chen Xu, the Chinese ambassador, told the virtual assembly.
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| China says U.S. trying to shift blame and smear Beijing over WHO Posted: 19 May 2020 07:09 AM PDT  China said the United States was trying to shift the blame for Washington's own mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, responding to President Trump's letter threatening to halt funding to the World Health Organization.
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| Who might be Joe Biden's running mate? Posted: 19 May 2020 03:53 PM PDT  He is said to be seriously considering five to eight women for the job of vice president.
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| MGM Resorts unveils free parking as it prepares for return of guests amid coronavirus Posted: 19 May 2020 04:51 AM PDT  MGM Resorts, operator of a dozen properties in Las Vegas, announced Monday the return of free parking amid coronavirus.
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| Authorities announce forfeiture of ancient Gilgamesh tablet from Hobby Lobby's Museum of the Bible Posted: 18 May 2020 08:24 PM PDT  The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was featured at the Washington, D.C., museum. The crafts chain bought it in 2014 for $1.6 million.
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| Evangelist who built global ministry dies in Atlanta at 74 Posted: 19 May 2020 07:26 AM PDT |
| With the only store in town, Alaskan grocer goes above and beyond to keep shelves stocked Posted: 18 May 2020 11:09 PM PDT  When your store is the only place in town to buy groceries, you do what you have to do in order to ensure the shelves are never empty.Toshua Parker and his wife, Cassia, own Icy Strait Wholesale in Gustavus, Alaska — population 450. This tiny town is only accessible by boat or airplane, and Parker used to have his Costco orders delivered to the store on Alaska's ferry system. Because of the pandemic, the ferry is not stopping in Gustavus. His supplies began dwindling in March, so Parker decided he would have to start picking up his orders in person.Every week since, Parker and his employees have made the 14-hour round-trip to Juneau, 50 miles away, taking a converted military landing craft and loading it up with food and other essentials to stock the store. This long trek "doesn't seem like a big deal," Parker told CNN. "Alaskans are fiercely independent and resourceful; you really have to be to survive here. So when a problem arises, we don't typically look to someone else for help, we just find a way to do it."A lot of planning goes into the trips, with Parker having to take into consideration the tides and weather forecasts. He said he's grateful for his employees who are "going to work every day during this pandemic to make sure our town stays supplied," adding that having to go to such great lengths to keep the people of Gustavus fed is "just another day in our world."More stories from theweek.com Trump spent hours retweeting, slamming Fox News, including profane attacks on host Neil Cavuto The snake oil salesman cometh Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talcum-based baby powder in U.S., Canada
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| Man abducted as child in China reunited with parents after 32 years Posted: 19 May 2020 06:33 AM PDT  A Chinese man kidnapped as a toddler 32 years ago has been reunited with his biological parents, after police used facial recognition technology to help track him down. Mao Yin was just two when he was snatched outside a hotel in Xi'an in central Shaanxi province in 1988 and sold to a childless couple in neighbouring Sichuan province who raised him as their own son, Xi'an's public security bureau said in a statement. Police "aged" one of Mao's childhood photos, according to state broadcaster CCTV, and used the model to scan the national database and find close matches.
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| Fossil of one of the last megaraptors on the planet found in Argentina Posted: 18 May 2020 03:10 PM PDT |
| At least 25 million people in China are under enhanced coronavirus lockdowns after an outbreak of 34 cases in a province next to Russia Posted: 19 May 2020 07:53 AM PDT  Lockdown measures have been reimposed in the northeastern provinces of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang where new coronavirus cases have emerged.
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| The sister of Ahmaud Arbery's accused killer posted pictures of his dead body to Snapchat, and said it's because she's a 'true crime fan' Posted: 19 May 2020 02:58 AM PDT  In an interview with The Sun, Lindsay McMichael admitted to sharing a photo of Arbery's body at the scene, but said she didn't do so maliciously.
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| Trump news: President says he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for weeks after insisting coronavirus vaccine announcement coming soon Posted: 18 May 2020 12:40 PM PDT  Donald Trump claims he takes a daily pill of the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine "as a preventative" against coronavirus, despite no evidence that links the anti-malaria drug as a preventative medicine to combat Covid-19 infection. "What do you have to lose?" he told reporters on Monday.The president also attacked his predecessor Barack Obama for his criticism of the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus, saying the 44th president was "grossly incompetent" in office, despite Mr Trump overseeing the deaths of nearly 90,0000 Americans during the outbreak.
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| Grounded in Arizona: Flights arrive but don't leave as ailing airlines park fleets Posted: 18 May 2020 09:29 AM PDT  As the airline industry contracts during the COVID-19 crisis, carriers are grounding thousands of jetliners in the Southwest.
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| 70 cases of COVID-19 at French schools days after reopening Posted: 18 May 2020 12:14 PM PDT  The affected schools are being closed immediately.
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| Australian man fined for rescuing whale from sea nets Posted: 19 May 2020 12:40 AM PDT  After rescuers failed to arrive, the man launched his own rescue, driving his boat out to the whale.
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| After 32 Years, a Missing Son Is Reunited With His Parents in China Posted: 19 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT  A missing son who was abducted from his parents at a hotel in northwest China has been reunited with his family 32 years later.
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| 4 Modern Places of Worship That Elevate Architecture Posted: 19 May 2020 12:17 PM PDT |
| Abu Dhabi's Etihad makes first known flight to Israel, carrying Palestinian aid Posted: 19 May 2020 11:12 AM PDT  An Etihad Airways plane flew from the United Arab Emirates to Israel on Tuesday to deliver coronavirus supplies to the Palestinians, a spokeswoman for the Abu Dhabi airline said, marking the first known flight by a UAE carrier to Israel. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with any of the six Gulf Arab countries, and there are no commercial flights between them.
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| A report circulating in Congress, which claims that China covered up a virus leak from a Wuhan lab, has been debunked Posted: 18 May 2020 04:03 AM PDT  The Sierra Nevada Corporation claimed a "hazardous event" occurred at the Wuhan Institute of Virology last year. The theory is popular but unverified.
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| Trump wants to 'terminate' all trade deals that bring foreign cattle to US Posted: 19 May 2020 08:11 AM PDT  Donald Trump on Tuesday called on federal officials to cancel all trade deal with other countries that include cattle imports."We have a lot of cattle in this country," he said of the United States. "I think you should look at the possibility of terminating those deals."
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| Two arrested in US for cross-border kidnap plot that left two dead Posted: 18 May 2020 05:57 PM PDT  A US woman and her boyfriend have been arrested and are facing federal charges for their alleged part in a plot in which three California residents were recently kidnapped while in Mexico and two were killed. Leslie Briana Matla, 20, a US citizen who lives in Mexico, was arrested last Thursday and Juan Carlos Montoya Sanchez, 25, of Tijuana, was arrested on Sunday, the US Department of Justice said. Authorities said Matla crossed the border from Mexico into the United States on three occasions in April and March to collect ransom payments from the families of the kidnap victims, who were residents of San Diego, Norwalk and Pasadena.
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| Pandemic will change Communion for many Posted: 19 May 2020 09:21 AM PDT  Holy Communion will have a different look when in-person worship services resume at the end of May in the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn.: The wafers signifying the body of Christ will be placed in the hands of parishioners by priests and deacons wearing face masks and safety glasses.
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| A couple vanished the same night of a car wreck. Police took 2 weeks to find their bodies, car. Posted: 19 May 2020 12:02 PM PDT  Police said the crash site was not visible, but loved ones are questioning why they didn't search longer or come back in daylight.
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| Coronavirus: Anger grows for stranded crew on forgotten cruises Posted: 19 May 2020 03:28 PM PDT  Months into the pandemic, thousands of cruise crew remain stuck at sea, desperate to get home.
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| Scientists discover 'immune scars' on patients with lung infections Posted: 18 May 2020 10:29 AM PDT  Patients recovering from severe lung infections develop "immunological scars" that stifle their body's immune response and heighten their risk of contracting pneumonia, a common killer of COVID-19 sufferers, researchers said Monday. Studies in both humans and mice showed that the body's immune response is temporarily switched off after some severe infections, rendering patients more vulnerable to new bacterial or viral diseases. A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the University Hospital of Nantes found that the cells that form the immune system's first line of defence -- macrophages -- were "paralysed" after severe infection.
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| Exclusive: In veiled warning to Iran, U.S. tells Gulf mariners to stay clear of its warships Posted: 19 May 2020 01:06 PM PDT  In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters (yards) away from U.S. warships or risk being "interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures." The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump's threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels. "Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat," according to the text of the notice, which can be seen here https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?type=view&key=16694640/SFH00000/DailyMemPAC.txt.
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| A family-run small business in the Bay Area got its PPP loan after Business Insider dug into their case. Tens of thousands are still waiting. Posted: 19 May 2020 07:22 AM PDT  Nearly two months after the Paycheck Protection Program was launched, tens of thousands — if not more — businesses are still waiting to be approved.
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| Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ends security agreement with Israel and US Posted: 19 May 2020 04:52 PM PDT  Declaration follows the creation of a new Israeli government which is officially contemplating annexation of some areas of the West BankThe Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has declared an end to security cooperation with the Israel and the United States, citing the imminent threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank."The Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] and the state of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the commitments based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones," Abbas said in his speech.The PLO voted to end cooperation with Israel and the US in 2018 and left it up to Abbas when to implement such a move. The Palestinian Authority (PA) president has threatened to stop such cooperation several times before, and it was unclear on Tuesday what his declaration would mean in practice, especially in terms of the future of the Palestinian security apparatus."To pass the bar of credibility as a threat, to show this is not the same as the umpteen threats that they've previously issued of a similar nature and that they never acted on, the bar is very high," said Daniel Levy, the president of the US/Middle East Project "We will actually have to see Palestinian action."Some reports from Israel suggested that Palestinian security officials had been ordered to stop talking to their Israeli counterparts. But Palestinian officials have to coordinate with Israeli officers even to move between areas within the West Bank.Abbas's declaration follows the creation of a new Israeli government which is officially contemplating annexation of some areas of the West Bank, apparently with the support of the Trump administration."I do think this moment is qualitatively different than any other moment in the past, and that's because Israel does look like it is prepared to annex some part of the West Bank," Zaha Hassan, a human rights lawyer and visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said."Not only is there nobody to stop Israel from moving forward, but also the US is a partner to this plan."According to Israeli Channel 13 television, the Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, had been urging annexation before the US elections in November."We must advance annexation now because we don't know what will happen in the US presidential elections. [Democratic candidate Joe] Biden could win," Dermer is reported to have said in confidential briefings in Washington."There is a window of opportunity now, so it must be done now."Jordan's King Abdullah warned on Saturday that Israeli annexation could lead to "a massive conflict" between his country and Israel and did not exclude a suspension of the 1994 peace treaty between them.Abbas's declaration could lead to the end of intelligence sharing between Palestinian, Israeli and US security services. But it gave no hint of what Palestinian forces would do, when Israeli soldiers carry out incursions into Palestinian areas, or what it would mean for Palestinian movement around the West Bank between parts entirely administered by the PA (Area A), jointly run areas (B) and Israeli settlement zones (Area C)."What does it mean on the ground for PA security who – even to travel from area B to area B, through Area C – have to get permission from the Israeli army. Does that mean that if everything is frozen, that PA security can't access certain parts of Area B," asked Khaled Elgindy, a fellow in the centre for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institutions."These are the kinds of questions that I think Palestinians will be asking, and then the Israelis, but I'm not sure there are clear answers."
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| Sheriff: Man gouges out neighbor's eyes over loud rooster Posted: 19 May 2020 09:27 AM PDT |
| Asia virus latest: Beijing hits back at Trump; China seeks to stop wildlife trade Posted: 19 May 2020 04:53 AM PDT  Beijing accused Donald Trump of smearing China and shirking American responsibilities to the World Health Organization, after the US president threatened to pull out of the UN health body. The American leader has been locked in a bitter war of words with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial outbreak late last year before the disease spread globally.
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| NASA human spaceflight chief resigns with historic SpaceX launch days away Posted: 19 May 2020 02:43 PM PDT  Loverro's resignation comes as the agency counts down to the first orbital crew launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.
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| Apple slams 'false claims' after FBI says it provided 'effectively no help' accessing the Pensacola shooter's iPhones Posted: 18 May 2020 01:45 PM PDT  Apple is hitting back against the Department of Justice.Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray in a press conference on Monday announced they obtained new evidence regarding the 2019 shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida by accessing the shooter's iPhones. But Wray said Apple provided "effectively no help."Barr also slammed Apple in the presser, saying the fact that the company designs its phones "in a way that only the user can unlock the contents, no matter what the circumstances" has "dangerous consequences for the public safety and national security, and is, in my judgment, unacceptable." He also accused the company of being "willing to accommodate authoritarian regimes when it serves their business interests."Apple issued a response to this scathing press conference, saying in a statement it did support law enforcement during its investigation into the Pensacola shooting by providing "every piece of information" available to them."As a proud American company, we consider supporting law enforcement's important work our responsibility," Apple said. "The false claims made about our company are an excuse to weaken encryption and other security measures that protect millions of users and our national security."Wray had said during the press conference on Monday that although the FBI in this instance found a way to obtain the information it needed, "the technique that we developed" has "pretty limited application," and so it's "not a fix for our broader Apple problem."More stories from theweek.com The snake oil salesman cometh Trump spent hours retweeting, slamming Fox News, including profane attacks on host Neil Cavuto CBO estimates leisure and hospitality sector lost nearly 50 percent of its jobs in March and April
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| ‘They Came to Kill the Mothers.’ After a Devastating Attack on a Kabul Maternity Ward, Afghan Women Face Increased Dangers Posted: 19 May 2020 09:03 AM PDT  A deadly maternity ward attack and the outbreak of the coronavirus have hindered internationally-backed efforts to support women's health in Afghanistan.
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| Exclusive: Delta will add flights to keep planes no more than 60% full as demand rises - sources Posted: 18 May 2020 07:43 PM PDT  The move is part of a longer-term bet that CEO Ed Bastian highlighted to investors last month: that consumers' perceptions of safety will be instrumental in reviving more routine travel, and that they will be willing to pay a premium for comfort. Specific details could still change, the people said on condition of anonymity, citing the uncertain timing of a recovery from the coronavirus crisis that has decimated air travel demand. Delta has publicly said that it will limit first class seating capacity at 50% and main cabin at 60% through June 30, and earlier announced that it was resuming some flights next month.
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| Uber's CEO told employees that he hopes — but doesn't promise — the company is done with layoffs in the future Posted: 18 May 2020 01:36 PM PDT  The coronavirus pandemic has led Uber's profits to dip as much as 80% across the board. Uber has laid off 6,700 people this month in total.
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| India and Bangladesh brace for super cyclone Posted: 19 May 2020 04:26 AM PDT 
India's weather office said the Super Cyclone Amphan had reached winds of up to 145 miles per hour with gusts of around 165 mph over the Bay of Bengal on Monday (May 18) night and was expected to make a landfall on Wednesday (May 20). Such wind speeds, according to weather officials, could make Amphan one of the biggest storms to hit India in about a decade. In Bangladesh, officials intensified rescue operations as the cyclone could trigger the worst storm in about 15 years along the country's low-lying coast. Bangladesh's coastal districts may experience flooding from tidal waves and heavy rainfall with winds packing speeds of up to 98 mph is expected during the cyclone.
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| Syria seizes assets of Assad cousin and business magnate Rami Makhlouf Posted: 19 May 2020 01:34 PM PDT  Syria's government seizes assets of Assad cousin Rami Makhlouf
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| Coronavirus: Trump gives WHO ultimatum over Covid-19 handling Posted: 19 May 2020 04:32 AM PDT  The US president accuses the UN agency of having an "alarming lack of independence" from China.
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| Family of missing Wisconsin brothers settles lawsuit Posted: 18 May 2020 03:00 PM PDT  The family of two Wisconsin brothers who were killed in Missouri last year has reached a $2 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the man charged with killing them and his mother. The family of Nicholas and Justin Diemel of Shawano County, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit in December against Garland Nelson of Braymer, his mother, Tomme Feil, and the family's cattle business, J4S Enterprises. A Callaway County judge approved the settlement Friday, The Kansas City Star reported.
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| 'Not a mask in sight': thousands flock to Yellowstone as park reopens Posted: 19 May 2020 11:01 AM PDT  With support of the Trump administration, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks have partially reopened after Covid-19 closures * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageOn Monday, thousands of visitors from across the country descended on Yellowstone national park, which opened for the first time since its closure in March due to the coronavirus pandemic."We have been cooped up for weeks," Jacob Willis told the Guardian near a crowd of onlookers at the Old Faithful Geyser. "When the parks opened, we jumped at the opportunity to travel," said Willis, who had arrived from Florida.Yellowstone, America's oldest national park, and the nearby Grand Teton national park are the most recent to have partially reopened with the support of the Trump administration."I hope everybody is listening," Donald Trump announced earlier in May. "The parks are opening, and rapidly, actually."While many have celebrated the reopening of the revered landscapes, others have raised health concerns about large, possibly maskless, groups of out-of-state visitors arriving and potentially skirting social distancing guidelines."We checked the webcam at Old Faithful at about 3.30pm yesterday," said Kristin Brengel, the senior vice-president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association. "Not much physical distancing happening and not a single mask in sight.""I think we're the only car from Teton county," said Mark Segal, a Wyoming local, noting the prominence of out-of-state license plates in Yellowstone on Monday.At the Moran entrance station in Wyoming – the entrance to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone park – cars began to line up at 5.30am. By 11am, an hour before opening, vehicles with license plates from as far away as New York, Washington State and Alaska sprawled along the highway leading to the park entrance.Park fees were waived and masked rangers cheerfully welcomed visitors who streamed through the gate.Many of the visitors drove directly to Old Faithful, Yellowstone's most popular attraction, to watch the 2.20 geyser eruption. The Guardian witnessed rangers having to disperse large groups of onlookers twice.Amy, a 19-year-old from San Diego, traveled to Yellowstone with four college friends. They planned to visit many of the parks that have recently reopened."We wanted to get out and see the country," said Amy, as hundreds of visitors sat on the semi-circle of benches that surround Old Faithful.According to the National Park Service, Yellowstone's phased reopening includes a ban on tour buses, overnight camping and lodging. Only the Wyoming gates into the park are currently open, and the park will provide protective barriers "where needed" and encourage "the use of masks or facial coverings in high-density areas". "The park's goal is to open safely and conservatively, ensure we take the right actions to reduce risks to our employees and visitors, and help local economies begin to recover," said the Yellowstone superintendent, Cam Sholly.For Segal, who came on opening day in hopes of a quiet Yellowstone experience, the number of out of state visitors was disturbing."What if everyone that leaves here goes and gets a bite in Jackson?" he asked, referring to a nearby town and speaking to the Guardian from his car as he and his family waited to get into the park. "This is exactly what we're afraid of."
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