WorldAssociated PressThe Latest: Pope honors massacre victims at Baghdad church
The Latest on Pope Francis' historic visit to Iraq to deliver a message of hope to the country's dwindling Christian community following years of unrest and amid a devastating pandemic (all times local): 5:50 Pope Francis is honoring the victims of one of Iraq's most brutal massacres of Christians by Islamic militants by saying their deaths are a reminder that violence is incompatible with authentic religious teaching. Francis was welcomed joyfully with song and a yellow and white flower necklace as he entered Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral, hours after he arrived in Iraq for the first-ever papal visit.
PoliticsAxiosBiden says $1,400 stimulus payments can start going out this month
President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.
PoliticsBBCWho truly was the most dishonest president?
While it has never been established that Bush knew the incubators story he repeatedly told was unfounded, the White House is generally expected to verify claims made by the president - especially one so horrifying. American journalists failed to debunk the Nayirah testimony until after the war. The controversy was omitted from a recent admiring biography of Bush, and from glowing coverage of his presidency when he died in 2018.
U.S.Associated PressAnother ex-aide calls Cuomo's office conduct inappropriate
Another woman who worked for Gov. Andrew Cuomo is describing conduct she felt was inappropriate for the workplace. Ana Liss, 35, told The Wall Street Journal in a story published Saturday that when she worked as a policy aide to the governor between 2013 and 2015, Cuomo called her “sweetheart,” once kissed her hand and asked personal questions, including whether she had a boyfriend. Liss told the Journal she initially thought of Cuomo's behavior as harmless, but it grew to bother her.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramHere’s why Gov. Abbott’s order on masks won’t make Texas the ‘Wild West’ of COVID-19
Last week, after Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley renewed the county mask order and told me he hoped he'd be in a position to lift it by July 4th, I doubted that many Texans would wait that long. Less than a week later, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the “re-opening of Texas” by lifting state capacity limits on businesses and the masking requirement, effective March 10. Whitley's move may have been in part because Abbott removed local authorities' ability to penalize mask or capacity-limit violators; however, Abbott's order allows local authorities' ability to impose some restrictions when the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients exceeds 15 percent of total hospital capacity.
BusinessAssociated PressTech rebound pulls stocks out of a slump and to weekly gain
The late-afternoon turnaround made up for some of the losses that the market began racking up after kicking off the week with the S&P 500's biggest gain since June. The index, which briefly slipped into the red for the year on Thursday, managed to end the week 0.8% higher, its first weekly gain in three weeks. The market's latest gyrations came as investors struggled to figure out what an encouraging report on the economy and the recent march higher for bond yields should mean for the market.
U.S.INSIDER'Lesson fully received': An 18-year-old charged in the Capitol riot says he was 'wrong' and begged a judge to release him
The youngest suspect charged in the Capitol riots wrote a letter begging a judge to release him. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, previously boasted on Instagram of storming the Capitol and fighting inside. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, faces a slew of federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection, including assault on a federal officer, engaging in physical violence, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and civil disorder.
TechnologyAFPIsraeli 5-minute battery charge aims to fire up electric cars
From flat battery to full charge in just five minutes -- an Israeli start-up has developed technology it says could eliminate the "range anxiety" associated with electric cars. Ultra-fast recharge specialists StoreDot have developed a first-generation lithium-ion battery that can rival the filling time of a standard car at the pump. "We are changing the entire experience of the driver, the problem of 'range anxiety'... that you might get stuck on the highway without energy," StoreDot founder Doron Myersdorf said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMore than 70 percent of Americans back Biden's pandemic response, but many are unhappy with the economy, poll finds
More than 70 percent are in support of President Biden's pandemic response, an AP poll has found. More than 70 percent of Americans approve of President Joe Biden's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll published by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Friday. Biden has been making the pandemic his focus since he was sworn into office two months ago and there are now some signs the numbers of COVID-19 deaths and cases are plateauing across the country.
U.S.INSIDERA Texas middle school student said he was forced to drink urine by teammates at a sleepover. His mom called the bullying racially motivated.
Florida police are investigating allegations of a student being bullied at a Texas middle school. In a viral video, Summer Smith posted on Facebook that other students forced her son to drink urine. Florida police are investigating allegations of a student being bullied at Haggard Middle School in Plano, Texas.
U.S.NBC NewsNYC woman discovers empty apartment behind bathroom mirror
A woman in New York City went viral on TikTok Wednesday after posting a video series documenting her journey to discover a secret unoccupied apartment behind her bathroom mirror. In the first video of her four-part saga, Samantha Hartsoe said she was trying to find the source of cold air that was blowing into her Manhattan apartment. When she discovered that the air was coming from behind her bathroom mirror, Hartsoe said she removed it from the wall.
CelebrityThe TelegraphMeghan, Duchess of Sussex 'called all the PR shots', say royal sources despite Oprah interview claims she was gagged
The Duchess of Sussex “called all the shots” when it came to managing her own media, royal sources have said, casting doubt on her claim she could not be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey three years ago. Multiple royal sources have told The Telegraph the 39-year-old former actress “had full control” over her media interviews and had personally forged relationships not only with Ms Winfrey, but other powerful industry figures including Vogue editor Edward Enninful. In a teaser clip released from the Sussexes's interview with the US chat show host, due to be aired in the US on Sunday, the Duchess said it felt “liberating” to be able to speak and accused the Royal family of effectively gagging her and taking away that choice.
U.S.Business InsiderAmerica's oldest college debate society votes to strip Ted Cruz of a prestigious Princeton honor for public service
Princeton's American Whig-Cliosphic Society voted to strip Sen. Ted Cruz of a public service award. Cruz is facing criticism for his role in the insurrection on January 6 and an ill-timed Cancun trip. America's oldest collegiate debate society has voted to strip Sen. Ted Cruz of its highest honor, according to The Daily Princetonian.
U.S.INSIDERA Missouri pastor is reportedly seeking 'professional counseling' after he told women to lose weight and strive to be like Melania Trump for their husbands
Missouri pastor Stewart-Allen Clark in a February sermon encouraged women to stay slim for their husbands. Clark used first lady Melania Trump as an example during his sermon before warning, "don't let yourself go." Local outlet KCTV reported he has taken a leave of absence and is seeking counseling.
PoliticsPoliticoWith No Votes to Spare, Biden Gets a Win Obama and Clinton Would Have Envied
The Senate just passed the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill—one of the biggest emergency spending packages in history, targeted to the poor and the middle class. But despite full Democratic control of Congress and the White House, it came with significant omissions from the wish list of Democratic priorities: no $15 minimum wage, lower jobless benefits, a tighter income limit for the checks. With just 50 senators and no Republicans crossing the line, President Joe Biden and his party had to bow to their most conservative members.
PoliticsCBS NewsJohnson & Johnson vaccines come with uplifting messages
President Joe Biden's promise, that 100 million Americans would be vaccinated in his first 100 days in office, is close to completion. At McKesson, the company distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the first shipments on Monday delivered hope and a message. Brown and the other supervisors, including Kristi Larson, signed the very first box.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 7 Best Refrigerators on the Market, According to Kitchen Designers
Quality food preservation, storage space, and good-looking design are priorities among kitchen designers when it comes to refrigerators Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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Biden's aid package reaches Senate, debate delayed after 628-page bill read in full
The Senate voted on Thursday to take up President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, but put off the start of a contentious debate until the full text of the 628-page bill was read aloud.
U.S.INSIDERA judge questioned the 'QAnon Shaman' about his '60 Minutes+' interview that was billed to the jail as a call with his lawyer
A federal judge questioned the "QAnon Shaman" and his lawyer over a "60 Minutes+" interview. The judge asked whether the lawyer attempted "subterfuge" in arranging the interview. A federal judge on Friday questioned the self-described "QAnon Shaman" and his lawyer following his appearance this week on 60 Minutes+, pressing them about whether they went through the necessary channels to set up an interview.
U.S.USA TODAY'Let kids be kids': California considers bill requiring gender-neutral children's sections at large retailers
Retail stores in California may be required to become more gender-neutral under proposed legislation. State lawmakers are debating a new bill that would prohibit department stores with more than 500 employees from dividing products for children by gender. The restriction would ban separate areas and signage and mandate online retailers that have a physical location in the state use gender-neutral terms to label children's items in a section of their websites.
ScienceBusiness InsiderNASA's Perseverance rover just went for its first drive on Mars, then spotted its own wheel tracks in the dirt
NASA's Perseverance rover left its footprints on Mars on Thursday after going for its first drive. The jaunt proved the vehicle can make its way around the red planet. Since Perseverance landed in Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18, it has been calibrating its instruments and upgrading software.
WorldINSIDERA teenage girl wearing 'Everything will be OK' T-shirt was shot in the head on Myanmar's bloodiest day of protests yet
Wednesday was the bloodiest day of protests in Myanmar since the military's February coup. Photos of Kyal Sin before her death have gone viral, spurring continued defiance among protesters. Nineteen-year-old Kyal Sin, known as Angel, made careful preparations before hitting the streets of Mandalay Wednesday.
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Civil war within the GOP continues as Trump fires back at strategist Karl Rove
Former President Donald Trump intensified his war with the Republican establishment on Thursday by attacking Karl Rove, a longtime Republican strategist who criticized Trump's first speech since leaving office for being long on grievances but short on vision.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden says Americans will start receiving their $1,400 stimulus checks 'this month'
President Joe Biden vowed to start sending out stimulus checks "this month." Senate Democrats just passed Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Individuals earning up to $80,000 will receive $1,400 direct payments.
U.S.USA TODAYHeads should roll: LSU students want school to fire those implicated by investigative report
Instead, the school announced, two administrators would face suspensions for their failure to report allegations of sexual misconduct to the proper officials. The response did not go far enough for many students to hold accountable those whose actions helped foster a culture where sexual misconduct was tolerated. “There's a myriad of people who need to be disciplined,” said Angelina Cantelli, a co-founder of the student group Tigers Against Sexual Assault, student government staff member and candidate for student body vice president.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”