Incredible Close-Ups of Mars' Diverse Terrain from NASA Orbiter

Recommended Stories

  • Prince Harry says he feels ‘really let down’ by Charles as he reveals father stopped taking his calls

    Prince Charles allegedly only took two calls with Prince Harry about so-called “Megxit” before no longer picking up

  • Tyler Perry provided Harry and Meghan a home and security in Los Angeles after their royal support was removed

    The couple stayed at Perry's home in California for three months after leaving Canada when their royal security detail was removed.

  • Japan COVID-19 inoculations off to snail pace start due to vaccine, syringe shortages

    Japan's COVID-19 inoculation campaign is moving at a glacial pace, hampered by a lack of supply and a shortage of specialty syringes that underscore the enormous challenge it faces in its aim to vaccinate every adult by the year's end. At the current rate, it would take 126 years to vaccinate Japan's population of 126 million. By contrast, South Korea, which began its vaccinations a week later than Japan, had administered nearly seven times more shots as of Sunday.

  • Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, says he will fight for Republicans to get a say in Biden's infrastructure bill and block it if they don't

    Manchin, who has become a pivotal figure in the finely balanced Senate, wants to see Democrats seek bipartisan backing for bills.

  • Top disease expert says US in the 'eye of the hurricane' as COVID cases decline amid growing concern over spread of UK variant

    Osterholm warned about the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant of the virus that was first discovered in the UK and has "wreaked havoc" in Europe.

  • Prominent Georgia family sued their local grocery clerk over claims she made on Facebook about their alleged role in the Capitol riot, report says

    Kathryn and Thelma Cagle were credited with organizing busloads of Georgians who headed to the Capitol on January 6, The Washington Post reported.

  • Biden hasn't held a news conference or been imitated on 'SNL' in his presidency. Why not?

    Is the White House worried about a gaffe or poor showing by the new president? Conservative news outlets are eagerly promoting such speculation.

  • Harley to launch new program to lure younger buyers

    Harley-Davidson can’t rest its laurels on its fiercely loyal but aging fan base so it’s taking a page from automakers. Next month, the iconic American motorcycle maker will begin selling certified pre-owned bikes aimed at capturing younger buyers. Its program, H-D Certified, marks its first entry into the used marketplace in the U.S. More than 300 dealers have expressed interest in participating. It’s part of Harley’s new strategy aimed at expanding the brand’s appeal beyond middle-aged and affluent riders. Harley needs to attract new riders. The 118-year old brand has been steadily losing market share in the U.S. Retail sales have fallen for six years. Used Harleys are less expensive and demand for pre-owned bikes is strong. Some dealers told Reuters used Harleys outsold new ones last year by three-to-one. And J.D. Power data shows Harley was the most sought-after brand in the market for used big bikes last year. Under the new program, Harley will certify motorcycles up to five years of age with up to 25,000 miles. They’ll be inspected and backed by a 12-month limited warranty.

  • Britney Spears' boyfriend Sam Asghari said he's ready for a family and wants to be a 'young dad'

    Sam Asghari told Forbes he's ready for the "next step" in his more than four-year relationship with Britney Spears.

  • Royal commentators: Meghan interview has 'unleashed hell'

    Emily Nash, Royal Editor for Hello! magazine, says Meghan Markle's allegations of racism against the royal family are "devastating" for Buckingham Palace, while Nick Bullen, co-founder and editor in chief of True Royalty TV, questions the decision to conduct the interview in the first place. (March 8)

  • ‘The Whole World Is Watching’: Chauvin’s Murder Trial Isn’t Just About George Floyd

    Mario Tama/GettyWhile the world watched Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin pin George Floyd to the ground by the knee for more than eight minutes last May, Amity Dimock-Heisler was still awaiting answers about the death of her own child at the hands of Minnesota police.In August 2019, her son, Kobe Dimock-Heisler, was shot six times by two Brooklyn Park police officers responding to a “disturbance call” at his grandparents’ house. The 21-year-old, who was on the autism spectrum and had a history of mental illness, had lost his temper at a local Wendy’s, and he turned his anger on his grandfather, Erwin Heisler, once they returned home, at one point grabbing a paring knife and hammer.Fearing for his grandson’s safety, Heisler called the cops. By the time two officers arrived, Kobe had calmed down, so Heisler tried to send them away, but they forced themselves inside anyway, the grandfather said. During a tense conversation in the living room, Kobe lunged for something hidden in the couch cushions. Officers later said they thought he was grabbing a knife—and responded by shooting him three times in the chest and neck.“They shot him in the head. In front of his grandmother,” Amity Dimock-Heisler, a 47-year-old accountant, told The Daily Beast. “It was the worst day of my life.”George Floyd Cops Turn on Each Other, Request Separate TrialsOn Aug. 5, nearly a year after the young man’s death, the Hennepin County Attorney’s office announced they would not file charges against the two officers who shot him. It took the same prosecutors just four days to charge Chauvin in Floyd’s murder amid a nationwide outcry.“It’s beyond frustrating. My son’s case was just sitting on Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s desk while they hopped, skipped, and jumped over it to prioritize George Floyd’s case,” Dimock-Heisler added. “When George Floyd died, he was all over the news. Celebrities, reporters, even politicians were saying Floyd’s name. I just kept thinking, ‘Why aren't they also saying my son’s name?’”Dimock-Heisler is just one of the hundreds of Twin Cities residents who have lost loved ones at the hands of local law enforcement in the past two decades. Now, they are focusing their attention on Chauvin, one of the four officers fired for his involvement in Floyd’s May 25 death.“For so long, hundreds of people have been brutally murdered by police officers in Minnesota,” Toshira Garraway, who founded Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence after her fiancé was killed by cops, told The Daily Beast. “All of these families are worked up right now and they are scared because we are just hoping for once in our life we can see justice with Derek Chauvin’s conviction.”On Monday—less than a year after a video of Floyd’s death went viral—the former Minneapolis police officer’s long-awaited trial was set to begin in a Hennepin County courthouse. The high-profile case is now in the hands of the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, after a judge banned Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and his staff from the case in September, citing their previous “sloppy” work.Chauvin faces two charges, second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for violently arresting Floyd over a counterfeit $20 bill. He faces up to 40 years in prison.But on Monday, jury selection was delayed after the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the previously tossed third-degree murder charge against Chauvin should be reinstated. During a Monday hearing prior to jury selection, which was scheduled to roughly take three weeks, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, who ruled against the third-degree murder charge last year, said he wanted to hear from the state Court of Appeals about whether the new charge could be added to Chauvin’s case. Prosecutors agreed with the delay, stating any logistical loose ends in the case before the trial could result in grounds for an appeal. Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, also said Monday he intends to ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to consider the third-degree murder ruling, which would delay the trial. That appeal could further delay arguments are scheduled to start March 29.“I want to inform the court that we’re prepared to try this case,” he said. “It is not our intent to cause delay. However, I feel I have an ethical obligation to my client to [petition the Supreme Court].” Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office via Getty At trial, prosecutors will argue Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for roughly nine minutes—including nearly three minutes in which Floyd was unresponsive.“Please, please, please, I can’t breathe. Please, man,” Floyd said in the viral body-camera footage, which didn’t show the beginning of the arrest. “I’m about to die.”EMTs said that he had no pulse when he was loaded into an ambulance. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner concluded Floyd died of cardiac arrest from the restraint and neck compression, also noting that Floyd had heart disease and there was fentanyl in his system. An independent report commissioned by Floyd’s family concluded that the 46-year-old died of strangulation from the pressure to his back and neck. Both reports determined Floyd’s death was a homicide.Former Co-Worker Who Claimed George Floyd and Derek Chauvin ‘Bumped Heads’ Recants StoryThree other officers—Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng—assisted with the arrest, holding down Floyd’s legs and trying to keep concerned bystanders at bay. They’ve been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence, and are expected to face a trial together in August.“This case will be remembered as one of the most egregious police brutality cases in the history of America,” Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the Floyd family, told The Daily Beast. “This case will be a referendum on where America is on equal justice.”Chauvin's lawyer, who did not respond to The Daily Beast’s multiple requests for comment, has previously argued that it was not his client’s fault Floyd died—instead blaming it on the other rookie cops who he said should have called an ambulance sooner or “chosen to de-escalate” the situation.“If EMS had arrived just three minutes sooner, Mr. Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had chosen to de-escalate instead of struggle, Mr. Floyd may have survived,” Nelson wrote in a September filing. “If Kueng and Lane had recognized the apparent signs of an opioid overdose and rendered aid, such as administering naloxone, Mr. Floyd may have survived.”The 10-minute video of Floyd’s death sent shockwaves through social media, erupting the already simmering anger about racial injustice and police brutality in the U.S. and prompting people to take to the streets in protest. Floyd’s final pleas became a rallying cry, bringing renewed energy to the Black Lives Matter movement.“This case speaks to a larger conversation—and its outcome will have a big impact on public policy to come. This is extremely high stakes,” Mike Lawlor, an associate professor at the University of New Haven and a former prosecutor, told The Daily Beast. “It’s almost like a political event, not just a judicial one because this trial will be a catalyst one way or another.”Jonathan Smith, the executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, said “the prosecution knows the whole world is watching.” Stephen Maturen/Getty “If they don’t convict, it will be devastating for prosecutors,” he told The Daily Beast, adding that the video of Floyd’s death is “very powerful” and will be for any jury.But the pathway to conviction will still be an “uphill battle,” Smith warns, because while it is easier to show that Chauvin used excessive force that deprived Floyd’s civil rights, proving it was “willful” is a more difficult challenge.“Willfulness is the highest intent standard under criminal law,” Smith, a former official in the DOJ’s civil rights division, said. “To do so, prosecutors need to prove Chauvin actually knew that he was going to violate someone’s rights and acted with purpose. Chauvin’s behavior on camera, though, is going to help the prosecution. He was mocking people who were taping the video and that is powerful evidence.”Floyd’s trial could have major implications for how other officers who use deadly force will be dealt with since there are so few police brutality cases that actually make it to trial.“There really isn’t precedent here,” Smith, who also led the independent investigation into Elijah McClain’s death in Colorado, added. “So while it’s a win that this case made it to trial, that means it's a bigger hill to fall if he gets an acquittal.”There are many who fear that outcome, like Ira Toles, one of several people who has accused Chauvin of brutally attacking them in the years before Floyd’s death.“I might have to take justice into my own hands,” Toles said, noting he has been denied the justice he deserves for over 13 years.According to Communities United Against Police Brutality, 10 complaints were filed against Chauvin in his 19 years with the police, but he only ever received two verbal reprimands. The city’s Civilian Review Authority, which lists complaints prior to September 2012, also shows five more were filed against Chauvin—and all closed without discipline. Violent incidents in Chauvin’s past included the 2006 fatal shooting of 42-year-old Wayne Reyes and the 2011 non-fatal shooting of a Native American man.As previously reported by The Daily Beast, Chauvin barged into Toles’ home unannounced during a 2008 domestic violence call and beat him up in the bathroom—before shooting him in the stomach. Toles, then 21, blacked out during the assault and collapsed at the front door, where he remained bleeding until paramedics came. While Toles pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, Chauvin continued his career with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.“He tried to kill me in that bathroom,” Toles said in May.He’s skeptical of real change coming from Chauvin’s trial. Toles told The Daily Beast last week that it won't immediately change a criminal justice system that seems to disfavor minority communities.For Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, the uniqueness of this case also provides a rare national spotlight on Minnesota—a state with “a major problem” with police brutality. Among the countless other cases she says have gone unnoticed is the death of her fiancé Justin Teigen, who was killed by St. Paul police after a traffic stop in August 2009.Minneapolis Man: Cop Who Kneeled on George Floyd ‘Tried to Kill Me’ in 2008According to police reports, Teigen fled from officers during a traffic stop and crashed his car before trying to run away on foot. Hours later, he was found in a nearby garbage bin. The medical examiner and police say he died of asphyxia due to mechanical compression by a recycling truck that he’d been hiding in. Garraway believes that police beat him up before dumping him in the trash.Now, 12 years later, she works with other families who have lost their loved ones to police brutality in Minnesota. But while she hopes Chauvin’s trial shows the world that police brutality “is not an isolated issue in Minnesota,” she isn’t confident jurors will hold the ex-cop accountable.“Even if they do give justice for George Floyd, it may be only because politicians are scared of the aftermath,” she said. “Not even because it’s the right thing to do. But because this is the first time that it has spiraled out of control.”“Chauvin is a white man who killed a Black man and when the Constitution was written—that wasn’t a crime,” she added.The high stakes of Chauvin’s trial are especially felt by the Floyd family, who are anxious about getting justice for their loved one—and hopeful about what it could mean for police reform and Black Americans across the country, Crump said.“All eyes are on the prosecutors,” he added. “History has taught us that when a police officer kills a Black person—not much happens. But we’re confident the video and witnesses who saw George Floyd’s death are enough for a conviction.“And if we don’t get one: I would expect there will be a global outcry,” he added.The trial is taking place just as the Minneapolis City Council is about to consider a proposal that would dramatically overhaul how the city handles public safety.In the wake of Floyd’s killing and the protests and riots that followed, nine City Council members joined a rally in Powderhorn Park and pledged to dissolve the police department, replacing it with a new “model” to be determined over the next year.That effort was derailed in December when the Charter Commission, a committee appointed by a judge to oversee any changes to the city’s charter or constitution, determined by a vote of 10-5 that the council had acted too soon to place the issue before voters on last November’s ballot.Smaller reforms that activists had pushed for did come to pass: The city banned chokeholds, overhauled the police use of force policy by requiring officers to consider alternatives, prohibited officers from engaging in car chases for minor offenses, and more than doubled the funding for the Office of Violence Prevention, the kind of social program activists argue is underfunded compared with police budgets. (According to The Star Tribune, The Office of Violence Prevention went from a budget of $2.5 million to $7.4 million, while MPD’s budget stands at $164 million).But the debate over police reform has come as Minneapolis, like many major cities, experiences a surge in violent crime and homicides, dividing community groups and residents. Some see the crime wave as a reason to support more police funding, others point to Floyd’s death and the department’s troubled history as reasons to consider alternatives.Cop’s Knee Was on George Floyd’s Neck for Almost 9 MinutesIn late January, three council members introduced a new proposal to change the city’s charter, again eliminating the police department, but this time replacing it with a broader public safety department that would include police but also violence prevention programs, mental health services, and specialized response for unsheltered people. The proposal went to a committee hearing on Thursday and would need to pass the full council and a Charter Commission review before going to voters—though the commission could not delay it from going to the ballot.The timing of the proposal being introduced just before the trial was coincidental, but Councilmember Steve Fletcher, one of the three who introduced it, told The Daily Beast that the trial is “stirring up a lot of emotions.”“As the city where George Floyd was killed we have an obligation to move deliberately and with intention and persistence to change the system, and we are continuing to move forward at every opportunity to create the kind of transformation that our community is demanding,” he said.Activists who support the proposal aren’t just counting on the council to pass it. In a parallel effort, a coalition of groups is running a campaign to gather enough signatures to get a similar proposal—one that would also replace the police department with a broader public safety department—on the November ballot. If the petition effort is successful, the council members have said they will drop their effort to avoid overlap.For D.A. Bullock, a spokesperson with Reclaim the Block, one of the key groups that organized protests after Floyd’s killing, the proposals are the culmination of years of police killings and protests in Minneapolis.“The charter proposal to create a new public safety department is just a logical acknowledgment of the general public belief that we cannot go back to what brought us to the murder of George Floyd,” Bullock said.“The Minneapolis Police have proven time and time again that they can not be trusted with exclusive responsibility for our public safety.”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.

  • Biden signs executive order to expand voting rights: ‘If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide’

    ‘Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted’

  • The CDC wants you to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. (Yes, you read that right.)

    The Center for Disease Control recently updated its tips to prepare for a zombie apocalypse in an attempt to ensure preparedness for real disasters.

  • Tiger Woods reportedly told police after rollover crash that he had no recollection of driving the car

    An affidavit reported by AP said Tiger Woods told deputies he didn't remember how the rollover crash occurred last month in Los Angeles, California.

  • Kyle Larson celebrates return with 1st win since suspension

    Kyle Larson wasn't sure he'd ever race again in NASCAR, and if he could, he didn't know who would even hire him. It was Rick Hendrick who took the chance on a driver many believed was radioactive for sponsors. Larson's use of a racial slur while participating in an online race last April cost him his job, his reputation and his ability to attract the corporations that fund a race team.

  • Myanmar coup: India asked to return police officers who crossed border

    Several officers reportedly crossed the border after refusing to carry out the military junta's orders.

  • Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic swing vote, is open to crafting a 'more painful' filibuster

    The House is expected to clear President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill on Tuesday, after the Senate narrowly passed it Saturday morning, following a lengthy negotiation with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) over unemployment benefits. The narrow Democratic majority is now discussing how to pass other legislative priorities, and Manchin said Sunday he's open to reforming the filibuster. "The filibuster should be painful, it really should be painful, and we've made it more comfortable over the years," Manchin said on Fox News Sunday. "Maybe it has to be more painful." One solution could be to require a "talking filibuster," where senators can block legislation temporarily through feats of endurance. "If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk," Manchin said on NBC's Meet The Press. "I'm willing to look at any way we can, but I'm not willing to take away the involvement of the minority." Manchin repeated that he's "not going to change my mind" on ending the filibuster, but his comments were still greeted positively by filibuster opponents. The talking filibuster "preserves some ability for the minority to slow a bill as long as they physically hold the floor, but then allows an up-or-down vote once they give up," Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon tweeted. "This is the Jimmy Stewart model." Manchin also expressed an openness to exploring other ways to sidestep blanket GOP opposition, suggesting that perhaps the budget reconciliation process could be used to pass voting-rights legislation — it can't — or other priorities. "But I'm not going to go there until my Republican friends have the ability to have their say also," he said. "I'm hoping they will get involved to the point where we have 10 of them that will work with 50 of us." "If we continue to see obstruction from our Republican colleagues — as we saw through this COVID relief package — I think the patience is going to wear thin, even on moderate Democrats," Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said Sunday on CNN. "But we'll see." More stories from theweek.comLindsey Graham says his revived friendship with Trump is an attempt to 'harness' his 'magic'7 spondiferously funny cartoons about the Dr. Seuss controversyCDC explains what you can, and still shouldn't, do if you've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19

  • B-52s again fly over Mideast in American military warning to Iran

    B-52 bombers flew over the Mideast on Sunday, the latest mission in the region aimed at warning Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran.

  • Joe Manchin explains himself after Covid relief saga

    ‘I look for that moderate middle,’ West Virginia Democrat explains

  • A new lab study shows troubling signs that Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 shots could be far less effective against the variant first found in South Africa

    A mutation called E484K appeared to help the variant, first found in South Africa, to evade antibodies produced by the vaccines, the authors said.