June 23, 2020

Tech Executives Slam Trump's Order Extending H-1B Visa Freeze

Source: International Business Times

Tech executives have slammed the extension of the ban on foreign work visas by the Trump administration, which is expected to affect 525,000 jobs amid the high rate of unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The executives say immigrants helped the U.S. become a global leader in tech and the restrictions come at a wrong time.

The executive order signed Monday (June 22) by President Trump will extend the 60-day freeze on new work permits for non-U.S. citizens that was first imposed two months ago. The order applies to H-1B, H-2B, H-4, L-1 and certain J-1 visas.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted Monday that he was "disappointed" by the order. “Immigration has contributed immensely to America's economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today's proclamation — we'll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all," Pichai posted.

Herrera-Flanigan, Twitter's head of public policy and philanthropy for the Americas, said in a statement Monday. "This proclamation undermines America's greatest economic asset: its diversity. Unilaterally and unnecessarily stifling America's attractiveness to global, high-skilled talent is short-sighted and deeply damaging to the economic strength of the United States."



Read more: https://www.ibtimes.com/tech-executives-slam-trumps-order-extending-h-1b-visa-freeze-2998893

June 23, 2020

U.S. Home-Mortgage Delinquencies Reach Highest Level Since 2011

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. home-mortgage delinquencies climbed in May to the highest level since November 2011 as the pandemic’s toll on personal finances deepened.

The number of borrowers more than 30 days late swelled to 4.3 million, up 723,000 from the previous month, according to property information service Black Knight Inc. More than 8% of all U.S. mortgages were past due or in foreclosure.

The increase in delinquencies was smaller than the 1.6 million jump in April, when the economy ground to a halt nationwide. Still, the path ahead is clouded by the spread of new Covid-19 cases, uncertainty over business reopenings and the looming expiration of benefits that have helped jobless homeowners avert delinquency.

About 20.5 million Americans filed continuing claims for unemployment benefits in the first week of June, Labor Department figures show.

The delinquency count includes homeowners who missed payments as part of forbearance agreements, which allow an initial six-month reprieve without penalty. Many of those borrowers initially made payments despite qualifying for the relief plans, a share that has diminished as the crisis lingers.

Only 15% of homeowners in forbearance made payments as of June 15, down from 28% in May and 46% in April.

Black Knight also reported:

Mississippi had the highest delinquency rate in May, followed by Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Florida.New York’s share rose to 11.3%. It peaked at 13.9% in December 2012.New Jersey’s rate was 11%, compared with the peak of 16.8% in December 2012.Florida’s share climbed to 10.5%. Its previous peak was 25.4% in January 2010.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-22/u-s-home-mortgage-delinquencies-reach-highest-level-since-2011

June 21, 2020

People wearing masks wrong while going outside, anyone notice this?

I see a lot of people outside still doing this even though mask wearing in stores is mandatory now, do they simply not care??

June 21, 2020

Temperature hits 100 F degrees in Arctic Russian town

MOSCOW -- A Siberian town with the world's widest temperature range has recorded a new high amid a heat wave that is contributing to severe forest fires.

The temperature in Verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F) on Saturday, according to Pogoda i Klimat, a website that compiles Russian meteorological data.

The town is located above the Arctic Circle in the Sakha Republic, about 4,660 kilometers (2,900 miles) northeast of Moscow.

The town of about 1,300 residents is recognized by the Guinness World Records for the most extreme temperature range, with a low of minus-68 degrees C (minus-90 F) and a previous high of 37.2 C (98.96 F..)

Much of Siberia this year has had unseasonably high temperatures, leading to sizable wildfires.

In the Sakha Republic, more than 275,000 hectares (680,000 acres) are burning, according to Avialesokhrana, the government agency that monitors forest fires.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/temperature-hits-100-degrees-arctic-russian-town-71370623

June 20, 2020

'Several dead' after park stabbing incident in Reading, UK

At least two people have been treated in hospital after a stabbing incident at a park in Reading, Berkshire.

Sources suggest that several people have died at Forbury Gardens but this has not been officially confirmed by police.

Thames Valley Police said a man was arrested at the scene and is now in custody.

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted to say she was "deeply concerned".

She added: "My thoughts are with everyone involved, including police and emergency responders at the scene."

The incident is not thought to be connected to an earlier Black Lives Matter protest in the park, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Reading council's leader urged people to stay away from the area.

Two casualties are being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: "A number of people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital. A police cordon is in place in Forbury Gardens as officers investigate.

"We are asking the public to avoid the area at this time."

'Peaceful protest'
BLM organisers said the incident was unrelated to a protest march in the area earlier.

Nieema Hassan said in a video message posted to Facebook: "They were very peaceful and we worked with the police liaison.

"In terms of the protest and the people who attended from Black Lives Matter, we're all safe.

"None of us are affected. We had all left by the time this happened."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-53123975

June 20, 2020

Historical statues toppled as rage spills into San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

Source: sfchronicle



The national reckoning over racism spilled into Golden Gate Park on Friday night, where demonstrators pointed their rage toward statues of St. Junipero Serra, President Ulysses S. Grant and “Star-Spangled Banner” lyricist Francis Scott Key — toppling the emblems of a nation’s history fraught with violence and ambiguity.

A 30-foot replica of Serra, wrapped in a friar cloak and gripping a large cross, capsized in two seconds after protesters coiled rope around the base of the cross and pulled him to the ground. Video of the incident went viral on Twitter, showing the founder of nine California missions teeter, and then fall, as a crowd cheers in the background.

Another video showed the felling of Key’s statue, which tipped forward and summersaulted before landing on its side. The tall pedestal that held Grant’s bronze bust was empty Saturday morning; the green bust lay in a roadway, partially covered in red spraypaint — an image captured in numerous photos and circulated on Twitter throughout the night.



Read more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Historical-statues-toppled-as-rage-spills-into-15354412.php

June 20, 2020

Statues being toppled in San Francisco right now

Junipero Serra statue in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

https://twitter.com/jrivanob/status/1274185043766697984

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1274212610129330177

June 20, 2020

Is civil war inevitable in the USA at this point?

In 2005 I remember playing this videogame that predicted the US collapsing into civil war. It seemed funny and ridiculous at the time, but these days...I don't know anymore.

There's also a computer forecasting model that is predicting the US is headed for civil war as well.

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/model-predicting-united-states-disorder-now-points-to-civil-war/12365280

June 19, 2020

Every Atlanta police officer gets $500 bonus from foundation to 'boost morale' as sick-outs continue

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/19/a

One day after a number of Atlanta police officers called in sick, prompting rumors of a mass walkout in protest of murder charges filed against a former officer, a police foundation announced Thursday that it had given every officer in the city a $500 bonus.

The bonuses, which reportedly total more than $2 million, are part of a broader effort to “stem attrition and boost morale,” the Atlanta Police Foundation said in a statement to local media outlets. In addition to the money, which was provided through donations, the foundation also plans to replace at least 20 patrol cars that have been damaged during the ongoing protests that have consumed the city for weeks, WSB reported.

“We’re afraid of losing good police officers, our city losing good police officers,” the foundation’s president and CEO Dave Wilkinson told the news station. “All this is in support of just showing that we appreciate the sacrifice these officers have made during this time.” Local leaders, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) and interim police chief Rodney Bryant, have spoken publicly about waning morale among police officers in recent days, in part due to the protests over racism and police brutality that have sparked intense anti-police sentiment in the city and nationwide.

The discontent within the police department appeared to reach a boiling point this week after Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard Jr. brought felony murder and other charges against Garrett Rolfe, the former officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, a black man, in the back. Following Howard’s announcement of the charges Wednesday, an undisclosed number of Atlanta police officers called in sick just before a shift change that evening.



Read more: washingtonpost

June 19, 2020

New Zealand police shooting: One officer dead and another seriously injured

Source: bbc

A police officer has been shot dead during a routine traffic stop in Auckland, New Zealand.

Another officer was seriously injured. The shooter fled the scene in a vehicle but it's not known if he's been caught.

Around four hours after the shooting, armed police stormed a house and arrested two "persons of interest", and found a firearm.

Police in New Zealand do not normally carry guns, and it is rare for officers to be killed in the line of duty.



Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53102988