WorldReutersStruggling in Ukraine, Russia paves way to sign up over-40s for army
LONDON (Reuters) -In a sign of Russia's urgent need to bolster its war effort in Ukraine, parliament said on Friday it would consider a bill to allow Russians over 40 and foreigners over 30 to sign up for the military. The website of the State Duma, parliament's lower house, said the move would enable the military to utilise the skills of older professionals. Russia has suffered huge setbacks and heavy losses of men and equipment in the 86-day-old war, in which Ukraine has mobilised practically its entire adult male population.
U.S.Lancaster Eagle-GazetteWoman sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawful sexual activity with teenage boys
A 45-year-old city woman was sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawful sexual activity with several teenage boys. Angie R. Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of corrupting another with drugs, Fairfield County Prosecutor Kyle Witt said. “Angie Davis invited teenagers into her home, plying them with alcohol and recreational drugs, and then took advantage of them for her own sexual gratification,” Witt said in a statement.
HealthShapeSee Kate Upton Hang Upside Down In an Impressive Aerial Yoga Pose
Few people could make aerial yoga look easy, but Kate Upton has done just that. The 29-year-old actress and model — who regularly posts her workouts on social media — recently shared a photo on Instagram of herself hanging upside down in a precarious aerial yoga pose. In the photo, Upton is suspended by a sling-like hammock in an inverted dancer pose, wearing a matching purple sports bra and leggings.
U.S.ReutersA prison cell, blood and 'zombies': Trevor Reed describes detention in Russia
Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed described his experience in a Russian psychiatric facility in an interview broadcast on Friday, detailing squalid conditions amid severely mentally ill inmates. Reed, detained in Russia in 2019, was freed on April 28 in a prisoner swap that took place amid the most tense bilateral relations in decades over the war in Ukraine. In excerpts from an interview with CNN, Reed said he was held with seven other prisoners in a cell at a psychiatric treatment facility.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramAngler reels in ‘freaking scary’ fish in Texas marsh, photos show. It’s a rare beast
An angler recently reeled in a rare and “freaking scary” fish after casting his hook into a murky Texas marsh, photos show. The scaly creature's striking look, jet black from tail to toothy tip, took the fisherman and his guide by surprise, according to a post by Lotus Guide Service. Well … (we) found out melanistic gar do exist,” said the May 16 post, sharing photos of the fish whipping and thrashing against the fishing line.
U.S.American City Business JournalsFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis' planned takeover of Disney's Reedy Creek district could shake up its power structure, say experts
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to have the state control the next iteration of Walt Disney World's (NYSE: DIS) Reedy Creek Improvement District could cause a big power structure shift. DeSantis signed a bill into law in April that will do away with certain special districts, including Reedy Creek Improvement District by June 2023. Reedy Creek Improvement District, the 39-square-mile governing jurisdiction and special taxing district created in 1967 for Walt Disney World Resort's land, is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, elected by the landowners — in this case, primarily Walt Disney World.
- ScienceAZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Monsoon storms bring heavy rain, flooding to Arizona
The Arizona monsoon brings to the desert heavy rain, flooding and lightning from the storms every summer.
WorldThe Daily BeastVladimir Putin’s Secret Grandchild Is a Zelensky, Says Report
As is often the case with sisters, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's alleged daughters is publicly defying him while the other is defending her daddy dearest. Another allegation in the report: The Russian president has also had to stomach—if true—that his youngest daughter's child with a ballet dancer shares a last name with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky. The dancer/baby daddy Igor Zelensky is not related to Putin's archenemy, according to the joint report, which was based on a dossier of leaked documents including flight records showing the Putin kid's apparent love of European travel to where Zelensky was based during the time they are thought to have conceived their now 2-year-old daughter.
U.S.The Root“Don’t you have some fish to catch, African-American man?” says Santa Barbara Karen
On a sunny day at The Boathouse, a Santa Barbara restaurant, a Karen decided to cause an unnecessary ruckus. In a five-minute video recording of the incident, the woman confronts the person recording, a Black man, and takes things to another level. On May 11, Ian Soleimani, a local DJ, shared to his Instagram the footage he caught of the incident.
WorldAssociated PressUS intel shows Russians fear Mariupol abuse will backfire
The U.S. has gathered intelligence that shows some Russian officials have become concerned that Russian forces in the ravaged port city of Mariupol are carrying out grievous abuses, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday. The Russian officials are concerned that the abuses will backfire and further inspire Mariupol residents to resist the Russian occupation. The U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Russians, who were not identified, also feared that the abuses will undercut Russia's claim that they've liberated the Russian-speaking city.
ScienceBGROctopuses torture and eat themselves after mating, and scientists finally know why
For years, scientists have wondered why octopuses torture themselves after mating. Now, after all this time, researchers may finally have the answer. Today's Top Deals #1 best-selling bed pillows are on sale for $13 each — see why they have 126,000 5-star Amazon reviews!
U.S.WFTVDeputies: Motorcyclist with concealed carry permit stops knife-wielding driver in road rage incident
A Flagler County man is under arrest after he threatened a motorcyclist with a knife in a road rage incident near Palm Coast Tuesday. Deputies said they responded to the intersection of Pine Lakes Parkway and Whirlaway Drive just after 1 p.m. after getting several calls to 911 for a reported road rage incident. According to the sheriff's office, 50-year-old Rafael Vincent Rivera and a motorcyclist got into an argument after Rivera cut the motorcyclist off.
WorldReutersHow Turkey spoiled NATO's historic moment with Finland, Sweden
A day earlier Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, had shocked fellow NATO members by saying he could not support membership for either Finland or Sweden. Cavusoglu not only set conditions for Turkey accepting the membership bids but raised his voice at Sweden's Ann Linde in what three NATO diplomats said was an "embarrassing" break in protocol. "For us it was a historic moment and yet Cavusoglu said he was irritated at Linde's 'feminist policy', bringing so much drama," another NATO diplomat said, describing a very tense atmosphere in the German foreign ministry in Berlin, in which many allies opted for silence to calm the situation.
U.S.Rock Hill HeraldRock Hill SC man again denied parole after conviction in fire that killed baby brother
A South Carolina man, who has been in prison for seven years for a deadly Rock Hill fire that killed his baby brother, was denied parole Wednesday. Morgan, now 24, was denied a chance at release Wednesday by the unanimous vote of a panel of the S.C. Parole Board after a video conference hearing, said Valerie Suber, associate deputy director of the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The parole board had gathered in Columbia.
PoliticsNBC NewsTrump leaves Pennsylvania GOP fuming over 'cockamamie election.' Next up: Georgia.
Three days before Election Day, Trump veered hard to the right in the governor's race by backing Doug Mastriano, the state senator who built a devoted grassroots following for his efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's win and promote Trump's stolen election lie. Mainstream Republicans fear that Mastriano, who had been on track to win the primary anyway before Trump's nod, is too extreme to win a general election in a state with a half million more registered Democrats than Republicans. A Democratic victory in the Pennsylvania contest for governor would reverberate through the 2024 presidential election cycle.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia tree trimmer guilty in deadly throat-slashings
A tree trimmer in rural Northern California was found guilty in a series of throat-slashing attacks that left three people dead, prosecutors announced Wednesday. A jury in Butte County on Tuesday found Ryan Scott Blinston, 37, guilty of murder, attempted murder and arson, the Tehama County District Attorney's office said. Blinston, of Oroville, faces a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
WorldBusiness InsiderVideos show Russian soldiers leading a group of Ukrainian captives at gunpoint moments before they were executed in Bucha, report says
A photo taken in Bucha in April showed a group of Ukrainian men who appeared to have been executed. A NYT investigation showed the men were in custody of Russian troops before apparently being killed. A video showed the Ukrainian captives being marched in a single file and flanked by Russian troops.
U.S.TheGrioNew York girls track team members suspended after sports bra protest
The girls' track and field team at Albany High School in upstate New York received a suspension after they launched a petition calling out gender dress code bias. Several members of the Falcons were asked to leave practice last week by Ashley Chapple, Albany's athletic director, for wearing sports bras instead of shirts, according to The Albany Times Union, and they complied. But one sprinter responded by starting an online petition titled “Stop Gender Biased Dress Codes: Allow the Girls Track Team to wear Sports Bras.
BusinessEngadgetHonda shows off its first electric SUV, the Prologue
After announcing the very cute Honda E and a long-term collaboration with GM, Honda has made its EV ambitions clear. But it's still lagging behind most other carmakers—especially its closest rival Toyota, which is rolling out its first mainstream electric car this year. To whet our appetites a bit, Honda has revealed a teaser image of the Prologue, its first electric SUV launching in 2024.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Erdogan: Sweden and Finland's NATO bid is a 'no'
STORY: Finland and Sweden formally applied on Wednesday (May 18) to join U.S.-led NATO, a decision spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey's objections have come as a surprise to the other members of the alliance. "We will continue our policy in a determined way.
HealthINSIDERA 30-year-old with a hoarse voice, back pain, and achy bones visited a walk-in clinic to see a doctor for his symptoms. He found out it was lung cancer.
An otherwise healthy man with back pain and a hoarse voice was later found to have lung cancer. Lung cancer can be tricky to catch, so see a doctor if you have persistent chest pain or coughing. A fit, otherwise healthy 30-year old was found to have stage 4 lung cancer after experiencing back pain and a hoarse voice, Today reported.
- WorldReuters
Ukraine officials give conflicting accounts of attack on Russian train
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's territorial defence force said on Wednesday its fighters had blown up an armoured train carrying Russian troops, but an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelinskiy later said the attack had been confined to rails near the train. Reuters could not independently verify the defence force's assertion, posted on Facebook, that it had carried out the attack in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol. The city lies in the region of Zaporizhzhia and in a belt of southern Ukrainian land that was occupied by Russian forces after they invaded on Feb. 24.
U.S.The HillJudge sanctions MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for ‘frivolous’ election lawsuit
A U.S. district judge ordered MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to pay some of voting machine company Smartmatic's court costs and fees, saying in a ruling on Thursday that some of Lindell's claims against Smartmatic fall “on the frivolous side of the line. The Court agrees with Smartmatic that Lindell has asserted at least some groundless claims,” U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols wrote in his ruling. In particular, the Court concludes that at the very least Lindell's claim against Smartmatic under the Support or Advocacy Clause falls on the frivolous side of the line (other claims do too).
WorldThe Daily Beast‘Our Commander Is Leaving With Us’: Putin’s Troops Openly Plot to Ditch ‘Stupid’ War
Russian soldiers are apparently so sick of Vladimir Putin's “stupid” war in Ukraine that they are now openly plotting with their own commanders to go AWOL. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate released a recording on Thursday that is said to show precisely that happening, with a soldier heard in a purportedly intercepted phone call detailing the plan. The soldier, identified by Ukrainian intelligence as one of many men “mobilized” by authorities in occupied Donetsk, complains that he and others in his battalion are so under-equipped that even the Chechen forces fighting alongside them mock them as “meat.
U.S.Associated PressJudge: Trump administration illegally withdrew bird listing
A federal judge has ruled the Trump administration acted illegally in 2020 when it withdrew an earlier proposal to list as threatened a hen-sized bird found only in the high desert along the California-Nevada line. Greater sage grouse live in sagebrush habitat in 12 western states, including California and Nevada, while bi-state grouse exist only along the Sierra's eastern front. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco said Monday the agency relied on flawed assumptions to conclude in 2020 that the ground-dwelling bird “is not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range.”
“It could give millions a chance to finally buy a house or start their business or help their kids get an education, too.”
“You signed a contract…If you don’t want to deal with the financial pressure of debt, don’t take out the loan.”
“Without action from Biden, Black student debt will hinder his agenda with respect to eliminating racial inequities.”
“Blanket relief could end up routing too much relief to those who do not need it and too little to those who do.”
“Unlike a number of other policy issues, student debt relief doesn’t need to be pushed through a narrowly controlled Congress.”