#COVID19 | India’s tally of the #coronavirus disease cases rose to more than 3.1 million after 60,975 fresh infections and 848 deaths were reported from across the country in the last 24 hours.

Read here: https://t.co/6R0ROtAYAD https://t.co/rntLVTebWt

India’s tally of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases rose to more than 3. 1 million after 60,975 fresh infections and 848 deaths were reported from across the country in the last 24 hours, Union health ministry data showed on Tuesday morning. According to the health ministry, there are 704,348 active cases and 58,390 people have succumbed to the disease till date.  India’s Covid-19 total recoveries crossed 2. 4 million as 66,550 patients were discharged between Monday and Tuesday morning. With this the recovery rate is now at 75. 91%, which the government has attributed to “effective implementation of the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively”. “Effective clinical management of the patients in the ICUs has been instrumental in keeping the Case Fatality Rate low and on a steady downward trajectory.  It has further dipped to 1. 85% today,” the ministry said on Monday. Delhi may be facing a fresh challenge to control an outbreak it had contained to a considerable extent, data has shown.  The Covid-19 positivity rate has started rising again in Delhi, with 7. 4% of all tests conducted in the last week coming back positive, the highest this number has touched in over a month. Experts say positivity rate shows how widespread the virus is in the community, and when coupled with an increase in new cases, indicates that the virus is spreading fast. India has tested more than 3. 5 crore people for Covid-19 so far, resolutely following its ‘TEST TRACK TREAT’ strategy, the health ministry also said on Tuesday morning. However, India’s daily testing for Covid-19 dropped sharply on Sunday, as 609,917 tests were conducted, the lowest in two weeks, according to health ministry data.  The daily testing count was around 200,000 fewer than that of the previous day. Sunday’s was the lowest test count since August 10, when 477,027 tests were conducted.  India had conducted its first Covid-19 test on January 23 at the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR’s) National Institute of Virology in Pune and has conducted 3,590,213 tests till date. Meanwhile, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) will start the Phase II human clinical trial of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine candidate in India from Tuesday.  The observer-blind, randomised controlled study to determine the safety and immunogenicity of ‘‘Covishield’‘ on healthy adults will begin at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital in Pune. Serum Institute has partnered with British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford.


Agra sees dip in #Covid19 cases during partial curfew: Study

(reports @hemendraHT)

https://t.co/dKVO6ckg7m https://t.co/Tmq1JoQzu2

The partial statewide corona curfew seems to have a positive impact in Agra with the Taj city witnessing a decline in daily Covid cases, said a study conducted by the district administration. The corona curfew from Friday 8 pm (April 30) to Tuesday 7 am (May 4), which was extended on May 3 for 48 hours and is in force till May 6 till 7 am has been further extended till Monday (May 10) 7 am. As per the study, there were 893 Covid positive cases on Friday (April 30) when the partial corona curfew began and the number gradually fell and on Wednesday (May 5) 205 cases were reported.  Such downward trend was also witnessed in daily sample positivity which was at peak in last days of April and has witnessed downward trend after the curfew began since Friday last. On Wednesday there were three deaths due to Covid-19 taking the toll to 285 while 205 people tested positive of the virus.  Also, 707 people were cured in the last 24 hours and active cases stands at 3127.  “In all there had been 22619 positive cases of Covid-19 in Agra out of which 19207 patients got cured.  In all 75391 samples have been collected and tested in Agra,” said district magistrate Agra Prabhu N Singh. The recovery rate which was badly affected in second wave in April also exhibited signs of improvement and rose to 84. 92% on Wednesday after dropping to 75. 68% on April 28.


A post is being shared on Facebook with an image of a letter claiming that Nehru has written a letter to Attlee on the whereabouts of Subhas Chandra Bose and asking him to take the necessary action.  Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post. Claim: Nehru wrote a letter to the then British Prime Minister Clement Attlee telling him that Bose, a ‘British War Criminal’, is in Russia and asking him to take necessary action, which he may deem fit. Fact: No, the letter in the post was not written by Nehru to Attlee.  In the letter, there are many spelling mistakes, which are not expected to be there in a letter written to a country’s PM.  Ramachandra Guha in an interview to India Today called it, “a dubious claim by a witness seeking publicity before the Khosla Commission in 1970. ” Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.  When looked for any related information on Google with keywords ‘Nehru letter to Attlee on Bose’, many newspaper articles on this issue can be found in the search results.  According to an article in BBC News, the Nehru letter on Subhas Chandra Bose is ‘fake’. Also, the famous historian, Ramachandra Guha in an interview to India Today told that the letter being circulated on social media is fake as it is just a testimony given by a man to Khosla Commission in 1970 that Nehru has dictated the letter to him in 1945.  Some of the reasons given by Guha to call it a ‘fake’ letter:Also, an article by Times of India pointing out the spelling mistakes in the article can be found in the search results. This issue has been in circulation from the last three years and it has been previously fact-checked by others like AltNews, DNA News, The Quint, etc.  To sum it up, Nehru did not write a letter to Attlee calling Bose as ‘a war criminal’.  Did you watch the first Episode of DECODE series on Parliament?


Kolkata: Women stage a sit-in protest against Citizenship Amendment Act & National Register of Citizens at Park Circus Maidan since last night. https://t.co/9KrwTdLKz0

The Park Circus Maidan, sprawling over 36,954 square feet in south Kolkata, is turning into Kolkata’s own Shaheen Bagh, with hundreds of Muslims women – from students and homemakers to senior citizens – sitting on an indefinite demonstration and spending the night in the open, protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Their demonstration entered its eighth day on Tuesday, with the crowd steadily growing.  While several hundred women stay up at night, the crowd in the evening exceeds a thousand. Officially known as National Congress Park, the venue is a prominent landmark in the city.  It has turned into a protest hub, with students, academicians and social and cultural activists turning up to express their solidarity with the demonstrators.  The Indian national flag and photo of B R Ambedkar adorn the venue.  Some policemen stand guard round-the-clock. “I have never taken part in any protest.  I hardly leave home.  But NRC and CAA have thrown us in a desperate situation,” said Ayesha Jalal, a homemaker and mother of two teenagers, who spent four nights at the park.  Slogans and speeches continue throughout the day and cultural programmes take place in the evening.  Sometimes, protest songs continue well after midnight.  Some women are seen carrying umbrellas with “no NRC” printed on them, while young men don t-shirts with similar messages. Among those who have addressed the gathering are Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India, former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid, Jamia Milia Islamia student Ayesha Renna, singers Kabir Suman and Moushumi Bhowmik and former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kannan Gopinathan. “The protest in Park Circus started as an expression of solidarity with the Shaheen Bagh agitation in New Delhi.  Of late, Hindu women too have started joining,” said Laboni, a social activist, who has been part of the demonstration from the beginning. It started all of a sudden on January 7, at the call of social worker Asmat Jameel, when Muslim homemakers living in the vicinity sat under a pagoda-shaped shed in the middle of the park and decided to spend the night there.  Some of them even had toddlers with them.  The crowd grew from the next day, with various social and religious organisations lending support. “Students from all three campuses of Bengal’s Aliah University, as also Muslim students from other colleges and universities in and around Kolkata, are attending the protest.  Many of them are spending the nights here,” said Noor Jahan Khatun, a third-year undergraduate humanities student at Surendranath College for Women. Many of the participants are first-time protesters, mostly students and homemakers. “It’s a do-or-die situation for us.  It has become evident that our names and the dress we wear are going to land us in trouble.  Bharatiya Janata Party in Bengal is openly saying that only Muslims will have to face the test of the citizenship screening exercise,” said Roshina Sadaf, a first-year undergraduate student at the commerce department of Shri Shikshayatan College in Kolkata.  “I never took part in any protest before,” she said.  While the organisers had been alleging over the past few days that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which owns the park was not allowing them to set up a tent to protect the demonstrators, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has invited the protesters to her office on Wednesday.


Jaipur: Former Rajasthan CM & BJP leader Vasundhra Raje and Congress leader Sachin Pilot arrive at #Rajasthan Assembly. https://t.co/R2bFHMSKZP

The rebel Rajasthan Congress MLAs, led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, on Tuesday denied that Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia had met them in Manesar, a claim made by the special operations group (SOG) of Rajasthan police.  Murari Meena, MLA from Dausa, said the news had been spread to defame the MLAs with Sachin Pilot, who are currently staying in a hotel in Manesar.  “No one from the BJP either met us or plans to meet us.  It is an attempt to defame us,” said Meena in a telephonic conversation from Manesar.  HT reported on Tuesday that the Rajasthan police investigation into three cases of sedition and conspiracy to topple Ashok Gehlot government has found that state BJP president Satish Poonia met the Sachin Pilot camp of MLAs twice in July.  According to the HT report, Poonia met the Pilot camp MLAs twice between July 18 and July 29.  Poonia denied this vehemently.  “I have never met Pilot or any other rebel MLA.  Police are speaking the government’s language,” he said.  The Dausa MLA said they had not decided on attending the Assembly session from August 14.  “It is still 10 days away.  We will sit together and decide about our future strategy,” Meena said.  Meanwhile, the special operations group (SOG) dropped the sedition charges in the three cases related to efforts to topple Gehlot government, and transferred the cases to the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) of the state government. Earlier today, the Congress said it could hold talks with the rebel MLAs of Sachin Pilot camp if they leave the hospitality of Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana. Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala maintained that the only condition for talks with the dissident Rajasthan MLAs is that they leave the BJP’s “suraksha chakra (protection)”.


Humble tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh ji on his birth anniversary. He remained devoted to the development of villages and farmers throughout his life, for which he will always be remembered: PM Narendra Modi (file photo) https://t.co/4MfpgYHOdu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday the Centre’s flagship housing scheme for the rural poor does not just provide homes to them but also gives them confidence as he inaugurated more than one lakh houses in Madhya Pradesh. PM Modi was speaking during the virtual ‘grih pravesh’ or housewarming event for those who have built homes with assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).  “I spoke with many who have got their pucca houses today and have got their dream home.  Now 1. 75 lakh families of Madhya Pradesh, who will have their own homes today.  I also congratulate them and wish them all the best,” PM Modi said. These house were completed in just 45 to 60 days during the coronavirus pandemic , he added. “This day also reinforces the belief of crores of citizens that there are government schemes made with the right intention do become a reality and reach their beneficiaries.  I can feel the satisfaction and confidence among those who have found their home today,” he added. He also spoke to several beneficieries during the event which was attended by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Officials had said Chouhan had transferred online a cumulative amount of Rs 102 crore, which was the fourth and last installment of home finance, to 68,000 beneficiaries, on September 8.  He had said that 17 lakh homes out of 20. 30 lakh have been completed under the rural component of PMAY, and the target for 2019-20 was to build 6 lakh homes, of which 3. 45 lakh have been completed. Chouhan added that those who could not get benefit of the scheme at this time will be covered under the ‘Awas Plus’ scheme of PMAY. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which is an upgraded version of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-era Indira Awas Yojna, 17. 2 million houses have been completed since 2014, after Modi came to power at the Centre. The scheme not only helps the rural homeless population get pucca houses, it also generates work, as up to 90 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, is required to build one house. (With agency inputs)


Colin Hanks, son of Tom Hanks and stepson of Rita Wilson, says that his parents are doing well and they are both expected to make a full recovery following coronavirus diagnosis. https://t.co/VfhyLq37qx https://t.co/6LOWE42its

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNNUpdated 3:43 AM ET, Thu March 12, 2020  (CNN)Actor Tom Hanks says he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have been diagnosed with coronavirus.   Hello, folks.  Rita and I are down here in Australia.  We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.  Rita had some chills that came and went.  Slight fevers too.  To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.  Well, now.  What to do next?  The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed.  We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.  Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?  We'll keep the world posted and updated.  Take care of yourselves!  Hanx! A post shared by  Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 11, 2020 at 6:08pm PDTCNN's Angus Watson, Samantha Beech, Sarah Moon and Saba Hamedy contributed to this story.


PM @narendramodi delivers keynote address at India-US summit

https://t.co/lQ7DAMiUrY https://t.co/B9C6gAJRFq

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his keynote address at the third leadership summit of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Thursday. “When 2020 began, did anyone imagine how it would pan out?  A global pandemic has impacted everyone.  It’s testing our resilience, public health system and economic system.  The current situation demands fresh mindset where the approach to development is human-centric,” the PM said. Talking about the Covid-19 death rate in India, the PM said that it was one of the lowest per million in the world. “India, a country with 1. 3 billion people and limited resources, has one of the lowest death rates per million in the world.  The recovery rate is also steadily rising,” said PM Modi at the summit. He further said that while coronavirus had impacted several things, it had not impacted people’s aspirations and ambitions.  “In the recent months, there have been far-reaching reforms which are making business easier and red-tapism lesser,” the PM added.  India is at the forefront of the research for Covid-19 vaccine, he said. The theme of the 5-day Summit that began on the 31st of August is “US-India Navigating New Challenges”. “Looking forward to address the @USISPForum #USIndiasummit2020.  Will be sharing my views on ‘Navigating New Challenges. ’ Do join live this evening, 3rd September, at 9 PM India time,” the PM tweeted earlier. External affairs minister S Jaishankar, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, US vice president Mike Pence, and former top Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley are some of the key leaders who have participated in the virtual event so far. According to a release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday, the event’s theme covers various subjects such as India’s potential in becoming a global manufacturing hub, opportunities in India’s gas market, ease of doing business to attract FDI in India, common and challenges in tech space, Indo-Pacific economic issues, innovation in public health and others. The USISPF is a non-profit organisation that works for the partnership between India and the US. (with agency inputs)


California adults 65 and older are now eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine, state officials announced in a bid to boost the number of people who receive a shot, even as demand "continues to far exceed supply." https://t.co/0TQqrkdTxy

State officials call for patience despite federal plan to release more doses. Why are people hesitant to trust a COVID-19 vaccine? Public health experts and state officials say most Americans will need to be patient as the available supply of COVID-19 vaccines works to catch up to the demand as states start to make vaccination available to more people. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced several changes to the vaccine rollout meant to speed things up in his last briefing with Operation Warp Speed, including releasing more doses and pushing governors to expand those eligible to include everyone older than 65 and younger adults with medical conditions. As governors decide whether to follow Azar's recommendation and make significantly more people eligible for the vaccine, they face concerns about whether the supply coming into the state will be able to keep up with the exploding demand. Mississippi ran out of vaccine appointments on Wednesday, a day after expanding eligibility to include people 65 and older and people with pre-existing medical conditions.  The department of health said it significantly altered the state's distribution plan and it saw a "monumental surge" in demand.  All the state's expected vaccine doses are now committed until an expected shipment in mid-February, according to a statement. New Jersey announced Wednesday that individuals ages 16 to 64 with medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are eligible for the vaccine -- including smokers, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of qualifying medical conditions.  The groups now eligible are in addition to millions of residents already in line, including people over the age of 65, first responders and health care workers.  New Jersey Gov.  Phil Murphy said there's an enormous imbalance between supply and demand, but he thinks it will balance out over the next six to eight weeks. And in Arkansas, the state is set to expand vaccination to include people 70 and older, teachers and day care workers, which Secretary of Health Jose Romero said was decided before Tuesday's announcement.  The state does not plan to include adults younger than 65 with health conditions, though he said that could change in a matter of weeks. "One of the issues now is that because you've opened it up so wide, you know, we hope that there really will be, at least I hope, that there really will be a vaccine available for us," he told ABC News. CDC Director Robert Redfield told governors this week they should try to use 85 to 90% of their available doses to help reduce the number of people being hospitalized for COVID-19. And public health experts like Dr.  Ashish Jha, dean of public health at Brown University, said it was a good move from the administration to start releasing doses held back to ensure that everybody gets their second dose to respond to the urgency of the surge in the country right now. "We're holding way too many doses back, we're in a crisis and what people are saying, let's get those doses out to people, the production system is working.  We'll get second doses to everybody as quickly as possible," Jha said on "Good Morning America. "But even as the federal government works to release more doses in the final week of the Trump administration, experts say it will take time to catch up with demand from more populous groups being added to the list of people eligible for the vaccines. Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, said that despite public frustration about the seemingly slow pace, much of the vaccine rollout has gone according to plan and that big changes could add more challenges to the process. "You're creating eight days of chaos, anxiety and confusion.  And it's disappointing," she told ABC News. Hannan said making the vaccine available to older Americans as soon as possible makes sense in part because it's easy to prioritize people by age.  But she said including the younger adults with medical conditions is not feasible at this stage because the amount of vaccines available won't dramatically increase to keep up with demand. "That's a really large group, and it's really difficult to prioritize that group, certainly not as easy as age.  So that's really taking states and governors out of one difficult position and putting them into another difficult position," she said. Romero is also chair of the CDC advisory committee that recommended which states should prioritize in the early phases of vaccine distribution.  He said he doesn't know why the federal government decided to deviate from the stages they discussed because many states were already expanding the groups of people being vaccinated. "The recommendations for the phases was never intended to be a bottleneck for the diffusion of a vaccine into the public.  It was a guide to identify the highest risk individual, and where you would get the maximum benefit with minimal harm," he told ABC. And Romero said state officials now face the added challenge of how to vaccinate more Americans while not neglecting front-line workers and other priority groups vulnerable to the virus who may be more difficult to reach, like workers in meatpacking plants in Arkansas. "I do not think that the secretaries of health or chief medical officers for the states have abandoned those essential groups.  They're still on our radar," he said. Romero said he's concerned about plans to change the way vaccine doses are allocated to states to direct more doses to those administering the vaccine more quickly and with a larger population of people 65 and older.  He said he already contacted the CDC earlier this week to correct the vaccination rate for Arkansas because the agency had the incorrect data file. Hannan said she's concerned about a push to provide more doses of the vaccine to locations other than hospitals, which Azar blamed for being too centralized and delaying more vaccinations or holding on to doses.  She said spreading a limited supply across more sites could create confusion or frustration if fewer doses are available at each location. "So the question is whether we want to try to spread limited supplies of vaccine across a bunch of providers, or whether we want to give it out in clinics that can consistently vaccinate throughout over time.  And, you know, to set up a system where, you know, we can prioritize seniors to make appointments for the vaccine," she said. Azar said he wants to move up the timeline for local and national chain pharmacies to start vaccinating the public through an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services.  Representatives from CVS and Walgreens said that at this point, any vaccine they receive and who is eligible to receive them is being determined at the state and local level, but a CVS spokesperson said they would receive doses directly from the federal government when the partnership is activated. Both CVS and Walgreens will use appointments managed through their websites or a 1-800 number, the COVID-19 vaccine will not be available through walk-ins like a yearly flu shot.  Local health departments will provide information on when the COVID-19 vaccines will be available to eligible groups at pharmacies in their area. Even in states that have already started to expand vaccinations to more of the population, officials have had to send the difficult message that not everyone will be able to get vaccinated right away. Florida made the vaccine available to people over 65 at the beginning of the year, leading to reports of long lines and older Americans waiting outside clinics early in the morning.  As the state expands vaccinations to include businesses like Publix, Gov.  Ron DeSantis urged people to be patient.  He said it would be easier to get an appointment as more people get vaccinated. "This thing is like the new iPhone times 10 in demand.  The servers melt, when we do phones, the phones line melt," he said, adding that companies like Publix are able to manage appointments booked on their website more efficiently. "As new vaccines, as they get the next shipment scheduled, they're going to schedule you for that.  And if you didn't get a chance this week, you'll get a chance next week.  It's going to happen," he said at a press conference on Wednesday. "We have way more demand than we have supply but this is going to happen and so just hang in there. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Democrats hope it's not "the economy, stupid" in Trump era | via @CNNOpinion https://t.co/u9bKFYXcVj https://t.co/NJLd45H1A3

Biden opened his campaign in the marquee battleground state of Pennsylvania. Biden appeals to blue collar workers at rallyFormer Vice President Joe Biden opened his third presidential campaign in his native state of Pennsylvania by setting a pro-labor tone early in the marquee battleground state. "I am a union man," Biden said to a crowd chanting "we want Joe" at a union hall in Pittsburgh.  "If I'm going to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it's going to happen here.  With your help,  I think we're going to be able to do that. "Taking the stage in the heart of the Keystone state, Biden’s message was one of inclusivity for the middle class.  The former Delaware senator boasts a decades-long career as a fixture in American politics -- one that led him to one of the highest offices in the country as vice president under former President Barack Obama – and a long-standing bipartisan appeal among working-class and Midwestern voters. Biden also took aim at Trump's economic policies and Republican tax cuts and also sought to distinguish between measures that benefit "Wall Street bankers, CEOs, and hedge funds managers" versus the plight of the middle class. "The middle class is hurting.  Fifty-three percent of the folks in America don't think your children have the same standard of living they had," Biden told the crowd.  "There was a $2 trillion tax cut last year, did you feel it?  Of course not. "And, in rhetoric reminiscent of Obama-era campaign language with an appeal for a more hopeful and inclusive vision of America, Biden sought to appeal to diverse coalitions. "The major moral obligation of our time is to restore, and rebuild, and respect the backbone of America, the middle class," he said.  "As we rebuild it we need this rebuilding to be all inclusive, opening the doors to opportunity for all Americans no matter their race, their gender, who they love.  No matter who or where they're from, no matter whether or not they have a disability.  All America has to be included as we rebuilt. "Biden began to outline a framework for his policy platform including implementing a $15 minimum wage, reversing Trump's tax cuts, providing affordable post-secondary job training, instituting a public option plan for Medicare, investing in clean, renewable transportation and medical research, and closing tax loopholes. “We need to reward work in this country, not just wealth,” he said. For Biden, courting the union vote will be crucial to clinching the Democratic nomination.  Long known as “middle-class Joe,” Biden’s strategy centers on striking a chord with the core of his base: working-class America.  He also seeks to reclaim those voters who stood behind both Presidents Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016 -- including in Pennsylvania, a must-win for Democrats in the upcoming presidential election. Biden’s overtures to labor began far before he formally entered the 2020 field, but last month, he emphasized his support for workers when he stopped at a Stop & Shop employee rally in Massachusetts during the strike and before the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ conference. Monday's rally is Biden’s first as a presidential contender -- after he jumped into the race last week.  The event, against the backdrop of a local union banquet hall, comes on the heels of Biden securing the first major labor union endorsement of the 2020 race, from the International Association of Firefighters Monday morning. “He's one of the staunchest advocates for working families,” IAFF President Harold Schaitberger said in a video.  “We know as president he will stand up for all the patriotic Americans who want nothing more than to earn a decent pay, send their kids to college, have affordable health care and a decent and secure retirement. ”Trump immediately ripped into the endorsement, claiming that the union is exploiting their members with “high dues” in a series of tweets earlier Monday. IAFF endorsed Trump in 2016 but Schaitberger told ABC News’ Senior Washington Reporter, Devin Dwyer, “Biden wasn’t in the ballot.  That’s a big distinction from then and now. ”Biden dismissed the president’s criticisms of labor leader, writing in a tweet, “I'm sick of this President badmouthing unions.  Labor built the middle class in this country. ”Biden formally entered the race on April 25, releasing a video posted on social media in which he sought to carve out his own lane amid a crowded Democratic primary by taking direct aim at President Donald Trump and staking his candidacy on a "battle for the soul of this nation. "In the most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sunday, Biden wades into the 2020 field as the early frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with a decided tilt toward older voters that could define the party’s 2020 contest as a generational showdown. In an open-ended question, 17 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support Biden, with 11 percent for Sen.  Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 5 percent for South Bend, Ind.  Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Biden topped his Democratic rivals with an impressive fundraising haul in the first 24 hours of his campaign, raising $6. 3 million in the first day, his campaign announced in an email to supporters. The campaign said 96,926 people donated to the campaign from all 50 states.  The average amount of online donations was $41, and 97 percent of online donations made were less than $200.  Biden's campaign declined to say how many of their donations were made online. In the lead up to his formal entry, Biden faced controversy after several women accused him of making them uncomfortable with what they considered inappropriate touching.  He posted a video acknowledging that "social norms are changing" and promising he would be "much more mindful," calling it his "responsibility. "On Friday, Biden was asked about the allegations during an appearance on ABC’s “The View. ”"Here's the deal.  I have to be much more aware of the private space of men and women," he told the co-hosts Friday.  "And I am much more cognizant of that. "Biden told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts during an interview on Monday which will fully air on Tuesday that he takes “responsibility” for Anita Hill’s treatment when she testified before the Senate Judiciary committee during Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s confirmation hearing. “I believed her from the very beginning, but I was chairman.  She did not get a fair hearing.  She did not get treated well.  That's my responsibility,” Biden said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Supreme Court issues notice after hearing a plea filed by BJP Corporator, P Tukaram Shinde, against Bombay High Court order which had dismissed his plea to recognise him as a leader of the opposition https://t.co/0isHQ6fB1G

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine the constitutional validity of the penal law on sedition, which, a plea filed in the matter claimed, is often used to stifle dissent and valid criticism against government functionaries. A bench, headed by justice Uday U Lalit, sought a response from Centre on a plea challenging the constitutional validity of sedition law while also calling for assistance of attorney general KK Venugopal considering the significance of the matter. The bench, which included justices Indira Banerjee and K M Joseph, issued notices while hearing the petition filed by two journalists and argued by senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, who challenged the validity of Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which penalises the crime of sedition punishable with either imprisonment ranging from three years to a lifetime, a fine, or both. The petition, filed by Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla - working in Manipur and Chhattisgarh, respectively, said Section 124-A infringed on the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression which is guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The journalists said that they were charged with sedition for their comments, on the social networking website Facebook, in which they sought to question certain policies and actions of the governments in the states and at the Centre. “There is frequent phenomenon of misuse, misapplication and abuse of Section 124-A since 1962. . . The sections of sedition have been repealed in comparative post-colonial democratic jurisdictions around the world.  While India calls itself a ‘democracy’, throughout the democratic world the offence of sedition has been condemned as undemocratic, undesirable and unnecessary,” the plea stated. Citing the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the validity of the law in 1962 in the case of Kedar Nath Singh Vs State of Bihar, the petitioners said that the court may have been correct in its finding nearly six decades ago, but the law no longer passed constitutional muster. India’s sedition law was introduced by the British in 1870 but the Constituent Assembly decided to drop it from the Constitution in 1948.  The word “sedition” disappeared from the Constitution when it was adopted on November 26, 1949 and Article 19(1)(a) gave absolute freedom of speech and expression.  Section 124A, however, stayed in the Indian Penal Code. In 1951, Jawaharlal Nehru brought in the first amendment of the Constitution to limit the freedom under Article 19(1)(a) and enacted Article 19(2) to empower the State to put curbs in the form of “reasonable restrictions” on the right to free speech. Through the 1962 judgment in Kedar Nath case, however, a constitution bench upheld the validity of the sedition law under the IPC and also defined the scope of sedition.  The constitution bench held that Section 124A only penalised words that reveal an intent or tendency to disturb law and order or that seem to incite violence.  This definition has been taken as precedent for all matters pertaining to Section 124A ever since. According to the data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cases of sedition and under the stringent UAPA for terror cases showed a rise in 2019, but only 3% of the sedition cases resulted in convictions. The year 2019 saw a 25% increase in the number of sedition cases and a 41% increase in arrests over the previous year.  A total of 93 cases of sedition were reported in 2019, with 96 arrests and charge sheets filed in 76 cases, as against 70 cases, 56 arrests and 27 chargesheets the previous year. The ministry of home affairs (MHA), in a written reply in February, informed the Rajya Sabha that out of the 96 people arrested for sedition in 2019, only two were convicted for the crime, while 29 were acquitted.  Investigations and trials are ongoing in the rest of the cases.


218 Indians who landed from Milan, Italy at Delhi airport today have been shifted to Indo-Tibetan Border Police's Chhawla camp

Get updates on the global #covid19 outbreak here: https://t.co/OIA4nDALjK

(pics: ANI) https://t.co/GIBrkdEEXp

Sep 05, 2021-Sunday

Metro cities -  Delhi, Mumbai,
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Other cities -  Noida,
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Coronavirus deaths in Britain jump by 14 to total 35Riyadh closes malls, restaurants, cafes and parks over coronavirusGermany to close borders with France, Austria, SwitzerlandHyderabad University suspends all academic activities until March 31Northern Italy warns of hospital bed shortage'Stop panic buying': British supermarkets' plea to shoppersCISF sets up open-air security station on Delhi airport tarmacNike shuts down all stores in US and western EuropeTrudeau says Canada not ruling out border closures to fight coronavirusDon't visit Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for 28 days after entering India: Board issues precautionary measuresOdisha teacher held for spreading misinformation about coronavirusPak raises Kashmir during SAARC meet, says 'restrictions should end in to deal with Covid-19'Spain reports 2,000 new coronavirus cases, more than 100 deaths in 24 hours: AFPFirst positive case of Coronavirus infection confirmed in UttarakhandBangladesh PM seeks continued dialogue between experts and officials on follow-up actions regarding COVID-19Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led a video conference with seven nations of Saarc to develop combined strategy for fighting covid-19.  The prime minister started the video conference, followed byAfghanistan president Ashraf Ghani's and Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.  Earlier in the morning, US President Donald Trump's tested negative for coronavirus, according to White House officials.  Though coronavirus deaths continue to rise in Chinese mainland, for the first time there were more infections reported from outside China, according to China's National Health Commission.  Spain has asked citizens to stay at home except to buy food, go to the pharmacy, to the hospital, or to work or for other emergencies, as the nation becomes the hardest-hit country following Italy where more than 1,200 people have died.  In India, 2 people died from covid-19. Coronavirus deaths in Britain jump by 14 to total 35The number of deaths of Britons with coronavirus jumped by 14 in the last 24 hours to 35, while the number of people diagnosed rose by 20% to 1,372, health authorities said on Sunday. The British government said earlier on Sunday it would step up its response to the crisis, including isolating older people "in the coming weeks". Riyadh closes malls, restaurants, cafes and parks over coronavirusSaudi Arabia's capital Riyadh ordered the closure of all malls, restaurants, coffee shops and public parks and gardens on Sunday in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus, the municipality said on Twitter. Supermarkets and pharmacies are exempted, and restaurants can continue external food deliveries, it added. Germany to close borders with France, Austria, SwitzerlandGulf shares dropped Sunday amid unprecedented shutdowns to ward off the spread of coronavirus, despite tens of billions of dollars in stimulus packages announced by oil-rich governments. The Saudi Tadawul market, the region's largest, dropped 1. 1 per cent despite the kingdom announcing a USD 13. 3 billion stimulus package to help the national economy cope with the effects of the virus and a low oil price. Hyderabad University suspends all academic activities until March 31In the wake of coronavirus scare, the University of Hyderabad on Sunday issued a notice announcing the suspension of all its academic activities, including classes and examinations, with immediate effect until March 31. "All students have been strongly advised to return to their homes and take adequate precautions as per guidelines issued by the authorities in their respective areas," University said in a statement. Northern Italy warns of hospital bed shortageNorthern Italian leaders warned Sunday that they were running out of beds and artificial respirators to help victims in the European epicentre of the novel coronavirus. Their pleas for help came as the Vatican took the drastic step of cancelling Easter week celebrations that were set to begin April 5. 'Stop panic buying': British supermarkets' plea to shoppersBritain's food retailers appealed to shoppers on Sunday to stop panic buying during the coronavirus outbreak, saying purchasing more than they need would mean others will be left without. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents supermarket groups, said retailers had come together to write to their customers, calling on them to be considerate in the way they shop. CISF sets up open-air security station on Delhi airport tarmacAn open-air security check facility was set up by the CISF on the tarmac at Delhi airport to screen passengers arriving from coronavirus-affected countries, officials said on Sunday. The security station is equipped with hand-held detectors, baggage screening x-ray machines and door-frame metal detectors to frisk passengers who are brought to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on way to quarantine centres created in other cities. Nike shuts down all stores in US and western EuropeNike Inc.  is closing all retail stores in the US and Western Europe to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The closures, which also include Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will take effect Monday and last through at least March 27.  Nike will continue to pay employees during the shutdown, the company said. Trudeau says Canada not ruling out border closures to fight coronavirusCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday said he would not rule out closing the nation's borders or forcing people arriving from foreign nations to go into self-isolation to help combat a coronavirus outbreak. Asked specifically whether Canada might shut its borders to Europe or the United States, Trudeau told CTV: "We are not taking anything off the table. " So far 249 Canadians have tested positive and one person has died. Don't visit Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for 28 days after entering India: Board issues precautionary measuresAs coronavirus outbreak results in over 100 cases in India, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Sunday issued necessary precautionary measures.  "The Shrine Board has scaled up efforts to arrest the impact of Coronavirus in the Shrine Area.  As a preventive measure, the Shrine Board issued an advisory to the NRIs/ foreigners and other visitors not to visit the Shrine for 28 days after landing in India as a precautionary measure against Coronavirus," the release stated.  Odisha teacher held for spreading misinformation about coronavirusA government school teacher was arrested in Odishas Kalahandi district on Sunday for allegedly spreading misinformation about novel coronavirus, police said. Bindu Mahanand, who works in Dudkel primary school, had allegedly posted a message on WhatsApp claiming that an infected man had returned from Bengaluru and confined himself to his house at Khaliakani village in Golamunda block. Pak raises Kashmir during SAARC meet, says 'restrictions should end in to deal with Covid-19'Zafar Mirza, State Minister of Health of Pakistan, during Saarc meet said, "It is a matter of concern that covid-19 has been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and in view of health emergency, it is imperative that all lockdown in the territory must be lifted immediately," reported news agency ANI.  Spain reports 2,000 new coronavirus cases, more than 100 deaths in 24 hours: AFPSpain reports 2,000 new coronavirus cases, more than 100 deaths in 24 hours: AFPFirst positive case of Coronavirus infection confirmed in UttarakhandOne positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Uttarakhand from Dehradun on Sunday, said health officials. Dr.  Pankaj Singh, nodal officer for COVID-19 in the state said that the test results of one person with travel history to Spain came out to be positive. Bangladesh PM seeks continued dialogue between experts and officials on follow-up actions regarding COVID-19Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina calls for continued dialogue between experts and officials on follow-up actions regarding COVID-19, reports news agency PTI. First published: Mar 15, 2020 06:09 IST


Uddhav Thackeray meets PM Modi in first visit to Delhi after becoming Maharashtra CM

https://t.co/rKG4Anfmjp https://t.co/c0E0La3DBq

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and son Aaditya called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in national capital Delhi on Friday.  This was Uddhav Thackeray’s second meeting with PM Modi after assuming charge as chief minister, their first in a formal setting. In a tweet shortly after their meeting, PM Modi’s office and Uddhav Thackeray tweeted photographs.  “CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray had a courtesy meeting with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri @narendramodi ji in Delhi today,” the chief minister’s official handle tweeted. At a media briefing later, Uddhav Thackeray said he had a fruitful discussion with the prime minister concerning issues about Maharashtra and confirmed that they did discuss the amended citizenship law and the population register. He will next meet Congress boss Sonia Gandhi and BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party had been allies for decades but split up after last year’s Maharashtra assembly elections.  Uddhav Thackeray had taken offence to the BJP leadership’s assertion that the two allies hadn’t agreed to sharing the chief minister’s chair, a denial that Thackeray said, implied that he was lying.  मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांनी आज दिल्ली येथे देशाचे पंतप्रधान श्री.  नरेंद्र मोदी जी यांची सदिच्छा भेट घेतली. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray had a courtesy meeting with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri @narendramodi ji in Delhi today.  pic. twitter. com/GwM1LcfvRjThackeray did become the chief minister after a brief spell of central rule but as a member of an unlikely three-party coalition with the Sena’s two prime rivals, the NCP and the Congress.  He has acknowledged on more than one occasion that the Sena and its two partners - NCP and Congress - hadn’t been on the same side of the ideological divide but they would work it out. The first challenge on the ideological contradiction within the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition came soon after Uddhav Thackeray took oath when parliament took up the Citizenship Amendment Bill.  His party voted in favour of the bill in the Lok Sabha but its two alliance partners persuaded it to abstain from voting in the Rajya Sabha. Over the last few weeks, there have been some awkward moments in the Maharashtra coalition after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asserted that he did not see anything wrong with implementing the national population register.  It is a stand that contradicts the Congress position, which counts the population register as the big step towards the National Register of Citizens. Several states ruled by non-NDA parties have already declared that they will not implement the population register.  Congress leaders have indicated that it would be embarrassing if the Maharashtra government goes ahead to implement NPR. A Congress leader suggested that Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to go into the details of the NPR stand of the two parties or the coalition but could point to the need for some convergence on contentious issues, an aspect that was underlined in the common minimum programme of the coalition as well.


115 people tested for #COVID19 in Himachal Pradesh today, of which 23 were negative & results of 92 are awaited. Currently, the total number of positive coronavirus cases in the state is at 33, including 16 active cases, 12 recovered, & 1 death: State Health Department https://t.co/xK9f17C3oj

India recorded more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in a single day for the first time as the tally surged to 182,143 and death toll stood at 5,164, according to the Union health ministry. Data showed there were 8,380 fresh Covid-19 cases, up from Saturday’s 7,964, and 193 fatalities in the last 24 hours.  The number of deaths went down from 265 reported on Saturday, a day before the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown was scheduled to end. India went under a sweeping, unprecedented lockdown on March 25 when people were banned from stepping out of their homes for any purpose except for a handful of essential or emergency reasons.  At the time, the number of cases in the country was 602, and deaths, 12.  The curbs have slowly been relaxed in the months since with the government announcing on Saturday a phased Unlock 1 plan from June onwards. There were 86,983 people who have been cured and with this, the recovery rate in the country has gone slightly up to 47. 75% from 47. 40% on Saturday. Most of India’s 182,143 Covid-19 cases and 5,164 deaths have been reported from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as the Centre extended the nationwide lockdown to June 30 but also allowed the resumption of some activities that had remained shut till now. Maharastra continues to be the worst-affected state and has the highest number of infections at 65,168, including 2,197 fatalities.  There are 21,184 Covid-19 cases and 160 deaths in Tamil Nadu, which extended the lockdown till June 30. Delhi, which will decide on the lockdown extension on Sunday, has 18,549 infections, including 416 deaths and Gujarat with 16,343 Covid-19 patients has recorded more deaths than the national capital at 1,007. Globally, more than 6 million people have been infected by Sars-Cov-2, which causes the coronavirus disease, and 369,126 have succumbed, according to the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 tracker. Better ratesIndia’s fatality rate at 2. 8% till Saturday was much lower than the global 6%, data shows.  India took 79 days to record these many deaths, while some of the major Covid-19 hotspot – such the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy – took less than a third of this duration to rack up similar counts.  Countries like Spain and Italy, and New York city, where hospitals were overwhelmed after a sudden spike in infections, have recorded a sharp increase in fatalities.  Most of these regions enforced varying degrees of lockdowns after cases began to spike, compared to India that adopted such restrictions early on. The country’s top experts said keeping fatalities down by focussing on health care facilities will now be the most crucial strategy to deal with the pandemic across the country, where the outbreak has largely taken hold and a rise in the number of infections is inevitable. According to the Union health ministry on Saturday, the doubling time of coronavirus cases in India over the last fortnight has improved to 15. 4 days from 13. 3 days. “Two things worked in our favour: the young demographic and early implementation of lockdown before cases exploded, helping flatten the curve and prevent deaths,” said Dr Ambarish Dutta, associate professor of epidemiology and public health, Indian Institute of Public Health-Bhubaneswar. According to an analysis of laboratory-surveillance data by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the attack rate of Covid-19 in India is 0. 00332%, which means that only 33. 2 people per million population are infected. It is considerably lower than the attack rates in other countries; in the US it is 0. 2523%, in France 0. 3364%, in the UK 0. 1962% and in Canada 0. 0899%, according to the US National Library of Medicine. The health ministry reiterated on Saturday that all precautions, including physical distancing at public places and workplaces, frequent hand washing and use of masks or face covers, must be taken while “living with the new normal” of Covid-19.


Image shows Delhi’s rioters attacking a kid who was returning from school

A disturbing image of a child, grievously wounded in a Syrian jet raid has resurfaced with claims that it is from north east Delhi, where a child returning from school was attacked by rioters and left bleeding.   The image, viral on Facebook, shows a boy bleeding from his mouth, nose and cheeks as a result of deep lacerations.   The caption, when translated to English, reads, "The country will not forget this pain.  The rioters did not spare this kid, who was returning from school.  Till now, news reports suggest that one child has been killed in the riots.  This is the picture of Delhi riots on social media.  What the fault of this kid?  The country will not forget this pain. " (Original text in Hindi: देश ये दर्द नहीं भूलेगा!  स्कूल से घर आते बच्चे को भी दंगाइयों ने नहीं छोड़ा!  अब तक एक बच्चे की जान लेने तक की खबर देश के सामने आयी है!  दिल्ली दंगे की सोशल मीडिया पर आई हुई ये दर्दनाक तस्वीर!  क्या कसूर था इस बच्चे का?  देश ये दर्द नहीं भूलेगा! ) Parts of North East Delhi were engulfed in violent riots after clashes broke out between pro- and anti- Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters, since February 22.  As many as 46 deaths have been reported and a few hundreds are severely wounded.  Click  here to see the post and here for the archived link.  A screenshot of the post can be viewed below.  Screenshot of the facebook post The image has been shared on Facebook by multiple users with similar a narrative.   Facebook search results.  Also Read: Video Of Clashes In Bangladesh Revived As Delhi Riots BOOM ran a reverse image  search and found that the photograph is not from the riot ravaged North East Delhi but from Syrian capital, Damascus.   The image was clicked on February 21, 2018 in the war torn region of Eastern Ghouta region on  the outskirts of Damascus.  The wounded boy was waiting to receive  treatment at a make-shift hospital in Kafr Batna.  The image was clicked by AFP  photojournalist Amer Almohibany.  The image can be found here in the stock images of Gettyimages.   Below is a screenshot of the same.   The image, uploaded to GettyImages, have been captioned as, "A wounded Syrian boy covered in blood waits to receive treatment at a make-shift hospital in Kafr Batna in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus following Syrian government bombardments on February 21, 2018.  Syrian jets carried out more deadly raids on Eastern Ghouta as Western powers and aid agencies voiced alarm over the mounting death toll and spiralling humanitarian catastrophe.  / AFP PHOTO / Amer ALMOHIBANY (Photo credit should read AMER ALMOHIBANY/AFP via Getty Images). " Another image of a Syrian woman comforting her children after their house was bombed in Syria's Aleppo, was also shared with claims that it is from Delhi riots.  Read BOOM's fact check below.     Also Read: Old Images From Bangladesh And Syria Passed Off As Aftermath Of Delhi Riots


In a historic move, the city of Asheville, North Carolina, voted unanimously to approve a reparations resolution for Black residents and formally apologized for the role it played in slavery and implementing racist policies https://t.co/V819CnGkC7

The city will make investments in areas where Black residents face disparities. Asheville's city council unanimously approves plans for reparationsLeaders in Asheville, North Carolina, have taken a historic step to repair centuries of racial prejudice by unanimously voting to provide reparations. The Asheville City Council voted 7-0 on a resolution Tuesday night that formally apologized to its Black residents for the city's role in slavery, discriminatory housing practices, and other racist policies throughout its history. The measure also calls for a plan to provide reparations to its Black residents in the form of investments in their community such as "increasing minority home ownership,"  "increasing minority business ownership and career opportunities," and "strategies to grow equity and generational wealth," according to the resolution. Councilman Keith Young, who spearheaded the resolution, told ABC News in a statement that the council was looking "to embed systemic solutions. ""This process begins and is perpetual, repeating this process over and over again," Young, who is Black, said in the statement.  "There is no completion box to check off. "The resolution, which was signed by Mayor Esther Manheimer, calls for the creation of a Community Reparations Commission that will be made up of businesses, local groups and elected officials.  The commission will issue detailed recommendations, with plans to implement the reparations in the short and long term. "As far as the timeline goes, we will have some steps to report on within six months and every six months after that," Young said in a statement.  "This work does not end and will be adaptive, no matter what governing body holds office or who runs our city. "Asheville has a population of 92,870, 83% of which is white, according to the U. S.  Census.  Minorities own roughly 9. 7% of the town's 12,785 businesses, according to Census data. The council's resolution also calls on the state and federal governments to come up with their own reparation policies. "It's clear to me that federal reparations legislation would be the most impactful," Mayor Manheimer said in a statement.  "However, this is a conversation that is happening among diverse groups of people in cities and towns throughout the United States and through our resolution the City of Asheville has joined in this conversation. "On Wednesday evening, Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Jorge Elorza signed an executive order that would explore reparations for his city's Black and Indigenous residents. The order will examine the history of slavery and genocide of Native Americans and go through a "reconciliation" process with its Black and Indigenous residents.  The order will then explore a process for reparations that would "reverse the injuries resulting from the truth findings and advise what appropriate policies, programs, and projects. ""A lot of folks are going to jump straight to the reparations question," Elorza said.  "How much?  What form?  For how long?  Whose eligible?  Those are all legitimate questions, but they're questions for another day. "ABC News' Brittany Stevens contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Thursday, July 16, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes.  Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Kentucky https://t.co/08i11NOe6A #CNNElection https://t.co/0zGCqS5aFr

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris deliver 1st message of unity after historic winJoe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump.  ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency. The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate. Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed. Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign. The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016. A Justice Department official confirmed Monday evening that Richard Pilger, a career official who was serving as director of the Elections Crimes Branch, has resigned from his role in the division because of the attorney general's memo authorizing U. S.  attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Pilger has stepped back into a role in the DOJ's Public Integrity Section. The New York Times reported that Pilger wrote to colleagues in an email this evening, "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications, I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch. ”A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Pilger's resignation. When ABC News sought a response from Pilger, an automatic reply to the email said, "I am no longer the Director of the Election Crimes Branch, and have stepped back to the line at the Public Integrity Section. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinThe Biden transition team will not receive full intelligence briefings until the General Services Administration officially "ascertains" the former vice president to be winner of the presidential election, according to a statement from the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Monday. "ODNI follows the statutory direction provided in the Presidential Transition Act, which requires ascertainment of the candidate by the administrator of GSA prior to supporting a potential presidential transition.  ODNI would not have contact with any transition team until notified by the GSA Administrator," an ODNI spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, outside government watchdogs are already warning that a continued delay in briefings could carry grave national security implications for the incoming administration. Aaron Scherb, the legal director at Common Cause, told ABC News on Monday that the "petty and unproductive" decision by GSA to withhold key resources to the Biden transition could have the "potential for catastrophic results. " "By GSA not signing off on this, there is certainly some classified intelligence information that the incoming administration would not have access to -- and would potentially not be fully prepared on day one to be able to counteract ongoing efforts from our adversaries like all previous incoming administrations have," Scherb said. "If the Biden transition team doesn't have access to some of the documents and information," he continued, "there are national security concerns. "-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Lucien BruggemanAttorney General William Barr sent a memo to U. S.  attorneys Monday evening authorizing them to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the memo Barr says that such inquiries "may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State. "But Barr emphasized in the letter that this should not be taken as the DOJ believing there was widespread fraud -- a baseless claim being made by attorneys for Trump and the RNC.  Rather, he's doling authority out to U. S.  attorneys in the event they might uncover any such credible evidence of a fraud conspiracy that might affect vote tabulations before election results are certified. "Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election," Barr wrote.  "Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections. ""While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department's absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship," Barr said in the memo.  "While serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinBiden is slated to give remarks focused on the Affordable Care Act and the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn it.  Biden will talk about his own plan "to expand access to quality, affordable health care. "The event in Wilmington, Delaware, is slated for 2 p. m. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a. m.  in the case brought by Trump and 18 Republican-led states asking that the Affordable Care Act be eliminated in its entirety.


"THANK YOU, KOBE."

A huge crowd of fans gathered outside the Staples Center to pay tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant. https://t.co/xdOulVCI6b https://t.co/B4wlgvlouS

By Christina Maxouris and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNNUpdated 9:04 PM ET, Mon January 27, 2020  (CNN)Nine people died in the helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant -- including his daughter, Gianna, and her basketball teammate. A statement from Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom regarding the Altobelli family: pic. twitter. com/nfrMs5t6BjKobe and Gigi courtside breaking down the game 📋 pic. twitter. com/FxqSjVx6ewCNN's Nick Watt, Jon Passantino, Chloe Melas, Darran Simon, Ashley Fantz, Rob Kuznia, Matthew Hilk and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.


"Shallow," from the film "A Star Is Born," wins best original song #Oscars https://t.co/Z1AhMZjHwa https://t.co/WoaY9XRwaB

"Green Book" won best picture while Rami Malek took home best actor. The best moments from the 2019 OscarsThe 2019 Academy Awards were one for the books, with stars like Lady Gaga, Rami Malek and Spike Lee taking home an Oscar. Regina King won the Oscar for actress in a supporting role for "If Beale Street Could Talk" and Mahershala Ali won his second Oscar for best supporting actor in "Green Book. "Iconic director Spike Lee won his first Oscar for original screenplay for his work in "BlacKkKlansman. " Gaga took home her first award for her original song "Shallow," which she also performed alongside "A Star Is Born" co-star Bradley Cooper.  Olivia Colman won best actress for "The Favourite," beating out Glenn Close, who had seemed like a shoo-in heading into the show. Overall, "Bohemian Rhapsody" lead the way with four wins, including Malek for actor in a leading role.  "Black Panther," "Roma" and "Green Book" have all won three awards each.  The biggest award of the night, best picture, went to "Green Book. "Here are your 2019 Oscar winners:Best PictureActor in a Leading RoleActress in a Leading RoleBest DirectorActress in a Supporting RoleActor in a Supporting RoleDocumentary FeatureMakeup and HairstylingCostume DesignProduction DesignCinematographySound EditingSound MixingForeign Language FilmFilm EditingAnimated Feature FilmAnimated Short FilmDocumentary ShortVisual EffectsLive Action Short FilmOriginal ScreenplayAdapted ScreenplayOriginal ScoreOriginal Song24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Rajasthan: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot leaves from Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur.

Congress MLAs supporting CM Gehlot are staying at the hotel. https://t.co/VVbkcboAw1

Former Rajasthan education minister Vasudev Devnani on Friday termed as “condemnable” the questions raised by the Congress over the move to rationalise school syllabus by dropping certain chapters to reduce course load on students in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The BJP leader said the decision to reduce 30 per cent school syllabus was taken due to the coronavirus crisis and keeping in mind the interest of students.  “Congress should stop seeing this issue with the prism of politics.  It is condemnable that the Congress is raising questions that syllabus related to democracy, non-alignment, India’s international relations were removed,” Devnani told reporters at a press conference.  He said the CBSE prepares academic calendar and the last 30 per cent of the syllabus which could not be covered due to the coronavirus crisis has been reduced.  Questions raised by the Congress and the Left parties are part of “shallow” politics as CBSE has also clarified its stand on the reasons behind reducing syllabus.  Devnani said the Congress and its allies “do not believe in federalism and it is a habit of the Congress-ruled state government to disobey Centre’s rulings”.  He said the Congress government in Rajasthan should also provide relief to the students by reducing syllabus.  “But unfortunately the government is not paying attention. ” The former minister said that state government should pass an order to waive school fees and transportation charges to provide relief to parents.


174 new cases of #COVID19 and 5 deaths have been reported in Rajasthan today, taking the total number of cases & deaths to 3988 & 113, respectively. Number of active cases in the state stands at 1551: Rajasthan Health Department https://t.co/cUfCcaav3e

10 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Karnataka, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 858, the state Health Department said on Monday. “31 people have lost their lives due to coronavirus in the state and 422 persons have been discharged after recovery,” the Health Department added. A total of 67,152 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in India.  20,917 persons have recovered or migrated, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Monday. There are 44,029 active cases of Covid-19 in the country at present.  2,206 people have lost their lives due to the coronavirus in the country to date.


Huge explosion in Lebanon's capital Beirut. More details awaited. https://t.co/JfnWyUhDuN https://t.co/YRnqOibfpY

Two enormous explosions rocked the Lebanese capital’s port on Tuesday, killing and wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the Beirut sky. Video footage of the second blast showed an enormous orange fireball that dwarfed nearby buildings and sent a devastating tornado-like shockwave ripping through the city. “We heard an explosion, then we saw the mushroom,” said one resident who witnessed the second, deafening explosion from her balcony in the city’s Mansourieh district.  “The force of the blast threw us backwards into the apartment,” she said. Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, many bloodied, after the massive blasts, the cause of which was not immediately known. A soldier at the port, who asked not to be named, told AFP: “It’s a catastrophe inside.  There are corpses on the ground.  Ambulances are still lifting the dead. ”The official National News Agency confirmed deaths in the blast, without citing a number. The explosions “caused dozens of injuries,” a security source said. The AFP correspondent said every shop in the Hamra commercial district had sustained damage, with entire storefronts destroyed, windows shattered and many cars wrecked. A more clear view of the explosion.  #beirut pic. twitter. com/74NgZWvRL0Injured people were walking in the street, while outside the Clemenceau Medical Centre, dozens of wounded people, many covered in blood, were rushing to be admitted to the centre, including children. Destroyed cars had been abandoned in the street with their airbags inflated. A huge cloud of black smoke was engulfing the entire port area, as helicopters flew to dump water on the burning buildings. The port zone was cordoned off by the security forces, allowing access only to a string of ambulances, fire trucks and people whose relatives were working inside the devastated area, while others were screaming to be let through. A huge blaze was burning at the port, where ambulances were rushing away the wounded, their sirens wailing.  The blasts were heard as far away as Nicosia on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away.  Also read | Beirut blast area housed highly-explosive materials, says Lebanese internal security chiefBenjamin Strick, who works with investigations website Bellingcat, said on Twitter that the explosions appeared to have been centred on a 130 metre (420 foot) grey warehouse alongside a dock inside the port zone.  Video stills showed a intense blazing fireball rising higher than a line of towering storage silos, with a subsequent cloud towering into the sky. Apparently an explosion broke out at port 12 #beirut pic. twitter. com/onBLrDbRxGJust received this video! ! !  Everyone stay safe.  #Beirut pic. twitter. com/2t5a82Ha67- ‘Like an earthquake’ -“Buildings are shaking,” tweeted one resident, while another wrote: “An enormous, deafening explosion just engulfed Beirut.  Heard it from miles away. ”Online footage from a Lebanese newspaper office showed blown out windows, scattered furniture and demolished interior panelling. The explosions hit Lebanon as it suffers its worst economic crisis in decades which has left nearly half of the population in poverty. The country’s economy has collapsed in recent months, with the local currency plummeting against the dollar, businesses closing en masse and poverty soaring at the same alarming rate as unemployment.  The country’s worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war has sparked months of street demonstrations against the government. The explosions also come as Lebanon awaits a UN tribunal’s verdict Friday on the 2005 murder of former Lebanese premier Rafic Hariri, killed in a huge truck bomb attack.  Four alleged members of the Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah are on trial in absentia at a court in the Netherlands over the huge Beirut bombing that killed Sunni billionaire Hariri and 21 other people.  A woman in the city centre Tuesday told AFP: “It felt like an earthquake . . .  I felt it was bigger than the explosion in the assassination of Rafic Hariri in 2005”. Tensions have also been high with neighbouring Israel, after Israel said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by up to five Hezbollah gunmen, a claim denied by the Lebanon-based and Iran-backed group.


Maharashtra: #COVID19 vaccination for people in the age group of 18 to 44 years of age, begins at Kamla Nehru Hospital in Pune. https://t.co/NF9LVjs5v1

The third phase of the country’s vaccination drive witnessed a slow start on Saturday as several states complained of an acute shortage of vaccines for the people in the 18 to 44 age group, with many of them still to procure stocks directly from manufacturers to widen the country’s immunisation drive amid a raging second wave of infections. Only a few states including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh began the drive in the districts with high caseloads.  Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said large-scale inoculation of people in the 18-44 age group will begin in the national capital only from Monday. In order to ramp up the vaccination drive, the government on April 19 announced a “liberalised and accelerated” phase 3 of vaccinations for people in the 18-44 age group to begin from May 1.  As part of its guidelines for the third phase, the Centre allowed states to directly procure vaccines from manufacturers, including the two domestic producers -- Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech. While SII is manufacturing the Covishield vaccine, Bharat Biotech is producing the indigenously developed Covaxin.  Both are double-dose vaccines. While most states have placed orders for the vaccines, officials in several states have complained of delays in supply. Click here for full coverage on coronavirusOfficials in Maharashtra said that the state government plans to administer nearly 350,000 doses over the next week.  The state has set up only five vaccination centres in each district so that government gets time to arrange for more vaccines. State health minister Rajesh Tope said: “We have received around 350,000 doses and are expecting another stock of 1. 3 million to 1. 4 million stock for this month based on which we have started our vaccination for all adults up to 44 years of age. ”In Mumbai, the vaccination drive started at five centres, with the limit of beneficiaries at one centre at 200. In Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched the vaccination drive at the Avantibai hospital in Lucknow.  Officials said that a state plane was sent to Hyderabad to procure Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech International Limited. The drive began in seven districts -- Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, and Varanasi -- that have reported high caseloads.  “Here, the active cases are high.  Hence, we begin from these districts and more districts will get the benefit later,” said additional chief secretary (health) Amit Mohan Prasad on Friday. Other states such as Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, did not begin the vaccination drive owing to non-availability of vaccines. The Madhya Pradesh government hopes to begin vaccinating the people over 18 years of age from May 3, state health minister Prabhuram Chaudhary said.  “MP requires 3. 4 crore vaccines for the people of 18 to 44 years of age group.  Initially, we have placed an order of 45 lakh vaccines, which is likely to be received by May 2,” Chaudhary said. Haryana additional chief secretary (health) Rajeev Arora said that the state government has placed an order of 6. 6 million vaccine doses which they plan to allot in a phased manner. Meanwhile in Bihar, the state health society’s executive director Manoj Kumar said that Pune-based SII has refused to provide a bulk supply of 10 million doses.  “Instead, the institute wanted the state government to place [an order of] its monthly requirement.  We are sorting out the issues,” he said. In Tamil Nadu, officials said an order for 15 million doses was placed on April 28 but they were unsure when the stock would arrive.  “The issue is the same (by when vaccines could be provided) for everyone, we are looking to settle it.  It will be tricky to say when we can start at this point,” said TS Selvavinayagam, director, directorate of public health and preventive medicine. Citing a shortage of vaccines, the Kerala government has decided to prioritise the second doses of beneficiaries until it receives a fresh supply. “We have asked for 50 lakh doses but got less than 10 lakh.  Our priority is to give second dose to maximum people.  We will start for young age group as and when we get enough jabs,” said state health minister KK Shailaja.  The Kerala government has decided to buy at least 10 million doses (7 million Covishield and 3 million Covaxin) from manufacturers.


Praveen Tripathi, Joint Commissioner Crime, Kolkata Police: A team of CBI officers came without any papers for what they called a 'secret operation'. When asked what the operation was about, they could not give a satisfactory response. https://t.co/CyS83Z1aKC

After detaining five CBI officers who landed at residence of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with a chit fund case, city police took the detainees to the Shakespeare Sarani police station.  5 CBI officers detained by Kolkata Police were brought to Shakespeare Sarani police station.  The police released the CBI officers after brief questioning.  Kolkata police said the detained officers came without any 'valid papers'. Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


Attorney General William Barr has delivered his summary of Robert Mueller's investigation to Congress, clearing the President of collusion. @CNNopinion's commentators explain why there's more to it than that: https://t.co/fFoviXOvu8 https://t.co/2OdagJ1KQ4

The report doesn't conclude Trump committed a crime and doesn't exonerate him.  Special counsel report delivered, focus shifts to attorney generalSpecial counsel Robert Mueller's report into the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 presidential election  did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia, according to a letter to Congress from Attorney General William Barr. The letter describes "two main" Russian efforts to influence the election  including “attempts by a Russian organization… to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States” and “the Russian government’s efforts to conduct computer hacking operations” targeting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic Party. In both circumstances, the “Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts. ”The special counsel’s office made no conclusion on the matter of possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump. "The Special Counsel, therefore, did not draw a conclusion – one way or the other – as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction," the letter read.  "Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out 'difficult issues' of law and fact concerning whether the President's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. "In his communique to lawmakers, Barr underscored that the special counsel states that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. ”While Mueller’s report did not reach a conclusion as to whether obstruction of justice occurred, Attorney General Barr’s letter said he determined a case for obstruction was not warranted. “In cataloging the President’s actions many of which took place in public view, the report identities no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense. "Barr said his intent is to release as much as possible but there are grand jury secrecy concerns with some portions. The White House celebrated the news, with President Donald Trump hailing the report on Twitter and, later in comments to reporters, as an "exoneration. ""This was an illegal takedown that failed and hopefully, someone is going to be looking at the other side," Trump told reporters on Sunday. He tweeted: "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION.  KEEP AMERICA GREAT! ""The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.  "Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction.  The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States. ”Jay Sekulow, one of President Trump’s lawyers, told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos that the report was a "complete win for the president and the American people. ""Not just a win. " Sekulow said.  "The entire basis upon which this inquiry was instituted was a concern over collusion between the Russian government and the trump campaign, Bob Mueller and the Department of Justice could not be clearer.  To have the obstruction issue even as a viable one, which it was not, there would have to be an underlying crime, which there wasn't. "House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N. Y. , questioned the timing of the letter tweeting "Special Counsel Mueller worked for 22 months to determine the extent to which President Trump obstructed justice.  Attorney General Barr took 2 days to tell the American people that while the President is not exonerated, there will be no action by DOJ. " He later tweeted that "in light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report," the House Judiciary Committee will be calling Barr in to testify in the near future. In his letter to members of Congress on Sunday, Barr described the breadth of the special counsel’s extensive and exhaustive probe.  Mueller’s 19 prosecutors and 40 FBI agents issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, Barr wrote, the results of which amounted to 37 indictments and six guilty pleas to date. The news comes amid Democrats continued calls for the full release of the findings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a joint letter, seemed to sum up the sentiment of many congressional Democrats in saying that Barr's letter "raises as many questions as it answers" and that Congress "requires the full report and the underlying documents. ""The fact that Special Counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay," they wrote.  "Given Mr.  Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report. "The congressional leaders also took issues with the president's claims of being "exonerated. "On the campaign trail and on the Hill, Democrats made clear they are going to want every detail and document about the investigation and some have said they are willing to use their subpoena power in order to get it. "It means make the request, if the request is denied subpoena, if the subpoenas are denied we will hold people before the Congress and yes, we will prosecute in court as necessary to get this information," House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep.  Adam Schiff, D-Calif. , said Sunday on "This Week". Democratic candidates running to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020 reacted quickly to the news that Mueller delivered his report to DOJ with one consistent message: Make it public. "The Mueller report must be made public — all of it," Sen.  Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY said in a presidential campaign speech outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City. She added: "It is not often that I agree with Richard Nixon, but he was right to say that the American people have a right to know whether their president is a crook. "The much-awaited report was handed to the Justice Department for Barr’s review, and Congress was notified of the transfer late Friday afternoon, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman. After reviewing Mueller's report, Barr will then send what he has described as his own "report" on the Mueller investigation to the top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Judiciary committees.  Barr has promised to be as transparent as possible, but it's unclear how extensive or detailed Barr's own "report" to Congress will be. In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Barr wrote that he intends to "consult with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Mueller to determine what other information from the report can be released to Congress and the public consistent with the law. "A senior Department of Justice official told ABC News on Friday that the report would not include any further indictments. Mueller and his team investigated how far the Kremlin went to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including trying to determine whether any Americans may have helped those efforts. At the heart of Mueller’s probe were two Russian operations: the spread of disinformation on social media, and the release of thousands of sensitive emails stolen by hackers from the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic targets.  Mueller’s team has charged 25 Russian nationals and three foreign companies for their alleged role in those operations. In appointing a special counsel to investigate, however, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein also directed Mueller to look into “allegations” of possible “coordination” between Russian operatives and associates of President Donald Trump. Trump and his Republican allies have derided the investigation as a “witch hunt. ” But Rosenstein, FBI Director Chris Wray and Barr have each explicitly disputed that description. At least four Trump associates, including Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, have pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents during the Russia-related investigation. Another Trump associate, the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump’s business dealings in Moscow.  And former Trump adviser Roger Stone has been charged with lying to Congress about his alleged role in tracking information stolen from Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mueller’s investigation grew out of a probe the FBI launched in late July 2016. By then, the FBI was already scrutinizing Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s business dealings with pro-Russian officials in Ukraine – dealings that have since landed Manafort in jail.  And the FBI was keeping tabs on Trump adviser Carter Page, who was previously targeted for recruitment by Russian spies and had raised eyebrows with a trip to Moscow in mid-July 2016. But claims by Trump adviser George Papadopoulos – that the Russians were touting “dirt” on Clinton – really set off alarms inside the FBI. “If any Americans were part of helping the Russians [attack] us, that is a very big deal,” James Comey, who was FBI director at the time, later told lawmakers. Several weeks after formally launching the Russia probe, counterintelligence agents leading the investigation in Washington received a so-called “dossier,” which had been compiled at the behest of Democrats and detailed uncorroborated allegations of coordination between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. Some of the allegations involved Page, who was already on the FBI’s radar, so agents began secretly intercepting his communications.  Page has never been charged with any crimes. The wide-ranging investigation continued even after Trump took office.  After Jeff Sessions became attorney general, he recused himself from oversight of the FBI’s Russia-related probe, citing his previous advocacy for Trump on the campaign trail. Rosenstein subsequently assumed oversight of the investigation. And then Trump shocked the federal law enforcement community: He fired Comey. The move prompted Rosenstein to appoint Mueller to take over the whole matter, including a review of whether Comey's firing and other actions meant Trump improperly tried to obstruct the probe. Comey later alleged that in a private meeting with Trump before his removal, the president directed Comey to “let [Flynn] go. ”Mueller has not released any evidence suggesting Trump committed a crime related to Russian efforts. However, Mueller did uncover evidence of other possible crimes and referred those cases to other federal prosecutors. The U. S.  Attorney’s Office in Manhattan ended up tying Trump to federal campaign violations, alleging that – in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign – Trump personally directed Cohen to silence two woman claiming affairs with Trump by making illegal payments to them; Trump has repeatedly denied the affairs. Cohen has pleaded guilty for his role in the matter, but no other charges have been filed. ABC News' Pierre Thomas, John Santucci and Kyra Phillips contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A short clip of CNN's chief national correspondent John King has gone viral where the logo for a pornography website, PornHub, can be seen floating into view of a virtual map showing the results for the United States presidential elections.  King can be seen talking about vote difference between incumbent Republican President Donald J Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in Georgia.  However, we found that the video was edited to add the logo of the pornography website.  CLAIM An extremely viral tweet, that had more than 70,000 likes during the time of publication, had the caption that read, “CNN had Pornhub open”.  Similar captions were used to share the video by several other social media users.  The video clip was also widely shared on Facebook with similar captions.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT We slowed down the viral video and analysed every frame.  We found that the logo of the website was not static and kept moving.  In at least two frames, the logo went beyond the screen and on to the frame of the screen, as can be seen below.  The poll numbers on the screen suggested that the footage was from 6 November 2020 because Biden had started to narrow the difference in Georgia after having trailed Trump by a huge number in the state, since the beginning of the counting.  We found the original footage online and compared it with the viral video and found that the logo was digitally added on the original footage.  Evidently, the original footage of a CNN broadcast was digitally altered to claim that the logo of a pornography website popped up on the screen during the US election results coverage.


JUST IN: China's parliament has endorsed a proposal on "improving the electoral system" of Hong Kong.

The goal of the changes is to ensure only "patriots" govern Hong Kong. A definition that means loyalty to the Communist Party, Chinese officials say. https://t.co/csxBNyK9Bz

The move gives a pro-Beijing committee power to choose Hong Kong’s lawmakers. On Location: September 10, 2021HONG KONG -- China’s parliament has endorsed electoral reforms that pave the way for Hong Kong's biggest shake-up since the former British colony was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997. As expected, the “patriots governing Hong Kong" resolution was passed by the rubber-stamp National People's Congress on Thursday, with 2895 votes for, zero votes against and just one abstention. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC’s governing Standing Committee, said that “all representatives highly agreed” to the reforms “to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and to maintain Hong Kong’s constitutional order. ” NPC delegates are appointed by the party and always endorse resolutions by overwhelming margins. The controversial overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system, which comes amid an intensifying crackdown in the city, will give a pro-Beijing committee more power to choose Hong Kong’s lawmakers.  Under the changes, the committee will be able to vet and elect members to the 90-seat legislature, reducing the number of lawmakers directly elected by Hong Kong citizens. Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday expressed her administration's "sincere gratitude" to the NPC, saying the changes will fix the problem of too much politics in the legislature. Speaking with ABC News, Hong Kong government advisor Ronny Tong said that the move “is not ideal but not worse”. “Instead of disqualifying, now the task of scrutinizing candidates will be done by a committee with wider representation than simply by an election officer who is a civil servant, so I tend to think the process will have more transparency than now,” said Tong. “I would prefer to see a nomination system more open but given the way the pro-democrats behave; I understand the need for scrutinizing the candidates.  This is marginally better than allowing them to get into LegCo and then disqualifying them. ”Tong believes that this is the last round of reforms from Beijing: “I don’t really see how the current pan-democrats can still mount another attack to the system and therefore no need to respond further. ”The legislation is expected to be announced in greater detail when the NPC Standing Committee meets at a later date, and it could be enacted into Hong Kong law within the next few months. Beijing's crackdown in the semi-autonomous territory has intensified since it imposed a national security law last summer.  It said the legislation was necessary to restore peace after mass protests in 2019 but critics say it stifles freedoms promised as part of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework. Since then, dozens of Hong Kong's pro-democracy leaders have been put behind bars or have fled the city. Willy Lam, a political scientist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, earlier told ABC News that the electoral reforms would effectively shut out the opposition camp, which won more than 80% of the vote in the 2019 local elections. "I'm afraid there may be no more place for the opposition," Lam said.  "But of course, Hong Kong still has a well-established civil society, even though they have to be extremely cautious because they may be detained or arrested for speaking out against the government. "Lam said there has been a clear shift in the way that Beijing is choosing to govern Hong Kong: “Before this, at least a small space was offered to members of the opposition to give their opinions on various major policies. ”Now, Lam explained, Beijing is asserting "comprehensive jurisdiction" over Hong Kong: "Beijing will set the rules and they're supposed to be followed without any question by Hong Kong citizens. "Former democrat lawmaker Fernando Cheung told ABC News that the changes are "an effort to further tighten the system so that only those who are blessed by Beijing would stand a chance to run for public offices. ""It's a great leap backwards for Hong Kong's democracy," Cheung said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events