HealthYahoo NewsNurses fired for not getting COVID-19 vaccine explain their rationale
More than 100 staff members at Houston Methodist Hospital who were fired for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 appealed a judge's ruling that sided with the hospital's right to terminate their employment. “We are going to most likely go all the way up to the Supreme Court,” Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse and the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by 117 former employees of the hospital, told Yahoo News. Health care facilities across the country routinely require their employees to be vaccinated for a host of viruses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website, including the coronavirus.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverDad stops man trying to kidnap 10-year-old daughter until cops arrive, Oregon police say
An Oregon dad stopped a home intruder from kidnapping his 10-year-old daughter, according to authorities. Lincoln City police said they arrested Joshua Hawkins, 33, of Federal Way, Washington, on Wednesday night on charges including burglary and attempted kidnapping. Police responded to a burglary report and found Hawkins had entered a home that was a vacation rental through an unlocked door, they said.
U.S.Associated PressFlorida condo building deemed unsafe, evacuation ordered
An audit prompted by the collapse of Champlain Towers South in nearby Surfside found that the 156-unit Crestview Towers had been deemed structurally and electrically unsafe in January, the city said in a news release. Officials did not immediately release details about the structural problems that prompted the evacuation, but the building had reported millions of dollars in damage from 2017's Hurricane Irma. It is the first building to be evacuated since municipal officials in South Florida, and statewide, began scrutinizing older high-rises in the wake of the Surfside collapse to ensure that substantial structural problems are not being ignored.
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Honolulu prosecutor: Police killing of Black man justified
Honolulu police officers' use of deadly force was justified and no charges will be filed against them in a shooting that killed a Black man because an investigation found that he entered a home uninvited and physically attacked the officers, the city's prosecuting attorney said Wednesday.
PoliticsReutersChina bill delayed in U.S. House amid partisan wrangling
The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee will resume work later this month on Democratic-led legislation intended to boost competitiveness with China and push Beijing on human rights, after two days of debate on the measure. A spokesman said on Friday the panel would consider its consideration of the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act, or Eagle Act, on July 12 after marathon discussion of the measure on Wednesday and Thursday, but no vote. The desire for a hard line in dealings with China is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress, which is narrowly controlled by President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramPolice seize over $38,000 from man who crashed Corvette into vacant Lake Worth building
Lake Worth police seized more than $38,000 in cash Friday after a Chevrolet Corvette crashed into a vacant building. The driver fled the scene early Friday, but Lake Worth officers found him in Lake Worth Park, a short distance from the crash, and arrested him. Lake Worth police detained Marcos Diaz, 24, of Fort Worth, after it was determined that he had Tarrant County warrants for delivery of marijuana under 50 pounds and evading arrest with a vehicle.
WorldAssociated PressAt least 19 missing as mudslide west of Tokyo hits houses
A powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of black water and debris crashed into rows of houses in a town west of Tokyo following heavy rains on Saturday, leaving at least 19 people missing, officials said. As many as 80 homes in Atami were completely buried, according to an official with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The official said more people, possibly 100, could still be missing under the mudslides but warned that details were not immediately clear.
WorldReutersMyanmar protesters burn junta leader's images on his birthday
Protesters burned mock coffins and pictures of Myanmar's army ruler Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday in the latest demonstrations against the coup over five months ago that has plunged the Southeast Asian country into chaos. "May you not rest in peace" and "may your birthday and deathday be the same," read the messages on funeral wreaths in Theinzayet township in eastern Mon state. Similar protests took place in many parts of Myanmar.
U.S.Business InsiderMichael Cohen is suing the US government for $20 million, claiming the Trump DOJ returned him to prison because he refused to stop writing about his ex-boss
Michael Cohen was imprisoned in 2018 but was allowed in May 2020 to serve out his sentence at home. Cohen is now suing the US, saying the Trump DOJ punished him for writing a book about Trump. Michael Cohen has sued the US government for $20 million in damages, accusing Donald Trump's administration of sending him back to prison for writing a critical book about the former president.
WorldReutersSlovakia sells most Sputnik V vaccine doses back to Russia
Slovakia has sold most Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines back to the country of origin, the Slovak Health Ministry said on Friday, as public interest is low after months of government hesitation over using the product that lacks European regulatory approval. Slovakia shipped back 160,000 out of 200,000 doses imported in March, at $9.95 per dose, the same price as the original purchase, a ministry spokeswoman said. Slovakia's adventure with Sputnik was a political fiasco for then-Prime Minister Igor Matovic, who bought the shots without telling his coalition partners and over their opposition.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanTwo boys shot man who was found dead on tractor, South Carolina cops say
Two boys, 8 and 9 years old, both fired shots, one of which hit and killed a man riding a tractor in upstate South Carolina last week, authorities said. Now, a petition has been filed to charge the boys with involuntary manslaughter, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office announced in a news release Friday. Danny Andrew Smith, 62, was found slumped over the steering wheel of his tractor after being shot to death June 23, McClatchy News previously reported.
WorldAssociated PressAP PHOTOS: US troops on front lines of America's longest war
For the troops on the front lines, sometimes it meant holding a remote outpost as mortars, rockets or gunfire hit almost daily. It meant patrols through orchards hunting for hidden Taliban, down roads laced with explosive devices. With the surge that began in 2009, troops wrested back territory from the Taliban in the group's southern strongholds in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, only for the insurgents to recapture it years later when the surge receded.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverFlag-waving tourist who ran across Old Faithful is banned from Yellowstone, park says
Tourists waiting for the iconic Old Faithful geyser to erupt got a different sight: a man running through the area while waving an American flag. A 37-year-old traveled more than 2,000 from Maine to Yellowstone National Park last July, park officials said. While he was there, he ran through the Old Faithful thermal area multiple times to get the attention of tourists, the National Park Service said.
WorldReutersStatues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth toppled in Canada
WINNIPEG, Canada (Reuters) -Protesters have toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II in the Canadian city of Winnipeg as anger grows over the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in unmarked graves at former indigenous schools. The action took place on Canada Day on Thursday, when traditionally celebrations take place across the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the day would be "a time for reflection".
U.S.Idaho StatesmanDaybells’ alleged crimes not ‘coincidence or justifiable.’ New documents, texts released
New details and text messages released Thursday indicate that the killing of Charles Vallow was planned and reveal more about Lori Daybell's religious beliefs. Arizona investigators say a series of crimes that surrounded the July 11, 2019, shooting death of Vallow was not a “coincidence or justifiable.” Local and federal investigations have also uncovered more information surrounding the deaths of Lori's two children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as the death of Tammy Daybell, the first wife of Lori's fifth husband, Chad Daybell.
PoliticsAssociated PressTrump ally in Pennsylvania raises 2020 election audit plan
Following in the footsteps of Arizona's Senate Republicans, Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled Senate is considering an investigation into how last year's presidential election was conducted, a quest fueled by former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that fraud was behind his loss in the battleground state. Any Senate-issued subpoenas for an Arizona-style “election audit” will face strident opposition from Democrats, legal questions and almost certainly challenges in Pennsylvania's courts, as battles over election laws rage through swing states and Congress, spurred on by Trump's falsehoods. Senate Republicans have been mostly silent about their internal deliberations.
WorldArchitectural Digest11 Dreamy Candles to Capture Your Summer Mood
From sweet summer scents to whimsical shapes Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressHurricane Elsa races toward Haiti amid fears of landslides
Hurricane Elsa raced toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday, where it threatened to unleash flooding and landslides before taking aim at Cuba and Florida. The Category 1 storm was located about 395 miles (635 kilometers) east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 29 mph (46 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), with the hurricane expected to become a tropical storm after hitting Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
HealthReutersLack of side effects doesn't mean mRNA vaccine not working; mRNA shots limit breakthrough infection severity
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Lack of vaccine side effects no cause for concern While a variety of side effects after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine may be a sign of the immune system kicking into high gear, a lack of such reactions does not mean it has failed to respond, researchers have found. They tested 206 hospital employees for antibodies against the coronavirus before and after receipt of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech and surveyed them about vaccine-related reactions.
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Wisconsin woman in mental health facility following Slender Man stabbing to be released
A Wisconsin judge on Thursday ordered the release of a woman who has spent 3 1/2 years in a state mental health facility after being convicted of stabbing her classmate to please the Slender Man character.
WorldAssociated PressFrench far-right chief under fire for her mainstream turn
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is facing stinging criticism for making her party too mainstream, dulling its extremist edge, and ignoring grassroots members, with voices from inside and outside warning this could cost her votes in next year's presidential race. The rumblings grew louder after the National Rally's failure a week ago in regional elections, and come just ahead of this weekend's party congress. Le Pen is the anti-immigration party's unquestioned boss, and her fortunes aren't expected to change at the two-day event in the southwestern town of Perpignan, hosted by local Mayor Louis Aliot — Le Pen's former companion and, above all, the party's top performer in last year's municipal elections.
U.S.The IndependentCapitol rioter caught on camera dragging police officer tries to argue he was actually helping him
A Capitol rioter has rallied his friends and family to back up his claims that video footage of him dragging a Capitol police officer into the violent crowd of insurrectionists actually shows him trying to save the officer. Clayton Mullins, of Kentucky, was at the Capitol riot and was later arrested and charged with eight crimes. Footage of him at the Capitol shows Mr Mullins dragging a Capitol police officer into the crowd of Trump supporters fighting with law enforcement.
WorldBBCEthiopia's Tigray crisis: Rebel resurgence raises questions for Abiy Ahmed
The rebel capture of Tigray's capital city Mekelle is a significant milestone in the eight-month conflict in northern Ethiopia, which has killed thousands of people and left millions in desperate need of food and other assistance. The Ethiopian government pulled out its troops after months of fighting, sparking celebrations on the streets. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially said the withdrawal was a strategic move because the city was no longer "the centre of gravity for conflicts", but he later confirmed it was to avoid further casualties.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘To Catch a Predator’ Host Says the Warrant for His Arrest Was ‘the Silliest Thing’
To Catch a Predator's Chris Hansen found himself in the spotlight he normally reserves for the subjects of his stories on Thursday: A judge in Michigan issued a warrant for his arrest after Hansen had failed to appear in court. The bench warrant arose from what Hansen described as a communication breakdown about a court appearance that began with the defense's counsel. The news that a prominent journalist known for covering sensitive and high-profile legal matters could soon be under arrest himself set alarm bells ringing across the country, but Hansen said the snafu was far more mundane than headlines made it seem.
U.S.USA TODAYSupreme Court sides with Amish who argued septic systems violate their religious beliefs
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Friday sided with an Amish community that is challenging on religious grounds a Minnesota county's requirement that its members install septic systems to treat wastewater. The high court overturned a state court ruling that had sided with the county and asked the state's courts to review the case again in light of its recent ruling in favor of a Catholic foster care agency in Philadelphia that refused to screen same-sex couples. Fillmore County in 2013 began requiring that the Swartzentruber Amish, who reject modern technology as part of their religion, install septic systems to treat the wastewater from laundry, bathing and cooking – known as gray water.
“Obamacare is getting stronger every time the Republicans try to kill it.”
“It is far from certain the Supreme Court will safeguard the Affordable Care Act the next time the law reaches the court’s chambers.”
“Although ACA cost Obama an enormous amount, it’s become clear that he will have the last laugh.”
“Even the feistiest Republicans have given up talking seriously about repeal.”
“Current and future cases will largely concern the administration and enforcement of the ACA, not its underlying architecture.”