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.
- WorldAssociated Press
UN: Unprecedented Taliban violence in 2020 carries into 2021
Taliban insurgents show no sign of reducing the level of violence in Afghanistan to facilitate peace negotiations with the government, and appear to be trying to strengthen their military position as leverage, with the “unprecedented violence" of 2020 carrying into 2021, U.N. experts said in a new report circulated Friday. The panel of experts said the Taliban are reported to be responsible for the great majority of assassinations that have become a feature of the violence in Afghanistan, targeting government officials, women, human rights defenders and journalists among others. In the 22-page report to the U.N. Security Council, the panel said the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces by Sept. 11, the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, “will challenge Afghan forces by limiting aerial operations with fewer drones and radar and surveillance capabilities, less logistical support and artillery, as well as a disruption in training.”
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.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.”
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.
- 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.
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.
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. Trump made the endorsement at the 2021 North Carolina GOP state convention in his first public appearance outside his home state of Florida since leaving office in January.
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.
U.S.Architectural DigestIt’s Time to Reconsider the Ashtray
Democratizing the smoking accessory for all Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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.
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.
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.
U.S.USA TODAYMassive 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- WorldWBAL - Baltimore Videos
Police arrest 3 in killing of man visiting Baltimore from Israel
Police arrested two teenagers and an 18-year-old man in connection with the killing of a man from Israel who was killed while visiting Baltimore. Efraim Gordon, 31, was shot and killed on May 3, in the 3700 block of Fords Lane in northwest Baltimore, police said. Family and friends said Gordon was visiting from Israel to attend his cousin's wedding.
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.
PoliticsThe IndependentJPMorgan stops donations to Republicans who voted to overturn election
JPMorgan will resume political donations but won't give to Republicans who voted to overturn the result of the 2020 election. According to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday, a “handful” of the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying President Joe Biden's win were previously receiving support from JPMorgan's political action committee. Many corporations halted their political donations following the deadly Capitol riot on 6 January when Trump supporters attempted to stop Congress from formally certifying Mr Biden's victory.
“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.”