- HealthYahoo News
Most of the coronavirus tests the U.S. does are worthless. But there's a solution that could actually work — and stop the spread.
To stop its raging coronavirus outbreak, which is currently spreading at a rate of about 60,000 new cases per day, the United States can do one of two things. The good news is that there might be a simple solution: new tests that prioritize speed over sensitivity.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Marijuana sent him to prison for decades. Now he has COVID-19 and is seeking release.
As an elderly Michigan inmate's bid for early release amid the coronavirus pandemic continues, garnering support from everyone from a local prosecutor to a reality star, his situation is becoming more dire. Michael Thompson, a 69-year-old former Flint resident, is serving a 40- to 60-year sentence for selling marijuana to an informant in 1994. Thompson, who lost his parents and son while incarcerated, isn't eligible for release until 2038.
- WorldBusiness Insider
The Russian owner who abandoned the ship full of ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut explosion has been questioned by police in Cyprus, reports say
Hasenpusch/picture alliance via Getty Images/Business Insider Igor Grechushkin, the Russian owner of the ship that carried a huge cargo of explosives to Beirut, which exploded years later, was questioned by Cypriot police on Thursday, reports say. Grechushkin abandoned the MV Rhosus and its cargo of 2,750 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate in 2014. Lebanese authorities impounded the cargo until Tuesday's catastrophic explosion.
- U.S.INSIDER
Portland's Black police chief says violent protesters have 'taken away from' the Black Lives Matter movement
Chuck Lovell, the police chief of Portland, Oregon, called for violent protesters to stop their actions at a Wednesday press conference. While protests in downtown Portland have been peaceful since the presence of federal agents was scaled back last week, there have been violent offshoot protests in other parts of the city. Wednesday marked the 70th consecutive day of demonstrations in the city, which started after George Floyd's death in late May.
- PoliticsPolitico
Judge dismisses Republican lawsuit seeking to block proxy voting
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's lawsuit seeking to overturn the House's adoption of proxy voting — a measure embraced by Democrats to permit members to cast votes from their district to avoid traveling during the coronavirus crisis. Washington, D.C., federal district court Judge Rudolph Contreras determined that McCarthy's suit was out of bounds because courts have no ability to review purely legislative functions, affirming the sweeping power of the House to set its own rules and processes without other branches of government getting involved.
- BusinessMiami Herald
There are more problems with onions. Another brand pulls products at Walmart and Kroger
A nationwide onion recall has grown to include products from Taylor Farms Texas, a Dallas company that is voluntarily recalling products containing onions from its supplier. An onion recall was initiated by Thomson International last week. These onion products are sold at Walmart and Kroger groceries in 11 states: Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.
- U.S.The Independent
New York is moving homeless people into luxury hotels to protect them against coronavirus and wealthy neighbourhoods aren't happy
But in recent days, residents of some wealthier areas of New York where some of the hotels are located have complained about what they describe as anti-social behaviour and drug use by homeless people in their neighbourhoods. In the Upper West Side, where the median house price is more than $1.8m, some residents have started a Facebook group to express their displeasure over the use of three high-end hotels in the area. Our community is terrified, angry and frightened,” one member of the 'Upper West Siders For Safer Streets' group told the New York Post.
- U.S.National Review
The New George Floyd Video Should Not Surprise You
The officer repeatedly instructs Floyd to show his hands, but Floyd delays and argues instead, prompting the cop to draw his pistol and point it at Floyd. If an officer asks to see your hands, he wants to make sure there isn't a gun in them, so show him your hands. Floyd then becomes even more agitated, and a long scene follows in which the police get Floyd out of the car, handcuff him, try to put him in a police vehicle while he resists, and then — after he says he wants to lie down — apparently start to put him on the ground.
- WorldReuters
Brazil's Bolsonaro orders $360 million to be set aside for AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Thursday that will set aside 1.9 billion reais ($356 million) in funds to purchase and eventually produce the potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca PLC and Oxford University researchers. Brazil's Acting Health Minister General Eduardo Pazuello said the vaccine could be available for Brazilians by December or January. AstraZeneca's candidate is seen as the frontrunner in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
Decades after they last saw each other, homecoming king and queen reunited by chance on a dating app
When Janet Fenner and Gregory Dabice last stood together at the 50-yard-line in Montclair State University's football stadium, it was 1992 and they were being crowned homecoming king and queen, complete with plastic scepter and tiara. Where the student body had stood cheering wildly, the couple's combined seven children and guests sat quietly at a safe social distance, while Paul Cell, chief of university police, officiated. Rocky the Red Hawk mascot served as ring bearer, and a proclamation from university president Susan Cole was read, naming August 1 as Janet Fenner and Gregory Dabice Day.
- U.S.Associated Press
More charges for man accused of preying on homeless women
More victims of a man accused of luring homeless women with the promise of food and shelter only to sexually assault them have been identified, Phoenix police said Friday. Authorities said 51-year-old Robert Incorvaia is facing more charges a week after Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested him for three counts of sexual assault and four counts of kidnapping. Incorvaia has been re-booked on 10 counts of sexual assault and six counts of aggravated assault, Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Trump claims Biden will 'hurt God. He's against God.'
At a speech to supporters in Cleveland on Thursday, President Trump said former Vice President Joe Biden is “against God.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
A Sampling of Work From Mexico City’s Top Talents
A look at some of the design coming out of the cultural capital Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- PoliticsCBS News
Schumer, Pelosi call on postmaster general to reverse service changes
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Thursday to ask him to reverse recent operational changes made in the Postal Service. Pelosi and Schumer met with DeJoy on Wednesday, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in what Schumer later described as a "heated" meeting. Pelosi and Schumer said in their letter that they confronted DeJoy Wednesday over "reports of a dramatic increase in delayed and undelivered mail impacting mail delivery times and quality of service."
- LifestyleINSIDER
Oklahoma won't require masks in schools, so a teacher who's a 72-year-old cancer survivor is offering students extra credit to wear them
Octavio Jones/Getty Images A teacher in Oklahoma plans to offer extra credit to encourage students to wear masks, NBC News reported. The teacher, who is a 72-year-old prostate cancer survivor, told NBC News that he will wear a plastic face shield in addition to a face mask while teaching in class. In July, Oklahoma's State Board of Education voted against mask mandates in schools, making it a 'recommendation' but not a requirement.
- U.S.The Independent
Woman confronting vandals covered in paint during renewed Portland protests
Protesters in Portland allegedly threw white paint over a woman, as demonstrators clashed with police for a third consecutive day. On Friday, following two days of protests marred by vandalism, more than 200 people clashed with police, as two other Black Lives Matter protests marched peacefully through the city. As the peaceful demonstrations took place, a separate group gathered at a park in east Portland and marched to the local precinct.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Putin’s Got Big Problems in Russia’s Provinces
MOSCOW—The city of Khabarovsk, a sprawling, industrial metropolis about 5,000 miles east of the capital—the Bolsheviks turned it into a hub for serving Siberian prison camps, in the middle of nowhere by design—is about as far from the seat of Russian power as geographically possible. Despite the Kremlin's best efforts to hide them, problems have been bubbling up in Russia's provinces, transforming local issues into the most dynamic arena for dissent, protest, and opposition in the country's political system and fueling Russia's version of post-lockdown unrest. The arrest of Khabarovsk's popular regional governor sparked the anti-Putin uprising that has drawn up to 60,000 people into the streets in this usually sleepy backwater.
- WorldReuters
Joshua Wong and other Hong Kong activists charged over banned June 4 vigil
Two dozen people in Hong Kong, including pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, have been charged with participating in an illegal assembly at a vigil on June 4 commemorating the crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen square in 1989. It was the first time the vigil had been banned in semiautonomous Hong Kong, with police citing coronavirus restrictions on group gatherings in refusing permission for it to take place. The anniversary struck an especially sensitive nerve in the former British colony this year, falling just as China prepared to introduce national security legislation later that month in response to last year's often violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
- WorldThe Telegraph
US warns Americans to 'exercise increased caution' in New Zealand due to Covid-19
The United States government has issued a warning to its citizens to “exercise increased caution in New Zealand due to Covid-19”, despite the fact New Zealand has been lauded globally for its response to the pandemic. On June 8, Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, declared the pandemic over as community transmission has been eliminated. The warning on the US government travel advice website does not mention this fact or that each active case involves a returned traveller who went directly into quarantine on arrival.
- U.S.BBC
George Floyd: US protesters charged as 'gang' face life sentence
Protesters in Utah who splashed paint on a prosecutor's office could be given life sentences after they were accused of acting as a "gang". Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office was targeted by Black Lives Matter marchers issued the charges. Critics, including the city's mayor, have called the felony charges excessive.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
CIA analysts reportedly told the White House there's 'no evidence' the Chinese government has accessed TikTok data
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images CIA analysts told the White House that though it is possible for the Chinese government to access TikTok user data, there is "no evidence" that it has done so, per a New York Times report. However, President Trump still moved forward with an executive order Thursday night prohibiting US companies from doing business with not only TikTok's parent company ByteDance but also WeChat, a popular app for Chinese citizens. The executive order goes into effect on Sept.
- PoliticsPolitico
Biden says Harris is 'very much in contention' to be his running mate
Joe Biden said Sen. Kamala Harris is “very much in contention” to be his running mate on the 2020 Democratic ticket, clarifying that he doesn't hold a grudge against the California lawmaker for attacking him in an early primary debate. The presumptive Democratic nominee's conciliatory tone toward Harris comes after senior members of Biden's vetting team had thrown cold water on her vice presidential bid in the final stretch of Biden's search. In late July, POLITICO reported that former Sen. Chris Dodd, who is part of Biden's vice presidential search committee, told a longtime Biden supporter that Harris had “no remorse” when asked about her confrontation with Biden at the first Democratic primary debate.
- PoliticsDefense News
Germany floats a new NATO spending yardstick: 10 percent
COLOGNE, Germany – German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is pushing for a new yardstick to measure Berlin's contributions to NATO, suggesting the country could shoulder 10 percent of alliance requirements. The figure is meant to reflect the share of NATO's total “planning targets,” which are tabulated periodically, a defense ministry spokesman told Defense News. Such math would be able to more accurately capture Germany's efforts across the categories “cash, capabilities and commitments” than the current defense-spending objective of 2 percent of GDP, according to the spokesman.
- U.S.Associated Press
Fort Hood commander's transfer on hold amid investigations
Army leaders have delayed the planned transfer of the Fort Hood commander, as a team of independent investigators heads to the base to determine whether leadership failures contributed to the murder of a soldier earlier this year, and several other deaths. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, commander of Fort Hood, Texas, was slated to go to Fort Bliss, which is near El Paso, and take over leadership of the 1st Armored Division. Command of a division is a key step in an Army officer's career.
- U.S.USA TODAY Opinion
The National Rifle Association faces its worst nightmare: accountability
On Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association for breaking New York charities law — the result of an investigation into the NRA's finances that began in April 2019. The complaint seeks dissolution, meaning that if the NRA is found guilty, it could be disbanded by the state of New York. You don't have to be a lawyer to see how the NRA got into this mess.
“He’s not a radical. But he is running on the most liberal policy platform of any Democratic candidate in modern history.”
“Public opinion has been shifting leftward, and Biden’s thinking has shifted with it.”
“Biden shows that he’s more moderate than some in his party.”
“Biden has always been a creature of his time, and the COVID-19 crisis could force him to veer further left.”
“Liberal activists have lauded the campaign’s outreach to progressives.”