Two Kansas City police officers accused in three beatings also shot a man in 2019

Two Kansas City police officers accused in three police brutality claims were also responsible for shooting a man in 2019, a newly obtained police department report shows. In January 2019, Matthew G. Brummett and Charles W. Prichard shot a man while responding to a carjacking in Westport. In a use of force report created by the Kansas City Police Department after the incident and obtained last week, police said one of the officers shot the man during a struggle after he reached for one of the officer's gun.

Biden returns from world tour to find sinking popularity and spending plans in disarray

Joe Biden returned from his sojourn to the UK and Europe to face a growing list of domestic headaches as his big-spending policies stalled and were also blamed for rising inflation. While Mr Biden was meeting Vladimir Putin in Geneva a bipartisan group of 21 senators - 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats - came up with a compromise that would almost halve the amount to $1.2 trillion over eight years. The resulting gridlock explains why a Monmouth University poll this week made worrying reading for Mr Biden after Air Force One landed back in the US.

Rumours swirl that China’s top spycatcher has defected to the US

Rumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China.

Mike Pence: Hecklers brand ex-VP 'traitor' at conservative conference

Former US Vice-President Mike Pence has been heckled during a speech at a conference for religious conservatives. The taunts were an apparent reaction to Mr Pence's role in validating Joe Biden's presidential election win. During his address, Mr Pence criticised the policies of Democratic US President Joe Biden and defended those of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

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  Mike Pence called 'traitor' by hecklers in Florida

  Yahoo News
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  Conservative activists heckle Pence at conference in Florida

  Associated Press

Three arrested in property fraud case after an elderly owner discovers lot sold for $230,000

On Friday, as authorities held a press conference to highlight the growing problem of fraud against the elderly, prosecutors revealed they had charged three people suspected of swiping the property. Otis Lathen Powell, Shantel Vennissa Chang and Jason Webley Sr. were charged with a host of felonies, including money laundering, grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and theft from a person 65 years or older.

Their ancestors died before they could fully enjoy the reparations they received. Years later, the money 'played a big role' in going to college.

A Black community in Rosewood, Florida was destroyed by white vigilantes in January 1923. The survivors of the Rosewood massacre received reparations in 1994. When Breeana Larkins was a teenager growing up in South Florida she learned a "life-changing" detail about her family tree.

Founding father of the EU Robert Schuman in line for sainthood from Catholic Church

One of the founding fathers of the European Union was put on the path to sainthood by Pope Francis. Robert Schuman, who called for a supranational community for coal and steel in 1950, was recognised by the Pope for his “heroic virtues”, the Vatican said. Mr Schuman said cooperation on coal and steel, especially involving France and Germany, would make future wars impossible.

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  Pope puts Robert Schuman, a father of Europe, on sainthood path

  Reuters
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  An architect of European unity moves ahead on sainthood path

  Associated Press

The Biden administration is enabling a Trump comeback

Democrats have had what any sane political party would consider a remarkable stroke of luck: Donald Trump, the leader of their opposition has (allegedly) committed many, many crimes, both while serving as president and before, and Democrats now control the federal law enforcement apparatus. As Barbara McQuade and Joyce White Vance write in The Washington Post, Trump is almost certainly guilty of obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation, of attempting to solicit bribes from Ukraine, and of multiple campaign finance violations (and likely much, much more).

Apple Daily: Hong Kong police raid sparks rush on newspapers

People in Hong Kong have queued up to buy copies of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily a day after its newsroom was raided by police. The raid on the newspaper came as two of its executives were charged under Hong Kong's controversial new national security law. Editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung were the two charged.

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  Apple Daily editor, CEO denied bail in Hong Kong

  Reuters
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  Editor, CEO denied bail in Apple Daily case in Hong Kong

  Associated Press

'Nobody is scared of us anymore': Why Marine Le Pen is on the cusp of first major victory

Until now, mainstream parties have kept the far-Right out through a “republican front”, namely tactical voting which often sees the Left pull out to help the mainstream Right win. That strategy may fail for the first time thanks to Mr Mariani, who jumped ship to be elected to the European parliament with Ms Le Pen's group in 2019. Nobody sincerely believes the French republic would be in danger if the National Rally and people like me clinched this region,” he claimed.

McCarthy spox clarifies Trump-speaker comments

A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said while it wasn't "crystal clear," the congressman meant to say during a Fox News interview on Friday that former President Donald Trump wants him to be House speaker if Republicans take the lower chamber back in 2022. In the clip, it appears McCarthy says Trump himself wants to be speaker, but McCarthy's camp is clarifying what would have been a surprising admission for someone who has his own eyes on the gavel. CNN's Chris Cillizza predicted McCarthy would backtrack, and argues it's "virtually impossible" to take him at his word because of what he described as "rampant dishonesty in the GOP over the last five years."

Shocking footage shows a gunman repeatedly shoot at a man while two children frantically dodge his bullets on a New York City sidewalk

A video released by police shows a gunman shoot a man while two children were just a step away. The 24-year-old victim was shot multiple times after the incident in the Bronx, New York Thursday. The children were not injured, police said.

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  Shocking video shows gunman shooting at man in street with children between them

  The Independent
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  Video shows gunman shoot man next to two children in the Bronx

  NBC News

Nasa's giant SLS rocket: a guide

Nasa has been developing a huge rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) to launch astronauts to the Moon - and eventually Mars. Set to make its debut in late 2021, the SLS is the most powerful launch vehicle built since the 1960s. Nasa has plans to send a man and woman to the lunar surface this decade, in what will be the first landing with humans since Apollo 17 in 1972.

‘Pack of lies’ about Marcus Whitman holds lessons about the rejection of truth today

When I served on the Statesman editorial board and joined my colleagues interviewing candidates seeking an endorsement from the paper, I was often amused when candidates kicked off their comments by telling us how long ago their families arrived in Idaho. It was as though great-great-Grandpa and -Grandma's decision to head west to Idaho made the candidate of today more qualified for office than one whose family only arrived in the state a generation ago. For one thing, most of us know little about the details of our ancestors' role in the growth and progress of America, and those histories may not all measure up to the patriotic and generous tales families weave about those who came before t...

McManus : Why Republicans are suddenly reluctant to condemn political violence

The Republican Party has a problem with political violence: It's not sure whether it's for it or against it. In the first days after a mob loyal to former President Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to block Congress from certifying President Biden's election, GOP leaders delivered a sensible, unified response: There's no place in our constitutional system for that kind of violence. Since January, though, some leading Republicans have been backsliding — offering excuses for the insurgents who sought to overturn the election through extralegal means.

An American student and former Marine was found dead in Russia days after texting her mom: 'I hope I'm not being abducted'

An American student and former Marine was found dead in Russia on Saturday, days after she went missing. Catherine Serou had texted her mom Tuesday saying, "I hope I'm not being abducted," NPR reported. A suspect with prior convictions is in custody, though he has not been named.

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  Suspect arrested after former U.S. Marine found dead in Russia

  Axios
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  American Student and Former Marine Catherine Serou Found Brutally Murdered in Russia

  The Daily Beast

Sen. Ron Johnson, who stalled the passing of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, was booed at an event commemorating the day

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson stalled the passing of making Juneteenth a holiday. On Saturday, June 19, he was booed at an event commemorating the holiday in Wisconsin. Sen. Ron Johnson was booed at an event celebrating Juneteenth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, WDJT reported.

Descendants of Hope: The legacy of Ohio’s Underground Railroad

From Kentucky, a careful observer can squint beyond the banks of the Ohio River and spot the village of Ripley, Ohio, and a lone house on the hill above. Nearly 200 years ago, those traveling on the Underground Railroad would look to that village, that hill and the light from the lantern that the Rev. John Rankin hung in his front window, beckoning them across. Ripley, settled in 1804 — just a year after Ohio was granted statehood — was one of the state's most-active stations on the Underground Railroad.

She Went on a PR Tour for Her Sick, Adopted African Child. Was It All a Lie?

Last summer, Sophie Hartman was fixated on her 6-year-old adopted daughter Carmel possibly showing signs of early puberty. The 31-year-old single mom from Renton, Washington, scheduled an appointment at Seattle Children's Hospital with a pediatric endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in glands and the hormones they produce, according to a Renton Police probable-cause affidavit. Hartman, a white, Jesus-loving former missionary, strapped Carmel—a little Black girl born in Zambia—into a wheelchair and rolled her into a medical room, where they met with the endocrinologist.

‘Time is running out’: President Joe Biden wants to go big like FDR but window may close

The descendants of the men and women who designed and implemented President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal gather regularly on Zoom to strategize how to keep the pressure on President Joe Biden to likewise go big and bold. “We would love to think that we have captured his attention and stirred the pot with some FDR seasoning,” said Scott Wallace, the grandson of one of Roosevelt's vice presidents and one of five descendants who has been urging Biden for the past year to pass a “21st Century New Deal.” “There's a new bargain,” Biden said during a May trip to Cleveland to push for the trillions of dollars he wants to spend on infrastructure, education, health care, child care and more.

Cannibal waiter jailed for murdering his mother and eating her remains

Alberto Sánchez Gómez will serve 15 years in jail for murdering his 68-year-old mother. Sánchez ate her remains "bit by bit" with his pet dog, according to police officers. An unemployed Spanish waiter has been sentenced to jail for killing his mother, cutting her into thousands of pieces, and eating her remains, the Independent reported.

GOP congressman lashes out at Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday: 'Are we going to do one for the Native American Indians?'

GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of 14 Republicans who voted against the legislation, took to Fox News Radio on Thursday to explain his opposition, saying that the vote "was an easy no vote" and questioned if a holiday would now have to be established for Native Americans as well. During the program "Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla," Norman also cited the number of existing holidays in detailing his rejection of a federal holiday for Juneteenth, while alleging that supporters were using "race" as an issue. "There's one Fourth of July.

How Republican States Are Expanding Their Power Over Elections

Across Georgia, members of at least 10 county election boards have been removed, had their position eliminated or are likely to be kicked off through local ordinances or new laws passed by the state Legislature. At least five are people of color, and most are Democrats — though some are Republicans — and they will most likely all be replaced by Republicans. Hollis and local officials like her have been some of the earliest casualties as Republican-led legislatures mount an expansive takeover of election administration in a raft of new voting bills this year.