Pope asks US bishop to resign after cover-up investigation

Pope Francis asked a bishop in the U.S. state of Minnesota to resign after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said Tuesday. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner on Tuesday and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston said in a statement that the pontiff asked Hoeppner to resign following the Vatican probe, which it said arose from reports that the bishop "had at times failed to observe applicable norms when presented with allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy."

Retired Navy admiral says U.S. looks either 'complicit' or 'ignorant' in Iran nuclear facility blackout

While nothing is definitive, "all indications are pointing to the fact" that Israel was behind a cyberattack that knocked out power at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility over the weekend, retired U.S. Navy Adm. William McRaven said Monday, and he finds the allegations "a little disturbing" given that the U.S. and other countries are currently trying to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. "Frankly, I'm not exactly sure what it accomplishes," McRaven told CNN's Jake Tapper. "It's a little bit of a shot across the bow, but Natanz will only be down for maybe a week or so."

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  Iran claims Israel behind explosion that caused nuclear facility blackout

  ABC News Videos
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  Iran announces blackout at nuclear facility, possible Israeli cyber attack

  Axios

Court rejects appeal of killer of 3 in home invasion

The Connecticut Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a man convicted of murder, sexual assault and other crimes in the killings of a woman and her two daughters, ages 11 and 17, in a 2007 home invasion. Justices issued a 7-0 decision Monday upholding the convictions against Joshua Komisarjevsky. Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes are serving life prison sentences for the killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home.

Nato chief throws his weight behind Ukraine as Moscow continues to ratchet up war rhetoric

Nato's secretary general told Russia on Tuesday to end its military build-up around Ukraine as Moscow for htthe first time confirmed of its massive deployment on the border. Russia has been amassing troops near  Ukrainian territory for more than three weeks after hostilities between Russia-backed separatists and government troops in eastern Ukraine flared up, breaking a months-long cease-fire. Jens Stoltenberg, Nato's secretary general, pledged the military alliance's “unwavering support” to Ukraine during a meeting with the country's foreign minister on Tuesday.

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  NATO, US vow support for Ukraine, warn Russia on troops

  Associated Press
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  NATO, U.S. demand Russia end Ukraine build-up, West examines options

  Reuters

Mistaking Asian woman as white, Asian man attacks her over hate crimes, CA cops say

An Asian man was arrested after California police say he kidnapped and tried to sexually assault an Asian woman, believing she was white, in retaliation for the rise in hate crimes against Asians. Michael Sangbong Rhee, 37, was arrested Thursday night at his Lake Forest home, Irvine police said in a Facebook post. Rhee was charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual assault and is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.

Japan, Germany hold 1st security talk to deter China

Japan and Germany agreed in security talks Tuesday to expand their military cooperation as the two nations shared concern about China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. At the so-called “two-plus-two” talks held online, the Japanese and German foreign ministers and defense ministers agreed to step up their cooperation in defense and military equipment and technology transfers based on their intelligence sharing pact signed in March. The four ministers exchanged views on China's territorial claims in the East and South China seas and shared “grave concern” over the situation in Hong Kong and the human rights conditions in China's Xinjiang region, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market

These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Stone Mountain Park denies permit for Confederate event

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association has denied a gathering permit from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who were looking to host their annual Confederate Memorial Day service at Stone Mountain Park outside Atlanta. The gathering was slated for Saturday but a March 31 letter from memorial association CEO Bill Stephens denied the necessary permit, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Stephens listed three reasons for the denial including safety concerns, specifically the pandemic and racial tensions.

Death rate for British cancer patients with Covid far higher than in Europe at near 50pc

Nearly half of UK cancer patients who caught coronavirus died – a much higher rate than counterparts in Europe, a study suggests. Researchers found that UK patients were less likely to be receiving cancer treatment during the pandemic and less likely to be given the best life-saving therapies once they had caught the virus. The worse death rate also reflects the fact that British cancer sufferers tended to be less fit generally.

Cops went to a Florida mom’s home on a child abuse call. Then they saw a Dr. Seuss book

Dr Seuss books have made headlines lately, but not for this reason. According to a police report from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to a Largo home on a call of suspected child abuse. When they arrived around 9 p.m.

Black Army officer pepper-sprayed by police said he thought he could be murdered as officers gave quickly changing commands

A uniformed Black Army officer was held at gunpoint and pepper-sprayed during a traffic stop. Second lieutenant Caron Nazario filed a lawsuit against the 2 Virginia officers involved. In a complaint, Nazario said they gave conflicting orders and he was worried he would be murdered.

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  Town Fires Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Black Army Lieutenant During Traffic Stop

  HuffPost
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  Officer who pepper-sprayed U.S. Army officer fired

  Reuters Videos

Taiwan: 'Record number' of China jets enter air zone

Taiwan has said a record number of Chinese military jets flew into its air defence zone on Monday. The defence ministry said 25 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday. The incursion is the largest in a year and comes as the US warns against an "increasingly aggressive China".

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  Chinese aircraft in biggest Taiwan airspace incursion for a year despite US warning

  The Independent
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  Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan's air defense zone in challenge to U.S.

  NBC News

‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests

At least 50 journalists in the US have been arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the US, while dozens of others have also been injured by rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas. The US Press Freedom Tracker has collected nearly 500 incidents from 382 reports, from the unrest in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's killing by police in late May, to demonstrations in more than 70 cities across 35 states since. At least 46 journalists were arrested between the end of May and the beginning of June, according to data collected by the organisation.

Nike wants your lightly worn sneakers — to resell them at some US stores. Here’s why

If your new pair of Nike sneakers just aren't working out, they could have a second life as part of the footwear company's new refurbishment program. Nike announced Monday that it plans to resell lightly worn sneakers and those with cosmetic flaws “at a value to customers. Nike Refurbished is available at eight stores and will expand to 15 by the end of the month, CNBC reported.

Supreme Court conservatives may reset balance between LGBTQ rights and religious liberty

The Supreme Court is set to decide soon whether conservative Christians have a constitutional right to refuse to work with same-sex couples while participating in a city-funded foster care program that forbids such discrimination. It is the latest and possibly most significant culture-wars clash between the 1st Amendment's right to the free exercise of religion — which has been bolstered of late by the court's conservatives — and the right to marriage equality that was upheld in a 5-4 liberal decision in 2015. With the exception of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., the court has shown no sign it will retreat from the principle of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

A CNN reporter was confronted by a protester while covering the Daunte Wright demonstrations in a dramatic on-air exchange

A protester confronted a CNN reporter over media coverage of the Daunte Wright protests. The exchange between the man and CNN's Sara Sidner was broadcast live. Protests over the killing of Wright by a police officer continued Monday night.

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  Minnesota protester confronts CNN reporter: 'Get away from here with all that media s**t'

  Yahoo TV
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  The Rush: Minnesota teams postpone games, athletes react to the death of Daunte Wright

  Yahoo Sports Videos

Parts shortage forces months-long layoffs for thousands at Kansas City Ford, GM plants

A new car hasn't rolled off the line of General Motors' sprawling Kansas City, Kansas, factory in more than two months. The factory, which makes the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and the Cadillac XT4 crossover SUV, has been crippled by a global shortage of semiconductors that has hit the nation's automakers particularly hard. The chip shortage has affected both of Kansas City's auto plants: Ford closed its Transit van line this week at the Claycomo Assembly Plant in its latest disruption.

I lost both my legs fighting in Afghanistan. Staying there doesn't honor our troops.

This was eight years after small teams of Green Berets and CIA personnel first invaded Afghanistan, routed the Taliban and largely destroyed the al-Qaida forces that had taken refuge in that country. Eight long years after 9/11, I was one of 68,000 American troops, many of us part of the "surge," working to bring security and governance to the country. Today, it has been almost 12 years since I was in Afghanistan, and now our nation is approaching its 21st year of war there.

14 Ways to Do Memphis Without Doing Memphis

You don't have to commit to full-on maximalism to make a statement Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Veterans of color say video of police pepper-spraying a Black Army officer shows that not even a military uniform is protection from police violence

Police officers in Virginia held a uniformed Black Army officer at gunpoint and pepper-sprayed him. The soldier was not charged with a crime or ticketed over the incident, which was captured on video. Veterans of color said the video showed that not even a uniform is protection from police violence.

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  Officer who pepper-sprayed U.S. Army officer fired

  Reuters Videos
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  Soldier sues VA cop for pepper spray incident

  Reuters Videos

Top Kremlin Mouthpiece Warns of ‘Inevitable’ War With U.S. Over Another Ukraine Land Grab

All-out cyberwarfare, nation-wide forced blackouts, and the targeted disruption of internet services—for one of the Kremlin's top propagandists, all of those tactics are fair game in what she describes as a fated war-to-come against the U.S. “War [with the U.S.] is inevitable,” declared Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of the state-funded Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik, who believes the conflict will break out when, not if, Vladimir Putin moves to seize more territory from Ukraine. As Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's doorstep mounts, Kremlin loyalists have been urging for even more overt aggression and bloodshed in the campaign to annex Ukraine's Donbas region.

Smartmatic says Fox News shouldn't have journalism protections in defamation lawsuit over election conspiracy theories

Smartmatic argued in a filing Monday that Fox News shouldn't receive legal journalism protections. Its defamation lawsuit alleges Fox News pushed damaging conspiracy theories about the company. Fox News has moved to dismiss the lawsuit.

13 investigations, no court-martials: Here's how the US Navy and Marine Corps quietly discharged white supremacists

For decades, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have quietly kicked out some of the worst white supremacists in their ranks, offering them administrative discharges that leave no public record of their hateful activity, a USA TODAY review of Navy documents found. The documents, obtained via a public-records request by the open-government advocacy group American Oversight, detail 13 major investigations into white supremacist activity in the Navy and Marine Corps over more than 20 years. They show a pattern in which military leaders chose to deal with personnel involved in extremism by dismissing them in ways that would not attract public attention.