| Seattle police investigate new shooting near autonomous zone Posted: 23 Jun 2020 02:01 AM PDT  Police tweeted the shooting took place on the edge of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP), or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, where demonstrators set up a police-free zone in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody. A man was taken to Harborview Medical Center at 5 a.m. after being shot near Cal Anderson Park and was in satisfactory condition, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said. There have been no reports indicating that the shooting on the edge of Cal Anderson Park was related to the occupation zone.
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| Bill Barr Gives House Dems an Extended Middle Finger and They’re Not Quite Sure How to React Posted: 23 Jun 2020 12:49 AM PDT  To some House Democrats, it's almost as if Attorney General Bill Barr lives to troll them. Late Friday night, Barr sent his latest shockwave through the political world by announcing that the New York-based prosecutor who is conducting some of the most sensitive investigations into President Trump and his inner circle would be stepping down and replaced by a Trump appointee. That move came weeks after Barr reportedly personally oversaw the clearing of Black Lives Matter protesters from the White House with tear gas. Before that, his Department of Justice dropped the criminal case against Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser who had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia in 2016. And before that, the DOJ prosecutors on Roger Stone's case resigned en masse when DOJ brass scuttled their sentencing recommendation and forced a more generous one. Beyond that, Barr has ignored subpoenas for his testimony before House lawmakers, and he has indefinitely blown off a date—scheduled for March and later postponed to June—to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Bill Barr Has Pie on His Face, and One More Trick Up His Sleeve With John Durham's October SurpriseThe attorney general's pronounced and extremely extended middle finger has put House Democrats in a bind, caught between a desire from some to pursue the most aggressive options available to counter Barr—including impeaching him—and concerns from another wing of the party that is wary of the political costs of aggressively going after an administration they believe is headed for defeat in November anyway.Attempting to navigate this dilemma yet again is Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the Judiciary Chairman tasked most directly with overseeing the Department of Justice. Appearing on CNN on Sunday, Nadler dismissed the notion of impeaching the attorney general—an idea championed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and entertained by members of his own committee—as a "waste of time" because the "corrupt" GOP-held Senate wouldn't remove Barr from office. Nadler told Jake Tapper that the committee would pursue other tactics, like advancing legislation that aims to decrease funding to his office. And on Monday, Axios reported that the chairman would move to subpoena Barr for testimony on July 2. But Nadler's dismissal of impeachment landed poorly among some members of his own party, including members of Judiciary, who have said they would like to see the entire oversight toolbox on the table. Impeachment is a power Congress retains, though one it has used exceedingly rarely. But, these members argue, the times call for extraordinary reactions. "It's possible he's going to keep engaging in outrageous conduct," Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), a Judiciary member, told The Daily Beast. "We are going to keep investigating Bill Barr's outrageous conduct and see what we uncover… I wouldn't foreclose any options before we have even really started an investigation."On a call Monday evening, staffers on the Judiciary Committee discussed options for how to move forward with respect to Barr. While some advocated for taking more aggressive actions for getting him in front of Congress, others said going after the attorney general would expend too many resources. In general, some Democrats close to the Judiciary Committee have come away with the impression that leadership at the committee and the caucus believe that they don't have time to impeach Barr before November's election.House Democrats are all too familiar with the challenge of conducting oversight of an administration that rejects it alongside a Senate that is run by a Republican Party that doesn't seem particularly interested in it. But the brazenness of Barr's recent moves, and of his disregard for House Democrats' oversight in general, has put pressure on them to demonstrate they understand the urgency of the moment—if only for setting benchmarks about acceptable conduct."Bill Barr is not on the ballot," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), an early supporter of Trump's impeachment. "This is not about a presidential election, it's about the rule of law… our oath of office just compels us to do our job. That job starts with the investigation. If it highlights impeachable conduct, we should follow that path, without fear or favor."Bill Barr's Above the Law. The Only Answer Is to Impeach Him. Many Democrats believe Barr's abrupt Friday night announcement about changes at the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York were a dangerous new low, even for an official whose conduct has alarmed them for over a year. Up to that point, Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney, had been conducting investigations that have rattled Trumpworld—including probes into Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, that have the potential to surface potentially damaging new information.After Barr announced Berman would be replaced with Securities and Exchange Commissioner Jay Clayton, a lawyer who Trump appointed, Berman shot back saying he wouldn't leave office until the Senate had confirmed a successor. On Saturday, Barr announced that Berman was formally being fired by the president and that his deputy would take his place.After seeing the news break on Friday night, Lieu said that it crossed his mind immediately that SDNY must have been working on "one or more investigations or cases that Donald Trump does not want to come to light." He and other lawmakers believe that Berman would be open to testifying before Congress about why he may have been sacked. Even prior to the latest episode, Nadler had scheduled a Wednesday hearing in House Judiciary about politicization at DOJ—which will feature two former prosecutors. The chairman floated on CNN that Berman may testify then, but no such appearance has been announced yet. "The most important thing is we immediately get to the bottom of what happened here," said Huffman. "If it's every bit as craven as it looks, people might take a second look at impeachment. Even though Chairman Nadler has been a bit dismissive of that, things have a way of changing if the facts present themselves so irrefutably."The tensions that Nadler confronts over how to handle Barr are neither new nor novel. During the Obama years, House Republicans demanded the impeachment of then-Attorney General Eric Holder for what they argued was his failure to comply with oversight requests related to the investigation into the Fast and Furious gun running probe. Amid pushback from leadership, they ultimately settled on holding Holder in contempt of Congress.In the run-up to Trump's own impeachment, meanwhile, it was members of the Judiciary Committee, along with the more progressive members of the caucus, who pushed for removal of the president while party leaders, and more vulnerable lawmakers, warned about the possible political costs. The Ukraine revelations in September ultimately shook that stalemate loose and launched the impeachment inquiry. But it seems like that internal caucus tension remains.Privately, a faction of the party has warned that the impeachment process showed that Democrats' oversight efforts would amount to little until Trump was defeated, or they flipped control of the Senate, or both. Publicly, lawmakers like Huffman and Lieu say it would be reckless to rule any remedy out. "I know Congress doesn't want to take it on, but it's a really big deal," said Molly Claflin, a former Senate Democratic staffer for the Russia investigation and now an attorney with the watchdog group American Oversight. "I know Chairman Nadler is saying impeachment is a waste of time, Democrats are tired, and that oversight space has shrunk because this administration doesn't cooperate, but I believe this view takes a shortsighted view of the role of Congress.""Congress is acting as if the end of the impeachment trial, or the election in five months, means the end of oversight into Trump," she went on. "We may have four more months or four more years of Trump, but Congress has a responsibility to get to the truth."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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| The Best Drones for Any Budget and Pilot Posted: 23 Jun 2020 11:22 AM PDT |
| Germany's coronavirus infection rate has surged after 1,300 workers in a meat factory tested positive for COVID-19 Posted: 22 Jun 2020 05:05 AM PDT  Germany's R rate has surged to 2.88, meaning the number of coronavirus cases has risen quickly in the last four days.
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| Coronavirus: Newborn Mexican triplets test positive in 'unprecedented' case Posted: 23 Jun 2020 01:26 AM PDT  Experts are investigating whether coronavirus could have been passed through the mother's placenta.
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| Conservative Democrat could win primary in U.S.' bluest district Posted: 22 Jun 2020 09:47 PM PDT  Rubén Díaz Sr. could emerge victorious from a large, divided field.
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| Did Russia Just Send a Submarine Through the Bosphorus? Posted: 23 Jun 2020 10:59 AM PDT  Social media is buzzing that a Russian Kilo-class submarine might have just passed through the strait, violating a nearly 80-year-old-treaty.
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| 'Astonishing' giant circle of pits found near Stonehenge Posted: 22 Jun 2020 12:06 AM PDT  Archaeologists have discovered a wide circle of deep pits surrounding an ancient settlement near Stonehenge, opening up new lines of investigation into the origins and meaning of the mysterious, prehistoric monument. The new discovery, by a team of archaeologists from several universities, shows a 2-km (1.2-mile) wide circle of shafts surrounding a settlement at Durrington Walls, which also included a henge, or circular structure, made of timber posts. The site is located about 3.2 km northeast of Stonehenge and evidence suggests the pits date back to the same period, some 4,500 years ago.
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| Defense lawyers seek more investigations into MH17 downing Posted: 22 Jun 2020 05:40 AM PDT |
| Protesters join class-action lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department alleging they were shot in the head or torso by projectiles Posted: 22 Jun 2020 11:07 PM PDT  A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles accuses police of using excessive force against protesters.
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| 'Like gasoline and fire': Former friend speaks out about Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell Posted: 22 Jun 2020 02:03 PM PDT  "I saw him as the hand and her as the puppet on that hand," Melanie Gibb said. "They were both like gasoline and fire. Not a good match."
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| Seattle to end police-free protest zone after shootings Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Mayor Jenny Durkan says the violence is "increasingly difficult" for businesses and residents.
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| Saudi leadership pressures former intelligence official’s family, seeks access to documents Posted: 23 Jun 2020 02:40 AM PDT  As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved to tighten his grip on power over the past few years, detaining senior royals and opponents, one person has eluded him: a former top-ranking intelligence official who was close to a key rival to the throne. In recent months, the crown prince -- known by the initials MbS -- has increased pressure on relatives of Saad al-Jabri, including detaining his adult children, to try to force his return to the kingdom from exile in Canada, the former intelligence official's family say. In the crown prince's sights are documents Jabri has access to that contain sensitive information, according to four people with knowledge of the situation.
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| Anti-racism protests turn spotlight on icons of US history Posted: 23 Jun 2020 08:47 AM PDT  As the wave of anti-racism protests rocking the United States brings down monuments to figures linked to the country's history of slavery, the spotlight is shifting to other prominent people long considered untouchable. Although protesters initially focused on removing statues of Confederate generals, the movement has begun to turn its focus to icons of US history, including the nation's founders Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and President Theodore Roosevelt. On Monday night, it was the turn of Andrew Jackson, the populist slaveholding soldier-president admired by US President Donald Trump.
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| Protesters fail to bring down Andrew Jackson statue near White House Posted: 22 Jun 2020 07:09 PM PDT  Protesters tried tearing down a statue of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, in a park near the White House on Monday, scrawling "killer scum" on its pedestal and pulling on the monument with ropes before police intervened. The confrontation unfolded in Lafayette Square, where crowds peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer were forcibly displaced three weeks ago to make way for staged photos of President Trump holding up a bible in front of a nearby church. The thwarted effort to topple the famed bronze likeness of Jackson astride a rearing horse was the latest bid, in protests fuelled by Floyd's death, to destroy monuments of historical figures considered racist or divisive.
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| Roger Stone says he'll seek delay to start of prison sentence Posted: 22 Jun 2020 06:12 AM PDT  Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February.
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| Royal Caribbean, MSC, Carnival Cruise Line extend sailing suspensions into fall Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:12 AM PDT  Royal Caribbean will extend its sailing suspension through Sept. 15. Carnival Cruise Line will extend its pause in North America through Sept. 30.
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| Backlash to Asian American wife in Floyd case reveals disturbing truth Posted: 22 Jun 2020 05:19 AM PDT  Remarks about the Chauvins' interracial marriage come from historical emasculation of Asian men and fetishization of Asian women, experts say.
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| Modi is standing aside as China seizes our land, says furious BJP politician from border region Posted: 23 Jun 2020 12:26 PM PDT  India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been accused of standing aside while China seizes swathes of territory in the border regions, in a rare and explosive attack from within his own party. Anger has been mounting in the nation of 1.4 billion since it was revealed that Chinese troops annexed 60 square kilometres of land in Ladakh in early May. At least 23 Indian soldiers were killed in brutal hand-to-hand fighting in the Galwan Valley as they attempted to uproot the ad-hoc Chinese settlement last week. Now Urgain Chodon, a councillor for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Ladakh, has told the Telegraph that China has occupied far more land than previously disclosed - and that the government has turned a blind eye. "There is a lot of land which has been annexed by China, not only this time in the Galwan Valley but all along the LAC [Line of Actual Control]," Ms Chodon, who represents eight border villages, said.
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| Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro ordered to wear mask in public Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:56 AM PDT  The Brazilian leader has belittled the risk posed by coronavirus and attended anti-lockdown rallies.
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| Powerful earthquake shakes southern Mexico, at least 5 dead Posted: 23 Jun 2020 08:46 AM PDT  A powerful earthquake centered near the southern Mexico resort of Huatulco on Tuesday killed at least five people, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent thousands fleeing into the streets. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said one person was killed in a building collapse in Huatulco, Oaxaca. Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat said a second person was killed in an apparent house collapse in the mountain village of San Juan Ozolotepec and a third died in circumstances he did not explain.
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| Trump is about to hold a 3,000-person rally in a city where experts say people are already acting like the coronavirus doesn't exist Posted: 23 Jun 2020 03:08 PM PDT  The infection rate, lack of masks, and arrival of thousands of attendees have Arizona doctors concerned the rally could be a superspreader event.
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| Sirte: Kadhafi birthplace targeted in Libya conflict Posted: 23 Jun 2020 03:27 AM PDT  Libya's coastal city of Sirte, hometown of ex-dictator Moamer Kadhafi and a strategic gateway to oil export ports, is now at the centre of tensions between rival forces and regional powers. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday that Sirte and Al-Jufra to the south represent a "red line" which Turkey-backed forces should not cross as they support the UN-recognised government in the battle against strongman Khalifa Haftar, a Sisi ally. Haftar, who controls most of eastern Libya, seized Sirte in January months after launching an assault on the capital Tripoli, base of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
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| Secret Service responds to reports that reporters were ordered to leave White House while protests took place nearby, says '4 members of the media were misdirected by the Secret Service' to leave. Posted: 22 Jun 2020 10:44 PM PDT  Journalists were asked to vacate the White House while protests were taking place in nearby Lafayette Park, according to CNN.
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| Cleveland business owner receiving threats for cooperating with police after store was looted Posted: 22 Jun 2020 03:40 AM PDT  Colossal Cupcakes owner Kelly Kandah, who hid with her staff as her store was ransacked by looters in May, says she's now receiving threats for cooperating with the police investigation.
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| Funding cuts threaten ancient sites, warn Mexican archaeologists Posted: 23 Jun 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Sharp reduction in heritage body's budget is part of wider savings due to Covid-19 costsThe Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has often boasted of the strength and longevity of Mexican culture and learning, once saying that "when buffalo were still grazing in what is now New York, there were already universities and printing presses in Mexico".But archaeologists fear that a recent wave of swingeing budget cuts will decimate research into the country's pre-Columbian past, and leave thousands of ancient sites – including Aztec temples and Mayan cities – at the mercy of looters.More than 6,000 scholars recently signed a letter begging the president, commonly referred to as Amlo, to reconsider a 75% cut to the operating budget of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)."These draconian cuts will have an inevitable impact on our heritage, and on the training of new anthropologists, historians and conservationists," said Leonardo López Luján, one of Mexico's leading archaeologists."If this policy isn't reversed soon, we'll be sacrificing our past and our future."The cutbacks to INAH – a 700m pesos ($32m, £25m) reduction in 2020 – form part of a broader cost-cutting drive announced in April. Mexico's 182 nature reserves and the search for the country's 60,000 missing people will also be affected.López Obrador insists that resources need to be directed towards Mexico's hard-pressed hospitals as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. Mexico's official death toll is more than 20,000 and confirmed cases exceed 170,000; few doubt that the real figures are much higher.But critics question the need to inflict a further round of austerity on a field that was already struggling to survive.INAH is responsible for preserving 193 heritage sites open to the public, 53,000 closed archaeological sites, 162 museums, 120,000 monuments, dozens of libraries and archives and three schools, López Luján explained.Its budget was cut by a fifth last year, and hundreds of workers were fired. As cartel-related violence grows, archaeologists at remote field sites increasingly report threats and violence.The latest round of cuts to INAH would make Mexico's flagship heritage body "completely inoperative" for years to come, said López. "We'll go into hibernation mode.""It will be a tough road ahead," agreed Diana Moreiras, an anthropologist at the University of British Columbia. "We have such a rich cultural heritage and as Mexicans we all gain from its protection, conservation and research."Moreiras said she was sympathetic to the need to make sacrifices, and government officials have promised – so far without details – that the core functions of INAH will be maintained.But the rationale for such deep cutbacks is unclear as López Obrador presses ahead with expensive projects of dubious value, including revamped oil refineries and the "Tren Maya," a sprawling tropical railroad that critics claim will trample indigenous communities and archaeological material in its path.Macario Schettino, an economist, described plans to cut government spending by up to a third across the board – except for the health ministry and the armed forces – as absurd."I don't think it's explicable. I think it's a terrible decision," said Schettino. "It will be impossible for public bodies to function. "The government has serious financing problems, it's not taxing enough and the economic crisis is very deep," he said. "But all governments around the world are taking on debt to confront this crisis, because this is the rational decision. I think we're the only ones who aren't."Even Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil has abandoned austerity plans to cope with the pandemic. López Obrador, a self-described leftist who won the presidency and control of Congress in 2018 vowing to transform the country, has yet to raise Mexico's historically low tax rates. The latest body blow to Mexican archaeology comes as researchers make fascinating new discoveries – from a mass grave of hunted mammoths just outside Mexico City, to the oldest and largest Maya structure found to date."I just can't see how suffocating INAH could support indigenous cultures," said David Stuart, director of the Mesoamerica Center at the University of Texas, Austin. "It can only undermine the nation's remarkable history and its deep indigenous past."The Spanish conquest was exactly 500 years ago, not that long ago. Mesoamerican cultures can be traced 3,000 beyond that," Stuart added. "How can that deep heritage not be important in the present day?"
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| Sheriff's office employee among 3 men accused of vandalizing Black Lives Matter sign Posted: 22 Jun 2020 07:10 PM PDT  "I'm deeply disappointed that one of our employees involved himself in this type of illegal activity, especially when this is an infringement on someone's First Amendment right to freedom of speech," Sheriff Bill Ayub said.
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| Texas Governor: Coronavirus Spreading at ‘Unacceptable Rate’ in State Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:10 AM PDT  Governor Greg Abbott warned Monday that the coronavirus is now spreading in Texas at an "unacceptable rate" and pleaded with residents to wear masks in public and continue practicing social distancing."To state the obvious, COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas, and it must be corralled," Abbott said at a news briefing.Texas has seen more than 25,000 new coronavirus cases over the past week and on Friday recorded a one-day record of 4,600 new positive cases. The spike in cases comes after Texas allowed businesses to reopen at 75 percent capacity earlier this month.Abbott urged the public to take precautions against spreading the virus, even as people return to work and frequent public places. He did not, however, announce any new social distancing rules."Wearing a mask will help us to keep Texas open. Not taking action to slow the spread will cause COVID to spread even worse, risking people's lives, and ultimately, leading to the closure of more businesses," Abbott said."The way hospitalizations are spiking, the way that daily new cases are spiking — surely the public can understand that if those spikes continue, additional measures are going to be necessary to make sure we maintain the health and safety of the people of the state of Texas," the governor added.Texas has averaged more than 3,200 daily coronavirus hospitalizations over the last several days, a sharp increase from the latter half of May, when about 1,600 people were hospitalized daily for the virus. Abbott suggested that if those numbers double again, the state may reimpose social distancing restrictions."If we were to experience another doubling of those numbers over the next month, that would mean we're in an urgent situation where tougher actions will be required to make sure that we do contain the spread of COVID-19," Abbott said.
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| Safoora Zargar: Bail for pregnant India student blamed for Delhi riots Posted: 23 Jun 2020 03:10 AM PDT  Safoora Zargar was among a number of Muslim students and activists jailed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
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| Major quake hits southern Mexico, at least five killed Posted: 23 Jun 2020 08:39 AM PDT  The fatalities were near the quake's epicenter in Oaxaca, a mountainous state known for its coffee, mescal and Spanish colonial architecture. Rockfalls blocked the winding mountain roads between the state capital of Oaxaca city and the coast. A Oaxaca state official said rescue workers were trying to get to the settlement of Santa Catarina Xanaguia, near the epicenter, where the quake brought down homes or parts of the mountainside, trapping people.
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| CNN Anchor Corners Trump Campaign Spox: Are Dead Americans ‘Funny to You?’ Posted: 22 Jun 2020 01:01 PM PDT  CNN anchor Brianna Keilar took Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh to task on Monday, repeatedly pressing him to defend Team Trump's claim that the president was just "kidding" when he claimed over the weekend that he asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing.During his sparsely attended Tulsa rally on Saturday night, President Donald Trump told his supporters that he called on officials to slow COVID-19 testing in order to decrease the number of confirmed cases in the country. A White House official later told The Daily Beast that Trump was "obviously kidding" and Trump aide Peter Navarro claimed on Sunday that the remarks were "tongue-in-cheek."In a contentious Monday interview that also featured the CNN anchor grilling Murtaugh on Trump's recent use of the racist phrase "Kung Flu," Keilar brought up Trump's testing comments, asking whether it was true that Trump wanted to slow it down as America passes 120,000 COVID-19 deaths.Even 'Fox & Friends' Isn't Buying Kayleigh McEnany's Spin on Tulsa Rally Crowd"No, it's not. As a matter of fact, the United States leads the world in testing," Murtaugh replied, prompting Keilar to immediately wonder why Trump was saying that."I understand there's not much of a sense of humor at CNN center," Murtaugh sneered. "But the president was joking. He tried to illustrate the point that when you expand testing, you will naturally expand the number of positive cases that you detect.""That was the very point he was making," he continued. "I'm not surprised that you're either unable or unwilling to understand the president had a tongue-in-cheek remark there. But that's the point he's making."Keilar, meanwhile, pointed out that there are now "120,000 Americans dead," adding: "I do not think that is funny. Do you think that is funny?"After Murtaugh reiterated the president was just trying to "illustrate the point" about expanded testing, the CNN anchor pointed out that he just said "it's a joke."Stammering, the Trump spokesperson said that one can "use ironic humor" in these situations, prompting Keilar to again interject."Is dead Americans, is unemployed Americans, is that funny to you?" Keilar dryly noted."You can ask it 100 different ways," Murtaugh retorted, causing the CNN host to fire back: "And you won't answer it."The Trump flack would go on to repeat his talking points about the president making a factual point about increased testing resulting in more confirmed cases, leaving Keilar with the final word."You are aware that hospitalization numbers disprove what you are saying," she proclaimed. "That testing does not solely account for the numbers we're seeing, including in Florida, a state you just held up as a model when it certainly is not.""It is not funny that Americans are dying, she concluded as a stone-faced Murtaugh stood silent. "It's not funny that they're unemployed. Tim Murtaugh, thank you for coming on."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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| One Expert Fought a New Korean War in a Simulator. You Should Be Scared. Posted: 23 Jun 2020 03:00 PM PDT  A terrible scenario.
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| White House press told to leave grounds as tensions rise over attempted removal of Andrew Jackson statue Posted: 22 Jun 2020 10:54 PM PDT  CNN reported that their reporters, as well as other members of the White House press corps, were asked to leave the White House grounds.
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| Turkey accuses France of dragging Libya into 'chaos' Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:24 AM PDT |
| An Atlanta police officer charged in Rayshard Brooks' death believes he 'didn't do anything wrong' Posted: 23 Jun 2020 09:32 AM PDT  Atlanta police officer Devin Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault following the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks.
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| Nigeria says West Africa bloc backing WTO pick Posted: 22 Jun 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Nigeria on Monday said West African regional body ECOWAS had backed its choice to head the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the continent looks to get behind one candidate. The WTO this month kicked off the process for selecting a new director-general, after its current chief Roberto Azevedo decided to leave a year early. Diplomats acknowledge that Africa may be in line for the post since the continent has never before provided a WTO director-general.
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| US Navy announces intent to ink $10B in contracts for first 2 Columbia subs Posted: 23 Jun 2020 07:37 AM PDT  The Navy announced its intent to sign a contract for two Columbia-class submarines as soon as Congress forks over the money.
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| FCC orders radio station in Mexico to halt broadcast of Chinese programs to U.S. Posted: 22 Jun 2020 02:32 PM PDT  The FCC said the broadcast studio is used by Phoenix Radio, a company wholly owned by Phoenix TV, but not listed as an applicant. The FCC rejected the request as "deficient" but said the applicants - and Phoenix Radio - could refile the request.
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| Why Trump's H-1B visa freeze will hurt India most Posted: 23 Jun 2020 06:15 PM PDT  Three quarters of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued every year still go to India-born workers.
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| This U.S. Missile Can Kill Any Target on the Planet (In Less Than an Hour) Posted: 23 Jun 2020 09:15 AM PDT  Meet the Common Hypersonic Glide Body.
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| Texas hospitalizations from coronavirus rise 60% in a week, governor calls spread "unacceptable" Posted: 23 Jun 2020 09:44 AM PDT  Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the coronavirus is spreading in Texas at an "unacceptable rate" Monday, and did not take shutting the state back down off the table if conditions continue to deteriorate at the current rate. Meanwhile, hospitals in several major cities are seeing an alarming increase in coronavirus hospitalizations and some health care workers are getting sick. Mireya Villarreal reports.
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| Arizona firefighters forced to handle multiple historic wildfires at once Posted: 22 Jun 2020 12:24 PM PDT  A dozen wildfires have torched nearly 400,000 burned acres in Arizona and have left parts of the state, particularly the southeastern portion, in ruins. Nearly half of that acreage has come from the Bush Fire blazing in the Tonto National Forest, just north of Phoenix. As of Monday morning, the still-young 2020 wildfire season has already burned more Arizona land than all but two years since 2002. Three current active wildfires in the state all rank in the top-10 for largest blazes in Arizona history, marking the first time since 2011 that multiple, historic-sized fires have burnt simultaneously. After igniting on June 13, the Bush Fire has grown rapidly in the past week, up to 186,848 acres as of Monday morning. The fire is now the fifth-largest in state history with 61% containment, according to officials. It's also the largest blaze currently burning in the United States.The inferno was ignited by a vehicle fire and led to evacuations in nearby areas such as Brownsville, Jake's Corner, Slate Creek, Pioneer Pass and Punkin Center before evacuation orders were lifted on Sunday morning."It has just been a monster of a season for us and extremely busy," Dave Ramirez, South Zone Fire Management Officer, said according to AZCentral.com. "It's been very busy for us, actually, in the past two years."According to local fire officials, all residents are prohibited from burning any sort of fire, including campfires and cooking stove fires, in the Tonto National Forest. The state's second-fastest growing fire, the Bighorn Fire, increased to 58,553 acres on Tuesday morning, The fire has been the most destructive of any blaze in the state, causing $18.2 million of damage, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.After reaching 40% containment on Friday, conditions worsened and the containment decreased to 16% by Monday, the least contained of any of the state's major current blazes. Firefighters worked to increase containment up to 33% by Tuesday morning. It has required the attention of 969 firefighting personnel, the most of any fire. Burning in Coronado National Forest, the frightening spread of the blaze has escalated the classification from a type-3 to a type-1 fire."With this type-1 team there is a lot of complexity, a lot of levels, a lot of layers but the communication is the most important part and it's been great, the level of communication on this team," said Adam Jarrold, Public Information Officer of the Bighorn Fire, according to KVOA.com.A type-1 fire is the highest and most serious level of firefighting attention, as the classification means the risk level to structures and properties are at their peak. Charring at more than 100 square miles, the Mangum Fire is Arizona's second-largest fire. Since igniting on June 8, the wildfire has burned over 71,000 acres in the northern portion of Arizona in Coconino County and wreaked havoc for visitors trying to get to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon.The blaze, which is also the second-largest current fire in the U.S., has destroyed four structures and forced closures of popular roadways like Highway 89A and State Route 67 to Grand Canyon National Park, which takes visitors to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Smoke billows out of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. (Photo via Inciweb) The eastern-most wildfire and the only other blaze to have destroyed structures, the Bringham Fire has continued burning in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest north of Morenci since being ignited by lightning on June 6. It has scorched nearly 20,000 acres and is just 20% contained.On Monday morning, Incident Commander Carl Schwope said the remote location of the fire has provided logistical challenges for firefighters, according to Inciweb. Despite being nearly nine times smaller than the Bush Fire, the Bringham Fire has caused nearly as much damage, according to the NIFC.The Sawtooth Fire was previously burning in the Tonto National Forest, where it grew to 24,729 acres before firefighters reached 100% containment on June 7. The fire was burning in the scar of the Woodbury Fire, which was previously the fifth-largest fire in state history after burning 123,875 acres in 2019.The Blue River Fire has burned 30,400 acres as of Monday morning, but firefighters have managed to reach 85% containment of the blaze. According to the NIFC, despite being the state's fourth-largest fire, it has caused the least damage of any of the major blazes and is only requiring the attention of eight personnel.The Good Fire, the Dry Lake Fire and the Tadpole Fire have burnt about a combined 25,000 acres between the three blazes, but they are largely corralled and estimated to reach 100% containment in the coming weeks.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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