HealthYahoo NewsThe COVID-19 Delta variant: What you need to know
The Delta variant, also referred to as B.1.6.1.7.2 [and] believed to have originated from India, is one of the most concerning variants … It is more likely to lead to disease, hospitalizations and possibly death. The Delta variant looks like it might be up to 60 percent more infectious, which is why the CDC really put a bold label forward in calling it a variant of concern. They only do that when they think a variant is concerning enough that it could change the course of a disease or potentially pose a threat to someone who gets it.
PoliticsYahoo NewsAs his voting rights proposal stalls, will Joe Manchin's dreams of bipartisanship ever come true?
Sen. Joe Manchin's latest attempt at bipartisanship — a compromise on voting rights legislation — has again received a cold shoulder from the Republicans he's attempting to win over. This week, the West Virginia Democrat circulated a three-page memo outlining his proposal for a bill that would eliminate partisan gerrymandering and increase early voting but would also require voter ID, a favorite provision of the GOP. Manchin wrote last month that he felt that “partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy.” Manchin has repeatedly touted the importance of bipartisanship, whether it's tied to COVID-19 relief, infrastructure, voting rights or a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump endorses primary opponent of Republican senator who voted to convict him
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the primary opponent of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday, months after the Alaska moderate voted to convict him on a charge of incitement of insurrection. Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska,” Trump said in a statement. He cited Murkowski's vote to approve President Biden's choice for interior secretary, Deb Haaland, who was later confirmed, as the reason for his decision, stating that Murkowski's approval was tantamount to voting to kill the “ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]” and “Alaska jobs.
U.S.Miami HeraldHis bagel didn’t have cream cheese, so he pulled gun on a police chief’s daughter, cops say
While working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens' police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say. Chief Delma Noel-Pratt told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 in an interview that the experience traumatized her 23-year-old daughter. “As a mother I am very concerned,” Noel-Pratt told the station.
WorldThe TelegraphViolence shatters Pakistani elite as thousands protest 'illegal' land grab
For those fortunate enough to own a home in a Bahria Town development, the elite suburb promises to offer a respite from the clamour of life in much of Pakistan. Prospective residents from Karachi are lured with assurances that they can swap the blackouts, floods and rubbish heaps of the port metropolis for a luxury lifestyle in a manicured architectural fantasia. While Pakistan is often gripped by political and religious protests, the rich are rarely targeted - and the violent intrusion in Bahria Town has shaken elite Pakistani society beyond its gates.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderLatest Kentuckian charged in U.S. Capitol riot caught on video near fatal shooting
A Kentucky man charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol wrote in a Facebook post that he was nearby when a woman trying to get into the Speaker's Lobby was shot and killed. Kurt Peterson of Hodgenville was arrested Wednesday and charged with obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the FBI announced. On Jan. 10, Peterson put a lengthy post on Facebook detailing his time in the Capitol protesting former President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election, according to a federal affidavit.
WorldBBCApple Daily: Hong Kong police raid sparks rush on newspapers
People in Hong Kong have queued up to buy copies of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily a day after its newsroom was raided by police. The raid on the newspaper came as two of its executives were charged under Hong Kong's controversial new national security law. Editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung were the two charged.
WorldThe TelegraphRumours swirl that China’s top spycatcher has defected to the US
Rumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China.
BusinessMiami HeraldFederal judge throws out CDC’s cruise safety regulations, handing win to DeSantis
A federal judge threw out U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety rules for cruise companies operating in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a 124-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday of the Middle District of Florida said the agency's “conditional sail order” — a framework of regulations dictating how cruises can restart in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic — can remain in place for Florida cruises only until July 18, granting DeSantis' request for a preliminary injunction while the full case moves forward. After July 18, the rules will become non-binding recommendations for cruise companies as they are for other industries.
U.S.The StateTeen sleeping in hammock at 12:30 a.m attacked by large bear in Great Smoky Mountains
A 16-year-old girl was attacked by a bear in the Great Smoky Mountains early Friday, prompting the National Park Service to close a back country section to visitors. The attack happened at 12:30 a.m., as the teen was sleeping in a hammock in the the Crosby section of the park, officials said. “The family was able to drive the bear off from the area immediately after the attack and quickly notified the park's emergency communications center,” the National Park Service said.
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Prosecutors seek 'very substantial' prison time for Michael Avenatti over attempted extortion of Nike
Prosecutors on Wednesday urged a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramPolice arrest boy, 16, in killing of teenager shot in chest in northwest Fort Worth
Police on Friday arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of murder in a killing six days earlier in northwest Fort Worth. Josiah Mendez was booked in connection with the slaying of Joshua Smith, 17, who was shot on June 12 in his chest at Smith's house in the 1500 block of Denver Avenue, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. Fort Worth police have declined to release other information about the killing or describe its motive, and said on Friday that the investigation is incomplete.
PoliticsKansas City StarSwamp 101: Joe Manchin asks billionaire donors to get Roy Blunt to do their bidding
This is Swamp 101, but instructive all the same: An audio recording has surfaced of Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin asking billionaire donors to lean on Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt to change his vote on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection commission. That's important in itself, he said, but would also accomplish a very different goal, and one the donors on the call care about a lot: Their implied IOU of future opportunities for Blunt, Manchin suggested, could help neutralize the Democrats' best argument for doing away with the filibuster. Since Republicans oppose anything and everything the Democrats want to do, Rs could preserve the filibuster by proving Ds wrong about that.
WorldBBCAustralia takes wine dispute with China to WTO
Australia will file a formal complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after China imposed up to 218% tariffs on its wine last year. China says the tariffs were increased because of trading malpractice, which Australia denies. Australia says it remains open to engaging directly with China to resolve the issue.
U.S.Miami HeraldA swimmer in the Gulf was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then came the shark
A state park in northwest Florida on the Gulf was on high alert Thursday after a swimmer was bitten by a shark. According to a Tweet from South Walton Fire District, an emergency crew was summoned to Grayton Beach State Park in Seaside sometime in the afternoon after calls came in about the attack. SWFD responded to a report of a shark attack off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park Thursday afternoon.
U.S.The WeekMark Meadows reportedly predicted 'nobody is going to care' about George Floyd's killing
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows reportedly initially dismissed the idea that George Floyd's killing would dominate the news and generate nationwide outrage in May 2020, instead thinking "nobody" would care. That's according to a new excerpt published in Politico Friday from reporter Michael C. Bender's book Frankly, We Did Win this Election, which details a West Wing meeting the morning after Memorial Day in 2020. The scheduled topic was the COVID-19 pandemic, but adviser Jared Kushner, who appeared "distracted" and "aloof," reportedly interrupted the discussion to bring up the video starting to spread of Floyd's killing at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRep. Ted Lieu calls Catholic bishops 'hypocrites' for trying to deny Biden Communion over abortion stance while ignoring Bill Barr's death penalty push
Catholic Bishops advanced a document that could bar Biden from Communion over his support for abortion rights. Rep. Ted Lieu, a Catholic, called the Bishops "hypocrites" and "nakedly partisan" for the move. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California lashed out at US Catholic Bishops on Friday after they voted in favor of advancing a document that could block President Joe Biden from receiving Communion due to his stance on abortion.
BusinessBBC'We can't go on our much-needed cruise'
Mollie Haugh and her family are among MSC Cruises passengers who have been told that their trips are not going ahead. This is because the delay to easing Covid restrictions means the ships have been overbooked. The company had sold tickets for the trips presuming that Covid restrictions would be lifted on the 21 June.
U.S.Miami HeraldMiami chief’s ‘You lie, you die’ mandate cited in call for firing high-ranking female cop
Three days before Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was officially sworn in, he drew a line in the sand to the city's command staff: “You lie, You die,” warned the incoming chief, suggesting changes were coming within the department. Now, Papier and her husband Ronald Papier, the city's deputy chief and acting chief for two months during the transition to Acevedo, are fighting to hang onto their their jobs.
WorldThe WeekGreat Britain has its 1st Catholic prime minister, to the great surprise of most Britons
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in the office since 2019, "recently came out as Catholic, to the concern of British Catholics, some parish priests, and parliamentarians," and to the surprise of even some of his closest political allies, Catherine Pepinster reports at Religion News Service. Johnson was baptized Roman Catholic, his mother's religion, but was confirmed in the Church of England at Eton and is not generally known to be a churchgoing man. On May 29, though, Johnson married his longtime girlfriend Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral, the seat of English Catholicism, and the Catholic Diocese of Westminster then declared that husband and wife were both baptized Catholics and Westminster Cathedral parishioners.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTexas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new state budget that defunds the entire state legislature
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defunded the state legislature while signing the state budget on Friday. Abbott made the decision after Democrats staged a walkout in May to prevent restrictive voting legislation from passing. Texas legislator pay is written into the state constitution, so legislative staffers will be most affected.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderWatch ‘terrified’ cottonmouth snake’s quirky move to dodge predator in North Carolina
A panic-stricken cottonmouth was caught on video acting peculiarly in a North Carolina wildlife preserve — and the look was not exactly flattering. The recording, shared June 11 on Facebook, shows the viper going so fast it actually tumbled over itself. Closer inspection of the video reveals the venomous snake dispensed with slithering and started sliding like a garden hose.
WorldINSIDERCannibal waiter jailed for murdering his mother and eating her remains
Alberto Sánchez Gómez will serve 15 years in jail for murdering his 68-year-old mother. Sánchez ate her remains "bit by bit" with his pet dog, according to police officers. An unemployed Spanish waiter has been sentenced to jail for killing his mother, cutting her into thousands of pieces, and eating her remains, the Independent reported.
PoliticsUSA TODAYTrump White House doctor, 13 other House Republicans urge Biden to take cognitive test
The former White House doctor who gave a glowing report in 2018 about then-President Donald Trump's cognitive abilities is calling on President Joe Biden to take the same test. U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led a group of 14 Republicans who sent Biden a letter on Thursday urging him to take a cognitive test and make the results public. In 2018, he gave Trump a clean bill of health after an annual physical and cognitive test that came amid questions about Trump's mental fitness to serve.
U.S.The New York TimesA Young Cheyenne Leader Was Beaten Bloody. The Response Brought More Pain.
From the moment Silver Little Eagle decided to run for Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council, people dismissed her as too young, too green. Then last month, Little Eagle was beaten and robbed inside a Billings hotel room by two other women. In the month since the May 16 assault, Little Eagle said she had been bullied and harassed, and failed by the very tribal systems she had campaigned to change.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”