| Oklahoma becomes latest red state to approve Obamacare's Medicaid expansion at the ballot box Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:31 AM PDT  Oklahoma follows Utah, Nebraska, Idaho and Maine in approving the Obamacare health insurance expansion for low-income residents.
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| After a Black protester is killed in Omaha, witnesses claim a rushed investigation ignored signs of the shooter's allegedly racist past Posted: 01 Jul 2020 12:03 PM PDT  More than 300 people have been arrested in Omaha amid protests against police brutality in the past month. Jake Gardner, who shot and killed James Scurlock, is not one of them.
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| 'Resist until the end!' Crowds spill into streets of Hong Kong facing water cannon and arrest to protest new security law Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:20 AM PDT  They had been warned that merely chanting a slogan could risk prosecution under Hong Kong's brutal new security law. But still the protesters came, first in their hundreds, then in thousands. "One Hong Kong, One Nation!" they shouted in unison outside the high end malls of the city's Causeway Bay, waving now-outlawed Hong Kong independence flags. As riot police gathered, they raised their hands with their palms held high – a common symbol of year long pro-democracy protests that Beijing now intends to crush. One group tore down a banner announcing the new law and stomped it into the ground. Police officers in riot gear and armed with rubber bullets were stationed on the corners of the city's major streets, with instructions to immediately disperse any demonstrators, who had been forbidden from attending the usual pro-democracy march on the anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. The force moved swiftly to break-up gatherings, targeting protesters and journalists with a water cannon firing bursts of liquid laced with a stinging pepper solution. Shortly before 2pm, a man wearing a "Free Hong Kong" shirt became the first person to be arrested under the sweeping law enacted late on Tuesday.
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| Harvard Grad Says She Was Fired from Deloitte Job for Threatening ‘All Lives Matter’ Supporters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:54 AM PDT  A recent Harvard graduate who threatened to "stab" anyone who told her "all lives matter" has been fired from her job, she announced in a tearful video.Claira Janover, who said in a viral but since-deleted TikTok post that she would "stab" those with "the nerve" to say "all lives matter," posted several tearful videos explaining that her new employer, Deloitte, had fired her."I know this is what Trump supporters wanted because standing up for Black Lives Matter put me in a place online to be seen by millions of people," Janover explained. "The job that I worked really hard to get and meant a lot to me just called me and fired me because of everything."In a second video, Janover claimed that "Trump supporters took my job away from me.""I have gotten death threats, rape threats, violent threats and it's okay — but now it's just like my future is entirely compromised because Trump supporters have decided to come for my life," she stated. "I'm too strong for you. I am too strong for any of you, 'all lives matter' racist Trump supporters. It sucks but it doesn't suck as much as systemic racism."Janover also criticized Deloitte, calling out the company for "cowardice." The firm has not publicly commented on the situation.In the video that led to her firing, Janover warned "all lives matter" supporter that she would stab them. "While you're struggling and bleeding out, I'ma show you my paper cut and say, 'My cut matters too,'" she stated. After the video was picked up and circulated on Twitter, Janover posted a message on the video stating that "For legal reasons this is a joke." She also explained in subsequent videos that her threat was "clearly" an "analogous joke.""Apparently I'm threatening the lives of people — unlike cops, obviously," she added."Anyway, so If I get an email from the Department of Homeland Security or I get kicked out of Harvard or I get arrested or whatever — or I get murdered, according to the many death threats that I'm receiving right now — know that I appreciate you guys standing up for me," she said.
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| Arizona tells Pence it needs additional 500 health care workers as COVID-19 cases soar Posted: 01 Jul 2020 02:24 PM PDT  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey told Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday that the state needed an additional 500 health care workers as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to set records there.
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| Descendants of Confederate soldiers sue city over removal of Florida’s oldest Civil War statue Posted: 01 Jul 2020 03:26 AM PDT  Descendants of Confederate soldiers have sued St. Augustine city leaders over their decision to remove a monument honoring the fallen ancestors.
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| The Best Bike Lights to Illuminate Your Ride Posted: 02 Jul 2020 10:26 AM PDT |
| Seattle police clear out protester-occupied zone Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:54 PM PDT  More than 30 people are arrested as officers disperse demonstrators from the "lawless" area.
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| Feds Arrest ‘Ringleader’ in Attempt to Topple Andrew Jackson Statue Near White House Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:07 AM PDT  Federal authorities on Thursday reportedly arrested a male suspect they say was the "ringleader" of an effort to destroy a statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House.Jason Carter, whom authorities said is connected to the loose knit anarchist group Antifa, was arrested Thursday morning at his home and charged with destruction of federal property, Fox News first reported. Carter allegedly led the June 22 effort to topple the statue in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Square near the White House, which protesters said they attacked because Jackson owned slaves and because of his treatment of Native Americans."They were very organized," an unidentified federal law enforcement official told Fox News. "Carter was on top of the statue and directing people.""They had acid, chisels, straps and a human chain preventing police from getting to the statue," the official said.The Justice Department on Saturday announced that four other men face felony destruction of federal property charges for their roles in attacking the statue. According to the department, the four were caught in video footage attempting to pull the statue to the ground.President Trump on Friday signed an executive order to protect American monuments, memorials, and statues in the wake of recent attacks on several monuments of historical figures in cities around the country."Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country," Trump wrote in a tweet announcing the order.At least a dozen other monuments to historical figures have also been targeted, including several Christopher Columbus statues. Statues of Columbus were attacked in recent weeks in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Minnesota as protests continue against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
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| US tries to seize Iranian gas heading toward Venezuela Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:46 AM PDT  U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran, the latest attempt to disrupt ever-closer trade ties between the two heavily sanctioned anti-American allies. The civil-forfeiture complaint filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. "The profits from these activities support the IRGC's full range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad," prosecutor Zia Faruqui alleges in the complaint.
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| Terrifying: Why France Once Pointed Its Nuclear Weapons at Germany Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:53 AM PDT  Any Soviet invasion route would have gone through Germany.
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| Pence: Florida can thank President Trump for being prepared to handle COVID cases Posted: 02 Jul 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The coronavirus case numbers are worse than ever in Florida.
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| Gunmen attack Mexican drug rehab center killing 24 Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:58 PM PDT  Gunmen killed 24 people at a drug rehabilitation facility in the central Mexican city of Irapuato, police said on Wednesday, underlining the government's challenge in fulfilling its pledge to stop gang violence. Police in the city in Guanajuato state said the unidentified attackers also shot and wounded seven people in what was the second attack at an Irapuato rehab center in the past month. Guanajuato's Attorney General Carlos Zamarripa said he had designated a specialized team to investigate the killing, which he called a "cowardly criminal act," while Governor Diego Sinhue called for a joint effort from federal and state authorities to tackle violence.
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| Sen. Scott on COVID-19 surge in Florida: We can beat this without the government taking away our rights Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott says citizens can responsibly combat the virus by being given more information from the government instead of just being told what to do.
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| Nasa Mars rover: Perseverance launch pushed back again Posted: 02 Jul 2020 06:06 AM PDT  The launch of Nasa's Mars rover Perseverance is delayed again to 30 July at the earliest.
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| Judge Blocks Trump Admin. Rule on Third-Country Asylum Seekers Posted: 01 Jul 2020 05:03 AM PDT  A federal judge has overturned a Trump administration policy mandating that asylum seekers first apply for asylum in countries they pass through on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.The policy was aimed at deterring illegal immigration from Central American countries including Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, said that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when adopting the policy. The APA requires that the federal government allow time for Americans to weigh in on certain proposed federal policy changes."There are many circumstances in which courts appropriately defer to the national security judgments of the Executive," Kelly wrote in his opinion. "But determining the scope of an APA exception is not one of them."Among the plaintiffs were advocacy groups for migrants as well as individual petitioners, who argued that the Trump administration policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act. Kelly wrote that the law generally allows asylum seekers to petition no matter what country they passed through.The Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling. However, it is unclear if the ruling will have any immediate effect because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on illegal immigration.U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has since mid-March returned almost all migrants caught crossing the border back to Mexico, fearing possible outbreaks of coronavirus in holding facilities. As a result, the pace of illegal immigration has drastically slowed during the pandemic. ICE has also refrained from arresting migrants who do not pose a public danger, and has not attempted arrests at health care facilities to allow migrants to receive medical care.
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| Column: Pete Buttigieg on running as a gay man and his struggles with Black voters Posted: 01 Jul 2020 04:28 PM PDT  'Nobody two years ago was saying who is going to jump into the millennial, Midwestern, gay mayor lane, right?': Pete Buttigieg on the doors he opened for the LGBTQ community — and the inroads he didn't make
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| Military Mystery: What Happened to Russia's New T-14 Tank in Syria? Posted: 01 Jul 2020 07:00 PM PDT  Last month multiple media reports suggested that the Russian military's new T-14 Armata tank had been "battle-tested" in Syria.
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| Kentucky election: Democrats flip state Senate seat held by Republicans for 25 years Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:05 AM PDT  Democrats have flipped a state Senate seat previously held by Republicans for the last 25 years.Dr Karen Berg won the special election for Kentucky's 26th Senate District after Republican Senator Ernie Harris announced he was retiring following 25 years in office. She beat Republican candidate Bill Ferko by 14 points.
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| Memphis police clear downtown plaza, detain protesters who camped out for two weeks Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Protesters have camped outside the Memphis City Hall since June 16. The city said the move was necessary to allow for construction.
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| Detroit man sentenced to life in prison for killing two gay men and a transgender woman Posted: 01 Jul 2020 11:46 AM PDT  19-year-old Devon Kareem Robinson's "actions were disturbing on so many levels," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
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| Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:21 AM PDT  Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation. Relations between the NATO members have soured over the Libya conflict, where Turkey supports the internationally recognised government and accuses Paris of backing the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar who tried to capture Tripoli. France denies backing Haftar's offensive on the capital, and accused Turkish warships of aggressive behaviour after its own warship tried to inspect a vessel in June that it suspected was violating a UN arms embargo on Libya.
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| Fox’s Neil Cavuto Grills GOP Rep Who Wants to Disband Coronavirus Task Force Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:05 PM PDT  Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto had an intense confrontation with Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) on Thursday over his demand that the White House coronavirus task force disband, calling the Trumpian congressman out over his home state's exploding COVID-19 cases and his own lack of health expertise.Biggs recently called for the Trump administration to scrap its pandemic task force over his belief that its public health experts, namely Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, were undermining President Donald Trump as the president pushes for the economy to continue to reopen.Interviewing Biggs on Thursday's broadcast of Your World with Neil Cavuto, the veteran Fox anchor—who has frequently been the target of the president's ire over his critical Trump coverage—immediately pressed Biggs on whether he thought masks could help stem the spread of coronavirus.Hospital Workers to 'Complacent' Americans: Stop Right Now"I have to tell you, I'm reticent to believe that if a mask works so well, then why is L.A. spiking and surging with COVID cases when they've had a mandatory mask regulation in effect for seven weeks now," the Arizona congressman replied. "There is no empirical evidence that that is the case."Cavuto, meanwhile, pointed out that while localities may have had mask ordinances, the issue may have been enforcement and getting residents to follow the guidelines. Biggs, however, insisted that the actual problem was that masks themselves aren't very effective, despite copious studies showing otherwise. "You don't think it has any benefit at all?" Cavuto shot back. In recent days, Republicans and even some of Trump's staunchest Fox allies have attempted to get the president to embrace mask-wearing to keep the economy open amid a spike in cases.The Fox host pivoted to Biggs' demand that the task force shutter, asking the Freedom Caucus chair whether or not he thought it was risky."No, I don't. I appreciate what the vice president has done and I think he is done a great job," he replied before criticizing Fauci, complaining that the top infectious disease expert has been "inconsistent" with his message.Cavuto, however, implored Biggs to "forget Dr. Fauci for a second" and think about what's happening in his home state, which is currently suffering from the worst coronavirus surge in the nation."You have hospitalizations and ICU bed use, the highest of this crisis," Cavuto exclaimed. "You are telling people to get rid of it? People are listening to you and you're saying we can ease up!"After Biggs accused the Fox anchor of "cherry-picking data," Cavuto retorted he was doing no such thing before accusing Biggs of just wanting to get rid of the commission because it is saying things he doesn't like.The far-right lawmaker argued that they were "undermining" Trump, prompting Cavuto to ask whether it was the president's job to have health experts he defers to. Biggs, meanwhile, downplayed Birx and Fauci's expertise by wondering aloud about when they last saw patients."When's the last time you have?" Cavuto snarked back."I'm not a trained physician," Biggs replied."But you're telling the ones who are to get out!" Cavuto shouted in response. "To get off the commission!"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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| Minnesota state senator reacts to city council members voting to disband police: ‘Hypocrisy’ Posted: 01 Jul 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka tells 'America's Newsroom' it's 'hypocritical' that the city council members want to defund the police, yet have their own protection.
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| LAPD funding slashed by $150M, reducing number of officers Posted: 01 Jul 2020 05:34 PM PDT  City leaders voted Wednesday to slash the Los Angeles Police Department budget by $150 million, reducing the number of officers to a level not seen for more than a decade amid nationwide demands to shift money away from law enforcement agencies during America's reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice. About two-thirds of the funding was earmarked for police overtime and will be used to provide services and programs for communities of color, including a youth summer jobs program. The City Council's 12-2 vote will drop the number of officers from 9,988 as of last month to 9,757 by next summer, abandoning a goal of 10,000 officers touted by political leaders and only reached in 2013.
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| Weibo deletes Indian Prime Minister's social media account Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:33 PM PDT  Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, said it had deleted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's account at the request of the Indian embassy, as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer over a border skirmish. Since posting on Sina Weibo the first time in 2015 during a visit to China, Mr Modi has been an infrequent user of the Chinese social media platform. He had more than 200,000 followers and 100 posts before the account was shut. Sina Weibo announced the closure of the account late on Wednesday and the removal comes a few days after India banned dozens of Chinese apps, including Sina Weibo and ByteDance's TikTok, following the border clash between the two nations. The Indian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. Mr Modi was among a handful of foreign leaders with a Weibo account. Others include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. Notably, Mr Modi revealed the birth dates of both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang by wishing them "Happy Birthday" on Weibo. The discussion of senior leaders' private lives is extremely rare in China and the exact birth dates of most of them are not revealed publicly. In contrast, Chinese leaders are rarely active on social media. Foreign social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China. READ MORE: China annexes 60sqkm of India in Ladakh as simmering tensions erupt between two superpowers
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| Coronavirus: The human cost of fake news in India Posted: 01 Jul 2020 05:19 AM PDT  False and misleading reports have surged in the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Sweden's prime minister orders an inquiry into the failure of the country's no-lockdown coronavirus strategy Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:44 AM PDT  The number of new COVID-19 cases in Sweden, where the government opted against a strict lockdown, has increased significantly in recent weeks.
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| The 1898 Wilmington Massacre Is an Essential Lesson in How State Violence Has Targeted Black Americans Posted: 01 Jul 2020 09:30 AM PDT  A coup by white supremacists in 1898 is a vital and sadly enduring lesson in how the state has long used violence against Black Americans.
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| Lindsey Graham Uses Benghazi to Defend Trump on Russian Bounties Posted: 02 Jul 2020 08:49 AM PDT  Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was among the loudest Republican voices in Congress screaming about the attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya back in 2012. But he apparently has no problem with President Donald Trump's decision to ignore intelligence about Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan. In fact, during a Thursday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, Graham actually used the Benghazi attack to defend Trump and accuse his Democratic colleagues of hypocrisy.After co-host Brian Kilmeade quoted Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who accused Trump of committing "treason," Graham fired back by asking: "Where were all these Democrats when Benghazi was on fire, when they were calling for help from the consulate? The president of the United States Obama was briefed and went to bed and never called anybody for a day and a half while our people were being slaughtered in Benghazi. Where was the outrage then?!" Graham went on to say that in his view the "conflicting intelligence" in this case "does not justify a nation stage conflict with Russia." He also defended Trump's apparent lack of knowledge about the bounties by saying, "You don't tell the president of the United States everything you would tell a second lieutenant!" Co-host Steve Doocy then gave Graham an assist by adding, "It should surprise anybody that it's a big story in The New York Times. I mean, that's what they do! They come up with these big stories to make Donald Trump look bad." "And it's all B.S.," Graham replied. "He wasn't briefed. And there was no consensus." While Trump may not have been verbally briefing about the bounties, the intelligence was reportedly in his Presidential Daily Briefing, which he apparently declined to read. Despite this, Graham said Trump has an "unwavering desire and commitment to protecting our troops on the ground." Fox & Friends ended its interview with Graham by asking about his recent golf outing with Trump. "Who won?" Doocy inquired."I've never seen him play this well," Graham said with a straight face as the co-hosts giggled. "I mean, he's got more on his shoulders—I'm hoping, OK, he's a little distracted. He beat me like a drum." Jake Tapper Exposes Pompeo, Graham and Giuliani's 'Stunning' HypocrisyRead 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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| U.S. says leaking nuclear waste dome is safe; Marshall Islands leaders don't believe it Posted: 01 Jul 2020 01:14 PM PDT  The DOE says that radioactive leakage from Runit Dome, a respository for U.S. atomic waste, is insignificant. Marshall Islands leaders are skeptical.
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| Analysts: Fire at Iran nuclear site hit centrifuge facility Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:08 AM PDT  A fire and an explosion struck a centrifuge production plant above Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility early Thursday, analysts said, one of the most-tightly guarded sites in all of the Islamic Republic after earlier acts of sabotage there. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran sought to downplay the fire, calling it an "incident" that only affected an under-construction "industrial shed," spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said. The fire threatened to rekindle wider tensions across the Middle East, similar to the escalation in January after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and Tehran launched a retaliatory ballistic missile attack targeting American forces in Iraq.
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| America's New B-21 Stealth Bomber Is Just Two-Years Away Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:01 PM PDT  These are much better than the older B-2s and should be ready in the early 2020s.
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| India opens vast railway network to private players Posted: 02 Jul 2020 04:20 AM PDT  India has opened up its vast railway sector to private companies, allowing firms to operate trains on certain routes, in a bid to boost its stuttering, virus-hit economy. The 167-year-old train network carries 20 million passengers daily but is plagued by deadly accidents, rickety infrastructure, lack of modern amenities and poor investment. In an announcement late Wednesday, the railway ministry said it would now permit businesses to run trains along 109 routes, inviting bids from firms weeks after New Delhi opened up coal mining to the private sector.
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| Rideau Hall: Canadian Armed Forces member arrested after breaching PM's estate Posted: 02 Jul 2020 05:44 PM PDT  Justin Trudeau was not home when a member of Canada's armed forces drove into Rideau Hall's gates.
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| Elephants are dying by the hundreds in Africa, experts say. Nobody knows why Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:19 PM PDT  "We need to know what the hell is going on."
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| 'Significant number' of people may have some natural immunity to coronavirus Posted: 01 Jul 2020 10:40 AM PDT  Large numbers of the population may have natural immunity against coronavirus even if they have never been infected, scientists believe. Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, who is leading an Oxford team to develop a vaccine, said there was likely to be a "background level" of protection for a "significant number of people". Recent studies have suggested the immune system can be primed by other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, giving the body a head start in fighting off Covid-19. Research shows that a separate part of the immune system, T-cells, respond to chains of amino acids produced by different types of coronaviruses and may be responsible for stopping the virus in people who never show symptoms. Crucially, those T-cells die off in older people, which may be why they are far more likely to develop a more serious illness. Speaking to the Commons science and technology select committee, Sir John said: "What seems clear is you do have cross-reaction from T-cells that are activated by standard endemic coronaviruses. I think they are present in quite a significant number of people.
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| Vietnam, Philippines denounce China military drills in disputed waters Posted: 02 Jul 2020 03:52 AM PDT  Vietnam and the Philippines on Thursday criticised China's holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China's exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were "highly provocative", while Vietnam's Foreign Ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be "detrimental" to Beijing's relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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| Trump reportedly briefed on Russia paying militants to kill US troops the same day he had a 45-minute meeting on the dramatized CPAC play 'FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers' Posted: 30 Jun 2020 09:01 PM PDT  President Donald Trump denies he was briefed on a Russian military intelligence unit paying Taliban-linked militants to kill US forces in Afghanistan.
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| Arizona Is in COVID Hell—and Forced to Go After Rogue Gyms Posted: 01 Jul 2020 03:01 PM PDT  Arizona set a record Wednesday for new coronavirus cases, and 90 percent of the state's ICU beds are filled. But that's not stopping some gym owners from ignoring new lockdown rules and opening for business—prompting Gov. Doug Ducey to launch a crackdown on rogue fitness fanatics.Ducey released an executive order Monday shutting down all bars, gyms, theaters, water parks, and inner tubing locations until at least July 27, calling the latest COVID-19 case numbers "brutal." It was a swift turnaround from his declaration earlier this month that he would not impose new restrictions despite the growing case numbers—and many gym owners weren't happy about it."If this is truly as bad as we are being told, I don't think health clubs closing tomorrow is going to solve the problem," Mountainside Fitness owner Tom Hatten said in a press conference, as the number of COVID-19 deaths in the state topped 1,600. "I don't think [ending] tubing is going to solve the problem. I don't think closing a movie theater that hasn't been open is going to solve the problem."Hatten has filed a lawsuit against the governor, claiming the order is a violation of his due process and equal protection rights. In the suit, he claimed to have purchased "state of the art sanitation equipment" and rearranged the gym facilities in order to keep customers safe, and said the governor's office had not provided a promised reauthorization form that would have let him reopen. At the press conference, Hatten called the order "arbitrary" and said businesses needed "clarity" from the government. On Tuesday, police hit a Scottsdale Mountainside Fitness location with a citation that could result in a fine of up to $2,500. A spokesperson for the governor's office told ABC15 that Ducey had spoken with police chiefs that day and told them to be more aggressive in enforcing the order.On Wednesday, the Arizona Liquor Department reportedly suspended two liquor licenses for the Biltmore location of Life Time Fitness, another gym franchise that refused to follow the governor's order. (In a statement, Life Time Fitness said it is "incredibly committed to our members, who have clearly indicated their desire to have uninterrupted access to the expansive array of health and entertainment services, amenities and programs we provide.")Reopening Gyms Early Is Tearing a South Florida City ApartThe ramped-up enforcement seemed to be having an effect on at least a few franchises. An employee at Desert Fitness, which posted on Facebook Tuesday that it would remain open, said the gym had decided to cease operations as of Wednesday morning. "It's either stay open and take the fines that they issue or go to court over it, and we are not willing to do either of those things," said the employee, Hunter, who declined to give his last name.Megan Burrola, the assistant manager at CycleBar in McCormick, said her studio had also decided to shut down as of Wednesday morning, after speaking with government and police officials. The cycling studio had initially tried to claim that its smaller size exempted it from the shutdown order, and Burrola said management was still pursuing that avenue."We're working with our legal team because we do believe we qualify as a more private boutique, not a fitness center," she said. A spokesperson for the governor said in a statement that the order was clear: "Gyms and other indoor fitness clubs or centers, regardless of size, shall pause operations until at least July 27." But a number of fitness destinations seemed set on staying open because of their smaller size. A PureBarre studio in North Scottsdale kept its doors open Wednesday, writing on Instagram that the studio's "small, 'boutique' setting" made the owners "confident in our ability to safely operate and remain open." (In a response to a comment from someone calling the decision "very disappointing," owner Marirose Weyand wrote that she would "like the negative comments and energy dismissed from this page." She did not respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment.)BodyVision Fitness, a gym in Glendale, also wrote on Facebook that it would stay open due to its classification as a "micro-gym." The company did not respond to calls and emails about who, exactly, had classified them as such.And an employee at the YogaSix studio in Scottsdale told The Daily Beast that her location had also resumed classes as of Wednesday morning. Five people showed up to that morning's class, where participants are not required to wear masks."We actually feel strongly that our boutique fitness studio concept doesn't fall under the category of a gym," said the employee, Heather, who declined to give her last name. "It's just such a safe space compared to restaurants that are still open and grocery stores and so many places that are still open," she continued, adding, "We're here for the wellness of our members."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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| Russian opposition denounces vote extending Putin's rule Posted: 02 Jul 2020 12:30 AM PDT  A vote that cleared the way for President Vladimir Putin to rule Russia until 2036 was denounced Thursday by his political opponents as a "Pyrrhic victory" that will only further erode his support and legitimacy. "We need internal stability and time for the reinforcing of the country, of all of its institutions," the 67-year-old Putin said in a televised statement. According to election officials, nearly 78% of voters approved the constitutional amendments in seven days of balloting that concluded Wednesday.
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| Florida Sheriff Says He Would "Deputize" Gun Owners If Protests Erupt Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:42 AM PDT 
A Florida sheriff said he would “deputize … every lawful gun owner in the county” if protests took place in the area. In a video posted on June 30, he said these “special deputies” would “stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility.” Sheriff Darryl Daniels added: “If you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second that we’ll bend our backs for you, you’re sadly mistaken.” In the video, posted to Facebook, he said, “We’ll protect your constitutional rights as long as you remain under the umbrella of peaceful protest.” He concluded: “If we can’t handle you … I’ll exercise the power and authority as the sheriff and I’ll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county, and I’ll deputize them to this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility.” Credit: Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Florida via Storyful
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| Yes, Iran Has a (Fake) Stealth Fighter Posted: 02 Jul 2020 09:34 AM PDT  A terrible fake.
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