Nearly 3,000 federal workers have filed compensation claims for having contracted COVID-19 on the job, a number that is expected to double by early next month, according to a Department of Labor review. Through mid-June, families of 48 federal workers had filed death claims with the Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation. The report only reflects the number of federal workers or their families who filed claims by June 16 — not the number who actually have contracted the coronavirus or died from it. Reports from individual agencies indicate the number of infections and deaths is much higher.

President Donald Trump’s lawyers filed fresh arguments Monday to try to block a criminal subpoena for his tax records, saying it was issued in bad faith, might have been politically motivated and calling it a harassment of the president. Lawyers filed a rewritten lawsuit in Manhattan federal court to challenge the subpoena by a state prosecutor on grounds they believe conform with how the U.S. Supreme Court said the subpoena can be contested. They asked a judge to declare it “invalid and unenforceable.” The high court ruled earlier this month that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. could subpoena tax records from Trump’s accountant over his objections. But the court said Trump could challenge the subpoena as improper just as anyone else can.

The Venetian Cafe on Route 42 in South Fallsburg was destroyed by a fire overnight. The fire started at around 3:00AM, and numerous fire departments from around Sullivan County were called to assist in extinguishing the blaze. At 4:30AM, firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control. The restaurant is a dairy establishment, and is frequented by many people. Fire investigators were requested to the scene to determine what caused the blaze. Catskills Hatzolah was on the scene assisting, but thankfully, there were no injuries reported. The well-known Bordeaux Steakhouse in Flatbush is the same owner as the Venetian Cafe. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed a Marine veteran to the White House as he completed his 300-mile walk to the nation’s capital to raise awareness about the problem of veteran suicide. Terry Sharpe, 69, was met at the Washington Monument by Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, for the final leg of his journey from Summerfield, North Carolina, to the White House grounds where he was greeted by Trump, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and the U.S. Marine Band. Sharpe makes the annual walk to Washington to spotlight the high rate of suicide among the nation’s military veterans.

Dear Friends, I’m writing this letter to you with much pain and embarrassment. My name is Moshe B., a long time Brooklyn, NY resident. I’ve B”H been blessed with a beautiful large family, and for many years I’ve worked very hard to support my family through a business that I worked tiredly to build up from scratch, but in past 2 years my business has suffered many losses until it got to a point where I could no longer make a living out of it, which caused me to be unable to make my monthly mortgage payments.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s hard-won nuclear weapons were a solid security guarantee and a “reliable, effective” deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported Tuesday. Kim’s comments before war veterans marking the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War again show he has no intention of abandoning his weapons as prospects dim for resuming diplomacy with the United States. North Korea has previously ratcheted up fiery rhetoric or conducted weapons tests to wrest outside concessions. But some experts say Pyongyang will likely avoid serious talks with Washington before the U.S. presidential elections in November as there is a chance for a U.S. leadership change.

Iran has moved a mock aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with the United States, satellite photographs released on Monday show, likely signalling the Islamic Republic soon plans to use it for live-fire drills. An image from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday shows an Iranian fast boat speed toward the carrier, sending waves up in its wake, after a tugboat pulled her out into the strait from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian state media and officials have yet to acknowledge bringing the replica out to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. However, its appearance there suggests Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is preparing an encore of a similar mock-sinking it conducted in 2015. The U.S.

The University of Notre Dame has become the second university to withdraw as the host of one of this fall’s three scheduled presidential debates amid the coronavirus pandemic. The university was set to host the inaugural face-off between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Sept. 29. The first debate will now be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday.

Federal militarized officers will remain in Portland until attacks on the U.S. courthouse cease, a top official said Monday after a night of violence. And more officers may soon be on the way. “It is not a solution to tell federal officers to leave when there continues to be attacks on federal property and personnel. We are not leaving the building unprotected to be destroyed by people intent on doing so,” U.S. Attorney Billy Williams told a telephonic news conference. Local and state officials said the federal officers are unwelcome. The mayor of Portland and five other cities appealed Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents to cities that don’t want them.

They have the largest economies in the world. They spend more than anyone else on their militaries. From high-tech chips to control of the high seas, their interests are closely intertwined. The ongoing sharp deterioration in U.S.-China ties poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world. In the latest escalation, a U.S. consulate in Chengdu in southwestern China shuttered Monday, ordered by China to close in retaliation for the U.S. shutting down its consulate in Houston last week. With the U.S. presidential campaign heating up, all bets are that relations with China will only get worse. A look at what’s at stake: TRADE Both countries already have suffered heavy losses in a tariff war that erupted in 2018 over Beijing’s technology ambitions and trade surplus.