Ex-officer appeals 20-year sentence for killing Black man

A white former police officer serving 20 years in prison for killing an unarmed Black man in South Carolina who ran from a traffic stop said his lawyer never told him about a plea offer from prosecutors that could have cut years off his sentence. Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is requesting a new sentence in federal court this week, saying he would have taken the deal and that his lawyer was grossly incompetent for not telling him about it. Prosecutors said Savage's mistake didn't rise above the very high bar of tossing out Slager's sentence and added that the attorney's defense was excellent in almost every other way.

Biden faces GOP backlash after reports of Afghanistan decision

GOP lawmakers aren't thrilled that President Biden is reportedly expected to announce that a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will take place by Sept. 11, 2021. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a "grave mistake," while Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said it's a "reckless and dangerous decision," arguing that while "no wants a forever war ... I've consistently said any withdrawal must be conditions-based."

• 
  US to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

  Associated Press
• 
  Biden set to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

  Reuters

UK official: American warhead decision won’t impact British nuclear plans

The United Kingdom's plan to increase its nuclear warhead stockpile will not be impacted should the U.S. scrap a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead, a British Ministry of Defence official said Tuesday. “The number of warheads we need for the future is not determined by anything which the U.S. is doing on W93,” Angus Lapsley, the MoD's director general for strategy and international issues, said during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The W93 is a new nuclear warhead design for use aboard submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

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

Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine has not led to blood clots following J&J reports

Moderna released a statement Tuesday reassuring people of the safety of its coronavirus vaccine hours after the FDA recommended pausing the administration Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines due to reported cases of "extremely rare" blood clots. What they're saying: After over 64.5 million doses administered globally, a comprehensive assessment using data through March 22 "does not suggest an association with" blood clots in the brain or veins, Moderna said. The big picture: The Centers for Disease Control and FDA made its recommendation on the J&J shot "out of an abundance of caution" after six women developed blood clots within two weeks of receiving the shot.

• 
  J&J vaccine paused by U.S. federal agencies over blood clot reports

  Yahoo News Video
• 
  FDA, CDC Recommend Pausing Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Due To 'Extremely Rare' Clots

  HuffPost

Viral Video Shows Man With Swastika Tattoo Punching Asian Man at White Lives Matter Rally

An alleged white supremacist with a swastika tattoo has been charged with fighting in public after punching an Asian man at a White Lives Matter rally in Huntington Beach, California. What happened: The incident began on Sunday when the Asian man, identified as Santa Ana resident Triet Tran, 36, approached Andrew Nilsen, 38, a resident of Huntington Beach, according to Raw Story. “I want to understand why you hate me so much,” Tran told Nilsen, as shown in the video posted by producer and live streamer Andrew Kimmel on Twitter.

Analysis: Iran's powerful Guard faces scrutiny after attacks

The recent sabotage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility is just the latest setback for the country's Revolutionary Guard, though the paramilitary force is rarely publicly criticized due to its power. Its forces failed to stop both an earlier attack at Iran's Natanz facility and the assassination of a top scientist who started a military nuclear program decades earlier. In the wake of the attack, Iran announced Tuesday it would begin enriching uranium at 60% purity, the highest level its program has ever reached.

• 
  Iran says it will enrich uranium to 60%, highest level ever

  Associated Press
• 
  Iran to begin 60% uranium enrichment after nuclear site incident

  Reuters

Trump skewers FDA's Johnson & Johnson decision — then casually invents conspiracy theory blaming Pfizer

Former President Donald Trump released a statement Tuesday criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, baselessly suggesting the decision was politically motivated. "The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary, but now it's [sic] reputation will be permanently challenged," Trump said. "[The FDA] should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it," he said.

• 
  FDA and CDC announce a pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

  Yahoo News Video
• 
  Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause: Trump blames Biden and complains about FDA hurting his election chances

  The Independent

NC town appeals after judge threatens officials with jail — again — over seized cash.

The legal fight over the police seizure of $17,000 in Mooresville took on a Whac-A-Mole quality this week with a judge again holding the town in contempt only to see town officials file another appeal to stop her. On Monday — and for the second time this year — Iredell County District Judge Christine Underwood threatened town leaders and police with jail time for not returning Jermaine Sanders' money. The judge gave officials seven days to comply with her signed order or she would start putting people behind bars.

John Boehner reveals he voted for Trump in 2020

Former House Speaker John Boehner revealed that in the 2020 election, he voted for former President Donald Trump, whom he would later blast for inciting a "bloody insurrection." Boehner has recently been promoting his new memoir On the House, and he told Time in an interview published Tuesday that he backed the former president for a second term last year, citing his Supreme Court picks and their agreement on policy issues. "I voted for Donald Trump," Boehner said.

• 
  Despite Book Condemning Trump And GOP, John Boehner Says He Voted For Trump In 2020

  HuffPost
• 
  Meghan McCain Tries But Fails To Get John Boehner To Attack Joe Biden

  HuffPost

Taiwan launches new amphibious vessel with anti-ship missiles

Taiwan has launched the first of a new class of multimission amphibious ships that can carry troops and equipment to its offshore and South China Sea islands. The vessels can also conduct surface warfare missions with anti-ship missiles. The landing platform dock, named Yu Shan after Taiwan's tallest mountain, was launched at the shipyard of the state-owned shipbuilder CSBC Corporation in the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung on Tuesday.

Scottish Tories propose extra £10 a week for military veterans in financial hardship

In another pledge to be unveiled in the Tory manifesto for the Holyrood elections, the party will call for the Armed Forces Covenant – which guarantees current and former military personnel equal access to public services, jobs and housing – to be written into Scottish law. The measures around housing are intended to address disproportionality high levels of homelessness among Scotland's 220,000 veterans. Around 800 were assessed as homeless over the course of a year, according to the most recent statistics.

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.

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

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

  Reuters Videos

‘Gorilla hail’ pounded parts of Texas. See photos and video from the powerful storm

The severe thunderstorm that hit the Texas Hill Country Monday evening produced hailstones that were as large as a grapefruit. according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The hail was not only remarkable for its size, but also for the fact that it reportedly accumulated up to three inches on the ground in Llano, Texas,” NOAA said.

Daunte Wright's parents 'can't accept' officer killed their son by 'mistake'

The parents of Daunte Wright "can't accept" a Minnesota police chief's claim that the fatal shooting of their 20-year-old son was "accidental." Speaking about the death of Wright, a young Black man who was shot and killed Sunday by a white police officer, Kim Potter, during a traffic stop, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting as an "accidental discharge." In their first TV interview since their son's death, Aubrey Wright and Katie Wright pushed back against the narrative that Potter fired her weapon by "mistake."

• 
  Minnesota Police Chief Resigns After Daunte Wright's Killing

  HuffPost
• 
  Police say fatal shooting of Daunte Wright appears to be accidental

  Yahoo News

GOP edges back from filibuster cliff on hate crimes bill

A bipartisan effort is underway to amend Democrats' anti-hate crime legislation in the Senate as the GOP edges back from its first filibuster opportunity of Joe Biden's presidency. The bill, a modest piece of legislation from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) aimed at addressing a spike in hate incidents against Asian Americans during the pandemic, has faced headwinds in the Senate as Republicans weigh whether to mount a formal filibuster. Ahead of a vote Wednesday on whether to open debate, some in the GOP argued that the bill is unnecessary and a potential government overreach, but following their weekly lunch meeting Republicans opened the door to beginning debate and amending the legislation.

• 
  Democrats renew push for COVID hate crimes bill

  Associated Press Videos
• 
  Democrats dare GOP to filibuster Asian American hate crimes bill

  Politico

Software fix planned for Mars helicopter

The long-awaited maiden flight of an experimental $80 million mini helicopter carried to Mars by the Perseverance rover is on hold while engineers test software to resolve a glitch that cropped up Friday during a pre-flight test, NASA announced Monday. If all goes well, the team hopes to determine a new flight date next week. Engineers initially expected to clear the Ingenuity helicopter for launch Sunday on a 30-second up-and-down flight to verify the 4-pound drone can, in fact, autonomously lift off, hover and land in the ultra-thin atmosphere of Mars.

• 
  The Morning After: Even NASA’s Mars drone needs software updates

  Engadget
• 
  Nasa’s Ingenuity helicopter still stuck on surface of Mars as engineers rush to give it software update

  The Independent

Biden picks up toy of slain Capitol officer’s daughter during emotional memorial service

During a memorial service at the US Capitol Rotunda for Officer William Evans, President Joe Biden picked up a toy dropped by the officer's daughter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told his family that while “no words are adequate” to address their loss, “we hope it's a comfort to you that so many now know about your dad and know he's a hero”. The suspect, Noah Green, was killed at the scene. .@POTUS Biden jumped out of his chair to pick up a toy dropped by fallen officer Billy Evan's daughter, Abigail, during the Capitol Hill service just now.

• 
  Biden, lawmakers pay tribute to slain Capitol Police officer

  Associated Press
• 
  Biden pays tribute to slain Capitol Police officer

  Associated Press 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.

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

Fort Worth’s TEXRail line and DART’s Silver Line will connect at DFW Airport

Two rival public transportation agencies in Dallas and Fort Worth are close to finalizing an agreement that supporters say could revolutionize development of walkable neighborhoods with access to passenger rail in North Texas. Fort Worth's public transportation agency, Trinity Metro, which has operated the TEXRail commuter trains since 2019, has reached an agreement to allow Dallas Area Rapid Transit to run its planned new Silver Line rail cars into the existing TEXRail station at DFW Airport. Trinity Metro's board of directors approved the historical agreement after a 90-minute closed session Monday.

Companies that have containers on the Ever Given could have to help pay the up to $1 billion Egyptian authorities are demanding before the ship leaves the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal Authority said the Ever Given can't leave until $1 billion in damages is paid. The $1 billion would likely include paying for the tugboats and dredging ships that freed the ship. The owner of the Ever Given declared "General Average," so insurance could pay some of the damages.

Biden administration revives Obama-era housing discrimination policies cut by Trump

Joe Biden's administration is restoring Obama-era fair housing rules at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, critical to the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and disability, among other protected categories. Days after his inauguration, the president issued four executive orders aimed at advancing racial equity and tackling systemic racism, including directing the Housing Department to examine the impacts of former President Donald Trump's cuts to civil rights protections in housing laws and to begin reversing them. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge intends to revive a 2013 rule aimed at preventing landlords, lenders and other housing authorities from putting in place discriminatory barriers to housing that have disproportionate impacts among Black and Latino residents.