Month: July 2020

On Sunday, a top Trump administration health official said it was not clear whether it will be safe to hold the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month.

As Florida continues to see record numbers of coronavirus cases, Stephen Hahn, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, also refused to confirm President Donald Trump’s claim that 99% of coronavirus cases were harmless and called the situation a “serious problem.” Hahn was asked if it would be safe to hold the typically large RNC gathering in just seven weeks due to record numbers of people testing positive for the virus in Jacksonville and across Florida, “I think it’s too early to tell,” Hahn said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We will have to see how this unfolds in Florida and elsewhere around the country.”

The Republican Party moved most of the convention activities to Jacksonville from Charlotte after a battle over coronavirus safety concerns with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

Too Soon to Say if Safe to Hold Republican Convention in Florida, U.S. Official Says

Via www.usnews.com

With record numbers of people testing positive for the virus in the city and across Florida,…

07/05/2020 12:23 PM

 

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Ten people were shot on Sunday in a Greenville, South Carolina, nightclub, suspected to be related to gang-related violence. The shooting killed two people and critically injured two others, police said.

Police believe more than one shooter fled the chaotic scene at the Lavish Lounge club. which held a very large crowd for “some type of Fourth of July concert,” Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said at a press conference. Two sheriff’s deputies were passing by the club shortly before 2 a.m. and heard shooting in a crowd of about 200 people, Lewis said. They called for backup and emergency services and went into the club, trying to evacuate, but apparently the shooter or shooters fled.

The Greenville News reported that there was a previous shooting early Saturday morning at a club next door to Lavish Lounge. Police were investigating a possible connection.

2 dead, 8 others injured in Greenville, South Carolina, nightclub shooting

Via www.nbcnews.com

It was unclear whether the club should have been open, as entertainment venues were not included…

07/05/2020 2:58 PM

 

Iconic broadcaster Hugh Downs died peacefully in his Scottsdale home at the age of 99 Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the family. His family said his death was not related to coronavirus. 

Downs’s career spanned more than 60 years, leading shows like 20/20, The Today Show and as an announcer for Tonight Starring Jack Paar. He was a Emmy-award winning broadcaster, author and host..

Downs hosted NBC’s Today Show from 1962-1971, subsequently anchoring the ABC News magazine 20/20, joined by Barbara Walters, from 1978-99. Downs hosted the program from the show’s second episode in 1978 until his retirement in 1999. 

Downs was married to Ruth Shaheen from 1944 until she died in 2017. He is survived by their two children, Hugh Raymond and Deirdre Downs, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Hugh Downs, whose broadcasting career spanned a century, dies at 99

Via abcnews.go.com

Among a litany of other shows, Hugh Downs co-hosted “20/20” with Barbara Walters.

07/02/2020 7:30 PM

 

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Herman Cain, a 2012 GOP presidential candidate, is being treated for the coronavirus at an Atlanta-area hospital, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account. Cain was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma; however, he did not meet with the President. Cain, 74, was hospitalized after developing “serious” symptoms but is “awake and alert,” according to the statement. 

Cain was named by the Trump campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com, wrote, “I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking. I don’t think there’s any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. We’ll never know.”

Asked whether Cain met at the rally with other senior campaign or administration officials, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh responded that “contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals.”  At least six campaign staffers and two members of the Secret Service working in advance of the Tulsa rally tested positive for COVID-19. An Oklahoma-based journalist has also confirmed testing positive soon after attending the rally.

Coronavirus updates: Herman Cain, who attended Trump Tulsa rally, hospitalized

Via abcnews.go.com

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 517,000 people worldwide.

07/02/2020 9:23 PM

 

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Seattle have cleared out the city” durkan. Police in Seattle were ordered to clear out the city’s ‘autonomous zone’ and arrested over 30 protesters following an executive order from Mayor Jenny Durkan. The “occupied” zone, which has been dubbed the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area, was cleared by police on Wednesday. The order from Durkan came after four shootings, two of which were fatal, occurred in the area within the last month.

Seattle have cleared out the city” durkan. The Seattle Police Department wrote on Twitter, “due to ongoing violence and public safety issues in the East Precinct/Cal Anderson Park area, Mayor Jenny Durkan has issued an executive order to vacate the area. Seattle police will be in the area this morning enforcing the Mayor’s order.”

statement shared by Chief Carmen Best of the Seattle Police Department, he added, "Black Lives Matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community, but enough is enough." Tensions over how to handle the area, which was set up as protests against police brutality and systemic racism started to take place across the country, have been fraught for some time now. Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of the area, while local business owners have shared their intentions to sue the city of Seattle over the situation.” data-reactid=”21″ type=”text”>In a statement shared by Chief Carmen Best of the Seattle Police Department, he added, “Black Lives Matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community, but enough is enough.” 

Seattle police move in to clear Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone

Via www.nbcnews.com

Police Chief Carmen Best reiterated her support for Black Lives Matter movement, but said of the…

07/01/2020 10:03 PM

 

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Fox News has fired national correspondent Ed Henry after the network was made aware of sexual harassment allegations.

Sandra Smith, Henry’s co-anchor on the weekday current affairs program “America’s Newsroom,” addressed the issue on air, reading from an internal memo issued to staffers: “On Thursday, June 25, we received a complaint about Ed Henry from a former employee’s attorney involving willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago. Based on the investigative findings, Ed has been terminated.”

Henry’s attorney, Catherine Foti, said in a statement Wednesday that “Ed Henry denies the allegations referenced in the Fox announcement and is confident that he will be vindicated after a full hearing in an appropriate forum.”

Fox News will put rotating anchors in place on “America’s Newsroom” until a replacement is found, the network said.

Fox News’ Ed Henry fired after sexual misconduct allegation

Via abcnews.go.com

Fox News has fired news anchor Ed Henry after it received a complaint about workplace sexual…

07/01/2020 8:29 PM

 

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