Monday, June 29th, 2020

The New England Patriots reach an agreement to sign quarterback Cam Newton. He will replace the Patriots’ longtime quarterback Tom Brady, who left the team in March. (AP)

The worldwide COVID-19 case total surpasses 10 million. The United States remains the leading nation in cases, accounting for over 25% of both cases and deaths worldwide. (NBC News)

The worldwide death total for COVID-19 surpasses 500,000. (Al Jazeera)

The Mississippi Legislature votes to remove the Confederate battle flag from its 126-year-old state flag and to form a commission to redesign a new flag. Mississippi is the last U.S. state to display the Confederate battle emblem. The bill now heads to Governor Tate Reeves to sign into law. (NPR)

Following negotiations with creditors, Chesapeake Energy applies for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. It will seek to restructure its debts in order to continue operations. The company is experiencing cash flow and liquidity issues due to low energy prices and large amounts of debt. (Reuters)

 

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

Global coronavirus cases top 10 million  The number of confirmed global coronavirus cases crossed 10 million on Sunday, while deaths approached 500,000. The 10 million figure is roughly double the number of severe flu cases recorded every year, per the World Health Organization. The U.S. accounts for more than 25 percent of worldwide cases, and several states — including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona — either broke or matched their previous records for daily confirmed cases Saturday, prompting Vice President Mike Pence to call off campaign events in Arizona and Florida. Washington state, meanwhile, paused the fourth and final phase of re-opening in several counties after registering a new state record of infections over a seven-day stretch. India and Brazil are among other countries experiencing severe outbreaks. Some nations that had largely stemmed the virus’ spread, like China, Australia, and New Zealand, have seen smaller resurgences. Source: Reuters

Princeton University says it will remove the name of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from its public policy school and a residential college, calling him a “racist”. Christopher L. Eisgruber says that “Woodrow Wilson’s racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms”. (Al Jazeera)

White House: Trump didn’t hear ‘white power’ shout in retweeted video  President Trump on Sunday retweeted a video showing his supporters clash with protesters in The Villages, a community in Florida. At the beginning of the clip, a man in a golf cart driving past the protesters shouts “white power,” but the racist incident didn’t prevent Trump from thanking “the great people of The Villages,” prompting an intense backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike. The retweet was later deleted, and the White House released a statement claiming the president “did not hear the statement made on the video” and is simply “a big fan of the video.” Source: Axios

1 killed in shooting at Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville  One man was killed and another was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting Saturday evening in Louisville, Kentucky. The fatal incident occurred at a park where demonstrators had gathered to protest the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police who entered her Louisville home on a no-knock warrant in March. Videos posted online appear to show a man on the edge of the park where Saturday’s gathering took place firing more than a dozen shots into the crowd as protesters scrambled to take cover. The police said they are investigating the shooting, but so far there have not been reports of any arrests. Source: The Associated Press

Biden criticizes Trump over intel report on Russian bounties  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday criticized President Trump’s attitude toward Moscow following a New York Times report that United States intelligence determined a Russian military intelligence unit secretly paid Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan bounties to kill U.S. and coalition troops. The Times reports Trump was briefed on the matter in March, but the White House denied that, though it did not dispute the validity of the intelligence report. Biden blasted Trump for failing to sanction Russia over the report. “His entire presidency has been a gift to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, but this is beyond the pale,” Biden said during a virtual town hall event Saturday. Both Russia and the Taliban have denied the American intelligence assessment. Source:  CNBC

An employee is killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, California, United States. The shooter was then confronted by responding police officers and fatally shot during a shootout. (AP News)

One person is killed and another injured when a gunman opened fire at people protesting the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. (AP News)

Police in Hong Kong ban the 1 July march for the first time in 17 years. In a letter of objection addressed to protest organizer and convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham, police cite “persisting social unrest” and vandalism. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung rejects an appeal by the CHRF who have said they will appeal the ban. (Hong Kong Free Press)

Government of Prime Minister Imran Khan approves a grant of Rs100 million for the construction of the first Hindu temple in the capital of Islamabad. (DAWN)

Incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson won re-election with 92.2% of the votes. (DW)

The End

 

Sunday,  June 28th, 2020

An ISIL-affiliated group attack a town near billion-dollar gas projects managed by Total S.A. and Exxon Mobil in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique. An army spokesman reports that the armed forces suffered casualties in the attack. (Reuters)

India surpasses 500,000 cases after reporting 18,552 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest toll to date. India also reports a total 15,685 deaths from the disease. (AP News)

Libya’s international-recognized government, the Government of National Accord, calls for the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on individuals and “mercenaries”, after its National Oil Corporation stated that Russian mercenaries and other foreign actors had forced their way into the Sharara oilfield. (Al Jazeera)

At least one person is killed and another injured when a gunman opened fire at people protesting the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP News)

At least two people are killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, California. The shooter’s condition is unclear. (CNN)

Following long negotiations, the new Irish government is voted into office by Dáil Éireann. The government is formed after a historic coalition deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin takes office as Taoiseach (Prime Minister), with outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as Tánaiste (deputy head of government), due to return to the post in December 2022 as part of the coalition deal. (RTÉ)

Police in Hong Kong ban the 1 July march for the first time in 17 years. In a letter of objection addressed to protest organizer and convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham, police cite “persisting social unrest” and vandalism. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung rejects an appeal by the CHRF who have said they will appeal the ban. (HK Free Press)

5 states hit daily highs in coronavirus cases Four states — Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Nevada — recorded recorded new highs in daily coronavirus reported Saturday with Florida doing so for the second straight day after tallying more than 9,5000 new infections. Arizona matched its previous high in cases set on Tuesday, while the state’s number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new peak at 2,577. Washington state, meanwhile, on Saturday paused the fourth and final phase of re-opening in several eastern counties Saturday after registering a new state record of coronavirus cases over a seven-day stretch. Overall, Johns Hopkins University data has found the United States has confirmed more than 2.5 million COVID-19 infections and more than 125,000 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic first hit the country earlier this year. Source: Reuters

Pence cancels campaign events in Arizona, Florida because of coronavirus spikes Vice President Mike Pence has called off campaign events scheduled for this coming week in Arizona and Florida “out of an abundance of caution” as the two states experience a surge in coronavirus cases, though he stil plans to travel to the states and meet with their respective governors and health teams. Pence will also reportedly still travel to Dallas, Texas, on Sunday to attend a rally at First Baptist Church Dallas and then meet with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During a White House coronavirus task force briefing on Saturday, Pence put a positive spin on the current state of the pandemic in the U.S., arguing “we’re in a much better place.” Source: USA Today

Judge rules ICE must release detained children because of coronavirus U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release children currently held in the country’s three family detention centers for more than 20 days by July 17 because of concerns of the coronavirus, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of California ordered Friday. Gee said the centers, which house 124 children, are “on fire,” citing one Texas facility that has at least 11 confirmed cases. Gee said ICE could use tracking devices on some parents if it’s the only way to release the children safely to “non-congregate settings,” although the ruling applies only to children and does not compel ICE to release parents. In response to the ruling, the White House accused Gee of being part of a group of “activist judges” who “have imposed their own vision in the place of duly enacted laws.” Source: NBC News

Princeton to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from public policy school Former President Woodrow Wilson’s name will be removed from Princeton University’s campus, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in a letter to the Princeton community Saturday. The decision to remove Wilson’s name from the School of Public and International Affairs, as well the residential college, Wilson College, is the result of a Board of Trustees vote. Eisgruber said the board determined “Wilson’s racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college” that “must stand firmly against racism in all its forms.” The board had considered making the change in 2015, but opted to keep Wilson’s namesake since he played a vital role in turning Princeton into a leading research university when he served as the university’s president. However, recent nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism propelled the trustees to reconsider, Eisgruber said. Source: Princeton University

Nationals, Yankees reportedly slated to meet on MLB’s new Opening Day While the MLB is still finalizing its regionally-based, 60-game 2020 schedule as the league looks to return to action amid the coronavirus pandemic, the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals are reportedly slated to host the New York Yankees on July 23 to launch the altered season. If all goes according to plan, that would likely mean Washington’s ace Max Scherzer would face New York’s big free agent addition Gerrit Cole in a star-studded pitching matchup. The Nationals and Yankees were not initially slated to play this year, but the revamped schedule means teams will only play their division rivals as well as the other league’s corresponding regional division. In this case, that would be the National League East and the American League East. Source: The New York Post

The End

Sunday,  June 28th, 2020

An ISIL-affiliated group attack a town near billion-dollar gas projects managed by Total S.A. and Exxon Mobil in Mocímboa da Praia, Mozambique. An army spokesman reports that the armed forces suffered casualties in the attack. (Reuters)

India surpasses 500,000 cases after reporting 18,552 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest toll to date. India also reports a total 15,685 deaths from the disease. (AP News)

Libya’s international-recognized government, the Government of National Accord, calls for the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on individuals and “mercenaries”, after its National Oil Corporation stated that Russian mercenaries and other foreign actors had forced their way into the Sharara oilfield. (Al Jazeera)

At least one person is killed and another injured when a gunman opened fire at people protesting the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP News)

At least two people are killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, California. The shooter’s condition is unclear. (CNN)

Following long negotiations, the new Irish government is voted into office by Dáil Éireann. The government is formed after a historic coalition deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin takes office as Taoiseach (Prime Minister), with outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as Tánaiste (deputy head of government), due to return to the post in December 2022 as part of the coalition deal. (RTÉ)

Police in Hong Kong ban the 1 July march for the first time in 17 years. In a letter of objection addressed to protest organizer and convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Jimmy Sham, police cite “persisting social unrest” and vandalism. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung rejects an appeal by the CHRF who have said they will appeal the ban. (HK Free Press)

5 states hit daily highs in coronavirus cases Four states — Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Nevada — recorded recorded new highs in daily coronavirus reported Saturday with Florida doing so for the second straight day after tallying more than 9,5000 new infections. Arizona matched its previous high in cases set on Tuesday, while the state’s number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new peak at 2,577. Washington state, meanwhile, on Saturday paused the fourth and final phase of re-opening in several eastern counties Saturday after registering a new state record of coronavirus cases over a seven-day stretch. Overall, Johns Hopkins University data has found the United States has confirmed more than 2.5 million COVID-19 infections and more than 125,000 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic first hit the country earlier this year. Source: Reuters

Pence cancels campaign events in Arizona, Florida because of coronavirus spikes Vice President Mike Pence has called off campaign events scheduled for this coming week in Arizona and Florida “out of an abundance of caution” as the two states experience a surge in coronavirus cases, though he stil plans to travel to the states and meet with their respective governors and health teams. Pence will also reportedly still travel to Dallas, Texas, on Sunday to attend a rally at First Baptist Church Dallas and then meet with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During a White House coronavirus task force briefing on Saturday, Pence put a positive spin on the current state of the pandemic in the U.S., arguing “we’re in a much better place.” Source: USA Today, The Associated Press

Judge rules ICE must release detained children because of coronavirus U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release children currently held in the country’s three family detention centers for more than 20 days by July 17 because of concerns of the coronavirus, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of California ordered Friday. Gee said the centers, which house 124 children, are “on fire,” citing one Texas facility that has at least 11 confirmed cases. Gee said ICE could use tracking devices on some parents if it’s the only way to release the children safely to “non-congregate settings,” although the ruling applies only to children and does not compel ICE to release parents. In response to the ruling, the White House accused Gee of being part of a group of “activist judges” who “have imposed their own vision in the place of duly enacted laws.” Source: NBC News, NPR

Princeton to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from public policy school Former President Woodrow Wilson’s name will be removed from Princeton University’s campus, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in a letter to the Princeton community Saturday. The decision to remove Wilson’s name from the School of Public and International Affairs, as well the residential college, Wilson College, is the result of a Board of Trustees vote. Eisgruber said the board determined “Wilson’s racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college” that “must stand firmly against racism in all its forms.” The board had considered making the change in 2015, but opted to keep Wilson’s namesake since he played a vital role in turning Princeton into a leading research university when he served as the university’s president. However, recent nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism propelled the trustees to reconsider, Eisgruber said. Source: Princeton University, The Week

Nationals, Yankees reportedly slated to meet on MLB’s new Opening Day While the MLB is still finalizing its regionally-based, 60-game 2020 schedule as the league looks to return to action amid the coronavirus pandemic, the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals are reportedly slated to host the New York Yankees on July 23 to launch the altered season. If all goes according to plan, that would likely mean Washington’s ace Max Scherzer would face New York’s big free agent addition Gerrit Cole in a star-studded pitching matchup. The Nationals and Yankees were not initially slated to play this year, but the revamped schedule means teams will only play their division rivals as well as the other league’s corresponding regional division. In this case, that would be the National League East and the American League East. Source: The New York Post

 

Saturday,  June 27th, 2020

The United States Intelligence Community claims that Russia offered Taliban-affiliated groups bounties to kill American soldiers. (The New York Times)

American pizza chain Chuck E. Cheese announced they are filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. (USA Today)

The government and the Taliban agree to start intra-Afghan talks by mid-July after the issue of releasing the “most dangerous” Taliban prisoners has been solved, according to a government spokesman. The group did not comment on the announcement. (Al Arabiya)

British–Dutch consumer company Unilever, owner of brands including Lipton and Dove, announces that they will suspend advertising on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter for the rest of the year, saying that they have not been doing enough to counter “divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the U.S.” (Reuters)

A court in Turkey sentences 121 people to life in prison for their role in the 2016 attempted coup. Eighty-six were sentenced to “aggravated” life imprisonment for “attempting to violate the constitution”. (Al Arabiya)

A Danish court sentences a Norwegian-Iranian man to seven years in prison for spying on behalf of Iranian intelligence and for conspiring to assassinate the leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz. He will be expelled permanently from the country upon the end of his sentence. (Reuters)

The Chief of Police of Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch, is injured but “out of danger” in an assassination attempt upon him. Two of his bodyguards and a passerby were killed. García Harfuch blamed the attack on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). (Reuters)

Employees at Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, working in multiple U.S. locations are being sent home for refusing to take off Black Lives Matter face masks. Workers are protesting these actions. (Boston Globe) (Fox News)

The End