Buffalo suspect planned attack for months, online posts reveal
Online postings suggest months of preparation preceded Saturday’s racist massacre in Buffalo, New York, and shows how the suspect evaded a state law that could have prevented him from owning a gun. The so-called red-flag law allows judges to bar people believed to be dangerous from possessing firearms. Yet Payton S. Gendron, the 18-year-old man accused of killing 10 people at a supermarket, was able to buy an assault-style weapon despite having been held for a mental health evaluation last year after making a threatening remark at his high school. He described his remark — which referred to his wanting to commit a murder-suicide — as a joke, and was released.
California church shooting was ‘hate incident,’ sheriff says
Members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in California did not notice the 68-year-old stranger in their midst — until he opened fire with one of his two semi-automatic pistols. Scattering in terror, they realized the doors to the room where they were meeting had been chained, nailed and super-glued shut. On Monday, a day after the attack that killed one person and wounded five others, authorities announced murder and attempted murder charges against David Chou, 68, a Las Vegas man who had traveled to Orange County with a grievance against Taiwanese people. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called the mass shooting a “politically motivated hate incident.”
How often can you be infected with the coronavirus?
A virus that shows no signs of disappearing, variants that are adept at dodging the body’s defenses, and waves of infections two, maybe three times a year — this may be the future of COVID-19, some scientists fear. The problem is that the coronavirus has become more adept at reinfecting people. Already, those infected with the first omicron variant are reporting second infections with the variant’s newer versions: BA.2 or BA2.12.1 in the United States, or BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa. Those people may later have third or fourth infections, even within this year, researchers said. And some small fraction may have symptoms that persist for months or years.
FDA and Abbott reach agreement on baby formula to try to ease shortage
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday reached an agreement with Abbott Laboratories on the steps needed to reopen the company’s shuttered baby formula plant, which could begin to ease the shortage of infant formula that has frightened and exasperated parents nationwide. The FDA said it expected Abbott to restart production in about two weeks, and was poised to review progress at the plant in Sturgis, Michigan. It has been shut down since February after several babies who had consumed formula produced there fell ill and two died. The agreement stems from a Department of Justice complaint and consent decree with the company and three executives.
Biden approves plan to redeploy several hundred ground forces into Somalia
President Joe Biden has signed an order authorizing the military to once again deploy hundreds of Special Operations forces inside Somalia — largely reversing the decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw nearly all 700 ground troops who had been stationed there, according to four officials familiar with the matter. In addition, Biden has approved a Pentagon request for standing authority to target about a dozen suspected leaders of al-Shabab, the Somali terrorist group that is affiliated with al-Qaida, three of the officials said. Since Biden took office, airstrikes have largely been limited to those meant to defend partner forces facing an immediate threat.
Sweden formally announces decision to seek NATO membership
Sweden on Monday formally announced its decision to seek NATO membership, joining Finland in what could be the largest expansion of the military alliance in decades. The move, announced by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, underscored how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has radically altered Europe’s security calculus. “We are leaving one era and moving into another,” Andersson said at the news conference, where she was joined by Ulf Kristersson, the leader of Sweden’s opposition Moderate Party. “To remain outside of NATO alone, would put Sweden in a very vulnerable position. So the best thing for Sweden’s security and the Swedish people’s security is that we join NATO together with Finland.”
Judge: California’s women on boards law is unconstitutional
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that California’s landmark law requiring women on corporate boards is unconstitutional. The conservative legal group Judicial Watch sued over the law, saying it was illegal to use taxpayer funds to enforce a statute that violates the California Constitution by mandating a gender-based quota. The state attorney’s general office countered that the law didn’t create a quota because boards could add seats for female directors without stripping men of their positions. The state said the law was necessary to reverse a culture of discrimination. Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis issued her ruling Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
NKorea reports another fever surge amid COVID-19 crisis
North Korea reported another large jump in illnesses believed to be COVID-19 and encouraged good health habits as an outbreak spreads through its unvaccinated population. State media also said the military had deployed medical officers to help distribute medicine. The country said Tuesday another 270,000 people were found with fevers and six people died. That raises North Korea’s deaths to 56 after more than 1.48 million people became ill with fever since late April. North Kaorea’s outbreak is almost certainly bigger than the tally since it has limited testing capacity. There are also suspicions its death toll is underreported because people fear punishment or are trying to soften the blow to the country’s leadership.