Russian diplomats depart Bulgaria amid soaring tensions

Two Russian airplanes departed Bulgaria on Sunday with scores of Russian diplomatic staff and their families amid a mass expulsion that has sent tensions soaring between the historically close nations, a Russian diplomat said. Filip Voskresenski, a high-ranking Russian diplomat, told journalists at the airport in Bulgaria's capital Sofia before the flights left that he was among the 70 Russian diplomatic staff declared “persona non grata” last week and ordered to leave the country by the end of Sunday. Bulgaria's expulsion decision was announced by acting Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

A passenger said his bag hadn't showed up 16 days after landing at Toronto airport — and he was asked to check it in just before boarding

An airline passenger said he'd been waiting 16 days for his bag to show up at a Toronto airport. Thousands of bags are awaiting reclaim at Toronto Pearson International Airport, per CP24. An airline passenger who was asked to check his luggage into the hold shortly before boarding his flight said it still hadn't arrived 16 days after he landed in Toronto.

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  Stuck bags add to tangles at Paris airports amid travel boom

  Associated Press
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  British Airways passengers wait days to be reunited with their bags amid Heathrow luggage mountain

  Business Insider

Expert on White House chiefs of staff says Mark Meadows 'absolutely owns' the title of 'worst' chief in history after ex-aide's damning testimony

Chris Whipple says he stands by his view that Mark Meadows was the worst White House chief of staff. Whipple, who wrote about the post's history, says Meadows is worst than the infamous H.R. Haldeman. "The Watergate figures really look like choir boys compared to Trump, and Meadows, and their gang," Whipple said.

The five most damaging allegations against Trump from the Jan. 6 hearings — so far

By the panel's account, Trump knew his claims of election fraud were bogus, recklessly encouraged the Jan 6. rioters and endangered his own vice president as members of a mob marching on the Capitol called for Mike Pence's hanging. Whether the panel will make a criminal referral of Trump to the Department of Justice has not been settled.

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  Cheney: Jan. 6 panel could make multiple criminal referrals of Trump

  Reuters
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  'Stay tuned' for new evidence against Trump in July hearings

  Associated Press

Sickening Footage Shows Akron Cops Kill Unarmed Black Man in Hail of Bullets

Police in Akron, Ohio, have released disturbing body-camera footage showing the moment cops shot an unarmed 25-year-old Black man dozens of times as he fled. “I won't mince words, the video you are about to watch is heartbreaking,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan warned at a press conference Sunday. The body-cam videos begin with officers pursuing Jayland Walker in their squad cars around 12:30 a.m. Monday after he refused to pull over for an alleged traffic violation.

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  Video shows Ohio officers killed unarmed Black man in hail of bullets

  Reuters
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  March after deadly police shooting of Black man in Ohio

  Reuters Videos

Ricky Martin faces restraining order in Puerto Rico

A judge has issued a restraining order against Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin, police said Saturday. The order was signed Friday, and authorities visited an upscale neighborhood in the north coastal town of Dorado where the singer lives to try to serve the order, police spokesman Axel Valencia told The Associated Press. “Up until now, police haven't been able to find him,” Valencia said.

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  Ricky Martin Hit With Restraining Order in Puerto Rico

  The Wrap
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  Ricky Martin faces domestic dispute restraining order, says claims are 'completely false'

  USA TODAY

A rustic private island in Maine is on the market, but the owner will only sell to someone willing to stay overnight—despite perilous weather

Duck Ledges Island is owned by realtor Billy Milliken, who has conditions for the new owner. Milliken told Insider anyone interested in buying the private island needs to spend a night there alone. Ducks Ledges, a private island just a 10-minute boat ride from the coast of Maine, is on the market for $339,000.

German chancellor says many thought the world moved past countries trying to conquer their neighbors but that 'agreement is now canceled by Putin'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin dismantled many people's views of the modern world. Russia's war in Ukraine has changed the landscape in Europe, with Finland and Sweden joining NATO. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the idea that the world has moved beyond countries invading their neighbors has been dismantled by Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

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  Ukraine security guarantees will not be same as for NATO member - Scholz

  Reuters
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  Putin's invasion has shattered dreams of progress, German chancellor says

  Politico

'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe eastern front

Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region — where Russia is waging a fierce offensive — describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic. In interviews with The Associated Press, some complained of chaotic organization, desertions and mental health problems caused by relentless shelling. Lt. Volodymyr Nazarenko, 30, second-in-command of the Ukrainian National Guard's Svoboda Battalion, was with troops who retreated from Sievierodonetsk under orders from military leaders.

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  Ukrainian troops describe frontline as ‘hell on Earth’

  Associated Press Videos
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  Russia takes key Ukrainian city of Lysychansk

  ABC News Videos

Jan. 6 panel member ‘surprised’ by prosecutors’ reaction to Hutchinson testimony

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who sits on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, said she is “surprised” by federal prosecutors' reactions to testimony given before the panel this week by Cassidy Hutchinson, who previously served as an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. During an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked Lofgren to react to a story published last week in The New York Times that reported federal prosecutors working on the Justice Department's Jan. 6 investigation felt blindsided after watching Hutchinson's testimony and were as surprised by her remarks as those watching it.

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  Jan 6 panel: More people turn up with evidence against Trump

  Associated Press
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  Rep. Zoe Lofgren Says She Was 'Surprised' DOJ Did Not Subpoena Cassidy Hutchinson

  HuffPost

Kristi Noem Gets Grilled on Whether South Dakota Would Force 10-Year-Old to Have Baby

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem ducked and dodged Sunday morning when asked if South Dakota would force a raped 10-year-old to give birth—eventually suggesting that “tragic situation” shouldn't change her state's restrictive abortion laws. “The law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother,” Noem told anchor Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union. Bash had pressed Noem about the case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was denied an abortion because she was three days past the state's six-week abortion ban.

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  Gov. Kristi Noem says 'every life is precious' when asked if a pregnant 10-year-old girl should be forced to have a baby under abortion laws

  INSIDER
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  ‘A tragic situation’: Governor discusses pregnant 10-year-old with CNN host

  Politico

NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon

A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It's been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula by the company Rocket Lab in one of their small Electron rockets.

Watergate prosecutor says slapping Trump with a charge for rebellion or insurrection could prevent him from ever holding office again

Jill Wine-Banks said the "best" crime to charge Trump with could be rebellion or insurrection. Wine-Banks said the penalty for such an offense would bar Trump from ever holding office again. Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said charging former President Donald Trump with rebellion or insurrection would prevent him from holding political office again.

Jeff Bezos says Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices is either 'straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics'

Jeff Bezos has questioned Joe Biden's demand for lower gas prices. A Chinese official praised Biden for realizing that "capitalism is all about exploitation." Jeff Bezos has blasted Joe Biden's call to cut gas prices as either "straight-ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics" in a tweet.

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  Bezos slams Biden appeal for lower gasoline prices

  AFP
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  Bezos slams Biden’s call to cut gas prices: ‘Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this’

  Fortune

‘How quickly the tables have turned’: Falling mortgage rates have homebuyers so emboldened they’re asking sellers for cash

After a string of steady increases, mortgage rates fell this week — a mixed blessing for the fragile U.S. economy. The lower rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is a relief for home shoppers who have been watching rates climb, but it's also a sign that a recession could very well be around the corner as the market slows. Rates tend to mirror 10-year Treasury yields, which have fallen as investors seek safer, more stable assets in the face of higher inflation and slower economic growth.

Single-sex lavatories to be mandatory in all new public buildings

New office buildings, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues must have separate male and female lavatories, ministers will declare this week, in a move to rein in the “forced sharing” of gender-neutral facilities. The Telegraph understands that the Government will formally announce that it is acting to prevent non-residential buildings from being built solely with “universal” lavatories. The plans, being spearheaded by Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, were quietly approved by ministers last month after Mrs Badenoch was warned that some children were avoiding using lavatories at school because they only had access to gender-neutral facilities.

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  Single-sex toilets ‘to be compulsory in new public buildings’ under new rules

  The Independent
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  Big changes are being made to the rules around single-sex toilets

  Cosmo

Second woman killed in shark attack in Egypt's Red Sea

CAIRO (Reuters) -Two women were killed in shark attacks in Egypt's Red Sea, south of the city of Hurghada, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said on Sunday. It also mentioned that the Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, Major General Amr Hanafi, has issued an order to suspend all activity in the area surrounding the attacks. A security source also added that the Austrian woman had been living in Egypt over the past five years with her Egyptian husband.

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  Two women killed in shark attacks in Egypt's Red Sea

  CBS News
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  Shark kills second tourist in Egypt’s Red Sea

  The Telegraph

My family visited a town where cellphones aren't allowed. Not having service made me a more present parent.

My family visited Watoga State Park in West Virginia, where cellphones aren't allowed. The park is near a large telescope, so the area is considered a quiet zone for devices. After a month of shift work, elusive toddler fevers, and canine diarrhea, my husband rented a cabin in Watoga State Park, West Virginia, for a getaway.

Trump thinks announcing a 2024 run now could distract from the January 6 hearings, a report says. Some Republicans worry he could hurt them in the midterms.

Former President Donald Trump could announce a 2024 bid ahead of schedule. Trump thinks the announcement could distract from the January 6 hearings, the NYT reported. President Donald Trump could be planning to make an unusually early announcement of his plans to run for president, but not all Republicans are convinced it would be the right move for the party.

Virginia law stops early inmate releases, angering families

Christopher Ford was a baby when his father was sentenced to 28 years in prison for participating in a murder-for-hire scheme that led to the killings of two people at a car dealership. After serving 25 years, prison officials told Robert Glenn Ford he would be released in July under a 2020 Virginia law that allowed inmates to shave more time off their sentences for good behavior, his son said. But just before he was expecting to go home, Virginia lawmakers approved a budget amendment from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that excluded Ford and thousands of other inmates with violent offenses from receiving the expanded earned sentence credits, meaning they would have to serve more time.

Who’s most at risk of developing long COVID? Experts think these 6 groups of people might be

It's hard to say who's at risk for a condition that's yet to be well defined, experts tell But just as researchers and practitioners have their theories about long COVID's root causes, they have educated guesses about who might be most at risk. An enigmatic condition Long COVID is, quite possibly, the great enigma of our time. It's “a very big umbrella term,” Dr. Alba Miranda Azola, co-director of the Post-Acute COVID-19 Team Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, tells “It's patient defined, patient created,” she says of the condition federal officials say could affect up to 23 million Americans.

We want culture, dining and wilderness in areas with homes for $300,000 – so where should we retire?

When you think of wilderness, is it bear and moose and such, or national forests and other preserved areas, including wildlife management areas and state parks, for hikes? This option puts you on the other side of the country and in a city of 31,000 people some 25 miles west of Knoxville.