U.S.ReutersWoman sues Southwest, says airline ejected her for removing mask to drink water
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co was sued for $10 million on Tuesday by a 68-year-old Florida woman who said the carrier ejected her from a flight because she periodically needed to remove her mask to drink water. Medora Clai Reading said she was wrongly removed from a Jan. 7, 2021, flight to Palm Beach, Florida, from Washington, D.C. after a hostile flight attendant kept demanding that she keep her mask on despite medical issues, including a heart condition and low blood sugar, requiring that she stay hydrated. The Federal Aviation Administration said airline crews in 2021 submitted 5,981 reports of unruly passengers, including 4,290 incidents related to masks.
U.S.CBS NewsUCLA student killed at L.A. furniture store texted about "a bad vibe"
Los Angeles officials are offering a reward of more than $200,000 for information leading to the arrest of a man suspected of fatally stabbing a 24-year-old UCLA graduate student while she worked alone at a furniture store. Brianna Kupfer was found dead on the floor of the store by a customer on Thursday not long after she had sent an ominous text message to a friend, police said. Police say Kupfer was the only employee at Croft House on La Brea Avenue when someone came into the store last Thursday afternoon and fatally stabbed her.
HealthWomen's Health'For Years, I Didn't Know Why My Legs Looked Different Until I Binge-Watched A Reality Show'
One day when I was watching the castmates do a challenge while wearing super-short shorts and sneakers, it dawned on me: There was something about the way that Shaughna Phillips' ankles seemed oddly familiar to how mine looked. Shaughna eventually did see a doctor, and it turned out she had a condition called lipedema. In fact, all the initial information I got about lipedema was from Shaughna, her YouTube channel, and U.K. tabloids.
HealthYahoo Canada StyleDementia warning signs: The early symptom that's often overlooked
While memory loss could be the result of infection, depression or anxiety or other medical conditions, it may also be due to dementia. A recent study by the University of Exeter highlighted an early symptom of dementia that tends to be overlooked: apathy. Apathy or the loss of interest, enthusiasm or concern, is the "leading neuropsychiatric symptom of dementia" however it often goes unnoticed by families and in care.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump told banks his 11,000-square-foot Trump Tower triplex was triple that size, New York AG says
New York Attorney General Letitia James took legal action Tuesday night to compel former President Donald Trump and two of his children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, to appear for sworn testimony as part of her office's ongoing civil investigation of the Trump Organization's financial dealings. James had subpoenaed Trump in December and Don Jr. and Ivanka earlier in January, and Tuesday's motion was in opposition to attempts by the Trumps to quash those subpoenas. "Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit," James said in a statement.
WorldINSIDERUK man says he enslaved a worker and made him live in a garden shed for 40 years with no light or heating
A man in the UK has pleaded guilty to enslaving a worker for 40 years. Peter Swailes, 56, said he kept a man in an unlit garden shed without heating for decades. A man in England said he enslaved a worker in a tiny shed without light or heating for 40 years.
U.S.Associated PressFlorida suspends health official in probe over vaccine law
A health official who has helped lead central Florida's response to the pandemic has been put on administrative leave as state officials investigate whether he tried to compel employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in violation of state law. The state health agency is conducting an inquiry into Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, “to determine if any laws were broken in this case,” Florida Department of Health press secretary Jeremy Redfern said in an email. A measure Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last fall prohibits government agencies from implementing vaccine mandates and restricts private businesses from having vaccine requirements unless they allow workers to opt out for medical reasons, religious beliefs, immunity based on a previous infection, regular testing or an agreement to wear protective gear.
U.S.Charlotte Observer5 kids missing on paddleboarding trip are found on bank along NC lake, officials say
Temperatures were in the 30s when crews searched for the kids, who were found safe three hours later on a bank along Belews Lake, according to Stokes County Fire Marshal Scott Aaron. “I couldn't stand the thought of knowing that maybe there's kids out there clinging to a paddleboard,” Eric Tumas, who used a searchlight to help spot the kids, told WGHP. While there, snow and ice from past wintry weather got in the way of launching boats, Aaron told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
- WorldWTTG
VIDEO: DC Council candidate carjacked in broad daylight; police release video of incident
Nate Fleming, a D.C. politician and Council at Large candidate, was at a gas station in the Northeast over the weekend when he was carjacked at gunpoint in a horrifying incident that was caught on surveillance video.
HealthIn The Know by YahooNICU mom’s heartbreaking TikTok shows the frustrating reality of maternity leave in the US: ‘This. Is. America.’
When Rebecca Shumard posted to TikTok about going back to work 12 days after giving birth, she was feeling frustrated, fearful, guilty and spent. While those feelings can happen to any mom, and do, Shumard's case wasn't exactly typical. The 26-year-old medical assistant/exercise physiologist had recorded herself sitting at her desk at work, crying because not only was she not with her baby, her daughter was being treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) after being born at 27 weeks — a mere three weeks past viability.
U.S.BuzzFeedNon-Americans Are Calling Out Things Americans Say That Scream, "I'm An American," And Wow, I Guess I'm Gonna Stop Talking For A While
A while ago, Reddit user TheOmnipotentKoi asked the internet, "Non-Americans of Reddit, what's something someone can say that indirectly screams 'I'm an American?'" Non-Americans shared tons of hilarious things Americans say all the time — and it's so accurate, it hurts. Let us know in the comments below!
U.S.OxygenA 1993 California Cold Case Is Closed After Guilty Pleas By A Brother And Sister
Two siblings have pleaded guilty in the killing of 19-year-old Frank McAlister 30 years after his skeletal remains were found by hikers in Shingletown, California, allowing authorities to close the decades-old cold case. McAlister was reported missing by his then-girlfriend on May 7, 1993. McAlister had been in a car accident in March 1993 and had collected an insurance settlement check for at least $4,500 the day before he disappeared, according to the Record Searchlight.
WorldAssociated PressIrish mourn slain 23-year-old teacher who was out jogging
Hundreds of mourners turned out Tuesday in Ireland for the funeral Mass of a 23-year-old elementary school teacher whose slaying has reignited debate about how to tackle violence against women. Police said Tuesday they arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder in the case of Ashling Murphy, a musician and teacher whose body was found on the banks of a canal near the town of Tullamore in central Ireland on Jan. 12. The killing has touched a nerve with many women in Ireland and beyond, because media reports suggested that Murphy was targeted when she was out jogging in the afternoon.
PoliticsThe WeekWhite House to distribute 400 million free N95 masks at 'tens of thousands' of locations starting next week
The Biden administration will distribute 400 million high-quality N95 masks through "tens of thousands" of pharmacies, community clinics, and other locations starting next week, a White House official told reporters ahead of an official announcement Wednesday. The masks will be shipped around the U.S. from the federal Strategic National Stockpile at the end of the week. The White House, which launched a website for ordering free COVID-19 tests on Tuesday, is stepping up the federal response to the flood of cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
U.S.INSIDERTrump Org claimed apartment was worth $25 million, while also offering it to Ivanka Trump for $8 million, NY AG alleges in fraud case
The New York attorney general alleged value inflation by Trump's business in new filings. An apartment was valued at $25 million, documents say, but offered to Ivanka Trump for $8 million. Donald Trump has long denied any wrongdoing, and claims the investigation is politically motivated.
WorldAssociated PressRussia says it will take nothing less but NATO expansion ban
Russia maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning Wednesday that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” U.S. guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation at the security talks with the U.S. in Geneva last week, reaffirmed that Moscow has no intentions of invading Ukraine as the West fears, but said that receiving Western security guarantees is the categoric imperative for Moscow.
U.S.Ocala Star BannerOcala motorcycle club ride ends in tragedy when 80-year-old rider dies in crash
An 80-year-old motorcycle rider was killed and another rider, age 74, was injured late Tuesday morning when they crashed in a rural section of northeast Marion County. The Florida Highway Patrol no longer includes names in its news releases. The agency only gave the men's ages and said both were from Ocala.
- U.S.Fox News
High school lunch photo shared by NY dad has parents concerned
Vangellow said all of his children attend Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District and his 16-year-old son has been sending him pictures of the lunches he has been served at school in recent months. He started complaining that lunch was 'not enough,' Vangellow told Fox News, adding, one of my other kids also sent me the same picture, and I knew they had a game coming up. I was thinking, 'If there's kids playing basketball, this is not enough for him.
PoliticsReutersTexas rejects hundreds of mail ballot applications under new voting limits
Texas election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications, abiding by a new Republican-backed law just weeks before a March 1 primary kicks off this year's U.S. election cycle. "My friends, this is what voter suppression looks like," Democrat Dana DeBeauvoir, the Travis County clerk, told reporters on Tuesday. The county, home to the state capital Austin, invalidated approximately 300 applications because people failed to meet the law's stricter identification requirements, said DeBeauvoir, who retires at month's end.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverThis historic estate is on brink of destruction in Virginia — unless a buyer steps up
An estate in Great Falls, Virginia, with a rich history is set to be destroyed if a buyer doesn't step up to save it. Cornwell Farm, an estate that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the farm's website, is on the market for $3.7 million. The farm's historic roots can be traced to the 1800s when the Jackson family accumulated hundreds of acres of land in the area, GeorgetownPike.org said.
ScienceBGRThis is the most detailed 3D map of the universe ever made, and it’s mesmerizing
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (or DESI for short) has created the largest 3D map of the universe we've ever seen. DESI created the map over the course of seven months.
WorldYahoo TVSenator says Putin invading Ukraine 'could end up leading to Russia’s downfall'
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, Tuesday, where he addressed the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as Russia now reportedly has hundreds of thousands of troops posted at the Ukrainian border. Though Russia invaded Crimea, a pro-Russia area of Ukraine, in 2014 with little push-back, Murphy said things would go much differently if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to invade. There is going to be continued U.S. assistance, assistance to an army that's ready to fight and a population that is not just going to let Russia march into the center of Ukraine,” Murphy said.
U.S.INSIDERTikTok creators are criticizing the media and the public for a lack of attention on Lauren Smith-Fields, a Black woman who was found dead after a Bumble date
The 23-year-old was found dead by an unidentified man, her family told Winchester News 12, describing the man as an "older white man" whom Smith-Fields met on the dating app Bumble. Smith-Fields' family told the outlet they had been left with several unanswered questions about her death. Now, TikTokers are criticizing the lack of media coverage and public attention on Smith-Fields, a Black woman, and comparing it to the attention Gabby Petito, a white woman, received when she went missing in September.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderDozens of former Trump officials including John Kelly and Stephanie Grisham are formulating plans to thwart their former boss in 2022 and 2024
Dozens of former Trump staffers had a conference call to figure out how to thwart him, CNN reports. The call was said to have included John Kelly, Anthony Scaramucci, and Alyssa Farah Griffin. Stephanie Grisham had said the goal was to "do some things to try and stop" the ex-president.
PoliticsAssociated PressIn unusual move, Gov. DeSantis submits redistricting map
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. Governors typically do not submit map proposals but can veto district plans after they pass in the statehouse.
“Cooking is the No. 1 way you’re polluting your home … You’re basically living in this toxic soup.”
“People (myself included) like cooking with gas! It’s one of the few energy uses that inspires brand loyalty to the fuel consumed.”
“It’s time to start making new buildings all-electric and switching out all those existing gas appliances, including gas stoves.”
“If you're looking for personal ways to protect the environment and your health right now, you have much bigger fish to fry.”
“Market-based solutions have not achieved their desired goals, thus new ways of thinking need to emerge.”