PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz says Biden's comments about the Derek Chauvin verdict are 'grounds for a mistrial'
Cruz said Tuesday that Biden's comments on Derek Chauvin provided potential grounds for a mistrial. Cruz said that Biden was providing "a possible basis on appeal to challenge any guilty conviction." President Joe Biden's comments about the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, provided potential "grounds for a mistrial," Sen. Ted Cruz said on Tuesday.
U.S.Associated PressPolice kill Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who attacked 2 with knife
Body camera footage from other officers released Wednesday in the fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, a Black teenager who charged at two people with a knife, showed a chaotic scene that happened within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd's killing and ignited outrage by many over the continued use of lethal force by police in Columbus and the U.S. Officials with the Columbus Division of Police had released initial footage of the shooting Tuesday night just hours after it happened, which was a departure from protocol as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes. Bryant was 16 and in foster care with Franklin County Children's Services at the time of her death.
WorldThe TelegraphBoris Johnson scraps plans for televised White House-style briefings from £2.6m studio
Boris Johnson's plans to hold White House-style press briefings have been abandoned, despite the Government spending £2.6million on a new Downing Street conference facility. In another major No 10 upheaval, it was confirmed on Tuesday that the Prime Minister had decided to axe the daily televised press conferences. The No 9 briefing room, which has only recently been renovated, will now be used by the Prime Minister, ministers and officials to hold press conferences.
U.S.Business InsiderA US Air Force general is facing court-martial for the first time ever. He has been charged with sexual assault
A US Air Force general is being court-martialed for the first time in the history of the service. The charge is linked to allegations of sexual assault against a civilian during a 2018 off-duty incident. The Air Force said it is unclear at this time when the court-martial will take place.
WorldBBCPakistan hotel bomb: Deadly blast hits luxury venue in Quetta
A bomb explosion at a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, has killed five people and wounded 12. The Pakistani Taliban said it was behind the blast in the car park of the Serena Hotel, and that it had targeted police officers and other officials. A Taliban spokesman described it as an attack by a suicide bomber using a car filled with explosives.
SportsNational ReviewBrett Favre: It’s ‘Hard to Believe’ Derek Chauvin Intentionally Killed George Floyd
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre on Wednesday said he finds it “hard to believe” that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin intended to kill George Floyd during Floyd's arrest last year. “I find it hard to believe, and I'm not defending Derek Chauvin in any way, I find it hard to believe, first of all, that he intentionally meant to kill George Floyd,” Favre said on his podcast Bolling with Favre. Favre's comments came one day after a jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
U.S.Associated PressBiden OKs more foreign seasonal workers as economy improves
President Joe Biden's administration announced an increase Tuesday in the number of temporary seasonal workers who will be allowed to work in the U.S. this year as the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic. The Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. would approve an additional 22,000 H2-B seasonal, non-agricultural worker visas on top of the annual limit of 66,000 set by Congress. Employers must show they tried to recruit U.S. workers and then certify that they will suffer “irreparable harm” without a foreign, seasonal worker in order to qualify for the program, DHS said in a statement announcing the supplemental increase.
U.S.AxiosCoronavirus cases aren't budging — even after vaccinations doubled
Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios The U.S. is pumping out coronavirus vaccines by the millions, but the coronavirus isn't slowing down. The big picture: This spring has seen a surge in vaccinations but almost no change in the coronavirus' spread, leaving the U.S. with an outbreak that's still too big. Where it stands: In the last week of February, the U.S. was averaging 65,686 new coronavirus cases per day.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Rebels aim for Chad's capital after Deby's death
Rebel forces have set their sights on Chad's capital N'Djamena, following Monday's (April 19) killing of the country's President Idriss Deby as he visited the frontline. It's a move that threatens to bring more turmoil in a country seen as vital to international efforts to combat militants in Africa's Sahel region. Rebel forces from the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, or FACT, poured over the country's northern border last weekend.
WorldNBC NewsVideo shows man rescuing child who fell onto tracks as train barrels into station
A man is being praised as a hero after risking his life to rescue a child who fell onto train tracks at the Vangani station in Mumbai, India, as an oncoming train barreled into the station, according to India's Ministry of Railways. The ministry released video that shows Shri Mayur Shelke running at full speed down a set of train tracks to save a child who had fallen off the platform and onto the tracks as a train approached. The video, captured by security cameras at the station, shows the child initially walking alongside an unidentified person when they slip off of the edge of the platform and onto the tracks below.
PoliticsRaleigh News and ObserverChauvin verdict sparks optimism among lawmakers on police reform
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd has provided a jolt of momentum to Congress' long-stalled effort to enact meaningful police reform, lawmakers on Capitol Hill said. Members of Congress who are working to craft legislation said they are optimistic that a compromise that appeals to both parties can be reached as they continue to negotiate after a Tuesday's verdict, though significant hurdles still remain on the volatile issue. Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat who is leading the charge in the U.S. House, said she is hopeful that a bipartisan group working on police reform will have the text for a new bill ready next month.
WorldReutersCritics denounce Japan asylum reform as human rights violation
A planned reform of Japan's asylum law that would make it easier to deport failed applicants for refugee status drew fierce criticism on Thursday from lawyers, lawmakers and human rights groups who said it ran counter to international norms. The government says the proposed reform, which would mean asylum seekers could be deported after a third failed application, will solve the problem of long detentions of asylum seekers while they re-apply, or appeal against a rejection. Some asylum seekers are granted provisional release during the process, meaning they can live relatively freely although they cannot work, but others are held in government detention centres where they spend months or even years.
PoliticsArchitectural DigestHouse Call: Embracing My Outdoor Persona
We're getting outdoorsy on Clever this week Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
SportsIdaho StatesmanBig rig boxes in alleged DUI driver, leading to fatal pileup on I-5 in California
An allegedly intoxicated driver on northbound Interstate 5 near Westley precipitated the events that led to a big rig pileup with one of the drivers killed Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. Around 1 a.m., a big rig driver spotted a red sedan swerving across both lanes of traffic south of Howard Road, said CHP Officer Tom Olsen. “The big rig driver actually boxed in the DUI driver ... (He) used his trailer in a manner to stop the DUI driver from proceeding.”
U.S.Business InsiderThe lawyer who pointed his gun at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis is considering running for Senate
Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia displayed their guns as BLM protesters passed their house last year. McCloskey told Politico on Tuesday he's considering running for Senate in 2022. A grand jury indicted the couple on charges of exhibiting guns and evidence tampering last October.
U.S.Miami HeraldPretty Ricky singer in critical condition after being shot at South Florida bowling alley
A colorful sign that reads “Sparez” is close by. HL's caption says that the Miami rapper (real name Diamond Blue Smith) was shot at Sparez bowling alley in Davie, but gives scant information. People surround the man trying to help keep him comfortable while waiting for an ambulance.
WorldINSIDERAn Italian man accused of not showing up for work for the past 15 years now faces extortion charges
One Italian man has been living the dream for the past 15 years. Authorities say he collected a monthly paycheck for a hospital job he hasn't shown up to since 2005. An Italian man in the southern city of Catanzaro raked in hundreds of thousands of euros from his job as a hospital worker over the last 15 years.
PoliticsKansas City StarMissouri bill restricting transgender youth sports participation advances in House
A bill banning transgender students from playing on sports teams that match their gender got a vote of approval in the Missouri House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon. It was added as an amendment sponsored by Rep. Chuck Basye, a Rocheport Republican, to an unrelated bill addressing students' grades during the pandemic. It got 100 votes in favor, 51 against and one Democrat voting present.
U.S.The IndependentNewsmax host claims Derek Chauvin was ‘sacrificed to the mob’ as right-wing outlets accused of racism
Newsmax host Robert Schmitt has been accused of racism for saying Derek Chauvin was a “sacrifice to the mob” after the former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. The conviction of Chauvin for murdering Mr Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 was celebrated by Black Lives Matter ( BLM) activists and crowds in the city on Tuesday, and followed calls for justice for the Black 46-year-old. The host of “Rob Schmitt Tonight” said Tuesday that Chauvin's conviction was in response to fears of Minneapolis being “burnt to the ground” by campaigners for justice in the case, rather than the facts of the trial.
WorldBBCIndia coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?
With India attempting to ramp up vaccinations as Covid infections rise rapidly, India's main domestic vaccine maker is struggling to meet demand at home and globally. How can India meet its domestic needs? The Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech, the two main vaccine manufacturers, will get $400m and $210m each from the Indian government.
WorldINSIDERA submarine with 53 crew members on board has disappeared off the coast of Bali
The submarine was participating in a naval exercise near Bali when it went off the grid. The Indonesian navy is searching for the submarine, which was carrying 53 crew members. Search-and-rescue teams found an oil spill near the waters where the submarine was last spotted.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden is set to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, despite warnings from Turkey it could 'worsen ties' even more
President Joe Biden is reportedly set to formally recognize the Armenian genocide on Saturday. No US president has given such recognition to the World War I-era killings of 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey has warned that such a move would harm relations at a time when they're already strained.
U.S.The Independent38 others have been killed by police in county where Ma’Khia Bryant was fatally shot
Franklin County in Ohio, where black 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot and killed by police on Tuesday, saw 38 deaths involving law enforcement between January 2015 and December 2020. The county, which encompasses the state capital Columbus, has one of the highest rates of deadly police shootings in the country at 4.81 per million residents. The county has the highest rate in the state of Ohio and the 18th highest rate of the 100 most populous counties in the US, according to a February study released by The Ohio Alliance for innovation in population health.
U.S.INSIDERA former Minneapolis police officer called Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict a 'tragedy,' saying he fears it will start a 'new trend' of sending cops to prison
A former Minneapolis police officer said he was surprised by Derek Chauvin's conviction. What was a day of justice for the Black Lives Matter movement was a day of disappointment for one former Minneapolis police officer, who told Insider he was shocked by Derek Chauvin's conviction and called it a "tragedy." The former officer spoke on the condition of anonymity, but his identity is known to Insider.
PoliticsThe IndependentSouth Korean president calls Trump failure who ‘beat around the bush’ on North Korea
South Korea's president Moon Jae-in has criticised Donald Trump's efforts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula and said he “failed” in his diplomacy towards North Korea. He beat around the bush and failed to pull it through,” Mr Moon said about the former US president in an interview with the New York Times. The South Korean president, who is scheduled to meet US president Joe Biden next month, said he hopes he would “go down as a historic” leader to have achieved substantive and irreversible progress on the stalled denuclearisation process.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”