PoliticsAssociated PressUS expels Russian diplomats, imposes sanctions for hacking
The Biden administration has announced the U.S. is expelling 10 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of people and companies, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies. The sweeping measures announced Thursday are meant to punish Russia for actions that U.S. officials say cut to the core of American democracy and to deter future acts by imposing economic costs on Moscow, including by targeting its ability to borrow money. The sanctions are certain to exacerbate tensions with Russia, which promised a response, even as President Joe Biden said the administration could have taken even more punitive measures but chose not to in the interests of maintaining stability.
U.S.National ReviewJudge: Minnesota Officers Can’t Arrest, Use Force against Reporters Covering Daunte Wright Protests
The ruling is the result of a restraining order filed by an international labor union for news media workers and a freelance journalist against Minnesota Department of Public Safety commissioner John Harrington and Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matthew Langer. Journalists claimed in court that they were “directed by law enforcement to vacate the protest area, physically grabbed, struck by less-lethal projectiles and rubber bullets, and pepper sprayed. While journalists were not subject to curfews, they had been required to vacate areas where dispersal orders were given.
WorldBBCJimmy Lai: Hong Kong's rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice
The billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Mr Lai was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. Like a number of the city's famed tycoons, he went from a menial role, toiling in a Hong Kong sweatshop, to founding a multi-million dollar empire.
WorldAssociated PressIran names suspect in Natanz attack, says he fled country
Iran named a suspect Saturday in the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility that damaged centrifuges there, saying he had fled the country “hours before” the sabotage happened. While the extent of the damage from the April 11 sabotage remains unclear, it comes as Iran tries to negotiate with world powers over allowing the U.S. to re-enter its tattered nuclear deal and lift the economic sanctions it faces. Already, Iran has begun enriching uranium up to 60% purity in response — three times higher than ever before, though in small quantities.
PoliticsThe WeekMarjorie Taylor Greene is leading an 'America First Caucus' that wants to uphold 'Anglo-Saxon political traditions'
In an effort to "follow in President Trump's footsteps," a new America First Caucus led by far-right lawmakers is seeking to protect "Anglo-Saxon political traditions." The new caucus is recruiting members, reports Punchbowl News, and is appealing to a "common respect for Anglo-Saxon political traditions," including pushing for infrastructure that "befits the progeny of European architecture." Punchbowl described the materials being distributed as "some of the most nakedly nativist rhetoric we've ever seen."
U.S.Associated PressUS West prepares for possible 1st water shortage declaration
The man-made lakes that store water supplying millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico are projected to shrink to historic lows in the coming months, dropping to levels that could trigger the federal government's first-ever official shortage declaration and prompt cuts in Arizona and Nevada. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released 24-month projections this week forecasting that less Colorado River water will cascade down from the Rocky Mountains through Lake Powell and Lake Mead and into the arid deserts of the U.S. Southwest and the Gulf of California. Water levels in the two lakes are expected to plummet low enough for the agency to declare an official shortage for the first time, threatening the supply of Colorado River water that growing cities and farms rely on.
U.S.Associated PressAs mask mandates end, Oregon bucks trend with permanent rule
As states around the country lift COVID-19 restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction — and many residents are fuming about it. A top health official is considering indefinitely extending rules requiring masks and social distancing in all businesses in the state. The proposal would keep the rules in place until they are “no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace.”
U.S.The ConversationSikhs in America: A religious community long misunderstood is mourning deaths in Indianapolis mass shooting
I have sat with families from our community and so many others at the Holiday Inn Express as they wait to hear the fates of their loved ones,” said Maninder Singh Walia, a member of the Indianapolis Sikh community. These kinds of violent attacks are a threat to all of us. Our community has a long road of healing – physically, mentally, and spiritually – to recover from this tragedy.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Chicago releases video of fatal police shooting of 13-year-old boy
Body camera footage of a Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy last month shows the officer yelling “Drop it! at the teen right before he opens fire.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanBoise council asks neighbors not to harass each other with new parking law
Boise has updated its street parking ordinance, but officials are asking people not to use the law to “harass your neighbors.” The updated ordinance still requires that people parking on streets move their cars every 72 hours. Before, people would regularly move their cars only a few inches or “completely from the site for a few minutes but then return to the same location, preventing others from utilizing the parking space,” Jennifer Pitino, an attorney for the city, wrote in a memorandum to the mayor and council.
U.S.Associated PressAfter child dies, US regulator warns about Peloton treadmill
Safety regulators warned people with kids and pets Saturday to immediately stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after one child died and nearly 40 others were injured. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received reports of children and a pet being pulled, pinned and entrapped under the rear roller of the Tread+ treadmill, leading to fractures, scrapes and the death of one child. The commission posted a video on its YouTube page of a child being pulled under the treadmill.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldBBCPhilippines: Giant clam shells worth $25m seized in raid
Around 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth nearly $25 million (£18 million) have been seized in the Philippines. The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species. Four suspects have been arrested on an island in the ecologically protected province of Palawan.
SportsAssociated PressFore! Biden plays golf for the first time as president
President Joe Biden has taken his first swing at a presidential pastime: golf. Biden, once an avid golfer, played Saturday at the Wilmington Country Club, not far from his Delaware home where he was spending the weekend. The president played with senior advisor Steve Ricchetti and Ron Olivere, father-in-law of Biden's late son Beau, the White House said.
WorldAssociated PressNavalny's doctor: Putin critic 'could die at any moment'
A doctor for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike, says his health is deteriorating rapidly and the 44-year-old Kremlin critic could be on the verge of death. Physician Yaroslav Ashikhmin said Saturday that test results he received from Navalny's family show him with sharply elevated levels of potassium, which can bring on cardiac arrest, and heightened creatinine levels that indicate impaired kidneys. Anastasia Vasilyeva, head of the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors union, said on Twitter that “action must be taken immediately.”
PoliticsThe IndependentFrom Asian hate crime to a minimum wage: 25 things Ted Cruz has voted against this year
The 'No' vote was criticised for being another controversial rejection of the Biden administration agenda, and follows voting against almost every Cabinet secretary of Mr Biden's in recent weeks – although the efforts, in the end, failed. All the bills Mr Cruz has voted 'No' to in the US Senate so for this year, are listed below: The US 2020 election results Not a bill, but infamous for coming in the hours after supporters of former president Donald Trump – wrongly citing election fraud – stormed the US Capitol in events that killed five people, including a Capitol Police officer.
CelebrityThe TelegraphNo uniforms, but Royal family show military ties with medals at Prince Philip's funeral
The Queen decreed that the men should wear morning suits with black ties and the women day dresses amid concerns that the Duke of Sussex could have ended up being the only senior royal not in uniform after relinquishing his royal and military ties last year. The Duke of York had also sparked ructions by demanding to go dressed as an Admiral, despite his promotion to that rank in the Royal Navy being deferred after he stepped down from public duties in November 2019 over his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke of Kent, 85 – the oldest member of the Royal family taking part in the walking procession – wore, among his other medals, the King George Coronation Medal, while those present for the Queen's Coronation in 1953, including the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Gloucester, wore the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump rape accuser adds to former president's legal woes by asking court to keep defamation lawsuit alive
In 2020, E. Jean Carroll published an account accusing Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. The former Elle columnist sued Trump for defamation after he made comments denying sexually assaulting her. A judge ruled that Trump was not acting in a presidential capacity when he made the comments.
U.S.The New York TimesWhy Police Can Stop Motorists With Air Fresheners Hanging in Their Cars
In places where air fresheners have been treated as a primary offense, the traffic stops have faced legal challenges with various outcomes. On an April evening in 2008, Benjamin Garcia-Garcia was driving a minivan along Interstate 55 near Springfield, Illinois, when a state trooper who had been parked in the median moved onto the freeway and pulled him over. According to court records, the trooper claimed he had seen the pink air freshener hanging from Garcia-Garcia's mirror and believed it violated the state statute prohibiting objects that could obstruct the driver's view.
CelebrityThe TelegraphPrince Philip's close friend Countess Mountbatten attends funeral on behalf of ill husband
They became so close during the course of their nearly 30-year friendship that she was known as “and also” on account of her name always appearing on the Duke of Edinburgh's guest list. So it was hardly a surprise when the Countess Mountbatten of Burma was included in the 30-strong congregation for Prince Philip's funeral, handpicked by the Queen. Also known as Penny Knatchbull, later Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne, the 68-year-old mother of three was the Duke's carriage driving partner and one of his closest confidantes.
SportsAssociated PressShcherbakova seals Russia's first World Team Trophy victory
World champion Anna Shcherbakova won the women's free skate on Saturday to seal Russia's first-ever victory at the figure skating World Team Trophy. First after the short program, the 17-year-old Shcherbakova opened with a quadruple flip and followed with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination en route to a score of 160.58 points. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto moved up to second place with 150.29 points after an impressive Matrix routine that included five triple jumps.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe 10 GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump have already received $6.4 million in donations this year - far more than their 2022 midterm opponents
Donors are giving millions to the GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, for example, received $1.54 million in the first three months of 2021. They have received far more money than their prospective 2022 midterm opponents, who Trump has backed.
U.S.The IndependentBLM activist arrested for anti-Asian hate crime in Seattle
A man identified as a Black Lives Matter activist has been charged for anti-Asian hate crime, according to reports. Christopher Hamner, of Seatac, Washington, appeared in court on 9 April facing hate crime charges for chasing Asian-American women in Seattle. In one of the incidents, the 51-year-old allegedly called a woman an “Asian b****” while she was driving with her children, who were in the vehicle.
CelebrityThe TelegraphHow Prince Philip’s personal touches showed Royal family the way through their grief
It was one last act for the Queen he had supported for a lifetime. As she sat alone in her grief, the Queen could rely upon the reassuring hand of her husband one final time, as he led his family through their most difficult goodbye. The Duke of Edinburgh's meticulous planning ensured his wife, children and grandchildren could pay their respects in the most fitting of ways, with military precision, poignant ceremony and lighter touches to bring a small smile through their sadness.
CelebrityArchitectural DigestOur 9 Favorite Items From Jessica Alba’s Affordable Office Makeover
In a new YouTube video, the star shows how she decorated a space using all Amazon products Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”