June 19, 2020

Navy upholds firing of carrier captain who warned of coronavirus

(Politico) The Navy has decided to uphold the firing of Capt. Brett Crozier, the former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was relieved of duty after raising the alarm about a Covid-19 outbreak on his ship in March, according to two people familiar with the investigation.

"The results of the investigation justified the relief," said one person who has seen the investigation. "He failed to take appropriate action, to do the things that the commanding officer of a ship is supposed to do, so he stays relieved."

No other punitive action will be taken against the captain, said a congressional aide.

In a new twist, the Navy is also expected to hold up the promotion of the senior officer onboard the Roosevelt, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, said the two people.

"Strike Group Command will also be held accountable for poor decision-making and his second star is being put on hold," said the aide.

After learning of the outbreak on the ship, Crozier argued for evacuating the entire crew as soon as possible. But Baker, Crozier's superior on the ship, reportedly countered that less drastic measures should be taken.

The news brings to a close a highly publicized chain of events that started with an outbreak of the coronavirus onboard the Roosevelt in late March, which forced the ship to stop in Guam and offload its 5,000 sailors. Crozier caused an uproar when he wrote a letter pleading for help from Navy leadership as the coronavirus spread throughout his ship, which was later leaked to the media. Crozier was fired by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who later stepped down over remarks he made to the ship's crew criticizing the captain's actions.

The news that Crozier will remain relieved is a shift from the Navy's recommendation in April. After a preliminary inquiry, the chief of naval operations recommended that Crozier be reinstated.

(read more) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/19/navy-fires-brett-crozier-aircraft-carrier-coronavirus-329716

June 19, 2020

Malala Yousafzai finishes Oxford University, says now is time for 'Netflix, reading and sleep'

London (CNN) Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning woman who survived being shot by the Taliban, has completed her degree at Oxford University.

Yousafzai, who is 22, tweeted early on Friday morning to say she had finished her studies.

"Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at Oxford," she wrote. "I don't know what's ahead. For now, it will be Netflix, reading and sleep."

She also shared two photographs -- one of her cutting a cake in celebration with family and another of her covered in cake and confetti

Yousafzai, who was born in Pakistan and is an education and human rights activist, was attacked by the Taliban after becoming a vocal critic of the terrorist group's attempts to stop girls from attending school.

At just 15 years old, she was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in an assassination attempt while riding a bus home from school. She was airlifted to Britain, where she was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

In completing a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, Yousafzai joins some of the world's top leaders, including former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, current Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron.

(Read More)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/world/malala-completes-oxford-studies-scli-intl-gbr/index.html

June 19, 2020

Arizona official brought women to the US to give birth and charged families to adopt the babies

Wow. These repugs are just never fail to disgust me.

(CNN) A former Arizona county assessor pleaded guilty to running an adoption fraud scheme that involved bringing pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the United States to give birth, authorities said Thursday.

Paul Petersen, 45, was an adoption lawyer licensed in Utah and Arizona, and an elected assessor for Maricopa County.

Petersen pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulent schemes and one count of forgery, all felonies in Arizona. He operated the international adoption scheme in Arizona, Arkansas and Utah, according to the the latter's office of the Attorney General.

In Utah, Petersen is accused of running an enterprise to transport pregnant Marshallese women to the state for adoptions. The women came from the islands in the central Pacific and were housed in residences he allegedly owned or leased.

He transported or secured transportation for more than 40 pregnant Marshallese women to Utah between August 2016 and August 2019, federal prosecutors said.

"The defendant collected proceeds from each adoption in the form of fees paid to him by adoptive parents," the documents said.

(Read More) https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/us/marshall-islands-paul-petersen-adoption-scheme/index.html

June 17, 2020

Pence tries to declare coronavirus over as Trump pushes reopening and campaigning

* These repugs are always trying to hide, twist or cover up the truth and hope we don't notice....

(CNN) Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the administration's coronavirus task force, is publicly painting a rosy picture of the pandemic through his words and actions amid President Donald Trump's push to reopen the country and resume campaigning.

But despite the administration's efforts to declare the pandemic over, 18 states are currently experiencing an increase in cases. And health officials have implored Americans to heed task force guidelines -- including wearing a mask and social distancing -- to slow the spread, and a key model used by the White House is now projecting more than 200,000 deaths by October.

"We may be done with the pandemic, but the pandemic is not done with us," Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said during a STAT Conversation on Tuesday.

snip

On Monday, Pence urged governors to take increased testing into account for increased cases. And on Tuesday, he penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal claiming there is "no second wave" of coronavirus. Pence also traveled to Iowa Tuesday, where he had lunch at a local restaurant with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and made remarks at Winnebago Industries touting US "recovery."

At the restaurant, neither Pence nor Reynolds nor the restaurant's owner or patrons wore a mask, and he did not practice social distancing as he greeted diners. Pence also openly flouted social distancing guidelines last week with a trip to Trump campaign headquarters, posting a since-deleted photo with a large group of tightly clustered campaign staff, none of whom wore masks.

Pence attributed a rise in US coronavirus cases to an increase in testing during a Monday call with the nation's governors. But those comments came in the context of an extensive conversation between Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Dr. Deborah Birx on rising cases that weren't attributed to increased testing.

Long article - read more:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/politics/mike-pence-coronavirus-reopen-campaign/index.html

June 17, 2020

'Go Back to Japan': Torrance Police Investigate Hate Crime After Store Finds Threatening Note

*The part that made my blood boil was: Do not forget you are in America. We can do anything we want.

(NBC Los Angeles) A typed letter posted on the front door of a shop in Torrance has become evidence in a hate crime investigation Tuesday.

The letter reads: "We want you to move out." It also goes on to threaten violence.

The owner of the Japanese cookware shop says it's is the worst type of racism he’s experienced since he moved to California.

An employee found the letter Monday that threatens, “go back to Japan…. We are going to bomb your store if you don’t listen and we know where you live.”

The owner – who asked that we not identify him or his shop -- says the threat feels very real. He’s owned this store for nine years.

He moved to the United States when he was 63 after decades of running a business in Japan. He chose the South Bay after visiting on vacation.

"I'm disappointed to see such a poster, because I love America," he said.

Torrance police have the original letter. Officers and security at the shopping center are keeping a close eye on this business. The employee who found the note, Hiro, says he’s still in shock over the blatant racist threats.

Both men said in nine years of business they’ve never experienced such hateful words against them.

"I know it’s a hate crime. I don’t know about if they just don’t like Japanese or asian, because we’re selling authentic Japanese tools," Hiro said.

Detectives are trying to find whoever is responsible for the racist letter. The owner says he doesn’t have security camera around his store, despite the fact that he sells high end custom Japanese cookware.

He said he didn’t want customers to feel watched, but now that he’s the victim of an apparent hate crime. He decided to add cameras after receiving the letter, but he says his store will stay open.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/torrance-japanese-store-note-threat-hate-crime/2381222/

June 17, 2020

Eleanor Barr, wife of Kentucky Congressman, dies suddenly aged 39

(The Guardian) Eleanor Barr, wife of Kentucky Congressman, dies suddenly aged 39

It is being reported that the wife of Rep. Andy Barr from Kentucky, Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, passed away unexpectedly in the family’s home in Lexington Tuesday night at the age of 39.

The Fayette County coroner was called to the family’s home following the announcement of her passing, WKYT-TV reported.

“During this tragic time, we respectfully ask for privacy for Congressman Barr and his family to grieve Mrs. Barr being called home to heaven,” the statement added. “Congressman Barr may release a more detailed statement at a later date, but right now is solely focused on being a father to his two beautiful daughters.”

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement he and his wife are “stunned and heartbroken” by the news, and send their “sincere condolences to Andy, their family and his staff at this terribly painful time.”

Condolences for her passing flowed in through the night from other Kentucky politicians, including Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

Barr, who went by Carol, grew up in the state, and went on to attend the University of Kentucky, news outlets reported.

She married Andy Barr in 2008 and the couple went on to have two children. She had worked for Pfizer, and as the executive director of Lexington’s Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jun/17/black-lives-matter-protests-republicans-police-bill-chokehold-donald-trump-live-updates?page=with:block-5eea08788f08b8bbd22a3eef#block-5eea08788f08b8bbd22a3eef

June 15, 2020

Revealed: The Family Member Who Turned on Trump

(Daily Beast) The president’s niece Mary Trump is set to publish a tell-all this summer—and to reveal that she was a primary source for The New York Times’ investigation into Trump’s taxes.

Donald Trump’s niece, his deceased brother’s daughter, is set to publish a tell-all book this summer that will detail “harrowing and salacious” stories about the president, according to people with knowledge of the project.

Mary Trump, 55, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. and eldest grandchild of Fred Trump Sr., is scheduled to release Too Much And Never Enough on Aug. 11, just weeks before the Republican National Convention.

One of the most explosive revelations Mary will detail in the book, according to people familiar with the matter, is how she played a critical role helping The New York Times print startling revelations about Trump’s taxes, including how he was involved in “fraudulent” tax schemes and had received more than $400 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire.

As she is set to outline in her book, Mary was a primary source for the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, supplying Fred Trump Sr.’s tax returns and other highly confidential family financial documentation to the paper.

snip

The book is sure to send shock waves through Washington and the Trump family just months before the election and it comes hot on the heels of John Bolton’s much-anticipated memoir. But unlike all the books by former Trump staffers, this is the first time a Trump family member has written a tell-all that is highly critical of the president.

The bad blood between President Trump and his niece dates back 20 years to the fight over Fred Trump Sr.’s will and the actions he took to cut off financial and medical support for her brother’s ill child. Now that feud is about to spill out into the public eye during a critical election year, with the president struggling to shore up his plummeting popularity.

“My aunt and uncles should be ashamed of themselves,” Mary Trump said about Donald Trump and his siblings in that rare 2000 interview, which provides a preview of the tone of her book. “I'm sure they are not.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mary-trump-donald-trumps-niece-is-writing-a-tell-all-book-that-details-how-she-leaked-tax-papers-to-nyt

June 14, 2020

(New Ad) Lindsey Graham Loves Joe Biden

&fbclid=IwAR1MD3blDwTIKgyHN4dizO36qEYvORfZMkCCpknvUXbfv7qnnO9V5mW7uJA

June 12, 2020

Florida reports record high 1,902 new coronavirus cases, one day after previous record

(Miami Herald) Florida’s Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed a new daily record high of 1,902 additional cases of COVID-19 — surpassing the previous high of confirmed cases by 204, which was reported just a day earlier.

That put the state’s total number of confirmed cases at 70,971 since the pandemic began in March.

Twenty-nine deaths were also announced, raising the statewide death toll to 2,877.

The state slowly began to reopen in May. Now in June, most businesses across the state are open at limited capacity with social-distancing regulations in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

snip

CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN SOUTH FLORIDA
More than half of the new deaths and less than half of the new cases were in South Florida:

▪ Miami-Dade County reported 324 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 new deaths. The county now has a total of 20,872 confirmed cases and 809 deaths, the highest in the state.

▪ Broward County reported 252 additional confirmed case of the disease, bringing its known total up to 8,589. It also reduced its death count from 351 to 350. It’s still unclear what caused this discrepancy.

▪ Palm Beach County saw 322 additional confirmed cases and nine new deaths. The county’s known total is now at 8,209 with 416 deaths.

▪ Monroe County reported one additional case of the disease and no new deaths. The Florida Keys now have a total of 121 confirmed cases and four deaths.

(Read More) https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article243482076.html?utm_medium=push_alert&utm_source=pushly&intcid=%7B__explicit:pushly_566985%7D

June 12, 2020

Senate Democrats just got a big break

(CNN via MSN) On Thursday, Senate Democrats got a bit of an unexpected boost when Jon Ossoff eked above the 50% plateau in the party primary and, in so doing, avoided a runoff for the right to face Republican Sen. David Perdue in Georgia in the fall.

In clearing the 50% mark, Ossoff -- along with national Democrats -- avoids what would have been a two-month runoff that would have not only been costly but also would have truncated the timeline to rally behind the eventual nominee.

While Perdue's bid for a second term draws less attention than appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler's ongoing struggles in her first six months in office, there's little question that Georgia's changing demographics -- and distaste for President Donald Trump among suburban women -- have made the state a battleground at the presidential and Senate level.

snip


Everything likely needs to go right for Ossoff to win. But avoiding a runoff was the first key piece of that puzzle.

Ossoff, one of the best Democratic fundraisers in the country, can now spend his summer collecting cash to match Perdue's $9 million bank account while putting in place the organizational pieces he needs to have a chance.

And that's a big win -- for Ossoff and his party.

The Point: The name of the game right now for Senate Democrats looking to retake the majority in the fall is expanding the playing field so that they have more margin for error. Ossoff's outright primary win helps that cause.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-democrats-just-got-a-big-break/ar-BB15mraC