thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Biden quietly emerges and drives Trump into attack mode

WASHINGTON—You don ’ t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows , Bob Dylan famously sang during the civil unrest of 1968 .
If he ’ d lived in D.C. in the summer of 2020 , he might ’ ve added you just need to go outside to know it ’ s blazingly hot — no meteorologist needs to tell you that .
No political pundit , either .
Here , it feels like things are approaching a boiling point , literally and metaphorically .
When President Donald Trump convened two press conferences in the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffering a near-record heat wave , and the political climate was just as oppressively overheated .
The president ’ s administration was publicly attacking its most-popular coronavirus expert , Anthony Fauci , even as virus cases in the U.S. reached record highs and deaths began to spike again .
Americans cooped up in their homes for months face the prospect of renewed lockdowns .
Unemployment remains historically high while emergency benefits are set to expire in less than two weeks .
There are simple-minded fights about masks , and complex ones about returning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The largest civil rights protest movement in U.S. history continues to occupy streets , while in Portland , unidentified federal officers in unmarked vehicles snatch suspected graffiti vandals off the street .
A Dylanesque laundry list of current event references in a song could have more : angry debates about statues and flags , a presidential pardon of a man convicted of covering up for the president , Russians trying to steal vaccines , confrontations with China , the president ’ s niece accusing him of incompetence , fraud , and racism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too .
That was the climate around Trump ’ s two press conferences , in which he launched rambling attacks against his electoral opponent .
One of them featured a crane and pickup trucks painted in political party colours , meant to illustrate the lifting of regulatory burdens .
As Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his climate change plan , Trump bragged he ’ d pulled out of the Paris climate accord and was now loosening environmental regulations .
To that end , he said he would bring back water pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the water doesn ’ t come out .
You want to wash your hands , the water doesn ’ t come out .
So what do you do ?
” he asked of regulations on water usage he attributed to the Democrats ) , and ensure a future for windows ( “ That basically means no windows , ” he said of Biden ’ s proposed carbon-emission building standards ) .
Trump said he ’ d stood up for the fossil fuel industry and incandescent light bulbs .
Another line of attack against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end racial housing segregation through expanded fair housing laws .
“ Your home will go down in value and crime rates will rapidly rise , ” Trump said .
“ The end result is you will totally destroy the beautiful suburbs .
Suburbia will be no longer as we know it , ” Trump said .
These Rose Garden campaign-style speeches came as Trump attempts to stop the meltdown of his reelection bid .
“ There is no upside , no silver lining , no encouraging trend hidden somewhere in this survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analyst Tim Malloy said as his organization ’ s numbers showed Trump trailing 52-37 in the electoral race — one of several polls this week showing Biden leading by double digits .
Trump ’ s consolation has long been that Republicans still support him , though a Langer Research poll said Republican support for his coronavirus policies was down 11 per cent since May .
And a Gallup analysis this week showed party identification has swung sharply since January : “ What had been a two-percentage-point Republican advantage in U.S. party identification and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the analysis said .
As part of the attempt to turn things around , Trump announced Wednesday night he was demoting his campaign manager , Brad Parscale , replacing him with former New Jersey governor Chris Christie aide , Bill Stepien .
Biden has been remarkably quiet since the coronavirus lockdowns began , remaining largely at home in Delaware and making relatively little news — former Bernie Sanders campaign adviser David Sirota has called the former vice-president “ Delaware basement guy.
” But Biden emerged recently to begin outlining a platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His $ 2 trillion climate change plan outlined Tuesday , paid for by corporate tax increases and pitched as a green energy jobs strategy , aims to end carbon pollution from power plants by 2035 .
It ’ s a contrast to Trump ’ s approach , as Trump ’ s Rose Garden attacks indicated , and as Biden pointed out in his own attack line .
“ When Donald Trump thinks about climate change , the only word he can muster is ‘ hoax.
’ When I think about climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ jobs ’ ” Biden said Tuesday .
In the coming weeks , as Biden announces his pick for vice-president , continues to roll out his platform , and stages a heavily downscaled convention , Americans will get to see if they prefer a campaigning Biden to the one who stayed quietly in his basement .
Still , it ’ s likely the campaign will be driven by events , and by opinions of Trump , more than by anything in Biden ’ s platform .
Americans polled so far have preferred the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one blowing hot air on television .
Many seem to long for a president who makes less news .
Maybe that ’ s obvious .
After all , you don ’ t need a weatherman to know that during a long period of sweltering high temperatures , a lot of people just want a break from the heat .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Mexico video shows dozens of uniformed gunmen, armoured cars

MEXICO CITY - Mexico ’ s top security official said Saturday that authorities are investigating a video showing dozens of combat-uniformed gunmen posing with military-grade weapons and armoured pickup trucks , some painted with the initials of the Jalisco drug cartel , in what appears to be a show of power .
Many of the trucks in a column of about 20 vehicles parked on a dirt road have improvised gun turrets or plate-steel armour welded onto them .
The video was posted on social media sites Thursday .
Several dozen masked men are heard shouting they are “ people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera .
Almost all of the unformed men wearing bulletproof vests wield assault rifles , and some appear to have belt-fed machine-guns or .50 calibre sniper rifles .
Mexico ’ s top security official wrote Saturday that the video is being analyzed to confirm whether it is authentic and when it was made .
But Alfonso Durazo wrote in his Twitter account that “ there is no criminal group that has the capacity to successfully defy federal security forces , and much less with this staged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central state of Jalisco has spread across Mexico and increasingly has posed direct challenges to the government .
Mexico City ’ s police chief blamed it for an elaborately planned attempt on his life last month — an ambush on the capital ’ s most famous boulevard .
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met Thursday with Jalisco Gov .
Enrique Alfaro to discuss the security issues .
“ In the face of threats , intimidations , we say to Governor Alfaro that he is not alone , that we are with him in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ López Obrador said .
But the president defended his policy of avoiding confrontation with the cartels .
He prefers to address social problems like poverty and unemployment that he says contribute to crime .

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada
Postal Code


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Fighting between armed groups in eastern Congo kills dozens

KINSHASA , Congo - Days of fighting between armed groups in villages in Congo ’ s South Kivu province killed @ @ @ @ @ many of them women and children , residents said Saturday .
At least 40 others @ @ @ @ @ armed group known as Ngumino attacked the village of Kipupu on Thursday while they were @ @ @ @ @ Mai rebel group , according to the co-ordinator of South Kivu civil society groups , @ @ @ @ @ clashes between these armed groups began since Thursday , ” he said .
Houses were @ @ @ @ @ villages along the way .
A local army spokesman , Capt .
Dieudonne Kasereka , @ @ @ @ @ that began Thursday and continued into Friday .
The army is taking all steps to @ @ @ @ @ .
Many armed groups are present in Congo ’ s eastern provinces , fighting for @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Fire at French cathedral in Nantes destroys famed organ

NANTES , France - French officials launched an arson inquiry Saturday after a fire broke out in the famed Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of the western French city of Nantes .
The blaze destroyed the organ , shattered stained glass windows and sent black smoke spewing from between the cathedral towers .
Residents and tourists watched aghast , and emergency workers cordoned off the area around the monument , in the historical centre of this city on the Loire River .
A City Hall official said the fire broke out Saturday morning inside the cathedral , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official is not authorized to be publicly named .
No injuries have been reported .
The local firefighter service said the roof is not affected by the fire and was “ under control.
“ They brushed aside comparisons with Notre Dame cathedral in Paris whose lead roof and spire burned down in April 2019 .
For many , the Nantes fire will have brought back memories of that devastating blaze that threatened to topple the medieval monument in the capital .
“ After Notre-Dame , the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral , in the heart of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for our firefighters who take all risks to save this Gothic jewel of the city , “ French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter .
Saturday ’ s fire broke the main stained glass windows between the two towers of the 15th-century cathedral , and destroyed the organ , which dated from the 17th century and was called the “ soul of the cathedral ” by faithful .
“ The damage is concentrated on the great organ which appears to be be completely destroyed .
The platform on which it is located is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Gen. Laurent Ferlay , head of the firefighters in the Loire Atlantique area , during a press briefing in front of the cathedral .
The cathedral had been built over five centuries and completed in 1891 .
The main organ had previously survived a serious fire in 1972 , which annihilated much of its wooden structures .
“ It is a part of our history , a part of our heritage ” Nantes Mayor Johanna Rolland told reporters .
“ We all have these images in mind , this story in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation does not seem to be comparable to that of 1972.
” That devastation had one upside — the burnt-out wood was replaced by concrete that helped limit the scope of Saturday ’ s catastrophe , Ferlay said .
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin were among officials planning to visit Nantes Saturday afternoon in reaction to the blaze .

Laetitia Notarianni And Thomas Adamson - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Kuwait’s ruler, 91, admitted to hospital for medical checkup

DUBAI , United Arab Emirates - Kuwait ’ s 91-year-old ruler has been admitted to the hospital for a medical checkup , the oil-rich nation ’ s state-run news agency reported Saturday .
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was in “ good health , ” the KUNA news agency said , citing a statement from the country ’ s diwan minister .
The brief report did not elaborate .
However , the visit comes as the tiny nation fights the coronavirus pandemic , which has seen over 58,000 cases and 400 deaths in the country of 4.1 million .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have recovered from the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes .
In August 2019 , Kuwait acknowledged the emir suffered an unspecified medical “ setback “ that required him to be hospitalized .
That came after visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that he was “ praying for Emir ’ s speedy recovery , ” without elaborating .
Sheikh Sabah has ruled Kuwait since January 2006 .
He ’ s pushed for diplomacy to solve regional issues , such as the ongoing boycott of Qatar by four Arab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for war-torn nations like Iraq and Syria .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Asia Today: China battles new outbreak in far west Xinjiang

BEIJING - The number of confirmed cases in a new coronavirus outbreak in China ’ s far west has risen to 17 .
The National Health Commission said Saturday that 16 more cases were identified in the previous 24 hours in the Xinjiang region , on top of a first case .
The outbreak in the city of Urumqi is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March .
The largest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people .
Authorities in Urumqi have reduced subways , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residential communities , according to Chinese media reports .
They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city , including a suspension of subway service to the airport .
China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang , the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community .
The region has long been blanketed with extreme security , which China says is necessary to prevent terrorist activity .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — Bangladesh has surpassed 200,000 cases .
Nasima Sultana , additional director general of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people had tested positive over the last 24 hours , raising the total number of confirmed cases to 202,066 , including 2,581 deaths .
Bangladesh lacks adequate laboratories for testing , and experts say the actual figures are much higher .
Most people in rural Bangladesh have stopped wearing masks and are thronging to shopping centres ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha , scheduled for later this month .
— Australia ’ s Victoria state saw a marked drop in new COVID-19 infections — from Friday ’ s record high of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Saturday that two more people in the state , a man and a woman both aged in their 80s , had died , raising the state ’ s death toll to 34 and Australia ’ s national total to 118 .
— Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison requested that the next two-week sitting of Parliament be cancelled because of increasing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in parts of the country .
Parliament was due to sit from Aug. 4 to 13 and would not meet again until the next planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morrison said he had written to the parliamentary speaker to ask for a cancellation .
The request is considered a formality .
— South Korea has reported 39 newly confirmed infections of COVID-19 , most of them cases imported from abroad .
The figures brought the national caseload to 13,711 , including 294 deaths .
Authorities said least 28 cases were tied to overseas arrivals .
Eighteen others came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area , which had been at the centre of a virus resurgence that began in late May as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--EU leaders resume ‘grumpy’ summit on budget, virus fund

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders hunted for compromises Saturday on the second day of a summit to reach a deal on an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ( $ 2.1 trillion ) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund , with tensions running high among leaders weary after months of battling the pandemic in their countries .
A full day and night of discussions by the 27 leaders on Friday only added to the irritations over how the huge sums should be spent and what strings should be attached .
The atmosphere “ was grumpier “ as the talks went on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s marathon talks .
“ This is going to take a while , I think.
” The EU executive has proposed a 750-billion euro fund , partly based on common borrowing , to be sent as loans and grants to the most needy countries .
That comes on top of the seven-year 1-trillion-euro EU budget that leaders were fighting over when COVID-19 slammed their continent .
The summit broke up around lunchtime Saturday so that each delegation could discuss the new proposals from host Charles Michel , according to a European diplomat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of straight-out grants in the rescue package and raise the proportion of loans that will need to be paid back , in an apparent nod to a grouping of “ frugal ” nations led by the Netherlands , the diplomat said .
But the issue of how to track the rescue money remains the key sticking point , the diplomat said .
Michel proposed a measure that would stop short of allowing any country a veto on how governments spend the money .
Another diplomat described Michel ’ s new proposals as just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a long journey to agreement .
Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the closed-door negotiations .
Rutte is seen as a leader of four “ frugal ” nations that want conditions such as economic reforms attached to EU handouts to help countries recover from the hammer blow of the coronavirus .
He met Saturday ahead of the summit for crisis talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel , French President Emmanuel Macron , Italy ’ s Giuseppe Conte as well as the leader of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ der Leyen , and Michel .
One of Rutte ’ s allies , Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz , said the talks were not totally stalled .
“ There is more and more movement in our direction , ” he told ORF television .
The pandemic sent the EU into a tailspin with 27-nation bloc ’ s economy contracting by 8.3 % this year , according to the latest predictions .
Around 135,000 of its citizens have died from COVID-19 .
As leaders met in person for the first time since February , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sat in a cavernous meeting hall so they could maintain social distancing .
Many of their negotiating positions were further apart than their chairs .
After two fruitless sessions Friday , summit host and European Council President Charles Michel met key players - Rutte , French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungary ’ s Viktor Orban - in an attempt to narrow the gaps between them .
Orban does not want strings attached to EU funds , Rutte does and Macron is arguing that Europe must show solidarity to claw its way out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present leaders with possible compromises when the summit resumes , though it remains to be seen if they can reach agreement or will have to schedule another meeting .
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis was pessimistic after the first day .
“ I don ’ t have the impression that we are getting close to an agreement , ” he said .
Rutte , however , said that despite the mounting acrimony , the talks were creeping forward .
“ You make a bit of progress during the day , “ he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps if you better understand each other ’ s positions , then you can search for possible compromises .
”

Mike Corder And Raf Casert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--India-Pakistan fighting in Kashmir kills 3 family members

SRINAGAR , India - Three members of a family were killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir by firing from Indian and Pakistani soldiers who were exchanging shells and gunfire along the highly militarized frontier in the disputed region , Indian officials said Saturday .
A 50-year-old woman , her husband and their teenage son were hit by a shell in their home as the family was cooking late Friday night in southern Poonch district , said Rahul Yadav , an Indian administrator .
He said the the three died on the spot .
Indian army spokesman Lt. Col. Devender Anand said Pakistani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Control dividing Kashmir between the two countries late Friday .
Anand called it an “ unprovoked violation ” of a 2003 cease-fire accord between the two nuclear rivals and said Indian troops “ retaliated befittingly , ” giving a usual description almost after every such fighting along the volatile de facto border .
Pakistan did not immediately comment .
However , in the past , each side has accused the other of starting the border skirmishes in the region that both claim in its entirety .
There has been almost daily fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rugged and mountainous frontier between Indian and Pakistani soldiers , leaving dozens of civilians and soldiers dead on both sides .
India ’ s military says Pakistan has so far this year has committed more than 2,500 cease-fire violations .
Pakistan says India has violated the cease fire about 1,700 times this year .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Germany: Black Forest fugitive had no support during manhunt

BERLIN - A man arrested following a five-day manhunt in Germany ’ s Black Forest that started when he disarmed four officers at gunpoint appears to have had no support from anyone else during his time in hiding , police said Saturday .
The 31-year-old suspect , Yves Rausch , was captured on Friday after police received tips from two witnesses .
A judge on Saturday ordered him kept in custody pending possible charges of robbery by extortion and unauthorized possession of a firearm .
The investigation so far suggests that Rausch spent the whole of the manhunt in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oppenau in southwestern Germany , police and prosecutors said in a statement .
In questioning , he said that the weapon he threatened officers with at the beginning of a drama was a blank gun , the statement said .
It said that is still under investigation .
The four missing police weapons were recovered and an additional handgun found when the suspect was arrested on Friday .
He also was carrying a hatchet .
On Sunday , police were alerted to a suspicious person carrying a bow and arrow .
Officers conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hut where he had settled illegally .
Officials have said Rausch initially co-operated but then suddenly pulled a gun on the officers , threatening and forcing them to hand over their service weapons .
Nobody was injured .
The incident triggered a manhunt that , by the time it ended on Friday afternoon , had involved more than 2,530 police officers .
Rausch lost his apartment last fall and had had no permanent address since then , according to authorities .
Officials have said they don ’ t know what prompted Rausch @ @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--John Lewis, lion of civil rights and Congress, dies at 80

ATLANTA - John Lewis , a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation , and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress , has died .
He was 80 .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis ’ passing late Friday night , calling him “ one of the greatest heroes of American history.
” “ All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague , and are heartbroken by his passing , ” Pelosi said .
“ May his memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , in the face of injustice , make ‘ good trouble , necessary trouble.
’ ” The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was “ a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism , promote equal rights , and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles .
” Lewis ’ s announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer — “ I have never faced a fight quite like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said — inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle , and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era .
The announcement of his death came just hours after the passing of the Rev .
C.T .
Vivian , another civil rights leader who died early Friday at 95 .
Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists , a group led by the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. that had the greatest impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma .
At age 25 — walking at the head of the march with his hands tucked in the pockets of his tan overcoat — Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by police .
His skull was fractured , and nationally televised images of the brutality forced the country ’ s attention on racial oppression in the South .
Within days , King led more marches in the state , and President Lyndon Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voting Rights Act .
The bill became law later that year , removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting .
“ He loved this country so much that he risked his life and its blood so that it might live up to its promise , ” President Barack Obama said after Lewis ’ death .
“ Early on , he embraced the principles of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as the means to bring about real change in this country.
” Lewis joined King and four other civil rights leaders in organizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke to the vast crowd just before King delivered his epochal “ I Have a Dream ” speech .
A 23-year-old firebrand , Lewis toned down his intended remarks at the insistence of others , dropping a reference to a “ scorched earth ” march through the South and scaling back criticisms of President John Kennedy .
It was a potent speech nonetheless , in which he vowed : “ By the forces of our demands , our determination and our numbers , we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of God and democracy.
” It was almost immediately , and forever , overshadowed by the words of King , the man who had inspired him to activism .
Lewis was born on Feb. 21 , 1940 , outside the town of Troy , in Pike County , Alabama .
He grew up on his family ’ s farm and attended segregated public schools .
As a boy , he wanted to be a minister , and practiced his oratory on the family chickens .
Denied a library card because of the colour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avid reader , and could cite obscure historical dates and details even in his later years .
He was a teenager when he first heard King preaching on the radio .
They met when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabama ’ s segregated Troy State University .
He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University in Nashville , Tennessee .
He began organizing sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider , enduring beatings and arrests while travelling around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was named its chairman in 1963 , making him one of the Big Six at a tender age .
The others , in addition to King , were Whitney Young of the National Urban League ; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council ; James L. Farmer Jr. , of the Congress of Racial Equality ; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP .
All six met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the March on Washington .
The huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t come quickly .
After extensive training in nonviolent protest , Lewis and the Rev .
Hosea Williams led demonstrators on a planned march of more than 50 miles ( 80 kilometres ) from Selma to Montgomery , Alabama ’ s capital , on March 7 , 1965 .
A phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge .
Authorities shoved , then swung their truncheons , fired tear gas and charged on horseback , sending many to the hospital and horrifying much of the nation .
King returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montgomery before the end of the month .
Lewis turned to politics in 1981 , when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council .
He won his seat in Congress in 1986 and spent much of his career in the minority .
After Democrats won control of the House in 2006 , Lewis became his party ’ s senior deputy whip , a behind-the-scenes leadership post in which he helped keep the party unified .
In an early setback for Barack Obama ’ s 2008 Democratic primary campaign , Lewis endorsed Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ switched when it became clear Obama had overwhelming Black support .
Obama later honoured Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom , and they marched hand in hand in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack .
President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday praised Lewis as a “ giant ” who became “ the conscience of the nation.
” Lewis also worked for 15 years to gain approval for the Smithsonian ’ s National Museum of African American History and Culture .
Humble and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol Hill — but as one of the most liberal members of Congress , he often lost policy battles , from his effort to stop the Iraq War to his defence of young immigrants .
He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act , but the Supreme Court later invalidated much of the law , and it became once again what it was in his youth , a work in progress .
Later , when the presidency of Donald Trump challenged his civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hide his pain .
Lewis refused to attend Trump ’ s inauguration , saying he didn ’ t consider him a “ legitimate president ” because Russians had conspired to get him elected .
When Trump later complained about immigrants from “ s -- -hole countries , ” Lewis declared , “ I think he is a racist ... we have to try to stand up and speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug.
” Lewis said he ’ d been arrested 40 times in the 1960s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 78 , he told a rally he ’ d do it again to help reunite immigrant families separated by the Trump administration .
“ There can not be any peace in America until these young children are returned to their parents and set all of our people free , ” Lewis said in June , recalling the “ good trouble ” he got into protesting segregation as a young man .
“ If we fail to do it , history will not be kind to us , ” he shouted .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll get arrested again .
If necessary , I ’ m prepared to go to jail.
” In a speech the day of the House impeachment vote of Trump , Lewis explained the importance of that vote .
“ When you see something that is not right , not just , not fair , you have a moral obligation to say something , to do something .
Our children and their children will ask us ‘ what did you do ?
what did you say ?
” While the vote would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.
” Lewis ’ wife of four decades , Lillian Miles , died in 2012 .
They had one son , John Miles Lewis .
Woodward reported from Washington .
Associated Press writer Michael Warren contributed to this report .

Calvin Woodward And Desiree Seals - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Iran sends downed Ukrainian plane’s black box to France

TEHRAN , Iran - Iran has sent the black box of the Ukrainian passenger jet that its armed forces mistakenly shot down in January to France for reading , an Iranian semi-official news agency said Saturday .
Iran accidentally shot down the Boeing 737-800 , killing all 176 people aboard , after mistaking it for an incoming missile .
The were 55 Canadian citizens board the aircraft , along with 30 permanent residents and dozens of others with connections to Canada .
Iranian armed forces had been bracing for a counterattack after launching missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commander , Gen. Qassim Soleimani , in a U.S. strike earlier in January .
ILNA ’ s report quotes Mohsen Baharvand , an aide to Iran ’ s foreign minister , as saying the downed jet ’ s black box was transported to Paris on Friday , accompanied by Iranian civil aviation and judicial officials .
Baharvand also said the black box will be read in Paris on Monday .
Iran has been in intense negotiations with Ukraine , Canada and other nations that had citizens aboard the downed plane , and which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident .
Iran initially blamed the crash on technical problems and only acknowledged shooting down the plane days later .
— With files from The Canadian Press

Meta will soon block news on their platforms.
Every single Canadian should have access to trusted news.
Stay connected now for only $0.50/week.


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--French protesters mark death of Black man in police custody

PARIS - Protesters are marching in a Paris suburb Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of a Black man in police custody , whose case has mobilized broad anger against police brutality and racial injustice .
The demonstration in Beaumont-sur-Oise is honouring Adama Traoré , who died on his 24th birthday in July 2016 after an arrest in circumstances that remain unclear .
But it ’ s also about broader anti-government grievances , and climate activists are co-organizing this year ’ s protest .
Since George Floyd ’ s killing by Minneapolis police in May , campaigning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French activists against police violence targeting minorities has gained renewed attention and mobilized thousands in protests around France .
On July 19 , 2016 , gendarmes approached Traore and his brother for an identity check in Beaumont-sur-Oise north of Paris .
Traore ran away because he didn ’ t have his ID , but the gendarmes arrested him .
Within hours he was declared dead .
One gendarme initially said three officers jumped on Traoré to pin him down , but the gendarme later denied that .
A dozen court-ordered medical reports found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Traoré family countered those with an independent autopsy and medical reports pointing to asphyxiation .
The case is still under investigation , and lawyers for the officers deny police were at fault .
No one has been charged .
Traoré ’ s case has also shed light on the struggle of other French families who have lost a loved one in police custody , notably Black and North African men , who French researchers have found are disproportionately targeted by police .
According to a nationwide tally by news website Basta Mag , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation in France .
Traore ’ s sister Assa has led the family ’ s efforts for justice , and has been touring struggling French suburbs where most of the population is immigrant or non-white , and organized activists across racial , geographical and economic lines to try to get France to rethink its policing .
“ There ’ s a movement today .
We call it the Adama generation , these people who are not afraid anymore , and these youth who will not shut up , “ Assa Traoré , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press this week .
She called for banning dangerous techniques that police use to immobilize people and wants France to scrap police oversight agencies , which are currently composed of police themselves , in favour of independent bodies .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Floods kill 14 in China as water peaks at Three Gorges Dam

BEIJING - At least 14 people have died in the latest round of seasonal rains and flooding in southern China , as soldiers and workers built makeshift barriers with sandbags and rocks Saturday to keep the Yangtze River and its tributaries at bay .
Three floodgates of the Three Gorges Dam that spans the Yangtze were opened as the water level behind the massive dam rose more than 15 metres ( 50 feet ) above flood level , the official Xinhua News Agency reported .
The dam was holding back about 45 % of the water , Xinhua said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 people had been killed in Chongqing as of Saturday morning , China National Emergency Broadcasting said in an online report , citing the municipal emergency agency .
More than 20,000 people had been evacuated and 1,031 homes destroyed .
Three landslides in Dunhao town in a mountainous part of Chongqing left six dead , the city ’ s Emergency Management Bureau said .
The bodies had been found by Friday evening after more than 200 people were dispatched for a search and rescue operation .
Rainfall in the town of Dunhao totalled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bureau said .
Three more people died in neighbouring Hubei province , the emergency management department said in a social media post .
State broadcaster CCTV showed people cleaning up still wet , muddy streets and shops in the city of Enshi after severe flooding Friday .
Rescue workers used inflatable rafts to rescue more than 1,900 people trapped in their homes and other buildings .
Downriver , firefighters and others finished filling in a 188-meter ( 620-foot ) break in a dike on Poyang Lake , China ’ s largest freshwater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave way nine days ago , flooding 15 villages and agricultural fields in Jiangxi province , the news agency said .
More than 14,000 people were evacuated .
The incoming waters were expected to peak Saturday behind the Three Gorges Dam , but more water is forecast to arrive around Tuesday , Xinhua said .
The hydropower dam is used to mitigate catastrophic flooding .
Seasonal flooding strikes large parts of China annually , especially in its central and southern regions , but the rainfall has been unusually high this year .
About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct losses attributed to flooding are estimated at more than 49 billion yuan ( $ 7 billion ) , according to the Ministry of Emergency Management .
Major cities have been spared so far , but concern has risen over Wuhan and other downstream metropolises that are home to tens of millions of people .
China ’ s worst floods in recent years were in 1998 , when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed , mostly along the Yangtze .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Tanzanian opposition leader urges united front ahead of vote

NAIROBI , Kenya - One opposition leader was shot 16 times and fled the country .
Another had his leg broken by unknown assailants and his newspaper was shut down .
A third , the country ’ s most prominent , has been banned for a year from making so-called “ seditious statements , “ or what others might call dissent .
But he ’ s speaking out anyway .
With Tanzania facing an October election that contentious President John Magufuli hopes to win , opposition leader Zitto Kabwe tells The Associated Press he ’ s trying to unite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot at an upset .
And his party just attracted a potential candidate , former foreign minister Bernard Membe , who left the ruling party that has been in power since independence .
Magufuli ’ s administration , however , has set up one obstacle after another .
In 2016 it barred opposition groups from political gatherings , and there ’ s no sign it will be lifted for campaigning .
Human rights groups say that ban has no legal basis .
Politics are behind the attacks on opposition leaders and multiple arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus is a threat after Magufuli declared it defeated in the East African nation .
His government stopped updating the confirmed number of cases in April .
The president has refused to shut down the economy or bar any kind of gatherings — except the political ones .
Kabwe , the leader of the Alliance for Change and Transparency party , the country ’ s fastest growing political party , has been arrested 16 times since Magufuli came to power in 2015 .
“ The best weapon against a dictatorship is speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This week Tanzania ’ s registrar of political parties added more pressure , threatening to deregister or suspend Kabwe ’ s party and accusing it of flouting rules by mixing religion and politics .
Kabwe called the accusations “ flimsy ” and told supporters not to worry because the registrar is barred from deregistering a party in the 12 months before an election .
Kabwe says he “ crossed the Rubicon ” and became more outspoken after opposition leader Tindu Lissu , deputy leader of the CHADEMA party , was shot 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said this should not continue , “ he said .
“ The state wants us to keep quiet , they threaten us .
The best weapon for us is to speak up and radicalize even more.
” Now his task is persuading Lissu and CHADEMA leader Freeman Mbowe , was attacked in June by unidentified assailants , to join forces in the election against the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party .
Lissu has announced he will run against the president , but he remains in Belgium .
Mbowe has picked up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run , too .
Kabwe said that in Tanzania , where whoever gets the most votes wins the election outright , a united opposition has the chance at an upset .
Magufuli won the 2015 election with 58 % of the vote .
“ I have been across the country and the feeling of the people is just change , ” Kabwe said .
He said past efforts to form a united front had failed because of “ selfishness , “ giving no details .
On Wednesday , Kabwe told reporters his party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single candidate and he will not vie for that position .
Instead , he will support whoever emerges after the two parties choose their candidates in the coming weeks .
Talks with CHADEMA are at an “ advanced stage , ” he said .
He also warned the election won ’ t be free and fair , pointing out that Magufuli appoints the members of the electoral commission .
And independent media houses have been banned or had their licenses suspended .
But the opposition can not boycott this election regardless of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could make the situation in Tanzania worse as Magufuli ’ s allies would have no challenge for seats in the legislative assembly or local assemblies .
Ruling party delegates this month unanimously endorsed Magufuli to run for a second term .
Some even want him to go beyond the two-term limit .
The president , although criticized over repressive measures , has won some support for his much-publicized fight against corruption , though some in the opposition question its effectiveness .
Magufuli also celebrated when the World Bank this month reclassified Tanzania upward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaker Job Ndugai has said they will force Magufuli to pursue further terms “ whether he likes it or not.
” Amnesty International warns the October election will take place in a climate of fear as restrictions tighten .
“ Already , organizations such as the Legal and Human Rights Centre and Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition that have previously convened local organizations on election observation or monitoring human rights in the context of elections have been barred by Tanzania ’ s government from playing these roles , ” researcher Roland Ebole said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will continue fighting .
“ We will call for electoral and political reforms while conducting our politics .
There is no way apart from that in order to save our democracy , ” he said .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--China’s mighty Yangtze nears crest again, new floods feared

BEIJING - Engorged with more heavy rains , China ’ s mighty Yangtze River is cresting again , bringing fears of further destruction as seasonal floods that already have left more than 140 people dead or missing have grown in force since last month .
The rains are putting renewed pressure on the massive Three Gorges Dam that straddles the river upstream of the city of Wuhan in Hubei province .
The official Xinhua News Agency said the rate of flow in the reservoir behind the dam would hit a record for the year on Friday night , at 55,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) per second .
Rivers in the Yangtze system have broken their banks in places .
A helicopter was used to drop stones into a breach to block the inrushing waters in Hubei .
Crews were dispatched with poles to probe waterlogged embankments for weakness and thousands of sandbags were being filled in preparation for more breaches that would need to be swiftly closed .
Water rose to the level of first-floor windows in exposed ancient towns and crops were completely inundated around vast Poyang Lake , a network of waterways that empty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lake ’ s eastern edge in Jiangxi province , 45-year-old Xu Yongxiang said his village of Liufang had been without running water or electricity for almost a week .
Although it was time for the rice harvest , that crop , along with cotton , corn and beans was now underwater .
“ We do not have one inch of dry ground .
It has all been flooded , “ Xu , who sells pork for a living , was quoted as saying on the official newspaper China Youth Daily ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the month has forced evacuations of around 1.8 million people in 24 provinces , mainly in southern China .
Direct losses attributed to flooding are estimated at more than 49 billion yuan ( $ 7 billion ) , according to the Ministry of Emergency Management .
Floodwaters reached as high as 1.4 metres ( almost 5 feet ) in Linshui county in the southwestern province of Sichuan , the ministry ’ s rescue department reported .
Torrential rain also caused three landslides Thursday in a town in mountainous Chongqing , upstream on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chongqing Emergency Management Bureau said .
The bodies had been found by Friday evening after more than 200 people were dispatched for search and rescue .
The rainfall in the town of Dunhao totalled 39 centimetres ( 15 inches ) , the bureau said .
Seasonal flooding strikes large parts of China each year , especially in its central and southern regions , but conditions this year have been especially bad .
Major cities have thus far been spared but concerns have risen over Wuhan and other downstream metropolises that are home to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s worst floods in recent years were in 1998 , when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed , mostly along the Yangtze .
The Three Gorges Dam was built mainly to generate electricity , but the government also said it was expected to mitigate catastrophic flooding .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Surging Democrats expand Senate targets to GOP states

WASHINGTON - It ’ s come to this for Republicans straining to defend their Senate majority in November ’ s elections : They ’ re air-dropping millions of dollars into races in Alabama , Kentucky and other red states where Donald Trump coasted during his 2016 presidential election triumph .
This year , challenged by Trump ’ s fumbled handling of the coronavirus pandemic , the crippled economy and his racially inflammatory stances , Republicans face potentially competitive races they ’ d normally have locked down .
Compounding their problems is strong fundraising by Democratic candidates that ’ s kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The president ’ s weakening poll numbers over the last several months have made down-ballot races more competitive , ” said GOP pollster Whit Ayres .
While saying he believes Republicans will win many of the contested seats , Ayres added , “ It ’ s fair to say the map is expanded.
” GOP fretting is being aggravated by some polls showing Trump trailing nationally and in some battleground states against Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee .
And while it ’ s early and well-known senators can differentiate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ticket , Democrats are defending just 12 Senate seats this November to Republicans ’ 23 .
The GOP controls the Senate 53-47 .
“ Donald Trump ’ s failed handling of the coronavirus crisis has changed everything , ” said Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin .
He said GOP senators are linked too closely to Trump , leaving him “ pleased and surprised by the willingness of so many Republicans to go down with the ship.
“ Democrats have at least a puncher ’ s chance of grabbing Republican-held seats in four states Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kansas , Kentucky and South Carolina .
They have an even shot at ousting GOP Sen. Steve Daines in Montana , which Trump carried by 20 percentage points , and long-shot hopes of retaining their most endangered senator , Doug Jones of Alabama , where Trump won by 28 points .
Republican incumbents face legitimate challenges for two Senate seats in Georgia and difficult fights in Arizona and North Carolina , all where Trump won narrowly .
In two states Trump won by 9 points , Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst faces a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while Republican Sen. John Cornyn is on alert against a Texas upset .
Republicans say they ’ ll keep their majority , aided by Trump attacks on Biden that will close the overall gap by Election Day .
They argue that Trump ’ s name on the ballot will give Senate candidates in Republican states a major edge and say they ’ re spending there because Democrats are raising sums that can ’ t be ignored .
“ The left ’ s antipathy toward the president becomes an easy rallying cry ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who leads a pair of outside groups aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. Former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp , a moderate Democrat who lost her 2018 reelection bid , said she believes Trump ’ s struggles have put red areas in play , especially transitioning Southern states like North Carolina , Georgia and Texas .
“ Don ’ t run away from who you are , “ like hedging on whether you ’ ll vote for Biden , said Heitkamp , a founder of One Country , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Run on health care , things that affect your community.
” In early TV spots , the National Republican Senatorial Committee accuses Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff in Georgia of backing “ policies so extreme only Hollywood would want him.
” One by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee accuses Ernst , the GOP senator from Iowa , of protecting corporate interests , adding , “ In tough times it ’ s important to know who has your back.
” Although dollars don ’ t always translate into votes , campaign reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in solidly Republican terrain .
Jones ’ $ 18 million haul in Alabama more than quadruples the amount raised by his Republican opponent , Tommy Tuberville , a former Auburn football coach .
That ’ s prompted One Nation , a group allied with McConnell , to line up $ 3.2 million on ads helping Tuberville , with the conservative Club for Growth planning $ 1.3 million more .
In Montana , Daines is on even financial footing with his Democratic opponent , Gov .
Steve Bullock .
One Nation and the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are spending millions to help Daines , while the DSCC , Senate Democrats ’ campaign arm , and Majority Forward , allied with Democratic leadership , are helping Bullock .
The two McConnell-friendly groups are even aiming $ 15 million at Kentucky to help him fend off an uphill challenge from Democrat Amy McGrath .
The $ 47 million she has raised so far , aided by Democratic contributors ’ antipathy to McConnell ’ s work with Trump , is tops in the country and surpasses McConnell ’ s $ 38 million .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t elected a Democratic senator since before World War II , a group with ties to state and national Republicans plans to spend $ 3 million to prevent the polarizing Kris Kobach from winning the party ’ s Senate nomination .
Top Republicans fear a Kobach nomination could mean victory for Democrat Barbara Bollier , who ’ s collected more cash than the three GOP contenders combined .
The two McConnell-allied groups are preparing to spend $ 22 million to help GOP Sen. David Perdue against Democrat Ossoff in Georgia , where Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An expensive battle is brewing over Ernst ’ s Iowa seat , with outside Democratic and GOP groups each planning to spend over $ 20 million .
Other robust Democratic fundraisers include Mark Kelly in Arizona and Jaime Harrison in South Carolina .
Kelly has a solid chance of defeating GOP Sen. Martha McSally while Harrison is waging an unlikely drive to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , a close Trump ally .
Cornyn has a dominant money advantage over MJ Hegar , his Democratic challenger in Texas .
While some early polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans are confident of a Cornyn win , barring a Trump collapse .
Republicans are eyeing Alaska , where GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan ’ s likely opponent is Al Gross , an independent with Democratic support .
The sprawling state is difficult to poll and populated by notoriously free-spirited voters , and Gross , a doctor , has already spent $ 700,000 of his own money on his campaign .
Scott Kendall , a Republican consultant , predicted Sullivan will win .
But , he cautioned , 2020 is “ the weirdest year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press writers Bruce Schreiner in Louisville , Ky. , and Becky Bohrer in Juneau , Alaska , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Officials help hotel residents find housing as closure nears

LINCOLN , Neb .
- Julie Pinkston had $ 100 , her car and nowhere to go when she got kicked out of an abusive home in 2016 .
A decade earlier she ’ d found herself in the same situation and stayed in her car for a month when she couldn ’ t find a more stable option , she said .
On a friend ’ s recommendation this time around , she looked to The Oasis Inn and Suites for a few nights ’ refuge .
Pinkston ’ s short-term plans became more permanent , however , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her a deal on room rent if she helped as a housekeeper when her cash from working temp jobs couldn ’ t cut it .
“ It was a good feeling , coming from the street , having nowhere to go and coming here and feeling like people cared , ” Pinkston told the Lincoln Journal Star .
Pinkston and more than 50 other residents face homelessness again at the end of August after Lincoln ’ s Building and Safety Department revoked the hotel ’ s operating permit June 29 to break a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has gone on too long at 5250 Cornhusker Highway .
“ I don ’ t want to see people out on the streets , ” said the 55-year-old , who ’ s still figuring out her housing answer and may turn to another hotel for a short-term fix .
Agencies that belong to the Lincoln Homeless Coalition have reached out to residents like Pinkston in the last two weeks as the Aug. 30 deadline to vacate the hotel approaches and Holt continues working to keep it running .
For most of the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a last resort for individuals and families on the edge of being homeless , hotel residents like Pinkston say .
Despite the hotel ’ s troubles , some residents have been content living in the former Holiday Inn Northeast , said Matt Martinosky of CenterPointe , who has been reaching out to Oasis residents as part of the coalition ’ s response .
“ For better or worse , that was home for them , ” said Leah Droge , who works for Friendship Home and chairs the homeless coalition .
City housing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ malicious landlord , but Lincoln ’ s housing appeals board decided it couldn ’ t continue to allow people to live in the substandard conditions there .
Housing inspectors have cited The Oasis for numerous violations of city code , and since 2015 , inspectors have validated 14 housing code complaints and 39 health department complaints .
Beyond the renovated lobby entrance sits a gated-off , unfilled pool in the centre of the hotel .
Curtains hang askew on the second floor .
On Thursday , the lobby was hot -- city housing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperature at 115 degrees .
Police have been called to the hotel more than 900 times in the last five years to investigate reports of domestic violence , child abuse and drug use , and officers arrested one guest for dealing drugs out of the hotel .
Holt doesn ’ t deny the issues that have plagued the hotel and ultimately led the city to shut it down .
As he graduated college , Holt bought the hotel in 2013 for $ 1.6 million and quickly realized the maintenance , operations and renovation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had managed his rental houses .
High monthly utility bills and rooms that needed renovation made it hard for him to raise his rates and focus on nightly customers .
Instead , he had to lower them to keep business and appeal to longer-term guests , he said .
When he took over the hotel , Holt lived and worked there , which sometimes meant sleeping at the front desk to catch some rest after cleaning rooms and making repairs , he said .
But ultimately he moved to St. Louis when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then spinal issues last year required immediate surgery .
His recovery delayed his ability to keep up the hotel ’ s operations , he said .
But now he hopes the interest of a national hotel group will help him get the larger work of renovating the main hotel off the ground .
A separate building on the property just north of the hotel had been condemned at the time Holt bought the property , and after fixing leaks in the roof and putting in new stairs and railings , he opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kitchens to his longer-term guests .
Now that building , referred to as The Annex , is his first priority in the hotel ’ s salvation .
He plans to replace the exterior and bring the newly vacant rooms up to city code by Sept. 1 with the hope the city will let him keep that part of the hotel open so he can tackle renovations in the main building .
Sean Stewart , Lincoln ’ s chief city housing inspector , said there are still a litany of problems across the property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exterior of The Annex , inoperable drains , inadequate wall and floor coverings and pests that need to be eradicated .
Stewart said Holt has told him his plan but typically the city doesn ’ t issue partial hotel operating licenses .
Though the hotel ’ s future is uncertain , Stewart is unequivocal about the city ’ s stance .
“ We aren ’ t even going to entertain the possibility of reopening until after it ’ s been vacated , ” he said .
Years ago , a troubled hotel near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s radar went under before inspectors needed to step in and take measures to bring it into compliance , Stewart said .
In January , Stewart revoked The Oasis ’ operating permit , but Holt appealed the decision .
On June 29 , a housing appeals board upheld that action and pulled the permit in a rare move .
At that time , city officials pledged that the city had already formulated a plan to assist the residents in finding housing .
The city notified the Lincoln Homeless Coalition earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oasis , and staff from the various nonprofits serving the homeless and nearly homeless in Lincoln began planning a strategy to transition the residents into new housing , according to the coalition .
The coalition hoped to avoid a situation like what happened in a north Omaha apartment complex in 2018 when 500 mostly refugee residents became homeless without notice when housing inspectors condemned their homes due to squalid conditions .
Time has been on the side of the homeless coalition and the tenants in The Oasis case .
Coalition members have tapped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find open apartments these residents could rent , Droge said .
In his work , Martinosky surveys the individual needs of each resident or their family that may go beyond housing needs , he said .
One woman who lives at The Oasis had an apartment tour arranged through Community Action Partnership late last week and was hopeful .
She ’ s wanted to move her family out several times in the last year , but emergency car repairs needed to ensure she could keep working her restaurant job ate up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month ’ s rent .
What ’ s more , having a large dog and a prior eviction makes her searches for an apartment in Lincoln harder , she said .
“ You get here ( to The Oasis ) , and you feel like you ’ re stuck , and you ’ re just trying to make sure that everything doesn ’ t fall on top of you , ” said the woman , who asked not to be identified because she ’ s embarrassed to live there .
Droge , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like these with often less-than-perfect renting history face a host of barriers .
Local agencies have to work to find landlords willing to rent to them .
And often college students are competing for some of the same housing .
“ There ’ s a lot of choice as a landlord , ” Droge said .
Despite the closure order , Holt hopes to give the hotel a refresh and renovate all the rooms to the same standard , so he is no longer struggling to catch up on every problem at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last two months , he ’ s written off $ 12,000 in rent owed because some of his residents couldn ’ t afford to make full payments due to the pandemic , he said .
Pinkston worries about her future and the place where she ’ s made a satisfying life for herself , she said .
After she began working at the hotel , she made it her mission to help short- and long-term guests feel welcome and know they weren ’ t alone .
Her efforts have included cooking a Thanksgiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begun packing her bags , but she plans to help Holt with whatever he needs to make the hotel livable again .
“ I have faith in him , ” Pinkston said .
“ I know he ’ ll give it his all .
”


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--John Lewis’ legacy shaped in 1965 on ‘Bloody Sunday’

SELMA , Ala. - John Lewis saw the line of Alabama state troopers a few hundred yards away as he led hundreds of marchers to the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7 , 1965 .
Armed with gas canisters and nightsticks , the troopers were flanked by horse-riding members of the sheriff ’ s posse .
A crowd of whites milled around nearby .
Lewis , who died Friday at age 80 , was just 25 at the time .
He had been leading voting rights demonstrations for months in the notoriously racist town , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take a message of freedom to segregationist Gov .
George C. Wallace in Montgomery .
So , rather than stopping , Lewis put another foot forward .
That seminal step propelled him on to a global stage as a hero of the U.S. civil rights movement .
The ensuing confrontation helped lead to the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act .
With fellow civil rights activist Hosea Williams at his side , Lewis finally stopped a few feet away from the phalanx of troopers commanded by Maj. John Cloud of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marchers stopped behind them , shifting their feet uncomfortably on the bridge shoulder .
Williams asked Cloud whether they could talk .
There would be none of that , said Cloud .
Acting on Wallace ’ s order , he said the march was illegal and gave the group two minutes to leave .
Seconds later , Cloud unleashed a spasm of state-sanctioned violence that shocked the nation for its sheer brutality .
“ Troopers , here , advance toward the group .
See that they disperse , ” he said through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands in the pockets of his raincoat , a knapsack on his back .
Archival film footage and photos show a line of roughly two dozen troopers wearing gas masks as they approach the long , peaceful line led by Lewis .
A trooper jabbed the butt of a nightstick toward Lewis and officers quickly pushed into the group .
Feet became tangled and bodies hit both the grass roadside and the asphalt road .
Screams rang out .
Lewis , in sworn court testimony five days later before U.S. District Judge Frank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ground .
A state trooper standing upright hit him once in the head with a nightstick ; Lewis shielded his head with a hand .
The trooper hit Lewis again as he tried to get up .
The officer was never publicly identified ; Lewis testified he didn ’ t know who it was , and a gas mask shielded the man ’ s identity .
Others were beaten even worse as whites cheered from nearby .
Amelia Boynton Robinson , who was in the line behind Lewis , was tear-gassed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be carried away unconscious .
Others were clubbed by the sheriff ’ s posse members on horseback .
Lewis testified he never lost consciousness , but he also didn ’ t remember how he got back to a church where he was taken before being admitted to a hospital .
He got out in time for a hearing before Johnson , who overturned Wallace ’ s order and ruled demonstrators could march to Montgomery .
Lewis was just a few feet away from the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. at the front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left Selma on March 21 , 1965 , for the epic 52-mile walk to Montgomery .
Wallace , who had vowed “ segregation forever ” during his 1963 inaugural and served four terms as governor , refused to meet with them .
Lewis outlived other key players in what came to be known as Bloody Sunday by many years .
He addressed a throng atop the bridge in March , after his cancer diagnosis , to mark the 55th commemoration of the day .
“ Speak up , speak out , get in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who appeared frail but spoke in a strong voice .
“ Get in good trouble , necessary trouble , and help redeem the soul of America.
” Wallace died in 1998 , five years after Cloud , and Judge Johnson died in 1999 .
Hosea Williams , the other march leader who was beside Lewis that day on the bridge , died in 2000 .
Robinson , who recovered from her injuries and crossed the Selma bridge with Lewis and then-President Barack Obama during the 50th anniversary commemoration , died in 2015 .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Asia Today: Another 13 cases in China’s far west outbreak

BEIJING - China on Sunday reported another 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the northwestern city of Urumqi , raising the total in the country ’ s most recent local outbreak to at least 30 .
An additional three cases were brought into the country from overseas , increasing China ’ s total number of confirmed infections to 83,660 with 4,634 reported deaths .
Despite the Urumqi outbreak , China has just 251 people remaining in treatment for COVID-19 , according to the National Health Commission .
Another 151 people were being monitored in isolation for showing signs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without showing symptoms .
At least 23 of those asymptomatic cases were in Urumqi , although China does not include them in confirmed cases .
Urumqi has responded by reducing subway , bus and taxi services , closed off some residential communities and is now conducting citywide tests , beginning with areas where cases had been reported , according to state media .
Some restrictions on people leaving the city have also been imposed , with the number of flights from the city reduced .
The Urumqi outbreak is the latest to pop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the virus in March .
The largest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people , but local authorities on Saturday said commercial operations in the city have largely recovered .
The Chinese capital has gone 13 days without a domestically transmitted case , although business at many restaurants and shops remains poor .
Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang region , where China has been accused of human rights abuses among its native Muslim minority groups .
China has deployed a massive security presence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to prevent terrorist activity .
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region : — South Korea has reported less than 40 additional cases of the coronavirus for a second straight day , as authorities struggle to suppress an uptick in local infections .
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday the 34 new cases raise the country ’ s total to 13,745 with 295 deaths .
The agency says 21 of the newly confirmed cases were domestically infected , all of them in the densely populated Seoul area or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from overseas .
Health authorities have said imported case of COVID-19 are less threatening than local transmissions because South Korea is mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad .
Follow all of AP ’ s pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Oregon sues feds over Portland protests as unrest continues

PORTLAND , Ore. - Oregon ’ s attorney general is seeking an order to stop federal agents from arresting people in Portland as the city continues to be convulsed by nightly protests that have gone on for seven weeks and have now pitted local officials against the Trump administration .
Federal agents , some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Homeland Security uniforms , used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds late Friday night , The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality have happened every day in Oregon ’ s largest city since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 .
President Donald Trump has decried the disorder , and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as “ lawless anarchists ” in a visit to the city .
Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials , the unrest had frustrated Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local authorities , who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city .
But Wheeler said the federal presence in the city is now exacerbating a tense situation and he has told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops in your own buildings , or have them leave our city , “ Wheeler said Friday .
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late Friday sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court .
The complaint says that unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland ’ s streets “ without warning or explanation , without a warrant , and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.
” Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to “ immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and violence in downtown Portland is being driven by federal law enforcement tactics that are entirely unnecessary , ” Rosenblum said in a statement .
The administration has enlisted federal agents , including the U.S .
Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border , to protect federal property .
But Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this week that some agents had been driving around in unmarked vans and snatching protesters from streets not near federal property , without identifying themselves .
Tensions also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service fired a less-lethal round at a protester ’ s head on July 11 , critically injuring him .
On Friday night , hundreds of people gathered for a vigil outside the downtown Justice Center , which is sandwiched between two federal buildings , including a courthouse , The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Across the street , dozens of other protesters entered two recently closed city parks after dismantling chain-link fencing that blocked access .
Federal agents emerged from an office building next door and used impact munitions , stun grenades and tear gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization reported .
It said its journalists did not observe any incident that might have prompted the use of the weapons .
Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse .
Early Saturday , Portland police declared the gathering unlawful , saying protesters had piled fencing in front of the exits to the federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center and then shot off fireworks at the Justice Center .
Federal officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demonstrators to clear the streets , making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fence at police , the Portland Police Bureau said .
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell told reporters Friday that his officers are in contact with the federal agents , but that neither controls the others ’ actions .
The overnight action by Portland ’ s police was condemned by a prominent member of the City Council .
On Saturday Jo Ann Hardesty said local police “ joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest.
” Hardesty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the protest Friday night , slammed Wheeler , telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement .
Hardesty , who oversees the city ’ s fire department and other first-responder agencies , said in an open letter to Wheeler if “ you can ’ t control the police , give me the Portland Police Bureau.
” In a statement Saturday , Portland Police said as they responded to the overnight protests — which included people throwing projectiles at them — some federal agencies took action “ under their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city officers arrested seven people , and one officer sustained a minor injury .
The statement said the city ’ s police supports peaceful protests , and beginning Saturday night Department of Homeland Security police won ’ t work in the Portland Police incident command centre .

Andrew Selsky And Gillian Flaccus - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Kansas dog makes 80-kilometre trek to her old home in Missouri

LAWSON , Mo .
- A dog named Cleo who disappeared from her home in Kansas earlier this month turned up a few days later at her old home in Missouri , about 50 miles ( 80 kilometres ) away .
Colton Michael told television station KMBC that the 4-year-old Labrador retriever-border collie mix showed up on the front porch of his family ’ s home in Lawson , which is about 30 miles ( 48 kilometres ) northeast of Kansas City .
At first , she wouldn ’ t let anyone get near her , said Michael , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years .
“ She finds her way home , and there ’ s some strangers living in it .
That would be scary for anybody , ” he said .
Eventually , he was able to gain Cleo ’ s trust and to get her checked for a microchip , which showed that she belonged to the former owners of his house .
Cleo ’ s owners , who had moved to Olathe , Kansas , about 50 miles ( 80 kilometres ) southwest of Lawson , couldn ’ t believe it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had turned up at their old home .
They had posted on Facebook a week earlier about the missing dog .
Neither family knows how Cleo made the trip , which would have required her to cross at least one river .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Republicans pick Freitas in closely watched House contest

RICHMOND , Va. - Virginia Republicans have picked state Del .
Nick Freitas as their candidate to face off against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger this fall in one of the country ’ s marquee congressional races .
News outlets report Freitas won a convention Saturday to be the GOP nominee for a Richmond-area congressional district .
Freitas , defeated state Del .
John McGuire and several other candidates in a hard-fought convention that took several hours and three rounds of voting before a winner was declared .
Freitas is a libertarian-leaning former Green Beret who is backed by U.S. Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and had to mount a pricey write-in campaign to keep his state House seat last year after failing to get his campaign paperwork in on time to ensure his name was on the ballot .
He failed to get his paperwork in on time again this year for the congressional race , but a state elections board recently voted 2-1 to give him an extension .
Spanberger is a former CIA officer who is one of several freshmen moderate Democrats who flipped districts won by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part by suburban voters unhappy with the president .
She defeated former U.S. Rep. Dave Brat two years ago .
Brat , a tea party favourite , won a stunning primary victory over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--One reporter, two executions and haunting last words

TERRE HAUTE , Ind .
- Daniel Lewis Lee , a condemned man and convicted murderer , was asked if he wanted to make a final statement from the execution chamber , with its institutional green-tiled walls and plate-glass interior window , moments before he too would die .
He did .
He leaned his head up and we locked eyes .
“ You ’ re killing an innocent man , ” Lee said , looking directly at me .
Those were his last words .
He said them to me .
Lee ’ s execution , one of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute , Indiana , played out slowly , after painstaking hours of final , futile legal appeals , before prison officials administered a lethal injection and the federal government carried out capital punishment for the first time in almost two decades .
A third execution came later in the week .
Before the lethal injection for Lee , there had been a lot of waiting .
Prison officials searched me extensively each time I arrived , then sent me back to my hotel during the legal manoeuvring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the maximum-security facility .
As part of a small group of other reporters , I was an official witness to Lee ’ s death , one that took place in the middle of a pandemic .
Lee , who was convicted of killing an Arkansas gun dealer , his wife and young daughter in the late 1990s , was scheduled to be executed Monday at 4 p.m. EDT .
But there would be a long wait as his legal appeals made their way to the Supreme Court .
Along with other reporters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alley that was now a prison staff training centre .
It was guarded by heavily armed prison officers .
We were all wearing blue surgical masks .
Our temperatures were taken .
We could carry only identification into the prison as we loaded into two unmarked white vans that took us a short distance down “ Justice Drive ” to the penitentiary building for a security screening .
Inside , correction officers outfitted in full protective gear — N95 masks , face shields , gloves and paper gowns — told us we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a souped-up airport screening .
They even took my glasses to X-ray them .
But then came another delay .
Officials told us to grab dinner , so we did , then returned to the prison and waited .
By midnight , all of us left again for our hotels nearby .
At 2:10 a.m. the Supreme Court ruled the execution could proceed .
About a minute or so later , a Bureau of Prisons official was on the phone saying the execution was scheduled for 4:15 a.m. We rushed back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read 4:16 when we hopped out and headed into the execution chamber .
Lee was already there — strapped to a gurney .
We were brought into a small witness room .
There were plastic chairs facing the window , a notepad , a pen , small bottle of hand sanitizer and a single sanitizing wipe on each seat .
A correction officer pulled the large metal door closed and a booming click echoed through the room .
We were locked in .
The curtain was shut , but I could hear noises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall .
We couldn ’ t make small talk .
A man , albeit a convicted murderer , who was supposed to die soon could probably hear us .
We were all uncomfortable .
A reporter next to me scribbled “ legal issue ?
” on his notepad and gestured to me .
“ I guess so , ” I replied .
There was no clock in the room .
We lost track of how long we had been in there .
Eventually someone asked if anyone knew what time it was .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6:10 a.m. , there was a collective gasp of surprise .
At 7:46 a.m. the curtain began to rise slowly .
By that time we ’ d been locked in the room with Lee just on the other side of the glass , strapped in , for nearly four hours .
There he was .
His arms were strapped down and a light blue sheet covered most of his body .
I was annoyed with one of the reporters who was moving around vying for a better view .
Of a man ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though we were all there .
A U.S. marshal inside the room with Lee picked up a black phone hanging on the green tiled wall .
“ This is the marshal inside the execution chamber , ” he said .
Washington headquarters was on the other end .
The marshal asked if there were any legal impediments that would prohibit the execution .
He listened , then said , “ I understand there are no impediments.
“ And then Lee said those last words , looking right at me .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug quickly did its deadly work .
His lips turned blue .
His chest stopped moving .
He was pronounced dead .
I rushed back to my computer and filed my story .
It wouldn ’ t sink in until later that I had just watched a man die .
My face was one of the last he saw .
I ’ ve been a crime reporter for years , but this felt different .
It was clinical .
It was like watching someone go to sleep .
And there wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because another execution was scheduled for the next day .
Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Kansas neighbourhood , raping and killing her in the late 1990s and also killing an 80-year-old .
But his time to die too was already delayed well into the evening .
We arrived at the staff training centre at 4 p.m .
But this time we weren ’ t allowed to leave .
As the hours ticked by , everyone became more anxious , at times pacing in circles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prisons officials offered us peanuts and chips .
They didn ’ t want to let us go back to the hotels because it would take too long to bring us all back through security .
Just before midnight came more food — Lunchables , dug out from a prison fridge somewhere .
At 2:45 a.m. — about 11 hours after we arrived — we were told to leave our electronics and loaded back into the vans .
This time we stopped just outside of the execution chamber .
And we sat there for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit in my seat .
Eventually , after Purkey ’ s legal avenues were exhausted , we were brought into the witness room .
The curtain rose at 7:55 a.m. We were again looking into the execution chamber .
The same officials were standing beside Purkey , his arms strapped down with black restraints .
He apologized to the family of the teenage girl he killed and to his own daughter .
“ This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever , ” he said .
“ Thank you.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a Zen Buddhist priest who had sued the Bureau of Prisons to try to stop the execution because of fears over the coronavirus .
He was wearing a mask under a face shield and appeared to be praying .
I wondered if he was afraid he ’ d get the virus .
I wondered if I would get the virus .
A few minutes later , Purkey was declared dead .
The curtain came down .
In one week , I had spent more than 32 hours inside a prison .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S NOTE — Michael Balsamo is the lead Justice Department and federal law enforcement writer for The Associated Press .
He has covered criminal justice and policing issues since 2014 .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Atlanta lowering flags indefinitely to honour Rep. John Lewis

Atlanta will lower flags to half-staff indefinitely to honour Rep. John Lewis , who represented the city for more than 30 years in Congress before his death , Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Saturday .
Bottoms made the announcement in a statement that said words can ’ t describe the loss of Lewis , who made a career of politics in the city after years as one of the nation ’ s premier civil rights leaders .
“ The people of Atlanta often called upon Congressman Lewis for counsel , guidance , and assistance with getting into good trouble .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or important his Washington duties were , he answered , ” she said .
Arthur Blank , the owner of the NFL ’ s Atlanta Falcons , noted the city lost two civil rights icons in a single day : Lewis and the Rev .
C.T .
Vivian , an early and important adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. Vivian died Friday at the age of 95 , and Lewis died hours later .
He was 80 .
“ John risked his life to end legalized racial segregation and make America a better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s the enduring legacy of one of the most courageous people I ever met , ” said a statement by Blank .
Another Atlanta legend , retired baseball slugger Hank Aaron , tweeted that he and Lewis were “ connected to the roots.
” “ By that I mean we were born and grew up in the highly racist and segregated south , in the state of Alabama .
He committed his life to the struggle for justice and equality for all people .
He was one of the great civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service for the betterment of all mankind .
We have lost a giant of a man , ” said Aaron .
Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp praised the longtime Democratic congressman in a tweet that said : “ Congressman John Lewis was a Civil Rights hero , freedom fighter , devoted public servant , and beloved Georgian who changed our world in a profound way .
The Kemp Family is praying for his loved ones as they honour his life & mourn his passing.
” State law says Kemp must schedule a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis , who was first elected to represent Georgia ’ s majority Black 5th District in 1986 , said Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs .
A vote would have to be held within 30 days .
Separately , Democrats can appoint a replacement candidate to fill Lewis ’ slot on the November ballot since he already had won the nomination for another term , said Fuchs .
The Democratic Party of Georgia released a statement on Saturday saying that it was accepting applications online for anyone interested in the position .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ choose the nominee on Monday and inform the secretary of state by Monday afternoon .
While any funeral for Lewis could be held in Atlanta , there wasn ’ t any immediate announcement on plans , which could be affected by the coronavirus pandemic .
In an order , Kemp said flags on state buildings would be lowered through sunset on the day of Lewis ’ interment .
President Donald Trump ordered flags at half-staff at the White House and all federal public buildings and grounds , including embassies abroad and all military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day Saturday .
In a tweet , Trump said : “ Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing .
Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.
” Days before he he was inaugurated in 2017 , Trump sent a pair of disparaging tweets calling Lewis ’ district “ horrible ” and “ crime infested ” after Lewis said he wouldn ’ t see Trump as a “ legitimate president.
” “ All talk , talk , talk - no action or results .
Sad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This story has been edited to correct a word to ‘ interment .
’


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Longtime Indigenous leader Raoni hospitalized in Brazil

BRASILIA , Brazil - An Indigenous leader who has become a symbol of the fight for Indigenous rights and preservation of the Amazon rainforest has been hospitalized , his institute and a relative confirmed Saturday .
The nearly 90-year-old Chief Raoni Metuktire was taken Thursday to a private hospital from his home in the Xingu Indigenous reservation after suffering for several days with diarrhea and dehydration , said his nephew , Patxon Metuktire .
The nephew told The Associated Press that Raoni tested negative for the new coronavirus after arriving at the hospital in Colider , a city 370 kilometres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to a medical report released by the hospital , the chief was admitted with symptoms including weakness , shortness of breath , lack of appetite and diarrhea .
The hospital said that Raoni was awake and eating without difficulties , but that his condition worsened Saturday , probably because of bleeding in his digestive tract .
Later in the day , Raoni was transferred to a bigger hospital in Sinop , another city also in Mato Grosso state in western Brazil .
His nephew said doctors recommended the chief be moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an intensive care unit .
However , the nephew said , Raoni was not placed in the ICU and the transfer was done only in case he should need intensive care .
Raoni has campaigned for decades for the protection of Indigenous territories in the Amazon and for the rainforest itself .
A 1978 documentary , “ Raoni : The Fight for the Amazon , ” helped make him famous , as did a 1989 tour with the musician Sting .
He has been an outspoken critic of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolsonaro ’ s calls for developing indigenous lands in the rainforest .
Bolsonaro rejected a call by French President Emmanuel Macron to meet with Raoni .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Wife of suspect locked in Dollar General store is arrested

LAKE CHARLES , La .
- The wife of a convicted sex offender accused of killing two teenagers and kidnapping a third has been arrested in the case .
Tori L. Broussard , 41 , of Lake Charles , was arrested Wednesday on charges of accessory after the fact to first-degree rape and accessory after the fact to molestation of a juvenile , said Kayle Vincent , spokeswoman for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff ’ s Office .
Broussard is free after posting a $ 50,000 bond .
Her husband , Neil Broussard , 51 , is wanted on charges of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Calcasieu Parish , authorities said .
A Calcasieu Parish judge set his bond at $ 4 million .
He was also convicted in 2005 and 2011 of molesting juveniles and is awaiting trial on sex charges in Texas .
Neil Broussard is also accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Kyla Hidalgo and 18-year-old Kaleb Charlton early Wednesday .
He was arrested in the Ragley area after workers at a Dollar General store recognized him and locked him in the store until police arrived .
Tori Broussard is chief investigator at the Calcasieu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of the office , says she is on administrative leave pending further review , KPLC-TV reported .
“ She is a good person and I think she ’ s been falsely accused of committing these crimes , “ said her attorney , Todd Clemons .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--Petition urges Trader Joe’s to change ethnic food labels

SAN FRANCISCO - Responding to calls for Trader Joe ’ s to stop labeling its international food products with ethnic-sounding names , the grocery store chain said it has been in a yearslong process of repackaging those products and will soon complete the work .
In the latest call to re-name racially-charged brands and logos , nearly 1,000 people have signed an online petition urging the retail giant to rename products labeled “ Trader Ming ’ s , “ “ Trader José , ” or “ Trader Giotto ’ s ” to refer to Chinese , Mexican or Italian food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ petition said the labels perpetuate harmful stereotypes .
“ The Trader Joe ’ s branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures — it presents ‘ Joe ’ as the default ‘ normal ’ and the other characters falling outside of it — they are ‘ Arabian Joe , ’ ‘ Trader José , ’ and ‘ Trader Joe San , ’ the petition states .
The company said in a statement that it decided several years ago to use only the Trader Joe ’ s name on its products and has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labels .
“ While this approach to product naming may have been rooted in a lighthearted attempt at inclusiveness , we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect — one that is contrary to the welcoming , rewarding customer experience we strive to create every day , ” company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said .
Packaging for a number of the products has already been changed , and the company expects to complete the process “ very soon , ” she said .


thetorontostar--2020-07-18--14 hours later, Trump says he is ‘saddened’ by John Lewis’ death

WASHINGTON - In the hours after the death of American civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis , President Donald Trump took to Twitter to retweet old missives about Democratic rival Joe Biden and lash out at his former national security adviser and his niece for writing tell-all books about him .
Trump then headed to his golf course in northern Virginia with a political confidant , Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , for a nearly four-hour outing .
Shortly after 2 p.m. , as Trump was returning from his golf outing — and more than 14 hours after Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his and the first lady ’ s condolences in a two-sentence Twitter message .
“ Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing .
Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family , ” Trump wrote .
By that point all four living former U.S. presidents , Vice-President Mike Pence and scores of lawmakers had publicly remarked on the passing of the lawmaker whose brutal beating on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama , 50 years earlier marked a turning point in the civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Lewis , 80 , the youngest and last living member of the Big Six civil rights activists who organized the 1963 March on Washington .
Lewis memorably tangled with Trump days before the president ’ s inauguration in 2017 .
The congressman said he did not see Trump as a “ legitimate president , ” prompting Trump to blast Lewis as “ all talk ” and denigrate his majority Black district as “ crime infested ” and “ falling apart.
” For the second time during his long service in Congress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also skipped George W. Bush ’ s inauguration in 2001 after his contentious victory over Al Gore .
In December of that year , Lewis refused to speak at the opening of Mississippi civil rights and history museums because Trump would be there .
He said the president ’ s “ hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum.
” Then , as this year ’ s election battle heated up in the spring , Lewis threw his weight behind Biden and urged young Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice-president wins in November .
He didn ’ t mention Trump by name during his April endorsement , but made clear that he saw Biden ’ s mission as a chance to “ redeem the soul of America.
” Rep. Karen Bass , the Democratic chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus , wrote on Twitter that she hoped that Trump would stay silent about Lewis ’ death .
At that point , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had noted that Lewis “ was an icon of the civil rights movement , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis for his place in American history and noting that as colleagues in the House that “ even when we differed , John was always unfailingly kind.
” Bass wrote : “ @ realDonaldTrump while the nation mourns the passing of a national hero , please say nothing .
Please don ’ t comment on the life of Congressman Lewis .
Your press secretary released a statement , leave it at that.
“ The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Bass ’ statement .
The White House also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lowering of U.S. flags at federal buildings for Lewis ’ death .
By law the flag is lowered the day after a sitting member of Congress passes .
In some ways , Trump ’ s perfunctory offering of condolences showed a measure of restraint compared with some past episodes involving political opponents .
The president was not invited to attend Sen. John McCain ’ s funeral in 2018 .
Trump had said earlier that he didn ’ t think McCain was a hero because the senator was captured in Vietnam .
McCain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than five years .
Trump seemed unable to forget one of McCain ’ s Senate votes in particular , the thumbs-down that sank the Republican effort in 2017 to repeal the Obama health care law .
Trump was furious , and it showed even after McCain ’ s death .
The administration lowered the American flag over the White House to half-staff , but then raised it again two days later .
The flags were lowered again after a public outcry .
And Trump ’ s anti-McCain Twitter tirades continued long after his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also complained that he was never properly thanked for McCain ’ s funeral at Washington ’ s National Cathedral .
Trump drew criticism late last year for suggesting the late Rep. John Dingell , a Democrat , might be “ looking up ” from hell during a rally in Dingell ’ s home state of Michigan .
The dig at Dingell , whose wife , Rep. Debbie Dingell , succeeded him in the House , came during Trump ’ s impeachment .
Days earlier , Trump expressed anger that the congresswoman had supported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I spoke to Debbie Dingell was her call thanking me for granting top memorial and funeral service honours for her then just departed husband , long time Congressman John Dingell , ” Trump tweeted .
“ Now I watch her ripping me as part of the Democrats Impeachment Hoax .
Really pathetic !
”

Aamer Madhani And Lynn Berry - The Associated Press