PoliticsNBC News'You want to see a temper tantrum?': Arizona Republican sides with Democrats, blocks voting bill
A bill that would stop some voters from getting a ballot automatically mailed to them each election failed unexpectedly in Arizona's state Senate Thursday after a single Republican joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. GOP state Sen. Kelly Townsend explained her surprise "no" vote on the state Senate floor amid a tense episode that saw the senator get into a heated confrontation with the bill's sponsor. "I am for this bill, but I am not voting for it until after the audit," she said, referring to an audit orchestrated by Senate Republicans of ballots in Maricopa County reportedly set to get underway this week and last through mid-May. The audit is a continuation of GOP efforts to question the results of the 2020 election in a state President Joe Biden won by over 10,000 votes.
U.S.The WeekThe Derek Chauvin solitary confinement predicament
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day following his conviction for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin's solitary confinement is protective, and he's hardly languishing in a dank hole. A brief separation is one thing, but extended isolation from human contact is "cruel and unusual punishment," in constitutional parlance.
U.S.Associated PressSheriff: Deputy fatally shot Black man while serving warrant
A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, spurring an outcry from community members who demanded law enforcement accountability and the immediate release of body camera footage. Authorities wouldn't provide details of the shooting but an eyewitness said that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown's yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street.
WorldThe TelegraphIt's 'fair' to call me a private education hypocrite, says Scottish Labour leader
Anas Sarwar has admitted it is a “fair” to call him a hypocrite after he unveiled plans for an attack on private education despite sending his own children to a fee-paying school. Scottish Labour's manifesto, published Thursday, calls for the charitable status of private schools to be revoked and for any public sector backing for them to end. Mr Sarwar, the party leader, sends his own children to Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow, which he also attended, and currently charges annual fees of up to £12,924 per pupil.
U.S.NextSharkOver 400 Asian New Yorkers Sign a Letter Against Andrew Yang's Mayoral Bid
More than 400 Asian Americans in New York City have signed a letter opposing Andrew Yang's bid for mayor, arguing that "representation alone is simply not enough." Yang, who promised a monthly universal basic income of $1,000 as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, announced his mayoral campaign at a rally in Upper Manhattan in January. Since his confirmation, Yang has consistently placed at the top of polls, the latest of which shows 22% of likely Democratic voters favoring him the most.
WorldArchitectural DigestBookmark These 11 Places on HipCamp for Your Next Outdoor Retreat
A WiFi break? Yes, please Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldReutersFour crew dead, 9 missing after cargo ship runs aground in Philippines
Four crew members from a cargo ship that ran aground off the southern Philippines have died, while seven have been rescued and a search is continuing for nine others, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday. The crew of LCT Cebu Great Ocean abandoned the vessel, which was carrying nickel ore and 2,000 litres of diesel, before it ran aground in Surigao del Norte province on Monday, the coast guard said. The bodies of the four crew members were found after being washed onto the shore, while the seven were rescued in various parts of the southern province after reaching land, Gelly Rosales, a coast guard official, told Reuters.
WorldReutersRussia orders soldiers to begin return to bases after drills near Ukraine
Russia ordered its top army command to begin returning troops to their permanent bases inside the country from Friday, saying it had successfully completed a "snap inspection" of forces in its south and west, near the border with Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported. The announcement prompted the rouble to rise sharply, following weeks of tensions with the West over a major Russian military buildup near Ukraine. The EU's top diplomat said on Monday that Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near the border.
- WorldWTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Man dead after being shot outside Brier Creek Barnes & Noble
The Wake County District Attorney's Office will not pursue charges at this time following a shooting outside of the Barnes and Noble at Brier Creek shopping center that killed a 32-year-old man back in March.
- BusinessAssociated Press
Canadian National defends its $33.7B bid for US railroad
Canadian National is defending its $33.7 billion bid to buy Kansas City Southern railroad against attacks from rival bidder Canadian Pacific. A day after CP's CEO Keith Creel dismissed Canadian National's proposal as “fool's gold” because he doesn't believe it will be approved by regulators, Canadian National sought to reassure investors that its plan could be approved just as easily as CP's earlier $25 billion offer. Canadian National said the takeover bid it announced Tuesday that Kansas City Southern is now reviewing would be structured nearly identically to the Canadian Pacific deal, so it doesn't anticipate problems with getting initial approval from the Surface Transportation Board.
U.S.BBCTikTok sued for billions over use of children's data
TikTok is facing a legal challenge from former children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield over how it collects and uses children's data. The claim is being filed on behalf of millions of children in the UK and EU who have used the hugely popular video-sharing app. If successful, the children affected could each be owed thousands of pounds.
U.S.Miami HeraldMinutes into a 911 call a Florida driver realizes what smashed through her windshield
“Something just came through the windshield and hit my mom in the head!” a woman cried out to a 911 dispatcher after she pulled over on Interstate 95 while driving to Daytona Beach on Wednesday. On the 911 call, the driver, heeding directions from the dispatcher, works to stem the bleeding, using towels. “There's so much blood,” the driver says.
WorldUSA TODAYFact check: No evidence to back claim that man convicted for Floyd's murder was not Derek Chauvin
Fact check: Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts but has yet to be sentenced The post includes several images of Chauvin from the day he killed Floyd, his mugshot and his trial. A close-up image highlights perceived differences in Chauvin's ear shape between his mugshot and images taken during Floyd's murder. Two different people.
U.S.The StateCop who fatally shot teen in Tennessee school bathroom won’t face charges, official says
Prosecutors say they won't charge the Tennessee officer who fatally shot a 17-year-old student last week during a violent confrontation inside a high school bathroom. Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen said Knoxville officers were justified in the April 12 shooting that killed Anthony J. Thompson Jr. at Austin-East Magnet High School. Knoxville policeman Jonathon Clabough fired in self-defense, Allen said, after thinking Thompson had shot and wounded an officer.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublicans blew up after a Democratic congressman accused them of spreading 'racist trash' in a debate over giving Washington, DC, statehood
GOP lawmakers erupted after Rep. Mondaire Jones accused them of spreading "racist trash." The argument came as the House was debating a bill to grant statehood to Washington, DC. Jones withdrew his comment but said the GOP was scared its "white-supremacist politics" wouldn't work in DC.
PoliticsThe IndependentJohn Kerry criticises Donald Trump for pulling out of Paris accord ‘without any facts, without any science’
John Kerry denounced former President Donald Trump for withdrawing the US from the landmark Paris treaty, which the former Secretary of State signed in 2015. “Regrettably, without any facts, without any science, without any rationale that would be considered reasonable, the former president decided to pull out,” Mr Kerry told reporters at the White House on Thursday following President Joe Biden's Earth Day pledge to cut US emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. Mr Biden announced on his first day in office that the US would re-enter the agreement after the former president refused to acknowledge the contract in 2017 and formally withdrew in 2020.
U.S.LA TimesHundreds mourn Daunte Wright, fatally shot by officer in Minneapolis area
Daunte Wright's mother addressed a funeral crowd of hundreds Thursday, telling them through tears how the 20-year-old fatally shot by police this month had been looking forward to raising his toddler son. “He always said he couldn't wait to make his son proud,” Katie Wright said as she stood flanked by her husband and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in north Minneapolis. Wright, who was Black, was shot during a traffic stop in the suburb of Brooklyn Center on April 11 by then-Officer Kim Potter, who is white.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublican House leader rejects George W. Bush's condemnation of the party as 'isolationist, protectionist' and 'nativist'
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed former President George W. Bush's recent condemnation of the GOP. Bush said his party had become "isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent nativist." McCarthy insisted Bush is wrong because the GOP has more House members who are women and people of color than ever before.
U.S.The Independent100 more people to be charged over Capitol riots, federal prosecutors warn
Federal prosecutors expect “at least” 100 more people will face charges for the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January, after more than 400 people have been charged in connection with the attack. The statement and details about the ongoing investigations were included in court filings for the case of Michael Joseph Rusyn, who was charged with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct after live-streaming the attack. Prosecutors are seeking a delay in his case, arguing the complexities of navigating a sprawling number of connected cases and evidence.
U.S.Miami HeraldMiami-Dade risks bad precedent with proposal to expand urban boundary near Homestead Base | Editorial
The pressure is on Miami-Dade commissioners to expand the county's Urban Development Boundary, the invisible line that protects environmental areas and farmland from urban sprawl. Although county staff has concluded there's enough industrial land within urban boundaries to fit our needs through 2040 and through 2030 in South-Central Miami-Dade, the temptation to move that line in order to create jobs might sound alluring. A county commissioner is seeking an unusual method to develop environmentally sensitive land abutting an Everglades restoration project — land that's in a “coastal high-hazard area” and at great risk from hurricanes and flooding.
LifestyleArchitectural Digest12 Outdoor Furniture Sets for Living Alfresco
With warmer weather just around the corner, we're taking our home-design focus to the great outdoors Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Business InsiderSending 4th and 5th stimulus checks could keep 12 million Americans out of poverty, report finds
Economic Security Project said stimulus checks could keep 12 million more Americans out of poverty. The report added that more stimulus checks would help close racial and wealth gaps in the country. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans have received three stimulus payments from the government, and a new report finds that sending more checks would lift Americans out of poverty.
U.S.INSIDEROther ex-officers charged in George Floyd's killing are 'almost 100 percent' going to plead guilty after Derek Chauvin's conviction, experts say
The three remaining former officers charged in George Floyd's death are awaiting trial in August. The officers will want to avoid going to a jury trial, criminal justice experts tell Insider. Experts say the officers are likely to take a plea deal if offered, or ask for a bench trial.
CelebrityThe IndependentInstagram star cat Ponzu killed after owner ‘attacked’ in New York park
A cat with more than 30 million Instagram followers was killed in an alleged attack on its owner and Instagram chef, Chanan Aksornnan. Ms Askornnan, known as 'Chef Bao Bao', was walking Ponzu and four other pets with her boyfriend in Brooklyn's McCarren Park on 4 April. A boy tripped on Ponzu's leash, and then pulled on it, according to an account of the incident by Facebook user ChaRee Pim.
ScienceCBS NewsSpaceX Crew Dragon, 4 astronauts bound for space station
With improving conditions expected on and off shore, SpaceX readied a Falcon 9 rocket for a pre-dawn launch Friday to boost a Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts into orbit for a one-day trip to the International Space Station. Liftoff from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center is targeted for 5:49 a.m. EDT Friday, setting up an automated rendezvous and docking at the space station early Saturday. The SpaceX "Crew-2" flight will mark only the third launch of NASA astronauts from U.S. soil since the space shuttle's retirement 10 years ago.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”