PoliticsYahoo NewsA battle over tax hikes is causing a GOP identity crisis
The 69-year-old lawmaker reiterated his opposition to increasing the corporate tax rate to pay for President Biden's proposed infrastructure package. For old-school Republicans like Wicker, tax hikes like the ones Biden is advocating are unfair to high earners and lead to economic stagnation. But J.D. Vance, author of the bestselling “Hillbilly Elegy” and a political newcomer who is likely to mount a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio next year, is singing a starkly different tune.
U.S.AxiosJudge rules for Black Buffalo police officer fired for stopping colleague's chokehold
A New York court on Tuesday reinstated the pension of former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne, who was fired for intervening when a white colleague had a Black man in a chokehold during a 2006 arrest. Today the State of New York Supreme Court vacated and annulled the City of Buffalo's decision to fire her and take her benefits. Ward partially based his decision to overturn a 2010 ruling that upheld her firing on legislation signed by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in October, known as "Cariol's Law" — which makes it a "crime for a law enforcement officer to fail to intervene when another officer is using excessive force and also protects whistleblowers," per the Buffalo News.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump skewers FDA's Johnson & Johnson decision — then casually invents conspiracy theory blaming Pfizer
Former President Donald Trump released a statement Tuesday criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, baselessly suggesting the decision was politically motivated. "The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary, but now it's [sic] reputation will be permanently challenged," Trump said. "[The FDA] should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it," he said.
PoliticsAssociated PressWhite House: First lady Jill Biden to undergo 'procedure'
The White House says President Joe Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure. The White House says both Bidens will then return to the White House and “resume their normal schedule. Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
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Brooklyn Center, Minn., police release footage of Daunte Wright shooting, chief says he believes officer mistakenly grabbed gun instead of Taser
During a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center, Minn. released bodycam video of the police shooting of Daunte Wright. Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes the officer who shot Wright intended to use her Taser, but mistakenly grabbed her firearm.
U.S.AxiosGov. DeSantis directs Florida to close Piney Point wastewater reservoir after averting disaster
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Tuesday he directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to permanently close the wastewater reservoir at Piney Point phosphate plant that recently threatened to cause a catastrophic environmental disaster, according to AP. Why it matters: The governor said that $15.4 million in agency funds will be used to treat the water, which contains waste from the phosphate production that can cause algae blooms and fish kills and eventually impact the food chain if introduced into the environment in large amounts. What they're saying: “We want this to be the last chapter of the Piney Point story,” DeSantis said Tuesday, according to AP.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market
These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe TelegraphGovernment defeated by Lords over bid for prosecution limit on soldiers for war crimes
The Government has been defeated in the House of Lords over a bid for a prosecution limit on soldiers for war crimes. The Overseas Operations Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, which has already cleared the Commons, seeks to limit false and historical allegations arising from deployments by introducing a statutory presumption against prosecution, which would make it exceptional for personnel to be prosecuted five years or more after an incident. However the Lords backed by 333 votes to 228, moved to ensure the most serious of offences are not covered by legislation aimed at protecting service personnel from vexatious battlefield claims.
WorldAssociated PressMyanmar's ruling junta issues fresh charges for Suu Kyi
Myanmar's ruling military squared off against its opponents in the courts, the streets and the countryside Monday, showing no sign of relenting in its crackdown against those opposed to February's coup. Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the elected government toppled in the military takeover, was accused of a fresh criminal charge when she appeared by video link before a judge in the capital Naypyitaw on Monday, according to her lawyers. Suu Kyi was accused of breaching a law intended to control the spread of the coronavirus, the second such charge against her under the same law.
HealthReutersSouth Africa suspends J&J vaccine rollout after U.S. pause
South Africa has suspended the rollout of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, its health minister said on Tuesday, after U.S. federal health agencies recommended pausing its use because of rare cases of blood clots. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the pause there was expected to be a matter of days. Six women under 50 developed rare blood clots in the United States among more than six million people given the J&J shot so far.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
WorldThe TelegraphDavid Cameron lobbying row: Civil servant allowed to join Greensill while working in Whitehall
A senior civil servant was granted permission to join the lender Greensill Capital while still working at the highest levels of government, a watchdog has revealed. Bill Crothers was head of Whitehall procurement, in control of a £15 billion annual purchasing budget, when he took on an external role as part-time adviser to the finance company's board in September 2015. Boris Johnson was understood to be personally concerned about the disclosure on Tuesday night, while Labour described it as "extraordinary and shocking", renewing demands for an MP-led inquiry into the lobbying row engulfing Greensill and David Cameron.
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
WorldReutersGreek PM agrees to talks with Libya on maritime zones
ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece and Libya have agreed to hold talks on marking out their maritime zones in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, after a meeting with the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi. In a statement after the meeting, Mitsotakis said the two leaders "agreed on the immediate resumption of talks between Greece and Libya on the delimitation of the maritime zones". Libya's new unity government took office on March 16, succeeding two warring administrations that had ruled eastern and western regions during a decade of violent chaos since the overthrow of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramWith sewage plant clash on horizon, Granbury stops new development for six more months
Facing the prospect of a years-long dispute over a sewage plant, Granbury will pause all new development in the city's eastern corridor for at least six more months after a unanimous City Council vote last week. The moratorium on new construction, originally adopted in December, will now last through Oct. 5 and can be extended if necessary. If Granbury's single wastewater treatment plant begins to operate at 90% or more of its capacity, the pause on development could be expanded to the entire city, according to Alex Southern, the city's spokesperson.
WorldThe TelegraphAlex Salmond accuses Nicola Sturgeon of 'lack of urgency' over second independence referendum
Alex Salmond has accused Nicola Sturgeon of displaying a "lack of urgency" over a second independence referendum after she said her 2023 deadline for another vote could be delayed by the pandemic. The Alba Party leader said Ms Sturgeon, his former protegee, had caused "total consternation" among nationalists by indicating that Scotland will not be "free until after 2023." He argued that separating from the UK, which is by far Scotland's largest export market, was "not an alternative to economic recovery from Covid" and instead was an "essential part of building a new, different and better society."
WorldBBCIndia coronavirus: Can its vaccine producers meet demand?
With India attempting to ramp up vaccinations as Covid infections rise, the authorities have said they will fast track emergency approval for foreign-made vaccines. The Russian-developed Sputnik V has been given approval, as India's main domestic vaccine maker struggles to meet demand at home and globally. Can India meet its domestic needs?
CelebrityThe WeekMeghan Markle reportedly goes on maternity leave next month
It's unclear exactly how Meghan Markle spends her days in sunny Montecito, California, when she isn't taking care of baby Archie, tending to her rescue chickens, and riling up the British royal family by simply existing. Markle — who co-founded the nonprofit Archewell and recently guest edited British Vogue — will have some free time more immediately, too, since she wasn't medically cleared to fly with Prince Harry the 12 hours to the U.K. for her grandfather-in-law's funeral.
WorldBusiness InsiderIran says it will enrich uranium to highest level ever after apparent Israeli attack on key nuclear facility
Iran says it's going to enrich uranium to 60% purity, much closer to weapons-grade levels (90%). This could complicate efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. This announcement came after an apparent Israeli attack on an important Iranian nuclear facility.
U.S.Miami HeraldAs Coral Gables mayor, Lago must overcome the stain of that Carrollton letter | Editorial
Coral Gables Vice Mayor Vince Lago won the mayoral race Tuesday, beating Commissioner Pat Keon and commercial property owner Jackson Rip Holmes for the position. Lago won despite putting his name on a controversial letter to administrators at the independent Catholic girls school in Miami's Coconut Grove that his children attend. The Editorial Board was concerned about the letter, contradictory in parts, that objected to students at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart being taught terms such as “systemic racism” “systemic inequality” and “implicit bias.” Lago signed it, along with about 150 other parents and alumni, including former Florida House Speaker José Oliva and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro.
U.S.INSIDERMinnesota mayor says police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright should be fired and face 'full accountability'
Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Sunday. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott says the officer who shot Wright should be fired. Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Mayor Mike Elliott says the police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright on Sunday should be fired and face "full accountability" in the shooting.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: False claim that President Joe Biden's approval rating lowest in American history
The claim: President Joe Biden's approval rating is at 11%, the lowest of any president in American history President Joe Biden already has tangled with members of both parties over the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and infrastructure since his inauguration less than three months ago. But his approval rating is not at an historic low, as a viral social media post suggests. The post, originally from a Twitter account on March 29, attributes Biden's supposed 11% approval rating to a Gallup poll, as reported by the Daily Caller.
U.S.The IndependentCaron Nazario ‘feared for his life’ in pepper spray traffic stop
Caron Nazario's lawyer said the army officer feared for his life as he was pulled over by two Virginia police officers who aimed their guns at him and used pepper spray during a violent traffic stop. Attorney Jonathan Arthur told CNN: "He was terrified that if he was going to move his hands below where Officer Gutierrez could have seen them to undo that seatbelt, they would have murdered him." Apart from pointing their guns at him, the officers also pushed Lt Nazario to the ground and pepper sprayed him.
U.S.USA TODAYKenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back returns to work, will not face discipline
MILWAUKEE The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back in August, touching off days of violent protest in the city, has returned to regular duty and won't face any administrative discipline. District Attorney Michael Graveley announced in January that Rusten Sheskey would face no criminal charges in the Aug. 23 incident that left Blake paralyzed from the waist down. On Tuesday, Chief Daniel Miskinis issued a press release on Twitter stating that Sheskey has also been cleared of breaking any internal policies, and has been back on duty after months of administrative leave since March 31.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden administration revives Obama-era housing discrimination policies cut by Trump
Joe Biden's administration is restoring Obama-era fair housing rules at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, critical to the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion and disability, among other protected categories. Days after his inauguration, the president issued four executive orders aimed at advancing racial equity and tackling systemic racism, including directing the Housing Department to examine the impacts of former President Donald Trump's cuts to civil rights protections in housing laws and to begin reversing them. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge intends to revive a 2013 rule aimed at preventing landlords, lenders and other housing authorities from putting in place discriminatory barriers to housing that have disproportionate impacts among Black and Latino residents.
“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.”