- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump vows to help oust GOP senator after criticism: 'Get any candidate ready'
Donald Trump wrote Thursday that he would campaign against Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski over her praise of comments made by Gen. James Mattis, who the previous day lashed out at the president over threats to use the U.S. military to put down nationwide protests over the death of African-American George Floyd. Posting to his Twitter account, Trump vented over Murkowski's public rebuke and vowed to head to her home state of Alaska and campaign on behalf of her as-yet-unnamed opponent in 2022. Earlier in the day Thursday, Murkowski told reporters on Capitol Hill that she agreed with the remarks made by Mattis, Trump's former defense secretary, who said he was “angry and appalled” by Trump's response to the protests over Floyd's killing.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Pentagon intelligence employees raise concerns about supporting domestic surveillance amid protests
The government's increasingly militarized response to nationwide protests has sparked concern among employees of a Pentagon intelligence agency, who fear they might be compelled to help conduct surveillance on Americans participating in demonstrations, sources tell Yahoo News. The May 25 killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, in Minneapolis police custody set off a series of nationwide protests, including in Washington, D.C. In response, the Trump administration has sent a wide range of law enforcement and military personnel to the nation's capital to help police the demonstrations. The use of military personnel has prompted questions about overreach, including now at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
- U.S.INSIDER
Minneapolis City Council members look to disband the police department as schools and other city agencies cut ties with police
Several members of the Minneapolis City Council are exploring ways to permanently disband the Minneapolis Police Department. Over the past week, several other city agencies have severed their ties to the department. Ten days after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, several members of the Minneapolis City Council are seeking to get rid of the police department — permanently.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Putin declares a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of diesel oil leak into Arctic river due to climate change
Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency after more than 20,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled into a river in the Russian Arctic. Several miles of the Ambarnaya river were turned red after a fuel tank at a power plant in Norilsk, an industrial city in northern Siberia, collapsed on Friday. Mr Putin berated regional officials for their slow response in a Zoom call broadcast on state television on Wednesday.
- WorldAssociated Press
News agency: Iranian ship sinks in Iraqi waters, 1 dead
The head of Iran's maritime and ports association said Friday an Iranian cargo ship sank in Iraqi waters, and at least one crew member was dead and two others missing, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. Nader Pasandeh told IRNA the cargo ship Behbahan embarked Tuesday for Umm Qasr Port in Iraq from the southwest Iranian port city of Khorramshahr. He said it sank Thursday night in Khor Abdullah, a narrow channel that separates Iraq from Kuwait.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Chris Hayes Slams Cuomo and de Blasio for Trying to ‘Gaslight the Public’ on Cops Beating Protesters
MSNBC host Chris Hayes took New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to task on Thursday night for falsely claiming that New York police hadn't beaten protesters despite video evidence to the contrary. In recent days, several videos have surfaced on social media showing NYPD officers whacking peaceful protesters with batons, including a “horrifying” viral clip of three officers bludgeoning a cyclist on Wednesday night. Noting that Wednesday night's New York protest over George Floyd's death devolved into violence because “the NYPD started beating people,” Hayes went on to highlight several incidents captured on video by protesters and journalists.
- U.S.NBC News
Denver police fire pepper balls at man yelling that his pregnant fiancée is in car
The Denver Police Department is investigating an incident from last week that was caught on video and has gone viral showing officers spraying pepper balls at a man who is screaming that he has a pregnant woman in his car. Videos of the incident, which happened early Saturday morning, shared on Twitter and YouTube shows the man getting out of his stopped car to yell at officers: "You shot up a car with a pregnant woman in it, with f--king tear gas." The man is outside of the car on the driver's side, and the passenger's side, where a woman is sitting, is closest to the officers.
- U.S.Popular Mechanics
Watch Lightning Strike the Washington Monument, Then Watch It Again
Lightning causes a huge amount of damage every year, mostly to property much closer to the ground. The marble Washington Monument is topped with a set of lightning rods. A Washington, D.C. news channel captured astonishing footage of lightning repeatedly striking the Washington Monument on Thursday night.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoActivist DeRay Mckesson to critics of the Black Lives Matter movement: ‘We never want one leader … because if you kill the leader, you kill the movement’
The entire country is on edge right now with people protesting police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed black people by law enforcement. All the while, the world continues to cope with a deadly pandemic, one that disproportionately affects African-Americans. And in November there is a presidential election.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Under questioning, Barr says Trump's Bible photo op was 'entirely appropriate'
Attorney General William Barr said Thursday that it was “entirely appropriate” to forcibly remove protesters from the area surrounding the White House ahead of President Trump's seemingly impromptu photo opportunity in front of St. John's Church. “I think the president is the head of the executive branch and the chief executive of the nation and should be able to walk outside the White House and walk across the street to the church of presidents,” Barr said at a press conference when asked about regrets expressed Wednesday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper over the political implication of his appearance with the president at the church.
- U.S.Politico
White bystanders armed with rifles watch Floyd protesters march in Indiana
Protesters in a rural Indiana city who took to the streets to condemn racism and police killings of black people encountered bystanders who were holding rifles during the demonstration. A video that circulated on social media shows 21 people standing along a bike trail near downtown Crown Point, Indiana, watching protesters march past them Monday during a peaceful protest against police brutality and racism. Eight of the bystanders held firearms, an act Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land said is protected under state law.
- U.S.Reuters
Police arrest cyclist who confronted youngsters posting U.S. racial injustice flyers
A cyclist whose videotaped confrontation with three youngsters posting flyers protesting racial injustice on a nature trail outside Washington drew widespread attention has been arrested and charged, police said Friday. The Maryland-National Capital Park Police said Anthony Brennan III, 60, was charged with three counts of second degree assault over the incident in which a beefy, sunglasses-sporting cyclist appears to loom over a young woman as someone off-camera yells, "Do not touch her! Do not touch her!"
- WorldBusiness Insider
Delta says it will stop flying to 11 US cities indefinitely — here's the full list
Delta Air Lines announced the suspension of service to 11 US cities and Ottawa, Canada amid its pandemic-related recovery efforts. The Department of Transportation approved the cuts, scheduled to take effect on July 8, which primarily impact small, regional destinations across the US. The airline is only cutting service to cities with other air carriers to provide service.
- WorldAssociated Press
China urges citizens to shun Australia as dispute simmers
China is advising its citizens not to visit Australia, citing racial discrimination and violence against Asians, in what appears to be Beijing's latest attempt to punish the country for advocating an investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. A notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism late Friday said there has “been an increase in words and deeds of racial discrimination and acts of violence against Chinese and Asians in Australia, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.” “The ministry advises Chinese tourists to raise their safety awareness and avoid travelling to Australia,” the notice said.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Protests in Minneapolis turned violent: Officials first blamed outsiders, but that’s not what arrests show
Read this: Officials blame 'out-of-state' agitators but those at the heart of protests are homegrown Riot, violence, looting: Words matter when talking about race and unrest, experts say Leggat, the security consultant, said intelligence reports from his colleagues indicate most of the hard-core protesters in Minneapolis were far-left or anarchists, and that far-right groups have not yet made a significant appearance. He said looting is typically done by locals – usually people with no criminal record who just get caught up in the moment. But direct conflicts with authorities come from a mix of both locals and outside groups who see these conflicts as a core part of their mission.
- WorldTime
Russia Declares Emergency Following Spill of 20,000 Tons of Oil in the Arctic Circle
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency in the city of Norilsk after a massive oil spill in the Arctic region. A “considerable amount” of the oil seeped into the Ambarnaya River in Siberia, Putin said Wednesday during an official meeting about response to the fuel leak. The President appeared shocked to learn that local authorities were first flagged to the incident by social media—two days after it happened and criticized the region's governor Alexander Uss during the televised meeting, Reuters reported.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Corrupt Cop Linked to Trump Tower Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya Exposes Russian Ops
LONDON—A corrupt former police officer who was caught working with Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya has revealed in a Swiss court how Russia's complex foreign influence campaign targets justice systems in Western countries. The former consultant to the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office was sacked and convicted after his entanglement with Veselnitskaya and the Russian prosecutor general's office was exposed. On the visit to the spectacular Kamchatka Peninsula and Lake Baikal, the official, who is identified only as Victor K., reportedly admitted that he spent a week fishing, enjoying the rugged countryside, and hunting for bear, including from a helicopter, with officials from the Russian prosecutor general's office.
- EntertainmentPopular Mechanics
The 20 Best Podcasts About All Things Tech
From the sounds behind the Star Wars franchise, to the history of the worst video game ever invented, these tech podcasts are must-listens for the 21st century. From Popular Mechanics
- U.S.Yahoo News
Trump says the economy will cure the 'very sad problem' of police killing blacks
Over the past two days, President Trump has twice been asked how he plans to address the systemic racism in U.S. police departments spotlighted by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and both times he has made clear that he believes the solution is a healthy economy. In a Thursday radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Trump was asked about his reaction to the fact that just 36 percent of African-Americans say they trust local police, compared with 70 percent of whites. “Well, I think it's a very sad problem,” Trump replied.
- U.S.The Independent
Black Lives Matter logo painted on streets near White House seen from space
A logo written in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign on the streets near the White House, can be seen from space. The words were written on two blocks of 16th Street in bright yellow letters, on the orders of Washington DC's mayor, Muriel Bowser. The decision was taken amid protests over the death in police custody of George Floyd. The Democratic politician also ordered that the section of the street where the logo is written was renamed “Black Lives Matter Plaza”, and accompanied by a new street sign.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoBuffalo, N.Y., protester in serious condition after being shoved to ground by police; 2 officers involved suspended without pay
Video from Buffalo, N.Y., has sparked outrage as a 75-year-old protester was shoved to the ground and seriously injured by police officers. Two angles of the incident captured by local media outlets Spectrum News and WBFO show the demonstrator bleeding after hitting his head on the sidewalk as bystanders plead for assistance. Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown has announced that two officers involved in the incident have been suspended without pay.
U.S.AFPPolice arrested in Mexico after riots over man's death
Three police officers have been arrested in the Mexican state of Jalisco over the death of a man taken into custody for allegedly breaking coronavirus restrictions, authorities said Friday. Among those placed under arrest over the death of 30-year-old Giovanni Lopez last month is a municipal police chief in Guadalajara and another middle-ranking officer, state prosecutor Gerardo Solis told reporters. The arrests follow riots in the state capital Guadalajara after protesters had gathered to demand justice over Lopez's death.
- BusinessNBC News
New U.S. ban on Chinese airlines hurts Chinese students who were already struggling to get home
A new Department of Transportation order banning Chinese airlines from flying to and from the U.S. is an added hardship for thousands of Chinese students in the U.S. who were already struggling to get back home due to their own government's cap on international flights. The U.S. DOT order, posted Wednesday on a federal website, is scheduled to take effect on June 16. Several Chinese students in New York tell NBC News that previous Chinese regulations limiting the number of flights into China because of the coronavirus pandemic have already had them scrambling for weeks to find flights home with little success.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Fact check: Huntington Beach photos comparing coronavirus protest, BLM protest are real
The claim: A Black Lives Matter protest at Huntington Beach had heavy police presence with smaller crowds while a coronavirus protest in the same area had a larger crowd with light police presence A recent Facebook post compares two photos allegedly from recent protests in Huntington Beach, California. The first photo that claims to come from a beach closure protest appears to have larger crowds with no police, while a Black Lives Matter protest in the same area is shown to have a smaller crowd with police blocking off a main intersection. The bottom of the photo is captioned, “1.
- WorldReuters
Court in Crimea jails second Jehovah's Witness for six years
A court in Russian-controlled Crimea jailed a Jehovah's Witness for six years on Thursday after finding him guilty of belonging to an organisation banned in Russia since 2017, according to a local human rights group. Crimean Human Rights Group said in a statement that Artem Gerasimov had become the second Jehovah's Witness to be convicted for practicing his religion in Crimea, following the decision by the Crimean Supreme Court, and was one of dozens to be prosecuted in similar cases by Russian authorities. The court did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
