WorldThe TelegraphUS announces sanctions against Russia and expels 10 diplomats
The United States announced economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday and the expulsion of 10 diplomats in retaliation for what Washington says is the Kremlin's US election interference, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity. President Joe Biden's executive order "sends a signal that the United States will impose costs in a strategic and economically impactful manner on Russia if it continues or escalates its destabilising international action," the White House said. The moves are in response to alleged interference in last year's presidential election as well as the hacking last year of federal government agencies.
U.S.ReutersChauvin waives right to testify, rests case at murder trial for Floyd arrest
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin on Thursday waived his right to testify to the jury about his part in the deadly arrest last May of George Floyd as his murder trial, the most high-profile police misconduct case in decades, nears its end. "I will invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege today," Chauvin said after briefly removing his mask, referring to the constitutional right against self-incrimination, in his most extensive remarks since his trial began with jury selection on March 8. The defense told Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill it would call no more witnesses after two days of testimony and would rest its case, which has focused on raising doubts about the cause of Floyd's death.
U.S.The StateBody found in Mississippi River is missing LSU student Kori Gauthier, officials say
Kori Gauthier, a Louisiana State University freshman reported missing one week ago, was found dead. LSU officials confirmed Wednesday night that a body recently found in the Mississippi rRiver is Gauthier. “Since Kori was first reported missing, the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and volunteers have taken exhaustive measures to locate her and, in the process, to determine what led to her disappearance,” LSU Chief of Police Bart Thompson said in a statement.
U.S.Associated PressGrowers fret as Mexico moves to legalize marijuana
For the first time that María can remember, half of her marijuana harvest is still in storage on her ranch in Mexico's Sinaloa state months after it should have been sold. Sitting in her wooden house tucked into the same mountains that produced some of the world's most notorious drug traffickers, including Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the 44-year-old mother of four thinks she knows why: expectations Mexico will soon legalize marijuana. “It has never happened to us where we harvest and have it (stored) in sacks,” said María, who asked that her full name not be used and her exact location not be revealed because in the mountains surrounding Badiraguato, where organized crime controls everything, misspeaking can be dangerous.
WorldReutersChina push for global power tops U.S. security threats: intelligence report
China's push for global power is the leading threat to U.S. national security, while Russia's efforts to undermine American influence and assert itself as a major actor also pose a challenge, said a U.S. intelligence report released on Tuesday. The 2021 Annual Threat Assessment lays out U.S. spy agencies' views of the chief foreign policy issues facing U.S. President Joe Biden in his first year in office, complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and global climate change. While China and Russia are presented as the leading challenges, Iran and North Korea will also test U.S. national security, the report said.
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
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverToddler found walking alone near highway while mom dined with friend, Texas police say
Dominique Edwards was driving home late Tuesday when he saw something he won't soon forget — a 2-year-old toddling along the feeder road to North Freeway in Harris County. Police arrived to take the girl then started checking nearby hotels, according to KTRK. An 8-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother were asleep inside, KHOU reported.
PoliticsReutersFord, GM among Michigan companies opposing Republican-backed voting limits
Republican lawmakers in numerous states have proposed a slew of voting limits, after former President Donald Trump, a Republican, falsely claimed he lost November's election to President Joe Biden due to widespread fraud. In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to veto bills that Republicans have proposed, including new restrictions on absentee and mail ballots. The state Republican chairman, however, has previously suggested the party could attempt to circumvent Whitmer via a petition drive.
WorldAssociated Press21 killed, 3 injured when bus, truck crash in southern Egypt
A bus overturned while trying to pass a truck on a highway in southern Egypt on Tuesday, causing a collision that killed at least 21 people and injured three others, authorities said. The bus was travelling from Cairo when it turned over and was hit by the truck on a road in the southern province of Assiut, 320 kilometers (199 miles) south of Cairo, Assiut Gov. Essam Saad said in a statement. The country's public prosecutor's office said the road was being reconstructed and there were no lights or traffic signs.
- NewsAssociated Press Videos
Video shows shooting in Ohio hospital
Police body camera footage shows a routine police pat-down of a man in a hospital emergency room erupting within minutes into a fatal police shooting after the man apparently fires a gun he had concealed in his possession. (April 15)
WorldBBCDerek Chauvin trial: Use of force 'justified' says defence expert
A police officer was "justified" in pinning George Floyd to the ground before his death, says a use-of-force expert called by the defence team. Barry Brodd told the trial in Minnesota that Derek Chauvin - who denies murder - acted with "objective reasonableness" during the arrest last May. Video of Mr Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Mr Floyd led to worldwide protests against racism and policing.
U.S.USA TODAYNo apology owed for pepper-spraying Black and Latino Army officer in Virginia, police chief says
While he said he felt bad for how the events of a traffic-stop late last year unfolded, the police chief of the town where a Black and Latino military officer from Petersburg, Virginia, was accosted by two of his officers said Wednesday that he does not think the soldier is in need of an official apology. In response, Army Lt. Caron Nazario's legal team said Windsor Police Department Chief Rodney D. Riddle "continues a false narrative" of the case and blaming their client for initiating it. "I'm gonna own what we did," Riddle said about the stop during a news conference Wednesday in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, community where Nazario was stopped last December while on his way home.
- WorldReuters
Turkey to send delegation to Egypt in May, foreign ministers to meet later
Turkey will send a delegation led by its deputy foreign minister to Egypt in May, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, as Ankara ramps up a push to repair strained ties with Cairo after years of animosity. Last month, Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt and wanted to further cooperation, eight years after ties crumbled over the Egyptian army toppling a Muslim Brotherhood president close to Ankara in 2013. A thaw in ties between the regional powerhouses could have repercussions around the Mediterranean.
U.S.Miami Herald‘That hurts.’ Black students fail state tests in English, math, amid high graduation rates
A majority of Black students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools are failing state tests in English Language Arts, math and science, despite graduation rates topping 85 percent. Some School Board members on Wednesday were stunned to learn the stark reality of the district's achievement gap from a sobering presentation given by administrators in the district's Office of Academics and Transformation. The achievement gap is defined as the disparity in academic performance between groups of students.
CelebrityNBC NewsWhat happened to Bernie Madoff's family? Where Ruth Madoff and others are now
The death of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff has dredged up memories of the destruction and pain left behind in the wake of perhaps the most infamous Wall Street scheme in recent history. Madoff, 82, died while serving a 150-year prison sentence stemming from fraud charges that involved cheating thousands of investors, including the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, out of billions in promised returns. In 2011, Ruth said during an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show that she did not miss her imprisoned husband, adding that "the villain of all this is behind bars."
HealthThe Telegraph'My healthy sister just never woke up'. The reality of Sudden Adult Death – and how to protect yourself
Patrick Mead had just finished his breakfast one Sunday morning in October 2019 when he noticed his sister, Lauren, hadn't yet left her bedroom. The siblings worked together at a restaurant near their family home in Frome, Somerset; they had a shift that morning and Lauren was going to be late. Lauren, the seemingly healthy 19-year-old with whom Patrick used to gossip every afternoon after school, had died in her sleep.
U.S.Kansas City StarLee’s Summit finally has Black school board members. Now elect one to leadership role
The Lee's Summit School Board has a chance to make history again on Thursday by electing its first Black member into a leadership role. Last year the city elected its first Black school board member, and in 2017 the school district hired its first Black superintendent. Now parents in the district are calling on the board to vote Megan Marshall, who is Black, in as vice president.
WorldThe IndependentBiden to hit Russian officials with sanctions as tension rises with Putin
The United States is expected to announce sanctions on Russia for alleged election interference and a massive hacking campaign amidst mounting tensions between the two countries. The US government has said that the hack, which affected at least 100 private-sector businesses and nine federal agencies, was likely 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.
U.S.The ConversationHow Baptists hold differing views on the resurrection of Christ and why this matters
As a Baptist minister and theologian myself, I believe it is important to understand how Baptists hold differing views on the meaning of the Resurrection. The Resurrection Easter is the Christian holiday which commemorates the story of Jesus Christ's resurrection. According to the Christian faith, resurrection is the pivotal event on which “God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day” after he was crucified by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and then buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea.
CelebrityAssociated PressJ-Rod are done: Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez have split
J-Lo and A-Rod are no longer J-Rod — officially. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez told the “Today” show Thursday in a joint statement that they are calling off their two-year engagement. The couple was given the nickname "J-Rod" three years ago after they landed on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTop GOP hawks come out in full force against an Afghanistan withdrawal by September 11
Republican lawmakers responded to Biden's decision to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan. Hawkish lawmakers' positions on a US pullout were similar to when Trump proposed it, though their protestations this time around were much more voluble. Lindsey Graham called the move "dumber than dirt," saying Biden was "paving the way for another 9/11."
U.S.The IndependentDaunte Wright shooting: Kim Potter’s mugshot released as ex-police officer faces manslaughter charges
Kim Potter, the white police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop on Sunday has been charged with manslaughter. A GoFundMe campaign for a memorial fund for Mr Wright has raised over half a million dollars towards covering funeral and providing support for his family. Minneapolis faced its third night of civil unrest on Tuesday after the killing, which occurred in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.Tensions are already high amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, last May.
U.S.The StateWill other NC universities follow Duke in requiring COVID vaccines? It’s a tricky issue.
Some North Carolina college students might have to pack their COVID-19 vaccination cards when they return to campus next fall, as universities consider whether to require vaccines for students and employees. Mandatory vaccinations could mean a faster return to normal for campuses, but it's a complicated issue. Though vaccines have proven to be a safe and effective tool in reducing transmission and illness, there's legal uncertainty about the fact that vaccines are listed as emergency-use authorization, or EUA, experts say.
U.S.The IndependentHouse committee votes for the first time in favour of slavery reparations bill
A House committee, in a historic vote, passed a legislation for forming a panel to study reparations for slavery for Black Americans on Wednesday. It intends to establish a 13-person commission to study the lasting impacts of slavery and ongoing racial discrimination throughout the country's history, in order to send its recommendations on necessary remedies, including reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. The bill was passed after a long discussion over the issue last year during the Black Lives Matter protest and 2020 election campaign trail, as it garnered support from several other Democrats, including President Biden who made racial inequality his focus in his domestic agenda.
CelebrityThe TelegraphA tearful Prince Charles makes first public engagement since Prince Philip's death as he inspects flowers and tributes
The Prince of Wales appeared close to tears as he inspected the many flowers and tributes left for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, by well-wishers today. Prince Charles, 72, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, was clearly moved as he paid an emotional visit to Marlborough House Gardens to read some of the messages left by members of the public, his first engagement since the Duke's death. The Duchess, dressed in black, also looked solemn as she bent to look at the messages, paying particular attention to a model Land Rover with the words “The Duke R.I.P” written on the roof.
“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.”