As the people of Beirut clean up, France’s Macron urges world leaders to come together for Lebanon – CNN
As the people of Beirut clean up, France’s Macron urges world leaders to come together for Lebanon – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/09/middleeast/beirut-explosion-donors-intl/index.html

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Trump promises permanent cut to payroll tax funding Social Security and Medicare if he’s reelected – The Washington Post
Trump promises permanent cut to payroll tax funding Social Security and Medicare if he’s reelected – The Washington Post

For now, the exact workings of Trump’s order remain unclear. Typically, employers automatically deduct payroll taxes from their employees’ paychecks and send that money directly to the federal government. Under Trump’s order, however, those payments are postponed between September 1 and the end of the year. Trump said Saturday it would result in “bigger paychecks for working families,” while taunting Democrats, including former vice president Joe Biden.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/08/08/trump-payroll-tax-cut/

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North Carolina’s strongest earthquake in 94 years shakes area along Virginia border – CNN
North Carolina’s strongest earthquake in 94 years shakes area along Virginia border – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/09/us/north-carolina-earthquake-charlotte/index.html

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TikTok To Sue Trump Administration On President’s Executive Order Ban – NPR
TikTok To Sue Trump Administration On President’s Executive Order Ban – NPR

President Trump’s executive order prohibits transactions between U.S. citizens and TikTok’s parent company starting in 45 days.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP


hide caption

toggle caption

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

President Trump’s executive order prohibits transactions between U.S. citizens and TikTok’s parent company starting in 45 days.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

TikTok is planning to sue the Trump administration, challenging the president’s executive order banning the service from the United States.

The video-sharing app hugely popular with the smartphone generation will file the federal lawsuit as soon as Tuesday, according to a person who was directly involved in the forthcoming suit but was not authorized to speak for the company. It will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, where TikTok’s American operations are based, the person said.

NPR has learned that the lawsuit will argue that President Trump’s far-reaching action is unconstitutional because it failed to give the company a chance to respond. It also alleges that the administration’s national security justification for the order is baseless, according to the source.

“It’s based on pure speculation and conjecture,” the source said. “The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around.”

The White House declined to comment on the expected litigation but defended the president’s executive order. “The Administration is committed to protecting the American people from all cyber related threats to critical infrastructure, public health and safety, and our economic and national security,” according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.

What the Thursday night executive order does

Under the president’s Thursday night executive order, “any transaction” between a U.S. citizen and TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, will be outlawed in 45 days for national security reasons.

Such a sweeping ban would be fatal for TikTok in the U.S.

It is popular among teenagers and 20-somethings in the U.S., where more than 100 million users have downloaded the app. They use it to share dances and comedy skits in 60-second video bites, which often go viral. The app is such a cultural phenomenon that it has become a platform to discover new music and has even launched several breakout hits that have topped the Billboard charts.

The app has also been used to antagonize the president, including when thousands of teens reserved tickets to the president’s rally in Tulsa, Okla., with no intention of going, inflating the Trump campaign’s expectations for the event and causing embarrassment over the disappointing turnout.

If the presidential ban goes into effect, the app may no longer be able to send software updates, rendering TikTok unmanageable on smartphones and eventually nonfunctional.

The president’s executive order stands to cut off American advertisers on its app and force Apple and Google to remove it from mobile app stores.

TikTok’s more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees could have their paychecks indefinitely frozen. It could force landlords housing TikTok operations to evict them. And Trump’s order could make it impossible for American lawyers to represent TikTok in any U.S. legal proceedings.

The source familiar with TikTok’s internal discussions on the matter says the president’s order appeared rushed and did not include carveouts or exceptions for TikTok to maintain any legal representation, which the company plans to argue is a violation of due process rights.

Typically, if the federal government launches an investigation, it will inform the company with a subpoena or some other kind of notice demanding a response to allegations of misconduct or malfeasance. Federal investigators at times also call representatives of the company for a confidential meeting about a looming enforcement action.

According to those working on TikTok’s legal team, no such outreach from the White House requesting evidence took place before Thursday’s executive order. TikTok lawyers view that as shortcutting standard procedure.

As such, the president’s move took many inside TikTok aback.

Officials at TikTok acknowledged as much in its response to the order. “We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process,” TikTok said in a statement. “The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed ‘reports’ with no citations, fears that the app ‘may be’ used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world.”

Officials at TikTok declined to publicly comment on the looming legal battle.

Breaking the TikTok ban carries a $300,000 fine

Violating the order carries stiff penalties. After the 45-day period, doing business with TikTok could result in a $300,000 fine per violation and “willful” offenders could even face criminal prosecution.

Another issue that may be raised in TikTok’s legal challenge is the argument that Trump overstepped his authority.

The order was issued in part under an executive power known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which arms the president with broad authority to impose economic sanctions when presented with an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” such as a risk to national security.

There are exceptions to that power that lawyers for TikTok will likely underscore in their litigation. For instance, the authority cannot be used to regulate or prohibit either “personal communication” or sharing of film and other forms of media, which TikTok can argue is the primary use of its app.

If Congress believes the president has used the emergency economic powers unjustly, lawmakers can overrule the order by passing a resolution that would terminate the order.

But any pushback from Congress is unlikely, as the skepticism about the Chinese Communist Party’s potential ties to the country’s technology companies has gathered bipartisan support.

Already, the Senate, by a unanimous vote, passed a bill Thursday banning TikTok on all government-issued devices.

Washington fears China access to American citizens’ data

TikTok’s terms of service spells out what it captures from users, including location data, browsing history and personal contacts.

The app also informs users that data can be shared with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. This has has stirred fears in Washington that authorities in the Chinese government could potentially gain access to American citizens’ data and put that information to use in a blackmailing scheme or in a targeted disinformation campaign.

Neither the Trump administration nor TikTok critics outside of government have offered evidence that the short-form video app has ever cooperated with Chinese authorities.

Some technology experts say the worries over China are warranted.

Former White House official Lindsay Gorman, who is now a fellow with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told NPR that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is ultimately beholden to the Chinese Communist Party.

“The harsh reality of how businesses operate in China means that if the CCP wants that data, it will get it,” Gorman said.

She added: “Leaving TikTok in Chinese ownership creates an information space vulnerability at a time leading up to an election when political communication is increasingly happening on the platform.”

TikTok officials see the executive order as essentially a pressure campaign, a way of forcing an American company to move quickly to acquire the app’s U.S. assets.

Microsoft — the American tech giant that owns Xbox, LinkedIn and Skype — is already in talks to buy TikTok, but those discussions are in the early stages.

Editor’s note: TikTok helps fund NPR content that appears on the social media platform.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900394707/tiktok-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ban-as-soon-as-tuesday

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Trump’s executive actions ‘unworkable, weak and far too narrow’: Schumer | ABC News – ABC News
Trump’s executive actions ‘unworkable, weak and far too narrow’: Schumer | ABC News – ABC News
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Will You Get A Second Stimulus Check In Trump’s Executive Order? – Forbes
Will You Get A Second Stimulus Check In Trump’s Executive Order? – Forbes

Will President Donald Trump send you a second stimulus check by executive order?

Here’s what you need to know.

Second Stimulus Checks

Trump signed executive orders today for a payroll tax cut, enhanced unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium and student loan relief. Trump indicated all week that if Congress did not finalize a stimulus deal, he would take executive action to provide relief to the American people. However, one thing missing from today’s executive orders—second stimulus checks.

There is bipartisan support in Congress for a $1,200 stimulus check, and Trump supports a second round of stimulus checks too. Trump has even said second stimulus checks could be more than than $1,200. However, his executive orders do not include any checks.

Will Trump approve second stimulus checks in an executive order?

Many Americans are wondering: “When will I get a second stimulus check?” Now that Trump has taken proactive steps to provide financial relief, the next question is whether he will act on stimulus checks. The answer is likely no. Trump has targeted a payroll tax, unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium and student loan relief as his four areas of focus for an executive order. He never mentioned including stimulus checks as part of his executive order plan. Why? The reason is separation of powers. Presidents can issue executive orders, but typically measures such as stimulus checks must be passed by Congress through legislative action. Congress controls federal spending, which likely would include stimulus payments.

When will you get a second stimulus check?

While Congress has stalled on a stimulus package, that doesn’t mean you won’t get a second stimulus payment. Congress largely agrees on a second round of stimulus payments, although there are four main plans for a second stimulus check. The breakdown centers around other provisions in the Heals Act, which is the $1 trillion stimulus package Republicans proposed. Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) want a stimulus package of at least $2 trillion, although Republicans have rejected this amount. Congress could, however, approve stimulus payments as standalone legislation.

Before the impasse, Congress agreed in principle to $1,200 stimulus checks on the same terms as the Cares Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus package that included the first round of checks. While Congress did not finalize the amount of dependent payments, Congress did agree in principle on waiving the age cap so that dependents of any age — including high school students, college students and adult dependents — could qualify for dependent payments. Congress can still approve a stimulus package, including with stimulus payments. However, now with Trump’s executive orders, many of the key issues appear to have been addressed. In addition to stimulus payments, Congress also would focus on state and local aid, including funds to reopen schools, as well as potential liability protection for schools and businesses.

Related Resources

This second stimulus check would pay the most

When will my second stimulus check come?

Trump suspends student loan payments until December 31

New stimulus today: second stimulus checks, unemployment benefits and more

15 secrets to refinance student loans

Second stimulus checks: 4 plans compared

5 student loan changes for 2020

Trump: Student loans may be extended for “additional periods of time”

Trump: Second stimulus checks may be higher than $1,200

What the new stimulus package means for your student loans

Stimulus: here are the latest numbers for second stimulus checks and more

Second stimulus checks may be less than $1,200

Second stimulus checks: your questions answered

Trump wants at least $2 trillion for next stimulus

Don’t expect student loan forgiveness in next stimulus bill

Student loan refinancing rates are incredibly cheap

Source Article from https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2020/08/08/second-stimulus-checks-trump-executive-order/

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TikTok To Sue Trump Administration On President’s Executive Order Ban – NPR
TikTok To Sue Trump Administration On President’s Executive Order Ban – NPR

President Trump’s executive order prohibits transactions between U.S. citizens and TikTok’s parent company starting in 45 days.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP


hide caption

toggle caption

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

President Trump’s executive order prohibits transactions between U.S. citizens and TikTok’s parent company starting in 45 days.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

TikTok is planning to sue the Trump administration, challenging the president’s executive order banning the service from the United States.

The video-sharing app hugely popular with the smartphone generation will file the federal lawsuit as soon as Tuesday, according to a person who was directly involved in the forthcoming suit but was not authorized to speak for the company. It will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, where TikTok’s American operations are based, the person said.

NPR has learned that the lawsuit will argue that President Trump’s far-reaching action is unconstitutional because it failed to give the company a chance to respond. It also alleges that the administration’s national security justification for the order is baseless, according to the source.

“It’s based on pure speculation and conjecture,” the source said. “The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around.”

The White House declined to comment on the expected litigation but defended the president’s executive order. “The Administration is committed to protecting the American people from all cyber related threats to critical infrastructure, public health and safety, and our economic and national security,” according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.

What the Thursday night executive order does

Under the president’s Thursday night executive order, “any transaction” between a U.S. citizen and TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, will be outlawed in 45 days for national security reasons.

Such a sweeping ban would be fatal for TikTok in the U.S.

It is popular among teenagers and 20-somethings in the U.S., where more than 100 million users have downloaded the app. They use it to share dances and comedy skits in 60-second video bites, which often go viral. The app is such a cultural phenomenon that it has become a platform to discover new music and has even launched several breakout hits that have topped the Billboard charts.

The app has also been used to antagonize the president, including when thousands of teens reserved tickets to the president’s rally in Tulsa, Okla., with no intention of going, inflating the Trump campaign’s expectations for the event and causing embarrassment over the disappointing turnout.

If the presidential ban goes into effect, the app may no longer be able to send software updates, rendering TikTok unmanageable on smartphones and eventually nonfunctional.

The president’s executive order stands to cut off American advertisers on its app and force Apple and Google to remove it from mobile app stores.

TikTok’s more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees could have their paychecks indefinitely frozen. It could force landlords housing TikTok operations to evict them. And Trump’s order could make it impossible for American lawyers to represent TikTok in any U.S. legal proceedings.

The source familiar with TikTok’s internal discussions on the matter says the president’s order appeared rushed and did not include carveouts or exceptions for TikTok to maintain any legal representation, which the company plans to argue is a violation of due process rights.

Typically, if the federal government launches an investigation, it will inform the company with a subpoena or some other kind of notice demanding a response to allegations of misconduct or malfeasance. Federal investigators at times also call representatives of the company for a confidential meeting about a looming enforcement action.

According to those working on TikTok’s legal team, no such outreach from the White House requesting evidence took place before Thursday’s executive order. TikTok lawyers view that as shortcutting standard procedure.

As such, the president’s move took many inside TikTok aback.

Officials at TikTok acknowledged as much in its response to the order. “We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process,” TikTok said in a statement. “The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed ‘reports’ with no citations, fears that the app ‘may be’ used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world.”

Officials at TikTok declined to publicly comment on the looming legal battle.

Breaking the TikTok ban carries a $300,000 fine

Violating the order carries stiff penalties. After the 45-day period, doing business with TikTok could result in a $300,000 fine per violation and “willful” offenders could even face criminal prosecution.

Another issue that may be raised in TikTok’s legal challenge is the argument that Trump overstepped his authority.

The order was issued in part under an executive power known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which arms the president with broad authority to impose economic sanctions when presented with an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” such as a risk to national security.

There are exceptions to that power that lawyers for TikTok will likely underscore in their litigation. For instance, the authority cannot be used to regulate or prohibit either “personal communication” or sharing of film and other forms of media, which TikTok can argue is the primary use of its app.

If Congress believes the president has used the emergency economic powers unjustly, lawmakers can overrule the order by passing a resolution that would terminate the order.

But any pushback from Congress is unlikely, as the skepticism about the Chinese Communist Party’s potential ties to the country’s technology companies has gathered bipartisan support.

Already, the Senate, by a unanimous vote, passed a bill Thursday banning TikTok on all government-issued devices.

Washington fears China access to American citizens’ data

TikTok’s terms of service spells out what it captures from users, including location data, browsing history and personal contacts.

The app also informs users that data can be shared with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. This has has stirred fears in Washington that authorities in the Chinese government could potentially gain access to American citizens’ data and put that information to use in a blackmailing scheme or in a targeted disinformation campaign.

Neither the Trump administration nor TikTok critics outside of government have offered evidence that the short-form video app has ever cooperated with Chinese authorities.

Some technology experts say the worries over China are warranted.

Former White House official Lindsay Gorman, who is now a fellow with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told NPR that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is ultimately beholden to the Chinese Communist Party.

“The harsh reality of how businesses operate in China means that if the CCP wants that data, it will get it,” Gorman said.

She added: “Leaving TikTok in Chinese ownership creates an information space vulnerability at a time leading up to an election when political communication is increasingly happening on the platform.”

TikTok officials see the executive order as essentially a pressure campaign, a way of forcing an American company to move quickly to acquire the app’s U.S. assets.

Microsoft — the American tech giant that owns Xbox, LinkedIn and Skype — is already in talks to buy TikTok, but those discussions are in the early stages.

Editor’s note: TikTok helps fund NPR content that appears on the social media platform.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900394707/tiktok-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ban-as-soon-as-tuesday

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Esper on aid to Lebanon after deadly Beirut blast: US doing ‘everything we can’ – Fox News
Esper on aid to Lebanon after deadly Beirut blast: US doing ‘everything we can’ – Fox News
Video

Mark Esper: We still don’t know what caused the Beirut explosion

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper spoke with Fox News’ Judge Jeanine Pirro about the Trump administration’s plans to aid Lebanon in the aftermath of the Beirut blast, the escalating tension between the U.S. and China, the decision to withdraw American troops from Germany and more.

The U.S. government will do everything it can to help the Lebanese people in the wake of Tuesday’s massive explosion at a port in Beirut that killed more than 100 people and wounded thousands, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday night.

It remained unclear whether the deadly blast was a deliberate attack or an accident, Esper said during an appearance on Fox News’  “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”

“It’s just devastating and I just mourn for the people,” Esper said. “I will tell you, the DOJ, the state, the entire interagency at President Trump’s direction and leadership, we are going to provide humanitarian assistance for the people of Lebanon.

“I already have planes lining up to deliver such, such supplies. We want to do everything we can to help the Lebanese people in this hour of need.”

BEIRUT EXPLOSION LINKED TO RUSSIAN SHIP STORING AMMONIUM NITRATE LEFT IN PORT, CALLED ‘FLOATING BOMB’

An unspecified number of port officials were placed on house arrest Wednesday amid the Lebanese government’s investigation into the explosion. Public anger mounted against the Lebanese ruling elite, which was being blamed for chronic mismanagement and carelessness at the port ahead of the disaster.

The port and customs office in Beirut has notorious for corruption, in a nation where various political factions — including Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist militant group — grapple for control. But the degree to which corruption might have factored in the blast was not clear, Esper said.

“The bottom line is, we still don’t know,” he said. “You know, on the first day, as President Trump rightly said, we thought it might have been attack. Some of us speculated it could have been, for example, a Hezbollah arms shipment that blew up. Maybe a Hezbollah bomb-making facility.”

Media’s ‘regrettable’ actions

Esper also criticized some in the media, claiming they were trying to divide Trump administration officials amid speculation about the explosion.

“I commented that it was looking more like an accident. And it’s regrettable that some in the media … [are] trying to draw divisions within the administration between maybe me and the president and others,” Esper said. “Simply not true. I mean, the fact of the matter is, it’s a great tragedy. Under the president’s leadership, we’re going to do everything we can to help the Lebanese people and to do what’s right.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The secretary also addressed U.S.-China relations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re not looking for a conflict with China but we need to stand up for what’s right. And the president has done this under his leadership. We’re finally standing up for our economic interests, for human rights abroad, preserve our security interests in the region,” Esper said. “And as I shared with the Chinese defense minister this morning, we’re deeply troubled with how China handled the coronavirus and the devastation that it wreaked upon the world but on the United States in particular.

“And that we expect transparency and access and cooperation to make sure we understand what happened and do everything we can from preventing a similar thing from happening again.”

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/esper-on-aid-to-lebanon-after-deadly-beirut-blast-us-doing-everything-we-can

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Trump walks out of news conference after reporter asks him about Veterans Choice lie he’s told more than 150 times – CNN
Trump walks out of news conference after reporter asks him about Veterans Choice lie he’s told more than 150 times – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/politics/trump-veterans-choice-paula-reid/index.html

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Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down | TheHill – The Hill
Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down | TheHill – The Hill

Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden says Trump executive order is ‘a reckless war on Social Security’ Trump got into testy exchange with top GOP donor Adelson: report Blumenthal calls for declassification of materials detailing Russian threat to US elections MORE is expected to choose his running mate this weekend, after a months-long search that began with several dozen options and has been narrowed down to a select few, confidants say. 

All the candidates have seen their stocks rise at one point or another during the vetting process. 

“One of the most interesting things is watching it all play out,” said a source close to one of the contenders. “No one knows exactly where they are.” 

Here’s a look at where the would-be running mates stand.

Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisBiden campaign says no VP pick yet after bike trail quip Hillary Clinton roasts NYT’s Maureen Dowd over column Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down MORE

The California Democratic senator is riding steady in the vice presidential race, with most observers — including those in Biden World — thinking she remains the favorite.

But in recent days, she’s been uncomfortable with the rash of headlines about the perceived tension with Biden and his team. 

Sources say she has been making a string of last-minute phone calls, hoping for last-minute endorsements. 

“There’s no doubt she wants it,” said one source who has spoken to her. 

Even as she remains the favorite, “she’s nervous,” the source said. 

Susan Rice 

Biden confidants say President Obama’s former national security adviser remains high on the list because of the former vice president’s close relationship with her. 

“He knows exactly what he’s getting with Susan,” said one source who knows both principals. 

Rice, who in previous weeks made the rounds on cable television to help promote Biden but remained mostly mum about her own prospects, has been all-in, making a final pitch for the job. 

She touted her “almost 20 years of deep experience in the senior most ranks of the executive branch,” in an interview on “CBS This Morning” earlier this week. 

Rice also exercised her stock options in Netflix since joining the streaming service’s board a couple of years ago, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Thursday, a sign that she could be divesting to avoid a conflict of interest.  

Gretchen WhitmerGretchen WhitmerWhitmer met with Biden days before VP announcement: report The Hill’s Campaign Report: US officials say Russia, China are looking to sow discord in election Michigan GOP official refuses calls to resign while continuing to publicly use n-word MORE

Whitmer, in a surprise, is up in the race again. 

Sources told The Hill this week that Whitmer was still in the running among the last round of contenders. The Michigan governor traveled to Delaware last weekend to meet with Biden as part of the one-on-one final interviews he’s conducting, a source confirmed.

Democrats suspect internal polling may show the Upper Midwest being more of a concern for Biden, which may be why his team hasn’t crossed her off the list. 

Plus, she and Biden mesh well. 

“Not surprised she’s in the mix,” said one Biden confidant. “He likes her. Always has.” 

The confidant noted that she “endorsed early-ish,” represents the new blood of the party and hails from a state Biden would like in his column. 

Karen BassKaren Ruth BassBiden campaign says no VP pick yet after bike trail quip Hillary Clinton roasts NYT’s Maureen Dowd over column Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down MORE

Bass is a favorite of Democrats in Congress, but her stock is a bit down after news reports in the last week focused on her remarks on Cuba and Scientology.

The California Democratic congresswoman had tons of momentum going into last weekend as members of Congress rallied behind the Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman. She’s still seen as a candidate who could help Biden with her legislative experience and ties to government. 

“If you know Joe, you know why she’s on the short list,” one Biden ally said. “She would make a good partner for him.”

But following her interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last weekend, some Democrats concluded she might be a risky choice and that she could hurt Biden in the key swing state of Florida, which has a large Cuban American population. 

Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenBiden campaign says no VP pick yet after bike trail quip Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down Democratic convention lineup to include Ocasio-Cortez, Clinton, Warren: reports MORE 

Warren has been relatively quiet in recent days compared with the other contenders.

But those in Biden World say observers shouldn’t read that to mean the Massachusetts Democratic senator is out of the running. 

For starters, she and Biden have been talking frequently, sources say. And none of the other contenders have been more influential on Biden’s recent economic proposal than Warren. 

In a New York Times story on Friday, Warren said she had been working with Jill Biden, the former second lady, on the child care component of the economic proposal. 

The former vice president “jumped in early on the issue,” Warren told the Times. 

“That gives me real hope going forward that this will be a priority in a Biden administration,” she added.

Tammy DuckworthLadda (Tammy) Tammy DuckworthBiden campaign says no VP pick yet after bike trail quip Biden edges closer to VP pick: Here’s who’s up and who’s down Whitmer met with Biden days before VP announcement: report MORE 

Democrats close to Biden say he has a fondness for Duckworth, the Democratic senator from Illinois, and they say her personal story — an Iraq war veteran who received the Purple Heart — is an incredible one that would resonate with voters. 

Still, they voice some skepticism about whether she’ll get the final nod for vice president. 

“You hear her name mentioned more along the lines of a Cabinet position,” one ally said. 

Duckworth was asked this week if she wants to be vice president. 

“I want Joe Biden to get elected,” she told NPR on Wednesday. “I’ll play any position on his team that he thinks will help lead us out of the crises that we’re in, whether it’s the global pandemic, whether it’s our economy, whether it’s our foreign adversaries.”  

“I really am very neutral as to what position I play,” she said. “I just want to get him elected so that we can get this country back on track again.” 

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/511131-biden-edges-closer-to-vp-pick-heres-whos-up-and-whos-down

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L.A. County coronavirus hospitalizations continue to decline – Los Angeles Times
L.A. County coronavirus hospitalizations continue to decline – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday reported 2,645 new cases of the coronavirus and 51 related deaths but said hospitalizations continue to decline.

The latest case numbers did not include a pending backlog of lab reports the county is expecting the state to send via its electronic reporting system over the next couple of days, officials said. It’s not clear whether that will change the overall picture of how rapidly the virus continues to spread.

Still, officials said, death and hospitalization statistics were not affected by the reporting glitch, which has rendered new case numbers inaccurate.

On Friday, there were 1,568 confirmed COVID-19 cases in county hospitals; the number topped 2,000 for much of July. The most recent three-day average number of hospitalizations represented a decline of 5.2%, according to the L.A. Times coronavirus tracker.

L.A. County has now tallied 206,778 cases and 4,967 deaths.

“After a fairly rough July, we are cautiously optimistic about what our numbers are showing in the first week of August, particularly the information on declining daily hospitalizations,” Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said in a statement.

“As we look to the future and continue planning our recovery, the lessons from our recent past serve as a reminder that we need to continue our vigilance in the face of this still new and dangerous virus.”

Ferrer said this will require many more weeks of putting activities on hold, avoiding parties and crowded situations, wearing face coverings in public and keeping six feet apart from others.

Orange County reported a similar drop in hospitalizations, with a total of 491 confirmed COVID-19 patients and a three-day average that represented a 5.1% decline. The county added 322 cases and 16 deaths Saturday, bringing its total to 39,076 cases and 720 deaths.

California has reported 554,389 cases and 10,307 deaths statewide.

Officials have cautioned that the number of cases, including those reported by individual counties, could be artificially low due to glitches in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange electronic database.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services director, said Friday that between 250,000 and 300,000 results have not been uploaded to the database. It’s not clear if the lost test results are scattered throughout the state or contained to a small number of counties.

California

California to towns defying the COVID-19 shutdown: No cash for you


California

California to towns defying the COVID-19 shutdown: No cash for you

As coronavirus cases surge in California’s rural Central Valley, a self-declared ‘sanctuary city for business’ is defiant, even as the state is threatening to withdraw funding. On both sides of the debate, everyone agrees: It’s political.

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The issue has affected L.A. County’s efforts at contact tracing, and officials on Saturday renewed their plea for any resident who has tested positive to call 1-833-540-0473 to speak to a public health specialist.

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-08/l-a-county-coronavirus-hospitalizations-continue-to-decline

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Joe Biden says he won’t stand in the way of a possible prosecution of Trump – Salon
Joe Biden says he won’t stand in the way of a possible prosecution of Trump – Salon

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden told NPR on Thursday that while he was unsure if it was “good for democracy,” if elected he would not stand in the way of a hypothetical Justice Department prosecution of President Donald Trump for crimes committed in office.

“Look, the Justice Department is not the president’s private law firm,” the former vice president said. “The attorney general is not the president’s private lawyer. I will not interfere with the Justice Department’s judgment of whether or not they think they should pursue the prosecution of anyone that they think has violated the law.”

The comments came in response to a question from NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro on remarks made last year by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a frontrunner for Biden’s pick for vice president, that the Justice Department would have “no choice but to investigate Trump after his presidency.”

According to NPR:

Trump has been connected with alleged illegal activity by his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen and investigators working for former special counsel Robert Mueller. What isn’t clear is whether federal authorities are investigating the president or whether prosecutors might take action against Trump if he no longer enjoyed the privileges that protect him from being indicted as a sitting president.

Biden declared the idea of prosecuting a former president “very unusual” and said he would not weigh in on the decision and rather allow federal law enforcement officials to come to their own conclusions. 

“In terms of saying, ‘I think the president violated the law. I think the president did this, therefore, go on and prosecute him’—I will not do that,” Biden said.

Progressives have expressed concern that Biden could follow the lead of his former boss President Barack Obama, who said that the country should “look forward, not back” when it came to his predecessor, former President George W. Bush.

Source Article from https://www.salon.com/2020/08/08/joe-biden-says-he-wont-stand-in-the-way-of-a-possible-prosecution-of-trump_partner/

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Trump attempts to wrest tax and spending powers from Congress with new executive actions – The Washington Post
Trump attempts to wrest tax and spending powers from Congress with new executive actions – The Washington Post

What you need to know: Personal finances during the pandemic | Paying your rent or mortgage | What to do if you’ve been laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic | Coronavirus stimulus check calculator | 10 Americans navigating the coronavirus economy

Small businesses: How to get a PPP small-business loan | Graphic: SBA data on businesses that received PPP loans

We want to hear from you: Are you waiting on a stimulus check, loan, or unemployment assistance from the Cares Act? | How has the coronavirus impacted your business?

Are you recently unemployed due to the pandemic? The Post has a new Facebook group to help you navigate what’s next.

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Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/08/trump-executive-order-coronavirus/

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Police Fire Tear Gas As Thousands Express Outrage Over Beirut Explosion – NPR
Police Fire Tear Gas As Thousands Express Outrage Over Beirut Explosion – NPR

Thousands thronged downtown Beirut on Saturday to voice their outrage over government corruption and negligence, which they blame for Tuesday’s deadly explosion that killed more than 150 people.

Bilal Hussein/AP


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Bilal Hussein/AP

Thousands thronged downtown Beirut on Saturday to voice their outrage over government corruption and negligence, which they blame for Tuesday’s deadly explosion that killed more than 150 people.

Bilal Hussein/AP

Thousands of protesters outraged over this week’s deadly explosion in Beirut amassed in the Lebanese capital on Saturday, as public anger gave way to clashes with police and the storming of the nation’s foreign ministry.

Blame for the blast — which killed more than 150 people and injured thousands more — has been widely cast on a culture of corruption and negligence among the nation’s ruling class.

Demonstrators set up a mock gallows, hanging cardboard cutouts of politicians, including the country’s president, Michel Aoun, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Skirmishes between protesters began early in the day with protesters hurling rocks and police firing tear gas. Gunfire was heard at the city’s Martyrs’ Square, according to the BBC, and multiple news organizations reported that protesters had entered the foreign ministry.

Once inside the ministry, demonstrators burned a framed photo of Aoun, according to Reuters. The Associated Press reported that protesters were claiming the building as headquarters for a “revolution” and calling on the government to resign.

At least 170 people were reported injured during the protests, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Citing police, Reuters reported that at least one officer was killed after being chased and falling down an elevator shaft.

Responding to the protests, Diab took to the airwaves to call for early elections. Diab said it was the only solution to the unrest and announced plans for a draft bill.

Also on Saturday, three legislators from the country’s Christian opposition Kataeb Party announced they were resigning from parliament out of a show of anger. An official with the party was killed in this week’s blast, according to the Associated Press.

Tuesday’s explosion at a port warehouse that held 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate — a chemical used for fertilizer and as an ingredient in bombs — followed repeated warnings to authorities about the facility and came amid growing strife in Lebanon, including over the toll taken by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many hospitals already treating COVID-19 patients struggled to meet the influx of injured caused by the blast. Some hospitals were severely damaged or destroyed by the explosion, whose shock waves wrought destruction on large swaths of Beirut.

Even before the dual crises of the explosion and the pandemic, Lebanon had been roiled by an economic collapse and power outages blamed on mismanagement and corruption. Massive protests erupted late last year but had dwindled.

The explosion has introduced concerns about food shortages, as the port’s decimation is expected to significantly interfere with imports.

Since the explosion, blame and scrutiny has been cast around over how ammonium nitrate was allowed to sit at Beirut’s port for some six years. The cache arrived at the port in 2013 aboard a ship said to be bound for Mozambique. After a dispute over port fees, the cargo was impounded and stored in a warehouse.

The port’s customs director has said he sounded the alarm for years. In the aftermath of the blast, several port officials were placed under house arrest. The most widespread scrutiny has landed on the country’s politicians.

Aoun and Diab have responded by forming an investigative committee, while various members of the country’s ruling class, many of whom have stakes in the port, have attempted to place responsibility elsewhere.

On Friday, the influential Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah sought to distance itself from any blame for the blast, with the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, categorically stating, “Hezbollah does not run or control Beirut’s port and does not interfere with it.”

Nada Homsi contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900500373/police-fire-tear-gas-as-thousands-express-outrage-over-beirut-explosion

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Washington Post: Mnuchin and Navarro feuded over TikTok in front of Trump before he signed executive order – CNN
Washington Post: Mnuchin and Navarro feuded over TikTok in front of Trump before he signed executive order – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/politics/mnuchin-navarro-tiktok/index.html

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Trump campaign adviser: ‘Biden is actually a very good debater’ | TheHill – The Hill
Trump campaign adviser: ‘Biden is actually a very good debater’ | TheHill – The Hill

Jason Miller, an adviser to President TrumpDonald John TrumpJoe Arpaio loses bid for his old position as sheriff Trump brushes off view that Russia denigrating Biden: ‘Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than I have’ Trump tees up executive orders on economy but won’t sign yet MORE’s reelection campaign, said in an interview published Friday evening that Joe BidenJoe BidenDemocratic convention lineup to include Ocasio-Cortez, Clinton, Warren: reports Whitmer met with Biden days before VP announcement: report Maxine Waters says Biden ‘can’t go home without a Black woman being VP’ MORE is “actually a very good debater,” appearing to run counter to the GOP’s confidence that the former vice president would hand Trump an embarrassing gaffe that could spark a negative news cycle.

“Joe Biden is actually a very good debater. He doesn’t have as many gaffes as he does in his everyday interviews,” Miller told The Washington Post. “I would make the argument that Joe Biden would even be the favorite in the debates since he’s been doing them for 47 years.”

The Trump campaign and its Republican allies have been eager to alter a news cycle that has focused on the inability to push a coronavirus relief package through Congress and the president’s most recent controversial remarks and have floated the idea that a televised debate could be just the kind of event they need. 

Biden has a long history of making offhand comments that ultimately force him to backtrack, including recently when he implied the Hispanic community was more diverse than the Black community. 

The GOP is hopeful that a similar mistake would be made in a debate watched by millions of Americans. Trump’s campaign is so eager to debate Biden that it asked the Commission on Presidential Debates to either add another debate to the three already scheduled or move the last one up on the calendar to ensure that at least one match-up is aired before early voting begins.

The Commission ultimately rejected the request.

While Miller noted that Biden is a strong debater, he also said the former vice president’s campaign may be wary of the risk of a gaffe and could limit his appearances with Trump.

“I would be highly surprised if Joe Biden actually went through with all three debates,” he said. “I think their strategy will be to show up to one, show that he is able to function and then pull the plug on any additional debates.” 

The first debate between Trump and Biden will take place on Sept. 29.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/511156-trump-campaign-adviser-biden-is-actually-a-very-good-debater

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Massachusetts Brides Angry at Governor Charlie Baker for Slashing Guest List During COVID-19 – Newsweek
Massachusetts Brides Angry at Governor Charlie Baker for Slashing Guest List During COVID-19 – Newsweek
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US Intel: Russia Acting Against Biden; China Opposes Trump – Snopes.com
US Intel: Russia Acting Against Biden; China Opposes Trump – Snopes.com

This article is republished here with permission from The Associated Press. This content is shared here because the topic may interest Snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of Snopes fact-checkers or editors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trump’s reelection bid, the country’s counterintelligence chief said Friday in the most specific warning to date about the threat of foreign interference.

U.S. officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and has accelerated its criticism of the White House, expanding its efforts to shape public policy in America and to pressure political figures seen as opposed to Beijing’s interests.

The statement from William Evanina is believed to be the most pointed declaration by the U.S. intelligence community linking the Kremlin to efforts to get Trump reelected — a sensitive subject for a president who has rejected intelligence agency assessments that Russia tried to help him in 2016.

It also links Moscow’s disapproval of Biden to his role in shaping Obama administration policies supporting Ukraine, an important U.S. ally, and opposing Russian leader Vladimir Putin. That assertion conflicts with the narrative advanced by Trump, who has made unsubstantiated claims that Biden’s actions in Ukraine were intended to help the business interests of his son, Hunter.

Evanina’s statement, three months before the election, comes amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats that the intelligence community has been withholding from the public specific intelligence information about the threat of foreign interference in American politics.

“The facts are chilling,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote in an op-ed published Friday evening in The Washington Post. “I believe the American public needs and deserves to know them. The information should be declassified immediately.”

The latest intelligence assessment reflects concerns not only about Russia but China and Iran as well, warning that hostile foreign actors may seek to compromise election infrastructure, interfere with the voting process or call into question voting results. Despite those efforts, officials see it as unlikely that anyone could manipulate voting results in any meaningful way, Evanina said.

“Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer,” said Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center. “We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia and Iran.”

Concerns about election interference are especially acute following a wide-ranging effort by Russia to meddle in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf through both the hacking of Democratic emails and a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing discord among U.S. voters. Trump has routinely resisted the idea that the Kremlin favored him in 2016, but the intelligence assessment released Friday indicates that unnamed Kremlin-linked actors are again working to boost his candidacy on social media and Russian television.

The White House responded to Friday’s news with a statement saying “the United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our electoral processes and will respond to malicious foreign threats that target our democratic institutions.”

In a separate statement, the Trump campaign said it didn’t want or need foreign assistance and said China and Iran were opposed to Trump because “he has held them accountable after years of coddling by politicians like Joe Biden.”

Tony Blinken, a senior adviser to Biden’s campaign, responded Friday that Trump “has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections. … Joe Biden, on the other hand, has led the fight against foreign interference for years.”

Democrats in Congress who have participated in recent classified briefings on the election interference threat have expressed alarm at what they have heard. They have urged the U.S. intelligence community to make public some of their concerns, in part to avoid a repeat of 2016, when Obama administration officials were seen as slow and overly deliberate in their public discussion of active Russian measures in that year’s election.

Pelosi and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, both California Democrats, said in a statement Friday that they were “pleased that Mr. Evanina heeded our call to make additional details public about Russia’s malign interference campaign.” But they also criticized him for naming Iran and China “as equal threats to our democratic elections.”

Pelosi and Schiff called for the intelligence community to release “specific information that would allow voters to appraise for themselves the respective threats posed by these foreign actors, and distinguish these actors’ different and unequal aims, current actions, and capabilities.”

A bipartisan congressional report released by the Senate intelligence committee earlier this year said the Obama administration was ill-prepared to handle the interference and failed to respond effectively as officials feared getting caught up in a heavily politicized environment and undermining the election.

When it comes to Russia this year, U.S. intelligence officials assess that it is working to “denigrate” Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia “establishment” among his supporters, Evanina said. U.S. officials believe that tracks Moscow’s criticism of Biden when he was vice president for his role in Ukraine policies and his support of opposition to Putin inside Russia.

The U.S. statement called out by name Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian lawmaker who has been active in leveling unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Biden and his son concerning Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company on whose board Hunter Biden sat. That effort has included publicizing leaked phone calls.

Democrats, including members of the Senate intelligence panel, have voiced concerns that an ongoing Republican probe into Hunter Biden and his work in Ukraine would parallel Russian efforts and amplify Russian disinformation. That investigation is being led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the chairman of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Though U.S. officials allege that China has its own preference, the statement Friday did not directly accuse Beijing of election interference or taking action to prop up Biden.

Instead, the statement said, China views Trump as “unpredictable” and does not want to see him win reelection, Evanina said. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of the November election in an effort to shape U.S. policy and pressure political figures it sees as against Beijing. The Trump administration’s relationship with China has taken a starkly more adversarial tone, including the closure last month of Beijing’s consulate in Houston and an executive order Thursday that banned dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat,

“Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston consulate and actions on other issues,” Evanina wrote.

On Iran, the assessment said Tehran seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions as well as Trump and divide America before the election.

“Iran’s efforts along these lines probably will focus on online influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content,” Evanina wrote. “Tehran’s motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump’s re-election would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.”

During a panel discussion later Friday at the DEF CON hacker convention, federal cybersecurity officials were asked which foreign threat they considered most serious. “I don’t think I would say one is scarier than the other per se. Certainly some of these adversaries are at little bit more experienced,” said the National Security Agency’s election lead, David Imbordino.

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Cynthia Kaiser, the FBI’s deputy chief of analysis for national cyber threats. “If if you ask me what the biggest threat is, its the kind of constant drumbeat or influence campaigns that are going to make people feel like they are less confident in our (elections) system.”

Source Article from https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/08/07/us-intel-russia-acting-against-biden-china-opposes-trump/

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Trump says US will be ‘very careful’ after intel community warns of election interference from rival nations – Fox News
Trump says US will be ‘very careful’ after intel community warns of election interference from rival nations – Fox News
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Trump considers executive order to aid Americans during pandemic

President Trump on Friday said the U.S. will be “very careful” after the intelligence community warned that China, Russia and Iran are seeking to interfere in the 2020 election.

“Well, we’re going to look at it very closely,” Trump said when asked at a press conference in Bedminister, N.J., about what he intends to do after an assessment by the intelligence community was published.

“You’re telling me that this came out a little while ago, and I’ve heard that it came out. It came out just a little while ago, and we’re going to look at that very closely.”

INTEL COMMUNITY SAYS IRAN SEEKING TO ‘UNDERMINE’ TRUMP, RUSSIA WORKING TO ‘DENIGRATE’ BIDEN IN ELECTION

He spoke shortly after the intelligence community said that Iran wants to “undermine” President Trump while Russia is working to “primarily denigrate” former Vice President Joe Biden, and that China “prefers” that Trump “does not win reelection.”

When a reporter asked about Russia, which interfered in the 2016 election, Trump asked why they didn’t start by mentioning the threat posed by China.

“Do you think China may be a bigger threat? I mean, I think maybe it is. I mean, you’ll have to figure it out,” he said. “But we’re going to watch all of them. We have to be very careful.”

Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Bill Evanina on Friday revealed additional information on those threats.

“Ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections, foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway U.S. voters’ preferences and perspectives, shift U.S. policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people’s confidence in our democratic process,” Evanina said in a statement.

Bejing prefers a Trump loss because Chinese officials view him as unpredictable, and has been attempting to influence the election and shape policy by pressuring political figures who they view as opposed to Chinese interests, Evanina said.

Tensions have been high for months between China and the U.S., with the Trump administration sanctioning top Chinese officials connected to human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the crack down against political freedoms in Hong Kong.

Video

Meanwhile, Trump has criticized China for its handling of the outbreak of COVID-19, calling it the “Chinese virus.” He has also signed an executive order banning TikTok in 45 days over concerns that the app’s owner, ByteDance Ltd., could share user information with the government.

On Friday, he contrasted that with how he believes Biden would handle Beijing:  “If China makes a deal with the United States with Biden in charge, they would own our country.”

Meanwhile, Evanina said the intelligence community assesses “that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment.’”

ODNI TO OFFER ELECTION SECURITY BRIEFINGS FOR BOTH PARTIES IN RUN-UP TO NOVEMBER

“This is consistent with Moscow’s public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration’s policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia,” Evanina said.

As for Iran, the intelligence community said that it “seeks to undermine” democratic institutions, President Trump, and to “divide the country” in advance of the elections.

“Iran’s efforts along these lines probably will focus on online influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content,” Evanina said. “Tehran’s motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump’s reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.”

Evanina, however, assured the public that the “IC is also doing everything in its power to combat both cyber and influence efforts targeting our electoral process.”

“Our election should be our own. Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy,” he said.

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Trump appeared to dispute that assessment, saying: “I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have, ever.”

He also said the foreign targeting of mail-in ballots was a threat to the integrity of the election, claiming it is “much easier for them to forge ballots and send them in.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-us-election-interference-rival-nations

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Trump to sign executive orders after stimulus talks broke down on Capitol Hill – CNN
Trump to sign executive orders after stimulus talks broke down on Capitol Hill – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/politics/trump-executive-order-stimulus/index.html

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Beirut explosion: cruise ship owner sues ‘those responsible’, as more protests loom – The Guardian
Beirut explosion: cruise ship owner sues ‘those responsible’, as more protests loom – The Guardian

The Lebanese owner of a cruise ship sunk by the huge explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut is filing a lawsuit “all those responsible”, the country’s state news agency has said, as anger builds over the disaster.

Two crew members of the Orient Queen were killed and seven others wounded on Tuesday when a huge shipment of ammonium nitrate caught fire and caused an explosion that levelled the port and gutted entire swathes of the city.

Angry Lebanese plan a major protest in central Beirut on Saturday, amid scrutiny of how 2,750 tonnes of the dangerous material could have been stored so close to residential neighbourhoods for years – despite repeated warnings of the risk it posed.

A former port worker, Yusuf Shehadi, told the Guardian he had been instructed by the Lebanese military to house the chemicals in warehouse 12 at the port despite repeated protests by other government departments. Dozens of bags of fireworks were stored in the same hangar.

Shehadi said he had spoken to former colleagues at the port who said workers had been attempting to fix a gate outside warehouse 12 with an electrical tool ahead of the blast. “This was at 5pm, and after 30 minutes they saw smoke. Firefighters came, and so did state security. Everyone died.”

The country’s president, Michel Aoun, said the cause of the blast was still unclear and did not rule out the possibility of a hostile act.

The National News agency reported on Friday: “Entrepreneur Merhi Abou Merhi, the owner of the Orient Queen cruise ship, has filed a lawsuit against all those responsible for this catastrophic blast.”

The agency said the suit was the first of its kind and could pave the way for similar legal action in the coming days and weeks.

The large cruise ship, which can accomodate at least 300 guests and houses a casino, was docked in its home port when disaster struck.

The provisional death toll for the explosion is 154 but the figure is expected to rise since dozens of people are still reported missing and large numbers of injured are still hospitalised in critical condition. The explosion wounded at least 5,000 and caused unprecedented damage across the city.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report


 Beirut explosion: the volunteer clearing up the wreckage of her home city – video

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/08/beirut-explosion-cruise-ship-owner-sues-those-responsible-as-more-protests-loom

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