PoliticsThe WeekSarah Huckabee Sanders says Biden, Harris should give Trump credit to increase vaccination rate
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican candidate for governor of Arkansas who previously served as former President Donald Trump's White House press secretary, penned an op-ed that ran in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday explaining why she chose to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Arkansas has one of the lower vaccination rates among U.S. states, with only 45 percent of the population having received at least one dose, according to The New York Times, so Sanders' piece appears to be an attempt at persuasion. She took a light-handed approach, however, writing that she considers the choice to get vaccinated to be a "deeply personal" one.
WorldBBCIndia landslide: Nine tourists killed as boulders fall from hilltop
Nine tourists have been killed in northern India after the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by falling boulders. Three others were reportedly injured in the incident, which happened in the state of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday. Dramatic footage posted on social media showed large rocks hurtling down a steep valley and onto a bridge.
- U.S.Reuters
Nigerian bandits abduct negotiator over ransom to free students, says school
Armed bandits in Nigeria have seized a negotiator who had been sent to pay ransom money to secure the release of 136 students kidnapped two months ago from an Islamic school in the north of the African nation, the school and parents said. Abubakar Alhassan, director of the Islamic school, said the school and parents have been negotiating with the kidnappers who demanded 30 million naira ($72,993) to release the students from the school in Nigeria's Niger state. Alhassan said the school had contributed to a ransom and some parents sold property to raise cash but they said the negotiator, a 60-year-old man from the community, was taken because kidnappers said the ransom he brought was short.
- WorldAssociated Press
Pro-Hamas activists launch incendiary balloons into Israel
Incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip on Sunday caused at least three blazes in southern Israel, Israeli media reported, raising the possibility of renewed Israeli strikes on the Hamas-run territory. The launches came two months after an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. The Islamic militant group is upset that Israel has done little to ease a crippling blockade on the territory since the fighting ended, and over delays in indirect negotiations with Israel to resume Qatari financial aid to Gaza.
PoliticsThe WeekGOP's Portman says Senate infrastructure deal '90 percent' done, held up by mass transit
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Sunday told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that the Senate's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is "about 90 percent of the way there," pointing to mass transit as the issue that's holding up the negotiations. "And we're not getting much response from the Democrats" on the matter, Portman said.
WorldBBCAustralia Covid: Anti-lockdown protesters condemned
Australian politicians have condemned protests against coronavirus restrictions amid a rise in cases. Thousands marched through Sydney on Saturday to demand an end to lockdown measures, with smaller demonstrations taking place in Melbourne and Brisbane. At least 57 people involved in the Sydney protest have been charged, while more than 500 have been fined.
- WorldReuters
Two activists killed in tightly fought vote in Pakistan's Kashmir
Two political activists were killed in an exchange of fire between supporters of two major Pakistani parties on Sunday during a tight race to elect the regional assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the police said. Supporters of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party of Prime Minister Imran Khan and opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) clashed in one constituency, leading to the deaths, police officer Mohammad Shabir told Reuters by phone. Typically, the Kashmir vote has been won by the country's ruling party.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Search for bodies concludes at Surfside condo collapse site
Firefighters on Friday declared the end of their search for bodies at the site of a collapsed Florida condo building, concluding a month of painstaking work to remove layers of dangerous debris that were once piled several stories high.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia's largest fire burns homes as blazes scorch West
California's largest wildfire merged with a smaller blaze and destroyed homes in remote areas with limited access for firefighters, as numerous other fires gained strength and threatened property across the U.S. West. The massive Dixie Fire, which started July 14, had already leveled over a dozen houses and other structures when it combined with the Fly Fire and tore through the tiny Northern California community of Indian Falls after dark Saturday. An updated damage estimate was not available Sunday, though fire officials said the blaze had charred nearly 298 square miles acres (772 square kilometers) of timber and brush in Plumas and Butte counties.
WorldReutersPutin says Russian navy can carry out 'unpreventable strike' if needed
The Russian navy can detect any enemy and launch an "unpreventable strike" if needed, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, weeks after a UK warship angered Moscow by passing the Crimea peninsula. "We are capable of detecting any underwater, above-water, airborne enemy and, if required, carry out an unpreventable strike against it," Putin said speaking at a navy day parade in St Petersburg. Putin's words follow an incident in the Black Sea in June when Russia said it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of Crimea waters.
U.S.Kansas City Star15-year-old girl critically injured in ‘hill jumping’ crash in Kansas City
A young teenage girl was critically injured after the car she was riding in flipped while the driver was “hill jumping” early Sunday in Kansas City, police said. Officers were called to a single vehicle crash about 1:32 a.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of James A Reed Road, Capt. Leslie Foreman, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, said in an email. The girl was hospitalized with critical injuries.
PoliticsAssociated PressPelosi appoints 2nd GOP critic of Trump to Jan. 6 committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday named a second Republican critic of Donald Trump, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, to a special committee investigating the Capitol riot and pledged that the Democratic-majority panel will “get to the truth.” Kinzinger said he “humbly accepted” the appointment even as his party's leadership is boycotting the inquiry. With the committee set to hold its first meeting, hearing from police officers who battled the rioters, Pelosi said it was imperative to learn what happened on Jan. 6, when insurrectionists disrupted the congressional certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory, and why the violent siege took place.
U.S.Associated PressFauci says US headed in `wrong direction' on coronavirus
Also, booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated, Fauci said. Fauci, who also serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, told CNN's "State of the Union" that he has taken part in conversations about altering the mask guidelines. He noted that some local jurisdictions where infection rates are surging, such as Los Angeles County, are already calling on individuals to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status.
U.S.Miami HeraldEleven seconds that changed Miami. Surfside condo collapse forced a South Florida reckoning | Editorial
Stretching across two vast canvases next to the memorial in Surfside, the Cubist-inspired painting is a jagged expression of grief and horror. The artist, Roberto Marquez, has been working on it for weeks. Now the Champlain Towers South condo site is all but cleared, and the names of the recovered dead have slowed to a tiny, terrible trickle.
U.S.Associated PressShip hunts foreign ships doing work reserved for US crews
Offshore energy service companies are out to find foreign-flagged ships hauling pipeline parts and other energy-related equipment from U.S. ports and delivering or installing them in U.S. waters. The Offshore Marine Service Association has launched a ship to gather photos and videos of ships it considers to be violating a 1920 law requiring U.S. vessels to carry cargo between U.S. locations. It will provide such evidence to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which enforces the law, and to trade publications, said Aaron Smith, president and CEO of the association.
CelebrityBusiness InsiderA healthcare worker who was hospitalized for a month with COVID-19 says she now has nearly $1 million in medical bills
Shenita Russie caught COVID-19 while working in Boston as a mobile respiratory therapist, Newsweek reported. Russie has racked up an eye-watering amount in medical bills. A healthcare worker from Arkansas has said that she has racked up medical bills of close to $1 million after she was hospitalized from COVID-19, she told THV11.
U.S.USA TODAY'Like a hammer hitting us in the head': Homes ablaze in California as Western wildfires rage
More than 22,000 firefighters were combating "extreme fire behavior" across the West on Sunday as homes burned and thousands of residents fled fast-spreading flames. The Dixie Fire in Northern California and the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon were the most ravenous among at least 88 major wildfires across 13 states. Firefighters were struggling with rugged terrain in hot, dry conditions, the National Interagency Fire Center said.
PoliticsLA TimesMar-a-Lago primary: Trump wields power with endorsements, but some in GOP fear midterm damage
Former President Trump, again upending American political norms, is moving to remake Congress and the Republican Party in his own image. Since leaving the White House, he has issued a spate of endorsements of House and Senate candidates for next year's crucial midterm election, including an array of political outsiders, conspiracy theorists and others who — like Trump himself — break the traditional mold. While most former presidents have steered clear of politics, Trump is intervening in Republican primaries like an old-style ward boss: rewarding allies, punishing enemies and trying to use his vast popularity among Republican voters to keep himself and his agenda at the center of the GOP.
U.S.The IndependentFlorida man shoots himself while showing off gun at bar
A man accidentally shot himself while showing off his gun at a bar in Florida, local reports say. According to the Pensacola News Journal, the incident happened on Thursday night at O'Riley's Uptown Tavern in Pensacola. Police told WEAR-TV the self-shooter is 28-year-old Carlos Feituuaki Tuifua, who survived and is recovering.
BusinessBusiness InsiderA couple is being sued for defamation after writing 1-star Google reviews of a roofing company, report says
A couple from Washington left one-star reviews of a roofing company after a receptionist was rude to them, KGW8 reported. A couple from Vancouver, Washington is being sued for $112,000 after leaving a one-star Google review of a roofing company, KGW8 reported. Autumn Knepper and Adam Marsh each wrote a negative review of Executive Roof Services after two phone calls with one of the company's receptionists turned sour, they told the local broadcaster.
U.S.USA TODAY OpinionQualified immunity won't protect college administrators who discriminate against religion
College officials have been put on notice: targeting religious student groups isn't just unconstitutional, it's costly. A federal court of appeals this month agreed with my firm, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, that University of Iowa officials “turned a blind eye to decades of First Amendment jurisprudence” by punishing Christian, Muslim, and Sikh groups for the crime of asking their leaders to agree with their faith. That blatant violation meant the officials weren't shielded by “qualified immunity,” a rule that protects government officials from personal liability when making close judgment calls about constitutional rights.
PoliticsThe New York TimesNancy Mace Called Herself a 'New Voice' for the GOP. Then She Pivoted.
Brockbank was referring to Mace's first weeks in office immediately after the Jan. 6 riot, as the stench of tear gas lingered in the halls of the Capitol and some top Republicans were quietly weighing a break with President Donald Trump. Mace, a freshman congresswoman, placed herself at the forefront of a group of Republicans denouncing Trump's lies of a stolen election that had fueled the assault and appeared to be establishing herself as a compelling new voice urging her party to change its ways. But these days, as Republicans in Congress have made it clear that they have no intention of turning against Trump, Mace has quietly backpedaled into the party's fold.
U.S.The IndependentPolice respond to viral video showing officer appearing to toss a baggie into man’s car
A Wisconsin police department has defended itself after a video went viral showing one of its officers throwing a plastic bag into a car after stopping it for speeding. The video was originally posted to Facebook by a user who went by the name “La Savoo”, who is believed to from the town of Racine and works as a recording artist, according to his page. It depicts the moments after he was was pulled over for speeding by officers from the Caledonia Police Department.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Rand Paul confronted by foul-mouthed constituent during a virtual town hall meeting
A Kentucky resident told Sen. Rand Paul to "get f---ed" during a virtual town hall meeting. Paul has been criticized for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging people to ditch masks. Sen. Rand Paul was told to "get f---ed" during a virtual town hall meeting.
U.S.Business InsiderAmerican Airlines passenger who refused to wear a mask screamed for 10 minutes during her arrest, reports say
An American Airlines passenger was arrested in New Orleans after refusing to wear a mask, police said. Witnesses told The New Orleans Advocate that the woman was heard screaming while being led away. An American Airlines passenger caused significant disruption to a flight in New Orleans after refusing to wear a mask or exit the plane.
“Thankfully, children are at lower risk for complications from COVID-19, but low risk is not no risk.”
“Guidelines that mandate the masking of children are based on an assessment of risk that is not justified.”
“Masks are easy to use, inexpensive and effective.”
“We’re now 16 months into the pandemic and children remain victims of the Covid political theater.”
“If a community or school isn’t sufficiently vaccinated, it remains at risk of the coronavirus coming back.”