U.S.AxiosJudge rules for Black Buffalo police officer fired for stopping colleague's chokehold
A New York court on Tuesday reinstated the pension of former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne, who was fired for intervening when a white colleague had a Black man in a chokehold during a 2006 arrest. Today the State of New York Supreme Court vacated and annulled the City of Buffalo's decision to fire her and take her benefits. Ward partially based his decision to overturn a 2010 ruling that upheld her firing on legislation signed by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in October, known as "Cariol's Law" — which makes it a "crime for a law enforcement officer to fail to intervene when another officer is using excessive force and also protects whistleblowers," per the Buffalo News.
WorldBBCChinese man kidnapped and killed in elaborate body swap scheme
A Chinese man with Down's syndrome was kidnapped and killed as part of an elaborate body swap scheme. There is a ban on burials in many parts of China - to get around this, one family hired someone to provide them with a substitute body, which was cremated in its place. The hired man - identified only by his surname Huang - has been handed a suspended death sentence, according to the Guangdong Higher People's Court.
WorldReutersMyanmar activists stage "bloody" protests against military
The display aimed at shaming the military took place in various towns and cities, according to pictures posted by media, as people answered a call by activists to join what they termed a bloody paint strike. "Please save our leader - future - hope," read a sign with a picture of Suu Kyi held by a young woman among several thousand people marching in the second city of Mandalay, according to a picture published by the Mizzima news service. There were no immediate reports of violence at any of the protests on Wednesday, but information has become scarce because of the junta's curbs on broadband internet and mobile data services.
PoliticsAssociated PressWhite House: First lady Jill Biden to undergo 'procedure'
The White House says President Joe Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure. The White House says both Bidens will then return to the White House and “resume their normal schedule. Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
U.S.AxiosGov. DeSantis directs Florida to close Piney Point wastewater reservoir after averting disaster
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Tuesday he directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to permanently close the wastewater reservoir at Piney Point phosphate plant that recently threatened to cause a catastrophic environmental disaster, according to AP. Why it matters: The governor said that $15.4 million in agency funds will be used to treat the water, which contains waste from the phosphate production that can cause algae blooms and fish kills and eventually impact the food chain if introduced into the environment in large amounts. What they're saying: “We want this to be the last chapter of the Piney Point story,” DeSantis said Tuesday, according to AP.
WorldAssociated PressAustin: US adds 500 troops in Germany, despite Trump pledge
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration. Adding 500 troops to a current total of about 35,000 is a symbolic gesture of solidarity with Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but it also fills a practical need that commanders in Europe had identified months ago. Austin said the extra troops will have a role in space, cybersecurity and electronic warfare.
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
WorldReuters'Super-spreader' erupts as devout Hindus throng Indian festival
Hundreds of thousands of ash-smeared ascetics and devout Hindus jostled to take a dip in the Ganges during a religious festival on Wednesday, hoping to wash away their sins, as India reported another record surge in coronavirus infections. As huge crowds made their way towards the river on a special day of bathing during the weeks-long "Kumbh Mela" festival, health authorities had to pull back a COVID-19 testing crew. "We have moved away our sampling team to avoid a stampede-like situation," said S.K. Jha, chief medical officer of the northern city of Haridwar, where the event is being held.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
WorldAssociated PressTrump-era spike in Israeli settlement growth has only begun
An aggressive Israeli settlement spree during the Trump era pushed deeper than ever into the occupied West Bank — territory the Palestinians seek for a state — with over 9,000 homes built and thousands more in the pipeline, an AP investigation showed. If left unchallenged by the Biden administration, the construction boom could make fading hopes for an internationally backed two-state solution — Palestine alongside Israel — even more elusive. Satellite images and data obtained by The Associated Press document for the first time the full impact of the policies of then-President Donald Trump, who abandoned decades-long U.S. opposition to the settlements and proposed a Mideast plan that would have allowed Israel to keep them all — even those deep inside the West Bank.
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.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverVenomous viper bites San Diego Zoo employee, officials say. There’s no anti-venom for it
A San Diego Zoo employee has been bitten by a venomous viper, according to officials. A wildlife care specialist was bitten Monday by an African bush viper “while they were in an area away from the public,” an official said, NBC News reported. The employee was hospitalized for “evaluation and medical care,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said, according to KTLA5.
WorldLA TimesJordan's powerful tribes on collision course with monarchy over alleged royal plot
East Bankers consider themselves the country's Indigenous inhabitants, rather than the Jordanians of Palestinian origin who came from areas west of the Jordan River. The arrests, officials say, were the result of a year-long surveillance operation by the army, police and intelligence service. In their telling, they struck just before the zero hour, averting a wave of chaos and discontent that Prince Hamzah hoped to unleash and ride into the palace to replace his half brother, King Abdullah II.
CelebrityThe WeekMeghan Markle reportedly goes on maternity leave next month
It's unclear exactly how Meghan Markle spends her days in sunny Montecito, California, when she isn't taking care of baby Archie, tending to her rescue chickens, and riling up the British royal family by simply existing. Markle — who co-founded the nonprofit Archewell and recently guest edited British Vogue — will have some free time more immediately, too, since she wasn't medically cleared to fly with Prince Harry the 12 hours to the U.K. for her grandfather-in-law's funeral.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverBillionaire makes $18 million gift to Charlotte YMCA. ‘I started to cry,’ CEO says
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte has decided how it will spend the largest single donation in the nearly 150-year-old nonprofit's history – a “jaw-dropping” $18 million. Billionaire philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott, in a public announcement in December on her blog, named the Charlotte Y as one of 384 organizations receiving a piece of more than $4.1 billion. Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, called the coronavirus pandemic “a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling.”
WorldBusiness InsiderBiden issues warning to Putin, proposes summit as Russian troops amass along the Ukrainian border
Biden urged Putin to de-escalate tensions as Russia amassed troops along the Ukrainian border. Amid rising tensions between the US and Russia, Biden also proposed holding a summit. President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate tensions as thousands of Russian troops gathered along the Ukrainian border, while proposing a summit in a third country in the near future as relations between Washington and Moscow hit their lowest point in decades.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Brooklyn Center, Minn., police release footage of Daunte Wright shooting, chief says he believes officer mistakenly grabbed gun instead of Taser
During a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center, Minn. released bodycam video of the police shooting of Daunte Wright. Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes the officer who shot Wright intended to use her Taser, but mistakenly grabbed her firearm.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen returns to royal duties four days after Prince Philip's death
The Queen has returned to royal duties just four days after the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. On Tuesday, the 94-year-old monarch hosted her first in-person event since Philip's passing on Friday to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official, former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel. It was announced at the weekend the monarchy and their households would observe two weeks of royal mourning, with members of the family "continuing to undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances," a royal official said.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanWhat’s with the crime spree, Boise? Here are safest (and least safe) cities in Idaho.
Over the weekend, police investigated a killing in Caldwell, stabbings in Boise and Meridian, and a disruption at a prison near Kuna. Then police shot and killed a Garden City man early Tuesday. Released only a few weeks ago, the “10 Safest Cities in Idaho 2021” uses FBI crime statistics to try to pinpoint our least dangerous places.
HealthKansas City Star‘I was looking for one shot’: Kansas, Missouri face fallout from J&J vaccine pause
Rohn Dennis was supposed to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday. The 74-year-old Kansas City resident has been receiving treatment for lung cancer. Health authorities in Kansas City and across the country suspended use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended a pause.
U.S.Business InsiderMatt Gaetz's indicted associate Joel Greenberg has been cooperating against him since last year, report says
Gaetz has been embroiled in a political firestorm since The Times reported last month that the Justice Department was investigating him as part of the Greenberg inquiry. In particular, the feds are said to be looking into whether Gaetz had sex with a minor and violated sex-trafficking laws. The Florida Republican lawmaker has fervently denied the allegations against him and dismissed the department's investigation as being part of an elaborate and convoluted extortion scheme against his family.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump caught on audio mocking Michelle Obama’s looks to giggling GOP hierarchy at Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump reportedly mocked former first lady Michelle Obama for her looks in front of a group of Republican donors on Saturday, and once again referred to former president Barack Obama by his middle name, “Hussein”. The remarks by Mr Trump were part of speech at Mar-a-Lago for Republican party donors, who reportedly “laughed uproariously” at the former president According to the Washington Post, who obtained an audio of the speech, the former first lady was ridiculed for supporting Stacey Abrams, another black woman and a Democratic opponent of Georgia governor Brian Kemp — a Republican with whom Mr Trump has fallen out.
HealthINSIDERPeople who got blood clots after a Johnson & Johnson vaccine got them within two weeks of their COVID-19 shot
Six out of 6.8 million people who got the J&J vaccine developed blood clots days after the shot. Signs of a blood clot include abdominal pain, severe headache, leg pain, and shortness of breath. Johnson & Johnson reported that six women, out of 6.8 million people dosed, developed cases of serious blood clots six to 13 days after vaccination.
BusinessBusiness InsiderCompanies that have containers on the Ever Given could have to help pay the up to $1 billion Egyptian authorities are demanding before the ship leaves the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal Authority said the Ever Given can't leave until $1 billion in damages is paid. The $1 billion would likely include paying for the tugboats and dredging ships that freed the ship. The owner of the Ever Given declared "General Average," so insurance could pay some of the damages.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump mocks Mitch McConnell for being 'helpless' to stop Biden packing out the Supreme Court
Donald Trump mocked Mitch McConnell for being "helpless" to stop Joe Biden from expanding the Supreme Court. "With leaders like Mitch McConnell, they are helpless to fight," the former president said. It is Trump's second attack on the Senate Minority leader this week after labeling him a "dumb son of a b---h".
“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.”