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Supreme Court considers massive change in election authority – The Washington Post
Supreme Court considers massive change in election authority – The Washington Post
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Holding Out for a Second Stimulus Check? You May Get Your Answer Soon. – The Motley Fool
Holding Out for a Second Stimulus Check? You May Get Your Answer Soon. – The Motley Fool

Once the COVID-19 outbreak hit U.S. soil, it quickly became evident that Americans would need some amount of financial relief to cope with widespread unemployment and income loss. The solution came in the form of the CARES Act, which called for a one-time, $1,200 stimulus payment that millions of Americans have received over the past two months.

But many people blew through that stimulus cash quickly, and with the jobless rate hanging tight in double-digit territory, it’s clear that Americans need additional relief. Democratic lawmakers agree, and so they’ve introduced the HEROES Act, which calls for, among other provisions, a follow-up round of stimulus cash that’s actually more generous than the first.

Image source: Getty Images.

Under the CARES Act, stimulus payments were worth up to $1,200 per qualifying adult and up to $500 per qualifying child under the age of 17. Under the HEROES Act, stimulus checks will be worth $1,200 per qualifying individual, children included. And while that benefit maxes out at three children per household, it means some families could be in line for a $6,000 check if the HEROES Act passes a Senate vote.

Unfortunately, though, the latter is unlikely to happen. Republican lawmakers have been vocal in their opposition to the HEROES Act, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already come out and said that it’s unlikely to pass in its current form.

Still, that doesn’t mean the public should give up hope on a second stimulus package. In fact, news on a follow-up stimulus will likely be available in July, which would at least give desperate Americans something to look toward.

Is a second stimulus payment in the cards?

Critics of the HEROES Act have pointed to the fact that it’s too expensive, and that with states easing restrictions and businesses opening back up, that level of aid isn’t necessary. Still, that doesn’t mean lawmakers won’t come together on some type of relief package, albeit a less generous one, especially as the nation continues to grapple with a recession.

Furthermore, last week, McConnell himself came out and said that if a follow-up relief package is passed, that decision will be made in July. Granted, that doesn’t mean stimulus checks will actually go out in July — but if a relief package is decided upon next month, Americans could conceivably find themselves on the receiving end of a second stimulus payment by August, especially now that the IRS has a tool in place for non-tax-filers to register their banking details in order to get their money via direct deposit.

Of course, the amount of that second stimulus check is up for debate, and Americans shouldn’t assume they’ll receive $1,200 apiece (or more) like they did the first time around. Additionally, McConnell has expressly stated that if there is a second round of stimulus payments, recipients can count on it being the last one they get their hands on as they grappled with the COVID-19 crisis. That may not be the news desperate Americans want to hear, but a second and final stimulus check is still better than no additional relief at all.

Source Article from https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/06/23/holding-out-for-a-second-stimulus-check-you-may-ge.aspx

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Alyssa McGrath, current Andrew Cuomo aide, accuses governor of sexual harassment – CBS News
Alyssa McGrath, current Andrew Cuomo aide, accuses governor of sexual harassment – CBS News

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing another allegation of sexual harassment, this time from a woman currently employed by his office. Alyssa McGrath, a 33-year-old executive assistant, told The New York Times that Cuomo stared inappropriately at her body and commented on her looks.

Her attorney, Mariann Wang, confirmed McGrath gave the account to the Times.

McGrath, who does not work directly for Cuomo, said the interactions began shortly after she was hired in mid-2018. The next year she was with Cuomo in his office when he allegedly made a comment to her in Italian. She later asked her parents what the phrase meant.

“It was commenting on how beautiful I was,” she told the publication.

In another meeting in his office, McGrath claimed Cuomo looked down her shirt and then asked about her necklace. “I put my head down waiting for him to start speaking, and he didn’t start speaking,” she said. “So I looked up to see what was going on. And he was blatantly looking down my shirt.”

McGrath also said Cuomo kissed her on her forehead during the office Christmas party in 2019 and called her and a coworker “mingle mamas” after he asked the coworker about her romantic life.

“He has a way of making you feel very comfortable around him, almost like you’re his friend,” McGrath told the Times. “But then you walk away from the encounter or conversation, in your head going, ‘I can’t believe I just had that interaction with the governor of New York.'”

Cuomo is facing pressure to resign after multiple women came forward with allegations against him. Cuomo has rejected calls for his resignation and has denied sexually harassing anyone. He has, however, apologized for comments he made that may have made women uncomfortable. 

“I never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, felt hurt, felt pain from the interactions, and I’m embarrassed by it, and I feel bad from it,” he said.

Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

His lawyer, Rita Glavin, issued a statement to the Times, saying, “the governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like ‘ciao bella.'”

“None of this is remarkable, although it may be old-fashioned. He has made clear that he has never made inappropriate advances or inappropriately touched anyone.”

McGrath’s lawyer told CBS News: “The governor’s deflections are not credible. This was not just friendly banter.” 

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cuomo-aide-alyssa-mcgrath-sexual-harassment-allegation/

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Incêndio atinge palco do festival Tomorrowland, em Barcelona – Globo.com
Incêndio atinge palco do festival Tomorrowland, em Barcelona – Globo.com

Fumaça e chamas são vistas no palco do Tomorrowland Unite, em Barcelona, na noite de sábado (29), em imagem retirada de vídeo (Foto: Alex Prim Lopez via Reuters)

Source Article from http://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/incendio-atinge-palco-do-festival-tomorrowland-em-barcelona.ghtml

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Biden says nation weary from COVID, but US in a better place – Associated Press
Biden says nation weary from COVID, but US in a better place – Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that the pandemic has left Americans exhausted and demoralized but insisted at a news conference marking his first year in office that he has “outperformed” expectations in dealing with it.

Facing sagging poll numbers and a stalled legislative agenda, Biden conceded he would likely have to pare back his “build back better” recovery package and instead settle for “big chunks” of his signature economic plan. He promised to further attack inflation and the pandemic and blamed Republicans for uniting in opposition to his proposals rather than offering ideas of their own.

This is a perilous time for Biden: The nation is gripped by a disruptive new surge of virus cases, and inflation is at a level not seen in a generation. Democrats are bracing for a potential midterm rout if he can’t turn things around.

Biden insisted that voters will come to embrace a more positive view of his tenure — and of his beleaguered party — in time. His appeal to voters for patience came with a pledge to spend more time outside of Washington to make the case to them directly.

Biden also addressed the brewing crisis on the Ukraine border, where Russia has massed some 100,000 troops and raised concerns that Moscow is ready to launch a further invasion.

The president said his “guess” is Russia may move further but he believes President Vladimir Putin doesn’t want full-blown war. He declared Russia would pay a “dear price” if Putin launches a military incursion.

“He has to do something,” Biden said of Putin. “He is trying to find his place in the world between China and the West.”

Biden suggested a “minor incursion” might elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion of the country, a comment that drew immediate condemnation from some corners.

“President Biden basically gave Putin a green light to invade Ukraine by yammering about the supposed insignificance of a ‘minor incursion,’” said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated in a subsequent statement that that wasn’t necessarily about tanks and troops.

“President Biden also knows from long experience that the Russians have an extensive playbook of aggression short of military action, including cyberattacks and paramilitary tactics. And he affirmed today that those acts of Russian aggression will be met with a decisive, reciprocal, and united response,” she said.

Biden held forth for 1 hour 50 minutes in the East Room of the White House, appearing to relish the opportunity to parry questions from two dozen journalists with doses of wit and a few flashes of anger. At several points, he looked at his watch, smiled and kept calling on reporters.

He fielded questions about inflation, nuclear talks with Iran, voting rights, political division, Vice President Kamala Harris’ place on the 2024 ticket, trade with China and the competency of government. Those questions showed the multitude of challenges confronting the president, each of them as much a risk as an opportunity to prove himself.

The president began by reeling off early progress in fighting the virus and showcasing quick passage of an ambitious bipartisan roads-and-bridges infrastructure deal. But his economic, voting rights, police reform and immigration agenda have all been thwarted in a barely Democratic-controlled Senate, while inflation has emerged as an economic threat to the nation and a political risk for Biden.

Despite his faltering approval numbers, Biden claimed to have “probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen” in a country still coping with the coronavirus.

“After almost two years of physical, emotional and psychological impact of this pandemic, for many of us, it’s been too much to bear,” Biden said.

“Some people may call what’s happening now ’the new normal,″ he added, his voice rising. “I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better.”

On his nearly $2 trillion economic agenda that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has blocked from moving forward, Biden said he’ll pass the parts of the package that can net sufficient votes. This likely means not extending the expanded child tax credit or providing financial support to community colleges, Biden said.

“I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now, come back and fight for the rest,” he said, later adding that he would apply the same strategy to his voting reform agenda.

The social spending bill was once viewed as a catch-all home for various progressive priorities, but now Democrats are sensing a need to deliver a solid accomplishment to voters in the midterm year and are beginning to come to terms with a slimmed-down package that can overcome Manchin’s reticence.

The White House and congressional Democratic leaders are expected to refocus their attention on it beginning next week, after the all-but-certain collapse of the Democrats’ push on voting rights legislation. Talks to craft a new bill that meets Manchin’s demands and can garner the virtually unanimous Democratic support needed to pass Congress will likely take weeks.

The Democrats’ goal is to have a package — or be on the cusp of one — that Biden can highlight in his March 1 State of the Union address.

If Biden seemed to have one set of regrets so far, it was his inability because of the coronavirus to connect with more Americans outside the capital. He noted that this challenge was most acutely felt by Black voters who wanted him to push more aggressively on expanding access to voting.

“I don’t get a chance to look people in the eye because of both COVID and things that are happening in Washington,” he said.

Speaking as Democrats were mounting a doomed effort to change Senate rules to pass the voting measure, Biden said he still hoped that it would pass in some form and wasn’t prepared yet to discuss possible executive actions on the issue. The vote spotlighted the constraints on Biden’s influence barely a week after he delivered an impassioned speech in Atlanta suggesting opponents of the measures were taking a historical stance alongside segregationists and exhorting senators to action.

Still, he said he understood that civil rights groups were anxious and frustrated about the lack of action, particularly Black voters who question why he didn’t press the issue harder and earlier.

There are at least 19 Republican-backed laws in states that make it harder to vote, and Jan. 6 insurrection supporters are filling local election posts and running for office.

It was Biden’s seventh solo news conferences as president. The ongoing threat from the coronavirus was evident in the setup of Wednesday’s gathering: A limited number of reporters were allowed to attend and all had to have been tested for the virus and wear masks.

The president used the event to pay heed to growing anxiety about rising prices. Staring down an inflation rate that has gone from 1.7% at his inauguration to 7%, he called on the Federal Reserve to lessen its monetary boosting of the economy by raising interest rates, which would in theory help to reduce inflation.

“Given the strength of our economy, and the pace of recent price increases, it’s important to recalibrate the support that is now necessary,” Biden said. “Now, we need to get inflation under control.”

Despite it all, Biden said he’s convinced the country is still with him — even if they don’t tell that to pollsters.

“I don’t believe the polls,” he said.

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-business-economy-6f49a98b7d04d41a4e9eb975c24fddc2

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China says it has agreed with the US to cancel existing trade tariffs in phases – CNBC
China says it has agreed with the US to cancel existing trade tariffs in phases – CNBC

China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday that Beijing had agreed with Washington to lift existing trade tariffs between the two nations in phases.

Gao Feng, a ministry spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry, said that both sides had agreed to simultaneously cancel some existing tariffs on one another’s goods, according to the country’s state broadcaster.

The ministry spokesperson said that both sides were closer to a so-called “phase one” trade agreement following constructive negotiations over the past two weeks.

One important condition for a limited trade agreement, Feng insisted, was that the U.S. and China must remove the same amount of charges at the same time.

Fresh hopes of a “phase one” trade agreement prompted U.S. stock index futures to rally Thursday morning, with Dow futures poised to open up more than 120 points.

Market participants had expected the two economic giants to sign a deal later this month, after both Washington and Beijing spoke of progress in talks late last week.

However, Reuters reported on Wednesday that a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could be postponed until December — delaying a chance for the two leaders to sign an interim trade deal.

The world’s two largest economies have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of one another’s goods since the start of 2018, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment.

The Trump administration has been putting increasing pressure on Beijing to curb massive subsidies to state-owned companies and stop the forced transfer of American technology to Chinese firms.

But, analysts are skeptical that a “phase one” trade deal will effectively tackle these issues, suggesting the two economic giants will need a more comprehensive agreement before market sentiment can be boosted sustainably.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/07/china-says-it-has-agreed-with-the-us-to-cancel-existing-tariffs-in-different-phases.html

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The Supreme Court hears landmark election case seeking to kick Trump off ballot over Capitol attack – The Associated Press
The Supreme Court hears landmark election case seeking to kick Trump off ballot over Capitol attack – The Associated Press
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McConnell complains about ‘candidate quality’ while investing in Senate races for GOP contenders – Fox News
McConnell complains about ‘candidate quality’ while investing in Senate races for GOP contenders – Fox News
Video

Sen. Grassley says that McConnell is aiming to ‘wake people up’ with threat that GOP might lose Senate

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, spoke with Fox News Digital about top voting issues for Iowans, the FBI investigation into former President Trump and reacts to Mitch McConnell’s recent statement that the GOP might not win Senate control.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell could soon be faced with a new wave of Republicans in the Senate who oppose his messaging, however he continues to offer support for those representing the GOP on the ballot amid “candidate quality” concerns.

On Thursday, when asked for his 2022 prediction at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce luncheon, McConnell cited “candidate quality” as a reason why he believes Republicans will face difficulty in flipping the Senate in November and instead might only be able to flip control of the House.

“I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate,” said McConnell, who has led the GOP in the Senate since 2007. “Senate races are just different, they’re statewide. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”

Despite McConnell’s remarks, The Associated Press reported that the McConnell-controlled Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) purchased $28 million in advertising this week to boost Republican J.D. Vance in Ohio, a seat many Republicans thought to be safe for the GOP. The SLF also announced this month that it had invested more than $34 million into the Pennsylvania Senate race featuring Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, who will face off against John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor and the Democratic Senate nominee, in the general election.

MCCONNELL MAKES GRIM PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS IN SENATE RACES, REFERENCES ‘CANDIDATE QUALITY’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he believes the GOP will struggle to regain control of the Senate in the November midterm elections.
(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Other spending from the SLF includes a $141 million in fall advertising reservation for elections taking place in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The spending on advertisements — which will begin airing on Sept. 6 —  is more than double the $67 million SLF spent in 2020, setting a record-high for the PAC.

Prior to his remarks over the “quality” of Republican candidates running in Senate races, McConnell also issued support for GOP Senate candidates facing tough elections against Democrats, including Herschel Walker in Georgia and Adam Laxalt in Nevada — both of which received endorsements from former President Donald Trump.

Several GOP Senate candidates have expressed reservations about McConnell’s leadership for the party, with some insisting that he should no longer represent Republicans at the helm in the Senate.

During a podcast interview last September, Vance, who seeks to defeat Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, in the Senate race later this year, insisted it was time for “new blood” in the Senate and suggested that McConnell had shown at times that he was “out of touch” with Republican voters.

“I think McConnell has shown at times that he’s a little out of touch with the base,” he said. “I think that it’s time that we moved beyond the very old leadership class that’s dominated the Republican Party for a long time. We’ve got to do it. We’ve got to bring some new blood in. We’ve got to get people the base is really excited about.”

JD Vance, co-founder of Narya Capital Management LLC and U.S. Republican Senate candidate for Ohio, speaks during a campaign event in Huber Heights, Ohio, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.
(Gaelen Morse/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In another interview, Vance claimed he is the “only person in the Ohio Senate race who’s actually been willing to criticize leadership” and that he “will continue to criticize leadership” when he believes “they’re wrong.”

MASTERS CHANGES TUNE ON MCCONNELL, SAYS HE’S HOPEFUL GOP LEADER WILL OFFER FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN ARIZONA

Last month, Eric Schmitt, Missouri’s current attorney general and the Republican nominee for Senate in the state, called for “new leadership in the Senate” during a conversation with a reporter at a campaign event.

“Mitch McConnell was elected to the Senate in 1985. I think the party’s priorities changed pretty dramatically. And I don’t think he’s kept up with that. I think that most recently, evidenced by the disastrous infrastructure bill, I was vocal about not supporting this gun confiscation law, the red flag law. I don’t support that,” said Schmitt, who is seeking to replace outgoing GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.

“I’ve been endorsed by Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Mike Lee,” he added. “I’d love to see one of them run. I would support that. Mitch McConnell hasn’t endorsed me and I don’t endorse him for leadership in the Senate.”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, also the GOP nominee for Senate in the state, speaks to reporters in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Washington, DC.
((Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))

NRSC BOOKS MORE THAN $2.2 MILLION IN ARIZONA, WISCONSIN ADS AFTER CONTROVERSY OVER CANCELED SPOTS

Blake Masters, the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for Senate in Arizona, has also taken aim at McConnell in the past.

Earlier this year, Masters, who looks to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the state’s general election, weighed Senate GOP leadership replacements for McConnell, saying he’d support Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri or Tom Cotton of Arkansas for the position. In addition, he also said he believes McConnell is “not good at” legislating.

“I’ll tell Mitch this to his face,” Masters said during a GOP primary debate in June. “He’s not bad at everything. He’s good at judges. He’s good at blocking Democrats. You know what he’s not good at? Legislating.”

Republican candidate for Senate Blake Masters speaks at a ‘Save America’ rally by former President Donald Trump in support of Arizona GOP candidates on July 22, 2022 in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Despite his comments about McConnell at the time, Masters predicted Friday that the GOP leader will receive another term as GOP leader and that no Republicans will challenge him.

“I think he’ll be in charge. And I’m not just going to be a senator that falls in line to whatever he says,” Masters said, according to The Associated Press. “I’ll hear him out. I’m happy to listen. But my vote doesn’t belong to Mitch McConnell. It doesn’t belong to Donald Trump.”

Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano and The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcconnell-complains-candidate-quality-investing-senate-races-gop-contenders

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Wheat prices soar for a third day as Russia-Ukraine tensions stoke fears of major food crisis – CNBC
Wheat prices soar for a third day as Russia-Ukraine tensions stoke fears of major food crisis – CNBC
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Newsom in quarantine again after exposure to staffer who tested positive – San Francisco Chronicle
Newsom in quarantine again after exposure to staffer who tested positive – San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom began a 10-day quarantine after a staff member who came in contact with him tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday. The governor tested negative, as did other staff members, a Newsom spokesperson said.

“The governor and staff will be tested again in the next few days and continue to follow state and CDC guidelines,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We wish our staff member who tested positive well.”

The governor gave his regular Monday news briefing on the state’s coronavirus response from his home office. Asked about the precautions he takes around staffers, Newsom said, “Everybody wears masks; we have very strict guidelines, rules, procedures, temperature checks. People are being tested all the time. Most folks are teleworking. So this seems deeply anomalous. Just shows the virulence of this disease.”

Newsom said he had most recently been near the infected staffer on Friday.

This is the second time in a month that Newsom has had to quarantine. In late November, the governor and his family began a two-week quarantine after three of his four children came into contact with a California Highway Patrol officer who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The governor’s office cited privacy laws in withholding the identity of the infected staff member and the office where the person works.

“State policy for state agencies after an employee tests positive includes protocols if an individual was potentially positive at work — including deep cleaning of shared spaces and asking those who interacted with the individual or shared work spaces to isolate and seek testing,” the governor’s office statement said.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni

Source Article from https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Newsom-exposed-to-staff-member-who-tested-15818510.php

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Bill se debilita tras tocar tierra en Texas – Univisión
Bill se debilita tras tocar tierra en Texas – Univisión

El equipo de Oakland, California, derrotó a los Cavaliers de Cleveland en el sexto part…

Source Article from http://noticias.univision.com/article/2370000/2015-06-16/estados-unidos/noticias/la-tormenta-bill-se-acerca-a-la-costa-de-texas

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India’s Modi reportedly set to win a second term as prime minister – CNBC
India’s Modi reportedly set to win a second term as prime minister – CNBC

Earlier this year, BJP’s efforts to return to power looked to be on shaky grounds, especially after the party lost three key state elections in December. People across India have had mixed reactions to some of Modi’s landmark economic reforms and policies. They include the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and demonetization — where the government unexpectedly withdrew all its 500 and 1,000-rupee notes, and replaced them with 500 and 2,000-rupee denomination currencies.

Then, a terrorist attack in Kashmir, and India’s subsequent response to it, shifted the momentum in Modi’s favor.

“That reinvigorated the campaign and took the attention away from, quite frankly, the not-so-great economic record,” Bery told CNBC’s “Squawk Box ” on Thursday.

“You had a slowing economy and also the leaked jobs report, which showed that India’s unemployment rate was at a 45-year high. By shifting to national security, Prime Minister Modi was able to take attention away from those negative stories, ” he added.

Still, Modi’s government will likely have its work cut out: India’s economy is slowing down, its shadow banking sector is in crisis, credit lending from banks is still relatively weak. More needs to be done to spur private investments so that the country doesn’t only rely on consumption to grow, according to analysts.

“Modi 2.0 will inhabit the roles of both economic moderniser and economic populist, contrary to his supporters and critics who have often sought to characterise him as either one or the other,” Control Risks’ Rao wrote.

He added that Modi will likely continue with his efforts to streamline the GST while continuing to empower India’s insolvency and bankruptcy code to tame the massive amounts of debts sitting in the banking sector — but he would not carry out a wholesale privatization of state-owned banks or loosen political control over lending decisions.

“At the same time, increased pressure over rural distress and unemployment will stoke Modi’s economic populist instincts, which will likely see an increased focus on rural spending and handouts aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises,” Rao said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/india-lok-sabha-elections-results.html

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As Biden’s vaccinate-or-test mandate approaches, questions arise over enforcement – NBC News
As Biden’s vaccinate-or-test mandate approaches, questions arise over enforcement – NBC News
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Wanted Tennessee inmate was caught after being spotted rifling through strangers’ refrigerator – Fox News
Wanted Tennessee inmate was caught after being spotted rifling through strangers’ refrigerator – Fox News
Video

Law enforcement officials capture an escaped Tennessee inmate

The manhunt for an escaped Tennessee prison inmate has come to an end. Police captured the man after catching him on a home surveillance camera.

A Tennessee convict who sparked a five-day manhunt following his prison escape and alleged murder of a correctional administrator last week was captured after home surveillance video caught him rifling through a married couple’s refrigerator at their home, investigators and the pair said Sunday.

Curtis Watson surrendered without incident several hours after law enforcement received a tip about his whereabouts in the West Tennessee town of Henning. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel converged near a soybean field where they took a disheveled Watson wearing camouflage overalls into custody after a ground and air search, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a Sunday news conference.

“The pressure they put on Watson while he was on the run was absolutely critical,” Rausch said.

CANADIAN KILLER FUGITIVES’ TRAIL OF CLUES: BILLOWING SMOKE, SARDINE CANS, SLEEPING BAG HELPED END MANHUNT

The field was located 10 miles from the West Tennessee State Penitentiary where Watson made his Aug. 7 escape.

Harvey Taylor said he and his wife Ann were asleep in their home around 3:30 a.m. when they were awakened by their outdoor security alarm. When they looked at the video system, they spotted a man going through their refrigerator.

They called police after recognizing Watson from news coverage surrounding his escape.

“Once he closed the left side of the refrigerator door, my wife could his face… she said, ‘That’s him, that’s him,’ Taylor said. Watson was captured around 11 a.m.

An intense search for the 44-year-old started after he escaped from prison during his daily lawn-mowing detail. He had been serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated kidnapping. He illegally confined his wife while using an aluminum baseball bat in July 2012, court documents showed. His sentence began in 2013 and was set to expire in 2025, officials said.

Curtis Watson being taken into custody after five days on the run following his prison escape. 
(Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)

Around 11 a.m. on the morning of Watson’s escape, prison officials said they realized employee Debra Johnson was missing after she didn’t report to work.

Johnson, 64, was found dead soon afterward in her home on the prison grounds. Investigators said she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. Correctional officers reported they saw Watson riding a golf cart at Johnson’s house the morning she died.

Johnson worked for the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) for 38 years in various roles that included correctional sergeant, deputy warden and warden. She was the first TDOC employee to be killed in 15 years, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reported.

MANHUNT FOR ESCAPED TENNESSEE INMATE INTENSIFIES AS STATE ISSUES RARE BLUE ALERT

Following his arrest, Watson was taken to a hospital, officials said. He had mosquito bites and his feet were in bad shape, but had no serious injuries.

“He was obviously weathered from his time in the outside,” Rausch said.

Watson’s daughter, Harley Pole, thanked law enforcement in a statement issued shortly after her father was captured.

“The family of Curtis Watson would like to extend their deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ms Debra Johnson,” Pole said.

Watson faced new charges of first-degree murder, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated burglary and escaping from prison. Prosecutors were set to determine whether they’d seek the death penalty, Lauderdale County District Attorney Mark Davidson said.

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“I can assure you that our office will be resolved to see that he is put back where he can never escape again and harm anybody in our communities,” Davidson added.

An arraignment is expected later this week.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-manhunt-curtis-ray-watson-home-surveillance-refrigerator

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12 California counties can reopen; 31 others push to join in – Los Angeles Times
12 California counties can reopen; 31 others push to join in – Los Angeles Times

California officials said Wednesday that 12 of the state’s 58 counties — most of them rural — will be allowed to more fully reopen.

Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Tuolumne, Yuba, Sutter and Shasta have been certified as meeting the state’s conditions for additional businesses to reopen.

“This is a dynamic process, and we don’t want to delay unnecessarily based on timelines,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his daily coronavirus news conference. “It’s not about timelines, it’s not about deadlines. It’s simply about data and it’s about health.”

Talks are underway with 31 other California counties to discuss whether they can expand their reopenings, the governor said, but he noted that conditions are still too serious in Los Angeles and San Francisco counties to modify guidelines for resuming business in those areas.


Newsom said this week that California restaurants and shopping malls could soon reopen in counties that meet state standards for testing and reductions in coronavirus cases, but all businesses will have to abide by state guidelines for physical distancing and cleaning regimens.

Under the state plan, counties must have adequate testing and hospital capacity and the ability to trace those who have been in contact with ill people.

Restaurants can reopen for dine-in service in counties certified as meeting those benchmarks, but they should implement changes to guard against spreading the virus. Shopping centers, including strip malls and outlet malls, will be allowed to reopen with in-store customers in counties certified to have contained COVID-19, while car washes and pet groomers can also resume operating with safeguards.

A Times data analysis last week found most big California counties were not close to meeting Newsom’s standards. The analysis looked at which counties could pass just the first two criteria — no new deaths reported in the last 14 days and no more than one confirmed case per 10,000 residents in that same time period.

Most of California failed that test. In fact, 95% of Californians live in counties that don’t meet that standard, the Times analysis found. Not a single county in Southern California or the San Francisco Bay Area met the criteria.

Officials in Orange County continue to express frustration with the state‘s more cautious approach. They contend that the economic havoc wreaked by the regulations makes it vital to loosen the rules.

“I think it’s time to open up,” Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel said Tuesday. “Maybe it’s too late. It’s going to be very tough to catch up.”

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-13/california-allows-12-counties-to-reopen-31-other-counties-are-lobbying-to-join-them

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Everyone in the park knew him. It was only after he died that his story came to light – NPR
Everyone in the park knew him. It was only after he died that his story came to light – NPR
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Linda Sun, ex-aide to NY Governor Hochul, charged with acting as Chinese agent – Reuters
Linda Sun, ex-aide to NY Governor Hochul, charged with acting as Chinese agent – Reuters
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Army Helicopters Crash in Kentucky; Casualties Reported – The New York Times
Army Helicopters Crash in Kentucky; Casualties Reported – The New York Times
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Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale hospitalized following reported suicide attempt – CNN
Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale hospitalized following reported suicide attempt – CNN

By Kaitlan Collins and Hollie Silverman, CNN

Updated 11:18 PM ET, Sun September 27, 2020

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/27/politics/brad-parscale-hospitalized/index.html

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North Carolina orders new U.S. House election after ‘tainted’ vote – Reuters
North Carolina orders new U.S. House election after ‘tainted’ vote – Reuters

(Reuters) – North Carolina’s elections board on Thursday ordered a new election for a U.S. House seat after officials said corruption surrounding absentee ballots tainted the results of a 2018 vote that has embarrassed the Republican Party.

The bipartisan board’s 5-0 decision came after Republican candidate Mark Harris, confronted by days of evidence that an operative for his campaign orchestrated a ballot fraud scheme, called for a new vote in the state’s 9th Congressional District.

“It’s become clear to me that the public’s confidence in the 9th District seat general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted,” Harris said on the fourth day of the hearing in Raleigh, the state capital.

Elections Board Chairman Bob Cordle said “the corruption” and “absolute mess” with absentee ballots had cast doubt on the entire contest.

“It certainly was a tainted election,” Cordle said. “The people of North Carolina deserve a fair election.”

The race is the country’s last unsettled 2018 congressional contest, and the outcome will not change the balance of power in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

But evidence of ballot fraud by the Harris campaign turned the tables on the Republican Party, which has accused Democrats with little evidence of encouraging individual voter fraud in races such as the 2016 presidential election.

Harris’ request for a new vote came as a surprise after he spent months trying to fend off a rerun. He led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes out of 282,717 ballots cast on Nov. 6, but elections officials refused to certify him the winner because of allegations of irregularities in the vote.

The pastor capitulated after his son testified he had warned his father of potential illegal activity by Republican political operative Leslie McCrae Dowless.

North Carolina law requires that a new primary nominating election also be conducted in the district, which covers parts of Charlotte and the southeast of the state. Republicans have held the seat since 1963.

‘ILLEGAL SCHEME’

It is unclear whether Harris, 52, will run again. He told the board he was recovering from an infection last month that led to sepsis and two strokes, and said his illness led to memory lapses during the hearing that made him realize he was not prepared for the “rigours” of the proceeding.

North Carolina’s Democratic Party said the hearing laid bare the Harris campaign’s “illegal scheme to steal an election.” McCready wasted no time in tweeting to supporters to donate to his campaign for the new election.

“Today was a great step forward for democracy in North Carolina,” he tweeted.

If Democrats pick up the seat, they would widen their 235-197 majority in the House after taking control of the chamber from President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in the November elections.

State Republicans said they respected Harris’ decision to resolve a “tremendously difficult situation.”

“The people of North Carolina deserve nothing less than the full confidence and trust in the electoral system,” party Chairman Robin Hayes said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, Harris said he had known Dowless was going door to door on the candidate’s behalf to help voters obtain absentee ballots, a process that is legal. Harris said Dowless assured him he would not collect the ballots from the voters, which would violate state law.

But residents of at least two counties in the district said Dowless and his paid workers collected incomplete absentee ballots and, in some instances, falsely signed as witnesses and filled in votes for contests left blank, according to testimony at the hearing.

Harris campaign officials said they did not pay Dowless to do anything illegal, and Dowless maintained his innocence.

Reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York and Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-north-carolina-idUSKCN1QA1W3

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Donald Trump Jr. on his father’s Sunday CPAC speech: ‘People will be outraged’ – Fox News
Donald Trump Jr. on his father’s Sunday CPAC speech: ‘People will be outraged’ – Fox News
Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

DALLAS – Once again, the biggest draw will go last.

Just as he did at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando in February, former President Donald Trump will close this weekend’s CPAC gathering in Texas by delivering the event’s headliner speech.

The American Conservative Union, which organizes the largest and most influential annual gathering of conservative activists and leaders, says that the former president will be the last major speaker at the three-day CPAC gathering in Dallas. Trump is scheduled to address the crowd at 3:35 p.m. CT.

DONALD TRUMP JR. SAYS HE’LL BE ‘VERY INVOLVED’ ON 2022 CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Asked about the former president’s address, Trump’s eldest son teased that “with my father, you never know, right.”

“I can assure you it’s going to be interesting. I can assure you people will be outraged,” Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview with Fox News on Friday, ahead of his own speech at CPAC.

The conference comes as Trump, five-and-a-half months removed from the White House, remains extremely popular with Republican voters and continues to hold sway over GOP politicians, as he plays a kingmaker role in party politics and flirts repeatedly with another presidential run in 2024.

The conference also comes amid Trump’s most active schedule of events since the end of his presidency.

VOTING UNDERWAY IN CPAC DALLAS 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION STRAW POLL

The former president traveled to Ohio two weeks ago to hold his first campaign style rally since leaving the White House. And he held a second rally a week later in Sarasota, Florida.

He also teamed up with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott at an event along the U.S.-Mexico border, in front of an unfinished portion of the border wall begun during his tenure in the White House. And this past week he held a news conference at his golf club in New Jersey to announce a lawsuit against Facebook, Google and Twitter, which have banned him from posting on their social media platforms.

Former president Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

At his recent rallies, Trump took aim at his successor. He slammed President Biden, as he spotlighted the issues of crime and immigration, charging that “our streets are being overtaken by vicious thugs and bloodthirsty criminals,” and claiming that “our border is being erased before our very eyes.”

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Trump also spotlighted the culture wars, arguing that “Critical Race Theory is being shoved down our children’s throats and into the ranks of our military.” And he zeroed in on the political battle over transgender rights, emphasizing that “men are allowed to play in women’s sports, so unfair, so crazy.” 

Expect similar language on Sunday, as Trump addresses CPAC.

American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp told Fox News that Trump will also use his speech to emphasize “the fight against Big Tech and the fight against illegal immigration – the fight to fire Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.”

“I think he’s got masterful plan to do that, and I think that he’ll be sharing that with folks,” Schlapp said.

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Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/donald-trump-jr-father-sunday-cpac-speech-people-outraged

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