PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz says Biden's comments about the Derek Chauvin verdict are 'grounds for a mistrial'
Cruz said Tuesday that Biden's comments on Derek Chauvin provided potential grounds for a mistrial. Cruz said that Biden was providing "a possible basis on appeal to challenge any guilty conviction." President Joe Biden's comments about the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, provided potential "grounds for a mistrial," Sen. Ted Cruz said on Tuesday.
WorldAxiosIsrael strikes back at Syria after Dimona nuclear reactor missile alert
The Israeli military struck back at Syria after a missile from the country triggered air raid sirens near the Dimona nuclear reactor as it landed in southern Israel, AFP reports. Why it matters: The exchange, which Syrian state media said wounded four of its soldiers, marked the biggest clashes between the two countries in years. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian troops and proxies operate in Syria and the incident indicates Iran's involvement, AP notes.
U.S.Associated PressMan pumping gas at convenience store killed, shooter dead
A man opened fire at a convenience store in Pennsylvania early Wednesday, apparently at random, killing a truck driver who was pumping gas and wounding another man before taking his own life, officials said. The man had first shot at a car on a highway several miles away before heading to the convenience store around 4:45 a.m., according to Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin. The woman in the car told authorities she didn't realize her car had been hit with a bullet until she stopped at a Wawa store in Upper Macungie Township, outside Allentown.
WorldAxiosPutin warns the West as Russian police detain almost 1,800 Navalny protesters
Security forces detained at least 1,770 supporters of the jailed, hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny amid protests across Russia Wednesday, according to the independent monitoring group OVD-Info. The big picture: At least 30 protesters were arrested in Moscow, 805 in St. Petersburg and 119 in the Urals city of Ufa, among dozens of other cities, the group estimates. Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh was among those detained in the Russian capital, per aide Ruslan Shaveddinov.
SportsNational ReviewBrett Favre: It’s ‘Hard to Believe’ Derek Chauvin Intentionally Killed George Floyd
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre on Wednesday said he finds it “hard to believe” that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin intended to kill George Floyd during Floyd's arrest last year. “I find it hard to believe, and I'm not defending Derek Chauvin in any way, I find it hard to believe, first of all, that he intentionally meant to kill George Floyd,” Favre said on his podcast Bolling with Favre. Favre's comments came one day after a jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
U.S.Associated PressBoulder shooting suspect charged with using large magazine
Local prosecutors in Colorado on Wednesday filed over 40 more felony charges against a man charged with killing 10 people at a Boulder supermarket last month, including for allegedly using a large capacity magazine banned by state lawmakers in response to recent mass shootings. The court document outlining the new charges lists 19 new victims — including 11 law enforcement officers — that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, is accused of trying to kill during the attack. Some victims have more than one count of attempted first-degree murder associated with them, specifying two different theories for how Alissa allegedly tried to kill them, either intentionally or through “extreme indifference” to hum...
PoliticsThe WeekGOP Sen. John Kennedy grilled Stacey Abrams on Georgia voting law, and Democrats are glad he did
In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) as Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams if she could list the specific things she objects to in Georgia's restrictive new voting law. "It's a long list," the Senate Democrats' Twitter account said, helping the exchange go viral on Wednesday. Kennedy and Abrams are both very smart lawyers who graduated at the top of their class at elite universities, MSNBC's Brian Williams noted Wednesday night, setting up the clip.
WorldBBCWhat is the Paris climate agreement and why did the US rejoin?
The US has pledged to cut carbon emissions in half, compared with 2005 levels, by the end of this decade. The announcement comes after President Joe Biden reversed predecessor Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement. What is the Paris Agreement?
U.S.Business InsiderA US Air Force general is facing court-martial for the first time ever. He has been charged with sexual assault
A US Air Force general is being court-martialed for the first time in the history of the service. The charge is linked to allegations of sexual assault against a civilian during a 2018 off-duty incident. The Air Force said it is unclear at this time when the court-martial will take place.
WorldAssociated PressIndonesia looking for submarine that may be too deep to help
Indonesian navy ships searched Thursday for a submarine that likely sank too deep to retrieve, making survival chances for the 53 people on board slim. “Hopefully we can rescue them before the oxygen has run out” at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Indonesia's navy chief of staff, Adm. Yudo Margono, told reporters. The navy believes the submarine sank to a depth of 600-700 meters (2,000-2,300 feet), much deeper than its estimated collapse depth.
U.S.LA Times'His life, it mattered': George Floyd's brother speaks on Derek Chauvin verdict
When former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and then led away in handcuffs after the verdict, Philonise Floyd was reminded of his brother George Floyd's final moments. "I watched [Chauvin] put his hands behind his back, and I was like, 'He had it a lot easier than my brother,' because my brother's hands were pinned backwards," Philonise Floyd said Wednesday on "Good Morning America." Speaking with anchor Michael Strahan, the brother of George Floyd described his emotions upon hearing the jury's decision.
U.S.AxiosCoronavirus cases aren't budging — even after vaccinations doubled
Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios The U.S. is pumping out coronavirus vaccines by the millions, but the coronavirus isn't slowing down. The big picture: This spring has seen a surge in vaccinations but almost no change in the coronavirus' spread, leaving the U.S. with an outbreak that's still too big. Where it stands: In the last week of February, the U.S. was averaging 65,686 new coronavirus cases per day.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Cornyn, Abrams spar over race and Georgia’s voting law
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting rights, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, questioned Georgia activist Stacey Abrams about her state's controversial new election law.
- U.S.Associated Press
Passenger survives being hit in the head by flying turtle
It's not unusual for rocks and other debris to crash through a windshield and injure a driver or passenger — but a turtle? A 71-year-old woman riding with her daughter on Florida's Interstate 95 suffered a gashed forehead Wednesday when a turtle smashed through the windshield of their car, striking her, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The daughter pulled over and got help from another motorist.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderBlack ministers to Lexington leaders: We want answers by May 15 on no-knock warrants
A group of Lexington Black faith leaders, who have pushed for 10 months for the city to ban no-knock warrants, sent letters to Mayor Linda Gorton and the 15-member Lexington council this week demanding to know their stance on the issue by May 15. At a press conference last Thursday, the group called for action to be taken on banning no-knock warrants within 30 days. The group is also asking for all pending misdemeanor charges against racial justice protesters charged this summer to be dropped and more civilian oversight of police disciplinary matters.
U.S.Associated PressGrizzly victim knew risks of living with bears, friends say
Grizzly bears are part of life in the gateway communities bordering Yellowstone National Park, and backcountry snowmobile guide Charles “Carl” Mock knew well the risks that come with working, hiking and fishing among the fear-inspiring carnivores, his friends said. Bear spray residue found on Mock's clothing suggested he tried to ward off last week's attack using a canister of the Mace-like deterrent, considered an essential item in the backcountry. While some outsiders questioned the inherent perils of such a lifestyle in the wake of Mock's death, those who knew him said he accepted the risk as trade-off for time spent in a wilderness teeming with elk, deer, wolves and other wildlife.
PoliticsArchitectural DigestHouse Call: Embracing My Outdoor Persona
We're getting outdoorsy on Clever this week Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
HealthThe TelegraphMeg Mathews: ‘The menopause left me crippled with anxiety - here's what helped’
Since 2018, Meg Mathews has been one of the UK's foremost menopause campaigners, determined to use her profile to end the stigma surrounding it. When I started perimenopause at 48, I went through a whole host of feelings that were difficult to describe. After 10 minutes with a GP – and clarifying that I felt terrible but that I wasn't suicidal – he prescribed antidepressants.
SportsIdaho StatesmanBig rig boxes in alleged DUI driver, leading to fatal pileup on I-5 in California
An allegedly intoxicated driver on northbound Interstate 5 near Westley precipitated the events that led to a big rig pileup with one of the drivers killed Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. Around 1 a.m., a big rig driver spotted a red sedan swerving across both lanes of traffic south of Howard Road, said CHP Officer Tom Olsen. “The big rig driver actually boxed in the DUI driver ... (He) used his trailer in a manner to stop the DUI driver from proceeding.”
U.S.INSIDERDerek Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement at a maximum security prison with 280 other convicted murderers
Derek Chauvin is being held at the MCF-Oak Park Heights Administrative Control Unit. There are 280 convicted murderers at the facility, according to Department of Corrections data. Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, is being held at the maximum security Minnesota Correctional Facility at Oak Park Heights, where Insider previously reported he is living apart from the general population of the prison in the Administrative Control Unit.
U.S.Business InsiderThe lawyer who pointed his gun at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis is considering running for Senate
Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia displayed their guns as BLM protesters passed their house last year. McCloskey told Politico on Tuesday he's considering running for Senate in 2022. A grand jury indicted the couple on charges of exhibiting guns and evidence tampering last October.
TechnologyAssociated PressEU outlines ambitious AI regulations focused on risky uses
Risky uses of artificial intelligence that threaten people's safety or rights such as live facial scanning should be banned or tightly controlled, European Union officials said Wednesday as they outlined an ambitious package of proposed regulations to rein in the rapidly expanding technology. The draft regulations from the EU's executive commission include rules for applications deemed high risk such as AI systems to filter out school, job or loan applicants. The proposals are the 27-nation bloc's latest move to maintain its role as the world's standard-bearer for technology regulation, as it tries to keep up with the world's two big tech superpowers, the U.S. and China.
PoliticsThe IndependentGeorge W Bush says Capitol riot made him ‘sick’ and calls it ‘a terrible moment in our history’
Former president George W Bush said the Capitol riot "made me sick", but stopped short of blaming successor Donald Trump for the Republican Party's transformation to being "isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent nativist". In a pair of interviews to promote his new book, Mr Bush continued his rehabilitation from the president responsible for entering devastating and lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the close friend of the Obamas more known for paintings in “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants”. Mr Bush told CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell that he couldn't believe "what the hell" was going on as he watched rioters assault the US Capitol on 6 January.
U.S.Miami HeraldPretty Ricky singer in critical condition after being shot at South Florida bowling alley
A colorful sign that reads “Sparez” is close by. HL's caption says that the Miami rapper (real name Diamond Blue Smith) was shot at Sparez bowling alley in Davie, but gives scant information. People surround the man trying to help keep him comfortable while waiting for an ambulance.
- WorldWTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Man dead after being shot outside Brier Creek Barnes & Noble
The Wake County District Attorney's Office will not pursue charges at this time following a shooting outside of the Barnes and Noble at Brier Creek shopping center that killed a 32-year-old man back in March.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”