- WorldThe Week
What Ebrahim Raisi's election means for Iran — and the U.S.
Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner favored by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, handily won Saturday's Iranian presidential election, which saw historically low turnout. Domestically, the Crisis Group's Ali Vaez explained to PBS NewsHour that the 82-year-old Khamenei appears to be preparing for his succession, which will be "a very pivotal moment" for Iran. Raisi's victory, meanwhile, may actually help solidify the re-establishment of a nuclear pact between the U.S. and Iran, despite Raisi harboring more hostility toward Washington than his predecessor.
PoliticsThe TelegraphBiden 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.
WorldAssociated PressAfghanistan running out of oxygen as COVID surge worsens
Afghanistan's is racing to ramp up supplies of oxygen as a deadly third surge of COVID-19 worsens, a senior health official told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday. The government is installing oxygen supply plants in 10 provinces where up to 65% of those tested in some areas are COVID positive, health ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastigir Nazari said. Afghanistan's 24-hour infection count has also continued its upward climb from 1,500 at the end of May when the health ministry was already calling the surge “a crisis,” to more than 2,300 this week.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden gets called out for 'disappointing' Trump-like habit of hiring senior aides' children
Children of President Biden's aides have been getting hired for administration positions, and ethics experts aren't thrilled. At least five children of Biden's top aides have been tapped for jobs in the administration, sparking "concerns from ethics experts, diversity advocates and others," The Washington Post reported. Most recently, the Treasury Department hired the son of Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti.
WorldThe TelegraphGB News boycott shows we can’t take democratic values for granted, says Oliver Dowden
The advertising boycott of GB News shows Britain can no longer take basic democratic values for granted, the Culture Secretary has warned. Writing for The Telegraph, Oliver Dowden said a "vocal Twitter minority" was targeting the "free and diverse media" and the "right to dissent". In an escalation of the Government's so-called "war on woke", Mr Dowden insisted the fledgling centre-Right broadcaster is right to seek to "empower" viewers who feel that their "concerns have been unheard".
U.S.Miami HeraldThree 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.
U.S.INSIDERA COVID-19 outbreak at a Florida county building killed 2 IT staffers and hospitalized 3 others
Two staff members in a Florida county's IT department died of COVID-19 this week, the Bradenton Herald reported. A sixth person in contact with those who were infected was vaccinated and did not contract the disease. Two staffers in a government IT department in Manatee County, Florida, died of COVID-19 following an outbreak at their office, the county said Friday.
PoliticsThe WeekThe 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).
U.S.USA TODAYCalifornia judge orders no bail for man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage shooting
Marcus Eriz, a southern California man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage incident, was ordered held without bail Friday. Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin told attorneys that in addition to the murder charge he was alarmed by an allegation that Eriz, 24, also brandished a weapon in a second incident. “It seems to me that Mr. Eriz is a complete danger to the community,” Yellin said.
PoliticsThe WeekMcCarthy 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."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. 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.
U.S.INSIDERShocking 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.
WorldThe Daily BeastIran Elects Hardline Cleric Linked to Mass Killings as President
An ultraconservative cleric linked to the mass execution of political prisoners has been elected Iran's new president. Ebrahim Raisi, the country's judiciary chief who has been rumored to be a potential successor to the Ayatollah, emerged victorious in a controversial election in which critics say moderate candidates were purged. Raisi, who is under U.S. sanctions, will replace president Hassan Rouhani at a time of heightened tensions with the West and Israel.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden family announces the death of beloved German Shepherd, Champ
Champ, President Joe Biden's 13-year-old German Shepherd, has died. "He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years," the Bidens said on Twitter. The Bidens also have a 3-year-old rescue dog named Major.
PoliticsBusiness Insider8 GOP reps who voted against making Juneteenth a national holiday appeared to close their offices anyway: report
GOP lawmakers who opposed the creation of a federal holiday for Juneteenth closed their offices Friday anyway, BuzzFeed News reported. In total, 14 members of Congress opposed the new holiday, and eight of them appeared to close their office. The bill unanimously passed the Senate and was signed by President Biden on Thursday.
U.S.INSIDERAn 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.
PoliticsThe New York TimesThe Supreme Court's Newest Justices Produce Some Unexpected Results
By contrast, Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative who might have thought that his views would be embraced by his new colleagues, was in the majority in divided cases just 36% of the time. That helps explain his aggrieved tone in concurring and dissenting opinions Thursday in cases on a clash between claims of religious freedom and gay rights in the context of foster care and on the Affordable Care Act. In the foster-care case, Roberts managed to cobble together an improbable six-justice majority for an opinion that ruled so narrowly for a Catholic charity that Alito, in a concurring opinion, said it “might as well be written on the dissolving paper sold in magic shops.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Biden's lack of action on executions adds to death penalty disarray
Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office. That has not happened.
U.S.The Daily BeastShe 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.
U.S.Business InsiderFormer Gov. calls for an independent commission to investigate why so many people from Florida attended the Capitol riot
Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida called for an investigation into the state's role in the Capitol riot. The former governor said Friday he was worried about how many Floridians were involved in the attack. Florida is one of the two states with the most residents facing charges related to the insurrection.
WorldBusiness InsiderMore than 350 Indonesian healthcare workers vaccinated with China's Sinovac vaccine got COVID-19 and dozens are hospitalized, raising questions about the vaccine's efficacy on variants
The vast majority of Indonesia's healthcare workers received China's Sinovac vaccine. A study in the country found the vaccine was very effective at curbing hospitalization and death. Over 350 healthcare workers caught COVID-19, most likely the Delta variant, Reuters reported.
U.S.INSIDERTheir 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.
PoliticsUSA TODAYTrump White House doctor, 13 other House Republicans urge Biden to take cognitive test
The former White House doctor who gave a glowing report in 2018 about then-President Donald Trump's cognitive abilities is calling on President Joe Biden to take the same test. U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led a group of 14 Republicans who sent Biden a letter on Thursday urging him to take a cognitive test and make the results public. In 2018, he gave Trump a clean bill of health after an annual physical and cognitive test that came amid questions about Trump's mental fitness to serve.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP 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.
WorldThe Daily BeastThe Victorious Gay Greek Army That Got Canceled by History
Why do we see so many football and rugby teams named for the Spartans, and only one for the Thebans, though Thebes in fact defeated Sparta in battle and ended its reign as superpower of Greece? The explanation lies deep in the prejudices of ancient Greek historians and thinkers, as does the inspiration for that one exception: The Caledonian Thebans, Scottish ruggers who define themselves as gay, bisexual, or LGBTQ-inclusive. Let's start by noting that Greek Thebes (not to be confused with the Egyptian city of the same name) had unusually gay-friendly laws and social customs.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”