- U.S.INSIDER
The St. Louis couple who threatened Black Lives Matter protesters with guns once made children cry after destroying their bee hives
On June 28, St. Louis couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey drew national attention when they brandished guns at Black Lives Matter protesters walking down their street. An article by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed the McCloskeys, both personal injury attorneys, have "nearly constantly sued other people and ordered people off their property," threatened neighbors at gunpoint and more. One incident in 2013 involved Mark, the neighboring Jewish Central Reform Congregation, and beehives that he smashed.
- PoliticsTime
After Mueller's Op-Ed, Sen. Lindsey Graham Now Says He'll Call the Former Special Counsel to Testify
Sen. Lindsey Graham has announced that he will grant Democrats' request to have former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The surprising statement from one of the Senate's leaders comes a day after Mueller broke a longstanding silence to defend his probe, and its consequential conviction of Roger Stone, in a public op-ed. Graham, a South Carolina Republican and the Judiciary Committee's chair, has attempted to discredit Mueller's inquiry in the past.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Sessions vies for Senate comeback in race shadowed by Trump
Seeking a political comeback, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is trying to beat out ex-college football coach Tommy Tuberville in Tuesday's Republican primary runoff and reclaim the Alabama Senate seat he held for decades. To do that, Sessions also has to go through President Donald Trump. Trump has endorsed Tuberville, whose name recognition comes from his time on the sidelines at Auburn University, and turned decisively against his former Cabinet member, making direct appeals for Alabama voters to reject Sessions's candidacy.
- U.S.NBC News
University professors fear returning to campus as coronavirus cases surge
However, professors were initially required to return to campus to teach in person and there wasn't an option to work remotely. The university later put in place a policy where faculty could file a request to work remotely, but there wasn't a guarantee that the request would be accommodated. Boston University philosophy professors Daniel Star and Russell Powell wrote an open letter to the university urging it to allow professors to make their own decisions about returning to campus.
- U.S.BBC
Daniel Lewis Lee: First US federal execution to go ahead after 17 years
The first federal execution in the United States for more than 17 years is set to go ahead in Indiana on Monday following a ruling by an appeal court. The execution of convicted murderer Daniel Lewis Lee had been blocked on Friday by a federal judge. This came after relatives of the victims sought a delay, saying they feared attending in person could expose them to coronavirus.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Coronavirus kept them apart for 114 days. So she took a dishwashing job to see her husband
At $9 an hour, it's her dream job — a job that gives her the only opportunity to be with her husband Steve, a job that gives her the only chance to hold his hand, to watch TV with him, to get him ready for bed, just as she used to do. Steve Daniel has been a patient at Rosecastle at Deerwood since last July. In March the facility went into lockdown because of the coronavirus, and the Daniels went 114 days without being able to be together.
- U.S.Miami Herald
‘We’re going to lose a lot of teachers.’ Coronavirus kills beloved Arizona educator
Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd loved teaching so much that the 61-year-old Arizona woman returned to work after retiring, according to The Arizona Republic. “She was a wonderful teacher, respected by everyone that she worked with,” said Jeff Gregorich, superintendent of the Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District, KSAZ reported. With kids stuck at home, Byrd shared a classroom with two other teachers for a virtual summer school program, CNN reported.
- WorldReuters
China reports eight new mainland coronavirus cases as of July 12
Mainland China reported eight new COVID-19 cases as of the end of July 12, up from seven reported a day earlier, the Chinese national health authority said on Monday. The National Health Commission said in a statement that all of the new cases were imported infection involving travellers from overseas, the same as the seven cases a day earlier. The capital city of Beijing reported no new confirmed cases for the seventh consecutive day.
- BusinessOrlando Sentinel
COVID-19 will peak in Florida later this month, AdventHealth CEO says on Face the Nation
The peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida will be “sometime in front of us in July,” AdventHealth's president and CEO said Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation. Terry Shaw said that his projection is assuming that people practice social distancing and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus. His remarks come as Florida on Sunday reported 15,300 new COVID-19 cases, once again shattering its record for a single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began and for the first time breaking a national one-day record, according to The New York Times.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Japan is 'shocked' and furious at the US after a major coronavirus outbreak at 2 Marine bases in Okinawa — and says the US is not taking the virus seriously
Japanese authorities say they are "shocked" after a significant coronavirus outbreak at two US Marine bases in the country. 61 Marines have been infected with the virus in recent days, spread across two bases in Okinawa prefecture, home to about 26,000 US service personnel. "We now have strong doubts that the US military has taken adequate disease prevention measures," Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki said at a press conference.
WorldAFPBosnia Muslims mourn their dead 25 years after Srebrenica massacre
Bosnian Muslims marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre on Saturday, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II, with the memorial ceremony sharply reduced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Many mourners braved the tighter restrictions put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19 to attend the commemorations which culminated in a ceremony laying to rest the remains of nine victims identified over the past year. On July 11, 1995, after capturing Srebrenica, Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in a few days.
- WorldAssociated Press
Iran blames bad communication, alignment for jet shootdown
A misaligned missile battery, miscommunication between troops and their commanders and a decision to fire without authorization all led to Iran's Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner in January, killing all 176 people on board, a new report says. The report released late Saturday by Iran's Civil Aviation Organization comes months after the Jan. 8 crash near Tehran. Authorities had initially denied responsibility, only changing course days later after Western nations presented extensive evidence that Iran had shot down the plane.
- U.S.Time
Three Weeks After Trump's Tulsa Rally, Oklahoma Reports Record High COVID-19 Numbers
Oklahoma health officials reported record number of COVID-19 cases in the state this week, three weeks after President Donald Trump held a controversial rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20. On Saturday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) reported 687 new COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in the last 24 hours. It was the second highest increase only coming after Tuesday's 858 confirmed cases, per the Oklahoman. As of Saturday afternoon ET, Oklahoma had at least 19,779 confirmed cases of the virus, according to OSDH.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Russia's journalists under increasing pressure from the secret services in wake of Putin's shaky referendum victory
Russia's intelligence services have 'stepped up' their war on free media, carrying out a series of operations designed to intimidate journalists in the wake of Vladimir Putin's controversial referendum victory last week. In an unprecedented case for post-Soviet Russia, prominent defence reporter Ivan Safronov was seized outside his home on Tuesday morning by secret service agents and arrested on suspicion of treason. Last week's overwhelming approval of constitutional amendments allowing Vladimir Putin to stay in office at least until 2036 was hailed by the Kremlin as a “triumph.”
U.S.Yahoo News VideoCouple who threatened Black Lives Matter protesters with guns once destroyed children's beehives
St. Louis couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey drew national attention in June when they flashed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters walking down their street.
- WorldINSIDER
South Africa's 9 million smokers were faced with cold turkey when the government banned cigarette sales in March as a coronavirus measure. Now Big Tobacco is fighting back.
earlier in July. South Africa's government had also banned the sale of alcohol but has since eased that restriction, which according to an AP report, has led to an increase in "drunken brawls and traffic accidents, putting added strain on hospitals as they deal with the virus." Reuters FITA is also arguing that by banning the legal sale of cigarettes, the South African government is encouraging a black market trade, and putting thousands of jobs at risk.
- WorldReuters
U.S. warns citizens of heightened detention risks in China
The U.S. State Department warned American citizens on Saturday to "exercise increased caution" in China due to heightened risk of arbitrary law enforcement including detention and a ban from exiting the country. "U.S. citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime," the State Department said in a security alert issued to its citizens in China, adding that U.S. citizens may face "prolonged interrogations and extended detention" for reasons related to state security. "Security personnel may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government," it added, without citing specific examples.
- U.S.BBC
Coronavirus: Florida sets new state daily case record of 15,299
Florida has registered a state record of 15,299 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours - around a quarter of all of the United States' daily infections. The state, with just 7% of the US population, surpassed the previous daily record held by California. Florida, which began lifting coronavirus restrictions in May, has proved vulnerable due to tourism and an elderly population.
- U.S.Business Insider
Education Secretary Betsy Devos says it should be 'the rule' to return students to classrooms in the fall
Education Secretary Betsy Devos on Sunday doubled down on the Trump administration's position on opening schools in the fall amid the US' ongoing record spike in cases of the novel coronavirus. "There is going to be the exception to the rule," Devos said. While children are at low risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, the CDC has said that they can function as asymptomatic carriers of the virus and can pose risks to vulnerable populations.
- U.S.NBC News
'Nobody knew': Officer-involved killings are often kept under the radar. He's shining a light.
For nearly two months, protesters around the world filled city streets, marched on government buildings and demanded justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and Andres Guardado — all who died during encounters with law enforcement. D. Brian Burghart, a former reporter and editor, has dedicated eight years to doing what federal agencies have not done: meticulously track every known law enforcement officer-involved killing in the United States. The result is Fatal Encounters, a national database that shines a light into the darkest corners of policing in America.
- U.S.Associated Press
City mulls razing site where 1st Alaska flag flew
The fate of one of Alaska's most historic yet neglected structures could be decided Monday as city officials in Seward weigh whether to demolish a former Methodist boarding school where the Alaska territorial flag was first flown almost a century ago and where its Alaska Native designer lived. Benny Benson was among the orphans and displaced children who lived at the Jesse Lee Home, many of whom were sent there after the Spanish flu devastated Alaska Native villages. Benson, a 13-year-old Aleut boy sent to the home after his mother died of the flu, won a territory-wide contest in 1927 to design the flag, which became the state flag after statehood was granted in 1959.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
The White House Made a List of All the Times Fauci ‘Has Been Wrong’ on the Coronavirus
The White House has undertaken behind-the-scenes efforts in recent months to undercut and sideline Dr. Anthony Fauci—even going so far as to compile a list of all the times he “has been wrong on things,” according to The Washington Post. After canceling some of his planned TV appearances and keeping him away from the Oval Office, White House officials and President Trump have taken to publicly expressing a loss of confidence in the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and face of the administration's coronavirus task force. The apparent attempts to undermine Fauci come as he continues to counter the president's overly optimistic narrative on the state of the pandemic.
- HealthThe Telegraph
Coronavirus can damage the heart, major study finds
Coronavirus can damage the heart, with more than half of hospitalised patients revealing abnormal scans, a major new study has found. A survey of 69 countries, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found that 55 per cent of 1,261 patients studied had abnormal changes to the way their heart was pumping, with around one in seven showing evidence of severe dysfunction. The majority (901 patients) had never been diagnosed with heart problems before, leading scientists to conclude that Covid-19 itself may seriously affect the heart.
- ScienceCBS News
Spectacular photos capture Neowise, one of the brightest comets in decades
Neowise, one of the brightest comets in decades, has brought with it a stunning debris trail this month, delighting skywatchers around the world. Even astronauts aboard the International Space Station have captured the stunning celestial phenomenon, which promises to bring even more spectacular sightings as the month goes on. During the month of July, the newly-discovered comet Neowise, formally named Comet C2020 F3 NEOWISE by NASA, has been visible in the early hours before sunrise.
- U.S.Baltimore Sun
Shooting of man by Baltimore police highlights 'total failure' of city's behavioral health response, agency says
After Baltimore police officers shot a man who pulled a firearm while undergoing a behavioral health crisis last week, the organization that oversees the city's behavioral health services called the current system “a total failure” that needs better integration of mental health professionals with the police. There is no indication that police dispatchers attempted to connect available behavioral health resources with officers on the scene before they shot Ricky Walker Jr. on July 1, said Adrienne Breidenstine, vice president of policy and communications for Behavioral Health System Baltimore. The city has two so-called crisis response teams that handle mental health issues, one inside the police department and another at the nonprofit Baltimore Crisis Response Inc. Breidenstine said the incident highlights how the city has created an unnecessarily complex system to deal with people in crisis.
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