| Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:31 AM PDT  President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says it's too early to make such an ironclad guarantee. Trump also hammered the Pentagon brass for favoring renaming bases that honor Confederate military leaders — a drive for change spurred by the national debate about race after George Floyd's death.
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| Transcript: Colin Powell on "Face the Nation" Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:12 AM PDT  The following is a transcript of an interview with Former Secretary of State Colin Powell that aired Sunday, July 19, 2020, on "Face the Nation."
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| A 10-year-old boy was dragged off a boat by a shark on the Australian coast Posted: 17 Jul 2020 02:03 PM PDT  The boy was left with arm, head, and chest injuries after the shark attack near Stanley, on northwest coast of Tasmania, Australia.
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| Iran sends downed Ukrainian plane's black box to France Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:43 AM PDT  Iran has sent the black box from the Ukrainian passenger jet that its armed forces mistakenly shot down in January to France for reading, an Iranian semi-official news agency said Saturday. Iran accidentally shot down the Boeing 737-800, killing all 176 people aboard, after mistaking it for an incoming missile. Iranian armed forces had been bracing for a counterattack after launching missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq in response to the killing of its top commander, Gen. Qassim Soleimani, in a U.S. strike earlier in January.
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| Michelle Goldberg says departing New York Times colleague Bari Weiss 'had a point' Posted: 17 Jul 2020 04:40 PM PDT  New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg told Yahoo News on Friday that she is conflicted about the high-profile resignation of right-leaning opinion section colleague Bari Weiss.
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| Coronavirus: Zimbabwe arrests 100,000 for 'violations' of measures Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:19 AM PDT  Police say people violated the measures but critics say the government is targeting the opposition.
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| WHO reports record number of new coronavirus cases as death toll nears 600,000 Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:40 AM PDT  United States, Brazil, South Africa and India, which has reached more than one million cases over the weekend, reported the biggest increases.
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| Opinion: We're talking about reopening schools when the only option is to close them. Great Posted: 18 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  A physician's letter advocating reopwning schools draws critical responses. Why weren't we having this discussion in March?
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| St. Louis Gun Couple: The White House and Federal Government Are on Our Side Posted: 17 Jul 2020 06:58 PM PDT  The St. Louis couple that gained notoriety after pointing loaded firearms at Black Lives Matter protesters passing by their home last month joined a Trump campaign event late Friday to recount the terror they experienced on that fateful day when demonstrators encroached on their sidewalks. They noted that they'd since gotten "support from the White House on down."Speaking to Kim Guilfoyle, campaign adviser and partner to Donald Trump, Jr. in a campaign livestream, Mark McCloskey echoed President Trump in painting a picture of a complete breakdown of law and order."I thought that within seconds we'd be overrun, they'd be in the house, they'd be setting fires, they'd be killing us," he said of the protesters marching past on their way to Mayor Lyda Krewson's home last month.The couple has insisted that a horde of protesters broke into the gated community where they live and bum rushed their home en masse, though surveillance footage does not back up that claim. "It's a real warzone," Mark McCloskey said of his neighborhood.The incident is now the subject of investigation by local authorities, who have sought unspecified warrants while weighing possible charges against the couple. "We have nothing to apologize for. We did nothing wrong," Mark McCloskey told Guilfoyle. When asked if she would do it again, Patricia McCloskey answered, "Of course."Bizarrely, Guilfoyle repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that protesters were "trying to burn down your house" and that the McCloskey's were defending themselves against "potentially death," echoing President Trump's own baseless claim made in support of the gun-toting couple. McCloskey spoke of a burning 7-11 store earlier in the interview."Apparently people are allowed to just burn down other people's homes, shoot people, kill people," Guilfoyle said.After claiming they were "on their own" when protesters marched through, McCloskey played down the scrutiny he and his wife have faced from local authorities following the incident. Acknowledging that police had recently executed a search warrant at their home, Mark Mcloskey insisted "they didn't want to have to do it," and said officers were "very apologetic" as they came to confiscate the weapons the two brandished at demonstrators. "Quite frankly, on the second event, when they came back to get us, we then had support from the White House on down. We had cooperation from the federal government, the state government, the local police. The police chief himself came out and met with my private security," he said.Trump has publicly defended the couple and gone so far as to declare that he will be "getting involved" in the case. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner reportedly said earlier this week that Trump and Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson "came after her" for investigating the case. The couple also appeared to fully embrace the new role of gun-loving heroes foisted upon them by Guilfoyle, who called Patricia McCloskey "inspirational" for holding a loaded gun with her finger on the trigger that day, at times pointing it towards her husband. Asked what her message would be to other women, Patricia McCloskey said: "I think it's time that we not just stand behind the man that is going to have the gun." "Everybody's saying, 'Well I've never owned a gun before, but we've gotta do it now,'" Mark McCloskey said, adding that the seizure of the couple's weapons left them "defenseless." "So we're depending upon retained private security." 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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| Prosecutor in Jodi Arias murder case agrees to be disbarred Posted: 18 Jul 2020 12:36 PM PDT  A former Arizona prosecutor known for winning a conviction in the Jodi Arias murder case agreed on Friday to be disbarred in an ethics case in which he was accused of sharing the identity of an Arias juror and sexually harassing female law clerks in his office.
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| The city where George Floyd was killed has declared racism a public health emergency Posted: 18 Jul 2020 10:55 AM PDT  Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution Friday to help end racism and build "an active, anti-racist culture."
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| Transcript: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on "Face the Nation" Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:16 AM PDT  The following is a transcript of an interview with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms that aired Sunday, July 19, 2020, on "Face the Nation."
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| I flew on United Airlines during the pandemic and found nothing more than empty gestures and boring flights – here's what it was like Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:22 AM PDT  United is choosing not to block middle seats and had also suspended snack and beverage services on shorter flights, making for boring journeys.
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| The hidden hand that uses money to reform troubled police departments Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  Across the nation, insurers have had surprising success "policing the police," ending risky behavior, ousting chiefs, even closing troubled departments.
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| Trump flails in interview with Wallace, citing false and nonexistent data on COVID-19 Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:16 AM PDT  The president discussed his response to the pandemic, Joe Biden and cognitive tests in the interview that aired Sunday morning.
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| Bob and Doug Are Coming Home Posted: 17 Jul 2020 10:46 AM PDT  The two astronauts who hitched a ride to space on Crew Dragon are returning to Earth on August 2.
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| UN agency: US-sought tanker 'hijacked' off UAE now in Iran Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:16 AM PDT  A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker "hijacked" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters. The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5, citing its captain. "The vessel was taken to Iran," the ILO said.
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| China coronavirus: 'Wartime state' declared for Urumqi in Xinjiang Posted: 18 Jul 2020 08:44 AM PDT  Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, has a small number of infections but strict counter-measures.
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| Op-Ed: Serra's fall may further 'whiten' America's already too-white history Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  The desire to erase Serra may play into the hands of racists and white nationalists who seek to define America only in their image.
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| 85 children under age 2 tested positive for coronavirus in 1 Texas county, as U.S. sets new record Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:25 PM PDT  The Nueces County health director said 85 children under age 2 have tested positive, including 52 under 1 year old. "These babies have not even had their first birthdays yet," she said.
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| Mexican cartel shows its might as president visits its heartland Posted: 18 Jul 2020 08:36 AM PDT  A video depicting a military-style convoy of one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels circulated on social media on Friday as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited the group's heartland.
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| Trump seeks suburban votes with attack on fair-housing regulation Posted: 17 Jul 2020 11:16 AM PDT  President Trump is set to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule next week, in a move that he believes will help resurrect his flagging fortunes with suburban voters.
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| Texas Erases COVID Cases—and Fans Conspiracy Theory Flames Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:16 AM PDT  HOUSTON–When health officials quietly removed nearly 3,500 COVID-19 cases from the official Texas total on Wednesday, it launched a deluge of conspiracy theories about inflated and unreliable data in the midst of a surging pandemic.The 3,484 removed cases were diagnosed using FDA-approved antigen tests. The FDA has said positive results from antigen tests are "highly accurate," and can be used to diagnose current COVID-19 infections. But state health officials pointed to the definition of a coronavirus case the CDC published in early April to explain why the cases were removed. "The case data on our website reflect confirmed cases, and cases identified by antigen testing are considered probable cases under the national case definition," said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Under that definition, the CDC only considers cases "confirmed" if they are diagnosed using a molecular, often called PCR, test. Cases that are detected using antigen tests are classified as "probable." If someone is diagnosed with an antigen test, Texas will not count their case among the state total.The removed cases were from Bexar County, which includes San Antonio. The city's mayor said Thursday that San Antonio was one of three cities in Texas that tracks antigen tests—and that the tests help local health officials "see the full picture" of COVID-19 in the area."The state wants an apples-to-apples comparison with all cities in their reports, so they're removing antigen counts," said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. "It now means the State of Texas will not be counting thousands of FDA-approved positive COVID-19 tests in their reports. That's troubling—to say the least."Houston Outbreak Has Residents Begging to Be Locked DownThe FDA approved the first COVID-19 antigen test in May. When you see a picture of COVID-19, you typically see a white ball with a bunch of red spikes coming off of it. A molecular (PCR) test looks for the virus's genetic material in the white ball. An antigen test looks for proteins that make up the red spikes."Each category of diagnostic test has its own unique role in the fight against this virus," according to the FDA. "PCR tests can be incredibly accurate, but running the tests and analyzing the results can take time. One of the main advantages of an antigen test is the speed of the test, which can provide results in minutes."While some jumped to the conclusion that the state's removal was proof the record-high case numbers in the state were inflated and the whole virus scare overblown, it actually suggests the opposite. In a state that's already struggling to keep up with testing demands and rising hospitalizations, Texas runs the risk of undercounting cases—and undermining trust—by not recognizing positive antigen test results, experts said. Dr. Sarah Bezek, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the most transparent way for the state to report cases would be to include data from each type of coronavirus test. "Just say, 'These are the number of positives from the PCR tests, these are the number of positives from the antigen tests, and these are the number of positives from the serological studies (antibody tests)," said Bezek, who works on the front line in Houston-area emergency departments. "That would be complete transparency of data."A positive antigen test result is reliable, Bezek argued. The two COVID-19 antigen tests the FDA has approved are very specific, meaning they can distinguish between COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. The legit knock on antigen tests is that they are less sensitive than PCR tests, which means they return more false negatives. But Bezek pointed out that even PCR tests aren't 100 percent accurate, further hindering the ability of local health officials to conduct accurate contact tracing. Depending on how and when a PCR test is administered, it, too, can return a false negative."We have patients that are having negative test after negative test," Bezek said. "There's certain constellations of symptoms that, after you see enough patients with coronavirus, that when you see somebody who's testing negative you can say, 'Well, I'm pretty sure this is coronavirus.'"Those cases, she added, also aren't counted by the state. On Thursday, outrage over the case removals spread like wildfire online. But many of the responses weren't from people concerned about reduced disease surveillance. Instead, they were conspiracy theorists suggesting the removals somehow indicated the crisis was overblown. "It's all been a lie," one Twitter user said. "They locked us down and destroyed the economy on lies."Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got in on the action, sharing a misleading tweet suggesting that those 3,484 people whose cases were removed were never tested and that the San Antonio health department had made a mistake. Cruz added the comment, "Troubling."Local health officials were adamant that was not the case."Probable cases do not mean 'maybe' cases of COVID-19," said Colleen Bridger, interim director of San Antonio Metro Health. "Antigen tests are FDA-approved, and positive tests are highly accurate."Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative, said moving to erase the cases like Texas did was the "worst thing" they could've done in a climate where mistrust is soaring. "The last thing you need when you are seeing a surge is for people to suddenly think that the numbers are inaccurate and actually things aren't as tragic and as at-a-crisis-point as they really are," Yasmin said.Texas reported 10,256 new cases on Friday, and hit a new daily record for hospitalizations (10,632) and fatalities (174). According to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, many states report confirmed and probable cases in their state totals. The CDC did not respond to a request for comment about whether they planned to issue an updated guidance regarding counting positive antigen tests as confirmed rather than probable.Because antigen tests return more false negatives than molecular (PCR) tests, there's a good argument to be made for keeping molecular and antigen testing data separate so researchers can best determine the positivity rates of each (how often tests come back positive). Joseph Petrosino, chairman of the department of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, believes the data sets should be kept separate for the purposes of epidemiological research. "You want to compare apples to apples," Petrosino said. "SARS-CoV-2 tracking started with counting positive PCR tests. If additional testing methods of different levels of sensitivity are added, it can hinder tracing efforts and epidemiological studies such as where the virus is spreading the fastest and what individuals are at greater risk."Yasmin agrees that, behind the scenes, it makes sense to keep the two data sets separated. But when it comes to informing the public about infections, the total number of positive cases–diagnosed by molecular and antigen tests–should be reported, she argued."We make decisions about our lives and whether kids will go back to school or whether we will go to the grocery store often based on community transmission," Yasmin said. "You need that transparency of data. When it comes to antigen tests, they're a good indicator of if somebody is a case or not." 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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| Kuwait's ruler, 91, admitted to hospital for medical checkup Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:50 AM PDT  Kuwait's 91-year-old ruler was admitted to the hospital Saturday for a medical checkup and the country's crown prince temporarily took some of his powers in his absence, the oil-rich nation's state-run news agency reported. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was in "good health," the KUNA news agency said, citing a statement from the country's royal court minister. A later statement said Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah had assumed some of Sheikh Sabah's powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary.
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| Rare daytime rocket attack hits Baghdad as Iran FM visits Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:29 AM PDT  A rare daytime rocket attack hit Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday, security sources said, as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met top Iraqi officials. The embassy's C-RAM rocket defence system was not triggered, possibly because the missiles' trajectory meant they would not strike within the compound. Three dozen rocket attacks have targeted US military and diplomatic installations since October, but usually under cover of darkness.
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| Black Americans report hate crimes, violence in wake of George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter gains Posted: 17 Jul 2020 03:53 PM PDT  Across the U.S., Black people have reported incidents of alleged hate crimes and violent backlash as Black Lives Matter has gained broad support.
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| ‘Ugly face’: U.S. and China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:56 AM PDT  Responding to U.S. claims Beijing was undermining the sovereignty of its neighbors, the Chinese embassy said U.S. agencies abroad were doing "disgusting things" to contain China and had showed a "selfish, hypocritical, contemptible, and ugly face". The United States last week hardened its position on the South China Sea, saying it would back countries in the region that challenge Beijing's claim to about 90% of the strategic waterway.
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| Letters to the Editor: Roger Stone's commutation is more of the same from the Republican Party Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  President George H.W. Bush abused his power in pardoning six people in the Iran-Contra affair. Roger Stone's commutation by Trump is nothing new.
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| Experts say this 'bridge to a vaccine' may be a reason for optimism. Here's how it works. Posted: 17 Jul 2020 02:26 PM PDT  They've been promoted as a "bridge to a vaccine." But what are monoclonal antibodies?
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| Dustin Honken: Iowa drug kingpin third US federal execution in as many days Posted: 17 Jul 2020 01:22 PM PDT  A meth kingpin convicted of killing five people has become the third person this week to be executed by the US government.Former Iowa chemistry student Dustin Honken, 52, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 4.36 pm, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
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| Dr Birx told President Trump in April that the coronavirus would soon be gone and influenced the administration's push to reopen the economy and lift lockdown Posted: 19 Jul 2020 04:55 AM PDT  Birx believed the US would follow the same trajectory as Italy, with a sharp increase in cases followed by a gradual decline.
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| India-Pakistan fighting in Kashmir kills 3, wounds 2 Posted: 18 Jul 2020 04:52 AM PDT |
| 'Boogaloo' on the loose: Experts warn Congress about extremism on the right Posted: 17 Jul 2020 12:53 PM PDT  Authorities on extremism told Congress Thursday that far-right groups, not the radicals of antifa, currently pose the most serious threat of political violence in the U.S. — including attacks on the police.
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| Racism in Cuba: banned by law, alive on the streets Posted: 18 Jul 2020 02:58 AM PDT  Six decades on from Cuba's proclamation of equality and despite three top government officials being black, the Caribbean island nation has made little headway on racism. "Racism in Cuba is very hypocritical ... No-one says they're racist, even if they are," researcher Tomas Fernandez, 79, an author of several books on the subject, told AFP. Cuba used to have an open problem with racism until the communist revolution of 1959.
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| 13 people shot in gunfight between groups in Peoria, Illinois, Riverfront Posted: 19 Jul 2020 10:12 AM PDT  Thirteen people were wounded early Sunday during a gunfight between groups that involved multiple shooters on the Riverfront in Peoria, Illinois.
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| Coronavirus: Florida sheriff releases footage of people flouting social distancing rules at large street party Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:52 AM PDT  Police in Florida have released footage of a large street party which took place earlier this month, where attendees flouted social distancing guidance as coronavirus cases soared in the state.The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said it had broken up several parties at vacation rental homes in recent days, despite public health guidance in the state advising people to avoid large gatherings.
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| President Trump's niece Mary Trump taunted her uncle on Twitter by boasting about higher TV ratings Posted: 19 Jul 2020 02:58 AM PDT  "5.23 million v. 5.11 million," Trump's niece tweeted on Friday evening, alongside a thoughtful emoji.
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| Texas will allow schools to be online-only through November as the state passes 300,000 coronavirus cases Posted: 17 Jul 2020 01:25 PM PDT  The state is allowing local officials to delay in-person classes even more based on the coronavirus danger in each school district.
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| New studies clarify which drugs help and which hurt for COVID-19 Posted: 18 Jul 2020 11:52 AM PDT  New studies give more information about what treatments do and don't work for COVID-19, with high-quality methods that deliver reliable results.
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