Lebanese Demand Blast Answers | Jersey Cops Bust Ninja

1. Lebanese Demand Answers After Blast Devastation

Lebanon’s government has put several city officials under house arrest as they seek to determine who should be held responsible for the massive explosion Tuesday that killed at least 137 people, injured 5,000 and left an estimated 300,000 homeless. Countries around the world have sent aid, but the cost of rebuilding could be as high as $15 billion, and the people of Beirut are angrily demanding that officials not only help them, but deal with the corruption and political neglect that allowed 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate to languish in a warehouse for six years.

Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC

2. With Virus Cases Soaring, US Takes New Precautions

After two days dipped below 50,000 new cases, U.S. coronavirus numbers are rising again — causing New York City to set up quarantine checkpoints and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti to threaten to shut off water and power to houses caught hosting large parties. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also warned people against drinking hand sanitizer after four deaths and a dozen other poisonings. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has announced he will not travel to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention, but will accept the presidential nomination remotely.

Sources: WSJ (sub), LA Times, NYT, CBS

3. From the Streets of Ferguson to Washington

“It’s time for everyday people to have a voice.” That’s how Cori Bush, a nurse and single mother who led protests over police killing Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, sees her Democratic primary victory over 10-term Rep. William Lacy Clay in the state’s 1st Congressional District. As Tuesday’s votes were totaled early yesterday, it affirmed that progressives are transforming the party, with Bush — trounced two years ago — getting a boost from Justice Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Duplicating New York candidate Jamaal Bowman’s June primary victory, Bush is proving that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 win wasn’t a fluke.

Sources: Yahoo, NPR, CNN

4. Trump Vows New Relief Without Congress

Who needs them? Still at loggerheads trying to find a compromise between Democrats’ new $3 trillion pandemic relief package and a Republican proposal a third as large, President Donald Trump says lawmakers will be bypassed if they can’t agree. He said he’d sign executive orders boosting unemployment benefits, suspending the payroll tax and limiting evictions. “We’ll see how it works out,” Trump told reporters, giving negotiators until the end of the week to forge an agreement. Meanwhile, GOP senators facing tough reelection fights, like Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, proposed more generous unemployment benefits than Republican leaders are offering.

Sources: WSJ (sub), USA Today, CNBC

5. Also Important …

As the U.S. East Coast recovers from the season’s deadly fifth named storm, Isaias, the nation’s top weather researchers delivered their most worrisome forecast ever. The State Department’s acting inspector general has resigned three months after President Trump fired his predecessor. And a Chinese court has issued a rare exoneration of a man who’d served 27 years on a murder conviction.

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1. Platforms Hit Trump Posts Over Immunity Claim

Even leaders aren’t immune to this. Taking their misinformation safeguards to a new level, Facebook removed video posts of President Trump telling Fox News that children are “virtually immune” to the coronavirus. Twitter followed by blocking the Trump campaign account until it removed the offending video, which both platforms banned as pandemic misinformation. White House spokesperson Courtney Parella, rephrasing Trump’s claim to kids being “less susceptible” to the virus, called it “another display of Silicon Valley’s flagrant bias against this president” and complained that social media rules are only enforced “in one direction.”

Sources: Variety, Daily Mail

2. On 75th Hiroshima Anniversary, a New Threat

It’s been a nuclear lifetime. Yet it was only a week ago that a Japanese court afforded medical benefits to people exposed to fallout from the world’s first atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima 75 years ago today. Masaaki Takano, 82, who walked home from school in the bomb’s “black rain” that day, said, “It’s too late to stand up after everyone dies.” And yet today nine nations are nuclear-armed, and there are fresh concerns that Saudi Arabia is relying on China to help it become the 10th.

Sources: NBC, Science, NYT

3. The Woman Facing Europe’s Worst Dictator

She’d rather be frying cutlets. Or so Svetlana Tikhanovskaya tells her supporters as she goes about the quixotic — and dangerous — mission of running for president of Belarus. The wife of a jailed former challenger, she’s the standout among three women taking on President Alexander Lukashenko in Sunday’s election, OZY reports. She’s already had to spirit her kids to another country after being threatened, but she seems determined to see this through, pointing out the incumbent’s failings, including his dismissiveness about the pandemic. There’s little chance her votes will be fairly counted, but some believe her persistence will dent Lukashenko’s armor.

Sources: OZY

4. FBI Raids YouTube Star’s Home

Is he a bad influencer? FBI agents, backed by SWAT team members, yesterday confiscated multiple firearms from the Southern California mansion of Jake Paul, a YouTuber with 20 million followers. While it’s not clear what they’re investigating, it’s thought to be connected to the star’s arrest after a June disturbance in a Scottsdale, Arizona, shopping mall. Local police there said they were dropping misdemeanor trespass charges to clear the way for federal authorities probing the case. Paul’s been accused of various misdeeds, including hosting a lockdown party and mixing sexually suggestive content with marketing to children.

Sources: LA Times, TMZ, CNN

5. ‘Ninja Warrior’ Champ Busted in Sex Case

This obstacle will end his career. New Jersey authorities have arrested Drew Drechsel, the reigning champion of the popular American Ninja Warrior competition, a show of athletic prowess, on various sex charges involving his encounters with a 15-year-old girl. Accused of initiating sexual contact with the minor at his Connecticut gym, his most serious charge is using interstate commerce to entice illicit sexual conduct, which carries a potential life sentence. His lawyer said his client is “presumed innocent” and intends to plead not guilty, while NBC said the show is severing ties with Drechsel.

Sources: THR, NJ Advance Media