WorldBusiness Insider'I don't see any way around it': Former Navy SEAL McRaven says retaliation for assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist all but certain
Days after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist, retired US Navy Adm. William McRaven said that retaliation is all but inevitable. "The Iranians are going to be in a position where they have to retaliate. I don't see any way around it," McRaven, former head of US Special Operations Command and the Navy SEAL who oversaw the bin Laden raid, said on ABC's "This Week."
PoliticsThe TelegraphJoe Biden fractures foot while playing with one of his dogs
President-elect Joe Biden has fractured his foot while playing with his dog, Major, in Delaware on Saturday. The 78-year-old president-elect will have to wear a walking boot for several weeks. On Sunday evening, he was seen walking with a slight limp to an SUV which took him to the Delaware Imaging Network for the CT scan.
U.S.NBC NewsBody of missing Instagram influencer Alexis Sharkey found on Texas road
The body of a 26-year-old Instagram influencer who vanished last week was found on the side of a road in Houston over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Alexis Robinault, who went by Alexis Sharkey and described herself as a "mentor," had no visible wounds and her cause of death hadn't yet been determined, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Police said that paramedics found her body on Saturday morning near a section of Interstate 10 roughly 17 miles west of downtown Houston.
U.S.USA TODAY1 dead, 4 injured after 'randomly shooting' couple drives around Nevada city on Thanksgiving, police say
One person was shot dead and four others injured on Thanksgiving after police in Henderson, Nevada, say a man and woman fired at people while driving in the city. "It is believed that the suspects were driving around the city randomly shooting at citizens with no apparent motive," Henderson police said in a news release. Henderson police officers responding to the Thursday shooting at the 800 block of East Lake Mead Parkway found a 22-year-old man, who had died from an apparent gunshot wound, and a 23-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 53-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, all suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to a news release.
- WorldReuters
Further withdrawal from Afghanistan must be tied to peace talks progress: Germany
NATO must not jeopardize the peace negotiations for Afghanistan by withdrawing troops prematurely from the war-torn country, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said ahead of a virtual meeting with his NATO colleagues. "As NATO partners, we want to ensure that we tie further troop reductions in Afghanistan to clear conditions," he added on Tuesday. "To safeguard what we have reached so far, we must not take any rash actions," Maas said.
PoliticsThe WeekGOP Sen. Josh Hawley tries to explain how Democrats are both 'Marxists' and 'corporatists'
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) suggested Monday that he might oppose President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary because Biden's Cabinet picks are "a bunch of corporate liberals and warmongers." Over the summer, The Bulwark's Tim Miller pointed out, Hawley told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the Democratic Party "in thrall" to "the Marxist left."
WorldThe TelegraphSwitzerland halves new infections without national lockdown as pubs and restaurants stay open
Switzerland is emerging as a model for how the coronavirus can be contained without a national lockdown, after daily new infections halved since the start of November despite pubs, restaurants, gyms and sports remaining open in much of the country. The figures were hailed as a triumph for the “Swiss special way” by Swiss government doctors last week, and will be seen as evidence that regional tiers can work in the UK. Rather than ordering a general lockdown, Switzerland allowed regions to decide their own measures and only the worst-hit imposed tough restrictions.
WorldBusiness InsiderNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have already received an unapproved coronavirus vaccine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a COVID-19 vaccination from the Chinese government, Japanese intelligence sources told a Washington DC-based Korea expert. Kim's health has been the subject of rumors throughout his nine-year rule of the country. The 36-year-old dictator is a frequent smoker and obese, according to South Korean lawmakers, fueling speculation that he would experience complications if he were to contract COVID-19.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Is he just coming to bring Covid’: Democratic Georgia candidate launches blistering attack on Trump state visit
Georgia Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump and suggested his visit would just bring Covid to the state. And Mr Ossoff branded Mr Trump “a disgraced president” who would only “intensify” the enthusiasm of Democratic voters in Georgia. "With respect to President Trump, I mean, is he bringing stimulus for families?
U.S.TheGrioDC detective killed by wife in murder-suicide, authorities say
The bodies of Timothy Eugene Francis and Christina Lynn Francis were found in their Maryland home Friday. The bodies of 50-year-old Timothy Eugene Francis and Christina Lynn Francis, 41, were found in their Waldorf, Maryland home on Friday. Authorities confirmed that the weapon used was a handgun, and there were multiple guns in the home.
- ScienceReuters Videos
Deforestation in Amazon skyrockets to 12-year high
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has skyrocketed to a 12-year high in 2020. Government data released on Monday (November 30) showed more than 11,000 square kilometers have been wiped away, a patch that's roughly seven times the size of London taken out of the world's largest rainforest and that's up 10 percent from 2019. This year, fires have blazed through the Amazon and environmentalists have blamed the government.
WorldBusiness InsiderIran's top nuclear scientist was assassinated by a remote-controlled machine gun placed in the back of another car, the country's media says
Iran's top nuclear scientist was killed with a remote-controlled machine gun, the country's semiofficial Fars news agency reported. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was seen as the father of Iran's nuclear program, was killed while driving with his wife and security convoy near Tehran on Friday. Fars said the gun was mounted on the back of a Nissan truck that self-destructed after a three-minute attack.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden's favorability rating jumped 6 points since the election, is already higher than Trump ever hit
President-elect Joe Biden has seen a 6 percentage point jump in his favorability rating since the Nov. 3 election, with 55 percent of U.S. adults viewing him favorably, Gallup reported Monday. President Trump, whose Gallup favorability rating peaked at 49 percent in April, lost 3 points since Election Day, now clocking in at 42 percent. This is Biden's highest Gallup rating since February 2019, before he entered the presidential race.
HealthThe IndependentLeaked documents show China lied about Covid-19 case totals and mishandled pandemic
China underreported Covid-19 numbers by more than half as it downplayed the severity of the virus and their failure to quickly diagnose cases in the early stages of the pandemic, according to leaked documents. A series of revelations in 117 pages of internal documents from the Hubei Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, obtained by CNN, shows how the Chinese Communist Party withheld vital information as the world grappled to contain the rapidly spreading virus. On 10 February, China publicly reported 2,478 new confirmed cases while privately reporting 5,918 new cases - a 139 per cent difference.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTony Hsieh, the late former CEO of Zappos, famously pioneered the concept of paying new, unhappy employees $2,000 to quit in order to maintain a happy, productive workforce
Tony Hsieh was the CEO of the online retailer Zappos for 20 years and pioneered a number of out-of-the-box work policies to foster innovation and productivity. One of them was "The Offer," a program that offered new employees who decided they were unhappy a $2,000 bonus to quit following a four-week training period. The practice was designed to weed out those who wouldn't be as committed to and passionate about their work, thereby bolstering overall happiness in the company's workforce.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastTrump Tells Pompeo: Go Wild on Iran, Just Don’t Risk ‘World War III’
Two officials who spoke to The Daily Beast said the administration is set to announce new sanctions on regime-linked companies and individuals in the coming weeks to solidify a years-long effort to paralyze Tehran's economy. Knowledgeable sources say those actions are designed to help fulfill various Trump officials' long-brewing desire to make it more difficult for the Democratic president-elect to rekindle negotiations with Tehran and re-enter a nuclear deal. And it's a scenario for which Biden lieutenants and allies have long prepared, having already factored into their Iran strategy that current U.S. officials would do nearly everything they could to undermine a revival of Obama-era rela...
PoliticsThe IndependentGeorgia judge’s ruling gives boost to Trump lawyer’s bizarre conspiracy theory over voting machines
A judge in Georgia has ordered the state administration not to “alter, destroy, or erase” any software or data on Dominion-brand voting machines in three counties in the state, after a case was filed by former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell related to fraud in the elections. The judge, Timothy C Batten, also asked the state's Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to explain by Wednesday evening their views, if any, against allowing the inspection of the voting machines in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee Counties. The case by Ms Powell, who has been alleging without evidence that Dominion voting machines are part of an elaborate election rigging conspiracy, was heard by the US district judge on Sunday night via a Zoom call.
U.S.The IndependentMother of teenager killed by police is shot during funeral service, report says
The funeral of a Florida teenager ended abruptly on Saturday afternoon after an unknown gunman fired bullets at the service, hitting the deceased's mother. People gathered to honour Sincere Pierce, 18, at Riverview Memorial Gardens in Cocoa, Florida – who was one of two teenage victims in the 13 November killing by a Brevard County deputy officer. Gunfire rang out just as the pastor finished his prayers for Mr Pierce and friends and loved ones were placing flowers on his casket.
HealthINSIDERAn Oregon cancer nurse was put on leave after boasting on TikTok about ignoring COVID-19 rules
A cancer nurse at Salem Hospital in Oregon was placed on administrative leave after posting a TikTok making light of coronavirus guidance, the hospital said in a statement Saturday. The hospital did not name the nurse, but the Statesman Journal identified her as Ashley Grames. The TikTok showed the nurse wearing scrubs and includes the caption: "When my co workers find out I still travel, dont wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have play dates."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden's decision to pick Neera Tanden for a top economic role exposes an ongoing rift with Bernie Sanders-allied progressives
President-elect Joe Biden has angered both progressive Democrats and Republicans with his announcement that he will nominate Neera Tanden to direct the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden, the head of the influential liberal think tank Center for American Progress, is a longtime advisor to Hillary Clinton and has made numerous enemies among both progressive Democrats and Republicans. While some Republicans insisted Tanden wouldn't be confirmed by the Senate, a slew of progressives aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Tanden's likely nomination as divisive.
PoliticsThe WeekObama tells Stephen Colbert he messed up by not giving Dolly Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Monday's Late Show was all Stephen Colbert's interview last week with former President Barack Obama, and Obama took his share of needling. Many Americans missed Obama during President Trump's tenure, Colbert included, he said. Colbert also poked at Obama's cadence, telling him that if you listen to his audiobook recording at double speed, "you can't tell that it's actually going faster," because it's "normal human talking speed."
WorldThe IndependentGoogle boss says this age is when children are at their smartest
Google's former CEO has revealed the magic year parents can tell if their children are exceptionally smart. Eric Schmidt has launched a talent-hunting foundation that is scouring the globe for its 100 brightest youngsters. The Billionaire's Schmidt Futures organisation has teamed with British educational charity the Rhodes Trust to launch the Rise scheme.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAndrew Yang reportedly named in a New York City mayoral poll, fueling speculation he may run on a 3rd-party line in 2021
A new poll for the New York City mayoral race included the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, according to Politico. Yang was said to be listed in an online poll gauging enthusiasm for a third-party candidate in the Big Apple in 2021. Amid ongoing speculation over his political future, the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang appeared in an online poll about the coming New York City mayoral race.
- NewsKGO – San Francisco
SF grandma flips table to defend business from angry customer
"She grabbed a jug of five-pound hand sanitizer and launched it at me while I was holding my son." That's when the nearly 60-year-old grandma grabbed whatever she could including a table, flipped it, and pushed it toward the woman to defend her family and her business.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionTrump won't leave graciously, but Pence can and should
If Trump does shun the national spectacle dramatizing the peaceful transfer of power, then Vice President Mike Pence could make a high profile decision to reshape his own political future and place in history. By standing with wife Karen on the Inauguration platform, surrounded by the Biden and Harris families, the vice president could definitively distance himself from Trump's self-destructive refusal to concede his loss amid angry claims of a “stolen”, “rigged” election.
“This metastasizing debt crisis has had tremendous social costs. An entire generation has been set back.”
“It is not the government’s job to step in and rescue those who took on more debt than their future incomes would support.”
“Many student-borrowers need relief, but well-off borrowers who are thriving — thanks to their college degrees — do not.”
“It will stimulate the lagging economy. And though not everyone will directly benefit, the country as a whole will improve.”
“Canceling student debt would cost billions of dollars each year and would exacerbate, not lessen, economic inequalities.”