PoliticsYahoo NewsA battle over tax hikes is causing a GOP identity crisis
The 69-year-old lawmaker reiterated his opposition to increasing the corporate tax rate to pay for President Biden's proposed infrastructure package. For old-school Republicans like Wicker, tax hikes like the ones Biden is advocating are unfair to high earners and lead to economic stagnation. But J.D. Vance, author of the bestselling “Hillbilly Elegy” and a political newcomer who is likely to mount a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio next year, is singing a starkly different tune.
U.S.Yahoo News'Skullduggery' political podcast: 'Sen. Murphy's Law' — April 14, 2021
In the aftermath of the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. said he experienced an awakening and was called to fight for meaningful gun reform on behalf of the grieving families in his home state.
U.S.The StatePopular NC teacher killed trying to rob Mexican drug cartel member, sheriff says
A popular Union County teacher described by family and friends as a devoted father, teacher and coach was fatally wounded in a shootout when he and his brother-in-law tried to rob members of a Mexican drug cartel, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said Wednesday. Barney Dale Harris, 40, taught Spanish and was head coach of the boys' varsity basketball and track teams at Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, according to his family and the school. Alamance County is east of Greensboro along interstates 85 and 40 — 55 miles west of Raleigh and 115 miles from Charlotte.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Biden to name Asian American-Pacific Islander liaison
President Joe Biden on Wednesday named Erika Moritsugu, a Capitol Hill veteran and vice president of a women's rights advocacy group, as his liaison to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In a statement announcing her appointment, the White House said Moritsugu will “be a vital voice to advance the president and the administration's priorities.” Biden committed to creating a senior-level role focused on the AAPI community after he received criticism from Democratic Sens.
PoliticsThe WeekMany GOP officials still privately hope prosecutors, some other outside force will make Trump go away
In 2015 and 2016, former President Donald Trump's Republican primary rivals and other GOP officials tried to dodge his withering personal insults "while hoping that external events and news media coverage would ultimately lead to his downfall," Maggie Haberman recalls at The New York Times. That strategy obviously failed. But many Republican leaders are once more hoping, mostly in private, that time or some heaven-sent deus ex machina makes Trump fade into retirement, despite his clear intention to retain control over the GOP.
U.S.Kansas City StarMysterious goat appears in Death Valley National Park. That’s bad news, rangers say
A tourist at Death Valley spotted something within the park that shouldn't be there: a mysterious goat. The visitor reported seeing a domestic goat in a canyon near Stovepipe Wells within the park. The goat could be bad for native bighorn sheep and the park's ecosystem, rangers said Wednesday on Facebook.
U.S.TheGrioArmy sergeant pushes Black man, demands he leave neighborhood in viral video
A viral video of an army sergeant pushing a Black resident in South Carolina and demanding that he leaves the neighborhood has now resulted in criminal charges. Initially uploaded on Facebook on Monday, the three-minute clip has circulated various media channels before the aggressor was identified as Jonathan Pentland, a 42-year-old U.S. Army sergeant in Columbia, S.C. Pentland has since been charged with third-degree assault, Washington Post reports. In the video, Pentland pushes, threatens, and verbally assaults a black man and attempts to force him to leave the area.
WorldAssociated PressEx-US officials visit Taiwan amid China tensions
A former U.S. senator and two ex-State Department officials arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday for talks with the island's leaders at a time of tense relations with China. Chris Dodd, a Democratic senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011, was accompanied by two former deputy secretaries of state, James Steinberg from the Democratic Obama administration and Richard Armitage, who served under Republican President George W. Bush. The delegation will meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday and exchange views with other government departments during their three-day visit, the Foreign Ministry said.
PoliticsReutersAdministration proceeding with $23 billion weapon sales to UAE
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has told Congress it is proceeding with more than $23 billion in weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates, including advanced F-35 aircraft, armed drones and other equipment, congressional aides said on Tuesday. A State Department spokesperson said the administration would move forward with the proposed sales to the UAE, "even as we continue reviewing details and consulting with Emirati officials" related to the use of the weapons. The Democratic president's administration had paused the deals agreed to by former Republican President Donald Trump in order to review them.
U.S.Business InsiderPelosi says she thinks Chauvin trial is 'disappointing': 'Maybe my disappointment springs from my expectation that these are our protectors'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reflected on the Chauvin trial Wednesday, calling it "so disappointing." Pelosi said she still respects law enforcement and stamped down calls to "defund the police." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she finds the trial of ex-Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin "so disappointing."
U.S.ReutersU.S. administers 194.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC
The United States had administered 194,791,836 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 250,998,265 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The tally is for Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the agency said. On Tuesday, U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing the use of J&J COVID-19 vaccine for a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderUS set to sanction a dozen Russian individuals, 24 entities for influencing the 2020 election, SolarWinds hack
The Biden administration is set to sanction Russian intelligence officials over attempts to influence the 2020 election. Russian officials and entities could also be sanctioned for misconduct, including the SolarWinds hack. The sanctions may be announced this week, just days after Biden and Putin last spoke on Tuesday.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Police chief in Daunte Wright case submits his resignation
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said that Chief Tim Gannon of Brooklyn Center had submitted a letter of resignation.
WorldReutersSpain confident on vaccination targets despite J&J suspension
MADRID (Reuters) -Spain is confident it can maintain its coronavirus vaccination targets despite the United States suspending the Johnson & Johnson shot and delays to its European rollout over clotting concerns, the government said on Wednesday. The early delivery in the second quarter of 50 million doses produced by Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines to EU countries partially offset the doubts caused by the suspension of J&J's single-dose vaccine. Spain will receive between four and five million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine than expected in the second quarter, Health Minister Carolina Darias told a press conference.
U.S.USA TODAYNo apology owed for pepper-spraying Black and Latino Army officer in Virginia, police chief says
While he said he felt bad for how the events of a traffic-stop late last year unfolded, the police chief of the town where a Black and Latino military officer from Petersburg, Virginia, was accosted by two of his officers said Wednesday that he does not think the soldier is in need of an official apology. In response, Army Lt. Caron Nazario's legal team said Windsor Police Department Chief Rodney D. Riddle "continues a false narrative" of the case and blaming their client for initiating it. "I'm gonna own what we did," Riddle said about the stop during a news conference Wednesday in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, community where Nazario was stopped last December while on his way home.
U.S.The IndependentKim Potter: Former police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright arrested on manslaughter charges
The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright will face manslaughter charges, authorities say. Kim Potter was captured on body cam footage killing Mr Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, which has sparked protests and unrest in the community. Ms Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, will be charged with second degree manslaughter in connection to Wright's death, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput has announced.
U.S.Miami HeraldLIV can get loud: Miami Beach removes COVID-19 noise limit ahead of club’s reopening
Hours after Miami Beach city officials met with representatives of the Fontainebleau to discuss the reopening of the hotel's LIV nightclub, the city announced it would remove a COVID-era noise restriction that would have hampered the club's Friday opening. The measure went into effect Sept. 29 but now is set to expire Thursday, just in time for the reopening of LIV more than a year since the club closed due to the pandemic. The city called Wednesday's meeting with the Fontainebleau after learning of the club's scheduled reopening, which will feature DJ performances all weekend, Assistant City Manager Eric Carpenter told the Miami Herald.
U.S.ReutersFauci says pause on J&J COVID-19 shot should not prompt vaccine hesitancy
Top U.S. health officials urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday, saying U.S. regulators' pause on Johnson & Johnson shots, following reports it can cause blood clotting, should boost confidence in the vaccines' safety. U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday recommended pausing use of J&J's COVID-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under 50 developed rare blood clots after getting the shot. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that U.S. regulators' quick response to the clotting reports should give Americans more confidence, not less, that any shots they receive will be safe.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderIvanka Trump breaks Twitter silence to posts photos of herself getting a COVID-19 vaccine
Ivanka Trump posted photos of herself receiving a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Trump is the first member of her immediate family to publicize her vaccination. Republican voters and Trump loyalists are disproportionately hesitant or unwilling to get vaccinated.
U.S.The Independent‘It should be murder’: Brooklyn Center reacts to manslaughter charges against Daunte Wright shooting officer
Earlier on Wednesday, Kim Potter, 48, a white police officer with the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, over the shooting of Mr Wright, after a traffic stop on Sunday afternoon turned fatal. “Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said in a statement. “[Potter's] action caused the unlawful killing of Mr Wright and she must be held accountable.”
BusinessReutersJ&J investor calls on shareholders to reject CEO Gorsky's pay
The Office of the Illinois State Treasurer is calling on Johnson & Johnson shareholders to reject Chief Executive Alex Gorsky's $29.6 million pay package because it shields him from the U.S. healthcare company's opioid litigation costs. J&J is attracting investor scrutiny because it excluded from its calculation of stock awards to its top executives some $9 billion in costs related to lawsuits claiming it helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis and that traces of asbestos in its talc baby powder caused cancer, Reuters reported last month. Including the opioid and talc-related legal costs would have weighed on Gorsky's compensation, which totaled $29.6 million in 2020, up 17% from the previous year.
PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats to unveil bill adding four new justices to the Supreme Court
House and Senate Democrats are planning to introduce a legislation on Thursday that seeks to expand the number of Supreme Court justices from nine to 13. The bill, bound to draw fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers, is led by senator Ed Markey and representatives Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones who will introduce it in both the chambers. The legislation comes days after president Joe Biden announced the formation of a bipartisan commission to study potential Supreme Court reforms including the expansion and limiting terms of the justices.
U.S.NY Daily NewsGirl injured in car crash caused by former Chiefs coach Britt Reid released from hospital after two months
The 5-year-old girl injured during a car crash caused by former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid has been released from the hospital. According to KWCH, Ariel Young is recovering at home after more than two months in the hospital. Reid turned himself in Monday and was later released on a $100,000 bond.
WorldINSIDERPolice are investigating an alleged mugging and assault caught on a YouTuber's livestream
YouTube streamer Sherwin saw what appeared to be a man being attacked while on a walk in London. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident and said inquiries were ongoing. On Friday night, a popular YouTube streamer was filming his walk around central London when he saw a man whom he thought needed help.
PoliticsThe IndependentPelosi says she would have ‘battled’ capitol rioters with stilettos: ‘I’m a street fighter’
Nancy Pelosi has insisted that she would have fought back against pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on 6 January had they found her amid the riots. Trump supporters breached the Capitol on 6 January as lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election, forcing them to evacuate. While most of Congress took shelter in a secure location on the Capitol grounds, Capitol Police evacuated Ms Pelosi from the Capitol complex entirely.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”