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- The Independent
Trump served with lawsuit accusing him of breaking ‘Ku Klux Klan’ laws on day of Capitol riot
NAACP accuses Trump of disenfranchising Black voters and trying to ‘destroy democracy’
- Associated Press
Audit finds major gaps in US bio weapons detection system
A U.S. program created after the 2003 anthrax attacks to help detect biological weapons provided protection in less than half the states and couldn't detect many of the known threats, according to a report released Thursday. The program known as BioWatch, which described itself in a mission statement as a nationwide early warning system, was capable of detecting only six of 14 biological agents known to be potential threats. It also left detection equipment exposed and unguarded, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found.
- Miami Herald
Survey: Venezuelans in Florida open to ‘oil-for-food’ program — if it bypasses Maduro
An Atlantic Council survey had 51 percent saying the U.S. government should eliminate sanctions on Venezuela’s oil if revenues were used on food and medicine.
- The Independent
‘Textbook voter suppression’: How Trump’s stolen election lies are shaping the future of democracy
Republicans in 43 states have introduced more than 250 bills restricting voting rights, underscoring urgency in Congress to pass sweeping elections legislation, Alex Woodward reports
- Reuters
Civil War: Trump attacks Republican strategist Rove, who fires back
Former President Donald Trump intensified his war with the Republican establishment on Thursday by attacking Karl Rove, a longtime Republican strategist who criticized Trump's first speech since leaving office for being long on grievances but short on vision. "He’s a pompous fool with bad advice and always has an agenda," Trump complained in a statement issued by his office in Palm Beach, Florida. Rove, the architect of Republican George W. Bush's presidential victories in 2000 and 2004, wrote in an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that Trump's speech last Sunday to the Conservative Political Action Conference was wanting.
- INSIDER
Fox Sports reportedly gave Skip Bayless a $32 million contract to keep him from going back to ESPN
Skip Bayless is reportedly staying at Fox Sports for a reported $8 million per year after ESPN pursued him with offers in the same salary range.
- LA Times
These are the 18 'problematic' classic films TCM will examine in a new series
"Gone With the Wind," "Psycho" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" are among the classic films that TCM will air and reconsider in its new series "Reframed."
- INSIDER
A New Orleans police officer groomed and raped a 14-year-old girl he was assigned to take to a rape kit exam, a lawsuit alleges
The lawsuit alleges the officer began grooming the girl as they sat in the waiting room of a New Orleans children's hospital.
- The Daily Beast
Report: Ten Aides Ready to Testify in Meghan Markle Bullying Investigation
Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesAt least ten former staffers who worked for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are “queuing up” to cooperate with an investigation ordered by the queen into allegations that Meghan bullied her staff, it was claimed Thursday evening.The claim was made in the British newspaper the Mirror and is likely to be taken seriously as it was made by well-sourced royal reporter Russell Myers.Sources connected to the group, who have been assured of confidentiality as the investigation continues, said the staffers were considered to be “hugely professional and proud of their efforts” while working at Kensington Palace.One source told The Mirror, “A group of people are queuing up to be involved. They have been silent for too long and there is much to talk about.”Meghan Markle Dismisses Bullying Allegations as Pre-Oprah ‘Calculated Smear Campaign’It came after a report in the Daily Mail said that some alleged victims of workplace bullying by Meghan dub themselves the “Sussex Survivors Club” and are believed to be suffering a form of post-traumatic stress.The paper’s royal reporter Rebecca English said that during a royal tour in Fiji, “I witnessed Meghan turn and ‘hiss’ at a member of her entourage, clearly incandescent with rage about something, and demand to leave. I later saw that same—female—highly distressed member of staff sitting in an official car, with tears running down her face. Our eyes met and she lowered hers, humiliation etched on her features.”A bombshell report in The London Times Tuesday said that Meghan systematically bullied members of the staff and that her head of communications, Jason Knauf, was so appalled by Meghan’s behavior that he put his concerns in writing to his superiors. That email was leaked to The Times.Buckingham Palace responded by ordering a full investigation into the bullying claims.Meghan’s camp has been keen to point out that the complaints raised by Knauf were dropped. However, the Mirror’s source said, “The complaint was considered and those members of staff were spoken to and given the option of taking it further. For whatever reason, they decided not to, possibly because they were still in their job and they were worried about the implications.”A source close to the Sussexes told the Mirror of the palace probe: “The first we heard about this was via the press—this is a whole tit-for-tat scenario. It’s not a complaint we haven’t heard anything but it’s very hard to know what the process is. If this was a private company, we’ve effectively already been fired and I’m not entirely sure what any process could be.”A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry declined to comment to The Daily Beast.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.
- INSIDER
Devin Booker says he's learned from having WNBA 'Greatest of All Time' Diana Taurasi, Mercury stars 'right in your backyard'
"Having the greatest of all time in Diana right in your backyard, I obviously took advantage of that opportunity and went to many games," Booker said.
- USA TODAY
Live stimulus updates: Kamala Harris breaks Senate tie to begin debate on Joe Biden's COVID stimulus bill
“It’s time to move forward with this legislation which will be one of the largest antipoverty bills in recent history,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said.
- Axios
Man pictured with feet on Pelosi's desk yells at judge: "It's not fair"
The Arkansas man who was pictured with his feet on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk during the Jan. 6 insurrection had an outburst in court Thursday, yelling at the judge and his own lawyers that it isn't "fair" he is still in jail, KNWA reports. Background: Richard Barnett, 60, has been asking to be freed on bond since he was arrested days after the attack at the Capitol, per the New York Times. Barnett lost his patience after D.C. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper continued his trial until May 4.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.“I’ve been here a long time … another month … It’s not fair,” Barnett said, per KNWA. “You’re letting everyone else out, I need help,”He has pled not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, parading or demonstrating in a Capitol building, and theft of government property.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
- Business Insider
Biden supports making a temporary $3,000 payment to parents in the stimulus bill permanent going forward
Senate Democrats want to make the larger tax credit permanent and give families an option to receive monthly checks. Biden wants a permanent one too.
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
‘Impossible to trace.’ Tech savvy dad may be holding daughter captive in WA, cops say
“He is communicating in a way that’s almost impossible to trace, which makes it extremely difficult for investigators to generate significant leads.”
- TODAY
Senate bill narrows who can receive $1,400 stimulus checks. Here’s who’s eligible
It's estimated that the change to the bill will affect more than 7 million families across the United States.
- CBS News
Earth's largest-ever mass extinction is a warning for humanity
Scientists say the mass extinction 250 million years ago offers a timely warning to humanity of what can happen when ecosystems change too fast for life to keep up.
- The Week
Capitol riot's 'QAnon Shaman' defends himself by claiming he 'stopped somebody from stealing muffins'
A suspect charged in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building is speaking from jail in a new interview — and offering a unique defense positioning himself as simply a savior of baked goods. Jacob Chansley, the Capitol riot suspect who refers to himself as the "QAnon Shaman" and was photographed during the insurrection wearing fur and horns, spoke with 60 Minutes in an interview broadcast Thursday, in which he claimed his "actions were not an attack on this country" as he faces up to 20 years in prison for them. "I sang a song, and that's a part of shamanism," he said. "...I also stopped people from stealing and vandalizing that sacred space, the Senate, okay. I actually stopped somebody from stealing muffins out of the break room." Chansley neglected to mention the fact that, during the deadly insurrection, he allegedly left a threatening note for former Vice President Mike Pence warning, "It's only a matter of time, justice is coming." He was charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in" a restricted building and "violent entry and disorderly conduct," and prosecutors noted he carried around "a spear, approximately 6 feet in length," during the riot. Prosecutors have also said he "incited fellow Trump supporters rioting inside the Capitol building and disobeyed police orders," The Wall Street Journal reports. Despite this, Chansley, who said he regrets "entering that building," bemoaned the fact that former President Donald Trump never pardoned him or any of the other Capitol rioters, telling 60 Minutes this "wounded me so deeply" and "disappointed me so greatly." Still, Chansley added that even though he didn't get the pardon he wanted, he still doesn't regret his loyalty to Trump. The "QAnon Shaman" of the January 6th attack on the Capitol tells his story for the first time from jail, as he faces up to 20 years behind bars. Jacob Chansley spoke with @60minutes+'s @LaurieSegall pic.twitter.com/uhUuFNHRvf — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 4, 2021 More stories from theweek.com7 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's CPAC appearanceTrump wants revenge on Alaska's Sen. Murkowski. His advisers think he won't follow through because the flight is too long. Trump inadvertently boosts Biden's stimulus messaging with another statement raging against McConnell
- Business Insider
GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn says being called a 'Neanderthal' is actually a good thing after Biden criticized states for lifting mask mandates
They're "hunter-gatherers. They're protectors of their family. They are resilient," Blackburn said of Neanderthals, which are extinct.
- CBS News
Indian man accused of beheading daughter in apparent "honor killing"
So-called honor crimes are just one aspect of a much wider problem that India has been grappling with for years: Violence against women and girls.
- Business Insider
Jeffrey Epstein's New York home is about to sell for $50 million, more than $40 million under asking price
Proceeds from the sales will go to Epstein's estate, which established a victim's fund for women accusing Epstein of sexually abusing them as minors.