U.S.NBC NewsMan who shot, killed elephant seal in California sentenced to prison
A man who fatally shot an elephant seal as it rested on a California beach was sentenced to three months in prison Monday, prosecutors said. Jordan Gerbich, 30, who now lives in Utah, shot the marine mammal in the head with a handgun on Sept. 28, 2019, near San Simeon on California's central coast. Gerbich's federal public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
PoliticsAssociated PressWhite House: First lady Jill Biden to undergo 'procedure'
The White House says President Joe Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure. The White House says both Bidens will then return to the White House and “resume their normal schedule. Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
WorldReutersHong Kong announces more electoral system changes favouring pro-Beijing camp
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced amendments to voting laws on Tuesday that critics say favour pro-Beijing candidates by redrawing constituency boundaries, creating more electoral districts, and criminalising calls for voters to leave ballots blank. Having become Hong Kong's least popular chief executive in the near quarter century since the handover from British colonial rule, it remains unclear whether Lam will seek re-election. She faced the largest and most violent anti-government protests in 2019 after proposing a bill to allow extraditions to mainland China.
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Fauci: Breakthrough infections after vaccinations 'inevitable'
It is inevitable that some people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will still get a "breakthrough" infection because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday.
U.S.AxiosGov. DeSantis directs Florida to close Piney Point wastewater reservoir after averting disaster
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Tuesday he directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to permanently close the wastewater reservoir at Piney Point phosphate plant that recently threatened to cause a catastrophic environmental disaster, according to AP. Why it matters: The governor said that $15.4 million in agency funds will be used to treat the water, which contains waste from the phosphate production that can cause algae blooms and fish kills and eventually impact the food chain if introduced into the environment in large amounts. What they're saying: “We want this to be the last chapter of the Piney Point story,” DeSantis said Tuesday, according to AP.
WorldReutersCzech foreign minister sacked after losing challenge to party leader
PRAGUE (Reuters) -Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, who frequently warned against risks posed by Russia and China, was sacked on Monday after losing a bid to lead his own centre-left Social Democratic party (CSSD) party last week. His replacement may take a less resolute stance on China and possibly on other issues such as Russia and its "vaccine diplomacy" or its bid in a Czech nuclear power plant tender. President Milos Zeman, who favours close ties with Russia and China and often clashed with Petricek, dismissed him after receiving a proposal to do so from Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
WorldBBCTaiwan: 'Record number' of China jets enter air zone
Taiwan has said a record number of Chinese military jets flew into its air defence zone on Monday. The defence ministry said 25 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday. The incursion is the largest in a year and comes as the US warns against an "increasingly aggressive China".
WorldReutersIndia, big vaccine exporter, now seeks imports as COVID-19 cases soar
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India on Tuesday said it will fast-track emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots. The move, which will exempt companies from carrying out local safety trials for their vaccines, follows the world's biggest surge in cases in the country this month. Since April 2, India has reported the highest daily tallies of infections.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market
These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Kansas City StarPete Coones’ wrongful conviction in Kansas City, Kan. featured in upcoming ‘Dateline’
A “Dateline NBC” episode airing Friday night will feature the wrongful conviction of Olin “Pete” Coones, Jr., who spent 12 years in prison before he was exonerated of murder in Kansas City, Kansas. A preview of the episode starts with two of Coones' children, Ben and Melody, recalling the day their father was arrested. He was driving them to a bus stop before school in April 2008 when men jumped out in front of them with guns drawn.
WorldBBCIndia coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?
With India attempting to ramp up vaccinations as Covid infections rise, the authorities have said they will fast track emergency approval for foreign-made vaccines. The Russian-developed Sputnik V has been given approval, as India's main domestic vaccine maker struggles to meet demand at home and globally. Can India meet its domestic needs?
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramJ&J vaccines ‘on hold’ in Tarrant after FDA recommends pause over blood clot reports
Tarrant County is putting the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine “on hold” at community events following the most recent advice from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control, officials said. The Arlington Fire Department announced on Twitter on Tuesday morning it will no longer be administering the single-shot J&J doses at AT&T Stadium, where a mass-vaccination event kicked off on Sunday. Arlington officials don't yet have a count of how many appointments were canceled, but this week the Arlington site received about 21,000 doses of the J&J vaccine.
U.S.The StateAs some NC schools seek to start earlier in August, tourism industry vows to fight
School districts across North Carolina are lobbying state lawmakers for the ability to start classes earlier than the August date now required in state law. The N.C. House Education Committee backed 17 school calendar flexibility bills on Tuesday that would give districts flexibility on the start and end dates set in the school calendar law. School officials say having more control will help students, because schools will be able to more quickly start next school year to address COVID-19 learning loss.
WorldThe Independent‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests
At least 50 journalists in the US have been arrested during Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the US, while dozens of others have also been injured by rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas. The US Press Freedom Tracker has collected nearly 500 incidents from 382 reports, from the unrest in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's killing by police in late May, to demonstrations in more than 70 cities across 35 states since. At least 46 journalists were arrested between the end of May and the beginning of June, according to data collected by the organisation.
U.S.Business InsiderMatt Gaetz's indicted associate Joel Greenberg has been cooperating against him since last year, report says
Joel Greenberg has been cooperating against Rep. Matt Gaetz since last year, NYT reported. Greenberg reportedly told investigators that he and Gaetz had interactions with women who were given cash or gifts in exchange for sex. Gaetz has been embroiled in a political firestorm since The Times reported that he was being investigated over whether he broke sex trafficking laws.
WorldThe IndependentBiden tells Putin to de-escalate troop build-up on Ukraine border and invites him to summit
Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to deescalate tensions at the Ukraine-Crimea border, where he has been amassing troops since March. According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, there are more Russian troops on the border of Ukraine than there were ahead of Russia's invasion and eventual annexation of Crimea in 2014. Mr Biden and Mr Putin spoke on the phone on Tuesday about a "number of regional and global issues" according to a White House synopsis of the call.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen will have to sit alone at Prince Philip's funeral because of strict Covid rules
The Queen faces the prospect of having to sit on her own during the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral because of strict Covid rules, it has emerged. The law states that anyone attending a funeral must stay at least two metres apart from anyone who is not part of their household, meaning all members of the Royal family will have to spread out in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen is not eligible to be in a support bubble because she does not live on her own, meaning the only person who could sit with her during the service would be a member of her Windsor Castle staff.
U.S.The Daily BeastFox News Host Tries and Fails to Bait Jon Stewart Into Attacking Biden
After decades of mercilessly “eviscerating” Fox News during his time as host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart has made a surprising number of appearances on that network in years, almost exclusively to promote his activism around issues like medical benefits for 9/11 first responders and now veterans who were exposed to “burn pits” in Iraq and Afghanistan. The comedian remained dead serious on Tuesday when he joined Fox host Martha MacCallum to explain why he was in Washington lobbying for a bill that would provide aid to veterans affected by that toxic exposure. “If a senator or a representative is unsure of the science, let's go dig a 10-acre burn pit in their town, light it on fire with jet fuel and see how quickly the health effects come to the forefront,” Stewart said at one point, as the Fox host nodded along sympathetically.
U.S.INSIDERA federal judge was killed in a hit-and-run by a woman with the last name Snape who later yelled that she was Harry Potter, police say
Nastasia Snape, 23, ran down Sandra Feuerstein, 75, in Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday, police say. Snape crashed her car and told medics that she thought she was Harry Potter, a police report said. Snape was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and with vehicular homicide.
BusinessBusiness InsiderCompanies that have containers on the Ever Given could have to help pay the up to $1 billion Egyptian authorities are demanding before the ship leaves the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal Authority said the Ever Given can't leave until $1 billion in damages is paid. The $1 billion would likely include paying for the tugboats and dredging ships that freed the ship. The owner of the Ever Given declared "General Average," so insurance could pay some of the damages.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump caught on audio mocking Michelle Obama’s looks to giggling GOP hierarchy at Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump reportedly mocked former first lady Michelle Obama for her looks in front of a group of Republican donors on Saturday, and once again referred to former president Barack Obama by his middle name, “Hussein”. The remarks by Mr Trump were part of speech at Mar-a-Lago for Republican party donors, who reportedly “laughed uproariously” at the former president According to the Washington Post, who obtained an audio of the speech, the former first lady was ridiculed for supporting Stacey Abrams, another black woman and a Democratic opponent of Georgia governor Brian Kemp — a Republican with whom Mr Trump has fallen out.
U.S.USA TODAYA venomous snake — with no known antivenom — bites San Diego Zoo employee
A venomous snake bit an employee at the San Diego Zoo on Monday, according to zoo officials. A zoo spokesperson said the wildlife care specialist was immediately transported to a hospital for evaluation and medical care. “Although the San Diego Zoo cares for a number of venomous reptiles, incidents like this are very rare, and the snake was contained at all times with no risk of an escape,” the zoo said in a statement to USA TODAY.
PoliticsThe IndependentTed Cruz gets more than $5m in donations despite Cancun scandal
Ted Cruz's Cancun scandal did not hurt his fundraising as the senator from Texas raked in a massive $5.3m in donations. Mr Cruz also reported having $5.6m cash on hand, according to Fox News. “Senator Cruz is immensely thankful to the hardworking men and women across the country for their generous contributions,” his spokesperson Steve Guest said.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”