U.S.Yahoo NewsAG Garland says the Justice Department will double staff to fight voter suppression
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that the Justice Department will dramatically increase its focus on preventing voter suppression by doubling the number of lawyers in the civil rights division, in response to a rash of laws that have made it harder to vote in many states. “We will use all existing provisions ... to ensure that we protect every qualified American seeking to participate in our democracy,” Garland said in a speech Friday afternoon. Garland compared his action to that taken by former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who said that the Justice Department needed “a lot more lawyers” to combat laws in Southern states that were trying to make it harder for African Americans to exercise their right to vote.
WorldReutersAnalysis: Mines and votes - Socialist Castillo sweeps Peru's key mining regions
Peru's key mining regions overwhelming supported socialist Pedro Castillo, who looks on track to win the Andean country's tight presidential election and has pledged to sharply hike taxes on firms operating in the world's no. 2 copper producer. The high support in districts where key mines are located underscores how tensions have burst through after years of conflict between mining firms and the local communities who often say they are left behind and do not share in the wealth. In Chumbivilcas Castillo won 96.5% of votes.
U.S.TheGrioEx-state trooper sent himself nude photos from woman’s phone after crash
Former Minnesota state trooper Albert Kuehne has pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining the private photos of a 25 year-old woman during an arrest made last year. This week, 34 year-old Kuehne pleaded guilty to the “nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images” for which he is likely to receive two years of probation, NBC News reports. Last March, Kuehne detained an unnamed woman who was suspected of driving while intoxicated after a crash near Minneapolis's Cedar Avenue and Interstate 94.
U.S.NBC NewsMass shooting in Austin, Texas, leaves at least 13 wounded
At least 13 people were injured in a mass shooting in a busy entertainment district in downtown Austin, police in the Texas city said Saturday. "I'm happy to report no one has died," interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon told reporters near the scene of the incident in the area of 400 E. 6th Street — a popular area filled with bars and restaurants. The first call of shots fired came in at around 1:24 a.m.
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4 police officers placed on administrative leave after video goes viral
WARNING: This contains graphic content. A video showing the arrest of a teenage shoplifting suspect in Glendale, Calif. has sparked outrage and led the police department to place four of its officers on leave pending an investigation.
- WorldAssociated Press
8 dead, 3 injured in China factory's chemical leak
Eight people died and three others were injured when a toxic chemical leaked Saturday at a plant in the southwestern Chinese city of Guiyang, authorities said. The leak happened as workers were unloading a shipment of methyl formate from a vehicle at a chemical handling facility. An investigation is underway, according to the China National Emergency Broadcasting.
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramFort Worth area lawmakers to meet with VP Kamala Harris after killing election bill
Three Tarrant County Democrats are among a group of state lawmakers meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris next week following a walkout that killed a Texas election bill. Senate Bill 7 was criticized by opponents who say it would have made it harder for Texans to vote. Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives received national attention in May when they utilized a walkout to break quorum and kill the legislation.
PoliticsAssociated PressSeized House records show just how far Trump admin would go
Two House Democrats disclosed this week that their smartphone data was secretly obtained by the Trump Justice Department as part of an effort to uncover the source of leaks related to the investigation of Russian-related election interference. It was a stunning revelation that one branch of government was using its power to gather private information on another, a move that carried echoes of President Richard Nixon during Watergate. On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-Telegram6-year-old shot by neighbor after he finds boy outside his home, Michigan police say
A man accused of shooting his 6-year-old neighbor is back in custody after initially being let out of jail on a $10,000 bond, according to a prosecuting attorney. Eli Savitt, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor, questioned the bond 29-year-old Ryan Le-Nguyen was given after the incident Sunday in the eastern Michigan township of Ypsilanti. Savitt was granted his release Tuesday, but was back in jail Thursday after his bond was upgraded at the request of the prosecutor, Savit said.
- WorldChristian Science Monitor
Scallop wars: British and French fishers separated by a shared livelihood
Mr. Meredith is a British fisher from Brixham, England, who scouts for scallops near the French coast, and he says his boat has regularly been attacked by French vessels in recent years. He says he's been the target of flares, rocks, and homemade firebombs during confrontations off the French port of Le Havre, where his trawler is often surrounded by a chain of French fish boats “almost touching each other. On the Normandy coast on the other side of the channel, Sophie and David Leroy run five fishing trawlers through their business, Armement Cherbourgeois.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPutin says Trump is an 'extraordinary' and 'talented individual' who is an outsider to the US political establishment, unlike 'career man' Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin told NBC News that Trump is "extraordinary" and "talented." Putin added that he hopes that Biden is less "impulse-based" than Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on former President Trump in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Friday.
HealthRaleigh News and ObserverAnother respiratory illness is spreading across the South, CDC warns. What is RSV?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning about RSV, a cold-like respiratory illness, amid a spike in cases across the southern U.S. “Due to this increased activity, CDC encourages broader testing for RSV among patients presenting with acute respiratory illness who test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” the advisory states. “RSV can be associated with severe disease in young children and older adults.”
U.S.The Guardian‘Dire situation’: Silicon Valley cracks down on water use as California drought worsens
Santa Clara county, the home of Silicon Valley, issued mandatory water restrictions this week during a severe drought that has already reached historic levels. The move was championed by analysts and researchers who have pushed for more conservation efforts across California amid concerns that the state will fall deeper into a drought disaster through the hot, dry summer and autumn. “We are indeed in a dire situation,” said Rick Callender, the CEO of the water district serving Santa Clara county, during a public hearing Wednesday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAOC rips into fellow Democrats for taking Ilhan Omar's comments on the US and Israel's potential war crimes out of context
This came after Democrats misleadingly said Omar equated the US and Israel with terrorist groups. Sign up for the 10 Things in Politics daily newsletter. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Thursday blasted fellow Democrats for distorting comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota regarding potential war crimes committed by the US, Israel, Hamas, and the Taliban.
ScienceBBCUK space race investment 'is heating up'
A UK firm that was the world's first dedicated space technology investor is preparing to list fund shares on the London Stock Exchange. The public will be able to invest in a portfolio of new private space firms through Seraphim Capital's fund. The news comes amid a public consultation on establishing a UK national space strategy.
U.S.The IndependentKentucky police officer charged with beating kneeling protester during Breonna Taylor demo
A Kentucky police officer has been charged with striking a person in the head with a riot stick during a Breonna Taylor protest. Federal authorities say that Louisville Metro Police Officer Cory Evans hit the person as they were kneeling with their hands in the air and surrendering to arrest. The incident took place during the May 2020 wave of racial injustice protests sparked by the killings of Ms Taylor in the city, and George Floyd in Minneapolis.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThese 10 Coastal Hotels Ooze Made-in-America Charm
From New England to the Pacific Northwest, plan your summer with these design-forward beach escapes Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe TelegraphTrooping the Colour 2021: A 'memorable and uplifting day' for the Queen at Windsor Castle
The Queen beamed in the sunshine, tapping her feet to the music, as she celebrated her official birthday with a scaled back military procession at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty, 95, sat in the castle's quadrangle to watch the annual pomp and ceremony of Trooping the Colour, this year led by the Scots Guards. It came just hours after she had returned to Windsor from Cornwall, where she met G7 leaders and posed for the traditional “family photo,” prompting chuckles as she quipped: “Are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself?
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump lost $40 million on his Scottish golf clubs by failing to implement a very basic financial practice, say experts
Trump's failure to hedge loans to his Scottish golf courses cost him tens of millions of dollars, say experts. Accounts registered in the UK indicate that Trump issued loans from the US in British pounds. Donald Trump's international courses have racked up huge losses and rely on loans from various Trump-owned vehicles in the United States just to stay afloat.
U.S.INSIDERA Mississippi high school agreed to make 2 white students co-winners of top honors after their parents complained about the awarding of prizes to Black pupils
A high school awarded white students top honors after two Black students were already chosen. Parents at a Mississippi school claimed it had miscalculated the criteria for valedictorian and salutatorian. Breaking with tradition, the school ended up naming two white students as co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian.
U.S.USA TODAY'Brave' grandmother died after struggling with Florida Publix gunman, sheriff says
Timothy J. Wall had mental health struggles before he walked into a Florida Publix on Thursday and shot a grandmother, her nearly 2-year-old grandson and then himself. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Friday it is still investigating what specifically led to the shooting. Maj. Talal Masri on Friday said the gunman first shot the child at the Royal Palm Beach grocery store and that the 69-year-old woman then "instinctively jumps in and is trying to stop him."
U.S.Architectural DigestAn Outdoor Umbrella Will Make Your Sun-Safe Summer
Get yourself some shade that truly shines Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- WorldThe Independent
Iranian warships cross into the Atlantic, rattling Washington
Iranian warships have entered the Atlantic Ocean for the first time ever, raising alarms by United States officials and Washington hawks. The Iranian ships, the frigate Sahand and the base ship Makran reached the south Atlantic on Thursday, likely en route to Venezuela, which has increasingly become an economic and military partner of Tehran. Iran has friendly relations with Cuba, where the ships could make a port call.
- HealthYahoo News Video
CDC: Heart inflammation in young men higher than expected after Pfizer, Moderna vaccines
A higher-than-expected number of young men have experienced heart inflammation after their second dose of the mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, according to data from two vaccine safety monitoring systems, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden tells Chuck Schumer to 'go ahead' with calls for $50,000 in student-debt cancellation
Biden told Chuck Schumer to keep the pressure on to cancel $50k in student debt, Schumer said. Biden is reluctant to cancel that amount, saying he does not think he has the executive authority. Democratic lawmakers have been keeping the pressure on President Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt per borrower.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”