| Dr. Birx says 'we have to change our behavior now' as U.S. faces 'essentially three New Yorks' Posted: 24 Jul 2020 06:27 AM PDT  The White House's coronavirus task force coordinator is imploring Americans to change their behavior "now."Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator of President Trump's coronavirus task force, spoke to Today on Friday as new COVID-19 cases have continued to climb in the U.S. and especially in Texas, California, and Florida."I just want to make it clear to the American public: what we have right now are essentially three New Yorks with these three major states," Birx said. "And so we're really having to respond as an American people, and that's why you hear us calling for masks and increased social distancing to really stop the spread of this epidemic."New York was for a time the hardest-hit state in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic; its daily number of new COVID-19 cases has since fallen. California earlier this week surpassed New York as the state with the most reported coronavirus cases total, though its population is much larger, and New York has still reported more COVID-19 deaths. Texas and Florida have also faced surging COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.Birx described the nation's COVID-19 outbreak as "very serious," and speaking on Trump's recent decision to cancel the Florida portion of the Republican National Convention, she said this is an example of the kind of steps that are needed as the virus continues to spread."This is a signal to the American people: we have to change our behavior now before this virus completely moves back up through the north," she said. "We can do that, and we can do that as an American people." > White House task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx talks to @SavannahGuthrie about the rising coronavirus cases in states including Florida, Texas and California. > > "What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks with these three major states," she says. pic.twitter.com/mczzED47NX> > -- TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 24, 2020More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| LAPD officer and soon-to-be father dies of COVID-19 complications Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:42 PM PDT  Officer Valentin Martinez, 45, was expecting twins with his partner and joined the force in 2007. The city's mayor has ordered flags to be lowered in his honor.
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| Man arrested after pulling gun during mask argument at Florida Walmart Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Vincent Scavetta, 28, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm and arrested.
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| Professor behind 'vile' racist and sexist tweets found dead in North Carolina home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:17 AM PDT  Mike Adams, professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington, was set to retire Aug. 1 after being slammed by the university for "vile" and "hateful" language.
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| Republican Rep. Ted Yoho resigns from a Christian non-profit's board after verbally attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:38 PM PDT  The non-profit said it "sought [Yoho's] resignation" after determining his attack on AOC didn't reflect "values of respect and compassion."
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| Tear gas fired again; Portland protest standoff continues Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:39 PM PDT  Federal agents again repeatedly fired tear gas to break up rowdy protests in Portland, Oregon, that continued into the early morning Saturday as demonstrations that have happened every night for two months showed no signs of letting up. Authorities say six federal officers were injured and one person was arrested. Demonstrations have happened in Oregon's largest city nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May. President Donald Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest but state and local officials say they are making the situation worse.
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| North Korea's Kim says COVID-19 'could be said to have entered the country': KCNA Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:43 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting after a person suspected of having COVID-19 returned from South Korea after illegally crossing the border this month, state media said on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities, who have so far said the country has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Kim declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, calling it a "critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," state news agency KCNA reported.
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| Republicans say Milwaukee murder may be linked to support for Trump Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:48 AM PDT  * Party says killing of Bernell Trammell may have been political * 60-year-old supported Trump and Black Lives Matter, locals sayThe Wisconsin Republican party has called for a federal investigation of a fatal shooting on Thursday, to ascertain whether it was motivated by animosity towards Donald Trump.Bernell Trammell, a 60-year-old African American man who was a well-known figure in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, was shot and killed at around 12.30pm on Thursday. Police did not immediately provide any details on possible suspects or motives.However, the Republican party of Wisconsin said the "senseless" murder may have been politically motivated and called upon federal investigators to become involved.Trammell, who ran a business called eXpressions Journal in Riverwest, regularly displayed signs on political and religious matters, including support for Trump as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, according to those who knew him.Trammell was pictured holding a sign calling for a Trump victory in the November election. But community members have said he supported politicians from both sides of the divide, including Lena Taylor, a Democrat who ran for mayor of Milwaukee this year."He believed in democracy. He believed in his right to free speech," local resident John Self told TV station CBS58."I don't think he ever once tried to convert you or change you. He would just tell you what he thought, he would listen to what you had to think, and then he would respect that."
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| Iran protests to UN after US jets approach flight over Syria Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:20 AM PDT  Iran protested Friday to the United Nations of a "flagrant violation" of international law after nearby US fighter jets sparked panic on an Iranian passenger plane over war-torn Syria. The incident on Thursday was the latest between arch-foes Tehran and Washington since US President Donald Trump in 2018 walked out of a nuclear accord with Iran and imposed punishing sanctions. Iran's state television broadcast footage filmed on a mobile phone of screaming passengers as the pilot of a Mahan Air plane on a flight from Tehran to Beirut took emergency action.
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| Prosecutor Falsely Claimed Patricia McCloskey’s Gun Was Capable of Firing When She Brandished It Outside Her Home Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:40 AM PDT  Patricia McCloskey's handgun was inoperable when she brandished it to ward off demonstrators who had congregated on her front lawn, but a St. Louis prosecutor ordered crime lab technicians to reassemble the gun in working order and then attested that it was "readily capable of lethal use" in charging documents filed against McCloskey.McCloskey has stated that the handgun she used was inoperable, which under Missouri law would exonerate her from the charge of unlawful use of a weapon. However, assistant circuit attorney Chris Hinckley wrote that the gun was "readily capable of lethal use" when charging McCloskey on Monday, a St. Louis NBC affiliate reported."The firearm could not be test fired as submitted," reads a report from the St. Louis police crime lab obtained by 5 On Your Side. "At the request of ACA Chris Hinckley, the firearm was field stripped and found to have been assembled incorrectly….The firearm was reassembled properly, test fired and functioned as designed." Crime lab workers photographed the disassembly and reassembly process.McCloskey's husband Mark also brandished a firearm, an AR-15 rifle. The couple said they had intentionally rendered the handgun inoperable so that they could use it as a prop in court, in a separate case brought against a gun manufacturer."It's disheartening to learn that a law enforcement agency altered evidence in order to prosecute an innocent member of the community," the couple's attorney Joe Schwartz said. National Review has reached out to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office for comment.The McCloskeys responded to a June 28 incident during which George Floyd protesters broke into their gated community while attempting to reach the house of St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson."The group began yelling obscenities and threats of harm to both victims," a police report stated. "When the victims observed multiple subjects who were armed, they then armed themselves and contacted police."Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt has filed to dismiss the case against the couple.
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| A 28-year-old TV reporter who was diagnosed with cancer said the only reason she got tested was because of a viewer's email Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Victoria Price, a WFLA reporter in Tampa, said she likely wouldn't have caught her thyroid cancer early enough if not for a viewer's concerned email.
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| Three storm systems bearing down on United States, Caribbean Posted: 24 Jul 2020 09:11 AM PDT  While Hurricane Douglas is barreling toward Hawaii, tropical storms are taking aim at Texas and the Windward Islands.
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| Bernie Sanders slams Tesla CEO Elon Musk, saying it's 'pathetic' that Musk is against another government stimulus package Posted: 24 Jul 2020 07:34 PM PDT  "Another government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people imo," Elon Musk said on Twitter on Friday.
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| First charges announced as part of 'Operation Legend' in Chicago Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:31 AM PDT  "Operation Legend has strengthened our efforts to apprehend and charge illegal gun offenders in Chicago."
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| Massive protest against governor's arrest challenges Kremlin Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:36 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday across Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk on the border with China to protest the arrest of the regional governor on murder charges, continuing a two-week wave of protests that has challenged the Kremlin. Sergei Furgal has been in a Moscow jail since his arrest on July 9, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has named an acting successor. Protesters in Khabarovsk see the charges against Furgal as unsubstantiated and demand that he stand trial at home.
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| A white man reportedly yelled offensive racial slur at Black teen who offered him a donut Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:07 AM PDT  "The guy started yelling, using the n-word on him," the teen's mother told the Boston Globe. She said her son had been offering leftover donuts to strangers.
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| Iraqi forces free German woman kidnapped in Baghdad Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:05 PM PDT  A German woman kidnapped in Baghdad this week was freed overnight and handed over to her embassy, officials from the two countries said on Friday. "Security forces have freed activist Hella Mewis," Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement. Iraq's interior ministry said a joint task force, including the elite Falcons intelligence forces and federal police and anti-crime units, carried out the operation in east Baghdad.
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| The federal ban on evictions ends today, leaving nearly 28 million Americans on the verge of losing their homes Posted: 24 Jul 2020 02:56 PM PDT  The coronavirus crisis prompted states and the federal government to ban eviction so people don't lose their homes. Those bans are now expiring.
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| Climate expert suggests Biden will have to 'admit there will be tradeoffs' to reach zero carbon goal Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Climate activists and scientists have generally received former Vice President Joe Biden's plan to eliminate U.S. carbon emissions by 2035 warmly, but there will likely be some backlash ahead, especially regarding a potential reliance on wind and solar alternatives, The Guardian reports.David Keith, a climate and energy expert at Harvard University who co-authored research in 2018 that found America's transition to solar and particularly wind would require up to 20 times more land area than previously thought, said windmills certainly shouldn't be abandoned moving forward, but suggested they could be limited. "You should tilt the energy system toward low land footprints, which means focusing on solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage, with wind at the margins," he told The Guardian.Keith added that if the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee defeats President Trump, the incoming Biden administration will need to "admit there will be tradeoffs for a shared national goal" and that "there will be local decisions people don't like" en route to an emission-free future.But while there are concerns about the effect renewable energy systems can have on land and biodiversity, Melissa Lott, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said the side effects of renewables are unequivocally worth getting to zero carbon. Read more at The Guardian.More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| Fact check: South Dakota's COVID-19 infection, jobless stats aren't as good as claimed Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A popular meme notes that South Dakota didn't have any stay-at-home orders (true) and that it has had hardly any COVID-19 (false).
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| Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful Posted: 25 Jul 2020 12:28 AM PDT |
| US Army plans long-range missile fly-offs for future helicopters Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:37 PM PDT  Fly-offs are coming up in the next few years to assess possible long-range missile options for the Army's future fleet of helicopters.
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| Minneapolis council shifts police media duties to city staff Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:18 AM PDT  The Minneapolis City Council voted Friday to shift police media duties from the Police Department to city staff in what one council member called a move to improve trust, amid calls for changes in policing after George Floyd's death. The shift in media duties won't affect the city's bottom line, but was seen as emblematic of a struggle over the future of policing in Minneapolis, where a majority of council members favor replacing the current department with a different kind of public safety agency. Overall, the City Council members redirected more than $1 million from a $193 million police budget Friday.
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| Key Trump campaign donor steps back from supporting president’s 2020 election bid Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:43 AM PDT  One of Donald Trump's top presidential donors from 2016 has taken a step back from supporting his latest election bid.Robert Mercer, a billionaire hedge-fund manager, donated $15.5m with his wife, Diana, to a number of organisations that supported Mr Trump and his campaign efforts in 2016. The couple also put up another $1m for the inaugural committee.
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| Man accused of running over Sikh man charged with hate crime Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:31 PM PDT  A man accused of running over the Sikh owner of a suburban Denver liquor store after reportedly telling him and his wife to "go back to your country" is now facing a hate crime charge in addition to 16 other charges.
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| Doctors are posting bikini selfies in protest of a study that said it is 'unprofessional' for female medics to share bikini photos online Posted: 24 Jul 2020 08:08 AM PDT  Three male researchers created fake social media profiles to collect photos of female doctors in bikinis for the 2019 study.
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| 12 people infected with the coronavirus were falsely told they'd tested negative — and at least one was hospitalized Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Kevin Evans, a Delaware resident who was told he was negative on July 21, was hospitalized two days later after vomiting and falling unconscious.
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| LeBron James group to donate $100,000 toward paying Florida ex-felons' fines so they can vote Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:44 PM PDT  LeBron James is getting involved in helping ex-felons register to vote in Florida.More Than A Vote, the group that James helped establish this year, on Friday announced it would donate $100,000 toward paying fees and fines of people in Florida with past felony convictions so they can register to vote, Politico reports. The group is raising the money to be donated to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition fines and fees fund. Additionally, the group will host an online screening of a documentary about the late Rep. John Lewis, and proceeds will go to the fund. "Your right to vote shouldn't depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it," Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem, who is also a member of More Than A Vote, said.Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 that restored voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences, but the state later passed a law saying that they must pay off court fees and fines before being able to register to vote. That law is facing legal challenges, and a judge in May found it unconstitutional, saying it creates a "pay-to-vote system." But the Supreme Court has allowed the law to stay in effect for now while the legal challenges continue.More Than A Vote was formed in June amid the nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, and the group describes its priority as "combating systemic, racist voter suppression by educating, energizing, and protecting our community in 2020." James said in an interview with The New York Times last month, "Because of everything that's going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we're finally getting a foot in the door. How long is up to us. We don't know. But we feel like we're getting some ears and some attention, and this is the time for us to finally make a difference." More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| Coronavirus: Why won't India admit how Covid-19 is spreading? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 04:22 PM PDT  Experts say India's government must accept the virus is spreading there through community transmission.
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| South Korea says daily coronavirus cases may top 100, driven by imported infections Posted: 24 Jul 2020 12:09 AM PDT  South Korean health authorities said novel coronavirus infections among people arriving from abroad could drive the number of new cases on Friday to more than 100, the first time since the beginning of April that daily cases hit triple digits. The numbers for Friday will not be announced until Saturday, but Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) deputy director Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing a large number of crewmembers on a Russian ship had tested positive, as had a number of South Korean workers brought home on military flights from Iraq. Meanwhile, two South Korean military aircraft arrived from Iraq on Friday, carrying 293 workers who were evacuated as cases swelled in that country.
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| Hong Kong lawmaker says, "I don't know how I can protect myself" Posted: 24 Jul 2020 06:37 AM PDT  "We were supposed to have rule of law. But now it's rule by law, or even rule by fear," pro-democracy legislator Tanya Chan told CBS News.
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| Armenians and Azerbaijanis clash in Moscow Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:33 AM PDT  Azerbaijanis and Armenians have engaged in a series of fights and violent rampages in Moscow, venting their anger over recent cross-border clashes between the two ex-Soviet nations. Moscow police said Saturday they have detained over 30 people on charges of involvement in fights and disturbances. In St. Petersburg, police detained dozens Saturday in a bid to prevent another big fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
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| Op-Ed: Biden faces pressure to pick a Black woman as his running mate. Who should it be? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  All the Black women on Joe Biden's shortlist of possible running mates have major strengths. Unfortunately, they each have liabilities, too.
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| China makes $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries for access to coronavirus vaccine Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:29 AM PDT  China has announced a $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries to pay for access to a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Mexican government.The announcement, by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, followed a virtual meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday.
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| Stephen Miller says Trump administration won't stand for 'lawless assault' urged on by Portland's mayor Posted: 23 Jul 2020 05:43 PM PDT  White House senior adviser Stephen Miller joins Tucker Carlson with insight on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'
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| A North Carolina private school reopened amid national concerns over in-person classes. Days later a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Posted: 25 Jul 2020 11:44 AM PDT  The school said the staff member was asymptomatic and passed a temperature check, WRAL reported. Sixteen students had come in contact with them.
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| Daily coronavirus cases in Arizona are declining, but the state's fatality rate is rising fast Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Florida on Saturday reported more than 12,000 new coronavirus infections within the previous 24-hour period, bringing the state's total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 414,511. On the other side of the Sun Belt, Arizona is seeing daily infections decline, seemingly without experiencing an elevated plateau, but the death rate -- a lagging indicator -- is increasing.With its latest tally, Florida has surpassed New York -- which has reported 411,200 cases -- as the state with the second highest number of confirmed infections behind California, which, like Florida, has seen cases surge over the last several weeks. New York has yet to see another major uptick since it mostly contained the virus after a significant epidemic in March, April, and May.Florida also reported 124 new resident deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,777. As of Saturday morning, nearly 9,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state.In Arizona, meanwhile, the fatality rate increased over the past week to the point where if the U.S. had an equivalent rate, around 25,000 people would have been reported dead this week. > ARIZONA has reported *556* COVID deaths in the past 7 days.> > For scale, if the entire USA had Arizona's rate of deaths, about ***25,000*** would be reported dead this week alone.> > Chart of death, normalized by population last 8 weeks. (Note EU, Canada at the bottom) pic.twitter.com/fP2n6dPcsA> > -- Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) July 25, 2020More stories from theweek.com Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing America is coming apart. Europe is coming together. Longtime TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88
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| A musician who felt the US was unsafe went to South Korea. He posted about his 2-week mandatory quarantine on TikTok, but wouldn't encourage others to leave. Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:14 PM PDT  "They were very cautious the entire time. I was really impressed by how they handled everything," he told Insider.
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| Thai gay activists raise Pride flags in Bangkok Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:06 PM PDT  The rally in Thailand's capital is the latest in a series of youth-led pro-democracy protests.
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| James Carville still thinks Trump might pull out of race rather than risk a landslide defeat Posted: 24 Jul 2020 04:28 PM PDT  Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said President Trump's political standing appears to be in virtual free fall, as Republicans are increasingly panicked that he will cost them control of the Senate.
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| Oklahoma prosecutor will not charge man who drove in crowd Posted: 24 Jul 2020 03:37 PM PDT |
