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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
WorldNextSharkSouth Korean archer An San gets support after receiving sexist comments about her hairstyle
We didn't train and feed you with tax money so that you can commit feminist acts," one of the comments from An's Instagram reads. Many women and well-known figures, including actress Koo Hye-sun and lawmaker and South Korea's youngest MP, Ryu Ho-jeong, showed support for An amid the wave of sexist comments she received. Even if you win an Olympic gold medal with your own skills and abilities, as long as sexism persists in our society, you get insulted and asked to be deprived of your medal just because you have short hair," Jang Hye-yeong, a female lawmaker, said on social 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.
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.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Biden said he wants states, schools and private business to continue to mandate vaccinations
In a speech at the White House on Thursday in which he encouraged Americans to get vaccinated, President Biden said he hoped states and schools, as well as private business, would continue to require individuals to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Biden added that he didn't know if the federal government could require every American to be vaccinated.
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.
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.
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.
WorldArchitectural DigestIt’s Playtime: 9 Stylish Games for Grown-Ups
Old-school entertainment, with a twist Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.AxiosGov. DeSantis says he will bar Florida school districts from mandating masks
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday issued an executive order that bars local school districts from requiring students to wear masks when they return to the classroom next month. Why it matters: The spread of the Delta variant has led to a spike in new infections across the United States, triggering another round of debate about COVID guidelines in schools. DeSantis' announcement comes after the Broward County school board passed a mask mandate Wednesday due to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools this upcoming school year, regardless of vaccination status.
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.
- 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.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanThe Idaho Way: Thanks a lot, anti-vaxxers, now we’re back to wearing masks again
And for those of us who have sacrificed these past 16 months — working from home, missing events, wearing masks, doing all the right things — we are tired of it, and we are mad as hell at you folks not getting your vaccine and ruining the recovery for the rest of us. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling us we need to go back to wearing masks indoors, which we'll do, but we sure as heck aren't happy about it. We'll probably be back to travel restrictions and canceled events that we've all been looking forward to returning to.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz says a vaccine mandate is 'authoritarianism,' but he supports them in Texas
President Biden has said federal workers will have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, argues that is a display of "authoritarianism." When he was running for president in 2015, Sen. Ted Cruz pledged to fire around 150,000 federal workers, outright eliminating the Department of Education and IRS.
U.S.The Daily BeastBaltimore Aunt Drove Car for a Year With Kids Stuffed in Trunk: Cops
For about a year, a Baltimore woman allegedly drove a car with a gruesome secret: the dead body of her 7-year-old niece stashed in a suitcase in the trunk. It wasn't until months later that police discovered the decomposing bodies of siblings Joshlyn Marie James Johnson and Larry Darnell O'Neal. Baltimore County Police said in a statement Thursday night that they were grieving over the “unspeakable deaths” after discovering the kids' bodies when they pulled 33-year-old Nicole Johnson over in a traffic stop late Wednesday.
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.
SportsNBC NewsAt Tokyo Games beach volleyball, anything but business as usual
Love Rollercoaster” was blaring from the speakers at Shiokaze Park, but for American beach volleyball players Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil, it was another ride on the rollercoaster of weirdness as they took on a tough Brazilian team on a stiflingly hot Saturday morning. Team USA's youngest-ever beach volleyball team was able to dispatch Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Rebecca Cavalcanti Barbossa Silva in three sets to win their third straight victory in the Tokyo Olympics and stay in medal contention. But Tokyo is under a state of emergency because of a rise in Covid-19 cases, so there was only a smattering of applause when it was over.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe Philippine president told unvaccinated people 'for all I care, you can die anytime' as he continues his brutal threats against vaccine deniers
The president of the Philippines is continuing threats against those who deny coronavirus vaccines. The president of the Philippines said he didn't care if people who deny the coronavirus vaccine died from the virus. Rodrigo Duterte said in a national address on Wednesday: "For those who do not want it, well, for all I care, you can die anytime."
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.
“[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."