Biden DOJ Received Gag Order Preventing NYT from Notifying Journalists of Government Phone, Email Surveillance

During the remaining weeks of the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) attempted to seize the communication records of four New York Times reporters in a quest for their sources. The Biden administration maintained the pursuit that Trump began and informed some top Times executives about the record-collection initiative. However, the Biden DOJ implemented a gag order prohibiting any public discussion of the matter, the New York Times reported Friday, citing the disclosure of one of its top attorneys David McCraw.

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  U.S. Justice Dept says it will no longer seize reporters' records in leak investigations

  Reuters
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  DOJ Will No Longer Seize Reporters’ Data in Leak Investigations

  The Wrap

Op-Ed: A nutty court ruling on California's assault weapons ban makes us less safe

Would anyone really compare an AR-15 assault rifle, which has been used in so many recent mass killings, to a Swiss Army knife? Such a comparison is ludicrous, yet that is exactly what a federal judge in San Diego did on Friday in striking down California's 32-year-old ban on assault weapons. Judge Roger Benitez began his decision by declaring, “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment.”

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  Judge overturns California’s 32-year ban on assault weapons

  Associated Press
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  California's 32-yr assault weapons ban overturned

  Reuters Videos

It’s Time to Reconsider the Ashtray

Democratizing the smoking accessory for all Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Mattie 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.

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  Who is Mattie Parker, Fort Worth’s next mayor?

  Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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  Congrats to Mattie Parker, Fort Worth’s next mayor. Now, here’s a lengthy to-do list

  Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Mother 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.

A 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.”

Trump denounces Fauci's handling of Covid pandemic and demands reparations from China

Former president Donald Trump on Saturday sharply attacked US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, demanded reparations from China and denounced an investigation into his finances in a speech in North Carolina. Speaking in Greenville, North Carolina, at the state's Republican Party convention, Mr Trump joined a chorus of Republican politicians who are criticising Dr Fauci for asking Americans to wear masks to guard against the virus and who at times has been sceptical of a theory that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Mr Trump called Dr Fauci "not a great doctor but a great promoter" for his frequent television appearances.

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  In rare public outing, Trump denounces Fauci, China; dangles 2024 prospects

  Reuters
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  Psaki: No circumstance where Biden would fire Fauci

  Associated Press Videos

Teen’s slaying went unsolved in Illinois for 49 years. Now retired welder is arrested

A year after Julie's death, Roberta “Bobbie” Jean Anderson, a 16-year-old from neighboring Oswego, was found dead at an abandoned farm, her body also stabbed numerous times, the Chicago Tribune reported. A man named Major Morris was convicted of killing Anderson over 20 years later and sentenced to prison, the newspaper reported. Morris later pleaded guilty to also killing 18-year-old Margaret Stirn, who lived in another suburb, after discussing her death with an inmate, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp booed and Raffensperger censured at state GOP convention

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was booed at the Georgia GOP convention, where a resolution was passed to censure Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for ignoring former President Trump's pressure to overturn the state's 2020 election results. Why it matters: The action shows the grip Trump has on the Republican Party in the state. Details: Raffensperger was censured for a "dereliction of his constitutional duty" over the presidential election, according to the resolution obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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  In Trump's shadow, Ga's. Kemp draws boos from GOP faithful

  Associated Press
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  Georgia governor Brian Kemp faces sustained boos at GOP convention after refusing to overturn election results for Trump

  The Independent

Capitol police officer knocked unconscious in riot asks court not to release her alleged attacker

A US Capitol police officer has requested that one of the people suspected of attacking her and knocking her unconscious during the Capitol riot be denied a release from jail. The officer was allegedly attacked by Ryan Samsel, who was arrested for participating in the riot. Mr Samsel can be seen in photos of the riot wearing a red MAGA hat and squaring up against Capitol police officers.

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  Prosecutors: Attack on U.S. Capitol caused $1.5 million in damage

  Yahoo News Video
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  Injured Capitol police officer urges judge to keep man in custody

  NBC News

Peru election: Country on edge ahead of unpredictable run-off

Peru's presidential run-off on Sunday will be the Andean country's most polarised election in its recent history. The vote pits a left-wing teacher and populist political newcomer, Pedro Castillo, against a household name, right-winger Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori. Mr Castillo was the unexpected winner of the first round in April, which saw votes split among a wide field of candidates.

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  Peru's Castillo falls in polls, suggesting photo finish against Fujimori

  Reuters
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  Explainer: Peasant roots to president? Peru's Castillo, the champion of the poor

  Reuters

Videos shows a man who allegedly tried to hijack a Delta flight being restrained and zip-tied by passengers and flight attendants

A man attempted to breach the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight from LA to Nashville. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Videos show passengers and flight attendants working together to restrain the man.

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  Delta flight diverted after attempted cockpit breach

  ABC News Videos
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  Flight Diverted to Albuquerque After 'Unruly' Passenger is Restrained

  Storyful

Video shows teenager setting woman’s hair on fire on San Francisco bus

San Francisco police have revealed distressing footage of a teenager setting fire to a woman's hair on a bus in the middle of the day. According to a release by San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the teenager and two other people of interest fled the scene heading eastbound into the city. Underneath the footage, social media users questioned why the assailant's face was blurred in the footage, but SFPD spokesperson Adam Lobsinger said investigators are currently focusing on the victim.

5.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Southern California; felt in cities over 90 miles away

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was felt across parts of Southern California on Saturday morning. The temblor was a part of a cluster of earthquakes that have been reported in Southern California, according to United States Geological Survey. People in Chula Vista, San Diego, El Centro and Indio felt the 5.3 quake, according to the USGS, Did You Feel It reports.

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  5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Southern California, Epicenter East Of San Diego

  Deadline
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  Earthquake cluster shakes off the Oregon coast — including two 5.9-magnitude quakes

  Idaho Statesman

A timeline of the allegations against Sienna Mae Gomez, including the video that shows her kissing Jack Wright

Sienna Mae Gomez and Jack Wright are members of the TikTok collective the Hype House. The two of them appeared to date until Gomez was accused of sexual assault, which she denies. Wright has yet to acccuse Gomez himself, but two others have posted claims and a video.

Trump on idea to run for House seat in 2022 in a bid to become Speaker and launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden: 'It's very interesting'

A radio host suggested to Trump that he should run for a House seat in 2022 and become Speaker. Trump responded that it was a "very interesting" idea and might be better than running for Senate. Trump could, theoretically, become House Speaker - but experts say it is very unlikely.

13-year-old admits to murdering Uber Eats driver in car jacking

A 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty on Thursday to a murder charge in a carjacking incident in March in which a 66-year-old Pakistani-origin Uber Eats driver was tasered and killed. Two teenage girls — 15 and 13 — assaulted Mohammad Anwar of Springfield, Va, with a taser at about 4.30 pm in Washington DC on 23 March. The Uber Eats driver died in a crash in Southeast DC near the Nationals Park.

Massive fire in Phoenix prompts 'largest response' in local fire department's history

A massive fire that prompted the "largest response" in the history of the Phoenix Fire Department burned multiple recycling yards and commercial structures Saturday in west Phoenix, threatening nearby homes and filling the sky with clouds of smoke and flames. The fire started at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday as a first-alarm fire at a recycling yard, said Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Capt. Todd Keller. At about 3:30 p.m., the fire was upgraded to a Type 1 fire and had reached five commercial structures along with multiple recycling yards, officials said.

California 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.

The GOP is failing to make a villain out of Biden and has run out of ideas - so now they're getting desperate and turning on their own.

Biden's popularity has left Republicans in a state of chaos. Joe Biden is a popular president and Republicans are losing their minds. Biden, a 78-year-old moderate Democrat, has a job approval rating hovering around 60% of Americans.

Man beats 23-year-old Asian woman with walking cane as she gets off subway train

A 23-year-old Asian woman was attacked with a walking cane by a man at a subway station in Manhattan last month, and the police are now asking for the public's help in tracking down the suspect. The incident happened on 12 May as the woman exited the northbound 1 train at Broadway and West 116 Street in Morningside Heights, the police said. The NYPD's Hate Crime task force, which is investigating the attack, said in a tweet that an unknown man swung his cane at her multiple times, striking her on the head and hip.