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.
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.The StateNote in missing couple’s car leads rescuers to ‘extreme’ site in Death Valley, cops say
A missing Arizona couple was found on a steep ledge in Death Valley National Park after leaving a note in their car, police said. Alexander Lofgren, 32, and Emily Henkel, 27, from Tucson were found Thursday in a remote part of Death Valley National Park, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. Cops said that a search and rescue team would descend the canyon to reach Lofgren and Henkel on Thursday night, but an update on the couple's condition hasn't been provided by authorities on Friday.
PoliticsAxiosScoop: Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel escorted out of RNC retreat
During this weekend's highly anticipated donor retreat hosted by the Republican National Committee in Palm Beach, Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel was escorted off the premises while his primary opponent, Jane Timken, was allowed to stay, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell Axios. What we're hearing: The invitation-only event is taking place at the Four Seasons Resort, and the RNC reserved the entire hotel. While Timken, former Ohio GOP chair, was invited to the event “because she is a major donor” — Mandel was not, so he was asked to leave, according to one of the sources.
U.S.Associated PressMother arrested after 3 children found slain in Los Angeles
The mother of three children — all under the age of 5 — found slain inside a Los Angeles apartment Saturday morning has been arrested, police said. Liliana Carrillo, 30, was arrested in Tulare County, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of Los Angeles. The children's grandmother returned home from work and found their bodies and the mother missing, Los Angeles police Lt. Raul Jovel said.
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
PoliticsThe WeekTexas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw recovering from emergency eye surgery that will leave him blind for a month
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) revealed Saturday that he underwent emergency surgery on his left eye a day earlier after a doctor discovered his retina was detaching. It was a "terrifying prognosis" for Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, who was hit by an IED blast during a mission in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2012. Crenshaw said "it was always a possibility that the effects of the damage to my retina would resurface, and it appears that is exactly what has happened."
WorldReutersSouth African variant can 'break through' Pfizer vaccine, Israeli study says
The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa can "break through" Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found, though its prevalence in the country is low and the research has not been peer reviewed. The South African variant, B.1.351, was found to make up about 1% of all the COVID-19 cases across all the people studied, according to the study by Tel Aviv University and Israel's largest healthcare provider, Clalit. But among patients who had received two doses of the vaccine, the variant's prevalence rate was eight times higher than those unvaccinated - 5.4% versus 0.7%.
U.S.INSIDERA California man was convicted of a federal hate crime for attempting to stab a Black man while on probation for another 'racially motivated' assault
A man in Northern California was convicted by a jury on Friday of a federal hate crime. The Santa Cruz man was convicted of attempting to stab a Black man while shouting racial slurs. The incident occurred when the man was on probation for another "racially motivated assault."
- WorldKFSN – Fresno
2 women shot and killed at central Fresno apartment complex
Police are investigating after a shooting left two women dead. The hunt for the suspect is still ongoing.
BusinessRaleigh News and ObserverHow are Americans using their $1,400 stimulus checks? Here’s what a survey found
Americans are using a majority of their stimulus money to pay off debts and for savings, according to a survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Respondents said in the New York Fed's Survey of Consumer Expectations that for the third round of stimulus checks, which sent $1,400 to eligible Americans, that they planned to spend around 25% of the total payment, to save about 41% and use the remaining 34% to pay down debt. These responses show a slight drop in how much Americans planned to spend compared to the first two rounds of relief payments, which also comes with a minor rise in how much is going straight into savings accounts.
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.
U.S.USA TODAYSevere weather, tornado blamed for at least 2 deaths, multiple injuries in Louisiana
One person was killed and seven injured after at least one tornado touched down in St. Landry Parish. Separately, in Shreveport, a 48-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his mobile home amid strong winds, said Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator. The same storm system caused significant damage 400 miles to the east in Bay County, Florida, where an image showed the remains of a Panama City Beach convenience store with its roof and walls largely gone and aisles of merchandise intact.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverCOVID-19 vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on April 9
At least 469,467 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 8,138 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Thursday reported 495 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, up from 324 reported the day before. At least 500 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, with 131 of them in intensive care units.
U.S.Business InsiderDOJ veterans say the latest twist in the Matt Gaetz sex-trafficking investigation could be the most 'scary' one yet for the lawmaker
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has been in hot water since The New York Times reported the existence of a Justice Department investigation into whether he had sex with a minor and broke federal sex-trafficking laws. On Thursday, the pressure on Gaetz jumped another notch after lawyers representing Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was indicted as part of the investigation, told a judge that Greenberg was close to accepting a plea deal. It's a seismic development that spells trouble for Gaetz, whose friendship with Greenberg dates back to at least 2017.
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.
WorldINSIDERMrs. World says she's 'ready to hand over the crown' after being arrested for snatching tiara off Mrs. Sri Lanka during beauty pageant
Mrs. World Caroline Jurie has given up her crown amid the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant controversy. Jurie was arrested for allegedly injuring the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant, Pushpika De Silva. Footage showed Jurie forcibly removing a tiara from De Silva's head moments after she was crowned.
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.
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.
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.
WorldThe TelegraphSouth Pacific tribe that worshiped Prince Philip as a living god plans to set up political movement
An island tribe in the South Pacific which has worshiped Prince Philip as a god for decades is thinking of establishing a political movement in the wake of his death. While the Duke of Edinburgh had a reputation for making politically incorrect remarks about other cultures, from Australian Aborigines to the Chinese, on the volcanic island of Tanna in Vanuatu he is held in high esteem. A cluster of villages that worshiped him as a living deity held grief-stricken meetings on Saturday to decide how to commemorate his death.
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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRep. Katie Porter calls Biden's move to split up his infrastructure package 'a big mistake'
Rep. Katie Porter of California called Biden's move to split his infrastructure plan 'a big mistake.' Last month, Biden noted that 2 millions women had left the workforce since the pandemic started. Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California called President Joe Biden's decision to split up his infrastructure plan into separate jobs and family components a major error.
U.S.INSIDER9 of the 10 US metro areas with a surge in COVID-19 cases are in Michigan
9 out of 10 US metro areas with recent COVID-19 surges are in Michigan, according to The New York Times. Earlier in the pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was criticized by Republicans for her measures to curb the virus' spread in her state. Nine of 10 metro areas in the US with recent COVID-19 surges are in the state of Michigan, The New York Times reported Saturday, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked - but didn't order - her constituents to avoid indoor activities.
- PoliticsAssociated Press Videos
Stacey Abrams on voting rights, her next move
The Associated Press sat down this week with Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2018 and a leading voice on ballot access, to talk about the inequity of sweeping, new state law on Georgia voting. (April 9)
“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.”