2017 Rock Hall Inductees Yes Perform "Roundabout"
www.rockhall.com/inductees/yes
The band Yes performs "Roundabout" during the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions onstage at the Barclay Center in New York City.
UPDATED: Dr. Fauci Likely Broke US Law When He Funded Wuhan Lab to Continue Coronavirus Projects That Were Banned in US in 2014
A month ago we reported that Chinese Doctor Shi Zhengli was part of a team working on a coronavirus project jointly with US doctors in 2014 before it was shut down by the DHS for being too risky.
After the US research project was shut down, Dr. Shi continued her coronavirus research in Wuhan, China.
Doctor Shi Zhengli from China was part of a team, including Doctor Ralph S. Baric from North Carolina, that published an article in a 2015 edition of Nature Medicine.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/updated-dr-fauci-likely-broke-us-law-funded-wuhan-lab-continue-coronavirus-projects-banned-us-2014/
Record gun sales for 2nd month, more than 7 million sold this year
Gun sales saw record sales for a second straight month, hitting nearly 3 million in background checks for April.
The FBI said on Monday that April background checks for gun sales and concealed carry permits had hit a new record of 2,911,128 backgrounds checks, an increase of 576,879 from April 2019.
March recorded the highest ever number of background checks at 3,740,688.
Although background checks do not exactly represent gun sales, they do give a rough estimate of purchases.
Industry group Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting does directly calculate gun sales and found more than 7 million sold this year. The group found 1,797,910 sold in April, a 71% surge in guns purchased from April 2019 to April 2020. It also estimated that handgun sales clocked in at 1,085,046, an 83% increase. Rifle sales were estimated at 560,353, a 52% increase.
Industry officials say 2020 is on track to be the best year ever for gun sales.
https://disrn.com/news/record-gun-sales-for-2nd-month-more-than-7-million-this-year
Six Ways Coronavirus is Impacting Organized Crime in the Americas
Criminal groups across Latin America have been forced to dig deep by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Moving drugs and contraband, shaking down extortion victims and getting migrants across borders have all become far more difficult amid increased scrutiny and the lack of human activity.
On the other hand, the global shutdown has allowed enterprising criminal minds to find opportunities: cybercrime, false contracts, the theft of medical equipment and more.
https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/coronavirus-organized-crime-latin-america/
Russia’s lead spacecraft designer & architect of ISS modules dies due to Covid-19
Yevgeny Mikrin, a top scientist behind Russia’s manned spaceflight program and a contributor to the International Space Station designs, succumbed to the coronavirus in a Moscow hospital, the Academy of Sciences said.
Mikrin, who was due to turn 65 this year, has passed away “in the prime of life,” President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Alexander Sergeev told the media on Tuesday, calling him an “outstanding scholar” and “a very bright man.”
The scientist, who served as a chief designer for Russia’s famed corporation Energia – founded by the forefather of the Soviet space program, Sergey Korolev – had tested positive for Covid-19 but was able to be treated at home. As his condition deteriorated rapidly, however, he was admitted to hospital, where he then died.
Roscosmos has also confirmed the tragic news, extending its sympathies to Mikrin’s family. As the RAS president put it, Mikrin is irreplaceable, as the 64-year-old “was a key scientist in charge of connecting fundamental science with practical space [exploration].”
https://www.rt.com/russia/487793-space-chief-designer-dies-coronavirus/
Russia gives Iran access to Syria’s Hmeimim Airbase in rare move
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:40 P.M.) – In a rare move, the Russian Federation gave Iran access to Syria’s Hmeimim Airbase in the western part of the country, a flight tracking app revealed this week.
According to the reports, a Syrian IL-76 cargo aircraft was tracked flying from Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport to the Hmeimim Airbase near the coastal city of Jableh in Syria’s Latakia Governorate.
The plane, which mostly travels from Tehran to Damascus, is under the watchful eye of the Israeli military, who has on several occasions attacked the cargo unloaded from the aircraft.
SyAAF IL-76 cargo plane [YK-ATA] from Tehran Mehrabad on approach to the Russian air base in Latakia (+ Mahan Air A310 en route to Beirut) pic.twitter.com/IZyzYw0vdU
— Samir (@obretix) May 4, 2020
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-gives-iran-access-to-syrias-hmeimim-airbase-in-rare-move/
Venezuela captures 13 mercenaries, including 2 ex-Green Berets: report
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday announced that 13 mercenaries who were plotting to stage a coup d’etat in the country had been apprehended, he said during a speech in Caracas broadcast by the national TV.
“Thirteen terrorists were caught. We seized materials they intended to use for their plan. We found drugs, dollars, arms, satellite phones, radio receiving sets and night vision equipment,” Maduro stressed.
Maduro then claimed that two of the 13 mercenaries were former members of the U.S. Special Forces.
The Venezuelan President revealed the identification cards for the two captured ex-Green Berets early on Tuesday morning and the Associated Press identified them as Luke Denman and Airan Berry. Maduro claimed the Americans with a security company called Silvercorp USA.
“Here are the photos of the credentials of the two Americans who confirm that they are part of the security of @realDonaldTrump and the Silvercorp company,” Maduro tweeted.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/venezuela-captures-13-mercenaries-including-2-ex-green-berets-report/
Maduro says 2 Americans ‘on Trump’s security team’ were among ‘mercenaries’ behind failed invasion attempt
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed that two US citizens were captured along with a group of “mercenaries” Caracas accused of trying to infiltrate the Latin American nation in order to assassinate him.
“Among those captured are the traitor Antonio Sequea and a citizen with the last name Baduel, who stated that two Americans from Donald Trump's security team were in the raiding group,” Maduro’s office tweeted on Monday night, referring to the group of infiltrators.
#EnVivo 📹 | "Entre los capturados se encuentran el traidor Antonio Sequea y un ciudadano de apellido Baduel quien manifestó que en el grupo incursor se encontraban dos estadounidenses del equipo de seguridad de Donald Trump", informó el dignatario @NicolasMaduropic.twitter.com/7RFCuj65Dx
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVE) May 5, 2020
Maduro did not specify what government agency the Americans may have worked for, though the remark carried by his office appeared to suggest that they may have served on US President Donald Trump’s security detail.
President @NicolasMaduro confirms the capture of U.S. citizen Silvercorp mercenaries today in Chuao, Aragua demonstrating Luke Alexander Denman and Aaron Barry's passports, veteran IDs and Silvercorp ID. @teleSURenglishpic.twitter.com/HnZjGWhaDn
— Camila (@camilateleSUR) May 5, 2020
https://www.rt.com/news/487775-venezuela-inflitration-attempt-americans/
U.S. Treasury to borrow record $3 trillion this quarter
The U.S. Treasury is seeking to borrow just shy of $3 trillion this quarter to help support the economy through the coronavirus crisis, the department announced on Monday.
The exact total is $2.999 trillion.
"The increase in privately-held net marketable borrowing is primarily driven by the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, including expenditures from new legislation to assist individuals and businesses, changes to tax receipts including the deferral of individual and business taxes from April – June until July, and an increase in the assumed end-of-June Treasury cash balance," the department said in a statement.
The Treasury said it also anticipates borrowing another $677 billion in the third quarter. Borrowing in the first quarter totaled $477 billion.
The $3 trillion is nearly six times the amount of the previous record: $530 billion borrowed during the 2008 financial crisis.
https://disrn.com/news/us-treasury-to-borrow-record-3-trillion-this-quarter
US Navy operates ships in Barents Sea for first time in decades as Russia increases Arctic capabilities
Four U.S. Navy ships and a British Royal Navy frigate entered the Barents Sea north of Russia on May 4 to conduct Arctic security operations, the Pentagon said.
The move is the first time U.S. Navy surface vessels have entered the Barents Sea since the mid-1980s.
It comes as Russia in recent years has expanded its military capabilities in the Arctic, an area it views as geostrategic for its energy reserves, defense importance, and potentially lucrative northern shipping routes opening due to climate change.
China is also staking out an interest by claiming to be a “near Arctic state” as it eyes shorter northern shipping routes to Europe.
“Allied and partner navies must remain proficient in all operating environments to ensure the continued security and access to the seas,” the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet said. “This is especially critical in the Arctic, where the austere weather environment demands constant vigilance and practice.”
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/05/us-navy-operates-ships-in-barents-sea-for-first-time-in-decades-as-russia-increases-arctic-capabilities/