This file was published in error

By Unknown Author from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/3eOXJTE

Can’t Request an Absentee Ballot Online? This Group Wants to Help

By BY NICK CORASANITI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2ZpP0AH

New Orleans housing leader warns of ‘eviction’ avalanche as end of COVID-19 aid looms

Eviction fears in New Orleans as coronavirus aid expires, unemployment rates remain high

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/3eR2Bra

Unidentified remains found in search for missing soldier Vanessa Guillen

The family of a 20-year-old Fort Hood, Texas, soldier who has been missing for more than two months is demanding a congressional investigation into her disappearance.

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/3eOZcJE

Ghosts laid to rest as Cairo's 109-year-old Baron Empain Palace opens for visitors

Cairo's long-decrepit Baron Empain Palace is now newly renovated and open to the public.

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/31y8GFq

What happened to Elijah McClain? Protests help bring new attention to his death

Described as an introvert, McClain was on his way home from a convenience store.

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/3dRWa5P

New Orleans housing leader warns of ‘eviction’ avalanche as end of COVID-19 aid looms

Eviction fears in New Orleans as coronavirus aid expires, unemployment rates remain high

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/3eR2Bra

Unidentified remains found in search for missing soldier Vanessa Guillen

The family of a 20-year-old Fort Hood, Texas, soldier who has been missing for more than two months is demanding a congressional investigation into her disappearance.

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/3eOZcJE

As coronavirus spreads to people under 40, it's making them sicker — and for longer — than once thought

Once assumed to be safe from the dangers of COVID-19, younger adults share their prolonged struggles with the disease.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZlkI1V

Police say missing kids' mom helped keep their bodies hidden

The new felony charges against Lori Vallow Daybell came late Monday, the latest twist in a case tied to the mysterious deaths of the couple's former spouses and their beliefs about zombies and the apocalypse that may have affected their actions. Daybell is already charged with abandoning or deserting 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, but because police found their remains buried in her husband's yard, it's not clear if the abandonment allegations will stand. Daybell's husband, Chad Daybell, was charged this month with concealing evidence by destroying or hiding the children's bodies.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3dNQvO8

National parks – even Mount Rushmore – show that there's more than one kind of patriotism

July 4th will be quieter than usual this year, thanks to COVID-19. Many U.S. cities are canceling fireworks displays to avoid drawing large crowds that could promote the spread of coronavirus. But President Trump is planning to stage a celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota on July 3. It’s easy to see why an Independence Day event at a national memorial featuring the carved faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt would seem like a straightforward patriotic statement. But there’s controversy. Trump’s visit will be capped by fireworks for the first time in a decade, notwithstanding worries that pyrotechnics could ignite wildfires. And Native Americans are planning protests, adding Mount Rushmore to the list of monuments around the world that critics see as commemorating histories of racism, slavery and genocide and reinforcing white supremacy. As I show in my book, “Memorials Matter: Emotion, Environment, and Public Memory at American Historical Sites,” many venerated historical sites tell complicated stories. Even Mount Rushmore, which was designed explicitly to evoke national pride, can be a source of anger or shame rather than patriotic feeling. Twenty-first-century patriotism is a touchy subject, increasingly claimed by America’s conservative right. National Park Service sites like Mount Rushmore are public lands, meant to be appreciated by everyone, but they raise crucial questions about history, unity and love of country, especially during this election year. For me, and I suspect for many tourists, national memorials and monuments elicit conflicting feelings. There’s pride in our nation’s achievements, but also guilt, regret or anger over the costs of progress and the injustices that still exist. Patriotism, especially at sites of shame, can be unsettling – and I see this as a good thing. In my view, honestly confronting the darker parts of U.S. history as well as its best moments is vital for tourism, for patriotism and for the nation. Whose history?Patriotism has roots in the Latin “patriotia,” meaning “fellow countryman.” It’s common to feel patriotic pride in U.S. technological achievements or military strength. But Americans also glory in the diversity and beauty of our natural landscapes. That kind of patriotism, I think, has the potential to be more inclusive, less divisive and more socially and environmentally just. [Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get expert takes on today’s news, every day.]The physical environment at national memorials can inspire more than one kind of patriotism. At Mount Rushmore, tourists are invited to walk the Avenue of Flags, marvel at the labor required to carve four U.S. presidents’ faces out of granite, and applaud when rangers invite military veterans onstage during visitor programs. Patriotism centers on labor, progress and the “great men” the memorial credits with founding, expanding, preserving and unifying the U.S. But there are other perspectives. Viewed from the Peter Norbeck Overlook, a short drive from the main site, the presidents’ faces are tiny elements embedded in the expansive Black Hills region. Re-seeing the memorial in space and contextualizing it within a longer time scale can spark new emotions. The Black Hills are a sacred place for Lakota peoples that they never willingly relinquished. Viewing Mount Rushmore this way puts those rock faces in a broader ecological, historical and colonial context, and raises questions about history and justice. Sites of shameSites where visitors are meant to feel remorse challenge patriotism more directly. At Manzanar National Historic Site in California – one of 10 camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II – natural and textual cues prevent any easy patriotic reflexes. Reconstructed guard towers and barracks help visitors perceive the experience of being detained. I could imagine Japanese Americans’ shame as I entered claustrophobic buildings and touched the rough straw that filled makeshift mattresses. Many visitors doubtlessly associate mountains with adventure and freedom, but some incarcerees saw the nearby Sierra Nevada as barricades reinforcing the camp’s barbed wire fence. Rangers play up these emotional tensions on their tours. I saw one ranger position a group of schoolchildren atop what were once latrines, and ask them: “Will it happen again? We don’t know. We hope not. We have to stand up for what is right.” Instead of offering visitors a self-congratulatory sense of being a good citizen, Manzanar leaves them with unsettling questions and mixed feelings. Visitors to incarceration camps today might make connections to the U.S.-Mexico border, where detention centers corral people in unhealthy conditions, sometimes separating children from parents. Sites like Manzanar ask us to rethink who “counts” as an American and what unites us as human beings. Visiting and writing about these and other sites made me consider what it would take to disassociate patriotism from “America first”-style nationalism and recast it as collective pride in the United States’ diverse landscapes and peoples. Building a more inclusive patriotism means celebrating freedom in all forms – such as making Juneteenth a federal holiday – and commemorating the tragedies of our past in ways that promote justice in the present. Humble patriotismThis July 4th invites contemplation of what holds us together as a nation during a time of reckoning. I believe Americans should be willing to imagine how a public memorial could be offensive or traumatic. The National Park Service website claims that Mount Rushmore preserves a “rich heritage we all share,” but what happens when that heritage feels like hatred to some people? Growing momentum for removing statues of Confederate generals and other historical figures now understood to be racist, including the statue of Theodore Roosevelt in the front of New York City’s Museum of Natural History, tests the limits of national coherence. Understanding this momentum is not an issue of political correctness – it’s a matter of compassion.Greater clarity about value systems could help unite Americans across party lines. Psychologists have found striking differences between the moral frameworks that shape liberals’ and conservatives’ views. Conservatives generally prioritize purity, sanctity and loyalty, while liberals tend to value justice in the form of concerns about fairness and harm. In my view, patriotism could function as an emotional bridge between these moral foundations. My research suggests that visits to memorial sites are helpful for recognizing our interdependence with each other, as inhabitants of a common country. Places like Mount Rushmore are part of our collective past that raise important questions about what unites us today. I believe it’s our responsibility to approach these places, and each other, with both pride and humility. This is an updated version of an article originally published on June 26, 2019.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * More than scenery: National parks preserve our history and culture * The twisted roots of U.S. land policy in the WestJennifer Ladino received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her book on national memorials.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3ifDDnu

CanSino's COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for military use in China

China's military has received the greenlight to use a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics after clinical trials proved it was safe and showed some efficacy, the company said on Monday. The Ad5-nCoV is one of China's eight vaccine candidates approved for human trials at home and abroad for the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BKz0kP

Rand Paul again rips Dr. Anthony Fauci over coronavirus: 'We just need more optimism'

Paul criticized Fauci for a lack of "certitude" when it comes to advice on if kids should be allowed to go back to school in the fall amid COVID-19.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BYhQjt

White couple who pointed gun at protesters say they support Black Lives Matter but felt threatened by ‘angry mob’

A white couple who pointed guns at protesters in St Louis have said they were threatened as crowds marched down their street.Video shared online showed 63-year-old Mark McCloskey and 61-year-old Patricia McCloskey stationed on the lawn outside their St Louis home on Sunday night as protesters walked past.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BQZXTN

German officials were so alarmed by Trump's conversations with Angela Merkel that they took extra steps to make sure they stayed secret, according to a CNN report

CNN's sources said President Donald Trump attacked Angela Merkel in a "very aggressive" manner, accusing her of "being in the pocket of the Russians."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NHBKlK

Woman Choked, Robbed In Manhattan

The 64-year-old victim was attacked in Kips Bay on Sunday and suffered cuts. CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reports

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZrRHSb

PLA puts up signage, China map on Ladakh's bank

After physically occupying an almost 8-km stretch of what India considers its territory on the north bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has created a massive signage in the area to claim it as Chinese land. Located between Finger-4 and Finger-5, the 80-metre-long signage is in the shape of inscriptions and is designed to be visible from the air and capable of being picked up by satellites.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2ZrrP98

Gas explosion at clinic in Iranian capital kills 19

An explosion from a gas leak in a medical clinic in northern Tehran killed 19 people, Iranian state TV reported on Tuesday. Spokesperson for the Tehran Fire Department told state TV that the toll had risen to 19 from 13. State-run IRNA news agency also quoted Maleki as saying the dead included 15 women and four men. Maleki added that firefighters had rescued 20 people.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/31yi9wu

India gets its wettest June in 12 years

India experienced its wettest month of June in 12 years with 18% above-normal rainfall on the back of timely monsoon onset and its swift advance across the country. Central India, as well as east and northeast, have received the heaviest showers. India received 196.2mm of rain during the month, highest since 2008, when 202mm was recorded during the month, as per IMD.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/38gxliU

Party rivals mount fresh pressure on Oli to quit

Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli has come under immense pressure to resign from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party, including from former PM Prachanda. According to Nepal media reports, Prachanda, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam demanded that Oli quit at a meeting on Tuesday. Oli has gone on record to say that India has been behind the effort to unseat him.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/3eOIoST

Visa processing for UK to resume from July 6

Visa processing for United Kingdom will resume in India next Monday (July 6) in a phased manner. According to VFS Global, UK visa application centres in Delhi, south Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru (Global Tech Park), Chandigarh, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata and Pune will open from July 6. Chennai centre reopening that day is subject to local lockdown conditions.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2NGjoRW

Lawmakers and Advocates Demand Removal of USAID Official as Biden Calls Trump Appointees ‘Islamophobic’

Presidential candidate Joe Biden has criticized two of President Donald Trump’s appointees at U.S. agencies for being Islamophobic, pointing out that they have “both published offensive, anti-Muslim tirades on social media.”

Biden’s statement on Sunday followed a request to speak on-the-record from Muslim advocacy group Emgage Action, which was exclusively obtained by TIME. It takes aim at Mark Kevin Lloyd, who President Donald Trump appointed as Religious Freedom Adviser at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Brig. General Anthony Tata (Ret.), who was nominated to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Department of Defense.

Biden’s statement pointed to a number of older Islamophobic social media posts from the two nominees. Lloyd had said in now-deleted Facebook posts from 2016, cited by the Associated Press, Emgage Action and Biden, that Islam was a “barbaric cult” and that people should be forced to eat bacon before buying a gun. Biden’s statement also noted Lloyd had previously referred to the religion as “violent in its doctrine and practice.” A screenshot of that post is linked to by national civil rights organization Muslim Advocates.

Tata had posted in now-deleted Tweets that “Islam was the most oppressive violent religion I know of” and that President Barack Obama was a “terrorist leader,” per CNN and Biden’s statement. The former Vice President’s statement also referenced a comment by Tata that Obama “did more harm to US vital interests and help Islamic countries than any president in history.”

“Islamophobia is a pernicious disease. It does not belong in the halls of government,” Biden said in a statement provided to TIME, promising that under his presidency he would “appoint individuals who represent the values of our nation and respect all racial, ethnic and religious communities.”

House Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Joaquin Castro, have called for Lloyd’s nomination to be rescinded in a statement on Monday, saying he has a “proven track record of prejudice towards those of the Islamic faith and Muslim majority countries, discrimination that is antithetical to USAID’s mission of global development and religious freedom.” The two representatives also sent a letter to USAID’s acting administrator on Monday.

“Someone who doesn’t recognize the importance of religious diversity in our country cannot credibly promote religious freedom internationally,” Omar said. “This appointment will severely weaken USAID’s ability to assist the world’s poorest countries including many predominately Muslim nations.”

“USAID works with countries that are 32% majority Muslim and all of those countries need our help,” Castro said. “I fear with Mr. Floyd at the helm those countries will face further discrimination.”

“USAID always works closely and cooperatively with Congress,” acting USAID spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala said in a statement responding to issues raised in Omar and Castro’s letter. “As a general matter, we don’t comment publicly on oversight matters.”

The new nominees have caused an uproar among some current and former USAID employees. Members of USAID staff, including those from minority backgrounds, expressed their frustration with the agency in a letter to its acting administrator last week, Axios reported. And Steven Radelet, who was chief economist at USAID from 2011-2012, tells TIME it’s “horrifying” that Lloyd is working in this position, because of the message it sends to the international partners and agency employees. Radelet says it’s “impossible” to look at the hiring of Lloyd as a “one-off thing.”

“You have to see this as part of a systemic attempt to bring more people in with these kinds of views. It fits right in as part of the broader pattern,” Radelet says. “It’s part of the broader pattern of racist comments and other biased comments that come from this administration.”

Acting USAID administrator John Barsa had previously defended Lloyd and two other USAID officials who were criticized for making anti-LGBTQ remarks. He said the trio had been the target of “unwarranted and malicious attacks,” in a public statement on June 8, and that he has “full confidence that each political appointee at USAID has and will continue to implement the President’s policies and agenda to the best of his or her ability.”

Asked about Tata and Lloyd’s comments about Islam, the Department of Defense directed TIME to the White House for comment. The White House did not immediately offer a comment on Biden’s statement.

Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, called for Lloyd’s nomination to be rescinded and said his Islamophobic comments should have been considered during the nomination process.

“How could one properly serve as USAID’s Religious Freedom Advisor while espousing a horrifyingly Islamophobic track record?” Alzayat said in a statement emailed to TIME. “We are calling for Lloyd’s resignation–because Islam cannot be the exception when assessing one’s ability to advise on religious freedoms for a government agency.”

from TIME https://ift.tt/3dJPHtX

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

EXCLUSIVE: DHS deploys special federal unit to protect monuments over July 4 weekend amid vandalism fears

06/30/20 4:09 PM

Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

By BY JONATHAN WOLFE AND LARA TAKENAGA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dLG6CS

‘Our Luck May Have Run Out’: California’s Case Count Explodes

By BY SHAWN HUBLER AND THOMAS FULLER from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3ePoVl6

Three Hikers Are Missing on Mount Rainier

By BY SANDRA E. GARCIA from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2YKijir

Judge in George Floyd case says likely to move hearing out of Minneapolis as officers appear in court

A Minnesota judge on Monday warned that he is likely to move the trials of four police officers charged in George Floyd's death out of Minneapolis if public officials and attorneys do not stop talking about the case. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill stopped short of issuing a gag order on attorneys, but he said one is likely if public statements continue. Cahill added that such a situation would also make him likely to grant a change-of-venue motion if one is filed. "The court is not going to be happy about hearing about the case in three areas: media, evidence and guilt or innocence," Cahill said. It was the second pretrial hearing for the officers, who were fired after Floyd's May 25 death. Derek Chauvin, 44, is charged with second-degree murder and other counts, while Thomas Lane, 37, J. Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, are charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eIlbSw

Israel orders evangelical Christian media network God TV to take channel off air

“The channel does not appeal to the Christian population in Israel, but rather to the Jews,” Israel's broadcasting regulator said in a statement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YM3EmV

Gilead prices COVID-19 drug remdesivir at $2,340 per patient in developed nations

The price tag is slightly below the range of $2,520 to $2,800 suggested last week by U.S. drug pricing research group the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) after British researchers said they found that the cheap, widely available steroid dexamethasone significantly reduced mortality among severely ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir is expected to be in high demand as one of the only treatments so far shown to alter the course of COVID-19. After the intravenously administered medicine helped shorten hospital recovery times in a clinical trial, it won emergency use authorization in the United States and full approval in Japan.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2VtTh4U

Mississippi Lawmakers Vote to Remove Confederate Symbol From State Flag

Mississippi lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove a Confederate emblem from their state flag on Sunday, marking one of the most dramatic repudiations yet of white-supremacist imagery during a wave of protests against racism and police brutality in America.The bill passed 128 to 37 and is now awaiting signature by Gov. Tate Reeves. It requires the current state flag to be removed within 15 days of passage. A commission selected by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House will design a flag including the phrase “In God We Trust” to be completed by September 14. Mississippi voters will decide on the new flag during the November general election. If the new flag is not ratified by voters in November, a new design will be created and voted on the following year. "Today’s vote is not a vote to erase Mississippi’s history or its heritage," Sen. John Horhn said. "But it’s an affirmation of Mississippi’s future, and that we intend to move forward together."On Saturday, lawmakers in both houses cleared an initial measure paving the way for a bill to change the flag, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted that he would sign a bill to that effect.The initial measure lifted restrictions in place that prohibited the state government from changing or removing the state flag, which is the last in the United States to include an explicit homage to pro-slavery rebels.“The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it,” Reeves tweeted.The governor went on to say that changing the flag was not enough to fight the systemic racism the Confederate symbol represents. “We should not be under any illusion that a vote in the Capitol is the end of what must be done,” he wrote. “It will be harder than recovering from tornadoes, harder than historic floods, harder than agency corruption, or prison riots or the coming hurricane season—even harder than battling the Coronavirus.”State Representative Jeramey Anderson (D-Miss), the youngest-ever Black legislator elected in Mississippi at 28, applauded the decision to pave the way for change on Saturday. “This is a unique opportunity, one we should not squander,” he said. Confederate leader Jefferson Davis’s great-great grandson Bertram Hayes-Davis backed the change, telling CNN that “the battle flag has been hijacked” and that it “does not represent the entire population of Mississippi.”Rising college basketball player Blake Hinson said the Confederate symbol played a role in his decision to transfer from the University of Mississippi to Iowa State earlier this month. “It was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” he told the Daytona Beach News Journal. “I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy.”Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Miss) opposed the change and called for a state referendum on the issue, warning that changing the American flag was next. “I don’t see how that makes me a racist.” he said. “I don’t see how that makes me a terrible human being.”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.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ZkVl07

China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress population: AP

Beijing accused of forced sterilisation, abortions, and pregnancy checks on hundreds of thousands of minority women.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31sFy2j

Egyptian belly dancer sentenced to prison for 'sexually suggestive' posts amid social media crackdown

A high-profile Egyptian belly dancer has been sentenced to three years in prison and received a £15,000 fine for sharing photos and videos of herself on social media that were deemed to incite “debauchery” and “immorality” in a country with conservative social norms. Cairo’s Misdemeanours Economic Court said on Saturday that Sama El-Masry had violated family principles and values with posts that the public prosecution described as sexually suggestive, and that she had managed the social media accounts with the aim of committing “immorality”. Ms El-Masry, who has over three million Instagram followers, denied the accusations, saying the content was stolen and shared from her phone without consent. She was arrested in April as part of an investigation into “suggestive” social media posts during a wave of arrests of female Instagram and TikTok stars on charges of promoting debauchery and prostitution on social media. “There is a huge difference between freedom and debauchery,” said John Talaat, a member of parliament who asked for legal action against Ms El-Masry and others. He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that Ms El-Masry and the other social media influencers were destroying family values and traditions, activities that were banned by the law and the constitution. Mr Talaat said the other influencers were expected to face the same prison terms as Ms El-Masry as they had committed the same crime. The court also ordered the 42-year-old dancer to be put under police surveillance for three years, according to news site Egypt Today. Ms El-Masry said she would appeal the sentence. Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came into power in 2014, hundreds of journalists, activists, lawyers and intellectuals have been arrested in the name of state security. Young TikTok stars have become the latest target of Egyptian state authorities. In May, a 17-year-old girl posted a TikTok video of herself crying, saying she had been gang-raped by a group of young men. The authorities swiftly arrested her and charged her with “promoting debauchery”. Two years ago, Egypt brought in a cybercrime law giving the government power to censor the internet and conduct surveillance of communications.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BNSm8m

New York City mayor plans to cut $1bn from police budget

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed cutting $1bn (£814m) from the police force’s $6bn (£4.48bn) yearly budget, amid calls for reform.Mr de Blasio announced the plan during his daily City Hall press briefing on Monday, and said the proposed budget would help reform the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NGUzFq

Court says president can fire Consumer board head 'at will'

In a ruling underscoring the power of the president, the Supreme Court on Monday made it easier for the president to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The justices struck down restrictions Congress had written on when the president can remove the bureau’s director. “The agency may ... continue to operate, but its Director, in light of our decision, must be removable by the President at will,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YLDMHP

The coronavirus is devastating communities of color. The Trump administration's top doctor blames 'structural racism' and shares his plans to take action.

Dr. Jerome Adams is preparing two calls to action — one on high blood pressure, the other on maternal mortality — to address racial health inequality.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eX2Hhj

Is international travel allowed yet? See when Singapore, Jamaica, other countries plan to reopen borders

Jamaica is preparing to welcome back international tourists June 15, while Austria requires negative coronavirus tests and won't allow direct flights.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3ghooth

Priti Patel says Labour MPs who accused her of 'gaslighting black people' were being racist

Priti Patel has said Labour MPs who accused her of attempting to "gaslight" black people in her response to Black Lives Matter protests were "racist" in their views of her. Ms Patel clashed with a group of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Labour MPs after they accused the Tory politician of using her Indian heritage to cast doubt on black communities' experience of racism in the UK. The Cabinet minister had previously told the 33 MPs who wrote to her that she would "not be silenced" by those suggesting she had used her own experiences of prejudice to "gaslight" the "very real racism" faced by black people. Gaslighting refers to the act of psychologically manipulating someone to doubt their own experiences. In fresh comments about the row, Ms Patel accused the opposition cohort of being "racist" in their perceptions of the views ethnic minority women should espouse. Ms Patel, asked on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme whether her rivals had an issue with her, said she thought they did. "I think clearly in the case of those Labour MPs, they simply do primarily because they clearly take the stance or the position that I don't conform to their preconceived idea or stereotypical view of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for and represent," she said. "In my view, that in itself is racist. "It is very disappointing and I have made it quite clear I'm not going to dignify that letter any further." Shadow minister Naz Shah and other Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott, Tan Dhesi and Rosena Allin-Khan, were among those to question Ms Patel's attitude towards the Black Lives Matter protests. They said: "We write to you as black, Asian and ethnic minority Labour MPs to highlight our dismay at the way you used your heritage and experiences of racism to gaslight the very real racism faced by black people and communities across the UK. "Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2B9bvSz

Huntsman at risk of shocking defeat in Utah

After a decade away from Utah politics and a weeks-long fight with the coronavirus, the former governor is locked in a tight race for his old job.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NCYOlq

Greta Thunberg accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of lining up to take a selfie with her just to 'look good'

Thunberg castigated Angela Merkel and other world leaders at the UN summit as stealing her dreams, but they still craved an Instagram moment with her.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2CQm5OH

Maha, Tamil Nadu extend lockdown till July 31

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu governments on Monday extended the lockdown till July 31 to stop the surge of Covid-19 cases — with stricter norms in the Mumbai and Chennai regions. The Karnataka government has also indicated that it will bring back from July 7 harsher measures such as banning the entry and exit of people from high-risk districts

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2NCgQ7k

LAC sat images show helipad expansion by China

Fresh satellite images show that China has expanded its heliport located 21.3 km north east from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Pangong Tso area. The images show that no new heliport has been constructed. ​​​Latest satellite images show that China has revamped another old helibase and new infrastructure has been added in Pishan County, 176 kilometres north of Galwan.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/3dGvjdb

Arizona Shuts Down Bars, Gyms and Parks as Coronavirus Surges Nationwide

Arizona’s Republican governor shut down bars, movie theaters, gyms and water parks Monday and leaders in several states ordered residents to wear masks in public in a dramatic course reversal amid an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases nationwide.

Among those implementing the face-covering orders is the city of Jacksonville, Florida, where the mask-averse President Donald Trump plans to accept the Republican nomination in August. Less than a week after Mayor Lenny Curry said there would be no mask requirement, city officials announced that coverings must be worn in “situations where individuals cannot socially distance.”

Trump has refused to wear a mask during visits to states and businesses that require them.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s order went into effect immediately and for at least 30 days. Ducey also also ordered public schools to delay the start of the classes at least until Aug. 17.

“Our expectation is that our numbers next week will be worse,” he said.

Arizona health officials reported 3,858 more confirmed coronavirus cases Sunday, the most reported in a single day in the state so far and the seventh time in the last 10 days that daily cases surpassed the 3,000 mark. Since the pandemic began, 74,500 cases and 1,588 deaths stemming from the virus have been reported in Arizona.

Most Arizona bars and nightclubs opened after Ducey’s stay-at-home and business closure orders were allowed to expire in mid-May.

The state is not alone in its reversal. Places such as Texas, Florida and California are backtracking, closing beaches and bars in some cases amid a resurgence of the virus. Oregon and Kansas, meanwhile, announced Monday that everyone would be required to wear masks in public.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that he’s postponing the restarting of indoor dining because people have not been wearing face masks or complying with recommendations for social distancing. New Jersey has been slowly reopening, and on Monday indoor shopping malls were cleared to start business again.

In Texas, a group of bar owners sued on Monday to try to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order closing their businesses. They contend Abbott doesn’t have the authority, and they complained that other businesses, such as nail salons and tattoo studios, remain open.

“Gov. Abbott continues to act like a king,” said Jared Woodfill, attorney for the bar owners. “Abbott is unilaterally destroying our economy and trampling on our constitutional rights.”

But New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that Abbott is on the right path, and he added that Trump should order the wearing of masks.

“States that were recalcitrant … are doing a 180, and you have the same states now wearing masks,” Cuomo said. “Let the president have the same sense to do that as an executive order, and then let the president lead by example and let the president put a mask on it, because we know it works.”

Governors in Oregon and Kansas on Monday said they were issuing executive orders requiring people to wear masks in public. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s order will require people to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces starting Wednesday. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she will issue an executive order mandating the use of masks in public starting Friday. She said details of the order would be forthcoming.

“The evidence could not be clearer — wearing a mask is not only safe, but it is necessary to avoid another shutdown,” Kelly said.

Idaho is moving in a different direction, at least when it comes to the elections. Despite the continuing spread of the virus, state elections officials said Monday that they would allow in-person voting — as well as mail-in ballots — for August primaries and the November general election, the Idaho Statesman reported. Idaho’s May 19 primary was the first statewide election held by mail only. The primary had record voter turnout.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has opposed a statewide mask requirement but said in response to Jacksonville’s action that he will support local authorities who are doing what they think is appropriate.

In recent weeks, the Republicans moved some of the convention pageantry to Jacksonville after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina objected to the holding of a large gathering in Charlotte without social-distancing measures. The convention will be in late August.

Elsewhere around the world, Britain reimposed lockdown restrictions on the city of Leicester after a spike in cases, ordering the closing of schools along with stores that do not sell essential goods.

India set another record with a one-day total of 20,000 newly confirmed infections. Several Indian states have reimposed partial or full lockdowns after the total number of cases jumped by nearly 100,000 in one week to about 548,000.

In China, nearly 8.3 million out of about 21 million have undergone testing in recent weeks in Beijing after an outbreak centered on a wholesale market. The country reported just 12 new cases Monday, including seven in Beijing.

South Korean authorities reported 47 new cases as they struggled to curb outbreaks that have spread from Seoul to other regions. Officials said they are preparing to impose stronger social-distancing measures — including banning gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting schools and halting professional sports — if the daily increase in infections doubles more than twice in a week.

In the Philippines, a Southeast Asian coronavirus hot spot with more than 35,000 confirmed infections, local officials came under fire for allowing a street parade and dance during a weekend religious festival to honor St. John the Baptist despite prohibitions against public gatherings.

The European Union is preparing a list of 15 countries whose citizens will be allowed to visit the bloc beginning Wednesday, Spain’s foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, told the Cadena SER radio network. Because of the resurgence in the U.S., America may not be on that list.

“This is not an exercise to be nice or unfriendly to other countries. This is an exercise of self-responsibility,” she said.

___

Lush reported from St. Petersburg, Florida, Kurtenbach from Bangkok. Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this report.

from TIME https://ift.tt/2ZiVBNu

D.J. ‘Shangela’ Pierce on Supporting the Drag Community in Times of Crisis

D.J. Pierce, who is best known by his drag-queen persona, Shangela, recently spoke to TIME from his grandmother’s house in Paris, Texas where he’s been keeping busy during quarantine.

The actor and performer has launched an initiative called Feed the Queens to raise money for drag performers who are unable to make a living as nightlife across the country has been shut down.

Many in-person Pride events have been cancelled this year. But Pierce still sees many ways for the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate, including by taking part in current protests against systemic racism and police brutality: “Now it’s our turn to make sure that we don’t go backwards, but we move forward.”

 

 

from TIME https://ift.tt/31AjjHs

Israel annexation: What is the West Bank?

Concerns have been expressed around the world over plans by Israel’s prime minister to annex parts of the West Bank.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3eNBeyc

Coronavirus overwhelms Afghanistan’s war-ravaged hospitals

Corruption, medical supply shortages and militant attacks have deepened the country's health crisis.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2VtiLiS

Young skater goes viral performing at Black Lives Matter Plaza

A video of Kaitlyn Saunders skating on the square opposite the White House has amassed over 350,000 views.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3dES0yg

How a veteran's secret podcast put her in the Trump administration's crosshairs - POLITICO

How a veteran's secret podcast put her in the Trump administration's crosshairs  POLITICO

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2NEP7mE

Starbucks pauses all social media ads over hate speech concerns - Engadget

1. Starbucks pauses all social media ads over hate speech concerns  Engadget
2. Facebook in hot seat over hate speech on its platform  Israel Hayom
3. Zuckerberg once wanted to sanction Trump. Then Facebook wrote rules that accommodated him.  The Washington Post
4. Opinion | Brands on Facebook risk being unfriended  Livemint
5. Starbucks pausing all social media ads as pressure on Facebook, Twitter grows  Fox Business
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/3eGOQLV

Apple is doing Google a huge favor with iOS 14 - Android Police

1. Apple is doing Google a huge favor with iOS 14  Android Police
2. First take: With iOS 14, Apple changes the very idea of an app  CNET
3. The APP Show - June 28 - The Apple WWDC 2020 Deep Dive and More!  GetConnected Media
4. Why Apple’s developers are cross  The Economist
5. iPhone's radical iOS 14 home screen changes: What you need to know  CNET
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/3eHz7Mw

Roddy Ricch Performs “High Fashion” & “The Box” Live! | BET Awards 20 - BETNetworks

1. Roddy Ricch Performs “High Fashion” & “The Box” Live! | BET Awards 20  BETNetworks
2. BET Awards Producer Promises Show Will Be ‘Powerful for Everyone’  Yahoo! Voices
3. BET Awards 2020: Amanda Seales Says Show Will 'Seamlessly' Incorporate the BLM Movement (Exclusive)  Entertainment Tonight
4. How to Watch and Stream the BET Awards 2020  GoodHousekeeping.com
5. Meg Thee Stallion On West Coast Inspired Music, Plans Of Working With Rihanna & More | BET Awards 20  BETNetworks
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/31oUUok

Did Sacha Baron Cohen prank a conservative rally with a racist singalong? - USA TODAY

1. Did Sacha Baron Cohen prank a conservative rally with a racist singalong?  USA TODAY
2. Sacha Baron Cohen Crashes Right Wing Event, Leads Absurd Sing-Along  Deadline
3. Sacha Baron Cohen Pulls Epic Prank on Far-Right Militia  The Daily Beast
4. Did Sacha Baron Cohen Just Infiltrate a Right-Wing Militia Rally?  Yahoo Entertainment
5. Sacha Baron Cohen Is a True Patriot – Three Percenters, Take Notes  CCN.com
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Vr6FH7

Cam Newton signs 1-year deal with New England Patriots, reports say - Fox News

1. Cam Newton signs 1-year deal with New England Patriots, reports say  Fox News
2. QB Cam Newton reaches 1-year deal with Patriots, sources say  ESPN
3. Report: Cam Newton signs one-year deal with Patriots  Yahoo Sports
4. Patriots docked third-round pick, fined $1.1M for filming Bengals' sideline  NFL.com
5. Sources: New England Patriots fined $1.1 million, lose draft pick in film crew fallout  ESPN
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2VsNEnF

Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney tangle at Pocono | NASCAR Cup Series - NASCAR

1. Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney tangle at Pocono | NASCAR Cup Series  NASCAR
2. Bubba Wallace Has a Pre-Race Message for His Fans in Wake of Noose Investigation  PopCulture.com
3. Admitted To The Hospital (Can't Race Pocono)  Natalie Decker
4. Multiple cars to start from rear in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono  NASCAR
5. Pocono 350 NASCAR DFS Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft  Awesemo.com
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/3ieeucP

Mask Exemption Cards From the ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency’? They’re Fake

By BY CHRISTINA MORALES from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/31rMzAq

20-month-old boy, 10-year-old girl among 14 fatally shot over weekend in Chicago

A toddler and a 10-year-old girl were among 14 people shot to death in Chicago in yet another weekend of gun violence that has rocked the city over the past month.

from ABC News: Top Stories https://ift.tt/2NITI73

For Biden VP, Black Democrats are torn between Harris and Warren

The California senator represents the diversity and generational transition activists want, but polls suggest Black Democratic voters may prefer Warren.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3i7TQem

Coronavirus: Florida and Texas reverse reopening as US cases pass 2.5m

Florida and Texas reverse moves to reopen business amid warnings hospitals may soon be overwhelmed.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3dEQL1Z

Critics question `less lethal' force used during protests

When a participant at a rally in Austin to protest police brutality threw a rock at a line of officers in the Texas capital, officers responded by firing beanbag rounds — ammunition that law enforcement deems “less lethal” than bullets. A beanbag cracked 20-year-old Justin Howell's skull and, according to his family, damaged his brain. Adding to the pain, police admit the Texas State University student wasn't the intended target.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/388sQXS

'I pray it will finally be over': Golden State Killer survivors hope guilty plea brings justice

Forty years later, suspect Joseph DeAngelo is expected to take a deal that would see him sentenced to life in prisonJennifer Carole sleeps with a small baseball bat nearby, keeps bells on her door and has taken multiple self-defense classes.Gay Hardwick never feels safe alone, and can’t sleep with an open window.Both women’s lives were forever changed by the Golden State Killer, a rapist and murderer who haunted the state for more than 40 years. He murdered Carole’s father and stepmother in bed in their southern California home and sexually assaulted and terrorized Hardwick when she was 24.In 2018, California authorities said they had identified Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer, as the suspect in at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes attributed to the Golden State Killer between 1974 and 1986.Authorities have told some of the survivors that the 74-year-old DeAngelo will plead guilty on Monday – a deal that would see him sentenced to life in prison and would spare the state a costly trial. The Sacramento county district attorney’s office would confirm only that a hearing is scheduled.DeAngelo was arrested in 2018 after law enforcement compared DNA from the crimes committed in the 1970s and 80s to that of users on the open-source genealogy website GEDMatch.Law enforcement had spent decades trying to solve the crimes, which spanned 11 counties, but the case gained renewed attention in 2016 when the Sacramento DA announced the creation of a task force to identify the killer, who has also been called the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, and the FBI put up a reward of $50,000 for information leading to his capture.The scope of the crimes, and long unidentified perpetrator, drew particular interest from the true crime community and spawned dedicated discussion boards. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, a bestselling book about the true crime writer Michelle McNamara’s search for the Golden State Killer, brought wide attention to the case when it was released months before DeAngelo’s arrest.DeAngelo is a US navy veteran of the Vietnam war and father of three and had worked as a police officer in communities near where the crimes took place. He was fired from his job at the Auburn police department in 1979 after being arrested for allegedly shoplifting dog repellant and a hammer from a Pay ’n Save store. DeAngelo worked at a Save Mart distribution center from 1989 until 2017, the Sacramento Bee reported, and in 2018 was reportedly living with his daughter and grandchild on a quiet street in a suburb of Sacramento.It was there he was arrested, in one of the communities the Golden State Killer had terrorized years earlier.For many survivors, DeAngelo’s plea comes with mixed emotions as well as a fear that he could opt out of the agreement at the last moment.“It’s a difficult place to be in, to know that at any time he could change his mind and that he is highly manipulative. I won’t believe anything until it is written in ink and approved,” Hardwick said.Hardwick was 24 in 1978 when a man broke into the home she shared with her now husband, woke the couple up at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her. They survived and did their best to move forward, selling the home they felt unable to live in. But Hardwick suffered for years from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and the attack had long-lasting impacts on her career and emotional state and took decades to work through.“I’m hoping and praying it is going to be finally over for all of us. Once and for all [I’ll] know that he is in a place where he is never going to leave.”The statute of limitations for rape convictions expired three years after the attack on the Hardwicks, but she said she considers the plea an opportunity for justice.Carole wanted DeAngelo “to have to face a courtroom and the evidence”, but she thinks the plea deal is the right thing to do as it will save the state millions of dollars and spare his daughters from further pain. That DeAngelo is pleading guilty as US police face a reckoning over systemic racism and violence is particularly salient for Carole.“We’ve got a dirty cop that had skills he acquired as a police officer and used to terrorize, rape and murder,” Carole said.Carole’s father, Lyman Smith, and his wife, Charlene, were bludgeoned to death in their Ventura home in 1980 when Carole was just 18. Her 12-year-old brother discovered the bodies. The family didn’t learn the crime was the work of a serial killer for 20 years, and it was only after DeAngelo’s capture that Carole realized the extent to which the murders had affected her life.“I’m going to be really happy to have this be done. I’m tired of him having any real estate in my head,” Carole said. But, she added, “you can’t get your people back. You can’t get your sense of safety back. He stole something from everyone in California that endured his terrorism.”As Monday’s hearing approaches, Kris Pedretti goes back and forth about attending. Pedretti became the Golden State Killer’s 10th victim when she was sexually assaulted in her home at the age of 15.“This is my one opportunity to hear this person who attacked me admit guilt,” she said.Pedretti’s attacker crept into her home days before Christmas in 1976, sneaking up on her as she played piano and threatening her with a knife before sexually assaulting her. It left Pedretti with post-traumatic stress, but in recent years she has found comfort through therapy and a Facebook group she created where sexual assault survivors can share their stories. Born out of a horrific crime she suffered at the hands of someone who sought to terrorize her community, Pedretti said the group has been healing.“We share our stories. We share what books have been helping us. I am finally at a place in this journey where I can see some sunlight because I can use what I learned.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2YERig7

Tough choices for Hamas over Israeli annexation plans

Hamas has warned that Israeli annexation in the occupied West Bank would be a "declaration of war", but the Islamist group must weigh the cost of a new fight, analysts say. Recent weeks have seen almost daily protests in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip against US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. The proposals envisage Israel annexing its West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 and located around 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the enclave of Gaza.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eGCzXL

76 coronavirus cases have been linked to one Michigan bar

Health officials urged anyone who visited the establishment between June 12 and June 20 to self-quarantine for 14 days.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3eGL3Op

Trump denies he was briefed on Russia-Taliban bounty intelligence

US President Donald Trump denied Sunday being briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. The report by The New York Times sparked renewed questions about Trump's reluctance to confront Russia over behavior that, if accurate, would represent a serious national security challenge. In a pair of early-morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report as "probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BOcLtY

Hong Kongers march in silent protest against national security laws

The proposed national security laws were discussed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Sunday in Beijing at a three-day meeting.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31mJYYe

The Black Officer Who Detained George Floyd Had Pledged to Fix the Police

MINNEAPOLIS -- There were two Black men at the scene of the police killing in Minneapolis last month that roiled the nation. One, George Floyd, was sprawled on the asphalt, with a white officer's knee on his neck. The other Black man, Alex Kueng, was a rookie police officer who held his back as Floyd struggled to breathe.Floyd, whose name has been painted on murals and scrawled on protest signs, has been laid to rest. Kueng, who faces charges of aiding and abetting in Floyd's death, is out on bail, hounded at the supermarket by strangers and denounced by some family members.Long before Kueng was arrested, he had wrestled with the issue of police abuse of Black people, joining the force in part to help protect people close to him from police aggression. He argued that diversity could force change in a Police Department long accused of racism.He had seen one sibling arrested and treated poorly, in his view, by sheriff's deputies. He had found himself defending his decision to join the police force, saying he thought it was the best way to fix a broken system. He had clashed with friends over whether public demonstrations could actually make things better."He said, 'Don't you think that that needs to be done from the inside?'" his mother, Joni Kueng, recalled him saying after he watched protesters block a highway years ago. "That's part of the reason why he wanted to become a police officer -- and a Black police officer on top of it -- is to bridge that gap in the community, change the narrative between the officers and the Black community."As hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the police after Floyd's killing on May 25, Kueng became part of a national debate over police violence toward Black people, a symbol of the very sort of policing he had long said he wanted to stop.Derek Chauvin, the officer who placed his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, has been most widely associated with the case. He faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; Kueng and two other former officers were charged with aiding and abetting the killing. At 26, Kueng was the youngest and least experienced officer at the scene, on only his third shift as a full officer.The arrest of Kueng, whose mother is white and whose father was from Nigeria, has brought anguish to his friends and family. "It's a gut punch," Joni Kueng said. "Here you are, you've raised this child, you know who he is inside and out. We're such a racially diverse family. To be wrapped up in a racially motivated incident like this is just unfathomable."Two of Alex Kueng's siblings, Taylor and Radiance, both of whom are African American, called for the arrests of all four officers, including their brother. They joined protests in Minneapolis.In a Facebook Live video, Taylor Kueng, 21, appeared with the head of the local NAACP to speak of the injustice that befell Floyd, acknowledging being related to Alex Kueng but never mentioning his name.Alex Kueng's sister Radiance posted a video of Floyd's final minutes on Facebook. "Just broke my heart," she wrote. In an interview, she said that as a Black man, her brother should have intervened. She said she planned to change her last name in part because she did not want to be associated with her brother's actions."I don't care if it was his third day at work or not," she said. "He knows right from wrong."A Full HouseThrough his life, Alex Kueng straddled two worlds, Black and white.Kueng, whose full name is J. Alexander Kueng (pronounced "king"), was raised by his mother, whom he lived with until last year. His father was absent.As a child, Kueng sometimes asked for siblings. Joni Kueng, who lived in the Shingle Creek neighborhood in north Minneapolis, signed up with an African American adoption agency.When Alex was 5, Joni Kueng brought home a baby boy who had been abandoned at a hospital. Alex soon asked for a sister; Radiance arrived when he was 11. Taylor and a younger brother came in 2009, when Alex was about 16.Radiance Kueng, 21, said their adoptive mother did not talk about race. "Race was not really a topic in our household, unfortunately," she said. "For her adopting as many Black kids as she did -- I didn't get that conversation from her. I feel like that should have been a conversation that was had."Growing up, Alex Kueng and his family made repeated trips to Haiti, helping at an orphanage. Alex Kueng and his siblings took a break from school to volunteer there after the earthquake in 2010.Joni Kueng, 56, likes to say that the Kuengs are a family of doers, not talkers."I had to stay out of the race conversations because I was the minority in the household," Joni Kueng said in her first interview since her son's arrest. She said that race was not an issue with her, but that she was conflicted. "It didn't really matter, but it does matter to them because they are African American. And so they had to be able to have an outlet to tell their stories and their experience as well, especially having a white mom."Joni Kueng taught math at the schools her children went to, where the student body was often mostly Hmong, African American and Latino. Classmates described Alex Kueng as friends with everyone, a master of juggling a soccer ball and a defender against bullies. Photos portray him with a sly smile.Darrow Jones said he first met Alex Kueng on the playground when he was 6. Jones was trying to finish his multiplication homework. Alex Kueng helped Jones and then invited him into a game of tag.When Jones' mother died in 2008, Joni Kueng took him in for as long as a month at a time.By high school, Alex Kueng had found soccer, and soon that was all he wanted to do. He became captain of the soccer team; he wanted to turn pro. The quote next to his senior yearbook picture proclaimed, "We ignore failures and strive for success."Alex Kueng went to Monroe College in New Rochelle, New York, to play soccer and study business. But after surgery on both knees, soccer proved impossible. Alex Kueng quit. Back in Minneapolis, he enrolled in technical college and supported himself catching shoplifters at Macy's.About that time, he started talking about joining the police, Joni Kueng recalled. She said she was nervous, for his safety and also because of the troubled relationship between the Minneapolis police and residents.Given his background, Alex Kueng thought he had the ability to bridge the gap between white and Black worlds, Jones said. He often did not see the same level of racism that friends felt. Jones, who is Black, recalled a road trip a few years ago to Utah with Alex Kueng, a white friend and Alex Kueng's girlfriend, who is Hmong. Jones said he had to explain to Alex Kueng why people were staring at the group."Once we got to Utah, we walked into a store, and literally everybody's eyes were on us," recalled Jones, whose skin is darker than Alex Kueng's. "I said, 'Alex, that's because you're walking in here with a Black person. The reason they're staring at us is because you're here with me.'"By February 2019, Alex Kueng had made up his mind: He signed up as a police cadet.Only a few months later, his sibling Taylor, a longtime supporter of Black Lives Matter who had volunteered as a counselor at a Black heritage camp and as a mentor to at-risk Black youths, had a confrontation with law enforcement.Taylor Kueng and a friend saw local sheriff's deputies questioning two men in a downtown Minneapolis shopping district about drinking in public. They intervened. Taylor Kueng used a cellphone to record video of the deputies putting the friend, in a striped summer dress, on the ground. "You're hurting me!" the friend shouted.As the confrontation continued, a deputy turned to Taylor Kueng and said, "Put your hands behind your back." "For what?" Taylor Kueng asked several times. "Because," said the deputy, threatening to use his Taser.Taylor Kueng called home. Alex Kueng and their mother rushed to get bail and then to the jail. "Don't worry, I got you," Alex Kueng told his sibling, hugging Taylor, their mother recalled.Alex Kueng reminded his sibling that those were sheriff's deputies, not the city force he was joining, and criticized their behavior, his mother recalled.After Taylor Kueng's video went public, the city dropped the misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process. The sheriff's office announced an official review of the arrests, which resulted in no discipline.Diverging PathsAlex Kueng's choice to become a police officer caused a rift in his friendship with Jones."It was very clear where we stood on that," said Jones, a Black Lives Matter supporter who protested on the streets after the deaths of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile at the hands of Minneapolis-area police. "Our fundamental disagreement around law enforcement is not that I believe cops are bad people. I just believe that the system needs to be completely wiped out and replaced. It's the difference between reform and rebuilding."After Alex Kueng became a cadet, Jones went from seeing Alex Kueng twice a month to maybe three times a year. He said he did not even tell Alex Kueng when the police pursued him for nothing and then let him go.In December, Alex Kueng graduated from the police academy. For most of his field training, Chauvin, with 19 years on the job, was his training officer.At one point, Alex Kueng, upset, called his mother. He said he had done something during training that bothered a supervising officer, who reamed him out. Joni Kueng did not know if that supervisor was Chauvin.Chauvin also extended Alex Kueng's training period. He felt Alex Kueng was meeting too often with a fellow police trainee, Thomas Lane, when responding to calls, rather than handling the calls on his own, Joni Kueng said.But on May 22, Alex Kueng officially became one of about 80 Black officers on a police force of almost 900. In recent years, the department, not as racially diverse as the city's population, has tried to increase the number of officers of color, with limited success.That evening, other officers held a small party at the Third Precinct station to celebrate Alex Kueng's promotion. The next evening, he worked his first full shift as an officer, inside the station. On that Sunday, he worked the 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. patrol shift, his first on the streets.On May 25, Alex Kueng's third day on the job, Alex Kueng and Lane, now partnered up despite both being freshly minted rookies, were the first officers to answer a call of a counterfeit $20 bill being passed at a corner store. They found Floyd in a car outside.After they failed to get Floyd into the back of a squad car, Chauvin and Tou Thao, another officer, showed up.As Chauvin jammed his knee into the back of Floyd's neck, Alex Kueng held down Floyd's back, according to a probable cause statement filed by prosecutors.Chauvin kept his knee there as Floyd repeated "I can't breathe" and "mama" and "please." Through the passing minutes, Alex Kueng did nothing to intervene, prosecutors say. After Floyd stopped moving, Alex Kueng checked Floyd's pulse. "I couldn't find one," Alex Kueng told the other officers.Critics of the police said the fact that none of the junior officers stopped Chauvin showed that the system itself needed to be overhauled."How do you as an individual think that you're going to be able to change that system, especially when you're going in at a low level?" said Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality in Minneapolis. "You're not going to feel OK to say, 'Stop, senior officer.' The culture is such, that that kind of intervening would be greatly discouraged."All four officers have been fired. All four face 40 years in prison. Alex Kueng, who was released on bail on June 19, declined through his lawyer to be interviewed. He is set to appear in court Monday.A day after Floyd's death, Jones learned that Alex Kueng was one of the officers who had been present. Around midnight, Jones called Alex Kueng. They talked for 40 minutes -- about what, Jones would not say -- and they cried."I'm feeling a lot of sadness and a lot of disappointment," Jones said. "A lot of us believe he should have stepped in and should have done something."He added: "It's really hard. Because I do have those feelings and I won't say I don't. But though I feel sad about what's occurred, he still has my unwavering support. Because we grew up together, and I love him."Jones said he had gone to the protests but could not bring himself to join in.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3i8HT8j

US Covid-19 cases breach record for fifth day

The United States recorded a fifth consecutive day of record new cases of coronavirus infections on Saturday as the number of worldwide cases of crossed 10 million, claiming nearly 500,000 lives. The US alone accounts for a quarter of the infections and fatalities, the death toll crossing 125,000 from 2.5 million cases over the weekend

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/31sPyIG

Coronavirus: Where are global cases rising and falling?

As the world hits the grim milestone of 10 million confirmed cases, which countries are seeing the biggest rises, and what might be behind them?

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/31mqfIl

'How George Floyd's death changed my Chinese students'

Some students at Jasmine Cochrane's school in China found it hard to trust a black teacher. George Floyd's death made a huge difference.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2BRlPhG

How teargas became the go-to weapon for US police

The riot control agent has been banned in war for 100 years but remains a vital tool for police.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2VpcPr2

Judge orders Roger Stone to surrender July 14, denying his request for an extended delay

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, requested a two-month delay to his prison sentence, citing his age and medical concerns.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31l1g85

"Pop, Lock & Drop It" rapper killed in double shooting

No suspects have been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/31iKKpi

China rebuts Canadian criticism over detention of two men

China lashed out at Canada on Saturday over criticism about Chinese prosecution of two Canadians, saying the matter is based on evidence and urging Ottawa to cease "megaphone diplomacy." Chinese prosecutors this month charged Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, for suspected espionage. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Beijing to cease the "arbitrary detention," and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called for their release.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2AeD0cU