PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump endorses primary opponent of Republican senator who voted to convict him
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the primary opponent of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday, months after the Alaska moderate voted to convict him on a charge of incitement of insurrection. Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska,” Trump said in a statement. He cited Murkowski's vote to approve President Biden's choice for interior secretary, Deb Haaland, who was later confirmed, as the reason for his decision, stating that Murkowski's approval was tantamount to voting to kill the “ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]” and “Alaska jobs.
U.S.Miami HeraldHis bagel didn’t have cream cheese, so he pulled gun on a police chief’s daughter, cops say
While working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens' police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say. Chief Delma Noel-Pratt told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 in an interview that the experience traumatized her 23-year-old daughter. “As a mother I am very concerned,” Noel-Pratt told the station.
WorldThe TelegraphUS scales back missile deployment in the Middle East
The Biden administration has started cutting back its anti-missile systems in the Middle East as it refocuses its military strategy. According to the Wall Street Journal the Pentagon has started withdrawing eight Patriot missile systems from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Also being withdrawn is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or Thaad system, currently in Saudi Arabia.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderJudge temporarily blocks parole hearings for 45 KY inmates serving life sentences
A state judge has temporarily halted the Kentucky Parole Board from giving new parole hearings to 45 Kentucky prisoners whom the board previously ordered to serve out their life sentences for charges including murder, rape, and kidnapping. Laurel Circuit Judge Michael Caperton issued the temporary restraining order Thursday at the request of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Jackie Steele, Commonwealth's attorney for Laurel and Knox counties. Cameron and Steele sued the state Parole Board June 11 to overturn a policy under which several convicted murderers would get new chances at parole despite earlier orders to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
WorldThe TelegraphRumours swirl that China’s top spycatcher has defected to the US
Rumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China.
PoliticsMiami HeraldIf Putin isn’t rethinking his legacy after meeting with Biden, perhaps he should be | Opinion
Much to the surprise of a puzzled pundit corps, history may well conclude that, while President Joe Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin produced no big-deal breaking news headline, their summit may prove to be one of the 21st century's pivotal events. Also, U.S. intelligence agencies announced long ago that Putin personally approved massive cyber-sabotage of the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential campaigns.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramPolice arrest boy, 16, in killing of teenager shot in chest in northwest Fort Worth
Police on Friday arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of murder in a killing six days earlier in northwest Fort Worth. Josiah Mendez was booked in connection with the slaying of Joshua Smith, 17, who was shot on June 12 in his chest at Smith's house in the 1500 block of Denver Avenue, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. Fort Worth police have declined to release other information about the killing or describe its motive, and said on Friday that the investigation is incomplete.
WorldThe TelegraphItaly at crisis point as Mediterranean migrant numbers surge nine-fold
Italy's government is under huge pressure to staunch the arrivals of migrants from the coast of North Africa as the country recorded a nine-fold increase in the number of asylum seekers reaching its shores since 2019. Latest figures show the migration landscape shifting, with many more attempts to reach Spain and Italy than Greece, which has adopted hardline policies. On Friday, Greece's migration minister said the government had adopted the measures so “we don't send the wrong message of incentivising people to come”.
BusinessBBC'We can't go on our much-needed cruise'
Mollie Haugh and her family are among MSC Cruises passengers who have been told that their trips are not going ahead. This is because the delay to easing Covid restrictions means the ships have been overbooked. The company had sold tickets for the trips presuming that Covid restrictions would be lifted on the 21 June.
PoliticsThe WeekThe Biden administration is enabling a Trump comeback
Democrats have had what any sane political party would consider a remarkable stroke of luck: Donald Trump, the leader of their opposition has (allegedly) committed many, many crimes, both while serving as president and before, and Democrats now control the federal law enforcement apparatus. As Barbara McQuade and Joyce White Vance write in The Washington Post, Trump is almost certainly guilty of obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation, of attempting to solicit bribes from Ukraine, and of multiple campaign finance violations (and likely much, much more).
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Prosecutors seek 'very substantial' prison time for Michael Avenatti over attempted extortion of Nike
Prosecutors on Wednesday urged a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRep. Ted Lieu calls Catholic bishops 'hypocrites' for trying to deny Biden Communion over abortion stance while ignoring Bill Barr's death penalty push
Catholic Bishops advanced a document that could bar Biden from Communion over his support for abortion rights. Rep. Ted Lieu, a Catholic, called the Bishops "hypocrites" and "nakedly partisan" for the move. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California lashed out at US Catholic Bishops on Friday after they voted in favor of advancing a document that could block President Joe Biden from receiving Communion due to his stance on abortion.
U.S.The StateTeen sleeping in hammock at 12:30 a.m attacked by large bear in Great Smoky Mountains
A 16-year-old girl was attacked by a bear in the Great Smoky Mountains early Friday, prompting the National Park Service to close a back country section to visitors. The attack happened at 12:30 a.m., as the teen was sleeping in a hammock in the the Crosby section of the park, officials said. “The family was able to drive the bear off from the area immediately after the attack and quickly notified the park's emergency communications center,” the National Park Service said.
U.S.Miami HeraldA swimmer in the Gulf was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then came the shark
A state park in northwest Florida on the Gulf was on high alert Thursday after a swimmer was bitten by a shark. According to a Tweet from South Walton Fire District, an emergency crew was summoned to Grayton Beach State Park in Seaside sometime in the afternoon after calls came in about the attack. SWFD responded to a report of a shark attack off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park Thursday afternoon.
PoliticsKansas City StarSwamp 101: Joe Manchin asks billionaire donors to get Roy Blunt to do their bidding
This is Swamp 101, but instructive all the same: An audio recording has surfaced of Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin asking billionaire donors to lean on Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt to change his vote on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection commission. That's important in itself, he said, but would also accomplish a very different goal, and one the donors on the call care about a lot: Their implied IOU of future opportunities for Blunt, Manchin suggested, could help neutralize the Democrats' best argument for doing away with the filibuster. Since Republicans oppose anything and everything the Democrats want to do, Rs could preserve the filibuster by proving Ds wrong about that.
PoliticsThe State‘We didn’t win.’ Trump appears to admit Biden won election in Fox News interview
More than seven months after the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump appeared to admit his defeat on Wednesday. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said the results of the 2020 election were “shocking.” President Joe Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232, but the results continue to be disputed.
BusinessMiami HeraldFederal judge throws out CDC’s cruise safety regulations, handing win to DeSantis
A federal judge threw out U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety rules for cruise companies operating in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a 124-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday of the Middle District of Florida said the agency's “conditional sail order” — a framework of regulations dictating how cruises can restart in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic — can remain in place for Florida cruises only until July 18, granting DeSantis' request for a preliminary injunction while the full case moves forward. After July 18, the rules will become non-binding recommendations for cruise companies as they are for other industries.
WorldMiami HeraldNicaragua’s wave of arrests could be the start of a hereditary dictatorship — like Cuba’s | Opinion
Political repression in Nicaragua has reached a level of escalation that has not been seen in any Latin American country — except Cuba — in many decades. It's so massive that many are wondering whether Nicaragua's autocrat, Daniel Ortega, is trying to set the stage for a long-term dynastic dictatorship. The prevailing view among many U.S. officials is that Ortega's recent wave of arrests of the country's leading opposition presidential hopefuls and civic leaders is aimed at securing the long-term rule of Ortega's successor once he no longer is president — Rosario Murillo, his wife and powerful vice president.
WorldINSIDERCannibal waiter jailed for murdering his mother and eating her remains
Alberto Sánchez Gómez will serve 15 years in jail for murdering his 68-year-old mother. Sánchez ate her remains "bit by bit" with his pet dog, according to police officers. An unemployed Spanish waiter has been sentenced to jail for killing his mother, cutting her into thousands of pieces, and eating her remains, the Independent reported.
U.S.LA TimesAfghanistan's air force is a rare U.S.-backed success story. It may soon fail.
But there is a deeper problem: Over the last two decades the U.S. has built an army in its own image, with Afghan security forces relying on some 18,000 contractors for everything from buying fuel and bullets to doing payroll to the critical tasks of maintaining the 162 aircraft used by the AAF and training the pilots who fly them. Since late 2019, 94% of U.S. forces involved in training and advising the air force have left, so contractors have taken on almost all roles. Without continued contractor support, according to a Defense Department inspector general's report earlier this year, those warplanes would be combat effective for only a few months.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderWatch ‘terrified’ cottonmouth snake’s quirky move to dodge predator in North Carolina
A panic-stricken cottonmouth was caught on video acting peculiarly in a North Carolina wildlife preserve — and the look was not exactly flattering. The recording, shared June 11 on Facebook, shows the viper going so fast it actually tumbled over itself. Closer inspection of the video reveals the venomous snake dispensed with slithering and started sliding like a garden hose.
HealthBusiness InsiderBiden says the Delta variant - set to become the US's dominant strain - is 'particularly dangerous for young people'
Research from Public Health England suggests that Delta is associated with a 60% increased risk of household coronavirus transmission compared to Alpha - the variant discovered in the UK. Alpha is already around 50% more transmissible than the original coronavirus strain, according to the CDC. Young people may be particularly susceptible to a Delta infection for two reasons: They're more likely to be socially active and less likely to be vaccinated than older adults.
U.S.Miami HeraldMiami chief’s ‘You lie, you die’ mandate cited in call for firing high-ranking female cop
Three days before Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was officially sworn in, he drew a line in the sand to the city's command staff: “You lie, You die,” warned the incoming chief, suggesting changes were coming within the department. Now, Papier and her husband Ronald Papier, the city's deputy chief and acting chief for two months during the transition to Acevedo, are fighting to hang onto their their jobs.
U.S.USA TODAYThere was a $500K reward in alleged road rage shooting of Aiden Leos in California. Will it be paid?
The couple is being held in Orange County jail on large bail amounts. Aiden Leos case: Suspects face murder and accessory charges in killing of 6-year-old boy on California freeway 'My heart melted every time he laughed': Mother eulogizes 6-year-old boy killed in suspected road rage shooting Orange County supervisor Don Wagner, one of the people who donated to the reward, told USA TODAY in a statement that "claims on the reward money will be considered later as to not jeopardize the investigation." Such claims from reward administrators are common - and understandable to an extent, since rewards often are touted with the caveat that a tipster's information must lead to a conviction.
WorldUSA TODAYHardline judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi wins Iran presidency: 3 ways it matters
Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline legal official sanctioned by the U.S. government, won Iran's presidential election after his main rivals conceded defeat Saturday, state media reported. Raisi is the chief of Iran's judiciary and was the runner-up in Iran's last presidential election in 2017. Incumbent Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, is stepping down because he has reached his term limit.
“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.”