The national groups and pols with the most muscle declined to get involved in Colorado's Democratic Senate primary — or even endorsed the former governor.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Afghanistan's Taliban against attacks on Americans, the State Department said Tuesday, amid outrage over alleged Russian bounties to target US troops. In a telephone call Monday with Taliban negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Pompeo "made clear the expectation for the Taliban to live up to their commitments, which include not attacking Americans," a State Department statement said.
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Follow the latest coronavirus news in our daily live blog Read all our Covid-19 coverage here Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for one month New swine flu 'has pandemic potential' Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans," say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces and in a veterinary hospital, allowing them to isolate 179 swine flu viruses. The authors called for urgent measures to monitor people working with pigs. Read more: Chinese scientists discover a new swine flu capable of triggering a pandemic
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HONG KONG—On Tuesday morning, Beijing’s top legislative body unanimously passed a secretive national security law that specifically applies to Hong Kong, a special autonomous region that until now has enjoyed freedoms that do not exist in most of China.The new law will go into effect as soon as Wednesday, and targets persons in Hong Kong involved in what the Chinese government calls “secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces”—charges often slapped on Chinese nationals who express dissent publicly within mainland China.The secretive security law has Hongkongers spooked. The Chinese Communist Party’s effectiveness controlling its population on the mainland is in setting up situations where people self-censor, and already there are signs that’s happening here. Many signs.Some people have deleted their Twitter accounts. Others are wiping their Facebook and Instagram feeds of digital protest art that was disseminated widely through AirDrop and social networks. Protest art that adorns storefronts is being removed. Local writers who were outspoken against the Chinese government are asking publications to take down their articles. FBI: China’s Top Diplomat in America Covertly Recruits ScientistsThe Hong Kong National Front, a group that advocates for the city’s independence from China, disbanded on Tuesday afternoon, passing all work to its overseas branches in Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Well-known figures like Joshua Wong, who had his start as a student activist and years later became the secretary-general of pro-democracy group Demosistō, stepped down from his position in the organization. Other leaders of the same group did the same, and then Demosistō disbanded too. More political groups may do the same in the next few days.Friends have lamented that this is “the final nail in the coffin,” and that it’s all downhill from here. One chief worry is that China’s Great Firewall may also surround Hong Kong, and online surveillance tools will be deployed to identify people who have made posts or sent out tweets related to the anti-government protests that rocked the city last year, or even advocated for Hong Kong’s independence from the Chinese Communist Party.Among the 7.5 million people in Hong Kong, around a dozen have seen the draft of the security law because they are representatives of the city in the National People’s Congress. But few details have been shared with the public. On Tuesday morning, when Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam appeared for a press briefing, she dodged all questions related to the matter and she actually said, “It is inappropriate for me to comment on the Hong Kong National Security Law.”Officials who have seen the law’s draft told Chinese state media that it includes the penalty of life imprisonment, although it remains unclear under what circumstances this punitive measure may be applied. Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua reported that Chinese intelligence and security organs will establish a formal presence in Hong Kong, but their roles in the city and how they will fit into the existing security apparatus have not been explicitly defined. The Hong Kong Police Force will also likely set up a new secret police unit that will have up to 200 officers handling matters related to intelligence gathering and national security.On Tuesday, one of Hong Kong’s National People’s Congress delegates, Stanley Ng, uploaded a video to Facebook, which is banned within the Great Firewall, and said the provisions are being kept under wraps because Beijing “wants the real impact of intimidation and deterrence.” Ng then justified the law’s effect by referring to the resignations of leading figures in the pro-democracy movement.RTHK, Hong Kong’s public broadcasting service, reported that any people who breach the (vague, secretive) security law will see their activities from the past two years reviewed and possibly admitted as evidence against them in trial, and that some extreme cases may be handled by mainland Chinese courts.There’s already a minor witch hunt taking place. Former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying, who was seated as head of the city’s government during the Umbrella Movement in 2014, is offering up to HKD 1 million, or $129,000, to anyone who provides actionable information about individuals in Hong Kong or abroad who breach the security law.The law’s passage comes one day before the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s change in status from British colony to a territory that is under Chinese sovereignty. Even before the handover in 1997, Beijing offered reassurances that matters in the port city would “remain unchanged for 50 years,” and that Hong Kong would operate under the principle of “one country, two systems,” meaning that its governance would be separate from mainland China’s with much higher degrees of freedoms of expression, the press, religion, and more in place for half a century.But Hongkongers have for years been cautious about the promise, and many have expected those freedoms to be gradually shaved away by Beijing. They just expected it to happen later, closer to 2047 rather than in the summer of 2020.The people of Hong Kong are particularly worried about being left in the dark when it comes to the security law. The Chinese government’s legislation is notoriously vague, giving officials much leeway to disappear critics and stamp out dissent. Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, have been in detention in China since December 2018 in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the company’s founder, Ren Zhengfei.And on Sunday, the extremist Chinese state media outlet Global Times reported that clusters of Australian “spies” were uncovered and “caught red-handed” by Chinese law enforcement agencies. The proof? They were carrying cash, a compass, metro maps, a pocket notebook, a USB drive, gloves, and a face mask—the sort that is worn to prevent transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.So—“subversion” and “terrorism”? Unlikely.Hong Kong’s new security law is one of many points of contention between Beijing and Washington. The Trump administration has placed export restrictions on some high-tech products, banning their sale to entities in Hong Kong in response to Beijing’s increasingly constricting control over the city. And last week, Trump announced new visa restrictions on Chinese officials who are “smothering” Hong Kong’s freedom.On Monday, in return, Beijing slapped visa restrictions on U.S. officials who have “behaved extremely badly” by “meddling” in Hong Kong’s affairs.Since May, Hong Kong has been blanketed with ads about the secretive law. Over a gradient background that shifted from baby blue to seafoam green to dusk orange, the posters, billboards, and subway public address announcements read: “National Security Law. Preserve one country, two systems. Restore stability.”Many have been defaced.Every year, on July 1, a major public holiday, Hongkongers march to speak out against the CCP, at times reaching seven-figure attendance. This year’s rally was banned by the police, but the organizers said they will proceed anyway, prohibition be damned.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed cutting $1bn (£814m) from the police force’s $6bn (£4.48bn) yearly budget, amid calls for reform.Mr de Blasio announced the plan during his daily City Hall press briefing on Monday, and said the proposed budget would help reform the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
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Mississippi lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove a Confederate emblem from their state flag on Sunday, marking one of the most dramatic repudiations yet of white-supremacist imagery during a wave of protests against racism and police brutality in America.The bill passed 128 to 37 and is now awaiting signature by Gov. Tate Reeves. It requires the current state flag to be removed within 15 days of passage. A commission selected by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House will design a flag including the phrase “In God We Trust” to be completed by September 14. Mississippi voters will decide on the new flag during the November general election. If the new flag is not ratified by voters in November, a new design will be created and voted on the following year. "Today’s vote is not a vote to erase Mississippi’s history or its heritage," Sen. John Horhn said. "But it’s an affirmation of Mississippi’s future, and that we intend to move forward together."On Saturday, lawmakers in both houses cleared an initial measure paving the way for a bill to change the flag, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted that he would sign a bill to that effect.The initial measure lifted restrictions in place that prohibited the state government from changing or removing the state flag, which is the last in the United States to include an explicit homage to pro-slavery rebels.“The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it,” Reeves tweeted.The governor went on to say that changing the flag was not enough to fight the systemic racism the Confederate symbol represents. “We should not be under any illusion that a vote in the Capitol is the end of what must be done,” he wrote. “It will be harder than recovering from tornadoes, harder than historic floods, harder than agency corruption, or prison riots or the coming hurricane season—even harder than battling the Coronavirus.”State Representative Jeramey Anderson (D-Miss), the youngest-ever Black legislator elected in Mississippi at 28, applauded the decision to pave the way for change on Saturday. “This is a unique opportunity, one we should not squander,” he said. Confederate leader Jefferson Davis’s great-great grandson Bertram Hayes-Davis backed the change, telling CNN that “the battle flag has been hijacked” and that it “does not represent the entire population of Mississippi.”Rising college basketball player Blake Hinson said the Confederate symbol played a role in his decision to transfer from the University of Mississippi to Iowa State earlier this month. “It was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” he told the Daytona Beach News Journal. “I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy.”Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Miss) opposed the change and called for a state referendum on the issue, warning that changing the American flag was next. “I don’t see how that makes me a racist.” he said. “I don’t see how that makes me a terrible human being.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government. Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a "silent protest" against the planned law. Hong Kong Police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area.
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Their state and local leaders gloated over low coronavirus cases numbers, and heralded aggressive reopening plans. Supporters demanded the media apologize to them for saying reopening orders would put residents at risk for COVID-19.But now, a handful of lockdown-averse states that have seen explosive growth in coronavirus cases have begun ordering businesses to shut down again, closing beaches and bars, mandating masks, and implementing stay-at-home policies.Over the past several days, a number of states in the Sunbelt, including Florida, Texas, Arizona, and South Carolina, have seen an exponential rise in coronavirus cases.At least two governors who celebrated reopening orders just a few months ago have begun to reinstitute some mandatory business closures.The Texas Grim Reaper’s Fight Against Masks and Health CareStill, some states that have seen an uptick in coronavirus cases have hesitated to mandate business closures again. Despite a raise in cases, neither California nor Arizona have implemented statewide closures but, in recent days, their governors have backed measures encouraging residents to wear masks. Ten states that have seen case numbers spike—Washington, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon—have hit pause on their reopening plans.“We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet,” Gov. Jay Inslee said Saturday when announcing that eight counties eligible to reopen would no longer do so due to “significant rebounds in COVID-19 activity.”Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak joined dozens of mayors around the country implementing mandatory mask orders in recent days while San Francisco Mayor London Breed said plans for hair salons, museums, tattoo parlors, nail salons and outdoor bars to reopen on Monday would be scrapped amid a rise in cases.But in Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert said he has no intention of another lockdown despite the state’s epidemiologist warning that a “complete shutdown” would be imminent if the spike of coronavirus cases continued.Here are the states and counties forced to start locking down—again. FLORIDAAs the state prepares to host a number of high-profile sporting and political events, Florida has reported a spike in cases. While on Monday, the state reported under 3,000 new cases, by Saturday, there were an alarming 9,585 new coronavirus cases the previous day—a new one-day record.In April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had gloated: “When you look at some of the most draconian orders that have been issued in some of these states and compare Florida... Florida has done better.”Just two weeks ago, he brushed off concerns about rising cases, saying it was mostly relegated to “low risk groups,” and was partially the result of increased testing.But the state finally took some actions to limit the spread, announcing on Friday that it was “suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an order on Saturday closing the county’s recently reopened beaches for the July 4 weekend, and banning large Independence Day celebrations and parades.Will Florida’s COVID Gamble Drag Down DeSantis and the GOP?“I have been seeing too many businesses and people ignoring these lifesaving rules [on face coverings and social distancing],” Gimenez said in a statement. “If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic, then the government is forced to step in and restore common sense to save lives.” DeSantis still defended the state’s reopening, pointing to the lower number of cases last month. “Remember: We did the opening at the beginning of May, had very steady, manageable cases. We’ve obviously seen that turn lately,” he said in a press conference this week. “But we have a very quiet May, I think everyone has to acknowledge that.” TEXASTexas had one of the shorter stay-at-home orders in the country, and balked at implementing statewide mask rules. But on Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused the state’s reopening plans. A day later, he ordered the state’s bars to close, limited restaurant capacity to 50 percent and banned river rafting.“Every day, we make a plan. And every day, it changes,” Kim Finch, the owner of Dallas bar Double Wide told the Dallas Morning News. “It’s just unbelievable.”Abbott said in a statement it was clear that the rise was driven by certain activities “including Texans congregating in bars” and the new executive order was essential to “our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health.”‘If People Die, People Die’: Texas COVID Hot Spots Keep Getting WorseIn an interview, the governor conceded that the reopening plan had been too aggressive, and may have accounted for a rise in cases. “If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars, now seeing in the aftermath of how quickly the coronavirus spread in the bar setting,” he said in an interview this week. IMPERIAL COUNTY, CALIFORNIAOn Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged the southern border county to reinstate its stay-at-home order as the rate of positive test results hit a staggering 23 percent. If the county didn’t come up with its own plan to shut down, Newsom said he would “intervene.”Imperial County had only nine coronavirus cases in late March but by mid-June, it had skyrocketed to 4,389 cases among 180,000 residents—the highest per capita rate of any Californian county—and was overwhelming the local morgue and hospital system. Local health officials attributed the spike to large gatherings held over Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, as well as the county’s proximity to Mexicali, a city of 1 million people, many of whom cross the Mexican border to Imperial County daily for work, healthcare and family reasons. Imperial County is one of 15 counties on a watch list, compiled by California’s health department, with more than 10 percent of people testing positive. “We are in the midst of the first wave of this pandemic,” Newsom said. “We are not out of the first wave. This disease does not take a summer vacation.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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US president heads to Virginia a day after saying he’d stay in Washington DC to ‘make sure law and order is enforced’ amid ongoing anti-racism protests * Coronavirus in the US – follow live updatesDonald Trump visited one of his own private golf courses in Virginia on Saturday as America continued to see fallout from a rapid surge in coronavirus cases. The trip came a day after the US president said he would stay in Washington DC to “make sure law and order is enforced” amid ongoing anti-racism protests.The president has been frequently criticized for the scale of his golfing habit while in office. CNN – which tallies his golfing activities – said the visit to the Trump National course in Loudon county, just outside Washington DC, was the 271st of his presidency – putting him at an average of golfing once every 4.6 days since he’s been in office. His predecessor, Barack Obama, golfed 333 rounds over the two terms of his presidency, according to NBC.The visit comes as the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases per day in the US hit an all-time high of 40,000, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins on Friday. Many states are now seeing spikes in the virus with Texas, Florida and Arizona especially badly hit after they reopened their economies – a policy they are now pausing or reversing.Trump has been roundly criticized for a failure to lead during the coronavirus that has seen America become by far the worst hit country in the world. Critics in particular point to his failure to wear a mask, holding campaign rallies in coronavirus hot spots and touting baseless conspiracy theories about cures, such as using bleach.On Friday night Trump tweeted that he was cancelling a weekend trip to his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course because of the protests which have rocked the capital, including taking down statues of confederate figures.“I was going to go to Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend, but wanted to stay in Washington, D.C. to make sure LAW & ORDER is enforced. The arsonists, anarchists, looters, and agitators have been largely stopped,” he tweeted.Trump’s latest visit to the golf course put him in the way of some opposition. According to a White House pool media report: “A small group of protesters at the entrance to the club held signs that included, ‘Trump Makes Me Sick’ and ‘Dump Trump’. A woman walking a small white dog nearby also gave the motorcade a middle finger salute.”It is not yet known if Trump actually played a round of golf. But a photographer captured the president wearing a white polo shirt and a red cap, which is among his common golfing attire.
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The White House has denied reports that Donald Trump ignored a warning from US intelligence that the Russian military had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces.The New York Times reported the claim on Friday, triggering a storm of accusations that the president had failed to protect US and allied troops, including those from Britain.
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