WorldThe TelegraphVladimir Putin warns West of 'red lines' as Russians take to the streets in Alexei Navalny’s support
Vladimir Putin threatened the West with a “swift and tough” response for crossing unspecified “red lines” in an address on Wednesday, while supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny protested across the country, demanding his release. Mr Putin's speech comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West and a massive Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine, which has sparked fears of a new war in eastern Ukraine. “Anyone who threatens the core interests of our security will come to regret it like they never regretted anything,” President Putin said at the end of his 90-minute speech in Moscow.
WorldAssociated PressChad rebels threaten to depose slain president's son
N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Rebels in Chad threatened to depose the son of the country's slain president after he was named interim leader of the central African nation, raising the specter Wednesday of a potentially violent power struggle. Uncertainty prevailed early Wednesday over how far the rebel column was from N'Djamena, a city of 1 million people, and whether the military would remain loyal to Mahamat Deby Itno in the aftermath of his father's death after three decades in power. The rebel group that the military blamed for President Idriss Deby Itno's death said late Tuesday that its forces were “heading toward N'Djamena at this very moment.”
WorldReutersSearch for missing Indonesian submarine reveals oil spill
JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesian rescuers searching for a submarine that went missing with 53 people on board found an oil spill on Wednesday near where the vessel dived, authorities said. The 44-year-old submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali but failed to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesman said. An aerial search found an oil spill near the submarine's dive location and two navy vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to assist in the search, the Defense Ministry said.
U.S.Associated PressFlorida school superintendent charged with perjury
The superintendent of the Florida school district where 17 students and staff died in a 2018 high school massacre was arrested Wednesday on a perjury charge. Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at district headquarters and charged with perjury in an official proceeding, which is a felony, county jail records show. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said no further information was immediately available and it was not known if the arrest is connected to the investigation that followed the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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.
PoliticsNBC NewsRepublicans grill Stacey Abrams: Are blue states 'racist,' too?
Republican senators questioned Stacey Abrams during a Senate hearing Tuesday about voting rights, quizzing her over whether state laws in Democratic-controlled states are “racist” and whether her own 2018 gubernatorial race was “stolen. Abrams became a voting rights advocate since her failed run for Georgia governor and was credited with helping organize voters in her state to help propel President Joe Biden to the White House. She was testifying to advocate for passage of a sweeping federal overhaul of the U.S. voting system that is being pushed for by Democrats.
U.S.Associated PressPolice kill Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who attacked 2 with knife
The fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, a Black teenager seen on video charging at two people with a knife, came within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd's killing — causing outrage by some over the continued use of lethal force by Columbus police. Officials with the Columbus Division of Police released footage of the shooting Tuesday night just hours after it happened, a departure from protocol as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes. The girl was identified by Franklin County Children Services, which said in a release that the 16-year-old Bryant was under the care of the agency at the time of her death.
U.S.USA TODAYMissouri lawmaker physically, sexually abused his kids, House ethics panel says
The Missouri House ethics committee formally accused a Kansas City-area lawmaker of abusing his kids and recommended his expulsion. In a 12-page report released Monday, the half-Republican, half-Democratic panel said it had confirmed allegations that Rep. Rick Roeber, R-Lee's Summit, sexually abused two of his young children in 1990 and physically and mentally abused all four. The committee further said that their findings revealed Roeber as “unfit to serve as a representative in the Missouri General Assembly.”
ScienceReutersKeeping up with T. Rex was easy, Dutch researchers say
Unlike its popular movie incarnations, Tyrannosaurus rex - the giant meat-eating dinosaur from the Cretaceous period - walked slower than previously thought, most likely ambling around at human walking speed, new Dutch research found. Working with a 3-dimensional computer model of "Trix", a female T. rex skeleton at the Dutch Naturalis museum, researcher Pasha van Bijlert added computer reconstructions of muscles and ligaments to find that it's likely that the dinosaur's preferred speed was 4.61 kms (2.86 miles) an hour, close to the walking pace of humans and horses. In an article on the movement of dinosaurs in the Royal Open Society Science journal, Van Bijlert and his co-authors said T. rex's huge tail played an important part in its locomotion.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe Best (and Most Beautiful) Watering Cans to Keep Your Plants Alive and Thriving
Helpful, well-designed pour decor Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Business InsiderThe lawyer who pointed his gun at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis is considering running for Senate
Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia displayed their guns as BLM protesters passed their house last year. McCloskey told Politico on Tuesday he's considering running for Senate in 2022. A grand jury indicted the couple on charges of exhibiting guns and evidence tampering last October.
- WorldReuters
Australia cancels Belt and Road deals; China warns of further damage to ties
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia on Wednesday cancelled two deals struck by its state of Victoria with China on Beijing's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, prompting the Chinese embassy in Canberra to warn that already tense bilateral ties were bound to worsen. Under a new process in Australia, Foreign Minister Marise Payne has the power to review deals reached with other nations by the country's states and universities. Payne said she had decided to cancel four deals, including two that Victoria agreed with China, in 2018 and 2019, on cooperation with the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature trade and infrastructure scheme.
- WorldWCVB - Boston
Man dead after standoff with police in Worcester
A man carrying a rifle and claiming to have a bomb has died in a shooting involving police in Worcester.
U.S.Associated PressEXPLAINER: Why 1 murder count against Chauvin may not stick
Prosecutors fought hard to add a third-degree murder charge against former police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, but a conviction on that charge alone could set up a problematic scenario for them. That's because another fired Minneapolis officer found guilty of third-degree murder has a pending appeal before the state Supreme Court — and if his conviction is overturned, it could mean a Chauvin conviction would fall, too. Jury deliberations in the Chauvin case entered their second day Tuesday.
U.S.BBCOhio shooting: Columbus police kill black teenage girl
A police officer in the US state of Ohio has shot dead a 16-year-old black girl while responding to an emergency call over an attempted stabbing. The teenager involved in the incident, in the state capital Columbus, has been identified as Ma'Khia Bryant. Columbus police have produced bodycam footage which appears to show the girl attacking others with a knife before being shot.
U.S.CBS NewsOfficials race to empty reservoir to eliminate "voracious predator"
The complete draining of a western slope reservoir is underway in an effort to rid the small lake of northern pike before the illegally introduced predators devour four species of endangered fish that have been recovering there for more than three decades, CBS Denver reports. The northern pike were first spotted at the Mack Mesa Reservoir by anglers last fall, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW officials conducted an immediate sample count and removed several adult northern pike.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramWhat left this ‘footprint’ in rock on the Appalachian Trail? It’s not what it seems
An ancient mystery that looks an awful lot like a dinosaur footprint showed up on the Appalachian Trail, according to the Northeast Archeological Resources Program. A photo of the print was shared this week on Facebook, showing that something appearing to have four long claws left a deep impression in a boulder. The “dino footprint” was submitted for identification by someone who mistook the program's archaeologists for paleontologists, officials wrote.
U.S.Business InsiderFlorida county sheriff tells new residents 'don't register to vote and vote the stupid way you did up north'
A sheriff said he welcomed transplants to the Sunshine State, as long as they vote the right way. "Don't register to vote and vote the stupid way you did up north," the Polk County sheriff said. Weighing in on a debate about the effect of new residents on Florida politics, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd proposed a simple solution on Monday.
U.S.The IndependentBoris Johnson welcomes Derek Chauvin verdict and says he was ‘appalled’ by George Floyd murder
Boris Johnson has welcomed the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict and said he was “appalled” by the murder of George Floyd. On 25 May last year, 46-year-old Floyd was stopped on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes at a corner shop in Minneapolis. The police instead put him on the ground and a video recorded by a teenager showed that former police officer Chauvin, 45, placed his knee on Floyd's neck for about nine and half minutes, including for several minutes after Floyd's breathing had stopped and he had no pulse.
U.S.INSIDERA Virginia police officer was fired after donating to Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse's legal defense fund
A Norfolk, Virginia, police officer has been fired for donating to the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting two anti-racism protesters last year. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two protesters and injuring a third after he opened fire at a demonstration against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year. Lt. William Kelly has been relieved of duty, a Tuesday press release from the city of Norfolk said.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Sen. Durbin: Republicans alarmed that 'too many voters are showing up'
EDITOR'S NOTE: AN EARLIER VERSION OF THIS STORY MISIDENTIFIED SENATOR DURBIN'S HOME STATE. HE REPRESENTS ILLINOIS, NOT DELAWARE. "The problem is obvious," Durbin said.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: President Biden and Kamala Harris did not fly aboard Air Force One together
The claim: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris road Air Force One together, violating a rule In a recent Facebook post, an image shows both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris exiting Air Force One. "The rule is the Prez, and the Veep never travel together, for obvious reasons," said the March 20, 2021, post. "Then why the hell is this happening?
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGeorgia Gov. Kemp throws support behind Home Depot as the chain faces calls for a boycott over its silence on restrictive voting law
Georgia's governor is speaking out against a call to boycott one of the state's largest employers. A group of Black religious leaders from more than 1,000 churches in the state on Tuesday called for a boycott of Home Depot after what they see as silence from the home-improvement chain about Georgia's restrictive new voting law. "We don't believe this is simply a political matter," Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, an organizer of the boycott, told The New York Times.
U.S.The IndependentTucker Carlson calls support for George Floyd an ‘attack on civilisation’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has called public support for George Floyd an “attack on civilisation” after a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering the unarmed black man in Minneapolis last year. On his Tuesday evening show, Carlson interviewed a former New York corrections officer, Ed Gavin, who criticised Chauvin for using excessive force on Floyd. Cutting off the interview abruptly, Carlson said: “Nope.
U.S.INSIDERColumbus, Ohio, police release graphic bodycam footage of Ma'Khia Bryant shooting
An officer fired several shots at Bryant as she appeared to attack one of the girls. Police body-camera footage released after the fatal police shooting of a 16-year-old girl in Columbus, Ohio, show her running past an officer while holding what the police described as a knife. The video showing the shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant was shown at a press conference Tuesday night.
“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.”