USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump who quit the GOP and became an independent, announced Saturday he would not seek the Libertarian nomination for the White House, weeks after saying he was running because voters wanted an “alternative” to the two major parties.

In deciding to drop out, he cited the challenges of trying to campaign as a third-party candidate during the coronavirus pandemic.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston police officer shot and killed a man who had fatally stabbed a woman in a store parking lot Saturday and was threatening the officer with a knife, police say.

It was the fifth fatal shooting by a Houston police officer within the last month.

It happened after a woman in her 80s was stabbed while returning to her car around 10 a.m. after shopping at a Walgreens, said Houston police Chief Art Acevedo. An officer found the stabbing suspect armed with a knife inside the woman’s car and ordered him to get out, Acevedo said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight more sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive again for the coronavirus, raising to 13 the number who appear to have become infected a second time while serving aboard the sidelined aircraft carrier.

All the sailors had previously tested positive for the virus and had gone through at least two weeks of isolation. Before they were allowed to go back to the ship, all had to test negative twice in a row, with the tests separated by at least a day or two.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama on Saturday criticized U.S. leaders overseeing the nation’s response to the coronavirus, telling college graduates in an online commencement address that the pandemic shows many officials “aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, a black man killed during a pursuit by a white man and his son in Georgia, isn’t just prison time for his killers — it’s changes in a local justice system that never charged them with a crime, rallygoers said Saturday.

Hundreds of people came to the Glynn County courthouse demanding accountability for a case in which charges weren’t filed until state officials stepped in after a leaked video sparked national outrage.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An explosion Saturday at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles injured 11 firefighters who had gone inside the building after an initial report of a fire.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said “one significant explosion” shook the neighborhood around 6:30 p.m., and as first responders arrived they saw firefighters emerge from the building with burns and other injuries. He did not provide conditions on the injured.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (APP): The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the ‘crucial role’ of the UN and its agencies, according to Ambassador Volkan Bozkir, the veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian who, as the only candidate for the top job, is slated to lead the historic 75th session of the General Assembly which begins in September.

Ambassador Bozkir outlined his priorities as president of the world’s foremost multilateral forum, during a virtual interactive dialogue with UN member states held on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (APP): The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday signed an agreement to promote a healthy society through sport amid the coronavirus pandemic that continues to affect people’s lives around the world.

“I am pleased to formalize this longstanding partnership with the International Olympic Committee,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said at a ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland.

16 May 2020; MEMO: Turkish defense officials on Friday distributed protective health supplies to soldiers stationed at a NATO Allied Land Command based in Izmir, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said it distributed the supplies to 320 allied staff of 23 NATO member countries as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Washington, May 16 (AP) The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark.

I have the right to do a lot of things that people don't even know about," he said at the White House.

Trump wasn't just crowing. Dozens of statutory authorities become available to any president when national emergencies are declared.