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  • They were stopped for speeding in the Keys. Then police smelled something fishy

    Two commercial fisherman from the mainland were jailed Thursday after police said they were caught in the Keys with a haul of illegal seafood that started with 100 undersized wrung lobster tails.

  • Girl, 11, finds parents dead in Missouri home. Both had Covid-19.

    Family members told officers the man and woman were quarantining in their home in the St. Louis area.

  • New exotic invasive snake captured in Everglades National Park. It’s likely a released pet

    Visitors hiking the Mahogany Hammock Trail in Everglades National Park earlier this month spotted an unfamiliar snake. It turned out to be a brand new invasive species.

  • Residents of an Indian slum thought they were getting vaccinated like everyone else but were unknowingly part of a clinical trial

    After a white van advertised COVID-19 vaccines to a central-Indian slum, many of its residents feel duped after finding out they were in a trial.

  • $1,400 stimulus checks set for House vote today. Here’s what to know

    The House is expected to pass a stimulus deal with $1,400 checks on Friday.

  • Ted Cruz rants about comedians, late night TV, and mask-wearing before shouting at people to 'just have fun' in wild CPAC speech

    "Orlando is awesome. It's not as nice as Cancun, but it's nice," Cruz said, referring to the scandal he sparked by leaving Texas for Mexico.

  • Cruz Jokes About Cancun Trip, Dabbles in COVID Denial in Bizarre CPAC Rant

    Joe Raedle/GettyDays after Sen. Ted Cruz ditched Texas during a deadly winter storm for the sandy beaches of Mexico, the Republican made light of the scandal in a bizarre speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.“I gotta say, Orlando is awesome. It’s not as nice as Cancun, but it’s nice,” Cruz quipped in his speech, titled “Bill of Rights, Liberty, and Cancel Culture.”The joke, which comes as Texas is still reeling from the unprecedented storm that left millions of residents without power and killed at least 30, was just one of many odd remarks the lawmaker made during his speech.Last week, photos emerged of Cruz boarding a Feb. 17 flight to Mexico as his state literally froze and millions of Texans were left in the dark and without drinkable water. After getting caught, Cruz caught a return flight to the U.S. on Feb. 18 and insisted he was merely trying to “be a good dad” by accompanying his daughters on a trip to Mexico. Texts from his wife to friends suggested the entire family planned to stay in Mexico until Feb. 21.During Cruz’s CPAC speech, which at times seemed more like a comedy routine, Cruz also took aim at those who exposed his trip—namely the media— and questioned the validity of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 500,000 Americans.Cruz Admits Tone-Deaf Cancun Vacay Was ‘a Mistake’ Over Literal Calls to Resign“This is just dumb,” Cruz said, pretending not to understand the importance of wearing a mask to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “We’re gonna wear masks for the next 300 years. And by the way, not just one mask—two, three, four—you can’t have too many masks! How much virtue do you wanna signal?”Likening the Republican party to the “rebel alliance” in Star Wars, Cruz then went after Democrats and the media, claiming they “are convinced that political theatre helps them.”“The media desperately, desperately wants a Republican civil war,” he said. “Liberty is under assault and what are we going to do? I will tell you: We will fight!”He then insisted that people should “lighten up”—before making a transphobic joke about a New York Times story that said 60 percent of women named Karen voted for Biden.“I’m willing to believe 80% of men named Karen voted for Joe Biden,” he said as the crowd burst into applause and cheers.Toward the end of his speech, as the crowd of conservatives began to change “freedom,” Cruz insisted that his close ally, former President Donald Trump, would make a valiant return.“Let me tell you this right now, Donald J Trump ain’t going anywhere,” he said.Before walking off the stage, the embattled Republican screeched to the crowd: “FREEDOM!”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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.

  • Asian Man in Critical Condition After Being Stabbed in the Back With a Butcher Knife in NY Chinatown

    An Asian man is in critical condition after getting stabbed by a butcher knife in New York's Chinatown on Thursday evening. The 36-year-old local resident was attacked around 6:15 p.m. near the federal courthouse, near the corner of Worth Street and Baxter street next to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, reports PIX11. Call came in at 6:20 for report of a stabbing at Baxter Street and Worth Street.

  • Ted Cruz's colleagues mocked him by putting memes of his Cancun trip in the Senate gym locker room: 'Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!'

    Those who turned up to the Senate gym Wednesday morning were welcomed by color printouts of Cruz's Cancun trip that read "Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!"

  • Ilhan Omar leads calls to fire Senate official who scuppered $15 wage rise

    Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled provision in $1.9tn Covid stimulus bill did not qualify for budget reconciliation Ilhan Omar tweeted: ‘What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable.’ Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters The progressive Democrat Ilhan Omar has called for the firing of the government official who effectively blocked the party’s plans to raise the minimum wage. Democratic plans to include a gradual raise to $15 in Joe Biden’s $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus bill were effectively ended on Thursday when the Senate parliamentarian ruled it should not be part of the package. The decision by Elizabeth MacDonough, who has held the non-partisan position since 2012, dashed hopes of including the raise in the bill – the first increase in over a decade. “Abolish the filibuster. Replace the parliamentarian,” Omar said in a tweet. “What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable.” Abolish the filibuster.Replace the parliamentarian.What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable.— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 26, 2021 Biden campaigned on a pledge to increase the minimum wage to $15. Low-wage workers and unions have campaigned for a rise since 2012, and its inclusion in the coronavirus stimulus bill had been seen as a major victory. While the proposal faced universal opposition by Republican senators and skepticism from some Democrats, Senator Bernie Sanders and others were confident that it could be pushed through with a simple majority in the Senate, where the Democrats hold a slim majority. In order to achieve this, the proposal would have to be passed by “budget reconciliation” – a mechanism that allows legislation to bypass the 60% vote bills need to get through the Senate. Late on Thursday, MacDonough ruled that the wage increase did not meet the standards for budget reconciliation. The parliamentarian acts as an impartial judge and has only been removed from office once. MacDonough is well respected by many members of both parties, and the Biden administration seems unlikely to push for her removal. Other progressive Democrats have proposed a less drastic solution – overruling her. “The Senate parliamentarian issues an advisory opinion,” congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said in a tweet. “The VP can overrule them – as has been done before. We should do EVERYTHING we can to keep our promise, deliver a $15 minimum wage, and give 27 million workers a raise.” Sanders, one of the most ardent supporters of a minimum-wage increase, has proposed an alternative plan – imposing penalties and incentives to push companies toward higher wages. “I will be working with my colleagues in the Senate to move forward with an amendment to take tax deductions away from large, profitable corporations that don’t pay workers at least $15 an hour, and to provide small businesses with the incentives they need to raise wages,” Sanders said in a statement. “That amendment must be included in this reconciliation bill.” Sanders’ comments come after a Senate hearing on Thursday where he lambasted the low wages paid by McDonald’s, Walmart and others. Sanders pointed to a government report that found nearly half of workers who make less than $15 an hour rely on public assistance programs that cost taxpayers $107bn each year. The American people are “sick and tired” of subsidizing “starvation wages” at these companies, Sanders said.

  • Prince Harry on life in California and what he thinks about The Crown

    What Harry thinks of The Crown, what the Queen got Archie for Christmas, and other key information.

  • Merkel says she won't take AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine because she's too old, as 1.4 million jabs are left unused

    The German chancellor said she wasn't eligible because the vaccine isn't approved for people over 65 in Germany.

  • Ben Affleck says his divorce from Jennifer Garner and other 'life experience' shaped him into a better actor

    In a new interview as part of The Hollywood Reporter's Actor Roundtable series, Affleck spoke about Garner and the three kids they share.

  • A first look at Benson and Stabler’s ‘SVU’ reunion is here — and it will give you chills

    Let the countdown begin, "Law & Order: SVU" fans!

  • $1,400 stimulus checks set for House vote today. Here’s what to know

    The House is expected to pass a stimulus deal with $1,400 checks on Friday.

  • A Texas woman went viral on TikTok for using boiled snow to wash out hair dye after her pipes froze

    When a snowstorm left a Texas family without running water in the middle of a dye job, this woman had to get creative.

  • DeSantis Defends COVID Record, Needling Critics: ‘The Lockdown States Got It Wrong’

    Florida governor Ron DeSantis defended his state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in a Friday morning speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. DeSantis was the first elected official to speak to the conference, which is being held in Orlando, Fla., this year. Since the end of a summer surge in coronavirus cases, the state forbade local officials from shutting down businesses entirely and kept schools open for in-person learning where requested by parents. "Florida got it right and the lockdown states got it wrong." @GovRonDeSantis on Florida's response to COVID 19. #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/ANWFWUTWGX — CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 26, 2021 “We are stronger as a state and much happier as a people. . . . Florida has lower per-capita COVID mortality than the national average, and lower than 27 other states,” DeSantis said. “Our unemployment rate is lower than the national average even though tourism isn’t fully back, and our budget is in great shape.” The governor added, “Florida got it right, and the lockdown states got it wrong.” Earlier in his speech, DeSantis described Florida as “an oasis of freedom in a nation that’s suffering from the yoke of oppressive lockdowns.” Florida’s death rate from coronavirus is roughly 141 per 100,000 people, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Over 30,000 residents in total have died of the illness since the pandemic began. CPAC will continue into Sunday afternoon, when former President Trump is scheduled to deliver his first public speech since leaving office. Former Vice President Mike Pence reportedly declined to speak at the conference, citing Trump’s failure to prevent a mob of his supporters from storming the Capitol in early January.

  • Prince Harry says 99-year-old Prince Philip just slams his laptop shut instead of hanging up at the end of Zoom calls

    The prince told James Corden that he'd had a few Zoom calls with his grandparents where they got to see Archie running around.

  • Prince Harry says his relationship with Meghan Markle 'went from 0 to 60' in their first 2 months of dating

    The Duke of Sussex reflected on his relationship with Meghan Markle during an appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden."

  • Sen. John Cornyn, Gov. Greg Abbott — but not Ted Cruz —  to meet with Joe Biden in Texas

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, plan to join President Biden during the president's trip to Houston on Friday.