| 'Get the hell out of our uniforms': It's getting hard to tell who are the real law enforcement as camouflaged Feds crack down on protests Posted: 22 Jul 2020 03:14 PM PDT  "That uniform represents the cloth of our nation for people who don't draw overtime," retired US Army Gen. Russel Honoré told MSNBC.
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| The son of a parent convicted in the college admissions scandal says he 'didn't care' where he went to school and his dad was 'way too invested' Posted: 22 Jul 2020 02:24 PM PDT  David Sloane, Matteo Sloane's father, was sentenced to four months in prison in September for his role in the college admissions scandal.
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| Chicago violence: Fourteen mourners shot outside funeral home Posted: 22 Jul 2020 09:12 AM PDT  The shooting comes amid a surge in violence and a threat by President Trump to send in federal agents.
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| Fox News Host Confronts Kellyanne Conway on Trump’s Sudden Mask Embrace Posted: 22 Jul 2020 08:51 AM PDT  Kellyanne Conway went on Fox News Wednesday morning to heap praise on her boss for what news anchors have been calling his "new tone" in the previous day's coronavirus task force briefing—his first in several months. She was met with some unexpectedly tough pushback from host Martha MacCallum. "I think it was incredibly important for the president of the United States to provide information to the public, not confrontation with some press people there who were asking questions that had nothing to do with the development of vaccines and therapeutics," Conway said, perhaps alluding to the question about alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell that prompted Trump to admit he's met her "numerous times over the years" and to say, "I wish her well." When the White House counselor started lecturing "all those people out there who are resisting wearing a mask," telling them, "you'll get your liberties back sooner if you wear your mask," MacCallum cut in to press her on why it's taken so long for the president to arrive at this messaging. Kayleigh McEnany Urges Fox News Viewers to 'Follow Trump's Lead' on Masks"But Kellyanne, I guarantee you there are people at home who will listen to that and say, why didn't the White House have this message for all of us two months ago?" MacCallum asked pointedly. "Why now? Why wasn't this pushed and emphasized and encouraged by the president back then when it might have made even more of a difference?" "The president did say in April if people want to wear a mask, they should wear a mask," Conway replied, though that is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the basic safety precaution. She then pivoted, as Trump did in his Chris Wallace interview last weekend, to blaming health officials who "early on" said it "wouldn't help." That guidance, of course, was revised long before the president first wore a mask in public this month. Conway then revealed that just yesterday in the Oval Office, Dr. Deborah Birx had to explain to the president that the research is conclusive that wearing cloth masks helps stop the spread of the virus. Noting that Trump, unlike most Americans, has the luxury of getting tested and receiving rapid results daily, Conway said, "We know that the president is COVID-negative, we don't know that about the rest of the country. So we're asking people to wear masks." Kellyanne Conway Loses It Over Mary Trump Book on Fox NewsRead 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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| Why Divers Are Venturing Deep Inside a Baffling Blue Hole Posted: 22 Jul 2020 05:30 AM PDT  What could they find down there?
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| A couple is finally going home after their 5-day Caribbean vacation turned into a 5-month coronavirus lockdown Posted: 22 Jul 2020 03:21 PM PDT  Turks and Caicos closed its borders in March to stop the spread of the coronavirus, stranding tourists who were visiting the islands.
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| A doctor wore 6 face masks at once while testing his oxygen levels, and found he could still breathe perfectly Posted: 22 Jul 2020 04:38 AM PDT  Maitiu O Tuathail, an Irish doctor, confronted a common complaint from people who don't want to wear masks: the false belief that masks block oxygen.
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| Pence 'absolutely' would send his children back to school despite spreading risk Posted: 21 Jul 2020 11:52 AM PDT  Vice President Mike Pence says he and second lady Karen Pence would send their children back to school in the fall, claiming they would be unconcerned about them contracting coronavirus."We wouldn't hesitate to send them back to school," Mr Pence told reporters during a visit to hard-hit South Carolina.
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| US Navy’s top officer reveals grim new details of the damage to Bonhomme Richard Posted: 22 Jul 2020 12:53 PM PDT  Fire and flooding left 11 of 14 decks damaged.
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| Explainer: What are the main areas of tension in the U.S.-China relationship? Posted: 22 Jul 2020 04:13 PM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump has accused China of a lack of transparency about the coronavirus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Trump said Chinese officials "ignored their reporting obligations" to the World Health Organization about the virus - that has killed hundreds of thousands of people globally - and pressured the U.N. agency to "mislead the world." China says it has been transparent about the outbreak and the WHO has denied Trump's assertions that it promoted Chinese "disinformation" about the virus.
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| National Parks Are Getting Trashed During COVID-19, Endangering Surrounding Communities Posted: 22 Jul 2020 12:19 PM PDT  National parks across the country are seeing an influx of first-time visitors who are leaving litter and refusing to social distance.
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| Detroit police officer charged with felony assault after rubber bullets fired at journalists Posted: 21 Jul 2020 11:03 AM PDT  If convicted, 32-year-old corporal Daniel Debono could be sentenced to up to four years in prison.
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| Betsy DeVos just crossed another line. She's an ongoing danger to teachers and students. Posted: 22 Jul 2020 05:11 AM PDT  Schools must look inward, assess local COVID-19 conditions and ignore pressure from DeVos. They have authority over whether to reopen. She doesn't.
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| Can you visit Baja now? Maybe. Here's what you need to know Posted: 22 Jul 2020 07:00 AM PDT  State and U.S. authorities urge against nonessential trips, but Los Cabos is reopening.
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| A new survey found that 53% of Bay Area tech workers are concerned they'll be laid off as the tech industry continues to be hit hard by the coronavirus crisis Posted: 22 Jul 2020 10:54 AM PDT  The tech industry has been hit hard in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, with major tech firms like Uber, Airbnb, and Lyft laying off workers.
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| Two men, one woman arrested in connection to Florida fishing murders Posted: 22 Jul 2020 12:07 PM PDT  Top suspect has 230 felony charges; Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaks out.
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| Rudy Giuliani promotes long-debunked image of Ilhan Omar ‘at al-Qaeda training camp’ Posted: 22 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT  Rudy Giuliani has once again posted misinformation about Rep. Ilhan Omar on social media, sharing a meme that falsely claimed the congresswoman was seen at a terrorist training camp.The president's personal lawyer tweeted a debunked meme that included a photo of a woman holding a gun, along with a caption that falsely claimed the woman was Ms Omar (D—Mn).
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| Labour Admits It Smeared Jewish Whistleblowers Under Jeremy Corbyn Posted: 22 Jul 2020 03:28 AM PDT  The British Labour Party has admitted it defamed Jewish whistleblowers who spoke to the BBC Panorama program about anti-Semitism in the party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.The program featured a number of Jewish whistleblowers who condemned the party's practices on anti-Semitic complaints under the direction of Corbyn, claiming that several high ranking officers in the party interfered with investigations into alleged perpetrators who were members of the party. Labour responded at the time by accusing those who participated in the program of just being "disaffected former staff" who harbored "personal and political axes to grind" and made malicious and false claims in order to damage the party.Seven of the whistleblowers and the Panorama program presenter John Ware then sued Labour for defamation. In Ware's suit, he claims that Labour defamed him when they accused him and his team of "deliberate and malicious representations designed to mislead the public."Labour's 28-page complaint to the BBC complained that the program contained "the tendentious and politically slanted script; the bias in the selection of interviewees; and the failure to identify the political affiliations or records of interviewees in a highly controversial, sensitive and contested subject produced a programme that was a one-sided authored polemic."Allegations of anti-Jewish racism dogged the Labour Party under Corbyn, although he always denied it. One Jewish lawmaker quit the party over his failings, he was linked to anti-Semitic speakers and Facebook posts, and he was widely condemned for failing to drive anti-Semitic members out of the party.Jeremy Corbyn, the U.K. Labour Leader, Was In Three Secret Anti-Semitic Facebook GroupsOn the day that Keir Starmer was elected to replace him, the new Labour leader announced that convincing the Jewish community that the party had changed was his top priority. He said he would root out anti-Semitism in the party. The latest step in that process was to retract their incendiary complaint made to the BBC, and admit they had defamed and mistreated the whistleblowers. "We acknowledge the many years of dedicated and committed service that the Whistleblowers have given to the Labour Party as members and as staff," the statement, issued Wednesday, reads. "We unreservedly withdraw all allegations of bad faith, malice and lying. We would like to apologise unreservedly for the distress, embarrassment and hurt caused by their publication. We have agreed to pay them damages."The statement goes on to admit that anti-Semitism within Labour has "been a stain" on the party in recent years. "It has caused unacceptable and unimaginable levels of grief and distress for many in the Jewish community, as well as members of staff."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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| NYT Reporter: Intel Officials Believe Russians Using Hunter Biden Allegations to Distract from Election Interference Posted: 22 Jul 2020 11:10 AM PDT  New York Times reporter Julian Barnes implied on Tuesday that some intelligence officials believe that the Kremlin is fanning corruption allegations against Joe Biden's son Hunter in order to "obscure" Russia's ongoing election interference attempts.During an MSNBC interview, host Nicole Wallace referred to Russian disinformation campaigns that she said appear to have "infected" the House Intelligence Committee, asking Barnes, "What access to any information or briefings do Democrats really have?""Russia uses these disinformation campaigns to deflect from what they did in 2016," Barnes, who reports on national security for the Times, responded. "A lot of intelligence officials believe the sort of Burisma accusations that are being revived are once again trying to obscure what Russia is up to."On Monday, top congressional Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a letter alleging a foreign disinformation campaign aimed at influencing the 2020 presidential election and interfering with Congress. The letter included few specifics, but Democrats demanded an FBI briefing to warn members of Congress about the threat. Officials familiar with an addendum to the letter said it referred to a potential Russian attempt to harm Biden's presidential campaign, Barnes reported for the Times.Barnes continued that he believes Democrats published the letter because "the only remedy that really works is the resilience of a population, and a population can only be resilient if they know what's going on. So much of this stuff is secret, falls into bitter, partisan divisions, but it's important for voters not to be affected by the disinformation campaign, and that requires talking about it, putting some of this stuff out in the open, realizing when it is being done to the American public."Hunter Biden was appointed to Burisma's board in 2014 while his father was vice president and resigned from the board in April of last year.During a July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump asked Zelensky to help his administration investigate allegations that Biden used his position as vice president to help Burisma avoid a corruption probe soon after his son was appointed to the board— a controversy that became the focal point of the impeachment probe against Trump.In spring, 2016, Biden called on Ukraine to fire the prosecutor who had been investigating the energy company paying his son. The vice president threatened to withdraw $1 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine if the country did not fire the prosecutor, who was accused by the State Department and U.S. allies in Europe of being soft on corruption.
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| Another Fort Hood soldier found dead, the fourth this year near Texas post Posted: 22 Jul 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, is one of at least four Fort Hood soldiers whose bodies were found near the post this year.
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| Bolivia police recover 420 dead in possible COVID-19 cases Posted: 21 Jul 2020 06:02 PM PDT  A special police unit collected 420 bodies over the preceding five days in two Bolivian cities, and 80% to 90% of the deceased were thought to have succumbed to COVID-19, authorities said Tuesday. Col. Ivan Rojas, director of the special crime-fighting force, said his officers recovered the bodies from streets, vehicles and homes in the capital, La Paz, and in Bolivia's biggest city, Santa Cruz. Bolivia's Institute of Forensic Investigations said that nationally from April 1 through Sunday, its workers had recovered 3,016 bodies of people in possible COVID-19 cases.
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| What we know about the death of Fahim Saleh, the 33-year-old tech millionaire who was found decapitated and dismembered in his Manhattan condo Posted: 21 Jul 2020 01:50 PM PDT  On July 14, 33-year-old tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh was found decapitated and dismembered in NYC. On July 18, his assistant was charged with murder.
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| China vows 'forceful counter-attack' in escalating row with Britain over Hong Kong Posted: 21 Jul 2020 02:33 AM PDT  China threatened a "forceful counter-attack" on Tuesday in response to Britain's announcement that it would suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong following Beijing's introduction of a national security law for the former British colony. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament the extradition treaty would be suspended immediately and an arms embargo would be extended to Hong Kong.
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| Depression over central Atlantic could soon become Tropical Storm Gonzalo, forecasters say Posted: 21 Jul 2020 03:27 PM PDT  ORLANDO, Fla. - Tropical Depression Seven formed on Tuesday between the African coast and the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. advisory. The depression could be upgraded to Tropical Storm Gonzalo later Tuesday or Wednesday, the NHC said. Located more than 1,400 miles from the Cabo Verde Islands, maximum sustained winds are 35 mph with higher gusts. There's ...
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| 'We suffer in silence': coronavirus takes heavy toll on Brazil's army of gravediggers Posted: 22 Jul 2020 02:45 AM PDT  Alcoholism and depression 'part and parcel' for those who bury the bodies of Covid-19 victims – more than 80,000 so farMiguel Braga has done many things in life: sold lollipops, hawked cleaning products, guarded cars. This year, as Covid-19 shook Brazil, he turned his hand to burying bodies."Someone has to do it," said the 30-year-old father-of-two, who earns £200 ($250) a month carving 2-metre x 1-metre resting places into the caramel-coloured soils of Latin America's largest cemetery.Dramatic aerial images of Vila Formosa have travelled the world in recent months – perhaps the most potent symbol of Brazil's deadly failure to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.Less attention has been paid to its silent army of gravediggers, the final combatants in a lost war being fought against an illness that has killed more than 80,000 of Braga's fellow citizens."The gravediggers are the invisible men of the pandemic," said Rafael Vilela, a Brazilian photographer who has been documenting their travails.In São Paulo alone, where Vila Formosa is located, more than 20,000 people are known to have died, meaning that if the state was a country it would rank as one of the world's 10 worst hit, ahead of Iran, Peru and Russia.Even in normal times, life is a battle for the 300 or so gravediggers who work in the state capital's 22 cemeteries. "Alcoholism and depression are part and parcel of our work," admitted Manoel Norberto, one of the directors of their union.But this year has been particularly tough. Official figures – which confirm what gravediggers have been reporting anecdotally for months – show that in the first half of 2020 there was a 40% jump in burials compared with the same period of 2019, with 46,484 compared to 33,246 last year.In May, São Paulo's worst month, 9,796 burials were conducted, up from 5,799 last year – a rise of 69%. In June, 8,925 people were buried, compared with 5,884 last year."My shrink is a pack of cigarettes and a beer after work," said Braga, after another punishing 11-hour shift during which he helped with more than 50 burials."The energy's heavy. My wife says I toss and turn in bed. Sometimes I talk in my sleep," he added. "But I'm a cool guy – for me, it's a job just like any other."Braga was raised in a notoriously rough favela on the east side of São Paulo, the son of a metalworker and a maid. Growing up in the 1990s, when the city was notorious for police violence, he witnessed countless atrocities. "I come from a violent place, I've seen many corpses in the streets. This is something that's part of my reality," he said.Even so, recent months have been painful at Vila Formosa, an 800,000 sq metre burial ground so vast that even some gravediggers have not fully explored it.One Sunday in May, at the peak of São Paulo's crisis, Braga helped bury 80 bodies in one shift, nearly all victims, or suspected victims, of Covid-19. Some weeks, workers have had to open 500 new graves, creating a total of 8,000 new resting places since the epidemic began."We suffer in silence," admitted Luiz Silva, a veteran gravedigger, who said he and his colleagues felt a mix of sadness and angst at their work. "We're afraid because we don't know if we'll be infected too."Paulo Lotufo, a University of São Paulo epidemiologist, hailed gravediggers as the unsung heroes of the pandemic: amateur disease detectives who helped grieving families while simultaneously helping track the virus's progression and impact across Brazil.Lotufo said it had been São Paulo's overburdened gravediggers who first alerted him to the calamity in March, when the official death toll there was only about 20.When the Amazon city of Manaus was plunged into chaos in April, it was again exhausted cemetery workers who raised the alarm, reporting more than a hundred daily burials rather than the usual 30."They're my travelling companions," Lotufo said of Brazil's gravediggers, arguing that their frontline observations were now more crucial than ever as much of the country reopened and politicians massaged Covid-19 statistics to convince citizens the crisis was controlled.Braga's observations suggest the city of São Paulo may be through the worst, with the virus now advancing across its rural interior, as well as Brazil's south and midwest. Some days, only 30 or 40 burials were taking place at Vila Formosa, the gravedigger said.For all the heartbreak and suffering, Braga said watching the ceremonies of different faiths – a snapshot of Brazil's religious diversity – was a moving experience."Followers of [the Afro-Brazilian religion] Candomblé throw popcorn on to the coffins to purify the dead. Umbanda followers seem to incorporate sacred entities. The evangelicals sing, but say it is only the flesh that is departing. And the Catholics chant prayers, which is what gives me goosebumps."Braga is an infrequent churchgoer, despite his wife being an evangelical pastor – but working as a gravedigger he found it impossible not to reflect on the fragility of human existence."I watch all these bodies being buried, with or without Covid, and I realize that we're all just worthless," he said."It doesn't matter if you're stupid or smart, if you've got money or not, if you're handsome or ugly. The earth swallows us all."Additional reporting by Tom PhillipsSome of the names in this report have been changed to protect identities
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| Chicago police say attacks on officers at protest appeared organized as more than 20 complaints filed against cops Posted: 20 Jul 2020 05:59 PM PDT  CHICAGO - Chicago police released a video showing what they say are a group of protesters wielding black umbrellas and shields pelting officers with projectiles. Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said Monday that officers will wear full protective gear when assigned to future protests after "agitators" hijacked a protest Friday at the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park, injuring ...
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| On coronavirus, Trump insists the U.S. has the world's 'No. 1 low mortality rate.' He's wrong — and it's the wrong way to measure success. Posted: 21 Jul 2020 05:13 PM PDT  The problem with President Trump's new strategy is that his prized data point is a mirage — an illusion that dissolves under closer inspection, revealing the opposite of the "success" it's supposed to show.
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| Nazi eagle in Uruguay auction 'should go to museum' Posted: 22 Jul 2020 07:53 AM PDT  A US Holocaust centre warns that a bronze eagle in Uruguay could be bought by white supremacists.
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| Man stabs attacker in self defense in Brown Line station, police say Posted: 21 Jul 2020 09:47 AM PDT  The 45-year-old stabbed the 46-year-old in the upper chest in self-defense, police said.
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| Fact check: COVID-19 not falling below 'epidemic threshold' in near future Posted: 22 Jul 2020 11:36 AM PDT  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and worsen, despite some claims that recent statistics show the threat is going away.
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| Fauci says Biden and campaign 'know better' than to reach out to him Posted: 22 Jul 2020 11:08 AM PDT  When asked if Biden has reached out to him, Fauci said, "No. I mean I think they know better. That I'm in a sensitive position."
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| Social distancing Canadians eye new sight at Niagara Falls: crowds of Americans Posted: 21 Jul 2020 04:39 PM PDT  The tourist hotspot of Niagara Falls has gained a new photo-op for social distancing Canadian visitors on board ferries taking them into the mist of the falls: crowds of Americans. Although cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across the United States, neighboring Canada has largely managed to contain the spread of the virus, helped by strict social distancing measures and mandatory masks in several jurisdictions. At the famous waterfalls on the U.S.-Canadian border, Canadian ferries are limited to just six passengers per boat, out of a 700 person capacity.
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| Powerful quake shakes Alaska towns, creates small tsunami Posted: 22 Jul 2020 12:33 AM PDT  A powerful earthquake off Alaska's southern coast shook sparsely populated coastal communities late Tuesday and prompted some residents to briefly flee to higher ground because of tsunami fears. There were no immediate reports of damage in the Alaska Peninsula and the tsunami warning was canceled after the magnitude 7.8 quake offshore created a wave of a less than a foot (30 centimeters). Residents in some small towns within a hundred miles (160 kilometers) of the quake reported very strong shaking and some shaking was felt more than more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) away in the Anchorage area, said Michael West, Alaska state seismologist.
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| China's top COVID-19 vaccine candidate showed weak results among older Phase II test subjects Posted: 21 Jul 2020 03:40 AM PDT  China's CanSino Biologics reported preliminary results of its Phase II COVID-19 vaccine trial Monday, and there was promising news. But it was overshadowed by the results of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, also published Monday in the journal The Lancet. Both vaccines, among the top contenders in the global race for a coronavirus immunization drug, produced strong immune responses with only minor side effects, but older trial participants showed significantly weaker responses in the CanSino trial, suggesting two doses may be needed.CanSino's vaccine appears "pretty weak compared to other vaccine candidates (to the extent that comparisons are possible)," said Prof. John Moore at Weill Cornell Medical School. However, comparing the immune response among different vaccines is tricky, he added, "like judging a beautiful baby photo contest when every mom uses a different Instagram filter."The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and CanSino's candidate both use genetically deactivated adenoviruses that mimic the new coronavirus and stimulate an immune response. But while Oxford's vaccine uses an adenovirus found in chimps, CanSino relies on an adenovirus that causes the common cold in humans. Monday's CanSino study "revealed that people who had previously been exposed to the cold virus showed weaker immune responses to the coronavirus vaccine — presumably because their immune systems zeroed in on the familiar component of the vaccine, the weakened cold virus, rather than SARS-CoV-2," Politico explains.CanSino and Oxford-AstraZeneca already have large-scale Phase III trials underway to judge their vaccines' efficacy, and CanSino's is the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for use, though approval is limited to China's military. Monday's reports show that "each of these vaccines is worth taking all the way through to a Phase III study," Dr. Peter Jay Hotez, a vaccine researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine, tells The New York Times. "That is it. All it means is 'worth pursuing.'"More stories from theweek.com CNN's Brianna Keilar cuts off live interview with 'lying' Trump campaign official 39 Miami police officers to form mask enforcement unit Serena Williams' 2-year-old daughter is now the youngest owner in pro sports
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| Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder Arrested in $60 Million Bribery Scheme Posted: 21 Jul 2020 08:47 AM PDT  Ohio's top state lawmaker conspired to funnel tens of millions of dollars from the state's electric utility to his political allies in order to consolidate power over the state legislature and shepherd through a $1.5 billion bailout for the utility's nuclear power plants, federal prosecutors alleged on Tuesday.The FBI arrested Ohio speaker Larry Householder, a Republican, and four alleged co-conspirators and leveled charges of racketeering and bribery related to the scheme. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers called it "likely the largest bribery [and] money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio."At the center of the scheme was Householder, who prosecutors say used a nonprofit "dark money" group called Generation Now to funnel money from the utility, First Energy, into state-level political contests. Householder's goals, DeVillers said, were to pass and preserve a contentious bill to bail out two FirstEnergy nuclear plants, and "to build a power base for Larry Householder."After his arrest, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the speaker to "resign immediately.""I am deeply concerned about the allegations of wrongdoing issued today by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Every American has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty," DeWine tweeted Tuesday. "Because of the nature of these charges, it will be impossible for Speaker Householder to effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives; therefore, I am calling on Speaker Householder to resign immediately. This is a sad day for Ohio."Where Does a Pro-Nuke Group Begin and a GOP Politician End?Four political consultants with ties to Householder were also arrested and charged with complicity in the scheme. Prosecutors said the co-conspirators routed money provided by FirstEnergy to Generation Now through a network of dark money groups and political consulting firms in order "to hide that the money was coming from Generation Now."The money was used to help elect Householder allies to the statehouse, and to promote legislation propping up FirstEnergy assets. According to prosecutors, the money provided by the utility was used to help elect 21 state legislators. All of them subsequently voted to make Householder the statehouse speaker in 2019. All but one voted for the FirstEnergy bailout.The Daily Beast detailed a host of connections between Householder, Generation Now, and political forces in Columbus pushing the FirstEnergy bailout in a series of stories in 2018 and 2019. Householder consistently denied involvement with the dark money group, and insisted he had no financial interest in the bailout. Both claims, prosecutors said, were flatly untrue. Prosecutors did not name FirstEnergy at the press conference on Tuesday, only referring to it as Company A, but left no doubt that it was the company at issue. "Everybody in this room knows who Company A is," DeVillers said.FBI agents and local authorities stormed Householder's Glenford farm on Tuesday morning. Others who were arrested included Neil Clark, a lobbyist and founder of Grant Street Consultants; former Ohio Republican Party chair Matthew Borges; Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus; and one of Householder's advisers, Jeffrey Longstreth.The investigation into the Republican lawmaker centers on House Bill 6, a $1 billion bailout plan for two Ohio nuclear power plants—which Householder notably helped push through last year, according to Cleveland.com. The bill was signed by DeWine in June and was immediately met with efforts to overturn the bailout.Those efforts have since failed after receiving fierce resistance from several well-funded groups, including Generation Now. The company is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit—meaning it can engage in political advocacy without disclosing its donors—but The Daily Beast has previously reported on its deep ties to Householder. Generation Now was the primary node of a Householder-linked Columbus political machine, which funneled money to statehouse allies using millions of dollars in untraceable political donations. The group pressed for state assistance for two nuclear power plants run by FirstEnergy. It also ran polling for Householder and his allies during the 2018 election cycle, according to memos quietly posted to an otherwise-blank website affiliated with Generation Now. Some of those memos contained metadata indicating they were created by Longstreth, the longtime Householder adviser who was arrested on Tuesday, and another employee of his consulting firm.Ohio Governor Mandates Masks In COVID 'Red Alert' Counties Generation Now provided more than $1 million during the 2018 cycle to a political group, Growth & Opportunity PAC, that spent the funds in support of a number of Householder allies. The PAC has received another $1.1 million since last year from a similarly named dark money group, the Coalition for Growth and Opportunity. The PAC has once again spent that money on ads backing Householder allies in Ohio.When Growth & Opportunity PAC began running ads on a Cincinnati NBC affiliate this year, the station tried, unsuccessfully, to suss out information on the people running the group. "Asked buyer for additional names," the station wrote in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission. "None were provided.""It takes courage for citizens to assist law enforcement in the ways detailed in the affidavit," DeVillers said Tuesday. "We are grateful to those who felt a moral duty to work together with agents in bringing to light this alleged, significant public corruption."Householder is the first Ohio lawmaker in 60 years to win back the speakership after leaving due to term limitations, which he did in 2019 after serving from 2001 to 2004. He is considered one of the three most powerful politicians in Ohio and a politician whose current influence dictates how the state spends more than $140 billion annually. Tuesday's investigation is not the first time Householder has been the subject of an FBI investigation. In 2004, the FBI launched an investigation into allegations that he and his aides took kickbacks from various vendors and traded political favors for campaign contributions. The investigation ended two years later and no charges were filed against the Republican. About 13 years later, in January 2017, Householder mounted a successful campaign to become the first lawmaker to recapture the speakership—a post dictated by term limits—in nearly six decades. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Rape suspect accused of assaulting four Penn State students is arrested Posted: 21 Jul 2020 03:56 PM PDT  The cases, which spanned seven years, were solved using genetic genealogy, police said.
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| Scientists report that airborne coronavirus is probably infectious Posted: 22 Jul 2020 02:03 AM PDT  Scientists have known for several months the new coronavirus can become suspended in microdroplets expelled by patients when they speak and breathe, but until now there was no proof that these tiny particles are infectious. A new study by scientists at the University of Nebraska that was uploaded to a medical preprint site this week has shown for the first time that SARS-CoV-2 taken from microdroplets, defined as under five microns, can replicate in lab conditions. This boosts the hypothesis that normal speaking and breathing, not just coughing and sneezing, are responsible for spreading COVID-19 -- and that infectious doses of the virus can travel distances far greater than the six feet (two meters) urged by social distancing guidelines.
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| Coronavirus in India: 'PM Modi, please make men share housework!' Posted: 21 Jul 2020 09:18 PM PDT  After India's lockdown revealed some hard truths about housework, one woman set out to fix the gender gap.
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| 'This is not a dictatorship': Portland protesters push back harder against Trump, federal agents Posted: 22 Jul 2020 01:29 PM PDT  President Donald Trump sent federal agents to Portland to crack down on protesters. His move appears to have backfired and energized activists.
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| A Full Breakdown of What We Know About the Alleged Fight Involving Megan Thee Stallion & Tory Lanez | Billboard News Posted: 21 Jul 2020 10:01 AM PDT  An argument involving Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion last weekend resulted in the first rapper behind bars after police arrested him for finding a gun in his car and the latter in the hospital after reports said Lanez allegedly shot her.
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| People are more likely to contract COVID-19 at home, study finds Posted: 21 Jul 2020 05:26 AM PDT  South Korean epidemiologists have found that people were more likely to contract the new coronavirus from members of their own households than from contacts outside the home. A study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 16 looked in detail at 5,706 "index patients" who had tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 59,000 people who came into contact with them. The findings showed just two out of 100 infected people had caught the virus from non-household contacts, while one in 10 had contracted the disease from their own families.
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| Ethiopia's Abiy praises 'historic' start to dam filling Posted: 22 Jul 2020 07:26 AM PDT  Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday lauded the "historic" early filling of a massive dam on the Blue Nile River that has stoked tensions with downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan. "The completion of the first round of filling is a historic moment that showcases Ethiopians' commitment to the renaissance of our country," Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace laureate, said in a statement read on state television. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011.
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| Coronavirus Anxiety Project Quiz Measures Your COVID-19 Anxiety Posted: 22 Jul 2020 12:50 PM PDT  The Coronavirus Anxiety Project offers a five-question quiz that allows you to measure how much anxiety is impacting your daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Feds probe men's rights lawyer in 2nd killing Posted: 21 Jul 2020 07:45 AM PDT  Federal investigators are examining whether a suspect in the ambush shooting of a federal judge's family in New Jersey also killed a fellow men's rights lawyer in California, a law enforcement official said. The federal agents are trying to determine whether Roy Den Hollander, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound the day after an attack that killed the judge's son and wounded her husband, had any role in the killing earlier this month of Marc Angelucci. Angelucci, like Den Hollander, was involved in lawsuits alleging gender discrimination against men.
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| INDOPACOM head wants Aegis Ashore in Guam by 2026 Posted: 22 Jul 2020 09:44 AM PDT  The missile defense capability would form the "backbone" of Adm. Phil Davidson's highest priority: a new defense system around the American territory.
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| Mexico archaeology: Pre-Hispanic ruins found on mountaintop Posted: 22 Jul 2020 05:16 AM PDT  Experts think the site, estimated to be 1,500 years old, was dedicated to the god of the underworld.
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| Senate Republicans secure impeachment witness who flagged concern about Hunter Biden Posted: 22 Jul 2020 01:06 PM PDT  George Kent, who testified last year about Trump allies' efforts to influence Ukraine, has agreed to sit for an interview as early as Friday.
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