San Diego doctor receives prison for selling a cure for COVID-19
A San Diego doctor who sold “COVID-19 treatment packs” during the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced Friday to prison, prosecutors said. Jennings Ryan Staley, who owns Skinny Beach Med Spa, was sentenced to 30 days in prison and one year of home confinement for trying to smuggle hydroxychloroquine into the United States to sell as a cure for COVID-19. Last year, Staley, 47, pleaded guilty to breaking import law and admitted working with a Chinese supplier to try to smuggle into the United States a barrel that he believed contained more than 26 pounds of hydroxychloroquine powder.
Holiday weekend resembles prepandemic times
Memorial Day has long been understood as the unofficial start of the U.S. summer, but during the pandemic, it has also come with canceled events, bans on large gatherings and news of lagging vaccination rates. This year, Memorial Day observations are not being scrapped nationwide. AAA, the automobile association, estimated more than 39 million Americans would take to the skies and roads. But experts, still wary about climbing daily virus cases, still recommended opting for outdoor gatherings or continuing to wear a mask for indoor group settings.
Trump lawyer recruits election deniers to watch over the vote
In the days after the 2020 election, Cleta Mitchell was among a cadre of Republican lawyers who frantically compiled unsubstantiated accusations and debunked claims to build the case that the election was marred by fraud. Working with a well-funded network of organizations on the right, including the Republican National Committee, Mitchell is now recruiting election conspiracists into an organized cavalry of activists monitoring elections. One concern is the group’s intent to research the backgrounds of local and state officials to determine whether each is a “friend or foe” of the movement.
Canada to ban handgun sales and possession of assault weapons
Most owners of what Canada calls “military-style assault weapons” would be required to turn over their firearms to a government buyback program under legislation introduced Monday, which would tighten the country’s already stringent control of firearms. The Canadian government also announced new regulations that will ban the sale, purchase, importation or transfer of handguns. The handgun ban and the proposed assault weapons law are the latest in a series of steps Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken to restrict firearms since 22 people were killed in rural Nova Scotia by a gunman in 2020.
Hurricane Agatha makes landfall in Southern Mexico
Hurricane Agatha, the year’s first named storm in the eastern Pacific, made landfall in southern Mexico late Monday afternoon, unleashing life-threatening winds reaching nearly 105 mph and heavy rains that could cause mudslides and floods. The storm’s winds made it a Category 2 storm, the kind of weather event that can rip roofs off well-built homes, uproot trees and cause major power losses. It was the first time that a Category 2 storm had made landfall in the eastern Pacific in the month of May, said Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
EU leaders agree to ban 90% of Russian oil by year-end
European Union leaders have agreed to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end. The move is part of new sanctions on Russia worked out Monday at a summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered by pipeline. That was crucial to bringing landlocked Hungary on board a decision that required consensus. EU Council President Charles Michel says the agreement covers more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine.
War in Ukraine adds to food price hikes, hunger in Africa
Families across Africa are paying about 45% more for wheat flour as Russia’s war in Ukraine blocks exports from the Black Sea. Some countries like Somalia get more than 90% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine. That’s forcing many people to substitute wheat for other grains. But the United Nations is warning that the price hikes are coming. Many parts of Africa are facing drought and hunger, with an estimated 13 million people facing severe hunger in the Horn of Africa alone. Ukraine, meanwhile, is accusing Russia of stealing both grain and farm equipment. The World Food Program chief say’s Russia’s war on Ukraine is “piling catastrophe on top of catastrophe” for the world’s poor.
By wire sources
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