PoliticsAFPTrump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina unless the state's Democratic governor guarantees he will swiftly lift restrictions on large gatherings of people during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, who is set to be named the party's candidate for the November election, fired off a series of early morning tweets on Memorial Day, when the US honors its war dead, professing his "love" for the state but lamenting the fact that he might not be allowed to fill the Charlotte arena where the gathering is scheduled to be held between August 24-27.
- U.S.The Guardian
FBI investigating Ahmaud Arbery shooting as possible hate crime, lawyer says
The FBI is investigating the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger, by two white men as a possible hate crime, the Arbery family's attorney said Monday, claiming that federal authorities had launched a criminal inquiry into two district attorneys and the police department involved in the case. Lee Martin, who represents the family of Arbery, 25, whose 23 February killing in Brunswick, Georgia, was captured on a graphic video recording that sparked national outrage, said he met with officials from the Department of Justice last Thursday. Martin said they told him federal investigators were looking into potential “criminal and civil” violations by two officials who later recused themselves from the case.
- U.S.INSIDER
Several high school students in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a drive-through graduation parade
The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, told parents that "several" graduating seniors tested positive for COVID-19 after a May 17 drive-through graduation. The school did not disclose exactly how many students had tested positive for COVID-19. Several high school students in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19 after participating in a drive-through graduation ceremony, school officials said in a letter to students' families that was first reported by CNN.
- U.S.Business Insider
Gov. Cuomo: travelers from Europe 'brought the virus to New York'
Cuomo cited reporting from The Washington Post suggesting that President Trump's European travel ban, which had been instituted in March, caused "one final viral infusion" as Americans fled some of the initial pandemic epicenters outside of China, like Italy and Spain. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said that travelers coming to the US from Europe were to blame for spreading the virus widely in the state in the initial days of its outbreak.
- WorldReuters
China says opposes all U.S. restrictions on Chinese airlines
China said on Monday it opposes all U.S. restrictions imposed against Chinese airlines, responding to a report that the U.S. Transportation Department has demanded Chinese carriers file their schedules and other flight details by May 27. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said flight restrictions imposed by Beijing treated all airlines equally and were due to efforts to curb COVID-19 related risks. The U.S. government late on Friday accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China.
- PoliticsThe Week
Warren reportedly turning back to wealthy donors in effort to boost Biden
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is reportedly reaching back into her old toolbox in an attempt to help former Vice President Joe Biden. Warren has agreed to host a gathering of big money donors for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, The New York Times reports. During Warren's own presidential campaign, which ended shortly after Super Tuesday in March, the progressive Democratic senator vowed not to attend private events or call wealthy potential donors for contributions.
- U.S.NBC News
Oklahoma woman missing since April following Facebook post that indicated she believed she had coronavirus
Nearly two months have passed since 53-year-old Talina Galloway vanished from her home in Wagoner, Oklahoma, leaving behind her purse and vehicle. “We're really worried about her,” Talina's niece, Chantel Jones, told Dateline. Chantel told Dateline she spent most of her summers living with her Aunt Talina in Indiana.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Italy to recruit army of 60,000 volunteers to enforce social distancing rules
Italy wants to recruit an army of 60,000 volunteers to help enforce social distancing rules, amid fears that a second wave of infections could be looming. The volunteers would not have any policing powers but would patrol piazzas, parks, playgrounds, markets, bar areas and beaches, asking people not to congregate in large groups. They would be drawn from the ranks of the unemployed, those on income support and those who have been furloughed as a result of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
- WorldBBC
Coronavirus in South Africa: President Ramaphosa says outbreak will get worse
The president of South Africa has warned that the country's coronavirus outbreak is going to get much worse, while announcing that lockdown measures are to be eased. Cyril Ramaphosa said a third of the country's more than 22,000 cases had been recorded in the last week. Mr Ramaphosa was speaking after a mining company in South Africa said 164 workers at a gold mine near Johannesburg had tested positive for coronavirus.
- PoliticsCBS News
Staunch Trump ally to end tumultuous tenure as U.S. envoy in Germany
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, is to resign from his post after two years that have seen transatlantic relations strained in a way they haven't been for decades. Grenell, who has also served as acting U.S. Director of National Intelligence since February, implicitly confirmed his pending return to the U.S. in a series of tweets thanking people for their well wishes. The 53-year-old will formally resign his diplomatic post in the next few weeks, according to the German Press Agency.
- U.S.Associated Press
Arbery family lawyer: Feds looking into how case handled
A lawyer for the family of Ahmaud Arbery said Monday that a federal prosecutor told the slain man's mother federal officials are investigating potential misconduct by local officials who handled the case. Lawyer Lee Merritt said U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine, whose jurisdiction includes southern Georgia, met with him and Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, on Thursday. Barry Paschal, a spokesman for Christine, declined to confirm or deny whether the meeting happened.
WorldAFPSingapore warns of worst economic contraction since independence
Singapore's embattled economy could shrink by as much as seven percent this year, which would be the worst reading since independence, with the government saying Tuesday the coronavirus pandemic had throttled the key export sector. The city-state is seen as a bellwether of the global economy and the historic contraction highlights the extreme pain being wrought on countries by the killer disease. The warning also came hours before Singapore's deputy prime minister is expected to unveil another stimulus package for the troubled city, which has been crippled by months of lockdowns around the world.
- U.S.Time
Alabama's Easing of Restrictions Has Given 'A False Sense of Security,' Says Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed
Cases of coronavirus are on the rise in Alabama, where Gov. Kay Ivey has allowed summer camps, movie theaters, casinos and more to reopen as part of recently expanded “Safer at Home” orders. Speaking on CNN, Reed said the spike in cases was due in part to people deciding on their own that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and called the easing of restrictions a “mistake.” “They are ready to get back to their normal way of doing things, and that's a mistake that we've been making over the last few weeks, is we have kind of eased restrictions in this community and across the state,” he said.
- EntertainmentReuters
Americans spend holiday at beaches and parks as virus death toll nears 100,000
This year it has also become a time to mourn the loss of more than 97,000 people due to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. The New York Times filled its entire front page with the names and selected details of 1,000 victims on Sunday seeking to illustrate the humanity of the lives lost. Among the victims, drawn from obituaries and death notices in hundreds of U.S. newspapers: Lila Fenwick, 87, the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Law; Romi Cohn, 91, saved 56 Jewish families from the Gestapo; Hailey Herrera, 25, budding therapist with a gift for empathy.
- PoliticsThe Guardian
Joe Biden forced to make his fundraisers fully virtual – bar the price tag
The coronavirus pandemic may have driven Joe Biden into his basement and forced his campaign online, but one crucial factor is still the same: his run for the White House still needs to raise giant amounts of money. A fundraising invite for a 14 May event for the New Hampshire Republican congressional candidate Matt Mowers featuring the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie starts at $250 for the “individual” level and goes all the way to $1,000 for the chair level.
- BusinessNBC News
Spike in businesses filing for bankruptcy
When the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, there will be more than a few words devoted to the retailers the virus decimated as it pounded the economy. The last month, in particular, has brought bankruptcies from well-known brands with deep roots around the country. In the space of just two weeks, some of the best-known brands in America declared they were entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing outlets across the country.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Taiwan offers people of Hong Kong 'necessary assistance' after protests over new security laws
Taiwan will provide the people of Hong Kong with "necessary assistance", President Tsai Ing-wen said, after thousands in the Chinese ruled territory protested against Beijing's plans to impose new national security laws. Taiwan has become a refuge for a small but growing number of pro-democracy protesters fleeing Hong Kong, which has been convulsed since last year by anti-Beijing and anti-Hong Kong government protests. Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of people who rallied on Sunday to protest against Beijing's move to introduce new national security laws.
BusinessYahoo News VideoChinese media says Wuhan had live virus
The Chinese virology institute at the centre of US allegations it may have been the source of the COVID-19 pandemic has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but none match the new global contagion, its director has said.
- PoliticsThe Independent
2020 election: Trump falsely claims 'thousands' of forgeries on mail-in ballots, despite his own commission not finding a single case of fraud
Donald Trump continued to voice his opposition to expanded mail-in voting with a tweet on Sunday spreading falsehoods about the prevalence of fraud in the process, even though confirmed cases of voter fraud have been in the single digits in past presidential elections. Mr Trump, who spent his succssion day in succession at a golf course over the holiday weekend as the death toll from the pandemic neared 100,000 has spent countless hours on Twitter and before reporters during his political career promoting unsubstantiated theories about rampant voter fraud in the US, which study after study has shown is extremely rare. The president has repeatedly claimed, falsely, that he would have beaten Hillary Clinton in the 2016 popular vote were it not for the “millions of people who voted illegally.”
- WorldBusiness Insider
Netanyahu becomes the first Israeli prime minister to stand trial over corruption and fraud cases
Amir Levy/Getty Images The trial against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began in Jerusalem on Sunday, marking the first time in Israel's history that a sitting prime minister has ever faced trial. Last year, Netanyahu was indicted on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges as part of three separate corruption cases. The trial against Netanyahu was delayed by two months because of Israel's coronavirus outbreak.
WorldAFPRussian prosecutors seek 18 years for ex-US marine in spy trial
Russian prosecutors on Monday called for a former US marine charged with spying to be sentenced to 18 years in prison, after a closed-door trial denounced by Washington and his family. Paul Whelan, 50, was detained in Moscow in December 2018 for allegedly receiving state secrets, but he insists he was framed when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos. His trial, which caused tensions between Moscow and Washington and sparked speculation of a prisoner swap, concluded with closing arguments on Monday.
- ScienceBBC
Sir Richard Branson: Virgin Orbit rocket fails on debut flight
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit company has tried unsuccessfully to launch a rocket over the Pacific Ocean. The booster was released from under the wing of one of the UK entrepreneur's old jumbos which had been specially converted for the task. The rocket ignited its engine seconds later but an anomaly meant the flight was terminated early.
- WorldReuters
Saudi Arabia to end curfew on June 21, except in Mecca
Saudi Arabia will begin easing restrictions on movement and travel this week, more than two months after stringent measures were introduced to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Restrictions will be lifted in three phases, culminating in the curfew completely ending - with the exception of the holy city of Mecca -- from June 21, the state news agency reported in a statement early on Tuesday. The Hajj and Umrah pilgrimmages -- which attract millions of travelers from around the world -- will remain suspended until further notice.
- WorldCBS News
Navajo Nation imposes 57-hour lockdown as virus death toll rises
As states across the country are reopening, the Navajo Nation spent the weekend under a strict 57-hour lockdown in another attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. The tribe's death toll reached 153 on Saturday as the virus continues to disproportionately affect people of color in the U.S. The Navajo Department of Health in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service reported 95 new COVID-19 cases of COVID-19 for the tribe on Friday. As of Saturday, the total number of confirmed positive cases has surpassed 4,600, pushing the tribe's health care system past its capacity.
- U.S.Associated Press
White House goal on testing nursing homes unmet
Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. A review by The Associated Press found that at least half of the states are not going to meet White House's deadline and some aren't even bothering to try. Only a handful of states, including West Virginia and Rhode Island, have said they've already tested every nursing home resident.
