PoliticsYahoo NewsU.S. government formally blames Russian spies for SolarWinds breach
The White House Thursday morning accused the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, of orchestrating the recent massive breach that affected private sector networks and U.S. government agencies through the popular IT monitoring software made by SolarWinds. The statement linking the SVR's hacking group, also known as “Cozy Bear,” to the “broad-scope cyber espionage campaign” is the most concrete connection the Biden administration has made between the hack and Russia. “The SVR's compromise of the SolarWinds software supply chain gave it the ability to spy on or potentially disrupt more than 16,000 computer systems worldwide,” according to the White House statement, which also included a number of measures directed against the Russian government for a range of malign activities in addition to the SolarWinds breach.
WorldThe TelegraphSpain acquits man of sexually abusing 14-year-old stepdaughter who gave birth to his child
A Spanish court has provoked outrage by acquitting a man of sexually abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter despite the fact she gave birth to his child. The Pamplona court accepted the defendant's claim that the teenager had sat astride him while he was asleep on the sofa and engaged in penetrative sex. The girl's mother reported the father for alleged sexual abuse of her daughter, who initially said she had been raped in the street before changing her story to corroborate her stepfather's claim that he had not been conscious when they had sex.
WorldAssociated PressBeijing warns US, Japan against collusion vs China
China said Friday it has expressed “serious concerns” to the United States and Japan over what it calls negative moves and collusion between the two countries against China. The statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian came just before President Joe Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the White House on Friday in his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader. That meeting is seen as reflecting Biden's emphasis on strengthening alliances to deal with a more assertive China and other global challenges.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.NextSharkBronx Man Arrested For Hate Crime Against Asian Woman
A Bronx man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a 25-year-old Asian woman in Manhattan. Daniel Negroni, 31, is accused of targeting the unnamed victim in Sutton Place around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to WLNY. The woman reported that Negroni approached her and made anti-Asian comments as she was out on First Avenue and 57th Street on the East Side.
WorldAssociated PressNew blast at St. Vincent volcano; cruise ship helps evacuees
La Soufriere volcano shot out another explosive burst of gas and ash on Friday as a cruise ship arrived to evacuate some of the foreigners who had been stuck on a St. Vincent island coated in ash from a week of violent eruptions. Friday morning's blast “wasn't a big explosion compared to the ones that we last weekend, but it was big enough to punch a hole through the clouds," said Richard Robertson, lead scientist at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center, in an interview with local NBC radio. During a comparable eruption cycle in 1902, explosive eruptions continued to shake the island for months after an initial burst killed some 1,700 people, though the new eruptions so far have caused no reported deaths among a population that had received official warning a day earlier that danger was imminent.
PoliticsThe Guardian‘Alarm is growing’: Michigan governor faces shutdown dilemma as Covid cases rise
The coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions that Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, enacted in March last year were among the nation's toughest, and the governor's leadership is thought to have saved lives. Now, as Michigan faces another surge of cases and hospitalizations, its worst yet, Whitmer has changed tack. Despite past success and growing calls for another lockdown from public health experts, and doctors managing hospitals with Covid patients, the governor is resisting further restrictions, and is instead largely relying on a vaccination rollout and a voluntary suspension of in-person dining services.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Daunte Wright's mother calls for accountability
On Thursday, Katie Wright, the mother of Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old Black man shot and killed by police in Brooklyn Center, Minn. expressed her grief and called for accountability for her son's death.
WorldBBCJimmy Lai: Hong Kong's rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice
The billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Mr Lai was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. Like a number of the city's famed tycoons, he went from a menial role, toiling in a Hong Kong sweatshop, to founding a multi-million dollar empire.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderUS set to sanction a dozen Russian individuals, 24 entities for influencing the 2020 election, SolarWinds hack
The Biden administration is set to sanction Russian intelligence officials over attempts to influence the 2020 election. Russian officials and entities could also be sanctioned for misconduct, including the SolarWinds hack. The sanctions may be announced this week, just days after Biden and Putin last spoke on Tuesday.
HealthLexington Herald-LeaderLexington health department cancels Friday COVID-19 vaccination clinic
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has canceled its Friday vaccination clinic to administer doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, following the statewide halt on use of the single-dose vaccine. The vaccination clinic scheduled for Friday, April 16 at Consolidated Baptist Church “has been canceled following the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and [U.S. Food and Drug Administration's] review of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” the health department said Thursday morning. The health department began using the single-dose vaccine in its weekly clinics last week, before which it had administered the two-dose Moderna vaccine.
WorldBBCWashington seeks to expose Russian intelligence activity
In a flurry of statements, the US published a vast trove of information about Russian intelligence activities, including naming front organisations and individuals who have worked with Moscow in recent years. The aim of the measures was to send a signal and to impose costs, making it harder for Russia to operate and deter future activity. One Russian tech company which supports the Federal Security Service (FSB) but also does work for foreign governments and international companies was accused of hosting "large-scale conventions that are used as recruiting events" for two Russian intelligence services.
BusinessBusiness InsiderRepublicans say less than 6% of Biden's plan is traditional infrastructure. BofA says it's more like half.
Bank of America says about half of Biden's infrastructure plan is traditional, or physical, infrastructure. This contrasts with the GOP argument that less than 6% of Biden's plan goes to roads and bridges. The bank added that nontraditional infrastructure will take longer to prompt economic growth.
U.S.INSIDERLawyer for the police officer who shot Adam Toledo complained that people hadn't asked how his client was doing
Eric Stillman fatally shot the 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago on March 29. A lawyer for the police officer who fatally shot the 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago has complained that few people have asked how his client is doing. The lawyer for Eric Stillman said in a statement quoted by The Daily Beast: "What is amazing and disheartening is that very few have asked about the welfare of the officer."
CelebrityThe TelegraphMike Tindall pays tribute to Prince Philip with photograph of Duke with great-granddaughter Mia
Mike Tindall has paid tribute to his grandfather-in-law, the Duke of Edinburgh, calling him a "devoted family man who we will forever miss but always love." The former England centre who married the Queen and Prince Philip's granddaughter, Zara Phillips paid a personal tribute on Instagram, sharing a photo of his eldest daughter Mia enjoying a picnic at a log cabin with the Duke. "It's been a very sad week but it has given us time to reflect on great memories and stories both personal and shared," Mr Tindall said.
WorldThe IndependentSolarWinds: Russian intelligence behind major cyber attack, Raab reveals as US expels diplomats
Russian intelligence was behind a major cyber attack that effected more than 100 major US firms as well as branches of the US government, the UK foreign office has revealed. In a statement the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said British Intelligence had assessed that it was “highly likely” Moscow was behind the SolarWinds hack, which saw hackers infiltrate government agencies and corporate secrets of the likes of Microsoft in early 2020. The Russian ambassador was summoned to the FCDO to be told the UK will continue to work with allies to “call out and counter malign operations” undertaken by Russian intelligence.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMitt Romney, Liz Cheney, and other GOP lawmakers who criticized Trump or voted to impeach him have spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security
Lawmakers who criticized Trump or voted to impeach him spent thousands to improve personal security after the Capitol attack. Republicans including Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney beefed up their security, per Punchbowl News. Prominent lawmakers spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security guards and other protection following the Capitol riots, a Punchbowl News analysis of campaign finance records shows.
U.S.INSIDERDerek Chauvin invokes his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in his murder trial
Derek Chauvin's defense rested its case Thursday after the ex-cop declined to testify. The defense theory is that George Floyd's heart condition and drug use caused his death. Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify before the defense rested its case on Thursday.
U.S.PoliticoMesh mask lands Capitol riot defendant in hot water with judge
A federal judge is demanding that a Pennsylvania woman arrested for her alleged role in the Capitol riot, Rachel Powell, explain why a video of her circulating online shows her wearing a porous, mesh mask despite another judge's order to comply with Covid mask requirements while she awaits trial. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said Powell's decision to wear the obviously noncompliant mask “mocks” the initial requirement decreed by the court's chief judge, Beryl Howell, soon after Powell's release in February. Defendant must wear a mask whenever she leaves her residence,” Howell ruled at the time.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestShop Troye Sivan’s Eclectic Home Style
Take a page out of the stylish young star's book, from must-have splurges to affordable accessories Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe IndependentAOC ignores Marjorie Taylor Greene’s incessant Twitter pleas for a public ‘head to head’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ignored Marjorie Taylor Greene's public challenge to debate the green new deal after the Republican lawmaker sent a series of tweets. Ms Greene, known for her controversial views against the climate crisis, challenged Ms Ocasio-Cortez after her comment on President Joe Biden's recent $2 trillion climate-focused infrastructure package, calling it “disappointing” and not enough. Ms Greene on Wednesday wrote in a series of tweets tagging AOC: "I'd like to challenge you to a debate on the Green New Deal economic policy.
PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats to unveil bill adding four new justices to the Supreme Court
House and Senate Democrats are planning to introduce a legislation on Thursday that seeks to expand the number of Supreme Court justices from nine to 13. The bill, bound to draw fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers, is led by senator Ed Markey and representatives Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones who will introduce it in both the chambers. The legislation comes days after president Joe Biden announced the formation of a bipartisan commission to study potential Supreme Court reforms including the expansion and limiting terms of the justices.
HealthBusiness Insider4 virus variants are spreading in the US, and studies suggest they can make people sicker, evade the immune response, or spread faster. Here's why experts are concerned.
There are four coronavirus variants that experts in the US are worried about. Several coronavirus variants have evolved mutations that mean they spread more easily, make people sicker, escape immune responses, evade tests, or render treatments ineffective. It has been identified in 111 countries worldwide, including the US, where there are more than 20,000 reported cases, according to the CDC. Michigan has the highest proportion of B.1.1.7 cases of any state, at over 57%.
U.S.The IndependentAdam Toledo shooting – latest: Further protests expected today as AOC says prosecutor lied about about killing
Chicago is bracing for further protests on Friday after officials released a graphic body-camera video showing police officer Eric Stillman shooting and killing a 13-year-old boy as he appeared to be raising his hands. The nine-minute video from Mr Stillman's body camera showed the 34-year-old officer running after Adam Toledo in an alley at 2.30am on 29 March in Little Village, a Mexican neighbourhood on the city's West Side. The officer yells “Stop” to Toledo, who begins raising his hands less than a second before the officer fires his gun and kills him.
LifestyleINSIDERA professional cleaner reveals the dirtiest thing in your bathroom isn't the toilet - it's the bath mat
The dirtiest thing in the bathroom is the bath mat, pro cleaner Bailey Carson told Insider. Dirty shower water and flushing toilets can make mold, mildew, and bacteria grow over time. Most people think the most disgusting thing in their bathroom is the toilet, Bailey Carson told Insider.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”