PoliticsAssociated PressBiden to pull US troops from Afghanistan, end 'forever war'
President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will withdraw remaining U.S. troops from the "forever war” in Afghanistan, declaring that the Sept. 11 terror attacks of 20 years ago cannot justify American forces still dying in the nation's longest war. The U.S. cannot continue to pour resources into an intractable war and expect different results, Biden said.
U.S.The StatePopular NC teacher killed trying to rob Mexican drug cartel member, sheriff says
A popular Union County teacher described by family and friends as a devoted dad, teacher and coach was fatally wounded in a shootout when he and his brother-in-law tried to rob members of a Mexican drug cartel, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said Wednesday. Barney Dale Harris, 40, taught Spanish and was head coach of the boys' varsity basketball and track teams at Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, according to his family and the school. He was found dead last Thursday in the bedroom of an Alamance County mobile home that Johnson called a drug “stash house” for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the sheriff said.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverMysterious goat appears in Death Valley National Park. That’s bad news, rangers say
A tourist at Death Valley spotted something within the park that shouldn't be there: a mysterious goat. The visitor reported seeing a domestic goat in a canyon near Stovepipe Wells within the park. The goat could be bad for native bighorn sheep and the park's ecosystem, rangers said Wednesday on Facebook.
WorldAssociated PressNATO to match US troop pullout from Afghanistan
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance has agreed to withdraw its roughly 7,000 non-American forces from Afghanistan to match U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to pull all American troops from the country starting on May 1. Stoltenberg said the full withdrawal would be completed “within a few months” but did not mention the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks set as a goal by Biden. There are between 7,000 and 7,500 non-U.S. NATO troops currently in Afghanistan.
PoliticsAssociated PressNo. 2 House Republican says GOP would act against Gaetz
The No. 2 House Republican leader said Wednesday that party leaders would “take action" against Rep. Matt Gaetz if the Justice Department formally moves against the Florida lawmaker, who is under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking. The remarks by Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana made him the latest congressional Republicans to opt against springing to the defense of the three-term lawmaker from Florida's panhandle. Federal investigators are probing Gaetz over allegations that include sex with a minor, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss details publicly.
HealthThe TelegraphCancer patient saw disease all but vanish after catching Covid
Covid may have caused a cancer patient's tumours to vanish, according to doctors, who said it could have sparked an "anti-tumour immune response" in the man. The 61-year-old patient at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro had a check-up last summer after being diagnosed with Hogkin's Lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that affects 2,100 people in the UK each year. The disease, which occurs when white blood cells get out of control and spread to the lymph nodes, is typically treated with chemotherapy and around 90 per cent of patients are still alive five years afterwards.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMissouri GOP state lawmaker Rick Roeber resigns amid allegations he abused his children
A Kansas City-area lawmaker accused of sexually and physically abusing his children when they were younger submitted his resignation Tuesday as an investigation into his behavior neared completion. Rep. Rick Roeber, R-Lee's Summit, did not mention the allegations against him or an ongoing probe by the House ethics committee in a letter to the state House clerk. Roeber, who was elected to a two-year term in November, said he only ever wanted to serve a single year to pass a bill naming a highway after his late wife, Rep. Rebecca Roeber, who died in 2019, and help pass school choice bills.
WorldAssociated PressHong Kong's delayed legislative elections set for December
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the semiautonomous Chinese territory's legislative elections will take place in December, more than a year after they were postponed by authorities citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic. Lam also said that laws will be amended so that inciting voters not to vote or to cast blank or invalid votes will be made illegal, although voters themselves are free to boycott voting or cast votes as they wish. Lam was speaking a day ahead of the first reading of draft amendments to various laws in the city's legislature, to accommodate Beijing's planned changes to the city's electoral system.
U.S.INSIDERCharges against Daunte Wright before his death have sparked anger and disinformation - here are the documents that explain what happened
Daunte Wright was killed on Sunday while he had an outstanding arrest warrant, the police said. Insider reviewed legal documents that shed light on what happened. Daunte Wright's killing by a police officer not far from Minneapolis sparked renewed debates about racism and policing in the US.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell condemns Biden's 'clumsy' plans to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by 9/11 as a 'grave mistake'
GOP senators had mixed reactions to reports on Biden's Tuesday announcement on Afghanistan. Biden is planning a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. McConnell called the move a "grave mistake," but Cruz said he's "glad the troops are coming home."
U.S.The WeekFauci shoots down Tucker Carlson's 'crazy' COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory as 'not helpful'
Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing back against the "crazy" COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory Fox News host Tucker Carlson floated on his highly-rated show. In a Tuesday night segment, Carlson questioned why those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are still advised to wear masks and avoid large gatherings, proceeding to baselessly suggest of the vaccines, "Maybe it doesn't work and they're simply not telling you that." Asked to comment on these remarks on CNN on Wednesday, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, dismissed them as "crazy."
WorldAssociated PressTrump-era spike in Israeli settlement growth has only begun
An aggressive Israeli settlement spree during the Trump era pushed deeper than ever into the occupied West Bank — territory the Palestinians seek for a state — with over 9,000 homes built and thousands more in the pipeline, an AP investigation showed. If left unchallenged by the Biden administration, the construction boom could make fading hopes for an internationally backed two-state solution — Palestine alongside Israel — even more elusive. Satellite images and data obtained by The Associated Press document for the first time the full impact of the policies of then-President Donald Trump, who abandoned decades-long U.S. opposition to the settlements and proposed a Mideast plan that would have allowed Israel to keep them all — even those deep inside the West Bank.
WorldLA TimesMcManus: The pandemic won't end anywhere until it's under control everywhere
That's understandable from a business standpoint — but if Big Pharma doesn't do more to end the shortage, people around the world will blame the United States and other wealthy nations, not just Pfizer and Moderna. And that takes us to the other, less obvious effects of a long-term pandemic — and there are many, as two recent reports from the U.S. intelligence community spelled out. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come,” the National Intelligence Council's long-range “Global Trends” report warned.
U.S.The IndependentTwo North Carolina police officers suspended over beating Black man in clash caught by bystander video
Two North Carolina police officers have been suspended after repeatedly punching a Black man lying on the ground in a clash that was caught on camera by a filming bystander. At around 6pm on Monday, Kinston Police officers McKinley Jones and Kevin Page responded to a 911 call from a woman who said David Lee Bruton Jr, 36, had threatened to “slap” her, according to the Jones Free Press. In a press conference on Tuesday, police said that Mr Bruton then attempted to run away from the officers, but tripped and fell to the ground, with the officers quickly moving to detain him while he was on the floor.
WorldBBCIndia coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?
With India attempting to ramp up vaccinations as Covid infections rise, the authorities have said they will fast track emergency approval for foreign-made vaccines. The Russian-developed Sputnik V has been given approval, as India's main domestic vaccine maker struggles to meet demand at home and globally. Can India meet its domestic needs?
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Israel made 'very bad gamble' on Natanz: Iran FM
Speaking during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart, Iran's top diplomat said the incident enabled Iran to use all of its options at Natanz legally and legitimately. "Israel played a very bad gamble if it thought that the attack will weaken Iran's hand in the nuclear talks," Zarif said. Tehran has said an explosion on Sunday (April 11) at its key nuclear site was an act of sabotage by arch-foe Israel and vowed revenge for an attack that appeared to be latest episode in a long-running covert war.
CelebrityReutersBritain's Princess Anne seen in public for first time since death of Philip
Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, was on Wednesday seen in public for the first time since the death of her father last week. Philip died at Windsor Castle on Friday, aged 99. "My father has been my teacher, my supporter and my critic, but mostly it is his example of a life well lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate," Anne, the Princess Royal, said in a statement on Sunday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden is on course to allow fewer refugees into the US than Trump, according to a report
President Joe Biden is on track to admit the lowest number of refugees of any president - a historic low. The International Rescue Committee said the number was due to Trump-era policies. President Biden is on track to admit the lowest number of refugees of any president, according to new researchh, which said that the White House had yet to reverse refugee policies introduced during President Trump's time in office.
U.S.LA Times'White Lives Matter' rallies fizzled. Hate groups still see chance to 'fire up the base'
When white nationalists failed to turn out in threatening numbers Sunday at a Huntington Beach rally, many counterprotesters viewed it as a victory. "We've won the day," Los Angeles activist Najee Ali said several hours into the protest. Infighting, disorganization and other factors could have prevented neo-Nazis and other extremists from showing up in the kind of force seen during the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFlorida, Michigan, and Texas are the next frontiers in the nationwide battle over voting access
Republican lawmakers in Florida, Michigan, and Texas are taking up new voting laws. Proposed measures in all three states would add restrictions to mail voting. Recently, GOP governors in Iowa and Georgia signed major election reforms into law.
WorldBusiness InsiderIran says it will enrich uranium to highest level ever after apparent Israeli attack on key nuclear facility
Iran says it's going to enrich uranium to 60% purity, much closer to weapons-grade levels (90%). This could complicate efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. This announcement came after an apparent Israeli attack on an important Iranian nuclear facility.
U.S.USA TODAYAfrican bush viper — a snake with no known antivenom — bites San Diego Zoo employee
A venomous snake bit an employee at the San Diego Zoo on Monday, according to zoo officials. A zoo spokesperson said the wildlife care specialist was immediately transported to a hospital for evaluation and medical care. “Although the San Diego Zoo cares for a number of venomous reptiles, incidents like this are very rare, and the snake was contained at all times with no risk of an escape,” the zoo said in a statement to USA TODAY.
EntertainmentLA TimesHow did they create 'Mulan's' massive Imperial City? Think giant digital Lego kit
The live-action "Mulan" eliminated some of the animated version's fantasy elements in favor of a more grounded, historical-epic feeling. Therefore, the main mission of its Oscar-nominated visual effects teams was to make what magic remained seem almost casual and, oh yeah, to create an entire photorealistic Imperial City out of digital Legos. "The biggest thing was world-building, really," said Weta Digital's Anders Langlands (a previous nominee for "The Martian"), adding that director Niki Caro "had a very clear idea that she wanted it to feel realistic for this essentially still-fantastical story."
WorldBusiness InsiderThe Ever Given is fit to sail again, official report concludes - but it still can't go anywhere because Egypt impounded it
The Ever Given has passed a technical inspection allowing it to proceed up the Suez Canal. The Ever Given has been given a technical all-clear to sail up the Suez Canal, but cannot proceed because Egypt has seized the ship while it demands a huge payout. The ship's technical manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said in a statement Wednesday that following "thorough inspections" by the American Bureau of Shipping, the Ever Given "has been declared suitable for onward passage" to Port Said, the port city at the canal's northern end.
- NewsKFSN – Fresno
4 kids found living in deplorable conditions, father arrested
Officials say the seven-year-old, a four-year-old, a three-year-old and a one-year-old are now being cared for by Child Protective Services.
“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.”