- U.S.USA TODAY
Two people critically injured after car plows into protesters on Seattle freeway
A 27-year-old Seattle man was arrested Saturday after his white Jaguar struck and critically injured two women during a protest along a closed stretch of Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle, state police said. The driver, Dawit Kelete, of Seattle, was booked on two counts of vehicular assault and denied bail. Troopers did not know if the incident was a targeted attack, but impairment was not considered a factor, Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Trump Claims Journalists ‘Slander’ All Veterans by Calling Out Racism in Independence Day Address
Fresh off an astonishingly incendiary speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday night, President Trump picked up where he left off on Saturday and took aim at the media—bizarrely claiming that journalists who call out racism somehow “slander” the entire country and all U.S. military veterans. “To those in the media, who falsely and consistently label their opponents as racists, who condemn patriotic citizens...When you level these false charges, you not only slander me, you not only slander the American people, but you slander generations of heroes who gave their lives for America,” he told the crowd gathered for the White House's Salute to America celebration. Trump used most of his speech to dismiss the widespread anti-racism protests across the country as a leftist plot aimed at destroying the country, echoing his comments from a night earlier, when he rallied supporters against those taking part in the protests, who he described as “evil.”
- U.S.INSIDER
Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested at a $1 million luxury 4-bedroom New Hampshire house that was bought last year in cash
REUTERS/Drone Base Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday at a $1 million house where authorities say she was hiding since the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, a longtime friend of Epstein, was arrested on charges connected to the Epstein case. An FBI official said Maxwell "slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago."
- U.S.The Independent
Judge blocks Portland police from using physical force against journalists
The order comes after the police arrested journalists who were covering a protest on Tuesday. One of them, Lesley McLam, was taken into custody. The restraining order declares that the police “are enjoined from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force directed against any person whom they know or reasonably should know is a journalist or legal observer … unless the police have probable cause to believe that such individual has committed a crime”.
- PoliticsCBS News
Biden evokes MLK and George Floyd in Fourth of July message
Evoking the names of Martin Luther King and George Floyd, Joe Biden said Saturday that the U.S. "never lived up" to its founding principle that "all men are created equal." In the Fourth of July video message, Biden said that even though America had fallen short of equality, the effort to live up to the nation's founding ideals continues. It survived the ravages of the Civil War, the dogs of Bull Connor, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and more than 200 years of systemic racism.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Why U.S. F-35s, Stealth Bombers and Attack Drones Could Fail in a War
Fighter jets, stealth bombers, attack drones and air-traveling missiles all need to “operate at speed” in a fast-changing great power conflict era. When faced with fast, multi-frequency, long-range precision fire from enemy air defenses, air attackers simply must “operate at speed,” according to U.S. Air Forces, Europe Commander General Jeffrey Harrigian, who used the phrase in a discussion with The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Harrigian, who is also now the Commander of U.S. Air Forces Africa, ran much of the air campaign during Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS; he offered a first-hand war perspective in a conversation with retired Lieutenant General David Deptula, Dean of the Mitchell Institute.
- WorldBusiness Insider
5 Americans who flew by private jet to Italy were reportedly denied entry due to the EU ban on visitors from countries with high coronavirus infection rates
Five Americans who attempted to enter Italy after flying on a private jet to the island of Sardinia were rejected because of the EU's coronavirus restrictions. The travellers eventually flew out of the airport 14 hours after they first landed, CNN reported. Italy was once the worst-hit country but appears to have controlled its outbreak, while the US is still dealing with virus peaks.
U.S.WABC – NYNYC shootings: No end in sight to dramatic rise in gun violence
In all, 10 shootings occurred on Thursday, involving 14 victims.
- U.S.Reuters
Predominantly Black armed protesters march through Confederate memorial park in Georgia
A predominantly Black group of heavily armed protesters marched through Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta on Saturday, calling for removal of the giant Confederate rock carving at the site that civil rights activists consider a monument to racism. Video footage of the Independence Day rally posted on social media showed scores of demonstrators dressed in black - many in paramilitary-style clothing and all wearing face scarves - quietly parading several abreast down a sidewalk at the park. The protesters all carried rifles, including military-type weapons, and some wore ammunition belts slung over their shoulders.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
Looking for a face shield? What to know and where to buy them
A new trend is emerging in the protective product arena: Face shields. As many states across the country start to reopen, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to urge people to wear cloth face masks in public to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Whether they're looking for more protection or for a more comfortable face covering, there's been a rise in popularity of face shields (searches for "face shields" have peaked at their highest point, according to Google Trends).
- U.S.The New York Times
Have Americans Warmed to Calls to 'Defund the Police'?
But as people have learned more about the term and some city governments have even put it into action, Americans have shown some receptiveness to it. Recent polling suggests that many Americans have come to understand the phrase as a call not to simply eliminate the keepers of the peace, but to reinvest a portion of their funding in other programs and crime prevention techniques. Running for Congress in New York, Mondaire Jones — a progressive political newcomer who appears poised to win his still-undecided election in a suburban district — articulated that vision last month, when he endorsed “defunding police and reinvesting this money in health, education and alternatives to incarceration.
- U.S.NBC News
Alleged email scammer who flaunted wealth on Instagram to face charges
A Nigerian man charged with conspiring to launder a fortune from email scams, and who showed off his wealth to 2.4 million Instagram followers, has arrived in the U.S. to face charges, prosecutors said Friday. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, or “Hushpuppi” on Instagram and Snapchat, made an initial court appearance in Chicago after arriving with the FBI from the United Arab Emirates, where he had been living, prosecutors said in a statement. Abbas allegedly conspired with others to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in scams targeting a law firm, a bank and an English Premier League soccer club, according to a criminal complaint filed last month in federal court.
- EntertainmentThe Independent
Huge bird of prey catches shark-like fish and flies off in viral video
Visitors to a beach last week would have seen a shark-like fish soaring above their heads thanks to one bird's actions. A video shared online showed one huge predatory bird seen with what appeared to be a shark suspended in its claws above crowds at South Carolina's Myrtle Beach. The woman who witnessed the stunt, Kelly Burbage, shared the video online on Friday where she appealed for wildlife experts to name the fish and the bird.
- WorldBBC
India Kanpur: Eight policemen killed in clash with gang members
Eight Indian policemen have been killed, and seven more injured, in an encounter with gang members, reports say. The officers were fired upon during a raid in search of a notorious local gangster in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The gangster, Vikas Dubey, is accused in 60 criminal cases for various offences, including attempted murder.
- WorldThe National Interest
It Would Cost Trillions: The Day North Korea Collapses
The prospect of a peaceful Korean Unification, however remote it seems, would be a historical event worth planning for. Hoping for the best means there is a scenario where North Korea's collapse and regime change occur miraculously, opening doors to South Korea and the West to take over North Korea in what one hopes would be a peaceful absorption. In November 1989, West and East Berliners flocked to what was one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world and tore down parts of the Berlin Wall that had divided Germany for twenty-eight years.
- U.S.INSIDER
A Nigerian Instagram star conspired to launder millions of dollars while flaunting his 'extravagant lifestyle' on social media, prosecutors allege
"Ray Hushpuppi" regularly flaunted his extravagant wealth for more than 2 million Instagram followers in photos that boasted shiny cars and designer goods. But "Hushpuppi," or 37-year-old Ramon Olorunwa Abbas is now facing charges related to his role as a "key player in a large, transnational conspiracy" to launder hundreds of millions of dollars, prosecutors said in an arrest affidavit. Abbas and his co-conspirators used "business email compromise" schemes and "cyber-heists" to launder money from groups like a US law firm, a foreign bank, and an English Premier League soccer club, according to prosecutors.
- WorldPolitico
Trudeau: Canada to restrict sensitive exports, suspend extraditions to Hong Kong
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in response to “grave concern” over China's new national security law for Hong Kong the Canadian government is restricting the export of sensitive goods to the territory and suspending its extradition treaty. His announcement Friday followed mainland China's move this week to impose national security legislation that has drawn international condemnation for threatening Hong Kong's autonomy. We are extremely concerned about the situation in Hong Kong,” Trudeau told a press conference near Ottawa.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY Opinion
Trump and Barr are making false claims about mail-in ballots to scare us out of voting
Nevertheless, last month, when he wasn't busy ineffectually trying to replace the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan with a Trump loyalist, Attorney General William Barr took out after voting by mail as rife with fraud. In this, he was echoing his master, President Trump. In an interview he gave to Fox News, the attorney general said voting by mail “opens the floodgates to fraud.
U.S.USA TODAYArmy IDs Fort Hood soldier who killed himself after being questioned about Vanessa Guillen
U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood on Thursday identified the soldier who killed himself this week after he was questioned about possible involvement in the disappearance of Spc. Aaron David Robinson of Illinois, who was assigned to a building adjacent to where Guillen worked, ran away from Fort Hood on Tuesday night after officials said they found partial human remains near the Leon River. Local law enforcement later found Robinson in the 4700 block of East Rancier Avenue, east of Fort Hood near North Twin Creek Drive, where he pulled a gun and shot himself early Wednesday.
- ScienceReuters
Rocket Lab vehicle fails to reach orbit, loses payload of satellites
"An issue was experienced today during Rocket Lab's launch that caused the loss of the vehicle," the company said on Twitter, adding more information will be shared as available. Rocket Lab is one of a growing group of launch companies looking to slash the cost of sending shoebox-sized satellites to low Earth orbit, building smaller rockets and reinventing traditional production lines to meet a growing payload demand. It was aiming to send five tiny Earth imaging satellites from Planet Labs, one microsatellite from Canon Electronics Inc., and a cubesat from British company In-Space Missions into a sun-synchronous orbit 310 miles above Earth.
- U.S.NBC News
School districts pushed to reopen say there isn't enough money to do it safely
A move like bringing on a second teacher who could teach half her students in another classroom seems highly unlikely, given her school district's budget is facing a $14 million deficit. "They have already tried to cut anywhere humanly possible," said Spies, 46, who worries that because she donated a kidney to her aunt in 2011, she would be at risk for complications if she gets COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. "With the safeguards they are attempting to have in place, I just don't know where they're going to get the money, or even the manpower, to ensure it's all happening."
- U.S.The Independent
Woman calls police on black couple building patio at their own home
A video of a New Jersey woman calling the police on her black neighbours went viral and eventually spawned a protest outside the woman's home. The incident occurred on Monday when Fareed Nassor Hayat, an attorney and a professor of law at City University of New York, and his wife, Norrinda, were in the backyard building a stone patio. Their neighbour, Susan Schulz, whose property abuts the Hayat's backyard, allegedly approached the couple and demanded to know if the two had permits for the construction.
- WorldAssociated Press
Mexico's COVID deaths pass 30,000, world's 5th highest total
Mexico topped 30,000 COVID-19 deaths Saturday, overtaking France as the country with the fifth-highest death toll since the coronavirus outbreak began. Officials reported 523 more confirmed coronavirus deaths for the day, bringing the nation's total to 30,366 for the pandemic. Mexico's total confirmed infections rose by almost 6,000 to 251,165, about on par with Spain, the eighth highest caseload.
- WorldThe National Interest
Russia Has a Nuclear Missile That Can Kill Nearly Anything on the Planet
Here's What You Need To Remember: Despite the date of entry being pushed back, once the Sarmat is operational, it will be fearsome—it reportedly has a range of 18,000 kilometers, or just over 11,000 miles, which would put virtually any location on the globe within range. Russia inherited a missile collection from the Soviet Union that is rival to none—arguably bigger in type and overall diversity than any other nation's missile arsenal. Although some of their intercontinental missiles are beginning to show their age, their newest, the Sarmat, would be quite dangerous.
- U.S.Military.com
Army Specialist Killed in Afghanistan Vehicle Rollover Accident
A 21-year-old soldier from Texas was killed Friday in southwestern Afghanistan, Pentagon officials announced Saturday night. Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, of San Antonio, died in a vehicle rollover in Farah, Afghanistan, near the Iranian border, officials said.
