PoliticsYahoo NewsAmerica is about to hit a 'vaccine wall' as demand drops — with or without Johnson & Johnson
When U.S. officials temporarily paused the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday to warn patients and providers of an “extremely rare” blood clotting issue that has so far affected just six of the millions of Americans who have received the vaccine — all six of them women ages 18 to 48 — many observers worried the abrupt move would stop a substantial number of Americans from getting vaccinated. Because even before the J&J news, the U.S. was already approaching a “vaccine wall” — the point at which supply outstrips demand, the country's rapid pace of vaccination starts to slow down and every American who wants a shot can easily get whatever shot they want, whether it's Pfizer, Moderna or the one-and-done J&J.
PoliticsThe WeekWhy Trump's insistent dominance of the Republican Party could be a real 'gift' to Biden
President Biden isn't exactly coated in political Teflon, but he's "well regarded by voters" and "even Donald Trump, the Triumph the Insult Comic Dog of electoral politics, has had troubles landing a punch," Sam Stein writes at Tuesday's Politico Nightly. "Biden's perceived benignness — the difficulty in actually getting people to despise the guy" — is one reason, he argues, but the other big factor is Trump himself.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramToddler found walking alone near highway while mom dined with friend, Texas police say
Dominique Edwards was driving home late Tuesday when he saw something he won't soon forget — a 2-year-old toddling along the feeder road to North Freeway in Harris County. Police arrived to take the girl then started checking nearby hotels, according to KTRK. An 8-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother were asleep inside, KHOU reported.
WorldThe Telegraph'Denmark is waging psychological war': Trauma for Syrian refugees facing controversial deportation
"He kills us with missiles directly," she says of Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad. "But the Danish government is waging a psychological war. Ms al-Natoor is one of dozens of Syrian refugees who have been told their temporary residency in the seemingly progressive haven of Denmark has been revoked.
WorldReutersTurkish, Greek foreign ministers trade accusations at news conference
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece clashed openly on Thursday at a joint news conference in Ankara that began with hopes of improved relations but quickly descended into acrimonious accusations from both sides. Seeking to ease months of tensions over territorial disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the first visit by either side since their navies came close to fighting last year. However an initially cordial atmosphere at a media appearance following the meetings turned sour as Dendias said violations of Greek sovereignty would be met by sanctions and Cavusoglu rejected his comments as "unacceptable".
U.S.Associated PressGrowers fret as Mexico moves to legalize marijuana
For the first time that María can remember, half of her marijuana harvest is still in storage on her ranch in Mexico's Sinaloa state months after it should have been sold. Sitting in her wooden house tucked into the same mountains that produced some of the world's most notorious drug traffickers, including Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the 44-year-old mother of four thinks she knows why: expectations Mexico will soon legalize marijuana. “It has never happened to us where we harvest and have it (stored) in sacks,” said María, who asked that her full name not be used and her exact location not be revealed because in the mountains surrounding Badiraguato, where organized crime controls everything, misspeaking can be dangerous.
U.S.Reuters'Not afraid to shoot': Migration raises tension in Texas border town
Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez is worried. More migrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border near Del Rio, Texas than Martinez recalls in his 13 years as Val Verde County Sheriff. Last month, he said, a resident fired his gun to scare a group of migrants walking on the outskirts of town; nearby schools were locked down in response.
U.S.USA TODAYNo apology owed for pepper-spraying Black and Latino Army officer in Virginia, police chief says
While he said he felt bad for how the events of a traffic-stop late last year unfolded, the police chief of the town where a Black and Latino military officer from Petersburg, Virginia, was accosted by two of his officers said Wednesday that he does not think the soldier is in need of an official apology. In response, Army Lt. Caron Nazario's legal team said Windsor Police Department Chief Rodney D. Riddle "continues a false narrative" of the case and blaming their client for initiating it. "I'm gonna own what we did," Riddle said about the stop during a news conference Wednesday in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, community where Nazario was stopped last December while on his way home.
U.S.Associated PressJudge: R. Kelly to be moved to NYC for sex-trafficking trial
A federal judge gave the green light Thursday to move jailed R&B singer R. Kelly to New York City to go on trial this summer after several delays. Kelly has been held in Chicago, where he's facing a potential second trial in the fall in a separate federal case related to a sprawling sex crimes investigation. The trial in Brooklyn federal court had been put off because of the pandemic.
ScienceReuters'Like Godzilla, but actually real': study shows T. rex numbered 2.5 billion
If one Tyrannosaurus rex - the school bus-sized meat-eating dinosaur that stalked the Cretaceous Period landscape - seems impressive, how about 2.5 billion of them? Researchers on Thursday unveiled the first calculation of the total T. rex population during the estimated 2.4 million years that this fearsome species inhabited western North America during the twilight of the age of dinosaurs. They considered factors including the size of its geographic range, its body mass, growth pattern, age at sexual maturity, life expectancy, duration of a single generation and the total time that T. rex existed before extinction 66 million years ago.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestShop Troye Sivan’s Eclectic Home Style
Take a page out of the stylish young star's book, from must-have splurges to affordable accessories Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressThailand's daily COVID infections hit record, topping 1,300
Thailand reported more than 1,300 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, setting another daily record and adding pressure on the government to speed up a nearly nonexistent vaccination drive and do more to control a surge that comes amid mass travel as the country celebrates its traditional New Year festival. The 1,335 new infections brings the number of new cases to nearly 7,000 since April 1, when a cluster linked to nightclubs and bars in central Bangkok was found. Most of the new cases reported Wednesday were yet again in Bangkok, but also seeing hefty increases were the northern province of Chiang Mai and the southern seaside province of Prachuap Khiri Khan.
U.S.Miami HeraldWhen you find a gator in the house and have a mop handy, there’s only one thing to do
On April 11, Powers posted a Facebook Live video, marked it “gator shenanigans” and has seen the thing go viral. You'd think the little gator would have preferred the wet grass outside and the nearby pond to the wet mop Powers was wielding while streaming her video, but gators have their own minds. “I don't want to hurt it,” Powers says as she nudges the mop closer to the intruder who was, by now, in a corner and hissing and biting at the nagging Swiffer mop handle.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMatt Gaetz teased a 'fight back' ad, trying to shift attention from sex-trafficking allegations by alleging that CNN is out to get him
Matt Gaetz tweeted an ad due to air in a self-styled fightback after allegations against him. Gaetz was accused of trafficking teenagers and paying for sex, which he strongly denies. Rep. Matt Gaetz is planning to push back at allegations he was involved in sex trafficking via an ad campaign targeting CNN, according to reports.
U.S.LA TimesLong Beach wants to help Biden house immigrant children. But are city leaders in over their heads?
When the White House called Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia last week to ask if his city would help house unaccompanied immigrant children recently arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, he didn't hesitate. It was personal for Garcia, who emigrated with his family from Peru to the U.S. at 5 years old. The 43-year-old up-and-coming progressive politician empathized with the immigrant children and wanted to help the Biden administration avert a humanitarian crisis.
U.S.The IndependentDaunte Wright protester shows CNN his can of soup, mocking 2020 Trump comments
Donald Trump's strange prophecy of weaponised soup appeared to become a reality on Wednesday night, thanks to one of the people protesting over Daunte Wright's death in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. I've been here all four nights. I'm just standing here today with soup for my family,” the protester told cnn >CNN's Sara Sidner, winking at the camera.
PoliticsKansas City StarMissouri House rejects Rick Roeber’s resignation, buying time to finish investigation
The Missouri House rejected the resignation of Rep. Rick Roeber on Thursday after lawmakers investigating allegations of abuse against the Lee's Summit Republican said they needed time to finish their inquiry. The House voted 153-0 to postpone acceptance of Roeber's resignation, which he offered earlier this week amid meetings of the House Ethics Committee. Roeber's resignation letter did not address the accusations against him, saying simply that he would be moving out-of-state with his fiance.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
U.S. sanctions Russia, expels diplomats over hacking, interference
The Biden administration on Thursday announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and sanctions against nearly three dozen people and companies as it moved to hold the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPelosi mocked Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad in a new book by talking like a baby: 'See how perfect I am and how pure?'
Nancy Pelosi criticized the "Squad" as posing as "perfect" and "pure" progressives, a new book says. USA Today's Susan Page said Pelosi told her some members "pose for holy pictures" while others legislate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the left-wing "Squad" as posing as "perfect" and "pure" progressives and rejecting the compromise necessary to achieve legislative results, a new book says.
LifestyleMiami HeraldRoaches at a Miami Carvel, 180 pieces of rodent poop in Davie among restaurant shut downs
During the re-inspection, the inspector saw “approximately 40 dead roaches inside reach in coolers and all over the floor in the establishment including prep areas, walk-in cooler entrance, and front counter.... approximately three live roaches crawling by a reach-in freezer located at the front counter. Carvel passed re-re-inspection on Friday.
U.S.The Daily BeastPat Robertson—Yes, Pat Robertson—Lashes Out at Cops: ‘They’ve Got to Stop This Stuff!’
Ultra-conservative evangelical leader Pat Robertson delivered a surprisingly searing rant about the recent “onslaught” of police violence, blasting former officers Kim Potter and Derek Chauvin while saying cops have “got to stop this stuff.” During his 700 Club broadcast on Thursday, Robertson and co-host Terry Meeuwsen discussed the shooting death of Daunte Wright, noting that Potter—who has been charged with manslaughter—has claimed that she confused her pistol and Taser when she shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop. Using plastic models of the two weapons, Robertson and Meeuwsen demonstrated the difference in size and weight between the sidearm and Taser, prompting Robertson to say there's “no comparison” between the two.
WorldThe TelegraphPrince Philip requested Action Stations to be sounded by Royal Marines near end of funeral
Action Stations will be sounded by the Royal Marines towards the end of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral at his specific request, Buckingham Palace has revealed. The naval call, which is given at sea to prepare Royal Navy vessels for combat, will be performed by the Buglers of the Royal Marines. It is not often heard at funerals, although anyone connected to the Royal Navy can request it.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden called George W. Bush before he announced his Afghanistan troop withdrawal plan - but neither said whether Bush supported it
President Joe Biden called George W. Bush to discuss his plan to pull US troops out of Afghanistan. Biden didn't say if Bush supported the decision to end the war that started during his presidency. Biden also spoke with former President Barack Obama by phone before announcing the decision.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Sedition Caucus’ Josh Hawley under fire for ‘bizarre’ and ‘shameless’ photo shoot with Capitol police
Missouri senator Josh Hawley has been criticised for a “bizarre and shameless” photoshoot praising his state's National Guard members who are currently supporting police officers guarding the US Capitol. On his Twitter account on Wednesday, Mr Hawley posted a picture of him posing in solidarity with members of the Missouri National Guard, who are helping protect the Capitol following the riots on 6 January. “Honored to meet with the @Missouri_NG 220th Engineer Construction Company who've been proudly supporting Capitol Police,” the senator tweeted on Wednesday alongside a photo of him standing in solidarity with the officers.
U.S.Miami HeraldFlorida schools issue a health alert on hairy caterpillars. Here’s what to know
On Wednesday, Seminole County Public Schools posted a Florida Department of Health warning on Twitter to alert parents that some caterpillars could cause nasty rashes that sting, WKMG ClickOrlando reported. The caterpillar in question is the Orgyia leucostigma, also known as the white-marked tussock moth caterpillar. There isn't an outbreak of allergic reactions all of a sudden, like there was in Hillsborough County in 2011 where three clusters of rash illness were linked to the white-marked tussock moth caterpillar at two child care centers and one elementary school in the Tampa area.
“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.”