WorldYahoo NewsIntelligence agencies: China is top threat to U.S. global influence
A 27-page report released ahead of testimony by the president's top intelligence officials identifies China as the biggest threat to U.S. global influence. The annual threat assessment report, which summarizes the best assessments of intelligence analysts from across the 18 different agencies within the intelligence community, “focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States during the next year,” looking at everything from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate change to cyberattacks and technological competitiveness. Senior intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, are expected to answer questions about the report this week in front of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
PoliticsYahoo NewsA battle over tax hikes is causing a GOP identity crisis
The 69-year-old lawmaker reiterated his opposition to increasing the corporate tax rate to pay for President Biden's proposed infrastructure package. For old-school Republicans like Wicker, tax hikes like the ones Biden is advocating are unfair to high earners and lead to economic stagnation. But J.D. Vance, author of the bestselling “Hillbilly Elegy” and a political newcomer who is likely to mount a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio next year, is singing a starkly different tune.
U.S.AxiosJudge rules for Black Buffalo police officer fired for stopping colleague's chokehold
A New York court on Tuesday reinstated the pension of former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne, who was fired for intervening when a white colleague had a Black man in a chokehold during a 2006 arrest. Today the State of New York Supreme Court vacated and annulled the City of Buffalo's decision to fire her and take her benefits. Ward partially based his decision to overturn a 2010 ruling that upheld her firing on legislation signed by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in October, known as "Cariol's Law" — which makes it a "crime for a law enforcement officer to fail to intervene when another officer is using excessive force and also protects whistleblowers," per the Buffalo News.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market
These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.BBCPolice officer who pepper-sprayed US Army soldier fired
A police officer in Virginia has been fired after pointing a gun at, and pepper spraying, a black US army lieutenant during a traffic stop. Army Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario is wearing his uniform in bodycam footage of the incident, filmed in December. "I'm honestly afraid to get out," he tells two police officers.
WorldThe TelegraphIran to enrich uranium to 60 per cent, upping ante for nuclear talks
Iran said Tuesday it would dramatically increase its uranium enrichment levels in response to an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, a further breach of its nuclear deal with world powers that ongoing talks are struggling to salvage. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading negotiations in Vienna on saving the nuclear deal, said Tehran would begin enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity on Wednesday, according to state TV, up from the 20 per cent it is currently producing. Tehran has informed the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, which declined to comment.
PoliticsAssociated PressWhite House: First lady Jill Biden to undergo 'procedure'
The White House says President Joe Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure. The White House says both Bidens will then return to the White House and “resume their normal schedule. Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
- WorldChristian Science Monitor
Can Britain mine coal while it’s going green? It’s complicated.
Along England's northwest coast, the Haig coal mine for 70 years supplied the local economy around Whitehaven with jobs until it closed in the 1980s. Its muscular winding engine, which used to haul the coal and several thousand workers up from the depths, still towers over the site, a relic of this proud but also danger-filled past. Now, many people in the region have a surprising hope: that the phrase “bygone era” will prove premature.
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Black man killed by police during Minneapolis traffic stop, protests erupt
Protests erupted against police after an officer fatally shot a young Black man after stopping his vehicle for a traffic violation on Sunday.
U.S.The WeekOfficer who fatally shot Daunte Wright intended to use Taser, police chief says
The fatal officer-involved shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright appears to have been an accident, the Brooklyn Center Police Department says. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said in a Monday news conference that the officer who shot and killed Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in Minnesota on Sunday apparently meant to use their Taser but mistakenly fired a bullet, The New York Times reports. "It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet," Gannon said.
WorldThe TelegraphGovernment defeated by Lords over bid for prosecution limit on soldiers for war crimes
The Government has been defeated in the House of Lords over a bid for a prosecution limit on soldiers for war crimes. The Overseas Operations Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, which has already cleared the Commons, seeks to limit false and historical allegations arising from deployments by introducing a statutory presumption against prosecution, which would make it exceptional for personnel to be prosecuted five years or more after an incident. However the Lords backed by 333 votes to 228, moved to ensure the most serious of offences are not covered by legislation aimed at protecting service personnel from vexatious battlefield claims.
WorldAssociated PressPentagon chief on inaugural tour of Europe to shore up ties
Nearly a year after President Donald Trump ordered thousands of troops to leave Germany, capping a series of setbacks for U.S. relations with major allies, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin began an inaugural tour of Europe to shore up partnerships that are a cornerstone of the post-World War II order. Austin arrived in Berlin on Monday against the backdrop of a newly emerging crisis with Iran, which on Monday blamed Israel for a recent attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility. Israel has not confirmed or denied involvement, but the attack nonetheless imperils ongoing talks in Europe over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
U.S.The TelegraphProjectiles fired as protesters and police clash again over Daunte Wright shooting
Police clashed with protesters for a third night in a Minneapolis suburb rocked by the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on Sunday. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Brooklyn Center's police headquarters chanting "we can't take no more" and "no justice, no streets" as they called for justice for Mr Wright. The demonstrations began peacefully on Tuesday outside the police department, but as nightfall fell and a 10pm curfew approached police used pepper spray and flash bangs to disperse the crowd.
WorldAssociated PressMyanmar's ruling junta issues fresh charges for Suu Kyi
Myanmar's ruling military squared off against its opponents in the courts, the streets and the countryside Monday, showing no sign of relenting in its crackdown against those opposed to February's coup. Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the elected government toppled in the military takeover, was accused of a fresh criminal charge when she appeared by video link before a judge in the capital Naypyitaw on Monday, according to her lawyers. Suu Kyi was accused of breaching a law intended to control the spread of the coronavirus, the second such charge against her under the same law.
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverVenomous viper bites San Diego Zoo employee, officials say. There’s no anti-venom for it
A San Diego Zoo employee has been bitten by a venomous viper, according to officials. A wildlife care specialist was bitten Monday by an African bush viper “while they were in an area away from the public,” an official said, NBC News reported. The employee was hospitalized for “evaluation and medical care,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said, according to KTLA5.
- U.S.Associated Press
Iowa lawmakers pass bill seeking to stop farm investigations
Iowa lawmakers for the fourth time have approved restrictions aimed at stopping animal welfare activists from documenting animal abuse at livestock farms. The Iowa House passed the latest bill Monday night and the state Senate approved it last week. The bill received bipartisan support in both chambers and is likely to be signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has supported such efforts in the past.
U.S.Business InsiderMatt Gaetz's indicted associate Joel Greenberg has been cooperating against him since last year, report says
Gaetz has been embroiled in a political firestorm since The Times reported last month that the Justice Department was investigating him as part of the Greenberg inquiry. In particular, the feds are said to be looking into whether Gaetz had sex with a minor and violated sex-trafficking laws. The Florida Republican lawmaker has fervently denied the allegations against him and dismissed the department's investigation as being part of an elaborate and convoluted extortion scheme against his family.
HealthLexington Herald-LeaderWhite House confident COVID-19 vaccine supply enough for rescheduled J&J appointments
The Biden administration is working with states to reschedule appointments for individuals who were in line to receive shots of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in the coming days, after federal agencies recommended a pause in usage over safety concerns. Jeff Zients, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response team, said in a statement that the federal supply of other vaccines — produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — was enough to continue vaccinating the country at a pace of 3 million shots per day. “We are working now with our state and federal partners to get anyone scheduled for a J&J vaccine quickly rescheduled for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine,” Zients said.
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Fauci: Breakthrough infections after vaccinations 'inevitable'
It is inevitable that some people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will still get a "breakthrough" infection because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday.
WorldBBCAfghans face pivotal moment as US prepares to 'close the book'
"We need to close the book on a 20-year war," is how a US official put it when he broke the news on Tuesday that the last US troops would be out of Afghanistan by 11 September. It's a dramatically different country than the shattered land and pariah state of the Taliban toppled in the US-led invasion of 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. "The best possible outcome to expect is that this withdrawal timeline serves as a catalyst and a mechanism to pressure Afghan parties to reach a political settlement by September or face a bloody Syrian-style civil war," warns Tamim Asey, Executive Chairman of the Institute of War and Peace Studies in Kabul.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen returns to royal duties four days after Prince Philip's death
The Queen has returned to royal duties just four days after the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. On Tuesday, the 94-year-old monarch hosted her first in-person event since Philip's passing on Friday to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official, former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel. It was announced at the weekend the monarchy and their households would observe two weeks of royal mourning, with members of the family "continuing to undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances," a royal official said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden meets with bipartisan group on $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, saying he's open to negotiate
Biden held his first official meeting with eight bipartisan lawmakers to discuss infrastructure. Republican lawmakers argue his plan is too focused on things aside from physical infrastructure. For the first time since unveiling his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package two weeks ago, President Joe Biden met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday to discuss the proposal.
U.S.USA TODAYA venomous snake — with no known antivenom — bites San Diego Zoo employee
A venomous snake bit an employee at the San Diego Zoo on Monday, according to zoo officials. A zoo spokesperson said the wildlife care specialist was immediately transported to a hospital for evaluation and medical care. “Although the San Diego Zoo cares for a number of venomous reptiles, incidents like this are very rare, and the snake was contained at all times with no risk of an escape,” the zoo said in a statement to USA TODAY.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”