Russian diplomats depart Bulgaria amid soaring tensions

Two Russian airplanes departed Bulgaria on Sunday with scores of Russian diplomatic staff and their families amid a mass expulsion that has sent tensions soaring between the historically close nations, a Russian diplomat said. Filip Voskresenski, a high-ranking Russian diplomat, told journalists at the airport in Bulgaria's capital Sofia before the flights left that he was among the 70 Russian diplomatic staff declared “persona non grata” last week and ordered to leave the country by the end of Sunday. Bulgaria's expulsion decision was announced by acting Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Expert on White House chiefs of staff says Mark Meadows 'absolutely owns' the title of 'worst' chief in history after ex-aide's damning testimony

Chris Whipple says he stands by his view that Mark Meadows was the worst White House chief of staff. Whipple, who wrote about the post's history, says Meadows is worst than the infamous H.R. Haldeman. "The Watergate figures really look like choir boys compared to Trump, and Meadows, and their gang," Whipple said.

A passenger said his bag hadn't showed up 16 days after landing at Toronto airport — and he was asked to check it in just before boarding

An airline passenger said he'd been waiting 16 days for his bag to show up at a Toronto airport. Thousands of bags are awaiting reclaim at Toronto Pearson International Airport, per CP24. An airline passenger who was asked to check his luggage into the hold shortly before boarding his flight said it still hadn't arrived 16 days after he landed in Toronto.

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  Stuck bags add to tangles at Paris airports amid travel boom

  Associated Press
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  British Airways passengers wait days to be reunited with their bags amid Heathrow luggage mountain

  Business Insider

Ricky Martin faces restraining order in Puerto Rico

A judge has issued a restraining order against Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin, police said Saturday. The order was signed Friday, and authorities visited an upscale neighborhood in the north coastal town of Dorado where the singer lives to try to serve the order, police spokesman Axel Valencia told The Associated Press. “Up until now, police haven't been able to find him,” Valencia said.

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  Ricky Martin Hit With Restraining Order in Puerto Rico

  The Wrap
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  Ricky Martin faces domestic dispute restraining order, says claims are 'completely false'

  USA TODAY

The five most damaging allegations against Trump from the Jan. 6 hearings — so far

By the panel's account, Trump knew his claims of election fraud were bogus, recklessly encouraged the Jan 6. rioters and endangered his own vice president as members of a mob marching on the Capitol called for Mike Pence's hanging. Whether the panel will make a criminal referral of Trump to the Department of Justice has not been settled.

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  Cheney: Jan. 6 panel could make multiple criminal referrals of Trump

  Reuters
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  'Stay tuned' for new evidence against Trump in July hearings

  Associated Press

Sickening Footage Shows Akron Cops Kill Unarmed Black Man in Hail of Bullets

Police in Akron, Ohio, have released disturbing body-camera footage showing the moment cops shot an unarmed 25-year-old Black man dozens of times as he fled. “I won't mince words, the video you are about to watch is heartbreaking,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan warned at a press conference Sunday. The body-cam videos begin with officers pursuing Jayland Walker in their squad cars around 12:30 a.m. Monday after he refused to pull over for an alleged traffic violation.

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  Video shows Ohio officers killed unarmed Black man in hail of bullets

  Reuters
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  March after deadly police shooting of Black man in Ohio

  Reuters Videos

NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon

A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It's been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula by the company Rocket Lab in one of their small Electron rockets.

A rustic private island in Maine is on the market, but the owner will only sell to someone willing to stay overnight—despite perilous weather

Duck Ledges Island is owned by realtor Billy Milliken, who has conditions for the new owner. Milliken told Insider anyone interested in buying the private island needs to spend a night there alone. Ducks Ledges, a private island just a 10-minute boat ride from the coast of Maine, is on the market for $339,000.

German chancellor says many thought the world moved past countries trying to conquer their neighbors but that 'agreement is now canceled by Putin'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin dismantled many people's views of the modern world. Russia's war in Ukraine has changed the landscape in Europe, with Finland and Sweden joining NATO. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the idea that the world has moved beyond countries invading their neighbors has been dismantled by Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

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  Ukraine security guarantees will not be same as for NATO member - Scholz

  Reuters
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  Putin's invasion has shattered dreams of progress, German chancellor says

  Politico

Jan. 6 panel member ‘surprised’ by prosecutors’ reaction to Hutchinson testimony

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who sits on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, said she is “surprised” by federal prosecutors' reactions to testimony given before the panel this week by Cassidy Hutchinson, who previously served as an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. During an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked Lofgren to react to a story published last week in The New York Times that reported federal prosecutors working on the Justice Department's Jan. 6 investigation felt blindsided after watching Hutchinson's testimony and were as surprised by her remarks as those watching it.

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  Jan 6 panel: More people turn up with evidence against Trump

  Associated Press
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  Rep. Zoe Lofgren Says She Was 'Surprised' DOJ Did Not Subpoena Cassidy Hutchinson

  HuffPost

Lebanon PM chides unofficial moves in Israel row after Hezbollah sends drones

Lebanon's prime minister on Monday criticised as risky and unacceptable any unofficial dealings over its sea border row with Israel, after the powerful Hezbollah movement sent three drones towards an Israeli gas rig that were shot down. Hezbollah launched its operation on Saturday following long-standing but so far fruitless U.S.-mediated efforts to agree on a maritime border between the two countries near an area where Israel has made large natural gas discoveries. "Lebanon considers that any action outside the framework of the state's responsibility and the diplomatic context in which the negotiations are happening is unacceptable and exposes (Lebanon) to unnecessary risks," a statement by the office of Prime Minister designate Najib Mikati office said.

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  Hezbollah sends drones toward Israeli gas rig in disputed waters

  Reuters
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  Israel shoots down Hezbollah drones over Mediterranean

  Associated Press

Kristi Noem Gets Grilled on Whether South Dakota Would Force 10-Year-Old to Have Baby

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem ducked and dodged Sunday morning when asked if South Dakota would force a raped 10-year-old to give birth—eventually suggesting that “tragic situation” shouldn't change her state's restrictive abortion laws. “The law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother,” Noem told anchor Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union. Bash had pressed Noem about the case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was denied an abortion because she was three days past the state's six-week abortion ban.

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  Gov. Kristi Noem says 'every life is precious' when asked if a pregnant 10-year-old girl should be forced to have a baby under abortion laws

  INSIDER
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  ‘A tragic situation’: Governor discusses pregnant 10-year-old with CNN host

  Politico

Watergate prosecutor says slapping Trump with a charge for rebellion or insurrection could prevent him from ever holding office again

Jill Wine-Banks said the "best" crime to charge Trump with could be rebellion or insurrection. Wine-Banks said the penalty for such an offense would bar Trump from ever holding office again. Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said charging former President Donald Trump with rebellion or insurrection would prevent him from holding political office again.

Virginia law stops early inmate releases, angering families

Christopher Ford was a baby when his father was sentenced to 28 years in prison for participating in a murder-for-hire scheme that led to the killings of two people at a car dealership. After serving 25 years, prison officials told Robert Glenn Ford he would be released in July under a 2020 Virginia law that allowed inmates to shave more time off their sentences for good behavior, his son said. But just before he was expecting to go home, Virginia lawmakers approved a budget amendment from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that excluded Ford and thousands of other inmates with violent offenses from receiving the expanded earned sentence credits, meaning they would have to serve more time.

Jeff Bezos says Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices is either 'straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics'

Jeff Bezos has questioned Joe Biden's demand for lower gas prices. A Chinese official praised Biden for realizing that "capitalism is all about exploitation." Jeff Bezos has blasted Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices as either "straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics" in a tweet.

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  Bezos slams Biden appeal for lower gasoline prices

  AFP
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  Bezos slams Biden’s call to cut gas prices: ‘Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this’

  Fortune

‘How quickly the tables have turned’: Falling mortgage rates have homebuyers so emboldened they’re asking sellers for cash

After a string of steady increases, mortgage rates fell this week — a mixed blessing for the fragile U.S. economy. The lower rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is a relief for home shoppers who have been watching rates climb, but it's also a sign that a recession could very well be around the corner as the market slows. Rates tend to mirror 10-year Treasury yields, which have fallen as investors seek safer, more stable assets in the face of higher inflation and slower economic growth.

China rejects NASA accusation it will take over the moon

China on Monday rejected as an irresponsible smear a warning from the chief of NASA that China might "take over" the moon as part of a military programme, saying it has always called for the building of a community of nations in outer space. China has stepped up the pace of its space programme in the past decade, with exploration of the moon a focus. China made its first lunar uncrewed landing in 2013 and expects to launch rockets powerful enough to send astronauts to the moon towards the end of this decade.

Single-sex lavatories to be mandatory in all new public buildings

New office buildings, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues must have separate male and female lavatories, ministers will declare this week, in a move to rein in the “forced sharing” of gender-neutral facilities. The Telegraph understands that the Government will formally announce that it is acting to prevent non-residential buildings from being built solely with “universal” lavatories. The plans, being spearheaded by Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, were quietly approved by ministers last month after Mrs Badenoch was warned that some children were avoiding using lavatories at school because they only had access to gender-neutral facilities.

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  Single-sex toilets ‘to be compulsory in new public buildings’ under new rules

  The Independent
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  Big changes are being made to the rules around single-sex toilets

  Cosmo

Lukashenko says Belarus intercepted attempted missile strikes by Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday Ukraine had tried to strike military facilities on Belarusian territory three days ago, but all its missiles had been intercepted, the state-run Belta news agency reported. Lukashenko, who did not provide evidence for the claim, said Belarus did not want war with Ukraine, but would fight if its own territory was invaded. Lukashenko said there were no troops from Belarus fighting in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

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  Belarus leader stands with Russia in campaign

  Reuters
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  Lukashenko accuses Ukraine of trying to strike at military facilities in Belarus

  The New Voice of Ukraine

Nearly 850,000 people signed a petition demanding that Justice Clarence Thomas should be booted from the Supreme Court following Roe v. Wade ruling

Thousands of people have signed a petition to impeach Justice Clarence Thomas. About 841,016 people have signed the Move On petition as of Saturday. The calls to remove Thomas were heightened after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade.

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  Roe v. Wade and tech: 'The problem' is that too many companies are collecting data

  Yahoo Finance
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  Supreme Court in Texas blocks order that allowed clinics to resume abortion

  Yahoo News Video

A huge mass of used wet wipes has formed an 'island' that has changed the course of England's second longest river, MP says

A huge mass of wet wipes has formed in the Thames in London, changing the course of the river. The "wet wipe island" is the size of two tennis courts. Ministers are urging the public to not flush wet wipes, and are considering a ban on those that contain plastic.

U.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices' homes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying protests and “threatening activity” have increased. Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley made the request in a July 1 letter to Hogan, noting that Maryland law prohibits people from intentionally assembling “in a manner that disrupts a person's right to tranquility in the person's home.” “I am writing to request that the Maryland State Police, in conjunction with local authorities as appropriate, enforce laws prohibiting picketing outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who live in Maryland,” Curley told Hogan, according to a copy of the letter posted on the Fox News website.

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  High court marshal seeks enforcement of anti-picketing laws

  Associated Press
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  Supreme Court asks Maryland, Virginia officials to stop people picketing at justices’ houses

  NBC News