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July 18, 2020
Trump orders flags to fly at half-staff after Lewis's death
Source: The Hill
President Trump on Saturday ordered flags to fly at half-staff following the death of civil rights icon and longtime congressman Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga).
Trump issued a proclamation which stated that the act was “a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service” of Lewis, who died on Friday at the age of 80.
The flags will fly at half-staff for the remainder of the day all across the world, including at the White House, all public buildings, military posts and stations, U.S. embassies and consular offices abroad, as well as naval vessels.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier Saturday had ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff, according to her deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/507951-trump-lowers-white-house-flags-to-half-staff-after-lewiss-death
July 18, 2020
(excerpt)
This isn't a case like that of George Floyd. I watched the video of the shooting, and it appears entirely justified.
She was known as a 'top shot.' Now an L.A. cop is at the center of a deadly shooting
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-17/social-media-star-lapd-cop-deadly-shootingJust 23 years old and near the start of her life in law enforcement, Toni McBride brimmed with youthful exuberance. A slew of online videos show the Los Angeles Police Department officer blasting away at targets, with prize-winning speed and accuracy, on a gun range in the Simi Valley foothills.
McBride, an officer in LAPD’s Newton Division, fired an array of shotguns, pistols and assault rifles. She cavorted and strutted, sometimes within view of Hollywood glitterati, who used the same firing range to hone the gunplay they would use for movies and TV. When star Keanu Reeves shouted out to her LAPD division in one video, the young cop laughed with delight. “Hey, he knows!,” she said, clapping. “Shootin’ Newton!”
But less than two weeks after the posting of that video, McBride’s gun use turned deadly earnest.
In the middle of a scruffy street south of downtown on April 22, she faced off with a man holding a razor box cutter. She fired six shots from her Glock 17, hitting Daniel Hernandez with every round and killing the 38-year-old carpet installer and father of a teenage daughter.
McBride, an officer in LAPD’s Newton Division, fired an array of shotguns, pistols and assault rifles. She cavorted and strutted, sometimes within view of Hollywood glitterati, who used the same firing range to hone the gunplay they would use for movies and TV. When star Keanu Reeves shouted out to her LAPD division in one video, the young cop laughed with delight. “Hey, he knows!,” she said, clapping. “Shootin’ Newton!”
But less than two weeks after the posting of that video, McBride’s gun use turned deadly earnest.
In the middle of a scruffy street south of downtown on April 22, she faced off with a man holding a razor box cutter. She fired six shots from her Glock 17, hitting Daniel Hernandez with every round and killing the 38-year-old carpet installer and father of a teenage daughter.
(excerpt)
This isn't a case like that of George Floyd. I watched the video of the shooting, and it appears entirely justified.
July 17, 2020
NASA's next-generation space telescope won't launch until Halloween of 2021, yet another delay in the spacecraft's drawn-out development.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will scan the universe for life-hosting planets and attempt to look back in time to photograph the Big Bang. It will now have to wait an additional seven months to being that mission.
Program managers said the coronavirus pandemic forced employees out of contractor facilities, causing unforeseen delays, and new COVID-19 safety practices going forward will slow down testing processes. A NASA press release also cited unspecified technical issues, and officials associated with the project declined to clarify what those issues were during a call with reporters on Thursday.
It's been almost 30 years since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, which the JWST is intended to both complement and supersede: It packs new infrared technology to detect light beyond what the human eye can see.
(excerpt)
NASA's launch of the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope delayed 7 months to Halloween 2021
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasas-launch-10-billion-james-232900520.htmlNASA's next-generation space telescope won't launch until Halloween of 2021, yet another delay in the spacecraft's drawn-out development.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will scan the universe for life-hosting planets and attempt to look back in time to photograph the Big Bang. It will now have to wait an additional seven months to being that mission.
Program managers said the coronavirus pandemic forced employees out of contractor facilities, causing unforeseen delays, and new COVID-19 safety practices going forward will slow down testing processes. A NASA press release also cited unspecified technical issues, and officials associated with the project declined to clarify what those issues were during a call with reporters on Thursday.
It's been almost 30 years since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, which the JWST is intended to both complement and supersede: It packs new infrared technology to detect light beyond what the human eye can see.
(excerpt)
July 17, 2020
The U.S. Navy welcomed a new amphibious assault ship into the fleet this week even as one of its sister ships lay burning. The ship, designed to deliver Marines by air into hostile territory, was commissioned in a low-key virtual ceremony to ensure social distancing. Tripoli will be based at San Diego Naval Base, California, where sister ship USS Bonhomme Richard is currently on fire.
The ship’s traditional commissioning ceremony, a public event that would have drawn thousands and originally set to take place at Pensacola, Florida, was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead the ship was commissioned by “administrative message” from the Navy to the fleet, while onboard the crew raised the commissioning flag to signify the event.
USS Tripoli is the second ship of the America-class amphibious assault ships, which in turn is a derivative of the Wasp-class ships. The Wasp-class ships were fitted with both an aircraft carrier-like full-length flight deck, island bridge, and hangar to support the aircraft that would shuttle U.S. Marines from ship to shore. The ships also included a floodable bay and voluminous parking area to ferry Marine armored and logistics vehicles—including 60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks—to the beach.
USS America, and the subsequent USS Tripoli, were built a little differently. The two ships delete the ability to land Marines by sea, instead beefing up the ship’s hangar, aviation support services, and the amount of aircraft fuel and munitions the ship can carry. This allows it to support more MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor assault transports, CH-53E Sea Stallion heavy lift helicopters, UH-1Y Huey armed utility choppers, and AH-1Z Cobra gunships.
(excerpt)
New Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli Joins the U.S. Navy
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a33338675/uss-tripoli-navy/The U.S. Navy welcomed a new amphibious assault ship into the fleet this week even as one of its sister ships lay burning. The ship, designed to deliver Marines by air into hostile territory, was commissioned in a low-key virtual ceremony to ensure social distancing. Tripoli will be based at San Diego Naval Base, California, where sister ship USS Bonhomme Richard is currently on fire.
The ship’s traditional commissioning ceremony, a public event that would have drawn thousands and originally set to take place at Pensacola, Florida, was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead the ship was commissioned by “administrative message” from the Navy to the fleet, while onboard the crew raised the commissioning flag to signify the event.
USS Tripoli is the second ship of the America-class amphibious assault ships, which in turn is a derivative of the Wasp-class ships. The Wasp-class ships were fitted with both an aircraft carrier-like full-length flight deck, island bridge, and hangar to support the aircraft that would shuttle U.S. Marines from ship to shore. The ships also included a floodable bay and voluminous parking area to ferry Marine armored and logistics vehicles—including 60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks—to the beach.
USS America, and the subsequent USS Tripoli, were built a little differently. The two ships delete the ability to land Marines by sea, instead beefing up the ship’s hangar, aviation support services, and the amount of aircraft fuel and munitions the ship can carry. This allows it to support more MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor assault transports, CH-53E Sea Stallion heavy lift helicopters, UH-1Y Huey armed utility choppers, and AH-1Z Cobra gunships.
(excerpt)
July 16, 2020
An Atlanta teenager suspected in the killing an 8-year-old girl near the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police last month surrendered Wednesday, authorities said.
Julian Conley, 19, was transported to the Fulton County Jail after a felony murder warrant was issued for his arrest Tuesday, Atlanta police said in a statement. He also faces a charge of aggravated assault.
The girl, Secoriea Turner, was shot to death while riding in a car with her mother and a friend on July 4. The driver tried to pull into a parking lot that was barricaded after Brooks was killed on June 12.
The area was the site of racial justice rallies after Brooks, who was Black, was shot to death by Officer Garrett Rolfe, who is white.
(excerpt)
Teen surrenders in murder of girl, 8, shot near Rayshard Brooks' memorial site
https://www.yahoo.com/news/teen-surrenders-murder-girl-8-002530420.htmlAn Atlanta teenager suspected in the killing an 8-year-old girl near the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police last month surrendered Wednesday, authorities said.
Julian Conley, 19, was transported to the Fulton County Jail after a felony murder warrant was issued for his arrest Tuesday, Atlanta police said in a statement. He also faces a charge of aggravated assault.
The girl, Secoriea Turner, was shot to death while riding in a car with her mother and a friend on July 4. The driver tried to pull into a parking lot that was barricaded after Brooks was killed on June 12.
The area was the site of racial justice rallies after Brooks, who was Black, was shot to death by Officer Garrett Rolfe, who is white.
(excerpt)
July 16, 2020
Grief and rage swept the country after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in late May. His death renewed debate about racialized police violence and the disproportionate killing of Black Americans, who are up to four times likelier than white Americans to be killed by police.
That debate has typically centered on policing itself. But Maj Toure, the founder of Black Guns Matter, has taken another tack: Advocating for Black Americans to take up arms for self-defense.
While many argue that the way to prevent violence is to have fewer guns, he says the opposite. "I believe that more Black people would be alive if they were armed," Toure told Business Insider Weekly.
"So when I hear 'unarmed Black man,' I'm sad," he added, "because there should be no such thing."
(excerpt)
A group called 'Black Guns Matter' is teaching Black Americans how to use firearms
https://www.yahoo.com/news/group-called-black-guns-matter-180300856.htmlGrief and rage swept the country after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in late May. His death renewed debate about racialized police violence and the disproportionate killing of Black Americans, who are up to four times likelier than white Americans to be killed by police.
That debate has typically centered on policing itself. But Maj Toure, the founder of Black Guns Matter, has taken another tack: Advocating for Black Americans to take up arms for self-defense.
While many argue that the way to prevent violence is to have fewer guns, he says the opposite. "I believe that more Black people would be alive if they were armed," Toure told Business Insider Weekly.
"So when I hear 'unarmed Black man,' I'm sad," he added, "because there should be no such thing."
(excerpt)
July 14, 2020
(One of the guns found during the raid)
Police have busted a secret 'gun factory' which was the go-to for Birmingham arms dealers.
Neil McFarlane, from Leeds, had established the factory in his shed so he could make weapons for gangs.
McFarlane, 53, and his girlfriend Anne Marie Moran, who lived at the same address, were arrested in December 2019.
West Yorkshire Police executed a warrant at the couple's home address as part of a wider operation with Northumbria Police, reports LeedsLive.
(excerpt)
Police bust secret 'gun factory' which was go-to for Birmingham organised crime gangs
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/police-bust-secret-gun-factory-18590362(One of the guns found during the raid)
Police have busted a secret 'gun factory' which was the go-to for Birmingham arms dealers.
Neil McFarlane, from Leeds, had established the factory in his shed so he could make weapons for gangs.
McFarlane, 53, and his girlfriend Anne Marie Moran, who lived at the same address, were arrested in December 2019.
West Yorkshire Police executed a warrant at the couple's home address as part of a wider operation with Northumbria Police, reports LeedsLive.
(excerpt)
July 13, 2020
CNN)Tesla CEO Elon Musk just zoomed past Warren Buffett on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to become the world's seventh wealthiest person. Musk's fortune rose more than $6 billion Friday, according to Bloomberg, after Tesla's stock surged 10.8% to a record $1,544 per share. Its market value stood at $286.5 billion.
Musk owns 20.8% of Tesla's stock, making his stake worth just under $60 billion. Musk is also the primary shareholder of privately held SpaceX, as well as a privately held tunneling company.
Buffett's fortune fell this week after he donated nearly $3 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to charity — part of his plan to give away most of his wealth to philanthropic ventures.
Tesla's stock is up more than 500% over the past 12 months, exceeding the value of almost every company in the S&P 500. The electric car maker is the most valuable auto company on Earth. The 49-year-old Musk could eventually become the world's richest person — a spot currently held by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — based on a pay package that Tesla shareholders approved in 2018.
(excerpt)
Elon Musk just became richer than Warren Buffett
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/business/elon-musk-warren-buffett-billionaires/index.htmlCNN)Tesla CEO Elon Musk just zoomed past Warren Buffett on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to become the world's seventh wealthiest person. Musk's fortune rose more than $6 billion Friday, according to Bloomberg, after Tesla's stock surged 10.8% to a record $1,544 per share. Its market value stood at $286.5 billion.
Musk owns 20.8% of Tesla's stock, making his stake worth just under $60 billion. Musk is also the primary shareholder of privately held SpaceX, as well as a privately held tunneling company.
Buffett's fortune fell this week after he donated nearly $3 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to charity — part of his plan to give away most of his wealth to philanthropic ventures.
Tesla's stock is up more than 500% over the past 12 months, exceeding the value of almost every company in the S&P 500. The electric car maker is the most valuable auto company on Earth. The 49-year-old Musk could eventually become the world's richest person — a spot currently held by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — based on a pay package that Tesla shareholders approved in 2018.
(excerpt)
July 12, 2020
The American dentist who killed Cecil the lion is reported to have hunted another endangered wild animal.
Walter Palmer is said to have slaughtered a protected ram in Mongolia, paying up to £80,000 for the kill.
The hunter, who prompted a worldwide outpouring of fury when he targeted Cecil five years ago, was identified as one of two men in a photo with the dead Altai argali – the largest wild sheep in the world.
The image posted on social media shows the pair posing with their kill during a trip to Asia, although their faces are cropped from sight.
(excerpt0
Dentist who slaughtered Cecil the lion 'hunts and kills protected wild ram' just four years later
https://www.yahoo.com/news/dentist-slaughtered-cecil-lion-hunts-230627252.htmlThe American dentist who killed Cecil the lion is reported to have hunted another endangered wild animal.
Walter Palmer is said to have slaughtered a protected ram in Mongolia, paying up to £80,000 for the kill.
The hunter, who prompted a worldwide outpouring of fury when he targeted Cecil five years ago, was identified as one of two men in a photo with the dead Altai argali – the largest wild sheep in the world.
The image posted on social media shows the pair posing with their kill during a trip to Asia, although their faces are cropped from sight.
(excerpt0
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