WorldThe TelegraphLast Castro of Cuba finally steps down as island gripped by most serious bout of protests in years
For the first time in more than 60 years, a Castro will not be ruling Cuba, with Raúl, brother of Fidel, stepping down as head of the country's all-powerful Communist Party. There have been protests, hunger strikes and even clashes with police as an underground opposition movement has increasingly ventured into the open. Late on Friday night, the Castro era was broken as 89-year-old Raúl announced his resignation as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba - a position more powerful than that of the President.
U.S.National ReviewMaxine Waters Tells Protesters to ‘Stay in the Street,’ Be ‘More Confrontational’ If Chauvin Acquitted
Representative Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) told demonstrators to “stay in the street” and become “more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted of killing resident George Floyd. Waters arrived in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Saturday to join demonstrations over the police shooting of Daunte Wright last week. A local officer shot and killed Wright with a handgun during a traffic stop after intending to use a Taser., sparking nightly demonstrations in front of the local police headquarters, with some turning violent.
PoliticsBBCBiden backtracks on keeping Trump cap on refugees
President Joe Biden has reversed course hours after signing an order to keep the number of refugees admitted annually to the US at Trump-era levels. Mr Biden drew ire on Friday as he held the cap at the historically low figure of 15,000, two months after he pledged to increase it to 62,500. The White House later said Mr Biden would raise the refugee cap next month.
U.S.AxiosU.S. regulator urges people with children to stop using Peloton treadmill after child death
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Saturday urged people with kids and pets to "immediately" stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after a child died and dozens of others were injured. Driving the news: CPSC said in its "urgent warning" that it was aware of 39 incidents, including one death. The agency warned that the Peloton Tread+ machine "poses serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death."
U.S.NBC NewsFlorida nurse accused of threatening to kill VP Kamala Harris
A Miami-area woman was charged in federal court with making threats to kill Vice President Kamala Harris in a series of videos she sent to her husband in prison, authorities said. Niviane Petit Phelps, 39, sent five 30-second videos and two photographs to her husband back in February through a service known as "JPay," which is used to share media between incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals, according to a Secret Service complaint. "The videos generally depict Phelps complaining and speaking angrily to the camera about her hatred for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others," authorities said.
WorldLos Angeles Times OpinionOp-Ed: We don't need a new Cold War with China
Has a new Cold War, this one pitting the United States against the People's Republic of China, commenced? Rhetoric coming out of Washington, amplified by hawkish media commentary, appears to take a Second Cold War as a given, something perhaps even to be welcomed. If Cold War II looms, how will it compare with its predecessor?
ScienceReutersMars helicopter flight test promises Wright Brothers moment for NASA
NASA hopes to score a 21st-century Wright Brothers moment on Monday as it attempts to send a miniature helicopter buzzing over the surface of Mars in what would be the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. A modest debut is likewise in store for NASA's twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter Ingenuity. While the mere metrics may seem less than ambitious, the "air field" for the interplanetary test flight is 173 million miles from Earth, on the floor of a vast Martian basin called Jezero Crater.
WorldINSIDERNeighbor who tossed an elderly Jewish woman off a balcony while yelling 'Allahu Akbar' avoids trial because he smoked weed
Kobili Traoré killed an Orthodox Jewish woman in 2018 by throwing her off her balcony in Paris. France's top court has ruled that he will not go on trial because he was in a drug-induced psychosis. Cannabis was found in Traoré's blood after he was taken into custody for the killing.
LifestyleCBS NewsEuropean travel guide Rick Steves, stuck at home
Every summer for four decades, Rick Steves would head off on an annual tour through Europe. "I never knew how to make pasta!" Steve told correspondent Conor Knighton. After his first trip to Europe at 14, he was hooked.
- WorldKGO – San Francisco
Father, daughter die in early morning fire in Oakland
Oakland Fire Department arson Investigators' preliminary investigation indicated the fire was intentionally set, she said, and they are continuing to investigate.
U.S.The StateCharlotte woman, who was oldest living American and had 125 great-grandchildren, has died
Hester McCardell Ford, believed to be the oldest living person in the United States and among the oldest human beings on the planet, died peacefully at her home in Charlotte on Saturday, according to her family. She was at least 115, but possibly as old as 116. She lived more than twice as long as her late husband — John Ford, who died at age 57 in 1963 — and was the matriarch of an enormous family: 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramSpringtown math teacher ‘in love’ with student had sex with teen boy, authorities say
A teacher who authorities alleged had years-long sexual contact with a student in Parker County was arrested on Friday. Misty Cato, 43, of Springtown, is a fifth-grade math teacher at Springtown Intermediate School. Cato was contracted as a math teacher with the Springtown Independent School District at the time the crime in which she is accused, second-degree improper relationship between educator and student, occurred.
U.S.Los Angeles Times OpinionLetters to the Editor: We need to talk about racism and 'blue lives matter'
To the editor: The low turnout for the "white lives matter" rally in Huntington Beach on April 11 is no doubt partly due to the fact that many people are ashamed to overtly support such a racist assembly. Yet wherever one goes, one sees altered flags, signs and bumper-stickers saying "blue lives matter." Aside from the smart few who display them on cars because a cop would be more inclined to let you off with a warning, these mostly white, conservative people are oblivious of the racist reek of these signs.
LifestyleThe GuardianClam hunters’ supertool has California worried: ‘It might be too good’
Along the beaches of northern California, and the past year has seen a boom in crowds on the hunt for one of the region's favorite edible delights: clams. The surge in the use of these hydraulic pumps, which have the capacity to collect a day's worth of clams in just a few minutes, has raised concerns about their effects on the coastline and clam populations. “With any good fisherman, you're always looking for a better tool,” says Sonke Mastrup, an environmental program manager at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
CelebrityThe TelegraphPrince Philip's close friend Countess Mountbatten attends funeral on behalf of ill husband
They became so close during the course of their nearly 30-year friendship that she was known as “and also” on account of her name always appearing on the Duke of Edinburgh's guest list. So it was hardly a surprise when the Countess Mountbatten of Burma was included in the 30-strong congregation for Prince Philip's funeral, handpicked by the Queen. Also known as Penny Knatchbull, later Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne, the 68-year-old mother of three was the Duke's carriage driving partner and one of his closest confidantes.
U.S.INSIDERThe head of the Chicago Police Union called the officer who shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo 'heroic'
The Chicago Police Union head said Thursday that the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo was "justified." A video released this week shows Toledo running down an alley and raising his hands before he was shot. Toledo appeared to have a gun but dropped it before officer Eric Stillman shot him once in the chest.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMarjorie Taylor Greene said she is not launching 'America First' caucus and that she had not read the proposal, following backlash from GOP
Greene said she had not read the proposal that emphasized "Anglo-Saxon political traditions." See more stories on Insider's business page. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not launching an "America First" caucus and said she had not read the document shared by Punchbowl News on Friday that emphasized "Anglo-Saxon political traditions."
- U.S.Tribune Publishing
Luck played role in rescue of abused children in Minersville
Apr. 18—MINERSVILLE — When a 12-year-old Minersville boy escaped his home of torture, he headed toward a place he knew would be safe — a school. "He saw the opportunity and he took it," Minersville Police Chief Michael Combs said. Todd Richter II, 32; his fiancee, Jennifer Yost, 27; and the woman's mother, Wendy Yost, 51, were arrested on April 8 and charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and other crimes and committed to Schuylkill County Prison without bail.
BusinessThe TelegraphThe end of 'bigger is better'? America's most expensive house sits unsold in sign of the times
For years architects, particularly in Los Angeles, have sought to outdo each other with ever more palatial residences featuring breathtaking infinity pools, in-home cinemas and flashy helipads. The biggest property so far is referred to by luxury estate agents as the "giga-mansion". Officially called "The One" it is America's largest and most expensive house and sits on a hill in Bel-Air, with 360 degree views of Los Angeles.
PoliticsPolitico‘Trumpiest Trumpster of the bunch’: GOP gets a gut check
He said, “You're going to get a really good case study of just how much can a Donald Trump endorsement standing alone in a Republican state do for somebody. Nebraska represents a different — and perhaps more significant — kind of lab test for Republicans than more highly publicized contests that have pitted outspoken Trump critics against his loyalists in other states. This is not neighboring Wyoming, where Republican Rep. Liz Cheney has faced ongoing recriminations for her vote to impeach Trump, or Texas, where at least one Republican is running on an anti-Trump platform in a special congressional election.
U.S.INSIDERA Minnesota man attacked a store employee over a mask policy then dragged a police officer with his vehicle and struck him with a hammer, police say
A 61-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with assaulting a store employee and a police officer. Police say Luke Oeltjenbruns attacked an employee with lumber over the store's mask policy. Oeltjenbruns then dragged a police officer from his truck and struck him with a hammer, police said.
BusinessBusiness InsiderI flew on Southwest and Alaska, the two airlines competing to be the best of the West Coast and the winner is abundantly clear
Southwest, on the other hand, is the country's largest low-cost carrier with a nationwide presence. And while the West Coast is an important region for the airline, it's just one of many Southwest serves.
CelebrityThe TelegraphLand Rover driver at Prince Philip's funeral spent week ensuring he could drive at correct speed
The servicemen in charge of the specially modified Land Rover carrying the body of the Duke of Edinburgh spent the past week making sure they could drive “at the correct speed”. Corporal Louis Murray was behind the wheel, with Corporal Craig French, as Land Rover Commander for the Royal Hearse, both 29 years old, alongside him. The two staff instructors from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers had been picked “on a coin-toss” from a group of four who had been training for the purpose and were described by officials as a “trusted pair of hands”.
CelebrityTODAYCassie Randolph breaks silence after ex Colton Underwood comes out as gay
Former "Bachelor" couple Cassie Randolph and Colton Underwood have been through many ups and downs but Underwood's revelation on Wednesday that he is gay has been the most shocking twist of all in their very public relationship. On Friday, Randolph broke her silence on the stunning news in a post in her Instagram stories. "Thank you everyone for all the kind comments and messages," Randolph, 25, wrote on a link to her YouTube channel, which she usually updates weekly.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”