- PoliticsYahoo News
Calls in Congress for probe on how former Trump aide won $3 million respirator contract
A leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee asked an inspector general on Tuesday to investigate how a former deputy chief of staff to President Trump received a multimillion-dollar contract to deliver respirators to a Native American community hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The request by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., signals that Democrats intend to aggressively oversee how the Trump administration is disbursing the trillions of dollars allocated by Congress for coronavirus relief measures for individuals, corporations and small businesses. Connolly pressed Christi Grimm, principal deputy inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services and the sole witness at the briefing, to begin looking into how the former White House aide, Zachary Fuentes, came to receive a $3 million contract despite lacking expertise in medical device procurement.
- WorldAssociated Press
Huawei CFO Meng to find out if her fraud case will proceed
A top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei is scheduled to learn Wednesday if a U.S extradition case against her can proceed. Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder, at Vancouver's airport in late 2018. British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Heather Homes is scheduled to rule if the allegations against Meng in the U.S. would also be a crime in Canada if committed here.
- WorldReuters
Brazil police raid Rio governor's residences amid COVID-19 probe
Brazilian federal police on Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro's right-wing Governor Wilson Witzel as part of a COVID-19 corruption probe, targeting one of President Jair Bolsonaro's political foes as the pandemic sweeps the nation. Federal prosecutors alleged Witzel, a former-ally-turned-foe of Bolsonaro, and his wife Helena led a sprawling criminal operation in which her law firm was used to receive payment from a company that won state coronavirus contracts, according to federal court documents seen by Reuters. The spurious services undertaken by the company involved "tent assembly and disassembly services, installation of water tanks, energy generators and flooring for ...
- WorldThe Telegraph
India detains pigeon on suspicion of spying for Pakistan
An intrepid Pakistani 'spy' pigeon is facing a life behind bars in India. The allegation was made after Geeta Devi, a resident of the Kathua district of Indian-administered Kashmir, reported a bird - painted pink and carrying a coded ring tagged to its foot - flew into her home on Sunday night. The Indian Border Security Force passed the pigeon on to the police, who launched an investigation and logged the animal as a 'Pak Suspected Spy.'
BusinessYahoo News VideoDemand has ‘just dried up’ for U.S. small firms in requesting coronavirus stimulus
When the U.S. government first rolled out forgivable loans to small businesses in April under the Paycheck Protection Program, loan officers at Bank of the West in Grapevine, Texas, worked nights and weekends to process a tsunami of applications.
- WorldCBS News
Bones of approximately 60 mammoths discovered in Mexico
Skeletal remains of dozens of mammoths have been discovered at an airport construction site in Mexico, the country's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced Thursday. The findings will give experts an "unprecedented opportunity to delve into more than 30,000 years of history," according to an English translation of a statement from the institute. Bones from about 60 mammoths and 15 human burials were found near a former military base in Santa Lucia, where the new General Felipe Ángeles International Airport is under construction, INAH said.
- U.S.Business Insider
Monterey County DA to investigate if Biden accuser Tara Reade gave 'false testimony under oath' about expert witness credentials
The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced that it will investigate if Tara Reade misrepresented her educational credentials after she served as an expert witness in court cases for a decade, Politico reported. Several California defense lawyers said they would be reviewing cases where Reade, then known as Alexandra McCabe, testified as an expert witness amid the concern that she "misrepresented her educational credentials in court." Reade claimed she had earned her bachelor's degree from Antioch University in Seattle under a "protected program."
WorldAFPTaiwan leader vows 'action plan' for Hong Kong protesters
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday pledged a humanitarian "action plan" for Hong Kongers pushing for democracy in the financial hub as an influx of activists seek sanctuary on the self-ruled democratic island. Hong Kong was upended by months of often violent pro-democracy protests last year sparked by rising fears that Beijing is chipping away at the city's freedoms. Unrest has returned in recent days after Beijing announced plans last week to impose a sweeping national security law in response to the protests, a move that has alarmed many western governments and Taiwan.
- WorldBBC
Walkers found after 19 days in the New Zealand wilderness
Two missing walkers have been found in the New Zealand wilderness, 19 days after they set off. Jessica O'Connor and Dion Reynolds, both 23, began walking in the Kahurangi National Park on 9 May, and expected to be gone for six or seven days. The Kahurangi, in the north-west of the South Island, is New Zealand's second biggest national park.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Clyburn: I 'cringed' at Biden 'you ain't black' comment but compare him 'to the alternative, not the Almighty'
Congressman James Clyburn, D-S.C., a longtime friend of Joe Biden, said Tuesday that he "cringed" at the former vice president's comments that “you ain't black” if you are not sure whether to vote for him or President Donald Trump. Clyburn, who gave Biden a his coveted endorsement three days before his state's crucial February primary, told "The View" Tuesday, "Joe did not do as well as I hoped in responding, but I will say this, I go about my business every day comparing Joe Biden, to the alternative, not the Almighty." Biden made the comments on Friday while an interview with African American radio host Charlamagne tha God's on The Breakfast Club radio show, where Biden emphasized his ties to the African American community, and touted his record on civil rights.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
Levi’s Is Taking 50% off These Best-Selling Jeans Right Now
It's a great time to stock up on the classic 501s. From Popular Mechanics
- WorldAssociated Press
Pandemic probe: Brazil police raid Rio governor's residence
Brazilian police targeted a staunch opponent of President Jair Bolsonaro's push to lift measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in one of the world's disease hot spots, searching the residence of the Rio de Janeiro state governor on Tuesday. The federal prosecutor´s office said in a statement that Gov. Wilson Witzel, a former federal judge, was personally targeted by the 12 search and seizure warrants in Rio and Sao Paulo states. An ongoing investigation pointed to irregularities in contracts awarded for the construction of emergency field hospitals in Rio, and involved health officials, police said in a statement.
- U.S.The Independent
'It's time to surrender': Attorney urges UConn senior accused of killing two and abducting a woman in machete crime spree to turn himself in
A lawyer for the family of a Connecticut murder suspect has pleaded for him to surrender as the multi-state search for the college student continues. On Monday police had to dispel a rumour that Peter Manfredonia, a senior at the University of Connecticut, had been captured in New Jersey. A photo has now been circulated of a person matching his description walking along railroad tracks in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday wearing a white T-shirt, dark shorts and carrying a large duffel bag.
- WorldThe Telegraph
US accuses Russia of deploying fighter jets in Libya
The United States has accused Russia of deploying jet fighters to Libya in what if confirmed would be a dramatic escalation of its military support for renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar's war against the country's UN-recognised government. United States Africa Command said on Tuesday it had monitored several jet fighters flying from Russia to Libya via Syria, and that it expected them to be used to support Russian mercenaries fighting on the ground in support of Gen Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). "We watched as Russia flew fourth generation jet fighters to Libya - every step of the way.
- WorldReuters
German minister warns of far-right threat as anti-Semitic crime jumps
The number of anti-Semitic crimes committed in Germany rose last year by 13%, Interior Minster Horst Seehofer said on Wednesday, laying the blame squarely on right-wing radicals. Germany has stepped up efforts to counter far-right groups in recent months, especially after a gunman in the city of Halle killed two people outside a synagogue in October. Authorities registered 2,032 crimes with an anti-Semitic background, up 13% from 2018, and Seehofer said more than 90% of those were perpetrated by right-wing radicals, said Seehofer.
- WorldBusiness Insider
A Eurowings plane with just 2 passengers on board was forced to turn around after learning its destination airport was closed due to coronavirus
A Eurowings flight from Düsseldorf, Germany, to Sardinia, Italy, was forced to turn around at the last minute because the destination airport was closed due to coronavirus lockdowns in Italy. The plane made it all the way to Sardinian airspace on Saturday when they were told that the airport was closed to commercial traffic. An aviation blog theorized that the mistake was made because the airport was ordered to reopen earlier this month, but that decision was immediately overruled by the local government.
- WorldNBC News
Hundreds arrested in Hong Kong as tensions over proposed security law boil over
Riot police flooded central Hong Kong as people of all ages took to the streets to protest the territory's legislators preparing to debate another bill, one that would make it illegal to insult or abuse the Chinese national anthem. Pro-democracy protesters and politicians say the bill, which carries penalties of up to three years in jail and fines of up to $50,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,450), is yet another sign of increasing interference from Beijing. Hong Kong Police said they have arrested more than 300 people on a number of charges, including possession of weapons and illegal assembly in the city center, Mong Kok, the Causeway Bay area and Wan Chai area.
WorldAFPIndia wilts as temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius
India is wilting under a heatwave, with temperatures in places reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and the capital enduring its hottest May day in nearly two decades. Scorching weather is a growing menace in the world's second-most populous nation, and the United Nations warned this week that the coronavirus pandemic increased the associated health risks. Indian meteorological officials said Churu in the northern state of Rajasthan was the hottest place on record on Tuesday, at 50 Celsius, while parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states sweltered in the high 40s.
- PoliticsPolitico
‘Why are you not burying him?’: Trump allies fret over rising Biden threat
Some of President Donald Trump's political allies and donors are starting to get antsy. With only five months until the November general election, several Trump advisers, campaign veterans and prominent Republicans see the Trump campaign's efforts to define and damage former vice president Joe Biden falling short. These Trump supporters worry the campaign's myriad lines of attack on Biden this spring — from his age to his work with China as vice president to the Obama economic record — are failing to dent the presumptive Democratic nominee.
- ScienceBBC
Dinosaur asteroid's trajectory was 'perfect storm'
For example, if you look at the centres of the crater, of its peak ring and of the uplifted rock that underlies the crust in Earth's mantle - these points do not map directly on top of each other. They're actually aligned in a northeast-southwest direction, with the crater centre in between the centres of mantle uplift and peak-ring formation. This is a vital clue in determining not only the direction from which the asteroid arrived but the angle at which it hit the planet.
- WorldAssociated Press
Citgo sues Miami firm over millions lost in Venezuela fraud
When the U.S. recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the nation's rightful leader last year it did more than just trigger a bitter feud with socialist leader Nicolás Maduro. The latest came Tuesday, when the Guaidó-appointed board of Citgo, the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Houston against a former contractor seeking to recover millions of dollars in damages. The lawsuit accuses José Manuel González and his Miami-based Petroleum Logistics Service Corp. of providing gifts including cash, jewelry, private artwork, chartered flights and even a handpicked Houston apartment to senior executives at Citgo.
- U.S.CBS News
Woman fired from job after calling 911 on black man in park
The woman who went viral for calling the cops on a black man who asked her to leash her dog has been fired from her job, her employer said Tuesday. The confrontation occurred in a section of New York City's Central Park known as the Ramble, where rules require that dogs be leashed. The sister of the man who filmed the confrontation, Melody Cooper, explained that he had asked the woman to put her dog on its leash.
- WorldLA Times
Family separation returns under cover of the coronavirus
U.S. officials are fighting in court to take the three children and deport them to El Salvador — to no one. The only way to avoid being separated from their parents, officials say, would be for their mother in Mexico to give up, too. Government lawyers said they'd put her on a plane with the kids if she agreed to return to El Salvador and never again try to join her husband in the U.S. This is the new family separation, two years after taking kids from their parents at the border blew up into a crisis for the Trump administration.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoHHS principal deputy inspector general is asked about $3M contract awarded to company 11 days after it was created by former WH aide
At a House Oversight Committee briefing on the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus, Rep. Gerry Connolly asked Department of Health and Human Services Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm if she will be looking into a report that a former White House aide, Zach Fuentes, won a contract to provide respirator masks to the Navajo Nation only 11 days after his company was formed.
- WorldReuters
U.S. sanctions advisory raises hurdles for global maritime industry
Ship owners and insurers say it may be impossible for the maritime industry to fully comply with the Trump administration's new guidelines on how to avoid sanctions penalties related to Iran, North Korea and Syria, raising the risk of disruptions in a sector already struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. The advisory issued this month marked the first U.S. sanctions guidance for the global maritime sector, and will test Washington's ability to clamp down on violations without disrupting an industry that handles 90% of the world's trade. The final version of the U.S. guidance, written after feedback from maritime professionals, asks for enhanced data-sharing between the shipping industry and U.S. authorities, constant location tracking of vessels, and industry-led investigations into suspicious activity.
What to Read Next
Sister of black man who died after police filmed kneeling on his neck speaks out
Good Morning America