Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), who leads the Committee on Education and Labor, had invited CDC Director Robert Redfield or another agency representative to testify July 23 at a hearing before the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee on how to safely reopen schools.
But Scott revealed Friday on Twitter that the “White House will NOT allow†Redfield to testify.
Jul 17, 2020
The United Arab Emirates’ Mars spacecraft is now scheduled to head into space Monday from Japan, Mitsubishi said in a press release.
The Japanese company, which manufactured the spacecraft, said there could be further delays for the historic mission due to weather conditions.
It is the second delay of the launch of the spacecraft, named Hope (Amal), because of weather conditions. The probe was supposed to launch from the island of Tanegashima on Wednesday, but the mission was postponed until Thursday because of poor weather conditions there, and then delayed again.
The mission will be the first of its kind by a country in the Arab world. Hope is to reach Mars’ orbit in February and spend 687 days there studying its properties. The findings will help humans’ understanding of global dust storms in particular, the European Space Agency told the state-run Emirates News Agency.
Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Rashid al-Maktoum, who is the government leader of the endeavor, said the Hope mission aims to make the Emirates and Arab states competitive with the rest of the world in scientific discovery.
“Our journey to Mars is a message of hope to all Arabs that we can compete with the world in science and technology,†he said, as reported by Emirates News Agency. “The UAE today leads the Arab knowledge transformation.â€
Jul 17, 2020
Turkey sent a plane of medical aid to Venezuela on Thursday. Ankara sends COVID-19 aid to many countries around the world, but the Venezuela delivery is significant due to the South American nation’s hostile relationship with the United States.
The delivery sought to help Venezuela fight the coronavirus pandemic, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Pictures of the delivery tweeted by Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense showed boxes with a quote about hope from the Persian-language mystic poet Rumi in Turkish and Spanish.
Turkey is active in delivering coronavirus-related aid to countries around the world. Turkey is one of only 11 countries to send aid directly to countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Turkey also distributed hygiene kits to Tanzania, Anadolu reported today.
The US sanctions the Venezuelan government and supports an opposition government there. In May, a State Department official told Al-Monitor the United States was pressuring companies to stop doing business with Venezuela’s state oil company amid Iranian fuel deliveries there. Iran, an ally of Caracas also sanctioned by the United States, has continued various aid shipments to Venezuela despite vocal opposition from the United States.
Anadolu described Venezuela’s economy as “crippled by US sanctions.â€
Washington is not opposed to assistance to Venezuela like that Turkey provided. A State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor that in general, US sanctions on Venezuela exempt medicine, food, clothing and the like. A June report from the Congressional Research Service also noted exemptions to US sanctions on Venezuela for humanitarian assistance, including medicine.
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput got his big break in television with Ekta Kapoor’s show Pavitra Rishta. He was paired opposite actress Ankita Lokhande in the show. With nearly 1500 episodes, it was one of the most popular shows back then and made Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande a household name.Â
According to reports, Ankita Lokhande has now approached Ekta Kapoor with the idea of making a sequel to the show in memory of Sushant Singh Rajput. The show was close to the late actor as it gave his talent a platform. Reportedly, both Ekta and Ankita feel that a sequel will be the best tribute to the deceased actor.Â
Ekta will be sitting down with her writers and exploring on how to take the daily soap forward. The casting for the same will begin once the logistics are in place.Â
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood News Today & upcoming movies 2020 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.
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A week before Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) laid down his marker: Trump would not be his president, and Lewis would not afford him any of the respect that comes with the office.
“I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,†Lewis said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press†a week before Trump was sworn into office. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected and they have destroyed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.â€
Lewis, a congressman from Georgia since 1987, passed away on Friday, and leaves behind a legacy as one of the nation’s leading civil rights activists.
He was the first prominent Democrat to question Trump’s legitimacy as president. Though Lewis was referencing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, his comments were also a response to Trump’s birtherism: For years, Trump was one of the leaders pushing the racist conspiracy theory, which falsely claimed that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.Â
Some Democrats supported Lewis, but plenty also distanced themselves from him and said he had gone too far. They wanted to give Trump ― who had received fewer votes than Clinton ― a chance.Â
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) called Lewis’ remarks “nonproductive†and Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, said Trump was “freely elected.†Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called them “just words,†praising Lewis for calling out Trump’s racism but refusing to go as far as saying he was an illegitimate president.
But Lewis was willing to stick his neck out against Trump, both as the “conscience of the Congress†and as a member of the Democratic leadership.
Trump turned his ire on Lewis in return, tweeting out a characterization of his district (the same one he would later use against another black civil rights leader in Congress, the late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings), saying it was in “horrible shape and falling apart†and “crime-infested.†(That is not what the district is like at all.)Â
Lewis refused to go to Trump’s inauguration. He wasn’t the first Democratic member of Congress to say he wouldn’t go, but after Trump attacked him, dozens more joined him in sitting out the event.
He was involved in activism for most of his life, most notably as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ― which he helped create ― during the peak of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He was known as one of “Big Six†leaders of the movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Â
Alabama state troopers fractured Lewis’ head in March 1965 when he and more than 600 peaceful demonstrators walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what is now known as Bloody Sunday, an attempt to march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.Â
Lewis kept that commitment to civil rights in Congress and continued to speak up after Trump had taken office. In January 2018, after Trump reportedly referred to Haiti and some African nations as “shithole countries,†Lewis said the president’s “words and his actions tend to speak like one who knows something about being a racist. It must be in his DNA, in his makeup.â€Â
As the impeachment investigation into Trump proceeded throughout the second half of 2019, Lewis stayed silent until September, likely due in part to his close relationship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was against impeachment until then.
However, given his previous comments, there seemed to be little doubt about where he stood. Many Democratic House members said that they believed that Lewis, a moral figure who commanded universal respect, could help swing momentum in favor of impeachment in a unique way.Â
When Lewis finally spoke out in support of impeaching Trump, he gave an emotional speech on the House floor.
“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, do something,†he said. “Our children and their children will ask us: ‘What did you do? What did you say?’â€
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A man has been shot dead by police and a woman is critically injured after a “frenzied” stabbing attack in Melbourne’s north west.
Four men have been arrested over the stabbing death of Thomas Tran in Melbourne’s southeast in June.
Mr Tran, 20, from Springvale, was killed after leaving a gym in Oakleigh about 7.55pm on June 29.
Homicide Squad detectives swooped on three teenagers and a man during raids of multiple properties in Dandenong and Dandenong South on Saturday morning.
Two 18-year-old men and a 19-year-old man from Dandenong, as well as a 20-year-old man from Dandenong South were arrested and are assisting police with their investigation.
No charges have been laid yet.
Police initially arrested a teenage boy and three men after they were called to Atherton St near Eaton Mall on June 29 following reports of a fight between a group of people.
A 15-year-old, two 19-year-old men from Lynbrook and Lyndhurst and a 20-year-old Dandenong man were questioned by Homicide Squad detectives but released a short time later.
After the horrific attack, Mr Tran’s parents broke down in tears as they left flowers and lit incense just metres from where their son was stabbed to death.
His girlfriend, Trish Nguyen, told reporters at the scene that day he made her “laugh every secondâ€.
“He really cared about people and he really loved everyone that was in his life,†she said.
“He put everyone before him and that’s what I loved the most about him.â€
Mr Tran’s former school, Salesian College in Chadstone, had also paid tribute to “a wonderful young man with so much potentialâ€.
Police said the investigation was ongoing and anyone with information was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Rep. John Lewis, the legendary civil rights leader who helped organize the March on Washington and was later known as the “conscience of Congress,†died Friday at age 80.
The Georgia Democrat announced in December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.Â
“I have been in some kind of fight ― for freedom, equality, basic human rights ― for nearly my entire life,†Lewis said in a statement at the time. “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now.â€
Lewis has been on the front lines of the fight for democracy for most of his life. Born on Feb. 21, 1940, to sharecroppers outside of Troy, Alabama, Lewis grew up attending segregated public schools. After watching the activism that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and hearing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words on the radio, Lewis was inspired to join the civil rights movement and fought for voting rights ever since.
As a college student attending Fisk University, Lewis helped organize peaceful sit-in protests at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. At age 21, he volunteered to be a Freedom Rider — one of the activists who risked their lives challenging segregation throughout the South by sitting in seats reserved for white people. (The protest was inspired by Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her bus seat for a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.)
Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and became its chairman during the peak of the civil rights movement from 1963 to 1966. Lewis organized student activism in the movement through SNCC and was eventually considered one of the “Big Six†leaders of the civil rights movement, alongside King.
At 23, Lewis was one of the organizers of and the youngest keynote speaker at the March on Washington in August 1963. He helped launch voter registration drives during the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, yet another example of his determination to bring voting rights to Black people.
Lewis often faced violent consequences for his civil rights leadership. He was repeatedly arrested and beaten by police and angry mobs for challenging Jim Crow segregation in the South and fighting for voting rights.
Alabama state troopers fractured Lewis’ skull in March 1965 while he led more than 600 peaceful demonstrators in a voting rights protest across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during what became known as Bloody Sunday. Media coverage of the cruelty during Bloody Sunday ― and the subsequent successful Selma march in which Lewis walked alongside King ― helped usher in the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year.
Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981 and to Congress in 1986. He served as House Democrats’ senior chief deputy whip and as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Throughout his congressional career, Lewis fought to enact laws that furthered the civil rights and moral principles that he had championed since he was a young man. He helped campaign for Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who lost the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia and has since dedicated her career to fighting for voting rights amid allegations of Black voter suppression in the state.
“I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, 53 years ago,†Lewis told a crowd at a rally for Abrams just days before the election. “I’m not asking any of you to give any blood. I’m just asking you to go and vote like you never voted before. We have to vote.â€
Lewis was also unfiltered in his criticism of President Donald Trump and refused to attend the 2018 State of the Union address after Trump characterized Haiti and African nations as “shitholes.†The congressman said in May 2019 that if King were alive today, Lewis would tell him that Trump is “a racist†who “doesn’t understand the meaning of your life and the significance of the civil rights movement.â€
Lewis was a strong supporter of impeaching Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, warning that the country he once considered a “beacon of hope†may be “descending into darkness.†Before voting to formally impeach the president in December 2019, Lewis delivered an emotional, fiery speech that alluded to his experiences in Washington that helped define the civil rights movement.
“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, do something,†the civil rights icon said. “Our children and their children will ask us: ‘What did you do? What did you say?’â€
Lewis held hope for the future of America even through the pandemic and widespread anger over civil rights. As protests erupted nationwide over the police slaying of a Black Minnesota man, George Floyd, Lewis remarked on the sheer scope of the movement.Â
“I’ve come in contact with people who feel inspired. They’re moved. They’ve just never been along in a protest — they’ve never been in a march before — they decided to march with their children and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and to walk with them,†he said in June.
“They’re helping to educate and inspire another generation of activists. It’s seeing an effect. There can be no turning back; there can be no giving up.â€
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Holidaymakers who have accepted refund credits note for cancelled package holidays will get their money back if travel firms goes bust, the government has said.
Until now, there have been doubts as to whether consumers’ refund credit notes would be protected if the issuing travel company collapsed before they could be spent.
But the government has now said it will protect refund credit notes issued between 10 March 2020 and 30 September 2020 for ATOL-protected bookings.
The scheme is normally used to stop package holiday customers being stranded abroad or losing money from future bookings when operators collapse, as happened with Thomas Cook in September 2019.
Consumer group Which? has been advising people to reject refund credit notes and “insist on a refund” because of concerns about them being worthless if the issuing firm goes under.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We want to send a clear message to passengers that they can book their summer holidays with confidence, which is why we’re stepping in to protect refund credit notes issued as a result of COVID-19 cancellations.
“This is not only good news for anyone looking to get away for a break in the sun, but also for the aviation and travel sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic.”
France and Spain among quarantine exemptions
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the Department for Transport had provided “much-needed clarity” by confirming that such cases will be covered by the ATOL scheme.”
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said the clarification will be “a huge relief” to customers who have accepted refund credit notes.
He added: “This is a positive step towards restoring trust in the travel industry.”
Some travel firms are offering vouchers rather than refund credit notes.
Although these are often worth more than the original booking, to incentivise customers not to request cash, the CAA said they are not ATOL protected.
The government is the financial backer for the ATOL scheme, which is run by the CAA.
NEWTON, Iowa — Simon Pagenaud’s worst-to-first run capped a wild opening night to IndyCar’s doubleheader at Iowa Speedway.
The former series champion, who was unable to qualify because of a fuel pressure issue, managed to stretch his tires and take advantage of a unique pit strategy — and a little bit of luck — to get to the lead. Pagenaud then held off series leader Scott Dixon through the final laps Friday night to end Chip Ganassi Racing’s four-race winning streak.
“I can’t believe it. I have to rewatch the race. How did I get there?†asked Pagenaud, who also gave team owner Roger Penske his first IndyCar victory since purchasing the series late last year. “I don’t know. The last 50 laps, a lot of tension. When Dixon is chasing you, you’d better hit your marks.â€
Pagenaud went from 23rd to first, but Dixon was just as impressive. He started 17th before finishing second.
“That was an awesome race,†he said. “I’m sure Simon is happy after the mess-up they had in qualifying.â€
Pagenaud won for the 15th time in the series, and first since Toronto last season. The 36-year-old Frenchman gave Team Penske its third Iowa win in four races.
Two mid-race wrecks set the stage for the conclusion — and drove home the value of IndyCar’s new aeroscreen.
The first occurred when Will Power’s left front wheel came off his car, sending him into the wall and the tire bounding within feet of his head. The second occurred on the aborted restart, when Colton Herta’s car catapulted over Rinus VeeKay, missing the rookie’s head by inches but destroying the new safety device added by IndyCar this season.
“I can’t thank IndyCar enough for that aeroscreen,†Power said.
Oliver Askew and Pato O’Ward were third and fourth for Arrow McLaren SP with Josef Newgarden rounding out the top five.
Newgarden spent much of the night racing for the lead before the back-to-back cautions shuffled up the field.
“The caution was certainly the nail in the coffin. Without sounding too over-confident, we had the car to beat tonight, hands-down,†he said. “To be honest, I’m angry about how this all transpired. Some of it’s just bad luck. The yellow coming out when it came out, I can’t fault my guys. They did a great job. I had a rocket ship.â€
So did Power, who was jockeying for the lead with Newgarden when another head-shaking incident on pit road ruined his night. It appeared his left-front tire changer failed to secure his wheel during a stop, and when it came loose Power went careening into the outside wall. His tire flew over him and bounced through the first and second turns.
“The front took off straight into the wall,†Power said. “Unbelievable. I don’t know what I need to do. So, so frustrating.â€
Power’s wreck wound up benefiting Pagenaud, who had somehow worked his way to the front. He was again pushing his tires as far as they would go when Power brought out the caution just before he was going to pit.
The race had been caution-free until Power’s wreck.
It only took until the restart for the second yellow to fly.
Drivers began checking up when the restart was called off, but Herta missed the message and his car catapulted at full speed over VeeKay and nearly into the front-stretch fence. Herta somehow landed on all four tires, and both young drivers let loose a deep exhale when their cars finally slid to a stop.
“It happened so fast. I wasn’t really sure what was going on,†said Herta, the only driver to finish in the top 10 each of the first four races. “I wasn’t told the restart was called off. I was told green, and I wasn’t going to go by the light when I was told green. So there you go. I guess everyone else got the message.â€
FAN FRIENDLY
After welcoming back fans last week at Road America, about 5,000 were on hand for the opener at Iowa. There were hundreds of campers in the grounds hours before the cars hit the track for practice early in the afternoon, even though the heat index soared into triple digits. It was still steamy when the checkered flag flew under the lights.
“That was probably one of the hottest races I’ve done in my life,†Askew said.
DALY DRIVER
Conor Daly sat on the pole for an IndyCar race for the first time Friday, and his second qualifying lap was good enough to start third Saturday night. Daly is back with Carlin this weekend after driving for Ed Carpenter Racing last weekend.
“Just so thankful,†he said. “I hated this place the last two years and now we’re on the pole. This is hilarious.â€
UP NEXT
Newgarden will start on the pole Saturday night. Herta qualified second before wrecking his car Friday night.
“If you ask me where I prefer to start it’s always going to be the front,†Newgarden said. “We would have liked a little more in Race 1 to start on the pole but we were happy to be starting on the front row.â€
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai and her daughter Aaradhya have been hospitalized a week after they tested positive for coronavirus.
While the mother-daughter had initially stayed at home to quarantine, reports revealed that the two were in need of medical assistance after they both developed breathlessness.
“Both Aishwarya and Aaradhya were admitted to Nananvati hospital today. They are fine. Aishwarya needed medical attention,†sources told the Press Trust of India.
On July 12, Abhishek Bachchan had announced that his wife and daughter too had tested positive after he and Amitabh Bachchan contracted the disease.
“Aishwarya and Aaradhya have also tested COVID-19 positive. They will be self quarantining at home. The BMC has been updated of their situation and are doing the needful.The rest of the family including my Mother have tested negative. Thank you all for your wishes and prayers.â€
