PoliticsLA TimesMcManus: McConnell wants to use the filibuster to block Biden's agenda. Here's how Biden can outfox him
Now the measure, in all likelihood, will go to the Senate to die. Under the rules of the 100-member Senate, it takes 60 votes to end debate and move most bills to a vote. A filibuster used to mean a senator actually had to stand and speechify, refusing to give up the floor and thus keeping a bill from coming to a vote.
U.S.NBC NewsOhio college student's organs to be donated after alleged hazing incident
An Ohio college student is being kept alive so his organs can be donated after a fraternity hazing incident on Thursday left him in critical condition. Stone Foltz, 20, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University and a new member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, was allegedly hazed during an initiation event where he was made to drink alcohol, school officials said. Foltz was taken to the hospital after the alleged incident, and remains there as of Sunday.
U.S.The WeekRead the words that will appear on the exterior of Obama's presidential library in Chicago
On the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the name given to the events on March 7, 1965 in Selma, Alabama, which included a civil rights march led by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and the violent response from state police — former President Barack Obama's foundation revealed the text that will appear on the exterior of his planned presidential library in Chicago. The words will come from a speech Obama, the United States' first Black president, gave in Selma on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2015.
WorldReutersFrench billionaire politician Olivier Dassault killed in helicopter crash
French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician. Dassault was the eldest son of late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation, builds the Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. "Olivier Dassault loved France.
PoliticsNational ReviewManchin Defends COVID Relief Bill: Republicans Had ‘Tremendous Amount of Input’
Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) on Sunday defended the COVID-19 relief bill that passed the Senate with no Republican support on Saturday, saying the measure does not spell the end of bipartisanship as Republicans “had a tremendous amount of input.” The moderate Democrat's comments came during an appearance on ABC's This Week in response to a question from co-anchor Martha Raddatz about whether bipartisanship seems “like a false hope” after “Biden did not get a single Republican vote for a relief package in the middle of a pandemic.” “Not at all,” Manchin responded.
U.S.The 74A High School in Ohio Is Giving Students a Choice: Keep Up With Remote Learning — Or You Have to Come Back to the Classroom
Far too many students were skipping online classes and failing this fall at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, one of the poorest districts in the nation and that the state had declared in “academic distress” before the pandemic. As absences increased through the holiday season, that “academic distress” was only getting worse. We saw students struggle in the remote period,” said Henry Pettiegrew, CEO of the district of 1,800 students at Cleveland's border.
WorldReutersBrexiteer Nigel Farage steps down as leader of Reform UK
Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said on Saturday he would step down as the leader of Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party he launched two years ago to campaign for what was commonly known as "no deal Brexit". Farage, who as leader of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP) applied pressure on the government to hold the 2016 EU referendum, said the Brexit Party had helped the Conservatives "come to their senses" and chose Boris Johnson as their leader with a pro-Brexit agenda. "The final outcome (of Brexit) has cut off Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK and treated our fisherman terribly, but we are out and there is no going back," he said in a statement.
PoliticsAxiosBiden says $1,400 stimulus payments can start going out this month
President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.
PoliticsThe TelegraphSecurity beefed up at Trump Tower as ex-president plans first visit to New York since leaving office
Security is being stepped up outside Trump Tower in New York ahead of the former president's first visit to the city since leaving the White House. Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Manhattan on Sunday night having moved to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida in January. Speculation was fuelled by reports of police planning to augment security outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the building where he launched his bid for the presidency in 2015.
PoliticsNational ReviewTwo More Women Accuse Cuomo of Sexual Misconduct: Reports
Two additional women accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment on Saturday, including a former press aide who detailed an uncomfortable embrace in a dimly lit hotel room and an assistant who said he made her feel like “just a skirt.” Former press aide Karen Hinton told the Washington Post that Cuomo, then head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, forced her into a “very long, too long, too tight, too intimate” embrace in a dimly lit Los Angeles hotel room in December 2000. The married press aide retreated but said “he pulls me back for another intimate embrace.”
WorldBBCCovid: Dalai Lama urges others to get vaccinated as he receives first shot
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine while urging others eligible to "take this injection". "This is very very helpful, very good," he said as he was given the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab at a facility in the Indian city of Dharamsala on Saturday. The Dalai Lama had enrolled himself to be vaccinated, officials said.
PoliticsAxiosSenate COVID relief bill paves way for student debt forgiveness through executive action
The Senate version of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which cleared the chamber Saturday, was amended to remove taxes on forgiven student loan debt through 2025, the Wall Street Journal reports. Why it matters: The provision, which was included by Democrats this week, paves the way for President Biden to forgive student debt through executive action — one of his campaign promises — without burdening thousands of Americans with a new tax. Federal law usually treats forgiven debt as taxable income.
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Accountant faces pressure to turn on Trump in criminal probe
When lawyers asked Donald Trump more than a decade ago to identify who estimated values on some of his signature properties, he pointed to his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg.
U.S.The IndependentTrump appointee arrested over Capitol riots complains to judge about sleeping arrangement in jail
A Trump appointee arrested on Capitol riot charges has appealed to a judge over his sleeping arrangements, asking if he could stay somewhere “I don't have cockroaches crawling over me”. Former State Department aide Federico Klein, 42, was arrested on Thursday. According toThe New York Times, the charges included obstructing Congress and law enforcement, unlawful entry, violent and disorderly conduct, and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.
PoliticsUSA TODAYGov. Whitmer on N.Y. Gov. Cuomo allegations: If true, 'I think we have to take action'
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday she had a "gut-wrenching" reaction to sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the "very serious" allegations from former employees must be thoroughly and independently investigated. "If accurate and true, I think we have to take action," Whitmer said on "State of the Union" on CNN. Whitmer would not directly answer whether the allegations against Cuomo constitute sexual harassment.
PoliticsAxiosLindsey Graham is talking to John Kerry about climate — again
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told "Axios on HBO" he intends to "lean into" climate change and that he has already discussed potential common ground with President Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry. Behind the scenes: In a follow-up interview with Axios, Graham said Kerry called him in November, around the time Kerry's new position was announced, to see if there were openings to work together.
PoliticsBBCWho truly was the most dishonest president?
Former President Donald Trump was often accused of having a complete disregard for the truth. When Saddam Hussein invaded the oil-rich emirate of Kuwait in August 1990, President George HW Bush snarled: "This will not stand." The Kuwaiti government-in-exile promptly hired a US public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, whose Washington DC office was run by Bush's former chief of staff.
U.S.INSIDERAn Iowa man was charged for breaking into college women's apartments and recording them while they were sleeping
An Iowa man was arrested after being accused of breaking into multiple women's homes. Trenton Williams, 29, is accused of recording women while they were sleeping. Williams is facing various charges, including three counts of stalking.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramPeople threaten to call ICE on Texas Mexican restaurant that kept mask rule, it says
A Mexican restaurant in Houston says it's been getting some “horrific” threats after announcing it was keeping its mask requirement as Texas reopens. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order lifting the statewide mask mandate and allowing businesses and facilities to operate at 100% capacity. After Picos announced it would still require masks for diners, co-owner Monica Richards said she started receiving some disturbing messages and calls from people threatening to report the Picos staff to Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, The Houston Chronicle reported.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden signs executive order to expand voting rights: ‘If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide’
President Joe Biden marked the 56-year anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama by signing an executive order to protect and strengthen nationwide voting access, while calling on states to expand voting rights for all eligible Americans. The order was described by the White House as an “initial step” towards securing voting rights just days after the passage of HR1, legislation focusing on expanding access to mail-in voting and making it easier for Americans to register to vote. The right to vote is sacred and fundamental — and H.R. 1 is urgently needed to protect that right, to safeguard the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy.
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Pope bids farewell to top Shi'ite cleric
Francis's meeting in the holy southern city of Najaf, during a whirlwind and risky tour of Iraq, marked the first time a pope has met with such a senior Shi'ite cleric. After his 55-minute meeting with Sistani, Francis headed to the ruins of ancient Ur in southern Iraq, revered as the birthplace of Abraham, father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Sistani is one of the most important figures in Shi'ite Islam, both within Iraq and beyond.
CelebrityThe TelegraphPrince Harry and William to reunite at unveiling of Diana statue as they move past rift
The Duke of Sussex is determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whatever the fallout from his interview with Oprah Winfrey. Prince Harry hopes that the brothers can present a united front at Kensington Palace on July 1, which would have been the Princess's 60th birthday, in an attempt to move past their rift. A source close to Prince Harry insisted that whatever had been said and done, he desperately hoped to attend the event and considered it a priority.
U.S.INSIDERPolice arrested a Maryland officer on a child porn charge while he was working at a mass vaccination site
Daniel Joseph Morozewicz, a Maryland police officer, has been arrested on one count of child pornography. Authorities on Friday arrested a police officer from Maryland on a child porn possession charge while he had been on duty at a mass vaccination site. Daniel Joseph Morozewicz with the Rockville City Police Department is believed to have been in possession of "downloads containing images and videos of nude pre-pubescent females engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a statement from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderLauren Boebert, who once expressed support for QAnon, accused Democrats of being 'obsessed with conspiracy theories'
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert told Fox News that the Democrats are "obsessed with conspiracy theories." The congresswoman once said she hopes the QAnon conspiracy theory was real but denied being a follower. Freshman GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who has previously expressed support for QAnon, accused Democratic of being "obsessed with conspiracy theories."
U.S.INSIDER'Lesson fully received': An 18-year-old charged in the Capitol riot says he was 'wrong' and begged a judge to release him
The youngest suspect charged in the Capitol riots wrote a letter begging a judge to release him. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, previously boasted on Instagram of storming the Capitol and fighting inside. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, faces a slew of federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection, including assault on a federal officer, engaging in physical violence, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and civil disorder.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”