newyorkpost--2020-06-25--House Democrats pass police reform bill that will likely be blocked by Senate

House Democrats approved a police reform bill Thursday in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota — but Republicans said the vote was a PR stunt that wasted an opportunity for consensus .
The Justice in Policing Act passed 236-181 over Republican warnings that the bill won ’ t pass the Senate or reach President Trump ’ s desk .
Three Republicans and all Democrats voted in favor .
“ Half measures are not enough .
Pretend sham measures are not enough , ” said Rep. Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) , chairman of the House Judiciary Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban federal agents from conducting no-knock drug raids .
It would curtail transfers of military equipment to police , create an officer misconduct registry , end qualified immunity from lawsuits and lower the threshold to federally prosecute officers if they show “ reckless disregard ” for someone ’ s life .
A competing Republican proposal written by Sen. Tim Scott ( R-SC ) was blocked from a vote by Senate Democrats on Wednesday and Democrats blocked GOP amendments to the House bill in committee .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept anything less than transformational change.
” But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) said that Pelosi “ has been all politics , putting us on a course for failure.
” With different parties leading the House and Senate , successful legislation generally is negotiated between party leaders .
Republican opposition centered largely on elimination of qualified immunity , though some conservatives support the idea .
The GOP Senate plan also would not bar the transfer of military equipment and its misconduct registry would not be public .
Rep. John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheriff , defended qualified immunity , saying it doesn ’ t apply for blatant misconduct and protects cops from ruinous lawsuits .
“ Most people in this room have no idea what it ’ s like to determine in a high-stress situation whether a suspect is pulling out a gun or a cellphone , ” Rutherford said .
“ Police officers don ’ t get to watch a slow motion video over and over again to figure out what to do .
That ’ s why qualified immunity exists.
” The Senate Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , purchase and use body-worn cameras and keep information on use-of-force incidents and no-knock raids .
It would make lynching a federal crime , create a commission to study conditions of black men and boys and fund black police officer recruitment .
Multiple House Republicans took aim at Democrats on Thursday for not attempting to reduce the power of police unions to shield problematic officers from being fired .
Rep. Tom McClintock ( R-Calif. ) , the lone Republican co-sponsor of a bill to end qualified immunity , said he opposed the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local police ” and said it glaringly “ ignores the most serious problem we face : the protection of bad cops by collective bargaining agreements that make it all-but impossible to fire them.
” African-American Rep. Will Hurd ( R-Texas ) said “ we have failed to do one simple thing : empower police chiefs to permanently fire bad cops.
” Hurd said he wished Democrats worked with Republicans to find consensus , as happened with coronavirus relief bills this year .
“ Today we are missing an opportunity to pass an overwhelmingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We are missing an opportunity to do our part to prevent another black person from dying in police custody.
” Democrats , meanwhile , took turns praising the bill .
Rep. Val Demings ( D-Fla. ) , a former Orlando police chief under consideration to be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ’ s running mate , said good police officers “ need us to help them improve the profession.
” Rep. Cedric Richmond ( D-La . )
trashed the Republican Senate bill as having “ about as much teeth as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump last week signed an executive order to create a national system for tracking police misconduct , encourage departments to send social workers on some nonviolent police calls and incentivize officer training programs that teach a ban on chokeholds in most instances .

House Democrats approved a police reform bill Thursday in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota — but Republicans said the vote was a PR stunt that wasted an opportunity for consensus.
The Justice in Policing Act passed 236-181 over Republican warnings that the bill won’t pass the Senate or reach President Trump’s desk. Three Republicans and all Democrats voted in favor.
“Half measures are not enough. Pretend sham measures are not enough,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
The bill would restrict chokeholds and ban federal agents from conducting no-knock drug raids. It would curtail transfers of military equipment to police, create an officer misconduct registry, end qualified immunity from lawsuits and lower the threshold to federally prosecute officers if they show “reckless disregard” for someone’s life.
A competing Republican proposal written by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was blocked from a vote by Senate Democrats on Wednesday and Democrats blocked GOP amendments to the House bill in committee.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said “it would be a moral failure to accept anything less than transformational change.”
But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that Pelosi “has been all politics, putting us on a course for failure.”
With different parties leading the House and Senate, successful legislation generally is negotiated between party leaders.
Republican opposition centered largely on elimination of qualified immunity, though some conservatives support the idea. The GOP Senate plan also would not bar the transfer of military equipment and its misconduct registry would not be public.
Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.), a former sheriff, defended qualified immunity, saying it doesn’t apply for blatant misconduct and protects cops from ruinous lawsuits.
“Most people in this room have no idea what it’s like to determine in a high-stress situation whether a suspect is pulling out a gun or a cellphone,” Rutherford said. “Police officers don’t get to watch a slow motion video over and over again to figure out what to do. That’s why qualified immunity exists.”
The Senate Republican bill would incentivize departments to restrict chokeholds, purchase and use body-worn cameras and keep information on use-of-force incidents and no-knock raids. It would make lynching a federal crime, create a commission to study conditions of black men and boys and fund black police officer recruitment.
Multiple House Republicans took aim at Democrats on Thursday for not attempting to reduce the power of police unions to shield problematic officers from being fired.
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), the lone Republican co-sponsor of a bill to end qualified immunity, said he opposed the Democratic bill for its “attempt to federalize local police” and said it glaringly “ignores the most serious problem we face: the protection of bad cops by collective bargaining agreements that make it all-but impossible to fire them.”
African-American Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) said “we have failed to do one simple thing: empower police chiefs to permanently fire bad cops.”
Hurd said he wished Democrats worked with Republicans to find consensus, as happened with coronavirus relief bills this year. “Today we are missing an opportunity to pass an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill,” he said. “We are missing an opportunity to do our part to prevent another black person from dying in police custody.”
Democrats, meanwhile, took turns praising the bill.
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), a former Orlando police chief under consideration to be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate, said good police officers “need us to help them improve the profession.”
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) trashed the Republican Senate bill as having “about as much teeth as a newborn baby.”
Amid congressional gridlock, Trump last week signed an executive order to create a national system for tracking police misconduct, encourage departments to send social workers on some nonviolent police calls and incentivize officer training programs that teach a ban on chokeholds in most instances.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Nicki Minaj sics fans on Kim Kardashian, aiming to get Kanye West collab released

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens @ @ @ @ @ to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Nicki Minaj is trying to @ @ @ @ @ a collaboration that they did together — by asking her fans to bug his wife @ @ @ @ @ recorded “ New Body ” with West for his album “ Yandhi , ” but @ @ @ @ @ album as the gospel-tinged “ Jesus Is King ” in October , the track seemed @ @ @ @ @ .
In a now-deleted tweet , Minaj asked fans on Thursday to “ light up @ @ @ @ @ Kardashian ’ s social media in hopes that the reality star can convince West to @ @ @ @ @ collaboration was cooked up as part of a storyline for “ Keeping Up With the @ @ @ @ @

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Nicki Minaj is trying to convince Kanye West to release a collaboration that they did together — by asking her fans to bug his wife Kim Kardashian online.
Minaj recorded “New Body” with West for his album “Yandhi,” but when mercurial West released the album as the gospel-tinged “Jesus Is King” in October, the track seemed consigned to the scrap heap.
In a now-deleted tweet, Minaj asked fans on Thursday to “light up” the comments sections on Kardashian’s social media in hopes that the reality star can convince West to revive the song.
The collaboration was cooked up as part of a storyline for “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” last year.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Andrew Cuomo’s ridiculous order for out-of-staters to quarantine

A 14-day quarantine will be imposed on travelers coming to ...

Anyone coming to New York from a state with a spiking coronavirus infection rate is required to voluntarily self-quarantine — and mandatory “volunteering” is only the most obvious absurdity here.
This is classic Andrew Cuomo, right down to the fig leaf provided by the Connecticut and New Jersey govs issuing the same order — but with no pretense they’ll enforce it.
Just two months ago, Gov. Cuomo nearly declared war on Rhode Island after its governor announced similar rules for travelers from New York. But with the shoe on the other foot, he’s still moralizing.
“We have to make sure the virus doesn’t come in on a plane again,” Cuomo sniffed at a press briefing. If that’s the goal, why not do testing or temp checks of every arrival?
But Cuomo wants to play tough — indeed, to play Big Brother: “You fly into New York, we’ll have your name, we’ll know where you’re supposed to be staying,” Cuomo told CNN. “There’ll be random checks,” and “we’ll have inspectors who are randomly looking at names on the [flight lists] and following up to make sure you’re quarantining. And if you’re not, then you’re in violation of the law, and you will have a mandatory quarantine, and you’ll be fined” — $10,000.
How many resources will the state throw into that wild-goose chase? Enough to find a few sacrificial lambs, perhaps, but not enough to win broad compliance.
This is blatantly about his feud with Florida: For years, Cuomo’s been jousting with Sunshine State govs about everything from taxes to business climate to pandemic policy.
He’s particularly sore that Florida did a far better job of protecting nursing-home patients from the coronavirus than New York. So now that Florida’s seeing rising COVID-19 rates, Cuomo pounces.
Yet he’s opened one big loophole: Major League Baseball players get exempted from the quarantine order, with Health Commissioner Howard Zucker ordered to find a way to let them play. Which is easy enough, since MLB plans heavy testing of players for everyone’s safety.
But “I was tested” won’t be enough for any regular citizen who happens to fall afoul of the gov’s trackers.
It adds up to a lot of nastiness just so Cuomo can score points in a grudge match.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--New York’s messy primary shows November could be national vote-count nightmare

New York ’ s primary Tuesday was plagued with more errors than usual — and it presages a national mess in November .
Some 1.7 million voters requested absentee ballots — including 750,000 in the city .
But many voters say they never got that ballot — or not in time to actually vote by mail .
And how many mailed-in ballots didn ’ t arrive in time to count ?
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s order allowing “ absentee on request ” was a reasonable concession to the pandemic — but the state plainly doesn ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , poll workers ( undertrained because of the lockdown ) made more mistakes than ever .
It ’ s not clear how many voters didn ’ t get both pages of the Democratic primary ballot , for example .
And hundreds more people somehow voted in the Serve America Movement primary in the city than SAM has members .
Plus , many polling sites opened late due to shortages of election workers , while others saw long lines because those towns didn ’ t open enough locations .
It ’ s OK that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided for weeks , while absentee ballots are counted — and then likely challenged by competing campaigns .
But be ready for a national delay in November : Mail-in chaos in a few swing states could make Florida 2000 seem like nothing .

New York’s primary Tuesday was plagued with more errors than usual — and it presages a national mess in November.
Some 1.7 million voters requested absentee ballots — including 750,000 in the city. But many voters say they never got that ballot — or not in time to actually vote by mail. And how many mailed-in ballots didn’t arrive in time to count?
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s order allowing “absentee on request” was a reasonable concession to the pandemic — but the state plainly doesn’t know how to make this work.
Meanwhile, poll workers (undertrained because of the lockdown) made more mistakes than ever. It’s not clear how many voters didn’t get both pages of the Democratic primary ballot, for example.
And hundreds more people somehow voted in the Serve America Movement primary in the city than SAM has members.
Plus, many polling sites opened late due to shortages of election workers, while others saw long lines because those towns didn’t open enough locations.
It’s OK that several tight races won’t be decided for weeks, while absentee ballots are counted — and then likely challenged by competing campaigns.
But be ready for a national delay in November: Mail-in chaos in a few swing states could make Florida 2000 seem like nothing.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Amazon renames Seattle’s NHL stadium ‘Climate Pledge Arena’

Seattle will soon have the greenest ice in the NHL .
Amazon has secured the naming rights to the stadium that will host the city ’ s future hockey franchise and has renamed the building “ Climate Pledge Arena , ” the company announced Thursday .
The e-commerce giant said the stadium , which is under redevelopment and formerly known as Key Arena , will be the “ first net-zero carbon certified arena in the world ” when it ’ s expected to reopen in June 2021 .
The venue name is a nod to CEO Jeff Bezos ’ $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neutral by 2040 , which came after thousands of employees signed an open letter last year pressuring the company to better address its climate impact .
“ Instead of naming it after Amazon , we ’ re calling it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the importance of fighting climate change , ” said Jeff Bezos , Amazon founder and CEO , said in a statement .
The 18,100-seat venue will also host the Seattle Storm , the city ’ s WNBA franchise , as well as concerts and a variety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arena will be powered with 100 percent renewable energy , from on-site solar panels and outside sources .
It will generate zero and use “ reclaimed rainwater ” for the ice surface during hockey games .
Amazon has for years faced criticism from environmental activists around the world over the years for its excessive packaging ; the emissions released while transporting its massive volumes of goods and its ongoing work with oil and gas companies .
Several hundred workers calling themselves “ Amazon Employees for Climate Justice ” signed onto statements earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and slamming the company for penalizing colleagues who have spoken out on the subject .

Seattle will soon have the greenest ice in the NHL.
Amazon has secured the naming rights to the stadium that will host the city’s future hockey franchise and has renamed the building “Climate Pledge Arena,” the company announced Thursday.
The e-commerce giant said the stadium, which is under redevelopment and formerly known as Key Arena, will be the “first net-zero carbon certified arena in the world” when it’s expected to reopen in June 2021.
The venue name is a nod to CEO Jeff Bezos’ $2 billion pledge to make Amazon carbon neutral by 2040, which came after thousands of employees signed an open letter last year pressuring the company to better address its climate impact.
“Instead of naming it after Amazon, we’re calling it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the importance of fighting climate change,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said in a statement.
The 18,100-seat venue will also host the Seattle Storm, the city’s WNBA franchise, as well as concerts and a variety of other events. Amazon says the arena will be powered with 100 percent renewable energy, from on-site solar panels and outside sources. It will generate zero and use “reclaimed rainwater” for the ice surface during hockey games.
Amazon has for years faced criticism from environmental activists around the world over the years for its excessive packaging; the emissions released while transporting its massive volumes of goods and its ongoing work with oil and gas companies.
Several hundred workers calling themselves “Amazon Employees for Climate Justice” signed onto statements earlier this year calling for more aggressive climate measures and slamming the company for penalizing colleagues who have spoken out on the subject.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Monica Lewinsky has a Zoom nudity story, too

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens @ @ @ @ @ to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) After we revealed that a @ @ @ @ @ the Zoom bat mitzvah of comic Gilbert Gottfried ’ s daughter , Monica Lewinsky has @ @ @ @ @ tale ” about the video meeting platform .
Lewinsky tweeted on Thursday : “ when @ @ @ @ @ extra attention to replying privately vs everyone .
was thrilled to share i was still @ @ @ @ @ bra with my TED speaker community.
” Luckily , one of the TED speaker members @ @ @ @ @ private messages are still relayed in the meeting log .
Be careful out there.
” @ @ @ @ @ “ Oh f–k .
”

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After we revealed that a woman unwittingly exposed herself at the Zoom bat mitzvah of comic Gilbert Gottfried’s daughter, Monica Lewinsky has shared her own “cautionary tale” about the video meeting platform.
Lewinsky tweeted on Thursday: “when zooming on phone, pay extra attention to replying privately vs everyone. was thrilled to share i was still in pj’s sans bra with my TED speaker community.”
Luckily, one of the TED speaker members warned her, “The private messages are still relayed in the meeting log. Be careful out there.” Lewinsky’s reaction? “Oh f–k.”
But a Zoom rep commented via email: “While we can’t speak for other tools, on Zoom private messages between participants are *not* viewable by the host (even if the meeting log is downloaded).”
Lewinsky’s 2015 TED Talk was called “The Price of Shame.”


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Send coronavirus relief to all schools — not just public ones

The policy has been contested by public school officials who ...

With a second round of CARES Act funding on the line, it’s time for Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as New York’s 27 House members, to step up for the state’s schoolchildren — including those attending private and religious schools. Otherwise, all schoolchildren across the Empire State will suffer.
In the next few weeks, Congress will deliberate over a new round of COVID-19 relief funding for the nation’s schools. Considering the negative effect shutdowns have had on the economy, the need is urgent. All schools — public, private and religious — face extreme financial challenges. Public schools face decreased revenue streams as tax receipts plummeted. In the private sector, families will struggle to pay tuition. Without tuition, private schools will close en masse — and public schools will face an influx of enrollment when they’re already under immense pressure to accommodate social-distancing requirements with limited amounts of space.
While revenues have been dropping, schools also face rising costs due to the demands that hybrid learning will introduce. Unless both the revenue and spending challenges can be met, the learning decline that began this March will continue unchecked. Schoolchildren can’t afford that trend.
The normal flow of partisan politics pits the needs of private and public schools against one another. That zero-sum philosophy is always flawed, as effective schools in both sectors provide public benefit to all. But it’s even more flawed in times of crisis.
All schools were caught off-guard by this spring’s shutdowns; the federal aid under consideration is a needed response to an extraordinary set of circumstances that all schools — public, private and religious — face. To leave one group out of the relief package would be to the detriment of all.
New York’s elected officials should be particularly attuned to this reality. Across the state, more than 440,000 students are enrolled in private or religious schools, 14 percent of the total K-12 student population. In Gotham, that share is 19 percent.
But the need is statewide. In addition to the 257,000 students in private and religious schools in the Big Apple, there are 76,000 such students in the suburban counties north of the city (Westchester, Orange and Rockland), 44,000 in Long Island and 36,000 in the upstate counties encompassing Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany.
Religious schools form the bulk of non-public schools; Jewish schools enroll 170,000 students, and Catholic schools 149,000.
To some, the notion of public funding funneled to religious institutions is anathema, but New York has long embraced aspects of educational pluralism, providing books and transportation to religious schools as well as federally funded remediation services. We must share extraordinary COVID-19 funding with families of private and religious schools, because the health and economic impacts of the virus know no boundaries; students in all schools are affected.
Nationwide, about 90 percent of all students attend public schools, so it is right that those schools receive the bulk of the federal aid. Whatever amount is approved, another 10 percent must be added to address the needs of private and religious schools.
That money could be allocated to the states based on enrollment shares of public and non-public schools in each state. Money allocated for private and religious schools could come in the form of federal tax credits for contributions to tuition-scholarship programs to avoid entangling church and state.
Contrary to misconceptions, private and religious schools aren’t the sole domain of the wealthy. In New York City, 70 percent of private-school students come from Census tracts with median income below $100,000; outside the city, 59 percent come from districts with median income below $100,000. Federal aid to these schools will benefit the working class.
Congress faces a choice. It can treat the needs of children as yet another political football in a partisan election year, or it can rise above political games and take critical action to stem the learning losses that children have already suffered. Given the significant role that private and religious schools play in New York, it is critical that our senators and representatives do what is best for all students and direct support to schools across all sectors.
Ray Domanico is director of education policy at the Manhattan Institute. He is the author of the recent report “A Statistical Profile of New York’s K-12 Educational Sector: Race, Income and Religion.”


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--CDC adds 3 new coronavirus symptoms to list

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) appears to have recently added three new symptoms of the novel coronavirus to its ongoing list .
Congestion or runny nose , nausea , and diarrhea were added , joining the federal agency ’ s list that already included fever or chills , cough , shortness of breath or difficulty breathing , fatigue , muscle or body aches , headache , new loss of taste or smell and sore throat .
“ This list does not include all possible symptoms .
CDC will continue to update this list as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC .
The new symptoms were quietly added , with one news outlet reporting that the changes were made on May 13 .
The CDC made a similar change in April when officials added six additional symptoms to the list .
At the time , these new changes included chills , repeated shaking with chills , muscle pain , headache , sore throat , and new loss of taste or smell .
When the pandemic first began , fever , cough , and shortness of breath were reported to be the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Symptoms can range from mild to severe , with most people beginning to experience them two to 14 days following exposure to the novel virus , or SARS-CoV-2 .
“ Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness , ” the CDC warns , noting that “ emergency warning signs ” for COVID-19 typically include trouble breathing , persistent pain or pressure in the chest , new confusion , inability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bluish lips or face .
“ If someone is showing any of these signs , seek emergency medical care immediately , ” per the CDC .
To date , there have been more than 9.4 million worldwide cases of the novel coronavirus , according to data from John Hopkins University .
The U.S. alone has seen more than 2.3 million cases and at least 121,996 virus-related deaths .

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appears to have recently added three new symptoms of the novel coronavirus to its ongoing list.
Congestion or runny nose, nausea, and diarrhea were added, joining the federal agency’s list that already included fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell and sore throat.
“This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19,” per the CDC.
The new symptoms were quietly added, with one news outlet reporting that the changes were made on May 13.
The CDC made a similar change in April when officials added six additional symptoms to the list. At the time, these new changes included chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
When the pandemic first began, fever, cough, and shortness of breath were reported to be the most common signs of a COVID-19 infection.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with most people beginning to experience them two to 14 days following exposure to the novel virus, or SARS-CoV-2.
“Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness,” the CDC warns, noting that “emergency warning signs” for COVID-19 typically include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, and bluish lips or face.
“If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately,” per the CDC.
To date, there have been more than 9.4 million worldwide cases of the novel coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The US alone has seen more than 2.3 million cases and at least 121,996 virus-related deaths.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Face coverings are now mandatory at Las Vegas casinos

They ’ re not gambling on safety any longer .
Nevada will now require face coverings outside and in all indoor spaces where people convene — including casinos , officials announced Thursday .
The order , from Gov .
Steve Sisolak , comes as the state grapples with a spike in cases since reopening in early June , and after many gamblers have been observed ignoring any sort of COVID-19 safety measures while hitting the Vegas Strip .
“ No shirt , no shoes , no mask , no service , ” Sisolak said Wednesday .
“ For Nevada to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must make face coverings a routine part of our daily life.
” The state is joining several others that have mandated face coverings to stifle post-lockdown coronavirus case increases , including California , North Carolina and Washington .
Nevada has recorded more than 14,860 coronavirus cases as of Thursday evening , along with more than 490 related deaths .
Nevada ’ s mandate carves out exemptions for those with medical conditions and disabilities , as well as children between the ages 2 and 9 .
Violators could face civil or criminal penalties , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would try to avoid such outcomes .
“ The last thing I want is for monetary fines or criminal penalties to be imposed on Nevadans , which is why I strongly encourage everyone to follow this directive , ” Sisolak said .
Casinos could also face disciplinary action from the Nevada Gambling Commission for allowing patrons to bare their full poker face indoors , the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported .
“ We will continue to explore those instances where behaviors have merited some form of disciplinary action , ” Gaming Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the paper reported .
“ Where warranted , the board will take [ action ] and that may involve the Gaming Commission at some point , should matters proceed to hearings , or in worst-case scenarios — which I do not anticipate — where there is willful refusal to comply with the governor ’ s directives.
” Johnson said the board hasn ’ t yet hashed out “ appropriate disciplinary action ” for noncompliance , but is mulling possible suspensions of gaming licenses .
“ We do expect cooperation and we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gaming licensees maintain compliance , ” he added .

They’re not gambling on safety any longer.
Nevada will now require face coverings outside and in all indoor spaces where people convene — including casinos, officials announced Thursday.
The order, from Gov. Steve Sisolak, comes as the state grapples with a spike in cases since reopening in early June, and after many gamblers have been observed ignoring any sort of COVID-19 safety measures while hitting the Vegas Strip.
“No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service,” Sisolak said Wednesday. “For Nevada to stay safe and stay open, we must make face coverings a routine part of our daily life.”
The state is joining several others that have mandated face coverings to stifle post-lockdown coronavirus case increases, including California, North Carolina and Washington.
Nevada has recorded more than 14,860 coronavirus cases as of Thursday evening, along with more than 490 related deaths.
Nevada’s mandate carves out exemptions for those with medical conditions and disabilities, as well as children between the ages 2 and 9.
Violators could face civil or criminal penalties, according to the order, but Sisolak said he would try to avoid such outcomes.
“The last thing I want is for monetary fines or criminal penalties to be imposed on Nevadans, which is why I strongly encourage everyone to follow this directive,” Sisolak said.
Casinos could also face disciplinary action from the Nevada Gambling Commission for allowing patrons to bare their full poker face indoors, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“We will continue to explore those instances where behaviors have merited some form of disciplinary action,” Gaming Control Board Member Terry Johnson told commissioners Thursday, the paper reported.
“Where warranted, the board will take [action] and that may involve the Gaming Commission at some point, should matters proceed to hearings, or in worst-case scenarios — which I do not anticipate — where there is willful refusal to comply with the governor’s directives.”
Johnson said the board hasn’t yet hashed out “appropriate disciplinary action” for noncompliance, but is mulling possible suspensions of gaming licenses.
“We do expect cooperation and we’ll commit the resources necessary to assist the gaming licensees maintain compliance,” he added.


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Let the city vote on Teddy Roosevelt

Let the city vote on Teddy Roosevelt

The Rough Rider will soon dismount .
The statue of President ...

The board of directors of the Museum of Natural History, who I imagine run the ideological gamut from super-woke to ultra-woke, have resolved to remove the statue of President Theodore Roosevelt outside that institution; Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio agree.
I fully understand that the museum is a private institution. Still, I think the fracas offers a useful test case — and an opportunity for a compromise in the statue wars: Why not hold a referendum in November and let the people of Gotham decide whether the statue should stay or go?
After all, it’s New Yorkers who enjoy the sight of the statue — or maybe are deeply offended by it. Why not find out how large each group is? The equestrian depiction — Roosevelt on horseback flanked by the proud-but-not-horse-riding figures of a Native American and an African — is public art. Why not give that public a say before banishing it?
The board’s assumption is that vast swaths of New Yorkers feel offended, even threatened, by the statue. But do we know if that’s, in fact, true? While the statue’s supposedly problematic nature has been discussed for some time, it has never been some enormous point of contention in the Big Apple.
I’m willing to bet good money that the not-offended would far outnumber the offended. And there is a reason why. It’s the same reason that statues all over the country are removed by arts councils or mobs — but not by referenda. Consider polling on Confederate statues. A HuffPo/YouGov poll recently put approval of removing them at 33 percent. A Quinnipiac poll came in higher, at 52 percent.
Majority support is narrow to nonexistent for removing memorials to men who literally betrayed America to maintain slavery. It’s that much less likely, then, that a majority of New Yorkers would support removing Roosevelt, a progressive champion.
But we won’t have a referendum. The far-left, mostly white elites who make these institutional decisions know that their views don’t represent those of most New Yorkers or Americans.
The members of this “expert” class are sure they know what is best for those of us without advanced degrees, whatever our race. To hold a debate and vote over the statue would be anathema to their goal of protecting us from dangerous statues, images and ideas.
I offer this challenge directly to the board and the city: Hold a referendum. Maybe you win, and the statue takes a dirt nap. But if you lose, not only should the statue stay, but the wokesters intent on destroying history will know they don’t represent the people’s will. The mobs tearing down so many statues across America would be sent the same message.
Teddy, of all people, is no stranger to testing the popular will. He would win this election, as he did so many in his lifetime. And that’s because New Yorkers are fair-minded people who can hold several complicated thoughts in their minds at once. They can celebrate Teddy’s achievements — national parks high among them — while deploring his warmongering side. And they can appreciate that a statue built three generations ago may not reflect precisely today’s racial sensitivities.
Would an artist today make the statue the same way? Probably not. Does that mean it should be stolen away by elites to protect naïve eyes? Absolutely not.
The American people aren’t stupid. We don’t look at statues of men and women from the past and say, Homer Simpson-like, “If they have a statue they must have been perfect.”
The progressive elite know they can’t win a fair debate about statues or over how to teach kids about American history; they try to ban “Gone With the Wind” on HBO, and it surges to No. 1 in Amazon sales. They know they will lose. That leaves only one option: silence the other side and pretend that they must decide for all of us, lest we resist their cultural Marxism.
But this is America. This is New York, goddammit. Let’s have a vote. Let the people decide.
David Marcus is The Federalist’s New York correspondent. Twitter: @BlueBoxDave


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Getting realistic about the coronavirus death rate

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that ...

With coronavirus infections rising again across the nation, the question of just how lethal the virus is has become more crucial than ever.
Early in the epidemic, public-health experts feared the virus might kill up to 2 percent of those infected, potentially causing millions of deaths in the United States and tens of millions worldwide. Those terrifying estimates prompted the lockdowns that have done incalculable harm to the economy, shattered small businesses and left children traumatized and untold numbers suffering from brutal isolation.
But we now know much more about the virus. And we know its lethality is lower than we originally feared — and highly concentrated in the very elderly and people with serious health problems.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in May that the coronavirus kills about 0.26 percent of the people it infects, about 1 in 400 people. New estimates from Sweden suggest that only 1 in 10,000 people under 50 will die from the virus, compared to 1 in 14 of people over 80 and 1 in 6 of those over 90.
Estimates for the coronavirus’ lethality have fallen so sharply because calculating the so-called infection fatality rate requires scientists and physicians to know both the total number of deaths and the total number of people infected.
Tracking deaths is relatively easy. But tracking infections can be tough. Many people who are infected with respiratory viruses like influenza or the novel coronavirus have only mild symptoms or none. They may never be tested or even know they are infected.
Thus, in the early stages of an epidemic, scientists must guess at the number of mild and hidden infections.
Probably the best way to discover the real number is through antibody tests, which measure how many people have already been infected and recovered — even if they never had symptoms.
Unlike some other countries, the United States still hasn’t completed a national random antibody study — yet another way in which our public-health establishment has failed to get the data we need to make good decisions about lockdowns. But some counties, states and countries have.
Those studies consistently show that far more people have been infected with and recovered from the coronavirus than suggested by data from tests that only measure current infections. Tests of municipal sewage systems — measuring the virus’ genetic signature in wastewater — have had similar findings.
Nearly all the studies find between 10 and 100 times the number of total infections as reported infections, with the average somewhere around 20 to 25 times.
In other words, while the CDC reports 2.34 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, the actual number of infected and recovered people may be closer to 50 million. (CDC Director Robert Redfield told journalists Thursday that the number of cases may be 10 times higher than the earlier 2.34 million.)
Thus, the death rate, which would be 5.2 percent based on that 2.34 million figure, is actually more like one-20th as high — or 0.26 percent.
To be sure, these estimates still have some uncertainty. The actual figure could be as low as 0.1 percent or as high as 0.4 to 0.5 percent, though treatment advances should mean it will trend lower over time. Even at 0.26 percent, the rate is still significantly higher than influenza most years, more comparable to a bad flu strain like the 1968 Hong Kong flu.
But it is far lower than we initially thought — a fact that should be cause for celebration.
Instead, some media outlets insist on using the out-of-date estimates that are much higher. For example, an ESPN article this week said public discussions about reopening the National Football League were “ignoring a mortality rate that has been estimated at 1.4 percent.” That figure is more than five times the CDC’s best estimate. Even more jarring, it is more than 100 times the actual risk to people in their 20s and 30s — the age range for nearly all NFL players.
Using those overstated estimates is a recipe for panic, bad public policy — and continued lockdowns that may delay to return to normality.
Let’s hope that isn’t the reason people in the media are using them.
Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, is the author of “Unreported Truths About COVID-19 and Lockdowns: Part 1, Introduction and Death Counts and Estimates,” available on Amazon. This essay is adapted from that booklet. Twitter: @AlexBerenson


newyorkpost--2020-06-25--Essence Festival kicks off online with pre-taped performances

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens @ @ @ @ @ to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) The Essence Festival kicked off @ @ @ @ @ Kerry Washington and Taraji P. Henson , and performances by Bruno Mars , Bell Biv @ @ @ @ @ Legend , Patti LaBelle and many more .
The fest that usually draws over 500,000 @ @ @ @ @ free at EssenceStudios.com .
Celebs pre-recorded in empty venues rather than their living rooms , @ @ @ @ @ .

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The Essence Festival kicked off Thursday with panelists, including Kerry Washington and Taraji P. Henson, and performances by Bruno Mars, Bell Biv DeVoe, Common, John Legend, Patti LaBelle and many more.
The fest that usually draws over 500,000 to New Orleans will stream free at EssenceStudios.com.
Celebs pre-recorded in empty venues rather than their living rooms, talent producer Yvonne McNair said.


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Dan Stevens Was Bummed He Didn’t Get To Sing in ‘Eurovision’

There ’ s no doubt that Alexander Lemtov—a Russian singer with a George Micheal wig and slightly cartoonish accent—is Dan Stevens ‘ s silliest role to date .
Yet the former Downton Abbey star fully commits to the bit , and it pays off .
Stevens is the clear scene-stealer of Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga , the new Will Ferrell Netflix comedy that began streaming today .
Stevens plays the romantic and professional rival to Ferrell ’ s character , Lars Erickssong , an amateur singer who ends up representing Iceland at Eurovision thanks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Russian competitor at the annual singing contest , Stevens struts around in his alarming deep V-necks , playfully hits on Rachel McAdam ’ s character Sigrit , and sensually caresses his leather-clad dancers in his song , “ Lion of Love.
” And he does all of it with just as much emotion and nuance as he brought to the dignified Matthew Crawley in the first three seasons of Downton Abbey , before he chose to leave the show to pursue other kinds of roles .
He certainly found them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beast in Disney ’ s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast , the mutant son of Charles Xavier in the FX series Legion , and a programmed killer in the acclaimed genre thriller , The Guest .
But Eurovision is the first role where ’ s he ’ s danced on stage with a team of shiny professional beefcakes doing pelvic thrusts .
“ I was just trying to keep up with those guys , ” Stevens told Decider in a phone interview .
“ I just wanted to do them justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Russian accent , his comedy ambitions , and his hopes for a The Guest sequel .
Decider : I just want to compliment you , first of all , on your Russian accent .
How did you find that voice ?
Dan Stevens : It ’ s a tricky balance .
Obviously you don ’ t want to go too ridiculous , but you want to give him a bit of a Euro-spin .
It was very funny , dialing down on that , listening to a couple of Russian friends that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ digging , and finding some great Chechen accents .
Also , it ’ s as much of the accent as is with the attitude .
The attitude of that mysteriously wealthy European elite , I ’ ve always found it to be quite ridiculous and worth poking fun at .
There are eccentricities and snobberies that come with ridiculous wealth .
I was pouring some of that into there as well .
That Euro-millions attitude is pretty absurd .
And I feel like the George Michael look really works for you .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The wig and hair consultation—there were several hours of discussions .
That George Michael wig was pretty special .
We were pretty happy when we zeroed-in on that .
Then we were always making sure that there was something ridiculously overpriced on Lemtov ’ s body at any one time .
And very little in the way of shirts .
How has it been seeing Eurovision through the eyes of Americans ?
It ’ s just been so funny talking to—especially talking to journalists this week—Americans who have no idea what Eurovision is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you discover something as an adult that ’ s been there all along .
You ’ re just like , “ What ?
What is this ?
” Suddenly , this whole world opens up to you : “ Oh my god , that is crazy !
” In preparation for the movie , I really went down a few YouTube wormholes of Eurovision ’ s past .
There are literally thousands of hours of footage you can look at , just the most extraordinary stuff .
It ’ s been really fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to people how truly bizarre this thing is .
It ’ s been going since the late 50s .
It ’ s really extraordinary .
Every year , there ’ s something amazing and surprising .
There ’ s the brilliant act , there ’ s the terrible act , and everything in between .
It ’ s all live , as well .
It ’ s a very long night .
It ’ s pretty extraordinary .
Your song , “ Lion of Love , ” veers on the brilliant side , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
The choreography was intense .
The team that we worked with on that works with some of the great pop acts on the planet .
They ’ ve choreographed for J.Lo and Bieber—a serious serious team of dancers .
I love working with professional dancers ; they are so disciplined , and so on it .
They just make me want to be better .
Just trying to keep up with those guys .
I just wanted to do them justice !
We worked very very hard at getting that right .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ funny song , and not unusual for Eurovision .
There is always at least one country that submits a song—whether the song merits it or not—where the choreography is extremely erotic .
Everyone ’ s clad in leather , and there ’ s fire going off everywhere .
What is this ?
Why is this happening ?
Lemtov definitely is representing that corner of the competition .
It was one of the things that hooked me in , in the first place .
Obviously I wanted to work with Will Ferrell , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And Eurovision I ’ ve known and loved for many years .
Completely bizarre .
But that song was really what sealed the deal for me .
I was a little nervous when I saw that fire going off around you guys .
It was real !
It was very hot .
[ Laughs . ]
Is that really you singing ?
Sadly , it ’ s not .
It was going to be .
In post-production , I was going to get into the booth .
And then , obviously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather rapidly .
We stuck with the original track , which is sung by a Swedish baritone , Erik Mjönes , who is great .
I love his style .
That opera-pop crossover is also a real hallmark of Eurovision .
Not to say that every country does it , but a lot of countries will submit an opera-pop crossover because they feel that it will have the broadest appeal .
It often produces some interesting results .
You and Rachel McAdams end up having this sweet , on-screen friendship in the film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her ?
She ’ s so sweet , especially as Sigrit .
It was my first time meeting her .
It was really lovely , developing that friendship and this relationship .
It ’ s a little more complex than it first appears .
Initially , you think he ’ s this Lothario who ’ s coming in to sweep her away , but it ’ s a little more nuanced than that .
Sigrit is just sweetness and light , really .
There ’ s not a bad bone in her body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and funny part of the story .
It wasn ’ t quite clear to me at the end : Is Alexander gay , or bisexual ?
How do you see it ?
It ’ s never quite clearly defined , but obviously his lifestyle is not accepted in his home country .
I think it ’ s safe to assume he is of the LGBTQ+ persuasion .
That is obviously a very real part of the story , and of the reality of Eurovision .
Eurovision has long been a safe haven for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fan base around the world as a result .
And yet , there are places like Russia , like Chechnya , where it ’ s actually dangerous to openly admit your sexuality .
That ’ s a scary truth .
We haven ’ t seen you do this many big comedy roles like this before .
Would you want to do more in the future ?
Definitely .
Definitely , definitely .
I started out doing comedy as a student—I started out doing stand-up .
I ’ ve always been a huge fan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I fell into straighter roles in England .
Since moving to the States , I guess , I have worked my way back into the comedy scene .
Everybody comes at it from different angles—sometimes from sketch groups or stand-up , or they did a sitcom .
Mine has been a little more unusual , I guess .
But I absolutely love it .
Definitely looking to do more .
You ’ re also starring in another film that ’ s coming out on VOD next month called The Rental , directed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me about that ?
It ’ s Dave Franco ’ s directorial debut .
He came to me , it must ’ ve been over a year ago now , saying he wanted to make this genre film , a horror-thriller .
It was really interesting to me .
I ’ m always sympathetic to—well , first of all , the first time directors—but actors-turned directors , I ’ m very sympathetic to as well .
Really a huge fan of Dave and of Alison Brie .
He was putting together a really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really interesting , cool project , and Dave is a really accomplished director .
I think it ’ s going to surprise a lot of people .
People expected him to make a comedy out of the gate .
But he ’ s gone with this .
It ’ s really cool , and it was really fun to premiere it at the drive-in the other night .
It was my first time at a drive-in , so that was cool .
[ Laughs . ]
Wow !
How was your time at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was a lot better than—I don ’ t get why people are always a bit apologetic about the sound quality or the screen quality .
It ’ s not really about that .
Especially having been at home now for over a hundred days , it was just nice to get out of the house .
A friend lent me a convertible for the night , so we got to sit and get the full drive-in experience .
A lot of people are watching another thriller you ’ re in , The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s streaming on Netflix .
I have to ask : Would you ever do a sequel ?
It kind of feels like your character is still alive at the end of that movie .
[ Laughs . ]
It does seem like that .
We ’ ve definitely talked about it over the years .
Adam is pretty busy with Godzilla vs. Kong these days .
I don ’ t know if he ’ s got the time for such a small fry as The Guest 2 .
But never say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve probably got a few more years in me that I could still pull off a role like that .
We ’ ll see .
I definitely want to work with Adam and Simon again .
It was just such a great experience .
It ’ s wonderful that that movie is kind of having a second life now—it ’ s back on Netflix and people are discovering it for the first time .
That ’ s just awesome .
We ’ re also coming up on the 10-year anniversary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know it ’ s a little tricky with the pandemic , but are there any tentative reunion plans ?
A virtual reunion plan , maybe ?
[ Laughs . ]
Not that I ’ ve heard of .
I don ’ t know if I qualify for an invite these days , but we ’ ll see .
I ’ m intrigued to find out what the plan is !
Watch Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix

There’s no doubt that Alexander Lemtov—a Russian singer with a George Michael wig and slightly cartoonish accent—is Dan Stevens‘s silliest role to date. Yet the former Downton Abbey star fully commits to the bit, and it pays off. Stevens is the clear scene-stealer of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, the new Will Ferrell Netflix comedy that began streaming today.
Stevens plays the romantic and professional rival to Ferrell’s character, Lars Erickssong, an amateur singer who ends up representing Iceland at Eurovision thanks to a freak accident. As Alexander Lemtov, the Russian competitor at the annual singing contest, Stevens struts around in his alarming deep V-necks, playfully hits on Rachel McAdams’ character Sigrit, and sensually caresses his leather-clad dancers in his song, “Lion of Love.” And he does all of it with just as much emotion and nuance as he brought to the dignified Matthew Crawley in the first three seasons of Downton Abbey, before he chose to leave the show to pursue other kinds of roles.
He certainly found them. Since Downton, Stevens has been The Beast in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, the mutant son of Charles Xavier in the FX series Legion, and a programmed killer in the acclaimed genre thriller, The Guest. But Eurovision is the first role where’s he’s danced on stage with a team of shiny professional beefcakes doing pelvic thrusts. “I was just trying to keep up with those guys,” Stevens told Decider in a phone interview. “I just wanted to do them justice!”
Decider spoke to Stevens about his Russian accent, his comedy ambitions, and his hopes for a sequel to The Guest.
DECIDER: I just want to compliment you, first of all, on your Russian accent. How did you find that voice?
DAN STEVENS: It’s a tricky balance. Obviously you don’t want to go too ridiculous, but you want to give him a bit of a Euro-spin. It was very funny, dialing down on that, listening to a couple of Russian friends that I have. But also doing internet digging, and finding some great Chechen accents. Also, it’s as much of the accent as is with the attitude. The attitude of that mysteriously wealthy European elite, I’ve always found it to be quite ridiculous and worth poking fun at. There are eccentricities and snobberies that come with ridiculous wealth. I was pouring some of that into there as well. That Euro-millions attitude is pretty absurd.
And I feel like the George Michael look really works for you.
It was a pretty wild costume fitting. The wig and hair consultation—there were several hours of discussions. That George Michael wig was pretty special. We were pretty happy when we zeroed-in on that. Then we were always making sure that there was something ridiculously overpriced on Lemtov’s body at any one time. And very little in the way of shirts.
How has it been seeing Eurovision through the eyes of Americans?
It’s just been so funny talking to—especially talking to journalists this week—Americans who have no idea what Eurovision is. I personally really enjoy that feeling—when you discover something as an adult that’s been there all along. You’re just like, “What? What is this?” Suddenly, this whole world opens up to you: “Oh my god, that is crazy!” In preparation for the movie, I really went down a few YouTube wormholes of Eurovision’s past. There are literally thousands of hours of footage you can look at, just the most extraordinary stuff. It’s been really fun, popping a few brains and revealing to people how truly bizarre this thing is. It’s been going since the late 50s. It’s really extraordinary. Every year, there’s something amazing and surprising. There’s the brilliant act, there’s the terrible act, and everything in between. It’s all live, as well. It’s a very long night. It’s pretty extraordinary.
Your song, “Lion of Love,” veers on the brilliant side, surely. That was some impressive choreography!
The choreography was intense. The team that we worked with on that works with some of the great pop acts on the planet. They’ve choreographed for J.Lo and Bieber—a serious serious team of dancers. I love working with professional dancers; they are so disciplined, and so on it. They just make me want to be better. Just trying to keep up with those guys. I just wanted to do them justice! We worked very very hard at getting that right. And it’s a very very funny song, and not unusual for Eurovision. There is always at least one country that submits a song—whether the song merits it or not—where the choreography is extremely erotic. Everyone’s clad in leather, and there’s fire going off everywhere. What is this? Why is this happening? Lemtov definitely is representing that corner of the competition. It was one of the things that hooked me in, in the first place. Obviously I wanted to work with Will Ferrell, I’m a huge fan of his. And Eurovision I’ve known and loved for many years. Completely bizarre. But that song was really what sealed the deal for me.
I was a little nervous when I saw that fire going off around you guys.
It was real! It was very hot. [Laughs.]
Is that really you singing?
Sadly, it’s not. It was going to be. In post-production, I was going to get into the booth. And then, obviously, coronavirus came and changed the post-production schedule rather rapidly. We stuck with the original track, which is sung by a Swedish baritone, Erik Mjönes, who is great. I love his style. That opera-pop crossover is also a real hallmark of Eurovision. Not to say that every country does it, but a lot of countries will submit an opera-pop crossover because they feel that it will have the broadest appeal. It often produces some interesting results.
You and Rachel McAdams end up having this sweet, on-screen friendship in the film. What was it like working with her?
She’s so sweet, especially as Sigrit. It was my first time meeting her. It was really lovely, developing that friendship and this relationship. It’s a little more complex than it first appears. Initially, you think he’s this Lothario who’s coming in to sweep her away, but it’s a little more nuanced than that. Sigrit is just sweetness and light, really. There’s not a bad bone in her body. It’s a very sweet and funny part of the story.
It wasn’t quite clear to me at the end: Is Alexander gay, or bisexual? How do you see it?
It’s never quite clearly defined, but obviously his lifestyle is not accepted in his home country. I think it’s safe to assume he is of the LGBTQ+ persuasion. That is obviously a very real part of the story, and of the reality of Eurovision. Eurovision has long been a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community and has a massive fan base around the world as a result. And yet, there are places like Russia, like Chechnya, where it’s actually dangerous to openly admit your sexuality. That’s a scary truth.
We haven’t seen you do this many big comedy roles like this before. Would you want to do more in the future?
Definitely. Definitely, definitely. I started out doing comedy as a student—I started out doing stand-up. I’ve always been a huge fan. For one reason or another, I fell into straighter roles in England. Since moving to the States, I guess, I have worked my way back into the comedy scene. Everybody comes at it from different angles—sometimes from sketch groups or stand-up, or they did a sitcom. Mine has been a little more unusual, I guess. But I absolutely love it. Definitely looking to do more.
You’re also starring in another film that’s coming out in theaters and on VOD next month called The Rental, directed by Dave Franco. What can you tell me about that?
It’s Dave Franco’s directorial debut. He came to me, it must’ve been over a year ago now, saying he wanted to make this genre film, a horror-thriller. It was really interesting to me. I’m always sympathetic to—well, first of all, the first time directors—but actors-turned directors, I’m very sympathetic to as well. Really a huge fan of Dave and of Alison Brie. He was putting together a really cool team and it sounded like a really interesting, cool project, and Dave is a really accomplished director. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. People expected him to make a comedy out of the gate. But he’s gone with this. It’s really cool, and it was really fun to premiere it at the drive-in the other night. It was my first time at a drive-in, so that was cool.
Wow! How was your time at the drive-in?
It was great! It was a lot better than—I don’t get why people are always a bit apologetic about the sound quality or the screen quality. It’s not really about that. Especially having been at home now for over a hundred days, it was just nice to get out of the house. A friend lent me a convertible for the night, so we got to sit and get the full drive-in experience.
A lot of people are watching another thriller you’re in, The Guest (2014), now that it’s streaming on Netflix. I have to ask: Would you ever do a sequel? It kind of feels like your character is still alive at the end of that movie.
[Laughs.] It does seem like that. We’ve definitely talked about it over the years. Adam is pretty busy with Godzilla vs. Kong these days. I don’t know if he’s got the time for such a small fry as The Guest 2. But never say never! I don’t know. I’ve probably got a few more years in me that I could still pull off a role like that. We’ll see. I definitely want to work with Adam and Simon again. It was just such a great experience. It’s wonderful that that movie is kind of having a second life now—it’s back on Netflix and people are discovering it for the first time. That’s just awesome.
We’re also coming up on the 10-year anniversary of Season 1 of Downton Abbey. I know it’s a little tricky with the pandemic, but are there any tentative reunion plans? A virtual reunion plan, maybe?
[Laughs.] Not that I’ve heard of. I don’t know if I qualify for an invite these days, but we’ll see. I’m intrigued to find out what the plan is!
Watch Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Health, scheme fit will be factors in key year for Henry Anderson

As the Jets get close to training camp , I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players .
Each weekday , we will reveal another person on the list , leading right into camp .
I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game .
How acquired : Traded by the Colts on April 28 , 2018 for a sixth-round pick .
Anderson was coming off a really nice 2018 season that earned him a contract extension from the Jets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2019 .
He just was not the same player last year .
Much of that may be attributed to a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Eagles , which caused him to miss three games .
You never know just much injuries affect guys , but it was clear Anderson was missing something from the year before .
Adjusting to Gregg Williams ’ system may have played a role in his slip in production , too .
Anderson ended up starting 13 games .
He had just one sack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tackles for loss dropped from seven to three and his quarterback hits fell from 16 to nine .
PFF graded him the 100th defensive interior lineman out of 118 graded .
Anderson will be a big part of the Jets defensive line again .
Williams has shown he likes a rotation on the line , so Anderson won ’ t be getting 90 percent of the snaps .
But he will probably be a starter , and should be a major contributor .
The Jets need to hope Anderson is healthy and ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 , when he was a nice surprise for the team .
Anderson has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this season , so the Jets could move on after this season if his play slips again .
The defensive line is one of the Jets ’ strongest units and Anderson should be a big part of that group if he can stay healthy .

As the Jets get close to training camp, I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 21: Henry Anderson
Last year’s ranking: No. 13
Position: DE
Age on Opening Day: 29
How acquired: Traded by the Colts on April 28, 2018 for a sixth-round pick.
Years left on contract: 2
2020 Salary Cap figure: $8.3 million
Looking back at 2019
Anderson was coming off a really nice 2018 season that earned him a contract extension from the Jets, but he took a step back in 2019. He just was not the same player last year. Much of that may be attributed to a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Eagles, which caused him to miss three games.
You never know just much injuries affect guys, but it was clear Anderson was missing something from the year before. Adjusting to Gregg Williams’ system may have played a role in his slip in production, too.
Anderson ended up starting 13 games. He had just one sack after notching seven in 2018. His tackles for loss dropped from seven to three and his quarterback hits fell from 16 to nine.
PFF graded him the 100th defensive interior lineman out of 118 graded.
Outlook for 2020
Anderson will be a big part of the Jets defensive line again. Williams has shown he likes a rotation on the line, so Anderson won’t be getting 90 percent of the snaps. But he will probably be a starter, and should be a major contributor.
The Jets need to hope Anderson is healthy and ready to return to the form he showed in 2018, when he was a nice surprise for the team.
Anderson has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this season, so the Jets could move on after this season if his play slips again.
The defensive line is one of the Jets’ strongest units and Anderson should be a big part of that group if he can stay healthy.


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Bill Gates says US ‘not even close’ to doing enough to fight COVID-19

Microsoft magnate Bill Gates described the national and global coronavirus pandemic picture as “ more bleak ” than he would have expected , saying the US is “ not even close ” to doing enough to fight the contagion , according to a report .
The co-founder of the tech giant appeared Thursday night in a coronavirus town hall on CNN , where he lamented the fact that people are still dying of the illness across the country .
“ It ’ s possible to ramp up testing for a new pathogen very , very fast , ” he told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the network ’ s chief medical correspondent .
“ In fact , a number of countries did that extremely well in this case and the technology keeps getting better there .
The US in particular hasn ’ t had the leadership messages or coordination that you would have expected , ” Gates said .
When he took part in a similar town hall two months ago , the death toll from COVID-19 across the US stood at 63,000 with more than one million cases recorded .
Today , there are at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 122,000 people have died , according to figures from Johns Hopkins University .
Gates attributed the spike to a lack of testing and contact tracing , as well as the continued resistance by a large segment of the population to wearing face masks .
“ The range of behaviors in the US right now , some people being very conservative in what they do , and some people ignoring the epidemic , is huge , ” he said .
“ Some people almost feel like it ’ s a political thing which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The governor of North Dakota , a friend of mine , had to say ‘ please don ’ t be mean to people wearing a mask ’ which kind of blows the mind.
” Gates said he remained hopeful that the US will “ step up ” and help get the tools — particularly a vaccine — out around the globe .
Gates said he has been in constant contact with Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert and member of the White House task force on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s aligned with Fauci on his prediction that there will be a viable vaccine by the end of 2020 or early next year .
Along with his wife , Gates runs the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and pledged up to $ 100 million in February to help contain the outbreak around the world .

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Microsoft magnate Bill Gates described the national and global coronavirus pandemic picture as “more bleak” than he would have expected, saying the US is “not even close” to doing enough to fight the contagion, according to a report.
The co-founder of the tech giant appeared Thursday night in a coronavirus town hall on CNN, where he lamented the fact that people are still dying of the illness across the country.
“It’s possible to ramp up testing for a new pathogen very, very fast,” he told hosts Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the network’s chief medical correspondent.
“In fact, a number of countries did that extremely well in this case and the technology keeps getting better there. The US in particular hasn’t had the leadership messages or coordination that you would have expected,” Gates said.
When he took part in a similar town hall two months ago, the death toll from COVID-19 across the US stood at 63,000 with more than 1 million cases recorded.
Today, there are at least 2.4 million confirmed cases and more than 122,000 people have died, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Gates attributed the spike to a lack of testing and contact tracing, as well as the continued resistance by a large segment of the population to wearing face masks.
“The range of behaviors in the US right now, some people being very conservative in what they do, and some people ignoring the epidemic, is huge,” he said.
“Some people almost feel like it’s a political thing, which is unfortunate,” Gates added. “The governor of North Dakota, a friend of mine, had to say ‘Please don’t be mean to people wearing a mask,’ which kind of blows the mind.”
Gates said he remained hopeful that the US will “step up” and help get the tools — particularly a vaccine — out around the globe.
Gates said he has been in constant contact with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a member of the White House task force on the pandemic.
Previous 1 of 3 Next Advertisement A health worker takes care of a patient infected with the coronavirus at the University of Chile's clinical hospital in Santiago, Chile. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado A doctor and nurses treat a patient suffering from the coronavirus at El Tunal hospital in Bogota, Colombia. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez Advertisement
He added that he’s aligned with Fauci on his prediction that there will be a viable vaccine by the end of 2020 or early next year.
Along with his wife, Gates runs the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and pledged up to $100 million in February to help contain the outbreak around the world.


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--New Movies + Shows to Watch this Weekend: Netflix’s ‘Eurovision’ + More

Can you believe this is this last Friday of June , 2020 ?
This year is both crawling and flying by but hey , we welcome any and all progress !
Because with another week under our belts means we have arrived at another weekend jam-packed with new movies and shows new on streaming this weekend .
And guys , let me just say that this one is a doozy .
We know you will be stuck trying to decide what to watch , so we have taken the liberty to pull out what we think will be the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And whether you ’ re perusing Netflix , Hulu , Amazon Prime , HBO or all of the above , we believe that starting with the newest and hottest titles is the best way to go .
So let ’ s jump in people and hopefully our highlights will help you decide what to stream this weekend !
New Movies and Shows to Stream This Weekend : Eurovision Song Contest , Guns Akimbo and I ’ ll Be Gone in the Dark The movies and shows to watch this weekend are impressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what to watch tonight and go from there !
If you are looking for a breath of fresh and funny air ( and aren ’ t we all these days ? )
, then Netflix has the perfect thing for you : Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga .
This slapstick comedy from Will Ferrell and David Dobkin is the laugh-inducing , stress-reliving comedy we so need .
But the entertainment does not stop there , because HBO and Amazon Prime Video are ready to fill your Saturday night movie-watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doctor Sleep .
Curious and want to know more about these great flicks , just read below !
New on Netflix June 19 : Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga Guys , we have hit the slapstick comedy goldmine with Netflix ’ s new comedy film , Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga .
From the brilliantly-wacky mind of Will Ferrell comes this immature-funny flick that centers on two amateur Icelandic singers who , thanks to a freak accident , end up representing Iceland in the Eurovision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Eurovision Song Contest , it is a very real international singing competition that has been held in Europe since 1956 ( it is a really big deal ) .
So after years of not being taken seriously by their homeland — and even their families — these two optimistic upstarts must prove their worth on the biggest stage on the continent .
But will they pull it off ?
Directed by David Dobkin ( Wedding Crashers ) and starring Pierce Brosnan , Dan Stevens ( Downton Abbey ) and even Demi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ huh ?
” and “ HA !
” that makes it one of the most highly-anticipated films of this month .
Stream Eurovision Song Contest : The Store of Fire Saga on Netflix New on Amazon Prime Video this weekend is Guns Akimbo , the bizarre film where Daniel Radcliffe has guns bolted to his hands .
Have we peaked your interest yet ?
Well to explain further , this action comedy centers on a video game developer who gets kidnapped and dropped into an underground live-streaming fight club as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lethal killing machine , this now-gun-toting coward can ’ t run away anymore .
Starring Samara Weaving , Ned Dennehy , Rhys Darby and more , Guns Akimbo is just weird enough to draw your attention from the news for even just a few hours this weekend .
Stephen King you ’ ve done it again !
Based on the novel of the same name , Doctor Sleep is now available to watch on HBO this weekend .
The film follows Danny Torrance 40 years afterThe Shining .
Still thoroughly scarred by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find some semblance of peace .
Those efforts are abruptly stalled when a teenage girl with the same gift as Danny has comes to him for help against a terrible group hell-bent on feeding off of that gift to achieve immortality .
It is up to Danny to face his demons — literally — to save himself and the other innocents who possess “ the shine.
” Starring Ewan McGregor , Rebecca Ferguson , Kyliegh Curran and more , Doctor Sleep is yet another Stephen King masterpiece .
Full List of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The options above are just for Friday , so you know that this weekend ’ s full lineup will have amazing options for what to watch this weekend !
For the full breakdown of the best movies and shows to stream now , or if you ’ re still undecided on what to stream this weekend , then check out the complete list below : Amar y vivir *NETFLIX ORIGINAL Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga *NETFLIX FILM Home Game *NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Straight Up Hormigas ( AKA The Awakening of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll Be Gone in the Dark , Docuseries Premiere ( HBO )

Where to Stream: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Powered by Reelgood
Can you believe this is this last Friday of June, 2020? This year is both crawling and flying by but hey, we welcome any and all progress! Because with another week under our belts means we have arrived at another weekend jam-packed with new movies and shows new on streaming this weekend. And guys, let me just say that this one is a doozy. We know you will be stuck trying to decide what to watch, so we have taken the liberty to pull out what we think will be the best movies and shows to watch this weekend. And whether you’re perusing Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO or all of the above, we believe that starting with the newest and hottest titles is the best way to go. So let’s jump in people and hopefully our highlights will help you decide what to stream this weekend!
New Movies and Shows to Stream This Weekend: Eurovision Song Contest, Guns Akimbo and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
The movies and shows to watch this weekend are impressive, so let’s start with what to watch tonight and go from there! If you are looking for a breath of fresh and funny air (and aren’t we all these days?), then Netflix has the perfect thing for you: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. This slapstick comedy from Will Ferrell and David Dobkin is the laugh-inducing, stress-reliving comedy we so need. But the entertainment does not stop there, because HBO and Amazon Prime Video are ready to fill your Saturday night movie-watching party with films like Guns Akimbo and Doctor Sleep. Curious and want to know more about these great flicks, just read below!
New on Netflix June 26: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Guys, we have hit the slapstick comedy goldmine with Netflix’s new comedy film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. From the brilliantly-wacky mind of Will Ferrell comes this immature-funny flick that centers on two amateur Icelandic singers who, thanks to a freak accident, end up representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest. And for those unacquainted with the Eurovision Song Contest, it is a very real international singing competition that has been held in Europe since 1956 (it is a really big deal). So after years of not being taken seriously by their homeland — and even their families — these two optimistic upstarts must prove their worth on the biggest stage on the continent. But will they pull it off? Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) and starring Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) and even Demi Lovato, Eurovision is the perfect combination of “huh?” and “HA!” that makes it one of the most highly-anticipated films of this month.
Stream Eurovision Song Contest: The Store of Fire Saga on Netflix
New on Amazon Prime Video June 27: Guns Akimbo
New on Amazon Prime Video this weekend is Guns Akimbo, the bizarre film where Daniel Radcliffe has guns bolted to his hands. Have we piqued your interest yet? Well, to explain further, this action comedy centers on a video game developer who gets kidnapped and dropped into an underground live-streaming fight club as the next contestant. Facing off against a lethal killing machine, this now-gun-toting coward can’t run away anymore. Starring Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy, Rhys Darby and more, Guns Akimbo is just weird enough to draw your attention from the news for even just a few hours this weekend.
Stream Guns Akimbo on Amazon Prime Video
New on HBO June 27: Doctor Sleep
Stephen King you’ve done it again! Based on the novel of the same name, Doctor Sleep is now available to watch on HBO this weekend. The film follows Danny Torrance 40 years afterThe Shining. Still thoroughly scarred by his traumatizing childhood, Torrance has worked tirelessly to find some semblance of peace. Those efforts are abruptly stalled when a teenage girl with the same gift as Danny has comes to him for help against a terrible group hell-bent on feeding off of that gift to achieve immortality. It is up to Danny to face his demons — literally — to save himself and the other innocents who possess “the shine.” Starring Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran and more, Doctor Sleep is yet another Stephen King masterpiece.
Full List of New Movies and Shows on Streaming This Weekend
The options above are just for Friday, so you know that this weekend’s full lineup will have amazing options for what to watch this weekend! For the full breakdown of the best movies and shows to stream now, or if you’re still undecided on what to stream this weekend, then check out the complete list below:
New on Netflix- Full List
Released Friday, June 26
Amar y vivir *NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga *NETFLIX FILM
Home Game *NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Straight Up
New on Amazon Prime- Full List
Released Saturday, June 27
Guns Akimbo (2020)
New on HBO- Full List
Released Friday, June 26
Hormigas (AKA The Awakening of the Ants), 2020
Released Saturday, June 27
Doctor Sleep (Director’s Cut), 2020 (HBO)
Released Sunday, June 28
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Docuseries Premiere (HBO)
New on Starz- Full List
Released Sunday, June 28
Hightown – Episode 107
New on BritBox- Full List
Released Friday, June 26
Agatha Christie’s Secret Adversary | 1 x 120 (New to BritBox, BritBox Exclusive)


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Megan Thee Stallion samples N.W.A in new song ‘Girls in the Hood’

Megan Thee Stallion has dropped new song , “ Girls in the Hood.
” The track interpolates Eazy-E and N.W.A ’ s classic 1987 single , “ Boyz-n-the-Hood.
” “ I ’ m a hot girl , I do hot s–t … ” she raps on the hook .
“ I don ’ t text quick , ’ cause I ain ’ t thirsty/These bitches mad , mad , they wan na hurt me.
” She also puts her own spin on Eazy-E ’ s original lyrics : “ ‘ Cause the girls in the hood are always hard/Ever since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job/Knowing nothing in life , but I got ta get rich/You could check the throwback pics , I ’ ve been that bitch.
” Megan teased the song earlier in the day with a clip on Instagram .
She ’ s seen twerking alone in a striped sundress , capturing the vibes that befit the “ Hot Girl Summer ” singer ’ s reigning season .
“ Girls in the Hood ” follows a string of 2020 singles from the rapper , including “ Diamonds ” with Normani from the “ Birds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Tyga , alongside “ B.I.T.C.H ” and “ Captain Hook ” from her third EP , Suga , which dropped in March .
The Beyoncé remix of Suga song , “ Savage ” reached Number One on Rolling Stone ‘ s Top 100 Songs Chart in May .
Earlier this month , Megan Thee Stallion joined hundreds of artists and other music industry professionals in signing a police reform open letter urging New York state to repeal statute 50-A , which shields police disciplinary records from public view .

Megan Thee Stallion has dropped new song, “Girls in the Hood.” The track interpolates Eazy-E and N.W.A.’s classic 1987 single, “Boyz-n-the-Hood.”
“I’m a hot girl, I do hot s–t … ” she raps on the hook. “I don’t text quick, ’cause I ain’t thirsty/These bitches mad, mad, they wanna hurt me.” She also puts her own spin on Eazy-E’s original lyrics: “‘Cause the girls in the hood are always hard/Ever since 16 I’ve been having a job/Knowing nothing in life, but I gotta get rich/You could check the throwback pics, I’ve been that bitch.”
Megan teased the song earlier in the day with a clip on Instagram. She’s seen twerking alone in a striped sundress, capturing the vibes that befit the “Hot Girl Summer” singer’s reigning season.
“Girls in the Hood” follows a string of 2020 singles from the rapper, including “Diamonds” with Normani from the “Birds of Prey” soundtrack and”Freak” with Tyga, alongside “B.I.T.C.H” and “Captain Hook” from her third EP, Suga, which dropped in March. The Beyoncé remix of Suga song, “Savage” reached Number One on Rolling Stone‘s Top 100 Songs Chart in May.
Earlier this month, Megan Thee Stallion joined hundreds of artists and other music industry professionals in signing a police reform open letter urging New York state to repeal statute 50-A, which shields police disciplinary records from public view.


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Anti-cop protesters make Portland ‘look like a war zone’ with fires, looting

Anti-cop protesters started huge fires near a Portland police precinct early Friday , as looters plundered nearby stores , according to police and local reports .
“ North Portland looks like a war zone right now , ” journalist Andy Ngô tweeted alongside videos of numerous large fires in the Oregon city .
He said militants “ tried to establish an autonomous zone outside ” the North Precinct in the city and “ they then started fires in the street.
” Other footage showed people chanting “ no good cops in a racist system ” as they watched a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ throwing things into their street fire to make it grow bigger , ” Ngô tweeted , saying that police just “ stand back and watch from a distance.
” “ Rioters have a huge banner that reads , ‘ Every city , every town , burn the precinct to the ground , ' ” he revealed .
The precinct was also covered in graffiti , with a large BLM — for Black Lives Matter — as well as numerous expletives and “ Killer cops kill , ” according to other images on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what was supposed to be peaceful protests throughout the city , Oregon Live said .
Police warned people to avoid the area , confirming the fires and looting .
“ Arrests have been made .
Officers are now securing businesses that were vandalized and looted in the King neighborhood , ” the force tweeted early Friday .

Anti-cop protesters started huge fires near a Portland police precinct early Friday, as looters plundered nearby stores, according to police and local reports.
“North Portland looks like a war zone right now,” journalist Andy Ngô tweeted alongside videos of numerous large fires in the Oregon city.
He said militants “tried to establish an autonomous zone outside” the North Precinct in the city and “they then started fires in the street.”
Other footage showed people chanting “No good cops in a racist system” as they watched a large fire burn nearby.
The rioters were “throwing things into their street fire to make it grow bigger,” Ngô tweeted, saying that police just “stand back and watch from a distance.”
“Rioters have a huge banner that reads, ‘Every city, every town, burn the precinct to the ground,'” he revealed.
The precinct was also covered in graffiti, with a large BLM — for Black Lives Matter — as well as numerous expletives and “Killer cops kill,” according to other images on social media.
It followed a day of what was supposed to be peaceful protests throughout the city, Oregon Live said.
Police warned people to avoid the area, confirming the fires and looting.
“Arrests have been made. Officers are now securing businesses that were vandalized and looted in the King neighborhood,” the force tweeted early Friday.


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Trump wants federal hiring to focus on applicant skills over degrees

President Trump on Thursday night said crime in Chicago makes ...

President Trump plans to direct the federal government to change its hiring practices by prioritizing job applicant skills over college degrees, according to administration and industry officials.
The president is expected to sign an executive order Friday outlining the new approach for the government during a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which advises the administration on worker policies.
With 2.1 million civilian workers, excluding postal service employees, the federal government is the nation’s largest employer.
First daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump is the co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and has worked on improving job training to meet employers’ evolving needs.
She predicted the change in federal government hiring would create a more inclusive and talented workforce — and encouraged the private sector to follow the administration’s lead.
“We are modernizing federal hiring to find candidates with the relevant competencies and knowledge, rather than simply recruiting based on degree requirements,” she told the Associated Press in a statement.
“We encourage employers everywhere to take a look at their hiring practices and think critically about how initiatives like these can help diversify and strengthen their workforce,” she added.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the need for skills training and apprenticeships is as great as it was before the coronavirus pandemic led the national unemployment rate to climb above 13 percent last month.
“Americans are eager to get to work but they need our help,” said Ross, the board’s other co-chair.
College degree requirements won’t be tossed completely, but skills in jobs where having a degree is less important will be stressed under the new order, which will be implemented by the Office of Personnel Management.
Administration aides say the change will create more opportunities for people to work for the government by recognizing that a lot of learning happens outside of classrooms.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Joe Biden says there are ‘120 million dead from COVID’ in latest gaffe

In his latest blunder , Joe Biden claimed “ millions ” of Americans ...

Joe Biden has once again reminded voters why he richly deserves his self-proclaimed reputation as a “gaffe machine”— adding several extra zeroes to the nation’s coronavirus death toll during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania.
“People don’t have a job, people don’t know where to go, they don’t know what to do,” the former vice president said before his speech in Lancaster Thursday.
“Now we have over 120 million dead from COVID,” Biden continued before correcting himself to say “120,000,” which was not captured by the pool cameraman.
His full quote was: “Now we have over 120 million dead from COVID, I mean, 120,000 dead from COVID. And you have so many—now we’re past 2 million — I mean, and we’re talking about it like it’s over. I mean, it’s over. My God.”
Steve Guest, the Republican National Committee’s national response chief, posted a clip of Biden’s blunder and wrote: “WHAT IS GOING ON WITH JOE BIDEN?”
The president retweeted Guest’s comment and added, “If I ever said something so mortifyingly stupid, the Fake News Media would come down on me with a vengeance. This is beyond a normal mistake. Why isn’t the media reporting it?”
The president’s reelection campaign called Biden “very confused,” adding that “he’s not playing with a full deck, folks.”
“This is after he previously claimed 150 million Americans died from guns,” the Trump War Room said, referring to Biden’s bungling of statistics about how many Americans had been killed by gun violence since 2007 during a February debate with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
They weren’t the only ones reacting on social media.
“Joe’s brain is dying. Please Democrats, don’t do this,” posted Prairie Red, a self-described progressive.
“He’s supposed to stay in his basement so this doesn’t happen,” added poster StarWolf.
But others defended the former veep. “Biden is Biden. He’s going to gaffe. He’s going to trip, maybe even swear someone out if you test him, but one thing is for certain, he’s never changed and you know what you’re getting,” tweeted Girly Girl. In May, Biden made a similar gaffe by claiming that “millions” of Americans had died of the coronavirus and 85,000 jobs had been lost as a result of the pandemic.
“This is not a moment for excuses or deflections or blame game. We’re — we’re in the middle of a pandemic that has cost us more than 85,000 jobs as of today,” he said during a virtual roundtable with three governors.
“Lives of millions of people. Millions of people. Millions of jobs,” he said, possibly realizing his faux pas about the number of jobs after flipping the numbers.
Additional reporting by Bob Fredericks


newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Dad unboxes surprise that came from 3,000 miles away

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Best daughter ever? Hawaii resident Brenna Lee Loving surprised her dad, whom she hadn’t seen since Christmas, by popping out of a large cardboard box. “This is the best,” he said while giving her a big hug. Loving had traveled 3,000 miles from Honolulu to Tucson, Arizona, for the one-of-a-kind Father’s Day entrance.
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newyorkpost--2020-06-26--Brooks Koepka’s brother will be in 2021 Travelers Championship despite withdrawal

CROMWELL , Conn. — All along , it was going to be ...

CROMWELL, Conn. — Chase Koepka, the younger brother of Brooks Koepka, has been guaranteed a spot in the field of the 2021 Travelers Championship, The Post learned on Thursday.
Chase, who at 26 years old is four years younger than Brooks, the No. 4-ranked player in the world who owns four major championships, earned a spot into the tournament this week at TPC River Highlands by Monday qualifying, surviving a five-man playoff for two spots.
But Wednesday, after it was learned that Brooks’ caddie, Ricky Elliott, had tested positive for COVID-19, both Brooks and Chase withdrew from the tournament as a precaution. For Brooks, because of his lofty status, the withdrawal wasn’t a major deal. To Chase, who doesn’t have any playing status and has played in only a handful of PGA Tour events, it was a crushing blow. One good performance on the PGA Tour for a player like Chase can change his life.
Travelers tournament director Nathan Grube told The Post on Thursday that he reached out to Chase and told him he “earned’’ his way in and that, “if he needs it next year’’ he’ll have a guaranteed spot in the 2021 Travelers.
Shane Lowry was in the thick of the COVID-19 vortex on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Travelers Championship.
On Tuesday, the reigning British Open champion from Ireland played a practice round with Graeme McDowell and the Koepka brothers.
By Wednesday, McDowell and the Koepka brothers withdrew from the Travelers when it was discovered that both McDowell’s caddie, Ken Comboy, and Brooks’ caddie, Elliott, had tested positive for the coronavirus.
While neither McDowell nor the Koepkas tested positive, all three withdrew out of precaution in case they had been infected by the caddies but weren’t yet showing it in a test.
Lowry was so concerned that he consulted with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Wednesday evening to make sure it was safe for him to carry on and play. Monahan gave his blessing and it turned out to be a good thing, with Lowry shoot a 4-under 66 on Thursday.
“I found out on Tuesday evening about Kenny, Graeme’s caddie, and I’d spent a little bit of time around Graeme,’’ Lowry said. “But Graeme hadn’t seen [Comboy] since last week [Comboy didn’t make the trip to Connecticut because he wasn’t feeling well].
“Then obviously we played a practice round with Brooks, Chase and Ricky Elliott, who was caddying for Brooks and he tested positive [Wednesday] morning. Ricky called me himself. I couldn’t really believe it. To be honest, I thought he was messing with me, because he kind of is like that sometimes.
“Then as the guys pulled out, I contacted the Tour pretty quickly. I asked them what did they think I should do because I wanted to do the right thing. But I don’t think I was within enough contact with Ricky over the course of the nine holes we played on Tuesday. We’re just taking precautions. I spoke to Jay [Wednesday evening] here at the club and he said that I’m good to play. So, I’m here to play’’
Lowry said after two clean weeks — only Nick Watney tested positive last week — this week’s cases “have been kind of a kick in the backside to all of us and to make sure that we do the right things when we’re out there.’’
“I’ve seen a lot of media coverage that is quite negative, and I don’t like it,’’ he said. “I think the PGA Tour, Jay, everybody involved has done a great job, and I as a professional golfer am very happy to be back to work and to be providing some entertainment for some people at home. I think we’re very lucky to be back out playing.’’
Abraham Ancer had his first career PGA Tour hole in one on the 16th hole Thursday, jarring it with an 8-iron from 156 yards. And he was struck the relative silence that accompanied it when an ace generally elicits huge roars from the gallery. There, of course, are no spectators allowed on the golf course this week.
“It was very anti-climactic because there was nobody out there and we couldn’t high-five or anything, but still, it was awesome to have my first PGA Tour ace,’’ he said. “You want to go high-five or something and we can’t right now, so it was definitely different. But I’ll take it.’’
Tyler McCumber, the son of 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber, didn’t get into the Travelers field until the Wednesday withdrawals. He missed the cut at last week’s Korn Ferry Tour event and was prepared to take the week off. He was on his way to the Pisgah Forest near Asheville, N.C., for a quiet week off. Then he got late word that he was in the Travelers field if he could get to Connecticut.
“I think I got the confirmation around 3 p.m. and the last flight out of Jacksonville was 5:30, so I had to pack up in about 25 minutes and head to the airport,’’ McCumber said.
He made his flight and made the most of his opportunity, shooting a 5-under 65 on Thursday while playing alongside defending-champion Chez Reavie and Jon Rahm.
“My brother-in-law drove me to the airport last minute,’’ McCumber said. “I called him, I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I think I’m going to get into the tournament, can you find me a flight and maybe give me a ride to the airport and help me pack?’ He was Superman for me.’’