- PoliticsAssociated Press
Donald Trump, Joe Biden win Louisiana's presidential primary
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have won Louisiana's twice-postponed presidential primary. Trump faced no true challenger for the Republican nomination, but four other GOP contenders ran against him on Louisiana's ballot Saturday. Biden faced 13 other Democrats on the ballot, though he already had locked up enough delegates in other states to become the party's nominee.
- PoliticsTime
After Mueller's Op-Ed, Sen. Lindsey Graham Now Says He'll Call the Former Special Counsel to Testify
Sen. Lindsey Graham has announced that he will grant Democrats' request to have former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The surprising statement from one of the Senate's leaders comes a day after Mueller broke a longstanding silence to defend his probe, and its consequential conviction of Roger Stone, in a public op-ed. Graham, a South Carolina Republican and the Judiciary Committee's chair, has attempted to discredit Mueller's inquiry in the past.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Caribbean countries are selling citizenship for as low as $100,000 — here's how the ultra-wealthy are cashing in to avoid pandemic travel restrictions
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images Secondary passports are in high demand as the coronavirus pandemic causes travel restrictions around the world. In the Caribbean, some nations are offering steep discounts to bring in extra revenue amid a cash crunch. Passport buying has shifted from simple vacations to riding out the virus, experts say.
- HealthNBC News
Do children spread coronavirus? What doctors say about going back to school
But this doesn't mean classrooms can be exempt from social distancing and other safety precautions, particularly if schools intend to welcome kids back on site in less than two months. "It really shouldn't be a debate of getting kids back to school, but getting kids back to school safely," said Dr. Jennifer Lighter, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York. Having kids physically present in schools in the fall as much as possible would be an "ideal situation," Lighter said, but schools will need to implement policies that allow students to maintain some distance indoors and avoid close contact for prolonged periods of time.
- WorldReuters
Iran agency says chain of errors caused Ukrainian plane crash
Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation blamed a misalignment of a radar system and lack of communication between the air defence operator and his commanders for the accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January that killed 176 people aboard. Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight with a ground-to-air missile on Jan. 8 shortly after the plane took off from Tehran,in what Tehran later acknowledged as a “disastrous mistake” by forces who were on high alert during a confrontation with the United States. "A mistake in aligning the radar system had caused human error.
- U.S.Miami Herald
‘We’re going to lose a lot of teachers.’ Coronavirus kills beloved Arizona educator
Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd loved teaching so much that the 61-year-old Arizona woman returned to work after retiring, according to The Arizona Republic. “She was a wonderful teacher, respected by everyone that she worked with,” said Jeff Gregorich, superintendent of the Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District, KSAZ reported. With kids stuck at home, Byrd shared a classroom with two other teachers for a virtual summer school program, CNN reported.
- HealthCBS News
Gottlieb expects "extended plateau" of COVID cases in the South
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted Sunday the South will experience an "extended plateau" of coronavirus cases as states there, many of which were among the earliest to ease restrictions on activities, work to mitigate a spike in new infections. States across the Sun Belt and the West are reporting surges in coronavirus cases, and seven set single-day death records. Florida on Sunday reported 15,299 cases in 24 hours, setting the record for new cases in a single state since the start of the pandemic.
- U.S.The Independent
Tucker Carlson's top writer quits Fox News amid allegations he secretly posted racist comments about black and Asian people
A senior writer for Fox News host Tucker Carlson has quit after it emerged he was secretly posting alleged racist and offensive remarks on an online forum. The writer, Blake Neff, this week allegedly responded to a racist question posed by another user which asked if people would let a “JET BLACK congo n*****” perform Lasik eye surgery on them. “I wouldn't get LASIK from an Asian for free, so no,” Mr Neff responded, according to CNN, which first reported the allegations.
- U.S.USA TODAY Opinion
United or Divided States of America? 6 ways to think about removing Confederate statues
While there is a lot of discussion these days about statues in the public square, it is important to note that taking down Confederate statues does not actually erase history. Their very presence in prominent public locations effectively dilutes the history of the North's victory over the South and the fight to save the United States of America. History is still to be found in books, archives and museums.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoCouple who threatened Black Lives Matter protesters with guns once destroyed children's beehives
St. Louis couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey drew national attention in June when they flashed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters walking down their street.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Sessions vies for Senate comeback in race shadowed by Trump
Seeking a political comeback, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is trying to beat out ex-college football coach Tommy Tuberville in Tuesday's Republican primary runoff and reclaim the Alabama Senate seat he held for decades. To do that, Sessions also has to go through President Donald Trump. Trump has endorsed Tuberville, whose name recognition comes from his time on the sidelines at Auburn University, and turned decisively against his former Cabinet member, making direct appeals for Alabama voters to reject Sessions's candidacy.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Japan is 'shocked' and furious at the US after a major coronavirus outbreak at 2 Marine bases in Okinawa — and says the US is not taking the virus seriously
Japanese authorities say they are "shocked" after a significant coronavirus outbreak at two US Marine bases in the country. 61 Marines have been infected with the virus in recent days, spread across two bases in Okinawa prefecture, home to about 26,000 US service personnel. "We now have strong doubts that the US military has taken adequate disease prevention measures," Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki said at a press conference.
- U.S.NBC News
University professors fear returning to campus as coronavirus cases surge
However, professors were initially required to return to campus to teach in person and there wasn't an option to work remotely. The university later put in place a policy where faculty could file a request to work remotely, but there wasn't a guarantee that the request would be accommodated. Boston University philosophy professors Daniel Star and Russell Powell wrote an open letter to the university urging it to allow professors to make their own decisions about returning to campus.
- WorldReuters
Hamburg sex workers demand Germany's brothels reopen
Prostitutes demonstrated in Hamburg's red light district late on Saturday evening demanding that Germany's brothels be allowed to reopen after months of closure to curb the spread of coronavirus. With shops, restaurants and bars all open again in Germany, where prostitution is legal, sex workers say they are being singled out and deprived of their livelihoods despite not posing a greater health risk. "The oldest profession needs your help," read a notice held up by one woman in a brothel window in the Herbertstrasse, which was flooded with red light after being dark since March.
- WorldINSIDER
South Africa's 9 million smokers were faced with cold turkey when the government banned cigarette sales in March as a coronavirus measure. Now Big Tobacco is fighting back.
earlier in July. South Africa's government had also banned the sale of alcohol but has since eased that restriction, which according to an AP report, has led to an increase in "drunken brawls and traffic accidents, putting added strain on hospitals as they deal with the virus." Reuters FITA is also arguing that by banning the legal sale of cigarettes, the South African government is encouraging a black market trade, and putting thousands of jobs at risk.
- ScienceCBS News
Spectacular photos capture Neowise, one of the brightest comets in decades
Neowise, one of the brightest comets in decades, has brought with it a stunning debris trail this month, delighting skywatchers around the world. Even astronauts aboard the International Space Station have captured the stunning celestial phenomenon, which promises to bring even more spectacular sightings as the month goes on. During the month of July, the newly-discovered comet Neowise, formally named Comet C2020 F3 NEOWISE by NASA, has been visible in the early hours before sunrise.
WorldAFPBosnia Muslims mourn their dead 25 years after Srebrenica massacre
Bosnian Muslims marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre on Saturday, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II, with the memorial ceremony sharply reduced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Many mourners braved the tighter restrictions put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19 to attend the commemorations which culminated in a ceremony laying to rest the remains of nine victims identified over the past year. On July 11, 1995, after capturing Srebrenica, Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in a few days.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Russia's journalists under increasing pressure from the secret services in wake of Putin's shaky referendum victory
Russia's intelligence services have 'stepped up' their war on free media, carrying out a series of operations designed to intimidate journalists in the wake of Vladimir Putin's controversial referendum victory last week. In an unprecedented case for post-Soviet Russia, prominent defence reporter Ivan Safronov was seized outside his home on Tuesday morning by secret service agents and arrested on suspicion of treason. Last week's overwhelming approval of constitutional amendments allowing Vladimir Putin to stay in office at least until 2036 was hailed by the Kremlin as a “triumph.”
- U.S.BBC
Walt Disney World reopens in Florida amid Covid-19 surge
Walt Disney World Resort has begun to reopen in Florida despite a coronavirus surge across the US state. Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are expected to follow from 15 July. More than a quarter of a million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Florida, along with 4,197 deaths.
- WorldAssociated Press
Official: Roadside bomb kills 6 Afghan civilians in east
At least six civilians, including women and children, were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Saturday. Wahidullah Jamazada, spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, said eight other civilians were wounded in the afternoon attack in the Jaghatu district. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Jamazada blamed Taliban insurgents who are active in the province.
- WorldBusiness Insider
An ICU boss in the hardest-hit part of Italy says many patients who recover from COVID-19 still have 'chronic damage'
Sky News The head of ICU at a hospital in Bergamo, northern Italy, said many patients there who were treated for COVID-19 now have serious long-term health issues. Bergamo was the worst-hit area in Italy's worst-hit region, Lombardy. Some 3,000 people died in Bergamo, with the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in the thick of it.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Polls show Trump is losing to Joe Biden. They said the same thing 4 years ago against Hillary Clinton
Joe Biden can look at the polls and smile. A double-digit advantage in numerous national surveys, solid leads in a number of battlegrounds and competitive showings in states Donald Trump carried handily in 2016 suggest the presumptive Democratic nominee is the favorite to win in November. The overwhelming majority of polls four years ago indicated Trump would lose as well. So why put much faith in the 2020 polls that show the former vice president consistently on top?
- WorldReuters
U.S. weighs limited options to deal with China over Hong Kong: WSJ
Steps against Hong Kong's financial system risk hurting U.S., Western and Hong Kong companies and consumers, according to the report https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-weighs-limited-options-to-punish-china-over-hong-kong-11594576800?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=10, citing U.S. officials and analysts. Measures like more targeted sanctions against Chinese officials and trade moves against products made in Hong Kong would have little impact on Beijing's integration of the city into the mainland's political and security system, the Journal added. On Thursday, Trump administration officials discussed Hong Kong plans in a White House meeting, people familiar with the gathering told the Journal.
- U.S.The Independent
Coronavirus: Hotline to report people not wearing face masks set up in US county amid surge in Covid-19 cases
A county in Ohio has launched a hotline so that callers can report people who do not use face masks, amid concerns over a surge in the number of coronavirus cases across the state. Armond Budish, the executive of Cuyahoga county, announced the service on Friday and said complaints would be managed by county officers and would be forwarded to local health authorities. Mr Budish's comments came two days after the wearing of masks was made obligatory in the seven Ohio counties most badly affected by Covid-19, following an order given by the Republican state governor Mike DeWine.
- U.S.Baltimore Sun
Shooting of man by Baltimore police highlights 'total failure' of city's behavioral health response, agency says
After Baltimore police officers shot a man who pulled a firearm while undergoing a behavioral health crisis last week, the organization that oversees the city's behavioral health services called the current system “a total failure” that needs better integration of mental health professionals with the police. There is no indication that police dispatchers attempted to connect available behavioral health resources with officers on the scene before they shot Ricky Walker Jr. on July 1, said Adrienne Breidenstine, vice president of policy and communications for Behavioral Health System Baltimore. The city has two so-called crisis response teams that handle mental health issues, one inside the police department and another at the nonprofit Baltimore Crisis Response Inc. Breidenstine said the incident highlights how the city has created an unnecessarily complex system to deal with people in crisis.
