PoliticsAxios"Well...bye": Second senior Matt Gaetz aide resigns amid investigation
Devin Murphy, Rep. Matt Gaetz's legislative director, has stepped down amid a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations against the Florida Republican congressman, the New York Times first reported and Axios has confirmed. The latest: "It's been real," Murphy wrote in an email, obtained by Axios, to Republican legislative directors on Saturday morning, with the subject line: "Well...bye." Context: Gaetz, who has not been charged with any crimes, has repeatedly denied allegations of being sexually involved with a 17-year-old girl and claims that he shared naked images of women with other Congress members.
WorldReutersUkraine says it could be provoked by Russian 'aggression' in conflict area
Ukraine's defence minister said on Saturday his country could be provoked by Russian aggravation of the situation in the conflict area of Ukraine's eastern Donbass region. The minister, Andrii Taran, said Russian accusations about the rights of Russian-speakers being violated could be the reason for the resumption of armed aggression against Ukraine. "At the same time, it should be noted that the intensification of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is possible only if an appropriate political decision is made at the highest level in the Kremlin," he said in a statement.
WorldThe TelegraphFlowers left at Windsor Castle will be displayed privately in castle grounds
Flowers left at Windsor Castle for the Duke of Edinburgh will be removed and displayed within the grounds, the park has said. Member of the public left candles and bouquets of spring flowers outside the gates of the Berkshire castle, where the Duke died on Friday morning. A spokesman for Windsor Great Park said tributes would be moved "respectfully" to a private location within the castle grounds, where they would be displayed.
U.S.Associated PressFlorida man sentenced in crash that killed Ohio mom, child
A Florida judge sentenced a 21-year-old man to 24 years in prison for killing an Ohio mother and her young daughter in a 2018 traffic crash. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Christopher Nash heard hours of testimony on Thursday before announcing his decision to send Cameron Herrin to prison. Herrin's family members began to weep as sheriff's deputies placed him in handcuffs after the hearing, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
WorldReutersIndia's COVID-19 infections, deaths surge as migrants start to flee cities
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India reported another record number of new COVID-19 infections on Friday and daily deaths hit their highest in more than five months, as it battles a second wave of infections and states complain of a persistent vaccine shortage. Evoking memories of the last national lockdown when tens of thousands of people walked on foot back to their homes, hundreds of migrants in badly affected Mumbai packed into trains as bars, malls and restaurants have again been forced to down shutters. One of those fleeing was Surender Puri, who recently lost his job as a cook at a restaurant in Mumbai's suburb.
U.S.Associated PressADL: Fox should fire Carlson for white-supremacist rhetoric
The Anti-Defamation League has called for Fox News to fire prime-time opinion host Tucker Carlson because he defended a white-supremacist theory that says whites are being “replaced” by people of color. In a letter to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Friday, the head of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, said Carlson's “rhetoric was not just a dog whistle to racists — it was a bullhorn.” The civil rights group listed numerous instances Carlson has used anti-immigrant language.
U.S.National ReviewDan Crenshaw Announces Emergency Eye Surgery, Will Be ‘Effectively Blind’ for a Month
Representative Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas) announced that he received emergency surgery on his left eye on Friday, which will leave the congressman “effectively blind” for the next month. Crenshaw said he noticed blurry spots in his vision over the past few days, and was informed by an ophthalmologist that his retina was detaching. The Friday surgery “went well, but I will be effectively blind for about a month,” Crenshaw said in a statement on Saturday morning in which he thanked the medical team who conducted the operation.
WorldReutersItaly's Draghi accuses 'dictator' Erdogan, draws Turkey's condemnation
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of humiliating European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week and said it is important to be frank with "dictators", drawing condemnation from Ankara. Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel met Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. The Commission chief was clearly taken aback when the two men sat on the only two chairs prepared, relegating her to an adjacent sofa.
WorldNBC NewsBombers, boats, dredgers: China's relentless pressure is wearing down regional competitors
China is trying to wear down its neighbors with relentless pressure tactics designed to push its territorial claims, employing military aircraft, militia boats and sand dredgers to dominate access to disputed areas, U.S. government officials and regional experts say. The confrontations fall short of outright military action without shots being fired, but Beijing's aggressive moves are gradually altering the status quo, laying the foundation for China to potentially exert control over contested territory across vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean, the officials and experts say. Since June, Chinese military planes, sometimes including fighter jets and bombers, have regularly flown into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, forcing Taipei to scramble fighter jets.
U.S.Business InsiderVideo shows Virginia cops holding a Black Army officer in uniform at gunpoint and pepper-spraying him during a traffic stop
A Black Army lieutenant is suing Virginia police officers for assaulting him during a traffic stop last year. A US Army lieutenant is suing two Virginia police officers for holding him at gunpoint, pepper-spraying him, and throwing him to the ground during an illegal traffic stop that took place last year. Caron Nazario, a Black and Latino man who is a second lieutenant in the US Army Medical Corps, was driving home from his duty station on December 5, 2020, when police pulled him over, attorney Jonathan Arthur told The Associated Press on Friday.
CelebrityAssociated PressAustralian portrait photographer June Newton dies at 97
The Australian photographer and actress June Newton — also known under her pseudonym Alice Springs — has died at 97, the Helmut Newton Foundation said Saturday in Berlin. Newton, who was also the wife of the late photographer Helmut Newton, died Friday in her home in Monte Carlo. “We mourn the loss of an outstanding person and internationally recognized photographer,” the foundation wrote on its website.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden gun control: Don Jr and Cruz lead GOP outrage as President declares ‘no amendment is absolute’
Joe Biden's much-awaited gun control agenda kicked into action today as the president unveiled executive actions on what one adviser has called “the gun violence public health epidemic”. Gun safety is one of Mr Biden's signature issues going back decades, and pressure on him to take aggressive action on it has been intensified by recent mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder. “Enough prayers, time for some action,” Mr Biden said, while pre-empting expected criticisms that his executive action violated the Second Amendment as “bizarre”.
BusinessBusiness InsiderMyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he hired private investigators to find out why Fox News isn't letting him speak on air
Mike Lindell said he's hired investigators to find out why Fox News isn't letting him speak on air. Lindell told Steve Bannon on Friday that several entities are conspiring against him. Fox News and the MyPillow CEO have both been sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation.
- NewsWBAL - Baltimore Videos
2 charged in fatal shooting in The Mall in Columbia parking lot
After months on the run police arrest two suspects in connection to a deadly shooting at The Mall in Columbia. Detectives said it unfolded in front of several witnesses leaving an entertainment venue. Explains what led up to the encounter and how investigators tracked down the alleged killers.
WorldArchitectural DigestWhy We Love a Small Loveseat
Supremely versatile, loveseats work as standalone pieces in studio apartments and as part of a seating arrangement in sprawling living rooms Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
CelebrityThe TelegraphDuke of Edinburgh: Princess Anne pays tribute to her father's enduring legacy
Princess Anne has summed up what life will be like without her father to guide the Queen, the institution of the Monarch and his family. Speaking in advance of the Duke of Edinburgh's death at the age of 99, the Princess Royal told of his immeasurable influence, both on those immediately around him and on Britain at large. In an interview recorded for broadcast after the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Princess Anne spoke movingly of what her father's legacy might be, citing his steadfast support of the Queen in her role as Monarch as the chief example of his devotion to both his family and the kingdom over which she ruled.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFormer GOP House Speaker John Boehner says he wishes he'd fought against Bill Clinton's impeachment by Republicans
John Boehner, the former Republican House Speaker, wrote in his forthcoming memoir that he regrets supporting former President Bill Clinton's impeachment. "I regret it now," Boehner wrote of Clinton's impeachment. John Boehner, the former Republican House Speaker, wrote in his forthcoming memoir that he regrets supporting former President Bill Clinton's impeachment, which he said was a purely political effort.
HealthIdaho StatesmanIs it OK to drink alcohol before or after COVID vaccination? What to know
Richard Watkins, M.D., a professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, also told Prevention magazine there's currently “no evidence that alcohol reduces the formation of antibodies.” Newly vaccinated individuals should still watch their alcohol intake, he said, or run the risk of compounding hangover symptoms with the flu-like side effects of the vaccine — making the experience much “less pleasant.” Binge drinking or excessive alcohol use, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as consuming four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks for men, can be detrimental to your overall health.
U.S.The New York TimesA Teacher Marched to the Capitol. When She Got Home, the Fight Began.
Word got around when Kristine Hostetter was spotted at a public mask-burning at the San Clemente pier, and when she appeared in a video sitting onstage as her husband spoke at a QAnon convention. People talked when she angrily accosted a family wearing masks near a local surfing spot, her granddaughter in tow. Even in San Clemente, a well-heeled redoubt of Southern California conservatism, Hostetter stood out for her vehement embrace of both the rebellion against COVID-19 restrictions and the stolen-election lies pushed by former President Donald Trump.
CelebrityThe WeekPrince Philip 'carried British passport No. 1' and more fascinating facts about the late royal
Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died on Friday at 99, prompting a collective look back at his fascinating life. Obituaries for the late Duke of Edinburgh walked through the late royal's life from his birth in 1921 to his service in World War II and his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II. He was born on the Greek island of Corfu on a dining room table, according to The Washington Post, and as an infant was "smuggled out of Greece in a fruit crate" while his father fled execution, The New York Times reports. The obituaries were also filled with interesting little nuggets about him, including that he "carried British passport No. 1 (the queen did not require one)," as the Times wrote.
WorldINSIDERThis hazard map shows how much of St. Vincent is in danger from the volcano eruption
La Soufriere erupted on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday morning. All of the island is expected to see ash fall from the eruption. A hazard map of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent shows what areas could experience damage from Friday's volcano eruption.
U.S.Business InsiderA California city is paying its homeless population to clean up their tent sites as the state fights a homelessness crisis
The California town of Elk Grove is paying its homeless population $20 gift cards to clean tent sites. The year-long program has saved the city thousands of dollars. California has long been racked by a homelessness crisis, exacerbated by a housing shortage.
U.S.USA TODAYArizona man dies, woman rescued from steep ledge in Death Valley National Park
One of two missing campers from Tucson who were found on a remote, steep ledge in the Willow Creek area of Death Valley National Park died, officials said Friday afternoon. Alexander Lofgren, 32, was pronounced dead and Emily Henkel, 27, was hospitalized after the two were removed from the ledge at about noon on Friday, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. “This has been a tremendously difficult operation in a very unforgiving geographic area of Inyo County, I sincerely hope for healing and recovery for all involved,” Inyo County Sheriff Jeff Hollowell said in a statement.
CelebrityThe TelegraphPrince Harry will return to UK for Duke of Edinburgh's funeral – but not Meghan
The heavily pregnant Duchess of Sussex will not attend the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on the advice of her doctors, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed on Saturday, although Prince Harry is hoping to arrive back in the UK as early as Sunday. Prince Harry scrambled to arrange a flight as soon as he was informed of the death of his grandfather, anxious to be alongside his family as they mourn their patriarch, though he must obey Covid travel rules which means he will have to self-isolate on arrival. Meghan, 39, is due to begin maternity leave in around four weeks, with the couple's second child, a daughter, thought to be due in June.
WorldBusiness InsiderLuxury ships from the Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise lines sail to the rescue and evacuate islanders in the path of a volcano eruption
Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise sent ships to the Caribbean island Saint Vincent. The ships helped to evacuate northern areas of the island after La Soufrière threatened to erupt. Saint Vincent's National Emergency Management Organisation later tweeted that the volcano did erupt.
“Without modern infrastructure, the US cannot create decent jobs, social justice or climate safety.”
“The plan itself is really a big bait-and-switch...A fraction of the spending is actually devoted to traditional infrastructure projects.”
“Focusing on the size of the investment is misleading when you consider the high cost of not making it.”
“Rather than spending $2 trillion, we should privatize infrastructure where feasible and cut taxes and regulations on the rest.”
“Public investment can also be a major source of jobs and growth, helping to pull us out of the stagnation trap.”