- U.S.Associated Press
Teens charged in Baltimore shooting of Israeli man
Two juveniles and an 18-year-old have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of a 31-year-old Israeli man who was visiting relatives in Baltimore last month. Baltimore police said William Clinton III, 18, and a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old are being held without bail in the May 3 fatal shooting of Efraim Gordon. The Baltimore Sun reports that Gordon had traveled from Israel to Baltimore for a week's visit to attend his cousin's wedding.
WorldReutersHungarians protest against planned Chinese university campus
Thousands of Hungarians, some of them holding banners declaring "Treason", protested on Saturday against a Chinese university's plans to open a campus in Budapest. Liberal opponents of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban accuse him of cosying up to China, and fear the campus could undercut the quality of higher education and help Beijing increase its influence in Hungary and the European Union. "I do not agree with our country's strengthening feudal relationship with China," Patrik, a 22-year-old student who declined to give his full name, said at the protest in the Hungarian capital.
PoliticsThe WeekMark Meadows reportedly asked acting AG to investigate 'fantastical' election conspiracy theory involving Italy
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows sent five emails to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen in late December 2020 and early January 2021 asking him to examine election fraud conspiracy theories, including a "fantastical" one that claimed people in Italy used military technology and satellites to remotely switch votes for former President Donald Trump to votes for President Biden, The New York Times reports after reviewing newly uncovered emails provided to Congress. "Italygate" has been floating around some corners of the internet for a while, but the communications between Rosen and Meadows haven't been previously reported, and the Times writes that the messages show how Meadows "veered into the realm of the outlandish" as he, Trump, and their allies tried "to find some way to undermine" November's results.
U.S.Miami HeraldA Florida 86-year-old pleaded for his job. Now, he’ll enter a plea on a murder charge
A senior citizen nightmare, losing a long held job when you still need the money, descended a couple of circles when a Belle Glade octogenarian shot the man firing him Friday. PBSO said Cabrera asked his supervisor “to continue to work for another year due to financial reasons.” When the supervisor denied Cabrera's request, PBSO said, “Cabrera became upset, pulled the gun out of his pocket and shot the victim several times, killing him.”
U.S.Architectural DigestIt’s Time to Reconsider the Ashtray
Democratizing the smoking accessory for all Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Associated PressMother eulogizes Southern California boy killed in road rage
The mother of a Southern California boy killed in a road rage shooting remembered him Saturday as 6-year-old with a vocabulary beyond his years who exuded warmth and tenderness. The boy was fatally shot in the abdomen on May 21 while seated in the back seat of a car driven by Cloonan, on State Route 55 in the city of Orange. A reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect has grown to at least $500,000, Southern California News Group reported.
PoliticsReutersOcasio-Cortez endorses progressive Maya Wiley for New York City mayor
(Reuters) -Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Saturday endorsed Maya Wiley for New York City mayor, boosting Wiley's chances to establish herself as the leading progressive in the crowded race. Speaking at an event outside City Hall in Manhattan, progressive firebrand Ocasio-Cortez called on voters to "come together as a movement" to avoid the city's being run "for billionaires and special interests." More than a dozen Democratic candidates are vying to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio at the helm of the most populous U.S. city.
HealthThe WeekChina's COVID-19 vaccines don't appear to be effective at preventing outbreaks in the real world
The World Health Organization recently granted emergency use approval to China's Sinopharm and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines, but the countries that have put the Chinese-made vaccines in the arms of their residents are reporting mixed results, at best. "In the Seychelles, Chile, and Uruguay, all of whom have used Sinopharm or ... Sinovac in their mass vaccination efforts, cases have surged even as doses were given out," The Washington Post reports.
U.S.Kansas City StarKansas City driver sentenced to prison for police chase and crash that killed four
A judge this week sentenced a Kansas City woman to 20 years in prison for her part in a police chase and crash that killed four people in 2018. Victoria M. Brown, 27, pleaded guilty to four counts of second degree murder. On June 1, 2018, shortly before 4 p.m., two Independence police officers on patrol near 23rd Street and Ralston Avenue saw a Jeep that was reported stolen.
WorldAssociated PressTurkey's leader vows to cure Marmara of 'sea snot' flare-ups
Turkey's president promised Saturday to rescue the Marmara Sea from an outbreak of “sea snot” that is alarming marine biologists and environmentalists. A huge mass of marine mucilage, a thick, slimy substance made up of compounds released by marine organisms, has bloomed in Turkey's Marmara, as well as in the adjoining Black and Aegean Seas. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said untreated waste dumped into the Marmara Sea and climate change had caused the sea snot bloom.
WorldReutersPM-designate asks Lebanon's government to pay dues to Special Tribunal
CAIRO (Reuters) -Prime Minister-Designate Saad al-Hariri asked the Lebanese government on Saturday to pay its dues to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and for the international community to shoulder its responsibility. The tribunal was set up to prosecute those behind the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It is 51% funded by voluntary contributions and 49% by the government, and could close after July if the funding shortage is not resolved.
PoliticsThe WeekElections expert 'genuinely' doesn't understand Democrats' voting rights legislation strategy
"I don't know why the Democrats are doing what they're doing" in their effort to pass voting rights legislation, Jessica Huseman, an elections expert and the editorial director at Votebeat, told Politico. Huseman's point is that the party should be focusing on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (or H.R. 4), which was introduced in 2019 and would restore and strengthen aspects of the original 1965 Voting Rights Act, as opposed to the more sweeping For the People Act (or H.R. 1). While the makeup of the Senate means Democrats will struggle to get either bill through the upper chamber, H.R. 1 has almost no chance, especially considering Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) is the only Democratic senator who isn't co-sponsoring the bill, Politico notes.
U.S.Miami HeraldWhat cops say happened during a Maserati chase on I-95 in Miami-Dade and Broward
A Saturday morning police chase that spanned southern Broward and North Miami-Dade counties ended with one crash, three people arrested and four people — those three and a Miami-Dade police officer — being taken to a hospital, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. All four had injuries that FHP described as “non-life threatening.” Troopers arrested Devona Keon, 32, and James Dasher, 30, on charges of grand theft, driving without a license and fleeing and eluding.
WorldReutersTaiwan says it is discussing making COVID-19 vaccines for U.S. firms
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan is in talks with U.S. companies about making their COVID-19 vaccines, following similar talks with European firms, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said on Saturday. Taiwan, like much of the world, has been trying to speed up its vaccination programme following a spike in domestic cases, but has been stymied by global supply shortages. Chen told reporters that they previously had talks with European companies he did not name about producing their vaccines under licence.
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramMattie Parker is the new Fort Worth mayor. Here’s why that’s important to Republicans
Mattie Parker will be Fort Worth's new mayor, and that's no surprise. From the moment in January when lawyer Dee Kelly Jr. decided not to run, former mayoral chief of staff Parker was favored as the legacy candidate to succeed popular 10-year Mayor Betsy Price. This was Fort Worth's biggest and craziest city election by far, and also its most expensive: $4 million combined for all the candidates, fighting over a job that pays $29,000 a year.
- WorldWCVB - Boston
K9 killed when suspect ambushes officers
Two Massachusetts police officers were injured and a K9 killed Friday afternoon when a suspect ambushed and opened fire on the officers during a domestic call in Braintree, Massachusetts.
WorldThe TelegraphVaccines for children could start in August under plans being discussed by ministers
Ministers are awaiting advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which insiders expect will recommend the jab for younger teenagers, before they make a final decision. However, writing in The Telegraph, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, warns that “a huge proportion of the latest cases are in children”, as he urges secondary school pupils to take a coronavirus test on Sunday before returning to school on Monday. In other developments: There was growing pessimism in Whitehall over whether social distancing restrictions will be lifted on June 21, with ministers awaiting further data on hospitalisations caused by the Indian (or Delta) variant of Covid.
HealthBBCBlack fungus: Is diabetes behind India's high number of cases?
About 12,000 cases of a condition known as "black fungus" have been reported in India, mostly in patients recovering from Covid-19. Which countries have got black fungus? Prior to the Covid pandemic, at least 38 countries around the world had reported cases of mucormycosis, more commonly known as black fungus.
PoliticsAssociated PressTrump to GOP: Support candidates who 'stand for our values'
Donald Trump on Saturday pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year's midterm elections as the former president launched a new more active phase of his post presidency. Trump, 74, teased the prospect of another presidential bid of his own in 2024, but vowed first to be an active presence on the campaign trail for those who share his values in next year's fight for control of Congress. “The survival of America depends on our ability to elect Republicans at every level starting with the midterms next year,” Trump charged early in a rambling speech that spanned nearly an hour and a half.
U.S.Business InsiderCapitol riot attendee argued she was allowed inside the building on January 6 because she looked up the hours online and it said it was open
A California woman was arrested and charged in connection to the Capitol riot on Friday in Alabama. Stephanie Baez boasted about her attendance on her Instagram during and after the insurrection, prosecutors allege. An alleged Capitol riot attendee, who prosecutors say boasted about her presence at the pro-Trump insurrection on social media, told authorities that she had permission to be in the Capitol on January 6 because she had previously looked up the building's operating hours to confirm it was open so she could tour the site.
LifestyleMiami HeraldSnack bars sold at Costco and other chains might have metal. That’s not an ingredient
The latest not-food-in-your-food recall comes from Clio, which yanked three different brands of its yogurt snack bars for possible metal contamination. The recall letter that posted for Costco customers said, “Certain products may contain very small metallic fragments from a piece of production equipment/machinery. The problem was identified and promptly corrected.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramMattie Parker declares victory over Deborah Peoples in race for Fort Worth mayor
Mattie Parker excitedly pronounced “it's go time for Fort Worth” as she declared victory in the race for to replace Betsy Price as mayor. Unofficial results from Tarrant, Denton and Parker counties at 10 p.m. Saturday showed Parker with 53% of the vote compared to 47% for Peoples. “Together we will do extraordinary things,” Parker said just before 10 p.m. with 115 of 133 Tarrant County vote centers and all of the precincts in Denton and Parker counties reporting.
U.S.USA TODAY'I will protect my brother's name': Family of Minneapolis man killed by deputies demand accountability
Family of the man fatally shot by two sheriff's deputies in Minneapolis on Thursday tearfully pleaded for transparency and defended his character and history. While authorities did not immediately release the man's name, family and friends identified him as Winston Smith Jr., a 32-year-old father of three. At a Friday news conference, Smith's sister, Tieshia Floyd, said her brother's reputation had been smeared and any past mistakes he made did not justify his death.
U.S.INSIDERCalifornia police arrested two parents who went to a casino hours after their disabled kid starved to death
Two parents were arrested Friday in California after allegedly neglecting their three adopted kids. One of the kids - 15-year-old Karreon Franks - was disabled and died from starvation, the Oregonian reported. Two parents from Vancouver, Washington, were arrested Friday in California on suspicion of second-degree murder and homicide by abuse in the death of their adopted disabled son Karreon Franks.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
China urges U.S. to rethink investment ban
Beijing is urging the U.S. to drop an investment ban on dozens of Chinese companies. Speaking Friday (June 4) foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin pulled no punches: "The U.S. government is stretching the concept of national security, abusing national power and using every possible means to unscrupulously suppress and restrict Chinese enterprises. We are firmly opposed to this.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”