Is that Joe taking one of those cognitive tests
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Local/2020/Jul-08/508721-hottest-commodity-in-lebanons-economic-chaos-the-us-dollar.ashx
BEIRUT: The lines snaked around the block. Then they swelled to fill the whole street, before they turned into a raucous mob of men shoving to the front of the line. There at the exchange bureau, they could buy rationed dollars, the hottest commodity in Lebanon.
The small Mediterranean country’s financial meltdown has thrown Lebanese into a frantic search for dollars as their local currency's value evaporates. To get the precious hard currency, they must navigate labyrinthine regulations, exploiting any loopholes they can to rescue their earnings.
Every transaction, from doctor fees to store purchases to rent, is negotiated day by day, juggling the tumbling Lebanese pound and multiple, changing dollar exchange rates. Those who can are snapping up luxury goods or real estate, trying to use their dollars trapped in bank accounts frozen by the cash-strapped authorities.
The turmoil is deepening resentment of the political elite and the once flourishing banking system - and fueling desperation.
Despite survival skills honed by political tension and wars, nothing prepared Lebanese for having to line up to buy money.
https://nypost.com/2020/07/08/portland-police-union-blames-riots-on-city-officials/
Portland’s police union ripped public officials for enabling rioters to destroy the city, as demonstrators once again taunted cops Tuesday night.
In a post titled “This Cannot Continue,” Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner called on elected officials to “stand up and defend Portland.”
“Condemn the violence and the burning, looting, and destruction of property,” Turner said. “Trust and support the decisions made by law enforcement leaders who simply want to keep the residents, business owners, and peaceful protestors safe.”
Black Lives Matter protests have been held in Portland for more than a month following the police-involved death of George Floyd. The demonstrations, however, have frequently turned violent amid clashes between police, protesters and members of the anti-fascist group Antifa.
Looters also ravaged businesses in Downtown Portland in late May.
Turner said police have endured verbal and physical abuse for far too long.
“As riots continue, it is obvious to everyone that this is no longer about George Floyd, social justice, or police reform,” he said. “This is about a group of individuals intent on causing injury, chaos, and destruction by rioting, looting, starting fires, throwing rocks, bottles, mortars, urine, and feces at peaceful protestors, as well as the police.
“These violent criminal acts have gone on for almost 40 days nonstop, while the men and women of the Portland Police Bureau and its partner agencies have shown amazing restraint in the face of the most divisive time this country has seen in modern history.”
Turner’s letter concluded, “Keep Portlanders safe and free from rioting, while honoring their First Amendment rights. Support police leadership. Support officers. Tell those who are intent on burning and looting our great City that they are not welcome here. Put Portland first.”
THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/506346-harvard-mit-sue-to-block-trump-administration-from-stripping-student
Harvard and MIT filed a lawsuit on Wednesday that seeks to prevent the Trump administration from stripping foreign students of visas if their universities move exclusively to online classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit comes after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday that international students whose courses move entirely online would be required to depart the country, rescinding a previous plan to grant exemptions to student visa-holders.
The universities asked a federal court in Boston for a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction against the administration's new policy.
Their lawsuit alleges that ICE’s decision appears designed to “force universities to reopen in-person classes,” thereby increasing the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, while scrambling carefully laid plans to conduct courses online and upending foreign students’ lives.
https://www.wlrn.org/post/states-sue-education-department-over-allocation-pandemic-funds-schools#stream/0
Several Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia have joined in a lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, accusing the Trump administration of trying to unlawfully divert pandemic relief funds from public schools to private schools.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Michigan, Maine, New Mexico and Wisconsin have also joined.
Last month, the Education Department put out a rule saying that private schools should benefit from a representative share of the more than $13 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act earmarked for public schools.
Becerra contends that is an unlawful interpretation of the CARES act, which allows private schools to get a disproportionate amount of Title I funds — traditionally reserved for low-income students.
In a statement in June, DeVos said the CARES act was meant to aid "all American students, teachers, and families impacted" by COVID-19.
"There is nothing in the law Congress passed that would allow districts to discriminate against children and teachers based on private school attendance and employment," she said.
In a call with Vice President Pence, DeVos on Monday said governors had left $195 million unspent from the funds for schools allocated under CARES.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/iowa-governor-driver-hit-blm-protester
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said that the state trooper who was driving her from a state event last week was justified in bumping a Black Lives Matter protester with a vehicle.