PoliticsReutersA day after forcing marathon bill reading, Johnson says 'preference' to leave Senate
The day after he single-handedly delayed the U.S. Senate's debate on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill for 11 hours, Republican Senator Ron Johnson said on Friday that he could retire from office when his term expires. The two-term Republican told Wisconsin media outlets that he has not decided whether to run for reelection in 2022 but added that not seeking another term is "probably my preference now." Johnson, a Trump ally, recently drew widespread criticism by peddling a debunked conspiracy theory that leftists posing as Trump supporters played a role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S.NBC NewsAsians were thought to be the 'model minority.' Then came 'receipt culture.'
In another video recorded last July, a tech CEO taunted an Asian American family at an upscale Northern California restaurant, calling them an “Asian piece of s---.” Fueled by former President Donald Trump's anti-China rhetoric, the Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed an onslaught of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. In 2020, the group Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 self-reports of coronavirus discrimination nationwide, from verbal harassment to physical assault.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRudy Giuliani's legal woes mount as a federal criminal investigation into his Ukraine dealings resumes, report says
A probe into Rudy Giuliani's business and overseas dealings has resumed, according to AP. The criminal investigation will look into the legality of his conversations with Ukrainian officials. A federal criminal investigation into Rudy Giuliani has resumed, according to the Associated Press.
PoliticsThe WeekManchin signs off on Democrats' stimulus bill unemployment compromise
After nine hours of negotiations, Senate Democrats reached a compromise on the enhanced unemployment payments in President Biden's COVID-19 stimulus plan, setting it up for passage perhaps as early as Saturday. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), a crucial moderate vote on the Democratic side in the 50-50 Senate, had expressed concern about raising the existing $300 per week benefit (which is set to expire on March 14) to $400 per week, but he came around on a new deal that kept the payments at $300 while extending them until early October. Additionally, the bill now forgives $10,200 in taxes on unemployment benefits received in 2020.
WorldReutersAmericans favor confronting China on human rights despite risk to economic ties, survey finds
American attitudes toward China have soured significantly in the past three years, with 70% of those surveyed for a report published on Thursday saying Washington should stand up to Beijing over its human rights record even if it damages economic ties. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents to a Pew Research Center survey of more than 2,500 Americans conducted in February said they saw China, the world's second largest economy, as a competitor or enemy rather than a partner, the U.S.-based center said. "Americans want more focus on human rights – even at the expense of economic ties – in bilateral relations with China," the report said.
U.S.The Daily BeastTrump State Dept. Aide Accused of Beating Cops During Riot Is Already Hating Prison
A Trump appointee, who was still employed at the State Department when he allegedly bashed police at the U.S. Capitol with a riot shield and egged on a crowd of insurrectionists, has been arrested for his role on Jan. 6. Federico Klein, a 42-year-old State Department staff assistant with top security clearance, is facing a slew of charges, including unlawful entry and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The New York Times. Prosecutors allege Klein, who also worked on Trump's 2016 campaign, “physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line” before assaulting one officer with a riot shield—and using that stolen police equipment to wedge open a door into the Capitol to allow insurrectionists inside.
U.S.The WeekDetroit's mayor rejected a shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Experts say that's nuts.
Experts feared the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's slightly lower efficacy rate would lead to an impression of a two-tiered system. That has been exactly the case in Detroit, where the mayor just rejected a shipment of the company's vaccine. CNN reports that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) declined an allocation of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this week, saying the other available vaccines are better.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: Senate at stimulus standstill as CDC ends Covid safeguard for shelters in migrant ‘tsunami’
The US Senate came to an hours-long standstill on the Covid stimulus as negotiations threatened to derail a $1.9 trillion relief legislation that is critical to Joe Biden's efforts to combat the pandemic. As the president made a plea to pass the bill, Donald Trump was focusing on the “spiralling tsunami” of migrants on the US Mexico border in a furious statement blaming Biden for the overwhelmed border agencies. The situation is becoming so dire the CDC is reportedly lifting a Covid safeguard requiring shelters stay at 50 per cent capacity to maintain distancing.
HealthReutersMerck says study shows COVID-19 drug causes quick reduction in virus
U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co Inc said on Saturday the experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir it is developing with Ridgeback Bio showed a quicker reduction in infectious virus in its phase 2a study among participants with early COVID-19. "The secondary objective findings in this study, of a quicker decrease in infectious virus among individuals with early COVID-19 treated with molnupiravir, are promising," said William Fischer, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in a statement from the companies. The antiviral is being currently tested in a Phase 2/3 trial that is set to be completed in May.
WorldBBCAung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar democracy icon who fell from grace
In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while still under house arrest, and hailed as "an outstanding example of the power of the powerless". In 2015, she led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to victory in Myanmar's first openly contested election in 25 years. While her image had suffered internationally due to her response to the crisis that befell Myanmar's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority, she remains hugely popular with the country's Buddhist majority.
HealthThe StateDoes restaurant dining lead to rises in COVID case and death rates? CDC finds out
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday found that community requirements that support mask use during the pandemic play a large role in county-level COVID-19 case and death growth rates, particularly when it comes to restaurant dining. An analysis of mask mandates and restaurant reopenings in all U.S. counties from March to December 2020 found that significant drops in daily coronavirus cases and death growth rates occurred within 20 days of implementing mask use. Meanwhile, jumps in daily COVID-19 case growth rates were observed starting 40 days after restaurant dining reopened — in which people do not wear masks — while daily death growth rates spiked 60 days after allowing on-site dining.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden secretly limits drone strikes, amid congressional scrutiny over war powers
The Biden administration secretly put temporary limits on the use of drone strikes and commando raids outside of traditional battlefield settings like Afghanistan or Syria, part of a larger national security review of whether to alter use of force rules from the Trump administration. The changes, which the administration put in place on Mr Biden's first day in office, were first reported on Wednesday by the New York Times, and come as the Biden administration recalibrates the sprawling US footprint across the Middle East, and Congress pushes to rein in the president's war-fighting powers and scrutinises a recent strike in Syria.
BusinessFort Worth Star-TelegramTexas regulators will not correct $16 billion in electricity ‘overcharges.’ Why?
At its Friday meeting, the Public Utility Commission of Texas declined to adjust prices that resulted in $16 billion in overcharges to the electricity market during the February winter storm. The governor-appointed regulatory commission, which oversees the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, met with just two members after the resignation of chairperson DeAnn Walker. Commissioners Arthur D'Andrea and Shelly Botkin addressed the Potomac report, which found that ERCOT kept electricity prices too high for at least 33 hours after most outages ended on late Feb. 17.
U.S.The Daily BeastLake of the Ozarks Realtor Offered $1.5K to Have Her Former Mother-in-Law Killed: Prosecutors
She was reportedly concerned about the woman causing problems with her relationship with her kids. Bauman was recorded discussing the scheme, according to a press release from the Camden County prosecutor's office. She was given multiple opportunities to change her mind when asked by a witness-turned-informant if she was sure she wanted to carry out the killing, prosecutors said, but she moved ahead with it, at one point acknowledging that she was a Christian but noting she could always ask for forgiveness later.
WorldThe IndependentProtesters injured after police clashes over Paraguay’s Covid response
Around 20 people were injured when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas as protests over the Paraguayan government's handling of Covid turned violent. Hundreds of rioters, mainly young people, took to the streets of the capital, Asuncion, on Friday amid growing outrage that coronavirus infections had hit record levels and hospitals verged on collapse throughout the South American nation. Protesters lit flares, threw rocks at police, broke down security barriers and started fires in the streets as violent clashes turned the area around Asuncion's Congress building into a makeshift battlefield on Friday night.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 7 Best Refrigerators on the Market, According to Kitchen Designers
Quality food preservation, storage space, and good-looking design are priorities among kitchen designers when it comes to refrigerators Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsUSA TODAYLive stimulus updates: Senate extends $300 weekly unemployment benefit in Biden's COVID stimulus bill
The Senate amended President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus bill to include a $300 weekly federal unemployment benefit through August. The Senate also passed a Republican proposal to the unemployment benefit Saturday morning. Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman's amendment would have extended the $300 benefit through mid-July – a tweak anathema to progressives, who had pushed for more generous unemployment benefits.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Civil war within the GOP continues as Trump fires back at strategist Karl Rove
Former President Donald Trump intensified his war with the Republican establishment on Thursday by attacking Karl Rove, a longtime Republican strategist who criticized Trump's first speech since leaving office for being long on grievances but short on vision.
U.S.INSIDERA man in jail tried to hire a hitman to kill the witnesses in his court case but the guy was actually a federal informant
A Virgin Islands man tried to hire a hitman from prison to kill witnesses. Delroy Thomas, 30, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and must pay a $3,000 fine. In his attempt to hire a hitman, Thomas was unaware that the person he was speaking to was actually a DEA informant.
HealthFort Worth Star-TelegramGov. Abbott, where’s the evidence that it’s safe to remove Texas’ mask mandate?
In spite of recent warnings from public health officials, Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state's mask mandate, effective March 10. In response, we ask: What evidence did the governor use to change policy? We know that public health policy has been far more effective in dealing with the pandemic than individual actions alone.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Wall Street Journal ridicules Trump in public feud after the paper questioned his usefulness to the Republican Party
The Wall Street Journal and Trump are feuding after the paper ridiculed him for his election loss. The paper published an article that questioned Trump's usefulness to the Republican Party. Trump responded by saying the paper, backed by Rupert Murdoch, has "lost great credibility."
U.S.INSIDERDisney World guests with COVID rage spit and yell at resort staff trying to enforce safety guidelines, report says
Disney World employees are experiencing harassment from guests, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Workers detailed incidents of being spat and yelled at for trying to enforce COVID-19 safety protocols. Employees of the Walt Disney World Resort have been harassed by furious guests while trying to enforce COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, according to a report by the Orlando Sentinel.
EntertainmentBBCReddit chief: I was late to spot GameStop stock mania
Reddit boss Steve Huffman has told BBC News he supported the aims of controversial sub-Reddit WallStreetBets. A long-time fan of the group, he said he had been slow in spotting its effect on GameStop's huge share-price spike in January. "I was actually a little late to the party, because I didn't realise that Reddit had leaked into the real world again", he said.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 29 Best Bar Carts Under $500
Guaranteed to look great in your Zoom happy hours Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCellphone records tie Proud Boys member to someone in Trump White House, NYT reports
A member of the Proud Boys was in contact with someone in former President Donald Trump's White House in the days before the Capitol Attack on January 6, The New York Times reported. An anonymous source who is familiar with a cellphone data report from the Federal Bureau of Investigations told the Times that it's not clear what they discussed and did not disclose the names of either individual. The information was found partly as a result of data the FBI got from technology and telecommunications companies immediately after the riot, when Trump supporters breached the US Capitol and clashed with law enforcement.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”