PoliticsNBC NewsMcConnell says he's '100 percent' focused on 'stopping' Biden's administration
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he is "100 percent" focused "on stopping" President Joe Biden's administration. Speaking to reporters in Kentucky, McConnell was asked about the House GOP leadership feud that reached a boiling point this week after Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican, again refuted former President Donald Trump's stolen election lie. McConnell was also asked whether he was concerned about the direction of the party.
U.S.NextSharkAsian American Father Walking With 1-Year-Old Son in Stroller Repeatedly Punched in SF
An Asian American father was waiting to cross the street with his 1-year-old child when a man approached and hit him from behind in San Francisco on Friday. What happened: Bruce, 36, was outside of Gus's Community Market by the intersection of 4th and Channel streets around 2 p.m. in Mission Bay when he was punched from behind and knocked to the ground. In a surveillance video, the male suspect, identified as Sidney Hammond, can be seen pummeling Bruce more than a dozen times as the stroller carrying his child rolled away.
PoliticsThe WeekPfizer, Moderna shares plummet after Biden administration backs a COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver
The United States will advocate for waiving COVID-19 vaccine patent protections in discussions with the World Trade Organization, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced Wednesday. The Biden administration "believes strongly in intellectual property protections," Tai said in a statement, but the White House will back the waiver given the "extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic." The administration has faced pressure to support the measure, which is aimed at increasing vaccinations around the world — especially in countries experiencing a surge in infections, like India — without having to rely solely on exports.
PoliticsAssociated PressUS Justice Department worried about Arizona Senate recount
The U.S. Department of Justice expressed concern Wednesday about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate's unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. In a letter to GOP Senate President Karen Fann, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said the Senate's farming out of 2.1 million ballots from the state's most populous county to a contractor may run afoul of federal law requiring ballots to remain in the control of elections officials for 22 months.
U.S.Kansas City Star‘My soul left my body.’ Shark startles 6-year-old playing in surf, Hawaii video shows
An ordinary day at the beach turned into terror Sunday for a 6-year-old Hawaii girl who spotted a shark beside her in the surf. Sheri Gouveia was shooting a video of her daughter playing in the ocean at Kalama Beach on Oahu at the time, Hawaii News Now reported. Gouveia told Hawaii News Now her daughter has “angels to keep her safe.”
- NewsCBS LA - KCBS
One Killed In Big-Rig Wreck On 210 Freeway In Fontana
At least one person was killed in a crash involving an overturned semi-truck in Fontana Wednesday morning.
U.S.The TelegraphMembers of religious cult in court after 'corpse of leader found decorated with Christmas lights'
Seven members of a religious cult who authorities say kept the mummified remains of their leader at a home in a remote Colorado town festooned with Christmas lights and glitter made an initial court appearance on Wednesday. The four men and three women (Ryan Kramer, Christopher Royer, Sarah Rudolph, Karin Raymond, Jason Castillo, John Robertson and Obdulia Franco, ranging in age from 30 to 52 years old, are each charged with one count of abusing of a corpse and two counts of misdemeanour child abuse. The child abuse charges stem from two children who were living in the house where the body was found.
PoliticsArchitectural DigestHouse Call: What Do Your Water Glasses Say About You?
A selection of drinkware to make the best first impression Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
ScienceAxiosPentagon tracking path of falling Chinese rocket
The Pentagon said Wednesday it's tracking the uncontrolled descent of the Long March-5B Y2 rocket that carried a Chinese Space Station module to orbit last week. Details: Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the rocket's debris was expected to return to Earth "somewhere around" May 8 and that the U.S. Space Command has said "almost the entire body of the rocket" remains intact. Space watchers also played a waiting game as China's Tiangong-1 space station came back through the atmosphere in 2018, eventually burning up above the Pacific Ocean.
PoliticsBBCChild migrants: Massive drop in children held by border officials
The number of unaccompanied migrant children being kept in cramped government-detention facilities on the US southern border with Mexico has fallen sharply, after a 20-year high influx of border crossings led to overcrowding. The massive influx of children left US immigration officials scrambling earlier this year for facilities to house the children. The number of children being held in by US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) has dropped 88% between late March and late April, according to government officials.
U.S.Associated PressMom who gave birth on flight didn't know she was pregnant
Lavinia “Lavi” Mounga had no idea a baby was coming when she went into labor on a flight from her home in Utah to Honolulu last week. “I just didn't know I was pregnant, and then this guy just came out of nowhere,” Mounga said during a video interview with Hawaii Pacific Health. The baby boy, Raymond Mounga, arrived early at just 29 weeks while mom was traveling to Hawaii for vacation with her family.
- WorldReuters
Exclusive: U.S. backing for Guatemala drug cartel fight key to ending graft, minister says
Guatemala has asked the United States for support in fighting drug cartel money-laundering that the Central American country sees as a key source of corruption, Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo said, as Washington ramps up a focus on graft in the region. The government of President Joe Biden has put the battle against corruption at the heart of efforts to slow migration to the United States from Central America. Last month, Washington was outspoken in criticism of Guatemalan authorities for perceived backsliding on judicial independence; sanctioned a former and a current lawmaker for alleged corruption, and announced a plan to create an anti-corruption task force for Central America.
WorldThe TelegraphEmmanuel Macron says Napoleon is 'part of us' at controversial 200th anniversary of leader's death
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte 200 years after his death on Wednesday on an anniversary that has been dragged into a heated national debate about "cancel culture". Macron called Napoleon "part of us" and said the relatively modest ceremonies organised in Paris to mark the occasion were an "enlightened commemoration", not a celebration of his life. Speaking at the Institut de France, an academy set up by Napoleon to promote science and the arts, Macron listed some of the famed Corsican's enduring contributions, while also mentioning the darker, blood-stained parts of his legacy.
WorldBBCCovid: Japan town builds giant squid statue with relief money
A seaside town in Japan has raised eyebrows after it used funding from an emergency Covid-19 relief grant to build a giant statue of a squid. The 13m-long (43ft) sea creature lies in the port of Noto, where flying squid is the town's delicacy. Noto officials have told local media it is part of a long term plan to lure tourists back after the pandemic.
U.S.The Daily BeastAmerican Duo Gets Life in Italian Prison for Killing Cop While on Summer Vacation
ROME—Two Americans have been sentenced to life in an Italian prison after a teenage vacation in Rome ended in a brutal fight that left a local police officer dead. Finnegan Elder, 21, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, 20, from California, got themselves into trouble after trying to buy cocaine during their vacation in the summer of 2019. After a botched drug deal, they killed Carabinieri officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35.
WorldThe TelegraphThe Queen comes to Meghan’s assistance in legal battle against Mail on Sunday
The Queen came to the Duchess of Sussex's aid in her legal battle against the Mail on Sunday on Wednesday by dismissing claims that she owned the copyright to a letter Meghan wrote to her father. Her Majesty's lawyers intervened in the High Court case as the two sides locked horns over one of the final bones of contention. The Duchess's former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, also “emphatically” denied having any copyright claim to the letter, landing a final blow to the newspaper's case.
BusinessBBCGoogle boss emails staff detailing return to office
Google's chief executive has sent an email to employees encouraging them to return to work in the office for at least three days a week as lockdowns ease. The firm began reopening offices in April, and has now laid out the details of how it envisages the new hybrid working week. In the email, Sundar Pichai extols the benefits of office working.
U.S.The IndependentAtlanta reinstates officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, Black man who was running away from police
Garrett Rolfe, the white former Atlanta police officer charged with murdering Rayshard Brooks, a Black man, may be put back onto the force. On Wednesday, the Atlanta Civil Service Board, which evaluates city government firing decisions, held that the police department hadn't followed proper procedure when it swiftly fired Mr Rolfe after the shooting last June. Mr Rolfe fired upon Mr Brooks as he ran away on foot from a drunk driving arrest.
U.S.Business InsiderEddie Gallagher says he and other Navy SEALs used a dying enemy fighter for medical practice with no intention of saving him
Eddie Gallagher said he and other SEALs practiced medical procedures on a prisoner of war. Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was found not guilty of murder in a high-profile war-crimes trial nearly two years ago, said in a podcast that aired Tuesday that he and his team practiced various medical procedures on an enemy combatant until he died, with no intention of saving him. After the trial, President Donald Trump restored Gallagher's rank and personally intervened when the Navy attempted to take away Gallagher's SEAL trident.
WorldArchitectural Digest9 Sleeper Sofas That’ll Make You Want to Hit Snooze (in a Good Way)
From reclining futons to pull-out beds, these double-duty pieces often get a bad rep Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe Daily BeastDumb In-Person G7 Event in Chaos After Indian Diplomats Test Positive for COVID
This week's in-person G7 meeting in London has quickly descended into chaos after two Indian delegates tested positive for the coronavirus. The India group was granted an exemption to Britain's quarantine rules upon its arrival—despite the massive virus surge in their home country—but all its delegates have now been told to go into self-isolation. It was intended as a trial for the full-scale G7 summit in England next month, which is expected to be Joe Biden's first foreign trip as president.
BusinessBBCApple puts more adverts in App Store after ad-tracking ban
Apple has added extra paid-for advertisements to its App Store, a week after its new operating system limited tracking for ads from other companies. The new ad space lets app-makers advertise on the App Store search tab, rather than just in the search results. Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature requires apps on iPhones to ask for permission to track the user for advertising.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden launches a fiery defense of his tax hikes: 'This is about making the average multimillionaire pay just a fair share'
In a Wednesday address, President Joe Biden gave an impassioned defense of his proposed tax hikes. While answering questions after a Wednesday address on the impact of the American Rescue Plan, President Joe Biden doubled down on his tax proposals and the need for wealthier Americans and corporations to pay their fair share - and took aim at prior Republican tax cuts. "My Republican friends had no problem voting to pass a tax proposal - it expires in 2025 - that costs $2 trillion," Biden said, adding that none of that was paid for.
U.S.The Daily Beast‘A Terrible Thing’: Husband of Colorado Mom Who Vanished on Mother’s Day Charged With Murder
Nearly a year after Suzanne Morphew disappeared without a trace while out on a bike ride last Mother's Day, the 49-year-old's husband—who once pleaded for her safe return—has been arrested and charged with murder. The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The Daily Beast that Barry Morphew, 53, is currently in custody after being arrested Wednesday morning, just days shy of the one-year anniversary of his wife's disappearance on May 10, 2020, in Maysville, Colorado. He has been charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence, and attempting to influence a public servant.
PoliticsThe IndependentAOC uses ‘ogre’ emojis to troll Cruz over Trump meeting: ‘Nothing like reminiscing about attempted coups’
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has clearly still not forgiven Senator Ted Cruz for backing Donald Trump's attempts to fraudulently overturn the 2020 election and the Capitol riot that resulted from those efforts. On Wednesday, Ms Ocasio-Cortez lashed out at Mr Cruz after he posted a photo of himself dining with Mr Trump. "Had a great dinner tonight with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago," Mr Cruz tweeted.
“Every college has a public health responsibility to require its students to be vaccinated.”
“While the vast majority of students will likely get the vaccine, schools should honor the decisions of the few who object.”
“A vaccinated campus could be the step toward normality that college leaders are seeking.”
“College students are mobile and spread COVID-19 with them whenever they travel.”
“There almost certainly are going to be legal challenges because the anti-vaccine movement is already preparing for them.”