- PoliticsBusiness Insider
'Should I be? Huh? I never thought about it': Trump asks if he should use insulin at White House seniors event
AP Photo/Alex Brandon President Donald Trump made some confusing comments about insulin on Tuesday. During a White House event on senior citizens, Trump veered from his prepared remarks after reading a line about the price of insulin. "I don't use insulin," Trump said.
- U.S.INSIDER
A Florida teacher convicted of multiple sex crimes involving students begged a judge for castration instead of prison time
Tony Giberson/Reuters Mark Lua, a former Florida teacher, pleaded guilty last year to charges related to the sexual abuse of students. Last week, during his sentencing hearing, Mark Lua asked for chemical castration instead of a prison sentence. The judge ignored his request and sentenced him to 12 years in prison, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
- 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 after Tad Dowker, the owner of a Northern Michigan dock company, reportedly 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 state residents to resist flocking to popular vacation areas.
- U.S.INSIDER
The white woman who called 911 after a black bird-watcher asked her to leash her dog has 'voluntarily surrendered' her pet to an animal rescue
More than 22 million people have watched a video of Amy Cooper, a white woman, calling 911 and alleging that there was an "African-American man threatening" her. In reality, Christian Cooper, who is black and enjoys bird watching, asked Amy Cooper to put her dog on its leash while they were in the Ramble in Central Park in Manhattan. "When Chris began offering treats to my dog and confronted me in an area where there was no one else nearby and said, 'You're not going to like what I'm going to do next,' I assumed we were being threatened," Amy Cooper said in a statement, "when all he had intended to do was record our encounter on his phone."
- BusinessReuters
U.S. small firms leave $150 billion in coronavirus stimulus untapped
When the U.S. government first rolled out forgivable loans to small businesses in April under the Paycheck Protection Program, loan officers at Bank of the West in Grapevine, Texas worked nights and weekends to process a tsunami of applications. But since those first few frantic weeks, demand has "just dried up," said bank president Cindy Blankenship. On May 15 the bank stopped taking applications for PPP loans.
- 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.
- 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.
- U.S.Associated Press
In his final days, Ahmaud Arbery's life was at a crossroads
College could wait until the fall. About a mile and a half into his usual route, Ahmaud Arbery would cross the four lanes of Jekyll Island Causeway into the subdivision of Satilla Shores. Three months ago, at the age of 25, he ran through Satilla Shores for the final time.
- 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.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Clyburn: I 'cringed' at Biden 'you ain't black' comment but compare him 'to the alternative, not the Almighty'
Congressman James Clyburn, D-S.C., a longtime friend of Joe Biden, said Tuesday that he "cringed" at the former vice president's comments that “you ain't black” if you are not sure whether to vote for him or President Donald Trump. Clyburn, who gave Biden a his coveted endorsement three days before his state's crucial February primary, told "The View" Tuesday, "Joe did not do as well as I hoped in responding, but I will say this, I go about my business every day comparing Joe Biden, to the alternative, not the Almighty." Biden made the comments on Friday while an interview with African American radio host Charlamagne tha God's on The Breakfast Club radio show, where Biden emphasized his ties to the African American community, and touted his record on civil rights.
- 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.
U.S.AFPMichigan governor in hot water over boat launch claim
The Michigan governor who implemented some of the toughest coronavirus lockdown rules in the United States came under heavy criticism Tuesday over allegations that her husband pressured a dock to prepare his boat for an outing. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has defended her tough stay-at-home policies against armed protestors and attacks from President Donald Trump, announced last week the lifting of some restrictions ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend. According to a claim posted on Facebook by Northshore Docks owner Tad Dowker, Whitmer's husband Marc Mallory subsequently tried to use her position to get his boat moved ahead of others for launching before the holiday weekend.
- 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.
- CelebrityINSIDER
A plastic surgeon points out the 3 changes on Khloe Kardashian's face after she shared a new look on Instagram
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for UCLA People were quick to respond to Khloe Kardashian's recent selfie, saying it appears she had plastic surgery and that her face looks much different than previous photos she's posted. A plastic surgeon told Insider it appears she had a nose job or rhinoplasty, filler injections, and fat removal in her face. It's impossible to say the exact procedures she had done and when, though, because of photo filters.
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.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
‘Fox & Friends’ Confronts Kayleigh McEnany With Chris Wallace Criticism
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace didn't get the chance to confront White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany directly this weekend. About halfway through her appearance on that show Tuesday morning, Kilmeade brought up a comment McEnany made during her Friday press conference. As Kilmeade put it, “Some of the press got insulted,” before reading McEnany part of what Wallace said about her comments on his Sunday show.
- BusinessBusiness Insider
'Our product is used on occasion to kill people': Palantir's CEO claims its tech is used to target and kill terrorists
Chesnot/Getty Images Palantir CEO Alex Karp told Axios there are times when he's questioned the ethics of the company's business. Palantir is a Silicon Valley-based data firm which has been protested in the past for its work with US Immigration and Custom's Enforcement (ICE). Karp also said the company's product is used to target and kill terrorists, although he wasn't specific about what product he meant.
- U.S.Associated Press
California issues guidelines for church reopenings
Religious services in California will look much different under rules unveiled Monday that limit attendance to 100 people and recommend worshippers wear masks, limit singing and refrain from shaking hands or hugging. The state released guidance under which county health departments can approve the reopening of churches, mosques, synagogues and other houses of worship. Others with outbreaks — such as Los Angeles County, which has about 60% of California's roughly 3,800 deaths — may choose to delay.
- U.S.USA TODAY
DOJ warns Nevada its plan to reopen discriminates against religious groups
The Justice Department on Tuesday warned Nevada that its plan allowing certain businesses to gradually reopen amid coronavirus threats discriminates against religious organizations and places of worship. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, who heads the department's Civil Rights Division, told Gov. Steve Sisolak that his plan to let businesses, such as restaurants and hair and nail salons, to reopen, while banning religious gatherings of 10 or more people may violate constitutional rights for free expression. "We understand these directives were issued in the midst of an uncertain situation, which may have required quick decisions based on changing information," Dreiband said in a letter.
- U.S.BBC
Woman sacked after calling police on black man
A white woman who called the police after a black man asked her to put her dog on a leash in New York City's Central Park has been fired from her job with an investment firm. Franklin Templeton announced on Twitter on Tuesday it had sacked an employee, "effective immediately". "We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton," the tweet said.
- WorldReuters
Brazil police raid Rio governor's residences amid COVID-19 probe
Brazilian federal police on Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro 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. Two sources and a statement from the federal police said the search warrants were part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving the use of public money destined to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Rio de Janeiro state. No arrest warrants were issued, a source said.
- U.S.The Telegraph
Trump defends his golf playing as tens of thousands of Americans head to beach for long weekend
Donald Trump has defended his decision to flout official social distancing guidelines to play golf during a long weekend to remember America's war dead, saying his "little exercise" had been portrayed as "a mortal sin". Mr Trump drew criticism after he was pictured without a mask and shaking hands while playing golf in Virginia on Memorial Day weekend as the US coronavirus death toll approached 100,000. Meanwhile Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home.
- BusinessNBC News
Traders sign death waivers as Wall Street reopens, with a few differences
After being shut down for more than two months, the New York Stock Exchange's trading floor partially reopened on Tuesday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rang the opening bell, alongside NYSE President Stacey Cunningham. The trading floor had been closed since March 23.
- U.S.Los Angeles Times Opinion
Op-Ed: Will Memorial Day 2020 be remembered as the holiday when COVID-19 got the upper hand?
In preparation for a TV interview on Monday afternoon, I compared Sunday's COVID case reports with those of a month ago. First the good news: On March 30, New Jersey reported 3,250 new cases of COVID-19 to New York's 9,000. On Saturday, two months later, the number of new cases in New Jersey was 1,050, down about 60% In New York, 1,772 new cases were reported on Saturday, down about 80% from March 30.
- BusinessThe Daily Beast
This NBC Executive Became a Conspiracy King and a Pro-Trump Media Boss
A former NBC executive who founded one of the earliest—and more successful—fake news websites quietly assumed a leadership role at The Epoch Times as the news outlet ramped up its pro-Trump messaging after the 2016 election. Epoch's influential role as a Trump-friendly media outlet coincided with access to Trump allies seeking friendly interviews, uncritical coverage of the administration's policies, and a venue to advance the White House's militant anti-Beijing and hyper-nationalist messages.
