- PoliticsYahoo 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.INSIDER
An Austin police officer appeared to grope a woman's breast after pulling her over for a traffic violation
In a video that trended on social media Tuesday, an Austin police officer appears to grope the woman's breasts while performing a search, even as she demanded a female officer. In a statement, the Austin Police Department said the officer acted appropriately since the encounter was recorded and another officer was present. The department also said the officer was conducting a search before transporting the woman to jail for "multiple hazardous traffic violations."
- BusinessReuters
U.S. Treasury chief supports more direct payments in next coronavirus aid bill
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday that he supports another round of direct payments to individuals as part of the next coronavirus legislation and is working to get it passed by Congress by the end of July. Mnuchin also told CNBC in an interview that not all of the airlines that signed Treasury loan agreements will need to access those loans, as they may be able to meet their financing needs in private financial markets. Despite United Airlines' decision on Wednesday to notify 36,000 employees of potential furloughs, Mnuchin said he believed most airlines wanted to keep as many staff as possible, and healthy airlines were needed to aid the U.S. economic recovery.
- 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.
- U.S.Business Insider
The Mayor of Phoenix said she only found out the city was getting a 'significant' federal coronavirus testing site from a tweet
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told Business Insider she only found out west Phoenix was getting a 'significant' federal testing site through a tweet. The mayor had been calling for federal help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to increase testing in the city. Arizona has turned into the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak, surpassing 100,000 cases this week.
- U.S.The Guardian
UC Berkeley reopening in doubt after 47 coronavirus cases tied to fraternity parties
Plans for the fall semester at the University of California, Berkeley, are in question after 47 new Covid-19 cases tied to fraternity parties emerged in the past week. University officials warn the outbreak could jeopardize the ability to move forward with in-person classes in the months ahead. “We have seen the number of University Health Services positive cases increase from a running total of 23 since the start of the pandemic, to 47 new cases in just one week,” university officials wrote in a letter.
- U.S.The Independent
Satanic Temple threatens lawsuit over Mississippi’s ‘in God we trust’ flag plan
The Satanic Temple has threatened to sue Mississippi over plans to include the phrase “In God We Trust” on its flag. In a letter addressed to state attorney general Lynn Fitch the Temple argued that not all Mississippians were represented by the phrase, which is the US national motto. Last week politicians approved proposals to retire the 1894 Mississippi state flag, which had been adorned with the Confederate battle emblem, amid nationwide demonstrations against institutionalised racism.
- 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
- 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.
PoliticsFOX News VideosJoe Shapiro's widow says her late husband met Donald Trump in college
Raw video: Pam Shriver says her late husband met Trump after he was already enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
DC judge asks for full appeal review of Flynn dismissal
The U.S. District Court judge who oversaw the criminal case of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn has requested a full appeals court review after a three-judge panel ordered him to dismiss it. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan made the highly unusual the request Thursday. A three-judge panel last month ordered Sullivan to dismiss the case against Flynn, following the Justice Department's extraordinary decision to drop the prosecution.
- U.S.Reuters
New York attorney general recommends reducing mayor's power over police
New York Attorney General Letitia James recommended that New York City's mayor give up sole control over the city police commissioner's hiring, in a preliminary report released on Wednesday on her investigation into the policing of recent protests. The commission would have final say on the department's budget and officer discipline. "There should be an entirely new accountability structure for NYPD," James said in her report, which also recommended giving more power to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a city agency that reviews police misconduct.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Two arrested after coughing on Walmart employees, refusing to wear masks, AZ cops say
Two people have been arrested in Yuma, Arizona after police said they refused to wear masks and coughed on Walmart employees. On July 8, the Yuma Police Department responded to a report of a man and woman who were coughing on Walmart workers and not wearing masks, according to a statement by the department. Walmart trespassed the two people, meaning they wanted them to leave, according to the statement.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
Twitter billionaire Jack Dorsey just announced he will be funding a universal basic income experiment that could affect up to 7 million people
Associated Press On Thursday, Jack Dorsey, the billionaire CEO of Twitter, announced he is working with 14 American mayors to fund universal basic income (UBI) trials in their cities. The pilot programs will be run city by city and have not yet launched. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang helped bring the idea of universal basic income into the mainstream and is funding his own UBI pilot program.
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.
- BusinessDefense News
US gives the green light to Japan’s massive $23B F-35 buy
The United States on Thursday approved a planned purchase by Japan of 105 F-35 joint strike fighters, moving the country one step closer to becoming the biggest foreign customer of the Lockheed Martin-produced jet. The approved package includes 63 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and 42 F-35 short takeoff and landing variants, essentially green-lighting the procurement plans spelled out by Japan in 2018. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale, which is worth about $23 billion, although that number could change during negotiations between the country and Lockheed Martin.
- PoliticsNational Review
GOP Senators Preparing $1.3 Trillion Coronavirus Aid Package to Counter House Dems’ Proposal
Republican senators are piecing together an additional coronavirus aid package to counter House Democrats' phase-4 aid proposal. The GOP bill in its current form will provide an additional $1.3 trillion in economic aid to U.S. taxpayers and businesses, CNN reported on Wednesday evening. House Democrats have already proposed their own $3 trillion aid package, however Senate Republicans have pushed back on the high price tag.
- U.S.The Independent
Texas carries out its first execution during pandemic after Supreme Court gives go-ahead
Mr Wardlow had appealed against his death sentence on the basis that he was only 18 when he committed the crime. His lawyers argued that since some neuroscientists now agree that the human brain is still developing up until the age of 21, it is not possible to accurately predict how dangerous an 18-year-old might be in future – and that people under 21 who commit capital offences should therefore not be sentenced to death. The current lower limit is 18.
- WorldBBC
'UK faces mobile blackouts if Huawei 5G ban imposed by 2023'
BT and Vodafone have said their UK customers would face mobile phone signal blackouts if they are given three years or less to strip Huawei's equipment out of their 5G networks. Executives from the network providers told MPs that they wanted at least five years, and ideally seven, if such an order is made. The government is expected to announce new curbs on the use of the Chinese firm's kit within the next two weeks.
- BusinessThe Daily Beast
Fox News Host Grills Betsy DeVos on ‘Reckless’ Plan to Reopen Schools
President Donald Trump threatened to “cut off funding” to schools that don't reopen amidst the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. On Fox News Wednesday afternoon, host Neil Cavuto repeatedly pressed DeVos on the administration's official “schools must open” policy. “There's nothing in the data that suggests that it would not be appropriate to have kids in school,” DeVos claimed.
- U.S.Associated Press
Wisconsin police officer rescues dog from burning house
A Wisconsin police officer says he did what any dog lover would do when a pet is in a burning home. Caledonia K-9 Officer Cory Radke and his canine partner, Lou, were on their way home Monday when Radke saw smoke and heard a dispatcher calling all squad cars to the fire. WITI-TV reports Radke was first to arrive at the house.
- 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.Business Insider
Top US general slams Confederacy as 'an act of treason' and says the country needs to take 'hard look' at bases honoring its leaders
US Army/Daniel Torok US Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed Thursday the possibility of renaming 10 US Army bases honoring Confederate leaders and said any change would require the utmost care. Milley labeled the Confederacy "an act of rebellion." "It was an act of treason at the time against the Union, against the Stars and Stripes, against the US Constitution," Milley said.
- U.S.The Guardian
'Opioid overdoses are skyrocketing': as Covid-19 sweeps across US an old epidemic returns
Clearly, what we have lost with the pandemic is a loss of connection Dr Mike Brumage Public health officials from Kentucky to Florida, Texas and Colorado have recorded surges in opioid deaths as the economic and social anxieties created by the Covid-19 pandemic prove fertile ground for addiction. In addition, Brumage said significant numbers of people have fallen out of treatment programmes as support networks have been yanked away by social distancing orders. I'm a firm adherent to the idea that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection.
PoliticsFOX News VideosRep. Ilhan Omar calls to dismantle America's 'system of oppression'
Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar says we can't stop at criminal justice and police reform; Venezuelan refugee Daniel Di Martino reacts on 'Fox & Friends.
