WorldThe TelegraphIsrael military draws up plan for ground invasion of Gaza
The Israeli military was drawing up plans to send troops into Gaza on Thursday as its military continued to exchange fire with Hamas fighters through the night, while in Israeli cities a fresh wave of riots led to 400 arrests. The Israel Defence forces said it had deployed two infantry units and one armoured unit to the border with Gaza, and that a ground operations plan would be submitted to military chiefs later today, ahead of approval by the Israeli government. Despite diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis, which US President Joe Biden said he hoped would end "sooner than later", hundreds of rockets flew across the Gaza Strip overnight.
PoliticsFox NewsGreene tries to confront AOC, asks why she supports ‘terrorists and antifa’: report
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tried to "aggressively confront" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday, shouting questions about why the New York Democrat supports "terrorists and antifa," according to a report. Two reporters from the Washington Post said they witnessed the interaction outside the House chamber. The report said Greene yelled to Ocasio-Cortez, and the Democrat continued walking.
U.S.TheGrioBlack Dunkin’ Donuts manager charged after fatally punching man who called him slur
When a Dunkin' customer hurled racist slurs at an employee, he was met with a punch to the head that proved to be fatal. This is when he began arguing with the store's Black manager, Corey Pujols. Pujols, 27, told police that the man was being “extremely rude” and called him a racial slur.
PoliticsThe WeekGeorge P. Bush applauds Liz Cheney's ouster, claims she doesn't 'stand up for conservative Republican ideology'
George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), applauded House Republicans on Wednesday for ousting Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her position as the No. 3 House GOP leader. Bush tweeted that "we need leaders in Congress that stand up for conservative Republican ideology, and Liz Cheney is not that leader," over a quote in which he says Cheney should be "reigning [sic] fire" down on Biden, not "the president," presumably referring to former President Donald Trump.
WorldThe TelegraphFormer Tory chairman Andrew Feldman ‘used health department role to win PPE contract for his client’
A former chairman of the Conservative Party has allegedly used his role advising the Department of Health to initiate a government contract for a client at his lobbying firm. In emails seen by the Financial Times, Andrew Feldman was given an unpaid role advising Lord Bethell, a health minister, between March 24 and May 15 last year. This is despite Mr Feldman also running the lobbying and PR firm Tulchan since 2019.
U.S.Miami HeraldMiami man who bought Lamborghini with COVID-19 relief money sentenced to six years
A Miami businessman was sentenced to more than six years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to fleecing millions from a federal COVID-19 relief program and buying luxury items with the money, including a $318,000 Lamborghini Huracán Evo. David T. Hines, 29, arrested last July, was ordered by a Miami federal judge to turn over the luxury Italian sports car and $3.4 million that he received in government loans. Hines, who owned South Florida moving businesses, applied to the Bank of America for seven loans under a Small Business Administration program.
HealthReutersDelaying second COVID-19 vaccine doses can help reduce deaths - study
Giving a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine but delaying a second dose among people younger than 65 could lead to fewer people dying of the disease, but only if certain conditions are met, a predictive modelling study showed. For example, Pfizer has said there is no clinical evidence to support Britain's decision to extend the gap between doses of its vaccine to 12 weeks, but data from the rollout in England shows protection against death of around 80% from one dose, with a 70% decline in infections. The U.S. study, published in the BMJ British medical journal, used a simulation model based on a "real-world" sample of 100,000 U.S. adults and ran a series of scenarios to forecast potentially infectious interactions under different conditions.
- WorldNexstar / Tribune WJW
Ohio man arrested after claiming he was an undercover CIA agent during traffic stop
After claiming his CIA affiliation, the man displayed an FBI badge to an officer. He then told a second officer he worked for the U.S. Treasury. Every one of those things was a lie.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanTwo planes collide in Colorado sky — but no one was injured, officials say. How?
A single-engine plane collided with a jet in the Colorado sky, officials said. The planes collided in midair above Cherry Creek State Park at about 10:25 a.m. Wednesday, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office officials said during a news briefing. The single-engine Cirrus SR-22 plane crashed in a field, officials said, but it deployed a parachute before hitting the ground.
U.S.NBC NewsBody found in submerged vehicle ID'd as missing Texas woman
The body recovered from a vehicle submerged in a Houston-area lake Tuesday has been identified as Erica Hernandez, a mother of three who had been missing for more than three weeks, police said. Police in Pearland, where the vehicle was found, said Wednesday it was notified by the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office that the remains have been identified as those of Hernandez, 40. Officials are awaiting conclusions in a medical examiner's report, NBC affiliate KPRC reported.
LifestyleLexington Herald-LeaderA Kentucky whiskey was just named Best Bourbon in the World. Here’s how to buy it.
Brace yourselves, bourbon fans: A Kentucky whiskey that was named the 2021 Best Bourbon in the World at the end of March is coming to store shelves, along with one of the most-sought after annual releases. Buffalo Trace Distillery announced on Wednesday that the whiskey made through an interactive project called “Craft Your Perfect Bourbon” will be available this month. The C.Y.P.B. is a version of Buffalo Trace's popular Weller, selected by drinkers who were asked to choose their ideal bourbon.
WorldBBCOn The Beach pulls all summer holidays from sale
EasyJet said it would let people "make up their own mind about their holiday". Most countries are currently classed as amber, but it is not illegal to travel to them when holidays resume on 17 May for people in England and Scotland. The firm's chief executive, Simon Cooper, said: "There's nothing we want more than to be able to send customers on holiday, but with the current number of unknowns, we don't think that now is the right time for customers to book new holidays departing in the next few months."
U.S.National ReviewRebekah Jones, the COVID Whistleblower Who Wasn’t
This is a story about Rebekah Jones, a former dashboard manager at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), who has single-handedly managed to convince millions of Americans that Governor Ron DeSantis has been fudging the state's COVID-19 data. When I write “single-handedly,” I mean it, for Jones is not one of the people who have advanced this conspiracy theory but rather is the person who has advanced this conspiracy theory. It has been repeated by others, sure: by partisans across the Internet, by unscrupulous Florida Democrats such as Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist, and on television, by MSNBC in particular.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP Rep. Paul Gosar said police 'executed' Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot and that the feds are 'harassing peaceful patriots'
The House Oversight Committee held a hearing Wednesday about the January 6 Capitol attack. GOP Rep. Paul Gosar said the rioter who died was "executed" and that others were "peaceful patriots." Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused him of downplaying the actions of "violent insurrectionists."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderIn a report suppressed under Trump, the EPA has said for the first time that humans caused the climate crisis
The EPA published an update of indicators tracking the climate crisis on Wednesday. For the first time, the EPA attributed climate change to humans, a press officer told the BBC. For the first time, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that the climate crisis is - at least in part - caused by human activities, the BBC reported.
U.S.Architectural DigestHouse Call: This Is the Comfort You Need
In support of plump, fluffy, puffy furniture Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramHere’s how Fort Worth’s mayoral candidates differ on wages, workforce and transit
After advancing out of the crowded mayoral field, Mattie Parker and Deborah Peoples are differentiating themselves on more than just political backgrounds, including at a forum Wednesday where they were divided on transit, wages and the best way to grow business. Parker, a lawyer who spent five years as chief of staff for Mayor Betsy Price and is now a nonprofit executive, and Peoples, a retired AT&T vice president and outgoing Tarrant County Democratic Party chair, spared in a forum that focused on Fort Worth's workforce and business climate. While the candidates appear to agree on unifying the city and moving away from partisan politics, the forum, hosted by the Star-Telegram and the city's three chambers, was one of the first times the pair contrasted clearly on policies.
U.S.INSIDERA fight broke out at a North Carolina gas station after a woman tried to cut the line waiting for fuel, a report says
A fight broke out at a Marathon gas station in Knightdale, North Carolina, on Tuesday. One woman tried to cut the line for fuel, sparking the dispute, WRAL reported. A fight broke out at a gas station in North Carolina on Tuesday as people scrambled to fill up their cars amid a fuel shortage caused by a cyberattack that knocked out a crucial US pipeline.
WorldThe IndependentIndian workers lured to New Jersey and forced to work 12 hours a day at $1.20 an hour to help build Hindu temple, says lawsuit
As many as 200 Indian workers from marginalised communities were allegedly lured to New Jersey in the US where they were forced to work 12 hours a day at $1.20 (85p) an hour to help build a Hindu temple, a lawsuit has claimed. The case was filed by five of them in the US District Court in Newark on behalf of more than 200 Indian construction workers. The lawsuit accuses their employer, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), and related entities of recruiting them in India and bringing them to the US where they were forced to work for more than 87 hours a week for $450 (£318) a month.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRight after 'Big Four' meeting with Biden, Pelosi says an infrastructure bill will 'absolutely' be ready by July 4
Biden met with McCarthy, Pelosi, Schumer, and McConnell to discuss a bipartisan infrastructure plan. After the meeting, Pelosi told reporters a bill will "absolutely" be ready by July 4. Republicans are not so optimistic and are unwilling to compromise on tax hikes to fund the plan.
LifestyleCharlotte ObserverOpinion: Charlotte chef gets candid about restaurant industry shakeup, labor shortage
Just over a year ago, restaurant employees were encouraged and even assisted in accessing unemployment benefits as COVID-19 put life as we knew it on hold. Now, those same employees are being shamed for putting themselves ahead of an industry that turned its back on them while gaining access to Paycheck Protection Program loans and the Restaurant Relief Fund. Over that same time, an incredible thing happened.
PoliticsPolitico‘I have reassessed’: Former Pentagon official now says Trump may not have incited riot
Two top Trump administration officials testified Wednesday that President Donald Trump never contacted them on Jan. 6 as rioters overran the Capitol and engaged in brutal combat with police officers. Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said at a House Oversight Committee hearing that they had no interaction with Trump during the riot. “I did not,” Rosen said under questioning by Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) “I did not require any authorities that the department didn't already have.”
U.S.The Daily BeastQuestions Pile Up in Baffling Case of Missing Alabama Baby
But police in Montgomery County, Alabama, say they received a 911 call Monday evening from a Circle K convenience store along a highway outside Montgomery about the missing baby, who weighs 10 pounds and was last seen in a camouflage onesie. Further details of the infant's disappearance have not been made public, though police say they are reviewing security footage. The father, Caleb Whisnand, and mother, Angela Gardner, did not refer to their son by name during their Wednesday remarks.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderJoe Manchin says he won't support extending the $300 federal weekly unemployment benefit from Biden's stimulus
"We need people back to work," West Virginia's Democrat senator told Politico. There's some division among Democrats on whether the Biden stimulus measure should be renewed. Sen. Joe Manchin said he won't back extending the $300 federal unemployment benefit from President Joe Biden's stimulus, which could possibly torpedo the jobless measure once it expires on Sept. 6.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFormer White House counsel Don McGahn has agreed to a closed-door interview with lawmakers on Trump's alleged attempts to block the Russia investigation
Don McGahn agreed to speak about Trump's alleged efforts to block the Mueller investigation. A court filing says he will talk to the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door interview. Former White House counsel Don McGahn has agreed to doing a closed-door interview with lawmakers on former President Donald Trump's alleged attempts to block the investigation into Trump campaign ties with Russia.
“If Facebook lets Trump back on Facebook and Instagram, he'll assuredly restart his assault on democracy.”
“Facebook should have known better than to believe that it could limit speech on its platform without setting a terrible precedent.”
“Providing a microphone and an amplifier for deceit isn't fighting the good fight for free speech.”
“It’s no defense of Mr. Trump’s conduct to say that the digital public square shouldn’t suppress speech by political leaders.”
“The former president no longer gets the ‘head of state’ exception to terms of service.”