- PoliticsYahoo News
As COVID cases spike in Florida, Trump now says he's 'flexible' on convention format in Jacksonville
With coronavirus cases exploding in Florida, President Trump said he is “flexible” about the need for a traditional indoor Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month. The Republican National Committee had scrapped plans to hold the party's convention in Charlotte, N.C., after Gov. Roy Cooper said he would only allow “a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings.” In a television interview with former Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren, Trump suggested the format for the Aug. 24-27 event would depend on the severity of the outbreak in the Sunshine State.
- U.S.NBC News
'I feel threatened': Unmasked Florida man's viral Costco outburst cost him his job
A man's outburst at a Costco in Florida that was caught on video has cost him his job. A video of the incident was posted to Twitter on Monday night by filmmaker Billy Corben. "Florida man at Fort Myers Costco in 'Running the World Since 1776' shirt flips out on elderly woman who asked him to wear a mask and man who defended her #BecauseFlorida," Corben tweeted.
- WorldReuters
El Salvador murder rate plummets; study says gangs may have informal pact with government
Homicides in El Salvador fell over 50% in President Nayib Bukele's first year in office, with officials citing tougher enforcement, while a study on Wednesday suggests gangs may have eased up on violence and made informal deals with authorities. Homicides were already in decline in El Salvador, which has recently had one of the world's highest murder rates, when Bukele took office in June 2019. Bukele has attributed the improvement to an increased police and military presence on the streets, and tighter security in jails controlled by the powerful Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Texas Governor Is ‘Putting Lives at Risk,’ Local Officials Say
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo believes she knows what her county needs to fight back against COVID-19. “I'm at the mercy of what powers he positively gives us,” Hidalgo told The Daily Beast. As Texas faces a resurgent coronavirus and some officials have emphasized concerns about hospitals in the state becoming potentially overrun or overwhelmed, Hidalgo can find plenty of reasons to worry.
- WorldAssociated Press
Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies
Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria's Mbe mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing amid protection efforts. Only around 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region in Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which captured the camera trap images in May. More color images were recovered last month. John Oates, professor emeritus at the City University of New York and a primatologist who helped establish conservation efforts for the gorillas more than two decades ago, was excited about the new images.
- HealthUSA TODAY
Many Mississippi lawmakers opted not to wear masks at the Capitol. Now, 26 have COVID-19.
Gov. Tate Reeves is warning the public to get tested for coronavirus if they have been in contact with a state lawmaker. Now, about one in six of Mississippi state lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said the Mississippi Department of Health is monitoring the situation and that about 290 people were tested at the Capitol this week.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Militants kill BJP politician Wasim Bari and his family in Kashmir
A Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party politician was killed along with his brother and father in Indian administered Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Wasim Bari, 38, and his family were attacked by militants at his residence in north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Wednesday night. All three were shot at point-blank range and died on the way to hospital.
- U.S.The Independent
New York mayor blames 'dislocation' caused by coronavirus for wave of shootings that left 10 dead and 54 injured over weekend
At least 10 people were killed among 64 shootings reported in New York City over the Fourth of July weekend, which saw a violent spree in several major cities still reeling from coronavirus infections and widespread protests against police violence. For the first time since 2016, the city surpassed 400 shootings by mid-year. The New York Police Department reported that the city saw 528 shootings by the end of June, one of the most violent halves of the year in more than 20 years.
- U.S.Business Insider
Ford CEO dismisses employees' call for company to stop making, selling custom police vehicles and products
Ford An internal letter from Ford employees demanded the automaker to stop making and selling police vehicles in the wake of police brutality protests, Jalopnik reports. Ford CEO Jim Hackett responded via an office memo that if Ford Police Interceptors were removed, it would be doing "harm" to police officers' "safety." Ford claims it accounts for almost two-thirds of police vehicle sales in the US.
- U.S.BBC
César Duarte: Fugitive Mexican ex-governor arrested in Miami
César Duarte, a former Mexican state governor who became a fugitive, has been arrested in Miami after more than three years on the run. Mr Duarte, governor of Chihuahua until 2016, fled after he was accused of embezzling public funds. The arrest came as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador paid an official visit to the US for talks with President Trump.
- PoliticsNBC News
Trump admin plans to block asylum seekers from U.S. by citing risk of COVID-19
The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that would allow it to deny asylum to immigrants who are deemed a public health risk. The soon-to-be published rule would let the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to block immigrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. based on "potential international threats from the spread of pandemics," according to a notice announcing it Wednesday. The rule would apply to immigrants seeking asylum and those seeking "withholding of removal" — a protected immigration status for those who have shown they more likely than not would face danger if returned to their home countries.
- WorldNational Review
China’s Confucius Institutes Attempt to Rebrand Following Backlash
China is attempting to rebrand Confucius Institutes following a worldwide backlash against the centers. Confucius Institutes, which are present on dozens of U.S. college campuses and at other foreign universities, carry the stated purpose of promoting Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing has changed its name to the “Ministry of Education Centre for Language Education and Cooperation.”
- U.S.Reuters
Union files grievance against Walt Disney World ahead of Saturday reopening
The actors' union representing 750 Walt Disney World performers has filed a grievance against the Orlando, Florida-based theme park alleging retaliation against its members over the union's demand that they be tested for the coronavirus. Walt Disney Co plans to reopen Disney World on Saturday, with attendance limits, social distancing rules and new health and safety protocols. Florida has seen a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.
- U.S.Associated Press
US seizes 81 vehicles in Venezuela smuggling ring
Federal investigators said Wednesday they have seized 81 vehicles worth an estimated $3.2 million that were bound for Venezuela as part of a smuggling ring operated for wealthy and politically connected people. Anthony Salisbury, chief of the Miami Homeland Security Investigations office, said the vehicles were to be smuggled in violation of U.S. export laws and sanctions against the socialist Venezuelan government, “This is all part of an ongoing effort to combat foreign public corruption and in particular for public corruption in Venezuela and the laundering and the fleecing of the Venezuelan people's wealth and the stealing of the Venezuelan wealth from the national treasury for the gain ...
PoliticsFOX News VideosJoe Shapiro's widow says her late husband met Donald Trump in college
Raw video: Pam Shriver says her late husband met Trump after he was already enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
- U.S.USA TODAY
California officer under investigation for allegedly sharing 'vulgar image' of George Floyd; NAACP San Diego calls for his firing
A California law enforcement officer is under internal investigation after allegedly sharing a "vulgar image" of George Floyd, the Black man whose death on Memorial Day sparked worldwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality. While the San Diego County Sheriff Department declined to provide a description of the image to USA TODAY, the local NAACP branch described it as an "altered photograph" of a "naked black male porn star kneeling on Mr. Floyd" with the words "Quit resisting." "The image was lewd and racist and vile and should disturb anyone with a shred of human decency.
- StyleArchitectural Digest
15 Platform Beds to Elevate Your Bedroom Style
You'll love these contemporary styles and budget-friendly price points Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- WorldBusiness Insider
Female US Army soldier makes history by becoming the first woman to become a Green Beret
U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens A female soldier became the US Army's first female Green Beret on Thursday. The National Guard soldier graduated, earned her Special Forces Tab, and earned her Green Beret Thursday at a ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina celebrating her and her classmates completion of Special Forces training. US Army Special Operations Command is withholding identifying information about the woman due to mission security demands for special operations troops.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Fox News Host Grills Betsy DeVos on ‘Reckless’ Plan to Reopen Schools
President Donald Trump threatened to “cut off funding” to schools that don't reopen amidst the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. On Fox News Wednesday afternoon, host Neil Cavuto repeatedly pressed DeVos on the administration's official “schools must open” policy. “There's nothing in the data that suggests that it would not be appropriate to have kids in school,” DeVos claimed.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Arrests and police raids follow Russia's vote to let Putin rule for life
An opposition governor was detained and several activists had their homes raided by the police on Thursday as Russia's latest crackdown on dissent gathers momentum. The flurry of arrests and criminal inquiries follow last week's vote in which nearly 78 percent endorsed constitutional amendments allowing Vladimir Putin to stay as president at least until 2036 when he turns 83. Sergei Furgal, the governor of the Khabarovsk region in Russia's Far East who beat a Kremlin candidate at the 2018 election, was arrested by camouflaged agents of Russia's top investigative body on Thursday morning and put on a plane to Moscow.
- BusinessNBC News
Israel looked like a model for halting coronavirus. Here's how it 'lost its bearings.'
When signs of the coronavirus pandemic appeared in Israel in March, the country shut down hard and fast. Between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Israel recorded a new daily high of 1,528 coronavirus cases, the Health Ministry said. In the West Bank and Gaza, cases have also steadily risen, with more than 300 reported on Tuesday.
- WorldReuters
Senior China diplomat urges "positive energy" in ties with United States
Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Thursday that China and U.S. relations face the most serious challenges since diplomatic ties were established in 1979 but the two countries can return to the right track. China and the United States should jointly explore ways for peaceful coexistence and release more "positive energy," State Councilor Wang, who is also foreign minister, said in a speech posted on his ministry's website. Washington and Beijing have been at loggerheads over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, China's actions in the former British colony of Hong Kong, a long-running trade dispute, and frictions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
- U.S.Associated Press
COVID hits more legislators amid rapid spread in Mississippi
At least 26 legislators and 10 others who work at Mississippi's Capitol have tested positive for the coronavirus, a public health official said Wednesday, as the governor implored residents to take precautions amid a rapid rise in confirmed cases statewide. The 174-member Legislature ended its annual session July 1, and many people in the Capitol did not wear masks or maintain distance between themselves and others during the last few weeks. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn are among those who publicly acknowledge testing positive for COVID-19.
- U.S.CBS News
Inside a Texas hospital overwhelmed by virus cases
Inside the intensive care unit where coronavirus patients are treated in a McAllen, Texas, hospital, nearly every patient is on a ventilator and their chance of beating the virus is slim. Texas on Tuesday broke its single-day record, reporting just over 10,000 new virus cases. Medical staff at the South Texas Health System McAllen hospital are strained, struggling to treat more than 140 patients — the highest they've had since the start of the pandemic.
- WorldBBC
Vikas Dubey: On-the-run gangster arrested in India
Police in India have arrested a man in connection with the killings of eight policemen earlier this month. Vikas Dubey, who was on the run for nearly a week after the incident, was held in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The policemen were fired upon during a raid in search of the notorious local gangster in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh last week.
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