WorldAssociated PressRussia says troop buildup near Ukraine is a response to NATO
Russia's defense minister said Tuesday that the country's massive military buildup in the west was part of readiness drills amid what he described as threats from NATO. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the maneuvers in western Russia that have worried neighboring Ukraine and brought warnings from NATO would last for another two weeks. Speaking at a meeting with the top military brass, Shoigu said the ongoing exercise was a response to what he claimed were continuous efforts by the United States and its NATO allies to beef up their forces near Russia's borders.
U.S.INSIDERA former Minneapolis police officer said he quit days before the Derek Chauvin trial because he thinks protesters will 'burn the city down' no matter the case's outcome
Insider spoke with a former Minneapolis police officer who quit days before Derek Chauvin's trial. Chauvin's trial over George Floyd's death began March 29, and witnesses have been testifying. A former Minneapolis police officer who quit the department days before the start of Derek Chauvin's trial said he did so fearing there would be riots in the city no matter the outcome.
WorldThe WeekRetired Navy admiral says U.S. looks either 'complicit' or 'ignorant' in Iran nuclear facility blackout
While nothing is definitive, "all indications are pointing to the fact" that Israel was behind a cyberattack that knocked out power at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility over the weekend, retired U.S. Navy Adm. William McRaven said Monday, and he finds the allegations "a little disturbing" given that the U.S. and other countries are currently trying to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. "Frankly, I'm not exactly sure what it accomplishes," McRaven told CNN's Jake Tapper. "It's a little bit of a shot across the bow, but Natanz will only be down for maybe a week or so."
- U.S.Associated Press
Police officer fired 4 months after soldier's traffic stop
A police officer accused of pepper-spraying and pointing his gun at a Black Army lieutenant in Virginia was fired four months after the traffic stop occurred and two days after videos of the incident drew national attention. William Saunders, who is the Windsor town manager, confirmed in an email Tuesday that police Officer Joe Gutierrez was fired Sunday. U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario recently filed a federal lawsuit against Gutierrez and another officer, Daniel Crocker, who remains on the force.
WorldAssociated PressPope asks US bishop to resign after cover-up investigation
A bishop in Minnesota resigned Tuesday at the request of Pope Francis after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. Hoeppner is 71, four years shy of the normal retirement age for bishops.
U.S.Associated PressCourt rejects appeal of killer of 3 in home invasion
The Connecticut Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a man convicted of murder, sexual assault and other crimes in the killings of a woman and her two daughters, ages 11 and 17, in a 2007 home invasion. Justices issued a 7-0 decision Monday upholding the convictions against Joshua Komisarjevsky. Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes are serving life prison sentences for the killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home.
PoliticsLexington Herald-LeaderMcConnell: Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan ‘a grave mistake’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said a Biden administration plan to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September is a “grave mistake” that would abandon the allied global fight against terrorism. “It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership,” McConnell said on Tuesday. There are about 2,500 troops remaining in Afghanistan and this fall will mark the 20th anniversary of the original invasion of the central Asian country following the attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001.
HealthReutersMajority of Brazil COVID-19 ICU patients aged 40 years or younger - report
The surging COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data showing that last month the majority of those in intensive care were aged 40 or younger, according to a new report. The report, released by the Brazilian Association of Intensive Medicine (AMIB) over the weekend, is based on data from over a third of all the country's intensive care wards. It found a significant increase in younger people being admitted to beds in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
WorldBBCTaiwan: 'Record number' of China jets enter air zone
Taiwan has said a record number of Chinese military jets flew into its air defence zone on Monday. The defence ministry said 25 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday. The incursion is the largest in a year and comes as the US warns against an "increasingly aggressive China".
U.S.Associated PressSailor who shot, killed himself at Hawaii resort identified
The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office on Monday identified the U.S. Navy sailor who shot and killed himself at a luxury resort after a standoff with police over the weekend. Russell Cruz, 40, of Kailua, Hawaii, died of a gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner's office said. The Navy was still notifying relatives Monday and hadn't released his identity, said Cmdr. Cindy Fields, a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe 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
- U.S.Associated Press
Mexico's Tulum resort suffers another blow: overdevelopment
Mexican environmental authorities said Tuesday the Caribbean resort of Tulum has authorized too much development, the latest blow to what was long considered one of Mexico's most laid-back, easy-going resorts. Unlike Cancún or Playa del Carmen, Tulum was long a quiet haven, best known for its Mayan temple that stands beside a Caribbean beach. The federal Environment Department said Tulum had passed zoning codes that "change land uses to promote and permit urban growth and real estate development, with negative repercussions on ecosystems.”
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
BusinessReutersIndia's Maharashtra shuts most manufacturing, restricts e-commerce to fight COVID-19
MUMBAI (Reuters) -India's richest state Maharashtra will impose stringent curbs on industry and e-commerce for 15 days to slow rising coronavirus infections, its chief minister said on Tuesday, a move that is set to cripple manufacturing and other businesses in the region. Maharashtra - home to India's financial capital Mumbai - has been the country's worst hit state due to the coronavirus, accounting for about a quarter of India's 13.5 million cases. On Tuesday, Maharashtra reported 60,212 new COVID-19 infections.
PoliticsKansas City StarRepublican accused of abuse by his children resigning from Missouri House
Rep. Rick Roeber, a Lee's Summit Republican facing accusations by his adult children that he physically and sexually abused them when they were young, is resigning from the Missouri House. In a letter to other lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, Roeber said his final day as a state legislator will be Friday. Roeber's announcement came shortly after The Independent reported on a letter House Speaker Rob Vescovo wrote to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Backer stating that over the course of the House Ethics Committee investigation, “we have learned information that needs to be forwarded to the proper authorities in your jurisdiction.”
WorldAssociated PressJapan, Germany hold 1st security talk to deter China
Japan and Germany agreed in security talks Tuesday to expand their military cooperation as the two nations shared concern about China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. At the so-called “two-plus-two” talks held online, the Japanese and German foreign ministers and defense ministers agreed to step up their cooperation in defense and military equipment and technology transfers based on their intelligence sharing pact signed in March. The four ministers exchanged views on China's territorial claims in the East and South China seas and shared “grave concern” over the situation in Hong Kong and the human rights conditions in China's Xinjiang region, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
- NewsYahoo News Video
The Pensacola guide to Matt Gaetz: Yahoo News Explains
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has found himself in the national spotlight, fighting serious allegations on multiple fronts — including an ethics probe within the House of Representatives and a DOJ investigation into the alleged sex trafficking of a minor. As new developments come to light, Andy Marlette, a political cartoonist and columnist for the Pensacola News Journal, explains the local history of Gaetz's family and provides context for his rise to power.
U.S.Miami HeraldCops went to a Florida mom’s home on a child abuse call. Then they saw a Dr. Seuss book
Dr Seuss books have made headlines lately, but not for this reason. According to a police report from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to a Largo home on a call of suspected child abuse. When they arrived around 9 p.m.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: False claim that President Joe Biden's approval rating lowest in American history
The claim: President Joe Biden's approval rating is at 11%, the lowest of any president in American history President Joe Biden already has tangled with members of both parties over the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and infrastructure since his inauguration less than three months ago. But his approval rating is not at an historic low, as a viral social media post suggests. The post, originally from a Twitter account on March 29, attributes Biden's supposed 11% approval rating to a Gallup poll, as reported by the Daily Caller.
WorldReutersSweden's COVID infections among highest in Europe, with 'no sign of decrease'
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The rate of new COVID-19 infections in Sweden has jumped to the second-highest in Europe after land-locked San Marino, data showed on Tuesday, as the Scandinavian country which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic faced a third wave of cases. Sweden had 625 daily new cases per million inhabitants in a rolling seven-day average, statistics from OurWorldInData showed on Tuesday, second only to San Marino, a small nation that is surrounded by Italy.
U.S.Associated Press"Sour Grapes" wine fraud con man deported to Indonesia
A one-time California man who bilked wine collectors out of millions by selling cheaper booze he rebottled in his kitchen has been deported to his native Indonesia, U.S. immigration officials said Tuesday. Rudy Kurniawan, 44, was deported last week on a commercial flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Jakarta, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. He is a public safety threat because of his aggravated felony conviction," the statement said.
WorldThe Independent‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests
At least 50 journalists in the US have been arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the US, while dozens of others have also been injured by rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas. The US Press Freedom Tracker has collected nearly 500 incidents from 382 reports, from the unrest in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's killing by police in late May, to demonstrations in more than 70 cities across 35 states since. At least 46 journalists were arrested between the end of May and the beginning of June, according to data collected by the organisation.
WorldMiami HeraldBiden administration can act to help spur Western investment in Venezuela | Opinion
Venezuela's future will depend on foreign investment to rebuild its economy and create jobs and opportunity once again. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, Venezuela's GDP declined by 35 percent in 2019 to $70.1 billion. That same year, American foreign direct investment in Venezuela amounted to $2.2 billion, representing a large chunk of the nation's total economic activity.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Fauci: Breakthrough infections after vaccinations 'inevitable'
It is inevitable that some people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will still get a "breakthrough" infection because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday.
CelebrityThe TelegraphCrumbling former home of Queen and Prince Philip in Malta undergoes multi-million pound restoration
The garden is overgrown, the walls are collapsing and the stonework is crumbling, but a dilapidated townhouse in Malta where a young Prince Philip once lived with the then Princess Elizabeth is undergoing a multi-million pound restoration. Villa Guardamangia, on the outskirts of the Maltese capital Valletta, is to be returned to how it looked when it was home to the royal couple in what they said was one of the happiest periods of their lives. The restoration, expected to take at least five years, will enable it to be opened as a museum and underscores the connection between the royal family and Malta, which gained independence in 1964.
“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.”