Putin still wants most of Ukraine, war outlook grim -U.S. intelligence chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, the top U.S. intelligence officer said Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, outlining the current U.S. intelligence assessment of the more than four-month war, said that the consensus of U.S. spy agencies is that it will grind on "for an extended period of time." "In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening," Haines told a Commerce Department conference.

“It ripped my heart out:’ Police chief comforts crying child after family member arrested

A sweet photo shows a metro Atlanta police chief comforting a crying child after her mother's boyfriend was arrested during a traffic stop. Morrow Police shared the photo of Interim Chief Snively that they say he was unaware was being taken at the time. While the child's mother talked to police, Snively noticed the little girl was crying.

1955 warrant in Emmett Till case found, family seeks arrest

A team searching the basement of a Mississippi courthouse for evidence about the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till has found the unserved warrant charging a white woman in his 1955 kidnapping, and relatives of the victim who initiated the hunt want authorities to finally arrest her nearly 70 years later. A warrant for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham — identified as “Mrs. Roy Bryant” on the document — was discovered last week inside a file folder that had been placed in a box, Leflore County Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The search was started by the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and included two members of Till's family: Cousin Deborah Watts, head of the Foundation; and her daughter, Teri Watts.

Cornell University removes Gettysburg Address, Lincoln bust from library after alleged complaint

A bust of President Abraham Lincoln and a plaque of the Gettysburg address have been removed from a Cornell University library. "Someone complained, and it was gone," Cornell biology professor Randy Wayne told the College Fix of the matter. The bust of Lincoln and the bronzed plaque of the former president's historic 1863 address had been in the Kroch Library, where the university's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections is located, since 2013.

Police warn of rise in car thefts of two particular car brands. Is yours one of them?

The Forest Park Police Department is warning residents of a local increase in car thefts of Kia and Hyundai brand vehicles, similar to instances reported in other cities across the country. The thefts are mainly of Kia cars newer than 2011 and Hyundai cars newer than 2015. Forest Park police say there were six reported thefts of these vehicle brands since June 21 from large apartment complexes at night.

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  Forest Park police seeing rise in thefts targeting specific car models

  WLWT - Cincinnati
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  WATCH: Body camera video shows CPD arrest teens

  WCPO - Cincinnati Scripps

The story behind AP report that caused Trump to throw lunch

The news story that reportedly caused former President Donald Trump to throw his lunch against a White House wall came from an exclusive interview that former Attorney General William Barr had arranged with The Associated Press. The scoop, which was published on Dec. 1, 2020, quoted Barr as saying that the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. It was a bombshell that contradicted the concerted effort by Trump, his boss, to subvert the results of the election.

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  Witness describes Trump temper before Jan. 6

  Associated Press Videos
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  Trump threw lunch against the wall over Barr interview, Hutchinson says

  The Hill

Travis Barker reportedly hospitalized with pancreatitis after a colonoscopy. Gastroenterologists say it's extremely rare.

Travis Barker's hospitalization is reportedly due to pancreatitis after a colonoscopy. Complications from colonoscopies are rare, and pancreatitis after one is almost unheard of. Travis Barker was hospitalized Tuesday morning, but early reports didn't indicate the cause of his admission.

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  Travis Barker hospitalized: Everything we know so far

  Yahoo Celebrity
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  Travis Barker Hospitalized for Pancreatitis (Report)

  The Wrap

Macron Overheard Breaking Some Bad News to Biden on G7 Sidelines

French president Emmanuel Macron was caught revealing some bad news to President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit Monday. Macron told Biden the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, informed him that OPEC's top oil exporters were already at their production maximum. “I had a call with MbZ,” Macron told Biden, referring to Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Reuters reported.

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  Ukraine war: Macron says Russia 'cannot be allowed to win' as Germany and France toughen approach

  The Telegraph
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  France's Macron calls Russian strike on Ukrainian mall a 'new war crime'

  The Week

Major Theme Park Coming to a Sad End

Popular Theme Park's Days are Numbered The rare occurrence of a theme park closing will soon happen again as Cedar Fair , which owns California's Great America in the heart of the Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, Calif. said on June 27 that it has sold the land beneath that theme park to San Francisco Bay Area developer Prologis for $310 million, according to a company statement. The sale includes a lease agreement that allows Cedar Fair to operate Great America for up to 11 years and then close the park operations at the end of the lease.

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  Cedar Fair sold the land beneath Great America to Prologis for $310M and intends to eventually close the park

  American City Business Journals
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  Gilroy Gardens is no longer being managed by Great America's parent company

  American City Business Journals

The media receive copies of intercepted conversations between the Russian pilots who launched missiles on Ukraine on 25 June

DENYS KARLOVSKYI – TUESDAY, 28 JUNE 2022, 18:01 Belarusian journalist Anton Motolko has published the intercepted conversations between Russian military pilots and dispatchers on 25 June, when missiles were launched from the airspace of Belarus. Source: Motolko Help Telegram channel Details: The Russian pilots are discussing how they are launching missiles from their planes on the territory of Ukraine. They are also coordinating the missile launches and their course within the airspace of Belarus, first in the direction of the Ukrainian border, and then back to their bases at airfields in Russia.

Hong Kong burnishes China ties as luster as global hub fades

Every few generations, Hong Kong transforms itself, evolving from a swampy fishing village to 19th century colonial port, to capitalist outpost and factory after China's 1949 revolution, to 21st century financial center. As the former British colony marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China, reeling from pandemic curbs that devastated business and a crackdown on its pro-democracy movement, Hong Kong leaders say it is time to transform again. Chief Executive-elect John Lee's government is under pressure to generate new sources of economic growth, looking beyond COVID outbreaks and anti-virus controls that have devastated tourism and business and uncertainty about the legal climate after a crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement.

Videos debunk Russia's lies about missile strike on Ukraine mall

Video has emerged that appears to refute Russian propaganda suggesting that a missile strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine never happened. At least 18 people died and about 60 were wounded in the Monday strike, according to Ukrainian officials, but Russia claims it only hit a legitimate military target near the mall. Video from security cameras in the area clearly caught the moment when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian X-22 cruise missile slammed into the shopping center in the central city of Kremenchuk.

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  Russia denies hitting Ukrainian shopping centre with missiles

  Reuters
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  Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping mall in Ukraine

  Associated Press Videos

Justice Neil Gorsuch fumes that the Supreme Court 'failed' to 'honor this Nation's promises' as it rolled back tribal authority in Oklahoma

The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave Oklahoma officials the authority to handle certain crimes on Native American land. Justice Neil Gorsuch blasted the ruling, saying it "failed" to "honor this Nation's promises." A 2020 ruling previously said only tribal and federal authorities can prosecute crimes in the jurisdiction.

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  U.S. Supreme Court expands state power over Native American tribes

  Reuters
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  Supreme Court Rules That States Can Prosecute Non-Native Americans Who Commit Crimes on Tribal Land

  People

Caspian nations reaffirm pledge to keep foreign armies out

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the other four countries along the Caspian Sea on Wednesday reaffirmed their shared commitment to keep foreign militaries out of the region. The presidents of Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan met in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, for a summit to discuss regional cooperation and international issues. In a communique after the meeting, they emphasized their agreement to bar any foreign militaries from the Caspian.

'They Have So Much Power Over The White House' - Elon Musk Explains About One Particular Group

In a recent interview, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO, Elon Musk said about the UAW “They have so much power over the Whitehouse, they can exclude Tesla from an EV (Electric Vehicle) summit.” The referenced EV summit was held in August of 2021, where President Joe Biden discussed the promising future of Electric Vehicles. While President Biden has now referenced Tesla when discussing the future of EVs, that wasn't always the case.

Russia's Medvedev says any NATO encroachment on Crimea could lead to World War Three

Any encroachment on the Crimea peninsula by a NATO member-state could amount to a declaration of war on Russia which could lead to "World War Three," Russia's former president, Dmitry Medvedev, was quoted as saying on Monday. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also said that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would strengthen its borders and would be "ready for retaliatory steps," and that could include the prospect of installing Iskander hypersonic missiles "on their threshold."

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  Ex-president of Russia warns of World War Three if Nato encroaches on Crimea

  Yahoo News UK
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  NATO invites Finland, Sweden to join, says Russia is a 'direct threat'

  Reuters

I just got laid off from my dream job at Tesla without warning. I feel like my life got uprooted so a billionaire could save some money.

I worked as a recruiter at Tesla for two months before being laid off on June 17. And I'm not alone — the company is planning to lay off 10% of salaried employees. There was no warning.

Stephen Colbert's Jaw Literally Drops After This 1 Line From Jan. 6 Testimony

Stephen Colbert broke down the explosive revelations from Tuesday's congressional hearings on former President Donald Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021. The committee played footage of Michael Flynn, the former Army general who resigned in disgrace after just 24 days as Trump's national security advisor, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights in response to basic questions. Flynn ― a QAnon conspiracy theorist ― was asked if he thought the violence on Jan. 6  was justified and if he believed in the peaceful transition of power.

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  Michael Flynn Takes 5th When Asked If He Believes In A Peaceful Transfer Of Power

  HuffPost
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  Flynn pleads Fifth when asked about peaceful transfer of power

  NBC

Biden suspends rules limiting immigrant arrest, deportation

The Biden administration, reacting to a federal court ruling in Texas, has suspended an order that had focused resources for the arrest and deportation of immigrants on those who are considered a threat to public safety and national security. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday it will abide by the decision issued this month, even though it “strongly disagrees” and is appealing it. Immigrant advocates and experts on Monday said the suspension of Biden's order will only sow fear among immigrant communities.

California is sending ‘inflation relief’ checks up to $1,050 — here’s who qualifies

If you're a California taxpayer being hurt by inflation, you may be getting some financial relief. The state is sending 23 million residents “inflation relief” checks of up to $1,050 this fall to help ease the financial burden that the highest inflation in 40 years has placed on Americans. “California's budget addresses the state's most pressing needs,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a joint statement with state lawmakers on Sunday, “and prioritizes getting dollars back into the pockets of millions of Californians who are grappling with global inflation and rising prices of everything from gas to groceries.”

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  California lawmakers to vote on $307.9 billion spending plan

  Associated Press
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  Inflation is so bad that California is sending relief checks of up to $1,050 to millions of people

  Fortune

The House Republican who led a rioter on a tour the day before the January 6 attack could lead the committee overseeing Capitol security

Rep. Barry Loudermilk led a Capitol rioter on a tour of House offices the day before the January 6 attack. Now, he could be next in line to lead the committee that oversees security at the Capitol. The current most senior Republican, Rep. Rodney Davis, lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger on Tuesday.

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  How to watch the House January 6 committee hearings on the Capitol attack

  Business Insider
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  January 6 hearing: White House aide 'disgusted' by Trump tweet calling out Mike Pence after Capitol Riot

  WAGA

Manchin: Commission on veterans facilities to be dismantled

A group of U.S. senators has agreed to effectively dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out closures, downsizing and other significant medical facility changes nationwide, Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday. The West Virginia Democrat, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said there is bipartisan support to avoid filling vacancies on the VA's Assets and Infrastructure Review Commission and to end the commission in the next National Defense Authorization Act.