| Mitch McConnell is in a terrible negotiating position on COVID-19 relief Posted: 28 Jul 2020 05:02 AM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released a $1 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Monday, days later than planned thanks to divisions within his own caucus. McConnell acknowledged this "embarrassing setback for the party at a critical moment," Politico reports, conceding that not all Senate Republicans will vote for his bill, "which is as close to a tell as McConnell gets to admitting his cards aren't very strong." Other Senate Republicans were more blunt."At the end of the day, [McConnell] has to accept the reality that probably half of our members in the Senate won't vote for it no matter what's in it," Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who helped negotiate the bill with the White House, told Politico. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in the "no" camp, told reporters "there is significant resistance to yet another trillion dollars."Democrats, meanwhile, are united behind a $3 trillion package passed under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last month. That gives her significant leverage in negotiations, Politico notes, and "her majority is safe in November, something McConnell can't say." The White House started negotiating with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on COVID-19 relief Monday evening.The pressure is building to pass a bill before supplemental federal unemployment benefits expire Friday. McConnell's bill would cut those benefits to $200 a week, from $600 a week, until states created a complicated formula to ensure unemployed workers get 70 percent of their pre-coronavirus wages. McConnell's other top priority is a COVID-19 liability shield for companies facing "an epidemic of lawsuits" that has not yet materialized, Politico reports.McConnell's bill also includes $1.75 billion for a new FBI headquarters and $29 billion for defense projects, including at least $7 billion for weapons programs. Asked about the FBI building funds Monday, McConnell told reporters they would have to ask the White House "why they insisted that be included." Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said it was a "good question." Pelosi had an answer: Republicans "didn't have money for food stamps, but they had money for an FBI building just so that they can diminish competition for the president's hotel."More stories from theweek.com Even mild coronavirus cases can cause lasting cardiovascular damage, study shows Trump: 'Nobody likes me' Why Trump's invasion of Portland is textbook fascism
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| Biden's notes: ‘Do not hold grudges’ against Kamala Harris Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:55 PM PDT  Joe Biden was uncharacteristically tight-lipped on Tuesday about the final stretch of his search for a vice president. As he took questions from reporters on Tuesday, Biden held notes that were captured by an Associated Press photographer. Harris' name was scrawled across the top, followed by five talking points.
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| Iran moves mock aircraft carrier to sea amid U.S. tensions Posted: 27 Jul 2020 01:31 AM PDT  A satellite image from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday shows an Iranian fast boat speed toward the carrier, sending waves up in its wake.
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| Escape to North Korea: Defector at heart of COVID-19 case fled sex abuse investigation Posted: 27 Jul 2020 10:23 PM PDT  Last week, a 24-year-old defector returned to North Korea the way he left in 2017, authorities say, but with a coronavirus pandemic raging in the background this time, his illicit trip drew far more attention. Facing a sexual assault investigation, Kim evaded high-tech South Korean border control systems by crawling through a drain pipe and swimming across the Han River to the North on July 19, the South Korean military has said. Kim's story as a defector begins and, so far, ends in the city of Kaesong, a North Korean border town that hosted a now-shuttered inter-Korean factory park and liaison office.
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| Police throw 15-year-old boy to ground after he allegedly blocked traffic and tried to flee Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:52 AM PDT  A teenage boy allegedly resisting and attempting to flee police was grabbed by the neck and pulled to the ground in a video that has gone viral across social media.While the video showed a shortened version of the exchange, police said the boy was part of a larger group of bicyclists riding through New Jersey that were blocking traffic and causing a safety hazard.
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| Fact check: Hurricane Hanna did not collapse border wall in Texas Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:14 PM PDT  A viral video falsely claims Hurricane Hanna was responsible for knocking down a border wall in southeast Texas.
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| Trump says states 'should be opening up' amid worsening pandemic Posted: 27 Jul 2020 02:06 PM PDT  President Trump on Monday said that he believes "governors should be opening up states they're not opening."
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| A man who was killed during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, was an Air Force veteran and a full-time caretaker for his fiancée Posted: 27 Jul 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Garrett Foster, 28, was fatally shot by a motorist during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night.
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| Europe's last dictator got COVID-19 after telling people they could avoid it by drinking vodka and going to the sauna Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko previously dismissed fears over COVID-19 as a "psychosis" and recommended drinking vodka to stay healthy.
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| Trump targets Reagan Foundation after issues over ex-president's likeness Posted: 27 Jul 2020 06:47 AM PDT  RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the party has used President Reagan's image for "decades."
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| Police searching for mother of boy found wandering alone Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:55 AM PDT |
| 14 in Texas family test positive for coronavirus after small gathering, 1 dies Posted: 27 Jul 2020 11:14 AM PDT  Tony Green, who lives in Dallas and hosted the small gathering, has described himself as a former COVID-19 denier.
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| Japan government persists with 'Abenomask' giveaway, reignites social media outcry Posted: 27 Jul 2020 09:02 PM PDT  Japan's government is pushing ahead with the distribution of its much derided masks even though commercially made masks are now readily available, prompting a renewed outcry on social media. Dubbed the "Abenomask", which means Abe's mask and is a pun on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" programme, the washable gauze mask has been criticised as ill fitting with quality issues and as a waste of public money.
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| 'The whole church has got it, just about': Alabama church revival results in dozens of coronavirus cases Posted: 27 Jul 2020 01:23 PM PDT  More than 40 members of a church in rural Alabama have tested positive for coronavirus after attending a mutli-day revival festival.The revival included a number of religious services which were held over multiple days last week. The pastor of Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Daryl Ross, said the virus had impacted nearly the totality of his congregation.
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| Patio furniture is heavily discounted at Home Depot—here are the best deals Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:38 AM PDT  Shop this patio furniture sale at Home Depot for markdowns on chairs, rattan furniture, dining sets and more—see the details.
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| Peter Navarro Mocks Fauci’s First Pitch, Doesn’t Regret Op-Ed Attacking Him Posted: 27 Jul 2020 08:53 AM PDT  White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday said he has no regrets over his op-ed blasting top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, taking the opportunity to further mock Fauci over the doctor's botched first pitch at the Washington Nationals' season opener.Amid a concerted White House effort earlier this month to discredit the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Navarro published a column in USA Today trashing Fauci, claiming the public-health expert "has been wrong about everything" on the coronavirus pandemic. The White House, meanwhile, attempted to distance itself from Navarro's op-ed, claiming the Trump aide was acting "alone" and that the column didn't go through the "normal White House clearance process." At the same time, Navarro has not apparently suffered any repercussions for his actions.Appearing on Fox & Friends, the president's favorite morning program, Navarro was asked directly by co-host Brian Kilmeade if he regretted writing the overly critical op-ed."No," Navarro replied, laughing. "You know, the only thing I regret is Dr. Fauci's pitch the other day at Opening Day. I felt bad for him."He added: "But I always look forward and we are all part of the team and he actually tells people to wear the mask and my job is to get them made."Kilmeade followed up by wondering aloud whether Navarro and Fauci have spoken since the piece was published, prompting the Trump adviser to confirm that they have not."What would you like to say to them," co-host Steve Doocy interjected."Let's fight this China virus and beat it together with the president," Navarro responded, using his favorite inflammatory term to describe the novel coronavirus.Reacting to the White House efforts to scapegoat him, Fauci said earlier this month that the attacks were "bizarre" and that "it ultimately hurts the president."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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| John Oliver blames China for your lack of knowledge about Uighur concentration camps Posted: 27 Jul 2020 03:21 AM PDT  John Oliver said Sunday's Last Week Tonight was going to be about eyelashes, and that was mostly just to set up a TikTok video. Its creator "is right," he said: "A lash-curler is a vital tool in anyone's beauty arsenal, and there's an ethnic group in China being systematically surveilled and imprisoned in an attempt to essentially wipe their culture off the map." Oliver started with the basics: "The people in question are the Uighurs. They're mostly a mostly Muslim minority in a region of China called Xinjiang, and the Chinese government has been treating them absolutely terribly.""If this is the first time you're hearing about an estimated million people who've been held in detention camps -- mostly Uighurs but also Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities -- you are not alone," Oliver said. "And it's probably because China has done its level best to keep this story from getting out." That may be harder now, because some of the face masks and other PPE used in America is likely made by forced Uighur labor, making us complicit, he added. "And while there is clearly nothing new about horrific practices being hidden deep in the supply chain of global capitalism, what is happening to the Uighurs is particularly appalling. So tonight let's talk about them: Who they are, what's been happening to them, and why?"Oliver ran though a bit of the historical enmity between Uighurs and Beijing, the 2009 riots, and China's crackdown with President Xi Jinping's 2014 Strike Hard Against Violent Terrorism law -- "think of it as the Patriot Act on steroids" -- and current Minority Report-like pre-emptive arrests and Chinese excuses: They are "simply being proactive" and sending them to helpful "vocational training facilities," among other euphemisms for "cultural erasure.""Whenever pressed on this, the Chinese government has been quick to use whataboutism," Oliver said. "They responded to U.S. criticism by invoking atrocities ranging from he genocide of Native Americans to George Floyd's death." Those "are fair hits, those are fair points right there," he said, "but it's also completely possible for two things to be wrong at the same time." What can you do? Pay attention, he said. Watch below. More stories from theweek.com The feds say they won't leave Portland until the violence stops. Privately, they concede they're fueling that violence. Baseball's coronavirus crisis is America in miniature Trevor Noah trolls Sen. Tom Cotton with a 'less racially divisive' slavery curriculum for students
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| Mold from Chernobyl seems to feed on radiation, and new research suggests it could help protect astronauts in space Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:34 AM PDT  Researchers took mold that grows in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and blasted it into space. It may help protect astronauts from radiation.
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| Trump says he won't pay his respects to Rep. Lewis at U.S. Capitol Posted: 27 Jul 2020 11:30 AM PDT  President Trump on Monday said he does not plan to visit the U.S. Capitol over the next two days to pay his respects to Rep. John Lewis, the Democratic congressman from Georgia and civil rights icon who died earlier this month.
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| Israel says it thwarts Hezbollah infiltration attempt Posted: 27 Jul 2020 06:05 AM PDT  The Israeli military on Monday said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by Hezbollah militants — setting off one of the heaviest exchanges of fire along the volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a 2006 war between the bitter enemies. Neither side reported casualties during a battle that raged for over an hour, and Hezbollah denied involvement. Israel had been bracing for an attack since an Israeli airstrike in neighboring Syria killed a Hezbollah fighter last week.
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| Professor who announced retirement after racist and sexist tweets died by suicide Posted: 27 Jul 2020 05:11 PM PDT  UNCW's Mike Adams hadn't been heard from for days, before deputies found him dead inside his bedroom.
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| Nevada sheriff to library: Support Black Lives Matter? Don't bother calling 911 Posted: 28 Jul 2020 05:01 PM PDT  Douglas County, Nevada Sheriff Dan Coverley's open letter prompted a later press release saying the office will continue to respond to all 911 calls.
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| Trumpists Explode Over GOP’s Thirsty-for-Cash Texts Posted: 27 Jul 2020 03:45 PM PDT  Republicans have erupted over overwrought fundraising appeals from House GOP's campaign arm, with a spokesman for the group countering that critics of the strategy just need a hug. Dramatically phrased fundraising appeals are not new for either party. But pro-Trump pundits say the National Republican Congressional Committee has gone too far with "urgent" text message pitches warning that supporters are on the verge of letting the party down, saying the pitches talk down to the party's potential donors."Hey @NRCC - WTF is wrong with you?" right-wing columnist Kurt Schlichter tweeted on Sunday, as part of an ongoing series of complaints about Republican fundraising text messages. Schlichter included a screenshot of an NRCC text message warning the reader would have "1 more chance" to take advantage of a donation matching deal."We texted you TWICE," the text message read. "Why did you let your 500% Trump House Patriot match expire AGAIN? We'll give you 1 more chance. 500% match for 1 HR."Rather than mollify Schlichter, who has nearly 300,000 followers and a column at popular conservative website Townhall, the NRCC's Twitter account mocked him. NRCC spokesman Bob Pack tweeted a gif at Schlichter offering him a hug. NRCC deputy communications director Bob Salera tweeted that Schlichter should focus on electing Republicans, rather than "crying on Twitter." The NRCC shot back on its own Twitter account, accusing Schlichter of being a "Karen" who wants to speak to the campaign organization's "manager" and doesn't understand how political fundraising works. "This text raised $198,021 toward electing conservatives to Congress," the NRCC tweeted on Monday. "But we'll certainly pass your complaints on to our manager, Karen."The NRCC's text messages and its surprisingly dismissive reaction to Schlichter prompted outrage from Schlichter's fellow pundits and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who said he didn't approve of the fundraising tactics. Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused the NRCC of using an "ethnic slur," on the grounds that "Karen" is typically used to refer to a white woman. The NRCC didn't respond to a request for comment. While the vitriol in the spat between the NRCC and various pro-Trump personalities is unusual, the debate over how dramatically to phrase fundraising appeals isn't. Democratic groups became notorious in the 2014 election cycle for fundraising emails suggesting that the party or a supporter's favorite candidate was doomed—unless the donor opened the email immediately and gave money. But while the panicked emails subject lines are mocked on Twitter, they can also translate into higher donor totals, as they long as aren't overused.While email list members may have adapted to urgent fundraising emails, according to Democratic strategist Jared Leopold, the language deployed in the NRCC's text messages is unusual for text-message fundraising."People are used to that kind of language in an email, but this is pushing the boundaries of what people normally see in text messages," said Leopold, a former communications director at the Democratic Governors Association.Dramatically phrased fundraising appeals typically do work, according to Leopold, but they can also make subscribers more likely to unsubscribe from a text message or email list. Fundraisers monitor subscribers' reactions to the appeals to make sure they don't alienate too many potential backers, according to Leopold. "People do respond to the chicken-little, sky-is-falling emails," Leopold said. "People who do digital strategy watch very carefully for when the list is burning out." Several Democrats watched the fight between the NRCC and Schlichter with amusement. Rob Flaherty, the digital director for former Vice {resident Joe Biden's presidential campaign, tweeted that he would pay for a subscription of Twitter that consisted solely of Republican infighting over "grifty" text-message fundraising.The text-message fracas isn't the NRCC's only fundraising problem. With Republican prospects for retaking the House in November dimming in the face of a Democratic fundraising boom, the NRCC has reportedly failed to secure new contributions from the Republican National Committee or the Trump campaign.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Georgia governor withdraws emergency request to stop Atlanta mask mandate Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:38 AM PDT  Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday withdrew his emergency request for a court to stop enforcement of Atlanta's requirement that faces masks be worn in all public places, while mediation over the state's legal effort to block the mandate proceeds. Kemp sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the city two weeks ago to stop enforcement of the local mandate, aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Mayor Bottoms, a Democrat, has said that she would continue to defy the governor's orders, but hoped that the two sides could find a solution.
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| You may have to wait 18 months before taking delivery of your new Ford Bronco due to a plethora of preorders Posted: 27 Jul 2020 11:38 AM PDT  "Reservations have been so popular that some Bronco customers may not receive their Bronco until 2022," said Ford.
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| Could America be seeing a 'K-shaped recovery' from the coronavirus crisis? Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:32 AM PDT  US economists have begun talking about a "K-shaped recovery" from the coronavirus crisis amid signs of stark differences in the impact on the richest and poorest Americans. It is based on the idea that wealthy Americans will quickly recover from the financial freeze triggered by the virus, keeping their jobs and seeing the value of assets rise. However those lower down the income scale, such as blue collar workers, are bearing the brunt of the redundancies and could be facing years of financial peril. Hence the idea that one cohort will bounce back from the economic impact of the pandemic rapidly - the upwards kick of the K - while another will drop down into long-term financial challenges. The model is being offered as an alternative to the "V-shaped recovery", where the economy as a whole quickly starts growing again - something Donald Trump, the US president, is targeting.
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| Najib Razak: Malaysia's former PM and his downfall over alleged corruption Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:48 AM PDT  The former PM promised to boost Malaysia's economy but has been found guilty of corruption.
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| Chinese scientist charged with visa fraud appears in court Posted: 27 Jul 2020 03:21 PM PDT  A Chinese scientist charged with visa fraud after authorities said she concealed her military ties to China in order to work in the U.S. made her first appearance Monday in federal court by video. Juan Tang, 37, was appointed a federal public defender and U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes ordered Tang to remain in custody, saying she is a flight risk, while her attorney prepares an argument to allow her release on bail. The Justice Department last week announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of China's People's Liberation Army.
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| Mnuchin, Pelosi talk virus relief; GOP cuts jobless aid Posted: 27 Jul 2020 05:08 PM PDT  Unemployment assistance, eviction protections and other relief for millions of Americans are on the table as White House officials agreed on Monday to begin negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a new virus aid package that's teetering in Congress ahead of approaching deadlines.
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| Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower defaced for fourth time in weeks as NYPD pays officers overtime to protect painting Posted: 27 Jul 2020 07:50 AM PDT  A Black Lives Matter mural painted outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan that has faced significant vandalism since it was unveiled earlier this month was defaced for the fourth time in weeks, according to police.Mark David Hutt was charged with criminal mischief after officials said he threw white paint over a section of the mural on Sunday morning.
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| Tropical Storm Isaias likely to form in Atlantic; warnings issued for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:50 PM PDT  A tropical cyclone brewing in the Atlantic is likely to become Tropical Storm Isaias this week and it would affect Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
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| Trump was 'bored' with the pandemic — until he was told it was hurting 'our people': fellow Republicans Posted: 27 Jul 2020 06:56 PM PDT  Senior advisers got Trump to take the pandemic more seriously by informing him it was hurting Republicans, according to The Washington Post.
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| Independent experts clear African Development Bank chief Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:07 PM PDT  An independent panel of experts, headed by former Irish president Mary Robinson, has cleared the beleaguered leader of the African Development Bank (AfDB) of corruption, according to a report obtained by AFP. Akinwumi Adesina, 60, a charismatic speaker known for his elegant suits and bow ties, became the first Nigerian to helm the AfDB in 2015 -- but a 15-page report earlier this year claimed that under his watch the bank had been tarred by poor governance, impunity, personal enrichment and favouritism. The panel of three experts, led by Robinson alongside Gambia's Chief Justice Hassan Jallow and the World Bank's former integrity vice president Leonard McCarthy, cleared Adesina of all charges alleged by whistleblowers.
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| Rand Paul attacker sentenced to additional prison time over yard assault Posted: 27 Jul 2020 12:02 PM PDT  Rene Boucher broke the senator's ribs in 2017 in a dispute between neighbors over yard waste.
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| Huawei executives accused of snubbing Commons Defence Committee over 5G Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:23 AM PDT  Huawei executives were last night accused of snubbing the Commons Defence Committee over 5G weeks after it received a grilling over freedom of speech. The Daily Telegraph understands that Jeremy Thompson and Victor Zhang, vice presidents of Huawei UK and Dr Yao Wenbing, vice president of business development, were all expected to give evidence before the committee, as they had done earlier this month when invited by the Science & Technology committee. During the meeting the executives refused to comment on the row with China over Hong Kong only moments after insisting that the company's UK leaders were free to express their opinions. Days later Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, confirmed the UK would ban Huawei from the its 5G network and set a new deadline for stripping it out of all infrastructure at the cost of £2bn, by 2027. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, told those gathered at Tuesday's meeting: "Huawei were supposed to join us, unfortunately they've declined to be here. This might be connected to the recent announcement in July. I'm sure they're here in spirit, if not, I'm certain they're going to be listening."
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| Hundreds of teens wrecked a Memphis mini-golf center after being told they wouldn't get refunds because of overcrowding Posted: 27 Jul 2020 12:08 PM PDT  A video appeared to show a young woman spitting on an employee. Some teens also threw plastic dividers and crowd-control stands at workers.
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| The disease: Raging COVID-19 pandemic. My prescription: One mask. Eight weeks. That's it. Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:42 PM PDT  In a time of lockdowns and social distancing, who and what do you miss? What if I told you how to get it back? The catch: We all need to opt in.
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| Officials think mysterious packages from China containing seeds are part of an online scam Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:49 PM PDT  Unsolicited packages sent from China containing mysterious plant seeds have been showing up at homes across America. Officials now think these packages may be part of a fake product review scam.
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| Factbox: Biden will soon pick a running mate. Here are the front-runners Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:43 PM PDT  Biden has vowed to choose a woman as his potential vice president. Following widespread protests over racial injustice and police brutality, pressure increased on Biden to choose a woman of color. Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian parents, fits the bill.
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| A man who thought the coronavirus was a 'scamdemic' wrote a powerful essay warning against virus deniers after he hosted a party and got his entire family sick Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:51 AM PDT  Texas conservative Tony Green and most of his family, including two new parents, caught COVID-19 after he hosted a party at his house on June 13.
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| Lake Titicaca giant frog: Scientists join forces to save species Posted: 27 Jul 2020 01:14 PM PDT  International scientific institutions are teaming up to save the world's largest aquatic amphibian.
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| China Wants to Be First to Colonize the Moon and Mars Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:35 AM PDT  HONG KONG—China launched its most ambitious space mission last week, with a trio consisting of an orbiter, lander, and rover loaded onto a massive rocket that is heading to Mars. The mission is an impressive scientific feat, one that is entangled with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's push to define China as a conquering superpower in space.Called Tianwen-1, the Chinese Mars mission involves a seven-month journey to the red planet. When the rocket nears its destination after traveling 39 million miles, it will release the orbiter to scan and map Mars from above, while the lander will carry the rover to the planet's surface. If everything goes according to plan and the rover maintains communication with ground control on Earth, China will be the second nation to successfully place an operational robot on Martian soil—a significant achievement for a country that is attempting to establish technological supremacy on a global and now interplanetary scale.Yet that triumph comes loaded with CCP officials' desire for space colonization. One senior aerospace engineer and the head of China's lunar exploration program, Ye Peijian, indicated two years ago that his country's designs for space expedition mirror Beijing's plan for the South China Sea—that is, the party seeks to occupy the moon and Mars at any cost."The universe is an ocean, the moon is the Diaoyu Islands, Mars is Huangyan Island," Ye said at the CCP's annual plenary session in Beijing two years ago, referencing geological formations that are also known as Senkaku and Scarborough Shoal, and are claimed by Japan, Taiwan, as well as the Philippines. "If we do not go there now even though we can, then we will be blamed by our descendants," Ye also said. "If others go there, then they will take over, and you will not be able to go even if you want to. This is reason enough."What the Hell Is China Doing on the Dark Side of the Moon?China's Space Force Is Way Ahead of Trump'sThe message was clear then: it's a zero-sum game. The party's officials see space as a place to be conquered, so they are compelled to stake a claim—fast.China has designs to become an astral superpower. Details about state funding for space missions are opaque, but in 2018, Beijing earmarked at least $8 billion for the China National Space Administration, second only to the U.S. That amount has almost certainly increased every year since then, with Beijing hastening efforts to establish a permanent presence in space. China already has rovers on the moon. It will likely launch the core module of a space station to low Earth orbit next year. It is laying the groundwork for a crewed lunar mission in the 2030s, with plans to build a base near the lunar south pole.And Mars? If we take Ye's words at face value, then the plan is to seize, annex, and build on top of it.NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is scheduled to launch this week, on July 30. Like Tianwen-1's as yet unnamed rover, it will hunt for carbon-containing molecules that may point to Martian life in the past, as well as collect dirt samples for scientific analysis.After Tianwen-1 left its launchpad, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted out well wishes, welcoming China to a small, elite group of nations that are exploring Mars. Yet it is impossible to ignore that the current confrontations between China and the U.S. look more and more like a Cold War with each passing day, and the competing space programs resemble a page out of the ideological showdown between the U.S. and Soviet Union.Beijing and Washington have locked horns on every front. The two largest economies in the world are trapped in a spiral of tariffs. China's military is looking to project its power in new places around the globe, grating against American spheres of influence, particularly in East Asia and the Middle East. And tech companies on either side of the Pacific Ocean are racing to one-up each other, fueled by bonfires of cash from venture capital funds that place bets on both coasts. The competition between China and the United States is multi-pronged, extending beyond the stratosphere too.If Tianwen-1 is a success, Xi Jinping will score a major win within the party's hierarchy, and feed the justification of his decree to remain president for life. Space exploration in any form is an inspiration, and the pride shared by Chinese people while watching a rocket built by their country fly to Mars is pure. Many young people will no doubt heed the call to build careers in STEM fields, or even dream of becoming the first Chinese person to leave footprints on another planet. But the CCP's extra dimension of conquest taints this legacy, and even maps the potential for conflict beyond our world.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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| South Korean statue showing Japan PM Abe bowing to 'comfort woman' draws Tokyo's ire Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:05 AM PDT  The Japanese government reacted angrily on Tuesday to a statue in South Korea that appears to depict Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kneeling and bowing to a "comfort woman", a euphemism for women forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels. Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said if reports of the statue on display at a rural botanic garden were true, it would be an "unforgivable" breach of international protocol. "If the reports are accurate, then there would be a decisive impact on Japan-Korea relations," Suga told a news conference in Tokyo. The issue of comfort women, mostly Koreans forced to work in Japan's brothels before and during World War Two, and whether the surviving victims were adequately compensated, have long been a thorn in the two countries' ties. Japan regards the matter as "finally and irreversibly resolved" by a 2015 agreement reached by Abe and then South Korean President Park Geun-hye under which Abe apologised and pledged a fund to support the survivors.
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| Supreme Court Rejects Nevada Church’s Challenge to Coronavirus Restrictions Posted: 27 Jul 2020 05:09 AM PDT  In a 5-4 decision Friday, the Supreme Court denied a request from a Nevada church to block enforcement of state restrictions on attendance at religious services due to the coronavirus pandemic.The church argued that the policy, which limited in-person church attendance to 50 people, violated the constitution by treating church services differently than other large gatherings such as casinos, gyms and restaurants.Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal justices in denying the request, marking the second time the chief justice has voted to reject a church's request during the pandemic. He also lent his vote to the liberals in a 5-4 decision against a California church challenging limitations on the number of people who could attend services back in May. Attorneys for Nevada argued that the state's policy — which Democratic governor Steve Sisolak extended through July last month when he paused the state's reopening in Phase 2, limiting mass gatherings to 50 people — must be different from policies for "individual engagement in commerce." "Temporarily narrowing restrictions on the size of mass gatherings, including for religious services, protects the health and well-being of Nevada citizens during a global pandemic," the state said.The governor had extended the Phase 2 restrictions "due to the trends in COVID-19 infection rates, the time needed for expanded contact tracing to identify trends, and to see the impacts of the Governor's new face covering directive," he added that he would "not hesitate to take any action necessary to protect the public and prevent exceeding our hospital capacity, including reinstituting previous restrictions."Coronavirus cases had been on the rise in Nevada for several weeks, with the state now having seen 42,843 reported cases and 734 deaths.In his dissent Alito, joined by Thomas and Kavanaugh, wrote that the "Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion.""It says nothing about the freedom to play craps or black-jack, to feed tokens into a slot machine, or to engage in any other game of chance," he said. "A public health emergency does not give Governors and other public officials carte blanche to disregard the Constitution for as long as the medical problem persists."In his own dissent, Gorsuch pointed out the inconsistencies in the state's policy, noting that movie houses and casinos were subject to different rules than churches."The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges," he wrote. "But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel," he added.
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