Wales bears the brunt as Storm Dennis hammers Britain

February 16, 2020

LONDON (AP) — Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of South Wales, which bore the brunt of the country's second severe storm inside a week. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. The Met Office, Britain's meteorological service. said the disruption is set to carry through into Monday.

Major incidents have been declared in a number of areas in England and Wales as authorities mobilized resources to deal with the impact of the overflowing rivers that have cut off some communities. A man in his 60s died after falling into the River Tawe in South Wales mid-morning and his body was found further along the river, Dyfed-Powys Police said on social media. Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious or being linked to the bad weather.

On Saturday, Storm Dennis was blamed for the deaths of two men who were pulled from the sea in separate searches off England's southeastern coast. Dennis has been so intense that England posted a record number of flood warnings and alerts and a rare “red warning" for extremely life-threatening flooding was announced for South Wales.

The Met Office, Britain's meteorological service, only issues its highest red warning when it thinks the weather will be so dangerous there's a "risk to life" and that people must take immediate action to protect themselves. It was the first time a red warning has been sounded since December 2015.

Though the warning only lasted a few hours, South Wales Police declared a major incident as firefighters and rescue crews continued to help communities following multiple floods, landslides and evacuations. Nearby Gwent Police said residents of Skenfrith, Monmouthshire, were being advised to evacuate due to the flooding.

The Met Office said the highest wind gust recorded was 91 mph (146 kph) at Aberdaron in north Wales on Saturday. It also said a total of 157.6 mm (6.1 inches) of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in the Welsh county of Powys over 48 hours to Sunday morning. One of the worst-hit areas in South Wales was the village of Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Taff, near Cardiff, which saw entire streets left underwater since the early hours of Sunday morning.

As the wet and windy weather started to clear across parts of the south and headed north and eastwards, the number of flood warnings across the U.K. declined but there were still around 360 of them in place Sunday, from the north of Scotland through to Cornwall in southwest England.

John Curtin, the executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said in a tweet that at one point during the day, England had the most flood warnings and lower-level alerts in force — 594 — than on any other day on record.

The local authority in Herefordshire, an English county that borders central Wales, declared a “major incident” amid widespread flooding and said it was focusing on making sure “vulnerable residents are evacuated.” West Mercia Police, also declared a “major incident" for Shropshire, another county in central England that borders Wales.

Flood warnings could remain in place for a while since much of Britain is still saturated from last week's Storm Ciara, which left eight people dead across Europe. Curtin from the Environment Agency said in a tweet that the “high but not exceptional" rainfall figures of the past 24 hours shows how the legacy of Storm Ciara has “driven the widespread significant flooding we're seeing."

Army personnel have been seconded to assist people in areas of West Yorkshire that were badly hit by flooding during last weekend's Storm Ciara. The British Red Cross said that with water levels expected to peak on Monday or Tuesday it was ready to respond across the country.

“British Red Cross have been liaising with relevant local authorities, offering to support people affected by Storm Dennis across the U.K.” its crisis response officer Georgie Timmins said. There were transport disruptions too, with hundreds of flights cancelled due to the high winds while train services were repeatedly disrupted by flooding. Tens of thousands of passengers were being affected on what is a major travel weekend for British families as many schools close for a mid-winter break.

UK Treasury chief quits as Johnson shakes up Cabinet

February 13, 2020

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened his grip on the government Thursday with a Cabinet shake-up that triggered the unexpected resignation of his Treasury chief, the second-most powerful figure in the administration.

Sajid Javid's resignation was the most dramatic moment i n a shuffle that saw Johnson fire a handful of Cabinet members he viewed as under-performing or untrustworthy, and promote loyal lawmakers to senior jobs.

Javid smiled as he entered the prime minister's 10 Downing St. office on Thursday morning to meet Johnson along with other ministers who were being promoted or kept in place. But a spokesman confirmed soon after that Javid had quit.

Speaking later, Javid said Johnson had asked him to fire all his aides and replace them with staff approved by the prime minister's office. “I don’t believe any self-respecting minister would accept such conditions,” Javid said.

“I felt that I was left with no option other than to resign." Johnson quickly replaced him with Rishi Sunak, who had previously been a deputy to Javid at the Treasury and is widely regarded as a dependable loyalist to the prime minister .

Johnson's office confirmed it was creating a new team of advisers covering both the prime minister's office and the Treasury. Javid's resignation followed reports he had clashed with Johnson's powerful adviser, Dominic Cummings, a self-styled political disruptor who is mistrusted by many lawmakers and officials.

“Dominic Cummings has clearly won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury and install his stooge," said John McDonnell, finance spokesman for the opposition Labour Party. Javid, who became Chancellor of the Exchequer when Johnson succeeded Theresa May as prime minister in July, had been due to deliver his first budget in less than a month — a crucial staging post for the government in the wake of the country's departure from the European Union last month.

The prime minister's office could not confirm Thursday whether the budget would take place as scheduled on March 11. In the wake of Brexit, Johnson has vowed to take a more interventionist economic approach than some of his Conservative predecessors in order t o boost poorer regions outside the economic hub of London and southeast England. That involves ambitious infrastructure plans, including a 100 billion-pound ($130 billion) high-speed railway connecting London to central and northern England.

Paul Dales, chief U.K. economist at Capital Economics, said Javid, a fiscal conservative, had appeared reluctant to increase public borrowing to fund higher spending. He said Javid's departure should “allow the government to push through even bigger increases in public investment and perhaps resuscitate tax cuts that previously looked dead in the water.”

That appeared to be the main sentiment in financial markets, as traders calculated that the higher spending would inevitably lead to the Bank of England having to raise interest rates more quickly than anticipated. The pound got a boost, trading 0.8% higher at $1.3058.

The resignation was a curve ball in a Cabinet shake-up that comes in the wake of the Conservatives' big election win in December. That victory allowed Johnson to take Britain out of the EU last month, delivering on his key election promise.

Now his Conservative administration faces the even bigger challenge of negotiating a new trading relationship with the EU while also seeking trade deals with the United States and other countries. Britain and the EU are aiming to have a deal covering trade, security and other areas in place by the time a post-Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31.

So far, the two sides are far apart in their demands. And even with a deal, the U.K. faces a huge adjustment when decades of seamless trade and travel with the EU end at the start of 2021. Johnson's office had earlier said the Cabinet changes would be modest, and apart from Javid most senior ministers kept their jobs. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Home Secretary Priti Patel, and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove were among those staying in post.

Several high-profile women in Johnson's government, including Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Housing Minister Esther McVey, were fired. Others were promoted, including Suella Braverman to the position of attorney general and Anne-Marie Trevelyan to the post of international development secretary.

Johnson also sacked Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith — another surprise move. Smith had been widely praised for helping to end political deadlock that left Northern Ireland without a regional government and assembly for three years. After pressure from the British and Irish governments, the main Irish nationalist and British unionist power-sharing parties returned to work last month.

Brandon Lewis, a former security minister, was named to replace him. As well as reworking his Cabinet, Johnson appointed a new leader for the U.N. climate change conference that Britain is due to host later this year. The summit, known as the 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26, is scheduled to be held in Glasgow in November.

Planning for that has got off to a rocky start, with Johnson last week firing Claire O'Neill, a former British government minister appointed last year to head up the event. The government said Thursday that Alok Sharma, previously in charge of international development, would become business secretary and also take charge of COP26.

UK unveils plans for climate conference amid criticism

February 04, 2020

LONDON (AP) — Britain says it plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 in a bid to speed up its efforts to tackle climate change. But the U.K. government's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been questioned by the woman who was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to head a United Nations' global climate summit — and then was fired last week.

The U.K. said Tuesday that it would bring in a ban on fossil-fuel cars and vans even earlier than 2035 “if a faster transition is feasible.” The ban will also include hybrid vehicles. The announcement was timed to coincide with the launch of Britain's plans for the climate summit, known as the 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26. It is scheduled to be held in Glasgow in November.

Johnson was kicking off a year of buildup Tuesday alongside naturalist David Attenborough and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Italy is hosting a preparatory meeting for the conference. “Hosting COP26 is an important opportunity for the U.K. and nations across the globe to step up in the fight against climate change,” Johnson said in remarks released in advance by his office. “As we set out our plans to hit our ambitious 2050 net zero target across this year, so we shall urge others to join us in pledging net zero emissions.”

Britain has pledged to eliminate its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But the government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change has warned that domestic action to slash carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming is lagging far behind what is needed.

Britain’s tenure at the helm of COP26 is getting off to a rocky start. On Friday, Johnson sacked Claire O’Neill, a former British government minister appointed last year to head up the event. Her replacement has not been announced.

O’Neill strongly criticized the prime minister in a letter to the Financial Times, saying Britain’s efforts to fight climate change were “miles off track.” “When you asked me to be your COP President … you promised to ‘lead from the front’ and asked me what was needed: ‘money, people, just tell us!’” she wrote. “Sadly, these promises and offers are not close to being met.

"The Cabinet sub-committee on climate that you promised to chair, and which I was to attend, has not met once," O'Neill added. “You had a vision for Brexit and you got Brexit done. As I write, we have less than 7,000 hours before the start of COP26, where we have a chance to set a new global vision for climate recovery and build a new consensus for global climate action. Please get this done too.”

UK police say it was mistake to call climate group extremist

January 11, 2020

LONDON (AP) — British police say it was an “error of judgment” to include environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion in an official document that listed extremist organizations. The counterterrorism police unit for southeast England included the climate change protesters alongside Islamic extremists and banned neo-Nazi group National Action in a guide to "safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism," The Guardian newspaper reported.

The guide said that “while concern about climate change is not in itself extreme, activists may encourage vulnerable people to perform acts of violence.” The Guardian said in its Saturday edition that the document, dated November 2019, was distributed to teachers, police officers and schools but later withdrawn.

“I would like to make it quite clear that we do not classify Extinction Rebellion as an extremist organization," said Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of Counterterrorism Policing South East. "The inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in this document was an error of judgment, and we will now be reviewing all of the contents as a result."

Extinction Rebellion condemned the “terrorism slur” as “a deliberate attempt to silence a legitimate cause.” The group has staged protests around the world, often involving peaceful civil disobedience, to call for tougher action to fight global warming. Hundreds of its activists have been arrested in Britain over the past year as the group blocked roads and bridges and disrupted planes, trains and subways.

Torrential rain in England strands shoppers, floods streets

November 08, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Torrential rain has drenched parts of north and central England, forcing some to evacuate their homes and stranding a small group of people in a shopping center overnight. Floods hit the city of Sheffield, where the River Don overflowed after 3.4 inches (85 mm) of rain fell on Thursday.

The Environment Agency says the highest rainfall was registered in Swineshaw, in the Peak District — 4.4 inches (112 mm) in the same period. Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill says "some places have seen a month's worth of rain in one day."

As of Friday, the agency says 117 flood warnings are in place, as well as five severe "danger to life" warnings near the River Don in Doncaster. Some 30 people sought refuge in the Meadowhall shopping center in Sheffield overnight after weather conditions stranded shoppers who turned up to see Christmas lights switched on.

British Jewish group withdraws support for Labor

October 31, 2019

The Jewish Labor Movement (JLM), which has been a member of the British Labor Party for over 100 years, has announced that it has withdrawn campaign support for the party in December’s General Election.

The move, said the JLM, is in protest against the Labor Party’s handling of allegations of anti-Semitism.

“We will not be campaigning unless in exceptional circumstances and for exceptional candidates, like our parliamentary chair Ruth Smeeth, and members of the parliamentary Labor party who’ve been unwavering in their support of us,” said the JLM in a media statement. “We will not be giving endorsements to candidates in non-Labor-held seats.”

The JLM is a somewhat controversial organisation, having been exposed as a “proxy for the Israeli Embassy”. It claimed that “a culture of anti-Semitism has been allowed to emerge and fester in the Party at all levels” since Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labor leader in 2015.

Corbyn is a well-known campaigner for Palestinian rights; he is also known to be an ardent anti-racist.

Nevertheless, the JLM alleged that Jewish Labor MPs have been “hounded” out of the Labor Party. Its statement reiterated the view that the Labor leader — who has promised to lead an election campaign in support of traditional Labor values against one of the most extreme right-wing governments in British history — is “unfit to be Prime Minister”.

Candidates viewed by JLM to be “exceptional” will be the only ones offered support and assistance during the weeks of campaigning before the 12 December General Election.

The group’s Parliamentary Chair, Ruth Smeeth, was the only MP named in the statement as meriting the JLM’s support.

The Jewish group’s decision to withdraw its support for Labor comes at a critical time for the British left. It is likely to lead to the accusation that the group’s internal battle with Labour and its leader Jeremy Corbyn is more of a priority than defeating the Boris Johnson-led Conservative government.

It will also prompt questions about its ties with the Israeli Embassy, which has been at the centre of a campaign to bring down pro-Palestine MPs.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191031-british-jewish-group-withdraws-support-for-labour/.

UK's Labor Party in turmoil as vote to oust deputy ditched

September 21, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Britain's major opposition Labor Party was thrown into turmoil Saturday after a close ally of leader Jeremy Corbyn sought to oust his deputy, a move that prompted a furious outcry from many in the party.

While the attempt to dislodge Tom Watson was ditched after Corbyn intervened, the row laid bare divisions in the party at a time when it should be readying for an expected general election in the next few months against a Conservative government and prime minister racing to take Britain out of the European Union by the scheduled Oct. 31 Brexit date.

Watson has espoused a number of viewpoints, particularly on Brexit, that angered many of Corbyn's left-wing supporters but appealed to the Labor Party's moderate wing. Watson is a prominent supporter of a holding a second Brexit referendum and urging Labor to campaign for Britain to remain in the EU in any future vote.

Corbyn and many of his allies have been reluctant to take that position, partly over fears it would alienate the Labor voters who backed Brexit in the June 2016 referendum. Labor moved recently to support a second referendum on any Brexit deal and is due to debate its position further in the coming days at its annual conference in the southern England city of Brighton.

On Friday, Jon Lansman, the founder of the pro-Corbyn grassroots Momentum group, proposed a motion for Watson's job to be scrapped. Many lawmakers voiced opposition, and former Labor prime minister Tony Blair lambasted the move as "undemocratic, damaging and politically dangerous."

Before Labor's governing National Executive Committee was set to debate the motion Saturday, Corbyn sought to put a lid on the dispute by proposing that the body should instead carry out a review of the deputy leader's role.

Heading into conference, Corbyn tried to put a brave face on the row and said he enjoyed working with Watson, who was elected deputy leader at the same time Corbyn took the helm of the Labor Party in September 2015.

"The NEC agreed this morning that we are going to consult on the future of diversifying the deputy leadership position to reflect the diversity of our society," Corbyn said. Questioned by reporters, Corbyn refused to say when he first knew about the attempt to oust Watson, nor whether he had full confidence in his deputy.

Watson told BBC radio before the proposal was ditched that the attempt to oust him was akin to "a straight sectarian attack on a broad-church party" and he believed his position on Brexit was behind it.

He said the move against him came as a shock and that he was in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester Friday evening when he learned about it. Lansman said in a tweet that he welcomed Corbyn's proposal for a review and added that the party needs "to make sure the deputy leader role is properly accountable to the membership while also unifying the party at conference."

Whether Corbyn has done enough to keep the row from overshadowing the conference due to end Wednesday remains to be seen. The fissures in the party over Brexit will likely be evident, though. A draft statement by Labor's governing body Saturday suggests the party go into a general election without specifying whether it would support remaining in the EU in the promised second referendum.

The statement said the party would get the issue "sorted one way or another" with a referendum within six months if Labor formed the next government. Pro-EU Labor activists fear the NEC's approach could be a way of stopping debate on their call for Labor to back remaining in the EU whatever the circumstances.

"This move is just plain wrong," said Clive Lewis, a Labor lawmaker in the party's Treasury team. An election is widely expected to be held in the next few months whether or not the country has left the EU on the scheduled Brexit date of Oct. 31.

Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried twice this month to get Parliament to back an election. Labor, in conjunction with other opposition parties, voted against the proposal. They want to make sure a no-deal Brexit is blocked before agreeing to an election.

Parliament is now suspended until Oct. 14, just over two weeks before the U.K. is due to leave the EU. However, it may be forced to return if the Supreme Court decides Johnson broke the law when he suspended Parliament.

End of an era: UK House Speaker John Bercow to step down

September 09, 2019

LONDON (AP) — A colorful era in British parliamentary history is coming to a close with Speaker of the House John Bercow's abrupt announcement Monday that he will leave his influential post by the end of October.

That means he won't be sporting his festive designer ties beneath his solemn robes or clamping down on rude lawmakers with his patented pleas for "orrr-duhhh" from his elevated podium for much longer.

His decision to step down is in keeping with the British tradition that a speaker shouldn't serve too many terms. Bercow has been in the powerful post since 2009, and had earned the enmity of many Conservative Party kingpins who, in a break with normal practice, were planning to challenge him at the next election, which is expected shortly.

Bercow's emotional announcement drew sustained applause from the House and heartfelt thanks from friends and foes alike. He shed a few tears and choked up several times as he explained it was time for him to step down, in part because of family obligations.

"Throughout my time as speaker I have sought to increase the relative authority of this legislature for which I will make absolutely no apology to anyone, anywhere, at any time," he said. He also seemed to warn about weakening Parliament's role at a time when the institution is in conflict with the prime minister.

"We degrade this parliament at our peril," he said. "I have served as a member of Parliament for 22 years, and for the last 10 as speaker. This has been, let me put it explicitly, the greatest privilege and honor of my professional life for which I will be eternally grateful.

It was a rare instance in which opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Conservative Cabinet minister Michael Gove agreed, both praising Bercow for his commitment to the democratic process. "Our democracy is the stronger for your being the speaker. And whatever you do when you finally step down from Parliament, you do so with the thanks of a very large number of people," Corbyn said.

Gove said: "Your commitment to your principles and to your constituents is unwavering and an example to others." Bercow, 56, began his career as a right-of-center conservative, but gradually morphed into someone perceived as an enemy by the Conservative Party power structure, largely because he was seen as a stout defender of Parliament's rights.

The speaker is supposed to be strictly impartial in the British system, and Bercow resigned from the Conservative Party as expected when he was elected to the post by secret ballot, but he has been outspoken in his criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament, which is due to take effect later Monday.

He called it a "constitutional outrage." Some said that was a partisan statement, but many longtime Bercow watchers believed it was simply an assertion of his view that Parliament is sovereign and must be respected, not silenced.

Bercow's decision to speak out is consistent with the way he sees his role — protecting the primacy of Parliament from encroachment, either by an overzealous prime minister, an intrusive British judge, or by the European Union.

His last possible day in office is the day when Britain is scheduled to leave the 28-nation EU bloc. Bercow hasn't taken a public stance on Brexit, but lawmakers looking to leave the EU as quickly as possible tend to view him as an obstacle.

Bercow has played a pivotal role in the seemingly endless debates over Brexit. Bercow determines which amendments will be voted on and who will be called upon to speak, and uses his position to silence rabble rousers and rule on questions of parliamentary procedure.

He has a long tradition to protect — the speaker's role can be traced back to at least 1377. There is no question that many of Johnson's allies see Bercow as a foe in the Brexit battle, a perception enhanced perhaps by the fact that his wife's car has an anti-Brexit bumper sticker. He has been called "Speaker of the Devil" in a front-page headline for challenging the government's position.

Despite the frequent grumbling about his outspoken nature, Bercow has been re-elected to the position twice. During general elections, speakers generally run unopposed by the major political parties and refrain from taking political stands. They are designated only as "speaker seeking re-election" rather than as representatives of a specific party.

But annoyed Conservative Party leaders had indicated over the weekend they planned to sunder this tradition and challenge Bercow in his home district in an effort to force him out of Parliament. Bercow will be giving up more than the spotlight. The position of speaker comes with handsome benefits, including housing and a spacious office in the Parliament complex.

Bercow has clashed with prior governments as well. He infuriated former Prime Minister Theresa May by making her efforts to bring her defeated Brexit bill back to Parliament more difficult when he ruled she couldn't bring the same bill back for a repeat vote.

He has also faced charges of bullying, but has denied any wrongdoing. Bercow is an aficionado of American politics and there is speculation he will make a lucrative speaking tour to the U.S. once he leaves office.

Polish president wins 2nd term after bitter campaign

July 13, 2020

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda declared victory Monday in a runoff election in which he narrowly won a second five-year term, acknowledging the campaign he ran was often too harsh as he appealed for unity and forgiveness.

The close race followed a bitter campaign between Duda and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski that was dominated by cultural issues. The government, state media and the influential Roman Catholic Church all mobilized in support of Duda and sought to stoke anti-Semitism, homophobia and xenophobia in order to shore up conservative support.

Duda celebrated what was seen as a mandate for him and the right-wing ruling party that backs him, Law and Justice, to continue on a path that has reduced poverty but raised concerns that democracy is under threat.

“It was a very sharp campaign, probably too sharp at times,” Duda told supporters in Odrzywol, a town near Warsaw. “If anyone is offended by my words, please forgive me. And give me the chance to improve in the next five years.”

Duda received 51.03% of Sunday’s vote, while Trzaskowski got 48.97%, according to final results Monday from the state electoral commission. Duda told supporters in Odrzywol that he was grateful and moved by winning the support of more than 10 million voters. He said that with the race now over, it was time to turn to the difficult job of returning the country to strong growth after the economic blow of the coronavirus.

Trzaskowski conceded defeat and congratulated Duda. He thanked his supporters and said his strong showing would be the catalyst to fight to keep Poland from becoming a one-party state. “This is just the beginning of the road," Trzaskowski said.

But Adam Michnik, a prominent anti-communist dissident and the founding editor of the liberal Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, said the result bodes badly for Poland’s young democracy. “Andrzej Duda’s victory will be understood by his voters, and first of all by those in power, as a permission for the kind of politics that Law and Justice has been pursuing for almost five years, and that is a policy of the destruction of the democratic system, of isolating Poland in Europe, of homophobia, of xenophobia, nationalism and of using the Catholic Church as a tool,” Michnik said.

“I would not even rule out a situation in which, if this policy is continued and we see an attempt on the free media, culture and science, there could be another ‘Maidan,’” he said, referring to the bloody 2014 pro-Europe protests in Ukraine.

Critics and human rights groups worry Duda's victory will boost illiberal tendencies at home and in the European Union, which has also struggled to halt an erosion of rule of law in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Among those who welcomed Duda’s victory were Orban, as well as the Czech leaders. Orban congratulated him on Facebook, saying “bravo!” while Czech President Milos Zeman though a spokesman said: “Long live Poland!”

The result was dispiriting for liberals in Europe who are keen to halt what they consider the threat of populism and nationalism. Remigijus Simasius, the liberal mayor of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, offered his condolences to Poles and said the small difference in support of about 2% “sometimes determines the path between progress and regress.”

Duda got help from U.S. President Donald Trump, who invited him to the White House in late June and said he was "doing a terrific job.” His campaign focused on defending traditional family values in the predominantly Catholic nation of 38 million people, and on preserving social spending policies.

The party's popular policies included lowering the retirement age and paying monthly cash bonuses of 500 zlotys ($125) per child to all families irrespective of income. Many credit Law and Justice for being the first party to reduce the economic inequality that came with Poland's transition from communism to a market economy three decades ago. There is a strong sense among Poles that the economic help is restoring a sense of dignity after decades of hardship from war, communism and the upheaval brought by capitalism.

The party also stoked conflict with the EU by taking control of the top courts and judicial bodies. Officials in Brussels repeatedly expressed concern over the rule of law in both Poland and Hungary, which were for many years hailed as the most successful democracies to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain.

Law and Justice officials have said they plan to continue reshaping the justice system and also want to nationalize foreign-owned private media outlets. Critics fear that lower courts will face increased political pressure and that press freedom will face new threats.

Zselyke Csaky, an expert on central Europe with the human rights group Freedom House, said Duda’s victory gives the party “essentially free rein” until parliamentary elections in 2023 “to do away with limits on its power and work towards destroying Poland’s independent institutions.”

Sunday’s vote was originally planned for May but was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Turnout was 68.18%, close to a record set in 1995, in a sign of the huge stakes for Poles. As the race tightened, Duda turned further to the right in search of votes. He denounced the LGBT rights movement as an “ideology” worse than communism.

His campaign also cast Trzaskowski as someone who would sell out Polish interests to Jewish interests, tapping old anti-Semitic tropes in a country that was home to Europe’s largest Jewish community before it was decimated by Germany in the Holocaust.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the election, said that while well organized, “negative campaigning and mutual vilification abounded" and that “the incumbent’s campaign and coverage by the public broadcaster were marked by homophobic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic rhetoric.”

But the World Jewish Congress focused on Duda's past condemnations of anti-Semitism in a congratulatory statement, not mentioning the harsh campaign. “President Duda has spoken out against this hatred, and we remain hopeful that he will continue to do so,” WJC President Ronald Lauder said.

During the campaign, Duda also lashed out at a German correspondent and a partly German-owned tabloid for their campaign coverage, alleging “a German attack in these elections.” A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that Berlin works “outstandingly” with the Polish government and would continue to do so.

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin; Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary; and Karel Janicek in Prague and Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, contributed.

A deeply divided Poland chooses a president in runoff vote

July 08, 2020

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Two bitter rivals are heading into a razor's-edge presidential runoff election Sunday in Poland that is seen as an important test of populism in Europe after a campaign that exacerbated a conservative-liberal divide in the country.

The tough campaign has seen strains of homophobia and anti-Semitism, and both sides have sought backing from rival political camps in Washington. President Andrzej Duda, a nationalist and conservative, is seeking a second term, but he faces a tough challenge from liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. The first round in late June eliminated nine other candidates, leaving the two rivals, both 48.

Duda has made his opposition to LGBT rights a key campaign theme, while Trzaskowski signed a tolerance declaration last year that triggered a backlash against gay rights in the mostly Catholic country.

Duda has called LGBT rights an “ideology” more dangerous than communism, and on Monday he formally proposed a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex couples from adopting children. He and the Law and Justice party have won the backing of older and rural Poles, helped by cash payments to families and other welfare programs.

“These last five years have been a good time that we have used well,” Duda told supporters at a rally Monday. “I want to continue this policy -- for the family, for the development of Poland, for the development of all generations of my countrymen.”

But many liberal and urban Poles reject a brand of populism that they see as xenophobic and dangerous to their standing with European partners. Last month, Duda was feted at the White House by President Donald Trump, who said he was doing a “terrific job.” Trzaskowski later turned to former President Barack Obama to discuss the state of Poland’s democracy.

As Duda's once-high poll numbers have fallen, his campaign has turned further to the right, seeking to incite fears of gays, Jews and even Germans, apparently to mobilize conservatives and those who remember the Nazis' World War II-era occupation of Poland.

The president has a key role in foreign policy and veto power over laws passed by parliament. During his five-year-term, Duda has approved laws giving the Law and Justice party vast new powers over Poland's top courts and key judicial bodies.

The European Union says the changes violate the democratic principle of separation of powers, but the government has insisted on moving forward with most measures, arguing it has a mandate from voters to reform the justice system.

Adding to strains in its relationship with its European partners has been coal-dependent Poland’s refusal to agree to the EU’s ambitious carbon neutrality goals, and a refusal to accept any migrants who arrived in large numbers in Europe in 2015.

Sunday’s vote will determine whether Law and Justice will keep control of almost all institutions of power in Poland, or will have to give a say to Trzaskowski, who belongs to the pro-EU Civic Platform party and has vowed to restore constitutional norms.

Duda won 43.5% of the vote in the first round. Trzaskowski got 30.5% but is expected to get the bulk of the centrist votes that went to the eliminated candidates. This leaves the final outcome hinging on the nearly 7% of voters who supported a far-right candidate, Krzysztof Bosak.

Bosak belongs to a party called Confederation, which Law and Justice leaders have denounced as pro-Kremlin and anti-Semitic, but whose votes Duda has been seeking. “I see them as the most pro-Russian force in Poland," said Wojciech Przybylski, editor of Visegrad Insight, a policy journal focused on Central Europe. "They are anti-American, they are anti-Jewish. They accuse everyone of conspiracies to take away money from Poland.”

Public television broadcaster, TVP, flush with an additional $500 million of funding approved by Duda in the spring, has been airing a stream of positive news stories casting him as the defender of Polish families and Trzaskowski as someone who would sell them out.

A recurring allegation on the prime-time evening news has been that Trzaskowski would take away the popular social benefits and give the money to Jewish groups seeking reparations for prewar property.

Trzaskowski has called for a tolerant and inclusive society and vowed to stop a further erosion of judicial independence under Law and Justice, while also promising to preserve his rivals' popular welfare programs.

On Tuesday, he accused Duda of running a “cynical campaign against those people on the margins,” vowing to “stand on the side of those being attacked.” The divide is so deep that the two could not agree to the conditions for a debate this week. Trzaskowski refused to debate Duda on the state broadcaster, while Duda refused to go on an independent U.S.-owned broadcaster, TVN.

The result was that each candidate held his own show, each alone in a friendly TV studio in different cities, taking questions at a “debate” as a lectern labeled with the rival's name stood empty. In recent days, Duda and his allies have lashed out at foreign-owned media, raising concerns about press freedom.

U.S. Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher intervened Monday in defense of TVN, now owned by Discovery Inc., after a former ruling party spokeswoman insinuated the broadcaster is tied to shadowy former communist interests. Mosbacher accused the official of lying.

Duda lashed out at partly German owned tabloid that reported on his pardon of a convicted sex offender, and also against a German foreign correspondent in Poland for critical coverage. He alleged “a German attack in these elections.”

“The Germans want to choose the president in Poland? I will not allow this!" Duda said at a rally. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin on Monday that “the German government obviously doesn’t influence the presidential elections of our Polish neighbors.”

"We likewise don’t try to influence the work of German foreign correspondents. They do their job within the framework of press freedom,” Seibert said. The election was originally scheduled for May but postponed due the coronavirus pandemic, with over 36,000 confirmed infections and 1,500 dead in Poland. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki last week urged older Poles — Duda's base — to vote.

He said the virus is waning and “there is nothing to be afraid of."

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Exit poll: Polish presidential vote headed for runoff

June 29, 2020

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s conservative president, Andrzej Duda, was the frontrunner in Sunday's election, but fell short of the 50% of votes needed to win in the first round, according to the projection of an exit poll.

The results, if confirmed, pave the way for what is building into a very tight race in July 12 runoff that will most likely pit the populist incumbent against the centrist Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, who was in second place.

Whether Duda ultimately wins a second five-year term in two weeks’ time will determine whether the ruling nationalist party that backs him, Law and Justice, keeps its near-monopoly on political power in Poland.

The party has been in conflict with the European Union over laws that have given it control over top courts and key judicial bodies, something the 27-nation bloc has denounced as an erosion of democratic European values.

Since the Polish president has the power to veto laws, Duda winning a second term is crucial to the party as it seeks to continue to reshape the nation’s laws in line with its conservative worldview. The pro-EU Trzaskowski has vowed to block any new laws that violate constitutional norms.

In a speech to cheering supporters late Sunday in the town of Lowicz, west of Warsaw, Duda noted that his result was better than in the first round five years ago. “I have this result after five years of being in politics, of being criticized in many ways, attacked, of taking difficult decisions," Duda said. “After these five years many more people voted for me.”

According to the projection by the Ipsos polling firm, Duda won 41.8% and Trzaskowski 30.4% in Sunday’s vote. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Poland’s state electoral commission has said it would release the final official results by Wednesday evening.

The candidate with the third most votes according to the exit poll was Szymon Holownia, a TV personality and journalist who had once studied to be a priest. He was projected by the Ipsos poll to have 13.3%. Holownia is unaffiliated with any party and generated enthusiasm among some Poles tired of years of bickering between Law and Justice and Civic Platform, the country’s two main parties.

A far-right nationalist candidate, Krzysztof Bosak, was projected by the exit poll to win 7.4% of the vote, and his voters would also be up for grabs in the runoff. In his speech to supporters late Sunday, Duda lost no time in reaching out to supporters of other candidates, saying he shares some views with those on the left, but making particular mention of Bosak.

Duda said there is “very little that separates" him from Bosak and that ”we are of a similar mind on very many issues." Trzaskowski told his supporters that it was good news the majority opposed Duda.

“I want to say clearly to all these citizens - I will be your candidate. I will be the candidate of change,” he said. A left-wing politician who was Poland's first openly gay presidential candidate, Robert Biedron, was projected to win 2.9%, while an agrarian candidate, Wladyslaw Kosiak-Kamysz had 2.6% in the exit poll. All other candidates in a field of 11 polled even lower.

The vote had been scheduled for May 10 but was postponed in a chaotic political and legal battle as the ruling party pressed to hold it despite the pandemic. In April, Duda had very high support and was expected then to win in a single round. He was helped by adulatory coverage in state media and the inability of other candidates to campaign.

But as restrictions eased, Trzaskowski replace an earlier candidate fielded by his Civic Platform party who had dismal poll numbers, adding a new dynamic and suspense into the race. Poland hasn't been as badly hit by the pandemic as many countries in Western Europe, and most people voted in person, wearing masks and observing other hygiene rules. There was also a mail-in voting option, and thousands of voters in some southwestern regions with higher virus infection numbers were required to vote by mail.

As of Sunday, Poland had nearly 34,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its 38 million people, with over 1,400 deaths. Duda's campaign focused on defending traditional values in the mostly Catholic nation while promising to keep raising living standards to Western European levels. He took a position against same-sex marriage and adoption and denounced the LGBT rights movement as a dangerous “ideology.”

That kind of rhetoric — along with the judicial overhaul and the party's harnessing of public media to promote the government's image — have raised concerns among some that Poland is following Hungary in eroding democratic norms established after communism collapsed three decades ago.

On the campaign trail, Trzaskowski promised to keep the ruling party's popular social welfare spending programs while vowing to restore constitutional norms and Poland's relationship with the EU.

Sunday election in Poland a test for president and populism

June 27, 2020

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, is fighting for a second term in an election Sunday that will test whether he was helped by a campaign that depicted LGBT rights as a dangerous “ideology” and an unconventional last-minute reception by President Donald Trump at the White House.

It will be another electoral test for populist leaders in Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last weekend, Serbia's autocratic right-wing president, Aleksandar Vucic, strengthened his hold on power there in a parliamentary election that was boycotted by opposition parties.

The Polish election is widely seen as an important test for democracy, in this case in the fifth most populous country in the 27-member European Union. A crowded field of 11 candidates — all men — could make it harder for anyone to reach the required 50% of votes on Sunday, in which case a runoff will be held July 12.

Duda is backed by Law and Justice, a nationalist, conservative party that is popular with many for introducing welfare spending programs. Those policies have eased hardships for older Poles and others left behind in the dramatic economic transformation since communism fell in 1989.

“Poland has changed. It has changed for the better," Duda said at a rally on Friday, while promising to keep working to make sure Poles achieve Western European living standards. Duda and Law and Justice, both in power since 2015, have also triggered tensions with the EU and provoked repeated street protests at home for controversial laws giving the party control over the top courts and other key judicial bodies.

Duda, 48, who trained as a lawyer, has signed most of those changes into law, and has been derided by his critics as a “Notary” or “The Pen” for approving changes that some legal experts say violate Poland's own constitution.

The European Union has strongly condemned the judicial laws as violations of democratic standards. This year the U.S.-based group Freedom House downgraded Poland in its ranking from “consolidated democracy" to “semi-consolidated democracy.”

“The destruction of the democratic state of law is close to completion,” said Jaroslaw Kurski, the editor of the liberal daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, in an appeal this week for readers to choose a democratic candidate.

“If we, citizens, democrats, do not mobilize, the next elections will be as 'democratic' as in Belarus, Russia or Hungary,” Kurski wrote. According to polls, Duda's biggest challenge comes from the liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who belongs to the pro-EU and pro-business Civic Platform party.

That party governed from 2007-15, with Donald Tusk as prime minister until 2014, when he left Poland to take on a top leadership role as president of the European Council. Civic Platform oversaw strong economic growth but is now blamed by many for pro-market policies that helped businesses, but allowed poverty to fester and economic inequalities to grow.

On the campaign trail, Trzaskowski, 48, has promised to keep Law and Justice's popular spending programs while vowing to restore constitutional norms. Trzaskowski entered the race late after an election originally scheduled for May 10 was scrapped due to the pandemic. Duda's strong support, bolstered by adulatory coverage in public media, began to slip once restrictions were lifted and other candidates could campaign.

As he appeared to be losing support, Duda seized on family values, vowing to protect Polish families from the propagation of “LGBT ideology” in public institutions. LGBT activists held street protests after Duda accused the LGBT rights movement of promoting a viewpoint more dangerous than communism and saying he agreed with another conservative politician who said “LGBT is not people, it’s an ideology.”

Some Polish veterans of World War II who resisted a Nazi German occupation that considered Poles subhuman strongly denounced Duda's targeting of LGBT people as a new form of dehumanization. Duda dropped that language in recent days, saying at a rally Friday that “in Poland there is place for everyone.”

The election will take place four days after Duda was hosted at the White House by Trump, who praised Poland for its “rule of law." “He’s doing a terrific job. The people of Poland think the world of him,” Trump said Wednesday at a joint news conference with Duda.

However, the visit to Washington appeared to bring no breakthroughs, and it is not clear if Trump's apparent endorsement will win over undecided voters.

Joe Biden nears final decision on running mate

August 01, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. The campaign hasn't finalized a date for naming a running mate, but three people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans said a public announcement likely wouldn't happen before the week of Aug. 10. That's one week before Democrats will hold their convention to officially nominate Biden as their presidential nominee.

Biden said in May that he hoped to name his pick around Aug. 1 and told reporters this week that he would “have a choice in the first week of August.” He notably stopped short of saying when he would announce that choice.

Running mates are often announced on the eve of a convention. As he prepares to make his choice, a committee established to vet possible running mates has provided Biden with briefing materials. Biden will likely soon begin one-on-one conversations with those under consideration, which could be the most consequential part of the process for a presidential candidate who values personal connections.

The leading contenders include California Sen. Kamala Harris, California Rep. Karen Bass and Obama national security adviser Susan Rice. The deliberations remain fluid, however, and the campaign has reviewed nearly a dozen possible running mates.

“For Joe Biden, this is crunch time. After all the vetting, all the investigations into the prospective nominees, it’s now up to Joe. It’s personal,” said former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was vetted for vice president in 2008. “It’s now about his gut feeling.”

Representatives for Biden declined to comment for this story. The selection amounts to the most significant choice Biden has confronted in his nearly five-decade political career. He has pledged to select a woman and is facing calls to choose the first Black woman to compete on a presidential ticket.

Given the historic significance of the moment, some are urging Biden not to let the announcement linger too long. “My sense is that the VP himself, having been through this process, is aware of and mindful of not letting people hang out there too long,” said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. “There certainly seems to be a bit of a media frenzy, and I think we have to be aware that at a point, it becomes unfair to the candidates being considered."

As a decision looms, the camps are jockeying for position. Harris' allies mobilized this week after Politico reported that the co-chair of the vetting committee, former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, was concerned about Harris’ tough debate stage performance and that she hasn’t expressed regret.

Several California elected officials and labor leaders initiated a call with the vetting team to emphasize that Harris has strong support among labor and political leaders in her home state. The call was organized by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and included the mayors of Oakland, Long Beach and Stockton and former Gov. Gray Davis.

“A group of us really felt we needed to organize and speak out and correct the record because she has tremendous support,” Kounalakis said. Beyond emphasizing their strong relationships with Harris, they also pushed back against the idea that Harris wouldn’t be a loyal partner.

Harris, while not directly addressing her vice presidential prospects, told a group of young Black women Friday that it's common for Black women to face resistance when they exercise their power. “There will be a resistance to your ambition. There will be people who say to you: ‘You are out of your lane,'" she said during the digital summit. “They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. ... I've had that experience my entire career."

Biden has sought feedback on his pick from former President Barack Obama, who has provided advice but has insisted the choice is his to make, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Biden allies say his wife, Jill, and sister, Valerie Biden Owens, are likely to play a key role in the decision, as they have with many of Biden’s biggest political decisions throughout his career. Jill has held online campaign events and fundraisers with virtually all the potential contenders in recent weeks, as has Biden himself, effectively offering the contenders a try-out opportunity with the presumptive Democratic nominee.

On Thursday night, Bass joined Biden for a virtual fundraiser that raked in $2.2 million. She has also taken steps to build her national profile, including providing interviews to multiple outlets over the past week.

On Friday night, Biden held a virtual fundraiser with Elizabeth Warren, who has also been considered as a running mate. Biden said the event raised more than $1.7 million from over 50,000 grassroots donors. That's about a quarter of the $6 million the Massachusetts senator brought in during her first online fundraiser for the former vice president last month that appealed to higher-dollar donors.

“We've known each other a long time. Her fearless work for a just America has transformed lives and inspired millions, including me," Biden said. "She is something else. You all know her.” Warren said, “This is a time of unprecedented crisis.”

“But I wake up every single day with a heart full of hope and here is why: Vice President Biden is meeting the moment,” she added. The two talked for nearly an hour but did not mention the vice presidential selection process.

Some Biden donors have already begun to plan prospective fundraising events ahead of the formal announcement. Biden’s team expects his running mate to contribute immediately to his fundraising operation. Of the finalists, Harris is thought to be the most formidable traditional fundraiser, while Warren’s ability to attract small-dollar donations from the party’s progressive base is also viewed as a major asset.

Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Will Weissert in Washington, Steve Peoples and Jonathan Lemire in New York, Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.

Biden snags support from prominent Muslim American officials

July 20, 2020

(AP) Several prominent Muslim American elected officials endorsed Joe Biden for president in a letter organized by Emgage Action ahead of an online summit that starts Monday and features the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Among those signing the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, are Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Indiana Rep. Andre Carson, all Democrats. Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, served as a high-profile surrogate for Bernie Sanders before he exited the presidential race in April — making her support for Biden potentially helpful as the former vice president seeks to mobilize Muslim voters this fall.

The letter coincides with an online summit that Emgage Action has titled “Million Muslim Votes,” underscoring its emphasis on boosting Muslim turnout in November. Biden is set to address the gathering on Monday.

“Joe Biden’s presence serves not only to galvanize Muslim Americans to cast their ballots, but to usher in an era of engaging with Muslim American communities under a Biden administration,” Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, said by email.

“We anticipate that a Biden administration would provide Muslim American communities platforms to speak on issues affecting us, represent us within the administration and in policymaking discourses.” The pro-Biden letter from Muslim American elected officials decried a number of President Donald Trump’s domestic and international policies, including his administration's ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries and his pullout from the Iran nuclear deal.

“Our number one goal is to remove Donald Trump from office and to replace him with someone who can begin to heal our nation,” the letter said. “A Biden administration will move the nation forward on many of the issues we care about,” it said, citing racial justice, affordable health care, climate change and immigration.

The Muslim American officials also praised Biden’s agenda for their communities. Among other goals, Biden has vowed to rescind the Trump administration’s travel ban affecting Muslims “on Day One" if he's elected.

Other state- and local-level Muslim American officials signing onto the pro-Biden letter hail from several states, including Michigan, where Alzayat said he believes there are more than 150,000 registered Muslim voters. Those numbers in a swing state that Trump won by fewer than 11,000 votes make Emgage's goal of maximizing Muslim voter turnout especially powerful in Michigan, but the group also has chapters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Florida.

“A lot is at stake,” Alzayat said. “The importance of Muslim American voter participation in this upcoming election cycle is greater than it has ever been.” Youssef Chouhoud, assistant professor of political science at Christopher Newport University, said Biden’s appearance at Monday's summit was “a very meaningful step” but noted that he didn’t participate in a large Muslim gathering last year addressed by Sanders and another then-presidential candidate, Julián Castro. Both attended a forum held at an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention.

Many Muslim Americans have particularly lauded Sanders for the way he engaged their communities. “You have this community that is kind of, you know, ripe for political engagement,” Chouhoud said. “Negative enthusiasm” against another Trump term, he added, “is going to be the glue that holds Muslim voters together. And if you make them feel valued, they are much more likely to turn out.”

Omar's signature on the endorsement letter expands on her statement last week, via Twitter, that she would vote for Biden. New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — another member of the quartet of congresswomen of color, often known by the nickname “the Squad," who have become progressive luminaries since their arrival in Congress — also has said she would vote for Biden in the fall.

But Ocasio-Cortez, who served on a task force that helped shape a climate change plan designed to unite Biden and Sanders backers, has yet to issue a full-throated Biden endorsement. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, another “Squad” member and former backer of Sanders' presidential bid, was conspicuously absent from the Emgage Action-organized letter.

Farooq Mitha, senior adviser for Muslim engagement with Biden’s campaign, said reaching out to Muslim American voters is a priority for Biden, pointing to his own appointment as an example. The campaign has hosted events with Muslim Americans and met with community leaders over the past months, he said.

“A Biden presidency offers Muslims an opportunity to be engaged with government, rather than being shut out like many other groups that have been alienated and demonized by the Trump administration,” he said in response to emailed questions. “Muslim communities can have an outsized impact in many states and we are working every day to earn their support.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Democrats warn against overconfidence in fight against Trump

June 27, 2020

(AP) President Donald Trump is entering the final four-month stretch before Election Day presiding over a country that faces a public health crisis, mass unemployment and a reckoning over racism. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, is raking in cash. And a series of national and battleground polls suggests growing obstacles to Trump's reelection.

But the election is far from locked in. Biden and his leading supporters are stepping up warnings to Democrats to avoid becoming complacent. Former President Barack Obama and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer insist that plenty could change between now and Nov. 3 and that the party must be vigilant against Trump, who knows few boundaries when it comes to his political foes.

“We understand that what happens five months before the election and what happens at the election can be very different things,” Whitmer said. Michigan was one of the Midwestern states that Trump carried by a razor-thin margin in 2016, helping him win the Electoral College even as he lost the popular vote. Other Democrats in the state say the strength of the president's support shouldn't be underestimated.

“If the election were held today, I think Biden would win Michigan,” said Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell. “But the Trump supporters are out there, and they’re still intense.” Obama underscored that point this week during his first joint fundraiser with Biden.

“We can’t be complacent or smug or suggest that somehow it’s so obvious that this president hasn’t done a good job,” Obama told thousands of donors who gathered online. “He won once, and it’s not like we didn’t have a good clue as to how he was going to operate the last time.”

Democrats have reason to be cautious. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton was leading by wide margins nationally and in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania -- the very states that ultimately put Trump over the top. But in the final weeks before the election, Republicans coalesced around their nominee, leading to his upset win.

Trump is aiming for a repeat this year. He is stoking culture wars on health care and race relations. After warning that the 2016 election would be “rigged” against him, Trump said without evidence this week that the fall campaign would be the “most corrupt election ever.”

Trump and many of his GOP allies, meanwhile, are working to squelch the expansion of absentee voting, which they worry would hand Democrats an advantage, despite no evidence supporting that. Many Republicans are quietly grim about the trends. But some are comforted by the same factors that give Democrats pause.

“I’ve always thought it was going to be razor-thin in Wisconsin, and in turn, across the nation,” said former Gov. Scott Walker, who survived a bitter 2012 recall election and 2014 reelection before losing a third nail-biter in 2018.

Trump’s fundraising and organizing still dwarfs those of Biden, who has named state-based staff in just three battlegrounds: Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina. When Biden announced his Wisconsin team Wednesday, Trump’s campaign retorted that its 2016 operation there never closed and already this year has trained 3,200 volunteers, held 750 “MAGA Meet-ups” and made 6 million voter contacts, which means their targets have been reached multiple times already.

Still, the current dynamics don’t fit seamlessly with 2016. Trump benefited four years ago from Clinton being almost as unpopular as he was. And as a first-time candidate, Trump took advantage of his disruptive brand. It's harder to be the anti-establishment outsider from the Oval Office.

Trump's Gallup job approval rating stands at 39% this month, putting him in dangerous territory historically. Since World War II, all incumbent presidents who lost were at 45% or lower in Gallup polls conducted in June of their reelection year. Only Harry Truman, at 40% in 1948, managed a comeback win. Trump’s ahead of one-term presidents Jimmy Carter (32% in 1980) and George H.W. Bush (37% in 1992). But he’s behind Obama’s 46% in 2012 and George W. Bush’s 49% in 2004.

Trump has broken precedent before. Still, in Biden, Trump faces an opponent with a stronger standing among some groups of voters, especially independents, than Clinton had. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez pointed to the 2018 midterms and special elections since Trump’s inauguration as proof that voters are “fired up” to oust Trump and “take nothing for granted.”

Ohio Democratic Chair David Pepper, whose state went for Trump by a surprisingly wide margin in 2016, said Democrats are better organized this year. He described 2016 as “top down,” with Clinton’s national lieutenants dictating details regardless of DNC or state parties.

Pepper noted Biden’s first campaign manager, Greg Schultz, is now based at the DNC. Pepper described a recent call Schultz held with state party chairs nationwide. The theme from Schultz, he said: “What do you need? What lessons are there from 2016?”

Still, Dingell noted Biden hasn’t yet installed a state director in Michigan, where she described Democratic “factions” as difficult to corral. While Trump animates the left, Dingell warned that Democrats haven’t closed the deal with alienated moderates and can unwittingly help Trump expand his white base.

“This ‘defund the police’ stuff is not the answer,” she said, referring to the rallying cry of activists who want to shift resources and responsibilities away from armed law enforcement after police killings of Black men. Biden doesn’t back “defunding” efforts, but Dingell said Trump can exploit the sloganeering.

Walker hinged a Trump comeback less on campaign tactics and more on “people’s health and the health of the economy and the stability of the country.” If that improves, Walker said, “I think the president’s in a good position.”

That’s the way top Democrats want their voters to see it, too. “In any scenario, ignore the polls and assume this is going to be super close,” said David Plouffe, an architect of Obama’s two campaigns. And if that caution yields a wider Biden win, Plouffe said, then it means more Democrats in Congress and statehouses around the country: “Let’s win by every vote we can.”

Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Steve Peoples in Montclair, N.J., contributed to this report.

Metals in lunar craters provide new insights to its origin

Los Angeles CA (SPX)
Jul 02, 2020

Life on Earth would not be possible without the Moon; it keeps our planet's axis of rotation stable, which controls seasons and regulates our climate. However, there has been considerable debate over how the Moon was formed.

The popular hypothesis contends that the Moon was formed by a Mars-sized body colliding with Earth's upper crust which is poor in metals. But new research suggests the Moon's subsurface is more metal-rich than previously thought, providing new insights that could challenge our understanding of that process.

In a study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters sheds new light on the composition of the dust found at the bottom of the Moon's craters. Led by Essam Heggy, research scientist of electrical and computer engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and co-investigator of the Mini-RF instrument onboard NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the team members of the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission used radar to image and characterize this fine dust.

The researchers concluded that the Moon's subsurface may be richer in metals (i.e. Fe and Ti oxides) than scientists had believed.

According to the researchers, the fine dust at the bottom of the Moon's craters is actually ejected materials forced up from below the Moon's surface during meteor impacts. When comparing the metal content at the bottom of larger and deeper craters to that of the smaller and shallower ones, the team found higher metal concentrations in the deeper craters.

What does a change in recorded metal presence in the subsurface have to do with our understanding of the Moon? The traditional hypothesis is that approximately 4.5 billion years ago there was a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized proto-planet (named Theia). Most scientists believe that that collision shot a large portion of Earth's metal-poor upper crust into orbit, eventually forming the Moon.

One puzzling aspect of this theory of the Moon's formation, has been that the Moon has a higher concentration of iron oxides than the Earth--a fact well-known to scientists. This particular research contributes to the field in that it provides insights about a section of the moon that has not been frequently studied and posits that there may exist an even higher concentration of metal deeper below the surface.

It is possible, say the researchers that the discrepancy between the amount of iron on the Earth's crust and the Moon could be even greater than scientists thought, which pulls into question the current understanding of how the Moon was formed.

The fact that our Moon could be richer in metals than the Earth challenges the notion that it was portions of Earth's mantle and crust that were shot into orbit. A greater concentration of metal deposits may mean that other hypotheses about the Moon's formation must be explored.

It may be possible that the collision with Theia was more devastating to our early Earth, with much deeper sections being launched into orbit, or that the collision could have occurred when Earth was still young and covered by a magma ocean. Alternatively, more metal could hint at a complicated cool-down of an early molten Moon surface, as suggested by several scientists.

According to Heggy, "By improving our understanding of how much metal the Moon's subsurface actually has, scientists can constrain the ambiguities about how it has formed, how it is evolving and how it is contributing to maintaining habitability on Earth."

He further added, "Our solar system alone has over 200 moons - understanding the crucial role these moons play in the formation and evolution of the planets they orbit can give us deeper insights into how and where life conditions outside Earth might form and what it might look like."

Wes Patterson of the Planetary Exploration Group (SRE), Space Exploration Sector (SES) at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who is the project's principal investigator for Mini-RF and a co-author of the study, added, "The LRO mission and its radar imager Mini-RF are continuing to surprise us with new insights into the origins and complexity of our nearest neighbor."

The team plans to continue carrying out additional radar observations of more crater floors with the Mini-RF experiment to verify the initial findings of the published investigation.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: https://www.moondaily.com/reports/Higher_concentration_of_metal_in_Moons_craters_provides_new_insights_to_its_origin_999.html.

NASA Selects Astrobotic to Fly Water-Hunting Rover to the Moon

Washington DC (SPX)
Jun 12, 2020

NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon's South Pole in late 2023.

The water-seeking mobile VIPER robot will help pave the way for astronaut missions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024 and will bring NASA a step closer to developing a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon as part of the agency's Artemis program.

"The VIPER rover and the commercial partnership that will deliver it to the Moon are a prime example of how the scientific community and U.S. industry are making NASA's lunar exploration vision a reality," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Commercial partners are changing the landscape of space exploration, and VIPER is going to be a big boost to our efforts to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 through the Artemis program."

VIPER's flight to the Moon is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which leverages the capabilities of industry partners to quickly deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon. As part of its award, Astrobotic is responsible for end-to-end services for delivery of VIPER, including integration with its Griffin lander, launch from Earth, and landing on the Moon.

During its 100-Earth-day mission, the approximately 1,000-pound VIPER rover will roam several miles and use its four science instruments to sample various soil environments. Versions of its three water-hunting instruments are flying to the Moon on earlier CLPS lander deliveries in 2021 and 2022 to help test their performance on the lunar surface prior to VIPER's mission. The rover also will have a drill to bore approximately 3 feet into the lunar surface.

"CLPS is a totally creative way to advance lunar exploration," said NASA's Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen. "We're doing something that's never been done before - testing the instruments on the Moon as the rover is being developed. VIPER and the many payloads we will send to the lunar surface in the next few years are going to help us realize the Moon's vast scientific potential."

VIPER will collect data - including the location and concentration of ice - that will be used to inform the first global water resource maps of the Moon. Scientific data gathered by VIPER also will inform the selection of future landing sites for astronaut Artemis missions by helping to determine locations where water and other resources can be harvested to sustain humans during extended expeditions. Its science investigations will provide insights into the evolution of the Moon and the Earth-Moon system.

NASA has previously contracted with three companies to make CLPS deliveries to the Moon beginning in 2021. Astrobotic is scheduled to make its first delivery of other instruments to the lunar surface next year. In April, the agency released a call for potential future lunar surface investigations and received more than 200 responses. CLPS is planned to provide a steady cadence of two delivery opportunities to the lunar surface each year.

"It is an enormous honor and responsibility to be chosen by NASA to deliver this mission of national importance," said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. "Astrobotic's lunar logistics services were created to open a new era on the Moon. Delivering VIPER to look for water, and setting the stage for the first human crew since Apollo, embodies our mission as a company."

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: https://www.moondaily.com/reports/NASA_Selects_Astrobotic_to_Fly_Water_Hunting_Rover_to_the_Moon_999.html.

Oregon hopes for changes from ongoing Portland protests

August 01, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds peacefully protested in downtown Portland Friday, two days after the announcement that the presence of U.S. agents there would be reduced — a deal that Oregon officials hope will continue to ease tensions as the city tries to move on from months of chaotic nightly protests.

The start of Friday night's protest mimicked that of Thursday, which was the first time in weeks that demonstrations ended without any major confrontations, violence or arrests. The change in tone outside a federal courthouse that’s become ground zero in clashes between demonstrators and federal agents came after the U.S. government began drawing down its forces in the liberal city under a deal between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration.

Unlike previous weeks, protesters were not centered mainly outside the courthouse, but scattered throughout downtown. A group identified as “Firefighters for Black Lives Matter” gathered in a small park a couple miles west of the courthouse. Another group, “Unemployed Workers for Black Lives” began to march towards the federal building around 8 p.m. People stood next to a makeshift memorial, with the pictures and names of Black people killed by police, at the Waterfront Park. A parade of cars with Black Lives Matter signs taped to their windows slowed traffic in the city.

By 9 p.m. there were a few hundred people outside of the courthouse. Last weekend there had been thousands of protesters. As agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement pulled back, troopers with the Oregon State Police took over. Since then, there have been no visible signs of any federal law enforcement presence outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse.

In a tweet, President Donald Trump Friday night reiterated that the Department of Homeland Security “is not leaving Portland until local police complete cleanup of Anarchists and Agitators!” “Last night, the world was watching Portland. Here’s what they saw: Federal troops left downtown. Local officials protected free speech. And Oregonians spoke out for Black Lives Matter, racial justice, and police accountability,” Brown said in a tweet Friday.

Mayor Ted Wheeler also struck an optimistic tone but cautioned that there was much work to be done after more than 60 days of protests — and not just in cleaning up downtown Portland. Leaders in Oregon are pushing for a raft of measures that would address systemic racism in everything from policing to housing. Those proposals could be fast-tracked for consideration in a special legislative session later this summer.

The governor also announced the creation of a Racial Justice Council to advise her on criminal justice reform and police accountability, health equity, economic opportunity, housing and homelessness, and environmental justice.

Portland’s City Council also voted this week to refer a ballot measure to voters in November that would create a police review board independent from any elected official or city department. The scene outside the federal courthouse stood in sharp contrast to the violent clashes between protesters and the agents that Trump sent to Oregon’s largest city in early July. Protests have roiled Portland for more than two months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

And while thousands have marched and rallied peacefully, Portland’s federal courthouse became a target for some protesters. Smaller numbers of demonstrators tried to tear down a fence erected to protect it, lit fires at the courthouse entryway and hurled fireworks, flares and bricks at the agents holed up inside. Most nights, the agents responded by firing tear gas.

Under the deal announced by the governor, the agents will withdraw in phases. The U.S. government had arrested 94 people as of Wednesday, the most recent accounting. Since the protests began, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said local police made more than 400 arrests.

Cline contributed from Salem. Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.”

Associated Press writer Andrew Selsky contributed from Salem.

Kremlin sternly urges Belarus to free detained Russians

July 31, 2020

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin on Friday demanded that Belarus quickly release 33 Russian private security contractors detained on terrorism charges, dismissing the accusations as bogus. Belarusian officials said the employees of private Russian military contractor Wagner are facing a criminal probe on charges of plotting terror attacks in Belarus amid the country's presidential election campaign. The contractors were detained Wednesday.

The allegations represent an unprecedented escalation of tensions between Russia and Belarus, traditionally close allies, as Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko seeks a sixth term in the Aug. 9 election. Independent observers and opposition supporters in Belarus see the detention of the Russians as part of the authoritarian Lukashenko's efforts to shore up sagging public support.

The Kremlin, which first reacted cautiously to Belarus' move, toughened its stance Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects Belarus to quickly free the detainees. “The unwarranted detention of the 33 Russian citizens doesn't fit into the framework of the allied relations,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “We expect our Belarusian allies to clear up this incident in the nearest time and release our citizens.”

Peskov said members of a Russian security firm were en route to an unspecified country and missed a connecting flight to Istanbul at the Belarusian capital’s airport. “They have done nothing wrong and carried no illegal items,” he added.

The Wagner company is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The firm has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to eastern Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

Many observers have pointed out that Belarus long has provided a transit corridor for sensitive Russian operations abroad, alleging that Lukashenko now is trying to use a routine Russian deployment for his own political gain.

Throughout his 26 years as president, Lukashenko, a former collective farm director, has relied on Russian subsidies to keep the nation’s Soviet-style economy running but resisted Moscow’s push for closer integration of the neighboring nations. He frequently accused the Kremlin of harboring plans to incorporate Belarus and vowed to resist them.

The 65-year-old Belarusian leader is campaigning to retain his post amid a wave of opposition protests driven by public weariness with his iron-fisted rule and a bruising economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

Election officials have denied candidate registration to his two main challengers, one of whom was jailed. The other fled to Russia with his children. The opposition has united behind a third candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of a jailed opposition blogger. On Thursday, Belarus’ Investigative Committee linked the detained Russians to her husband as part of a criminal investigation into alleged preparations for staging “mass riots.”

Speaking Thursday at a rally in Minsk that drew tens of thousands of people in the biggest demonstration since the presidential campaign's start, Tikhanovskaya dismissed the charges against her husband as a crude fabrication.

Yuras Karmanau in Minsk contributed to this report.

Mexico 3rd in global pandemic deaths, Vietnam struggles anew

August 01, 2020

PARIS (AP) — Mexico now has the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind the United States and Brazil, while former success story Vietnam is struggling to control an outbreak spreading in its most famous beach resort.

China reported a more than 50% drop in newly confirmed cases in a possible sign that its latest major outbreak in the northwestern region of Xinjiang may have run its course. However, in Hong Kong, infections continue to surge, with more than 100 new cases reported as of Saturday among the population of 7.5 million. Officials have reimposed dining restrictions and mask requirements.

South Korean prosecutors arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect linked to more than 5,200 of the country's 14,336 confirmed cases. He has denied charges of hiding members and underreporting gatherings to avoid broader quarantines.

Mexican health officials on Friday reported 688 new deaths, pushing the country’s total to 46,688. That put Mexico just ahead of the United Kingdom, which has 46,119, according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In Vietnam, a third person died of coronavirus complications, officials said Saturday, a day after it recorded its first-ever death as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days with no local cases.

All three died in a hospital in Da Nang, a hot spot with more than 100 cases in the past week. Thousands of visitors had been in the city for summer vacation and are now being tested in Hanoi and elsewhere.

Twelve additional cases were confirmed on Saturday, all linked to Da Nang Hospital. The city has tightened security and set up more checkpoints to prevent people from leaving or entering the city, which has been in lockdown since Tuesday.

A makeshift hospital was set up in a sports auditorium and doctors have been mobilized from other cities to help. “I want to be tested so I can stop worrying if I have the virus or not,” said Pham Thuy Hoa, a banking official who returned to the capital from Da Nang. “We must be responsible for the entire community.”

India recorded its steepest spike of 57,118 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking its coronavirus caseload close to 1.7 million, with July alone accounting for nearly 1.1 million infections. The country's Civil Aviation Ministry delayed resumption of international flights by another month until Aug. 31. But it will continue to allow several international carriers from the United States, Europe and the Middle East to operate special flights to evacuate stranded nationals.

The global pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of this year’s Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, with as few as 1,000 pilgrims already residing in Saudi Arabia taking part, down from 2.5 million last year.

Poverty brought on by the pandemic is making it harder for many to join in the four-day Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice,” in which Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.

“I could hardly buy food for my family,” Somali civil servant Abdishakur Dahir said. “We are just surviving for now. Life is getting tougher by the day.” The Saudi Health Ministry said there have been no cases of COVID-19 among this year’s pilgrims. All were tested, their movements monitored with electronic wristbands and required to be quarantined before and after.

In the U.S., Hurricane Isaias’ imminent arrival forced the closure of some outdoor testing sites even as Florida reached a new daily high in deaths. “We had to put safety first,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said at an online news conference Friday.

In Utah, the Salt Lake City School District Board of Education announced that its schools will start the year with all online-only classes in response to an increasing number of confirmed cases in the city. Just days after public schools around Indiana reopened their doors, at least one student and one school staff member in districts around Indianapolis have tested positive for the virus.

The debate over school openings came as Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissed a tweet by President Donald Trump claiming the U.S. global lead in coronavirus cases is because of increased testing. Fauci said the scale of the U.S. outbreak is the result of multiple factors, including some states opening up too quickly and disregarding federal guidelines.

On Friday, the head of the World Health Organization predicted the effects of the pandemic will be felt for “decades to come.” “Most of the world’s people remain susceptible to this virus, even in areas that have experienced severe outbreaks,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in London. “Although vaccine development is happening at record speed, we must learn to live with this virus and we must fight it with the tools that we have."

Leicester reported from Le Pecq, France and McGuirk from Canberra, Australia. AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

Britain delays easing of lockdown as virus spread speeds up

July 31, 2020

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put some of the country's next steps out of lockdown on hold Friday with just a few hours' notice, saying the number of new coronavirus cases was on the rise for the first time since May.

The government’s top medical adviser warned that it was impossible to fully reopen society without the virus running out of control. Johnson said statistics showed that the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is likely increasing, with an estimated 4,900 new infections every day, up from 2,000 a day at the end of June. Britain has Europe's highest confirmed death toll in the pandemic, more than 46,000, behind only the United States and Brazil.

“We just can’t afford to ignore this evidence,” Johnson said at a news conference. “With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze (the) brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control.”

Johnson called off plans to allow venues, including casinos, bowling alleys and skating rinks, to open beginning Saturday. The return of wedding receptions was also delayed, along with plans to allow some fans back into sports stadiums and limited audiences into theaters.

He said the measures will be reviewed after two weeks. The prime minister said a rule requiring face coverings to be worn in shops and on public transit will be extended to museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship beginning on Aug. 8.

One change that was not put on hold: Beginning Saturday, U.K. businesses can ask employees to return to workplaces as long as they have been made “COVID secure.” Scientists advising the government say they are no longer confident that the R figure, which measures how many people each infected person passes the disease to, is below 1 in England. A number above 1 means the virus will spread exponentially.

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, said the country had reached “the outer edge” of its ability to return to normal without risking a new wave of the disease. “We have to be realistic about this,” he said at the news conference. “The idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong.

“If we do pull back, then we should be able to hold the line.” Britain imposed a nationwide lockdown in March — closing schools and businesses and barring all but essential travel — and has been lifting it in stages since June.

Countries across Europe that were hit hard by the pandemic in the spring, including Spain, are seeing rising infection rates after lifting lockdowns. Johnson said Britain was not immune from the resurgence.

“We must keep our discipline. We must be focused and we cannot be complacent,” he said. On Thursday, the government re-imposed restrictions on social life across a swath of northern England because of a surge in cases, barring households from visiting one another.

Under the new restrictions, people from different households in Greater Manchester, England’s second largest metropolitan area, have been asked not to meet indoors. The order also applies to the surrounding areas of Lancashire and West Yorkshire counties, affecting more than 4 million people in all.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said while it’s not the “sort of decision that anybody would want to take,’’ the government had no choice because data showed the coronavirus was being spread primarily between households.

Opposition politicians supported the move but criticized the government for announcing the restrictions in a tweet from Hancock late Thursday, just two hours before they took effect at midnight. Labour Party business spokeswoman Lucy Powell said the “bolt out of the blue” approach was “not the way to build confidence and to take people with you and maximize compliance with these steps.”

The affected region has a large Muslim population, and the restrictions coincide with the Eid al-Adha holiday, where many people would normally gather in each other’s homes. The Muslim Council of Britain’s secretary general, Harun Khan, sharply criticized the way the announcement was made, saying that for Muslims “it is like being told they cannot visit family and friends for Christmas on Christmas Eve itself.''

The restrictions on northern England are the second batch of local restrictions imposed in Britain to try to curb a second wave of the virus, following a stricter local lockdown in the central England city of Leicester. The government said restaurants, pubs, shops and hairdressers in Leicester could reopen beginning Monday, more than a month after they were closed.

Britain's pandemic death toll is five times higher than Germany's, a country with a larger population. Johnson has said there will be an independent inquiry into why the U.K. has had such a high coronavirus death toll.