U.S.Yahoo NewsMarjorie Taylor Greene escalates LGBTQ rights debate with attack on colleague's transgender daughter
A debate on the House floor over the Equality Act, a bill that would extend civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community, spilled over into the halls of Congress on Wednesday. During the floor debate on the Equality Act, Greene made a motion to adjourn in an effort to block consideration of the bill because she claimed it would put the rights of transgender Americans above those of women and children, particularly when it comes to sports.
PoliticsThe WeekHusband of Hitler-quoting GOP congresswoman parked his militia-stickered truck outside Capitol Jan. 6
Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R), the husband of freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), acknowledged Thursday that his pickup truck was parked in a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, but he said the "Three Percenter" militia sticker on the back window doesn't mean anything. "Army friend gave me decal," Miller told The Daily Beast in an email late Thursday. The Three Percenters, founded in 2008, are a "radical militia group" implicated in leading the Jan. 6 siege along with the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers,and other far-right extremist groups, the FBI said in an affidavit filed in the case against alleged rioter Robert Gieswein.
U.S.AxiosActing Capitol Police chief: Phone logs show Jan. 6 National Guard approval was delayed
Acting U.S. Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman testified on Thursday that cellphone records show former USCP chief Steven Sund requested National Guard support from the House sergeant-at-arms as early as 12:58pm on Jan. 6, but he did not receive approval until over an hour later. Why it matters: Sund and former House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving clashed at a Senate hearing on Tuesday over a dispute in the timeline for when Capitol Police requested the National Guard during the Capitol insurrection. Irving insisted that he has no recollection of receiving the request until after 2pm.
WorldReutersMyanmar police fire into air to disperse protests as lawyer to Suu Kyi says access denied
At least one person was injured in the protests in the main city of Yangon, a witness said, and a photograph posted by a media outlet from the second city of Mandalay appeared to show a wounded protester in the back of an ambulance. The Southeast Asian nation has been in crisis since the army seized power on Feb. 1 and detained civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership after the military complained of fraud in a November election that her party won. A lawyer for Suu Kyi, who is being held under house arrest, complained that he had not been granted access to her, three days before she is due to return to court, adding that it would undermine her right to a fair hearing.
PoliticsThe WeekNewly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is 'obsessed' with creating 'clean-energy jobs'
The Senate on Thursday confirmed former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, 64-35, to lead the Energy Department, with 14 Republicans joining all 50 members of the Democratic caucus to give President Biden his 10th Cabinet-level appointee (plus one deputy secretary). After her confirmation, Granholm tweeted that she's "obsessed with creating good-paying clean energy jobs in all corners of America in service of addressing our climate crisis" and "impatient for results." Granholm repeated her priorities on MSNBC Thursday night.
WorldBBCNorth Korea: Russian diplomats leave by hand-pushed trolley
A group of Russian diplomats and their families made an unusual exit out of North Korea on a hand-pushed rail trolley due to strict Covid measures. The Russian diplomats were thus left with little choice. "Since the borders have been closed for more than a year and passenger traffic has been stopped, it took a long and difficult journey to get home," Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Facebook post.
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Laid-off Keystone XL worker reacts to Biden’s climate pledge with Canada
Kolten Walker weighs in on President Biden's climate change policies on 'Fox and Friends First.
WorldReutersUK top court says runaway schoolgirl who joined IS cannot return to Britain
A British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State should not be allowed to return to Britain to challenge the government taking away her citizenship because she poses a security risk, the UK's Supreme Court ruled on Friday. Shamima Begum left London in 2015 when she was 15 and went to Syria via Turkey with two schoolfriends where she married an IS fighter. Begum, 21, who is being held in a detention camp in Syria, was stripped her of her British citizenship in 2019 but the Court of Appeal previously agreed she could only have a fair appeal of that decision if she were allowed back to Britain.
WorldThe TelegraphHong Kong's freedoms threadbare as China removes last vestiges of political opposition
China's Communist Party wields much, if not all, of the political power in Hong Kong, having chipped away at the “one country, two systems” model meant to guarantee the former British colony's unique freedoms after being returned to mainland rule. Four elected opposition lawmakers were ousted last year and those remaining resigned in protest, further skewing the city legislature toward Beijing loyalists. Outsized political influence has allowed Beijing the ability to exercise its will over Hong Kong, often thinly disguising it as 'process' – for instance, passing a law last June through city legislature making it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem.
U.S.The IndependentCollege library shut down after discovery of venomous ‘Mediterranean recluse’ spiders
The University of Michigan shut down its library after venomous spiders were found in the building's basement. University officials discovered a trio of Mediterranean recluse spiders in the building, as well as "remote areas" on other parts of the campus, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "Mediterranean recluse spiders prefer basement spaces, tunnels and other hideaways where there is a decrease in foot traffic," she added.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe $15 minimum wage is struck from the Democratic stimulus plan
The $15 minimum wage was struck from the Democratic rescue plan, per a Senate Democratic aide familiar with the decision. It means the Democratic package will not have a wage increase included for hourly workers. The Senate parliamentarian ruled on Thursday evening that a $15 minimum wage provision cannot stay in the President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package, according to a Senate Democratic aide familiar with the decision.
U.S.TheGrioFemale track star on lawsuit to stop trans athletes from competing: ‘Biological males are taking our medals’
Less than 48 hours into his presidency, Joe Biden took steps towards protecting the rights of transgender athletes looking to participate as their identified gender in both high school and college sports. But now a Connecticut high school track athlete has come forward to say she's disappointed that the Justice Department withdrew from a lawsuit aiming to prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls' high school sports. Wednesday, Alanna Smith, who filed the lawsuit with fellow athletes Selina Soule and Chelsea Mitchell, appeared on Fox News with her lawyer to denounce the actions of the current administration.
U.S.The IndependentFox anchor suspended after saying he was ‘annoyed’ at obese people getting Covid vaccine
A Fox news station suspended its anchor following social media outrage for his tweet expressing annoyance over obese people getting the Covid-19 vaccine on priority. Blake McCoy made the controversial remark on Tuesday afternoon and later deleted his tweet, issuing an apology for his “insensitive and offensive” comment. “I'm annoyed obese people of all ages get priority vaccine access before all essential workers,” he said in the now-deleted tweet.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBernie Sanders says Democrats will try to devise a backdoor to implement a $15 minimum wage after major stimulus setback
A federal minimum wage hike was struck from the stimulus package on Thursday. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Democrats instead will propose to strip tax deductions from large corporations who don't pay workers at least $15 an hour. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Democrats would try to devise a backdoor to implement a $15 minimum wage after a pay hike was struck from the $1.9 trillion stimulus package on Thursday evening - a major setback for progressives.
U.S.INSIDERA Texas border patrol officer was charged after she used a coworker's login to bring her children's nanny into the US from Mexico
A Customs and Border Protection officer was charged with bringing in an undocumented immigrant. Prosecutors allege Rhonda Lee Walker used a coworker's computer to scan the woman's documents. Walker admitted to hiring the immigrant as a live-in nanny and housekeeper for her mother and kids.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden raises human rights in call with Saudi king as intelligence officials to release report on Khashoggi killing
President Joe Biden has spoken with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia ahead of the release of a report from US intelligence officials that is expected to reveal that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved and likely ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. A White House report of their phone call on Thursday did not disclose whether they discussed the findings in the report. The leaders “discussed regional security, including the renewed diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations and the United States to end the war in Yemen, and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups,” according to a readout of their call.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestNo Need to Call an Architect—These 9 Room Dividers Elegantly Get the Job Done
From ornate to subtle, these beautiful screens double as functional art Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsPoliticoHistoric LGBTQ rights bill passes — after exposing GOP divisions
The House passed sweeping legislation on Thursday to ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, delivering a major victory to the LGBTQ community — while exposing an ugly rift in the GOP. The Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to provide protections for LGBTQ individuals, garnered unanimous support from House Democrats on its way to approval on a 224-206 vote. Three Republicans crossed party lines to join Democrats to endorse the bill, less than half of the number of GOP votes the measure got the last time it came to the floor.
WorldBusiness InsiderBiden orders airstrikes against infrastructure used by 'Iranian-backed militant groups' in Syria
The US launched airstrikes Thursday night against "Iranian-backed militant groups" in Syria. The Defense Department said the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden. The strikes came after rocket attacks targeting US forces in Iraq.
U.S.INSIDERA triple murder suspect told police he killed his neighbor and tried to feed his family her heart 'to release the demons'
An Oklahoma man reportedly cut out his neighbor's heart and tried to feed it to his aunt and uncle. Lawrence Anderson, 42, now faces three first-degree murder charges. An Oklahoma man confessed to killing three people and cutting out one of their hearts to cook with potatoes, The Oklahoman reported on Tuesday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell says he would vote for Trump again days after accusing him of being 'practically and morally responsible' for the insurrection
McConnell said he would support Trump if he were the Republican Party's nominee in 2024. The comment came days after he accused Trump of being "practically and morally responsible" for the Capitol insurrection. "Absolutely," McConnell said when asked if he would back Trump again if he won the GOP nomination.
WorldAssociated PressSemenya taking case to European Court of Human Rights
Caster Semenya is going to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge “discriminatory” rules that prohibit her from competing in certain track events because of her high natural testosterone, her lawyers said Thursday. The two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters has already lost two legal appeals against World Athletics' regulations that force her to medically lower her natural testosterone level if she wants to run in women's races from 400 meters to one mile. The South African's lawyers said there's been a “violation of her rights” and wants the human rights court to examine the rules.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderStephen Miller, the architect of Trump's migrant-family-separation scheme, called Biden's immigration policies 'cruel' and 'inhumane'
In a Fox News interview, Stephen Miller weighed in on Biden's reopening of a child-migrant facility. "What we're seeing here is the cruelty and inhumanity of Joe Biden's immigration policies," he said. Stephen Miller, the Trump administration official who masterminded the policy of separating migrant children from their families at the US-Mexico border, described President Joe Biden's immigration policies as "cruel" and "inhumane" during an appearance on Fox News' "Ingraham Angle" on Wednesday night.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderWhile President Biden visits storm-torn Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz will be giving a speech on 'cancel culture' in Florida
Cancel culture appears to be a major theme of the conference; former President Donald Trump will give a speech on Sunday entitled "America Uncancelled." Though it's typical for senators to travel with the president when visiting their states, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that there were "limitations on space" on Air Force One, making it impossible for Cruz or his fellow GOP Sen. John Cornyn to join. Instead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will accompany the president.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump-appointed federal judge indefinitely blocks the Biden administration's 100-day deportation freeze
A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a 100-day deportation freeze. The ruling does not mandate that deportations have to return to their previous rate. Democrats are hoping to pass a large-scale immigration overhaul in Congress this year.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”