PoliticsAxiosBiden says $1,400 stimulus payments can start going out this month
President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.
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Australia says inquiry spurred by rape allegations to report findings in November
An independent inquiry into the workplace culture of Australia's Parliament launched after several rape allegations involving staff members of the ruling Liberal party will report its findings by November, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said on Friday. Three female employees of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Liberal party last month said they had been raped by the same man in 2019 and 2020. So far, one of the alleged victims has lodged a complaint with police after first going public with her accusation, without naming the man.
U.S.Associated PressPolice: Texas rapper dead in interstate shooting in Georgia
A shooting on Interstate 85 in suburban Atlanta has claimed the life of a rising Texas rap artist, one of three interstate shootings in the metro area in two days, authorities said Saturday. Rapper Corey Detiege, who performed under the stage name Chucky Trill, died at an area hospital after Friday's predawn shooting, police in suburban Gwinnett County said. Collin Flynn, a department spokesman, said someone pulled up beside Detiege's car and opened fire around 3 a.m. Friday, WSB TV reported. Ditiege, 33, was from Sugar Land, Texas.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 7 Best Refrigerators on the Market, According to Kitchen Designers
Quality food preservation, storage space, and good-looking design are priorities among kitchen designers when it comes to refrigerators Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsReutersA day after forcing marathon bill reading, Johnson says 'preference' to leave Senate
The day after he single-handedly delayed the U.S. Senate's debate on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill for 11 hours, Republican Senator Ron Johnson said on Friday that he could retire from office when his term expires. The two-term Republican told Wisconsin media outlets that he has not decided whether to run for reelection in 2022 but added that not seeking another term is "probably my preference now." Political analysts say his seat could be vulnerable to Democrats next year.
U.S.Miami HeraldFort Lauderdale male escort sentenced to 21 months in prison for under-reporting income
A Fort Lauderdale male escort Friday was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income to the federal government. Jami Kopacz, 46, admitted that he filed a false tax return in 2018, but he was ordered to pay $278,325 in back taxes to the IRS on the unreported income from his escort business over four years. Kopacz, who faced up to three years in prison, was given a shorter sentence by U.S. District Judge Roy Altman because he accepted responsibility, promised to repay the IRS and is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney's Office in an ongoing investigation of South Florida's escort industry, according to his plea agreement.
U.S.NBC NewsUtah man falls to his death from Angels Landing at Zion National Park
A Utah man has died after falling off Angels Landing at Zion National Park, according to authorities. The body of Jason Hartwell, 43, of Draper, was found Friday morning at the base of the summit. A park rescue team began searching for him Thursday afternoon after visitors reported that a person had fallen off the landing, a National Park Service press release states.
PoliticsReutersTrump demands three Republican groups stop raising money off his name
Former President Donald Trump has clashed again with his Republican Party, demanding that three Republican groups stop using his name and likeness for fundraising, a Trump adviser said on Saturday. The adviser, confirming a report in Politico, said lawyers for Trump on Friday had sent cease-and-desist letters to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Campaign and National Republican Senate Campaign, asking them to stop using his name and likeness on fundraising emails and merchandise.
HealthThe StateDoes restaurant dining lead to rises in COVID case and death rates? CDC finds out
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday found that community requirements that support mask use during the pandemic play a large role in county-level COVID-19 case and death growth rates, particularly when it comes to restaurant dining. An analysis of mask mandates and restaurant reopenings in all U.S. counties from March to December 2020 found that significant drops in daily coronavirus cases and death growth rates occurred within 20 days of implementing mask use. Meanwhile, jumps in daily COVID-19 case growth rates were observed starting 40 days after restaurant dining reopened — in which people do not wear masks — while daily death growth rates spiked 60 days after allowing on-site dining.
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Biden's aid package reaches Senate, debate delayed after 628-page bill read in full
The Senate voted on Thursday to take up President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, but put off the start of a contentious debate until the full text of the 628-page bill was read aloud.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionAbcarian: Joe Biden levels an innocuous insult and his Trump-loving, mask-hating critics go wild
“It is now time to open Texas, 100%,” a maskless Gov. Greg Abbott announced at a Mexican restaurant in Lubbock, where the only person wearing a mask seemed to be the news photographer who was shooting the event. There were so many ways that President Biden could have criticized Abbott — along with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who also lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in his state. Biden, who had met with Abbott in Houston several days earlier to discuss federal assistance after the deadly winter storms that crippled Texas (and also to visit a mass vaccination site), could have said that Abbott and Reeves were anti-scientific, or politically opportunistic, or just plain dumb for ignoring the advice of public health officials.
U.S.Miami HeraldDCF employee and her husband charged with sexually battering a 13-year-old girl, cops say
A Department of Children and Families employee and her husband are accused of repeatedly sexually battering a 13-year-old girl over a period of 10 months, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Sarah Adams, 34, was arrested Tuesday on charges of sexual battery on a minor, lewd and lascivious battery, child neglect and failure to report suspected child abuse, deputies said. Her husband, Thomas Adams, 33, was arrested that same day on two counts of sexual battery of a minor and single counts of lewd and lascivious battery and using a computer to solicit a child, deputies said.
U.S.INSIDERA Texas middle school student said he was forced to drink urine by teammates at a sleepover. His mom called the bullying racially motivated.
Florida police are investigating allegations of a student being bullied at a Texas middle school. In a viral video, Summer Smith posted on Facebook that other students forced her son to drink urine. Florida police are investigating allegations of a student being bullied at Haggard Middle School in Plano, Texas.
PoliticsNBC NewsTrump sends cease-and-desist letters to GOP campaign committees
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump sent cease-and-desist letters Friday to three Republican organizations asking them to stop using the former president's name and likeness in fundraising appeals and merchandise, a Trump adviser said Saturday. The letters were sent to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senate Committee — arms of the party tasked with raising money and shaping messaging, among other things, for the midterm elections and beyond. Since Trump left office, the committees have repeatedly referenced him in emails asking for donations, hoping to use the president's popularity among some segments of the party to bolster their war chest as they work to win back control of the House and Senate in 2022.
PoliticsPoliticoWith No Votes to Spare, Biden Gets a Win Obama and Clinton Would Have Envied
The Senate just passed the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill—one of the biggest emergency spending packages in history, targeted to the poor and the middle class. But despite full Democratic control of Congress and the White House, it came with significant omissions from the wish list of Democratic priorities: no $15 minimum wage, lower jobless benefits, a tighter income limit for the checks. With just 50 senators and no Republicans crossing the line, President Joe Biden and his party had to bow to their most conservative members.
U.S.The Daily BeastTrump State Dept. Aide Accused of Beating Cops During Riot Is Already Hating Prison
A Trump appointee, who was still employed at the State Department when he allegedly bashed police at the U.S. Capitol with a riot shield and egged on a crowd of insurrectionists, has been arrested for his role on Jan. 6. Federico Klein, a 42-year-old State Department staff assistant with top security clearance, is facing a slew of charges, including unlawful entry and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The New York Times. Prosecutors allege Klein, who also worked on Trump's 2016 campaign, “physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line” before assaulting one officer with a riot shield—and using that stolen police equipment to wedge open a door into the Capitol to allow insurrectionists inside.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough says there's 'no doubt' that the GOP is 'unsavable'
Joe Scarborough said on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" that the Republican Party was "unsavable." Scarborough, who served in the US House as a Republican, now identifies as an independent. "What issues does this guy share with conservatives?" Scarborough said of former President Trump.
U.S.INSIDERA Missouri pastor is reportedly seeking 'professional counseling' after he told women to lose weight and strive to be like Melania Trump for their husbands
Missouri pastor Stewart-Allen Clark in a February sermon encouraged women to stay slim for their husbands. Clark used first lady Melania Trump as an example during his sermon before warning, "don't let yourself go." Local outlet KCTV reported he has taken a leave of absence and is seeking counseling.
WorldThe IndependentTucker Carlson calls QAnon supporters ‘gentle’ patriots a week after suggesting the conspiracy didn’t exist
Tucker Carlson appeared to change his tune on supporters of the false QAnon conspiracy theory during his primetime show on Friday, describing them as “gentle people waving American flags” following the Capitol insurrection. The Fox News host said QAnon supporters “like this country” and suggested some were “maybe kind of confused with the wrong ideas” while referring to the entirely inaccurate conspiracy theory, which claims former President Donald Trump is defending the world from a wealthy network of child predators, conveniently including his apparent political enemies, like Hillary Clinton, while ignoring his own friends and allies. “Do you ever notice how all the scary internet conspiracy theorists – the radical QAnon people – when you actually see them on camera or in jail cells, as a lot of them now are, are maybe kind of confused with the wrong ideas, but they're all kind of gentle people now waving American flags?” he asked during his opening show on Friday, adding: “They like this country.”
U.S.The New York TimesFBI Finds Contact Between Proud Boys Member and Trump Associate Before Riot
A member of the far-right nationalist Proud Boys was in communication with a person associated with the White House in the days just before the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. Location, cellular and call record data revealed a call tying a Proud Boys member to the Trump White House, the official said. The FBI has not determined what they discussed, and the official would not reveal the names of either party.
U.S.Business InsiderAmerica's oldest college debate society votes to strip Ted Cruz of a prestigious Princeton honor for public service
Princeton's American Whig-Cliosphic Society voted to strip Sen. Ted Cruz of a public service award. Cruz is facing criticism for his role in the insurrection on January 6 and an ill-timed Cancun trip. America's oldest collegiate debate society has voted to strip Sen. Ted Cruz of its highest honor, according to The Daily Princetonian.
PoliticsUSA TODAYSenate passes Biden’s COVID relief bill along party lines, sending legislation with $1,400 stimulus checks to House
The Democratic-controlled Senate Saturday overcame Republican roadblocks and a debate that lasted beyond 24 hours to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package which would provide millions of Americans with $1,400 direct payments, billions of dollars for vaccine distribution, and funds to help reopen schools and colleges. The final vote was 50-49 with all Republicans voting against the measure and all members of the Senate Democratic caucus supporting it. "It's been a long day, a long night, a long year, But a new day has come," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
CelebrityThe TelegraphMeghan, Duchess of Sussex 'called all the PR shots', say royal sources despite Oprah interview claims she was gagged
The Duchess of Sussex “called all the shots” when it came to managing her own media, royal sources have said, casting doubt on her claim she could not be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey three years ago. Multiple royal sources have told The Telegraph the 39-year-old former actress “had full control” over her media interviews and had personally forged relationships not only with Ms Winfrey, but other powerful industry figures including Vogue editor Edward Enninful. In a teaser clip released from the Sussexes's interview with the US chat show host, due to be aired in the US on Sunday, the Duchess said it felt “liberating” to be able to speak and accused the Royal family of effectively gagging her and taking away that choice.
U.S.INSIDERA judge questioned the 'QAnon Shaman' about his '60 Minutes+' interview that was billed to the jail as a call with his lawyer
A federal judge questioned the "QAnon Shaman" and his lawyer over a "60 Minutes+" interview. The judge asked whether the lawyer attempted "subterfuge" in arranging the interview. A federal judge on Friday questioned the self-described "QAnon Shaman" and his lawyer following his appearance this week on 60 Minutes+, pressing them about whether they went through the necessary channels to set up an interview.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSenate shatters record with longest vote in history as Democrats negotiated the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill
A Friday vote on Capitol Hill became the longest vote in the Senate's modern history. The vote on a Sanders-backed minimum wage amendment was held open for 11 hours and 50 minutes. The extended open vote was attributed to a Democratic scramble to get votes for future amendments.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”