News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Ice cream shop employee, 17, earns over $30G in donations after ‘unyielding verbal assault’ on reopening day
“[S}he was met with an unyielding verbal assault with some of the most vulgar and disgusting words hurled at her,” he wrote in GoFundMe page he organized for the employee’s college fund.
“These shouldn’t be heard in a men’s locker room, never mind directed to a teenager!”
The girl, just 17, then quit at the end of her shift. She had worked at the shop for three years.
Lawrence decided not to reopen his shop on Saturday. Instead, he started working on a new plan to try to prevent angry crowds from rushing his shop and harassing his workers, devising a system requiring customers to place their orders at least one hour in advance.
But that’s not all Lawrence was doing.
Michigan judge declines to sign order shutting down barber for defying state’s coronavirus lockdown
A Michigan barber has scored an early victory in the fight to keep his shop open after a judge declined to shut him down despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s statewide order that has closed businesses for weeks due to the coronavirus.
Circuit Court Judge Matthew Stewart on Monday denied the state’s request to sign a temporary restraining order against 77-year-old Karl Manke, who last week reopened his barbershop in Owosso, a small town where he has cut hair for 60 years, in defiance of Whitmer’s sweeping restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“I came into this last Monday alone, thinking I’m going to swing in the wind alone,” Manke said. “I cannot believe the support that I’ve got. It’s overwhelming.”
Chicago mail carrier dies of coronavirus week after giving birth
Family members told CBS Chicago Clay felt like she was “coming down with a cold” during labor, and medical staff tested her for COVID-19 in the delivery room at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
She tested positive and was discharged from the hospital, a decision leaving Clay’s family members confused.
Alan Brown, Clay’s father, told the outlet the hospital gave Clay ibuprofen, which some health officials warned could actually worsen the effects of the virus.
Clay worked for the postal service for two years. According to a USPS spokesman, 1,606 postal employees have contracted the virus among 630,000 workers nationwide, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Ex-NYT reporter: Media’s dislike for Trump drove their ‘destructive role in worsening this crisis’
Berenson claimed that more individuals over 100 years of age have died from the coronavirus worldwide than people under 30 years of age.
Additionally, he said that publically available data has shown that more people over 90 years old have died from the virus than those under 50 years of age.
In a recent article on FoxNews.com, Berenson detailed the impact of the prolonged lockdowns across much of the country by telling the stories of some Americans now experiencing troubling mental health issues.
Berenson previously covered the pharmaceutical industry for The New York Times from 1999 to 2010 and recently wrote a book called, “Tell Your Children The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence,” which challenged narratives that downplayed the potential health concerns posed by marijuana.
Man in KKK-style mask and hood at grocery store won’t be charged
(SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE) –A man who wore a white KKK-style hood to a Southern California supermarket won’t face charges, San Diego County sheriff’s officials say.
Photos and videos of the man, who wore a pointed hood with eye holes resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan to a Vons supermarket in Santee, north of San Diego, on May 2 prompted an online outcry.
Detectives investigated the incident, but after interviewing the man determined there was not enough evidence to charge him with a crime, a sheriff’s press release says.
California Prison Inmates Caught Infecting Themselves With Coronavirus In Hopes Of Early Release
A video released Monday by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva appeared to show inmates at North County Correctional Facility in Castaic drinking from the same bottle of hot water and taking turns breathing through the same mask, the press release said.
The men were trying to raise their oral temperature moments before having their temperatures taken and to spread the virus.
Every inmate has their own cup and plenty of space allowing for physical distancing measures to be practiced, the sheriff’s statement says.
Sen. Rand Paul Criticizes ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Coronavirus Approaches During Fauci Testimony
“I don’t think any of us are certain when we do all these modelings–there have been more people wrong with modeling than right,” Paul said.
“We’re opening up a lot of economies around the U.S., and I hope that people who are predicting doom and gloom, will admit that they were wrong if there isn’t a surge. Because I think that’s what’s going to happen.”
“In rural states, we never really reached any sort of pandemic levels, in Kentucky and other states,” the Kentucky senator added.
“We have less deaths in Kentucky than we have in an average flu season. It’s not to say this isn’t deadly, but really, outside of New England, we’ve had a relatively benign course for this virus nationwide.”
Paul continued:
Texas salon owner says ‘business is booming’ after jail sentence
Shelley Luther, owner of Salon a la Mode in Dallas, speaks out on ‘Fox & Friends.’
Politics:
The Dishonest Media!
Commentary/Opinion:
The dishonest media are starting to hit their stride.
And it’s going to get worse as the election gets closer.
Here’s the simple truth.
San Diego mayor urges Newsom to let counties decide when to reopen, calls governor’s plan ‘not realistic’
While acknowledging that Newsom’s stay-at-home order in mid-March helped keep the number of COVID-19 cases down and assured that the state’s health care systems were not overwhelmed, Faulconer said the current phase approach to reopening the economy is confusing and that the metrics communities have to meet before certain businesses can reopen are not feasible for large counties such as San Diego.
“Our message is clear: San Diego is ready to safely and strategically reopen,” Faulconer, a Republican, told Fox News. “We are urging the governor to let us do so.”
Faulconer added: “We need some flexibility here, not a ‘one size fits all’ policy.”
Grassley: It’s Time We Find Out What Biden Knew About Targeting General Flynn
It’s unclear to what extent they discussed the details of the investigation amongst each other. Given all that we know now regarding the fake foundation to the inquiry, it’s time we asked: what did Obama and Biden know and when did they know it?” he continued.
During his tenure in the Oval Office, President Obama regularly and corruptly used the power of the federal government to go after his opponents, political and otherwise.
He targeted leaders of Tea Party organizations with the IRS and used the Department of Justice to put media sources in prison.
During his remarks, Grassley also went after disgraced FBI Director James Comey and those who worked under his command.
What we still don’t know about the Michael Flynn case
Commentary/Opinion:
The write-up is a form known as the FD-302. FBI rules give agents five working days to finalize the document.
Instead, the FBI almost immediately began editing the Flynn 302. Pientka’s partner in the interview, Peter Strzok, remembered as the agent dismissed from the Mueller special counsel investigation for his anti-Trump texts with extramarital lover (and senior FBI official) Lisa Page, took the lead.
On Feb. 10, after the FBI’s five-working-day limit expired, Strzok did what was apparently a major editing job on the Flynn 302, and he also incorporated edits suggested by Page, who had not been present at the interview.
In a text message, Strzok said, “I was trying not to completely re-write the thing so as to save [REDACTED] voice.” It’s thought that the redacted name was Pientka’s.
The finished document was dated Feb. 14, 2017, which just happened to be the day after Flynn was fired by the White House.
Hillary Clinton Resists Court Order to Produce After Action Memo on Search and Review Process that Lead to Deletion of Her Emails; Judicial Watch Files Motion to Compel
In December 2018, Judge Lamberth ordered discovery into whether Clinton’s use of a private email server was intended to stymie FOIA; whether the State Department’s intent to settle this case in late 2014 and early 2015 amounted to bad faith; and whether the State Department has adequately searched for records responsive to Judicial Watch’s request.
The court also authorized discovery into whether the Benghazi controversy motivated the cover-up of Clinton’s email.
The court ruled that the Clinton email system was “one of the gravest modern offenses to government transparency.”
Clinton is resisting producing even a portion of the “after-action” memo, despite an August 22, 2019, ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth that Judicial Watch may ask for the memorandum in its discovery.
Clinton refused to produce any part of the memo, alleging that it is fully exempt from disclosure under the “attorney work product doctrine.”
In an earlier ruling on a similar issue in this litigation, the Court held that “any contemporaneous documents shedding light on the three narrow discovery topics – even documents evincing attorney impressions, conclusions, opinions, and theories – constitute fact work-product” and should be produced.
Acting DNI declassifying names behind Flynn ‘unmasking’
Sources tell Fox News the ‘unmasking’ list is part of several documents being declassified by acting DNI Director Richard Grenell;
John Roberts reports from the White House.
Tucker: Susan Rice and the origins of the Russia investigation
Commentary/Opinion:
On January 20, the last day of the Obama administration, outgoing National Security Adviser Susan Rice stat down to write her final memo.
World News:
UK railway worker dies of coronavirus after being spat on by infected traveler
“Belly and her colleague begged to be let to work from inside the building with a protective barrier between them and the public for the rest of that day.
They were concerned for their safety. Management said they needed people working outside and sent them back out onto the concourse for the rest of their shift,” the statement reads, noting they were reportedly not provided with masks or other personal protective equipment (PPE) at the time.
Both women fell ill with the virus within days. Mujinga, who suffered from underlying respiratory issues, according to the union, was taken to Barnet Hospital on April 2, where she was ventilated.
On April 5, exactly two weeks after the attack, she died.
Taiwan set to be iced out of annual WHO assembly after Chinese objections
Taiwan looks likely to be again excluded from an an upcoming annual World Health Organization (WHO) meeting, amid objections to Taiwan’s inclusion by the Chinese – as the U.S. calls on WHO leaders to extend an invitation.
The World Health Assembly is taking place on May 18-19, and will be held virtually and focus principally on the coronavirus pandemic.
A Taiwanese spokesperson told Fox News that the country, which has seen significant success in its handling of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, had not yet received an invite, and has not received one since 2016. Taiwan had been annually invited as an observer since 2009.
The spokesperson said that Taiwan’s participation in both the WHA and many WHO meetings have been blocked because of Chinese political interference and pressure on the WHO.
Suicide Bombing Kills 24 At Funeral In Kabul; Two Newborns Dead After Hospital Attack
The same day, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police commander’s funeral that was attended by a member of parliament and multiple government officials, killing 24, Reuters reports.
At around 10 A.M., according to CNN, three gunmen threw grenades and opened fire on nurses, mothers and newborns in the maternity ward of Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital, located in Afghanistan’s capital.
The hospital is run by the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The perpetrators were killed by police by that afternoon.
Italy Accelerates Lifting of Lockdown as Protests Continue
The decision arose out of a meeting Monday between representatives of the national government and that of the individual regions.
The Italian government was quick to reaffirm its control over all activities and its ability to shut down establishments where safety guidelines and protocols are not followed to the letter.
The number of active coronavirus cases in Italy has been in steady decline for the past two weeks and deaths at the national level have slowed to a trickle.
Some of Italy’s regions have been virtually unaffected by the virus from the outset, but until now have been under the same restrictions as the rest of the country.
UK: Coronavirus is No Longer at Epidemic Levels Claim Oxford University Experts
A study conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in conjunction with Oxford University, Manchester University, and Public Health England (PHE), found that an estimated 136,000 people — 0.24 per cent of adults — are currently infected with the virus.
A surveillance rate of over 40 infected people per 10,000 is required for a disease to be declared an epidemic.
The figures from the ONS place the current rate at 24 in 10,000, while a separate study from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) found that the rate could be as low as 3 in 10,000.
Professor Heneghan said that the current rate of infection “suggests that, at peak, we had loads more cases than we realised,” meaning that the virus is likely less deadly than initially believed.
Migrant Arrested Over Rape of 92-year-old Woman in Nursing Home
According to the nursing assistant, she noticed the Congolese male in the room of the 92-year-old and asked him what he was doing there as he was not assigned to that particular area of the retirement home, Actu 17 reports.
She said the man turned around and his genitals were exposed and also noticed the elderly woman had been partly undressed.
The nursing assistant screamed and the man fled, only to be discovered later by police in the garden of the facility.
According to newspaper Le Parisien, the elderly victim was in shock and was treated by the emergency services upon their arrival to the scene.
Poland: Four Tajikistan Men Charged With Recruiting Terrorists For Islamic State
“They were trying to recruit people who could be used to commit some kind of terrorist crimes,” Zaryn told Reuters, adding: “They were inspired by ISIS (Islamic State) … but they were not a part of the organisation.”
The four men will be deported from the country and will be placed on a list barring them from returning to Poland or, theoretically, any other nation in the European visa-free Schengen zone.
Last month, another four men from Tajikstan were arrested in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, after authorities claimed that the men were plotting terrorist attacks on American military bases in the area.
China Slashes Australian Beef, Barley Imports After Warning Against Coronavirus Probe
The beef ban comes just days after China flagged plans to slap an 80 percent tariff on Australian barley, bringing the trade to its knees.
Analysts said the move raised concerns of a possible standoff between Australia and its most important trading partner that could spill over into other crucial sectors as the world struggles to navigate the disease-induced economic crisis.
However, bilateral relations have sunk following Canberra’s passage of tough foreign interference laws in 2018, which were aimed mainly at Beijing, and its more recent calls both for a coronavirus probe and an end to China’s live animal wet markets.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham tried to allay fears of a trade war overnight, saying shipments of meat from the abattoirs had been suspended over “minor technical” breaches.
Advocacy Group Raises Awareness Of Abductions Of Christian Women In Egypt, Forced Conversions To Islam
“An estimated few hundred — may be up to 500 — Coptic women and girls have been kidnapped/lured in the last decade in Egypt” Lindsay Griffin tells Daily Caller.
“Very few of these women have been found and reunited with their families because the state security typically refuses to take action in their cases.”
Ranya’s brother believes the scheme is perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the politically correct way of indicating any “Muslim radical” in Egypt, according to the group.
But precedent based on ample evidence points at Salafists and other Islamist groups who operate with implicit support from state organs.
A former kidnapper associated with these networks has admitted that kidnappers get paid for every Coptic girl they abduct, the group says.
Commentary/Opinion:
Frank Gaffney: How China’s Communist Party Exploits American Pension Funds & Coronavirus Outbreak
Just why is it dangerous for US pension funds to be investing heavily in China? How is this endangering US national security?
How are Chinese companies able to get away with not providing any information about financial risk?
And, how has the Chinese Communist Party sought to benefit from this global coronavirus outbreak that it caused?
In this episode, we sit down with Frank Gaffney, Vice Chairman of the Committee on the Present Danger: China. He’s also the Executive Chairman of the Center for Security Policy and host of Secure Freedom Radio.
The Evil Rich?
Bernie Sanders and others on the left want higher taxes on “millionaires and billionaires.” Would that be a good idea?
Most rich people became prosperous by creating wealth.
Jim Caruso took over a bankrupt brewery and turned it around by inventing creative craft beers. He now employs more than 100 people.
The company he runs, Flying Dog Brewery, is worth millions.
Caruso had a good answer when John Stossel asked him about the “unfairness” of some Americans having so much more money than others.
The top fraction of earners does now own almost half America’s assets.