WorldUSA TODAY'Still alive!': Notre Dame's 180,000 bees survive cathedral fire
Notre Dame Cathedral's bees, kept in hives on the historic church's roof, survived the fire earlier this week, the beekeeper says. The 180,000 bees live in three hives on Notre Dame's roof as part of an effort since 2013 to help prevent bee die-off. "I got a call from Andre Finot, the spokesman for Notre Dame, who said there were bees flying in and out of the hives which means they are still alive!" Geant told CNN.
- PoliticsThe Guardian
Mueller report: House issues subpoena for full unredacted version
The House judiciary chairman, Jerry Nadler, on Friday issued a subpoena for the full, unredacted report by special counsel Robert Mueller on Russian interference in the 2016 US election and the Trump campaign. The subpoena seeks not only the “complete and unredacted” report, but also all of the underlying documents referenced in it, including grand jury evidence. Nadler's committee, which has the power to launch impeachment proceedings, voted in early April to authorize the subpoena for the report after the attorney general, William Barr, outlined the categories he intended to shield.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Northern Irish Police: Journalist's Murder Sign Of A 'New Brand Of Terrorism'
Northern Irish police said a “new brand of terrorism” was responsible for the death of a well-respected journalist who was killed last week as they announced the arrest of two teenagers in connection with the killing. During a press conference on Saturday, police in Northern Ireland announced that they had arrested two men, 18 and 19 years old, under the country's terrorism act in connection with McKee's murder. On Friday, police blamed McKee's murder on gunshot wounds fired indiscriminately, and released footage of a masked gunman firing during the riots.
NewsAssociated PressOfficials: South Carolina school girl died of natural causes
South Carolina authorities said Friday that the death of a fifth grade girl at school last month was due to natural causes and not a fight with another student, which they described as lasting only seconds. Solicitor Duffie Stone said at a press conference that 10-year-old Raniya Wright died of a congenital condition called an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of abnormal blood vessels in the brain. Raniya had been taken to the doctor after complaining of headaches about two weeks before she died.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Macron's polls rise to highest level since yellow vest revolt as French approve his handling of Notre-Dame fire
Emmanuel Macron's approval ratings have risen to levels not seen since before the “yellow vest” revolt erupted last autumn with most French feeling he “rose to the occasion” over the Notre-Dame fire, a poll out on Friday suggests. President Macron's popularity plummeted last September following a tax rise on pensioners and a backlash over plans to raise fuel taxes. According to BVA, Mr Macron has clawed back three points in the past month and is now on 32 per cent with six out of ten French feeling he did a good job handling the Notre-Dame inferno.
- WorldReuters
UPDATE 2-Syria's Assad discusses peace talks, Tartus port with Russians
BEIRUT/MOSCOW, April 20 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met senior officials from his strongest ally Russia in Damascus on Friday and Saturday to discuss upcoming peace talks, renting out Tartus port and trade between the two countries, state media in Syria reported. Russia has helped Assad's forces to take back most of the country but the eight-year-long war continues. Swathes of the northeast and northwest are out of his control, while sanctions and a fuel shortage are constricting the economy.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
Al Roker is giddy about Hoda Kotb's newest daughter and we can't stop smiling either
Al Roker shared what's quite possibly the happiest set of photos on anyone's social media timeline. Roker stopped by to say hello to the newest member of the "Today" show family, Hoda Kotb's new daughter, Hope Catherine. The 64-year-old anchor posted photos from his visit.
- WorldThe National Interest
How the U.S. Navy Sunk Imperial Japan's Top Secret Aircraft Carrier
Warfare History Network Security, Asia The first torpedo struck farthest aft. Over the next 30 seconds three more warheads detonated against the massive aircraft carrier's hull, working their way forward. The explosions and instant flooding immediately killed scores of men, many asleep in their bunks.
WorldAFPHundreds hurt as blasts hit Sri Lanka churches, hotels
A string of blasts hit high-end hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Sunday, injuring hundreds of people as worshippers attended Easter services. The first explosions were reported at St Anthony's Church in Colombo and St Sebastian's in the town of Negombo just outside the capital. At least 160 people injured in the St Anthony's blast had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital by mid-morning, an official told AFP.
LifestyleAssociated PressJournalist who covered Columbine reflects on lives unlived
Twenty years later, I still find myself doing a mental gap analysis of Columbine, though nothing can ever make anything whole. What I always come back to, which makes me dizzy, is contemplating what the world is lacking because these 12 young people and this teacher were abruptly removed from humanity's equation one April morning as the last millennium's final days waned. All because of two young men who decided that violence would be their final path forward.
- PoliticsThe Guardian
Sarah Sanders reiterates Comey claims despite admitting to lying
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, has defended claims she repeatedly made to reporters in 2017 regarding Donald Trump's firing of then FBI director James Comey – despite admitting to investigators for the special counsel Robert Mueller that they had no basis in fact. Sanders admitted in statements to the special counsel that her repeated claims that the president fired Comey because the rank-and-file of the FBI had lost confidence in him as FBI director were “a slip of the tongue” and “not founded on anything”, according to the redacted version of the Mueller report released on Thursday.
- LifestyleMashable
Converse introduces trans-themed shoes for Pride and Twitter is happy for once
Brands sometimes go too hard during Pride season. Every once in a while, however, they get it right. The year 2019 has already brought us one *actually good* example.
U.S.FOX News VideosKim Foxx's chief ethics officer, integrity unit director resign following Smollett controversy
Two top deputies in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office submit their resignations after charges are dropped in the Jussie Smollett case; Matt Finn reports on the details.
- StyleCar and Driver
Here Are All of the 2020 Hyundai Sonata's Available Colors—Including Yellow
The new Sonata's color palette has some interesting colors beyond the typical white, gray, and black. From Car and Driver
- WorldReuters
Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK - ministry
Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday in clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the border with Iraq, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. Demiroren News Agency said a military base had been attacked in the mountainous Cukurca district of Turkey's southeastern province of Hakkari, prompting the Turkish military to respond with a "large-scale" military operation. "As part of ongoing operations in the Turkey-Iraq border, two soldiers were killed in clashes with terrorists despite all efforts to save them," the ministry said, adding a total of four soldiers were killed and six wounded.
NewsAssociated PressNOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. CLAIM: Man who threw boy over Minnesota mall balcony is a Somali immigrant. THE FACTS: The man arrested in the case did not emigrate from Somalia, as posts circulating on social media said.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY
Meghan McCain goes after anti-vaxxers, slams their 'stupidity' for endangering children
Meghan McCain isn't mincing words when it comes to her take on anti-vaxxers. "The View" co-host took to Twitter Friday to send a message to those who do not get vaccinated. "Dear (anti-vaxxers), your stupidity and arrogance are putting the lives of children in danger!"
- WorldThe Independent
North Korea: US Marine arrested in connection with 'violent raid' of embassy in Madrid, sources say
A former US Marine who was allegedly involved in a raid of the North Korean embassy in Madrid has been arrested, according to sources familiar with the case. Christopher Ahn was arrested on Thursday in connection with the incident, when a group of at least 10 people stormed into the embassy, restrained and physically beat some personnel and held them hostage for hours in February. Spanish investigators have said the group stole computers and hard drives before fleeing to the United States, where they shared the stolen material with the FBI.
- NewsThe National Interest
The Army Passed on This Glock Gun (And It Could Be Your Gain)
The Army may have chosen Sig Sauer's P320 for its Modular Handgun System program over Glock's offerings, but that doesn't mean you have to: Glock plans on releasing a civilian variant of its 9mm Glock 19 pistol to civilian buyers this month, the company announced today. Glock's commercial pistol, dubbed the 19X, is the company's first stab at a crossover model, combining the Glock 17 frame with a Glock 19 barrel.
- PoliticsThe Telegraph
Team Trump plots revenge on Mueller amid calls to 'investigate the investigators'
Donald Trump and his allies are attempting to turn his two-year Russia investigation saga into a political boost for the 2020 presidential election in the wake of the Mueller report. The president's Justice Department is looking into the inquiry's origins to see if US intelligence over-stepped the line, cheered on by supporters who want to “investigate the investigators”. The Trump re-election campaign is fundraising off the report, attempting to raise $1 million with emails titled “EXONERATED (again)” and “CONFIRMED: NO COLLUSION”.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
Church apologizes after video shows cleric inviting kids to spit, slap and cut him for Easter lesson
Videos of the incident were posted to social media during a Monday afternoon after-school event held at the church at which Dempsey was speaking of Easter and the crucifixion. In one of the videos, Dempsey is seen standing still while students take turns spitting on him, some striking him, while other students are heard laughing. The mother of a youth, who reportedly employed a knife handed to him by Dempsey to cut the associate pastor at his invitation, said she was alerted to the video by a friend, according to an on-camera interview with WBNS-TV.
SportsFOX News VideosNFL defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix's college degree withheld for $1 debt
Chicago Bears defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tweeted Thursday that the University of Alabama is holding his degree, which he earned in 2018, over a $1 unpaid debt. It's unclear why Clinton-Dix owes Alabama a single dollar but he should have no problem finding the pocket change as he recently signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Bears in the offseason.
- WorldReuters
Three world-class climbers presumed dead in Canadian avalanche
Three renowned professional alpinists are missing and presumed dead after an avalanche in Canada's Rocky Mountains, Parks Canada said on Thursday. Climbing media named the men as American Jess Roskelley, 36, and Austrians David Lama, 28, and Hansjörg Auer, 35, saying they were killed after attempting to climb a challenging route on Howse Peak in Banff National Park. Canadian authorities did not release the names of the three men, but said they were one American and two Europeans and described them as highly experienced professional mountain athletes.
WorldAFPAssad urges progress on Idlib deal ahead of Syria talks
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday called for progress on a stalled buffer zone deal around jihadist-dominated Idlib region ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending his country's eight-year war. Assad met envoy Alexander Lavrentiev from key ally Russia in Damascus to discuss the negotiations due April 25-26 in Kazakhstan. Iran and Russia are the major supporters of the Syrian regime, and along with rebel backer Turkey have sponsored repeated rounds of talks in the Central Asian nation.
WorldAssociated PressRelatives of German bus crash victims arrive in Madeira
Relatives of some of the 29 German tourists who died in a bus crash in Madeira arrived on the Portuguese island on Friday as investigators pushed on with the task of finding out why the bus veered off the road and plunged down a slope. German tour operator Trendtours said it had flown in some of the relatives and that it was working with Portuguese authorities to bring the survivors back. Visiting the island on Friday, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised the emergency services' swift response to Wednesday's accident in the coastal town of Canico.
