PoliticsWashington ExaminerMark Levin says Biden should be removed from office
Mark Levin says it is time to start talking about using impeachment or the 25th Amendment against Joe Biden to remove the "most disastrous president in modern American history" from office. The conservative commentator, who commands a large following on the Right, took aim at Biden's handling of the border situation and the coronavirus pandemic, making the case to fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that the Democratic commander in chief violated the Constitution. After a series of insults, Levin said Biden has "the border wide open in violation of our immigration laws" and invoked the administration's eviction moratorium, which came this week despite a Supreme Court decision in June ruling an earlier eviction moratorium could only be extended by Congress.
U.S.Associated PressChicago police officer charged in downtown subway shooting
A Chicago police officer who shot an unarmed man in the back as he tried to escape capture by running up an escalator in a busy subway station has been charged with felony aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, prosecutors said Thursday. The Cook County State's Attorney's office said in a news release that Melvina Bogard, 32, turned herself in to investigators on Thursday morning and at an afternoon bond hearing, Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz ordered that she be released on her written promise to appear in court. The shooting happened in February 2020 at a downtown station.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramRepublican official who mocked COVID in final Facebook post dies of virus in Texas
A Texas GOP official whose social media posts include anti-mask and anti-vaccine rhetoric has died from COVID-19. H. Scott Apley, who according to the Galveston News was a member of the Galveston County Republican Party and Dickinson City council, was 45 years old. In his last Facebook post July 30, Apley shared a Twitter post mocking COVID-19.
U.S.AxiosMassive California blaze levels town, threatens others as it burns out of control
The small Sierra town of Greenville, Calif., was heavily damaged on Wednesday night into early Thursday as the Dixie Fire surged northward amid high winds, extremely dry air and hot temperatures. The big picture: The Dixie Fire, California's biggest blaze and the sixth-largest wildfire in state history, razed houses and businesses as it ripped through Greenville and surrounding areas in Plumas County. Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for Greenville, about 240 miles northeast of San Francisco, and other communities as the blaze moved in.
PoliticsAssociated PressHouse lawmaker suing Pelosi over mask rule says he has COVID
Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the three congressional Republicans suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi over fines for not wearing masks during a vote on the U.S. House floor, has contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19, the second member of South Carolina's delegation to do so. Representing South Carolina's 5th District since 2017, Norman is part of a federal lawsuit against Pelosi over a mandate earlier this year that members wear masks while on the House floor. Last week, Norman and U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky sued Pelosi, seeking a determination that their $500 fines — issued because they went maskless during a May vote — are unconstitutional and should be rescinded.
PoliticsWashington Examiner'Good for him': White House keeps Trump at arm's length in COVID-19 vaccine push
The White House isn't urging former President Donald Trump to help get vaccine shots into arms as it confronts an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country, including in states where Trump allies said he could help. While press secretary Jen Psaki credited South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican and Trump ally, for his advocacy, the White House has proven less keen to embrace the former president himself. “This is not political to us, nor should it be political, and certainly Sen. Graham has a constituency, and we think it's great that he's out there talking about the impact of the vaccine even while we wish him a speedy recovery,” she said.
U.S.Miami HeraldWhat happens when you allow hundreds of snake hunters in the Everglades? You get a winner
Gov. Ron DeSantis, in between battling with President Joe Biden about mask mandates, announced that the 2021 Florida Python Challenge has a new king. The 10-day event, from July 9-18, resulted in the removal of a record 223 invasive pythons from South Florida, DeSantis said.
U.S.Associated Press'We lost Greenville.' Wildfire shuts down national park
A 3-week-old wildfire engulfed a tiny Northern California mountain town, wiping out historic buildings and leaving much of the historic downtown and blocks of homes in ashes, while a new wind-whipped blaze also destroyed homes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames Thursday in the midst of dangerous weather. The Dixie Fire, swollen by bone-dry vegetation and 40 mph (64 kph) gusts, raged through the northern Sierra Nevada community of Greenville on Wednesday evening. A gas station, hotel and bar were among many fixtures gutted in the town, which dates to California's Gold Rush era and had some structures more than a century old.
PoliticsWashington ExaminerWhite House defends travel restrictions amid reports of COVID-positive illegal migrants
The White House defended its coronavirus restrictions on legal foreign travelers amid reports that thousands of illegal migrants who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being released into the country, saying various non-governmental organizations are helping them get vaccinated. "I know there was reporting about the vaccination of migrants,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at Thursday's briefing. “That's not what the [Customs and Border Protection] is doing.”
LifestyleArchitectural DigestMore Inside a Fantastical Amsterdam Penthouse Full of Whimsy
Thanks to the avant-garde antics of design wonder Job Smeets, the home of Viktor & Rolf's Rolf Snoeren puts a smile on his face from morning to night Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.NBC NewsAnother vaccinated member of Congress gets Covid
WASHINGTON — Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated. “After experiencing minor symptoms this morning, I sought a Covid-19 test and was just informed the test results were positive,” Norman said in a tweet.
WorldAssociated PressIsraeli defense minister threatens Iran with military action
Israel's defense minister warned Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran, issuing the threat against the Islamic Republic after a fatal drone strike on a oil tanker at sea that his nation blamed on Tehran. The comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel lobbies countries for action at the United Nations over last week's attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street that killed two people. The tanker, struck off Oman in the Arabian Sea, is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire.
HealthWashington ExaminerModerna recommends third shot of vaccine to defend against new coronavirus strains
Moderna said Thursday that people will likely need a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to protect against future mutations of the coronavirus, touting the “robust” antibody response generated by the additional shot. The company has conducted studies to determine the benefits of administering a third “booster” shot of its two-dose vaccine to protect against the highly contagious delta variant that accounts for a majority of COVID-19 cases, as well as any future strains of the virus that develop. Moderna's Phase 2 trial of a 50-microgram booster dose generated a strong immune response against the delta, gamma, and beta variants — all of which seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which could lead to more COVID-19 outbreaks.
U.S.TheGrioSecurity guard breaks silence about escaping Surfside condo collapse
Shamoka Furman had been working at the Champlain Towers South building for five months when it collapsed. A young security guard who worked at the Champlain Towers South building, the Surfside, Florida structure that collapsed on the terrifying night of June 24, is speaking out for the first time about the harrowing experience. Shamoka Furman told Florida's Local10 News that she had been working at the building for five months when it collapsed, killing 98 people.
WorldAssociated PressBelarus runner used quick thinking to avoid being sent home
A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who feared reprisals back home after publicly criticizing her coaches at the Tokyo Games used quick thinking to get help, using her phone to translate a plea and show it to Japanese police as she tried to avoid being forced onto a plane. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya described on Thursday a dramatic series of events at the Olympics that led her to decide not to return to Belarus, where an authoritarian government has relentlessly pursued its critics. After posting a message on social media that criticized the way her team was being managed, Tsimanouskaya said she was told to pack her bags.
PoliticsWashington ExaminerAndrew Cuomo's looming exit is bad news for GOP gubernatorial prospects
Impeaching and expelling Gov. Andrew Cuomo is shaping up to be a political imperative for New York Democrats as they move to maintain their total grip on power in Albany. In overwhelmingly Democratic New York, a politically wounded Cuomo on the 2022 ballot represents the Republican Party's best opportunity to capture the governor's mansion. If Democrats in the statehouse topple Cuomo, GOP prospects for winning its first gubernatorial contest since 2002 would diminish significantly, party insiders quietly acknowledge.
- NewsReuters Videos
Frontier Airlines passenger taped, arrested after altercation
Maxwell Berry, 22, was taken into custody at Miami International Airport on Sunday on battery charges, NBC reported, citing an arrest report. Reuters could not immediately confirm details of Berry's arrest. Berry is accused of groping the breasts of one flight attendant, touching the buttocks of second and punching a third in the face, according to the network.
- CelebrityFox News
'American Pickers' star Frank Fritz fires back at former co-star Mike Wolfe: His 'statement was bulls—t'
Frank Fritz's strained relationship with Mike Wolfe has only worsened. The former "American Pickers" star slammed the co-host's statement about his departure from the hit History Channel series. On July 21, Wolfe, 57, took to Instagram and released a lengthy statement, sharing he will "miss" Fritz and "pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey."
U.S.Miami HeraldFlorida’s $1,000 pandemic checks won’t have governor’s logo or take out taxes
The $1,000 pandemic bonuses going out to Florida's teachers, principals and first responders won't include a governor's logo, the state says. Although the state's contract with a private vendor says the bonuses must bear an “office of the governor graphic design” approved by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, a spokesperson for the department said the checks will bear the state seal instead. Whether the checks will bear the signature or name of Gov. Ron DeSantis is unclear, however.
U.S.Associated PressFire destroys cabin of New Hampshire man forced out of woods
But his off-the-grid existence has been challenged in court by a property owner who says he's been squatting for all those years. And to make Lidstone's matters worse, his cabin was burned to the ground Wednesday afternoon in a blaze that is being investigated by local authorities. Lidstone, or “River Dave” as he's known by boaters and kayakers, was jailed July 15 on a civil contempt sanction.
U.S.The Daily BeastOregon High School Janitor Stockpiled Weapons for Mass Shooting: Cops
A janitor at an Oregon high school was prepared to gun down students at teachers at the school where he worked and made detailed plans for the shooting spree, local police said Thursday. Kristopher Clay, the 24-year-old janitor for South Medford High School, surrendered to the Medford police department on July 20, allegedly confessing to officers he had “homicidal thoughts.” “We are relieved a potentially catastrophic event was prevented,” a police spokesman said Thursday.
WorldArchitectural DigestShop the Look of Meghan Markle’s Clean and Cozy Workspace
Here's how to channel the Duchess of Sussex in your own home Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.INSIDERChicago police officers raiding the wrong house pointed guns at two young girls, then tried to cover it up, lawsuit alleges
A Black family is suing the Chicago Police Department for what they say was a botched raid on their home. The lawsuit alleges officers pointed guns at two young girls, making them wet the bed. Several family members are showing PTSD symptoms after the botched raid, according to the lawsuit.
WorldBusiness InsiderUS aircraft saw suspected Iranian gunmen take something from a hijacked tanker during 7-hour incident: official
Suspected Iranian gunmen temporarily hijacked a tanker in the Gulf of Oman Tuesday. The official said a US aircraft saw the Iranians take something from the ship when they left. Suspected Iranian gunmen hijacked the tanker Asphalt Princess on Tuesday, assaulting the crew and destroying equipment before rapidly departing the ship, a US official told Insider.
U.S.The Daily BeastHillsong Megachurch Founder Charged With Hiding Dad’s Child Sex Abuse
The co-founder of Australia-based Christian megachurch Hillsong has been charged with covering up his late father's historic child sex abuse. Brian Houston, 67, has denied for years that he held back information relating to his dad's offenses. He's faced scrutiny over the case since 2014, when Australia's royal commission into child sexual abuse heard that pastor Frank Houston—who died in 2004, before the shocking allegations against him were made public—abused multiple boys in the 1970s.
“If nothing else, Tokyo 2020 may end up being remembered as the wake-up call everyone needed.”
“Cancel the Olympics—for good.”
“Olympians haven’t really changed. These athletes still showcase extraordinary human achievement from around the world.”
“Delivering more excellence and less sideshow will probably require giving athletes a bigger voice in how the Olympics are run.”
“The Olympics were conceived in 1896 as a sporting event, and they’ve become a construction event.”