U.S.NBC NewsMass shooting in Austin, Texas, leaves at least 13 wounded
At least 13 people were injured in a mass shooting in a busy entertainment district in downtown Austin, police in the Texas city said Saturday. "I'm happy to report no one has died," interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon told reporters near the scene of the incident in the area of 400 E. 6th Street — a popular area filled with bars and restaurants. The first call of shots fired came in at around 1:24 a.m.
U.S.ReutersReuters, New York Times win Pulitzers for coverage of racial injustice, COVID-19
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Reuters and the Minneapolis Star Tribune each won a Pulitzer Prize on Friday for journalism about racial inequities in U.S. policing, while the New York Times and the Atlantic were honored for chronicling the COVID-19 pandemic, the two topics that dominated last year's headlines. The Star Tribune won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting for what the board called its "urgent, authoritative and nuanced" coverage of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police last May, while Reuters and the Atlantic shared the award for explanatory reporting.
PoliticsAssociated PressUS will revisit Trump-era decision for Alaska rainforest
The federal government announced plans Friday to “repeal or replace” a decision by the Trump administration last fall to lift restrictions on logging and road building in a southeast Alaska rainforest that provides habitat for wolves, bears and salmon. Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy criticized it and vowed to use “every tool available to push back.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture's plans were announced on a federal regulatory site with little detail.
PoliticsAssociated PressSeized House records show just how far Trump admin would go
Two House Democrats disclosed this week that their smartphone data was secretly obtained by the Trump Justice Department as part of an effort to uncover the source of leaks related to the investigation of Russian-related election interference. It was a stunning revelation that one branch of government was using its power to gather private information on another, a move that carried echoes of President Richard Nixon during Watergate. On Friday, the Justice Department's internal watchdog announced that it was investigating the records seizure.
U.S.TheGrioEx-state trooper sent himself nude photos from woman’s phone after crash
Former Minnesota state trooper Albert Kuehne has pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining the private photos of a 25 year-old woman during an arrest made last year. This week, 34 year-old Kuehne pleaded guilty to the “nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images” for which he is likely to receive two years of probation, NBC News reports. Last March, Kuehne detained an unnamed woman who was suspected of driving while intoxicated after a crash near Minneapolis's Cedar Avenue and Interstate 94.
PoliticsThe GuardianIlhan Omar is once again being attacked by her own party for speaking out
The Bad Faith Brigade come for Ilhan Omar yet again Here are the rules, OK? The United States is the greatest, most moral country to ever exist. It brings democracy to all the poor savages in the rest of the world, who are incapable of knowing what's good for them.
- NewsYahoo News Video
4 police officers placed on administrative leave after video goes viral
WARNING: This contains graphic content. A video showing the arrest of a teenage shoplifting suspect in Glendale, Calif. has sparked outrage and led the police department to place four of its officers on leave pending an investigation.
WorldThe TelegraphTurkey hoovers up vast blooms of sea snot in biggest ever maritime cleanup
Turkey launched the biggest maritime cleanup operation in its history this week to tackle an unprecedented bloom of marine mucilage in the Sea of Marmara that experts say is an unsightly symptom of a much larger environmental problem. In recent weeks “sea snot” has blanketed much of the shoreline around Istanbul in the waterway between the Aegean and the Black Sea. Underneath the waves curtains of the sludge hang in sheets, with the blooms depleting oxygen levels in the ocean, choking aquatic life and threatening Turkey's fishing industry.
WorldReutersRising UK COVID cases are 'serious, serious concern', Johnson says
Rising COVID case numbers and hospitalisations are a matter of "serious, serious concern", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday, adding he was less optimistic about reopening the country than he was last month. "It's clear that the Indian variant is more transmissible and it's also true that the cases are going up, and that the levels of hospitalisation are going up," he told Sky News. Johnson is expected to set out on Monday whether a planned lifting of coronavirus restrictions can go ahead on June 21, or whether rising cases will force it to be delayed.
WorldINSIDERA US tourist in Cancun was wounded by a stray bullet when gunmen on jet skis reportedly killed 2 men at the beach
An American tourist was wounded by a stray bullet during a shooting attack on a Mexican beach. The unidentified woman was caught in the crossfire of possible gang violence on Friday. An American tourist was wounded by a stray bullet while she was caught in the crossfire of suspected cartel violence in Mexico's Caribbean coast resort of Cancun on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
PoliticsThe IndependentMatt Gaetz, who is under FBI investigation, questions FBI director about Covid conspiracies
Republican US Rep Matt Gaetz, who is under FBI investigation, questioned the agency's director while sitting on a committee that oversees it. The congressman, who federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating in connection with a sex trafficking and obstruction probe related to a former Florida official, has faced calls from members of Congress to be removed from the House Judiciary Committee. The House Ethics Committee also is pursuing a parallel investigation following allegations that the congressman “engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use” as well as reports that he allegedly shared “inappropriate” images and videos on the floor of the House of Representatives.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden tells Chuck Schumer to 'go ahead' with calls for $50,000 in student-debt cancellation
Biden told Chuck Schumer to keep the pressure on to cancel $50k in student debt, Schumer said. Biden is reluctant to cancel that amount, saying he does not think he has the executive authority. Democratic lawmakers have been keeping the pressure on President Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt per borrower.
BusinessBBCMorrisons boss suffers huge revolt over £1.7m bonus
Supermarket Morrisons has suffered a huge shareholder revolt over plans to award bumper pay deals to its bosses. Just over 70% of shareholder votes were cast against the firm's remuneration proposals, which include paying chief executive David Potts a maximum £1.7m bonus despite a big fall in profits. The vote is non-binding, and Morrisons said it would now contact investors to again "make the case" for the awards.
BusinessMiami HeraldFire in Puerto Rico power grid leaves nearly a million customers in the dark
Nine hundred thousand customers were left without electricity in Puerto Rico after a fire of unknown origins engulfed a transformer in San Juan on Thursday evening, only days after a private entity assumed operations of the distribution and transmission lines of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. We continue with our work of restoring the system,” said LUMA Energy CEO Wayne Stensby at a press conference Friday morning. The widespread blackout plunged much of the San Juan metropolitan area into darkness, along with municipalities across the island.
U.S.The Guardian‘Dire situation’: Silicon Valley cracks down on water use as California drought worsens
Santa Clara county, the home of Silicon Valley, issued mandatory water restrictions this week during a severe drought that has already reached historic levels. The move was championed by analysts and researchers who have pushed for more conservation efforts across California amid concerns that the state will fall deeper into a drought disaster through the hot, dry summer and autumn. “We are indeed in a dire situation,” said Rick Callender, the CEO of the water district serving Santa Clara county, during a public hearing Wednesday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPutin says Trump is an 'extraordinary' and 'talented individual' who is an outsider to the US political establishment, unlike 'career man' Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin told NBC News that Trump is "extraordinary" and "talented." Putin added that he hopes that Biden is less "impulse-based" than Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on former President Trump in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Friday.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThese 10 Coastal Hotels Ooze Made-in-America Charm
From New England to the Pacific Northwest, plan your summer with these design-forward beach escapes Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.The IndependentKentucky police officer charged with beating kneeling protester during Breonna Taylor demo
A Kentucky police officer has been charged with striking a person in the head with a riot stick during a Breonna Taylor protest. Federal authorities say that Louisville Metro Police Officer Cory Evans hit the person as they were kneeling with their hands in the air and surrendering to arrest. The incident took place during the May 2020 wave of racial injustice protests sparked by the killings of Ms Taylor in the city, and George Floyd in Minneapolis.
WorldThe TelegraphTrooping the Colour 2021: A 'memorable and uplifting day' for the Queen at Windsor Castle
The Queen beamed in the sunshine, tapping her feet to the music, as she celebrated her official birthday with a scaled back military procession at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty, 95, sat in the castle's quadrangle to watch the annual pomp and ceremony of Trooping the Colour, this year led by the Scots Guards. It came just hours after she had returned to Windsor from Cornwall, where she met G7 leaders and posed for the traditional “family photo,” prompting chuckles as she quipped: “Are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself?
U.S.INSIDERA Mississippi high school agreed to make 2 white students co-winners of top honors after their parents complained about the awarding of prizes to Black pupils
A high school awarded white students top honors after two Black students were already chosen. Parents at a Mississippi school claimed it had miscalculated the criteria for valedictorian and salutatorian. Breaking with tradition, the school ended up naming two white students as co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe 'family photo' of world leaders from Biden's first G7 summit is noticeably different from the one from Trump's first G7
Trump and Biden's first G7 'family photos' tell a very different diplomatic tale. In 2017, Trump made other world leaders wait for him as he took a golf cart to the photo location. In 2021's family photo, leaders are spaced apart likely due to social distancing for COVID-19.
PoliticsThe IndependentIlhan Omar claims Jewish Democrats ‘harassing her’ as public feud over Israel splits party
US rep Ilhan Omar has claimed that Jewish Democrats are “harassing her” after members called her controversial remarks on Israel “offensive” and “misguided” as the public feud with the lawmaker threatens to divide the party. A group of Jewish Democrats and Ms Omar have clashed after she said “unthinkable atrocities" had been committed by the US, Israel, Hamas, and the Taliban, lumping the two nations in with terrorist organisations. “We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity,” Ms Omar said in a caption alongside a video on Monday.
U.S.USA TODAY'Brave' grandmother died after struggling with Florida Publix gunman, sheriff says
Timothy J. Wall had mental health struggles before he walked into a Florida Publix on Thursday and shot a grandmother, her nearly 2-year-old grandson and then himself. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Friday it is still investigating what specifically led to the shooting. Maj. Talal Masri on Friday said the gunman first shot the child at the Royal Palm Beach grocery store and that the 69-year-old woman then "instinctively jumps in and is trying to stop him."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderYouTube has blocked Sen. Ron Johnson for 7 days after it removed a video of him spreading coronavirus misinformation
YouTube has suspended Sen. Ron Johnson's account for spreading medical misinformation. The Republican routinely holds Senate hearings where he promotes baseless conspiracy theories. Sen. Ron Johnson has been suspended from YouTube for a week after his account uploaded a video of him spreading medical misinformation, in violation of Google's detailed policy on the matter.
WorldThe IndependentG7 summit — live: Johnson says Biden ‘a breath of fresh air’ as president touts US vaccine ‘arsenal’
Boris Johnson has said he will not disagree with Joe Biden on “anything” ahead of the pair's face-to-face meeting in Cornwall. The prime minister and US president have been attempting to cool the rhetoric today after it emerged Washington delivered an “extraordinary rebuke” to London over Northern Ireland. Earlier, a senior US official said Mr Biden had not come to the UK to lecture Mr Johnson about the protocol and is not looking to be confrontational or adversarial.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”