U.S.Associated Press‘So I raped you.’ Facebook message renews fight for justice
Shannon Keeler was enjoying a weekend getaway with her boyfriend last year when she checked her Facebook messages for the first time in ages. The messages rocketed Keeler back to the life-shattering night in December 2013 when an upperclassman at Gettysburg College stalked her at a party, snuck into her dorm and barged into her room while she pleaded with him and texted friends for help. Eight years later, she still hopes to persuade authorities in Pennsylvania to make an arrest, armed now with perhaps her strongest piece of evidence: his alleged confession, sent via social media.
WorldCBS NewsIsrael keeps pounding Gaza to stop rocket fire: "Whatever it takes"
Israeli missiles continued to slam into the Gaza Strip on Monday after the deadliest day yet in the current fighting between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. At least 42 people were killed in Gaza on Sunday, including children, and several large buildings were destroyed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to "levy a heavy price" against Hamas for launching thousands of rockets at Israel — a barrage that also continued Monday.
U.S.AxiosS.C. governor signs bill requiring death row inmates to choose firing squad or electric chair
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill Monday to require death row inmates to choose between firing squad or the electric chair, as a lack of drugs for lethal injections has stalled executions, AP reports. The big picture: State executions have been steadily dropping for two decades, as the U.S. generally shifted away from the punishment. South Carolina is moving in the opposite direction.
PoliticsThe WeekEvangelical leader Franklin Graham suggests Trump may be too out of shape to run in 2024
Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and one of former President Trump's earliest and most influential evangelical Christian backers, told Axios on HBO it would "be a very tough thing" for Trump to seek a second term in 2024. Trump, 74, "does not eat well, you know, and it's amazing the energy that he has," Graham added. Graham may be a Trump supporter, but he told Axios he would "absolutely" work with President Biden's administration, if asked, to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
U.S.Associated PressSupreme Court won't hear case involving the N-word
The Supreme Court is declining to hear a case that would have let the justices decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment. The high court said Monday it would not take the case of a former Texas hospital employee who said he was subjected to a hostile work environment, including graffiti in one elevator that used the N-word. Robert Collier said that during the seven years he worked as an operating room aide at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, white nurses called him and other Black employees “boy.”
PoliticsThe WeekThe White House is apparently overrun with flies
The White House is abuzz, and not just with political gossip. In a recent call with President Biden's senior adviser Cedric Richmond, former Trump adviser Jared Kushner offered not only job advice, but also his condolences regarding the White House fly problem, sources told Politico. "Yeah man, they're like bats," Kushner said to Richmond in what Politico called a rare "point of agreement" between the two officials.
WorldReutersIrish ransomware attack to cost health service tens of millions of euros
The Irish health service expects to spend tens of millions of euros rebuilding its IT systems from a cyber attack which is set to cause significant disruption to diagnostic services into next week. Ireland's health service operator shut down all its IT systems on Friday to protect them from a significant ransomware attack the government said was carried out by an international cyber crime gang. While the COVID-19 vaccination programme was not directly affected and the Health Service Executive (HSE) restored its test and tracing system within hours, hospital appointments have been cancelled across all outpatient services.
WorldThe GuardianJoe Biden’s silence in the face of Israeli violence is a disgrace
Many more innocent Palestinians will be killed than Israelis. That fact, along with over 70 years of continued Palestinian dispossession (of which the Sheikh Jarrah evictions are a part), has galvanized global opposition to Israel's latest actions. Popular demonstrations have broken out around the world in support of Palestinian rights.
- NewsYahoo News Video
88% of children to receive monthly payments starting in July
The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.
BusinessThe WeekGlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi aim for COVID-19 vaccine authorization before year's end
GlaxoSmithKline said Monday that a Phase 2 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with French partner Sanofi, showed a "strong neutralizing antibody response" in adult participates of all age groups and raised no safety issues. "We believe that this vaccine candidate can make a significant contribution to the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and will move to Phase 3 as soon as possible to meet our goal of making it available before the end of the year," said Roger Connor, president of GSK's vaccines program. The Phase 3 trial, expected to start in the next few weeks, is slated to involve 35,000 adults from a number of countries.
U.S.PoliticoGaetz associate pleads guilty to 6 federal crimes, including sex trafficking a teen
A former friend and ally of Rep. Matt Gaetz formally pleaded guilty Monday to multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking a minor, ID theft, stalking and fraud, bringing his broad crime spree to an end and officially marking a new chapter in the investigation of the embattled congressman. Joel Greenberg, who had served as a locally-elected tax collector in Central Florida's Seminole County, had to resign his post last year after he was hit with the first of three indictments that eventually totaled 33 federal charges, but prosecutors agreed to pare those back in order to secure his cooperation. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing ever since word leaked in March that federal investigators were looking into whether the Florida congressman had sex with a 17-year-old girl.
WorldBusiness InsiderIsrael said it didn't mean to kill 42 civilians in Gaza on Sunday, saying it attacked a series of militant tunnels that caused people's homes to collapse
Israel struck a series of tunnels in Gaza on Sunday, saying Hamas used it as a secret transport link. civilians were killed. Israel said homes were accidentally destroyed in the assault.
U.S.Charlotte Observer‘We really see a need.’ Charlotte Mecklenburg Library wants to get rid of late fines.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library intends to soon stop fining patrons for overdue books, joining a growing national trend to support some of the most vulnerable library patrons. The plan, pending approval from county commissioners, would allow tens of thousands of Mecklenburg residents to reclaim their library privileges — and start accessing educational and job-searching resources. Library spokeswoman Ann Stawski said communities with the highest percentage of lost privileges — meaning their overdue balances exceed $10 — are clustered in Mecklenburg County's crescent, home to high-poverty, underserved neighborhoods.
PoliticsThe IndependentMatt Gaetz addresses sex trafficking allegations in Ohio rally speech: ‘I’m being falsely accused’
Republican congressman Matt Gaetz addressed his sexual misconduct allegations at a political rally on Saturday equating them with legislative budget earmarks. “I'm being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favours,” Representative Gaetz said during his speech at the Ohio Political Summit. “Yet, Congress has reinstituted a process that legalises the corrupt act of exchanging money for favours, through earmarks, and everybody knows that that's the corruption.”
WorldBusiness InsiderIsrael moving towards ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza now that several military objectives have been met, reports say
Ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt could start today, senior Israeli officials told the local news outlet, Walla. Israel says several military goals have been achieved. International pressure and the worsening humanitarian situation have contributed to this development, Walla reported.
BusinessAxiosThe winners and losers of AT&T's split with WarnerMedia
AT&T is unwinding a huge part of its $84 billion acquisition of Time Warner, less than three years after it closed. Driving the news: AT&T this morning announced that it will merge its WarnerMedia properties with Discovery Inc.'s media assets. AT&T's contributions will include cable networks CNN, TNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and HBO, plus streaming service HBO Max. Discovery's will include its Discovery-branded content, TLC, Food Network, Eurosport and its Discovery+ streaming service.
U.S.INSIDERA former US Navy pilot said he saw UFOs off the Atlantic Coast every day, moving in a way that was impossible for scientists to explain
US military pilots on 60 Minutes described a series of encounters with UFOs. Former US Navy pilot Ryan Graves told CBS's 60 Minutes that pilots training off the US coast sighted UFOs nearly every day. The show on Sunday explored a series of alleged recent encounters between US military pilots and UFOs, some of which were caught on film and have been released by the Pentagon.
HealthCBS NewsFauci says new mask guidance is "based on the evolution of the science"
While the new guidance from the CDC was largely celebrated, it did bring some confusion, as the agency said last month Americans who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus were still safer wearing masks in crowded outdoors settings and inside. Fauci said three factors drove the change from health officials: an accumulation of data showing the "real-world effectiveness" of the vaccines, which are more than 90% effective in protecting against disease; new studies showing the vaccines protect against the new coronavirus variants; and information showing it's unlikely a vaccinated person who becomes infected witch the coronavirus transmits it to someone else.
U.S.The IndependentMissing tiger in Houston is turned in to police
A Bengal tiger seen wandering around a neighborhood in Houston, Texas in the past week has been found safe and is now in an animal sanctuary, authorities said. “We are happy to report that the missing tiger seen in a Houston neighborhood last week has been found and appears to be unharmed,” Houston Police Department tweeted on Saturday. A short video clip was released by police of the tiger, named India.
PoliticsUSA TODAYPaul Ryan excoriates planned GOP effort to challenge Biden's Electoral College win as 'anti-democratic and anti-conservative'
WASHINGTON – Former House Speaker Paul Ryan excoriated fellow Republicans Sunday in a rare statement that called planned GOP efforts to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's win "anti-democratic and anti-conservative." Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin who served as House Speaker from 2015 to 2019, has seldom weighed in on events since leaving office, but issued a lengthy statement decrying Republican plans to object to certifying the Electoral College results in a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Twelve incoming and sitting Republican senators and dozens of GOP House members plan to object to the count over President Donald Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA Republican congressman who denied there was an insurrection and likened Capitol rioters to tourists was photographed barricading the chamber doors against them
A GOP lawmaker who has said there was no insurrection was seen barricading the House on January 6. Rep. Andrew Clyde said last week that the riot resembled a "normal tourist visit." A photo emerged of a GOP lawmaker who last week downplayed the Capitol siege and compared the rioters to tourists barricading the House doors with furniture on January 6.
SportsLA TimesKenny Mayne: I'm leaving ESPN. You know that, but here's the story in my own words
Look," I told him, "I still don't know who the fifth pitcher on the Cubs is, but if you tell me to do a story on the sonofabitch, it'll be the best story in the building. Doria seemed to appreciate my candor. On April 1, 1994 — after five years of pestering ESPN with my ideas and pitches, less than a month after my Hail Mary to Walsh — Jaffe interrupted an MCI sales call I was on to offer me a contract, potentially the cruelest April Fools joke in history.
U.S.The New York TimesThey're Vaccinated and Keeping Their Masks On, Maybe Forever
And even though President Joe Biden said on Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear a mask, Glickman said he planned to stay the course. In fact, he said, he plans to do his grocery run double-masked and goggled for at least the next five years. Even as a combination of evolving public health recommendations and pandemic fatigue lead more Americans to toss the masks they have worn for more than a year, Glickman is among those who say they plan to keep their faces covered in public indefinitely.
WorldThe IndependentUS secretary of state ‘not seen evidence’ Hamas were operating in media tower block destroyed by airstrike
The US secretary of state has said he has not seen any Israeli evidence that Hamas was operating out of a tower block hit by an airstrike over the weekend, destroying media offices and apartments in the Gaza Strip building. Associated Press, an American company, and Al Jazeera staff were given an hour to vacate their offices, before an Israeli strike hit the tower on Saturday. The Israeli military said the attack on the tower block - which sparked a backlash from press and human rights groups - was due to Hamas having a military intelligence office in the building.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastTrump Has Blown Off Rudy Giuliani’s Pleas for Help as Feds Circle
In the weeks since the feds raided Rudy Giuliani's apartment and office in April, close allies have tried to ferry a slew of emergency requests to former President Donald Trump and his advisers. But according to three people familiar with the matter, Trump, as well as several of his legal advisers and longtime confidants, have been hesitant about swooping in to help the embattled Giuliani, who for years worked as Trump's personal lawyer, a political adviser, and attack dog. Giuliani also served as a major player in the Trump-Ukraine scandal and as a key driver in the former president's efforts to nullify Joe Biden's clear victory in the 2020 election.
“We are a nation bobbing in multiple crises. Not one of them involves people taking COVID-19 too seriously.”
“The threat is increasingly concentrated among people who are vulnerable by choice.”
“This announcement would be very welcome if not for one big problem: There is no requirement for proof of vaccination.”
“Joining the protected vaccinated minority, which we hope will rapidly become the majority, is simple.”
“Instead of taking giant steps. I think we should be taking small steps toward the same goal.”