| Evidence emerges for sex-assault allegation against Biden Posted: 29 Apr 2020 01:56 PM PDT  Former Senate staffer Tara Reade has alleged that presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993, a charge the former vice president's campaign denies.
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| U.S. death toll passes 60,000 mark Trump said would mark success in coronavirus fight Posted: 29 Apr 2020 12:54 PM PDT  Until recently, the president touted that projection as proof his administration's COVID-19 response was working.
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| Jordan ends historic arrangement with Israel as West Bank annexation tensions rise Posted: 30 Apr 2020 12:41 PM PDT  Jordan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ambassador Dhaifallah Al-Fayez, said the additional harvesting period "will end this evening."
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| 'A near impossibility': Experts doubt North Korea's claim of zero coronavirus cases Posted: 30 Apr 2020 01:32 PM PDT  Experts say there's evidence of at least a small-scale COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea. And some fear Kim Jong Un's lockdown could spark a famine.
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| Top European Union diplomat denies bowing to China pressure Posted: 30 Apr 2020 10:43 AM PDT  The European Union's top diplomat denied Thursday that his agency bowed to pressure from China and watered down a report that criticized the country's role in promoting disinformation about the coronavirus. In an April 24 article, the New York Times said EU officials had "softened their criticism of China" in a report on the way governments push disinformation during the pandemic because the officials were "worried about the repercussions" of angering one of the bloc's biggest trading partners. The article, backed by internal email correspondence, caused an uproar at the European Parliament, with EU lawmakers angry that the 27-nation bloc's reputation was at stake.
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| NYC Mayor de Blasio accused of racism after breaking up Hasidic Jewish funeral and warning mourners Posted: 29 Apr 2020 07:12 AM PDT  Bill de Blasio, New York's mayor, broke up a Hasidic Jewish funeral in Brooklyn for breaching social distancing rules and lashed out at mourners, prompting accusations of racism. Hundreds gathered on Tuesday to pay respects to a rabbi who had died from coronavirus, despite an order by the state not to gather in large numbers. "My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed," Mr de Blasio tweeted after police dispersed the funeral in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn.
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| Virus patient in drug trial left hospital "improving drastically" Posted: 30 Apr 2020 01:26 PM PDT  Patients receiving remdesivir in the trial recovered 31% faster, and were slightly less likely to die than those getting a placebo.
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| Confirmed coronavirus cases surge in reopened JBS Colorado beef plant; worker dies -union Posted: 30 Apr 2020 03:05 PM PDT |
| Stacey Abrams on Tara Reade Allegation: Biden ‘Will Make Women Proud as President’ Posted: 29 Apr 2020 06:16 AM PDT  Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Tuesday said she backed Joe Biden despite new allegations of sexual assault against the former vice president."I believe women deserve to be heard, and I believe that has happened here," Abrams told the Huffington Post. "The allegations have been heard and looked into, and for too many women, often, that is not the case. The New York Times conducted a thorough investigation, and nothing in the Times review or any other later reports suggests anything other than what I already know about Joe Biden: That he will make women proud as the next President of the United States."Abrams has been lobbying to be Biden's pick for vice president, declaring her intentions publicly and, before Biden's presumptive victory, meeting with Democratic candidates privately regarding the position.Biden accuser Tara Reade, who alleges Biden assaulted her in Spring 1993 when she worked in his former Senate office, told National Review that she was disappointed in the Democratic response to her allegations."I was just hoping to get a fair and equal treatment," Reade said, "but because it's Joe Biden I've been silenced or smeared."A former neighbor of Reade come out in support of her account, telling Business Insider that Reade described the ordeal to her in detail in 1995 when they were neighbors. The Biden campaign has vehemently denied Reade's allegations but the candidate himself has yet to weigh in. Biden on Tuesday held a virtual town hall on women's issues with Hillary Clinton, who gave him her endorsement.Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) on Tuesday also said she backed the former vice president. Gillibrand in 2018 called for an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh."I stand by [former] vice president Biden," Gillibrand told reporters during a conference call. "He's devoted his life to supporting women and he has vehemently denied this allegation."
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| Trump Says Fired Navy Captain 'Wanted to Be Ernest Hemingway' in Warning Letter Posted: 29 Apr 2020 04:49 PM PDT  Trump declined to offer his thoughts on whether Crozier should be reinstated as commanding officer of the USS Roosevelt.
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| The Next-Gen Air Force One Is Already Over Budget Posted: 30 Apr 2020 12:22 PM PDT  The converted Boeing 747s, designed to carry the POTUS, will fly in 2024.
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| 20 Best Side Dishes For Steak Posted: 30 Apr 2020 09:12 AM PDT |
| Cuban embassy in Washington struck by gunfire, suspect arrested Posted: 30 Apr 2020 06:43 PM PDT  A man armed with a high-powered assault rifle fired multiple rounds at the Cuban embassy in Washington early Thursday, authorities said, damaging the building and leading Havana to lodge a protest. Police arrested the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Alexander Alazo of Aubrey, Texas. "This morning at approximately 2:15 am, US Secret Service officers responded to the Embassy of Cuba following reports of shots fired," the Secret Service said in a statement.
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| Transgender fire chief files discrimination suit over firing Posted: 29 Apr 2020 11:00 AM PDT  A transgender fire chief has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the small Georgia city where she led the fire department for more than a decade, then was fired 18 months after she began coming to work as a woman. Rachel Mosby says her firing last summer by the city of Byron not only cost her wages and retirement benefits, but also tarnished her reputation. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Macon says city officials fired Mosby "based on her sex, gender identity, and notions of sex stereotyping."
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| Robber attacks 77-year-old woman with metal pipe to steal her pizza Posted: 29 Apr 2020 02:21 PM PDT  A man hit a 77-year-old woman on the head with a metal pipe, before stealing one of her pizzas.In a video, released by the Tucson police Department, a woman carrying two pizzas attempted to leave Peter Piper Pizza, in Arizona.
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| Trump slams Obama administration over COVID-19 testing, even though it first appeared in humans last year Posted: 30 Apr 2020 11:00 AM PDT  Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, President Trump attacked the Obama administration for its lack of preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, including inadequate testing. The COVID-19 virus first appeared in humans late last year, almost three years after President Obama left office.
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| Jewish leadership organisation hits out at Sir Keir Starmer after two Labour MPs attend conference call with expelled activists Posted: 30 Apr 2020 08:20 AM PDT  A Jewish leadership organisation has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer after it emerged that two Labour MPs had taken part in a conference call which included activists expelled from the party over alleged anti-Semitism. The Board of Deputies of British Jews has called on the new Labour leader to take "swift and decisive action" after former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and serving frontbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy took part in the event. Marie van der Zyl, the Board's president, claimed the pair's actions were a breach of the 10 anti-Semitism pledges that Sir Keir had signed up to during the Labour leadership contest earlier this year. One of the pledges states clearly that any Labour politician or member that campaigns or provides a platform for people suspended or expelled over anti-Semitism should themselves be suspended. In a clear warning to Sir Keir, Ms van der Zyl added: "It is completely unacceptable that Labour MPs, and even ordinary members, should be sharing platforms with those that have been expelled from the Party for anti-Semitism. "We would urge Labour to take swift and decisive action to show that this is a new era, rather than a false dawn."
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| A NYC coronavirus patient died after inexperienced medical residents set her ventilator too high and it stopped her heart Posted: 30 Apr 2020 04:00 AM PDT  The incident happened at Montefiore hospital in the Bronx in March, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
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| Trump backtracks after saying U.S. would "very soon" hit 5 million tests a day Posted: 29 Apr 2020 12:35 PM PDT  On Tuesday, the president, asked whether he was confident the U.S. could reach 5 million COVID-19 tests a day, said the U.S. would be there "very soon."
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| Most Americans cannot or will not use COVID-19 contact tracing apps: poll Posted: 29 Apr 2020 10:38 AM PDT  More than half of all Americans either do not own smartphones or would not use apps backed by Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc to trace who has been exposed to the new coronavirus, according to a poll by the Washington Post and University of Maryland released on Wednesday. The two tech companies have been working with public health experts and researchers to write apps that people can use to notify those they have come in contact with if they come down with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
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| Editorial: Tara Reade's allegation that Joe Biden assaulted her demands an independent investigation Posted: 30 Apr 2020 03:43 PM PDT  Believe all women? No, but take serious accusations seriously.
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| Ghana's virus cases spike 10 days after lockdown is lifted Posted: 30 Apr 2020 09:57 AM PDT  Confirmed coronavirus cases in Ghana have surged above 2,000, increasing 24% in a matter of days, health officials announced Thursday, reflecting mostly test taken during a recent three-week lockdown in the West African country's two largest cities. African nations have now reported more than 37,400 cases, including 1,598 deaths, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. In South Africa, which has the continent's highest number of reported cases at 5,350, community health workers continued testing in Johannesburg.
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| Indiana Postal Worker Shot Dead After Refusing to Deliver Mail to Man With Aggressive Dog: Court Docs Posted: 30 Apr 2020 11:36 AM PDT  An Indiana man charged with murdering a U.S. postal worker this week admitted he confronted her because his mail delivery had been suspended due to his "aggressive dog," prosecutors said.Tony Cushingberry-Mays, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, assaulting a federal employee, and discharging a firearm during a crime for the death of Angela Summers, a 45-year-old postal worker who was gunned down Monday afternoon during her mail delivery route in east Indianapolis, according to the United States District Court of Southern Indiana.The mother-of-one, who had joined the U.S. Postal Service in 2018, died in the hospital. According to federal law, killing an on-duty federal employee can be punishable by death or a life sentence. To date, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says four postal workers have been killed during workplace homicides in the last seven years. "Angela was such a joy to be around, she was such a breath of fresh air. This is the worst thing that's happened in my career," Paul Toms, president of the National Association of Letters Carriers' Indianapolis branch, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. "This is a federal crime, but more importantly this is a senseless crime that should have never happened. It breaks my heart." Summers, a city carrier assistant at the USPS Linwood Indianapolis Post Office, was delivering mail at about 4 p.m. Monday when she bypassed Cushingberry-Mays' home in compliance with a suspension that had been put in place until he contained his dogs, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Beast. An angry Cushingberry-Mays approached Summers on his neighbor's front porch, standing about 6 feet away, and repeatedly asked her for the mail.Both Toms and a witness who spoke to WTHR said Cushingberry-Mays was allegedly upset about not getting his COVID-19 stimulus check when he confronted Summers.Summers, however, could not deliver his mail "because she was having a problem with the dog at his residence," the complaint said, adding that Summers had reported "several issues" with the dog, which had resulted in mail being held.Prosecutors said the USPS Linwood Indianapolis Post Office last sent a letter to the Cushingberry-Mays residence on April 13 indicating they would have to pick up mail from the post office.Toms said that, in compliance with USPS guidelines, Summers had reported an issue with dogs at the home. After three warning letters were sent, mail had been blocked from the home for about two weeks and "wasn't even given to Angela that day of the incident.""She was just following protocol, and the Postal Service curtailed the mail. It was not her fault that she didn't have the mail that day," Toms said. "My understanding is that she tried to explain that the mail could be picked up at another location and an argument ensued. I heard she was called horrible, horrible names." The postal worker's response triggered an argument, escalating to the point that Summers had to use pepper spray on the 21-year-old. "Cushingberry-Mays then pulled his handgun from the right side of his waistband (no holster), pointed his handgun at the letter carrier, and fired one shot at the letter carrier," the criminal complaint states. "He acknowledged the mace was not deadly but led to discomfort from his asthma."According to the complaint, Cushingberry-Mays admitted in a Tuesday interview with police that he ran away after shooting Summers, first going to his aunt's house before hiding the gun in the garage at his mother's. He told authorities "he did not mean to kill the letter carrier but wanted to scare her," according to court documents.Immediately after the shooting, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service launched an investigation and offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. It's not clear if Wednesday's arrest was made due to information obtained through the reward. "U.S. Postal Inspectors are charged with ensuring the safety and security of USPS employees, and that is a charge that we do not take lightly," Felicia George, USPI Detroit Division Acting Inspector in Charge, said in a statement. "Anyone who threatens, assaults, or otherwise harms a postal employee fulfilling her critical mission will be apprehended and held fully accountable."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Hundreds of protesters, some carrying guns in the state Capitol, demonstrate against Michigan's emergency measures Posted: 30 Apr 2020 12:30 PM PDT  Protesters held signs, waved American flags and even carried firearms as lawmakers debated extending Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's state of emergency.
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| Brexit trade talks face collapse unless EU abandon demands for continued access to UK fishing waters Posted: 30 Apr 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Brexit trade negotiations face collapse unless the EU abandons its demands for continued access to UK fishing waters, sources close to the talks have said. Brussels has called for EU boats to keep access under "existing conditions" as a price for the free trade agreement being negotiated by the two sides. The UK insists any fishing agreement must be separate from the trade deal with access negotiated annually in a similar fashion to Norway's agreement with the bloc. A UK source close to the negotiations said that the EU's red line would need to change, otherwise the talks could be terminated in June. "There are some fundamentals that we're not going to change, nor going to move on. Because they are not so much negotiating positions as they're sort of what an independent state does" the source said. "An independent state has independent control over coastal waters," the source added, "what we are wanting now is an EU understanding that we are not going to subordinate our laws to them in any areas". Michel Barnier accused Britain of wasting time in the trade negotiations, which have a deadline of the end of the year, after a round of talks last week. He criticised British negotiators for failing to present a text on fisheries for negotiations. UK sources said there was no point presenting a text when the two sides were "talking across each other". Downing Street has called on EU national leaders to intervene to break the deadlock in the talks but that is not expected to happen before June, when a joint conference will be held to evaluate progress towards the agreement. The source said that the UK would consider walking away in June and begin preparing for a no trade deal exit at the end of the transition period. "We do need to prepare for the end of the transition period, focus on that as well. If we don't look like we are going to get a deal that will become the primary focus of effort," the source said. The deadline to finalise the trade deal, which has come under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic, is the end of the year, when the Brexit transition period finished. The transition period deep-freezes UK membership of the Single Market and Customs Union. Boris Johnson has vowed to not extend the transition period, despite the EU being ready to negotiate a delay and despite the risk of the UK failing to agree a deal in time, which would mean trading on less advantageous WTO terms.
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| Coronavirus hero Cuomo helped create New York's disaster Posted: 30 Apr 2020 08:11 AM PDT  Andrew Cuomo was slow to act as the coronavirus crushed New York, and his petty fights with Mayor Bill de Blasio caused unnecessary confusion.
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| Company says drug was effective against COVID-19 in U.S. study Posted: 29 Apr 2020 10:18 AM PDT  A biotech company says its experimental drug has proven effective against the new coronavirus in a major U.S. government study that put it to a strict test.
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| 80,000 cruise workers are still stuck aboard ships in US waters. Staff members say it's 'embarrassing' they're not allowed to disembark. Posted: 30 Apr 2020 01:34 PM PDT  Up to 80,000 crew members are stuck on 120 cruise ships on US waters, and it's unclear when they'll touch land again.
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| Gangs allegedly run Mississippi prison where inmates were killed Posted: 29 Apr 2020 05:16 PM PDT  Almost half the roughly 1,300 corrections positions in three major facilities in Mississippi remain unfilled.
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| Venezuela refuses to withdraw diplomats from Brazil Posted: 30 Apr 2020 01:53 PM PDT  Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's government stepped up a diplomatic spat with neighbor Brazil on Thursday, accusing it of putting Venezuelan diplomats under "undue pressure" to leave the country within 48 hours. Brazil is one of around 60 countries to recognize Maduro's opposition rival Juan Guaido as Venezuela's acting president and announced on March 5 it was ordering Maduro-appointed diplomats to withdraw. The foreign ministry in Caracas accused Brazil of "attempting to force the premature departure of Venezuelan diplomatic and consular staff by May 2," and said no talks had taken place over the exit.
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| Newsom expected to close all California beaches Posted: 29 Apr 2020 11:34 PM PDT  Throngs of people headed to beaches in Southern California during a weekend heat wave.
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| Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tells Putin he has coronavirus Posted: 30 Apr 2020 10:00 AM PDT  Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that he had been diagnosed with the new coronavirus and was temporarily stepping down to recover. Mishustin, 54, suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov serve as acting prime minister in his absence. Putin, who was listening on a televised video conference, sighed when he heard the news, wished Mishustin a speedy recovery and said he agreed with the proposed replacement.
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| US intelligence community says it concurs with the 'wide scientific consensus' that the coronavirus was not 'man-made or genetically modified' Posted: 30 Apr 2020 08:07 AM PDT  The announcement comes after weeks of speculation in the right-wing and far-right media that the coronavirus was created in a Wuhan lab.
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| Outsiders consider possibility of chaos in North Korea Posted: 30 Apr 2020 01:41 AM PDT  North Korea's collapse has been predicted — wrongly— for decades. Others thought it would be during a 1990s famine or when national founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994. It's no surprise then that recent rumors that leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill have led to similar hand-wringing.
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| 'If you catch one, kill it': Mississippi fights back against invasive northern snakehead Posted: 30 Apr 2020 06:23 PM PDT  The toothy predator that is native to Russia and China, among other places, has a primitive lung that allows it to survive out of water for days.
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| Coronavirus: The leopard on India's streets and other claims fact checked Posted: 30 Apr 2020 07:06 AM PDT  What misleading stories about the coronavirus are doing the rounds in India?
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| A New York City man stole $12,000 worth of coronavirus stimulus checks from mailboxes, cops say Posted: 30 Apr 2020 08:14 AM PDT  Police arrested Feng Chen, 31, after finding him looking in mailboxes and a medical collection bin in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood,
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| 14 Baking Supplies for Your New Bread-Making Hobby Posted: 30 Apr 2020 07:40 AM PDT |
| 'Survival': Tenants, landlords brace for largest rent strike in decades Posted: 29 Apr 2020 06:05 PM PDT  "If banks are getting bailed out and corporations are getting bailed out, why aren't poor people getting bailed out?" one activist asked.
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| In Russia virus lockdown, fears of a return to the bottle Posted: 29 Apr 2020 06:26 PM PDT  Stuck in cramped flats and struggling with fears of the coronavirus and its economic impact, many Russians are worried about the return of an old demon. "When I found myself alone at home, the first thought I had was 'ah, it's a good time to get drunk,'" says Tatyana, a recovering alcoholic on lockdown in Moscow. Despite Russia's reputation for hard drinking, alcoholism has been on the wane in the country for years, in part due to anti-drink campaigns and aggressive moves by authorities to control sales.
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| Fox News' Judge Napolitano wants Trump to pardon Flynn after FBI allegedly tried to 'get him fired' Posted: 30 Apr 2020 07:36 AM PDT  One of President Trump's biggest Fox News skeptics is on his side for this one.Documents unsealed late Wednesday in the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn raise questions about whether the FBI "set out to entrap" him in an interview with the agency, Fox News' judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano declared to Fox & Friends on Thursday. "Anybody who believes in the rule of law ... should be utterly scandalized and outraged" by what the documents reveal, and Trump should pardon Flynn "in the next day or so," Napolitano continued."This is a classic case of the FBI setting out to entrap someone and reducing it to writing," Napolitano incredulously said. He called for the Department of Justice to apologize to Flynn before the judge overseeing his case, denounce the FBI's actions, and both ask the judge to "vacate" Flynn's guilty plea and "dismiss" the indictment against him. And if it doesn't, Trump should quickly move to pardon him, Napolitano said.> Fox's Andrew Napolitano calls for Trump to pardon Michael Flynn "within the next day or so," unless the DOJ first denounces Flynn's prosecution, apologizes to him, and asks the judge to vacate his guilty plea and dismiss the indictment. pic.twitter.com/ycJcViHGSA> > — Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 30, 2020The documents reveal former FBI counterintelligence division Bill Priestap questioned "our goal" in a note written just days after Flynn lied about conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. at the time. "Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" Priestap wrote.Napolitano has frequently criticized Trump in the past, siding with those who wanted to impeach the president in saying he'd committed several crimes, including obstruction of justice.More stories from theweek.com Trump's 'mission accomplished' moment Biden to address Tara Reade allegation on Morning Joe Radiohead's Thom Yorke debuts 'Plasticine Figures' from home on The Tonight Show
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| Far too many patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Georgia are black, new CDC data shows — a staggering 83% Posted: 30 Apr 2020 02:25 PM PDT  The findings highlight stark racial disparities in the coronavirus outbreak, reinforcing national data showing that black communities are hardest hit.
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| California Republican Party suing governor over "ballot harvesting" Posted: 30 Apr 2020 03:50 AM PDT  The group's chairwoman sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter weeks ago asking him to halt the practice of ballot collecting for two upcoming special elections amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Satellite images reveal Kim Jong-un may be at luxury family villa Posted: 29 Apr 2020 03:22 AM PDT  New satellite images showing the recent movements of luxury boats by Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, have provided further indications that he may be ensconced in his seaside villa in Wonsan, on the country's east coast. The location of the reclusive leader has been a mystery since his unprecedented no-show at April 15 events to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. His absence, for the first time since he took power in 2011, unleashed a torrent of speculation about his health conditions, with unverified and conflicting reports claiming he was both recuperating from cardiovascular surgery and in "grave danger." On Tuesday, commercial satellite imagery obtained by North Korea-monitoring website NK PRO showed boats often used by Kim had made movements in patterns that suggested he or his entourage may be in the Wonsan area. "Extensive analysis shows that similar leisure boat movements at an exclusive villa in Wonsan and a nearby island near the Kalma peninsula have aligned with Kim's public appearances in the area in every one of a half-dozen instances since last summer, and many more dating back to 2013," it said. The imagery adds to earlier satellite pictures studied by the Washington-based North Korea monitoring project 38 North, which appeared to show that a train similar to Kim's was parked in the resort's so-called "leadership station" reserved for the use of the Kim family a week ago.
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