U.S.Yahoo Celebrity'ER' actress Mary Mara's cause of death revealed
Mary Mara, who was found dead in New York's St. Lawrence River on Sunday, died of asphyxiation, or suffocation, due to drowning, according to autopsy findings. The ER and Ray Donovan actress's cause of death was announced Wednesday by police, bringing an end to online rumors around the fatal accident. "The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office performed a post-mortem examination and determined that Mary Mara's manner of death was an accident, due to asphyxiation, and water drowning," says an updated statement provided by a New York State Police Troop D spokesperson.
PoliticsINSIDERTrump's 'girth would prevent him from actually getting to the steering wheel' of his SUV, former Secret Service agent says: 'I don't see this president ever being able to do that. Ever'
A past White House aide said Trump lunged for the steering wheel of his SUV and an agent on Jan. 6. Former Secret Service agents questioned the account in interviews with Insider. One said Trump's "girth would prevent him from actually getting to the steering wheel."
BusinessAFPSalmonella found in world's biggest chocolate plant
Salmonella bacteria have been discovered in the world's biggest chocolate plant, run by Swiss giant Barry Callebaut in the Belgian town of Wieze, the firm said Thursday. A company spokesman told AFP that production had been halted at the factory, which produces liquid chocolate in wholesale batches for 73 clients making confectionaries. "All products manufactured since the test have been blocked," spokesman Korneel Warlop said.
BusinessYahoo News'The worst version' of COVID is spreading. Can we update our vaccines in time?
For the last 18 months, the original COVID-19 vaccines — first as a two-dose series, then as boosters — have done an extraordinary job shielding us from illness, hospitalization and death. The question before them was simple: Ahead of an expected winter surge, should vaccine manufacturers tweak their forthcoming booster shots to target Omicron — the ultra-infectious variant that has spent the last seven months surging throughout the world in one form or another — or should they stick with the tried-and-true 2020 recipe? The panel voted 19-2 on Tuesday in favor of Omicron boosters.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAn American Airlines passenger drove to Denver airport to rebook his seats after the airline's customer-service center left him on hold for nearly 4 hours
An American Airlines passenger spent nearly four hours trying to rebook his seats over the phone. An American Airlines passenger who spent nearly four hours on hold with the airline's customer-service center grew so frustrated he drove 45 minutes to the airport to rebook his seats at the ticket counter.
WorldThe Burlington Free PressThis Vermont ski resort is changing its name in the interest of mental health
A small ski area in Vermont has announced that it's retiring its name, Suicide Six, this summer amid growing concerns about the insensitive nature of the historical name. The resort said on its website on Tuesday that it shares those concerns and “embraces the increasing awareness surrounding mental health. The feelings that the word 'suicide' evokes can have a significant impact on many in our community,” the resort statement said.
WorldReutersPutin: Russia will respond if NATO sets up infrastructure in Finland, Sweden
MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance. "But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created."
U.S.NextSharkChinese father breaks down after son he tutored daily for a year scores a 6/100 on math exam
A Chinese father who reportedly tutored his son daily for a year went viral for bursting into tears after his son scored six out of 100 points on a math exam. The child's parents from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, received his test score on June 23. Upon learning that their son had only received six points for his final math test, the father burst into tears, as seen in a video posted to Weibo by Qilu Evening News.
PoliticsHuffPostMonica Lewinsky Drops Painfully Accurate Trump Meme After Bombshell Jan. 6 News
Monica Lewinsky responded with a fitting meme to a former White House staffer's explosive Jan. 6 hearing testimony on Tuesday. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified that a Secret Service agent told her that then-President Donald Trump had gotten into a physical altercation on Jan. 6, 2021, when he tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limousine so he could go to the U.S. Capitol. The president said something to the effect of, I'm the f-ing president, take me up to the Capitol now,” Hutchison told the House committee investigating the Capitol attack.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
People run for cover in Kremenchuk park as missile hits mall
STORY: The ground shook and people fell as debris fell from the air, and a tree shed its leaves while one person threw themselves into the park's lake. A day after the attack in which at least 18 people were killed, the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine declared a day of mourning and firefighters cleared away rubble. Russia said the incident was caused by a strike on a legitimate military target.
U.S.Cincinnati.com | The EnquirerPolice warn of rise in car thefts of two particular car brands. Is yours one of them?
The Forest Park Police Department is warning residents of a local increase in car thefts of Kia and Hyundai brand vehicles, similar to instances reported in other cities across the country. The thefts are mainly of Kia cars newer than 2011 and Hyundai cars newer than 2015. Forest Park police say there were six reported thefts of these vehicle brands since June 21 from large apartment complexes at night.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe term 'no look handshake' is trending on Twitter after Biden was seen shaking hands with South Korea's president without making eye contact
In a moment captured on video, Biden appeared to shake Yoon's hands without making eye contact. Now, "no look handshake" is trending on Twitter in South Korea as users scrutinize the gesture. An awkward handshake between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, at the NATO summit in Madrid lit up social media on Wednesday.
WorldReutersPutin still wants most of Ukraine, war outlook grim -U.S. intelligence chief
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to seize most of Ukraine, but his forces are so degraded by combat that they likely can only achieve incremental gains in the near term, the top U.S. intelligence officer said Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, outlining the current U.S. intelligence assessment of the more than four-month war, said that the consensus of U.S. spy agencies is that it will grind on "for an extended period of time." "In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening," Haines told a Commerce Department conference.
WorldThe New Voice of UkraineRussian assault ship hits mine near Mariupol — Odesa Oblast authorities
"We have reports that a Russian amphibious assault ship of project 1176 Akula of the Black Sea Fleet D-106 blew up near Mariupol,” he said. We are waiting for confirmation of the 'gesture of goodwill'," he added. Earlier it emerged that following powerful strikes by Ukrainian forces, the Russian occupiers of Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea had hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison on two speedboats.
U.S.The RootKansas Guy Sentenced to Federal Prison for Threatening A Man for Walking While Black
Colton Donner, 27, was sentenced Wednesday to two years and three months in federal prison for threatening a Black man with a knife because he was walking while Black, per an announcement from the Department of Justice. Donner was also accused of trying to intimidate and interfere with the man's right to fair housing. Court documents say three years ago, Donner was driving through the residential area of Paola when he saw a Black man walking on the sidewalk.
PoliticsYahoo NewsFilmmaker who gave footage to Jan. 6 committee: Trump is 'dangerous,' living in 'cloud cuckoo land'
A British documentary filmmaker who recently testified behind closed doors to the House Jan. 6 select committee said that former President Donald Trump is living in “cloud cuckoo land,” and is incapable of ever acknowledging that his claims about voter fraud are “delusional.” Holder was granted exclusive access to Trump and his family in the months before and after the 2020 election, giving him the opportunity to compile over 100 hours of footage of the former president, his two eldest sons and eldest daughter talking in interviews and among themselves. When the Jan. 6 select committee learned of the project — which will be aired by Discovery+ in the coming months — they subpoenaed him hoping to find footage of the Trumps speaking candidly about events that are the subject of the investigation.
PoliticsHuffPostEx-Aide Releases Melania Trump's Revealing 1-Word Text Message From Jan. 6
Former first lady Melania Trump was given a chance to call for peace on Jan. 6, 2021 as her husband's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and attempted to block the certification of the 2020 election. Grisham, who was also a former White House press secretary and communications director, resigned later that day, but made no mention of the assault on the Capitol. Like others who served the Trumps, Grisham saved her criticism for a tell-all book.
U.S.Fox NewsCarnival cruise brawl caught on camera broke out over alleged cheating, passenger says
An all-out brawl that broke out between dozens of passengers aboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship was sparked over allegations of cheating while on the trip, according to an eyewitness passenger who shared video of the fight with Fox News Digital. Theresa James, who said she is a travel agent, told Fox News Digital that the fight started just before 2 a.m. on the ship's fifth floor, where a dance club and casino are located. The brawl lasted about an hour, according to the travel agent, and took the parties involved from the fifth floor to the ship's first floor, which James described as a huge distance.
PoliticsAssociated PressThe story behind AP report that caused Trump to throw lunch
The news story that reportedly caused former President Donald Trump to throw his lunch against a White House wall came from an exclusive interview that former Attorney General William Barr had arranged with The Associated Press. The scoop, which was published on Dec. 1, 2020, quoted Barr as saying that the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. It was a bombshell that contradicted the concerted effort by Trump, his boss, to subvert the results of the election.
BusinessBusiness InsiderOne of the world's busiest airports has cancelled flights because it expects more passengers to turn up than it can safely handle
Heathrow airport asked airlines to cancel flights on Thursday over concerns safety concerns. The hub said it is expecting higher passenger numbers than it has capacity to serve. Cancellations at other airports have contributed to the problem, a spokesperson told Insider.
U.S.INSIDERJustice Neil Gorsuch fumes that the Supreme Court 'failed' to 'honor this Nation's promises' as it rolled back tribal authority in Oklahoma
The Supreme Court Wednesday authorized Oklahoma to handle certain crimes on Native American land. Justice Neil Gorsuch blasted the ruling, saying it "failed" to "honor this Nation's promises." A 2020 ruling said only tribal and federal authorities could prosecute crimes in the jurisdiction.
WorldReutersCrypto crash threatens North Korea's stolen funds as it ramps up weapons tests
SEOUL (Reuters) -The nosedive in cryptocurrency markets has wiped out millions of dollars in funds stolen by North Korean hackers, four digital investigators say, threatening a key source of funding for the sanctions-stricken country and its weapons programmes. North Korea has poured resources into stealing cryptocurrencies in recent years, making it a potent hacking threat and leading to one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record in March, in which almost $615 million was stolen, according to the U.S. Treasury. The sudden plunge in crypto values, which started in May amid a broader economic slowdown, complicates Pyongyang's ability to cash in on that and other heists, and may affect how it plans to fund its weapons programmes, two South Korean government sources said.
PoliticsHuffPostRight-Wing Lawmaker's 'BEST' Trump Question Backfires Spectacularly On Twitter
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) asked a question on Twitter on Wednesday, but he probably didn't like the answers he received. Jackson, a conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump acolyte who as White House physician once claimed the then-president could live to 200, wrote:
U.S.Miami HeraldMan arrested on flight to Orlando in sex abuse of minor, cops say. He offered an excuse
According to an affidavit first obtained by The Daily Beast, a 51-year-old California resident traveling on Flight 2954 is accused of allegedly groping a minor who was seated next to him in the early hours of Friday. A criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida said that Brian Patrick Durning, of Altadena, was arrested hours later by federal agents upon landing at Orlando International Airport. The court document says a girl, referred to as “MV” (for “minor victim” older than 12, but younger than 16), was sitting in the middle seat and was allegedly touched by Durning, who was on the aisle to her left.
PoliticsReutersDemocrats' lose grip on Senate while Leahy recovers from fall
Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, 81, will undergo emergency hip surgery after falling Wednesday night, depriving his fellow Democrats of any majority in the chamber until he returns. Leahy, who is third in line to the U.S. presidency given his role as Senate president pro tempore, broke his hip at his house in the northern Virginia suburbs outside Washington, his office said on Thursday, adding that he is expected to make a full recovery. While Leahy has said he will not seek re-election in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, his vote is critical in the 50-50 split Senate where Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris holds the tie-breaking vote.
“Left unchecked, if artificial intelligence reaches cognition … it will be fueled by some of the most inhumane impulses of humanity.”
“Now is the time to stop and think — before our technology outstrips us once again.”
“I don't want to talk about sentient robots, because at all ends of the spectrum there are humans harming other humans.”
“Minds can take different forms … We should avoid reducing questions about AIs to ‘Can AIs think and feel like us?’”
“To identify sentience, or consciousness, or even intelligence, we’re going to have to work out what they are.”