U.S.Washington ExaminerMinnesota woman found beheaded on sidewalk
Police have a suspect in custody after a beheaded woman was found dead on a Shakopee, Minnesota, sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday. Officers with the Shakopee Police Department responded to a stabbing report just after 2:30 p.m. local time and found 55-year-old America Mafalda Thayer's body near a downtown intersection, police said. A search warrant application disclosed that when police arrived, officers discovered the victim's headless body, according to local reports.
WorldBBCHong Kong crowd booing China's anthem sparks police probe
Hong Kong police are investigating an incident where a crowd watching the Olympics booed China's anthem. Hundreds gathered at a shopping mall on Monday to watch a broadcast and cheer on Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung, who won gold in the men's individual foil. When the Chinese national anthem was played, some in the crowd began jeering while others shouted "We are Hong Kong", video filmed at the scene shows.
WorldAssociated PressShip tied to Israeli billionaire attacked off Oman, 2 killed
An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a U.S. official said it appears a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Biden said he wants states, schools and private business to continue to mandate vaccinations
In a speech at the White House on Thursday in which he encouraged Americans to get vaccinated, President Biden said he hoped states and schools, as well as private business, would continue to require individuals to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Biden added that he didn't know if the federal government could require every American to be vaccinated.
U.S.AxiosDeSantis signs onto Supreme Court brief supporting Mississippi effort to toss out Roe v. Wade
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined ten other Republican governors Thursday in asking the Supreme Court to essentially let states ban abortion and regulate it in ways not currently allowed, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Why it matters: With the court's newly-installed 6-3 conservative majority, this is the best chance Republicans have had in decades to take on abortion rights. What happened: The governors asked the court to reconsider its past decisions in 1973's Roe v. Wade and 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
U.S.National ReviewTexas Governor Threatens Fines for Local Officials Who Enforce Mask Mandates
Texas governor Greg Abbott on Thursday threatened to issue fines to local officials who enforce new mask mandates. Abbott's warning comes after the CDC reversed course earlier this week and recommended that people in areas with substantial spread of COVID-19 should wear masks indoors — including vaccinated individuals. The new guidance is the result of concerns over the highly transmissible Delta variant.
ScienceReutersGreenland experienced 'massive' ice melt this week, scientists say
With climate change fueling high temperatures across the Arctic, Greenland lost a massive amount of ice on Wednesday with enough melting to cover the U.S. state of Florida in 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water, scientists said. It was the third-biggest ice loss for Greenland in a single day since 1950. The rapid melt followed warm air being trapped over the Arctic island by a change in atmospheric circulation patterns, scientists said, noting that there could be more ice lost.
PoliticsAxiosRepublican Trump critics rake in campaign funds
Republican critics of Donald Trump have raked in campaign cash this year as their votes to impeach the former president and investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have put them in the crosshairs of Trump and his allies. Why it matters: The 2022 midterms won't just determine which party controls Congress. Two prime Trump antagonists, Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), were front and center this week as the sole Republicans on the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack.
WorldNextSharkSouth Korean archer An San gets support after receiving sexist comments about her hairstyle
We didn't train and feed you with tax money so that you can commit feminist acts," one of the comments from An's Instagram reads. Many women and well-known figures, including actress Koo Hye-sun and lawmaker and South Korea's youngest MP, Ryu Ho-jeong, showed support for An amid the wave of sexist comments she received. Even if you win an Olympic gold medal with your own skills and abilities, as long as sexism persists in our society, you get insulted and asked to be deprived of your medal just because you have short hair," Jang Hye-yeong, a female lawmaker, said on social media.
U.S.Kansas City StarHe went door to door for work — then man kills Indiana woman who was beheaded, cops say
Wearing a camouflage baseball cap with a shirt draped over his shoulder, he carried a water bottle on the warm day and walked door to door seeking “community service work” in Clarksville, Indiana, the neighbors told detectives. “That young man looked super to me,” Don Miller, a landlord in Clarksville, told WDRB. The detectives were searching for clues in the gruesome killing of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty, a former employee of the News and Tribune who retired in March, the local newspaper reported.
WorldNBC NewsChina on 'high alert' as delta outbreak spreads to 5 provinces
The outbreak is believed to have started in Nanjing, a city of more than 9 million people, around 150 miles west of Shanghai. On July 20, nine cleaners at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport tested positive for the virus after cleaning down a plane that arrived from Russia, according to state-run media. Infections have now been recorded in five different provinces including Beijing, and local health authorities have identified the strain as the delta variant.
U.S.Washington ExaminerJustice Department threatens Texas with legal action over COVID-19 migrant order
Attorney General Merrick Garland urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to withdraw the “dangerous and unlawful” executive order he instituted on Wednesday aimed at restricting the transport of illegal migrants in Texas who may have COVID-19. Garland said Abbott's order, which provides that “no person, other than a federal, state, or local law-enforcement official, shall provide ground transportation to a group of migrants,” cannot be lawfully enforced. “The order would jeopardize the health and safety of noncitizens in federal government custody, federal law enforcement personnel and their families, and our communities,” Garland told Abbott in a letter Thursday, also saying Texas can't enforce the order against federal officials or private organizations working with the federal government.
HealthAxiosCDC: Emerging evidence shows Delta variant may cause mild COVID among vaccinated people
About 74% of 469 COVID-19 cases associated with large gatherings held in Barnstable County, Mass., from July 3 to 17 were among fully vaccinated people, according to data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters: The data bolsters emerging evidence that vaccinated people have high viral loads and may transmit the Delta variant as easily as those who are unvaccinated. Be smart: Despite mild breakthrough cases appearing more common than previously thought, "vaccination is the most important strategy to prevent severe illness and death," the report emphasizes.
WorldBBCNanjing: New virus outbreak worst since Wuhan, say Chinese state media
A Covid outbreak first discovered in the Chinese city of Nanjing has spread to five provinces and Beijing, with state media calling it the most extensive contagion after Wuhan. Almost 200 people have been infected since the virus was first detected at the city's busy airport on 20 July. All flights from Nanjing airport will be suspended until 11 August, according to local media.
ScienceAssociated PressRussia blames space station lab incident on software failure
A Russian space official on Friday blamed a software problem on a newly docked science lab for briefly knocking the International Space Station out of position. The space station lost control of its orientation for 47 minutes on Thursday, when Russia's Nauka science lab accidentally fired its thrusters a few hours after docking, pushing the orbiting complex from its normal configuration. The station's position is key for getting power from solar panels and for communications with space support teams back on Earth.
HealthNBC NewsCDC warns that 'war has changed' with variant now infecting vaccinated people
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a stern warning about the delta variant of the coronavirus: "Acknowledge the war has changed." It concludes that the delta variant is “highly contagious, likely to be more severe” and that “breakthrough infections may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases.” Infections with the delta variant lead to higher levels of virus in the body, even in breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated individuals, the document said.
SportsArchitectural DigestIt’s All Fun and Games: 11 High-Design Lawn Games to Maximize Your Summer
Enjoy what's left of summer 2021 with these stylish outdoor games Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.NBC NewsFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue executive order banning mask mandates in schools
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Friday that he'll bar any local school district from requiring students to wear masks even as the nation fights a resurgence of coronavirus. The Sunshine State's chief executive said he disagreed with guidelines issued Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that all students in kindergarten through 12th grade wear coverings when they return to classrooms this fall. DeSantis said school districts in his state won't have the choice to set such a mandate.
U.S.INSIDERFar-right online groups posted racist messages, including a noose GIF, after Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn's testimony
Telegram users are posting racist comments about Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. Dunn testified on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the Capitol riots. One comment includes a GIF of a noose, while others share conspiracy theories about his testimony.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe Philippine president told unvaccinated people 'for all I care, you can die any time' as he continues his brutal threats against vaccine deniers
The president of the Philippines is continuing threats against those who deny coronavirus vaccines. The president of the Philippines said he doesn't care if people who deny the coronavirus vaccine die from the virus. Rodrigo Duterte told a national address on Wednesday: "For those who do not want it, well, for all I care, you can die anytime."
U.S.Idaho StatesmanThe Idaho Way: Thanks a lot, anti-vaxxers, now we’re back to wearing masks again
And for those of us who have sacrificed these past 16 months — working from home, missing events, wearing masks, doing all the right things — we are tired of it, and we are mad as hell at you folks not getting your vaccine and ruining the recovery for the rest of us. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling us we need to go back to wearing masks indoors, which we'll do, but we sure as heck aren't happy about it. We'll probably be back to travel restrictions and canceled events that we've all been looking forward to returning to.
PoliticsPoliticoPelosi and Sanders brace for Democratic upheaval over Biden agenda
Bernie Sanders had an urgent plea at a meeting for Senate Democrats this week: We're with you on this bipartisan bill, so you better be with us on our $3.5 trillion spending package, attendees said. Shortly after Wednesday's caucus meeting, Sanders called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reinforce her position of holding back the bipartisan deal until a massive domestic bill passes the Senate, according to a source familiar with the call. During the call with Pelosi, Sanders also relayed his support for her ahead of what is shaping up to be a massive pressure campaign from moderate Democrats and Republicans to drop her position.
CelebrityThe WeekMichael Che under fire after sharing shocking joke about Simone Biles
"I got like 3 mins of Simone Biles jokes in my head," he wrote. From there, Che posted a joke about Biles that was shared with him, which said that Larry Nassar "understands Simone Biles better than anyone" because "he too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure." Nassar is the former U.S women's national gymnastics team doctor and convicted sex offender who Biles has said sexually abused her.
U.S.INSIDERMayors of 2 Florida counties have broken with Gov. Ron DeSantis and imposed vaccine and mask mandates
Mayor Daniella Cara Levine of Miami-Dade county has ordered that indoor county facilities require masks. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings declared that all 4,200 non-unionized counties get fully vaccinated by the end of September. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has opposed new restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic, even as cases surge.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik for trying to 'own the socialists' by praising Medicare and Medicaid
AOC mocked Stefanik for celebrating Medicare and Medicaid, while condemning "Socialist healthcare." Others also pointed out the contradiction in Stefanik's praise for the "critical" programs. "Trust me, Medicare for All is the #1 thing you can do to own the socialists," AOC tweeted.
“[The program] stands likely to leave millions of families — disproportionately the poorest and most fragile ones — behind.”
“[Paying] families monthly, instead of one lump sum ... will provide parents with more stability knowing when cash is coming.”
“More parents will disappear from the workforce, and more children will be locked into dependency.”
“Poverty is a political choice, not an inevitability.”
“Time is running out. There are only six months until monthly payments of the credit cease."