| QAnon follower wins Senate primary in Oregon Posted: 20 May 2020 08:38 AM PDT  Jo Rae Perkins is a former county chairwoman for the party who prevailed in a four-candidate race and will face incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley in November.
|
| White House says the Trump administration is 'keeping people safe' at airports despite a lack of coronavirus screening Posted: 20 May 2020 04:14 PM PDT  Amid growing concerns over a lack of screening for the coronavirus at U.S. airports, WH press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday the Trump administration was taking the issue seriously.
|
| Terrorism Motive Suspected in Naval Base Shooting, Second Suspect at Large Posted: 21 May 2020 05:21 AM PDT  Authorities believe a shooting that injured one person at a south Texas naval base on Thursday morning was terrorism-related.The suspect attempted to ram a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi with a vehicle at around 6:15 a.m., a U.S. defense official told CNN.Security guards deployed a barrier to stop the vehicle but the suspect then got out and started firing, the official said.The gunman was then "neutralized" by a security guard, the FBI said. One member of the naval security forces was injured but was in "good condition," the U.S. Navy said. It wasn't immediately clear if the injured person was also the person who took the shooter down.FBI Senior Supervisory Agent Leah Greeves said in a Thursday afternoon briefing that the agency believed the incident was motivated by terrorism, and they were looking for a second person of interest.The base sounded the alarm with a Facebook post early Thursday, writing that an apparent shooter had been sighted near the station's north gate. The warning instructed anyone who was close to the gate to "get out and away to safety" as the rest of the base was ordered to go into its lockdown procedure.Shortly after the initial statement, the base confirmed in a separate Facebook post that the immediate danger appeared to be over.The statement read: "Naval Security Forces at NAS Corpus Christi responded to an active shooter at approximately 6:15 a.m. this morning. The shooter has been neutralized. All gates on the installation remain closed while first responders process the scene. NCIS and local law enforcement are on scene."In a further update, the base wrote, "The active shooter is neutralized, however the scene is not clear. Remain in a lockdown status. For your safety, do not move around the base unless cleared to do so."It's the second terrorism-related attack on a U.S. naval base in less than six months.In December, a gunman killed three men and injured eight others at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. The shooter, Saudi Arabian aviation student Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was participating in a training exchange program with the U.S. Navy. He was killed at the scene.Prior to the shooting, he'd reportedly hosted a dinner party with three other Saudi students and had watched videos of U.S. mass shootings.Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the December shooting. The FBI had confirmed just three days ago that it was the first terrorist attack on American territory that had been directed by a foreign actor since 9/11.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.
|
| China does not seem to understand independence of Canada's judiciary: Trudeau Posted: 21 May 2020 09:46 AM PDT  China does not appear to understand that Canada's judiciary is independent, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday, taking a rare public swipe at Beijing at a time when bilateral ties are poor. China says Canada must free Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is fighting extradition to the United States.
|
| Sept. 11 convict now says he renounces terrorism, bin Laden Posted: 20 May 2020 08:18 AM PDT  The only man ever convicted in a U.S. court for a role in the Sept. 11 attacks now says he is renouncing terrorism, al-Qaida and the Islamic State. Zacarias Moussaoui is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in Colorado after narrowly escaping the death penalty at his 2006 trial. Instead, prosecutors pinned responsibility on Moussaoui because they said he could have prevented the attacks if he had not lied to the FBI about his knowledge of al-Qaida and its efforts to attack the U.S. when he was arrested in August 2001.
|
| Amphan: Kolkata devastated as cyclone kills scores in India and Bangladesh Posted: 21 May 2020 08:43 AM PDT  One of India's major cities is reeling as more than 80 deaths are confirmed along the Bengal coast.
|
| Chechen leader hospitalised with suspected coronavirus: reports Posted: 21 May 2020 01:11 PM PDT  The strongman leader of Russia's southern Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, was in hospital in Moscow on Thursday suffering from suspected coronavirus, news agencies reported. News agency RIA Novosti also quoted a medical source as saying that Kadyrov, 43, was in hospital in Moscow, while Interfax quoted a Moscow medical source saying he was being treated and was "suspected of having coronavirus".
|
| This Stunning Home in the Middle of Los Angeles Was Inspired by Louis Kahn Posted: 21 May 2020 01:42 PM PDT |
| Griffin ‘extremely skeptical’ of airborne lasers for missile defense Posted: 20 May 2020 01:36 PM PDT  "I'm extremely skeptical that we can put a large laser on an aircraft and use it to shoot down an adversary missile, even from fairly close," says Mike Griffin.
|
| Trump threatens to withhold aid to 2 states over expanded voting by mail Posted: 20 May 2020 07:53 AM PDT  President Trump on Wednesday threatened to halt federal funding to Michigan and Nevada over the distribution of absentee ballots in those swing states amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that has left more than 90,000 Americans dead.
|
| Biden's vice president shortlist emerges, as Demings says she's being vetted Posted: 21 May 2020 03:49 PM PDT  Biden has said he expects the vetting process to take five to eight weeks, which would point to an announcement occurring no sooner than July.
|
| Colombia: outrage as warlord's son picked to lead victim support project Posted: 21 May 2020 03:15 AM PDT  * Jorge Rodrigo Tovar's appointment 'offensive' – survivors * Father 'Jorge 40' terrorised civilians along Caribbean coastThe son of a notorious death squad leader has been appointed to run the Colombian government's programmes for victims of the country's long civil war, prompting fury among survivors.Jorge Rodrigo Tovar was this week put in charge of a scheme for compensating victims of the conflict – many of whom were terrorised by his father, Rodrigo Tovar, better known in Colombia as "Jorge 40".During the late 90s and early 2000s, the elder Tovar led the Northern Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (or AUC) – which was responsible for a string of massacres and the murder of hundreds of civilians along Colombia's Caribbean coast.In February 2000, militiamen under his command tortured and dismembered over 60 peasant farmers in the isolated village of El Salado, in one of the worst single acts of violence in the five-decade war. Victims – including a six-year old girl and an elderly woman – were stabbed, beaten and strangled to death.Iveth Jiménez's father, Víctor Manuel, a union leader, was forcibly disappeared in 2002 by members of Jorge 40's militia. She was aghast at the news that his son was now coordinating the government's response to victims."They have no right to play with the memory of all those that Jorge 40 has murdered, tortured, disappeared and displaced," said Jiménez. "It's offensive, it's insensitive and it's plain wrong."Her sentiments were echoed by Luz Marina Hache, the spokeswoman for Movice, a group representing victims of crimes committed by state agents."What justice can victims hope for with this announcement?" Hache asked.The conflict between the Colombian state and leftist rebel groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (or Farc) left 260,000 dead and displaced over 7 million. State-aligned paramilitary groups, like the one led by Jorge 40, committed some of the bloodiest atrocities of the 52-year civil war.In 2004, Jorge 40 participated in a controversial demobilisation programme and confessed to about 600 crimes, though he took no blame for any murders. Evidence on his laptop showed that the AUC often collaborated with members of the government.Jorge 40 was extradited to the US in 2008 and is serving a 16-year sentence for drug trafficking offenses. He did not face any charges in American courts related to his militia's conduct during the war.Little is known about the younger Tovar, 30, a lawyer who has participated in several events with former members of the Farc, who themselves demobilised in 2016 following a historic peace deal.Speaking to local magazine Semana, Tovar said he has no intention to resign from his new job. "Everything that is going on fills me with the promise," he said, "to show that I do good work and that the work can speak for me."Some observers saw his new post as evidence of reconciliation in action. Political scientist Katherine Miranda described his appointment as "an example of reconciliation and peace", tweeting: "He shows that hatred and useless wars cannot be inherited, instead turning the page and moving on."
|
| Judgment on key aspect of Huawei CFO's extradition trial in Canada due next Wednesday Posted: 21 May 2020 02:32 PM PDT  Meng was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States on charges of bank fraud, and is accused of misleading HSBC about a Huawei Technologies Co Ltd-owned [HWT.UL]company's dealings with Iran. Meng, 48, has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition.
|
| Bolivia's health minister has been arrested on corruption charges for overspending millions on ventilators that don't even work right Posted: 21 May 2020 06:08 AM PDT  Suspicions around Marcelo Navajas arose after doctors complained the ventilators weren't good enough for intensive care units.
|
| Michael Flynn asks appeals court to intervene in his case and assign him to a different judge Posted: 21 May 2020 02:24 PM PDT  Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn's attorneys argued that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has abused his discretion.
|
| India-Nepal territorial dispute flares over road to Tibet Posted: 21 May 2020 02:36 AM PDT  A long-running territorial dispute between India and Nepal has flared over a new Indian-built road to a revered Hindu pilgrimage site in Tibet that Nepal says passes through its territory. India has issued a strongly worded statement in which it objected to a new map issued by the Nepalese government showing the disputed areas as part of Nepal. "This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence," India said in the statement late Wednesday.
|
| U.S. aircrafts gather in Japan Posted: 21 May 2020 09:17 AM PDT  U.S. Air Force transport aircraft on Thursday massed at Washington's key Asian military air transportation hub, Yokota Air Base in Japan, to show potential foes and allies it was ready for action despite the coronavirus emergency.
|
| Photos show South Korean students eating and learning with plastic screens between them as schools start to reopen Posted: 20 May 2020 05:32 AM PDT  High schools reopened on Wednesday with strict new social-distancing rules to avoid new coronavirus outbreaks.
|
| Whitmer says she's not ready to welcome Trump, but he's coming to Michigan anyway Posted: 20 May 2020 02:22 PM PDT  Virtually every poll has found that most of Michigan supports the measures Whitmer has implemented, with one placing her approval rating for coronavirus response at 72 percent.
|
| Biden asks Amy Klobuchar to undergo vetting to be running mate Posted: 21 May 2020 01:25 PM PDT  She's one of several potential contenders now being scrutinized by Biden aides ahead of a final decision.
|
| In an orange swirl, astronomers say humanity has its first look at the birth of a planet Posted: 20 May 2020 10:14 AM PDT  Astronomers said the dramatic scene could help scientists better understand how planets come to exist around stars.
|
| China will not flinch in face of U.S. confrontation: government official Posted: 21 May 2020 08:50 AM PDT  China will not flinch from any escalation in tensions with the United states, but believes economic cooperation and recovery should be the top priority, a Chinese government official said on Thursday. Bilateral ties between China and the United States have soured as Washington has accused Beijing of mishandling the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and blamed it for job losses and business closures caused by the pandemic. "China won't start any trouble, but won't flinch from trouble either," Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the Chinese parliament, told reporters at a media briefing ahead of the start of the annual parliamentary session on Friday.
|
| Korean ‘comfort women’ groups accused of embezzling donations for victims Posted: 20 May 2020 01:41 AM PDT  A second support group for South Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II is being investigated over claims that senior officials have embezzled millions in donations that were meant for the women. A manager and six staff at the House of Sharing - a shelter for the dwindling number of former sex workers euphemistically known as "comfort women" - have claimed that around $5 million in donations has been siphoned off for unrelated projects and that the residents of the facility do not receive the care that they require. The accusations come just days after the other major support organisation for former comfort women was similarly accused of embezzling donations. Those allegations have lead to demands for an official investigation into Yoon Mee-hyang, a former head of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Ms Yoon was elected as a member of the ruling Liberal Party to the South Korean parliament in last month's elections, but opposition parties are now claiming that the organisation and Ms Yoon personally exploited surviving comfort women and embezzled donations. Korean media have reported that Ms Yoon is suspected of pocketing donations and government subsidies and using those funds for her own purposes. One outlay that has attracted attention was the payment of more than £22,000 to a bar for an event allegedly to promote the council's work. The operator of the bar has stated, however, that the cost of the event was only £6,440 and that it returned more than £3,500 as a donation.
|
| White House defends airport screening efforts to prevent coronavirus Posted: 20 May 2020 02:29 PM PDT  White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended what the administration has done to screen airport passengers for the coronavirus, and to protect TSA workers from it.
|
| The US father-son duo accused of masterminding Ghosn's Japan escape Posted: 20 May 2020 12:39 PM PDT  The American men accused of smuggling former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn out of Japan are a former US special forces operative who spent time in prison and his football-playing son. On the surface, Michael Taylor, 59, and Peter Taylor, 27, appeared to be living a quintessential American middle-class life in the small, wealthy town of Harvard, Massachusetts.
|
| Guatemala president fumes over infected deportees from US Posted: 21 May 2020 10:24 AM PDT  Guatemala's president questioned his country's relationship with the United States, revealing frustration over the U.S. continuing to send deportees infected with COVID-19 to a country struggling to manage the crisis. "This of allies with the United States isn't true," President Alejandro Giammattei said Thursday.
|
| An Apple whistleblower has publicly slammed the company, claiming it violated 'fundamental rights' after Siri recorded users' intimate moments without consent Posted: 20 May 2020 01:51 AM PDT  Thomas le Bonniec revealed last year that while working for Apple he overheard Siri users' private moments including drug deals and people having sex.
|
| Photos and videos show the destruction after 2 dams collapsed in Michigan, threatening a town with 9 feet of flooding Posted: 20 May 2020 09:32 AM PDT  The Edenville and Sanford dams in central Michigan collapsed on Tuesday night, sending floodwaters into nearby towns.
|
| How Joe Biden is working to win over progressive voters Posted: 21 May 2020 02:18 PM PDT  While Biden is making inroads with top progressive groups, several leaders noted they still want to know more about Biden's plans for incorporating their values into his agenda.
|
| Follower of QAnon conspiracy theory wins Senate primary race in Oregon Posted: 20 May 2020 12:41 PM PDT  Republicans in Oregon have nominated an outspoken follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory to serve in the US Senate, in the latest sign the far-right online movement was beginning to enter the mainstream political fray.Jo Rae Perkins, a financial adviser who previously launched several failed Senate and congressional campaigns, won Tuesday night's Republican senatorial primaries in the state after publicly throwing her supported behind the unfounded QAnon theory, which centres around an alleged international child kidnapping conspiracy involving top-level government officials.
|
| Grandmother ordered to delete Facebook photos under GDPR Posted: 21 May 2020 10:09 AM PDT  Privacy laws mean a grandmother needs her daughter's permission to post photos of her grandchildren.
|
| Parents reunite with son who was kidnapped 32 years ago Posted: 19 May 2020 06:08 PM PDT  "This is the best gift I have ever got," said the missing man's mother, who found out about the news on Mother's Day.
|
| The Voices of Black and Brown People Matter–and They're Finally Being Heard Posted: 21 May 2020 03:24 AM PDT  The voices of black and brown people matter--and they're finally being heard
|
| Gunman Opens Fire in Arizona Shopping Complex, at Least Three Wounded Posted: 20 May 2020 08:34 PM PDT  At least three people were wounded in Arizona late Wednesday, one of them critically, after a gunman opened fire in a popular shopping and entertainment complex. Police in Glendale said officers responded to the sprawling Westgate Entertainment District after receiving multiple reports of an active shooter at around 7:25 p.m. By the time police arrived on scene, the shooting had already stopped and officers found the suspected gunman and "our officers challenged that suspect, and were able to safely take that person into custody," Officer Tiffany Ngalula told reporters at a late-night press conference. No further details were immediately available on the victims or the suspect. Amid unverified reports the suspect had livestreamed the attack, Ngalula said police had "seen several videos surfacing on social media" but could not confirm anything further. A state lawmaker said he'd witnessed the incident, and there were "lots of shaken up people." "I just witnessed an armed terrorist with an AR-15 shoot up Westgate. There are multiple victims," state Sen. Martin Quezada tweeted. "I saw 2 victims with my own eyes. Not sure how many others I saw the shooter. Being told not to say anything else about details 'til I speak to police," he wrote. Police urged the public to avoid the area as they conducted a second sweep throughout the massive complex. Ngalula stressed that police were still in the early stages of their investigation and "any information that we have right now is preliminary and is subject to change."The shooting comes less than a week after Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order expired, and retail stores and entertainment centers were allowed to open up earlier this month. 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.
|
| Noem: Tribes' checkpoints dispute not just about coronavirus Posted: 21 May 2020 10:40 AM PDT  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on Thursday that her stance against Native American tribes operating coronavirus checkpoints on federal and state highways isn't just about the response to the coronavirus pandemic, but about setting "precedent" on tribes' ability to shut down traffic in other situations. Noem threatened to sue the tribes two weeks ago, but then backed away from that plan and instead appealed to President Donald Trump to settle the issue this week. Three tribes — the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe — have set up the checkpoints to keep unnecessary visitors from the reservation who might be carrying coronavirus infections.
|
| Victoria's Secret will permanently close 250 stores in the US and Canada as the pandemic cripples its business Posted: 20 May 2020 01:44 PM PDT  Victoria's Secret is among the retailers that have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.
|
| Michigan declares an emergency after 2 dams collapse threatening a town with 9 feet of flooding Posted: 19 May 2020 08:19 PM PDT  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening and deployed the National Guard.
|
| Elizabeth Warren signals she might be willing to set aside Medicare-for-all as part of Biden VP bid Posted: 21 May 2020 09:10 AM PDT  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is seemingly trying to get on former Vice President Joe Biden's good side.During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Warren consistently shouted down Biden's centrist policies, especially when it came to her and Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) shared demand for Medicare-for-all. But as recently as this week, Warren argued that "expanding the Affordable Care Act" is the first step in getting to single-payer health care — the latest in a series of compromises and compliments that could signal she wants to be Biden's No. 2, Politico reports.While the other women who ended their 2020 campaigns and Stacy Abrams are still being discussed as potential running mates for Biden, Warren's chances have seemingly risen over the past few weeks. Biden has repeatedly complimented her dozens of coronavirus policy plans, as well as her questioning of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin regarding coronavirus relief funds. Biden and Warren even co-wrote an op-ed criticizing the Trump administration's lack of oversight of those funds. Sources also tell Politico that Biden and Warren's camps have been collaborating on economic policies over the past few weeks.This reported collaboration doesn't seem to be driving Warren to the center, though. She was quick to add that expanding Obamacare is only a stepping stone in getting to Medicare-for-all, which isn't so different from how she praised the Obama administration's health care work during primary debates. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com Is QAnon the newest American religion? Trump's lethal aversion to reading We should be grateful for good news in Georgia
|
| U.S. appeals court tells judge to respond to Flynn's bid to toss lying charge Posted: 21 May 2020 12:19 PM PDT  A U.S. appeals court on Thursday instructed the judge presiding over the criminal case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn to respond to a petition in which Flynn asked the appellate court to toss the charges. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit gave District Judge Emmet Sullivan 10 days to respond to an emergency petition filed by Flynn's lawyers seeking to force Sullivan to grant a Justice Department request to dismiss the case.
|
| Republican senators still cool to more coronavirus relief spending, but willing to talk about PPP revamp Posted: 20 May 2020 03:58 PM PDT  GOP Sen. Portman suggests instead of extending unemployment payments, funding could be spent on rehiring bonuses.
|
| Three women crushed to death in Sri Lanka stampede for $8 handout Posted: 21 May 2020 09:27 AM PDT  Three women were trampled to death during a stampede for an $8 cash handout in Colombo Thursday, amid growing desperation among Sri Lankans struggling to make ends meet during a coronavirus lockdown that has smashed the economy. "Some people tried to break the queue and enter," Rahman told AFP. "People have not earned any money for two months because of the virus lockdown (since March 20)," Rahman said.
|
| Woman 'knocked to the ground and injured' by bison at Yellowstone, two days after national park's reopening Posted: 20 May 2020 08:12 PM PDT  Two days after Yellowstone National Park reopened amid the coronavirus outbreak, the park reported its first bison-related injury of the year.
|
| Wilson Jerman: Ex-White House butler dies of coronavirus Posted: 21 May 2020 03:34 PM PDT  Wilson Roosevelt Jerman worked for 11 US presidents in over five decades at the White House.
|
| Nearly 600 workers from Tyson chicken plant test positive for virus Posted: 21 May 2020 07:20 AM PDT  More than 2,200 from the Wilkesboro, North Carolina processing plant were tested. It had been shut five days for deep cleaning.
|
| Marine Corps May Replace Infantry M27s with the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon Posted: 21 May 2020 12:49 PM PDT  The Marine Corps is already eying the Army's Next Generation Squad weapon as its next infantry rifle.
|
| Florida officials were largely quiet about the coronavirus threat at the beginning of the year. But behind the scenes, they were preparing for a crisis. Posted: 21 May 2020 09:58 AM PDT  Florida health officials were concerned about the state's ability to handle the pandemic in mid-February, according to newly obtained records.
|
| Court says dinosaur fossils worth millions aren't minerals Posted: 21 May 2020 11:49 AM PDT |
| Crump wants Ahmaud Arbery prosecutor to see young man as someone who ‘could have been her child’ Posted: 20 May 2020 05:07 PM PDT  Ahmaud Arbery family attorney Benjamin Crump is "cautiously optimistic" that the newly appointed prosecutor, Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes, will ensure justice. "We want this black woman to think of Ahmaud as somebody who could have been her child," Crump said.
|
| Here's how the early battleground map has opened up for Joe Biden Posted: 20 May 2020 05:50 AM PDT  First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
|
| US warns India of China 'aggression' at border Posted: 20 May 2020 01:34 PM PDT  The United States on Wednesday accused China of employing border clashes with India to try to shift the status quo, and encouraged New Delhi to resist. Alice Wells, the top US diplomat for South Asia, drew parallels between the growing skirmishes in the Himalayas and Beijing's years of increasing assertiveness in the dispute-rife South China Sea.
|
