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.

Ilhan Omar says she believes woman who claims Joe Biden sexually assaulted her

Democrat "squad" member Ilhan Omar says she believes sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden but would vote for him anyway to defeat Donald Trump. In a Tweet defending her support of accuser Tara Reade, the Minnesota congresswoman said that "believing survivors is consistent with my values". "This is the most important election cycle of our lifetimes and we aren't going to have a chance if we don't spend our energy in mobilising and building enthusiasm against Trump."

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.

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  The Latest: Russell wins virtual F1 Monaco GP; Leclerc 3rd

  The Associated Press
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  Crowds smaller, beachgoers practicing social distancing

  WABC – NY

China warns US of countermeasures over Hong Kong trading threats

Beijing has warned the US that it will take "every necessary measure" to protect its interests after a top White House advisor warned that Washington might revoke Hong Kong's special trading privileges if China enacts a tough new security law. China plans to impose legislation on the semi-autonomous city that bans treason, subversion and sedition, officials said in response to months of massive, often-violent pro-democracy protests in the financial hub last year. US national security advisor Robert O'Brien warned Sunday that the new law could cost the city the preferential trading status it enjoys with the United States, the world's largest economy.

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  China plans a clampdown that could end Hong Kong's dreams of democracy

  CBS News
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  Tension in Hong Kong as projectile-hurling protesters force riot police to retreat

  Newsflare

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Feds looking at Ahmaud Arbery's death as a hate crime, attorneys say

The U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into the shooting death of an unarmed black man in Georgia as a hate crime, according to attorneys for the victim's family. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and killed by two white men while jogging in his neighborhood on February 23. Attorneys for Arbery's family said the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Bobby Christine and his office will look into why Glynn County and the state of Georgia took more than two months to make an arrest and whether the region has historically violated the rights of its citizens.

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.

Oxford scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine say there is now only a 50% chance of success because the number of UK cases is falling too quickly

YouTube/University of Oxford Oxford scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine say the chances of success are now 50%. They say that's because the number of people with the virus in the UK is falling too quickly. "At the moment, there's a 50% chance that we get no result at all," scientist Adam Hill said this weekend.

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  Coronavirus: AstraZeneca boss confident Covid-19 vaccine can succeed

  Yahoo Finance UK
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  Declining infection rate provides challenge for Oxford coronavirus vaccine

  The Week

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.”

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.

Singapore 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.

Trump has busy Memorial Day schedule amid coronavirus crisis

President Trump has a busy appearance schedule on Memorial Day amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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  Op-Ed: We've learned to thank those who serve, whether it's in war or during a pandemic

  Los Angeles Times Opinion
• Marcum Foundation And BurgerFi Honor COVID-19 Veterans Hospital Heroes And National Guard With Meals For Memorial Day

  PR Newswire

Boris Johnson the 'people’s politician' risks squandering his common touch in standing by Dominic Cummings

Say what you like about Boris Johnson, he is not what you would call a “misfit” or a “weirdo”. Unlike his non-conformist chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who once touted for such 'oddballs' to join No 10, the Prime Minister is as conventional as any of the 20 Old Etonians who have ended up in Downing Street. A little eccentric, perhaps, with his love of the Iliad and aversion to Mason Pearson products, but as his old Balliol philosophy don Jonathan Barnes put it: “Definitely a good egg.”

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  'As I understand it': Grant Shapps flounders in attempted defence of Dominic Cummings

  The Independent
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  Dominic Cummings says he does not regret breaking lockdown by travelling to Durham

  The Independent

Coronavirus outbreak: Caribbean tourism struggles as visitors stay home

Seagulls are the only ones using the pool at a resort fringing one of Antigua's most popular beaches. The absence of holidaymakers due to the Covid-19 pandemic is keenly felt on this Caribbean island for which, like many of its counterparts, tourism has long been its breadbasket. Often dubbed the "most tourism-dependent region in the world", the Caribbean attracted more than 31 million visitors last year.

Daytona beachside shooting wounds at least 5 people

At least five people were treated for gunshot wounds Saturday night after a large crowd blocked State Road A1A and a fight spilled into a restaurant in the heart of the city's tourist area, officials said. About 200 young people were observed in a helicopter video dancing, partying and gathering on the sidewalk in the middle of the street outside the Burger King, on Atlantic Avenue Ave as the sun came down on the first big night of the Memorial Day weekend. The gathering continued as police shut down all traffic coming over the bridges on to Daytona Beach's barrier island.

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.

Beijing says it will unilaterally impose national laws in Hong Kong 'without delay' as thousands take to the streets in protest

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo China's foreign minister said that implementing anti-sedition laws in Hong Kong is now a "pressing obligation." This is a continuation of China's attempts to increase control over Hong Kong following mass protests in 2019. On Sunday, thousands of protesters faced tear gas and pepper spray from Hong Kong police.

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  Defiant protesters chanting 'liberate Hong Kong' flood the streets to oppose China's grab for control

  Business Insider
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  Hong Kong police use water cannon to disperse protesters from flyover

  Newsflare

Judge rules against Florida Republican-backed law blocking felons from voting until they pay legal fees

A federal judge in Tallahassee ruled on Sunday night that Florida law can't stop felons from voting because they can't pay back any legal fees and restitution they owe. The judge's decision could have deep ramifications as the state's estimated 774,000 disenfranchised felons represent a significant voting bloc. Florida is well known for razor-thin election margins, and many of those felons are people of colour and presumed to be Democrats, which could have a major impact on the 2020 election.

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  Judge finds Florida 'pay-to-vote' system for felons unconstitutional

  The Week
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  Federal Judge Clears Way For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ex-Felons To Vote In Florida

  HuffPost

Letters to the Editor: Why is the Trump administration working so hard to deport immigrant children?

To the editor: The appalling actions taken by the Trump administration against immigrant children is incomprehensible and is the clearest reflection of its moral decay. Trump and his allies have claimed again and again that they welcome immigrants who enter the country legally, yet while lawyers and sponsors struggle to follow the rules, our government moves these children from place to place without warning, will not disclose their whereabouts, and fast-tracks deportations to places so dangerous that they were willing to walk thousands of miles to escape them. To the editor: Compassion is yet another presidential quality that is missing in our current president.

Russian 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.

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.