U.S.Associated PressJan. 6 rioters are raking in thousands in donations. Now the US is coming after their haul
An Associated Press review of court records shows that prosecutors in the more than 1,000 criminal cases from Jan. 6, 2021, are increasingly asking judges to impose fines on top of prison sentences to offset donations from supporters of the Capitol rioters. Dozens of defendants have set up online fundraising appeals for help with legal fees, and prosecutors acknowledge there's nothing wrong with asking for help for attorney expenses. But the Justice Department has, in some cases, questioned where the money is really going because many of those charged have had government-funded legal representation.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThis frequent flyer who's been 'skiplagging' for a decade says she has 'no remorse and no angst'
A "skiplagging" passenger said she has "no remorse" because of what airlines charge for flights. A frequent flyer who's been "skiplagging" for more than a decade said she doesn't feel guilty because airlines have a "chokehold on prices." Skiplagging — or "hidden-city" ticketing — is a practice where travelers book flights with a layover in a city they want to visit and then don't take their second flight to the supposed final destination.
U.S.INSIDERA family thought they were adopting a 6-year-old girl. Now they claim she's an adult con artist.
Natalia Grace Barnett, a little person with a rare bone-growth disorder, was adopted from Ukraine by a family who thought she was 6 years old. Michael and Kristine Barnett of Indianapolis said Natalia wanted to harm them and their biological children. The convoluted tale is chronicled in the new docuseries "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" on Investigation Discovery.
BusinessYahoo FinanceLost home equity: San Francisco homes are selling for $220,000 less than a year ago
In San Francisco, the median sales price was $220,000 lower than at the same time last year — the largest decline by dollar amount — wiping out 13.4% in equity. Prices in Oakland, California, saw the biggest drop percentage-wise, falling 16.1% or $174,500 less year over year, according to data published by Redfin. The other notable declines occurred in Austin, Texas, where median prices fell 15.3% or $85,000; Boise, Idaho, where prices lost 15.1% in value or $80,000; and Salt Lake City, where the median decreased 10.9% or $60,000.
U.S.Sacramento BeeA ‘1 in 10 million’ bison is born at Wyoming state park. See photo of the rare calf
A rare white bison calf has been born at a Wyoming state park, officials reported. A 2-year-old white bison gave birth to the calf at Bear River State Park near Evanston, park officials said May 16 on Facebook. The National Bison Association told KUTV the birth of a white bison is normally a “1 in 10 million” occurrence.
PoliticsGOBankingRatesGrant Cardone Asks How Politicians That Make $100k Suddenly Become Multimillionaires — Here’s the Harsh Reality
Grant Cardone knows all about being rich — and poor. When Cardone graduated from college in 1981, he was $40,000 in debt. Given his experience on both sides of the wealth spectrum, Cardone probably has a natural curiosity about why some people become rich and others don't.
PoliticsReutersPoor GenXers without dependents targeted by US debt ceiling work requirements
The debt ceiling deal that U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Kevin McCarthy agreed over the weekend adds new conditions to food aid that will impact one segment of the U.S. population specifically - GenXers with no dependents. The deal targets recipients of the Supplementary Nutrition Program, or SNAP, between the ages of 50 and 54, adding new requirements that they work 20 hours a week to receive the aid. Previously, work requirements to receive SNAP ended at age 50.
BusinessFortuneThe highest-paying degree in America is in a field with only 100,000 jobs that pay six-figures
In an uncertain job market, it's not unusual for workers—current and prospective—to turn to the sure thing. And while there's no guarantees in life, a new report reveals the 10 majors that tend to lead to the highest-paying jobs for new graduates in their first four years after school. Knowing what leads to relatively higher earnings can provide something of a guiding light for Gen Z college students nervous about entering a turbulent economy rife with layoffs and, according to some experts, on the precipice of disruption.
WorldFox NewsNorth Korea infant jailed for life after parents found with Bible according to recent report
A two-year-old along with his entire family were sentenced to political life imprisonment after North Korean officials found a Bible in their possession, the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2022 found, documenting the regime's crackdown on people having religious beliefs. The report provided estimated figures on religious persecution, stating that approximately 70,000 Christians, as well as individuals from other faiths, are imprisoned in North Korea.
U.S.Associated PressHistoric acquittal in Louisiana fuels fight to review 'Jim Crow' verdicts
Evangelisto Ramos walked out of a New Orleans courthouse and away from a life sentence accompanying a 10-2 jury conviction, thanks in large part to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision bearing his name. Ramos v. Louisiana outlawed nonunanimous jury convictions as unconstitutional, with justices on the 6-3 majority acknowledging the practice as a vestige of racism from the era of “Jim Crow” laws enforcing racial segregation. The 2020 ruling meant a new trial for Ramos, who was acquitted in March — this time by a unanimous jury — after defense lawyers highlighted weakness in the investigation leading to his prosecution.
PoliticsINSIDERNew Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu says any Republican in the presidential race who isn't 'hitting Donald Trump hard right now' is 'doing the entire party a disservice'
NH Gov. Sununu said declared GOP WH candidates should be going after Trump, per The New York Times. "Any Republican that isn't hitting Donald Trump hard right now is doing the entire party a disservice," he said. Sununu, now in his fourth term as governor, is considering jumping into the presidential race.
WorldThe New Voice of UkrainePutin Poisoning? Belarus dictator Luakashenko in critical condition in Moscow hospital, says opposition figure
Following a closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko was swiftly transported to a Moscow hospital in critical condition. A bandage on his hand was also noticed, and upon his return from Moscow, he unexpectedly abstained from delivering his customary speech at Victory Square in Minsk.
U.S.Associated Press VideosDavenport, Iowa apartment building partially collapses
Rescue operations were underway Sunday evening after part of an apartment building collapsed in Davenport, Iowa. Authorities did not immediately say whether anyone was killed. (May 29)
U.S.CNNNew video shows South Carolina newlyweds driving before an alleged drunk driver crashed into them, police say
New surveillance video shows newlyweds Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller driving down a road in Folly Beach, South Carolina, moments before an intoxicated driver crashed into them, killing the bride, law enforcement officials tell CNN. The video obtained by CNN shows the newlyweds driving down the road in a golf cart and the alleged drunken driver, Jamie Lee Komoroski, speeding down the same road about two minutes after, Folly Beach Police Chief Andrew Gilreath told CNN. According to Gilreath, the video was taken after the couple left their wedding reception on April 28, and was recorded a few blocks away from where the accident happened.
BusinessGOBankingRates4 Social Security Shakeups from Biden That Could Hit Your Wallet by 2024
As the Social Security Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust (OASI) faces depletion by 2033, President Joe Biden has suggested what MSN calls a “sweeping four-point plan” to bolster funds in the trust and help fill the $22.4 trillion funding shortage shown in the 2023 Trustees Report. While some of Biden's proposed changes will affect mostly high earners and company executives — those who have retirement savings plans exponentially higher than the average American — some will affect middle- and lower-income wage earners, especially those who may rely on social security benefits in the future. Currently, any earned income below $160,200 is subject to a 12.4% payroll tax.
WorldReutersDismissing Russian criticism, U.S. Senator Graham praises Ukrainian resistance
Graham, shown in a video clip of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday, acknowledged his host's praise for military assistance valued at $38 billion since the outset of the conflict in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Graham, suggesting his comment on U.S. financial assistance was linked to a later remark that Russians "are dying" in the conflict. But the release by the Ukrainian president's office of Graham's complete remarks showed there was no such link.
U.S.Business InsiderChildren screamed and cried and passengers heard a loud bang after a man opened the emergency exit door during an Asiana Airlines flight
A man was arrested this week for opening an emergency exit door during a flight in South Korea. Passengers also heard a loud bang, caused from the difference in air pressures. Children screamed and cried, and passengers heard a loud bang, after a man opened the emergency exit door during a flight on Friday, according to local reports.
WorldINSIDERThe Saudi crown prince revealed his latest vision for Neom, the $1 trillion 'utopian' megacity that critics fear will become a dystopian nightmare
Saudi Arabia in May sentenced three men to death from the Howeitat tribe, which traditionally lives on lands earmarked for Neom's development. The cause was that they refused to be evicted from the site, the UN said. "Despite being charged with terrorism, they were reportedly arrested for resisting forced evictions in the name of the Neom project and the construction of a 170km linear city called The Line," the UN experts said.
BusinessAutoblogNew Toyota Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon fight for midsize truck dominance
Sam Wedll has been driving his Toyota Tacoma pickup on the rugged roads of Northern California for seven trouble-free years, racking up almost 100,000 miles, so he's interested in the redesigned version of the truck coming later this year. The Tacoma, known as the Taco to its legions of loyalists, is the leader of the pack in midsize pickups, one of the fastest-growing auto markets of the past decade. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., which abandoned the market segment when sales slowed early this century, returned with new trucks to take on the Tacoma, which has dominated the medium truck market for almost two decades.
WorldTimeChina Might Have 65 Million COVID Cases a Week by June. How Worried Should the World Be?
Last week when a Chinese senior health adviser projected 65 million COVID-19 cases per week in China by June, some health experts sounded the alarm. China has been facing a new COVID-19 wave fueled by the XBB variant since April. Data from Zhong Nanshan—a respiratory disease doctor who was among the first to confirm COVID-19's easy transmissibility—provided a rare insight into how the disease could possibly be spreading in China almost six months after Beijing abruptly ended its draconian zero-COVID strategy.
WorldCNNInfluencer dies after live-streaming himself drinking bottles of Chinese spirit Baijiu
A social media influencer died soon after live-streaming himself drinking several bottles of strong alcohol on China's version of TikTok, state-run media in the country are reporting, in a development likely to renew debate about how to regulate the industry. The influencer “Sanqiange” (or “Brother Three Thousand”) was found dead just hours after broadcasting himself taking part in a competition with a fellow influencer which involved drinking Baijiu, a Chinese spirit with a typical alcohol content of between 30% to 60%, Shangyou News reported. One of his friends told the outlet that Sanqiange – identified by his real-life surname of Wang – had taken part in an online challenge known as “PK” against another influencer in the early hours of May 16 and live-streamed the results on his Douyin channel.
WorldReutersHaiti's deadly vigilante movement sees decline in gang violence - report
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Violence by armed gangs has fallen "drastically" since the emergence of a vigilante justice movement that has seen at least 160 suspected criminals killed in the last month, a report by local human rights research group CARDH said on Sunday. The situation in the Caribbean country remains extremely volatile as heavily armed gangs continue to drive a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands amid frequent kidnappings for ransom, gang rapes, tortures and murders. The vigilante movement, known as "Bwa Kale", began after residents of the capital Port-au-Prince lynched and set fire to over a dozen suspected gang members in the early morning of April 24.
WorldThe Daily BeastHead of RT Calls for Lindsey Graham’s Assassination After Edited Video
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham's recent comments during his Friday meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the war-torn country caused outrage and fury in Moscow, with the head of RT Margarita Simonyan calling for his assassination. In a video clip of the meeting, Graham's comments were spliced in a way that made it seem that the Senator stated that the fact that Russians “are dying” in the invasion is “the best money we've ever spent. In fact, Graham said that the U.S. aid to Ukraine—and not specifically the deaths of the Russians—was a valuable investment in global security for the United States.
U.S.INSIDERA TikToker says she confronted a man on a plane after she saw him call her a 'big Black woman' and complain about having to sit next to her in texts to friends
A TikToker said she confronted a man who was sending racist text messages about her on a fight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta. In the video, Taila Rouse tells the man she is "disgusted" by his messages. Rouse said the man was sending text messages that said airlines should raise their prices to "weed out" Black and gay people.
WorldReutersU.S. 'won't tolerate' China's ban on Micron chips-Raimondo
The United States "won't tolerate" China's effective ban on purchases of Micron Technology memory chips and is working closely with allies to address such "economic coercion," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Saturday. Raimondo told a news conference after a meeting of trade ministers in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework talks that the U.S. "firmly opposes" China's actions against Micron. These "target a single U.S. company without any basis in fact, and we see it as plain and simple economic coercion and we won't tolerate it, nor do we think it will be successful."
