| Man arrested on suspicion of setting fire to Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix, police say Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:15 PM PDT  Police have arrested a man in connection with a fire set at the Democratic Party Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, last week.Officials announced on Wednesday that they had arrested 29-year-old Matthew Egler on arson charges that morning.
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| The 11-carrier US Navy is mocking Iran as 'experts' at making a dummy aircraft carrier to shoot at Posted: 29 Jul 2020 10:10 AM PDT  The US Navy posted a photo on social media ridiculing Iran after it fired missiles on a mock-up of a US flattop on Wednesday.
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| Biden's notes on display: 'Do not hold grudges' against Sen. Kamala Harris Posted: 28 Jul 2020 06:23 PM PDT  Harris' name was scrawled across the top of his notes, followed by five talking points: "Do not hold grudges." "Campaigned with me & Jill." "Talented." "Great help to campaign." "Great respect for her."
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| Inside a Park Avenue Co-Op That Playfully Breaks With Convention Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:44 AM PDT |
| Colombia coronavirus quarantine to be extended until Aug 30 Posted: 28 Jul 2020 05:28 PM PDT  Colombia's national lockdown to curb infections of the new coronavirus will be extended by one month until the end of August, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 267,300 coronavirus cases and 9,074 deaths. "Obligatory preventative isolation, as the general concept, will continue until August 30," Duque said in his nightly broadcast.
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| Minneapolis 'Umbrella Man' who smashed windows during George Floyd protests was a white supremacist trying to incite riots, police say Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:18 PM PDT  Looting and rioting in the wake of his actions in Minneapolis caused about $500 million in damages and two deaths, the Star Tribune reported.
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| Sen. Cruz: Local officials should be held accountable for 'letting their cities burn' Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT  Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz introduces legislation to allow cities to be sued and federal funds to be denied over the riots.
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| Most view kneeling during anthem as acceptable form of protest Posted: 29 Jul 2020 04:00 AM PDT  Views on this are divided by political party and race.
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| Two women arrested for attacking senator filming Wisconsin protests Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:13 PM PDT  Two women have turned themselves in to police after allegedly assaulting a Wisconsin state representative at a protest on 23 June.Samantha Hamer, 26, and Kerida O'Reilly, 33, were arrested Monday in Madison after turning themselves in to authorities.
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| Google's Sundar Pichai was immediately pounced on in the first question of the antitrust hearing, asking the CEO why Google steals content Posted: 29 Jul 2020 11:51 AM PDT  In his opening set of questions to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, David Cicilline revealed what the year-long investigation had found.
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| Georgia governor backs out of hearing on Atlanta mask order Posted: 27 Jul 2020 08:35 PM PDT  Georgia's governor said he's withdrawing a request for an emergency hearing in a lawsuit that aims to block the state's largest city from ordering people to wear masks in public or imposing other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this month sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the City Council, but a spokesman announced late Monday that the governor wanted "to continue productive, good faith negotiations." As a result, the governor decided to withdraw the request for a hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday morning, spokesman Cody Hall said.
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| Russia and China Are Catching Up on Hypersonic Missiles Amid US Neglect, Expert Says Posted: 29 Jul 2020 10:22 AM PDT  The U.S. is at risk of falling behind Russia and China on "game changer" hypersonic missile development.
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| Escape to North Korea: Defector at heart of COVID-19 case fled sex abuse investigation Posted: 27 Jul 2020 10:23 PM PDT  Last week, a 24-year-old defector returned to North Korea the way he left in 2017, authorities say, but with a coronavirus pandemic raging in the background this time, his illicit trip drew far more attention. Facing a sexual assault investigation, Kim evaded high-tech South Korean border control systems by crawling through a drain pipe and swimming across the Han River to the North on July 19, the South Korean military has said. Kim's story as a defector begins and, so far, ends in the city of Kaesong, a North Korean border town that hosted a now-shuttered inter-Korean factory park and liaison office.
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| Spoiler alert? Kamala Harris outed as Biden's VP pick -- maybe Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:07 PM PDT  Joe Biden's vice presidential pick has been one of Washington's best kept secrets but a supposedly accidental news publication and Biden's own teasingly displayed notes are raising expectations that the winner is Kamala Harris. Speculation over the choice of VP is a parlor game played every four years in Washington, but this time the stakes are unusually high. Biden would be 78 on taking office -- the oldest US president ever -- and he has hinted that he might not seek a second term, making his deputy the prime candidate to take on the party's nomination.
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| Kavanaugh reportedly tried to find middle ground in Louisiana abortion case, but other justices weren't having it Posted: 29 Jul 2020 07:58 AM PDT  Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh reportedly didn't want to be on the losing side of a major case.In late June, the court ruled 5-4 that a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have "active admitting privileges" at a hospital within 30 miles was invalid. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with liberals to provide the pivotal vote in the case, but as people familiar with court discussions tell CNN, that's not how Kavanaugh wanted it to go down.Abortion rights were a big focus of Kavanaugh's 2018 confirmation hearing, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) saying Kavanaugh's promise to uphold Roe v. Wade was a big reason the pro-choice Republican overlooked a sexual assault allegation and cast a deciding vote to confirm him. The Louisiana ruling in late June brought Kavanaugh's stance into question, as he joined conservatives to claim the law protected women's health.But as CNN reports, "Kavanaugh wanted the justices to sidestep any ruling on the merits" of the law and avoid having to "put their own views on the line." In an internal memo and in conversations, Kavanaugh tried to convince the justices to return the case to a trial court judge to gather more facts on just how burdensome the law would be on abortion doctors, sources say. That would stop the law from going into immediate effect, but also spare the justices from making a clear determination on abortion restrictions. But even Roberts, who upheld a Texas law just like Louisiana's 2015, didn't go for it.Kavanaugh also reportedly tried a similar strategy in cases regarding subpoenas for President Trump's financial records, but ultimately sided with the majority to declare Trump wasn't absolutely immune to those subpoenas. Read more about Kavanaugh's attempt to keep the middle ground at CNN.More stories from theweek.com Pelosi to implement new order requiring all lawmakers wear masks on House floor Republicans' coronavirus aid bill is a joke. It might take a stock market crash to change their minds. The Pentagon wants a new nuke because it might fire off the old ones by mistake
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| 'Unimaginable loss': Chicago police deputy chief dies by apparent suicide in department facility Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:47 PM PDT  A newly-promoted Chicago police officer and father of two has died by suicide, city officials said Tuesday.
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| Ghislaine Maxwell files 'extraordinary' last-minute appeal to stop release of 'embarrassing' confidential documents Posted: 29 Jul 2020 12:59 PM PDT  Ghislaine Maxwell has filed a desperate last-minute appeal to stop "embarrassing" confidential documents from being released, claiming the government wrongfully used them to bring criminal charges. US District Judge Loretta Preska had ruled that the files must be unsealed and released to the public by Thursday, but Ms Maxwell's lawyers launched what they conceded was an "extraordinary request" for her to reconsider. The British socialite, 58, is currently answering a number of civil lawsuits brought by victims of associate Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier found dead in his prison cell last year. Her lawyers charged on Wednesday that prosecutors in a separate criminal case used confidential depositions she made in 2016 in the civil case that is now being consideration by Judge Preska. The defamation suit was filed in 2015 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleges she was abused by Epstein and pimped out to powerful figures including Prince Andrew, and confidentially settled in 2017. The Duke of York has denied all allegations.
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| Great white shark kills woman in rare attack in Maine, authorities say Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Maine has recorded only one shark attack since 1837, researchers say.
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| Tesla quietly revealed it got a government coronavirus bailout after Elon Musk opposed another stimulus package Posted: 28 Jul 2020 08:32 AM PDT  Earlier this month, the billionaire said the government should only do direct stimulus payments to citizens because of "special interests."
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| Review: The lies and mistakes that led us into Iraq, laid out in a new book Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:20 PM PDT  Robert Draper has written an authoritative account of the deceit and misjudgments that the George W. Bush administration used to lead America to a ruinous war.
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| Alabama Republican celebrates KKK member's birthday as state remembers civil rights hero John Lewis Posted: 29 Jul 2020 12:17 AM PDT  A Republican senator in Alabama celebrated a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) member's birthday at the same time hundreds were honouring the life of civil rights hero John Lewis.State Representative Will Dismukes took part in an event marking the KKK grand wizard and former Confederate Army General, Nathan Bedford Forrest, as Alabama honoured the late Georgia Democrat this weekend.
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| India and China race to build along a disputed frontier Posted: 29 Jul 2020 04:05 PM PDT  The rival nuclear powers are trying to out-build each other along their disputed Himalayan border.
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| Trump COVID Task Force to Guvs: Make Masks Mandatory Before You Fall Into Red Zone Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:36 PM PDT  As states in the South and Southwest grapple with how to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials on President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force cautioned the nation's governors Tuesday that a new set of states is beginning to experience an uptick in positive cases and recommended that local leaders implement mask mandates and close bars to contain the outbreaks.Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator for the task force, said the positivity rate in states such as Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Colorado was increasing and warned they should quickly take action before they fall into what she described as the "red COVID zones" category. Birx defined the red zones as those states with more than 100 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people and more than a 10 percent test positivity rate."By the time you see hospitalizations, your community spread is so wide that you've flipped into a red state incredibly quickly," Birx said, according to a recording of the call obtained by The Daily Beast. "By the time you see it, up to 80 or 90 percent of your county already has more than 10 percent positivity rate."The warnings from Birx and other task force officials come as the administration is pushing states across the country to reopen schools, a point Vice President Mike Pence reiterated on the call. Pence said the task force would support whatever decision state leaders make but that the team was beginning to see evidence that "encouraging masks," closing bars, and limiting indoor gatherings were slowing the spread in some of the hot spot states. Birx was more explicit with her advice, saying that the "100 percent mask mandates" played a significant role in containing the virus in those states.Trump in the past has resisted mask wearing and said in a Fox News interview this month that he would not impose a national mask mandate. On Monday, Trump retweeted a video shared by his son Donald Trump Jr. that featured a doctor saying masks were unnecessary. Twitter restricted Donald Trump Jr.'s account and removed the video from the platform.Trump Pushes Fake COVID Cure From Fringe Doctors, Banned by FacebookDr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top vaccine official, was also on the call with governors and said states should adhere to Birx's recommendations even if it wasn't politically expedient to do so. "You may be reluctant to do that because the general population is saying, 'Wait a minute, we're not that bad,'" Fauci said, referring to the advice of implementing mask mandates and restricting large gatherings of people. "You are worse than you think you are because where you are now is going to be reflected and what you are going to see… weeks from now. I know it may sound intrusive but it really isn't."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Jim Jordan explodes when asked to put on a mask, pivots to 'unmasking' of Michael Flynn Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:49 PM PDT  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has successfully twisted a public health concern into a conservative conspiracy theory -- but not the one of the dozens of COVID-19 conspiracies one might expect.During a Wednesday hearing with the country's four biggest technology companies, Jordan used his questioning time to claim Google tried to help Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Penn.) was up next, and started her questioning by saying she would pivot from "fringe conspiracy theories" to anti-trust questions. Chaos predictably ensued."We have the email, there is no fringe--" Jordan interrupted before committee chair Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) cut him off. "Put your mask on," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) chimed in. Jordan then used Raskin's request to pivot to a favorite conspiracy: "You want to talk about masks? Why would the deputy secretary of the treasury unmask Michael Flynn's name?"> "Put your mask on!"> > Shouting breaks out among members of the House subcommittee during tech hearing, after Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon suggests Rep. Jim Jordan is pushing "fringe conspiracy theories" https://t.co/83sKht0bRx pic.twitter.com/E6fEZKT6tO> > -- CBS News (@CBSNews) July 29, 2020Jordan's outburst came just hours after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tested positive for COVID-19 and then walked around the House office building knowing he had it. Jordan was also reminded, albeit more gently, to put on his mask during a Tuesday hearing with Attorney General William Barr. Gohmert was also at that hearing, and one of his aides -- and other Republican staffers -- have since anonymously complained about the lack of mask compliance among their congressmembers. > Ever since PM came out, Ive gotten a flood of emails from republican staffers who say they too are being forced to come to the hill without a mask now. > > If you're one of those people, email me or dm me.> > -- Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 29, 2020More stories from theweek.com Pelosi to implement new order requiring all lawmakers wear masks on House floor Republicans' coronavirus aid bill is a joke. It might take a stock market crash to change their minds. The Pentagon wants a new nuke because it might fire off the old ones by mistake
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| Letters to the Editor: If Joe Biden picks Karen Bass as his VP, L.A.'s major loss would be America's gain Posted: 29 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Karen Bass is a proactive member of Congress who serves her constituents as well. She would make an excellent vice president.
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| Harvard professor accused of lying about China ties faces U.S. tax charges Posted: 28 Jul 2020 03:20 PM PDT  U.S. prosecutors brought tax charges on Tuesday against a Harvard University professor accused of lying to authorities about his ties to a China-run recruitment program and funding he allegedly received from the Chinese government for research. Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard's chemistry and chemical biology department, was charged in an indictment filed in federal court in Boston with failing to report income he received from Wuhan University of Technology in China. The four tax-related counts are in addition to two counts of making false statements to federal authorities that Lieber, 61, pleaded not guilty to in June.
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| Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, gave 8-figure donations to 6 different HBCUs for their 'transformative' work against inequality Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:18 PM PDT  Four of the presidents of these institutions highlighted that Scott's donations were the largest from a single individual in the schools' history.
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| SpaceX crew prepares for splashdown Posted: 29 Jul 2020 03:58 PM PDT  The Crew Dragon capsule carrying two NASA astronauts is headed for the agency's first ocean splashdown in 45 years.
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| A San Francisco couple held a secret wedding against city rules. Then they tested positive for the coronavirus. Posted: 28 Jul 2020 03:26 PM PDT  At least 10 attendees, including the newlywed couple, tested positive for the coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
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| White House press secretary discusses the president's controversial comments on COVID-19 Posted: 29 Jul 2020 07:16 AM PDT  As U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 150,000, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss President Trump's controversial comments on hydroxychloroquine, which has been deemed not effective by medical professionals, and his retweeting of a video that contains mixed messaging on masks.
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| US imposes sanctions on teenage son of Syrian leader Assad Posted: 29 Jul 2020 10:49 AM PDT  The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on the 18-year-old son of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, vowing never to let the war-torn nation's regime enrich itself. Hafez al-Assad -- named after his grandfather, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for three decades -- will not be allowed to travel or maintain assets in the United States, the State Department said. The designation was part of a second set of sanctions under the Caesar Act, a US law that took effect in June and aims to prevent any normalization of Assad even as he wins back most of Syrian territory after a brutal nine-year war.
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| Meat banned by council as part of 'climate change action plan', as critics say it shows no understanding of British farming Posted: 29 Jul 2020 08:30 AM PDT  Meat is to be banned by a local council as part of its 'climate change action plan', as critics say it has 'no understanding of British farming'. Enfield council will not be serving meat at any of its catered events from Christmas 2020 as it hopes to "influence the behaviour" of local businesses and suppliers. The local authority is understood to be the first in the UK to announce such a move. Ian Barnes, the deputy leader of the council, said it had already announced a climate emergency and this is one of the steps being taken to make sure the local authority is carbon neutral by 2030. Ensuring Enfield is carbon neutral in 10 years means "taking bold and sometimes unpopular action", he wrote in the council's climate report. The report added: "All events held by Enfield Council where catering is provided to offer only vegan or vegetarian options." The Labour controlled authority uploaded the extensive 'Enfield climate action plan 2020' online after holding a month-long consultation during the coronavirus lockdown. Countryside campaigners have said this ignores the ambitious efforts being put in by UK farmers to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. This is the target set by the National Farmers' Union. Farmers argue that banning meat in this way makes no differentiation between the industrial farming systems in countries like the US and Brazil and the mainly grass-fed systems in Britain. The ban follows similar moves taken at both Goldsmiths and Cambridge University, which saw red meat removed from campus menus. Commenting on the proposal, Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance said: "Banning meat is completely the wrong approach and demonstrates no understanding of how meat in this country is produced, which thanks to UK farming practices, is among the most sustainable in the world. That this ban has gone through with what appears to be very limited public consultation, is damning. Enfield Borough Council would do well to actually liaise with the farming community, properly consult their local residents and drop this proposed ban immediately."
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| Revel suspends New York electric moped sharing service after second reported death Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:48 AM PDT  Electric moped sharing service Revel said on Tuesday it was suspending service in New York after a string of accidents and reports of a second rider killed in the city in recent weeks. Revel said in a statement it was "reviewing and strengthening our rider accountability and safety measures and communicating with city officials, and we look forward to serving you again in the near future." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a Tuesday news briefing his office spoke to the company and made clear the situation was unacceptable.
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| US commander affirms US support for Japan on China dispute Posted: 29 Jul 2020 03:32 AM PDT  The United States supports Japan's protests over Chinese ships venturing into the economic waters near disputed East China Sea islands, the commander of the U.S. Forces in Japan said Wednesday. "The United States is 100% absolutely steadfast in its commitment to help the government of Japan with the situation in Senkaku," Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider said of the group of islands, which are controlled by Japan. China also claims the islands, which it calls Diaoyu.
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| Dreamworld deaths: Theme park owner pleads guilty to safety breaches Posted: 28 Jul 2020 08:55 PM PDT  Dreamworld's owner pleads guilty to safety breaches, after a malfunctioning water ride killed four people.
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| Carbon monoxide fumes from a generator killed 4 family members in Texas after Hurricane Hanna knocked out power Posted: 29 Jul 2020 09:36 AM PDT  Neighbors realized they had not seen the family in some time and could not spot their generator outside, so they grew alarmed and called police.
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| Illinois woman accused of keeping 33 Guatemalan immigrants in her basement pleads guilty to labor trafficking Posted: 29 Jul 2020 11:33 AM PDT  An Illinois woman accused of keeping 33 people from Guatemala in her basement pleaded guilty to a federal labor trafficking charge Tuesday.
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| Archaeologists have solved a longstanding mystery about Stonehenge: the origin of the monument's iconic sandstone boulders Posted: 29 Jul 2020 12:47 PM PDT  The origin of the 25-ton boulders that make up most of Stonehenge once baffled experts. A new study shows they came from a woodland 15 miles away.
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| Ex-FBI agent regularly targeted by Trump bringing out book about president's links to Russia Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:13 AM PDT  An ex-FBI agent whose part in the investigations into Donald Trump administration's ties to Russia angered the president, will soon claim he was compromised in a tell-all book.In a statement to the Associated Press on Tuesday, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media said Peter Strzok's book would outline claims that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election.
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| California and Florida hit new daily record high COVID-19 deaths Posted: 29 Jul 2020 01:47 PM PDT  The heartbreaking milestones come as the U.S. surpasses 150,000 deaths from the virus.
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| China's Mars probe photographs Earth en route to Red Planet Posted: 28 Jul 2020 08:00 PM PDT  China's first Mars probe has beamed back a photo of the Earth and the Moon as it heads toward its destination, the country's space agency said Tuesday. The image, which shows the two celestial bodies as small crescents in the empty darkness of space, was taken 1.2 million kilometres (746,000 miles) away from Earth three days after the Tianwen-1 mission was launched on Thursday, the China National Space Administration said. China joined the United States and United Arab Emirates this month in launching a mission to Mars, taking advantage of a period when Mars and Earth are favourably aligned.
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| Hong Kong to suspend UK, Canada, Australia crime treaties Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:46 AM PDT 
China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday (July 28) that Hong Kong's government will suspend agreements on mutual assistance for criminal matters, including extradition, with Britain, Canada and Australia. It comes as as New Zealand became the latest country to suspended its extradition treaty the territory, following China's decision to pass a national security law. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said that New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong's criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China. "In 1997 there was a 'one country, two systems' commitment by China. It's clear now that the law is no longer what it was and therefore the extradition arrangements we have, don't stand up. But, if they should go back to honoring the commitment of 1997, we'd revisit our situation as well." "We have always taken our view as an independent country that it should be the choice of the New Zealand government not some other government. No matter where the influence is coming from, we've got to make sure our stance is independent." In a website statement, the Chinese embassy in New Zealand called the decision a violation of international law and gross interference in China's internal affairs.
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| Pakistani Muslim accused of insulting Islam killed in court Posted: 29 Jul 2020 02:14 AM PDT |
| Tropical Storm Isaias likely to form in Atlantic; warnings issued for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:50 PM PDT  A tropical cyclone brewing in the Atlantic is likely to become Tropical Storm Isaias this week and it would affect Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
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