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- The Independent
Chauvin trial: Alternate juror discusses the trial moment that ‘really got me’
Lisa Christensen says that she “’teared up’ watching the nine-and-a-half minute video of George Floyd losing his life
- The Independent
Transgender girl gets death threats after asking Texas lawmakers to defend her rights
Mother of boy who testified at hearing forced to ‘file a police report’
- The Independent
Sotomayor gives blistering dissent to Trump SCOTUS appointees who find juvenile not worthy of parole
Justice calls ruling ‘an abrupt break from precedent’
- The Independent
People are climbing over Trump’s border wall with $5 ladders, report says
‘Unlike the wall, these ladders are functional,’ a Texas activist tells Texas Monthly
- The Independent
What happened to the other officers arrested over George Floyd death?
Three former police officers who responded to George Floyd call now face trial in August
- Reuters
Critics denounce Japan asylum reform as human rights violation
A planned reform of Japan's asylum law that would make it easier to deport failed applicants for refugee status drew fierce criticism on Thursday from lawyers, lawmakers and human rights groups who said it ran counter to international norms. The government says the proposed reform, which would mean asylum seekers could be deported after a third failed application, will solve the problem of long detentions of asylum seekers while they re-apply, or appeal against a rejection. As things stand, deportation orders are suspended while new applications or appeals are processed.
- Miami Herald
Panthers get key starter back from injury just in time for critical series vs. Carolina
The Florida Panthers’ biggest series of the season is here, and they’re a little closer to full strength for it.
- BBC
Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk agree on bitcoin's green credentials
But their opinions are not shared with those more cynical about the cryptocurrency's impact.
- Reuters
Four crew dead, 9 missing after cargo ship runs aground in Philippines
Four crew members from a cargo ship that ran aground off the southern Philippines have died, while seven have been rescued and a search is continuing for nine others, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday. The crew of LCT Cebu Great Ocean abandoned the vessel, which was carrying nickel ore and 2,000 litres of diesel, before it ran aground in Surigao del Norte province on Monday, the coast guard said. The bodies of the four crew members were found after being washed onto the shore, while the seven were rescued in various parts of the southern province after reaching land, Gelly Rosales, a coast guard official, told Reuters.
- The Independent
South Korean president calls Trump failure who ‘beat around the bush’ on North Korea
If tensions between the United States and China intensify, North Korea can take advantage of it and capitalise on it’, says Moon Jae-in
- The State
Cop who fatally shot teen in Tennessee school bathroom won’t face charges, official says
Anthony Thompson Jr., 17, died during a confrontation with police.
- The Independent
Ohio Republican lawmakers propose renaming state park after Trump
Mosquito Creek Lake is the park lawmakers are looking to rename in honour of the former president
- The Daily Beast
U.S. Military: We’ll Still Bomb Post-Pullout Afghanistan
John Moore/Getty ImagesThe defense intellectual Fred Ikle once wrote that every war must end. Yet the U.S. military’s plans for Afghanistan after President Joe Biden’s announced withdrawal are its latest rebuke to Ikle.In testimony to a skeptical Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning, Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explained that after the withdrawal of American troops, the U.S. will reserve the right to launch airstrikes, typically from drones, into Afghanistan, should it perceive a threat to its interests.“We have a number of ways to get to a ‘fix’ solution,” said McKenzie, using jargon referring to a lethal targeting designation, “ranging from precision strike at very long range, to on-the-ground options, should those prove necessary.” At a different point in the hearing, McKenzie and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) discussed how long it takes to get armed MQ-1 Predator and MQ-4 Reaper drones into the country from offshore bases.“I can, in fact, give the persistent overhead coverage that’s required. It’ll simply require far more platforms, operating at greater range,” McKenzie said, suggesting that the skies above Afghanistan will continue to see U.S. surveillance and strike aircraft. It was a unilateral declaration at a time when Afghanistan’s politics are entirely unsettled and many, including McKenzie, question the post-withdrawal viability of the Afghan military.The Promise and the Tragedy of Biden’s Afghanistan SpeechWithin the context of a Senate hearing, McKenzie’s comments are meant to reassure nervous legislators that the U.S. can prevent a future 9/11 emanating from Afghanistan. But they do so by blurring the line between a war ending and a war persisting at a greater altitude.It’s a familiar refrain from the 2003-2011 incarnation of the Iraq war, when the military attached similar caveats to a pullout that Barack Obama portrayed as a definite end to the war. Ikle should have anticipated that when hegemonic powers are compelled to withdraw from hostilities they can’t control, they don’t seek peace so much as what might be called peace with benefits.Testifying beside McKenzie was his counterpart at U.S. Africa Command, Gen. Stephen Townsend, who provided a glimpse into how it will operate. One of the Trump administration’s final acts was to move forces out of Somalia. But rather than ending the conflict, “we have been commuting to work,” Townsend explained, from nearby bases like the massive Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.“We fly in to conduct training and to advise and assist our partners,” Townsend said. “We’ve done four such operations in the last roughly 90 days, one of which is ongoing right now.”Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), an indispensable Biden ally who chairs the Senate committee, helped blur the distinction between withdrawing from Afghanistan and continuing with the war from a greater distance. Biden’s withdrawal “should be seen as a transition, not closure, and should not mean an end to our counterterrorism efforts,” he said.McKenzie put the bigger picture far more bluntly. “The long-term view from the War on Terror is this: It’s not going to be bloodless,” he said. “The War on Terror is probably not going to end.” Fred Ikle, who died in 2011, was unavailable for comment.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
- The Independent
‘Statehood is in my DNA’: Pelosi points to father’s legacy in defence of DC vote
House votes for second time to make DC nation’s 51st state, setting up historic Senate debate
- The Independent
Al Sharpton says Minnesota needs ‘air freshener’ for ‘stench of police brutality’ at Daunte Wright’s funeral
Daunte Wright’s family, as well as local and national leaders, all gathered on Thursday to mourn the 20-year-old who was killed by police
- The Telegraph
Civil servants’ second jobs to be scrutinised after Greensill saga
Britain’s top civil servant has ordered senior colleagues to more tightly police officials who take second jobs after the Greensill saga, The Telegraph can reveal. Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, also said behind closed doors that the current rules would be looked at again to see whether they should be changed. The message was communicated by Mr Case at a meeting he held with the top civil servants in government departments on Wednesday morning. Earlier this month it emerged Bill Crothers, a former head of Whitehall procurement, became an adviser to the lender Greensill Capital while still working in the civil service.
- BBC
What's gone wrong with Australia's vaccine rollout?
The country has been far slower than others including the UK and the US to immunise its population.
- The Independent
Derek Chauvin placed in solitary confinement at max security prison in Minnesota
Former police officer found guilty on all three counts
- Kansas City Star
Parson asked for Missouri health director Williams’ resignation, but mum on why
The governor said he thought it was “the best thing” to go another direction.
- The Independent
Tesla to be probed by Senate over fatal ‘autopilot’ crash
Elon Musk denies Autopilot was in use in Tesla Model S when it crashed in Texas