WorldAssociated PressRussian diplomats depart Bulgaria amid soaring tensions
Two Russian airplanes departed Bulgaria on Sunday with scores of Russian diplomatic staff and their families amid a mass expulsion that has sent tensions soaring between the historically close nations, a Russian diplomat said. Filip Voskresenski, a high-ranking Russian diplomat, told journalists at the airport in Bulgaria's capital Sofia before the flights left that he was among the 70 Russian diplomatic staff declared “persona non grata” last week and ordered to leave the country by the end of Sunday. Bulgaria's expulsion decision was announced by acting Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
WorldINSIDERA rustic private island in Maine is on the market, but the owner will only sell to someone willing to stay overnight—despite perilous weather
Duck Ledges Island is owned by realtor Billy Milliken, who has conditions for the new owner. Milliken told Insider anyone interested in buying the private island needs to spend a night there alone. Ducks Ledges, a private island just a 10-minute boat ride from the coast of Maine, is on the market for $339,000.
WorldBusiness InsiderGerman chancellor says many thought the world moved past countries trying to conquer their neighbors but that 'agreement is now canceled by Putin'
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin dismantled many people's views of the modern world. Russia's war in Ukraine has changed the landscape in Europe, with Finland and Sweden joining NATO. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the idea that the world has moved beyond countries invading their neighbors has been dismantled by Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.
U.S.Associated PressRicky Martin faces restraining order in Puerto Rico
A judge has issued a restraining order against Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin, police said Saturday. The order was signed Friday, and authorities visited an upscale neighborhood in the north coastal town of Dorado where the singer lives to try to serve the order, police spokesman Axel Valencia told The Associated Press. “Up until now, police haven't been able to find him,” Valencia said.
U.S.The HillJan. 6 panel member ‘surprised’ by prosecutors’ reaction to Hutchinson testimony
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who sits on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, said she is “surprised” by federal prosecutors' reactions to testimony given before the panel this week by Cassidy Hutchinson, who previously served as an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. During an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked Lofgren to react to a story published last week in The New York Times that reported federal prosecutors working on the Justice Department's Jan. 6 investigation felt blindsided after watching Hutchinson's testimony and were as surprised by her remarks as those watching it.
PoliticsINSIDERWatergate prosecutor says slapping Trump with a charge for rebellion or insurrection could prevent him from ever holding office again
Jill Wine-Banks said the "best" crime to charge Trump with could be rebellion or insurrection. Wine-Banks said the penalty for such an offense would bar Trump from ever holding office again. Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said charging former President Donald Trump with rebellion or insurrection would prevent him from holding political office again.
WorldAssociated Press'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe eastern front
Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region — where Russia is waging a fierce offensive — describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic. In interviews with The Associated Press, some complained of chaotic organization, desertions and mental health problems caused by relentless shelling. Lt. Volodymyr Nazarenko, 30, second-in-command of the Ukrainian National Guard's Svoboda Battalion, was with troops who retreated from Sievierodonetsk under orders from military leaders.
BusinessBusiness InsiderJeff Bezos says Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices is either 'straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics'
Jeff Bezos has questioned Joe Biden's demand for lower gas prices. A Chinese official praised Biden for realizing that "capitalism is all about exploitation." Jeff Bezos has blasted Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices as either "straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics" in a tweet.
PoliticsThe HillThe five most damaging allegations against Trump from the Jan. 6 hearings — so far
By the panel's account, Trump knew his claims of election fraud were bogus, recklessly encouraged the Jan 6. rioters and endangered his own vice president as members of a mob marching on the Capitol called for Mike Pence's hanging. Whether the panel will make a criminal referral of Trump to the Department of Justice has not been settled.
ScienceAssociated PressNASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon
A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It's been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula by the company Rocket Lab in one of their small Electron rockets.
U.S.The Daily BeastKristi Noem Gets Grilled on Whether South Dakota Would Force 10-Year-Old to Have Baby
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem ducked and dodged Sunday morning when asked if South Dakota would force a raped 10-year-old to give birth—eventually suggesting that “tragic situation” shouldn't change her state's restrictive abortion laws. “The law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother,” Noem told anchor Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union. Bash had pressed Noem about the case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was denied an abortion because she was three days past the state's six-week abortion ban.
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Revellers in war-torn Donetsk carry on dancing
STORY: Despite living under constant threat, Donetsk residents have still found ways to enjoy life. One example can be seen in the city's central park, where dozens of people could be seen dancing in a space called the Cage. Anatoly said he had visited this outdoor dancefloor since he settled in Donetsk in 1990, then a city in the Soviet Union.
BusinessYahoo MoneyHousing prices: ‘We’re in for a little bit more pain,’ economist says
The rapid climb in mortgage rates finally paused this week, but elevated borrowing costs continue to stifle price-rattled home buyers. The rapid surge in rates has cut through homebuyer confidence, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, causing activity for purchase applications to dwindle in recent weeks. According to Erin Sykes, chief economist for Nest Seekers International, homebuyers won't see a reprieve in housing costs anytime soon as the Fed is expected to continue hiking interest rates to combat inflation.
U.S.INSIDERA judge in Brazil ordered a 10-year-old rape victim to be removed from her family and sent to a shelter to prevent her from having an abortion
A 10-year-old rape victim in Brazil only realized she was pregnant after 22 weeks, The Washington Post reported. Her family took her to a hospital for an abortion which refused to operate because it was past 20 weeks. The case went to a judge who then tried to convince the girl to stay pregnant.
WorldBusiness InsiderA huge mass of used wet wipes has formed an 'island' that has changed the course of England's second longest river, MP says
A huge mass of wet wipes has formed in the Thames in London, changing the course of the river. The "wet wipe island" is the size of two tennis courts. Ministers are urging the public to not flush wet wipes, and are considering a ban on those that contain plastic.
WorldReutersHacker claims to have stolen 1 billion records of Chinese citizens from police
A hacker has claimed to have procured a trove of personal information from the Shanghai police on one billion Chinese citizens, which tech experts say, if true, would be one of the biggest data breaches in history. The anonymous internet user, identified as "ChinaDan", posted on hacker forum Breach Forums last week offering to sell the more than 23 terabytes (TB) of data for 10 bitcoin, equivalent to about $200,000. "Databases contain information on 1 Billion Chinese national residents and several billion case records, including: name, address, birthplace, national ID number, mobile number, all crime/case details."
BusinessMoneyWise‘How quickly the tables have turned’: Falling mortgage rates have homebuyers so emboldened they’re asking sellers for cash
After a string of steady increases, mortgage rates fell this week — a mixed blessing for the fragile U.S. economy. The lower rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is a relief for home shoppers who have been watching rates climb, but it's also a sign that a recession could very well be around the corner as the market slows. Rates tend to mirror 10-year Treasury yields, which have fallen as investors seek safer, more stable assets in the face of higher inflation and slower economic growth.
WorldINSIDERNearly 850,000 people signed a petition demanding that Justice Clarence Thomas should be booted from the Supreme Court following Roe v. Wade ruling
Thousands of people have signed a petition to impeach Justice Clarence Thomas. About 841,016 people have signed the Move On petition as of Saturday. The calls to remove Thomas were heightened after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade.
WorldReutersChina rejects NASA accusation it will take over the moon
China on Monday rejected as an irresponsible smear a warning from the chief of NASA that China might "take over" the moon as part of a military programme, saying it has always called for the building of a community of nations in outer space. China has stepped up the pace of its space programme in the past decade, with exploration of the moon a focus. China made its first lunar uncrewed landing in 2013 and expects to launch rockets powerful enough to send astronauts to the moon towards the end of this decade.
WorldThe TelegraphSingle-sex lavatories to be mandatory in all new public buildings
New office buildings, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues must have separate male and female lavatories, ministers will declare this week, in a move to rein in the “forced sharing” of gender-neutral facilities. The Telegraph understands that the Government will formally announce that it is acting to prevent non-residential buildings from being built solely with “universal” lavatories. The plans, being spearheaded by Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, were quietly approved by ministers last month after Mrs Badenoch was warned that some children were avoiding using lavatories at school because they only had access to gender-neutral facilities.
U.S.Business InsiderPolice say the repeal of Indiana's handgun permit law means someone openly carrying a gun can be on a sidewalk eyeing a school but cops can't legally ask them what they're doing
The Indiana State Legislature's repeal of gun permit requirements went into effect Friday. The repeal makes it harder to screen for dangerous individuals with weapons, police say. The law's exceptions include individuals with felonies or restraining orders against them.
WorldReutersLukashenko says Belarus intercepted attempted missile strikes by Ukraine
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday Ukraine had tried to strike military facilities on Belarusian territory three days ago, but all its missiles had been intercepted, the state-run Belta news agency reported. Lukashenko, who did not provide evidence for the claim, said Belarus did not want war with Ukraine, but would fight if its own territory was invaded. Lukashenko said there were no troops from Belarus fighting in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
HealthFortuneWho’s most at risk of developing long COVID? Experts think these 6 groups of people might be
It's hard to say who's at risk for a condition that's yet to be well defined, experts tell But just as researchers and practitioners have their theories about long COVID's root causes, they have educated guesses about who might be most at risk. An enigmatic condition Long COVID is, quite possibly, the great enigma of our time. It's “a very big umbrella term,” Dr. Alba Miranda Azola, co-director of the Post-Acute COVID-19 Team Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, tells “It's patient defined, patient created,” she says of the condition federal officials say could affect up to 23 million Americans.
U.S.MarketWatchWe want culture, dining and wilderness in areas with homes for $300,000 – so where should we retire?
When you think of wilderness, is it bear and moose and such, or national forests and other preserved areas, including wildlife management areas and state parks, for hikes? This option puts you on the other side of the country and in a city of 31,000 people some 25 miles west of Knoxville.
U.S.ReutersU.S. Supreme Court asks Maryland to bar protests at justices' homes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying protests and “threatening activity” have increased. Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley made the request in a July 1 letter to Hogan, noting that Maryland law prohibits people from intentionally assembling “in a manner that disrupts a person's right to tranquility in the person's home.” “I am writing to request that the Maryland State Police, in conjunction with local authorities as appropriate, enforce laws prohibiting picketing outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who live in Maryland,” Curley told Hogan, according to a copy of the letter posted on the Fox News website.
“Left unchecked, if artificial intelligence reaches cognition … it will be fueled by some of the most inhumane impulses of humanity.”
“Now is the time to stop and think — before our technology outstrips us once again.”
“I don't want to talk about sentient robots, because at all ends of the spectrum there are humans harming other humans.”
“Minds can take different forms … We should avoid reducing questions about AIs to ‘Can AIs think and feel like us?’”
“To identify sentience, or consciousness, or even intelligence, we’re going to have to work out what they are.”