| Trump says coronavirus will 'go away without a vaccine' Posted: 08 May 2020 12:51 PM PDT  President Trump on Friday broke with health experts, telling reporters that the coronavirus will "go away without a vaccine."
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| China 'shocked' by U.S. reversal on U.N. coronavirus action: diplomat Posted: 09 May 2020 02:16 PM PDT  China and the United States both supported a draft United Nations Security Council resolution confronting the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday and it was "shocking and regretful" that Washington changed its mind on Friday, a Chinese diplomat said. A U.S. diplomat refuted the Chinese comment, saying there was no U.S. agreement on the text. For more than six weeks the 15-member council has been trying to agree on a text that ultimately aims to back a March 23 call by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres for a ceasefire in global conflicts so the world can focus on the pandemic.
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| Reade responds to skeptics and calls on Biden to drop out Posted: 09 May 2020 05:23 AM PDT  Reade discussed her sexual assault allegation against Biden in an interview with Megyn Kelly Thursday.
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| Chaffetz: I don't understand why Adam Schiff continues to have a security clearance Posted: 08 May 2020 11:43 AM PDT  Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz and Andy McCarthy react to House Intelligence transcripts on Russia probe.
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| India uses drones to disinfect virus hotspot as cases surge Posted: 09 May 2020 08:19 AM PDT  Indian authorities used drones and fire engines to disinfect the pandemic-hit city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, as virus cases surged and police clashed with migrant workers protesting against a reinforced lockdown. The western city of 5.5 million people in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state has become a major concern for authorities as they battle an uptick in coronavirus deaths and cases across India.
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| Hong Kong Lawmakers Physically Fight for Control of Chair of Key Committee Posted: 08 May 2020 03:28 AM PDT  It's the latest sign that tensions over Beijing's role in the in the former British colony are rising once again
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| Almost 12,000 meatpacking and food plant workers have reportedly contracted COVID-19. At least 48 have died. Posted: 08 May 2020 09:21 AM PDT  The infections and deaths are spread across roughly two farms and 189 meat and processed food factories.
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| Trump calls Ahmaud Arbery killing 'very disturbing' but says he trusts Georgia justice Posted: 08 May 2020 10:15 AM PDT  President Trump said he had watched the video of Ahmaud Arbery being shot and found it "heartbreaking," but he has confidence in the Georgia legal system.
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| Plastic shields in place, Dutch schools to reopen amid coronavirus Posted: 08 May 2020 08:15 AM PDT  At the Springplank school in the Dutch city of Den Bosch, staff have installed plastic shields around students' desks and disinfectant gel dispensers at the doorways as part of preparations to reopen amid the country's coronavirus outbreak. New infections in the Netherlands have been declining for weeks, and the government on Wednesday announced a schedule to relax some of its lockdown measures, with elementary schools to reopen on May 11. "Our teachers are not worried," said Rascha van der Sluijs, the school's technical coordinator.
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| Coronavirus: Chinese official admits health system weaknesses Posted: 09 May 2020 08:02 AM PDT  China says it will improve public health systems after criticism of its early response to the virus.
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| Meet the Ohio health expert who has a fan club — and Republicans trying to stop her Posted: 09 May 2020 02:04 AM PDT  Some Buckeyes are not comfortable being told by a "woman in power" to quarantine, one expert said.
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| US accuses China, Russia of coordinating on virus conspiracies Posted: 08 May 2020 05:21 PM PDT  The United States on Friday accused China and Russia of stepping up cooperation to spread false narratives over the coronavirus pandemic, saying Beijing was increasingly adopting techniques honed by Moscow. "Even before the COVID-19 crisis we assessed a certain level of coordination between Russia and the PRC in the realm of propaganda," said Lea Gabrielle, coordinator of the State Department's Global Engagement Center, which tracks foreign propaganda. The Global Engagement Center earlier said thousands of Russian-linked social media accounts were spreading conspiracies about the pandemic, including charging that the virus first detected last year in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan was created by the United States.
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| Was the coronavirus made in a Wuhan lab? Here's what the genetic evidence shows Posted: 09 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Despite President Trump's statements that the coronavirus was released from a laboratory in Wuhan, scientist say the evidence points to a natural origin.
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| Elon Musk says Tesla will 'immediately' leave California after coronavirus shutdowns forced the company to close its main car factory Posted: 09 May 2020 10:34 AM PDT  In a tweet Saturday morning, Tesla's chief executive said it would file a lawsuit against county officials over not being able to run its factory.
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| How one doctor is fighting coronavirus — and Trump Posted: 08 May 2020 03:21 PM PDT  A 37-year-old doctor and Texas native is running to replace a pro-Trump conservative in the House of Representatives. He is one of several doctors who are running for Congress and seeking to protect Obamacare.
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| What we know about community where Ahmaud Arbery was shot: 911 caller reported 'black guy' on property Posted: 09 May 2020 04:29 AM PDT  Local officials say the community is shocked that racism could have fueled the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
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| Missing Idaho kids' uncle died of blood clot in Arizona Posted: 08 May 2020 03:14 PM PDT  A pulmonary blood clot killed the brother of an Idaho woman who's facing charges in the disappearance of her children — a case that attracted worldwide attention with revelations of her doomsday beliefs and connection to three mysterious deaths. Autopsy and toxicology reports were released Friday for Alex Cox, who died in Arizona in December. In July, Cox fatally shot his sister's estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in what he said was self-defense.
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| Coronavirus: China offers to help North Korea fight pandemic Posted: 09 May 2020 06:12 AM PDT  President Xi Jinping expresses concern about the threat to its neighbour, and offers to help.
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| Reopened restaurant tells workers: Don't wear face masks — or don't work Posted: 09 May 2020 04:51 AM PDT  Restaurant workers in a reopened Dallas eatery say they are being asked to weigh their safety against their jobs.
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| Pakistanis crowd markets as virus lockdown eased Posted: 09 May 2020 08:16 AM PDT  Pakistanis crowded markets on Saturday after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was eased, despite the country declaring its second highest daily infection toll. Prime Minister Imran Khan has allowed businesses to reopen in phases from the weekend, citing the economic havoc the virus restrictions have wreaked on the improvised nation. In the garrison city of Rawalpindi, thousands of shoppers were preparing for Eid, which follows the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with many flouting social distancing rules and advice to wear masks.
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| Trump donor and lawyer to represent Biden's accuser Posted: 08 May 2020 08:13 AM PDT  The former Senate staffer, who is accusing Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her 27 years ago, is being represented by a lawyer who is also a donor to President Trump.
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| CNN legal analysts say Barr dropping the Flynn case shows 'the fix was in.' Barr says winners write history. Posted: 08 May 2020 05:23 AM PDT  The Justice Department announced Thursday that it is dropping its criminal case against President Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn twice admitted in court he lied to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's U.S. ambassador, and then cooperated in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. It was an unusual move by the Justice Department, and CNN's legal and political analysts smelled a rat."Attorney General [William] Barr is already being accused of creating a special justice system just for President Trump's friends," and this will only feed that perception, CNN's Jake Tapper suggested. Political correspondent Sara Murray agreed, noting that the prosecutor in the case, Brandon Van Grack, withdrew right before the Justice Department submitted its filing, just like when Barr intervened to request a reduced sentence for Roger Stone.National security correspondent Jim Sciutto laid out several reason why the substance of Flynn's admitted lie was a big deal, and chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was appalled. "It is one of the most incredible legal documents I have read, and certainly something that I never expected to see from the United States Department of Justice," Toobin said. "The idea that the Justice Department would invent an argument -- an argument that the judge in this case has already rejected -- and say that's a basis for dropping a case where a defendant admitted his guilt shows that this is a case where the fix was in."Barr told CBS News' Cathrine Herridge on Thursday that dropping Flynn's case actually "sends the message that there is one standard of justice in this country." Herridge told Barr he would take flak for this, asking: "When history looks back on this decision, how do you think it will be written?" Barr laughed: "Well, history's written by the winners. So it largely depends on who's writing the history." Watch below. More stories from theweek.com The U.S. reportedly didn't take up a January offer that would have led to the production of 1.7 million masks per week 7 scathing cartoons about America's rush to reopen Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer
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| Venezuela says troops seize abandoned Colombian combat boats, weapons Posted: 09 May 2020 11:04 AM PDT |
| Russian volunteers search for fallen World War II soldiers Posted: 09 May 2020 12:09 AM PDT  Abayev and members of his search team rummage the steppe for remains of the Red Army soldiers who fell in the autumn of 1942 in fierce fighting with Nazi troops pushing toward the Caspian Sea south of Stalingrad. Stiff resistance by the Red Army stopped the Wehrmacht onslaught in the steppes of Kalmykia, and months later the enemy's forces were encircled in Stalingrad and surrendered, a major defeat for the Nazis that marked a turning point in World War II.
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| New York City is readying 1,200 hotel rooms with laundry service and meals as part of the city's coronavirus testing and tracing efforts Posted: 09 May 2020 03:13 PM PDT  The New York City coronavirus "test and trace corps" will begin by June. People living in cramped spaces who are COVID-exposed will be sent to hotels.
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| Indian migrant deaths: 16 sleeping workers run over by train Posted: 08 May 2020 01:02 AM PDT  The workers fell asleep on the tracks while trying to make their way home during India's lockdown.
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| Rapper Tekashi69 smashes Instagram live record with post-prison boast Posted: 08 May 2020 02:38 PM PDT  Fresh out of prison and in home confinement, rapper Tekashi69 destroyed the Instagram live viewership record, as two million users watched him sound off, diss the haters and promote a new song. It was a birthday party rant of sorts for the braggadocious star who turned 24 Friday, weeks after his early release from prison due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Tekashi was sentenced in December to two years in prison on racketeering, firearms and drug trafficking charges.
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| Off-duty officer body slams Walmart shopper irate over face mask rule Posted: 07 May 2020 07:28 PM PDT  The officer used a "takedown measure" to gain control of the woman because of "other threat factors in the store," a police official said.
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| FDA authorizes first coronavirus antigen test Posted: 09 May 2020 01:21 PM PDT  The test, which involves swabbing the inside of the nose, can produce results in minutes.
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| Pence aimed to project normalcy during his trip to Iowa, but coronavirus got in the way Posted: 08 May 2020 06:35 PM PDT  Vice President Pence's trip to Iowa shows how the Trump administration's aims to move past coronavirus are sometimes complicated by the virus itself.
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| Barr consumed by Mueller's investigation of Trump since Day One Posted: 08 May 2020 10:50 AM PDT  The AG has been consistent in his view that the FBI's investigation of the president's 2016 campaign was overzealous.
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| You Touch Public Surfaces All Day. Here's How to Stay Safe From Coronavirus. Posted: 08 May 2020 09:39 AM PDT  From the moment COVID-19 started spreading in the U.S., you probably heard recommendations to wash your hands after contact with what are called high-touch surfaces: elevator buttons, public fauc...
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| US lawmakers blast five large corporations for taking $50 million meant for small businesses. Only one is returning the money. Posted: 09 May 2020 09:34 AM PDT  Collectively, the five companies singled out by a House committee took $50 million in small business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program.
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| Train kills 15 migrant workers walking home in India Posted: 07 May 2020 09:56 PM PDT  A train in India on Friday plowed through a group of migrant workers who fell asleep on the tracks after walking back home from a coronavirus lockdown, killing 15, the Railways Ministry said. Early this week the government started running trains to carry stranded workers to their home states.
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| Remembering the firing of FBI director James Comey, three years ago this month Posted: 08 May 2020 08:04 PM PDT  Three years ago this month, FBI director James Comey was fired by President Trump, throwing the nation into political turmoil. CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge and CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett join CBSN to discuss how Comey's firing has influenced the past three years, and what the DOJ's move to dismiss the Michael Flynn case will mean for the future.
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| Troops deployed in Indian state as coronavirus cases surge Posted: 08 May 2020 07:01 AM PDT  Hundreds of paramilitary forces have been deployed in coronavirus-hotspot Gujarat state as India on Friday faced a surge in the number of deaths and infections from the outbreak. Official data show the deadly disease is taking a growing toll in the country of 1.3 billion people even as it begins to emerge from the world's largest lockdown. India had 56,000 cases including 1,886 fatalities as of Friday, official figures showed.
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| New Zealand says it backs Taiwan's role in WHO due to success with coronavirus Posted: 07 May 2020 08:20 PM PDT |
| Biden's lead over Trump widens – but strain on his virtual campaign grows Posted: 09 May 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Coronavirus has robbed the Democrat of his typical back-slapping approach as he faces growing scrutiny and a third-party challengeThe Tampa, Florida, rally for Joe Biden on Thursday evening began as it normally might have, before a once-in-a-century pandemic transformed all aspects of American life, including the presidential campaign. A local high school student recited the pledge of allegiance, a campaign organizer pleaded with supporters to volunteer and a local DJ spun R&B music between speakers.But in a sign of how profoundly the coronavirus crisis has reshaped American politics, that was where the similarities ended.With much of the US still in lockdown, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has been forced to take his campaign to unseat Donald Trump online. It has not always been easy.His campaign's first attempt to recreate a traditional rally – part of a virtual swing through the battleground state of Florida – was later described by his opponents as an "unmitigated technological failure". The video stream was glitchy and pixelated. The audio was choppy, rendering some remarks nearly incomprehensible. And there were lengthy delays between speakers and at one point, the feed went dark for several minutes."Am I on?" asked Biden, beaming into the telecast from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has been isolated since the middle of March. An off-camera voice replied that he was. Biden removed a pair of aviator sunglasses as he walked toward the camera."Good evening, Tampa. Thanks so much for tuning in," he continued, a hint of irritation in his voice. "I wish we could have done this together – and it had gone a little more smoothly."For nearly two months, Biden has been the test subject in a novel political experiment: running for president in the age of Covid-19.Social distancing restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus have already starved the campaign of a victory tour to mark his ascent to the Democratic nomination. It may well deny Democrats the chance to formally nominate him in person at the party's national convention this summer. Endorsements from former rivals and party leaders occur online to varying degrees of fanfare. . The remote set-up, anathema to Biden's back-slapping, glad-handing approach to politics, has left the candidate walled off from voters and competing for visibility.Yet, technical difficulties aside, his campaign of confinement seems to be working.In recent weeks, Biden has widened his lead over Trump as the president's support slips amid growing disapproval of his response to the pandemic. Surveys from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina and Arizona – key battlegrounds that Trump won in 2016 – show Biden ahead. At a recent virtual fundraiser last week, Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, his new campaign manager, expressed optimism about Biden's prospects in Florida and Arizona."The natural state of this race is to be a referendum on Donald Trump and every time Donald Trump steps to the microphone he hurts himself," said Mark Mellman, a veteran Democratic pollster. "That's a pretty good position for Joe Biden to be in."Biden initially struggled to adapt to his cloistered reality. In March, the campaign turned a recreation room in the basement of his home into a studio, though not fast enough for his critics, who launched a "Where's Joe" campaign to mark the candidate's relative disappearance from the national stage.But since then, Biden has been busy. Nearly every day he makes appearances on local TV news channels or national talkshows. He launched a podcast, where he has hosted conversations with prominent Democratic governors and potential vice-presidential candidates. He spends time each day speaking with a voter – a frontline worker, campaign volunteers – and he participated in what the campaign billed as a "virtual rope line"."So what's up?" he said to Ashley Ruiz of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of several voters on the rope line. "Tell me about your situation, Ash."•••Biden's rise in the polls comes as he contends with an allegation from Tara Reade, a former aide in his Senate office who accused him of sexual assault in 1993. In an interview this week with Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News and NBC television host, Reade said he should withdraw from the presidential race.Biden has forcefully denied the allegation. "It's not true, I am saying unequivocally. It never, never happened," he said last week, in an interview addressing her claim for the first time publicly.Publicly, Democrats, including prominent MeToo advocates, have rallied around Biden, though privately some in the party have expressed concern about the continuous drip of reporting on the matter.So far the allegation appears to have marginally dented his reputation, but not his lead. Most voters – 86% – are aware of the allegation, according to a Monmouth poll, which found the electorate divided over whether they viewed the claim as credible. At the same time, the poll showed Biden nine points ahead of Trump.Despite Trump's falling electoral fortunes, many Democrats remain anxious about Biden's position – and his strategy.David Axelrod and David Plouffe, two of Barack Obama's top campaign strategists, implored Biden's campaign to expand its digital footprint in a joint New York Times op-ed that compared the atmospherics of the candidate's home videos to "an astronaut beaming back to earth from the International Space Station"."Online speeches from his basement won't cut it," they wrote.Lis Smith, the former top adviser to Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign, followed with an op-ed on Thursday that offered a blueprint for turning Biden into the "hottest bad boy and disrupter in the media game". She suggested his campaign use TV appearances and digital content to highlight Biden's empathy, a trait even supporters say the president has lacked in response to the rising coronavirus death toll.Part of the campaign's evolving digital strategy includes partnering with groups that already have an online presence, like JoeMamas2020, a national coalition of "moms, caregivers, moms to be, aunts & all the parental figures in between" with about 27,000 Facebook and 1,200 Twitter followers. The group has helped amplify Biden's appearances and policy proposals while spreading the word about upcoming events.Julie Zebrak, the group's co-founder, said the online army is growing with women energized to help elect a candidate who promises to restore stability and calm after four years of what Trump's critics view as chaos and controversy."We are all extremely enthusiastic for Joe Biden to beat Donald Trump," she said.Yet the same traits that endear Biden to a growing coalition of suburban women and Never Trump Republicans have largely failed to excite younger, progressive voters. It's not that they prefer Trump – they don't – but a lack of enthusiasm among those voters could spell trouble in November if they stay home or vote for a third-party candidate.The campaign has also ramped up its outreach to young people, who overwhelmingly supported Biden's rival Bernie Sanders. On Friday, Biden presented his economic pitch in an appearance on NowThis, a social-media-heavy news outlet with a young, progressive audience."This crisis hit harder and will last longer because Donald Trump spent the last three years undermining the core pillars of our economic strength," Biden said in remarks that attacked Trump's stimulus efforts a kind of "cronyism" and corporate welfare. Before he began speaking, Biden removed a face mask, a pointed rebuke of the president who had refused to wear one.Still, new research conducted on behalf of NextGen America found many young people weren't convinced Biden's policies meet the scale of the challenges bearing down on their generation.This makes the efforts of groups like Progressive Turnout Project, which endorsed him this week, all the more important. In the coming months, the group is investing more than $52m to turn out low-propensity Democratic voters – including young people and people of color – in 17 key battleground states."The best thing we can do is go and knock on doors and have face-to-face conversations with voters," said Alex Morgan, the group's executive director. "We are still looking to do that. But it'll be knocking on that door and then taking a few big steps back and having a more distant conversation."•••Biden's campaign also faces another looming threat. The Michigan congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican party last year after voting to impeach Trump, recently announced that he would seek the Libertarian party nomination.His entrance has alarmed Democrats, who fear he could siphon off Never Trump voters who might otherwise back Biden, particularly in Amash's home state of Michigan, where third-party candidates pulled away a combined 5% of the vote share in 2016. Hillary Clinton lost the state by just 10,704 votes, less than 0.25%.Many Democrats believe Biden's fate may well rest on his ability to persuade their own side to vote."Trump has shown no desire or ability to moderate for those swing voters in this election," said Addisu Demissie, who served as Cory Booker's presidential campaign manager. "So those voters are now likely going to end up either Biden voters or non-voters or third-party voters, and that's the competition."This week, Trump traveled to the battleground state of Arizona, where he toured a medical mask facility without wearing one himself. The visit was a symbolic show of his administration's push to reopen the US economy but there were unmistakable elements of his signature campaign rallies, including the music that played when Trump finished his remarks (the Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want).Trump's cross-country venture stood in striking contrast to Biden's virtual swing through Florida – which included a rally, a roundtable in Jacksonville and an appearance on the local news in Tampa. The technical glitches only further highlighted the limitations of his confinement.But the coronavirus has also upended Trump's strategy, erasing the booming economy he has made a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. In recent weeks, his campaign has all but abandoned championing the president's leadership, instead focusing its efforts on diminishing Biden.Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, previewed the onslaught on Twitter this week, comparing the Trump re-election juggernaut to the Death Star from the Star Wars movies. "In a few days we start pressing FIRE for the first time," he wrote.As Trump prepares to make even greater use of the advantages of incumbency, Biden faces his biggest test yet. Can he really lead a Rebel Alliance from his basement?
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| Suspect in 3 Houston killings arrested, charged with murder Posted: 07 May 2020 11:19 PM PDT  Joshua Kelsey, 35, was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the three killings.
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| Indianapolis police say Sean Reed was fatally shot in exchange of gunfire after officer's taser was 'ineffective' Posted: 07 May 2020 09:49 PM PDT  Indianapolis police released more information on Thursday night about an exchange of gunfire that led to the shooting death of Sean Reed.
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| McDonald's drive-throughs are 'made for social distancing', says Eustice as he hints at a return of takeaways Posted: 07 May 2020 06:38 PM PDT  If lockdown is to continue, we should be trusted to know the real reasons why Care home cases drive up coronavirus reproductive rate, denting hopes of easing lockdown Coronavirus lockdown to be reviewed every two weeks Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for seven days Telegraph Coronavirus Appeal: Join us in helping those hit hardest George Eustice has told the country not to expect any "dramatic changes" from the Prime Minister's Sunday address, as he urged people to keep to the lockdown on another sunny bank holiday weekend. But the Environment Secretary said that "food to go" outlets were being encouraged to reopen, describing McDonald's drive-throughs as "made for the social distancing situation we are in". He also hinted that the Government may change its ruling on funerals. But he failed to answer questions about the splits emerging in the four-nation handling of the coronavirus crisis, with Wales and Scotland announcing different routes out of lockdown. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said garden centres would allowed to re-open in Wales on Monday, as part of a "modest" lifting of lockdown. People will also be able to exercise more than once a day in Wales and institutions including libraries and recycling centres are putting together plans to safely reopen. But Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Holyrood is keeping the lockdown in place, with the only option "under consideration" that of more outdoors exercise. She said Scotland's R-rate was higher than in other parts of the country. Boris Johnson is due to set out his roadmap on Sunday. Follow the latest below.
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| A Wisconsin chief justice faced backlash for blaming a county's coronavirus outbreak on meatpacking employees, not 'regular folks' Posted: 07 May 2020 09:35 PM PDT  Chief Justice Patience Roggensack faced backlash for her comment, with some people calling it "elitist" to separate meatpackers from "regular folks."
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