Washington state

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out. It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth, said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. Its still happening and we are letting it happen. Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones' voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence. 'Normal.' I hate that word, said Julie Wallace, 55, of Elyria, Ohio, who lost her husband to … [Read more...] about United States Crosses Grim Milestone of 1 Million Covid-19 Deaths

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has turned to one of his most trusted and long-serving foreign policy advisors as his choice for secretary of State. Biden is expected to nominate Antony Blinken, 58, a veteran diplomat and former senior official at the State Department and National Security Council, perhaps on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the Biden transition planning. For the record: 7:33 a.m. Nov. 24, 2020 An earlier version of this article said Antony Blinken was the descendant of Holocaust survivors. His stepfather was a Holocaust survivor. Blinken is seen as someone who could easily win Senate confirmation even if Republicans still control the chamber in the next Congress. Given the depth of his experience, he could hit the ground running, current and former diplomats said. Blinken was a deputy national security advisor and deputy secretary of State in the Obama administration as well as national security advisor to Vice President Biden … [Read more...] about Biden’s longtime advisor Antony Blinken emerges as his pick for secretary of State

The secretary of the Navy is expected to visit the USS George Washington in Virginia on Tuesday, following a spate of suicides among sailors assigned to the warship and concerns over onboard living conditions, according to military officials and sailors on the ship. Crew members have been instructed to clean up their work spaces on the aircraft carrier to “make it look presentable,” ahead of Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s arrival, according to a sailor who works on the George Washington and asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. At least five sailors on the George Washington have died by suicide in the last year, including three within a span of a week last month, military officials said. The warship has been undergoing extensive repairs at the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia since 2017. Several current and former George Washington sailors told NBC News that their struggles were directly related to a culture where seeking help is not met with the … [Read more...] about Navy secretary to visit USS George Washington after rash of suicides

Starbucks on Monday became the latest major U.S. company to offer coverage for travel costs for employees seeking abortions out of state. The Seattle-based coffee giant follows the likes of Amazon , CitiGroup, Tesla , and Yelp, which have made similar pledges as numerous states work to roll back abortion rights or ban the practice outright. The coverage Starbucks plans to offer will be part of its benefits package for employees, and will therefore also be extended to dependents, according to U.S. News. "Regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality health care," Sara Kelly, Starbucks acting executive vice president of partner resources, said in a letter announcing the new coverage. In the letter, Kelly referred to the leaked Supreme Court opinion draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito , indicating that the court will soon overturn the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade , which guaranteed access to … [Read more...] about Starbucks breaks silence on abortion issues, will pay employee travel costs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday ruled that federal courts are powerless to review immigration officials' decisions in some deportation cases, even when they have made what a dissenting justice called “egregious factual mistakes.” The court ruled 5-4 against Georgia resident Pankajkumar Patel, who checked a box indicating he was a U.S. citizen when renewing his Georgia driver’s license in 2008. An immigration judge, who is a Justice Department employee, concluded Patel intended to misrepresent his status for the purpose of getting his license, even though Georgia law entitled a noncitizen in Patel’s situation to a license to drive. Patel and his wife, Jyotsnaben, concede they entered the U.S. illegally roughly 30 years ago since leaving their native India. In 2007, Patel applied for a “green card,” legal permanent residency status, with the support of his employer. The Patels have three children. One is a U.S. citizen and the other two are green-card … [Read more...] about Justices limit federal court review of some deportations

Donald Trump Jr., a prominent and vocal member of the MAGA crowd, has some concerns when it comes to Finland possibly joining NATO. On Monday morning, Trump Jr. shared his thoughts on the possibility that the European country may become the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In his statement , posted to Twitter , Trump Jr. brought up Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a reason to reconsider the possible move. "I get there's nothing going on at home that Congress could be worrying about, but after decades of not being in NATO and being just fine isn't the notion of eliminating this buffer zone a bit how the Ukraine invasion started?" he wrote. The statement from the eldest son of former President Donald Trump came after the Nordic country and neighboring Sweden both indicated they wanted to join the international military alliance. The decision to apply for membership was influenced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Jr. throws cold water on Finland joining NATO

Amber Heard took the witness stand again on Monday in her defense testimony and stated that the feces in her and ex-husband Johnny Depp 's bed was their dogs, not hers. In the high-profile defamation trial between the two actors, Depp claimed that Heard had defecated in their bed, and a video of his testimony went viral in late April . During her defense testimony on Monday, Heard stated that it was actually Depp's Yorkshire Terrier named Boo that had left feces on the bed. Heard stated that in 2016, while she and her friend were preparing to leave for the Coachella music festival, they left the dogs on the bed. When asked if she had committed any kind of "prank," Heard replied, "Absolutely not." "First of all, I don't think that's funny. I don't know what grown woman does find that funny," she added. "I was not also in a pranking mood…my life was falling apart. I had just been attacked on my 30th birthday by my violent husband with whom I was desperately in love and … [Read more...] about Amber Heard Says Bed Feces Wasn’t Hers, Belonged to Yorkshire Terrier

Amber Heard's spokesperson has said that "truth is not on [Johnny] Depp's side," ahead of the former couple returning to court for their defamation trial . All eyes have been on the Hollywood stars amid their trial, after Depp, 58, sued Heard, 36, for $50 million after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018 stating that she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Depp was never mentioned by name, but his legal team argue that the insinuation has caused a sullied reputation and a huge loss of earnings for the actor. Heard has made a counterclaim against Depp for $100 million. In the hours leading up to their return to Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court on Monday, a spokesperson for Heard told Newsweek they're anticipating Depp's team will put on a courtroom display that's "equal parts shameful and desperate." "There's an old saying by trial lawyers: when the facts are on your side, argue the facts. When the facts are not on your side, pound away on the podium," … [Read more...] about Amber Heard’s rep says truth “not on Johnny Depp’s side” as trial resumes

Three months before Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue became the latest target of a deadly mass shooting, the rabbi leading the congregation warned of the need for gun control laws, lamenting the lack of action from the country's leaders. Multiple casualties in addition to six wounded, among them four police officers, were reported after a shooter opened fire in the synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood Saturday morning. "Despite continuous calls for sensible gun control and mental health care, our elected leaders in Washington knew that it would fade away in time," Rabbi Jeffrey Myers wrote in a blog post in July. "Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the mid-term elections, I fear that the status quo will remain unchanged, and school shootings will resume. I shouldn't have to include in my daily morning prayers that God should watch over my wife and daughter, both teachers, and keep them safe. Where are our leaders?" A suspect was apprehended following the … [Read more...] about Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue rabbi warned of need for gun control before shooting: “Where are our leaders?”

Leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) has barbs out for his potential Democrat competitor Cheri Beasley ahead of the primaries on Tuesday. Both Trump-endorsed Budd and former Chief Justice Beasley of the North Carolina Supreme Court are way ahead of their competitors within their respective parties, meaning the candidates may likely soon go head to head in a battle between the “America First” agenda and the Biden agenda in November. Budd warned Breitbart News Saturday that a candidate “cannot be more radical” than Beasley, despite her attempts to pitch herself as the “North Carolina version of  (Sen.) Joe Manchin” ( D-WV). “I can tell you, there is nothing further than the truth. She is a radical candidate. She loves Joe Biden’s radical policies, and she will stay with him even though she’ll find out ways to skip the vice president when she’s in town, skip the president when he’s in North Carolina — that’s for political … [Read more...] about Exclusive — Rep. Ted Budd: ‘Can’t Get More Radical’ Than Cheri Beasley