News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
President Trump Holds a News Conference 4/27/20
Monday, April 27, 2020: President Donald Trump holds a news conference from The White House.
Man Accused of Killing Wife Was Allegedly Dismembering Her When Police Came to Check on Her
Troopers spoke to Philip M. Farren, 52, who said his wife had “left the area,” the release says.
When troopers questioned him again, he “then made admissions,” the release says.
“Further investigation reveals that Farren had shot and killed the victim earlier in the week and was in the process of dismembering the victim’s body when troopers arrived on scene,” the release claims.
Milwaukee police find 5 dead in house; suspect in custody
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters at the house that a baby was found alive in the house.
Investigators believe the shooter decided to spare the infant.
Morales said investigators recovered a weapon and believe the shooter acted alone, adding that that there’s no threat to the public.
10,000+ Americans join class action lawsuit against China over coronavirus
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)
“The simple fact here is, China lied and people died and it’s just not okay,” Moore said.
“We’re suing the Chinese government and we’re suing the Chinese Communist Party because we want the truth, we want to get justice and we want to make China accountable for what they’ve done.”
U.S. lawmakers have already begun discussing ways to change laws that currently limit lawsuits against foreign governments, to make it easier for complaints against China to proceed.
Moore said his lawsuit already takes advantage of some limited exceptions to U.S. laws regarding lawsuits of foreign governments. In particular, Moore’s lawsuit takes aim at the ruling Chinese Communist Party as an independent organization.
US Army searching for missing Fort Hood soldier, asks for public’s help
A soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas has been missing since April 22 and the U.S. Army base has asked the public to be on alert for her whereabouts.
Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old Soldier stationed at the base was last seen on April 22, in the parking lot for the Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters for the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, according to a base press release.
Fort Hood officials and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are asking the public to be on the lookout for Guillen.
Facebook removes Army chaplains’ prayer videos after complaints from activist group
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), an organization that advocates against religious proselytizing through the armed services, shared a post about their successful efforts to flag and have religious videos shared on official military pages removed from Facebook.
Fox News reported the MRFF won removal requests on four recent videos involving chaplains Cpt. Amy Smith and Maj. Scott Ingram, which was posted by Army’s 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Drum, New York.
In March, the group also won the removal of a video shared by the U.S. Air Force Reserve, in which members discussed things that give them a sense of purpose and resiliency during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some members referred to their families as a source of resiliency, while others took pride in their work, though some people also discussed their faith in a higher power as a source of resiliency.
Video: Marine Raider killed in Iraq honored by thousands in parade
(Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Lynn Kinney, Marine Forces, Special Operations Command)
The family of a U.S. Marine killed in combat in Iraq last month were surprised on Sunday by a parade of thousands of people in honor of their fallen family member.
The family of Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, who lives in Simi Valley California, were forced to postpone the memorial service for the fallen Marine after he died on March 8, as social distancing measures came into place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the Ventura County Star, the Marine’s sister-in-law Andrea Pongo helped organize the parade with local police and fire departments.
‘Unidentified’: Navy releases mysterious UFO videos following leaks
The videos, released through the Freedom of Information Act, depict flying objects moving at incredible speeds and performing seemingly impossible aerial maneuvers.
One of the videos was shot in November 2004; the other two were shot in January 2015. They have been circulating the internet since unauthorized leaks in 2007 and 2017.
The three videos were code-named “FLIR1,” “Gimbal,” and “GoFast.” The 2004 video doesn’t feature any cross-talk, but in the 2015 videos, Navy pilots filming the aerial phenomena can be heard expressing their disbelief.
All three UFO videos were captured by Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets.
Police: Man ambushed police; stood over body, kept shooting
Ronnie DeWayne Kato Jr. of Baton Rouge had threatened years earlier to kill police if his girlfriend called them, one statement said.
According to the affidavit supporting the first warrant for Kato, his girlfriend of 18 years had taken refuge at her mother’s house after an argument, went out because her car horn was beeping and went back in when she saw Kato.
He kicked down the door and pistol-whipped her. Her mother stopped him, but he went out and came back in with a rifle, killing a man — one of five adults living there.
Police identified the man as Curtis Richardson, 58, news outlets reported.
Murphy announces goals for reopening New Jersey, but gives no date
However, in announcing his “Road Back” plan during his daily news briefing in Trenton, Murphy said the stay-at-home order that has been in effect since March 21 “will remain in effect in its entirety until further notice.“
New Jersey has been on virtual lockdown for the past five weeks, with all schools and “non-essential” businesses closed.
About 860,000 New Jerseyans have filed for unemployment since the pandemic’s onset early last month, and some Republicans are clamoring for the governor to allow a limited reopening of the economy.
Fourth Person Arrested In Connection With Killing Of Carpenter, Who Was Set On Fire
Jonathan Riddle was found stabbed, beaten and then set on fire in Jefferson County on Mar. 18, the Carroll County Times reports.
Three Maryland men — David R. Sanford Jr., 26, John W. Black III, 22, and Monroe Merrell, 22 — were recently charged with first-degree kidnapping and murder in Riddle’s death. Sanford and Merrell, both from Westminster, were arrested April 10 and April 15, respectively.
Merrell was captured in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Black, of Taneytown, was arrested Monday. Black has been additionally charged with conspiring to commit first-degree murder.
Now, a fourth person has been added to that list. Emily Day, 27, was arrested Friday, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office press release provided to Oxygen.com.
White House abruptly cancels Monday coronavirus press briefing, continuing dispute with media
The notice came late Monday morning after guidance sent to White House reporters Sunday night said the briefing would continue as it usually had in the past several recent weeks.
“There has never been, in the history of our Country, a more vicious or hostile Lamestream Media than there is right now, even in the midst of a National Emergency, the Invisible Enemy!,” Trump tweeted Monday about an hour before the cancellation notice was sent to the White House correspondents’ email list.
On Sunday, the Trump campaign slammed the media outlet POLITICO for its reporting that was later amended claiming that Trump “himself” owed millions of dollars to the Bank of China, and that the bill was scheduled to come due “in the middle of what could be Trump’s second term.”
Supreme Court rules government must pay insurers enrolled in ObamaCare program
The program limited both profits and losses for insurance companies that offered plans through the online exchange created by the Affordable Care Act – commonly known as ObamaCare – by having certain profits go to the Department of Health and Human Services, which in turn would give money to plans that did not bring in profits.
The result was the government owing over $12 billion more than was brought in.
Alito argued that ObamaCare’s provision that the government “shall pay” for insurance companies’ losses is not enough to create a cause of action under the Tucker Act.
He claimed that allowing the companies to sue has significant repercussions and allows private insurers to collect money to which they should not be entitled.
Johnson & Johnson CFO: ‘Confident’ in speedy coronavirus vaccine manufacturing
Johnson & Johnson CFO discusses ramping up manufacturing to produce 800 million coronavirus vaccines by 2021.
Tennessee, Mississippi, Montana reopen some businesses following other states easing coronavirus restrictions
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
The moves to reopen follow in the steps of Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alaska, which on Friday began loosening lockdown restrictions on businesses despite health officials warning the gradual return to daily life might be happening too soon.
The slow restart to normalcy in the trio of states comes just days after Republican governors in Georgia and Oklahoma allowed salons, spas, and barbershops to reopen despite the White House’s recommendations for how soon states should get back up and running.
Man arrested in drive-by shooting at ‘Duck Dynasty’ star’s home as family says they are ‘pretty shook up’
Daniel King Jr. was booked into a correctional center after two homes in West Monroe were struck by gunfire on Friday afternoon, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. No one was injured in the shooting, authorities said.
“It looks like they were just spraying bullets across my property,” Robertson told The News-Star.
Both homes are part of the estate belonging to Robertson, one of the stars of the reality show about duck hunting that ran from 2012 to 2017.
Politics:
White House denies reports of scaled back coronavirus briefings
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany pushes back on reports the briefings may be scaled back amid the president’s criticism of the media; reaction and analysis on ‘Outnumbered.’
New York cancels Democratic presidential primary
The cancellation will likely save the state millions of dollars and make it easier to increase the use of voting by mail in local elections in the coming months.
But it also will anger supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had hoped to win some delegates in New York to increase their sway over the party’s platform.
“We should minimize the number of people on the ballot, minimize the election for the protection of everybody … and not have everyone on the ballot just for purposes of issues at a convention,” Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Andy Spano said during the board’s meeting.
U.S. citizen married to illegal immigrant sues U.S. government over not receiving stimulus check
(Xinhua/Liu Jie via Getty Images)
The class action complaint was recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District Of Illinois Eastern Division, an attorney for the plaintiff told Just the News on Monday.
The complain names President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin “in their official capacities and not in their individual capacities” as the “three persons and/or offices most responsible for the conduct alleged herein.”
More 20 House Democrats have proposed legislation that would allow U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants who file joint tax returns to each receive stimulus payments.
More than 50 House Democrats have also signed on to legislation that would amend the CARES Act so every illegal immigrant who filed tax returns without a Social Security number can receive stimulus payments from the IRS.
An intelligence community shakeup is returning assets to field, where they are welcomed
(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
Grenell saw a bureaucracy with much duplication and cost. He wasn’t alone. Multiple reviews of the agency’s structure over the last 24 months had flagged the need for reforming and shrinking ODNI, but no one pitched the shovel into the dirt to get change started. Grenell did.
With little fanfare, the acting DNI and ambassador to Germany has undertaken a major shakeup of ODNI, shrinking down its size and sending many employees back to spy agencies on the front lines.
He’s trying to finish the job before President Trump’s nominee, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), is confirmed.
Sen. Cotton asks how Dems who believed claims against Kavanaugh could ‘possibly agree’ to be Biden running mate
“These Democratic senators believed Christine Blasey Ford’s claim against Justice Kavanaugh, yet there’s more evidence to support Tara Reade’s claim of sexual assault against Joe Biden,” Cotton wrote in a Sunday tweet.
“How could they possibly agree to be VP under those circumstances?”
The women who have been speculated about as potential vice presidential picks for Biden have remained largely silent on the accusations of sexual assault against him, and when they have addressed the claims they have chosen their words carefully.
Fox News has reached out to Baldwin, Klobuchar, Lance Bottoms, Harris and 12 other potential running mates for Biden multiple times for comment on the allegation, including following a further development Friday night that bolstered the story of Biden’s accuser.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office was the only one to respond.
Jared Kushner breaks down management of COVID-19 supply chain
Senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner joins ‘The Next Revolution’ to discuss the White House’s coronavirus response efforts.
Steve Hilton: End the shutdown and save lives now
Commentary/Opinion:
What do we have to do to get our leaders to follow the data and science?
WSJ’s Kimberley Strassel: Spygate Realities, Media “Failings” & the COVID 19 Relief Bill “Mess”
Commentary/Opinion:
Just how is it that some media have gotten away with calling “Spygate” a conspiracy theory?
With the DOJ IG Report footnotes, new revelations about FISA abuse, and disappearing Steele dossier records, what do we now know about the potential weaponization of the US Intelligence community against the Trump campaign?
And, what’s Kimberley Strassel’s prescription for dealing with the “mess” she argues has been created by the unprecedented COVID 19 spending bills?
In this episode, we sit down with Kimberley Strassel, a columnist and member of the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board.
She writes a weekly Potomac Watch column, and she is also the author of “Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America.”
World News:
Why is Belgium Experiencing Such a Severe Outbreak?
Belgium, based on its population of 11 million and geographical size of 30,500 square kilometers, is considered a small country among the 195 sovereign nations in the world.
But looking at its current number of deaths and confirmed infections due to the CCP virus, Belgium has among the world’s highest death rates.
As of today, the number of confirmed infections was just over 46,000 and the number of deaths just over 7,000—making the death rate roughly 15 percent.
This places Belgium’s mortality rate above hard-hit regions like the United States, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Why is Belgium experiencing such a severe situation?
White House adviser Navarro lashes out at China over ‘fake’ test kits
REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
“There’s a lot of these antibody tests coming in from China now that are low quality, false readings and things like that.”
The United States is heavily reliant on China for basic equipment and drugs and the two strategic and trade rivals have traded accusations during the outbreak.
On Monday, Navarro charged that during the time it delayed reporting, China “vacuumed up the world for personal protective equipment” needed by healthcare workers.
“And today China’s profiteering basically from this situation,” he added.
Israel allegedly bombs Damascus; Netanyahu confirms intention to annex WB- TV7 Israel News 27.04.20
1) The Jerusalem cabinet’s decision to further ease previously-imposed restrictions on the economic-sector had taken effect, prompting thousands of street-side stores and barber-shops to reopen their businesses.
2) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveils Jerusalem’s plan to assert its sovereignty over significant parts of the West Bank – in line with the American peace initiative.
3) Israel allegedly conducts deadly bombardments in two Damascus suburbs, reportedly targeting Iranian and militant operation centers in the area.
El Salvador authorizes ‘lethal force’ against gangs amid coronavirus crime spike, mixes rival gangs in jails
A spike in gang violence in El Salvador amid the coronavirus pandemic spurred the country’s president on Sunday to authorize the use by “lethal force,” as prison officials packed rival gang members together in cells in an attempt to halt the violence.
Authorities said most of the gang-related killings are ordered from prisons.
In addition to the decree on Sunday, the government also ordered members of rival gangs into shared cells in a bid to break up lines of communication between members of the same group, according to Reuters.
Rwandan police chief accused of sexual assault of child refugee at UN centre
The allegation was made by a 16-year-old Eritrean boy, who had returned to Gashora transit centre, south of Kigali, after a coronavirus-related curfew on 13 April.
Refugees say the boy was detained there along with three others – an Eritrean and two Sudanese boys – between 6.30pm and 10.30pm, and picked out by the police commander in charge.
“(He) ordered him to take off his clothes,” said a refugee leader who spoke to the teenager afterwards.
“The kid did as he was told since he thought he was going to be searched, but then he was asked to take off his pants, which he refused.
The commander slapped and beat him all over his body using a stick. Then he proceeded to take out his gun and threaten him with it, but [the teenager] managed to escape.”
Giant new Russian cathedral glorifies Putin and Stalin in mosaics
The mammoth structure will be one of the world’s tallest Orthodox cathedrals when it opens in the military’s Patriot Park outside Moscow on 9 May .
But special attention has been paid to several eye-catching mosaics, which glorify Putin and other current Russian officials during the country’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, an operation led by unmarked Russian army units referred to as “little green men”.
One of the mosaics, first revealed by the MBKh News website, depicts Putin, the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, the head of the Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, and other top brass walking among a sea of Russians bearing tricolour flags.
Also in the crowd appear to be Valery Gerasimov, a prominent Russian general, and Sergey Aksyonov, the current head of Crimea installed by Putin.
China puts pressure on EU to soften report about COVID-19 disinformation, threatening retaliation: report
So far COVID-19, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, has infected 3 million people worldwide and killed 207,431.
But instead of holding Beijing’s feet to the fire, the most damning section of the EU report was scrubbed because diplomats were worried that such a public takedown of China would “strain” relations and “make it more difficult to get medical supplies” that are in high demand in hard-hit European countries, the SCMP reported.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that Lutz Gullner, an EU diplomat, wrote to his colleagues about how China was trying to rewrite history and shift blame at any cost.
“The Chinese are already threatening with reactions if the report comes out,” Gullner told his colleagues in an email seen by the NYT.
Commentary/Opinion
When It Comes to Covering Trump, The New York Times Has Abandoned Any Distinction Between Reporting and Opinion
Trump has always viewed outlets like the Times as overtly hostile to him, and stories like these only confirm that impression.
The articles dress up opinion as reporting, drawing conclusions that may be perfectly defensible but rely on value judgments and character assessments that readers would ordinarily expect from commentators rather than reporters.
There is a difference between reporting facts that make Trump uncomfortable, or reporting the opinions of Trump critics, and calling him stupid, uninformed, vain, petty, irresponsible, and self-obsessed.
By crossing that line, the Times is erasing the distinction between reporting and advocacy.