Exclusive: Jan. 6 select committee will include former CIA inspector general found to have retaliated against whistleblower

As the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot prepares to get underway next week, it will include former CIA Inspector General David Buckley in the role of staff director. The selection of Buckley to serve in that capacity, however, could come back to haunt the Democrats on the committee who selected him. Yahoo News has obtained a previously unpublished 2019 report compiled by the Department of Homeland Security's watchdog office showing that investigators urged the CIA to take action against Buckley for his alleged retaliation against a whistleblower, a conclusion that would likely be troubling to potential witnesses who might testify in the Jan. 6 inquiry.

Pot legalization in the U.S. seems both inevitable and impossible

He said during the 2020 campaign that he supports decriminalizing pot — a change that would remove criminal penalties for possession while keeping the federal ban in place — but opposes outright legalization. When asked this month whether the president would back Schumer's proposal, press secretary Jen Psaki said that “nothing has changed” about Biden's views on marijuana. Why there's debate The disconnect in the pace of change for marijuana laws, with legalization spreading at breakneck speed in the states and all but stalled at the federal level, has raised debate over when — if ever — marijuana might become legal nationwide.

Husky seen running after car when he’s abandoned is saved – and Texas man is arrested

A husky abandoned along a road in a viral video has found a new family — and now there's been an arrest. The heartbreaking video posted this week captures a Jeep passenger leaving the husky by the side of road in Horizon City, Texas, and riding away as the animal chases after the vehicle. It's been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media as law enforcement searched for the suspects.

To reach a peace deal, Taliban say Afghan president must go

The Taliban say they don't want to monopolize power, but they insist there won't be peace in Afghanistan until there is a new negotiated government in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed. In an interview with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, who is also a member of the group's negotiating team, laid out the insurgents' stance on what should come next in a country on the precipice. The Taliban have swiftly captured territory in recent weeks, seized strategic border crossings and are threatening a number of provincial capitals — advances that come as the last U.S. and NATO soldiers leave Afghanistan.

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  Biden assures Afghan president of continued U.S. support -White House

  Reuters
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  As Taliban advances, Afghan military overhauls war strategy to limit losses

  Reuters

China's Sinovac evaluates vaccine plant in Chile

Chilean authorities said on Friday that China's Sinovac had begun evaluating potential sites for the construction of a vaccine plant in Chile that could begin producing doses of the Chinese shot as early as the first half of 2022. Chile, a global leader in vaccinating its citizens against the coronavirus, has leaned heavily on the Sinovac vaccine in its fast-paced mass vaccination program. A delegation of executives from Sinovac this week visited potential sites for the factory near the capital Santiago and in Chile's northern desert.

Body of Arlington firefighter was found in bathroom window, Mexican authorities say

An investigation is underway into how Arlington firefighter Elijah Snow died Monday while vacationing in Cancun, according to Mexican authorities. On Twitter, Mexican authorities said an “investigation folder” has been started in the death of a man from Texas in the municipality of Benito Juárez in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. “The circumstances in which the events occurred are being investigated,” according to the social media post from Fiscalía General Quintana Roo, which is the State Attorney General's Office for Quintana Roo.

Iran's top leader says he understands protests over drought

Iran's Supreme Leader leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said he understands protesters' anger over a drought in the country's southwest, as a fourth death related to ongoing demonstrations there was reported. The remark, reported by state television, was the first direct comment on the protests by Khamenei since the demonstrations began in the Khuzestan region a week ago. The semiofficial news agency Fars reported that a man was killed by shotgun fire in street violence in the nearby city of Aligoudarz; police blamed the slaying on “counterrevolutionary elements.

Philippines evacuates thousands as monsoon rains flood cities, provinces

Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents of the capital, Manila, out of their low-lying communities on Saturday as heavy monsoon rain, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded the city and nearby provinces. "We ask residents of affected areas to remain alert and vigilant, take precautionary measures, and cooperate with their respective local authorities," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement. The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, sees about 20 tropical storms a year but a warmer Pacific Ocean will make storms more powerful and bring heavier rain, meteorologists say.

Fire rescue crews leave site of Surfside condo collapse after month-long response

Miami-Dade County announced on Friday that fire rescue crews who have been at the site of the Surfside condo collapse since the night of the tragedy will be handing over the remainder of the recovery effort to Miami-Dade Police. Search and rescue workers from multiple departments across South Florida have been mobilized for a month since Champlain Towers South partially collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24. Two South Florida urban search and rescue teams are being sent home, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS4.

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  Search for bodies concludes at Surfside condo collapse site

  Yahoo News Video
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  Judge: $150M initially for victims in Florida Surfside condo collapse

  Yahoo News Video

A 'significant and far-reaching' heat wave is coming to the U.S. next week

A "significant and far-reaching" heat wave is expected to bake the U.S. coast to coast over the next few weeks, toppling temperature records and aggravating wildfires and drought conditions on the West coast in particular, Axios and The Washington Post report. When combined with humidity, temperatures will feel "well into the triple digits" for millions of Americans, per the Post, as the heat dome — or an area of high pressure aloft that helps to lock in place hot, dry weather, per Axios — forms this weekend over the West then migrates across the Central Plains. Although heat domes are expected this time of year, climate change is exacerbating their "intensity, duration, and frequency," writes Axios.

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  Not again: Another heat dome to bring scorching temperatures to continental U.S.

  Axios
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  ‘Dome of Doom’ Will Bake Texas and Central U.S. Next Week

  Bloomberg

Myanmar junta replaces envoy to Britain who broke ranks

Myanmar has appointed a new temporary head of its embassy in London, Britain's foreign ministry said on Friday, replacing the previous ambassador who was ousted after breaking ranks with the military government over its Feb. 1 coup. The selection of the new "charge d'affaires ad interim" did not require the consent of the British government, a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters, which first reported the move earlier on Friday. More than 900 people opposing the junta have been killed by security forces since the coup, drawing international condemnation and sanctions including from Britain.

SC police got phone data of Josephson’s alleged ‘fake Uber’ killer. Here’s what they found

Two expert witnesses testified late Thursday and Friday morning about tracking data regarding the phone of Nathaniel Rowland, who has been charged with murdering a former University of South Carolina student. Friday morning, State Law Enforcement Division investigator Eric Grabsky testified that data obtained from Verizon showed Rowland's phone traveling from the Five Points area shortly after Samantha Josephson went missing and driving near the location where Josephson's body was found hours later. “The phone associated with Nathaniel Rowland does appear to travel toward the New Zion area,” Grabsky testified Friday.

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  Expert: Slain Uber rider's DNA found under suspect's nails

  Associated Press
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  DNA on weapon and in Rowland’s car is almost certainly Josephson’s, expert testifies

  The State

Tokyo 2020 'axed opening ceremony musician for being black'

A musician claims he was cut from the Olympic opening ceremony because he was black, as organisers face a third staffing row in a week. Latyr Sy, a Senagalese percussionist based in Japan for 20 years, accused organisers of racism after he was booked and then cancelled for inclusion at the curtain-raiser. Tokyo 2020 failed to respond to requests for comment from the Telegraph on the allegations on Friday.

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  Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony

  Yahoo Sports
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  Tokyo 2020 organisers accused of excluding Olympic opening ceremony musician for being ‘African’

  The Independent

Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi for 15 days as cases rise

Vietnam announced a 15-day lockdown in the capital Hanoi starting Saturday as a coronavirus surge spread from the southern Mekong Delta region. Only government offices, hospitals and essential businesses are allowed to stay open. Earlier in the week, the city had suspended all outdoor activities and ordered non-essential businesses to close following an increase in cases.

China imposes sanctions on US officials

China is imposing sanctions on several US individuals and organisations in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Those targeted include former US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. The counter-sanctions come days before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit China.

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  China sanctions Wilbur Ross, 5 other Americans over Biden's Hong Kong warnings

  Axios
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  China sanctions Wilbur Ross, others in response to U.S. warnings on Hong Kong

  Politico

Are COVID symptoms different with the delta variant? Here’s what experts say

The delta coronavirus variant continues to surge in the United States, now accounting for 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States. A common sign you may have COVID-19 is a loss of smell and taste, but you may not have that with the highly contagious delta variant. “It seems like cough and loss of smell are less common,” said Dr. Inci Yildirim, a Yale Medicine pediatric infectious diseases specialist.

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  Delta variant: 6 things to know about the highly contagious coronavirus strain

  Yahoo News Video
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  Delta variant overwhelms a Missouri hospital

  Reuters Videos

Inside Dua Lipa’s Stay at a Snake-Shaped Mexico City Vacation Rental

With numerous hit singles, platinum records, and several accolades in just four years, it's clear Dua Lipa is levitating to global stardom. The singer recently shared photos to Instagram of her quirky stay at Quetzalcoatl's Nest, an Airbnb in Mexico City that pays homage to an ancient Aztec god known as the feathered or plumed serpent. Built by architect Javier Senosiain, the technicolor structure—which was highlighted on Netflix's The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals just last month—is complete with a head and tail and features a curved body (like a snake) with cave-like walkways inside.

Bauer appears in court to fight sexual assault allegations

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer appeared in court Friday to fight the extension of a protective order sought by a woman who says he choked her to the point where she lost consciousness and punched her during two sexual encounters earlier this year. Attorneys for Bauer and for the woman revealed during a short court session that they intend to call several witnesses, including Bauer, and argue over the order in what amounts to a trial that is expected to last three days. Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman delayed the beginning of that hearing until Aug. 2 because Bauer's attorney, Shawn Holley, said she was given the woman's witness list late and had insufficient time to prepare.

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  Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer made his first court appearance to respond to sexual assault allegations

  INSIDER
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  Trevor Bauer's team moves to quash subpoenas after restraining order hearing is delayed

  LA Times

Gunfire prompts Biden's UN ambassador to abruptly leave Haitian president's funeral

Biden's UN ambassador abruptly left the funeral for Haiti's president amid unrest surrounding the ceremony. The assassination of Jovenel Moïse has pushed Haiti into a deeper crisis after years of struggles. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, abruptly departed a funeral for Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on Friday after gunfire was reportedly heard.

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  Haitian president's hometown holds funeral amid violence

  Associated Press
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  Gunshots ring out at Haiti president’s funeral

  Reuters Videos

Records show web of payments involving players in probe into sham Senate candidate

A young Republican political operative who is also the subject of a public corruption investigation into former Republican state Sen. Frank Artiles made an offer to a recent college graduate last September: He would pay her $1,500 to chair a political committee and in exchange, she would have to do nothing. At the time, 25-year-old Hailey DeFilippis, of Palm Harbor, had just found out she was pregnant and was “freaking out about money.”

‘Mask up’: COVID patient load is ‘way too big,’ KU health official sounds the alarm

On Thursday Stites reported that local hospital leaders are prepared to call for mask mandates and social distancing to be reinstated across the region because the hospitals are filing up. He described the situation as “being under siege. You heard us say yesterday that it may be time to think about masking up again,” Stites said.

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  ‘We are in trouble’: Kansas City hospital leaders to call for new mask mandates

  Kansas City Star
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  Some of the biggest school districts reinstate mask mandates

  WABC – NY

‘Delta is a game-changer’: We asked NC medical experts about masking up to stay safe

When the CDC revised its masking guidelines back in May — and North Carolina quickly followed suit — COVID case numbers were trending downward, and there was still hope the state would reach the desired 70% vaccination goal and that life would soon return to somewhat-normal. The CDC says vaccinated people don't need to mask, and North Carolina's amended mask mandate — which only requires masks in schools and prisons, on public transit, and in childcare and health care settings — expires at the end of this month (Gov. Cooper and NCDHHS this week announced guidelines that recommend masking in public schools).

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  Parents at odds over Gov. Cooper's latest call for masking in schools

  WTVD – Raleigh/Durham
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  NC asks too much of teachers. Don’t require vaccinated teachers to wear masks.

  Charlotte Observer