WorldAssociated PressUS Navy says drone strike hit oil tanker off Oman, killing 2
U.S. Navy explosive experts believe a “drone strike” targeted an oil tanker that came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, killing two on board, the American military said Saturday. The strike Thursday night on the oil tanker Mercer Street marks the first-known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region linked to tensions with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal. While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Israeli officials alleged Tehran launched the drone strike.
U.S.NBC NewsHmong Americans are often obscured by model minority myth. Why Suni Lee's win means so much.
The family of Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee, who's Hmong American, erupted in hugs and cheers Thursday the moment she won gold in the women's individual all-around gymnastics final, a reaction that reverberated across the Hmong community, a predominantly refugee group. Experts say both the struggles and achievements of the Hmong community, an ethnic group with origins in Southeast Asia, have long been shrouded in decades of model minority stereotypes attached to the greater Asian American diaspora. For many Hmong people, “there is no other country than the U.S.,” Kham Moua, director of national policy at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, told NBC Asian America.
U.S.AxiosDeSantis signs onto Supreme Court brief supporting Mississippi effort to toss out Roe v. Wade
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined ten other Republican governors Thursday in asking the Supreme Court to essentially let states ban abortion and regulate it in ways not currently allowed, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Why it matters: With the court's newly-installed 6-3 conservative majority, this is the best chance Republicans have had in decades to take on abortion rights. What happened: The governors asked the court to reconsider its past decisions in 1973's Roe v. Wade and 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
- NewsKCRA - Sacramento Videos
Pedestrian in serious condition after being struck by vehicle, Sacramento police say
A pedestrian is in serious condition after being struck by a vehicle in Sacramento on Friday night, according to police. The collision happened in the area of Sequoia Pacific and Richards Boulevard. The pedestrian was taken to a nearby hospital.
U.S.Washington ExaminerRepublicans challenge Pelosi after Capitol Police are ordered to arrest those not complying with mask mandate
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might as well come to his office and arrest his entire staff for not wearing masks. U.S. Capitol Police officers were directed to arrest staff members or visitors who refuse either to comply or leave the premises after being asked, according to a bulletin from Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. "This is INSANE," Massie tweeted.
ScienceReutersGreenland experienced 'massive' ice melt this week, scientists say
With climate change fueling high temperatures across the Arctic, Greenland lost a massive amount of ice on Wednesday with enough melting to cover the U.S. state of Florida in 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water, scientists said. It was the third-biggest ice loss for Greenland in a single day since 1950. The rapid melt followed warm air being trapped over the Arctic island by a change in atmospheric circulation patterns, scientists said, noting that there could be more ice lost.
U.S.NBC NewsShe wanted her kids back. A family court judge wouldn't let her talk.
When Miltreda Kress came before family court Judge Lyris Younge, she hoped to explain why the city's removal of her three minor daughters over allegations of neglect had been a mistake. What Kress got instead was a stern reprimand — “Do not talk while I'm talking” — when she uttered the word “I.” Kress apologized, and Younge scolded her again for opening her mouth, then refused to allow her to speak at all. Younge barred the Philadelphia mother from seeing her children — then ages 11, 14 and 15 — which lasted close to a year, and Kress felt helpless as they bounced around foster and group homes; it would take another judge to pave the way for her to retain full custody.
U.S.AxiosBiden administration reinstates fast-track deportation flights
The Biden administration on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights to Central America, the Department of Homeland Security announced. The big picture: Officials said Monday that they were planning to resume "expedited removal flights" following an increase in the number of migrants crossing into the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the Washington Post reports. DHS said that families apprehended by Customs and Border Protection were returned to their countries in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
PoliticsAssociated Press'Botched': Arizona GOP's ballot count ends, troubles persist
Arizona Republicans' partisan review of the 2020 election results got off to a rocky start when their contractors broke rules for counting ballots and election experts warned the work was dangerous for democracy. When the auditors stopped the counting and returned the ballots this week, it hadn't gotten better. In the last week alone, the only audit leader with substantial election experience was locked out of the building, went on the radio to say he was quitting, then reversed course hours later.
HealthAxiosCDC: Emerging evidence shows Delta variant may cause mild COVID among vaccinated people
About 74% of 469 COVID-19 cases associated with large gatherings held in Barnstable County, Mass., from July 3 to 17 were among fully vaccinated people, according to data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters: The data bolsters emerging evidence that vaccinated people have high viral loads and may transmit the Delta variant as easily as those who are unvaccinated. Be smart: Despite mild breakthrough cases appearing more common than previously thought, "vaccination is the most important strategy to prevent severe illness and death," the report emphasizes.
HealthMiami Herald‘Fully Moderna vaccinated’: Miami businesswoman diagnosed with breakthrough COVID
I was fully Moderna vaccinated and was told I have COVID yesterday. I have been incredibly safe, always mask but yet still exposed and got COVID four months after my vaccine. It is unclear if the Miami Beach resident, who has appeared on “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” has the Delta variant, which is currently on the rise.
WorldBBCNanjing: New virus outbreak worst since Wuhan, say Chinese state media
A Covid outbreak first discovered in the Chinese city of Nanjing has spread to five provinces and Beijing, with state media calling it the most extensive contagion after Wuhan. Almost 200 people have been infected since the virus was first detected at the city's busy airport on 20 July. All flights from Nanjing airport will be suspended until 11 August, according to local media.
U.S.Associated PressMudslides force more than 100 to spend night on highway
More than 100 people had to spend the night on a highway, including nearly 30 who took refuge in a tunnel, after rain over an area burned by a wildfire once again triggered mudslides in western Colorado, authorities said Friday. The people were caught with their vehicles on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday night. The tunnel serves as a 24-hour operations center for the Colorado Department of Transportation, so it is relatively well-lit and has telephones, Stowe said.
PoliticsTheGrioIf Biden and Democrats think Black people will repeat 2020, think again
President Joe Biden and the Democrats are in power, with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress thanks to Black voters. Meanwhile, the Dems are having a debate among themselves over whether they should use their power and pass legislation to combat GOP voter suppression and gerrymandering, or flush it all down the toilet and tell Black voters to out-organize themselves — and the Democratic Party — out of this mess. If Biden and his party believe Black people marching in the streets, protesting at the offices of recalcitrant, racist white lawmakers, and getting arrested is sufficient, they are mistaken.
SportsArchitectural DigestIt’s All Fun and Games: 11 High-Design Lawn Games to Maximize Your Summer
Enjoy what's left of summer 2021 with these stylish outdoor games Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsAxiosFinger pointing starts after House fails to extend federal eviction ban
Driving the news: House Democratic leaders did not secure enough votes to pass the legislation on Friday, adjourning the chamber for a six-week recess the day before the ban is set to expire. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who has been evicted three times in the past, sent a letter to her colleagues on Friday begging for more empathy. "I know firsthand the trauma and devastation that comes with the violence of being evicted, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to prevent this trauma from being inflicted on our neighbors and communities," Bush wrote.
U.S.Washington ExaminerMan dies after he and wife are struck by lightning during family vacation in Florida
A South Carolina man succumbed to his injuries after he and his wife were struck by lightning while vacationing in Florida. The couple, Brent and Kristen Jerome, were both struck by a bolt of lightning on Saturday at a beach near Fort Myers. Their two children, ages 2 and 5, were close enough to witness the strike but were unharmed, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.
U.S.INSIDERA woman caught on video being charged by a grizzly bear at Yellowstone faces criminal charges after officials used social media to identify her
A woman is facing criminal charges related to an incident with a grizzly bear in Yellowstone in May. Investigators used social media to identify the woman. A woman has been charged in an incident captured on video that showed her taking photos within 15 feet of a grizzly bear and two cubs at Yellowstone National Park in May.
WorldBBCAfghanistan: Fighting rages as Taliban besiege three key cities
Fighting is raging around three major cities in southern and western Afghanistan as Taliban militants seek to seize them from government forces. Taliban fighters have entered parts of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. The fundamentalist Islamist militia is already thought to have captured up to half of all Afghanistan's territory, including lucrative border crossings with Iran and Pakistan.
- ScienceReuters Videos
Desalination advances in CA, environmentalists fret
This desalination plant in Carlsbad, California - the largest in the Western Hemisphere - produces 50 million gallons of drinking water daily… enough for 400 thousand homes in San Diego County. And now, as Western states face an epic drought, Poseidon Water - which operates the plant - could soon get approval to build another desalination plant… this time, near a power plant in Huntington Beach. And environmentalists aren't happy about it.
U.S.INSIDERFootage shows a 'frustrated' contractor using an excavator to wreck a new apartment complex over unpaid work
The contractor caused around $600,000 worth of damage to the building, The Sun reported. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A general contractor in Germany caused nearly $600,000 worth of damage to a luxury apartment complex because he believed the developer owed him around $5.8 million in outstanding debts, according to The Sun. The unnamed man, 47, went on the wrecking spree in Blumberg, Germany on Wednesday evening because he was "frustrated" due to "unjustly held payments," a spokesperson for the local police force confirmed to Metro.
- CelebrityFox News
Britney Spears goes topless again, shares snapshot from her 'vacation' with Cher and more in Instagram spree
Britney Spears has plenty to say. The 39-year-old pop star took to Instagram on Friday evening to share several back-to-back posts featuring another topless video, fan art depicting her with Cher and more. The first post contained a photo of a slushy orange drink with a lemon garnish and a second pic of a decorative owl statue made up of smaller, ornamental pieces.
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Something has to change': Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. Henry Cuellar call on Biden to appoint 'border czar'
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers are calling on President Joe Biden to appoint a “border czar” as the United States continues to see a large number of migrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district is along the United States' southern border in Texas, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Friday they would like Biden to appoint former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to the position. During a press briefing Friday, Cuellar said that the Biden administration needs to listen to border communities and border patrol officials on what is happening in the region.
U.S.South Florida Sun SentinelThe Surfside death toll: Why didn’t the numbers add up?
The final number of dead in the Surfside condo collapse was devastating: 98 lives lost. Many of the missing from Champlain Towers South were on the list more than once, said Lt. Carlos Rosario, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department. English and Hebrew names might be given for the same missing person.
U.S.INSIDERA Capitol riot suspect told a judge he refuses to wear masks because it 'stresses me out,' according to reports
A federal judge on Friday threatened to jail a Capitol riot suspect for refusing to wear a mask, according to reports. Daniel Goodwyn tried to chew up a mask FBI agents placed on him during his initial arrest, prosecutors said. Goodwyn told the judge he can't wear the mask because "it stresses me out," HuffPost and Newsweek reported.
“[The program] stands likely to leave millions of families — disproportionately the poorest and most fragile ones — behind.”
“[Paying] families monthly, instead of one lump sum ... will provide parents with more stability knowing when cash is coming.”
“More parents will disappear from the workforce, and more children will be locked into dependency.”
“Poverty is a political choice, not an inevitability.”
“Time is running out. There are only six months until monthly payments of the credit cease."