HealthYahoo NewsThe COVID-19 Delta variant: What you need to know
The Delta variant, also referred to as B.1.6.1.7.2 [and] believed to have originated from India, is one of the most concerning variants … It is more likely to lead to disease, hospitalizations and possibly death. The Delta variant looks like it might be up to 60 percent more infectious, which is why the CDC really put a bold label forward in calling it a variant of concern. They only do that when they think a variant is concerning enough that it could change the course of a disease or potentially pose a threat to someone who gets it.
- WorldThe Week
What Ebrahim Raisi's election means for Iran — and the U.S.
Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner favored by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, handily won Saturday's Iranian presidential election, which saw historically low turnout. Domestically, the Crisis Group's Ali Vaez explained to PBS NewsHour that the 82-year-old Khamenei appears to be preparing for his succession, which will be "a very pivotal moment" for Iran. Raisi's victory, meanwhile, may actually help solidify the re-establishment of a nuclear pact between the U.S. and Iran, despite Raisi harboring more hostility toward Washington than his predecessor.
PoliticsThe TelegraphBiden returns from world tour to find sinking popularity and spending plans in disarray
Joe Biden returned from his sojourn to the UK and Europe to face a growing list of domestic headaches as his big-spending policies stalled and were also blamed for rising inflation. While Mr Biden was meeting Vladimir Putin in Geneva a bipartisan group of 21 senators - 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats - came up with a compromise that would almost halve the amount to $1.2 trillion over eight years. The resulting gridlock explains why a Monmouth University poll this week made worrying reading for Mr Biden after Air Force One landed back in the US.
WorldAssociated PressAfghanistan running out of oxygen as COVID surge worsens
Afghanistan's is racing to ramp up supplies of oxygen as a deadly third surge of COVID-19 worsens, a senior health official told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday. The government is installing oxygen supply plants in 10 provinces where up to 65% of those tested in some areas are COVID positive, health ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastigir Nazari said. Afghanistan's 24-hour infection count has also continued its upward climb from 1,500 at the end of May when the health ministry was already calling the surge “a crisis,” to more than 2,300 this week.
U.S.Miami HeraldThree arrested in property fraud case after an elderly owner discovers lot sold for $230,000
On Friday, as authorities held a press conference to highlight the growing problem of fraud against the elderly, prosecutors revealed they had charged three people suspected of swiping the property. Otis Lathen Powell, Shantel Vennissa Chang and Jason Webley Sr. were charged with a host of felonies, including money laundering, grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and theft from a person 65 years or older.
PoliticsThe WeekThe Biden administration is enabling a Trump comeback
Democrats have had what any sane political party would consider a remarkable stroke of luck: Donald Trump, the leader of their opposition has (allegedly) committed many, many crimes, both while serving as president and before, and Democrats now control the federal law enforcement apparatus. As Barbara McQuade and Joyce White Vance write in The Washington Post, Trump is almost certainly guilty of obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation, of attempting to solicit bribes from Ukraine, and of multiple campaign finance violations (and likely much, much more).
U.S.INSIDERA COVID-19 outbreak at a Florida county building killed 2 IT staffers and hospitalized 3 others
Two staff members in a Florida county's IT department died of COVID-19 this week, the Bradenton Herald reported. A sixth person in contact with those who were infected was vaccinated and did not contract the disease. Two staffers in a government IT department in Manatee County, Florida, died of COVID-19 following an outbreak at their office, the county said Friday.
U.S.USA TODAYCalifornia judge orders no bail for man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage shooting
Marcus Eriz, a southern California man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage incident, was ordered held without bail Friday. Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin told attorneys that in addition to the murder charge he was alarmed by an allegation that Eriz, 24, also brandished a weapon in a second incident. “It seems to me that Mr. Eriz is a complete danger to the community,” Yellin said.
PoliticsThe WeekMcCarthy spox clarifies Trump-speaker comments
A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said while it wasn't "crystal clear," the congressman meant to say during a Fox News interview on Friday that former President Donald Trump wants him to be House speaker if Republicans take the lower chamber back in 2022. In the clip, it appears McCarthy says Trump himself wants to be speaker, but McCarthy's camp is clarifying what would have been a surprising admission for someone who has his own eyes on the gavel. CNN's Chris Cillizza predicted McCarthy would backtrack, and argues it's "virtually impossible" to take him at his word because of what he described as "rampant dishonesty in the GOP over the last five years."
BusinessMiami HeraldFlorida’s U.S. senators want cruising to resume without government intervention
Florida Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio say the cruise industry should be able to resume normal operations immediately — and argue that any continued government intervention needlessly hurts passengers, industry employees and contractors in Florida as COVID-19 case numbers continue to decline. Their position is at odds with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which requires cruise ships to certify 98% of their crew and 95% of their passengers are vaccinated before they are able to set sail without first embarking on test cruises, and it's different than Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who advocated for a state law prohibiting cruise lines from asking for proof of vacc...
- NewsYahoo News Video
Biden's lack of action on executions adds to death penalty disarray
Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office. That has not happened.
WorldBBC'War on Terror': Are big military deployments over?
In Iraq, British and other Western forces no longer have any major combat role. Twenty years after President George W Bush's so-called War on Terror, is the era of big "boots-on-the ground" military deployments to distant warzones coming to an end? Not yet - there is still a substantial commitment to fighting jihadists in the Sahel - but there is now a radical rethink in how these missions are conducted.
U.S.INSIDERShocking footage shows a gunman repeatedly shoot at a man while two children frantically dodge his bullets on a New York City sidewalk
A video released by police shows a gunman shoot a man while two children were just a step away. The 24-year-old victim was shot multiple times after the incident in the Bronx, New York Thursday. The children were not injured, police said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Ron Johnson, who stalled the passing of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, was booed at an event commemorating the day
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson stalled the passing of making Juneteenth a holiday. On Saturday, June 19, he was booed at an event commemorating the holiday in Wisconsin. Sen. Ron Johnson was booed at an event celebrating Juneteenth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, WDJT reported.
U.S.The Daily BeastShe Went on a PR Tour for Her Sick, Adopted African Child. Was It All a Lie?
Last summer, Sophie Hartman was fixated on her 6-year-old adopted daughter Carmel possibly showing signs of early puberty. The 31-year-old single mom from Renton, Washington, scheduled an appointment at Seattle Children's Hospital with a pediatric endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in glands and the hormones they produce, according to a Renton Police probable-cause affidavit. Hartman, a white, Jesus-loving former missionary, strapped Carmel—a little Black girl born in Zambia—into a wheelchair and rolled her into a medical room, where they met with the endocrinologist.
PoliticsUSA TODAYTrump White House doctor, 13 other House Republicans urge Biden to take cognitive test
The former White House doctor who gave a glowing report in 2018 about then-President Donald Trump's cognitive abilities is calling on President Joe Biden to take the same test. U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led a group of 14 Republicans who sent Biden a letter on Thursday urging him to take a cognitive test and make the results public. In 2018, he gave Trump a clean bill of health after an annual physical and cognitive test that came amid questions about Trump's mental fitness to serve.
U.S.The New York TimesEmory Apologizes to Medical School Applicant Rejected Because He Was Black
More than six decades after Marion Hood was rejected by Emory University School of Medicine, he received another letter from the school. “Your rejection letter serves as a somber reminder that generations of talented young men and women were denied educational opportunities because of their race, and our society was denied their full potential,” said the letter, which was sent in March and signed by Vikas Sukhatme, dean of Emory University School of Medicine. “This one individual and this one letter vividly shows the systematic injustice of that time and the legacy Emory is still reckoning with.”
U.S.INSIDERAn American student and former Marine was found dead in Russia days after texting her mom: 'I hope I'm not being abducted'
An American student and former Marine was found dead in Russia on Saturday, days after she went missing. Catherine Serou had texted her mom Tuesday saying, "I hope I'm not being abducted," NPR reported. A suspect with prior convictions is in custody, though he has not been named.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP congressman lashes out at Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday: 'Are we going to do one for the Native American Indians?'
GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of 14 Republicans who voted against the legislation, took to Fox News Radio on Thursday to explain his opposition, saying that the vote "was an easy no vote" and questioned if a holiday would now have to be established for Native Americans as well. During the program "Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla," Norman also cited the number of existing holidays in detailing his rejection of a federal holiday for Juneteenth, while alleging that supporters were using "race" as an issue. "There's one Fourth of July.
WorldThe Daily BeastIran Elects Hardline Cleric Linked to Mass Killings as President
An ultraconservative cleric linked to the mass execution of political prisoners has been elected Iran's new president. Ebrahim Raisi, the country's judiciary chief who has been rumored to be a potential successor to the Ayatollah, emerged victorious in a controversial election in which critics say moderate candidates were purged. Raisi, who is under U.S. sanctions, will replace president Hassan Rouhani at a time of heightened tensions with the West and Israel.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderOver 50 House Republicans call on Biden to replace Harris in leading immigration efforts at US-Mexico border
Over 50 Republicans have called on Biden to replace Vice President Harris in immigration efforts at the border. "Harris has not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand," the group said. The administration has emphasized that Harris is not a "czar" in charge of managing the border.
U.S.USA TODAYCDC regulation of Florida cruises in question after judge sides with state, for now
It's possible that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's restrictions on Florida cruises could be invalidated, according to a Friday court ruling. For now, Florida has been granted a preliminary injunction that could render restrictions on cruising to and from the state imposed by the CDC as optional guidance starting next month. "This order finds that Florida is highly likely to prevail on the merits of the claim that CDC's conditional sailing order and the implementing orders exceed the authority delegated to CDC," the conclusion of the 124-page ruling issued by Judge Steven Merryday on Friday.
U.S.INSIDERA black bear was shot and killed after it attacked a 16-year-old girl who was asleep on a hammock during a camping trip with her family
A Tennessee teen was attacked by a bear during a camping trip at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A Tennessee teen was attacked by a bear early Friday morning while she was sleeping in a hammock during a backpacking trip. The unnamed 16-year-old and her family were on campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the black bear attacked shortly after midnight, WBIR-TV and Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
WorldBusiness InsiderMore than 350 Indonesian healthcare workers vaccinated with China's Sinovac vaccine got COVID-19 and dozens are hospitalized, raising questions about the vaccine's efficacy on variants
The vast majority of Indonesia's healthcare workers received China's Sinovac vaccine. A study in the country found the vaccine was very effective at curbing hospitalization and death. Over 350 healthcare workers caught COVID-19, most likely the Delta variant, Reuters reported.
U.S.The Daily BeastAmerican Student and Former Marine Catherine Serou Found Brutally Murdered in Russia
MOSCOW—The U.S. Marine forces trained Catherine Serou to survive in combat, and she did during in the war in Afghanistan. The 6-foot-tall blonde was athletic, hard-working, intellectual, an artist, a photographer and studying law at a Russian university. Serou went missing on the eve of a summit between President Biden and President Vladimir Putin.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”