Boycott: NBA Playoff Games Called Off Amid Player Protest

All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.

Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when.

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Wednesday Is the COVID-19 Emergency Standard Compliance Deadline for Virginia Businesses

Virginia employers face a deadline today to implement new COVID-19 safety standards.

On July 15, the Safety and Health Codes Board adopted the COVID-19 Emergency Standard. The new mandate includes precautions like requiring employers to classify each job for exposure risk, develop policies for employees who have been exposed to COVID-19, and enforce social distancing.

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Virginia Man Arrested on Charges of H-1B Visa Fraud Worth $21 Million

A Sterling man was arrested last week on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and for inducing aliens to come to the United States using fraudulently obtained H-1B visas, the Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, Ashish Sawhney, 48, allegedly used four corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of fraudulent applications for H-1B specialty-occupation work visas, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

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Commentary: Four Life-Threatening Unintended Consequences of the Lockdowns

When policymakers across the country decided to “lock down” in response to the March outbreak of the novel coronavirus, they took a leap into the unknown. Not only did we know little about COVID-19 itself at that time, but we knew almost nothing about how shutting down nearly all of society would affect people.

Policymakers focused on their models predicting how lockdowns could help limit the spread of COVID-19; an important factor, to be sure. So, too, many acknowledged the negative economic ramifications of lockdowns. But in the months since, we’ve seen many other dire consequences stem from the unprecedented shutdown of society.

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Analysis: The Hard Facts on COVID-19 Science Denial

In a Washington Post op-ed titled “More Republican Casualties From Trump’s Coronavirus Denial,” columnist Jennifer Rubin claims that “red states”—specifically Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas—are “paying the price” for their “arrogant and reckless disregard of expert advice.”

In concert with Rubin, multitudes of reporters and commentators have declared that Republican governors have worsened the effects of Covid-19 by “denying science” and reopening “too early.” Meanwhile, they have praised Democratic governors, like Andrew Cuomo of NY and Phil Murphy of NJ, for their handling of the pandemic.

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LA Sheriff Refuses to Surrender 25,000 Illegal Immigrant Detainees to ICE: Report

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has refused more than 25,000 requests to surrender illegal immigrants detained in its jails to immigration agents in the 2020 fiscal year, Fox News reported.

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has blocked the transfer of illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to concerns over the conditions at ICE facilities and the possible impact on ongoing criminal investigations, Fox News reported.

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Biden Campaign Privately Apologizes to Linda Sarsour for Condemning Her

Leaked audio has revealed that representatives of the Joe Biden campaign have privately apologized to Linda Sarsour and other Muslim activists after issuing a public condemnation of her, according to the New York Post.

Sarsour, a far-left Islamic activist with a long history of anti-Semitic and anti-American statements, was one of the speakers at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, speaking as part of the “Muslim Delegates and Allies Assembly.” Following widespread backlash over Sarsour’s invitation to speak at the DNC, Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates released a statement declaring that “Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism,” adding that “[Sarsour] has no role in the Biden campaign whatsoever.”

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National Parks Service Approves 50,000-Person March on Washington, Will Not Enforce Masks, Social Distancing

A permit for the 57th March on Washington obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation shows that organizers anticipate around 50,000 people will attend the Washington, D.C., event Friday.

The permit for the annual march from the National Park Service grants permission to “conduct a public gathering” to Rev. Mark Thompson and the National Action Network (NAN) to commemorate the 57th March on Washington despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has led to limitations on public gatherings.

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Day Two at GOP Convention: a First lady, a Pardon, Pompeo

The people closest to President Donald Trump — his family — were starring on the second night of the Republican National Convention as the GOP worked to reintroduce the president to American voters in the midst of the campaign and pandemic.

First lady Melania Trump was delivering Tuesday evening’s keynote address at the White House, while the president’s daughter Tiffany and son Eric were to be featured, too. Trump himself played a significant role throughout the night.

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Police Union HQ Targeted at Portland Protest, 25 Arrested

Protesters repeatedly set fire late Monday night to a police union headquarters building and were repelled by officers spraying tear gas, officials said. Twenty-five people were arrested amid clashes that stretched into Tuesday morning.

People in a group of about 300 people hurled rocks and bottles at officers and set three fires to the sides of the building and one to an awning, police said. All the fires were put out.

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The Madness of Crowds: Liberty U’s Business School Dean David Brat Weighs in on the U.S. Economy’s Future

Tuesday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host Fredericks welcomed Liberty University’s Business School Dean David Brat to the show to discuss the present and future of the United States economy.

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Journalist Assaulted While Covering Minneapolis Protest: ‘It’s Not Going to Go Well for You’

A journalist for Alpha News was harassed and assaulted Monday night while covering a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Minneapolis.

Rebecca Brannon, an independent journalist who contributes video and photo stories for Alpha News, was identified by several agitators who recognized her from her coverage of previous events. The group then proceeded to follow Brannon as she walked to her car, shouted profanities at her, and eventually assaulted her.

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Norfolk City Council Temporarily Withdraws Gun Ordinance After ‘Massive Blowback’

The Norfolk City Council removed from its agenda discussion Tuesday a new gun ordinance that would have banned guns in parks, city buildings, and at posted events. Gun rights supporters flooded the council with concerns over unclear language in the ordinance and its cover letter.

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Virginia State Corporation Commission Extends Moratorium on Utility Service Shut-offs for Two Weeks

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is extending its general moratorium on service shut-offs until September 16 to help customers struggling to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout. 

In an news release Monday, the SCC said it is continuing its emergency measure to give the Virginia General Assembly, currently meeting in a special session, more time to pass legislation addressing the impact of COVID-19 on utility customers over the last six months. 

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House Committee Kills Two Bills That Would Allow Religious Exemptions to Potential Vaccine Mandate

The House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions killed two bills Tuesday morning that would have allowed Virginians to opt out of a potential COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The bills, HB 5016 and HB 5070, gave individuals and parents the option to object on religious ground to a vaccine mandate by the Health Commissioner, who has authority to institute immediate immunization during a public health crisis, such as COVID-19, under Virginia law.

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