U.S.NBC NewsPolice accused of threatening, pulling gun on Black Army lieutenant during Virginia traffic stop
Virginia police pulled guns on a Black Army officer during a traffic stop and threatened to execute him in a parking lot, according to the serviceman's lawsuit and video of the encounter. U.S. Army Lt. Caron Nazario was driving Dec. 5, 2020, in his newly purchased Chevrolet Tahoe when he encountered police on U.S. Highway 460 in Windsor, about 30 miles west of downtown Norfolk, the active-duty soldier claimed in a federal civil lawsuit filed last week. Nazario, who is Black and Latino, conceded in his complaint that he didn't immediately pull over.
WorldAssociated PressElectrical problem strikes Iran's Natanz nuclear facility
Iran's Natanz nuclear site suffered a problem Sunday involving its electrical distribution grid just hours after starting up new advanced centrifuges that more quickly enrich uranium, state TV reported. It was the latest incident to strike one of Tehran's most secure sites amid negotiations over the tattered atomic accord with world powers. Power had been cut across the facility of above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls, civilian nuclear program spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told Iranian state television.
U.S.The StateNote in missing couple’s car leads rescuers to ‘extreme’ site in Death Valley, cops say
A missing Arizona couple was found on a steep ledge in Death Valley National Park after leaving a note in their car, police said. Alexander Lofgren, 32, and Emily Henkel, 27, from Tucson were found Thursday in a remote part of Death Valley National Park, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. Cops said that a search and rescue team would descend the canyon to reach Lofgren and Henkel on Thursday night, but an update on the couple's condition hasn't been provided by authorities on Friday.
WorldArchitectural DigestWhy We Love a Small Loveseat
Supremely versatile, loveseats work as standalone pieces in studio apartments and as part of a seating arrangement in sprawling living rooms Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldReutersAnalysis: Russian military buildup raises stakes as fighting in Ukraine intensifies
Ukraine and Western countries accuse Russia of sending troops and heavy weapons to support proxy fighters who seized a swathe of the eastern Donbass region in 2014. Moscow denies it is part of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and says it provides only humanitarian and political support to the separatists. The recent deployment of hardware close to Ukraine's border, captured this week on video seen by Reuters, is what a source close to both the Kremlin and to pro-Russian separatists said was a deliberate show of force at a time of rising tensions between the former Soviet states.
- U.S.Associated Press
Las Vegas family awarded $29.5M in allergic reaction case
A jury has awarded $29.5 million to the family of a woman who was left brain damaged after being treated for a severe allergic reaction by an ambulance service in Las Vegas in 2013. Then-27-year-old Chantel Giacalone went into anaphylactic shock after biting into a pretzel infused with peanut butter while in Las Vegas for a convention, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday. Giacalone's lawyer, Christian Morris, said she lost oxygen to her brain for a period of minutes after seeking treatment from MedicWest Ambulance, which was running the medic station that day.
PoliticsAxiosScoop: Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel escorted out of RNC retreat
During this weekend's highly anticipated donor retreat hosted by the Republican National Committee in Palm Beach, Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel was escorted off the premises while his primary opponent, Jane Timken, was allowed to stay, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell Axios. What we're hearing: The invitation-only event is taking place at the Four Seasons Resort, and the RNC reserved the entire hotel. While Timken, former Ohio GOP chair, was invited to the event “because she is a major donor” — Mandel was not, so he was asked to leave, according to one of the sources.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Wave of violent protests in Northern Ireland
Violence continued on the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a seventh night on Thursday following heightened tensions in the region over a mix of factors including Brexit trading agreements, policing issues and anger about the lack of prosecution for Sinn Fein politicians who allegedly broke coronavirus restrictions. On Wednesday protesters set fire to a double-decker bus and launched rocks and fireworks at one another and at police.
WorldAssociated PressKyrgyzstan votes on constitution boosting president's powers
Voters in Kyrgyzstan will cast ballots Sunday on whether to approve a new constitution that would substantially increase the president's powers in this impoverished Central Asian nation. The referendum comes three months after Sadyr Zhaparov was elected president, following the ouster of the previous president amid protests, the third time in 15 years that a leader of Kyrgyzstan had been driven from office in a popular uprising. In the January election that brought Zhaparov to office, voters also approved a referendum on whether presidential powers should be increased.
WorldReutersIllegal driftnet use widespread in Indian Ocean, Greenpeace says
Greenpeace has uncovered widespread use of illegal driftnets in the northwest Indian Ocean, which it says are decimating marine life in what is one of the world's most ecologically vulnerable fishing grounds. During two weeks at sea, the environmental organisation says it filmed seven ships within 20 square miles (50 sq km) using driftnets to catch tuna. "If yellowfin tuna continues to decrease at the current rate then food security in the region, as well as local economies is going to take a huge hit," Greenpeace said.
PoliticsThe WeekTexas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw recovering from emergency eye surgery that will leave him blind for a month
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) revealed Saturday that he underwent emergency surgery on his left eye a day earlier after a doctor discovered his retina was detaching. It was a "terrifying prognosis" for Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who was hit by an IED blast during a mission in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2012. Crenshaw said "it was always a possibility that the effects of the damage to my retina would resurface, and it appears that is exactly what has happened."
WorldBBCMyanmar coup: 'Dozens killed' in military crackdown in Bago
More than 80 people have been killed by Myanmar security forces in a crackdown on a protest in the city of Bago, activists say. The military is reported to have taken away the bodies of those killed, and the true number of deaths may never be accurately established. Witnesses told local media that soldiers had used heavy weapons and had shot at anything that moved.
WorldAssociated PressOfficial: Chinese vaccines' effectiveness low
In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country's top disease control official says their effectiveness is low and the government is considering mixing them to give them a boost. Chinese vaccines “don't have very high protection rates,” said the director of the China Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a conference Saturday in the southwestern city of Chengdu. Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses in other countries while also trying to promote doubt about the effectiveness of Western vaccines.
U.S.INSIDERA Proud Boys leader is arguing he shouldn't be sent back to jail, since other accused Capitol rioters are being beaten and threatened by guards
Lawyers for a self-proclaimed "Sergeant of Arms" of the far-right Proud Boys asked a federal judge to keep his client out of jail, in part because other accused Capitol rioters have alleged abuse and mistreatment behind bars. In a court filing on April 8, which was first reported by Law and Crime, lawyers for 30-year-old Ethan Nordean cited a recent Politico article describing alleged violence other Capitol siege defendants have experienced from guards. According to the article, one defendant told a judge that another defendant "was severely beaten by correctional officers, [is now] blind in one eye, has a skull fracture and detached retina."
WorldBBCKim Jong-un warns of North Korea crisis similar to deadly 90s famine
Trade with China, its economic lifeline, has come to a standstill. In a rare admission of looming hardship, the authoritarian leader of the single-party state on Thursday called on officials to "wage another, more difficult 'Arduous March' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little". The Arduous March is a term used by North Korea officials to refer to the country's struggle during the 1990s famine, when the fall of the Soviet Union left North Korea without crucial aid.
WorldAssociated PressEcuador, Peru head to polls under strict virus measures
Ecuador and Peru choose new presidents Sunday under strict public health measures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has recently strengthened in the neighboring South American nations. Ecuadoreans face a runoff between a conservative businessman and a protégé of former leftist President Rafael Correa, while Peruvians have 18 options to pick from in the first round. All seats in Peru's congress, too, are being contested.
- EntertainmentChristian Science Monitor
Is it art? NFTs and the surge of digital ownership.
In March, Kenny Schachter proclaimed that he'd auctioned off his grandmother on the internet. The digital artist had uploaded an image of his long-deceased matriarch to the web and sold the rights to it as a nonfungible token (NFT). NFTs are certificates of ownership of a unique digital item such as a video, recording, or cyber artwork.
U.S.Business InsiderDOJ veterans say the latest twist in the Matt Gaetz sex-trafficking investigation could be the most 'scary' one yet for the lawmaker
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has been in hot water since The New York Times reported the existence of a Justice Department investigation into whether he had sex with a minor and broke federal sex-trafficking laws. On Thursday, the pressure on Gaetz jumped another notch after lawyers representing Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was indicted as part of the investigation, told a judge that Greenberg was close to accepting a plea deal. It's a seismic development that spells trouble for Gaetz, whose friendship with Greenberg dates back to at least 2017.
WorldBBCCyclone Seroja: Western Australia braces as category two storm nears
Emergency services in Western Australia have opened shelters ahead of tropical cyclone Seroja's expected landfall in the coming hours. Residents in the area 500km (about 310 miles) north of Perth have been urged to evacuate as the category two cyclone accelerates towards the shore. The Bureau of Meteorology has said that Seroja is expected to bring destructive winds and flash flooding.
BusinessKansas City StarKC Property Group is your source for a guaranteed cash offer
Whether you have a home that you've inherited or own a rental property that needs repairs and is now vacant, KC Property Group has an easy answer that lets owners simply walk away from the burden, cash in hand, for a fair and reasonable price without any hidden fees or expenses. KC Property Group buys properties as-is and revitalizes them. Founded on integrity, fairness, and a sense of community by long-time area residents Nick Barela and Brooks Mosier, they don't have franchise fees or high overhead like some of their competitors and so they can pass the savings on to the seller.
WorldAssociated PressSouth Korean couple mistakenly vandalizes $440,000 artwork
A South Korean exhibition company is trying to persuade an acclaimed American graffiti artist not to restore a $440,000 painting after it was accidentally vandalized by a couple who mistook it for participatory art. The artist, John Andrew Perello, also known as JonOne, has expressed a desire for his painting to be restored in a way that won't financially burden the couple, who don't face criminal charges, Jiyoon Son, a manager from Seoul-based Content Creators of Culture, said Friday. While the exhibition was insured for damages, there's no way the insurance company wouldn't allocate at least some of the costs to the couple as long as JonOne wants his piece restored, Son said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderVice President Mike Pence pleaded with the acting defense secretary to 'clear the Capitol' as pro-Trump rioters overran the building, report says
The Associated Press obtained an internal Pentagon document about the Capitol riot on January 6. According to the outlet, Vice President Mike Pence placed an urgent call to the acting defense secretary. "Clear the Capitol," Pence said after the mob had been in the building for hours.
U.S.INSIDEROne person dead, multiple hospitalized in a mass shooting in Bryan, Texas
Lt. Jason James with Bryan Police said that the scene was secure, and victims were taken to the hospital. One person was killed and five other were injured in a shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets in an industrial park in Bryan, Texas, on Thursday afternoon. At a press conference Thursday, Lt. Jason James with Bryan Police said that the call came in at around 2:30 p.m. local time, and six ambulances responded to the shooting.
U.S.USA TODAY'We are all heartbroken': Robert Shook, who initially survived shooting in South Carolina, dies
A North Carolina man who initially survived a mass shooting in rural York County, South Carolina, on Wednesday has now died, becoming the sixth person killed by a gunman who later took his own life. GSM Services, the HVAC company that employed Robert Shook, announced his death Saturday night. The York County Coroner's office also confirmed Shook's death in a statement.
BusinessBusiness InsiderMyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he hired private investigators to find out why Fox News isn't letting him speak on air
Mike Lindell said he's hired investigators to find out why Fox News isn't letting him speak on air. Lindell told Steve Bannon on Friday that several entities are conspiring against him. Fox News and the MyPillow CEO have both been sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation.
“Without modern infrastructure, the US cannot create decent jobs, social justice or climate safety.”
“The plan itself is really a big bait-and-switch...A fraction of the spending is actually devoted to traditional infrastructure projects.”
“Focusing on the size of the investment is misleading when you consider the high cost of not making it.”
“Rather than spending $2 trillion, we should privatize infrastructure where feasible and cut taxes and regulations on the rest.”
“Public investment can also be a major source of jobs and growth, helping to pull us out of the stagnation trap.”