U.S.Associated PressLawyer: Pamela Smart, serving life sentence, asks for hope
A lawyer for Pamela Smart, who is serving a life-without-parole sentence for plotting with her teenage lover to kill her husband in 1990, argued Tuesday that a state council “brushed aside" her request for a chance at freedom, and asked New Hampshire's highest court to order the panel to reconsider it. Smart's longtime attorney, Mark Sisti, argued the five-member council did not spend any time poring over Smart's voluminous petition — which included many letters of support from inmates, supervisors and others — or even discuss it before rejecting her sentence reduction request in less than three minutes in March. Last year was the third time that Smart, who has served over 30 years in prison, had asked the Executive Council for a hearing.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionNikki Haley launches GOP campaign by insulting Americans age 75 and over. Great start!
Newly minted GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has questions about your mental acuity! The South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador formally launched her campaign Wednesday with, among other things, a call for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.” A Pew Research Center study of the 2020 presidential election found voters ages 75 to 92 were the only ones who clearly favored Trump over Biden, by 58% to 42%.
WorldThe WeekWhy the U.S. used missiles, not cheap bullets, to shoot down Chinese balloon, 3 unidentified objects
U.S. fighter jets fired five heat-seeking AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles to take down four aerial objects floating high over U.S. and Canadian airspace between Feb. 4 and Feb. 12, U.S. officials said. The unidentified floating octagon shot down over Lake Huron in upper Michigan required two Sidewinders, because the first one failed to detect the object, "did not fuse," and crashed "harmlessly" into Lake Huron, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The military and Biden administration got some blowback for using $400,000 Sidewinders to take down four balloons, three of which are likely "benign" objects.
WorldReutersUkraine says Russians mounting constant attacks, pouring in forces
KYIV (Reuters) -Russian troops are mounting constant attacks on Ukraine's positions in the east and pouring troops into the region, although forces loyal to Kyiv are holding on, senior Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Russia said earlier in the day that its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front in the Luhansk region. Moscow said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian attacks in Luhansk but did not say in which part of the region.
BusinessBusiness InsiderI was a manager at Amazon. My boss encouraged me to quit after I defended a high-performing employee who was about to get the lowest performance rating.
Senior leaders would bump people to the lowest performance bucket so they could meet certain quotas During the annual-review process, managers would fill out information sheets for each employee. You would go in with the hope of defending the employees who were doing well and supporting the ones who needed it. But the senior leaders had apparently been given "unregretted attrition," or URA, numbers — how many employees Amazon wants to lose in a given year.
PoliticsHuffPostLauren Boebert Tried To Throw Shade At Rachel Maddow And Got A Stark Reminder
Critics reminded Boebert how Donald Trump's administration, of which she was a huge fan, was at times almost in lockstep with Fox News personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. Indeed, at one point Hannity even campaigned with Trump on stage. The mocking of Boebert's post came as her Democratic rival Adam Frisch, who narrowly lost to the lawmaker in the 2022 midterm elections, announced he would run against her again in 2024.
WorldReutersFrance tears down beach apartment block as rising sea bites
SOULAC-SUR-MER, France (Reuters) - When it was built at the end of the 1960s on one of France's most glorious Atlantic coastlines, the beach was over 200 metres (656 ft) away. Today, the hulk of the 80-flat Le Signal apartment block perches precariously on a dune just metres from the water and local authorities are tearing it down before it tumbles. Four stories high, it targeted vacationers in Soulac-sur-Mer, at the northernmost tip of the Gironde estuary in southwest France, known for its broad golden beaches and pine forests.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Buffalo Tops supermarket shooter attacked at sentencing during emotional victim statement
Payton Gendron, who pleaded guilty to killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, was removed after he was attacked during victim's statements.
HealthINSIDERA man moved to a remote village and cut contact with loved ones. He reappeared months later 137 pounds lighter and says he's broken a decades-long cycle of weight loss and gain.
Bryan O'Keeffe, 34, had tried everything to lose weight so decided he needed to do something drastic. Bryan O'Keeffe had struggled with his weight his whole life, trying every diet and workout regime under the sun but feeling like he was losing and gaining the same 40 pounds again and again. O'Keeffe, 34, from Ireland, weighed 338 pounds when he moved to a small village in Spain, quit his job, and cut off all communication with his family and friends.
U.S.Associated PressJudge vacates conviction of man imprisoned nearly 3 decades
Lamar Johnson, 50, closed his eyes and shook his head slightly as a member of his legal team patted him on the back when Circuit Judge David Mason issued his ruling. In coming to his decision, Mason explained that there had to be “reliable evidence of actual innocence — evidence so reliable that it actually passes the standard of clear and convincing.” St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who filed a motion in August seeking Johnson's release after an investigation her office conducted with help from the Innocence Project convinced her he was telling the truth, applauded the ruling.
U.S.Green Bay Press-GazetteTaylor Schabusiness attacks lawyer in Brown County courtroom; she is charged with killing, decapitating friend
The woman accused of killing and decapitating a male friend in 2022 attacked her attorney in court Tuesday, throwing the courtroom into chaos as security officers broke up the attack. Defendant Taylor Schabusiness, in handcuffs, jumped her attorney, Quinn Jolly, at 8:48 a.m. Tuesday, appearing to strike Jolly's head with her elbow. A Brown County sheriff's officer tackled Schabusiness moments later, and battled to keep her on the ground as she struggled to get loose.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump's plan for a 2nd term reportedly includes firing squads, hangings, and group executions
As Donald Trump's second re-election bid begins to pick up steam in the new year, details about the former president's plans for his return to the White House have begun to emerge — including a new report from Rolling Stone, which alleges Trump has begun polling his advisers on whether he should bring back firing squads, hangings, and even the guillotine should he win in 2024. According to two sources, the former president has even begun exploring the possibility of group executions, with a third person claiming Trump has expressed interest in a government ad campaign to highlight the administration's lethality and, per Rolling Stone's source, "help put the fear of God into violent criminals."
BusinessReutersTesla changes U.S. prices for fourth time in two months
Tesla increased the price of its Model Y performance crossover by $1,000 to $58,990, its website showed. Tesla rolled out sweeping price cuts in January across its line-up and in all of its major markets. The company has been adjusting prices online since with a cadence that is unusual in an industry where the benchmark is still described as a "sticker prices" on the window of a vehicle in inventory.
U.S.Charlotte ObserverDear white Americans: You’re not racist about guns. You’re worse. | Opinion
I'm writing this apology in the wake of yet another mass shooting at yet another school, this time at Michigan State University. But, let's be honest. The details don't much matter, neither does the location, something you made clear with your reaction to the slaughter of little white boys and little white girls at Sandy Hook a decade ago and white men and white women six years ago at a concert in Las Vegas.
WorldBusiness InsiderPro-Kremlin propagandist loses it on live TV after his son's patriotism was called into question for not fighting in Ukraine
Vladimir Solovyov has been a strong proponent of the war in Ukraine, encouraging young men to fight. A pro-Kremlin propagandist who has long supported Russia's war in Ukraine erupted on live television after his son was accused of avoiding the war. Vladimir Solovyov, who has a strong following and is popular with Russian President Vladimir Putin, attacked critics on-air on Tuesday, after a tweet went viral accusing him of hypocrisy because his 21-year-old son, Vladimir Solovyov, was working as a model in London and wasn't involved in the fighting.
WorldAssociated PressGunmen storm hospital of newborn saved from quake in Syria
Gunmen stormed a Syrian hospital that is caring for a baby girl who was born under the rubble of her family's earthquake-shattered home, and the attackers beat the facility's director, a hospital official said Tuesday. The official denied reports on social media that the Monday night attack was an attempt to kidnap the infant named Aya — Arabic for “a sign from God.” Aya's story has been widely shared in news reports, and people from around the world have offered to help her.
HealthPeopleToronto Woman Promotes Ostomy Bag Awareness: 'I'm Not Defined by It'
Jessica Grossman/instagram Jessica Grossman was faced with a difficult choice when she was 13 years old. "I was so sick that my intestines were basically septic and the doctors gave me the option to have ostomy surgery," she tells PEOPLE. They said, 'You can have this surgery and it should make you feel better, but you're going to have a bag for the rest of your life — or you don't have the surgery and we don't know how much longer you're going to live.
BusinessMoneyWiseA salary below this amount is a dating deal-breaker for many Americans, survey shows — why you should talk money on your very first date
Financial services company Western & Southern Financial Group surveyed over 1,000 married Americans about their financial triggers and found that 1-in-3 couples waited until after marriage to talk about important financial topics, with salary being the biggest topic they wished they'd talked about sooner. Don't miss Centibillionaire Jeff Bezos says not to waste your money on a new car or household purchase: invest in these 3 better recession-proof buys instead You could be the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods and CVS (and collect fat grocery store-anchored income on a quarterly basis) The shocking brands behind Costco's Kirkland label On average, Americans said they want their partner to be ...
WorldReutersPutin, secure in power, sets stage for long and draining war
Vladimir Putin casts the war in Ukraine as a watershed when Russia finally stood up to the West - but some within the elite fear he has committed his country to a long and fruitless drain on lives and resources. When the Russian president ordered troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, he expected to win quickly, earn a place in history alongside the tsars, and teach the United States a lesson about Russia's revival since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The war has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands; Russia and Russians are vilified in the West as aggressors; and his army now faces a resilient Ukraine backed by an expanding U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
U.S.Macon TelegraphMissing 16-year-old’s remains found in woods lead to officer’s arrest, Georgia cops say
A Georgia police officer is accused of concealing the death of a 16-year-old girl who went missing on her way home last summer, authorities said. Miles Bryant, 22, an officer with the Doraville Police Department, was arrested days after the remains of Susana Morales were found in the woods near Highway 316, Gwinnett County police announced Monday, Feb. 13. He was charged with concealing the death of another and false report of a crime in connection with the teen's death, according to a news release.
- U.S.Dr. Phil CBS
Why Dr. Phil Says He Believes Alleged Killer Alex Murdaugh’s Body Language And Statements To Police Don’t ‘Hang Together’
Disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh is on trial for the murders of his wife and son, who he adamantly denies killing. Murdaugh, 54, is charged in the June 7, 2021, deaths of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, who was shot multiple times with a rifle, and their younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, who was shot twice with a shotgun. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed near dog kennels at the family's hunting lodge in Colleton County.
PoliticsReutersJudge upholds Donald Trump contempt order, sanctions in New York civil probe
A New York state appeals court on Tuesday upheld an order finding Donald Trump in civil contempt for having failed to comply with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James in her probe of his business practices. In a 5-0 decision, the Appellate Division in Manhattan said James had established by "clear and convincing evidence" that Trump's response to the Dec. 1, 2021, subpoena was inadequate. The court said Trump's claim that a diligent search had failed to uncover relevant documents in his possession, without explaining what steps were taken to ensure nothing would be lost or discarded, "prejudicially violated the lawful, clear mandate of the court, of which he had knowledge."
BusinessBuzzFeed17 Rude Customers Who Horribly Overstepped Boundaries And Should Never Be Allowed To Shop Anywhere Ever Again
1. This customer who thought a mattress store should help them move two years later:
U.S.Business InsiderAn Ohio restaurant 'forced' servers to work 60 hours a week for just $10 in wages plus tips, the Department of Labor says
A Mexican restaurant in Ohio paid its servers just $10 a week plus tips, a DOL investigation found. A restaurant in Ohio made its servers work for just $10 a week plus tips, the Department of Labor said after concluding an investigation. The DoL said its investigation found that the owner of Los Mariachis, a Mexican restaurant in Wauseon, northwest Ohio, "forced" servers to cash their paychecks and then pay their wages back to him in cash.
U.S.Associated PressMurdaugh's sister-in-law saw odd behavior after killings
Alex Murdaugh's sister-in-law testified Tuesday in his double murder trial that she thought it was odd that he didn't seem scared in the weeks after his son Paul and wife Maggie were killed at their South Carolina home. Marian Proctor told jurors her family was distraught after the killings. “He did not know who it was, but he thought whoever had done it had thought about it a really long time,” Proctor said.
“Averting a crisis in the West is possible, but will require killing some sacred cows.”
“Every day without an agreement is another in which too much water is drained.”
“As long as the world keeps warming, there will be less and less water in the Colorado River.”
“It is hard to get anyone to focus on the bigger-picture, longer-term challenges. But it is imperative that we do so.”
“The only target anyone talks about anymore…doesn’t even begin to build back water levels.”