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Biden says he was too ‘cavalier’ About Black Trump Backers

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- In this Sunday, March 15, 2020, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden participates in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington. Biden won Oregon’s Democratic presidential primary, outpacing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who both suspended their campaigns earlier in the year. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

By BILL BARROW and KAT STAFFORD (AP)

Joe Biden declared he “should not have been so cavalier” on Friday after he told a prominent black radio host that African Americans who back President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee quickly moved to address the fallout from his remark, which was interpreted by some as presuming black Americans would vote for him. In a call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce that was added to his public schedule, Biden said he would never “take the African American community for granted.”

“I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy,” Biden said. “No one should have to vote for any party based on their race or religion or background.”

That was an acknowledgement of the stinging criticism he received in response to his comments, which he made earlier in the day on “The Breakfast Club,” a radio program that is popular in the black community.

The rebukes included allies of Trump’s reelection campaign — anxious to go on the offense after weeks of defending the Republican president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and some activists who warned that Biden must still court black voters, even if African Americans overwhelmingly oppose the president.

“None of us can afford for the party or for this campaign to mess this election up, and comments like these are the kinds that frankly either make black voters feel like we’re not really valued and people don’t care if we show up or not,” said Alicia Garza, a Black Lives Matter co-founder and principal of Black Futures Lab.

Near the end of Biden’s appearance on the radio program, host Charlamagne Tha God pressed him on reports that he is considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white, to be his vice presidential running mate. The host told Biden that black voters “saved your political life in the primaries” and “have things they want from you.”

Biden said that “I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple.”

A Biden aide then sought to end the interview, prompting the host to say, “You can’t do that to black media.”

iden responded, “I do that to black media and white media,” and said his wife needed to use the television studio.

He then added: “If you’ve got a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then you ain’t black.”

Trump’s campaign and his allies immediately seized on Biden’s comments. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a Trump supporter and the Senate’s sole black Republican, said he was “shocked and surprised” by Biden’s remarks.

“I was struck by the condescension and the arrogance in his comments,” Scott said in a conference call arranged by the Trump campaign. “I could not believe my ears that he would stoop so low to tell folks what they should do, how they should think and what it means to be black.”

Charlamagne Tha God later said on CNN, “A black woman running mate is necessary, especially after today.” He added that the question of “what makes somebody black” is a discussion for black people, not for “a white man.”

Trump himself has a history of incendiary rhetoric related to race.

When he launched his presidential campaign in 2015, Trump called many Mexican immigrants “rapists.” Campaigning in 2016, he asked black voters, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

In 2017, he said there are good people on “both sides” of the clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and anti-racist demonstrators that left one counterprotester dead.

In 2018, during a private White House meeting on immigration, Trump wondered why the United States was admitting so many immigrants from “shithole countries” like African nations. He also blasted four Democratic congresswomen of color, saying they hate America and should “go back” to where they come from, even though all are U.S. citizens and three were born in the U.S.

Black voters helped resurrect Biden’s campaign in this year’s primaries with a second-place finish in the Nevada caucuses and a resounding win in the South Carolina primary after he’d started with embarrassing finishes in overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire. Sixty-one percent of black voters supported Biden during the primary season, according to AP VoteCast surveys across 17 states that voted in February and March.

Biden is now seeking to maintain his standing with black voters while building the type of multiracial and multigenerational coalition that twice elected Barack Obama, whom he served as vice president. He has already committed to picking a woman as his running mate and is considering several African American contenders who could energize black voters. But Biden is also considering candidates such as Klobuchar, who could appeal to white moderates.

There is little chance of a sudden shift in support for Trump among black voters. A recent Fox News poll shows just 14% of African Americans who are registered to vote have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared with 84% who view him unfavorably.

Seventy-five percent of African American registered voters say they have a favorable view of Biden; 21% hold an unfavorable opinion.

There is a risk, however, of black voters, especially those who are younger, staying home in November, which could complicate Biden’s path to victory in a tight election. The Breakfast Club is a particularly notable venue for Biden’s comments because the program is popular among younger African Americans.

Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, a national organization that works to mobilize black voters, said many black Americans are loyal Biden supporters. But she said his comments make it harder to attract people who are on the fence about voting.

“The first thing I thought about was to what degree did this just turn off those voters and how much more work the rest of us are going to have to do to convince people that it is worth their time and their efforts,” she said.

Biden’s selection of a running mate, along with his pledge to appoint the first black female Supreme Court justice, could help motivate voters. He’s begun vetting vice presidential contenders, a process he’s said will likely last through July.

Several black women are among those under consideration, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Rep. Val Demings, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge and Susan Rice, Obama’s former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

Over 4,500 virus Patients sent to NY Nursing Homes

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ILE- In this April 17, 2020, file photo, a patient is wheeled into Cobble Hill Health Center by emergency medical workers in the Brooklyn borough of New York. On Thursday, April 23, 2020, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that nursing homes in New York must immediately report how they have complied with regulations for resident care during the coronavirus, and non-compliant facilities could face hefty fines or lose their licenses. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File

By BERNARD CONDON, JENNIFER PELTZ and JIM MUSTIAN

More than 4,500 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to New York’s already vulnerable nursing homes under a controversial state directive that was ultimately scrapped amid criticisms it was accelerating the nation’s deadliest outbreaks, according to a count by The Associated Press.

AP compiled its own tally to find out how many COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals to nursing homes under the March 25 directive after New York’s Health Department declined to release its internal survey conducted two weeks ago. It says it is still verifying data that was incomplete.

Whatever the full number, nursing home administrators, residents’ advocates and relatives say it has added up to a big and indefensible problem for facilities that even Gov. Andrew Cuomo — the main proponent of the policy — called “the optimum feeding ground for this virus.”

It was the single dumbest decision anyone could make if they wanted to kill people,” Daniel Arbeeny said of the directive, which prompted him to pull his 88-year-old father out of a Brooklyn nursing home where more than 50 people have died. His father later died of COVID-19 at home.

“This isn’t rocket science,” Arbeeny said. “We knew the most vulnerable — the elderly and compromised — are in nursing homes and rehab centers.”

Told of the AP’s tally, the Health Department said late Thursday it “can’t comment on data we haven’t had a chance to review, particularly while we’re still validating our own comprehensive survey of nursing homes admission and re-admission data in the middle of responding to this global pandemic.”

Cuomo, a Democrat, on May 10 reversed the directive, which had been intended to help free up hospital beds for the sickest patients as cases surged. But he continued to defend it this week, saying he didn’t believe it contributed to the more than 5,800 nursing and adult care facility deaths in New York — more than in any other state — and that homes should have spoken up if it was a problem.

“Any nursing home could just say, ‘I can’t handle a COVID person in my facility,’” he said, although the March 25 order didn’t specify how homes could refuse, saying that ”no resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the (nursing home) solely based” on confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Over a month later, on April 29, the Health Department clarified that homes should not take any new residents if they were unable to meet their needs, including a checklist of standards for coronavirus care and prevention.

In the meantime, some nursing homes felt obligated and overwhelmed.

Gurwin Jewish, a 460-bed home on Long Island, seemed well-prepared for the coronavirus in early March, with movable walls to seal off hallways for the infected. But after the state order, a trickle of recovering COVID-19 patients from local hospitals turned into a flood of 58 people.

More walls were put up, but other residents nonetheless began falling sick and dying. In the end, 47 Gurwin residents died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19

n the meantime, some nursing homes felt obligated and overwhelmed.

Gurwin Jewish, a 460-bed home on Long Island, seemed well-prepared for the coronavirus in early March, with movable walls to seal off hallways for the infected. But after the state order, a trickle of recovering COVID-19 patients from local hospitals turned into a flood of 58 people.

More walls were put up, but other residents nonetheless began falling sick and dying. In the end, 47 Gurwin residents died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Nationally, over 35,500 people have died from coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, about a third of the overall death toll, according to the AP’s running tally.

Cuomo has deflected criticism over the nursing home directive by saying it stemmed from Trump administration guidance. Still, few states went as far as New York and neighboring New Jersey, which has the second-most care home deaths, in discharging hospitalized coronavirus patients to nursing homes. California followed suit but loosened its requirement following intense criticism.

Some states went in the opposite direction. Louisiana barred hospitals for 30 days from sending coronavirus patients to nursing homes with some exceptions. And while Louisiana reported about 1,000 coronavirus-related nursing home deaths, far fewer than New York, that was 40% of Louisiana’s statewide death toll, a higher proportion than in New York.

New York’s Health Department told the AP May 8 it was not tracking how many recovering COVID-19 patients were taken into nursing homes under the order. But it was at that very moment surveying administrators of the state’s over 1,150 nursing homes and long-term care facilities on just that question.

Those survey results have yet to be released. But regardless, the Health Department said, the survey had no bearing on Cuomo’s announcement May 10 that “we’re just not going to send a person who is positive to a nursing home after a hospital visit.”

Cuomo said such patients would be accommodated elsewhere, such as sites originally set up as temporary hospitals.

To some, the governor’s reversal came too late.

“It infected a great number of people in nursing homes who had no business getting infected, including short-term residents who were there for rehabilitation after surgeries,” said John Dalli, a New York attorney who specializes in nursing home cases.

To be sure, incoming residents weren’t the only possible source of infection. Some homes believe a bigger contribution came from staffers and residents unaware they had the virus. And some say they would have taken on COVID-19 patients regardless of the state’s order.

“There were nursing homes that realized that there was a void,” said Sarah Colomello, a spokeswoman for Thompson House in Rhinebeck. The 100-bed facility set up an isolated unit where affiliated hospitals nearby have sent at least 21 patients. It has reported no deaths.

Cuomo administration officials say the original directive came when the governor feared the hospital system would be overwhelmed and was focused on creating as much hospital space as possible.

That was welcomed by one of the many hospital systems and nursing homes surveyed for AP’s count. Northwell Health said three of its medical centers were so overtaxed at one point they had to put some ICU patients in hallways. To relieve  pressure, the company eventually sent more than 1,700 COVID-19 patients to nursing homes.

“Suffice it say, our hospitals were under stress,” spokesman Terence Lynam said.

Trump deems churches ‘essential,’ calls for them to reopen

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President Donald Trump arrives to speak with reporters about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, May 22, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

By JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER (AP)

President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend, even as some parts of the nation remain under coronavirus lockdown.

“Today I’m identifying houses of worship — churches, synagogues and mosques — as essential places that provide essential services,” Trump said during a hastily arranged press conference at the White House.

Despite the threat of further spreading the virus. Trump said that, “governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now, for this weekend.” And he warned that if governors don’t abide by his request, he will “override” them, though it’s unclear what authority he has to do so.

The dictate comes as Trump has been pushing for the country to reopen as he tries to stop an economic free fall months before he faces reelection. White evangelical Christians have been among the most loyal members of the president’s base, and the White House has been careful to attend to religious communities’ concerns over the course of the crisis, including holding numerous conference calls with them.

Following Trump’s announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for communities of faith that include taking steps to limit the size of gatherings and considering holding services outdoors or in large, well-ventilated areas.

Senator Cruz slams NYC mayor for ‘gleeful tweet about sending cops after Jews’

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AP

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for his “gleeful” tweet about closing a yeshiva for coronavirus violations.

“The next time NYC’s mayor sends out a gleeful tweet about sending cops after Jews, the Department of Justice should investigate to make sure he’s not violating constitutionally guaranteed religious liberties,” Cruz tweeted

On Monday, the NYPD shut down an Orthodox Jewish seminary, or yeshiva, in Brooklyn after locals reported to officials that a large gathering of students was seen on the premises.

Following the closure, de Blasio tweeted, “Earlier today the NYPD shut down a Yeshiva conducting classes with as many as 70 children. I can’t stress how dangerous this is for our young people. We’re issuing a Cease and Desist Order and will make sure we keep our communities and our kids safe.”

In response to Cruz’s accusation, de Blasio’s press secretary, Freddie Goldstein, told Fox News that the mayor was not interested in Cruz’s “sudden interest” in ‘New York Values’.

“Enforcement is the last resort, but we will not stand idly by when it comes to gatherings that endanger New Yorkers,” Goldstein said.

This is the second time in under four weeks that Cruz attacked de Blasio’s “enthusiasm” in calling out the Jewish community when coronavirus regulations are violated.

In a letter to the DOJ last month, Cruz urged the department to “closely monitor New York City” for instances of “constitutional violations,” a reference to a funeral gathering for a prominent Brooklyn rabbi in which de Blasio personally participated in dispersing the crowd for coronavirus violations.

Following the funeral procession, de Blasio was attacked for condemning the entire Jewish community for the actions of a few.

“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonight: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,” de Blasio tweeted at the time. “When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the coronavirus.”

“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,” he wrote.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan warn Israel against annexation of Judea and Samaria

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By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

Saudi Arabia and Jordan on Thursday condemned Israel’s planned annexation of Judea and Samaria.

“The kingdom denounces any unilateral actions, and any violations of internationally- sanctioned resolutions or any measures that might undermine the chances of resuming the peace process to achieve security and stability in the region,” a statement by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said as quoted by Saudi Press Agency.

The statement stressed the Kingdom’s complete “rejection of Israeli measures and plans to annex Palestinian lands in Judea and Samaria and impose Israeli sovereignty over them.”

The ministry also reaffirmed its “steadfast stance” towards the “brotherly Palestinian people” and its support of their choices.

Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz took it a step further by saying all agreements with Israel will be re-evaluated if the Jewish State proceeds with annexation.

“We will not accept unilateral Israeli moves to annex Palestinian lands and we would be forced to review all aspects of our relations with Israel,” al-Razzaz told Jordan’s Petra news outlet.

In an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel last week, Jordan’s King Abdullah II threatened “If Israel really annexes the Judea and Samaria in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

Abdullah claimed he didn’t “want to make threats” related to backing out of the peace treaty that Jordan signed with Israel in 1994, adding that Amman was aligned with “countries in Europe and the international community” whose foreign ministers are committed to blocking Israel’s declaration of sovereignty over the territory.

Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel remains deeply unpopular in the Kingdom, where the majority are of Palestinian origin. Jordan and Israel have close security ties but frequently clash over Israel’s regional policies.

The Palestinian Authority has already taken steps to end its security coordination with Israel due to the annexation plan.

Justice Department files suit against New Jersey township for ‘religious discrimination’ towards Orthodox Jews

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AP

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Jackson Township in Ocean County, N.J., accusing its planning board with “religious discrimination” and “antisemitic conduct” towards Orthodox Jewish residents.

The complaint, filed in the District of New Jersey, alleges that the township passed ordinances in a manner that discriminated against the Orthodox Jewish community, violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land-use regulations.

Both ordinances expressly prohibit dormitories throughout Jackson, making it impossible for religious boarding schools such as Orthodox Jewish yeshivot to operate there, according to the DOJ.

ajcongress.org

When should New York City reopen? Governor: It’s my call

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A person walks by the water during the coronavirus outbreak, Thursday, May 21, 2020, at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York. As pandemic lockdowns ease across the United States, millions of Americans are set to take tentative steps outdoors to celebrate Memorial Day, the traditional start of summer. But public health officials are concerned that if people congregate in crowds or engage in other risky behaviors, the long weekend could cause the coronavirus to come roaring back. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

KAREN MATTHEWS (AP)

New York City’s mayor unveiled a new set of data thresholds Friday to help determine when to loosen restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, but his frequent political sparring partner, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, later said it will be up to the state — not the city — to make those decisions.

“No local official can open or close,” Cuomo said, noting that the state has established its own set of metrics intended to measure the safety of reopening.

“We said at the beginning it’s going to be one standard that is data-driven. There’s no politics here. What’s safe is safe,” the governor said.

The offices of both Democrats have been saying that the city, among the hardest hit in the world by the virus, is on target to begin reopening its economy in the first half of June.

De Blasio said Friday that in order to enter the first phase of the reopening, including manufacturing and retail with curbside pickup, the city must stay below thresholds for three things: the daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, the total number of patients in intensive care at public hospitals and the citywide percentage of people testing positive for the virus.

“If we do it right, if people stick to the plan, stick to the guidance, we will move to Phase 1 in either the first or second week of June,” the mayor said.

De Blasio had previously said that all three metrics would have to move downward in unison for 10 to 14 days for the city to reopen.

“The day-to-day changes, the small up and downs, matter less,” he said in explaining the new criteria for reopening. “What matters more now is staying at a low level and keeping it that way and so we’re going to be talking about thresholds now.”

Cuomo’s standards, which apply to the entire state, are based around measures including whether a region has had an overall decline in the number of hospitalizations and the availability of hospital beds.

Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, said the indicators used by the city and the state “are in line with one another” and that the two administrations are in constant communication.

“We are aligned in our approach — nothing will reopen until it is safe to do so,” de Blasio spokeswoman Jane Meyer told The Associated Press.

Regional economic re-openings began in upstate areas last Friday, with different industries opening in phases.

Cuomo said that Long Island and the mid-Hudson Valley region, including the city’s northern suburbs, are poised to phase economic activity back in next week if COVID-19-related deaths continue to decline and they meet state standards for contact tracing. He said construction projects can begin staging in those regions now.

What you need to know Today About the Virus Outbreak

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Workers set out trash cans in preparation for crowds flocking to the beach during the upcoming holiday weekend, Thursday, May 21, 2020, at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York. As pandemic lockdowns ease across the United States, millions of Americans are set to take tentative steps outdoors to celebrate Memorial Day, the traditional start of summer. But public health officials are concerned that if people congregate in crowds or engage in other risky behaviors, the long weekend could cause the coronavirus to come roaring back. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

 (AP) The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating across Latin America, Russia, India and Pakistan while the number of cases are flattening and businesses start to reopen in much of Europe, Asia and the United States.

India saw its biggest single-day spike since the pandemic began, and Pakistan and Russia recorded their highest death tolls. Even so, many governments say they need to shift their focus to saving jobs.

In the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, the unemployment numbers are staggering. The Federal Reserve chairman has estimated that 25% of Americans could be jobless by June, while in China analysts estimate about a third of the urban workforce is unemployed.

HAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:

— New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio released new guidelines to help determine when to loosen restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it willbe up to the state to make those decisions.

— British researchers testing an experimental vaccine against COVID-19 are advancing to the next phase and hope to immunize more than 10,000 people. The announcement comes as Chinese scientists report encouraging signs from first-step safety tests of a similar possible vaccine.

— A new World Health Organization report says the coronavirus pandemic is interrupting immunization against diseases that could put the lives of nearly 80 million infants at risk. Health officials say more than half of 129 countries where immunization data were available reported suspensions of vaccinations against measles, polio and cholera, among others.

— The coronavirus is certain to put a damper on one of the biggest Muslim holidays of the year set to begin this weekend. People usually celebrate the three-day Eid al-Fitr by traveling, visiting family and gathering for lavish meals — all of which will be largely prohibited as authorities try to prevent new outbreaks. The holiday marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

— The leader of Tanzania says his country has defeated the coronavirus through prayer. Meanwhile, the international community openly worries that President John Magufuli is hiding the pandemic’s true scale.

— A 76-year-old man dubbed the “Godfather of Grass” for his role in a massive marijuana operation wants out of a federal prison in Ohio where nine people have died from the coronavirus. John Robert “Johnny” Boone says he should be released because he’s in poor health and has served most of his nearly five-year prison sentence.

— 4,300: An Associated Press report shows that more than 4,300 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to New York’s already vulnerable nursing homes under a controversial state directive that was ultimately scrapped. The March 25 order requiring nursing homes to take recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals has become a thorny political issue for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who abruptly reversed the policy May 10. New York leads the nation in nursing home deaths with about 5,700.

Texas naval base shooter Voices Support for “Hard-line” Clerics

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The entrances to the Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi are closed following an active shooter threat, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi says the shooter was "neutralized" and the facility is on lockdown. (Annie Rice/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

By JUAN A. LOZANO, LOLITA C. BALDOR and MIKE BALSAMO (AP)

The suspect killed during what the FBI is calling a “terrorism-related” attack at a Texas naval air base voiced support for hardline clerics, according to a group that monitors online activity of jihadists.

The attack Thursday at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead. The gunman was identified as Adam Alsahli of Corpus Christi, according to three officials familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The gunman tried to speed through a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, opening fire and wounding the sailor, a member of base security, U.S. officials told the AP. But she was able to roll over and hit a switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base, the officials said.

Other security personnel shot and killed the attacker.

There was an initial concern that the gunman may have had an explosive device, but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation. Officials worked late Thursday to process the crime scene and had recovered some type of electronic media.

The FBI is examining social media posts investigators believe were made by the shooter expressing support for extremist groups, including Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, two officials familiar with the investigation said. The officials could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday on on “The Today Show” that the wounded sailor is “doing well.” He also said the FBI knows the basics of what happened during the attack but is working through details, including about the suspect.

“We hope to know more in the coming days as to what happened, what this person was motivated by,” Esper said. “But we need to let the facts come out, let the investigators do their job, and we’ll see where this ends up.”

Social media accounts matching Alsahli’s profile on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp featured support for hardline clerics, mostly from Saudi Arabia, and jihadi figures such as Ibrahim al-Rabaysh, who had been a spokesman for the Yemen branch of Al Qaeda and who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2015, according to Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group.

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference Thursday that investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large but did not elaborate. She also would not discuss a potential motive or specify what led investigators to believe the shooting was related to terrorism.

We have determined that the incident (on Thursday) at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism related,” Greeves said. “We are working diligently with our state, local and federal partners on this investigation, which is fluid and evolving.”

Later, federal agents were seen carrying items from inside a house that a Corpus Christi police tactical unit had surrounded and a public records search by local television station KRIS indicated was Alsahli’s last known address. A police spokesman would not confirm that the activity was related to the shooting at the Naval station.

The FBI’s field office in Houston has taken the lead on the investigation, and neither investigators nor the Navy provided details on the shooter or a possible motive. Attorney General William Barr has also been briefed, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.

The injured sailor was discharged from a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, according to a statement from the command.

The station, which was locked down for about five hours Thursday, had a similar lockdown last December. In another incident at the base last year, a man pleaded guilty to destruction of U.S. government property and possession of a stolen firearm for ramming his truck into a barricade at the Corpus Christi station.

The shooting also comes months after a Saudi Air Force officer who was training at a Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, killed three U.S. sailors and wounded eight other people in a shooting that American officials described as an act of terrorism. The country’s top federal law enforcement officials said this week that the gunman in December’s attack, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, had been in touch with al-Qaida operatives about planning and tactics in the months before the shooting. Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff’s deputy.

According to U.S. officials, unlike Pensacola, there are no international or foreign national students at the Texas base. The military put a number of new safety procedures in place after the Pensacola shooting to restrict and better screen international students.

Savage Racist Attack on Elderly White Nursing Home Patients, Suspect Recorded Brutal Beatings

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A 20-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after a video went viral of him assaulting an elderly man & an elderly woman in a Michigan nursing home. The suspect Jadon Hayden, was arrested after the videos went viral on Twitter and social media users assisted law enforcement in identifying the attacker, Post Millennial reported

“The nursing home was unaware of the assault until they saw the video,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig during a press conference Thursday. “We are still investigating that aspect of the case, but we do have a suspect in custody.”

Nursing home employees said they were “shocked.” It was Hayden himself who recorded the video. The suspect had a YouTube channel where he ranted against white people on a regular basis, after these videos were discovered, the videos of  the beatings and the racist rantings were  quickly removed from YouTube, however a screen capture of a Facebook post was saved and is circulating online, displaying the suspect’s mindset.  It is not known due to conflicting reports if the suspect worked at the nursing home. One local Detroit report stated he was a patient in the Nursing Home, which does not make sense since the suspect is only 20 years old.

These appear based on the suspect’s words, to be race based crimes. Numerous social media users, watched his YouTube channel which contained the beating videos and other videos with rants against white people, before it was totally removed The media has not jumped on this story’s racial aspect and has barely outside of local media in Detroit been reported to the public

Below is a Facebook post (Sensitive language)  from the suspect and the shocking videos, they are graphic, viewer discretion warning.

Battle of Ramadan’: Jihadis Kill 584, Injure 587 in Three Weeks of Holy Month

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Photo by Balkis Press/Sipa USA/AP

EDWIN MORA (Breitbart) 

Casualties at the hands of jihadis during the first three weeks of Ramadan hit a grim milestone, exceeding 1,000 with 584 fatalities and 587 injuries, data compiled by Breitbart News shows.

This report covers April 24, the first full day of the holy month, through May 14. On average, Islamic terrorists killed about 28 people and injured an estimated 28 others during that three-week period. There were an estimated 56 casualties, which include fatalities and injuries, each day.

Islamic terrorist attacks have continued seemingly undeterred during Ramadan despite the ongoing Chinese coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdowns.

Jihadis from the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), the second deadliest-group during the holiest month for Muslims, have reportedly dubbed their efforts the “Battle of Ramadan.”

This year, the number of casualties, which includes deaths and injuries, is on pace to exceed those from 2019.

The 1,171 casualties (584 fatalities, 587 injuries) during the first three weeks of the holy month have already surpassed the 1,087 (531 fatalities, 556 injuries) during the same period last year by about ten percent.

The Afghan Taliban remains the bloodiest and most prolific group, with 76 attacks (264 deaths, 278 injuries). Taliban narco-jihadis are responsible for about half all the attacks and casualties, respectively.

During Ramadan’s ongoing month, there have been 164 attacks in 18 countries, the vast majority in Afghanistan.

Despite the fall of its so-called caliphate early last year, ISIS continues to wreak havoc in what some monitor groups and news outlets have described as a potential resurgence, mainly in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

ISIS is the second-deadliest terrorist group during Ramadan, responsible for the most bloody single-day attack (32 fatalities, 133 injuries), which took place at a funeral in Afghanistan on May 12.

In the last few weeks, the group has carried out some of the deadliest attacks in months in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This week’s count covers the heinous attack on a maternity ward in the Afghan capital of Kabul that left at least 24 people dead, including mothers and newborns, and 16 people injured. While the U.S. blames ISIS’s wing in Afghanistan for the attack, Kabul blames the Taliban. Breitbart News’ Ramadan count did not assign the responsibility for the attack to either group, but as both potential culprits subscribe to jihadist ideology, the attack is almost certainly jihadist in nature.

Early this year, the United States and the Taliban signed a preliminary agreement to pave the way for intra-Afghan negotiations and the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces.

The vast majority of the victims of the Ramadan attacks are Muslims.

Breitbart News recorded some attacks by militants from unknown groups using Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in areas within the Sahel region of Africa, AfghanistanPakistan, and Syria, known to be jihadi hotbeds. IED is a preferred weapon of jihadis, known to urge their members and supporters to engage in jihad on Ramadan, believing that martyrs will get extra rewards in paradise.

Despite these attempts, violence is entirely dissonant with Ramadan for most Muslims. Most of them follow the tradition of abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, having sex, and other physical needs each day, starting from before the break of dawn until sunset during Ramadan.

Breitbart News primarily gleans its tally from the Religion of Peace website and the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) in coordination with news and government reports.

This report only includes incidents where Breitbart News has corroborated those reports and online entities that monitor jihadi activity. It also omits attacks where the jihadist nature of the perpetrators is not clear, including attacks where no group has taken responsibility in an area where terrorists of non-jihadist ideologies are also present.

The overall number of attacks and the associated casualties could be higher, given that Breitbart News is not able to confirm all incidents. Moreover, monitor groups do not document all terror events online. Death and injury figures may change as some victims succumb to their wounds.

For the most part, the tally excludes casualties suffered by jihadis. Some of the documented incidents in Syria may inadvertently include deaths and injuries sustained by rebel groups with Islamic terrorist ties.

All the terrorist attacks so far during Ramadan 2020, as documented by Breitbart News, include:

April 24 — Badghis, Afghanistan — Taliban kills 13 local policemen and takes eight other prisoners in the village of Laman in Qala-e-Naw City.

pril 24 — Ghor, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one civilian in the village of Teghah-e-Timor in Firoz Koh.

April 24 — Diyala, Iraq — Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) kills at least two members of the pro-government Sunni militia forces Al-Hashd Al- Shayari.

April 24 — Borno, Nigeria — Suspected Boko Haram jihadists kill five, including three policemen, and wound “several others” in the state capital of Maiduguri.

April 24 — Faryab/Ghazni, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three civilians in northern Faryab province, one other in eastern Ghazni, wounds a total of 25 others, including women and children.

April 24 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS kills official in charge of fuel and his nephew in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria.

April 25 — Badghis, Afghanistan — Taliban mortar kills a woman, wounds a child in the village of Kamengi Oliya in Qadis District.

April 25 — Jowzjan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two pro-government militia members and wounds four others in the Hyderabad village of Faizabad District.

April 25 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills a 70-year-old man in the village of Sufi Qala located in the Qaisar district.

April 25 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban improvised explosive device, or IED, kills a child and injures an adult civilian in Almar district.

April 25 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one and wounds ten civilians, including women and children, in Kohi village of Qaisar district.

April 25 — Uruzgan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills four policemen and wounds three others.

April 25 — Dhalea, Yemen — Iran-backed Houthi rebels kill five pro-government forces, wound 11 others in the al-Husha district.

April 25 — Logar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills 7 members of the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF), and kidnaps four others in Barak-e-Barak district. The ANDSF includes police and army units.

April 26 — Parwan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills police officer in the Matak area of Charikar District.

April 26 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two police officers, wounds another in the village of Qasr-e-Naser in Pashtun-Zarghun District.

April 26 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one soldier and is linked to killing one civilian and wounding three others in Shirin Tagab district.

April 26 — Logar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills five police officers and takes four other prisoners in Baraki Barak district.

April 26 — Uruzgan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three police officers, wounds two in the Nachin area of Tarin Kot.

April 26 — Mogadishu, Somalia — Al-Qaeda-affiliate al-Shabaab kills four and wounds three in the Halane base that houses American and European troops.

April 26 — Takhar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills seven, wounds three government-backed militiamen in Khwaja Bahauddin district.

April 26 — North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — Fighters from the ISIS-linked Armed Democratic Force (ADF) kill six, including one woman, in the town of Malambo.

April 26 — Al Anbar, Iraq — ISIS kills Walid district councilman, kidnaps his son, wounds two other family members.

April 26 — Mogadishu, Somalia — Al-Shabaab assassinates a businessman.

April 27 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS wound two policemen.

April 27 — Jowzjan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two soldiers, wounds three in Mingajik District.

April 27 — Takhar, Afghanistan — Taliban Red Unit kills four pro-government militia members, wounds two others in Laala Gozar village of Yangi Qala District.

April 27 — Badghis, Afghanistan — Taliban marksman kills two police officers and wounds another as they were bringing water from a well in the village of Mirza-Ali in Qadis District.

April 27 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two soldiers, wounds another in Seh Chinara area of Chardara District.

April 27 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one police officer, wounds another in the Aqi Bai village of Imam Sahib District.

April 27 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadis on motorcycle kill one member of the primary intelligence agency in Afghanistan, the National Security Directorate (NDS) in Golran District.

April 27 — Paktia, Afghanistan — Taliban kills four police officers in Gardez City.

April 27 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban abducts and kills three civilians in Maimana City.

April 27 — Colombes, France — ISIS-linked man rammed his car into two police motorcyclists, seriously injuring them.

April 27 — Ghor, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorist group places Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that kills on ANDSF member in the village of Maidanak, in the Barrah-Khanah area of the provincial capital Firoz Koh. The area has no significant non-jihadist terrorist presence.

April 28 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one soldier, wounds another in the village of Noorzayeha in Koshk-e-Kohneh District.

April 28 — Kirkuk, Iraq — ISIS suicide attack wounds three security forces.

April 29 — Central District, Israel — Palestinian teen stabs 62-year-old Israeli woman in the town of Kfar Saba in what authorities described as a terror attack.

April 29 — South Cotabato, Philippines — Jihadis from the ISIS-linked Ansar Al-Khilafah kill two police officers in an outskirt village in Polomolok.

April 29 — Kabul, Afghanistan —Taliban kills three civilians and wounds 15 others in the Reshkhor area of Char Asyab district.

April 29 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three soldiers, wounds another, and kidnaps an additional soldier in the Zakhil-e-Qadim area of Kunduz city.

April 29 — Logar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two soldiers, wounds another in Kharwar District.

April 29 — Badghis, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one pro-government militiaman, wounds another in the village of Kharistan in Moqor District.

April 29 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two police officers in the Hadbakhshi area of Khan Charbagh District.

April 29 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one soldier, one civilian woman, wounds 15 civilians, one soldier in Shirin Tagab district.

April 29 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two soldiers in the village of Khawja-Jir in Koshk-e-Robatsangi District.

April 29 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two soldiers in the village of Chah-Rig in Ghoryan District.

April 29 — Samangan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills nine pro-government militiamen and wounds nine others.

April 29 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban kills four police officers and wounds three others in the Aqi Bai and Naw Abad villages of Imam Sahib District.

April 29 — Badakhshan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three police officers, one pro-government militiaman, two members of territorial army, and wounds eight others.

April 30 — Ghazni, Afghanistan — Taliban roadside bomb kills two men, two women, one child in the Nazar Khan area of Andar District.

April 30 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban Red Unit kills three police officers, wounds seven on the highway connecting Khan Abad District to Kunduz City.

April 30 — Takhar, Afghanistan — Taliban Red Unit kills five pro-government militiamen, wounds five others in the Laala Gozar village of Yangi Qala District.

April 30 — Sinai, Egypt — An ISIS improvised explosive device (IED) kills up to ten soldiers near the southern city of Bir al-Abd.

April 30 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS snipers wound two policemen.

April 30 — Dhaka, Bangladesh — Terror-linked Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami affiliated with killing a child and wounding 11.

April 30 — Helmand, Afghanistan — Taliban IED kills the head of the intelligence office of Nawa district and his bodyguard.

April 30 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS IED strikes a bus carrying Syrian soldiers, killing six of them.

April 30 — Aleppo, Syria — Al-Qaeda-linked Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) kills a civilian, injures five others.

April 30 — Idlib, Syria — HTS kills a Kurdish civilian.

April 30 — Aleppo, Syria — Turkish-backed Islamists from Ahrar Al-Sharqiyyah brutally injure a man with special needs in a market in rural Afrin, for “eating in public” and not “observing Ramadan.”

April 30 — Pattani, Thailand — Islamists from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) injure a police officer in a shootout.

April 30 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS injures three Kurdish-led SDF soldiers near the gas plant in Jadidat Akidat town.

May 1 — Aleppo, Syria — Turkish-backed Ahrar Al-Sharqiyyah jihadis kill a Turkish-backed military police officer, injure three others in the city of Jarabulus.

May 1 — Logar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three soldiers, wounds two others in Baraki Barak district.

May 1 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban attacks police headquarters and district governor’s office in Zari District, killing one civilian, nine soldiers, five pro-Kabul militia members, wounds 20 other ANDSF members.

May 1 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS injures five members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Daman village.

May 1 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — IED goes off in an area with heavy ISIS presence, killing two children and injuring three others.

May 2 — Laghman, Afghanistan — Suspected Taliban narco-jihadis detonate motorcycle laden with explosives in from the of the prison in the provincial capital of Mataram, killing three civilians and wounding four security forces, including prison head.

May 2 — Paktia, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two pro-Kabul militiamen, wound three others in Anzargi Kandaw area of Patan District.

May 2 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists detonate a bomb while police officers were shopping in the provincial capital of Kandahar City, killing one and wounding another. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and a jihadi hotbed.

May 2 — Raqqa, Syria — Turkish-backed Islamists from Ahrar Al-Sharqiyyah brutally injure a civilian in the Turaybikh village of Ain Issa for “smoking cigarettes during the daytime of Ramadan.”

May 2 — Salahaddin, Iraq — ISIS kills at least 10 members, setting some of them ablaze, wounds four others of the Iran-linked Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) who helped decimate the Sunni terrorist group’s so-called caliphate.

May 2 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills four police officers, wounds 1o others in at the Zaghniya station.

May 2 — Pulwama, Indian Kashmir — Unknown terrorists throw grenade at security forces, injuring one. Terrorism in the area directed against Indian forces is almost exclusively jihadist in nature.

May 2 — Kupwara, Indian Kashmir — Pakistan-linked terrorist group Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) affiliated with a terrorist attack that kills five Indian forces in the town of Handwara.

May 2 — Narathiwat, Thailand — Suspected BRN Islamists kill two civilians.

May 2 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani herdsmen kill two people, wound two others in the village of Imande on Makurdi-Naka road.

May 3 — Diffa, Niger — ISIS-West Africa kills at least one, wounds others.

May 3 — Pattani, Thailand — Suspected Islamist BRN militants kill two soldiers.

May 3 — Kupwara, Indian Kashmir — LeT suspected in a blast that injures eight civilians, including children in the town of Handwara.

May 3 — Herat, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists kill two members of top intel agency NDS near the governor’s office in Ghoryan District. The area has no significant known non-jihadist terrorist activity.

May 3 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills seven PMF members, injures five.

May 3 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills three, wounds four other members of the Iraqi military, tribal fighters.

May 3 — Plateau, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill four Christians in the Miango area.

May 4 — Helmand, Afghanistan — Taliban terrorists target military base in the Yakhchal area of Grishk district with an explosives-laden vehicle, killing 10 pro-Kabul militia members, one soldier, and wounding 10 other militiamen, three soldiers.

May 4 — Idlib, Syria — HTS launches grenade, then opens fire on civilians in Idlib city’s Al-Jamia’a neighborhood, killing two and injuring others.

May 4 — Idlib, Syria — Indiscriminate gunshot leaves baby girl killing in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kelli town, home to clashes between HTS and Syrian rebels.

May 4 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills one soldier, wounds four others in the town of Bahriz.

May 4 — Laghman, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one civilian in Alisheng district.

May 5 — Helmand, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadis kill two police officers with IED, kill another after the explosion.

May 5 — Abyan, Yemen — Suspected al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) jihadis kill a civilian and soldier.

May 5 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS injures at least one soldier in Bohrouz subdistrict of Daquq, injures four.

May 5 — Kirkuk, Iraq — ISIS kills two Iraqi forces in Birmahdi village near Hawija.

May 5 — Plateau, Nigeria — Fulani terrorist attack Christian school in the village of Gana Ropp, injuring headmaster, who survived shot in the head, and three of his family members.

May 6 — Helmand, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadist kill a police officer who was shopping in  Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

May 6 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill man, his pregnant wife in Tarkende village.

May 7 — Khost, Afghanistan — Taliban terrorist kill a provincial police chief, his bodyguard, and secretary, wounds another, in the Khwaja Raheem area of Nadersha Kot District.

May 7 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS jihadis kill at least 11 Syrian regime forces and militia loyalists and injure many others.

May 7 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS kills two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of n Al-Baghouz in the Al-Bokamal countryside.

May 7 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — IED placed by an unknown terrorist group in an area with prominent ISIS presence kills two members of the pro-Kurd, pro-Syrian regime National Defense Forces (NDF) militia.

May 7 — Lower Shabelle, Somalia — Al-Shabaab kills man in the town of Afgoye.

May 7 — Diyala, Iraq — Suspected ISIS sniper kills police officer in Khan Bani Saad.

May 7 — North Kivu, DRC — ISIS-linked ADF jihadis kill two civilians in Mabatundu village.

May 8 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists’ IED kills police officer near a checkpoint in the 10th Police district of Kandahar City, the capital of the province, known as the birthplace of the Taliban and al-Qaeda hotbed.

May 8 — North Kivu, DRC — ISIS-linked ADF jihadis behead three people, including a woman, in the Ituri region.

May 8 — Anzourou, Niger — Unknown jihadis kill at least 20 people in the villages of Gadabo, Zibane Koira-Zeno, and Zibane-Tegui. There is no significant presence of non-jihadist terrorism in the area.

May 8 — Adamawa, Nigeria — Boko Haram kills two in the town of Dumankara in the Madagali region.

May 8 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani herdsmen kill two women, injure others in the Guma region’s Yelwata community.

May 8 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani herdsmen kill one, wound another in Imande village on Makurdi-Naka road.

May 9 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadis kill a police officer.

May 9 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban ambushes a rickshaw transferring food to a military base in the Dokan-e-Adam Khan area from Khan Abad District, killing one civilian and one soldier.

May 9 — Ghor, Afghanistan — Taliban kidnaps and kills Agriculture Department employee in the village of Madrasa in Firoz Koh.

May 10 — Hama, Syria — Jihadis from the al-Qaeda-linked “Wa Harid al-Muminin” Operations Room kill 32 Assad regime troops and loyalists in the Sahl Al-Ghab plain.

May 10 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS kills two Kurdish-led SDF troops in the town of al-Shuhil.

May 10 — Helmand, Afghanistan — Taliban narco-jihadis on a motorcycle opened fire on ANDSF forces in the Third Police District of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, killing one soldier, a member of the NDS intel agency, and wounding another, as well as a civilian.

May 10 —Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kidnaps and kills a soldier in the village of Karim Abad in Pashtun Zarghon District.

May 10 — Ghor Province — Taliban kills four ANDSF members, including two soldiers and two police officers, in the Wazi Sofla area of Morghab District.

May 10 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban kills seven ANDSF members, including three police officers and four pro-Kabul militiamen, wounds one police officer, kidnaps another in the Baba Yousif area of Balkh District.

May 10 — Kidal Region, Mali — Unknown jihadis’ IED kills three United Nations peacekeepers, wounds four in the Aguelhok commune. Jihadist groups are the only ones known to attack U.N. targets in the area currently.

May 11 — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan — Unknown jihadis’ IED injures five, including two policemen, near the Rampura Gate business center amid high alert for potential acts of terrorism in Peshawar. The area is not known to have significant non-jihadist terrorist activity.

May 11 — Faryab, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one soldier, wounds another in the Uzbekha village of Kohistan District.

May 11 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one civilian, wounds three pro-Kabul militiamen in the Machin-e-Nigari village of Dehdadi District.

May 11 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists’ IED kills two police officers in the Seyasang Dara area of Arghandab District. The province is a jihadi hotbed.

May 11 — Farah, Afghanistan — ANDSF accuses the Taliban of launching mortar that kills at least four children, between five and seven, and wounds three others in the Shiwan Kaly area of Balaboluk District.

May 11 — Laghman, Afghanistan — Taliban kills 18 soldiers, wounds 12 ANDSF members, including 11 soldiers, kidnaps four soldiers, and NDS intel officer in Alishang District.

May 11 — Badghis, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one soldier who was shopping in the center of Ab-Kamari District.

May 11 — Paktika, Afghanistan — Taliban kills three civilians, including a child and two adults, and wounds two other children as they return from a mosque in the Mohammad Hasan village of Khair Kot District.

May 11 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills Kurdish man and his wife in the town of Khanaqin.

May 11 — Kaduna, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists target Christian-majority region, killing  17, including an entire household and six-year-old hacked to death, and injuring six, including a three-year-old shot in the head, in Gonan Rogo village.

May 11 — Plateau, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill ten, including a woman and her two children, in the villages of  Zemadede and Tanlang.

May 11 — Yagha, Burkina Faso — Unknown jihadis kill four soldiers, kidnap four others in the village of Kankanfogouol.

May 11 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill five Christians, including two women, in Gwer West and Guma Local Government Areas.

May 12 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill two in the Agasha town in Guma Local Government Area.

May 12 — Kaduna, Nigeria — Fulani jihadis kill one civilian and injure another in the Idanu-Doka village.

May 12 — Kaduna, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill a man and his wife in Katul village.

May 12 — Kaduna, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists injure one person in the village of Ungwan Rana-Doka.

May 12 — West Bank, Israel — Palestinian deemed a terrorist kills soldier with a brick in the village of Yabed.

May 12 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS kills five Assad regime forces and loyalists on the frontlines of Jabal Al-Bishri desert.

May 12 — Ghor, Afghanistan — Taliban kills four pro-Kabul militiamen, wound three others in the village of Bayak-ha in Firoz Koh, the provincial capital.

May 12 — Deir Ezzor, Syria — ISIS kills one Assad regime fighter in the area of Fayda Ibn Mouin’ea in al-Mayadeen desert.

May 12 — Khost, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists’ IED kills a child wounds ten other civilians in the Khalbisat Bazaar area of Sabrai District.

May 12 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists’ IED kills two police officers in the Engirgai area of Shawalikot District. The province is a jihadi hotbed.

May 12 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills a civilian working as cook in a security outpost in Panjwai District.

May 12 — Nangarhar, Afghanistan — ISIS suicide bomber, in group’s most prominent provincial stronghold, kills 32, wounds 133 others during the funeral of a former pro-Kabul militia commander in Khewa district.

May 12 — Kabul, Afghanistan — Government blames Taliban, U.S. blames ISIS for vicious attack on maternity ward that kills at least 24, including new mothers and newborns, health workers, one police officer, and wounds 16 others. Taliban denies, ISIS does not.

May 12 — Saladin, Iraq — ISIS kills a mosque employee in Tin neighborhood, abducts a Kurdish farmer in Suleiman Bag, both incidents in the city of Tuz Khurmatu.

May 12 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS kills two PMF in the village of Makhyas in the Khanaqin district.

May 13 — Kaduna, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill five and injure one in the village of Makyali.

May 13 — Benue, Nigeria — Fulani terrorists kill four, injure three at the Guma Local Government Area.

May 13 — Paktia, Afghanistan — Taliban kills five, including two soldiers, a police officer, and two civilians, in the Khataba area of Zurmat District.

May 13 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills a police officer in the center of Panjwai District.

May 13 — Khost, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists kill one civilian, wound another while they were praying in a local mosque in the Toro Dando area of Sabari District. The area has no significant history of non-jihadist terrorist activity.

May 13 — Paktika, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadis kill a police officer and civilian in Sharana city.

May 13 — Takhar, Afghanistan — Taliban kills five local police officers, wounds five others in the Naw Abad village of Dasht-e-Qala district.

May 13 — Jowzjan, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two pro-Kabul militiamen, wounds four others and two civilians in the Aqcha Numa village of Aqcha District.

May 13 — Paktia, Afghanistan — Taliban vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) kills five, including four ANDSF members, wounds 32, including nine soldiers, in the provincial capital of Gardez.

May 13 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS IED injures four Kurdish farmers near Jalawla district.

May 13 — Diyala, Iraq — ISIS sniper wounds three near the provincial capital of Baquba.

May 14 — Jowzjan, Afghanistan — Taliban terrorists kill two pro-Kabul militiamen, wound another in the Qara Buin village of Aqcha District.

May 14 — Kunduz, Afghanistan — Taliban jihadis kill five police officers, wound three, and kidnap two others in Khan Abad district.

May 14 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban kills five commandos in Dawlat Abad District.

May 14 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban IED kills four soldiers, wounds two others in Dawlat Abad District.

May 14 — Balkh, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two police officers, three soldiers, one civilian, and wounds four ANDSF members, a teenager in the Maidan Hawai area of Dawlat Abad District.

May 14 — Herat, Afghanistan — Taliban kills one female civilian and wounds two others and two police officers.

May 14 — Ghazni, Afghanistan — Taliban kills two police officers, kidnaps two others in the Siah Sang village of Deh Yak district.

May 14 — Kandahar, Afghanistan — Unknown terrorists’ IED kills three and wounds five, including women, children, and police officers, in the provincial capital’s Aino Mina area. The province is a jihadi hotbed.

Mount Sinai Researchers: Why COVID-19 May Be Less Common in Children Than Adults

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.mountsinai.org
The virus that causes COVID-19 uses a receptor known as ACE2, found on the surface of certain cells in the human body, to enter its victims. Now, Mount Sinai researchers have found that children have lower levels of ACE2 gene expression than adults, which may explain children’s lower risk of COVID-19 infection and mortality. Gene expression is a measure of how much a gene is transcribed. These results, published in JAMA on Wednesday, May 20, may point to a potential biomarker of susceptibility to the virus, known as SARS-CoV-2.
“ACE2 expression may be linked to our susceptibility to COVID-19,” says lead author Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, MPH, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “ACE2, which stands for angiotensin converting enzyme 2, is a receptor that some might be familiar with because of its role in blood pressure regulation. The coronavirus uses ACE2 to enter the human body, where it spreads. ACE2 is known to be present in our airway, kidneys, heart, and gut. In our study, we took this knowledge a step further, finding that there are low levels of ACE2 expression in the nasal passages of younger children, and this ACE2 level increases with age into adulthood. This might explain why children have been largely spared in the pandemic.”
The research focused on ACE2 due to its significance in COVID-19 infection. The nasal passages are usually the first point of contact for SARS-CoV-2 and the human body. Dr. Bunyavanich’s study is one of only a few examining the relationship between ACE2 in the airway and age.
The retrospective analysis, led by Dr. Bunyavanich, examined nasal passages epithelium from Mount Sinai Health System patients aged 4 to 60. The researchers found ACE2 gene expression in nasal epithelium was age-dependent, lowest in younger children and increasing with age into adulthood.
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About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care—from prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report‘s “Honor Roll” of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty by U.S. News & World Report.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

Hackers Launch Cyber Attacks Against Multiple Israeli Sites

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By: Aryeh Savir (TPS)

Hackers on Thursday launched a massive cyberattack on multiple Israeli sites, taking over their networks and websites and posting graphics depicting Israel’s end.
The hacked sites featured a clip counting down to Israel’s end, and the hackers attempted to record surfers by using the camera on their mobile devices and computers, an integrated attack that damaged Israeli sites and attempted to interfere with the economy.
“We are gathering here to avenge the Zionist crimes against the Palestinians who have died or lost their lives, families and lands. What we can do is take revenge remotely through cyberattacks,” the hackers said in a message.
The Israel National Cyber Directorate stated that the issue is being addressed by them. “We recommend that users avoid clicking links if they browse a site that has been corrupted,” it stated.
The Israeli Check Point cybersecurity company reported that at least 327 Israeli sites have been attacked since this morning.
Site owners and users were notified of a server error, which turned out to be the result of an attack on the server farm.
A United Hatzalah emergency medical service’s sub-page, an online store through which the organization sells medical supplies at a discounted rate to those who need it or to institutions, was hit.
The Regavim movement’s website was hacked in the Iranian cyber onslaught. A video implanted on Regavim’s homepage illustrates an Iranian attack on Tel Aviv and Haifa. Regavim is a non-government organization dedicated to protecting state land.
uPress, a WordPress website storage company, stated that they have detected a large-scale cyberattack on many of their hosted websites.
“This is a deliberate and widespread attack by anti-Israeli (Iranian) elements. We have identified a security vulnerability in the WordPress plug-in that caused the hacking, we are working with the state cyber authority, conducting a security investigation and handling all sites,” the company stated.
This attack may be an Iranian reprisal to a cyberattack that targeted an Iranian seaport earlier this month, an operation attributed to Israel.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Israel was behind the May 9 cyber-attack on Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, the largest in the country, which brought the shipping traffic to an abrupt and inexplicable halt for days, generating backups for miles.
The report quoted experts who said the attack was Israel’s retaliation for the April 24 Iranian attempt to penetrate Israeli computers that control water flow and wastewater treatment, as well as a system that regulates the addition of chlorine and other chemicals. The attack was detected and thwarted by the Israeli defenses.
However, the Israeli ClearSky Cyber Security firm said the attacks originated in Gaza and were carried out by the Hamas terror organization.
The Israel National Cyber Directorate issued a warning last Wednesday cautioning that like every year, anti-Israeli activists are expected to coordinate a cyberattack against Israel under the title OP-Jerusalem (OPJerusalem #) to mark the Iranian Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan, and Israel’s Jerusalem Day that celebrates the unification of its capital during the 1967 Six-Day War.
The attack’s aim it to try to and tarnish Israel and generate a media buzz, the Directorate explained.
The Directorate further said it had information that the activists intended to produce a malware called “Coronavirus” with which they will try to attack computer systems. In recent months, many hackers have taken advantage of the huge discourse surrounding the Coronavirus crisis to try to create malware using this name.
“Generally, the main purpose of these groups is to produce media buzz, to create panic and fear with dramatic imagery and slogans,” Lavy Stockhamer, a senior Directorate official stated.
“These are not sophisticated attacks and their success is limited each year, but the increased reliance on technology due to the Corona crisis has created a widespread attack surface that may also be exploited,” he explained. (TPS)

Yom Yerushalayim: Reflections on June 1967

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Yom Yerushalayim: Reflections on June 1967

On the eve of the 1967 Six-Day-War, Israel faced a mortal threat.

The events of June 1967 came in the aftermath of the 1956 Sinai Campaign waged by Israel along with France and Great Britain to protect international passage of the Suez Canal which was prevented by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

On December 31, 1956, when Israeli troops were forced by international pressure to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, following its’ victory over Egypt, then Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir stated before the UN that “we should not assume that if Israel withdraws, Egypt will prevent Israeli shipping from using the Suez Canal or the Gulf of Aqaba.”

As forewarned by Golda Meir, eleven years later on May 16, 1967, Nasser demanded that UN peacekeeping forces evacuate the Sinai. On May 22, Egypt blockaded the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships.

In one fell swoop, the international guarantees granted to Israel after its’ 1956 withdrawal were null and void. A hostile Egypt was primed for war with troops positioned in the Sinai.

American President Lyndon Baines Johnson opposed Egypt’s move stating that the United States considers the Gulf of Aqaba to be “an international waterway.” However, vocal opposition from the international community opposition was limited, and the passage of Israeli ships bound for the port city of Eilat was barred.

On May 18, 1967, in a rare moment for the UN, Secretary General U. Thant described Syrian terror attacks across Israel borders as “contrary to the spirit and letter of the United Nations.” The UN leader had made a statement against Arab terror without also finding criticism of Israel; A momentary pause from years of blind equivocation.

Arab leaders were clamoring for the destruction of Israel.

King Feisal of Saudi Arabia stated, “The first priority of the Arabs is the extermination of Israel.” Hafez El Assad of Syria on May 20 stated that the time has come to “enter into a battle of annihilation.”

On May 26, Nasser stated that Egypt was ready for all out war and that its’ main goal is “The destruction of Israel.” He spoke of “inflicting punishment that will go beyond the imagination of the aggressor.” Radio Cairo exhorted its listeners to, “Massacre all the men, all the women, all the children of Israel.”

PLO leader, Ahmed Shukairy, upon arrival in Amman Jordan, June 1, stated that he estimated that among the Jews in the aftermath of the war, “none will survive.”

Around the world, France suspended arms shipments to Israel and a number of Arab nations as well. Great Britain announced its’ neutrality. The United States had reiterated its commitment to support the territorial integrity of all nations in the Middle East.

The US appealed to Israel for calm, urging Israel to avoid “hasty action,” To Israel, war was inevitable. Waiting would only work to the advantage of Nasser.

On May 25, 1967, Secretary General Thant conducted a “very cordial” meeting with the Egyptian dictator, yet the Security Council had failed to resolve the issues.

How would Israel respond? Arab armies were far larger and better supplied. They were amassing and primed for battle. The Jews were accessing the risks and dangers. Israeli burial societies were choosing open areas to bury the anticipated victims of the impending war.

The situation continued to escalate.

On May 28, PLO terrorists and Arab irregular troops fired mortars and machine guns from Gaza upon Israeli farmers and soldiers.

The day the war began on June 5, Israeli civilians were again in the line of fire. Jordanian guns from Kalkilya began firing mortar shells upon Tel Aviv. There were no casualties. However, there was severe damage in Jerusalem as heavy fire also reigned down upon the residents there. In the first day of shelling, ten Israelis were killed and one hundred were wounded. Over the next two days, there were five hundred Israeli civilian casualties. One thousand buildings were damaged.

After Six Days

 

The UN Security Council unanimously voted for a ceasefire. Only after Israel’s overwhelming victory, the UN intervened. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan noted that “The United nations had kept peace in the Middle East only as long as President Nasser did not want to start war again.”

The first town captured in Judea and Samaria, Jenin, was nearly empty as its inhabitants had fled in fear. Soon after, realizing that they were not in danger, they began to stream back.

When Israeli forces entered Bethlehem, they were met with hundreds of white flags of surrender. In Hebron, Jews almost immediately visited the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Arabs who had prohibited Jewish entry beyond its seventh step for centuries, did not dare object. The Arabs had initially feared that the Jews as victors would exact revenge for the hostilities which they had perpetrated over the years. However, Israel’s armed forces displayed civility.

On June 27, Israel annexed all parts of Jerusalem. Just one day later, on June 28, the UN General Assembly responded demanding an Israeli withdrawal from newly acquired territories. A chorus of condemnations was also leveled against the Jewish State for its annexation of the Old City of Jerusalem. Where were their voices in the days leading up to the war?

Israeli leaders reacted to the criticism.

Prime Minister Levi Eshkol reacted to the international pressure telling the Knesset that Israel alone fought for its right to exist and “alone we are entitled to determine our true and vital interests and how we will be secured.”

Israeli Ambassador to Great Britain, Aharon Remez, at a Zionist conference in London, asked, “Who has the right to tell Israel to revert to the position of the greatest danger while her enemies are already proclaiming their determination for a new round?”

The world response was swift, and vocal, but the Jews and Israel’s friends worldwide experienced great relief. Israel had not only survived, but emerged victorious.

The destruction of Jewish synagogues and landmarks within Jerusalem’s Old City by the Jordanians since their occupation in 1948 was over. Jews could once again return to their most sacred sites. Religious institutions of all faiths were now respected.

Israel’s tactical situation dramatically improved. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were no longer in range of Jordanian guns. The Northern parts of Israel, Tiberius, the Chula valley regions would no longer be shelled by Syria. The IDF could have better control on hostilities from Gaza. There was now more space, a buffer, between Israel and her enemies. The waters of the Jordan River could no longer be diverted from its sources in the Golan Heights as was done by Syria prior to the war.

As some Israeli generals were praising the strength of their armed forces, Eshkol made reference acknowledging the Jewish State’s true source of strength, “Faithful to itself and looking confidently towards the future, with the aid of the Rock and Redeemer of Israel, this nation shall yet dwell in safety.”

 

 

China May Pass bill to Crack down on Hong Kong Opposition

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. (Li Xueren/Xinhua via AP)

By KEN MORITSUGU (AP)

China’s legislature will take over long-stalled efforts to enact national security legislation in Hong Kong, a move that could limit opposition activity in the semi-autonomous territory and signals the central government’s determination to take greater control after months of pro-democracy protests last year.

The announcement drew sharp criticism from the U.S., which has threatened to withdraw preferential trade status for Hong Kong, and seems likely to prompt more protests in the short run.

The National People’s Congress, which starts a one-week annual session Friday, will deliberate a bill on “establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security,” spokesman Zhang Yesui said at a late-night news conference previewing the meeting.

Such a move has long been under consideration and was hastened by the months of anti-government protests last year in the former British colony that was returned to China rule in 1997.

Hong Kong’s government is bound by Article 23 of the Basic Law, its constitution, to enact laws to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition or subversion against China. It proposed legislation to do so in 2003, but withdrew it after hundreds of thousands of people came out to protest.

Beijing has increasingly pushed for measures such as punishment for disrespecting the Chinese national flag and anthem and increased pro-China patriotic-themed education in schools, but opposition in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council makes it unlikely a national security bill could pass at the local level.

Now, China appears to be sidestepping Hong Kong’s lawmaking body to enact the legislation. Zhang said that the new measures are required by the “new situation and demands” and that action at the national level is “entirely necessary.”

Dennis Kwok, an opposition lawmaker in the city, called the move the end of Hong Kong and the “one country, two-systems” framework under which it is part of China but has its own legislature and judicial system.

“Make no mistake about it, that Beijing, the Central People’s Government, has completely breached its promise to the Hong Kong people, a promise that was enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the Basic Law,” he said.

In Washington, where President Donald Trump and his top national security officials have been increasingly critical of China for both its response to the coronavirus pandemic and actions in Hong Kong, the State Department said such a move would “undermine the PRC’s commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

“Any effort to impose national security legislation that does not reflect the will of the people of Hong Kong would be highly destabilizing, and would be met with strong condemnation from the United States and the international community,” spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. She added that attempts to limit human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong would affect “the United States’ current treatment of Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper said a draft resolution would be brought before the National People’s Congress on Friday afternoon and voted on at the end of its session on May 28. The congress’ standing committee that handles most actual legislation will then consider the details of the measure, the newspaper said.

A vote at the NPC will add to concerns in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp that Beijing is chipping away at the territory’s rights to assembly and free speech that greatly exceed those permitted by the ruling Communist Party in mainland China.

The decision to circumvent Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to enact the security legislation is an “unprecedented and highly controversial intervention,” Johnny Patterson, director of the non-governmental organization Hong Kong Watch, said in a statement.

Patterson questioned whether charities and groups such as his own and Amnesty International could be outlawed as subversive under the legislation.

“A broad-brush interpretation of this law would signal the end of Hong Kong as we know it,” Patterson said.

The annual session of the congress is getting underway after a two-month delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thursday saw the opening session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body. That will be followed Friday by the start of the 3,000-member NPC at which Premier Li Keqiang will deliver a keynote speech outlining economic and social goals for the year.

The holding of the “two sessions,” as the annual meetings are known, is a further sign of what the party says is its success in bringing the outbreak under control, although clusters of cases are still popping up in some parts of the country.

Trump Vows No Shutdowns If Second Virus Wave Comes

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President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By Eric Mack (NEWSMAX)

President Donald Trump vowed there will be no further economic shutdowns and federal sheltering advisories if a second wave of COVID-19 hits the U.S.

“We’re not going to close the country,” Trump told reporters in a visit to a Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ford factory, which is now producing ventilators for the world amid the global coronavirus pandemic. “We’re going to put out the fires.

“Whether it’s an ember or a flame, we’re going to put it out, but we’re not closing our country.”

Trump admitted a second wave of the virus is possible, as health experts on his coronavirus task force have advised him, but he added the country is now well stocked on the necessary ventilators, medical supplies, and knowledge of the contagion.

“People say that’s a very distinct possibility,” Trump said. “It’s standard. And we’re going to put out the fires.”

As for reopenings across the U.S. as the virus is still causing deaths, Trump reiterated it is time to get back to work and end the political division.

“A permanent lockdown is not a strategy for a healthy state or a healthy country,” Trump said. “Our country wasn’t meant to be shut down.

“We did the right thing, but now it’s time to open it up. A never-ending lockdown would invite a public health calamity. To protect the health of our people we must have a functioning economy.”

And, Trump concluded, “Americans who need and want to return to work should not be vilified.”