- WorldAssociated Press
American student released after 486 days in Egyptian prison
An American medical student detained without trial in an Egyptian prison for nearly 500 days has been freed and returned to the United States, the U.S. State Department said on Monday. The release of Mohamed Amashah, a dual Egyptian-American citizen from Jersey City, New Jersey, followed months of pressure from the Trump administration, according to the Freedom Initiative group, which advocated on his behalf. “We welcome the release of U.S. citizen Mohamed Amashah from Egyptian custody, and thank Egypt for its cooperation in his repatriation,” the State Department said.
- PoliticsINSIDER
Disappointing photos show how small Mount Rushmore is in real life
But Borglum decided to carve four presidents to make the monument more of a national draw. But in real life, the monument doesn't loom as large as it may seem in photos. Aside from seeing the sculpture itself, the national monument also has hiking trails, a visitor's center, cafe, Sculptor's Studio, kid's play area, and the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Heritage Village highlighting the thousands of years of Native American history in the area.
- U.S.National Review
Portland Police See 240 Percent Yearly Increase in July Shootings
Portland police have responded to 17 shootings so far this month, a 240 percent increase when the city saw five in the same timeframe last year, the department announced Monday. In a statement, Portland police chief Chuck Lovell called the spike “alarming.” Portland has faced weeks of unrest following the death of George Floyd in May. Over the weekend, police declared a riot after a bronze sculpture honoring Oregon's pioneers was set ablaze outside the city's justice center.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoPredominantly 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.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Deadly 'brain-eating' amoeba infects person in Florida
An amoeba that destroys brain tissue has been confirmed in an unidentified person in Florida, health officials say. The Hillsborough County Department of Health announced the infection Friday. The infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba," is a microscopic single-celled living amoeba.
- WorldThe National Interest
We Fought a U.S.-China War in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy Lost.
The U.S. Navy is backing up its Philippine allies — two LCSs, USS Freedom and USS Fort Worth, are both about 30 miles south of the Emilio Jacinto and Artemio Ricarde. The USS Halsey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, is behind them at an equal distance. Shots fired The ships of the Philippine navy have comparatively crude sensors — basically amounting to eyeballs and navigational radars — and are having a difficult time identifying all of the ship traffic in and around the shoal.
- U.S.Reuters
Mexican military finds plane in flames and truck carrying drugs
Mexican military officials said on Sunday they discovered a small plane from South America in flames after it made an illegal landing on the Yucatan Peninsula possibly carrying hundreds of kilos of drugs. Nearby, military officials said they also found a truck carrying drugs that appeared to be cocaine, packaged into 13 parcels weighting 30 kg (66 pounds) each, and likely coming from the plane. With an estimated value of more than 109 million pesos ($4.9 million), the loss would have a "significant" impact on criminal organizations, said a statement from the Mexican military.
- WorldBusiness Insider
The WHO changed its coronavirus timeline to say it got its first report about the virus on the internet, not from Chinese authorities
reported last month that China delayed the release of critical information about the outbreak to the public and the WHO for several days, and waited more than a week to release the virus' genome — actions that likely delayed the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests. The AP also reported in April that top Chinese leaders had known for six days in January that the coronavirus could become a deadly pandemic, but told the world the virus posed a low risk to people and could not be transmitted between humans. At the same time, the WHO, which relies on countries to provide their own data, took China at its word and offered the same advice — which has since proven to be wrong.
- EntertainmentArchitectural Digest
Olson Kundig’s Latest Design Embraces Its Hawaiian Habitat
On a stunning lava rock field site in Kona, this stunning home seems to hover over the landscape as a series of pavilions Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- PoliticsMilitary.com
New Stories About Russian Bounties on US Troops Raise Even More Questions
The story that a unit of Russian military intelligence (GRU) paid bounties to the Taliban to attack and kill American and allied military personnel in Afghanistan continues to evolve. First, there has been a stream of anonymous sources confirming what the other, previous anonymous sources said. Given that the knowledge of the Russian bounties was supposedly widespread, it's remarkable that not a single person anywhere in the world with direct knowledge of this program is willing to go on record on the story.
- U.S.Associated Press
Puerto Rico braces for political upheaval involving governor
Puerto Rico's governor denied allegations of obstruction of justice Monday as the main opposition party demanded she be investigated and hinted at a possible impeachment process in what could be the latest round of political upheaval for the U.S. territory. In a brief statement, Gov. Wanda Vázquez for the first time acknowledged an alleged investigation that the island's Department of Justice is supposedly conducting against her, saying she was never told about it. She also denied recently firing the former justice secretary in alleged retribution for leading the investigation.
WorldAFPChina detains professor who criticised Xi over coronavirus
Chinese authorities on Monday detained a law professor who published essays criticising President Xi Jinping over the coronavirus pandemic and accusing him of ruling "tyrannically", according to friends of the man. Xu Zhangrun, a rare outspoken critic of the government in China's heavily censored academia, was taken from his home in suburban Beijing by more than 20 people, one of his friends said on condition of anonymity. Xu published an essay in February blaming the culture of deception and censorship fostered by Xi for the spread of the coronavirus in China.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Moscow Has a Field Day With Trump’s Fireworks at Mt. Russia-More
Kremlin-controlled Russian state media set out to tickle U.S. President Trump's fragile ego amid falling ratings after his blustery appearance at Mount Rushmore on Friday. Mentioning that the American head of state had previously toyed with the idea he might be featured alongside Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln, Russia's premier state media channel Rossiya-1 aired a graphic of Trump's mug right up there on the mountain beside them. Given the frequent allusions on Russian state media to Trump as Moscow's friend, even Moscow's “agent” in the White House, maybe the Kremlin would like to see the enormous monument renamed Mount Russia-More.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Sen. Chuck Grassley will skip the RNC for the first time in 40 years, citing coronavirus
Citing concerns about the coronavirus, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he will not attend this year's Republican National Convention, marking the first time he has sat out a convention since he was elected to the U.S. Senate 40 years ago. Grassley, 86, said he has attended every RNC since he was elected to the Senate in 1980. This year, President Donald Trump will accept the party's nomination for reelection at a convention in Jacksonville, Florida, which is scheduled for Aug. 24-27.
- U.S.The Independent
Seven men arrested after shouting racist insults and doing Nazi salutes at black family on Oregon beach, police say
Seven men have been arrested after an alleged racist incident on the Fourth of July in an Oregon beach town. Police said that the men allegedly yelled racial slurs at a black family and used Nazi salutes while people spent Independence Day on the beach in Lincoln City, southwest of Portland. The men have been arrested on suspicion of charges including riot, disorderly conduct, interfering with police and possession of illegal fireworks, according to The Oregonian.
- U.S.USA TODAY Opinion
As divisions threaten America, the pressure to cancel presidents is dangerous
Princeton University has decided to remove former President Woodrow Wilson's name from its school of Public and International Affairs, citing his “racist thinking and policies.” Looking solely through the lens of race relations, the case against Wilson is clear. In his 1912 run for the White House, Wilson would warm up the crowds with racial jokes that today would be unprintable. Gazing back across the long century since Wilson was in office shows the progress we have made as a country.
- ScienceBusiness Insider
NASA's powerful Hubble space telescope has beamed back a striking photo of a 'fluffy' galaxy with a ghostly, empty center
By contrast, other spiral galaxies — including the Milky Way — have more distinct arms where stars and gas are compressed. Hubble is NASA's strongest telescope — but not for long NASA launched Hubble into Earth's orbit in April 1990. Since then, the telescope has discovered new planets, revealed strange galaxies, and provided new insights into the nature of black holes.
- WorldThe National Interest
This Chinese Submarine Could Drop a Nuclear Weapon on America
Here's What You Need To Remember: The nuclear submarine club is indeed a highly exclusive club—and those with nuclear ballistic missiles even more so. China's Type 094, or Jin-class nuclear submarines are capable, but they may be tools for promoting national prestige rather than true nuclear deterrence. The Type 094, or Jin-class as it is also known, is operated by the People's Liberation Army Submarine Force.
- WorldBBC
South Korea rejects US extradition request over child abuse website
A South Korean court has denied a US extradition request for the man behind one of the world's largest child sexual abuse websites. Son Jong-woo, who ran the site Welcome to Video, served 18 months in South Korea for producing and distributing indecent images of children. Following his initial release in April, Son was taken back into custody after a warrant was issued for US extradition.
- WorldAssociated Press
Brazil's Bolsonaro says he will be tested for COVID-19
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said he will be tested for COVID-19 after having an X-ray of his lungs on Monday. He didn't say whether he was showing symptoms of the new coronavirus. Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly downplayed the risks of the disease, told supporters outside the presidential residence in capital Brasilia that he is feeling well.
U.S.AFPSurge in NYC shootings fuels police reform debate
New York reeled from a spate of holiday weekend shootings Monday, with police fueling controversy by partially attributing them to reforms undertaken following the death in custody of George Floyd. The Big Apple was rocked by 45 shootings -- which resulted in 11 deaths -- over the long July 4th weekend, up from just 16 shootings for the same period in 2019. Terence Monahan, the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer, said "tremendous animosity" shown towards officers following the recent Black Lives Matter protests had contributed by lowering police morale.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Former Melania Trump Confidante to Release an ‘Explosive’ Tell-All Before the Election
Following months of legal drama, threats, and public controversy surrounding multiple books published by former Trumpworld insiders, yet another blockbuster Trump book is set to hit shelves this summer and contain “explosive” revelations about first lady Melania Trump, written by her once close adviser and friend of 15 years. According to people familiar with the project, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff—who was previously seen by the first lady as a loyal confidante and helped plan President Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration in Washington, D.C.—will release a tell-all, Melania and Me, on Sept. 1. Winston Wolkoff previously worked for Vogue editrix and artistic director of Condé Nast Anna Wintour, who nicknamed her “General Winston” during her stint as the magazine's special events director producing the celebrity-packed Met Gala.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Auto dealers, restaurants with ties to lawmakers were among the firms that got PPP loans: Treasury report
WASHINGTON – Businesses owned by several members of Congress or their families received federal Paycheck Protection Program loans designed to help small firms weather the economic fallout of the coronavirus, according to information the Trump administration released Monday. The list of lawmaker-connected businesses includes car dealerships, casinos, construction companies, and restaurants. All were deemed eligible by the Small Business Administration for the PPP loans, a centerpiece of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has left millions out of work and upended daily life in America.
- U.S.INSIDER
A former National Guard colonel apologized but will keep her professor job after saying sexual harassment is the 'price of admission for women' in the military
University of Wisconsin , Fort Hood Betsy Schoeller, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and retired member of the Wisconsin Air Guard, apologized for her comments in a Facebook group on a news article about murdered US Army soldier Vanessa Guillén. Schoeller wrote that "sexual harassment is the price of admission for women into the good ole boy club" and "if you're gonna cry like a snowflake about it, you're gonna pay the price." A petition to remove Schoeller as a lecturer from UWM has amassed more than 135,000 signatures, but the university said "legal reasons" concerning her right to freedom of speech won't let it fire her.
- WorldThe Independent
Trump administration refusing to let Dr Fauci appear on CBS show, host says
CBS News host Margaret Brennan has claimed that the Trump administration has prevented Dr Anthony Fauci from appearing on her show for three months. The moderator of CBS' Face the Nation, claimed on the show on Sunday that the administration had not approved an interview with Dr Fauci since 5 April. Dr Fauci, one of the country's top infectious disease experts and part of the US government's coronavirus task force, has appeared on various other networks over the last few months to discuss the coronavirus crisis, according to Newsweek.
