HealthAssociated PressDominant coronavirus mutant contains ghost of pandemic past
The coronavirus mutant that is now dominant in the United States is a member of the omicron family but scientists say it spreads faster than its omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease. Because it combines properties of both omicron and delta, the nation's dominant variant in the middle of last year. A genetic trait that harkens back to the pandemic's past, known as a “delta mutation," appears to allow the virus "to escape pre-existing immunity from vaccination and prior infection, especially if you were infected in the omicron wave," said Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas.
U.S.The Hollywood ReporterJohnny Depp Gets Unfavorable Decisions on Jury Instructions
Jurors in the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will not consider whether Adam Waldman, Depp's former attorney who was kicked off of the case, had free speech protections when he made allegedly defamatory statements against Heard. In a key ruling on jury instructions, the judge overseeing the case sided with Heard's lawyers on Thursday that Waldman does not qualify for privilege, a defense from defamation, because his statements were not in response to anything Heard said or wrote. A ruling the other way could have led to jurors outright denying Heard's $100 million counterclaim against Depp.
BusinessNextSharkStrippers can apparently better forecast the market than your finance bro
In a tweet that has since gone viral, a netizen who claims to be a stripper declared that we are currently in a recession based on the empty status of strip clubs. The user, @botticellibimo, explained that “the strip club is sadly a leading indicator and i can promise ya'll we r in a recession lmao.” In a series of recent posts related to their original tweet, the user made their case, arguing that “Sex work has survived through every war, recession, decline of empires,” and pointing out that strip clubs have been “an operative tool” for business people, and not just a source of 'sinful' entertainment.
U.S.Yahoo LifeHere's why people are connecting the Texas school shooting, the baby formula shortage and the fight over abortion rights
With news about the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, dominating news headlines and social media feeds, there have been endless angles on the situation — from the heartbreaking discussions of the lives and deaths of the 19 children and two teachers murdered in the classroom to the heated arguments about gun rights and mental health and the police. One particularly passionate and unrelenting take, prevalent on social media, has been to link the shooting to two other major news stories — the leaked Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the ongoing baby formula shortage. It involves some social media users calling out the hypocrisies of those against abortion rights, claiming they are "pro-life" while simultaneously lobbying for gun freedoms that result in dead children, and of GOP lawmakers who want to take away a woman's choice to continue a pregnancy while not feeding or protecting their infants once they are born.
U.S.LA TimesThey smeared blood on themselves, hid and watched their teachers get shot. These are the survivors' stories
Two days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School here, survivors are recounting stories of the horrifying moments they endured as they were attacked. "It's just really hard to cope with everything that's going on," said Amber Gonzales, whose 8-year-old daughter, Aubree, hid under her desk in another classroom while the shooting occurred. Gonzales said Aubree was still traumatized by what happened.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThe wild life of billionaire Twitter founder and 'Block Head' Jack Dorsey, who's officially left the social network's board, eats one meal a day, and takes ice baths
After cofounding Twitter on March 21 2006, he was booted as the company's CEO two years later, but returned in 2015 having set up his second company, Square — which he rebranded as Block in 2021. He led Twitter through the techlash that has engulfed social media companies, testifying before Congress multiple times. Related video: Elon Musk on Twitter fame, loneliness and the future of AI And Dorsey announced on November 29, 2021, he had stepped down as the CEO of Twitter.
WorldReutersExclusive-U.S. and Ukraine discuss danger of escalation as new arms extend Kyiv's reach
As the United States and its allies provide Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated arms, Washington has held discussions with Kyiv about the danger of escalation if it strikes deep inside Russia, U.S. and diplomatic officials tell Reuters. The behind-the-scenes discussions, which are highly sensitive and have not been previously reported, do not put explicit geographic restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukrainian forces. But the conversations have sought to reach a shared understanding of the risk of escalation, three U.S. officials and diplomatic sources said.
U.S.QuartzWe ordered the same gun used in Uvalde. Here’s how easy it was.
After Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas left 19 children and two adults dead, we wondered how difficult it was to order a DDM4V7, one of the two rifles the gunman bought a few days after turning 18 years old, according to reports. The AR-15-style weapon, made by Georgia-based Daniel Defense, sells online for $1,870, plus tax. Shipping to a local gun shop is free.
U.S.NextSharkSingaporean man terrorizes neighbors day and night for 11 years by banging on apartment walls
Residents at an apartment complex in Hougang, Singapore, are being terrorized by a neighbor who has been incessantly banging on his apartment walls for 11 years. The 41-year-old man has been reported to the police and the Housing Development Board (HDB) multiple times to no avail. His next-door neighbor created a TikTok account in April to document the daily incidents, which include the man loitering around his neighbors' apartment doors and scolding them through their windows.
U.S.Associated PressParole recommended for California follower of Charles Manson
A California parole panel recommended the release of Patricia Krenwinkel for the first time Thursday, more than five decades after she and other followers of cult leader Charles Manson terrorized the state and she wrote “Helter Skelter” on a wall using the blood of one of their victims. Krenwinkel, 74, was previously denied parole 14 times for the slayings of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four other people in 1969. The parole recommendation will be reviewed by the state parole board's legal division before likely going to Gov. Gavin Newsom before year's end.
- BusinessReuters Videos
Russia prepares to seize exiting Western firms
STORY: The golden arches are coming down in Russia as McDonald's heads for the exit. It's just one of countless western firms that have decided to quit the country. That's angered Moscow, which now has a response in the works.
U.S.INSIDERSwitzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings
In 2016, the NRA said on its blog that the European country had one of the lowest murder rates in the world while still having millions of privately owned guns and a few hunting weapons that don't even require a permit. Video: Inside a factory that makes untraceable 'ghost guns' But the Swiss have some specific rules and regulations for gun use. Insider took a look at the country's past with guns to see why it has lower rates of gun violence than the US, where gun death rates are now at their highest in more than 20 years, and the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.
U.S.Associated PressTrump loses appeal, must testify in New York civil probe
Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in the New York attorney general's civil investigation into his business practices, a state appeals court ruled Thursday, rejecting his argument that he be excused from testifying because his answers could be used in a parallel criminal probe. A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state's trial court upheld Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 17 ruling, which enforced subpoenas requiring that Trump and his two eldest children — Ivanka and Donald Jr. — give deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James' probe. “The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination," the appellate panel wrote, citing the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and other legal protections for witnesses.
U.S.HuffPostTed Cruz Flayed Over Ludicrous Idea For Preventing School Shootings
According to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the solution to school shootings is fewer doorways and more guns. After 19 children and two teachers were killed at a Texas elementary school Tuesday by a man armed with an assault rifle, the state's senator suggested that schools would be safer if there was only one way in or out. One of the things that everyone agreed is don't have all of these unlocked back doors.
ScienceBBCAncient DNA reveals secrets of Pompeii victims
Researchers studying human remains from Pompeii have extracted genetic secrets from the bones of a man and a woman who were buried when the Roman city was engulfed in volcanic ash. This first "Pompeian human genome" is an almost complete set of "genetic instructions" from the victims, encoded in DNA extracted from their bones. Ancient DNA was preserved in bodies that were encased in time-hardened ash.
WorldReutersU.S. seizes Iranian oil cargo near Greek island - sources
LONDON/ATHENS (Reuters) -The United States has confiscated Iranian oil held on a Russian-operated ship near Greece and will send the cargo to the United States aboard another vessel, three sources familiar with the matter said. It was unclear whether the cargo was impounded because it was Iranian oil or due to the sanctions on the tanker over its Russian nexus. Iran and Russia are facing separate U.S. sanctions.
U.S.TheStreet.comElon Musk Chooses Sides on Gun Control Debate
Elon Musk is the most influential CEO in the world. The mogul with 95 million followers on Twitter is determined to use his platform to weigh in on public debates, whatever they may be. In recent months, the CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has thus imposed his voice on subjects such as the Russian war in Ukraine, free speech with the eventful acquisition-in-progress of the social network Twitter for $44 billion, cancel culture and its corollary wokeism.
U.S.The Daily BeastDaniel Defense, the Maker of the Uvalde Shooter’s ‘Perfect Rifle,’ Abruptly Exits the NRA Convention
On a Memorial Day weekend when we honor those who died in service to our country, the company that manufactured a weapon of war used to kill 19 children and two adults in a Texas elementary school had planned to hawk its wares at the gun industry's annual collective disgrace. But in the aftermath of Tuesday's slaughter in Uvalde, Daniel Defense, is no longer slated to join all the other profiteers of violent death at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston. Up until Wednesday afternoon,the company was to have occupied Booth 4839, conveniently close to the cafe at the George R. Brown Convention Center, amid what the NRA terms “14 acres of guns and gear.
WorldReutersTanks, but no ammo – Germany's Ukraine pledges show military muddle
BERLIN (Reuters) - Four weeks ago, Germany agreed to send dozens of anti-aircraft tanks to help defend Ukraine from Russia's invasion, part of what it called a turning-point after decades of military restraint. Berlin says it can deliver the first Gepard tanks in July. Kyiv's pleas for heavy weapons have intensified since Moscow turned its firepower on Ukraine's east and south.
- PoliticsThe El Paso Times
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Texas shooting update
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Uvalde, Texas shooting update.
U.S.HuffPostFormer ESPN Journalist's Excuse For Uvalde Police Inaction Shocks Twitter Users
Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is inspiring a debate on what can be done to prevent future tragedies ― as are reports from witnesses that local police were slow to respond to the incident. Law enforcement authorities are facing questions and criticism over how much time elapsed before police put a stop to the rampage by a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults. Jason Whitlock, a former ESPN journalist who now works for conservative outlet The Blaze, shared a take in response to a tweet by right-wing disinformation peddler Jack Posobiec, who wondered why “armed Texans” didn't go after the gunman.
WorldAssociated PressChina wants 10 Pacific nations to endorse sweeping agreement
China wants 10 small Pacific nations to endorse a sweeping agreement covering everything from security to fisheries in what one leader warns is a “game-changing” bid by Beijing to wrest control of the region. A draft of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, team up on “traditional and non-traditional security" and expand law enforcement cooperation. China also wants to jointly develop a marine plan for fisheries — which would include the Pacific's lucrative tuna catch — increase cooperation on running the region's internet networks, and set up cultural Confucius Institutes and classrooms.
U.S.Miami HeraldDid Florida Rep. Randy Fine just threaten the president’s life? Secret Service better find out | Editorial
Here's what Fine said on Twitter: “I have news for the embarrassment that claims to be our president — try to take our guns and you'll learn why the Second Amendment was written in the first place. He made this wretched comment after President Biden responded to the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, in which 19 children and two adults died. The president said, in part: “When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down.
U.S.Belleville News-DemocratMan points gun at TV reporter during live segment on gun violence, Illinois station says
Illinois police are looking for a man that was shown on video pointing what appears to be a gun at a news anchor and her crew while she was filming a live segment on gun violence. A FOX32 reporter and her crew on May 25 were filming a segment in Chicago on gun violence, FOX2 reported. While the reporter was speaking on camera, a man walked behind her and quickly pointed a gun in her direction, footage from FOX2 showed.
WorldReutersRussian parliament scraps age limit for army recruits
Russia's parliament approved a law on Wednesday in double-quick time removing the upper age limit for contractual service in the military, amid heavy casualties in Ukraine. Lawmakers in the State Duma lower house approved the bill in three readings in a single session, with the upper house, the Federation Council, giving its assent shortly after. The bill now needs only the signature of President Vladimir Putin to become law.
“It could give millions a chance to finally buy a house or start their business or help their kids get an education, too.”
“You signed a contract…If you don’t want to deal with the financial pressure of debt, don’t take out the loan.”
“Without action from Biden, Black student debt will hinder his agenda with respect to eliminating racial inequities.”
“Blanket relief could end up routing too much relief to those who do not need it and too little to those who do.”
“Unlike a number of other policy issues, student debt relief doesn’t need to be pushed through a narrowly controlled Congress.”