| Op-Ed: Biden faces pressure to pick a Black woman as his running mate. Who should it be? Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:15 AM PDT  All the Black women on Joe Biden's shortlist of possible running mates have major strengths. Unfortunately, they each have liabilities, too.
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| North Korea may be 'reaching out to the world for help' after finally announcing a suspected coronavirus case Posted: 26 Jul 2020 05:25 AM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared an emergency and imposed a lockdown in the border city of Kaesong after the country reported its first suspected coronavirus case, state media said Sunday, adding that a person who defected three years ago to South Korea returned last week and exhibited COVID-19 symptoms after "illegally crossing the demarcation line."Pyongyang shut its borders and put thousands of people in isolation six months ago when the coronavirus pandemic began, but Kim's regime has not acknowledged any coronavirus cases during that span, a feat analysts say was always unlikely. Still, the announcement appears to be a significant step for the secretive state — experts believe it may represent a cry for help. "It's an ice-breaking moment for North Korea to admit a case," said Choo Jae-woo, a professor at South Korea's Kyung Hee University. "It could be reaching out to the world for help. Perhaps for humanitarian assistance."The description of the infected person, and the fact that the alleged case was imported, also may be meaningful. "North Korea is in such a dire situation, where they can't even finish building the Pyongyang General Hospital on time," said Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. "Pointing the blame at an 'imported case' from South Korea, the North can use this as a way to openly accept aid from the South." Read more at Reuters and BBC.More stories from theweek.com 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's use of federal force Trump's old tricks aren't working Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing
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| U.S. Supreme Court turns down church challenge to Nevada pandemic rules Posted: 24 Jul 2020 05:52 PM PDT  By a 5-4 vote, the justices denied a request by Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in rural Nevada for an interim order that would have allowed it to host services for about 90 congregants. Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent that Nevada was discriminating against religious groups in favor of casinos, which under Governor Steve Sisolak's reopening plans do not face the same 50-person limit on indoor gatherings.
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| 'It’s my constitutional freaking right': Black Americans arm themselves in response to pandemic, protests Posted: 26 Jul 2020 04:00 AM PDT  Conservatives are using images of Black protesters with guns to justify their calls for law and order.
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| Pakistani police probe minister after killing of journalist Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:20 AM PDT |
| She Flew Missions Against ISIS-Backed Terrorists—and Died in a Suspicious ‘Accident’ Posted: 26 Jul 2020 02:06 AM PDT  ABUJA, Nigeria—She was so young and daring, and a thorn in the side of ISIS-backed terrorists and bandits in north-central Nigeria. Her profile was rising fast and in her already extraordinary career she'd broken through the military glass ceiling. But the life of Tolulope Arotile, Nigeria's first-ever female combat helicopter pilot, was cut short on July 14 when she died in a strange and sudden accident. According to the Nigeria Air Force (NAF), Arotile was "inadvertently hit by the reversing vehicle of an excited former Air Force secondary school classmate while trying to greet her" inside the NAF base in the northwestern city of Kaduna. But not many in Nigeria are convinced the death of the 24-year-old was indeed accidental, especially because her nationwide fame as a talented combat helicopter pilot, and her regular bombardment of terrorist hideouts, had made her a target of armed militants. The manner in which Arotile was said to have died—from the impact of a reversing car—raised suspicion across Nigeria that she was murdered. The country's leading activists and politicians, including the outspoken former senator Shehu Sani, joined her family in immediately demanding an inquiry into the pilot's death. The NAF quickly responded by announcing a preliminary investigation into the tragedy. Arotile had just come back from an operation in north-central Nigeria, where she was deployed in the fight to rid the region of ISIS-backed militants and other criminal elements by flying combat missions. The NAF said she served as a squadron pilot in what the military named Operation Gama Aiki and flew "anti-banditry combat missions to ensure a safer, more secured Nigeria."Russians Are Using African Troll Factories—and Encrypted Messaging—to Attack the U.S.Since last year, armed bandits and militants, including those with links to the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have terrorized a number of villages in north-central Nigeria, killing hundreds of villagers and displacing thousands from their homes. The military's response has been through airstrikes, many of which had been carried out by attack helicopters like those flown by Arotile and her fellow fighter pilots.Arotile's last combat mission was devastating for the terrorists she targeted, a senior NAF official told The Daily Beast privately. She was said to have carried out airstrikes targeting bandits at Kasuwan Ango Community in Nigeria's north-central Niger State in late June. The Nigeria military had stated last month that strikes by the air component of Operation Gama Aiki at Kasuwan Ango on June 28 and 29 led to the "neutralization of some of the bandits" and the arrest of two foreigners, while the country's press release distribution agency, PR Nigeria, reported that corpses of bandits littered the area of the operation, an indication that the airstrikes killed numerous terrorists. Arotile herself was targeted by the bandits who shot repeatedly at her helicopter before she managed to overcome them. "Much of our success in the north-central can be attributed to Tolulope [Arotile]," said the NAF official who didn't want his name mentioned as he wasn't authorized to speak. "She was extremely daring and fearless."The manner in which Arotile was said to have died—from the impact of a reversing car—raised suspicion across Nigeria that she might have been murdered. The country's leading politicians and activists have joined her family in demanding an inquiry into the pilot's death. The NAF stated on Sunday that its preliminary investigation found that three of Arotile's secondary school classmates—all civilians who live outside the Kaduna NAF base, and who were on their way to visit another friend living in the same vicinity—were in the Kia Sorento SUV that hit her. The driver, Nehemiah Adejo, recognized Arotile after passing her, and "reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction.""In the process," said Ibikunle Daramola, NAF director of public relations and information, "the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement.""The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries," Daramola said while reporting on the NAF's initial findings on the pilot's death on July 19.The three schoolmates were subjected to toxicology tests but no traces of alcohol or psychotropic substances were found in their systems, according to the NAF findings, which also revealed that the driver of the vehicle, Adejo, did not have a valid driver's license. The trio are expected to be handed over to police, who are set to begin an investigation into Arotile's death. The late pilot, who was commissioned into the air force as a Pilot Officer in 2017, made history last October when she was winged as the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the NAF after completing her flying training in South Africa. Arotile held a commercial pilot license and had undergone tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 Power attack helicopter in Italy. When Nigeria acquired an Agusta 109 Power early in the year, Arotile was asked to introduce the aircraft to President Muhammadu Buhari, during the induction ceremony in Abuja in February.Arotile once said she joined the NAF simply out of "passion" for the military. In an interview with a local publication after Arotile's death, her father, Akintunde Arotile, recalled when she first developed a passion for flying: "One day—when she was very small—she pointed to one small aircraft parked on a field and said, 'Dad, one day I am going to fly that aircraft,' and I said, 'Amen,'" Arotile told The Punch newspaper. Nigeria's leading politicians and institutions have paid tribute to her outstanding contribution to the country's long fight against terrorism. President Buhari recalled her "bravery" and "deft skills in manoeuvring combat helicopters" in a statement his office released shortly after her death, while the House of Representatives said she was "a heroine whose contribution in the war against terrorism and other criminal elements in the country cannot be wished away easily."Arotile's death comes at a period when Nigeria is facing increased attacks from armed bandits and ISWAP militants in the north-central and northeast regions. A series of ISWAP attacks last month in the northeastern state of Borno killed close to 150 people, including 20 soldiers. The Islamic State-affiliated group suddenly became active in parts of the north-central region, where Arotile embarked on most of her missions, this year.At a time when Nigeria needs its best hands to contain brutal terror groups like ISWAP, Arotile's death will definitely be a blow to its effort to defeat terrorists."I was heartbroken when I received the sad news," Nigeria's chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, tweeted. "[Arotile] was one of our shining young stars."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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| US officers force open rear door of Chinese consulate in Houston following closure order Posted: 25 Jul 2020 04:50 AM PDT  Law enforcement officials were seen forcing open a door at the Chinese consulate in Houston shortly after the US-imposed deadline for its closure took effect.The group, who were accompanied by a State Department official, pried open a rear door and went inside without responding to questions from reporters.
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| James Carville still thinks Trump might pull out of race rather than risk losing by a landslide Posted: 25 Jul 2020 07:37 AM PDT  Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville doubled down on his prediction on Friday that President Trump may yet abandon his run for reelection.
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| Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful Posted: 25 Jul 2020 12:28 AM PDT |
| Malaysia arrests Bangladeshi migrant who criticised government on TV Posted: 25 Jul 2020 09:24 AM PDT  The Bangladeshi man criticised the treatment of undocumented workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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| 'We are living in fear': Florida health department workers write to DeSantis after several employees test positive Posted: 24 Jul 2020 01:22 PM PDT  Employees at the central offices of the Florida Department of Health have written to Gov. Ron DeSantis to express concern that his administration has not done enough to keep them safe from the coronavirus.
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| Brazil's Bolsonaro says he tested negative for coronavirus Posted: 25 Jul 2020 05:39 AM PDT  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Saturday that he had tested negative for the new coronavirus, based on a fourth test since he said July 7 that he had the virus. "Good morning everyone," Bolsonaro wrote on Facebook after reporting that the test was "negative." Bolsonaro also posted a photo of himself with a box of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, although it has not been proven effective against the virus.
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| Taking cue from group in Portland, Wall of Moms forms in Chicago to protect protesters Posted: 24 Jul 2020 02:49 PM PDT  CHICAGO - Inspired by protesters in Portland, Oregon, a new group of mothers in the Chicago area plans to offer a human wall of protection for those protesting police brutality and broader racism. Moms attracted widespread media coverage last weekend when they linked arms at Black Lives Matters protests in Portland, and got sprayed with tear gas and pushed away by federal agents who said they ...
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| A woman accidentally injured 3 members of her armed militia in a shooting at a Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:18 AM PDT  Three members were rushed to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries after a trainee from the militia accidentally fired her weapon.
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| North Korea declares emergency over suspected virus case Posted: 26 Jul 2020 12:23 AM PDT  North Korean authorities have imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they say is the country's first suspected coronavirus case, state media reported Sunday. Leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting on Saturday to implement a "maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert" to contain the virus, the official Korean Central News Agency said. If confirmed, it would be the first officially recognised case of COVID-19 in North Korea, where medical infrastructure is seen as woefully inadequate to deal with any epidemic.
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| Tens of thousands protest against Putin in Russian far east Posted: 25 Jul 2020 12:34 AM PDT  Tens of thousands marched in the Russian far east on Saturday, the third such weekend protest in a row, to express their anger over what they say is President Vladimir Putin's mishandling of a local political crisis. Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the detention this month of the wider region's popular governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies. Protesters chanted "Putin resign!" and "Putin is a thief!".
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| A lawyer who helps ultra-wealthy families get secondary citizenships says business is booming in 2020 — and not just because of the coronavirus Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:31 AM PDT  Wealthy Americans are already looking to the election and are prepared to "vote with their feet" if taxes go up.
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| Kenyan police officers arrested after fatal shooting in Garissa Posted: 26 Jul 2020 06:24 AM PDT  Two people were killed during a protest in Garissa sparked by the arrest of a murder suspect.
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| Climate expert suggests Biden will have to 'admit there will be tradeoffs' to reach zero carbon goal Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:03 AM PDT  Climate activists and scientists have generally received former Vice President Joe Biden's plan to eliminate U.S. carbon emissions by 2035 warmly, but there will likely be some backlash ahead, especially regarding a potential reliance on wind and solar alternatives, The Guardian reports.David Keith, a climate and energy expert at Harvard University who co-authored research in 2018 that found America's transition to solar and particularly wind would require up to 20 times more land area than previously thought, said windmills certainly shouldn't be abandoned moving forward, but suggested they could be limited. "You should tilt the energy system toward low land footprints, which means focusing on solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage, with wind at the margins," he told The Guardian.Keith added that if the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee defeats President Trump, the incoming Biden administration will need to "admit there will be tradeoffs for a shared national goal" and that "there will be local decisions people don't like" en route to an emission-free future.But while there are concerns about the effect renewable energy systems can have on land and biodiversity, Melissa Lott, a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said the side effects of renewables are unequivocally worth getting to zero carbon. Read more at The Guardian.More stories from theweek.com 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's use of federal force Trump's old tricks aren't working Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing
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| Rep. John Lewis to lie in state next week at the US Capitol Posted: 26 Jul 2020 10:20 AM PDT  Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon and longtime member of Congress, will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol next week as Americans celebrate his life.
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| Armenians and Azerbaijanis clash in Moscow Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:33 AM PDT  Azerbaijanis and Armenians have engaged in a series of fights and violent rampages in Moscow, venting their anger over recent cross-border clashes between the two ex-Soviet nations. Moscow police said Saturday they have detained over 30 people on charges of involvement in fights and disturbances. In St. Petersburg, police detained dozens Saturday in a bid to prevent another big fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
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| Hawaii avoided a coronavirus spike – but its tourist economy is shattered Posted: 26 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Its remote setting and a decision to shut down helped keep cases fairly low, but unemployment soared. What next?The Sheraton Waikiki stands just a sea-smooth pebble throw from one of Hawaii's most famous beaches. Working the front desk, Jordyn Wallace loved meeting new people from different states and faraway countries in one of the world's most beautiful holiday destinations.Like many Hawaiians, Wallace has been working in tourism since she graduated high school five years ago, and started her front-desk job in December. Then the pandemic came and Wallace lost her job, as Hawaii was forced to make a literally life-changing decision: close down to stop Covid-19 and weather an economic maelstrom unseen in decades.On 21 March Hawaii's governor David Ige announced all visitors to the islands must quarantine for 14 days. The flip-flopped travelers disappeared. Stores and restaurants began to close under state shutdown orders. Wallace had her hours dramatically cut, only working a few shifts in April and May before being laid off."I have never seen Waikiki so empty. It felt surreal because no matter what time of day it is, you always see visitors in Waikiki," Wallace said. "We have more than 1,000 rooms. It's a huge hotel, and to not see a single soul on property was crazy."Nearly every state in the US implemented some type of shutdown order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, closing bars, restaurants and gyms and starting a new way of socially distanced life. The shutdowns brought on Depression-level unemployment numbers, the effects of which have lingered even as states reopen their economies.For Hawaii, being an isolated chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific has proved to be a blessing and a curse. That Hawaii is only accessible by plane or cruise ship has provided the state with a geographic advantage in preventing the spread of the virus. But encouraging people to stay away has severely damaged the state's economy, which relies heavily on the tourist dollar."Every day, there is something on the news that announces businesses are shutting down. These are not new business. They are family businesses, they are institutions, and these are businesses that have survived economic challenges in the past," said Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce.While other states in the US, such as Florida and Texas, saw huge spikes in Covid-19 cases as state governments worked to reopen economies, Hawaii instead rolled out a policy that deliberately stopped tourism to ensure the health of its residents.People who break quarantine are subject to arrest and a fine of up to $5,000. Hawaii has been strict in enforcing the rules, arresting nearly 200 people, visitors and residents, since March.The quarantine, along with other broader travel restrictions implemented around the world, effectively stopped travel to Hawaii. On 1 March nearly 29,000 people arrived. By 31 March that figure had dropped to 301, a fall of 98.9% compared to the same day last year.Quarantine has helped stop any large outbreaks of the virus. As of 22 July, Hawaii has reported just over 1,400 cases and 25 deaths. In comparison, New Hampshire, which has a slightly smaller population than Hawaii, has had over 6,000 confirmed cases and nearly 400 deaths.But the combined forces of a statewide shutdown and abrupt pause in the tourism industry has devastated the economy. At least 150,000 workers in the state of 1.5 million people were out of work in May. The unemployment rate was 23.5% – over 10% higher than the national rate.Hawaii's online system for filing unemployment claims was so overwhelmed that many had to wait at least a month to receive any payment.Wallace applied for unemployment in March, once her hours were cut to almost nothing. Right before the pandemic hit, she had just taken out a loan to consolidate some credit card and medical debts. Without payments, Wallace would not be able to make her payments on time, triggering high interest rates.Her payments finally came in May, after weeks of trying to get answers from the unemployment office. "It was just an absolute nightmare trying to get a hold of their office," she said.Jobs started to come back in late May and June, once Hawaii began its slow reopening process. In June, the unemployment rate fell to 13.9%, with about 85,000 people out of work.But the effects on the leisure and hospitality industry will linger. Last year, 10.5 million visitors spent $17bn when traveling to the islands, with $2bn of that money going directly to the state government.About $7bn has been pumped into Hawaii's economy over the past four months from the federal government's emergency stimulus programs. But that is not enough to make up for the huge shortfall.State budgets across the country have been devastated by the pandemic. Hawaii will likely prove to be no exception. Earlier this month, Governor Ige said pay cuts for state and local workers, including teachers, are inevitable. The state government will be left short of $1.2bn, according to a report from the University of Hawaii's Economic Research Organization (UHERO). This deficit is "far worse than those encountered during the Great Recession", the report said.Carl Bonham, a professor of economics at the University of Hawaii and executive director of UHERO, said the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on tourism compared to other industries means the state will be slow to recover from the economic effects."Much of the rest of the country will recover faster than Hawaii. Even once there is better treatment or better control of the virus, there will still be lingering effects on air travel," Bonham said. "Hawaii will be a different place over the next year or so as we have an increase of bankruptcies and failures of businesses. There will be fewer activities for visitors to come to."Bonham said more federal aid is the only way Hawaii's economy can recover. Even with more aid, it will likely be short of money for the next five years, he said.With Congress at a standstill over giving additional aid to states and local governments, Hawaii's leaders have been scrambling for solutions that would allow tourists to carefully come back.Currently, all bets are hedged on a plan that would allow visitors to bypass the 14-day quarantine if they test negative for the virus 72 hours before their flight to Hawaii, and show proof of the negative test. The state is in talks with CVS Pharmacy over a potential partnership to make tests available to incoming travelers.The plan was originally slated to start 1 August, but the governor pushed the date back to 1 September, citing the surge of infections in other states. While the delay is upsetting to many business owners, eight out of 10 residents in a poll said they believed Hawaii is not ready to open to tourists just yet. And polls show travelers themselves are most willing to take car trips to their vacation destination – rather than a long-haul flight to Hawaii – as it comes with less risk of spreading the virus."The best economic policy at this point is really a health policy. It's controlling the virus," Bonham said. Tourists "are not going to sit on an airplane for five hours with a whole bunch of people who aren't wearing masks"."If you don't deal with those issues, it doesn't matter if the economy is open. That part of the economy won't really recover."
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| China makes $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries for access to coronavirus vaccine Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:29 AM PDT  China has announced a $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries to pay for access to a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Mexican government.The announcement, by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, followed a virtual meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday.
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| Mnuchin says virus aid package will come soon, $1,200 checks by August Posted: 26 Jul 2020 08:37 AM PDT  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday that Republicans were set to roll out the next COVID-19 aid package Monday and assured there was support from the White House.
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| Refugee who volunteered at French cathedral confesses to setting blaze, lawyer says Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:54 PM PDT  A Rwandan refugee who volunteered as a warden at France's 15th-century Nantes cathedral has confessed to setting the blaze that gutted its interior a week ago, his lawyer said on Sunday. "With these confessions, there's a kind of relief: it's someone who is scared, who is somehow overwhelmed," his lawyer, Quentin Chabert, told a news conference on Sunday. The July 18 blaze engulfed the inside of the Gothic structure of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, destroying its grand organ, stained-glass windows and a painting.
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| State officials warn it would take 8-20 weeks to implement Trump's proposed 'sliding scale' for unemployment benefits Posted: 25 Jul 2020 08:50 AM PDT  The White House wants to end the $600 weekly unemployment checks and replace them with payments of up to 70% of a worker's previous wages.
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| Putin attends naval parade, promises new ships to navy Posted: 26 Jul 2020 03:22 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin said the Russian navy will get 40 new ships and vessels this year, as he attended a naval parade in St. Petersburg on Sunday marking the Navy Day in Russia. The parade in St. Petersburg and the nearby town of Kronshtadt featured 46 ships and vessels and over 4,000 troops and aimed to "demonstrate the growing power of our navy," Putin said Friday.
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| 'We, too, are America': How we can work together to overcome systemic racism Posted: 26 Jul 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Instead of attacking "the other," we must embrace and celebrate the richness of true democracy and honor the voices that make us a choir.
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| Daily coronavirus cases in Arizona are declining, but the state's fatality rate is rising fast Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:52 AM PDT  Florida on Saturday reported more than 12,000 new coronavirus infections within the previous 24-hour period, bringing the state's total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 414,511. On the other side of the Sun Belt, Arizona is seeing daily infections decline, seemingly without experiencing an elevated plateau, but the death rate -- a lagging indicator -- is increasing.With its latest tally, Florida has surpassed New York -- which has reported 411,200 cases -- as the state with the second highest number of confirmed infections behind California, which, like Florida, has seen cases surge over the last several weeks. New York has yet to see another major uptick since it mostly contained the virus after a significant epidemic in March, April, and May.Florida also reported 124 new resident deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,777. As of Saturday morning, nearly 9,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state.In Arizona, meanwhile, the fatality rate increased over the past week to the point where if the U.S. had an equivalent rate, around 25,000 people would have been reported dead this week. > ARIZONA has reported *556* COVID deaths in the past 7 days.> > For scale, if the entire USA had Arizona's rate of deaths, about ***25,000*** would be reported dead this week alone.> > Chart of death, normalized by population last 8 weeks. (Note EU, Canada at the bottom) pic.twitter.com/fP2n6dPcsA> > -- Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) July 25, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 scathing cartoons about Trump's use of federal force Trump's old tricks aren't working Jared Kushner has reportedly refused to aid the House GOP's election wing
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| Gottlieb: Community spread makes it "very hard to open" schools Posted: 26 Jul 2020 07:18 AM PDT  Gottlieb said on "Face the Nation" a positivity rate above 10% is the "threshold where you really want to think carefully about closing the school districts."
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| Thai gay activists raise Pride flags in Bangkok Posted: 25 Jul 2020 03:06 PM PDT  The rally in Thailand's capital is the latest in a series of youth-led pro-democracy protests.
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| Exclusive: Alibaba, Jack Ma summoned by Indian court on former employee's complaint Posted: 25 Jul 2020 09:05 PM PDT  An Indian court has summoned Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma in a case in which a former employee in India says he was wrongfully fired after objecting to what he saw as censorship and fake news on company apps, documents seen by Reuters showed. The case comes weeks after India cited security concerns in banning Alibaba's UC News, UC Browser and 57 other Chinese apps after a clash between the two countries' forces on their border. Following the ban, which China has criticized, India sought written answers from all affected companies, including whether they censored content or acted for any foreign government.
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| A white man reportedly yelled offensive racial slur at Black teen who offered him a donut Posted: 25 Jul 2020 10:07 AM PDT  "The guy started yelling, using the n-word on him," the teen's mother told the Boston Globe. She said her son had been offering leftover donuts to strangers.
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| China turns a blind eye as North Korea evades sanctions Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:00 AM PDT  North Korea relies on front-companies registered in China to export coal and sand and import oil in violation of U.N. sanctions.
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| Jake Tapper Grills Coronavirus Testing Czar: Are You ‘Afraid’ of Upsetting Trump? Posted: 26 Jul 2020 09:02 AM PDT  CNN anchor Jake Tapper took Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Brett Giroir to task over the continuing issues with coronavirus testing, asking the coronavirus testing czar if he is "afraid" of bringing these problems up with President Donald Trump.During a contentious 20-minute interview on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning, Tapper repeatedly pressed Giroir on the weeklong delays in coronavirus testing results Americans are experiencing."Are you happy where testing is right now?" Tapper asked, prompting Giroir to say he's "never going to be happy" until they have the pandemic under control.While acknowledging that testing is still not where it should be, the HHS official went on to tout the progress the administration has made over the past few months, adding that half of the tests conducted have turnaround times of less than 24 hours."The delays that most people talk about are at the large commercial labs that perform about half the testing in the country," he said. "Now, the data are, the average turnaround is 4.27 days."The CNN anchor brought up former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney's criticism of the administration's handling of the pandemic, specifically the poor turnaround times on testing. In an op-ed earlier this month, Mulvaney said the long waits for results were "inexcusable" while citing his own family's experience.At the same time, Tapper repeatedly grilled Giroir on the president's promises when it came to testing and getting the virus, which has now killed nearly 150,000 Americans, under control."In March, President Trump said, falsely, anyone who wants a test can get a test," the veteran anchor pressed. "At what point will it be true, sir, that anyone who wants a test will be able to get one with a quick turnaround so as to be effective. When will that be true?"Giroir, meanwhile, claimed that it's "true now" that anyone who "needs a test can get a test," adding that he's "highly confident" that turnaround times will decrease this week based on advances they've made.Tapper also pushed the public health official on the administration's use of the Defense Production Act to ramp up production on masks and ventilators, wondering aloud why the White House wasn't using it more forcefully on testing. This led to the CNN host asking whether this was due to an unwillingness to upset the president."There seems to be this reluctance to push the president to do what he needs to do to get the testing up to speed," Tapper declared. "I know that he's under the misguided impression that more testing is bad and makes him look bad, which as you know is completely false.""And I'm wondering if you and others are just afraid to do this because you don't want to upset him, afraid to ask him to do what he needs to do to invoke the DPA to force the federal labs to get up to speed to where we need to be so that we can isolate the virus, as you know," he added. "Are you afraid to bring this up to President Trump because it will upset him?"Giroir, for his part, denied that this was the case, claiming that tough issues and problems are brought up openly with Trump and the administration."Everyone of the administration understands the importance of testing," he claimed. "Nobody in the task force is afraid to bring up anything to the vice president or the president.""Every time I've met with the president, he's been listening to all the data, he assesses that, he understands it," Giroir continued. "I meet with the vice president almost every single day. No one is trying to stop testing in this country. No one has ever told me to do that. We want more, we want better, we want quicker."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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| Republican Rep. Ted Yoho resigns from a Christian non-profit's board after verbally attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Posted: 25 Jul 2020 01:38 PM PDT  The non-profit said it "sought [Yoho's] resignation" after determining his attack on AOC didn't reflect "values of respect and compassion."
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| Thousands of families evicted in Sao Paulo amid pandemic Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:25 AM PDT  Jussara de Jesus never thought that her family would live in a shack. The human rights and research group LabCidade estimates more than 2,000 families have lost their homes in Sao Paulo state since March, with another 1,000 facing the same risk in upcoming weeks.
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| Fact check: South Dakota's COVID-19 infection, jobless stats aren't as good as claimed Posted: 25 Jul 2020 02:03 PM PDT  A popular meme notes that South Dakota didn't have any stay-at-home orders (true) and that it has had hardly any COVID-19 (false).
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| How Trump’s coronavirus briefings convinced one of his voters to turn to Joe Biden Posted: 24 Jul 2020 11:41 AM PDT  Polarized is a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 elections. Click here if you would like to be a part of this projectNancy Shively has a difficult choice to make.
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| Hurricane Hanna lashes south Texas coast, already beset by COVID Posted: 25 Jul 2020 05:30 AM PDT  Hurricane Hanna pummeled the south Texas coast on Saturday night with howling winds and a surging sea that threatened a broad area already contending with an intense spike in coronavirus deaths. Hanna is the first hurricane for the 2020 Atlantic storm season, which is expected to be unlike any other in recent memory. By nightfall, Hanna's blistering winds were ripping up the Texas coast near Corpus Christi.
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| Police union president: Pelosi knows nothing about law enforcement Posted: 24 Jul 2020 10:41 AM PDT  Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president John Catanzara, Jr. weighs in on resistance to federal officers being sent to U.S. cities with rises in crime.
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