PoliticsReutersBiden spoke to Netanyahu, believes conflict will conclude soon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was hopeful that a cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians would end soon, after a phone conversation he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "My expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself," Biden told reporters at the White House. Biden did not explain the reasons behind his optimism.
U.S.NBC NewsTwo boys, 11 and 17, arrested in connection with violent robbery of elderly Asian man
Two boys, including an 11-year-old caught driving a stolen car, were arrested Wednesday after a violent robbery of an elderly Asian man in Northern California, officials said. The 80-year-old victim was strolling near the 14200 block of Acapulco Road in San Leandro, about 12 miles south of downtown Oakland, Saturday afternoon when two people in hoodies jumped him and swiped his Fitbit in an attack captured on a home security camera. The younger one was driving a vehicle that had been taken in a carjacking in Oakland on Monday, according to San Leandro police.
PoliticsAxiosHUD Secretary Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act, independent watchdog says
An independent federal investigative agency said Thursday that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act in March when the former Ohio congresswoman weighed in on the state's 2022 Senate election. Why it matters: It appears to be the first Hatch Act violation under the Biden administration, per Politico. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
U.S.Kansas City StarElementary school principal killed by husband in murder-suicide, Texas officials say
The principal of a Texas elementary school was killed Wednesday by her husband, who then killed himself, Texas officials say. The death of 35-year-old Erica Rene Allen occurred in the front yard of her home and was witnessed by neighbors, according to the League City Police Department. Allen is the principal at Heights Elementary School in Texas City.
U.S.NBC NewsSuspect arrested in hammer attack on Asian woman near Times Square
The person suspected of attacking an Asian woman with a hammer last week near Times Square has been arrested, police said Wednesday. Ebony Jackson, 37, has been charged with two counts each of felony assault, felony criminal possession of a weapon with a previous conviction and menacing, according to the New York City Police Department. The attack occurred about 8:40 p.m. ET May 2 on West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th avenues, in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, police said.
WorldAxiosIsrael's "change bloc" collapses, leaving Netanyahu in charge
In a dramatic shift that comes amid fighting in the Gaza strip and clashes between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel, right-wing kingmaker Naftali Bennett has announced he will no longer seek an alternative government to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Why it matters: Bennett had been on the verge of a power-sharing deal with centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid that would have made him prime minister for two years until Lapid rotated into the job. Without Bennett, Lapid has no path to a majority, and Israel will almost certainly head for its fifth election since 2019 with Netanyahu still in his post.
U.S.Architectural Digest7 Upscale Homes For Sale in Austin, Texas
As the city's luxury real estate market reaches new heights, these high-end homes won't be around for long Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
BusinessAssociated PressStocks open higher on Wall Street as Big Tech regains ground
Stock markets in London and Tokyo tumbled 2.5% on Thursday and U.S. futures were lower after a jump in American consumer prices fueled worries inflation might drag on an economic recovery. Shanghai, Frankfurt and Hong Kong also declined for a second day, following Wall Street lower. Overnight, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index recorded its biggest one-day drop in three months after U.S. prices, exceeding forecasts, rose in April at their fastest year-on-year pace in 13 years.
- NewsINSIDER Video
Watch footage of Israeli bombs destroying buildings in Gaza and rockets from Hamas targeting Israel
Videos show building after building crumbling in Gaza after Israel launched airstrikes. The move comes after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation to clashes with Palestinians near Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan.
U.S.The IndependentIt’s come to this: Rudy Giuliani hires lawyers who defended Harvey Weinstein
Rudy Giuliani, who faces looming legal threats, has hired two attorneys who defended the disgraced sex offender and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, following FBI raids on the former New York mayor's office and home. According to court filings on Wednesday, Arthur Aidala and Barry Kamins informed the US District Court for the Southern District of New York that they will appear on behalf of Mr Giuliani. It follows twin raids on an apartment and offices belonging to Mr Giuliani, a former mayor of New York and attorney for Donald Trump, in April.
- WorldAssociated Press
Myanmar military court gives DVB reporter 3 years in prison
A 51-year-old reporter for a now-banned online and broadcast news agency in Myanmar was sentenced Wednesday by a military court to three years in prison for his reporting, his employer said. Min Nyo, a correspondent for the Democratic Voice of Burma is apparently the country's first journalist since the army's February takeover to be convicted under a recently revised provision in the Penal Code that critics charge criminalizes free speech. It makes punishable by up to three years in prison any attempt to “hinder, disturb, damage the motivation, discipline, health and conduct” of soldiers and civil servants and cause their hatred, disobedience or disloyalty toward the military and the government.
HealthNBC NewsHere's why it makes sense to keep your mask on even if the CDC says you don't need to
Public figures are chastised for not taking off their masks post-vaccination over concerns that it dissuades others from getting vaccinated. Vaccinated people who routinely wear masks are themselves vilified as overly anxious or unwilling to trust the latest science. But when it comes to medical rather than political and social debates, there is a strong argument for wearing masks, even after vaccination.
U.S.Business InsiderNewsmax takes host off the air after he called Israel the 'home country' of Jewish Americans
Newsmax host Greg Stinchfield has been pulled from his show for the remainder of the week. Stinchfield described Israel as the "home country" of Jewish Americans. Former Fox News host Eric Bolling announced he will fill in on Thursday and Friday nights.
HealthIdaho StatesmanIndia’s COVID-19 variant arrives in Boise area. It joins several other variants detected here
A variant of the coronavirus that has been linked to the mammoth COVID crisis surging in India has been identified in Ada County, according to Central District Health. The health agency, which has jurisdiction over Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, announced Thursday that a man under 30 who was infected in April and who “reported having recently traveled internationally” had a strain of the virus known as B.1.617.2, which was first identified in India. In recent weeks, India has faced an out-of-control second wave that has left at least 250,000 people dead and 23 million infected with COVID-19, according to The New York Times.
WorldAssociated PressVirus, Mideast turmoil stifle Eid al-Fitr celebrations
Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr in a subdued mood for a second year Thursday as the COVID-19 pandemic again forced mosque closings and family separations on the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. In the embattled Gaza Strip, the call to prayer echoed over pulverized buildings and heaps of rubble as Israeli warplanes continued to pound the territory in the worst outbreak of violence since the 2014 war. Hamas, the Islamic militant group ruling Gaza, urged the faithful to mark communal prayers inside their homes or the nearest mosques and avoid being out in the open.
WorldBBCColombia protests: Shortages in Cali as demonstrations rumble on
Three weeks into nationwide anti-government protests, residents in Colombia's third-largest city, Cali, say they are struggling to get petrol and some food items. Cali has been the scene of some of the worst clashes between protesters and security forces. The demonstrations over the past two days in Cali may have been massive, but they were peaceful and colourful, with dances, music and artistic tributes paid to those who died or were wounded in previous protests.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderShipping delays feared across US as crack shutters vital Memphis bridge. What to know
The closure of vital bridge that runs over the Mississippi River and connects Tennessee and Arkansas is sparking concerns about potential shipping delays across the country. A large crack on the Interstate 40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge was discovered during a routine inspection on Tuesday, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The bridge will remain closed to interstate and river traffic while crews investigate the extent of the crack and repair the beam, according to the Tennessee Department Transportation, which shares responsibility of the bridge with Arkansas.
BusinessAssociated PressAustralian telco fined $39M for exploiting Indigenous folk
Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra was fined 50 million Australian dollars ($39 million) on Thursday for unconscionable conduct in selling remote Indigenous customers mobile phone contracts that they did not understand and could not afford. The fine ordered by a Federal Court judge is the second largest ever imposed under Australian consumer law. Telstra admitted the offenses in signing up 108 Indigenous customers, some of whom spoke English as a second or third language, to mobile phone accounts.
WorldBusiness InsiderIsrael is moving ground troops near Gaza, raising the possibility of invasion as the death toll from rockets and airstrikes hits 90
Israel moved ground troops to its border with Gaza on Thursday. "They are there in battle procedure, basically preparing for battle," an IDF spokesman told the BBC. Israel and Hamas have exchanged air attacks this week, killing 90 people.
U.S.The Daily BeastHow Cops Took Down an Alleged Tree-Trimming Serial Killer Mid-Murder
Five days after Ryan Scott Blinston had finished trimming trees at Loreen and Homer Severs' California home last May, the 37-year-old decided to go back and take care of some unfinished business. After forcing his way into the elderly couple's house in Los Molinos, about two hours outside of Sacramento, Blinston cut both of their throats—instantly killing 88-year-old Loreen, authorities say. While her 91-year-old husband miraculously survived, the attack marked the start of a grisly two-month crime spree, during which Blinston allegedly killed two other people he targeted while working for a tree-trimming service.
ScienceAssociated PressJapanese tycoon planning space station visit, then moon trip
The Japanese fashion tycoon who's booked a SpaceX ride to the moon is going to try out the International Space Station first. Maezawa has bought two seats on a Russian Soyuz capsule. “I'm so curious, 'What's life like in space?' So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world,” Maezawa said in a statement.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMarjorie Taylor Greene chased AOC down a corridor in Congress, yelling at her about terrorists and radical socialists
Marjorie Taylor Greene caused a scene in Congress on Wednesday, per The Washington Post. The paper's reporters saw Greene pursue Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and shout at her. Per the report, AOC mostly ignored Greene.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden approval rating at 63% in new poll, buoyed by his handling of pandemic
President Joe Biden is approaching the end of his fourth month in office with a steady approval rating from a majority of Americans, who have largely backed his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A new poll by the Associated Press released this week found that 63 per cent of Americans approved of his work as president in his first 100 days in office. The survey done in association with NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research found that about 71 per cent of Americans, and 47 per cent of Republicans, agreed with the president's response to the pandemic.
U.S.The Daily BeastActive-Duty Marine Charged for Fighting With a Cop During Capitol Riot
An active-duty Marine Corps Major, who allegedly pushed a cop during the Capitol riot so thousands of fellow insurrections could enter the building, was among a fresh crop of alleged rioters to be hit with federal charges Thursday. Christopher Warnagiris, a 40-year-old who has been stationed at the Marine Corps base in Quantico since last summer, has been hit with a slew of charges, including assaulting officers and obstruction of justice. Videos and photos showed Warnagiris—wearing a dark jacket with green zippers, a military green backpack, and gloves—trying to enter the Capitol through the East Rotunda doors with a slew of others.
WorldArchitectural DigestTufted Is Trending
It's happy, it's fuzzy, it's colorful—and we're totally here for it Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
“If Facebook lets Trump back on Facebook and Instagram, he'll assuredly restart his assault on democracy.”
“Facebook should have known better than to believe that it could limit speech on its platform without setting a terrible precedent.”
“Providing a microphone and an amplifier for deceit isn't fighting the good fight for free speech.”
“It’s no defense of Mr. Trump’s conduct to say that the digital public square shouldn’t suppress speech by political leaders.”
“The former president no longer gets the ‘head of state’ exception to terms of service.”