Commentary: The US dollar's supremacy is waning. So will America’s influence

The dollar and the US is not immune to the same kind of progressive degeneration suffered by the pound sterling and the UK in the 20th century, says Professor Benjamin J Cohen. SANTA BARBARA, California: With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the United States seems to have developed a severe case of what psychologists call dissociative identity disorder: it is simultaneously projecting two distinct personalities. On the one hand, the US Federal Reserve has responsibly assumed a leadership role in international finance, as it did during the 2008 global financial crisis.
Read more: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/the-us-dollar-losing-influence-america-china-bonds-12758544?source=Snapzu

The Long, Painful History of Police Brutality in the U.S.

A 1963 protest placard in the Smithsonian collections could almost be mistaken for any of the Black Lives Matter marches of today
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/long-painful-history-police-brutality-in-the-us-180964098/?source=Snapzu

A new civil lawsuit alleges Harvey Weinstein raped a 17-year-old in the 1990s

Four women identified as Jane Does filed a lawsuit against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein Thursday, alleging he sexually assaulted them. The allegations include the story of one woman who says Weinstein raped her in 1994 when she was about 17. 
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/29/us/new-weinstein-rape-allegations-lawsuit/index.html?source=Snapzu

In Bolsonaro's Brazil, everyone else is to blame for virus

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Brazil emerging as one of the world's most infected countries, President Jair Bolsonaro is deflecting all responsibility for the coronavirus crisis
Read more: https://apnews.com/7a7e8a0d3c524986412245ec9a23fad0?source=Snapzu

Oldest 'nearly complete' HIV genome found in forgotten tissue sample from 1966

The oldest known nearly complete gene sequence from the HIV strain that spread across the world has been found in a tissue sample from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a new study finds. The tissue sample was taken and preserved in 1966, making this HIV sequence 10 years older than the previous oldest genome, which came from a blood sample taken in 1976 in the DRC. Gene sequences like these – which come from before the virus that causes AIDS was discovered in 1983 – help pinpoint the timing of genetic mutations in the virus.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/oldest-hiv-genome.html?source=Snapzu

Up to 130 people come forward claiming they could be child of Epstein, whose fortune is worth £470m

More than 100 people claim they could be the offspring of the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is thought to have had a personal fortune of around £470m. A DNA company, which set up a website called epsteinheirs.com, said as many as 130 people had come forward – including a number of Britons – since the site’s launch.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/epstein-children-fortune-dna-website-morse-genealogical-services-death-a9531366.html?source=Snapzu

South Korea closes schools again as cases jump

More than 200 schools in South Korea have been forced to close just days after they re-opened, due to a new spike in virus cases. Thousands of students had earlier on Wednesday returned to school as the country began easing virus restrictions. But just a day later, 79 new cases were recorded, the highest daily figure in two months. Most of these cases have been linked to a distribution centre outside Seoul.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52845015?source=Snapzu

Evidence that curtailing proactive policing can reduce major crime

Using the 2014 New York Police Department slowdown as a natural experiment, the authors show that civilian complaints of major crime decreased during and after reductions in proactive policing, which challenges existing research on the topic. (PDF)
Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0211-5?source=Snapzu

Parrot 'who heard victim's last words' to give evidence in rape and murder trial

The comments of a parrot may be used in an upcoming rape and murder trial. Elizabeth Toledo, 46, was raped and then killed in the city of San Fernando, Argentina in December 2018. At the end of the month a police officer was guarding the crime scene when they heard a parrot say "Ay, no, Por favour, soltame!" ("No, please, let me go"), Clarin reports.
Read more: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/parrot-who-heard-victims-last-22082581?source=Snapzu

1 in 5 people tested in New York City had antibodies for the coronavirus

Nearly 1 in 7 people in New York who were randomly tested for coronavirus antibodies turned out to have them, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today (April 23). In New York City, the number is even higher: About 1 in 5 people tested positive for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. If those early results translate to the rest of the New York population, that would mean about 2.7 million people across the state would have been infected.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/covid-antibody-test-results-new-york-test.html?source=Snapzu

Trump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina

President Donald Trump began a solemn Memorial Day railing against North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, threatening to pull it out of Charlotte, where the convention is expected to be held August 24 to 27. Trump contended that Cooper is "unable to guarantee" that the arena can be filled to capacity.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/25/politics/trump-threatens-charlotte-republican-convention/index.html?source=Snapzu

World Health Organization Renews Praise for China in Response to Coronavirus

World Health Organization officials have renewed praise for China in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, citing its “openness” to the prospect of scientific inquiries involving foreign experts into the origins of the novel coronavirus.
Read more: https://time.com/5842256/world-health-organization-china-coronavirus-outbreak/?source=Snapzu

Scientists Found Weed at an Ancient Altar From Biblical Times

A sanctuary called the “Holy of Holies” offers “the earliest evidence for the use of cannabis in the Ancient Near East.” Who was the Kingdom of Judah’s pot dealer?
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/889nkz/scientists-found-weed-at-an-ancient-altar-from-biblical-times?source=Snapzu

You don't have to be a protester to see why it's hard to hope for change in the US

Black Americans, already reeling from a virus that disproportionately affects them, have engaged in days of protests after an African-American man's death in police custody was caught on tape. The anger rose so quickly because there's little hope to be found, writes Emily Olson.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-30/minneapolis-riots-pivotal-time-us-race-relations-george-floyd/12303170?source=Snapzu

Trump helps rich to profiteer from the pandemic as US inequality balloons

Inequality in the US explodes. Donald Trump's response to Covid-19 has been great for corporations and the one-percenters, not so good for Americans, writes @DavidCayJ.
Read more: https://www.michaelwest.com.au/the-rich-are-making-out-like-bandits-in-this-pandemic-were-talking-us-but-same-goes-for-us/?source=Snapzu

Prince William and Kate Middleton were guest bingo callers in call to nursing home

Royal duties aren't all fun and games — at least not usually. But this week, Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, put a playful spin on their work. On Wednesday, the pair took turns as guest bingo callers for the residents of Shire Hall Care Home in Cardiff, Wales, in a video call to the center.
Read more: https://www.today.com/news/prince-william-kate-middleton-were-guest-bingo-callers-call-nursing-t182229?source=Snapzu

Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'

Twitter has hidden a tweet by President Donald Trump from his profile, saying it violates rules about glorifying violence. It did the same hours later when the official White House account tweeted a copy of the president's words. Instead of being deleted, both tweets can be viewed by clicking on a prominent warning. It says that "Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52846679?source=Snapzu

‘Sorry, no mask allowed': Texas bar resists coronavirus guidance, turns away mask wearers

“Sorry for the inconveniences please bear with us thru the ridiculous fearful times,” reads the sign on the front of the Liberty Tree Tavern in Texas.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/28/elgin-texas-restaurant-liberty-tree-tavern-says-no-masks-allowed/5273257002/?source=Snapzu

Australians to receive potential coronavirus vaccine in southern hemisphere's first human trials

More than 100 people in Melbourne and Brisbane have signed up to be involved in the first human trials of a vaccine for COVID-19. Clinical research organisation Nucleus Network will be in charge of the early stages of testing the vaccine NVX-CoV2373, before the trial expands to Brisbane within a week.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-26/coronavirus-vaccine-trail-begins-in-melbourne-brisbane/12286028?source=Snapzu

Minneapolis police officer arrested in death of George Floyd

News of the arrest came moments after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged the ‘abject failure’ of the response to this week’s protests and called for swift justice for officers involved
Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-minnesota-governor-acknowledges-abject-failure-in-response-to/?source=Snapzu

Archaeologists in Norway are about to dig up a Viking ship

The Gjellestad ship is roughly 1,200 years old.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/archaeologists-in-norway-are-about-to-dig-up-a-viking-ship/?source=Snapzu

Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'

For the first time, Twitter has hidden a tweet on the president's profile behind a warning.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52846679?source=Snapzu

Cannabis Legalization Is Key To Economic Recovery, Much Like Ending Alcohol Prohibition Helped Us Out Of The Great Depression

Our nation is in the midst of the greatest crisis in generations, with the Covid-19 pandemic impacting Americans’ physical and emotional well-being, while plummeting the nation’s economy into the worst economic downturn in our lifetimes. As the country begins what is likely to be a slow climb out of economic morass, federal, state, and local governments will be looking for new sources of revenue to replenish dwindling budgets and provide jobs to millions of Americans who find themselves out of work.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kriskrane/2020/05/26/cannabis-legalization-is-key-to-economic-recovery-much-like-ending-alcohol-prohibition-helped-us-out-of-the-great-depression/?source=Snapzu

New Trump public land rules will let Alaska hunters kill bear cubs in dens

The Trump administration is finalizing rules that will allow hunters in Alaska’s national preserves to shoot bears and wolves, and their cubs and pups, while they are in their dens. The National Park Service is reversing regulations written by the Barack Obama administration, which banned some of the much-criticized practices for hunting the predators, including luring bears with food like doughnuts.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/28/alaska-bears-wolves-trump-rules-hunters?source=Snapzu

Millions Of U.S. Jobs Are Never Coming Back From The Covid-19 Recession

It’s a nice, rosy notion, but one that would strike anyone most workers as wishful—maybe the job losses incurred because of the coronavirus shutdown were largely temporary, and will come roaring back as soon as the economy ‘reopens.’ The reality is a lot more harsh. As weekly jobless claims skyrocket past 30 million in just a matter of weeks, a new study from the Becker-Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago offers a sobering assessment of the extent of permanent damage to the job market.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pedrodacosta/2020/05/27/millions-of-us-jobs-are-not-coming-back/#7bd133c75b0c?source=Snapzu

Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media platforms

The president has escalated his attacks against Big Tech in recent days.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/trump-executive-order-social-media-protections-8a53f1c6-3c05-4844-98a3-071373b497a8.html?source=Snapzu

Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have been found

At long last, all of the universe’s ordinary matter seems to be present and accounted for. Astronomers have taken a new census of matter in the universe by examining how bright flashes of radio waves from other galaxies, called fast radio bursts, are distorted by particles on their way to Earth. This analysis shows that about half of the universe’s ordinary matter, which has eluded detection for decades, is lurking in intergalactic space, researchers report online May 27 in Nature.
Read more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/universe-missing-matter-found-fast-radio-bursts?source=Snapzu

1 in 4 American workers have filed for unemployment benefits during the pandemic

More than 40 million Americans have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic forced the US economy to shut down in March. One in four American workers has filed for unemployment insurance.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/economy/unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html?source=Snapzu

GE is saying goodbye to its 129-year-old light bulb business

General Electric is saying goodbye to the light bulb. The conglomerate is shedding a struggling business founded by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. After years of failing to find a buyer, GE announced Wednesday it will sell its 129-year-old lighting division to smart home company Savant Systems.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/27/business/ge-light-bulbs-sale/index.html?source=Snapzu

Remote cheering app could boost atmosphere in Japan's empty stadiums

System allows fans following a match on TV, the radio or online to encourage – or berate – players via their smartphones
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/japan-launches-remote-cheering-app-to-boost-atmosphere-in-empty-stadiums?source=Snapzu

Trump to sign executive order on social media Thursday

President Trump is set to sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Wednesday.She did not offer any further details.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/499847-trump-to-sign-executive-order-on-social-media-thursday?source=Snapzu

Trump asks whether he should take insulin despite not being diabetic

President Donald Trump pondered on Tuesday whether he should be taking insulin, a hormone typically prescribed to diabetics, during an announcement for a plan which would aim to drastically reduce the price of insulin for people on Medicare. "I don't use insulin," Trump said. "Should I be? Huh? I never thought about it. But I know a lot of people are very badly affected, right? Unbelievable."
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/26/trump-asks-whether-he-should-taking-insulin-despite-not-being-diabetic/5263965002/?source=Snapzu

Coronavirus pandemic claims another victim: robocalls

Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job losses, and scammers have not been immune.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/coronavirus-pandemic-claims-another-victim-robocalls?source=Snapzu

Zuckerberg says Twitter is wrong to fact-check Trump

""I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online," the Facebook CEO told Fox News. "In general, private companies probably shouldn't be."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/zuckerberg-says-twitter-wrong-fact-check-trump-1506958?source=Snapzu

AI can battle coronavirus, but privacy shouldn’t be a casualty

Introduced as short-term fixes to the immediate threat of coronavirus, widespread data-sharing, monitoring and surveillance could become fixtures of modern public life.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/26/ai-can-battle-coronavirus-but-privacy-shouldnt-be-a-casualty/?source=Snapzu

UK MPs call for extra £30bn to aid green recovery from Covid-19

The UK needs to invest an additional £30bn a year in shovel-ready green projects to create jobs, energise the post-lockdown economy and put the country back on track to achieve its climate targets, a new cross-party commission recommends.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/uk-green-recovery-covid-19-mps-climate-nature?source=Snapzu

The Dark Core of Personality

Over 100 years ago Charles Spearman made two monumental discoveries about human intelligence. First, a general factor of intelligence (g) exists: people who score high on one test of intelligence also tend to score high on other tests of intelligence. Second, Spearman found that the g-factor conforms to the principle of the "indifference of the indicator": It doesn't matter what test of intelligence you administer; as long as the intelligence test is sufficiently cognitively complex and has enough items, you can reliably and validly measure a person's general cognitive ability.
Read more: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-dark-core-of-personality?source=Snapzu

Spain is deploying a basic income to citizens to ease the coronavirus impact

Spain has approved the first nationwide basic income, but there are doubts the initiative will reduce high levels of unemployment and inequality.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/27/spain-new-basic-income-may-not-fix-unemployment-and-inequality.html?source=Snapzu

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ attack on new criminal charge ‘too much,’ feds argue

Alleged crime could be affected by five-year statute of limitations if grand jury were needed, prosecutors say.
Read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/27/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-attack-on-new-criminal-charge-too-much-feds-argue/?source=Snapzu

Minister of rural development 'open' to internet access becoming public utility

Minister for Rural Economic Development Maryam Monsef says internet access is an essential service, and the idea of it becoming a public utility, funded like water or electricity, is not out of the question.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-26-2020-1.5584823/minister-of-rural-development-open-to-internet-access-becoming-public-utility-1.5585095?source=Snapzu

An ‘Avalanche of Evictions’ Could Be Bearing Down on America’s Renters

The economic downturn is shaping up to be particularly devastating for renters, who are more likely to be lower-income and work hourly jobs cut during the pandemic.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/us/coronavirus-evictions-renters.html?source=Snapzu

'3-day weekends are better': Andrew Yang says the US should 'seriously' consider switching to a 4-day workweek

The concept of a four-day workweek is not a new one, but it's gained traction amid the pandemic as companies have been required to adapt.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-yang-4-day-workweek-longer-weekend-improves-mental-health-2020-5?source=Snapzu

Pandemic slows electric vehicle revolution due to lithium battery shortage

The coronavirus pandemic has paused the electric vehicle revolution, forcing producers of battery metal lithium into survival mode with output cuts, expansion delays, and sales of major assets. Lithium industry shares have dropped sharply since January as the economic downturn from the pandemic slammed the brakes yet again on the electrification revolution that for years has seemed just around the corner. Investors are giving the cold shoulder to mine developers seeking funding for lithium projects.
Read more: https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/26/pandemic-slows-electric-vehicle-revolution-due-to-lithium-battery-shortage/?source=Snapzu

Apple responds to false Facebook claims about contact tracing update

Apple has responded to false claims pervading Facebook which state that its latest iOS update enables automatic tracking of users by the government. Apple has issued a statement in response to several false posts on Facebook regarding the exposure notification feature in iOS 13.5.
Read more: https://www.imore.com/apple-responds-false-facebook-claims-about-contact-tracing-update-ios-135?source=Snapzu

Trump threatens to shut down social-media platforms after Twitter put a fact-check warning on his false tweets

President Donald Trump has threatened to close down social-media platforms that he argues censor conservative voices after Twitter on Tuesday tagged some of his messages with a fact-check warning. "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices," Trump tweeted Wednesday. "We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016."
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-threatens-shut-down-platforms-after-tweets-tagged-warning-2020-5?source=Snapzu

A Forgotten Twentieth-Century Photographer’s Wild Portraits of Women in Nature

Anne Brigman helped shape American photographic traditions and was anointed by Alfred Stieglitz. Then she fell into obscurity.
Read more: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/a-forgotten-twentieth-century-photographers-wild-portraits-of-women-in-nature?source=Snapzu

Proposed bill would ban microtargeting of political advertisements

Just because ads can be targeted to individuals doesn't mean they should be.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/05/proposed-bill-would-ban-microtargeting-of-political-advertisements/?source=Snapzu

Longest green roof on a residential building in the Netherlands completed

The largest social housing complex in Rotterdam-Zuid has just taken yet another step towards climate resilience. The iconic Peperklip now has the longest natural roof amongst all residential buildings in the Netherlands, reported the municipality of Rotterdam earlier this week. The 7,600 square meters of greenery which will grow on the roof shall contribute to the biodiversity in the city and retain water during periods of heavy rainfall.
Read more: https://www.themayor.eu/en/longest-green-roof-on-a-residential-building-in-the-netherlands-completed?source=Snapzu

4 Police Officers Fired After A Black Man Dies In Minneapolis Police Custody

In a video, the man repeatedly cries out and says, "I cannot breathe," while the officer continues to push down on the man's neck with his knee. The man has been identified as George Floyd.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/26/862287667/4-police-officers-terminated-after-a-black-man-dies-in-minneapolis-police-custod?source=Snapzu

When the C.E.O., Already Facing a Crisis, Gets the Coronavirus

Glenn Fogel was in crisis mode. It was late February, and the coronavirus was spreading. Mr. Fogel, the chief executive of Booking Holdings, the online travel giant that owns brands like Priceline.com, OpenTable and Kayak, was spending nearly every waking moment at his computer as a tsunami of travel cancellations poured in. He quickly paused marketing, halted stock buybacks, froze hiring and raised $4 billion in debt.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/technology/ceo-coronavirus-booking-holdings-fogel.html?partner=IFTTT?source=Snapzu