- U.S.Yahoo News
'Boogaloo' arrests in Nevada portray extremists using protests to incite civil war
Two men charged with conspiring to incite violence and civil unrest at protests over the killing of George Floyd previously sought to do the same thing at protests against coronavirus lockdowns, in both instances seeking to promote their extremist agenda, federal prosecutors say. Federal agents arrested the men, Stephen Parshall and Andrew Lynam, along with a third man, William Loomis, before they allegedly planned to disrupt a Black Lives Matter protest in Las Vegas. According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Nevada, all three, who are white and have U.S. military experience, “self-identified as part of the 'boogaloo' movement,” a disparate yet growing collection of extremists, including far-right militias, radical gun rights activists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump praises success against coronavirus in states that are seeing cases spike
In a White House Rose Garden press conference meant to highlight the gain of 2.5 million jobs in May after two months of devastating job losses, President Trump lamented that “many of our states are closed or almost closed” because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 110,000 Americans. “I hope that the lockdown governors — I don't know why they continue to lock down,” Trump said, presumably referring to states like New York and New Jersey that have taken a more cautious approach to lifting restrictions on large social gatherings and some forms of commercial activity.
- U.S.The Independent
Buffalo mayor says elderly protester pushed to ground by police was an 'agitator'
The mayor of Buffalo has said that the elderly protester filmed being knocked to the ground by police in a now viral video was an “agitator” who has been asked to leave the area “numerous” times. Byron Brown said that the 75-year-old man, Martin Gugino, was trying to “spark up the crowd of people”. Two officers appeared to push Mr Gugino, who hit his head on the pavement and was seen to be bleeding from a head wound after the incident near Niagara Square in Buffalo, New York.
- U.S.Reuters
Mexican governor apologizes for police abuses at protest
The governor of a Mexican state recently roiled by clashes between security forces and demonstrators apologized on Saturday for abuses carried out by police against people protesting the against death of a man in police custody. Enrique Alfaro, governor of the western region of Jalisco, said he was appalled that police in the state capital of Guadalajara had on Friday beaten some participants in a demonstration over the death of the man, Giovanni Lopez. "It embarrasses me, it distresses me, it greatly pains me as a man from Jalisco, and as governor," Alfaro said in a video posted on Twitter.
- U.S.The National Interest
Tom Cotton’s Foes Are Embracing Authoritarianism
It was probably inevitable that, at some point, the New York Times would become engulfed in the national controversy over racism and everything else about America that liberals find dismaying. The proximate cause of the uproar at the Times is an op-ed called “Send In the Troops” by Senator Tom Cotton. In it Cotton announced—what else?—that it's time to send in the military to clean out America's cities of “nihilist protesters.”
- WorldAssociated Press
Brazil govt yanks virus death toll as data befuddles experts
Brazil's government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics call an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in Latin America's largest nation. The Saturday move came after months of criticism from experts saying Brazil's statistics are woefully deficient, and in some cases manipulated, so it may never be possible to gain a real understanding of the depth of the pandemic in the country. Brazil's last official numbers showed it had recorded over 34,000 deaths related to the coronavirus, the third-highest number in the world, just ahead of Italy.
- U.S.NBC News
Denver police fire pepper balls at man yelling that his pregnant fiancée is in car
The Denver Police Department is investigating an incident from last week that was caught on video and has gone viral showing officers spraying pepper balls at a man who is screaming that he has a pregnant woman in his car. Videos of the incident, which happened early Saturday morning, shared on Twitter and YouTube shows the man getting out of his stopped car to yell at officers: "You shot up a car with a pregnant woman in it, with f--king tear gas." The man is outside of the car on the driver's side, and the passenger's side, where a woman is sitting, is closest to the officers.
- EntertainmentPopular Mechanics
The 20 Best Podcasts About All Things Tech
From the sounds behind the Star Wars franchise, to the history of the worst video game ever invented, these tech podcasts are must-listens for the 21st century. From Popular Mechanics
- WorldNational Review
China Promises ‘Consequences’ if Britain Grants Haven for Hong Kong Residents
China is warning that the United Kingdom is opening itself up to serious “consequences” if it follows through on a plan to offer refuge and a path to citizenship for nearly three million Hong Kong citizens should China implement a restrictive national security law. China believes that “Hong Kong people who were born in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals,” said Chen Wen, Minister and First Staff Member of Chinese Embassy in London, in a BBC interview. “There will be consequences, that's for sure,” Wen said.
- EntertainmentINSIDER
Aerial footage shows colossal crowds gathered in Philadelphia to protest against police brutality
Thousands gathered in Philadelphia on Saturday to protest against police brutality and George Floyd's death. The protests took over the whole city, with an aerial view of the demonstrations trending on Twitter. People held protests as a result of George Floyd's death across the country on Saturday, with large gatherings happening from San Francisco to New York.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Tired of troops on the streets, Washington, D.C., names 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' outside the White House
After another night of protests — relatively peaceful compared with those earlier in the week — in Washington, D.C., the city's mayor has escalated her efforts to extricate the city from the presence of troops and law enforcement officers who had been ordered there by federal officials. “The very first thing is we want the military — we want troops from out of state out of Washington, D.C.,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday. Because the District of Columbia is not a state, the federal government has different powers in the nation's capital than it does in other cities.
WorldAFPVenezuela's Guaido reappears after claim he hid in French embassy
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido reappeared in the street in videos distributed Saturday by his team and parliamentary allies, after foreign minister Jorge Arreaza claimed he had taken refuge in the French embassy in Caracas. Guaido, the parliamentary speaker who is recognized as interim president of Venezuela by 50 countries, was referring to the accusation by the United States of "narcoterrorism" against the socialist government of Nicolas Maduro. The videos -- which did not specify the date or location they were filmed -- were released after Arreaza on Thursday said Guaido was hiding in the French embassy, and demanded he be handed over to "Venezuelan justice."
- BusinessReuters
OPEC, Russia extend record oil cuts to end of July
OPEC, Russia and allies agreed on Saturday to extend record oil production cuts until the end of July, prolonging a deal that has helped crude prices double in the past two months by withdrawing almost 10% of global supplies from the market. The group, known as OPEC+, also demanded countries such as Nigeria and Iraq, which exceeded production quotas in May and June, compensate with extra cuts in July to September. OPEC+ had initially agreed in April that it would cut supply by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) during May-June to prop up prices that collapsed due to the coronavirus crisis.
- U.S.BBC
Two Buffalo policemen charged for shoving 75-year-old protester
The two officers were enforcing a curfew in the city as a result of protests since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis last month. Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, members of the Emergency Response Team, were suspended without pay after footage of the incident outside the City Hall went viral. Fifty-seven of their colleagues - the entire unit - later resigned from the team in response to the officers' suspension.
WorldYahoo News VideoNew arms race taking shape amid a pandemic and economic crisis
Three decades after the Cold War ended without a feared nuclear cataclysm, arms control experts are starting to think the sigh of relief heard around the world then might have been premature.
- U.S.NBC News
Cristobal enters the Gulf of Mexico
Tropical Storm Cristobal continued to gather strength Friday as it entered the Gulf of Mexico and aimed for Louisiana. As of early Friday evening, the storm had sustained winds of 40 mph and was located 535 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was headed north toward the Gulf Coast states at about 13 mph, federal forecasters said.
- U.S.The Independent
US Marines order Confederate flag to be removed from public display
The US Marine Corps has officially ordered the removal of the Confederate battle flag from public display on its bases and offices, citing the flag's use by racist groups as a "threat to our core values". In a statement on 5 June, the service branch said: "The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps." "Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag," waved by branches of the secessionist Confederate States Army during the US Civil War.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Corrupt Cop Linked to Trump Tower Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya Exposes Russian Ops
LONDON—A corrupt former police officer who was caught working with Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya has revealed in a Swiss court how Russia's complex foreign influence campaign targets justice systems in Western countries. The former consultant to the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office was sacked and convicted after his entanglement with Veselnitskaya and the Russian prosecutor general's office was exposed. On the visit to the spectacular Kamchatka Peninsula and Lake Baikal, the official, who is identified only as Victor K., reportedly admitted that he spent a week fishing, enjoying the rugged countryside, and hunting for bear, including from a helicopter, with officials from the Russian prosecutor general's office.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Fact check: Huntington Beach photos comparing coronavirus protest, BLM protest are real
The claim: A Black Lives Matter protest at Huntington Beach had heavy police presence with smaller crowds while a coronavirus protest in the same area had a larger crowd with light police presence A recent Facebook post compares two photos allegedly from recent protests in Huntington Beach, California. The first photo that claims to come from a beach closure protest appears to have larger crowds with no police, while a Black Lives Matter protest in the same area is shown to have a smaller crowd with police blocking off a main intersection. The bottom of the photo is captioned, “1.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
George W. Bush and Mitt Romney won't support Trump in 2020, while some GOP officials consider voting for Biden
Former President George W. Bush and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah won't support President Donald Trump's re-election, and other GOP officials are considering voting for Joe Biden, according to The New York Times. The Times credits the early fallout to Trump's handling of police brutality protests and a mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff and a retired Marine general, wouldn't disclose who had his vote, but he did say that he wished "we had some additional choices," according to The Times.
- U.S.Politico
White bystanders armed with rifles watch Floyd protesters march in Indiana
Protesters in a rural Indiana city who took to the streets to condemn racism and police killings of black people encountered bystanders who were holding rifles during the demonstration. A video that circulated on social media shows 21 people standing along a bike trail near downtown Crown Point, Indiana, watching protesters march past them Monday during a peaceful protest against police brutality and racism. Eight of the bystanders held firearms, an act Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land said is protected under state law.
HealthYahoo News VideoStudy: Blood pressure drug could lower virus deaths
A new study has found drugs that are widely used to control high blood pressure may help protect against severe COVID-19 infections.
- U.S.INSIDER
One of the officers charged in George Floyd's killing was hired despite having a criminal record and slew of traffic violations
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Before he was hired as a Minneapolis police officer, Thomas Lane collected a laundry list of criminal charges and traffic citations, according to records obtained by Insider. Lane was fired on May 26, one day after George Floyd was killed in police custody. Lane has since been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
- WorldAssociated Press
Elephant dies in India after eating explosive-stuffed fruit
Indian police on Friday arrested a man accused of causing the death of a pregnant elephant that died after biting a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers that exploded in its mouth. The 15-year-old elephant was unable to eat after the injury and died in a river in Pallakad in southern Kerala state on May 27, state forest officer Surendra Kumar said. The state forest department announced the arrest and said it is investigating whether he was a poacher or a farmer who wanted to kill the elephant to prevent it from damaging crops.
- WorldDefense News
China could lose 95% of ballistic, cruise missiles under strategic arms control pact, says new analysis
China could stand to lose almost all of its ballistic and cruise missiles if it were to sign a new strategic arms control treaty, according to a new regional security assessment. The analysis, titled “The End of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: Implications for Asia,” is one of the chapters of the annual Asia-Pacific regional security assessment published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. IISS' report was released June 5 and covered regional security topics such as Sino-U.S. relations, North Korea and Japanese policy.
