PoliticsNational ReviewBiden 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.
WorldReutersHong Kong not dead yet, says Tiananmen veteran taking lone stand in park for June 4 vigil
Han Dongfang, a veteran Tiananmen Square activist, says Hong Kong should not lose heart despite a heavy China-led crackdown on its freedoms, as he defied police warnings and sat quietly on a park bench to commemorate the victims of June 4. Han, who was almost killed when People's Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989, and was then jailed and forced into exile, was one of the few people in Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Friday afternoon, ignoring a police ban on an annual candlelight vigil, ostensibly imposed as part of coronavirus restrictions. Clad in a black T-shirt and yellow mask to ward off the virus, and seated next to an old banyan tree, Han spoke of the importance of keeping truths alive, and of not succumbing to fear - in a city where individual rights are still guaranteed under a new national security law.
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.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.Los Angeles Times OpinionOp-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.”
PoliticsAxiosTrump endorses N.C. Rep. Ted Budd for Senate as Lara Trump declines to run "for now"
Former President Trump said Saturday that North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd has his "complete and total endorsement" to replace the state's retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr. Why it matters: The 2022 race for Burr's seat is set to be one of the most watched in the U.S. It could determine the balance of power in the Senate, which is technically split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris having the tie-breaker vote. The big picture: Trump vowed on stage at the 2021 North Carolina GOP state convention that "we're going to campaign with" Budd, who joins a packed Republican primary field.
- NewsWABC – NY
Video shows Newark officers getting attacked while making arrest
Officers were trying to arrest a man who was accused of gun possession. A group then descended on the officers and then began attacking them.
BusinessBBCUnited plans supersonic passenger flights by 2029
US airline United has announced plans to buy 15 new supersonic airliners and "return supersonic speeds to aviation" in the year 2029. Supersonic passenger flights ended in 2003 when Air France and British Airways retired Concorde. The new Overture aircraft will be produced by a Denver-based company called Boom, which has yet to flight-test a supersonic jet.
- CelebrityFox News
Camila Cabello's bikini pics praised by fans for showing 'what normal bodies look like'
Camila Cabello is being praised by fans for her "natural" and "real" bikini look. New photos released Thursday by the Daily Mail show the 24-year-old "Senorita" singer hitting a Miami beach with boyfriend Shawn Mendes. She's wearing a blue tie-dye bikini as she walks in the sand and takes a dip in the ocean with Mendes.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump 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.
WorldBBCBrexit: UK announces trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
The UK has signed a post-Brexit trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, the government has announced. The agreement will be a major boost for trade between the four non-EU nations, which is already worth £21.6bn, UK minister Liz Truss said. She claimed it would boost sectors such as digital and cut tariffs on UK farm products such as cheese and meat.
U.S.The Independent13-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.
U.S.Business InsiderVideos 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.
U.S.USA TODAY5.3-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.
CelebrityINSIDERA 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.
PoliticsThe IndependentWhite House says Trump ‘unlikely to change his stripes’ after Facebook ban
“It feels pretty unlikely that the zebra is going to change his stripes over the next two years,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday at a press briefing, adding, “Our view continues to be, every platform, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, any other platform that is disseminating info to millions of Americans, has a responsibility to crack down in disinformation, has a responsibility to crack down on false information, whether it's about the election or even about the vaccine.” “We learned a lot from the former president over the last couple years, about his behaviour and how he uses these platforms,” she said, noting, “We saw the impact on January 6 of words on social media platforms, and we've seen the impact of words as it relates to disinformation traveling around the vaccine, around election integrity.”
U.S.Business InsiderA 5th-grade student gave a first-person speech dressed as Hitler. The teacher and school's principal are now on administrative leave.
A fifth-grade student dressed as Adolf Hitler and gave a speech titled, "Accomplishments." The speech was part of a "Character Development project" organized by his teacher, Fox News said. The school's principal and the student's teacher have been placed on administrative leave.
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.
U.S.INSIDERA homeless woman in Oregon died while more than $800,000 of inheritance funds remained in a state bank, report says
A homeless woman, Cathy Boone, died while hundreds of thousands of unclaimed money was held in the state bank. Boone's mother died in 2016, and her mother's estate tried to contact her multiple times but failed, KGW reported. A homeless woman in Oregan died while nearly $900,000 of inherited funds was being held by the state, according to KGW.
BusinessBusiness InsiderMike Lindell's lawyers said Dominion and Smartmatic's 'conspiracy' against him is set to cost the MyPillow CEO more than $2 billion
Mike Lindell's new lawsuit accused Dominion and Smartmatic of damaging his finances and reputation. Lawyers for the MyPillow CEO said he is set to lose $2 billion as a result. A lawsuit filed Thursday said MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell stands to lose more than $2 billion after voting-machine companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic engaged in a "conspiracy and enterprise to harm him."
HealthThe IndependentFauci calls on China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers who fell sick in 2019
Doctor Anthony Fauci has called for China to release the medical records of three Wuhan lab researchers who fell sick with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019. A spokesman for China's foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, would not say whether China would release the records but firmly denied that the laboratory was linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The comments come amid complex and deepening tensions surrounding the origins of the disease, with the controversial theory that the pandemic originated from a lab-leak in China recently gaining more traction.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe 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.
WorldINSIDERThe poison used to eradicate a biblical mouse plague ravaging southeast Australia is having a deadly effect on native wildlife
The poison that is being used to cull Australia's mouse infestation is damaging the native wildlife. Experts say birds in New South Wales have died after ingesting poison intended for mice. The infestation has ravaged large parts of southeast Australia.
SportsLexington Herald-Leader2021 Belmont Stakes complete order of finish and payoffs
Essential Quality entered the Kentucky Derby as the undefeated favorite and looking like the class of the 2021 Triple Crown series. The Brad Cox trainee finished fourth that day but delivered on all that promise Saturday, overtaking Hot Rod Charlie down the stretch to win the 153rd Belmont Stakes at Elmont, N.Y. The 1 1/4-length victory was Essential Quality's sixth in seven career races, a stretch that includes the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April. Essential Quality, who went off as the 6-5 favorite, paid $4.60 to win, $3.00 to place and $2.60 to show.
“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.”