- PoliticsBusiness Insider
US military reportedly making plans for Trump that include a complete Afghanistan withdrawal before the next election
Defense Department officials are planning to brief President Donald Trump on several options to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan, according to multiple reports. One of the options includes a complete withdrawal before the 2020 US presidential election in November. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, an ardent supporter of the Trump administration, cautioned that an abrupt withdrawal would be "horrendous."
- WorldReuters
Brazil police raid Rio governor's residences amid COVID-19 probe
Brazilian federal police on Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro's right-wing Governor Wilson Witzel as part of a COVID-19 corruption probe, targeting one of President Jair Bolsonaro's political foes as the pandemic sweeps the nation. Federal prosecutors alleged Witzel, a former-ally-turned-foe of Bolsonaro, and his wife Helena led a sprawling criminal operation in which her law firm was used to receive payment from a company that won state coronavirus contracts, according to federal court documents seen by Reuters. The spurious services undertaken by the company involved "tent assembly and disassembly services, installation of water tanks, energy generators and flooring for ...
- U.S.The Guardian
Michigan governor’s husband under fire for asking to take his boat out during lockdown
Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has come under fire this weekend as allegations have arisen that her own husband has been trying to flout her strict shutdown rules – in what she says was a “failed attempt at humor”. Affectionately nicknamed “Big Gretch”, Whitmer was thrust into the spotlight this year as her state battled one of the highest Covid-19 rates with one of the strictest lockdown policies in the country. But while Whitmer's strict stay-at-home order has been effective at flattening the curve in Michigan, it has also drawn strong criticism from conservatives and progressives.
- WorldBBC
Malka Leifer: Rape-accused ex-principal fit for extradition to Australia
An Israeli woman facing 74 child sex charges in Australia is mentally fit to face extradition, a court has ruled. Malka Leifer, the former principal of a Jewish girls' school in Melbourne, fled to Israel in 2008 after accusations were raised against her. Judge Chana Lomp set 20 July 2020 as the date for a renewal of the extradition process to take the suspect back from Israel to Australia.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoHHS principal deputy inspector general is asked about $3M contract awarded to company 11 days after it was created by former WH aide
At a House Oversight Committee briefing on the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus, Rep. Gerry Connolly asked Department of Health and Human Services Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm if she will be looking into a report that a former White House aide, Zach Fuentes, won a contract to provide respirator masks to the Navajo Nation only 11 days after his company was formed.
- WorldThe Telegraph
US accuses Russia of deploying fighter jets in Libya
The United States has accused Russia of deploying jet fighters to Libya in what if confirmed would be a dramatic escalation of its military support for renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar's war against the country's UN-recognised government. United States Africa Command said on Tuesday it had monitored several jet fighters flying from Russia to Libya via Syria, and that it expected them to be used to support Russian mercenaries fighting on the ground in support of Gen Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). "We watched as Russia flew fourth generation jet fighters to Libya - every step of the way.
- BusinessLA Times
Feinstein cleared by Justice Department in husband's stock trades
The Justice Department is dropping its inquiry into Sen. Dianne Feinstein over stock trades made as the novel coronavirus struck the U.S. and roiled the economy, a person familiar with the matter said. Feinstein (D-Calif.) is among a handful of senators whose stock trades have been scrutinized by federal investigators to see if they violate a law preventing lawmakers from utilizing insider information gleaned from their work. A spokesman for Feinstein declined to comment.
- WorldAssociated Press
Citgo sues Miami firm over millions lost in Venezuela fraud
When the U.S. recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the nation's rightful leader last year it did more than just trigger a bitter feud with socialist leader Nicolás Maduro. The latest came Tuesday, when the Guaidó-appointed board of Citgo, the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Houston against a former contractor seeking to recover millions of dollars in damages. The lawsuit accuses José Manuel González and his Miami-based Petroleum Logistics Service Corp. of providing gifts including cash, jewelry, private artwork, chartered flights and even a handpicked Houston apartment to senior executives at Citgo.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Minister Quits as Britain Boils Over With Rage Against Boris Johnson and His Lockdown-Breaking Aide
The most serious political crisis that Boris Johnson has faced as British prime minister is getting worse. After days of Johnson trying to excuse the actions of Dominic Cummings, as well as an extraordinary televised press conference where Cummings emerged from the shadows in an unsuccessful attempt to draw a line under the crisis, a government minister has now resigned with a furious letter which condemns both the prime minister and his mastermind. The furious row began on Friday when two newspapers—the Daily Mirror and The Guardian—reported that Cummings drove 264 miles from London to his parents' estate in Durham, even though he feared that he and his wife had the coronavirus.
- PoliticsThe Independent
President told to ‘just stop’ offensive tweets by own side after lashing out with insults and conspiracy theories as US death toll heads toward 100,000
Donald Trump spent the weekend ahead of Memorial Day playing golf and pushing conspiracy theories on Twitter, insulting his political enemies like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Stacey Abrams and insinuating that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough is guilty of murder. Although Mr Trump put on a solemn show during his speech at Fort McHenry, his words to honour soldiers got lost amid the number of disparaging tweets he released in an effort to attack rivals and push for the Republican National Convention to continue as scheduled with a full crowd.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Trump's senior economic adviser referred to Americans returning to work as 'human capital stock'
Senior White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that America's "human capital stock" is ready to get back work as the country moves toward reopening its economy. Hassett's statements come as the number of Americans who have filed for unemployment benefits continues to grow. Senior White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday that America's "human capital stock" is ready to get back work as the country takes steps toward reopening.
- U.S.NBC News
Michigan Gov. Whitmer calls husband's boat launch request a 'failed attempt at humor' amid backlash
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday attempted to quell growing criticism after her husband dropped her name while trying to get his boat in the water for the Memorial Day Weekend. "My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with the small business that helps with our boat and dock up north," Whitmer said. The controversy started when Tad Dowker, the owner of a northern Michigan dock company, was reported to have posted to Facebook that Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, tried to use his status as first husband to get his boat launched ahead of Memorial Day weekend — even as Whitmer was cautioning residents to resist flocking to popular vacation areas.
- U.S.The Guardian
Tow truck turf wars: Toronto sees rise in violence likened to organised crime
Two boys, aged 15 and 17, were charged on Thursday with first-degree and attempted murder, and Toronto police told the Guardian they do not believe Kinani's murder was related to an ongoing turf war. But he was the fourth Toronto tow-truck driver to be murdered in less than two years. Several others have been shot – or shot at – including one who was targeted just hours after Kinani's death.
- ScienceBBC
'Billions of years of evolutionary history' under threat
Scientists say more than 50 billion years of cumulative evolutionary history could be lost as humans push wildlife to the brink. "These species are weird and wonderful and there is nothing like them on Earth," said Rikki Gumbs of ZSL's EDGE of Existence programme and Imperial College London. The researchers calculated the amount of evolutionary history - branches on the tree of life - that are currently threatened with extinction, using extinction risk data for more than 25,000 species.
- U.S.The Week
Trump administration promises 100 million coronavirus testing swabs by the end of 2020
The Trump administration sent Congress a national coronavirus testing strategy in time to meet a Sunday deadline, The Washington Post reports, citing a copy of the 80-page "COVID-19 Strategic Testing Plan" it obtained. The report delivered to Congress promises that the federal government will buy 100 million swabs by the end of 2020 and distribute them to states to help them expand testing. The document did not outline federal testing goals for each state; instead it listed testing targets states reported to federal officials for May. Public health officials say broader testing to determine who has been infected with the novel coronavirus and who might have immunity are key to curbing the spread of the outbreak and allowing the economy to fully reopen.
WorldAFPIndia yogi who claimed to live without food or water dies aged 90
An Indian yogi whose claims he spent decades without food or water earned him a band of devotees and the scepticism of doctors died Tuesday, his neighbour told AFP. The long-haired and bearded Prahlad Jani -- who dressed in red and wore a nose ring in the fashion of Hindu goddesses -- hailed from Charada village in the western state of Gujarat, where he spent his life in a routine of yoga and mediation. "He died early Tuesday morning at his residence due to old age," Sheetal Chaudhary, who lived next door to Jani, told AFP.
- 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.
- WorldAssociated Press
Afghan government releases hundreds of Taliban prisoners
The Afghan government released hundreds of Taliban prisoners Tuesday, its single largest prisoner release since the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal earlier this year that spells out an exchange of detainees between the warring sides. The government announced it would release 900 Taliban prisoners as a three-day cease-fire with the insurgents draws to an end. The Taliban had called for the truce during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
- PoliticsBBC
Twitter tags Trump tweet with fact-checking warning
Twitter put a warning label under the post and a subsequent tweet under its new policy on misleading information. Mr Trump responded by tweeting again, saying the social media giant "is completely stifling free speech". Twitter's notification displays a blue exclamation mark underneath the tweets, suggesting readers "get the facts about mail-in ballots".
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Zuckerberg reportedly brushed aside internal research that showed Facebook exposed users to more and more extreme views, saying he never wanted the topic brought to him again
Facebook conducted internal efforts in 2016 and 2018 to examine whether the platform's algorithm was encouraging the polarization and the proliferation of extremist content, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to The Journal, CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated he was "losing interest" in these changes and asked employees not to bring up those topics to him again. Facebook has long known its platform encourages extremist and polarizing content, and the company's disinterest in making changes to solve these problems goes all the way up to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, The Wall Street Journal reported.
- 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.
- U.S.LA Times
Supreme Court refuses for now to block release of prisoners due to COVID-19
The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down an appeal from Trump administration lawyers who sought to preemptively block the release of any inmates from an Ohio prison who were at high risk for COVID-19. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch said they voted to grant the administration's appeal. A federal judge in Cleveland had ordered the warden of a low-security prison to consider sending home, releasing or transferring some of the 837 inmates who were over age 65 or had medical conditions that put them at high risk.
- ScienceThe Telegraph
50 billion years of animal evolution under threat from human activity, study says
Fifty billion years of evolutionary history is under threat from human activity, according to a new study which suggests some of the most threatened areas contain the most unique animals. Branches of the tree of life will be cut by the loss of animals such as the Mary River turtle, native to Queensland, Australia, recognisable by its punk-like algae 'hair', whose evolution stretches back 40 million years. The study was led by Imperial College and the Zoological Society of London, which works to protect species of high evolutionary importance through its EDGE of Existence programme.
- WorldThe Guardian
Canada: neglected residents and rotten food found at care homes hit by Covid-19
Canadian troops deployed to long-term care homes overwhelmed by coronavirus outbreaks found neglected and malnourished residents, rotten food and insect infestations, and a blatant disregard for critical safety protocol, according to a bombshell report from the country's armed forces. Military medics were dispatched to long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario in April, with aim of blunting Covid-19 outbreaks among vulnerable populations. Soldiers deployed to five of Ontario's worst-hit care homes encountered rotten food, cockroaches and residents in soiled diapers, according to the report published on Tuesday.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says husband's boat dock request was a bad joke: 'I wasn't laughing either'
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday that her husband made a failed attempt at humor when he asked a boat contractor whether his status as Michigan's "First Gentleman" would help him get his boat in the water ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. "He thought it might get a laugh," Whitmer said of her husband, Marc Mallory, a dentist. Whitmer said her husband regrets what he said and called on Michiganders to show kindness and empathy as the state deals with the COVID-19 pandemic that will be around for some time.
