PoliticsThe Daily BeastBen Shapiro Embarrasses Himself on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’
On Friday night, two of the country's foremost Islamophobes sat across from one another on HBO to debate the issues of the day. In one corner was Bill Maher, a self-professed liberal who spends 90% of his Real Time show railing against Muslims, platforming conspiracy theorists and/or white nationalist trolls, and whining about “cancel culture. The other had Ben Shapiro, the Daily Wire co-founder who, when he's not being an outrageous hypocrite or distributing films by producers with a long history of overlooking sexual misconduct, spends 90% of his time whining about “cancel culture” or “owning the libs” by saying hateful drivel like this: The last time Shapiro visited Maher's late-night sho...
U.S.National ReviewGang Members Established ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Atlanta, Killed Eight-Year-Old Girl during Police Protest
In the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, violent gang members laid siege to a local Wendy's to protest his death — establishing an “autonomous zone” with a strict no-trespassing policy for police officers or pedestrians — before shooting and killing an eight-year-old girl, according to a warrant obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Under the guise of protesting police brutality, members of the Bloods street gang established a perimeter around the Wendy's, with armed rogue members declaring control over the territory “brandishing, pointing and discharging of firearms at citizens and civilians to ensure compliance with their authority in a highly visible manner,” according to the arrest warrant for the gang member allegedly responsible for the girl's death.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Raphael Warnock has spent almost $350,000 of his campaign funds on personal security since taking office: report
Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia has spent $344,531 on personal security this year, according to a Daily Beast analysis of campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission. Rounding out the top 3 were two other freshman senators: Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who spent $247,487 and Sen. Jon Ossoff, who spent $162,107. Kelly's wife, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, nearly died after a 2011 assassination attempt at an event in Tucson, Arizona.
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Rag 'n' Bone Man inspired by fatherhood: 'That made me a better songwriter'
Rag 'n' Bone Man inspired by fatherhood: 'That made me a better songwriter'
U.S.INSIDERThe lawyer who was pardoned for pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis is suing to get his firearms back
The St. Louis couple who brandished guns at BLM protesters last summer are suing for their firearms. Mark and Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and surrendered the weapons. Mark McClosky, the St. Louis lawyer who was photographed last summer pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching down his private street, filed a lawsuit Wednesday to get his weapons back.
U.S.NextSharkYeonmi Park says she was robbed by three women, bystanders stopped her from calling police
What happened: Park, 27, recalled the incident in a new interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, which tackled her experiences as a child in North Korea and as a defector in the U.S. She said it occurred during lootings across the city last summer. At this point, the woman allegedly started accusing her of racism and punching her in the chest. The situation became more difficult for Park as bystanders -- whom she identified as white people -- gathered around the scene and allegedly prevented her from phoning law enforcement.
HealthFox NewsCholesterol drug cuts coronavirus infection by 70%, researchers find
A drug meant to treat cholesterol was found to reduce coronavirus infection by 70% in lab studies, with researchers calling for additional clinical trials among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A team of researchers from the U.K. and Italy published findings in the Frontiers in Pharmacology journal Friday, finding that fenofibrate and fenofibric acid resulted in a significant reduction in coronavirus infection in human cells when the drug was used in safe and approved concentrations, according to a news release posted Friday. "Our data indicates that fenofibrate may have the potential to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and also virus spread," Dr. Elisa Vicenzi of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan and co-author, said in the release.
BusinessThe WeekThe USPS awarded a $120 million contract to a company with financial ties to the postmaster general
The U.S. Postal Service has secured a $120 million, five-year deal with XPO logistics, a major logistics contractor with financial and personal ties to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, The Washington Post reports. The contract, which was awarded in April, will have XPO oversee operations at two "crucial" sorting and distribution facilities in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The deal was reportedly competitively bid and did not directly involve participation from DeJoy, whose family businesses continue to lease four North Carolina office buildings to XPO, per the Post. The postmaster general also served as XPO's supply chain chief executive from 2014 to 2015, and has divested between "$65.4 million and $155.3 million worth of XPO shares" since taking office.
PoliticsWashington ExaminerWhite House walks back Biden's plan to let pandemic unemployment benefits expire in September
The White House has not made a decision on whether the expanded unemployment benefits launched during the pandemic should expire in September, press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. President Joe Biden previously stated in June that it "makes sense" to let the benefits expire on the current timeline, given the harsh critiques Republicans and some economists had launched against the program over the past year, yet a number of Democratic lawmakers have called for making the pandemic expansions permanent. Later in the briefing, she added that the administration had not seen any "evidence" that states ending expanded unemployment benefits early had any impact on the latest jobs report.
WorldINSIDERA Russian influencer who drove a Bentley with his girlfriend tied to the roof in a viral video is under investigation, agency says
Influencer Sergey Kosenko is reportedly under investigation by the Moscow Traffic Inspectorate. In an Instagram video, he drove a car while handcuffed to a woman who was tied to the roof. A Russian influencer who tied his girlfriend to the roof of a Bentley for a video is reportedly under investigation by the Moscow State Traffic Inspectorate.
U.S.Miami HeraldWhat happens when you allow hundreds of snake hunters in the Everglades? You get a winner
Gov. Ron DeSantis, in between battling with President Joe Biden about mask mandates, announced that the 2021 Florida Python Challenge has a new king. The 10-day event, from July 9-18, resulted in the removal of a record 223 invasive pythons from South Florida, DeSantis said.
HealthTODAYReba McEntire reveals she and boyfriend caught COVID-19 despite being vaccinated
Country star Reba McEntire is pleading with her fans to get the COVID-19 shot after she caught the coronavirus, despite being vaccinated. In a recent TikTok live, the singer revealed that she and boyfriend Rex Linn both tested positive for COVID-19. Experts say that contracting COVID-19 after being vaccinated is not a sign that vaccines do not work, rather an expected outcome based on both efficacy and rate of vaccinations.
U.S.Washington Examiner'You are not a chick': Video shows argument between trans councilwoman and store owner over anti-transgender sign
A Star Wars shop owner in Washington doesn't "give a s***" about feelings anymore after a confrontation with a transgender councilwoman. Councilwoman Tiesa Meskis, a biological male who identifies as a woman, confronted Don Sucher over a sign in his store that she said was offensive and anti-trans on Wednesday. “If you are born with a d***, you are not a chick,” read the sign posted at the Sucher & Sons Star Wars Shop.
BusinessBusiness InsiderUnemployment aid will vanish for 7.5 million workers in September. There's no plan to extend.
A report from the Century Foundation found 7.5 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits in September. As the Delta variant rises, politicians in DC aren't putting forward plans to extend the benefits. Come September, 7.5 million Americans are projected to lose all of their unemployment benefits - not just the $300 a week boost from federal pandemic relief.
- U.S.USA TODAY
California sheriff's deputy overdoses, nearly dies after exposure to fentanyl during arrest
Dramatic body camera footage shows that a sheriff's deputy in California nearly died after being exposed to fentanyl at an arrest last month. As seen in a public safety video released by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, Deputy David Faiivae was exposed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, on July 3. Scott Crane says he was helping train Faiivae on the day of the arrest.
U.S.Charlotte Observer‘Psychological child abuse.’ Listen to Rep. Cawthorn slam NC district’s mask mandate
A congressman dropped in on a North Carolina school board meeting — and slammed the district's COVID-19 mask mandate. “Forcing our children to wear a mask is nothing short of psychological child abuse, period,” U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican, told Buncombe County Schools officials on Thursday. The remarks came after leaders in the Asheville-area district voted 4-2 to require unvaccinated students and workers to wear face masks when the school year starts on Aug. 23, WLOS reported.
- PoliticsFox News
Bill Maher says 'sleazy' Cuomo needs to get out: 'This is worse than Ralph Northam'
"Real Time" host Bill Maher insisted that Andrew Cuomo has overstayed his welcome as New York's governor amid the growing scandals plaguing the prominent Democrat. During his opening monologue Friday night, Maher began by telling his audience that it's "Day Four of the Andrew Cuomo death watch." "How is he still there?" Maher asked.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastFears of Political Violence Spark a New Campaign Expense
Other members at the top of the list include Warnock's home state colleague Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Only two pro-Trump officials racked up major protection expenses: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who had frequently charged personal security costs to his campaign even before the FEC issued its official ruling in March. That ruling prompted a boom in campaign security spending.
PoliticsNextSharkGOP Senate candidate Peter Yu defends ‘This racism thing? It’s a lie' statement
Republican Senate candidate Peter Yu defended his statement at a campaign event in Golden, Colo., last month, suggesting the #StopAsianHate movement has been “politically exaggerated.” What happened: Speaking at an event hosted by the Colorado Log Cabin Republicans on July 20, Yu said he had never experienced anti-Asian discrimination amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado Times Recorder reported. Howard Chou, co-founder and chair of Colorado Democrats Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Initiative, later issued a statement criticizing Yu's comment, saying racism and violence against the AAPI community are real.
BusinessBusiness InsiderJuly's big jobs gain probably has no connection to GOP governors cutting unemployment aid, Biden's Labor Secretary says
July's jobs report brought promising figures, beating expectations with a gain of 943,000 payrolls. Marty Walsh says that's due to Biden initiatives on childcare and vaccines, not states cutting benefits. The Labor Secretary said it's too early to tell if the Delta variant will slow growth or require a UI extension.
- HealthThe Day, New London, Conn.
Here's what COVID-19 contact tracers are seeing in southeastern Connecticut
Aug. 6—As a contact tracer for Uncas Health District, Sue Dubb has lately been seeing cases tied to the kind of large family gatherings people had put off earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, "whether it was a birthday celebration, baby showers, wedding showers." The public health nurse is seeing the impact of the higher transmissibility of the delta variant, saying it's no longer just one or two people in a household getting infected but sometimes four or five. "I think it's those events where people are less conscious of wearing masks and doing the social distancing piece," said Patrick McCormack, director of health for Uncas.
U.S.Washington ExaminerMilo Yiannopoulos and the cost of clout
— Bill Maher to Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time with Bill Maher, two nights before audio from Milo's infamous 2015 Drunken Peasants podcast appearance leaked. Much has been written of the rise and fall of Milo's star: his storied history as a journalist, his “big break” as a vocal anti-feminist during #Gamergate, Simon & Schuster's decision to pull its $250,000 advance for his autobiography, Dangerous, after audio emerged from a 2015 podcast in which he appeared to defend ephebophilia in the gay community, and most recently, his attempts at a comeback as a “sodomy-free ex-gay” on a mission to spread the good word of conversion therapy.
WorldThe Daily BeastPundits Suggest U.S. Faked Suicides of Jan. 6 Cops and Belarus Dissident in Unhinged Rant
Russian state TV is no stranger to outlandish conspiracy theories that aim to harm or discredit the West, but the latest anti-American innuendo promoted on state television gave pause to even the most ardent tin foil hat enthusiasts. Pro-Kremlin propagandists are insinuating that the American “deep state” is to blame for staging the suicides of Jan. 6 Capitol Hill officers, as well as the hanging of the Belarusian opposition activist Vitaly Shishov. Shishov, who headed an organization that helped dissidents escape the clutches of the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, was found dead in Kyiv, Ukraine under highly suspicious circumstances.
WorldBBCTokyo attack: Knife-wielding man injures 10 on train
A man attacked fellow passengers with a knife on a Tokyo commuter train late on Friday, injuring 10. The suspect, 36, allegedly told police he became angry when he saw women who "looked happy" and wanted to kill them, according to local media reports. Violent crime is rare in Japan and tight security measures are in place in Tokyo, which is hosting the Olympics.
PoliticsThe GuardianBiden said America had ‘gained the upper hand’ over Covid – has Delta changed the game?
Over the past week, Florida and Texas have accounted for about a third of new cases and more than a third of new hospitalisations nationwide, the White House Covid-19 response team told reporters on Thursday. Seven states account for about half of new cases and hospitalizations in the past week, despite making up less than a quarter of the American population. They are Florida, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi – most of which have low vaccination rates and all of which voted for Trump in last year's presidential election.
“If nothing else, Tokyo 2020 may end up being remembered as the wake-up call everyone needed.”
“Cancel the Olympics—for good.”
“Olympians haven’t really changed. These athletes still showcase extraordinary human achievement from around the world.”
“Delivering more excellence and less sideshow will probably require giving athletes a bigger voice in how the Olympics are run.”
“The Olympics were conceived in 1896 as a sporting event, and they’ve become a construction event.”