- PoliticsYahoo News
Twitter employees 'very unhappy' the platform won't correct Trump falsehoods about Scarborough and staff member
Twitter employees are outraged by the company's refusal to stop President Trump from using the platform to promote a conspiracy theory involving a former staffer of Trump critic and media personality Joe Scarborough, according to tech journalist Kara Swisher. Swisher reported Tuesday that the widower of Lori Klausutis, who died suddenly in 2001 while working as a staff member in Scarborough's congressional office in Florida, wrote Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey a heartfelt letter last week asking him to stop Trump from continuing to spread conspiracy theories about his wife's death via the social media platform.
- U.S.INSIDER
The police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck has been involved in shootings and was the subject of 10 complaints
Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via Getty Images Derek Chauvin, the white Minneapolis police officer who was fired after a video showed him kneeling on the neck of a black man, George Floyd, who later died, has a history of involvement in violent incidents and police shootings. He's been involved in several police shootings and has been the subject of complaints by the city's Civilian Review Authority and the Office of Police Conduct reviews on 10 occasions. As Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck, another since-ousted officer, Tou Thao, stood guard.
- WorldReuters
China parliament advances Hong Kong security law as tensions with U.S. rise
China's parliament approved a decision on Thursday to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear could erode its freedoms and jeopardise its role as a global financial hub. China says the legislation will aim to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city but the plan, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first big protests in Hong Kong for months. Riot police were out in force in Hong Kong as its lawmakers debated another piece of legislation, a bill to criminalise disrespect of China's national anthem, while the United States piled on pressure aimed at preserving the city's autonomy.
U.S.AFPMichigan governor in hot water over boat launch claim
The Michigan governor who implemented some of the toughest coronavirus lockdown rules in the United States came under heavy criticism Tuesday over allegations that her husband pressured a dock to prepare his boat for an outing. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has defended her tough stay-at-home policies against armed protestors and attacks from President Donald Trump, announced last week the lifting of some restrictions ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend. According to a claim posted on Facebook by Northshore Docks owner Tad Dowker, Whitmer's husband Marc Mallory subsequently tried to use her position to get his boat moved ahead of others for launching before the holiday weekend.
- WorldMilitary.com
Russian Jets Blocked US Plane in Unsafe Maneuvers Over Mediterranean, Navy Says
A pair of Russian planes restricted a Navy pilot from safely maneuvering over international waters for more than an hour, service officials said on Tuesday. Two Russian Su-35 aircraft on Tuesday simultaneously flew close to each wing of a Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, according to Navy news release describing the incident. It was the third time in two months that Russian aircraft have intercepted Navy aircraft in the Sixth Fleet of operations, the release states.
- WorldBBC
Pakistani villager urges India to return 'spy' pigeon
A Pakistani villager has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return his pigeon, currently being held in India on charges of spying. The Pakistani villager, who claims the arrested pigeon is his, says the code is actually his mobile phone number. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper has identified the man as Habibullah and reports that he owns a dozen pigeons.
- WorldAssociated Press
US priest who founded Knights of Columbus to be beatified
The founder of the Knights of Columbus, the influential U.S.-based lay Catholic organization, is moving a step closer to possible sainthood. Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Rev. Michael McGivney, a Connecticut priest who died at age 38 of pneumonia in 1890 during a pandemic similar to the current coronavirus outbreak. The Vatican said Wednesday that Francis had signed off on the miracle required.
WorldYahoo News VideoHuawei CFO Meng to find out if a U.S extradition case against her 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. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges.
- 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
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Justice Department clears 3 senators in stock sales investigation, but Burr's case appears ongoing
The Justice Department has closed its investigation into three senators over stock sales made just before the market slide triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, according to people familiar with the matter. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.; and James Inhofe, R-Okla.; that the Justice Department will not be pursuing insider trading charges against them, people familiar with the matter said. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on the development, which was first reported by the New York Times.
- U.S.NBC News
Arbery case exemplifies how 'stand your ground' is a right, hate crime laws are hypothetical
A huge disparity When white Americans who live in a "stand your ground" state make self-defense claims in situations involving a black person's death, 36 percent are ruled justifiable homicides, Robert Spitzer, a professor of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, said. When the situation is reversed and black Americans make self-defense claims in cases involving dead white people in these same states, just 3 percent see those deaths ruled justifiable homicides. That's the pattern in more than a decade of data.
- WorldReuters
U.S. weighs options 'across the spectrum' to punish China over Hong Kong
The Trump administration is crafting a range of options to punish China over its tightening grip on Hong Kong, including targeted sanctions, new tariffs and further restrictions on Chinese companies, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with the discussions. Such moves could mark the opening salvoes of the U.S. response as President Donald Trump weighs how far he is prepared to go after the State Department's assessment on Wednesday that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous enough from Beijing to deserve special treatment under U.S. law that helped make it a global financial hub.
- U.S.INSIDER
The white woman who called 911 after a black bird-watcher asked her to leash her dog has 'voluntarily surrendered' her pet to an animal rescue
More than 22 million people have watched a video of Amy Cooper, a white woman, calling 911 and alleging that there was an "African-American man threatening" her. Christian Cooper, who is black and enjoys bird watching, had asked Amy Cooper to put her dog on its leash while they were in the Ramble in Central Park in Manhattan. "When Chris began offering treats to my dog and confronted me in an area where there was no one else nearby and said, 'You're not going to like what I'm going to do next,' I assumed we were being threatened," Amy Cooper said in a statement, "when all he had intended to do was record our encounter on his phone."
- WorldThe Telegraph
British mercenaries 'involved in botched operation' backing rebel leader in Libya, according to secret UN report
Six British citizens including two former Royal Marine commandos have been accused of taking part in a botched mercenary mission to Libya to fight on behalf of renegade general Khalifa Haftar. The five men and one woman are named in a confidential report by the United Nations panel of experts on Libya into a botched mission that ended with the mercenaries making a remarkable sea-borne escape after falling out with their hosts. The men, including former Royal Marines Sean Callaghan Louw and Andrew Scott Ritchie, were among around 20 mercenaries who travelled to Benghazi in eastern Libya in June 2019 in a contract organised by a UAE based company called Opus, according to the report seen by the Daily Telegraph.
- U.S.Reuters
Biden on 100,000 coronavirus deaths: 'To those hurting, the nation grieves with you.'
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden released a video message on Wednesday marking the grim milestone of 100,000 American lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic, telling the bereaved: "The nation grieves with you." Biden spoke after various tallies of COVID-19 deaths, including one compiled by Reuters, showed that the novel coronavirus has killed over 100,000 people in the United States, even as the slowdown in deaths encouraged businesses to reopen and Americans to emerge from more than two months of lockdowns. Biden, speaking from his home in Delaware, drew on his own family loss when making his remarks.
- U.S.Associated Press
American virus deaths at 100,000: What does a number mean?
On Wednesday, the United States' official reported coronavirus death toll reached six digits. “We all want to measure these experiences because they're so shocking, so overwhelming that we want to bring some sense of knowability to the unknown,” says Jeffrey Jackson, a history professor at Rhodes College in Tennessee who teaches about the politics of natural disasters. In the mid-1800s, a new level of numerical precision was emerging in Western society around the same time the United States fought the Civil War.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Julián Castro on Why Everyone Hates Ted Cruz
Former presidential candidate Julián Castro has a convincing theory about why Everyone Hates Ted Cruz. In Episode 11 of The New Abnormal, The Daily Beast's podcast for a world gone off the rails, Castro talks to co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson about Trump's chances to take Texas in 2020 (not great! Joe Biden's “you ain't black” comment (also not great!
- 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.
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionAndrew Yang: After coronavirus, we can build economy that works for all Americans
We are being changed by this time, and the challenge now is to get through it and to build a future that works for us and our families. Before the pandemic, Americans were already being left behind: About 80% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, and about 40% couldn't afford an unexpected $400 bill. This was before we lost 36.5 million jobs and nearly half of us suffered reductions in income due to this crisis.
- WorldArchitectural Digest
This Neo-Futuristic Home Found Its Inspiration in the British Countryside
Located in the rolling hills of southeast England, the design was meant to mimic the beer-brewing structures that once dotted the landscape Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- PoliticsNBC News
As Trump rails against mail-in voting, his campaign tries to make it easier for Pennsylvania supporters
As President Donald Trump attacks the legitimacy of elections with increased mail-in voting, his campaign is trying to make it easier for supporters in Pennsylvania to request mail-in ballots for next week's primary there. Through its website, the Trump campaign is providing Pennsylvania supporters with an easy access link to help them request ballots for next week's election. By clicking the link, supporters are prompted to enter their personal information which the website then uses to create a form that voters can send to their local election officials.
- WorldUSA TODAY
Pompeo declares Hong Kong no longer autonomous from China in a move that threatens to escalate US-China tensions
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Wednesday that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China – a landmark decision that is likely to escalate already strained U.S.-Chinese relations and that could have serious economic consequences for the global financial hub. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," Pompeo said in a statement. The White House will determine the next step, which could involve new sanctions on China, visa restrictions on government officials or nixing Hong Kong's special trade status.
- U.S.INSIDER
A pharmacist known as 'the Mask Man' has been charged with hoarding $200,000 worth of N95 masks and price-gouging customers
A New York pharmacist bought up $200,000 worth of N95 masks before the coronavirus pandemic grew severe in the US, then sold them at up to a 50% markup, prosecutors allege. The pharmacist, 66-year-old Richard Schirripa, sold more than $2,000 worth of masks to an undercover officer, and said during the transaction he felt "like a drug dealer standing out here." Schirripa has been arrested and charged with violating the Defense Production Act by hoarding and price-gouging.
- U.S.Reuters
Protests, looting erupt in Minneapolis over racially charged killing by police
Protesters clashed with riot police firing tear gas for a second night in Minneapolis on Wednesday in an outpouring of rage over the death of a black man seen in a widely circulated video gasping for breath as a white officer knelt on his neck. The video, taken by an onlooker to Monday night's fatal encounter between police and George Floyd, 46, showed him lying face down and handcuffed, groaning for help and repeatedly saying, "please, I can't breathe," before growing motionless. The second day of demonstrations, accompanied by looting and vandalism, began hours after Mayor Jacob Frey urged prosecutors to file criminal charges against the white policeman shown pinning Floyd to the street.
- BusinessAssociated Press
Nissan to close Indonesia, Spain auto plants after losses
Japanese automaker Nissan plans to close auto plants in Spain and Indonesia after sinking into the red for the first time in 11 years as the pandemic squashed global demand and disrupted production. Yokohama-based Nissan's chief executive, Makoto Uchida, said Thursday that its European production will be centered at its British plant in Sunderland. Manufacturing now based in Indonesia will move to Thailand, as the Japanese automaker cuts global production by 20%.
