WorldAssociated PressRussia to expel 10 US diplomats in response to Washington
Russia on Friday responded to a barrage of new U.S. sanctions by saying it would expel 10 U.S. diplomats and take other retaliatory moves in a tense showdown with Washington. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move to shut down those U.S. nongovernment organizations that remain in Russia to end what he described as their meddling in Russia's politics. The top Russian diplomat said the Kremlin suggested that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan follow the example of his Russian counterpart and head home for consultations.
WorldThe TelegraphSpain acquits man of sexually abusing 14-year-old stepdaughter who gave birth to his child
A Spanish court has provoked outrage by acquitting a man of sexually abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter despite the fact she gave birth to his child. The Pamplona court accepted the defendant's claim that the teenager had sat astride him while he was asleep on the sofa and engaged in penetrative sex. The girl's mother reported the father for alleged sexual abuse of her daughter, who initially said she had been raped in the street before changing her story to corroborate her stepfather's claim that he had not been conscious when they had sex.
U.S.The Week'Pro-police' televangelist Pat Robertson slams Derek Chauvin, Kim Potter, says 'we cannot have a bunch of clowns' policing the U.S.
O.G. televangelist Pat Robertson isn't about to take to the streets to protest the police shooting of Daunte Wright at the hands of former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree manslaughter. "If you can't tell the difference in the feel of those things, it's crazy," and Potter "deserves" the consequences, Robertson said on Thursday's 700 Club, holding both a handgun and a Taser. "And the thing that's going on in Minnesota about that Derek Chauvin — I mean, they ought to put him under the jail, he has caused so much trouble by kneeling on the death of George Floyd, I mean on his neck — it's just terrible what's happening."
WorldNextSharkChinese Woman Goes Viral After Hitting Boss With Mop for Alleged Harassment
A woman has gone viral on Chinese social media after hitting her boss with a mop over inappropriate text messages. What happened: The woman, a government worker from northeastern China who has been identified only as Zhou, was caught on video fighting back after her boss had allegedly harassed her, the New York Times reported. In the 14-minute Weibo video, which has been watched millions of times, Zhou pours water over her boss.
WorldAssociated PressBeijing warns US, Japan against collusion vs China
China said Friday it has expressed “serious concerns” to the United States and Japan over what it calls negative moves and collusion between the two countries against China. The statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian came just before President Joe Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the White House on Friday in his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader. That meeting is seen as reflecting Biden's emphasis on strengthening alliances to deal with a more assertive China and other global challenges.
WorldThe TelegraphSNP-run council accused of ordering cleaners to tidy streets in Sturgeon’s constituency ahead of Anas Sarwar visit
Anas Sarwar has accused an SNP-run council of dispatching cleaners to tidy the streets of Nicola Sturgeon's constituency shortly before an election photocall he held on Thursday to highlight their dirty condition. The Scottish Labour leader claimed that cleansing workers in Glasgow Southside, which is the First Minister's constituency, told him they were ordered to do a clean up operation ahead of his visit to the Govanhill area. The Daily Telegraph photographed three bin lorries and street cleaners that turned up shortly before Mr Sarwar's election stop.
U.S.NextSharkBronx Man Arrested For Hate Crime Against Asian Woman
A Bronx man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a 25-year-old Asian woman in Manhattan. Daniel Negroni, 31, is accused of targeting the unnamed victim in Sutton Place around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to WLNY. The woman reported that Negroni approached her and made anti-Asian comments as she was out on First Avenue and 57th Street on the East Side.
PoliticsAssociated PressGeorgia governor gets GOP primary challenge from former Dem
Now the scandal-plagued politician hopes to surf Trump supporters' discontent with Gov. Brian Kemp to the Republican nomination. Jones announced Friday that he would challenge the incumbent governor in 2022. Jones was a state representative on the outs with his party when he shot to prominence in Republican media circles as an African American Democrat who endorsed Donald Trump's reelection campaign.
U.S.ReutersJohnson & Johnson asked rival COVID-19 vaccine makers to probe clotting risks - WSJ
Johnson & Johnson had reached out to rival COVID-19 vaccine makers to join in an effort to study the risks of blood clots, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. AstraZeneca, which had been buffeted by similar blood-clotting concerns for weeks, agreed, while Pfizer Inc and Moderna executive declined, saying their vaccines appeared safe, the report said. https://on.wsj.com/2Q7E4Ho) The U.S. federal health agencies had on Tuesday recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine for at least a few days after six women under the age of 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot.
CelebrityThe TelegraphSt George's Chapel: inside the royal family's parish church
Following Prince Philip's death, the plans for his funeral have been announced, with the service taking place on Saturday April 17, 3pm, at St George's Chapel, Windsor. His English oak coffin will be carried from the Private Chapel in the Castle to St George's in a purpose-built Land Rover, for a service that will be attended by just 30 members, given Covid restrictions. So what is St George's Chapel, and what is its significance to the Royal Family?
PoliticsThe Guardian‘Alarm is growing’: Michigan governor faces shutdown dilemma as Covid cases rise
The coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions that Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, enacted in March last year were among the nation's toughest, and the governor's leadership is thought to have saved lives. Now, as Michigan faces another surge of cases and hospitalizations, its worst yet, Whitmer has changed tack. Despite past success and growing calls for another lockdown from public health experts, and doctors managing hospitals with Covid patients, the governor is resisting further restrictions, and is instead largely relying on a vaccination rollout and a voluntary suspension of in-person dining services.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramWoman killed, 3 injured in crash on Highway 114 near Texas Motor Speedway; lanes closed
Lanes of Highway 114 near the Texas Motor Speedway were closed on Friday morning after a woman was killed and three men were injured in a crash involving a box truck and a pickup truck, authorities said. Of those injured, two had serious injuries and one had minor injuries, according to MedStar. The identity of the woman wasn't immediately released.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverViolent home invasion ends with masked man shot — by his own grandfather, NC cops say
A 34-year-old man is in critical condition after he put on a mask and attempted to rob his grandfather, according to police in the North Carolina. The grandfather, who was not identified, “suffered facial injuries” during the incident, Long View police said in a news release. The suspect, identified as Jessie Dwayne Gibson, fled on foot and “was later located at a nearby hotel with life-threatening injuries,” police said.
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.TheGrioProsecutor didn’t ‘fully inform himself’ before testifying Adam Toledo had gun
A Cook County prosecutor who said in court the boy was armed when Chicago cops shot him is now backtracking. A prosecutor who said in court that 13-year-old Adam Toledo had a gun when he was shot by Chicago Police is now backtracking on his statement. Toledo was shot and killed in the early morning hours of March 29 while police were detaining a man, Ruben Roman, responding to a call of shots fired around 2:30 a.m.
- WorldKGO – San Francisco
Standoff underway with shooting suspect in San Jose
A shooting suspect has been hospitalized with a life-threatening self-inflicted gunshot wound after an overnight standoff, police 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
BusinessBusiness InsiderRepublicans say less than 6% of Biden's plan is traditional infrastructure. BofA says it's more like half.
Bank of America says about half of Biden's infrastructure plan is traditional, or physical, infrastructure. This contrasts with the GOP argument that less than 6% of Biden's plan goes to roads and bridges. The bank added that nontraditional infrastructure will take longer to prompt economic growth.
WorldThe IndependentSolarWinds: Russian intelligence behind major cyber attack, Raab reveals as US expels diplomats
Russian intelligence was behind a major cyber attack that effected more than 100 major US firms as well as branches of the US government, the UK foreign office has revealed. In a statement the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said British Intelligence had assessed that it was “highly likely” Moscow was behind the SolarWinds hack, which saw hackers infiltrate government agencies and corporate secrets of the likes of Microsoft in early 2020. The Russian ambassador was summoned to the FCDO to be told the UK will continue to work with allies to “call out and counter malign operations” undertaken by Russian intelligence.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Ted Cruz no longer wears a mask at the Capitol, falsely claiming 'everybody' in the Senate has been vaccinated against COVID-19
Sen. Ted Cruz has stopped wearing a mask at the Capitol, CNN reports. Cruz claimed "everybody" in the Senate is vaccinated, but that's not true of all staffers, reporters, and lawmakers. The CDC still recommends vaccinated individuals to wear a mask when in public.
CelebrityTODAYA-Rod shared telling Instagram story 1 day before news of J.Lo breakup
Just a day before the news of his breakup with Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez shared a video on social media that seems to have foreshadowed the announcement. The former baseball pro posted a short clip to his Instagram story on Wednesday that showed a photo of him and Lopez, some pics of their children and an image of their names inside a heart in sand. Under normal circumstances, such a video wouldn't raise eyebrows, but the 45-year-old set the clip to Coldplay's emotional song "Fix You," leading many fans to wonder if the couple had gone their separate ways.
U.S.INSIDERDerek Chauvin invokes his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in his murder trial
Derek Chauvin's defense rested its case Thursday after the ex-cop declined to testify. The defense theory is that George Floyd's heart condition and drug use caused his death. Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify before the defense rested its case on Thursday.
PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats to unveil bill adding four new justices to the Supreme Court
House and Senate Democrats are planning to introduce a legislation on Thursday that seeks to expand the number of Supreme Court justices from nine to 13. The bill, bound to draw fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers, is led by senator Ed Markey and representatives Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones who will introduce it in both the chambers. The legislation comes days after president Joe Biden announced the formation of a bipartisan commission to study potential Supreme Court reforms including the expansion and limiting terms of the justices.
BusinessBusiness InsiderCoinbase's first employee was hired after he emailed his undergraduate thesis on bitcoin to the founders - and was paid in cryptocurrency for 3 years
Olaf Carlson-Wee, the founder of a cryptocurrency hedge fund, was the first employee at the biggest US bitcoin exchange, Coinbase. After graduating from New York's Vassar College with an undergraduate degree in Sociology, Carlson-Wee decided to send an "annoyingly long" cold email to Coinbase's founders. He detailed his hiring experience in a 2016 interview with startup accelerator, Y Combinator.
PoliticsThe IndependentAOC ignores Marjorie Taylor Greene’s incessant Twitter pleas for a public ‘head to head’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ignored Marjorie Taylor Greene's public challenge to debate the green new deal after the Republican lawmaker sent a series of tweets. Ms Greene, known for her controversial views against the climate crisis, challenged Ms Ocasio-Cortez after her comment on President Joe Biden's recent $2 trillion climate-focused infrastructure package, calling it “disappointing” and not enough. Ms Greene on Wednesday wrote in a series of tweets tagging AOC: "I'd like to challenge you to a debate on the Green New Deal economic policy.
“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.”