Sunday,  Sept. 20th, 2020

Police arrest 86 people at a protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Times Square. The rally called for the abolition of ICE in the wake of allegations of a high rate of hysterectomies and alleged medical neglect. (CNN)

Chuck Schumer: Mitch McConnell is displaying ‘blatant, nasty hypocrisy’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday night vowed to fight against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said he will push to have the Senate vote on President Trump’s nominee to replace Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. McConnell blocked former President Barack Obama from being able to select a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, claiming it was too soon before the November election. By calling for a quick vote now, when the presidential election is just 44 days away, McConnell is displaying “blatant, nasty hypocrisy,” Schumer said. He urged voters to call their senators and tell them “not to be afraid of Mitch McConnell.” Ocasio-Cortez said it is “extraordinarily important that we understand the stakes of this vacancy,” as reproductive, labor, and health-care rights “are on the line.” A Trump appointment, she added, puts “all of our rights, the rights that so many people died for … at risk.” Source: The Week

London’s Metropolitan Police reports that around 200 books worth £2.5 million were recovered from a house in Neamț County, Romania. The books, believed to have been stolen by Romanian gangs from a London warehouse in January 2017, include first editions by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and English scientist Isaac Newton, and sketches by Spanish painter Francisco Goya. (DW)

The United States Department of Commerce says it will ban U.S. citizens from downloading the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat effective September 20, unless a partnership between Oracle Corporation and TikTok owner ByteDance is agreed to and approved by President Donald Trump. (BBC)

Chinese technology company ByteDance announces a proposed joint deal with American corporations Oracle and Walmart to continue the operation of its video-sharing social networking service TikTok in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump recognizes the proposal, having threatened to ban the service in suspicion of Chinese espionage should ByteDance have failed to reach a deal with an American firm. (AFP via The Hindu)

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declares the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran as no longer in force. He also warns that the United States “is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences” for other countries that do not enforce the sanctions. Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia oppose the snapback sanctions.  (Al Jazeera)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) releases a statement that a screening facility for White House mail intercepted a package containing ricin poison that was addressed to Donald Trump earlier this week. The FBI and the Secret Service are investigating where the package came from and whether others have been sent through the postal service. (BBC)

Hundreds of Romanian families protest at the University Square in Bucharest against the government’s new mandate on social distancing and the wearing of face masks in schools. Many compare the measures to the country’s communist regime. (AP via ABC News)

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Saturday,  Sept. 19th, 2020

A 1634 edition of The Two Noble Kinsmen, the last play by English playwright William Shakespeare, is discovered at the Royal Scots College’s library in Salamanca, Spain. It is believed to be the oldest copy of any of his works in the country. (BBC)

Robert Koch Institute reports 2,297 new cases in Germany in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide total to more than 270,000, the highest single daily increase since April. (Daily Sabah)

Two people are killed and 14 others injured in a mass shooting at a home in Rochester, New York. (The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Former UK diplomat Fraser Cameron is placed under investigation by Belgian authorities for allegedly selling sensitive information to Chinese spies posing as journalists. (BBC)

Trump says GOP has ‘obligation’ to replace Ginsburg ‘without delay’ President Trump on Saturday urged Senate Republicans to confirm a new Supreme Court Justice, who he will nominate, to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday night at 87. Trump told GOP lawmakers “we have this obligation, without delay.” Ginsburg’s death has already sparked a debate over the vacant seat. In 2016, Senate Republicans blocked then-President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. So is 2020, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has argued it’s a different situation because the Senate majority and president are from the same party and, therefore, he is aiming to fast-track a nomination. Trump’s latest statement signals he is on the same page as McConnell. Democrats — and some Republicans — have said a confirmation hearing should wait until at least after the November election, if not January’s inauguration. Source: Donald Trump

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Friday,  Sept.  18th, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at the age of 87. (NPR)

Report: CDC testing guidance published despite scientists’ objections In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was criticized for releasing guidance saying it wasn’t necessary to test people without coronavirus symptoms who had been in close contact with an infected person for more than 15 minutes. But this recommendation was not written by CDC scientists and was posted online over their strenuous objections, The New York Times reports. A federal official told the Times the police came from the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House Coronavirus Task Force and “does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.” The document was “dropped” into the CDC’s public website, bypassing the agency’s scientific review process. The CDC is facing scrutiny over whether it is maintaining its independence amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 200,000 Americans. Source: The New York Times

Texas Governor Greg Abbott eases restrictions on retail stores, gyms, and restaurants. Bars, however, remain closed. (CNBC)

France reports 13,215 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, a new record since the start of the pandemic, while the daily death toll jumps to 154, a four-month high according to data from the health ministry. (Reuters)

Due to concerns over the spread, the government announces that it will move Dublin to “risk level three” restrictions in its response plan effective at midnight tonight, which means that indoor restaurant dining is banned again in the capital and residents are being advised against all non-essential travel. Meanwhile, indoor visitations are only allowed between one other household, most sporting events will be cancelled, and attendance at weddings and funerals is going to be capped at 25 guests effective September 21. (Sky News)

Madrid regional government announced new restrictions aimed at curbing the rising number of cases in the region. The order will go into effect on September 21 and last for at least 14 days which will effects more than 855,000 people, or 17% of the region’s population. (El Pais in English)

Israel enters a three-week second nationwide lockdown in an attempt to curb surging cases as people begin to mark the start of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). Under these rules, Israelis must stay within one kilometer of their homes, with exceptions, and the number of people allowed in synagogues has been greatly reduced. (BBC)

The United States Department of Commerce says it will ban U.S. citizens from downloading the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat effective September 20, unless a partnership between Oracle Corporation and TikTok owner ByteDance is agreed to and approved by President Donald Trump. (BBC)

The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority announces it will launch an investigation into major lending bank Swedbank for suspected market abuses between September 2018 and February 2019, as part of a larger international investigation into allegations of money laundering. (Bloomberg)

Biden calls Trump’s downplaying of coronavirus threat ‘close to criminal’ Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden fielded questions from voters in Pennsylvania during a CNN Presidential Town Hall on Thursday night, sharing his plans on how to get Americans safely back to work and school amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuring there is more police accountability. Biden said he would have nationwide rapid testing and sufficient personal protective equipment, which “requires some federal funding, particularly kids going back to school.” He slammed President Trump for downplaying the virus, saying he knew how deadly it was “and did nothing. It is close to criminal.” Regarding policing, chiefs and unions must join community and civil rights leaders “at a table and agree on the fundamental” reforms that must be done, Biden said, including better background checks for potential officers. Source: The Week

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