U.S.
Associated PressGhislaine Maxwell seeks jail release in Epstein abuse case
British socialite and longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was made a scapegoat for the disgraced financier since he killed himself last summer while he was facing sex abuse charges, her lawyers said in court papers filed Friday seeking her release from jail while she awaits trial. After Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, “the media focus quickly shifted to our client - wrongly trying to substitute her for Epstein - even though she’d had no contact with Epstein for more than a decade, had never been charged with a crime or been found liable in any civil litigation and has always denied any allegations of claimed misconduct,” the lawyers wrote in a preview of their defense. “Ghislaine Maxwell,” they added, “is not Jeffrey Epstein.”
Good Morning AmericaKatherine Schwarzenegger on her pregnancy and keeping inspired during quarantine
Quarantine life isn't always easy, but Katherine Schwarzenegger is all about finding the "silver lining" of it all. "It's been a great silver lining during quarantine to be able to spend so much time with my family and to be able to have everybody be healthy and safe," the 30-year-old told "Good Morning America." Schwarzenegger, who is expecting her first child with husband Chris Pratt, also said her parents, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, have been "amazing" during her pregnancy.
USA TODAYControversial Detroit facial recognition got him arrested for a crime he didn’t commit
Michael Oliver said he wasn't responsible for snatching a cell phone then damaging it in 2019. Evidence in the case supported him.
Good Morning AmericaCoronavirus updates: Arizona's ICUs are 89% full
The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks. California's number of coronavirus hospitalizations reached a new high on Friday, jumping 40% in two weeks, to 6,171 patients. California reported 140 additional deaths on Friday, bringing the state's death toll to 6,851.
ReutersSupreme Court ruling on Oklahoma tribal land raises questions for oil industry
A U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing about half of Oklahoma as Native American reservation land has implications for oil and gas development in the state, raising complex regulatory and tax questions that could take years to settle, according to Oklahoma attorneys. The court on Thursday overturned an Oklahoma tribe member’s rape conviction because the location where the crime was committed should have been considered reservation land and therefore outside the reach of state criminal law. The decision does not affect property ownership, but attorneys said it has regulatory and tax implications within reservation lands of the state's "Five Tribes" - Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole.
ReutersTropical Storm Fay brings drenching rainfall to U.S. Northeast
Freshly formed Tropical Storm Fay is expected to sweep across the heavily populated northeastern United States on Friday, bringing moderate to heavy rains and the potential for some flooding, the National Weather Service said. The weather system reached tropical storm strength on Thursday afternoon with sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph) after developing over Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. “The main impact is not going to be the wind," meteorologist Laura Pagano said by phone from the service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
Associated PressMichigan woman says fear led her to pull gun on Black family
Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, and her husband, Eric Wuestenberg, 42, have been charged with felonious assault stemming from the July 1 confrontation. Cellphone video captured the confrontation outside of a Chipotle restaurant in Orion Township, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. Takelia Hill, who is Black, has said the confrontation started when Jillian Wuestenberg bumped into Hill’s teenage daughter as they were entering the restaurant.
INSIDERGhislaine Maxwell says she hadn't been in contact with Jeffrey Epstein for more than 10 years before his death
Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell filed court documents on Friday asking her released on bail as she awaits trial amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Miami HeraldOfficer points gun at doctor’s head on his own property, cell phone video shows
“It’s a mix of being scared and it’s a mix of being annoyed and frustrated,” Dr. PJ Parmar said.
Miami Herald‘Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein’: Alleged madam’s lawyers ask judge to set bail
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers argued Friday that the alleged former madam of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has been unfairly blamed for Epstein’s sex crimes and should be released on bail to avoid catching COVID-19.
The TelegraphGhislaine Maxwell asks for bail secured by £3m UK properties, claims she faces Covid-19 prison risk
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers are appealing to a New York court to grant the British heiress bail, secured by properties in the UK worth nearly $4million (£3.1m), claiming she is at "serious risk" of contracting Covid-19 in prison. Ms Maxwell is being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on charges she helped lure at least three girls, one as young as 14, to be sexually abused by longtime associate Jeffrey Epstein. She denies the charges. Lawyers offered a $5m bond assured by six trusted friends and family members and secured against property in Britain worth up to $3.75m, according to papers filed at the US District Court of the Southern District of New York on Friday. Attorneys Mark Cohen and Jeffrey Pagliuca claim Ms Maxwell, 58, would be at “serious risk” of contracting Covid-19 if she remained in prison, claiming the coronavirus is an “unprecedented and extraordinary dangerous threat that justifies release on bail.”
Miami HeraldA man was among the toys at Burlington Coat Factory. He was unzipped, Florida cops say
Most confrontations in stores happen these days are related to people not wearing masks or social distancing.
Miami HeraldFormer Mexico governor arrested in Miami faces extradition on embezzlement charges
A former governor wanted in Mexico on charges of stealing tens of millions of dollars while in office was arrested in Miami and faces extradition to his country, U.S. authorities said.
Los Angeles Times OpinionOpinion: Atty. Gen. William Barr wants to kill three people next week
After 17 years, the federal government intends to resume executions under a system that's just as flawed and inhumane as the surviving state systems.
Associated PressLawyer: Over 150 Minneapolis officers seeking disability
More than 150 Minneapolis police officers are filing work-related disability claims after the death of George Floyd and ensuing unrest, with about three-quarters citing post-traumatic stress disorder as the reason for their planned departures, according to an attorney representing the officers. While Floyd’s death in May and the unrest that followed are not the direct cause of many of the disability requests, attorney Ron Meuser said, those events and what Meuser called a lack of support from city leadership were a breaking point for many who had been struggling with PTSD from years on the job. “Following the George Floyd incident, unfortunately it became too much and as a result they were unable to, and are unable to, continue on and move forward,” Meuser said.
Good Morning AmericaTracking Tropical Storm Fay: Where it's heading
Tropical Storm Fay is bringing pounding rains to New Jersey and New York City and slamming the coastline with gusty winds. With winds of 60 mph, Fay is currently moving north at 12 mph. As of 2 p.m. ET, the center was very close to the New Jersey coast about 140 miles south of New York City. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Fenwick Island, Delaware, up through to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Associated PressMultiple protests against French minister accused of rape
Chanting “Impunity is Over!” or dancing against sexual violence, women’s rights activists protested Friday in multiple cities in France and abroad against President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of a new interior minister who is accused of rape and a justice minister who has minimized the #MeToo movement. The actions started Friday morning in Dijon, where new Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Prime Minister Jean Castex were meeting with police. A dozen feminists held out banners and signs condemning Darmanin and rape culture.
Good Morning AmericaCarrie Underwood celebrates 10-year marriage to Mike Fisher with adorably 'awkward' throwback pics
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher may look like a perfectly put-together couple, but they haven't always been quite so glamorous -- and Underwood's got proof.The country superstar marked the couple's tenth wedding anniversary on Friday by sharing a pair of photos of the couple as teenagers."Hey you two crazy kids," the singer captioned her post. ...
Good Morning AmericaGeorgia couple uses shoes to share love story in viral video
Dr. Nicole Sparks, a Georgia-based obstetrician-gynecologist posted a video of her relationship journey with her husband by using several pairs of shoes, and it went viral on TikTok. The video shows how Nicole and Timothy went from meeting in the gym to getting married and having two children together. "The TikTok video was created out of appreciation for my husband and his support during all the stages of our journey -- especially in medical school and residency where it was particularly difficult," Nicole told "GMA."
Good Morning AmericaThandie Newton talks enduring sexual abuse, racism in Hollywood
In a wide-ranging interview with Vulture, "Westworld" star Thandie Newton spoke about Hollywood and the abuses she said she suffered. The actress, 47, said her experiences with sexual abuse in the industry and the way she's spoken out about the mistreatment led her to "challenge" people and prevented her from working with others.
ReutersAs Disney World comes back, Florida posts another daily leap in COVID-19 cases
Florida confirmed its place as an emerging epicenter of the COVID pandemic in the United States on Friday by reporting its second sharpest daily rise in cases, while Walt Disney Co. prepared to reopen its flagship theme park in Orlando to the chagrin of some employees. Florida recorded 11,433 new coronavirus cases, the state health department said, more evidence that the virus is still spreading largely unchecked throughout parts of the country. The state experienced the surge after initially avoiding the worst of the outbreak that hit New York and other northeastern U.S. states.
Yahoo NewsTrump still struggling to articulate his agenda for a second term
The president has been asked three times in the last two weeks to name his top priority items for a second term — and he has struggled to name them.
Associated PressChristian groups oppose ICE rule on international students
Leaders of 12 Christian organizations on Friday urged the Trump administration to rescind a policy requiring international students to leave the U.S. or transfer if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall, saying it “falls short of American ideals.” In a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, shared with The Associated Press, the leaders wrote that the policy “robs our country of the significant contribution” international students make to their colleges on both a personal and economic level. “International students who have already arrived in the United States and who are enrolled in degree programs should be allowed to complete their courses of study in this country without further disruption,” the leaders said.
ReutersDoctors, teachers reject Trump's pressure to reopen U.S. schools
Groups representing the nation's doctors, teachers and top school officials on Friday pushed back against pressure from President Donald Trump to fully reopen U.S. schools despite a surge in coronavirus cases, saying science must guide the decisions. "Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics," the American Academy of Pediatrics, two national teachers' unions and a school superintendents' group said, following days of threats by Trump to choke off federal education funds if schools do not open their doors for the upcoming academic year. "We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings, and listen to educators and administrators to shape how we do it," AAP, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the School Superintendents Association said in a joint statement.
ReutersGilead analysis shows remdesivir reduced coronavirus death risk, more studies needed
Remdesivir has been at the forefront of the global battle against COVID-19 after the intravenously administered medicine helped shorten hospital recovery times, according to data in April from a separate U.S. government trial. In the latest analysis, Gilead said it analyzed data from 312 patients treated in its late-stage study and a separate real-world retrospective cohort of 818 patients with similar characteristics and disease severity. Gilead's late-stage study evaluated the safety and efficacy of five-day and 10-day dosing durations of remdesivir in hospitalized patients.
“The coronavirus will not stop at the school door because America is tired of being inconvenienced.”
“Given the enormous cost of keeping kids out of school, even part time, the rational solution is to reopen.”
“Teachers are caught in the middle...they’re worried about putting themselves or their families at risk of getting sick.”
“Keeping schools closed will only widen the divide in learning, especially for those in low-income districts.”
“The hot summer months were supposed to bring less coronavirus infection, but the complete opposite has happened.”
