BusinessYahoo NewsMcDonald's worker praised for kicking 'entitled' customer out of drive-thru
A video of a McDonald's employee kicking a man out of a drive-thru has gone viral, but probably not for reasons the customer expected. TikToker @ghettogaragebuilds shared clips of a McDonald's employee berating a customer at a drive-thru window for repeatedly asking workers to remake his drink. Two versions of the video were posted online – the first being 37 seconds long, and a six-second clip of the incident that went viral with over 6.2 million views.
U.S.CBS NewsAnother giant African snail sighting forces Florida county into quarantine
The reappearance of an invasive snail species forced state officials to enact a quarantine order last week for residents of Florida's Pasco County, an area north of Tampa along the gulf coast. Authorities took action after confirming that a notoriously destructive breed of mollusk, known as the giant African land snail, was identified by a community gardener in the city of Port Richey. A division of Florida's department of agriculture that manages pest control began to survey the region for additional snail sightings once the quarantine mandate was in place, according to the agency.
PoliticsThe GuardianMark Meadows’ associate threatened ex-White House aide before her testimony
Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson received at least one message tacitly warning her not to cooperate with the House January 6 select committee from an associate of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The message in question was the second of the two warnings that the select committee disclosed at the end of its special hearing when Hutchinson testified about how Donald Trump directed a crowd he knew was armed to march on the Capitol, the sources said.
U.S.Yahoo Celebrity'ER' actress Mary Mara's cause of death revealed
Mary Mara, who was found dead in New York's St. Lawrence River on Sunday, died of asphyxiation, or suffocation, due to drowning, according to autopsy findings. The ER and Ray Donovan actress's cause of death was announced Wednesday by police, bringing an end to online rumors around the fatal accident. "The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office performed a post-mortem examination and determined that Mary Mara's manner of death was an accident, due to asphyxiation, and water drowning," says an updated statement provided by a New York State Police Troop D spokesperson.
- ScienceReuters Videos
Toxic foam cloud floods 30 homes in Colombia
STORY: Footage shows residents waking up amid a foam cloud sweeping at least 30 homes as firefighters sprayed water to disperse the cloud. Honestly, this (house) can collapse at any minute and I will have to sleep under the bridge,” Soacha resident William Sanchez said, while cleaning up his kitchen that was flooded with the toxic foam. Local media reported the foam came from a sewage gully that overflowed under the downpour.
PoliticsHuffPostEx-Aide Releases Melania Trump's Revealing 1-Word Text Message From Jan. 6
Former first lady Melania Trump was given a chance to call for peace on Jan. 6, 2021 as her husband's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and attempted to block the certification of the 2020 election. Grisham, who was also a former White House press secretary and communications director, resigned later that day, but made no mention of the assault on the Capitol. Like others who served the Trumps, Grisham saved her criticism for a tell-all book.
PoliticsYahoo NewsFilmmaker who gave footage to Jan. 6 committee: Trump is 'dangerous,' living in 'cloud cuckoo land'
A British documentary filmmaker who recently testified behind closed doors to the House Jan. 6 select committee said that former President Donald Trump is living in “cloud cuckoo land,” and is incapable of ever acknowledging that his claims about voter fraud are “delusional.” Holder was granted exclusive access to Trump and his family in the months before and after the 2020 election, giving him the opportunity to compile over 100 hours of footage of the former president, his two eldest sons and eldest daughter talking in interviews and among themselves. When the Jan. 6 select committee learned of the project — which will be aired by Discovery+ in the coming months — they subpoenaed him hoping to find footage of the Trumps speaking candidly about events that are the subject of the investigation.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe term 'no look handshake' is trending on Twitter after Biden was seen shaking hands with South Korea's president without making eye contact
In a moment captured on video, Biden appeared to shake Yoon's hands without making eye contact. Now, "no look handshake" is trending on Twitter in South Korea as users scrutinize the gesture. An awkward handshake between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, at the NATO summit in Madrid lit up social media on Wednesday.
U.S.INSIDERMississippi lawmaker asked about a hypothetical 12-year-old child molested by a family member says they should have to carry that pregnancy to term
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade at a news conference. Gunn said a child victim of incest should carry a resulting pregnancy to term. Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said 12-year-old who is impregnated by a family member should have to carry that child to term, bucking incest exceptions to abortion bans.
WorldReutersPutin still wants most of Ukraine, war outlook grim -U.S. intelligence chief
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, the top U.S. intelligence officer said Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, outlining the current U.S. intelligence assessment of the more than four-month war, said that the consensus of U.S. spy agencies is that it will grind on "for an extended period of time." "In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening," Haines told a Commerce Department conference.
WorldUkrayinska PravdaAnother "goodwill gesture": Russians lose an Alligator near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island
ALONA MAZURENKO – THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2022, 19:50 A Russian Ka-52 helicopter that flew close to Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on the evening of 29 June has been damaged and has fallen into the sea near the island. Source: Pivden Operational Command Quote: "Yesterday one of four helicopters, likely Ka-52s, which flew close to Zmiinyi Island was damaged and fell into the sea between the island and the Odesa gas condensate field. The Ruscists were trying to organise a search-and-rescue operation, but the helicopter was invited to land on the Moskva cruiser."
PoliticsAZCentral | The Arizona RepublicThis was the scariest moment in Arizona's GOP governor's debate. Be warned, America
But the cringiest, creepiest, scariest moment of all was when Kari Lake asked for a show of hands of how many of the four candidates believe the 2020 presidential election was “corrupt and stolen”. Three hands immediately shot up. After all this, they think the election was stolen After sample audits and a “full forensic audit” found no evidence that the election was rigged … After eight unsuccessful lawsuits, including a two-day detailed hearing that produced no evidence that Trump was robbed...
U.S.Associated PressTexas woman accused in cyclist death arrested in Costa Rica
A Texas woman suspected in the fatal shooting of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson at an Austin home has been arrested in Costa Rica, the U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday. Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, was arrested Wednesday at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the Marshals Service said in a statement. “The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run,” said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau.
WorldThe Burlington Free PressThis Vermont ski resort is changing its name in the interest of mental health
A small ski area in Vermont has announced that it's retiring its name, Suicide Six, this summer amid growing concerns about the insensitive nature of the historical name. The resort said on its website on Tuesday that it shares those concerns and “embraces the increasing awareness surrounding mental health. The feelings that the word 'suicide' evokes can have a significant impact on many in our community,” the resort statement said.
U.S.Fox NewsCarnival cruise brawl caught on camera broke out over alleged cheating, passenger says
An all-out brawl that broke out between dozens of passengers aboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship was sparked over allegations of cheating while on the trip, according to an eyewitness passenger who shared video of the fight with Fox News Digital. Theresa James, who said she is a travel agent, told Fox News Digital that the fight started just before 2 a.m. on the ship's fifth floor, where a dance club and casino are located. The brawl lasted about an hour, according to the travel agent, and took the parties involved from the fifth floor to the ship's first floor, which James described as a huge distance.
WorldReutersPutin: Russia will respond if NATO sets up infrastructure in Finland, Sweden
MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance. "But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created."
U.S.Cincinnati.com | The EnquirerPolice warn of rise in car thefts of two particular car brands. Is yours one of them?
The Forest Park Police Department is warning residents of a local increase in car thefts of Kia and Hyundai brand vehicles, similar to instances reported in other cities across the country. The thefts are mainly of Kia cars newer than 2011 and Hyundai cars newer than 2015. Forest Park police say there were six reported thefts of these vehicle brands since June 21 from large apartment complexes at night.
WorldThe New Voice of UkraineRussian assault ship hits mine near Mariupol — Odesa Oblast authorities
"We have reports that a Russian amphibious assault ship of project 1176 Akula of the Black Sea Fleet D-106 blew up near Mariupol,” he said. We are waiting for confirmation of the 'gesture of goodwill'," he added. Earlier it emerged that following powerful strikes by Ukrainian forces, the Russian occupiers of Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea had hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison on two speedboats.
BusinessReutersDisney unveils first new cruise ship in a decade, dips toe into metaverse
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) -Chief Executive Bob Chapek introduced Walt Disney Co's first new cruise ship in a decade on Wednesday, the culmination of the first project the former theme parks executive championed to the company's board of directors. The launch of the 4,000-passenger Disney Wish is a bright spot for Chapek, who became Disney's CEO in February 2020 and secured a three-year contract extension on Tuesday following recent controversies that prompted questions about his tenure. It took more than six years to bring the 144,000-ton Wish to the market, Chapek told guests at a christening ceremony that featured fireworks and appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Ant-Man, Chewbacca and other characters from Disney's vast portfolio.
BusinessFortuneA closer look at the 40 housing markets at risk of a 15% to 20% home price decline
Back in 2007, economist Edward Leamer published the now infamous research paper “Housing Is the Business Cycle.” It calculated that in the post–World War II era, eight recessions (out of 10) came after the U.S. housing market had entered into a “substantial” slowdown. Since then, we've had two more recessions: the Great Recession—which was set off by the bursting aughts housing bubble—and the COVID-19 recession, which did not come after a housing slowdown. Spiked mortgage rates, which have climbed from 3.1% to 5.7% over the past six months, have pushed the U.S. housing market into what Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi calls a “housing correction.” In Zandi's eyes, this “housing correction” is very different from a full-blown housing bust.
U.S.INSIDERJustice Neil Gorsuch fumes that the Supreme Court 'failed' to 'honor this Nation's promises' as it rolled back tribal authority in Oklahoma
The Supreme Court Wednesday authorized Oklahoma to handle certain crimes on Native American land. Justice Neil Gorsuch blasted the ruling, saying it "failed" to "honor this Nation's promises." A 2020 ruling said only tribal and federal authorities could prosecute crimes in the jurisdiction.
ScienceReutersChinese spacecraft acquires images of entire planet of Mars
An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft has acquired imagery data covering all of Mars, including visuals of its south pole, after circling the planet more than 1,300 times since early last year, state media reported on Wednesday. Among the images taken from space were China's first photographs of the Martian south pole, where almost all of the planet's water resources are locked. In 2018, an orbiting probe operated by the European Space Agency had discovered water under the ice of the planet's south pole.
U.S.Miami HeraldMan arrested on flight to Orlando in sex abuse of minor, cops say. He offered an excuse
According to an affidavit first obtained by The Daily Beast, a 51-year-old California resident traveling on Flight 2954 is accused of allegedly groping a minor who was seated next to him in the early hours of Friday. A criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida said that Brian Patrick Durning, of Altadena, was arrested hours later by federal agents upon landing at Orlando International Airport. The court document says a girl, referred to as “MV” (for “minor victim” older than 12, but younger than 16), was sitting in the middle seat and was allegedly touched by Durning, who was on the aisle to her left.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAn American Airlines passenger drove to Denver airport to rebook his seats after the airline's customer-service center left him on hold for nearly 4 hours
An American Airlines passenger spent nearly four hours trying to rebook his seats over the phone. An American Airlines passenger who spent nearly four hours on hold with the airline's customer-service center grew so frustrated he drove 45 minutes to the airport to rebook his seats at the ticket counter.
WorldReutersRussia warns West: Don't take your assets in our country for granted
Russia hinted on Wednesday that it had not dropped the idea of seizing Western-owned assets and businesses in the country, as a top official sharply criticised governments that have hit Moscow with sanctions. In a combative media briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that Russia was prepared to "act accordingly" if the West decided to use Russia's frozen state assets - chief among them being around $300 billion of central bank foreign currency reserves. The use of the funds "will be interpreted by us as an unlawful and defiantly unfriendly attack, giving us the right to take retaliatory actions to protect our interests," she said on Wednesday.
“Left unchecked, if artificial intelligence reaches cognition … it will be fueled by some of the most inhumane impulses of humanity.”
“Now is the time to stop and think — before our technology outstrips us once again.”
“I don't want to talk about sentient robots, because at all ends of the spectrum there are humans harming other humans.”
“Minds can take different forms … We should avoid reducing questions about AIs to ‘Can AIs think and feel like us?’”
“To identify sentience, or consciousness, or even intelligence, we’re going to have to work out what they are.”