| Trump administration backs down in lawsuit over migrant children held in Texas hotel Posted: 27 Jul 2020 02:59 PM PDT  A group of unaccompanied migrant children being held at a hotel in McAllen, Texas, won't be subject to the Trump administration's recent coronavirus-related immigration order that bars the entry of those who cross into the United States without authorization.It was unclear what would happen to young migrants after the order went into effect, but, at least in the case of those held at the McAllen hotel, the White House is backing down in the face of a lawsuit by the Texas Civil Rights Process and the American Civil Rights Union. The children will be processed under the immigration procedures that would apply without the order, meaning that rather than getting returned to their home countries quickly, they'll head to a government shelter, apply for asylum, and wait to reunite with family members in the United States.> DOJ says immigrant children who were held in a hotel in McAllen, Texas, last week --- and who @ACLU/@TXCivilRights sued to represent -- are not going to be expelled under Trump admin's recent border policy: pic.twitter.com/lgZC0MDwAj> > -- Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) July 27, 2020The decision only applies to the children in the McAllen hotel, however. And while there does seem to be a trend in which the government relents when facing lawsuits, there are reportedly many other children who groups like the ACLU aren't able to locate before they are expelled. > As @Haleaziz points out -- this does not necessarily mean the end of the Trump administration using public health law to immediately expel *other* migrant kids who reach the U.S. -- just those in the hotel incident. https://t.co/UcYBZMmKZt> > -- Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) July 27, 2020More stories from theweek.com The Lincoln Project savagely reminds America of everything it has lost due to 'Trump's virus' The feds say they won't leave Portland until the violence stops. Privately, they concede they're fueling that violence. Trump reportedly scheduled his own Yankees 1st pitch because he was jealous of Fauci
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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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| Vietnam abruptly evacuated 80,000 tourists and locals from a popular coastal city after 11 people tested positive for the coronavirus Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:45 AM PDT  Da Nang has been overrun with domestic tourists, prompting officials to clear the streets. The new outbreak ended a 99-day streak of no new cases.
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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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| Police searching for mother of boy found wandering alone Posted: 28 Jul 2020 04:55 AM PDT |
| Top Turkey cleric attacked over Hagia Sophia sermon Posted: 27 Jul 2020 06:06 AM PDT  Turkey's top cleric has been attacked for comments deemed offensive to the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during a sermon at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia which was reconverted to a mosque. The prayers followed a court ruling to annul a 1934 decree making Hagia Sophia a museum under the new republic born from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Hagia Sophia was built as a cathedral during the Christian Byzantine Empire in the sixth century.
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| 'Disgraceful': Minnesota pair who wore swastika masks at Walmart banned from stores for at least a year Posted: 26 Jul 2020 06:44 PM PDT |
| Kim Jong Un Finally Admits Coronavirus Is in North Korea Posted: 26 Jul 2020 11:40 AM PDT  North Korea just announced its first case of COVID-19, casting blame most conveniently on a defector who had fled to South Korea and then re-defected back to the North, supposedly bringing the bug with him.That's the spin that North Korea's state media, KCNA, is putting on the case after a meeting of the politburo of the Workers' Party, at which Kim Jong Un himself made a rare appearance Whether he was there in person or "virtually," on screen, was not clear. But there was no doubt, from the the crisis atmosphere surrounding the meeting, of the severity of the pandemic that's been afflicting the North for months—despite the regime's refusal to acknowledge what's going on. Also implicit in the unusually detailed KCNA dispatch, published in Rodong Sinmun, the party paper, was the need to buttress Kim's image as a strong leader capable of dealing with the crisis.Does Trump Know How Scary Things Are Getting in Korea?Kim, generally called simply "supreme leader," was reported by KCNA to have revealed "a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country."The quotes on KCNA were not attributed directly to Kim, and it's not certain if he personally made them or simply approved them. At the same time, he was reported to have taken what KCNA called "the preemptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong City," just above the Demilitarized Zone about 40 miles north of Seoul. That's where the defector may have crossed the line, possibly by swimming across the Imjin River as it flows from North to South.Never previously has the North so much as hinted at any COVID-19 cases, even while announcing a series of precautions beginning with the closure of its borders with China in January and severe restraints imposed on the movement of diplomats. The defector story, said Robert Collins, a long-time intelligence analyst for the U.S. command in Korea, "gives the Kim regime plausible excuse as to how virus infections started." Collins, who has written numerous books and studies on North Korean issues, cited reports of areas "put under strict isolation" in North Korea—"about the only method the Kim regime has in containing any spread of the virus."The politburo meeting, as reported by KCNA, acknowledged the crisis precipitated by a pandemic of epic proportions—the country faces economic and food instability exacerbated by the U.S. and U.N. sanctions that make it extremely difficult for the North to carry on normal trade and commerce despite help from China. Having previously denied that anyone had come down with the disease, the state media had to stress Kim's presence as party chairman when announcing the coronavirus case—critical to spreading the bad word after months of official obfuscation and denial of the disease.The tone of the KCNA report suggests the need to reinforce Kim's leadership at a time when confidence in his ability to control the pandemic is obviously in doubt. Often out of sight for weeks at a time since onset of the coronavirus in January, Kim has reappeared most recently on a visit to a chicken farm at which he called for increased production and, several days before, to a hospital under construction in Pyongyang. At the hospital, he reportedly berated managers and workers for going too slow, definitely a sign of the immediate need for a vast improvement of medical facilities, including many more beds. On both visits, it was not clear exactly when he had been there, but he did look healthy if overweight, at least to judge from the photos released by KCNA. Kim's Sister Is on the WarpathKim's reported appearance at the politburo was his most important in weeks—a chance to shore up confidence in the midst of a pandemic that appears beyond the ability of the North's medical facilities to combat. Significantly, the North Korean state media was careful not to pin the blame on anyone living in the North but on a lone defector made to appear responsible for the entire outbreak.Kim himself did not mention the defector, but KCNA opened its report by declaring "an emergency event happened in Kaesong City where a runaway who went to the south three years ago, a person who is suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus, returned on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line."That's the only mention of the defector until the last paragraph at which the politburo meeting "sternly took up the issue of the loose guard performance in the frontline area in the relevant area where the runway to the south occurred." The politburo promised "severe punishment: for "the military unit responsible for the runaway case." South Korea's military leadership is equally concerned about how a defector could have made it back to the North. An official with the South's joint chiefs of staff rated the probability of the report of the defector returning to North Korea as "high" and said the military was "looking into the detailed routes" of his crossing. He was believed to be a 24-year-old man under investigation for raping a female defector.Meanwhile, Kim has revealed "anxiety about his mortality," said Lee Sung-yoon, professor at the Fletcher School of Tufts University, in his "rush to bolster his sister's credentials"—that is, the role of Kim Yo Jong, who has denounced defectors as "mongrels" and is believed largely responsible for the decision to blow up the North-South liaison office built at South Korean expense at Kaesong. "How convenient a narrative to blame a 'mongrel' for bringing the coronavirus into Paradise on Earth," said Lee. "Now, Kim can claim that despite the threat of mass infection, he has acted swiftly and resolutely by locking down Kaesong City in order to contain the spread."North Korea has seized on the case with an alacrity that betrayed the severe unease of the regime about its stability, even its ability to function, during the pandemic. It was as though they badly needed just such a case to transfer the blame to an outside influence—and affirm the role of the "supreme leader" at a time when he has been largely away from public view. Kim was reported to have said, again without quotes attributed directly to him, "that everyone needs to face up to the reality of emergency" and to have "appealed to all to overcome the present epidemic crisis by not losing the focus of thinking and action, practicing responsibility and devotion to be faithful and true to the leadership of the Party Central Committee, being rallied closer behind it so as to defend the welfare of the people and security of the country without fail."Behind those ponderous words is the widespread suspicion that the pandemic may have had a more devastating impact on North Korea than on most other countries, certainly than on South Korea, which has acted firmly to bring it under control while publishing daily numbers of new cases. "COVID-19 definitely has a very negative impact on North Korea, regardless of how many people were dead or sick," said Choi Jin-wook, former director of the Korea Institute for National Unification. They've "closed down the border with China for seven months"—meaning "no food, no daily manufactured goods."No one doubts the North's medical system is incapable of dealing effectively with the pandemic. "Their healthcare system was severely deteriorated during the arduous march of the mid-1990's famine," said Robert Collins, referring to the period in which as many as two million North Koreans are believed to have died of starvation or disease. "Doctors have little to offer patients who must buy their medicine on the black market. Few can afford anything significant in that line."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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| 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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| Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow wears mask at press conference, says it's necessary to reopen economy Posted: 27 Jul 2020 10:26 AM PDT  The White House now seems to believe masks are necessary to restart the economy.While he was previously reluctant to endorse masks, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow wore one on Monday for a press conference even though it was held outside and he stayed far from reporters. Kudlow said he'd been "emphasizing" masks over the past few weeks, saying America wouldn't "keep the economy open" or "get kids back to school" without following guidelines like wearing masks and social distancing.Kudlow reluctantly told Trump supporters to wear a mask at the president's campaign rally last month, but cited surging case numbers and reporters wearing masks around him as reasons to fully embrace them now. Still, Kudlow seemed to have trouble wearing his mask correctly as it kept slipping off his nose.> WH Advisor Larry Kudlow wore a mask today while talking to reporters. Asked why he finally decided to wear one, the 72 year old said seeing reporters wearing masks influenced his decision & he is now encouraging masks as a way to help economy recover. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/LyLYLcFvYH> > — Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) July 27, 2020President Trump was seen in public wearing a mask for the first time earlier this month, and tweeted his first picture of himself wearing a mask last week, calling it "patriotic" to do so.More stories from theweek.com The Lincoln Project savagely reminds America of everything it has lost due to 'Trump's virus' The feds say they won't leave Portland until the violence stops. Privately, they concede they're fueling that violence. Trump reportedly scheduled his own Yankees 1st pitch because he was jealous of Fauci
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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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| 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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| Zimbabwe calls U.S. ambassador 'thug' as anti-government protests loom Posted: 27 Jul 2020 11:02 AM PDT  Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party on Monday called the United States ambassador a "thug" and accused him of funding the opposition ahead of this week's planned anti-government protests that authorities say are meant to overthrow the government. Without providing evidence, ZANU-PF spokesman Patrick Chinamasa told reporters that U.S. ambassador to Harare, Brian Nichols, was involved in subversive activities to topple President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government.
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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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| A journalist who's worked with PBS and National Geographic tells us what it was like being shot in the eye by law enforcement in Portland Posted: 28 Jul 2020 12:01 AM PDT  Trip Jennings talked to Business Insider about being shot in the face with a less-lethal round while covering a protest in Portland, Oregon.
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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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| 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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| Hurricane Douglas swirls 'uncomfortably close' to Hawaii Posted: 26 Jul 2020 10:20 PM PDT  Forecasters said Kauai would see the worst of Hurricane Douglas in the evening, possibly after dark.
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| William Barr testimony - live: AG slams 'demonization of police' and insists Trump ‘has not attempted to interfere’ in criminal cases Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Attorney General William Barr is expected to testify in a congressional hearing today, titled "Oversight of the Department of Justice", in front of the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee. The hearing was delayed, though, after Chairman Jerry Nadler was involved in a car crash on the way to the hearing.His appearance on Capitol Hill will be Mr Barr's first in front of the House Judiciary Committee despite multiple attempts by the Democrats to get the attorney general to appear in front of them.
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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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| U.N. experts warn Venezuela it could be in breach of North Korea sanctions: documents Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT |
| Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for downsized hajj amid pandemic Posted: 27 Jul 2020 01:47 AM PDT  Muslim pilgrims have started arriving in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down hajj, as Saudi authorities balance the kingdom's oversight of one of Islam's key pillars and the safety of visitors in the face of a global pandemic. This year, Saudi Arabia's Hajj Ministry has said between 1,000 and 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage. Two-thirds of those pilgrims will be from among foreign residents in Saudi Arabia and one-third will be Saudi citizens.
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| Hurricane Douglas skirts Hawaii, forecasters remain vigilant Posted: 27 Jul 2020 04:26 AM PDT  Hurricane Douglas gained some strength and began to spin away from many of the Hawaiian Islands late Sunday.
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| The White House is building a massive 'anti-climb' wall following protests. These photos show the evolution of White House fencing over the years Posted: 27 Jul 2020 11:10 AM PDT  The "anti-climb" component for a new White House perimeter has been in the works since July 2016, but construction of the wall has ramped up recently.
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| Chinese students in Australia targeted in virtual kidnapping scam Posted: 27 Jul 2020 12:05 AM PDT  Students in Australia are coerced into faking their own kidnappings in the extortion scheme.
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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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| People in nearly 30 states mailed unsolicited packets of seeds that may be from China, officials say Posted: 28 Jul 2020 07:33 AM PDT  Agriculture officials in several states are urging people not to plant seeds they have been mailed unsolicited. The packages appear to be from China.
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| Trump news: President gets defensive over plummeting polls as Pence, Pelosi, Biden and others pay respects to John Lewis Posted: 27 Jul 2020 02:50 PM PDT  Asked at a coronavirus briefing about mounting criticism over the federal government's response to the pandemic and his plunging polls, Donald Trump noted that he created the Space Force, telling a reporter: "What we've done has never been done."A round of polls over the weekend show his Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead in three key battle ground states that the president won in 2016.
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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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| A California man spent over two months in a hospital battling coronavirus and returned home with most of his fingers gone Posted: 27 Jul 2020 09:59 AM PDT  Gregg Garfield was the first coronavirus patient at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, local news reported.
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| 'Negligence' blamed for Germany's virus case rise Posted: 28 Jul 2020 03:14 AM PDT  Negligence is behind Germany's steady rise in new coronavirus infections, the head of a state-funded research body said on Tuesday, adding it was unclear if a second wave was underway. "The new developments in Germany make me very worried," Lothar Wieler, of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, said during his first news conference in weeks. "The rise has to do with the fact that we have become negligent," he added, urging people not to flout social distancing rules.
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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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| The children of Korean War prisoners who never came home Posted: 27 Jul 2020 02:56 AM PDT  South Korea largely forgot its prisoners of war. Now their children are fighting for recognition.
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| 40 infected with coronavirus after Alabama church revival Posted: 27 Jul 2020 05:40 PM PDT  Services were shut down by Friday after it was learned that one of the members who attended had tested positive for the virus, a church official says.
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| Relics of its golden past, Mosul's trains left to rust Posted: 27 Jul 2020 09:27 PM PDT  Nearly a century ago, Iraqis and Westerners stood here with tickets to Berlin, Istanbul or Venice. Today, the rusting tracks and overturned carriages of Mosul's train station betray the city's isolation. Battered by sanctions against the old regime of Saddam Hussein, back-to-back conflicts and little investment, the once grandiose train station in the Iraqi city's western half is a shadow of its former self.
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| Trump criticises Reagan Foundation after request to stop using late president's image Posted: 27 Jul 2020 07:47 AM PDT  Donald Trump has hit back at the Ronald Reagan presidential foundation for asking him to stop using the former president's name and image to raise funds.In comments posted to Twitter on Sunday, the president called-out the foundation's chairman over demands that the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee (RNC) stop raising money with Reagan's name and image.
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| RNC: Enthusiasm for Trump is higher than 2016, Republicans are being under-polled Posted: 27 Jul 2020 05:28 AM PDT  RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel discusses the latest 2020 polling and plans for the 2020 convention.
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| Outside police agencies pulling out of Democratic convention Posted: 28 Jul 2020 08:15 AM PDT |
| Singapore spy case reawakens fears China recruiting on island state Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:28 AM PDT |
| Melania Trump plans to renovate the Rose Garden. See the other changes the first lady has made to the White House. Posted: 27 Jul 2020 08:09 AM PDT  Melania Trump keeps a low profile as first lady, but she's had a busy schedule taking care of the White House. These photos show her changes.
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| AG Barr Calls Black Lives Matter Protests in Portland ‘an Assault’ on U.S. Government Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:21 AM PDT  In his first appearance ever before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr declined to say that political concerns weren't animating the Trump administration's use of federal troops to crack down on Black Lives Matter demonstrators.Asked by Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) if he'd discussed the politics of the crackdown with Trump or anyone in his inner circle, Barr didn't specifically mention the Department of Justice operations but confirmed that the election "comes up" in his conversations with the president. "I'm a member of the Cabinet," said Barr, "and there's an election going on."Pressed further by Nadler on the topic, Barr demurred: "I'm not going to get into my discussions with the president." Bully Boy Bill Barr is America's Ultimate Chaos AgentAs well, Barr indicated he views protesters in Portland, Oregon, not as demonstrators demanding Black liberation or defending themselves from an unwanted federal intrusion but as insurrectionists."What unfolds nightly around the courthouse cannot reasonably be called a protest," Barr said in his highly anticipated testimony. "It is, by any objective measure, an assault on the government of the United States."Later, in response to GOP questioning, Barr thundered "is that OK?" in outlining demonstrators' alleged offenses against federal officers. "I reject the idea that the Department has flooded anywhere and attempted to suppress demonstrators… We are at the courthouse defending the courthouse, we're not out there looking for trouble." Barr's rhetoric represented the latest escalation by the Trump administration in demonizing the protests, which are part of what has become the largest sustained demonstrations in American history. A Monday statement from the U.S. Marshals, a component of the Justice Department, called elements within the protesters "violent extremists," a term typically used by the U.S. government to describe domestic terrorists, though a Marshals spokesperson said the reference was unintentional. "In the wake of George Floyd's death, violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests to wreak senseless havoc and destruction on innocent victims," Barr contended. The testimony from Barr, which has been more than a year in the making, has been hotly anticipated by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill as an opportunity to litigate a number of his actions as Trump's attorney general. Over the past year, Barr has overseen a reduction in the desired sentence and then the commutation of Trump ally Roger Stone's conviction; the withdrawal of the criminal case against another Trump ally, Michael Flynn; the tear-gassing of Black Lives Matter protesters in D.C.'s Lafayette Park; an effort to oust the New York federal attorney handling sensitive investigations into Trumpworld; the transference of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort from prison to home confinement; and the deployment of armed, militarized federal agents against protesters in Portland over the objections of local and state elected officials. Trump Administration Plots Crackdown by Feds in Cities NationwideThe growing portfolio of outrages that Barr has assembled has been overwhelming for House Democrats, some of whom have embraced the idea that the only remaining avenue for holding the attorney general—who has already been held in contempt of Congress—to account is to impeach him. But getting Barr on the House Judiciary witness stand, which was originally set for March and then later postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, is widely seen as the first step in whatever House Democrats decide to do next.In his opening statement, Nadler previewed the crux of Democrats' case by arguing that Barr has been Trump's fixer. "Your tenure," Nadler told Barr in his opening statement, "is marked by a persistent war against the Department's professional core in an apparent effort to secure favors for the President."Barr shot back that he was trying "to reestablish the rule of law."The attorney general's handling of nationwide protests proved the focus of the hearing from the beginning. Federal agents, including the Marshals and others from the Department of Homeland Security, cited vandalism against the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland as a justification for their persistent presence. Barr, in his opening statement, called such vandalism the work of "hundreds of rioters." Yet the federal response has generated the majority of the violence at the protests, which has included shooting protesters in the head with rubber bullets; breaking the hand of an unarmed Navy veteran; frequent pepper-spray dousings and tear-gassings; and street arrests without probable cause by minimally identified federal agents driving unmarked vans. "There is no precedent for the Department of Justice actively seeking out conflict with American citizens, under such flimsy pretext, or for such petty purposes," said Nadler. He said Barr "aided and abetted the worst failings of the president."Elected officials, from Oregon's governor to both its U.S. senators to the Portland mayor, have denounced the federal presence as a provocative escalation of violence. Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have vowed to remain until the protests are quelled. Last week, Barr justified a coming "surge" in federal law enforcement to Chicago, Albuquerque and other cities—expected to last through the November election—by citing the Black Lives Matter protests as a source of public disrespect toward police. Black Lives Matter activists and their allies in Chicago are seeking an injunction against the use of Portland-style federal violence. After acknowledging "it is understandable" for Black Americans to distrust police, Barr said it was "an oversimplification" to view "some deep-seated racism generally infecting our police departments." Defunding police is "grossly irresponsible," he said, portraying crime as a "massively greater" threat to Black lives than police. Nadler countercharged: "At your direction, Department officials have downplayed the effects of systemic racism and abandoned the victims of police brutality; refused to hold abusive police departments accountable for their actions; and expressed open hostility to the Black Lives Matter movement."On Tuesday, Barr—who wrote in his prepared opening statement that he is not "the President's factotum"—received a warm reception from Republicans, for whom the attorney general has become a hero. The top House Judiciary Republican, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), said last month the attorney general was doing "the Lord's work." "Spying. That's why they're after you, Mr. Attorney General," Jordan said on Tuesday, before proceeding to portray the Black Lives Matter protests as violent through an extensive video that showed no police-induced violence. A day before Barr's hearing, a D.C. National Guard officer present at the Lafayette Park protest on June 1 told a different House committee that "the use of force against demonstrators in the clearing operation was an unnecessary escalation of the use of force." Barr has denied accounts placing him in command responsibility for suppressing the protest. But the officer, West Point graduate and Iraq veteran Adam DeMarco, recounted Barr conferring with the Park Police shortly before they advanced to clear protesters from the square for Trump's photo op. "From my observation, those demonstrators—our fellow American citizens—were engaged in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights," DeMarco told the House natural-resources committee on Monday. "Yet they were subjected to an unprovoked escalation and excessive use of force."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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| More than 900 women and girls missing and feared dead in Peru since coronavirus crisis started Posted: 28 Jul 2020 06:58 AM PDT  More than 900 women and girls have gone missing and are feared to be dead in Peru since the country's coronavirus lockdown started, authorities have warned.Eliana Revollar, head of the women's rights department of the national ombudsman's office, said girls made up 7 per cent of the total figure.
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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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