Iran criticizes UAE after diplomatic deal with Israel
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard vowed Saturday there would be dangerous consequences for the United Arab Emirates after it announced a historic deal with Israel to open diplomatic relations.
The UAE is the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to establish normalized relations with Israel, Iran’s regional archenemy. As part of the U.S.-brokered deal, Israel agreed to temporarily put off the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state.
The Iranian Guard called the deal a “shameful” agreement and an “evil action” underwritten by the U.S., according to the group’s statement on a website it runs, Sepah News.
The Guard warned the deal with Israel will set back American influence in the Middle East and bring a “dangerous future” for the Emirati government.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also condemned the Emirati move. In a televised speech Saturday, he warned that the United Arab Emirates has made a “huge mistake” in reaching a deal toward normalizing ties with Israel.
Dallas doctors report 1st newborn with virus
Doctors at a Dallas hospital reported the first baby in the U.S. known to have contracted the coronavirus while in the womb.
Alexa Figueroa tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours after being delivered six weeks early by mother Wendy on May 2, WFAA-TV reported. Doctors at Parkland Hospital delivered Alexa prematurely after Ms. Figueroa tested positive when she was 34 weeks pregnant.
“We immediately separated baby from mother. Mom was wearing a mask during delivery to reduce transmission,” said Dr. Mamarambath Jaleel, who runs the Parkland Neonatal ICU, told WFAA.
After baby Alexa tested positive, doctors tested the placenta, which also came back positive.
Dr. Jaleel said 128 pregnant women at Parkland have tested positive for COVID-19. Six of the babies later tested positive, but only Alexa got sick, Dr. Jaleel said.
Newsweek apologizes for Harris conspiracy
Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned Sen. Kamala Harris’ U.S. citizenship and her eligibility as Joe Biden’s running mate, a false and racist conspiracy theory President Donald Trump claimed was “very serious.”
“This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia. We apologize,” read Newsweek’s editor’s note Friday, which replaced the magazine’s earlier detailed defense of the op-ed.
The op-ed was written by John Eastman, a conservative attorney who argues the U.S. Constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship. Mr. Eastman sowed doubt about Ms. Harris’ eligibility based on her parents’ immigration status. Ms. Harris’ mother was born in India, and her father was born in Jamaica.
But the theory is false. Ms. Harris, who was tapped by Mr. Biden to serve as his running mate on the Democratic ticket, was born in Oakland, Calif., and is eligible for both the vice presidency and presidency under the constitutional requirements.