- PoliticsYahoo News
Trump defense on Russian bounty story falls flat, even with Republicans
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany continued to defend President Trump on Tuesday in the wake of reporting by the New York Times and confirmation by other news outlets that intelligence officials had concluded in 2019 that Russia's government offered bounties to Taliban fighters for killing American troops in Afghanistan. One day after telling reporters that Trump had not been briefed on the alleged Russian bounties — contradicting reports that the intelligence was included in at least one President's Daily Brief in 2019 — McEnany was asked why the president does not read those documents.
- WorldAssociated Press
'Incident' damages construction near Iran nuclear site
An “incident” damaged an under-construction building Thursday near Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, though it did not affect its centrifuge operations or cause any release of radiation, a spokesman said. The affected building, described as an “industrial shed," was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself, said Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Kamalvandi as saying there was “no need for concern” over the incident.
- U.S.The Daily Beast
Meghan McCain Defends Gun Couple: ‘Defund the Police’ Narrative ‘Breeds Hysteria’
The View's resident conservative co-host Meghan McCain on Tuesday defended the white St. Louis couple who brandished guns at Black Lives Matter protesters near their property, claiming the recent “defund the police” narrative from activists “breeds hysteria and it breeds fear.” Earlier this week, video and images of personal injury lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey pointing firearms at demonstrators in front of their mansion went viral. Protesters, who were marching to Mayor Lyda Krewson's house to call for her resignation, entered the private street through a gate, prompting the McCloskeys to exit their home with guns to yell at the demonstrators.
- U.S.Reuters
Ex-Atlanta policeman charged in Brooks' death freed from jail, official says
The former Atlanta police officer charged in last month's death of Rayshard Brooks, which touched off days of anti-racism protests, has been released from jail on bail, an official said on Wednesday. A Georgia County judge on Tuesday set bond for Garrett Rolfe, 27, at $500,000, and added numerous conditions, including that he wears an ankle monitor and obeys a curfew. Rolfe left Gwinnett County Jail at 12:27 a.m. EDT (0337 GMT) on Wednesday, according to county Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shannon Volkodav.
- PoliticsNBC News
McConnell warns Democrats about changing Senate rules to kill the filibuster
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a message for Democrats: Don't end the legislative filibuster if you win control, or you'll regret it. McConnell called on "responsible Democratic senators" not to be "stampeded by the hard left" and preserve "the one institution that guaranteed that America stayed in the middle of the road." McConnell's remarks come as Democrats debate among themselves whether to preserve the super-majority requirement to pass legislation if they win control of the White House and Congress this fall and their agenda is obstructed.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
F-16 Fighter Pilot Dies After Crash in South Carolina
The F-16 crashed near Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The pilot was killed, with name withheld pending notification of next of kin. The incident is the fifth U.S. military fighter jet crash in just six weeks.
- WorldBBC
Simon Cheng: UK asylum for ex-consulate worker 'tortured in China'
A former employee of the UK's Hong Kong consulate who alleged he was tortured in China has been granted political asylum in Britain. Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, was detained on a business trip to mainland China for 15 days last August. Beijing accused Mr Cheng of inciting political unrest amid anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
- U.S.National Review
Gun Sales Spike, FBI Background Checks Set New Record
Background checks for gun sales spiked again in June, setting a new record for the highest number of checks in one month as nationwide protests, riots and the coronavirus pandemic continued to increase safety concerns for many. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System conducted 3.9 million checks in June, an increase of 70 percent over June 2019. Already this year, the FBI has recorded 19 million background checks in the system, more than were recorded during first 14 years of the system, which has been operating since 1998.
- U.S.Miami Herald
‘Beat it, little f***er.’ Officers laugh after shooting rubber bullets at protesters.
Fort Lauderdale police officers laughed and celebrated after shooting protesters with rubber bullets at a May 31 George Floyd rally in Fort Lauderdale, newly released body camera footage shows. “Beat it, little f***er,” Detective Zachary Baro, leader of a Fort Lauderdale SWAT team unit, can be heard saying after officers shot “less lethal” projectiles at a protester. The protester was walking away after tossing a tear gas canister back at the line of police.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Top Trump aide says president is 'eager to return to the campaign trail' amid reports a planned rally was scrapped
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh held a press conference call with reporters on Tuesday where he said the president is “eager to return to the campaign trail and to keep campaigning and keep connecting with Americans.” The phone call came just as CNN reported that the Trump campaign had canceled plans to hold a rally in Alabama next weekend due to concerns about rising numbers of coronavirus infections. When asked about the CNN report later Tuesday afternoon, Murtaugh said, “We don't comment about rally planning.”
- EntertainmentPopular Mechanics
The 10 Best Dino-Killing, Ice Spewing, Earth-Destroying Asteroids
Asteroids are our gateway to understanding the universe—and the source of our possible destruction. From Popular Mechanics
- WorldAssociated Press
Venezuela general accused with Maduro unable to pay attorney
A former Venezuelan general who was organizing a volunteer army to overthrow Nicolas Maduro says he is unable to afford a legal defense in a U.S. narcotics case that charges him alongside gis homeland's socialist president. Gen. Cliver Alcala surrendered in March to face U.S. accusations that he led with Maduro and two others for two decades a narcoterrorist conspiracy that sent 250 metric tons of cocaine a year to the U.S. and turned the Venezuelan state into a platform for violent cartels and Colombian rebels. Prior to his surrender, Alcala was working with a former U.S. Green Beret, Jordan Goudreau, to train at secret camps in Colombia a volunteer army of Venezuelan military deserters plotting an incursion to remove Maduro.
WorldAFPIran police question four after deadly Tehran blast
Iranian police on Wednesday questioned four people as part of investigations into a powerful explosion that killed 19 people at a Tehran clinic the night before, state media reported. The blast at the Sina At'har health centre in the upmarket northern neighbourhood of Tajrish caused damage to nearby buildings and sent a plume of thick black smoke into the sky. It was the second such incident to hit Tehran within days, after a gas tank explosion near a military complex east of the capital late last Thursday that authorities said caused no casualties.
- U.S.NBC News
Target customer confronts employee in Black Lives Matter mask
An employee at a Target store on Long Island, New York, said she was confronted by a customer who demanded she remove a Black Lives Matter mask because the woman found it offensive. A video posted to Instagram by the Target employee after the interaction Thursday shows the customer outside the store being asked to leave by security for "disturbing business." ”We want everyone who shops and works at Target to feel welcomed and respected,” a Target spokeswoman said in a statement Tuesday.
- WorldReuters
Turkey asks EU to correct 'mistake' of travel list exclusion
Turkey said on Wednesday it is disappointed by the European Union's decision to exclude it from a list of countries recommended for non-essential travel and called on the bloc to correct the "mistake" as soon as possible. The Turkish Foreign Ministry statement came after the EU excluded Turkey, along with the United States and other countries, from its initial travel "safe list". "The measures Turkey has taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic as well as her efforts and success in this respect are evident," ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in the statement.
U.S.CBS New York - WCBSWoman Choked, Robbed In Manhattan
The 64-year-old victim was attacked in Kips Bay on Sunday and suffered cuts. CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reports
- WorldThe Telegraph
Hong Kong: Mike Pompeo threatens China with new measures after Beijing enacts draconian security law
The United States has threatened Beijing with new countermeasures after China imposed draconian national security laws on Hong Kong. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State called the enactment of the sweeping measures a "sad day for Hong Kong, and for freedom-loving people across China" and reiterated the White House's commitment to abolishing the city's special status under US law. "Per President Trump's instruction, we will eliminate policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment, with few exceptions," Mr Pompeo said.
- WorldThe National Interest
Military Mystery: What Happened to Russia's New T-14 Tank in Syria?
Here's What You Need To Remember: If the T-14 Armata was indeed taken out by insurgents – whether they simply "got lucky" or not – might not bode well for the advanced tank, especially given its costs. Last month multiple media reports suggested that the Russian military's new T-14 Armata tank had been "battle-tested" in Syria. Russia Beyond cited Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, who had reportedly said in a mid-April TV interview on Rossiya-1, "Yes, that's correct.
- U.S.Yahoo News
Amid surge in coronavirus cases and mounting criticism, GOP leaders do about-face on masks
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage large swaths of the U.S., leading Republicans and even some right-wing television personalities have now come out in favor of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus. “We must have no stigma — none — about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday. McConnell explained that wearing a face mask is less an act of self-preservation than one of altruism, since the primary function of a face mask, respirator or cloth covering is to keep the wearer from spreading his or her own viral particles to others.
- PoliticsLA Times
'It is historic': Women of color dominate Joe Biden's list for vice president
As Joe Biden weighs potential running mates, he has been asked repeatedly about the women he is considering. The Democrat has responded repeatedly that multiple women of color are on his list. The former vice president's statement has all the makings of a coy dodge, keeping all possibilities open.
- LifestylePopular Mechanics
The 20 Best Deals from REI’s Fourth of July Sale
Save up to 50 percent on camping equipment, hiking gear, and clothing. From Popular Mechanics
- U.S.USA TODAY
'You’ve been warned': Florida sheriff says he may deputize gun owners against protesters
Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, no stranger to making viral videos appealing to tough-on-crime politics, released a video Tuesday that said he will make “special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county” if he feels the county is overwhelmed by protesters. The three-minute video shows Daniels standing in front of 18 deputies as he derides civil rights protesters as godless disruptors and tells them to stay out of Clay County, a suburb of Jacksonville. "If we can't handle you, I'll exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I'll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I'll deputize them for this one purpose to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility," he said.
- U.S.Associated Press
Catholic priest suspended for comparing BLM to 'maggots'
A bishop suspended a suburban Indianapolis Catholic priest from public ministry on Wednesday for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement and its organizers to “maggots and parasites” in a recent church bulletin. Bishop Timothy Doherty, of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, took the action against the Rev. Theodore Rothrock, of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel, for comments that the pastor wrote Sunday in the weekly bulletin. “The only lives that matter are their own and the only power they seek is their own,” Rothrock wrote.
- WorldReuters
Pakistani PM says 'no doubt' that India was behind stock exchange attack
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told parliament on Tuesday he had no doubt that India was behind an attack on the stock exchange building in the southern city of Karachi. Four gunmen armed with grenades attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday, killing two guards and a policeman before security forces killed the attackers. "There is no doubt that India is behind the attack," Khan said in his address to parliament - a charge that India had denied a day earlier.
- U.S.Miami Herald
Feud ends in gunfire as pastor kills two in front of his daughter, Las Vegas cops say
Neighbors say a long-running dispute between two Las Vegas homeowners began as a complaint over nude hot-tubbing activities, the Las Vegas Sun reported. Police say the neighborhood feud ended Thursday when Andrew Cote, 36, killed his 71-year-old neighbor and her friend with a shotgun, KVVU reported. Cote's young daughter was present when Cote shot neighbor Mildred Olivo and her friend Timothy Hanson over a brick divider between their back yards, KLAS reported.
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