- U.S.Yahoo News
As COVID cases spike in Florida, Trump now says he's 'flexible' on convention format in Jacksonville
With coronavirus cases exploding in Florida, President Trump said he is “flexible” about the need for a traditional indoor Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month. The Republican National Committee had scrapped plans to hold the party's convention in Charlotte, N.C., after Gov. Roy Cooper said he would only allow “a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings.” In a television interview with former Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren, Trump suggested the format for the Aug. 24-27 event would depend on the severity of the outbreak in the Sunshine State.
- U.S.NBC News
'I feel threatened': Unmasked Florida man's viral Costco outburst cost him his job
A man's outburst at a Costco in Florida that was caught on video has cost him his job. A video of the incident was posted to Twitter on Monday night by filmmaker Billy Corben. "Florida man at Fort Myers Costco in 'Running the World Since 1776' shirt flips out on elderly woman who asked him to wear a mask and man who defended her #BecauseFlorida," Corben tweeted.
- WorldReuters
El Salvador murder rate plummets; study says gangs may have informal pact with government
Homicides in El Salvador fell over 50% in President Nayib Bukele's first year in office, with officials citing tougher enforcement, while a study on Wednesday suggests gangs may have eased up on violence and made informal deals with authorities. Homicides were already in decline in El Salvador, which has recently had one of the world's highest murder rates, when Bukele took office in June 2019. Bukele has attributed the improvement to an increased police and military presence on the streets, and tighter security in jails controlled by the powerful Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Texas Governor Is ‘Putting Lives at Risk,’ Local Officials Say
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo believes she knows what her county needs to fight back against COVID-19. “I'm at the mercy of what powers he positively gives us,” Hidalgo told The Daily Beast. As Texas faces a resurgent coronavirus and some officials have emphasized concerns about hospitals in the state becoming potentially overrun or overwhelmed, Hidalgo can find plenty of reasons to worry.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Many Mississippi lawmakers opted not to wear masks at the Capitol. Now, 26 have COVID-19.
Gov. Tate Reeves is warning the public to get tested for coronavirus if they have been in contact with a state lawmaker. Now, about one in six of Mississippi state lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said the Mississippi Department of Health is monitoring the situation and that about 290 people were tested at the Capitol this week.
U.S.CBS Miami - WFORMiami-Dade Teachers Union Applauds Latest Decision By Schools Chief Alberto Carvalho
The President of the United Teachers of Dade is applauding the latest decision by Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho who is saying that schools will not reopen for classes until the county is in Phase 2 of the coronavirus reopening plan.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Militants kill BJP politician Wasim Bari and his family in Kashmir
A Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party politician was killed along with his brother and father in Indian administered Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Wasim Bari, 38, and his family were attacked by militants at his residence in north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Wednesday night. All three were shot at point-blank range and died on the way to hospital.
- U.S.The Independent
New York mayor blames 'dislocation' caused by coronavirus for wave of shootings that left 10 dead and 54 injured over weekend
At least 10 people were killed among 64 shootings reported in New York City over the Fourth of July weekend, which saw a violent spree in several major cities still reeling from coronavirus infections and widespread protests against police violence. For the first time since 2016, the city surpassed 400 shootings by mid-year. The New York Police Department reported that the city saw 528 shootings by the end of June, one of the most violent halves of the year in more than 20 years.
- WorldAssociated Press
Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies
Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria's Mbe mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing amid protection efforts. Only around 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region in Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which captured the camera trap images in May. More color images were recovered last month. John Oates, professor emeritus at the City University of New York and a primatologist who helped establish conservation efforts for the gorillas more than two decades ago, was excited about the new images.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
Fauci says the emphasis on a lower coronavirus death rate, often touted by Trump, promotes a 'false narrative'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, says taking "comfort" in the recent lower coronavirus death rate is a "false narrative" of the COVID-19 pandemic. "There's so many other things that are very dangerous and very bad about this virus," Fauci said Tuesday. Fauci, one of the health experts serving on the White House coronavirus task force, appeared on a livestreamed press conference about the coronavirus with Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama on Tuesday.
- PoliticsNBC News
Trump admin plans to block asylum seekers from U.S. by citing risk of COVID-19
The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that would allow it to deny asylum to immigrants who are deemed a public health risk. The soon-to-be published rule would let the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to block immigrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. based on "potential international threats from the spread of pandemics," according to a notice announcing it Wednesday. The rule would apply to immigrants seeking asylum and those seeking "withholding of removal" — a protected immigration status for those who have shown they more likely than not would face danger if returned to their home countries.
- U.S.Politico
Supreme Court rules against 2 teachers at religious schools in discrimination case
The Supreme Court said Wednesday that religious schools have sweeping authority to hire and fire their educators, weeks after oral arguments that left several justices voicing concern about how a potential ruling could entangle secular courts in spiritual affairs. Former teachers sued the two Catholic schools in Southern California after losing their jobs, launching a fresh test of a 2012 high court decision and new tension between workers rights and church authority.
- StyleArchitectural Digest
15 Platform Beds to Elevate Your Bedroom Style
You'll love these contemporary styles and budget-friendly price points Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- WorldNational Review
China’s Confucius Institutes Attempt to Rebrand Following Backlash
China is attempting to rebrand Confucius Institutes following a worldwide backlash against the centers. Confucius Institutes, which are present on dozens of U.S. college campuses and at other foreign universities, carry the stated purpose of promoting Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing has changed its name to the “Ministry of Education Centre for Language Education and Cooperation.”
- U.S.USA TODAY
Amid Black Lives Matter protests, more school districts are pushing to address racism. Is it enough?
To create an environment in schools where students hopefully will not feel these pressures, the administration has asked the school board to come up with a plan to make equity a key focus by creating a dedicated position to provide “leadership and oversight in equity and excellence,” officials said. You need to look at policies, you need to look at curriculum, you need to look at disciplinary practices, you need to look at simply educating everyone on what's going on,” Kannan said. You need to look at hiring.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
As One of Russia’s Leading Journalists Is Charged With Treason, a Chill Settles Over the Press
The younger Safronov took up the banner of investigative reporting at Kommersant and became one of the country's leading defense correspondents in his own right, but just recently took a job as a senior adviser to Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, Russia's major space agency. Rogozin told the TASS news agency on Tuesday that Safronov “did not have any access to classified information,” and that he knew Safronov as an honest and professional man. Nonetheless, Safronov is alleged to have turned over national defense secrets to someone from what was initially reported as an unnamed "NATO country."
- WorldReuters
Pompeo says U.S. seized Iranian weapons on way to Houthi rebels in Yemen
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that U.S. and partner forces seized a boat in June carrying Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen as he renewed his call for the U.N. Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran. "The Security Council must extend the arms embargo on Iran to prevent further conflict in the region," Pompeo told a State Department news conference. "No serious person can possibly believe Iran will use any weapon it receives for peaceful ends."
- U.S.Associated Press
US seizes 81 vehicles in Venezuela smuggling ring
Federal investigators said Wednesday they have seized 81 vehicles worth an estimated $3.2 million that were bound for Venezuela as part of a smuggling ring operated for wealthy and politically connected people. Anthony Salisbury, chief of the Miami Homeland Security Investigations office, said the vehicles were to be smuggled in violation of U.S. export laws and sanctions against the socialist Venezuelan government, “This is all part of an ongoing effort to combat foreign public corruption and in particular for public corruption in Venezuela and the laundering and the fleecing of the Venezuelan people's wealth and the stealing of the Venezuelan wealth from the national treasury for the gain ...
- U.S.BBC
César Duarte: Fugitive Mexican ex-governor arrested in Miami
César Duarte, a former Mexican state governor who became a fugitive, has been arrested in Miami after more than three years on the run. Mr Duarte, governor of Chihuahua until 2016, fled after he was accused of embezzling public funds. The arrest came as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador paid an official visit to the US for talks with President Trump.
- BusinessNBC News
Israel looked like a model for halting coronavirus. Here's how it 'lost its bearings.'
When signs of the coronavirus pandemic appeared in Israel in March, the country shut down hard and fast. Between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Israel recorded a new daily high of 1,528 coronavirus cases, the Health Ministry said. In the West Bank and Gaza, cases have also steadily risen, with more than 300 reported on Tuesday.
- WorldBusiness Insider
Female US Army soldier makes history by becoming the first woman to become a Green Beret
U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens A female soldier became the US Army's first female Green Beret on Thursday. The National Guard soldier graduated, earned her Special Forces Tab, and earned her Green Beret Thursday at a ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina celebrating her and her classmates completion of Special Forces training. US Army Special Operations Command is withholding identifying information about the woman due to mission security demands for special operations troops.
- U.S.Miami Herald
‘Legally armed Good Samaritan’ saves woman from being strangled, Tennessee cops say
Jefferson City police responded to reports of a fight outside a Bojangles restaurant where a “legally armed Good Samaritan” had stepped in to stop the woman from being assaulted and strangled during a domestic incident, according to a report posted to the department's Facebook page. Police learned a man and woman started arguing as they walked near the restaurant's drive-thru. That's when the suspect, identified as James Michael Shelton, slammed the woman to the ground when she tried to flee, the report states.
WorldAFPFormer India navy officer refuses to appeal spying death sentence
A former Indian naval officer on death row in Pakistan for alleged spying has refused to lodge an appeal against his conviction and will try instead for a military pardon, an official said Wednesday. Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav was arrested in 2016 in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan -- a region where Islamabad has long accused New Delhi of backing separatist rebels. He was sentenced to death by a closed Pakistani military tribunal in 2017, but the International Court of Justice ordered Islamabad last year to review the sentence, and he was later offered the right to appeal.
- PoliticsLA Times
With a Senate majority in reach, Democratic candidates rake in massive donations
A group of Democratic challengers to incumbent Republican U.S. senators has once again posted massive fundraising numbers, raising the party's hopes of reclaiming the Senate from the GOP in the November election. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, challenging Republican Sen. Steve Daines, reported raising $7.7 million in the year's second quarter. The fundraising spree has extended into typically deep-red South Carolina, where former state Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison amassed $13.9 million over the quarter in a showdown with prominent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
- U.S.The Independent
Ohio sheriff refuses to enforce governor's mask order: 'I'm not going to be the mask police'
An Ohio sheriff said he won't enforce Governor Mike DeWine's order making face masks mandatory in states with high rates of Covid-19 infections. The sheriff is a supporter of President Donald Trump and comes from a county of like minded individuals; Butler County voted for Mr Trump by a 2-to-1 margin in 2016 and nearly all of its officeholders are Republicans. Mr DeWine issued the mandatory mask order on Tuesday.
