WorldAssociated PressIsrael says it will 'definitely' stop Iran from getting bomb
Israel's foreign minister said Friday that his country was determined to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after Tehran promised to step up its uranium enrichment process. “We will do whatever it takes to prevent the extremists (in Iran) from succeeding, and definitely will prevent this regime from having a nuclear weapon,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told reporters on a visit to Cyprus. Iranian officials say the country will begin enriching uranium up to 60% purity following an attack on its nuclear facility at Natanz, in central Iran, on Sunday, that it blamed on Israel.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramBreakfast burrito catches TSA agent’s attention. An ingredient led to arrest in Texas
A breakfast burrito with an “unusual” lump caught the attention of a TSA agent in Texas, officials say. The officer was conducting routine security checks of carry-on luggage April 2 at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston when something unidentified appeared on the X-ray screen, according to the the Transportation Security Administration. TSA officers @HobbyAirport suspected something wasn't right with this breakfast item & contacted @houstonpolice to investigate.
PoliticsNational ReviewPsaki Now Says Biden to Raise Refugee Cap by May 15, Cites ‘Confusion’ over Directive
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday afternoon that President Joe Biden will raise the Trump-era refugee cap by May 15, and suggested that earlier reports to the contrary were the product of “confusion” about the executive order the president signed hours earlier. In a statement released Friday afternoon, Psaki attributed the delay in raising the cap to lengthy deliberations about the optimal level of refugee resettlement. “The President's directive today has been the subject of some confusion,” Psaki said in a statement.
WorldAssociated PressAustralia to withdraw last 80 troops from Afghanistan
Australia would complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in September in line with the United States and other allies, the prime minister said Thursday. Australia's contribution to the NATO-led mission had once exceeded 15,000 personnel, but only 80 remain. “In line with the United States and other allies and partners, the last remaining Australian troops will depart Afghanistan in September,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, without nominating a day.
- 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.
WorldReutersExclusive: EU agrees to sanction two companies close to Myanmar military, diplomats say
The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on another 10 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar and to target two businesses run by the armed forces for the first time in protest at the military takeover, two diplomats said. The measures, which the diplomats said could take effect next week, would target two companies that generate revenue for the Myanmar Armed Forces. While the EU has an arms embargo on Myanmar and targeted 11 senior military officials last month, the decision to target two companies is the most significant response so far for the bloc since the coup that ousted an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
HealthAssociated PressUS setting up $1.7B national network to track virus variants
The U.S. is setting up a $1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced Friday. White House officials unveiled a strategy that features three components: a major funding boost for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments to ramp up coronavirus gene-mapping; the creation of six “centers of excellence” partnerships with universities to conduct research and develop technologies for gene-based surveillance of pathogens, and building a data system to better share and analyze information on emerging disease threats, so knowledge can be turned into action. “Even as we accelerate our efforts to get shots into arms, more dangerous variants are growing, causing increases in cases in people without immunity,” White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters.
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.
PoliticsReutersFormer Vice President Pence receives heart pacemaker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence received a heart pacemaker device during routine surgery on Wednesday and is expected to fully recover, his spokesman said on Thursday. Pence, 61, who previously disclosed an "asymptomatic" heart condition, underwent the procedure at the Inova Fairfax medical facility in Virginia after experiencing symptoms associated with a slow heart rate over the past two weeks, spokesman Devin O'Malley said in a statement. “I am grateful for the swift professionalism and care of the outstanding doctors, nurses and staff at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute," Pence said in a statement, adding thanks to his doctors in his home state of Indiana.
- U.S.Raleigh News and Observer
Durham man pleads guilty to shooting grandfather in the head at 16. Why did he do it?
Nearly six years after William Evans was found shot and cold in a Durham parking lot, his grandson pleaded guilty to shooting the 65-year-old man with his own gun. Under a plea agreement, Dominick Jackson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to up to nearly 10 years in prison, with credit for the more than five years he spent in jail awaiting trial. Under North Carolina sentencing laws, courts must consider mitigating and aggravating factors that could decrease or increase the sentence.
U.S.AccuWeatherDownpours may temporarily ease troubling trend in Florida
Rain and thunderstorms will soak Florida, putting a damper on plans and even leading to some dangers like frequent lightning and flash flooding next week. And even though AccuWeather meteorologists say a large amount of rain may fall over a very short period of time, leading to localized problems, the pattern change will also bring some benefits. It has been an exceptionally soggy spring across many areas of the southeastern United States so far in 2021.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: Russia expels 10 US diplomats as White House calls Adam Toledo shooting ‘chilling’
The White House, meanwhile, defended claims it was "passing the buck" on gun violence to Congress amid a new mass shooting at a FedEx centre in Indianapolis, and "chilling" footage of the death of 13-year-old boy Adam Toledo. In a statement condemning an "epidemic" of gun violence, Biden called on Congress to pass gun control legislation to stem the tide of killings that have "become too normal and happens every day somewhere in our nation". Last night and into the morning in Indianapolis, yet again families had to wait to hear word about the fate of their loved ones,” he said.
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.BBCDaunte Wright shooting: US ex-officer Kim Potter charged over killing
A US former police officer who shot dead a black motorist in Minnesota has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors say. Kim Potter was arrested and later released on $100,000 (£72,000) bail. Police say Mrs Potter shot Daunte Wright accidentally, having mistakenly drawn her gun instead of her Taser.
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.BBCHow George Floyd's death changed a small Iowa town
George Floyd's death, and the trial of Derek Chauvin, has shone a light on racial issues in small towns. The Iowa town seemed idyllic. The officer had gotten a call, and was told "someone who didn't look like they belonged in the neighbourhood was walking around the house", Nave recalls.
WorldThe IndependentBiden expels Russian diplomats and announces new sanctions in retaliation for hacking
US president Joe Biden has announced sanctions against a number of Russian officials and ordered the immediate expulsion of ten diplomats from the country, following allegations of election interference and hacking. The US government said for the first time on Thursday that that the hack, which affected at least 100 private-sector businesses and nine federal agencies, was carried out by Russia. The US has also alleged that Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised attempts to swing the 2020 US presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.
BusinessIdaho StatesmanMcDonald’s pulled out of Idaho Walmarts. Which restaurants may replace Golden Arches?
McDonald's has closed its restaurants in four Idaho Walmart stores, including one at 8300 W. Overland Road in Boise. “Since December 2020, four low-volume McDonald's restaurants located inside Idaho Walmart stores have closed,” spokesperson Lindsay Rainey said in an email to the Statesman. The others were at 2100 12th Avenue Road in Nampa, 5108 Cleveland Road in Caldwell, and in Ammon, outside Idaho Falls in East Idaho.
SportsMiami HeraldFirst-dose Pfizer shots coming back to federal hub sites in Florida during J&J pause
First-dose Pfizer shots will soon be available again at Miami Dade College North campus and the other FEMA hub sites in Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando, to increase vaccine access during the state's ongoing J&J pause. MDC North and the other FEMA hub sites will also continue to offer second-dose Pfizer shots. The Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the state's vaccine distribution, confirmed the change to the Miami Herald on Friday.
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
ScienceBBCCarbon Mapper satellite network to find super-emitters
A constellation of satellites will be flown this decade to try to pinpoint significant releases of climate-changing gases, in particular carbon dioxide and methane. The initiative is being led by an American non-profit organisation called Carbon Mapper. It will use technology developed by the US space agency over the past decade.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe US officially designates Paul Manafort's associate Konstantin Kilimnik as a 'known Russian agent'
The US on Thursday designated Manafort associate Konstanin Kilimnik as a "known Russian agent." It's the first time the US government has explicitly tied Kilimnik to the Russian government. Mueller and the Senate Intel Committee described him as someone with ties to Russian intelligence.
PoliticsThe IndependentTed Cruz among six Republicans to vote down bill to end anti-Asian hate crimes
Ted Cruz was among six Republicans who voted against a bill on Wednesday that would strengthen federal efforts to end rampant anti-Asian hate crimes in America. An overwhelming majority of senators voted to advance the legislation directing the Justice Department to "facilitate the expedited review" of hate crimes against Asian communities. But six Republicans — Texas senator Mr Cruz, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley from Missouri, Rand Paul from Kentucky, Tommy Tuberville from Alabama, and Roger Marshall from Kansas — voted against it.
EntertainmentIdaho StatesmanPrince Philip’s funeral Saturday will be televised. Here’s how to watch in the US.
Prince Philip's funeral services will be televised across the globe on Saturday. The Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died on April 9 at the age of 99. Prince Charles will walk behind his father's coffin, as will grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry (though not side-by-side, we're told).
U.S.The IndependentMan charged with arson attack on Black church caught with help from Tesla security camera
A man was arrested and charged with setting fire to a Black church, with the help of video footage from a Tesla car. Dushko Vulchev, 44, from Maine is accused of attacking the Martin Luther King Jr Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts, which has a primarily Black congregation. Prosecutors also allege that Mr Vulchev was responsible for several other fires that were started on church property last December and the slashing of car tyres in the area.
“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.”