PoliticsYahoo NewsCongressional Democrats blast 'unconscionable' Biden decision capping refugee admittance
President Biden's decision to keep a strict Trump-era cap on refugees was met with harsh condemnation from progressives in the House and two powerful committee chairmen in the Senate. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the decision “simply unacceptable and unconscionable” in a statement on Friday. “After four painful years of fighting Trump's all-out draconian assault on immigrants, President Biden promised to restore America as a beacon of hope and committed to increasing our refugee resettlement numbers,” Japayal said.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderLouisville police officer accused of forcing his way into woman’s home and beating her
A police citation filed in Jefferson District Court says the woman had bruising and swelling on her face, marks on her neck, a mark on her forehead from where a gun was held to it and multiple bruises on her body after the alleged April 11 attack. The woman said Jones was armed with a handgun when he “pushed his way into” her home, then “locked the door and began berating” her “about not returning his calls,” according to the police citation. Police said there was “a physical altercation” in the living room that then moved into the bedroom, where Jones took the woman's handgun off the nightstand and “secured it on his person.
PoliticsThe WeekMarjorie Taylor Greene is leading an 'America First Caucus' that wants to uphold 'Anglo-Saxon political traditions'
In an effort to "follow in President Trump's footsteps," a new America First Caucus led by far-right lawmakers is seeking to protect "Anglo-Saxon political traditions." The new caucus is recruiting members, reports Punchbowl News, and is appealing to a "common respect for Anglo-Saxon political traditions," including pushing for infrastructure that "befits the progeny of European architecture." Punchbowl described the materials being distributed as "some of the most nakedly nativist rhetoric we've ever seen."
WorldAssociated PressIndian cop arrested in Kashmir for blocking anti-rebel ops
Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir said Friday that they arrested one of their own officers and dismissed her for obstructing a counterinsurgency operation in the disputed region. The officer livestreamed a cordon and search operation by government forces in southern Frisal village on Wednesday “with the intent of disrupting the search operation,” police said in a statement. In the video, which went viral on social media, the woman was seen shouting: “This is our Kashmir” while hurling invectives at the raiding troops.
PoliticsReutersExclusive: As Biden advances UAE F-35 sale, senators seek more control of arms deals
Two senior Democratic senators will introduce legislation on Friday that would reassert Congress' oversight of international weapons deals, after President Joe Biden's administration decided to go ahead with a $23 billion sale to the United Arab Emirates that had worried lawmakers, congressional aides said. The bill, seen by Reuters, will be introduced by Senators Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Dianne Feinstein, a senior member of the intelligence committee. The "Secure F-35 Exports Act of 2020" would apply to the sale of the sophisticated U.S. military technology to countries that are not NATO members or Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea or New Zealand.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe TelegraphPaw Patrol: Feline drug smuggler caught on prison narcatics run
It could have been the purrfect crime but an unlikely drug smuggler's journey was put on paws on Friday when it was intercepted by authorities in Panama. The fluffy white cat, concealing an assortment of drugs tied to its belly, was apprehended as it attempted to enter a prison. The feline felon was stopped outside the Nueva Esperanza jail, which houses more than 1,700 prisoners, north of Panama City.
WorldAssociated PressHopelessness continues driving Hondurans to migrate
At a converted seaside hotel, more than 200 Honduran migrants stepped off six buses, weary from traveling overnight across Guatemala after being deported by Mexico. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month reported more than 41,000 encounters with Hondurans at the U.S. southern border. Here at one of the Honduran government's reception centers for returnees, their documents were reviewed, they received medical checks and with the help of the Red Cross, they were screened for whether they could safely return to their communities.
WorldReutersWith food and fuel, Hezbollah braces for the worst in Lebanon collapse
Lebanon's Hezbollah has made preparations for an all-out collapse of the fracturing state, issuing ration cards for food, importing medicine and readying storage for fuel from its patron Iran, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters. The moves, responding to a grave economic crisis, would mark an expansion of services provided by the armed movement to its large Sh'ite support base, with a network that already boasts charities, a construction firm and a pension system. The steps highlight rising fears of an implosion of the Lebanese state, in which authorities can no longer import food or fuel to keep the lights on.
U.S.BBCIndianapolis FedEx shooting: Who were the eight victims?
Officials in Indianapolis have released the names of the eight people who were killed when a gunman opened fire at a FedEx warehouse on Thursday night. Among the victims were four members of the local Sikh community - including a mother, a father and two grandmothers. Other victims include two 19-year-olds, a university graduate and a father.
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Retired Ohio sheriff and K-9 partner die the same day
The Ohio county sheriff and his tiny police dog were inseparable, their lives unwaveringly intertwined. It thus seems fitting that retired Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland, 67, and his crime-fighting partner Midge, 16, would both die on Wednesday — McClelland at a hospital after a lengthy battle with cancer, and Midge a few hours later at home, perhaps of a broken heart.
WorldAssociated PressIran names suspect in Natanz attack, says he fled country
Iran named a suspect Saturday in the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility that damaged centrifuges there, saying he had fled the country “hours before” the sabotage happened. While the extent of the damage from the April 11 sabotage remains unclear, it comes as Iran tries to negotiate with world powers over allowing the U.S. to re-enter its tattered nuclear deal and lift the economic sanctions it faces. Already, Iran has begun enriching uranium up to 60% purity in response — three times higher than ever before, though in small quantities.
WorldThe WeekCuba's new leaders won't have 'historical legacy' as a shield in post-Castro world, scholar says
For the first time in 60 years, Cuba will soon be without a Castro in a formal, day-to-day leadership position. Raúl Castro, the younger brother of the late Fidel Castro, confirmed Friday that he's stepping down from his role as the leader of the country's Communist Party, with President Miguel Diaz-Canel expected to take on double duties, as the Castro brothers did before him. The next generation of leadership could allow for more free-market activity, a path that's not completely new for Cuba; Raúl, who is considered more pragmatic than his brother, began the process of implementing some reforms following Fidel's death in 2011, but it's been a slow grind.
U.S.Associated PressBlack soldier mistreatment common even before Virginia case
Lt. Caron Nazario had been pulled over in rural Virginia by the two officers, who repeatedly demanded that he step out of the vehicle. Nazario said he was afraid to get out, to which Gutierrez replied: “You should be.” Within minutes, Nazario was pepper-sprayed, struck in the knees to force him to the ground and handcuffed.
WorldReutersRussia beefs up warship presence in Black Sea as Ukraine tensions simmer
Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea on Saturday and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Moscow beefs up its naval presence at a time of tense relations with the West and Ukraine. The reinforcement coincides with a huge build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine, something Moscow calls a temporary defensive exercise, and follows an escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. Russia's relations with Washington, which cancelled the deployment of two of its own warships to the Black Sea last week after fierce Russian protests, are at a post-Cold war low.
CelebrityThe TelegraphArchbishop of Canterbury: Royal Family can't say goodbye in the way they hoped but Britons unite in grief
The Royals have not been able to "say goodbye in the way they'd hope or planned" like millions this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury has lamented. The Most Rev Justin Welby, who will deliver a blessing at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, said members of the Royal Family were united in grief with Britons who had lost their loved-ones during the pandemic. He praised the household for sticking to the Covid-19 social restrictions and said this means it "represents all funerals" in the last year - which have been characterised by the "burden" of not being able to have ideal send-offs for relatives.
U.S.Miami HeraldFlorida COVID update for Saturday: 74 resident deaths as vaccinations top 5 million
COVID-19 in Florida ▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,444 new cases. The county added 14 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 468,908 cases and 6,043 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 388,967 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 668,502 people have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
WorldAssociated PressRussia arrests two alleged Belarus coup plotters
Russia's main security agency says it has arrested two Belarusians who it said were preparing a plot to overthrow Belarus' government and kill authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. One of the men arrested, Aleksandr Feduta, was Lukahsenko's spokesman when he was first elected in 1994, but later joined the opposition. The other, lawyer Yuras Zyankovich, has dual Belarusian-U.S. citizenship.
WorldReutersAustralia, largely free of COVID-19, in no hurry to reopen borders - PM
Australia is no hurry to reopen its international borders and risk the country's nearly coronavirus-free lifestyle, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Australia closed its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020 and has been permitting only limited international arrivals in recent months, mainly its citizens returning from abroad. The border closure, together with snap lockdowns, swift contact tracking and high community compliance with health measures, have made Australia one of the world's most successful countries in curbing the pandemic, limiting coronavirus cases to under 29,500 infections and 910 deaths.
U.S.INSIDERA Minnesota man attacked a store employee over a mask policy then dragged a police officer with his vehicle and struck him with a hammer, police say
A 61-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with assaulting a store employee and a police officer. Police say Luke Oeltjenbruns attacked an employee with lumber over the store's mask policy. Oeltjenbruns then dragged a police officer from his truck and struck him with a hammer, police said.
ScienceAssociated Press‘Godzilla’ shark discovered in New Mexico gets formal name
The 300-million-year-old shark's teeth were the first sign that it might be a distinct species. “Great for grasping and crushing prey rather than piercing prey,” said discoverer John-Paul Hodnett, who was a graduate student when he unearthed the first fossils of the shark at a dig east of Albuquerque in 2013. This week, Hodnett and a slew of other researchers published their findings in a bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science identifying the shark as a separate species.
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WHO chief: COVID-19 infection rate approaching highest of pandemic so far
The number of new COVID-19 cases per week has nearly doubled globally over the past two months, approaching the highest rate seen so far during the pandemic, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
PoliticsReutersPompeo violated ethics rules by asking State Dept employees to do personal tasks -watchdog
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated federal ethics rules governing the use of taxpayer-funded resources when he, and his wife, asked State Department employees to carry out personal tasks more than 100 times, a government watchdog said in a report on Friday. Pompeo, who was former President Donald Trump's last secretary of state, served until Jan. 20, when Republican Trump left the office after being defeated by Democrat Joe Biden in the November election. Pompeo and his wife asked a political appointee and other employees in his office to carry out tasks such as "picking up personal items, planning events unrelated to the Department's mission, and conducting such personal business as pet care and mailing personal Christmas cards," the State Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in the report.
WorldAssociated Press'No Sweets': For Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a tough Ramadan
What is traditionally a jovial celebration of the start of the Muslim holy month around a hearty meal was muted and dispirited for her small Syrian refugee family. As the 21-year-old mother of two worked, with her toddler daughter in tow, reminders of life's hardships were everywhere: In the makeshift kitchen, where she crouched on the ground to chop cucumbers next to a single-burner gas stove. In their home: a tent with a concrete floor and wooden walls covered in a tarp.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: President plays golf for first time in office as woman charged with threatening VP Harris
President Joe Biden hit the golf course in Wilmington, Delaware, for the first time since taking office. The White House confirmed that the president was golfing with Ron Olivere, father-in-law of the late Beau Biden, and advisor Steve Ricchetti. This comes as a woman from Miami, Florida, has been charged for threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the Secret Service.
“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.”