| Downtown D.C. burns after another night of protests and provocation near the White House Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:17 AM PDT  Protesters clashed with law enforcement for the third straight evening outside the White House, and numerous businesses were vandalized by rioters defying a citywide curfew.
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| Biden suggests police could shoot assailants 'in the leg instead of the heart' Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:17 PM PDT  Joe Biden said Monday that police under attack should shoot their assailants "in the leg instead of the heart" as a way to avert the killings of civilians.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses New York police union of threatening Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter after her arrest at Saturday's protests Posted: 01 Jun 2020 10:34 AM PDT  Ocasio-Cortez urged the NYPD to de-escalate with protesters and told the union to "apologize and own this egregious behavior."
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| New Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Most Americans say Trump is a 'racist' and want him to stop tweeting Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:08 AM PDT  By a bare majority, Americans think President Trump is a racist, and want him to stop tweeting, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. The public's response to Trump's tweets and racial attitudes is predictably divided along party lines.
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| Donors promise Yemen $1.35 billion, falling short of U.N. target to save aid operations Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:48 PM PDT  International donors raised $1.35 billion in humanitarian aid for Yemen on Tuesday but the amount fell short of the United Nations' target of $2.4 billion needed to save the world's biggest aid operation from severe cutbacks. The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthi group has left 80% of Yemen's population reliant on aid. The country now faces the spread of the novel coronavirus among an acutely malnourished people.
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| Wuhan tests nearly 10 million people, finds only 300 infections Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:44 AM PDT  China tested almost 10 million people for coronavirus in just over two weeks in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began, officials said Tuesday, reporting only a few hundred positive cases. Chinese authorities claim to have largely brought the virus under control but Wuhan officials -- wary of a second wave -- launched the programme after new infections emerged for the first time since the city re-opened in April following more than two months in lockdown. More than 9.8 million people were tested in the city of 11 million people between May 14 and June 1, officials said at a press conference.
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| 'Here to offer you grace': Protesters in Minneapolis bringing peace met with police force Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:31 PM PDT  "We cannot back down now. We have come way too far. We are literally in the midst of history."
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| Iranian 'spy' scientist flies home after release from US prison, raising hopes of prisoner swap Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:47 AM PDT  The families of British dual nationals imprisoned by Iran today criticised the Foreign Office for "complete inaction" in trying to secure their release, as an Iranian scientist previously jailed by the US was allowed to fly home. A plane carrying Sirous Asgari took off early this morning and was on its way back to Tehran to bring him home, Iran's foreign minister announced, raising hopes of a potential prisoner swap for Western dual nationals in Iran. Mr Asgari was accused by a US court in 2016 of stealing trade secrets while on an academic visit to Ohio, where he visited a university working on projects for the US Navy. However, the 59-year-old scientist from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, was acquitted in November when an American judge dismissed the case against him. Several British, US and other dual nationals remain imprisoned or on temporary release in Iran, typically on controversial charges of espionage. They include British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, jailed in 2016, and retired engineer Anoosheh Ashoori, 66, who has been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since August 2017. Both the US Department of Homeland Security and the Iranian Foreign Ministry today denied reports that Mr Asgari's release was part of a prisoner swap, but such arrangements have been made in the past, despite the breakdown in diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran.
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| ‘Wanton thuggery’: Australian reporter knocked down by police live on air as she covered George Floyd protests in DC Posted: 02 Jun 2020 04:56 AM PDT  US riot police were broadcast live on air using aggressive force to push and knock down an Australian reporter and her cameraman as they covered the Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC, prompting an investigation by the Australian embassy.Amelia Brace, a reporter for Australian television network Channel 7, was broadcasting from the White House with cameraman Timothy Myers when police plouged into the crowd with riot shields, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse them.
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| Biden Proposes Training Cops to Shoot Attackers in the Leg to Reduce Fatalities Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:38 PM PDT  Joe Biden on Monday suggested that police forces could train officers to shoot attackers in the legs in order to reduce potential fatalities.There is "the idea that instead of standing there and teaching a cop when there's an unarmed person, coming at him with a knife or something, to shoot him in the leg instead of in the heart," Biden said. "There's a lot of different things [policies] that can change."Biden made his remarks while meeting with African American community leaders at the Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Del. The former vice president was discussing the widespread protests touched off by the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis, Minn.Protests have spread from Minneapolis to major U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. The demonstrations have been widely varied in makeup, with some instances of peaceful protests and others that have devolved into riots with widespread looting.Members of Biden's staff have donated to groups attempting to free jailed rioters on bail. Campaign spokesman Andrew Bates told Reuters that Biden opposes cash bail as the equivalent of a "modern day debtors prison." It was not clear whether the donations were coordinated by the campaign or made individually.President Trump condemned the donations on Saturday, saying they "would financially support the mayhem that is hurting innocent people and destroying what good people spent their lives building."
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| Cuomo Hypothesizes About Overthrowing de Blasio After NYC Riots: ‘Police Did Not Do Their Job Last Night’ Posted: 02 Jun 2020 10:12 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo openly hypothesized on Tuesday about overthrowing NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio after rampant looting and destruction swept across Manhattan on Monday night, overwhelming the NYPD and leaving the city looking like a war zone. "I'm disappointed and outraged by what happened in New York City last night. That criminal activity hurt everyone," he said. De Blasio had doubled NYPD officers out on the streets to 8,000 on Monday night and imposed an 11 p.m. curfew after three nights of protests against police brutality were overshadowed by violence.But it was not enough to stop rampant looters from taking over midtown Manhattan. The Daily Beast witnessed hundreds of rioters roaming freely for hours through the city, looting countless stores, setting fires, loading stolen goods into SUVs, and damaging cars and storefronts. For hours, police were nowhere to be seen. "We're spread a little thin," one officer told The Daily Beast at about 10 p.m. after they arrested six men near Times Square, but were unable to chase down hundreds more who fled on foot.On Tuesday, the NYPD said it arrested 700 people the previous night for looting in Manhattan. An exasperated Cuomo said the police and the mayor failed to protect New York City—a city already on its knees from the coronavirus pandemic. "The police in New York [City] were not effective at doing their job last night, period. They have to do a better job," he said. "You have 38,000 NYPD. They have protected the city before in these situations... They did not do it last night. But I believe in the inherent capacity of the NYPD."Cuomo said he had offered all New York mayors the assistance of the National Guard and the state police to help stop looting on Monday, however de Blasio did not take up the offer. The mayor said the National Guard would not be helpful, and that the NYPD was sufficient. "Look at the videos, it was a disgrace," Cuomo said. "I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem. I think he underestimates the duration of the problem, and I don't think they've used enough police to address the situation because it's inarguable that it was not addressed last night. Facts."Cuomo said his option was to "displace" the mayor and bring in the National Guard during a state of emergency, "and basically take over... the mayor's job."However, he said "we're not at that point" and that it would be too chaotic right now. He said the National Guard would not be needed if the entire NYPD—the largest police department in the nation—were properly deployed. Thousands of people peacefully protested across New York City on Monday night following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. However, as night fell, large groups broke away and started smashing storefronts and looting hundreds of shops along Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and more. In Manhattan, Cuomo said looters had "blurred" the line with peaceful protests and distracted from much-needed conversations about racism, inequality, and police brutality. He said Tuesday he would sign legislation, if it was brought before him, to make police officers' complaint records public. 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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| Appeals court mulls making Hillary Clinton testify on emails Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:58 PM PDT  A bid to block her deposition shares legal tactic with Michael Flynn's move to shut down his prosecution.
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| Pompeo: U.S. Could Make Moves Against International Criminal Court In “Coming Days” Posted: 01 Jun 2020 02:22 PM PDT  "I think that the ICC and the world will see that we are determined to prevent having Americans and our friends and allies in Israel and elsewhere hauled in by this corrupt ICC."
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| Protests, Louisville police chief fired after fatal shooting Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:21 AM PDT  Riot police firing tear gas scattered a protest crowd from a downtown Louisville square Monday night, hours after the firing of the city's police chief in the uproar over the early morning shooting death of a popular restaurant owner by security forces. David McAtee, the owner of a barbecue spot who was known for offering meals to police officers, died while police and National Guard soldiers were enforcing a curfew early Monday amid waves of protests over a previous police shooting in Kentucky's largest city. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced the firing of Police Chief Steve Conrad at a news conference Monday.
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| D.C. police officer to protesters: 'If I didn't think change was possible, I would just give up' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:35 AM PDT  Hours into the mandatory curfew in Washington, D.C., several police officers were recorded engaging in peaceful dialogue with protesters. While remaining in opposition to the extended protests over George Floyd's death, one officer appeared to commiserate with protesters' desire to seek change.
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| China's state media says US can now 'enjoy' protests after criticizing China's handling of unrest in Hong Kong Posted: 02 Jun 2020 10:40 AM PDT  A foreign ministry rep tweeted "I can't breathe" above a screenshot of a State Department flack condemning how Hong Kong protesters were treated.
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| 'My face exploded': Police firing rubber bullets have wounded and permanently disabled protesters and journalists Posted: 02 Jun 2020 09:11 AM PDT  Experts tell Insider that rubber bullets are considered "less lethal" weapons — a "legitimate tool" employed by policemen for decades.
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| Obama to George Floyd protesters: Channel 'justifiable anger' into action Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:28 AM PDT  Former President Barack Obama addressed nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, condemning the violence brought on by a "small minority."
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| Exclusive: U.S. small business program handed out virus aid to many borrowers twice Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:05 AM PDT  A technical snafu in a U.S. government system caused many small businesses to receive loans twice or more under a federal aid program to help businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly a dozen people with knowledge of the matter said. The money mistakenly handed out could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars that the government and lenders - which made the loans - have been trying to identify and recover in recent weeks, one of the people briefed on the matter said. The technical issue and scale of the resulting duplicate deposits made under the Small Business Administration's $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have not been previously reported.
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| NYC Mayor de Blasio's daughter arrested during Saturday night protests Posted: 31 May 2020 09:29 PM PDT  Her arrest came roughly one hour before the mayor held a late night news conference Saturday, telling protesters that "it's time to go home."
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| Chechen leader accused of mass torture and murder offers Donald Trump human rights advice: ‘End the mayhem’ Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:02 AM PDT  Chechnya's gay-purging strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has made an unexpected foray into US politics by suggesting Donald Trump might have a thing or two to learn from him about human rights.In a social media post published early on Tuesday morning, the controversial leader demanded American authorities "put an end" to "mayhem" and "illegal actions against citizens."
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| Philippine exit from key US military pact 'suspended' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:10 AM PDT  The Philippines has told the United States it is suspending its bid to break off a key military pact, the two allies said Tuesday in a sharp turnaround of President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy. Duterte in February gave notice to Washington he was axing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after accusing the US of interference in his internationally condemned narcotics crackdown. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Tuesday the plan has been put on hold for at least six months.
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| Cops Beaten, Shot, Rammed by SUVs as George Floyd Protests Boil Over Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:09 AM PDT  Violent factions attacked police officers across the U.S. over the last 24 hours as demonstrations against the death of an unarmed black man in police custody have spiraled out of control.George Floyd, 46, died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes while he was handcuffed on Memorial Day. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder, but three other officers who also took part in the brutality or watched on have been fired but not arrested for their role, prompting anger among the demonstrators.In Las Vegas, an officer responding to a looting incident was reportedly shot in the head early Tuesday after exchanging gunfire with an angry mob, according to several Nevada news sources. County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the Las Vegas Review Journal that the officer survived. "He is in extremely critical condition on life support," Lombardo said "This is a sad night for our LVMPD family and a tragic night for our community."Two police officers in Richmond, Virginia, and a third person were reportedly shot during clashes early Tuesday morning. Their condition is unclear. Late Monday night, video of a police officer apparently being run over by an SUV in the Bronx went viral. In the video, which has not been verified by The Daily Beast, an officer is struck by a speeding SUV and left in the middle of an intersection. Moments later, a New York City Police Department vehicle arrives and puts the officer, whose condition is unknown, in the back. In Buffalo, two officers were deliberately targeted by a car in front of the E District police station. New York State Police confirmed to the media that one was a trooper and the other a Buffalo Police officer. Both were taken to the Erie County Medical Center. Both have serious injuries and are in stable condition, according to WTHR News. Posts on social media also captured a fallen officer on Madison Avenue in New York. Details and the circumstances of that officer's condition are unknown. The New York City Sergeant's Benevolent Association tweeted a photo of an officer being attacked by two looters in the Bronx late Monday night. The officer survived that incident and pulled his weapon after the perpetrators ran off, but did not appear to retaliate. Early Monday morning, another officer was rammed by an SUV as he tried to make an arrest after giving chase to looters. Video of that incident posted by New York Daily News shows an SUV with Wisconsin license plates speeding away after the hit and run. That officer was taken to Bellevue Hospital and remains in stable condition.Elsewhere, four police officers were shot in downtown St. Louis after a gunfight erupted as they tried to disperse violent crowds with tear gas and flash bangs. Largely peaceful protests have been held in all 50 states, but violent rioters and looters have moved in as night falls even as curfews are in effect. Thousands of National Guard soldiers who have been called up to bolster local law enforcement have also been involved in skirmishes. In some cases, police have acted aggressively towards peaceful protesters. Over the weekend, a New York City Police Department squad vehicle rammed into a group and on Monday, law enforcement in Washington, D.C. used teargas to scatter peaceful protesters to clear a space for President Donald Trump to take a photo in front of a defaced church.Police have also marched with peaceful protesters and in cities including New York, Portland and Philadelphia, where many have taken a knee against police brutality. On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will be subject to an 8 p.m. curfew throughout the week. He said 700 people were arrested Monday night—the highest numbers since the protests started last week."We will not tolerate violence of any kind. We will not tolerate attacks on police officers. We will not tolerate hatred being created," de Blasio said. "We saw vicious attacks on police officers. That is wholly unacceptable. That does not represent the people of this city. Anyone who attacks a police officer attacks all of us."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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| Tumultuous Trade Relations Have Created an Exit Door and Opportunity for America Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:07 PM PDT  While walking out of the World Trade Organization is, in part, the right action for Washington, remaining outside of a global free and fair-trade regime is not.
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| 'You will move, or you will die': A frightened truck driver's widely shared Facebook post says truckers will 'defend themselves' by running over protesters Posted: 02 Jun 2020 11:38 AM PDT  "Air horns will sound, steering wheels will be held tightly, but those brakes will not be touched," the truck driver wrote.
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| Southwest offers buyouts to 'ensure survival' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:54 AM PDT 
Southwest Airlines is trying to avoid the first-ever layoffs in its 49-year history by extending buyout packages and temporary paid leaves to employees. CEO Gary Kelly said a reduction in labor costs were necessary for the airline to survive, according to documents detailing the voluntary leave incentives seen by Reuters. The airline expects travel to rebound slowly - with the number of flights this fall to be 30 percent below normal. Southwest is not alone. Airlines around the world are slimming down their flight schedules and cutting back on staff. But U.S. air carriers have their hands tied when it comes to job cuts after agreeing to not layoff any workers until October 1st -in exchange for government aid. In order to avoid actual layoffs, Southwest is offering employees who agreed to at least a six-month leave, half their salary plus benefits and those who take the buyout can get up to a full year's pay...and even more for pilots. The cost-saving measures were well received by investors, sending the stock higher in Tuesday trading.
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| New York, Denver, Minneapolis: Disturbing videos show vehicles plowing into George Floyd protests across USA Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:38 PM PDT  As protests swell across the USA, disturbing images have cropped up showing a horrifying trend: vehicles ramming into crowds.
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| Car appears to run over protesters live on-air in Boston amidst George Floyd protests Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:11 PM PDT  A live broadcast from protests in Boston has appeared to show an SUV drive into a crowd.The incident occurred live on air while WCVB's Peter Eliopoulos described the action unfolding from the protests, which turned violent in the late hours of Sunday.
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| New Russian policy allows use of atomic weapons against non-nuclear strike Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:53 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday endorsed Russia's nuclear deterrent policy, which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation's critical government and military infrastructure.
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| U.S. judge no 'mere rubber stamp' in case of ex-Trump aide Flynn, lawyers say Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:02 AM PDT  The U.S. judge in the criminal case against President Donald Trump's former adviser Michael Flynn defended himself on Monday, saying it was proper to seek outside views on the Justice Department's request to drop a charge to which Flynn has pleaded guilty. Lawyers representing U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said in a court filing that he is not a "mere rubber stamp" and needed to carefully consider the department's "unprecedented" request. Democrats and former federal prosecutors have accused Attorney General William Barr of politicizing the criminal justice system to go light on Trump associates in key cases.
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| Hong Kong leader accuses international community of double standards over US riots Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:52 AM PDT  Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam accused foreign governments for having "double standards," criticising the US for condemning Beijing's move to impose national security laws to quell protests, while taking its own severe steps to curb unrest at home. "They are very concerned about their own national security, but on our national security...they look through coloured glasses," said Ms Lam in a weekly press conference. She also warned that US sanctions against Hong Kong would mean "hurting their own interests." Last week, the US declared that it would axe preferential treatment over worries the global financial hub no longer remained sufficiently autonomous from mainland China, ruled by the Communist Party, with the onset of the national security law. Beijing, no longer willing to tolerate dissenting views in Hong Kong, has defended the national security law as a necessity to restore order. Ms Lam is expected to visit Beijing Wednesday and meet with officials about the law. Tensions over Hong Kong is the latest flashpoint in a broader US-China row, with Chinese officials and state media in recent days accusing the US of hypocrisy. Beijing has revelled in the mass riots erupting in the US over the death of a black man while in police custody.
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| Pakistan 'blasphemy' death row couple's plea for freedom Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:26 AM PDT  Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel hope judges in Pakistan will overthrow their 2014 conviction.
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| China's Navy Is Testing Out Its its First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Posted: 02 Jun 2020 06:37 AM PDT  It's all a part of the PLAN.
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| Cuomo: Don't "blur the lines" between looters and protesters Posted: 02 Jun 2020 10:30 AM PDT  "COVID-19 is one issue, the outrage over Mr. Floyd is another issue, looters are another issue," he said.
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| The New Top Prosecutor in Ukraine Has Joe Biden in Her Sights Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:00 AM PDT  Ukraine's recently appointed prosecutor general, 41-year-old Iryna Venediktova, is a woman to watch. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, expects her to investigate and prosecute his predecessor. She seems more than enthusiastic about that, and it's a process that's been set up from the start to (once again) try to smear Donald Trump's leading challenger for the presidency of the United States, Joe Biden.On the night of May 19, Venediktova personally approved the beginning of criminal proceedings against former President Petro Poroshenko for high treason and abuse of office. The move was triggered by leaked recordings of confidential conversations that allegedly took place in 2015-2016 between Poroshenko and then Vice President Biden, as well as John Kerry, who was the U.S. secretary of state at the time.Before her appointment as prosecutor general in March, Venediktova—a graduate of Ukraine's police academy who holds the rank of captain—had served Zelensky as acting chief of the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR). She reportedly launched investigations into Poroshenko while in that position, and is said to have clashed with the well-respected prosecutor general at the time, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, because of the way she conducted them. Ryaboshapka was dismissed in March, clearing the way for her to take his position.The nature of the private Biden-Poroshenko recordings and the way they were leaked is reminiscent of the way the Soviet KGB exploited wiretaps and disinformation, but that has not prevented Zelensky and Venediktova from sensationalizing what's now been put on the record.Who Leaked Biden's Calls to Ukraine?It was first presented at a press conference given on May 19 by Andriy Derkach, a member of Ukraine's parliament who has a very pro-Moscow past. Derkach, like Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a graduate of the former Soviet Union's Higher School of KGB, the foreign intelligence training facility now known as the FSB Academy. In recent years Derkach has worked closely with Trump's personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to promote accusations that Biden as vice president strong-armed the Ukrainian government to try to protect the interests of his son, Hunter Biden, who was serving in a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma. Anyone familiar with the history of Ukrainian corruption knows that Biden's pressure on the government in 2015 and 2016 was part of a major campaign by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, as well as the Obama administration, to get Poroshenko to clean up his act. Hanging in the balance were $40 billion in IMF loan guarantees, with a $1 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. opening the way.At the time, one key symbol of reform was the replacement of Poroshenko's long-time crony, Chief Prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was notorious for not convicting any major oligarchs or public officials known for corruption—even those from the infamous regime ousted by the Maidan Revolution in 2014. Starting in the mid-1990s, general prosecutors in Ukraine acquired reputations for exploiting corruption rather than fighting it. Often, prosecutions in Ukraine have been launched to shake down the targets rather than put them in prison.According to an extensive report in the British newspaper The Independent based on multiple interviews with lower level prosecutors, an investigation of the owner of Burisma, the company with Hunter Biden on the board, fit that shakedown scenario precisely. "Neither Shokin nor Poroshenko wanted to investigate [Burisma owner Mykola] Zlochevsky," former deputy prosecutor David Sakvarelidze told The Independent. "They simply began a criminal case, arrested a few assets, and began negotiating with the corruptioneer for a bribe."So, there are no real revelations in the Biden-Poroshenko conversations. What's revealing is the use that Venediktova, Derkach, and Zelensky are making of them."The leaked recordings are a nothingburger," says Poroshenko's defense lawyer, Ilya Novikov, borrowing a term from Biden's spokesman. "But Venediktova rushed to open the case late in the evening after Derkach had published the leaks," Novikov told The Daily Beast. "That to us indicates that President Zelensky personally expected his prosecutor to begin the process before his own press conference [the next day]." In fact, there is no mention of Burisma on the Derkach recordings. But the tough talk does force Ukrainian listeners to realize once again, as they did when they read the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky phone call last year, just how dependent on Washington Kyiv has become.Poroshenko clearly was reluctant to dismiss Shokin, who had been "his" prosecutor on and off for a dozen years, well before Poroshenko (an oligarch who made his fortune selling chocolate candy) moved up the political ladder to the presidency. Poroshenko can be heard on the recording telling Biden he's willing to ditch Shokin even though, according to Poroshenko, Shokin had done nothing wrong. In a subsequent call, Biden congratulates Poroshenko on appointing a new general prosecutor."I know there's a lot more of that that has to be done," says Biden. "But I really, I really think that's good, and I understand you're working with the Rada [Ukraine's parliament] in the coming days on a number of additional laws to secure the IMF [loan guarantees], but congratulations on installing the new prosecutor general. It's going to be critical for him to work quickly to repair the damage Shokin did, and I'm a man of my word, and now that the new prosecutor general is in place we're ready to move forward in signing that new $1 billion loan guarantee."When Derkach presented these recordings to the press in May, he publicly accused Biden of offering Poroshenko $1 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money "in exchange for maintaining Burisma schemes and international corruption." As Derkach described his version of the events, "Biden leaves for Kyiv to put pressure on Petro Oleksiyovych [Poroshenko] regarding Shokin. There's a powerful argument… in Biden's pocket... a $1 billion loan guarantee... such was a price to save [Hunter] Biden from prison." Then Derkach took the recordings to Venediktova. If charged, Poroshenko could face up to 15 years in prison.When President Zelensky marked the end of his first year in power the day after Venediktova drew up the treason charges against Poroshenko, he left no room to doubt he supported them and found the recordings incriminating. "I think it's not the last sign that Ukrainians will see. The prosecutors, law enforcement bodies should react," said Zelensky. "The prosecutor general of Ukraine registered criminal proceedings at the request of deputy [Andriy] Derkach yesterday. They will investigate."During the impeachment proceedings that grew out of the U.S. President Trump's notorious July 25, 2019, phone call pressuring Zelensky for dirt on Biden, Zelensky did his best to avoid taking sides. That will be harder to do if Venediktova continues to pursue the treason case based on Biden conversations. The Ukrainian president still enjoys rare popularity with an approval rating of more than 60 percent, but that is a steep decline from nearly 80 percent last year and Zelensky is the target of increased criticism. Marking the first anniversary of his presidency by threatening his predecessor with accusations of high treason does not look good. "I do not believe Zelensky," Kristina Berdyskykh, a leading Ukrainian political journalist, said on Ukraina 24 television. "All young and progressive members have left Zelensky's team."As these controversies develop, Zelensky's prosecutor will be at the center of them. Less than two years ago, Iryna Venediktova was teaching law at a university in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. "She specialized in theory of civil and corporate law at a not very significant faculty, not on criminal justice," a civil society activist in Kharkiv, Volodymir Rysenko, told The Daily Beast. But in a matter of months, Venediktova's career jumped from a university teacher to a seat at the Rada. She is a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party, and she was made number 3 on its electoral list last year, virtually guaranteeing she would get a seat. Then she was given another head spinning job when Zelensky appointed her to be the acting director of the State Bureau of Investigation.Finally, in March, Venediktova was appointed to be Ukraine's prosecutor general, the first woman to hold that position."When we look at Venediktova from Kharkiv, we see nothing to be proud of," says Rysenko. "We hear Venediktova accusing people in her interviews without any understanding of what presumption of innocence really means." "She has little experience for such a huge job and was appointed on the basis of being a political buddy of Mr. Zelensky," says global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw. "She's reversing the reforms of her predecessor which were lauded by civil society, diplomats and the international community. She has already made several controversial appointments, reinstated incompetent or politically tainted prosecutors rightfully sacked by her predecessor, and blocked civil society and foreign partners from vetting some appointments." The executive director of the non-governmental Anticorruption Action Center, Daria Kaleniuk, does not see any legitimate grounds for triggering a criminal case of high treason based on the recordings. "In my opinion Derkach deserves to be investigated for treason for his long-term work with people like Giuliani, for spreading disinformation and conspiracies, which undermine U.S.-Ukraine strategic relationships," Kaleniuk told The Daily Beast. "I think Zelensky still clearly indicates that he doesn't want to interfere in the American elections and to support any side there; but I am concerned he has appointed Venediktova, who among other strange things—like blocking prosecution reform—makes this nonsense case based on Derkach audio. It shows the lack of professionalism of both the prosecutor general and the president."For progressives in Ukraine, a huge question looming over the treason case is how the Biden-Poroshenko recordings were obtained in the first place, and who passed them on to Derkach. He claims he got them from some "investigative journalists," but nobody knows the journalists' names.Kyiv-based experts following the Bidens, Burisma and Trump ordeal in detail want prosecutor Venediktova to pay serious attention to the source of the leaked recordings."I personally know Derkach," says Yevgeny Kiselev of the TV show Real Politics. "He sounds like he is the bridge between the Ukrainian and Russian special services. In our conversations he bragged about his meetings and connections in Moscow; his father, former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, was involved in publishing compromising recordings to discredit President [Leonid] Kuchma and now Derkach junior is leaking very dubious recordings." "The former foreign minister, Pavel Kilimkin, told me that Poroshenko, Biden and Kerry had lots and lots of conversations about financial aid and about the Congress approving money," Kiselev told The Daily Beast. "He also said that Poroshenko used to invite all sorts of people to those virtual conversations, mostly to show how important he was; one of them must have recorded the conversations—that is a matter for an investigation."The Daily Beast asked Prosecutor General Venediktova if her office has also been investigating the source of the recordings but did not receive any answer.—Christopher Dickey also contributed to this article.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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| 'All of us versus bad people and bad cops': Some police step out to support demonstrators Posted: 31 May 2020 11:05 PM PDT  "It's all of us versus bad people and bad cops — and we want to get them out of the line of duty," said a Nebraska police sergeant.
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| George W. Bush says it remains a 'shocking failure' that African Americans are 'harassed and threatened in their own country' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 02:24 PM PDT  "It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans ... are harassed and threatened in their own country," Bush said.
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| 'Hunt them down': Twitter adds warning label to Gaetz's tweet, saying it glorifies violence Posted: 01 Jun 2020 06:08 PM PDT  Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL., tweeted "Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?"
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| Thousands across the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, and more condemn racism and demand justice at global Black Lives Matter protests Posted: 02 Jun 2020 12:21 PM PDT  People outside the US Embassy in Milan wrapped their fingers around their necks and had "I can't breathe" written on their face masks.
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| The Soviet Union Pioneered Airborne Assault—But... Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:45 PM PDT  Missions were small in scale, tactical in nature, and for most soldiers it was a one-way trip.
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| BAE successfully tests ground-launched APKWS rockets for first time Posted: 01 Jun 2020 07:00 AM PDT  A ground-to-ground test of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System was successfully conducted at Yuma Proving Ground.
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| For most churchgoers, controversy between religious freedom and public health is not real Posted: 02 Jun 2020 08:38 AM PDT  Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, partisans and our political process may be turning the freedom of religion into a threat to public health.
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| UK warns China: do not destroy the jewel of Hong Kong Posted: 02 Jun 2020 07:34 AM PDT 
China's parliament last week approved a decision to create laws for Hong Kong to curb sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. Mainland security and intelligence agents may be stationed in the city for the first time. "There is time for China to reconsider, there is a moment for China to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong's autonomy and respect China's own international obligations," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament. Hong Kong fell to sixth place from third in the latest ranking of global financial centres, according to the Z/Yen global financial centres index, behind New York, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. It was Asia's top hub in 2019. Raab said the security law was in breach of the "one country, two systems" principle enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and also conflicted with Article 23 of China's own basic law. If it goes ahead, Raab said the United Kingdom will form an alliance of countries to resist China, whose $14 trillion economy dwarfs every Western economy apart from the United States, which has a $21.4 trillion economy.
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| U.S. lawmaker prepares bill aiming to end court protection for police Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:04 AM PDT  With cities across America in turmoil over the death of George Floyd, a U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce legislation this week that he hopes will end a pattern of police violence by allowing victims to sue officers for illegal and unconstitutional acts. U.S. Representative Justin Amash, a former Republican turned Libertarian, won support from a Minneapolis Democrat on Monday for his "Ending Qualified Immunity Act," which would allow civil lawsuits against police, a recourse that the Supreme Court has all but done away with.
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| Mark Zuckerberg told enraged employees Facebook might change its policy on politicians using violent speech Posted: 02 Jun 2020 03:33 AM PDT  According to a leaked audio recording obtained by The Verge, Facebook may "evolve our policy around the discussion of state use of force."
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| Joe Biden rips Trump 'narcissism,' says he's turned U.S. into a 'battlefield' Posted: 02 Jun 2020 11:37 AM PDT  The apparent Democratic presidential nominee vowed to try to "heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country."
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