U.S.Associated PressDeSantis signs Florida's anti-riot bill, cites Chauvin trial
Florida's top Republicans cited events in cities around the country — but not the Jan. 6 riots in Washington — as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday to create tougher penalties for people who participate in violent protests. The so-called anti-riot bill was a response to protests around the country because of police violence against African-Americans. After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, Republicans pushing the legislation used it as an example to support the effort.
U.S.CBS NewsColorado judge resigns after using N-word
A Colorado judge who was censured by the state's Supreme Court after being accused of using racist language with a coworker has resigned. The Colorado Supreme Court said Arapahoe County District Court Judge Natalie T. Chase used the N-word multiple times with a coworker and was racially insensitive on many occasions, according to court documents recommending discipline for Chase and public censure from the Court. The documents detail a 2020 incident in which Chase, a former law clerk and a Family Court Facilitator were driving back to work after attending an event in Pueblo, Colorado.
U.S.NextSharkAsian Woman in SF Followed, Robbed of $16,000 Rolex at Gunpoint
An Asian woman in her 50s was held at gunpoint and robbed of her jewelry -- including a $16,000 Rolex watch -- at San Francisco's Sunset District last October, new surveillance footage shows. The surveillance footage, now under investigation by the San Francisco police, shows two suspects emerging from a white SUV. Lee told ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim that one of her attackers was arrested in Georgia last week.
WorldAxiosNew evidence leads judge to revoke bail for Proud Boy leaders involved in Capitol riot
A federal judge will revoke bail for two leaders of the Proud Boys, a paramilitary right-wing extremist group, after they were released while awaiting trial for their involvement in the Capitol insurrection, Politico reports. Why it matters: The judge said he was swayed by new evidence from prosecutors showing encrypted messages and profanity-laden social media posts from the defendants that vowed violence against lawmakers who planned to certify the election. What they're saying: "The defendants stand charged with seeking to steal one of the crown jewels of our country, in a sense, by interfering with the peaceful transfer of power," Judge Timothy Kelly said about his decision.
U.S.National ReviewPelosi: Waters Should Not Apologize for Urging Protesters to ‘Get More Confrontational’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said she does not believe Representative Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) should apologize for her recent suggestion that protesters should “get more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted. On Saturday, Waters traveled to Brooklyn Center, Minn., to join protests in response to the police shooting of Daunte Wright last week. Speaking just a few miles from where George Floyd died last year after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during his arrest, Waters said she was “going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” and called on others to join her.
PoliticsAssociated PressSupreme Court rejects lingering 2020 election challenge case
The Supreme Court on Monday said it will not hear a case out of Pennsylvania related to the 2020 election, a dispute that had lingered while similar election challenges had already been rejected by the justices. The justices in February, after President Joe Biden's inauguration, had rejected a handful of cases related to the 2020 election. In the case the court rejected Monday, however, the court had called for additional briefing that was not complete until the end of March. The case involved a federal court challenge to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision requiring election officials to receive and count mailed-in ballots that arrived up to three days after the election.
U.S.Lexington Herald-Leader7-year-old girl fatally shot in McDonald’s drive-thru, Illinois police say
A 7-year-old girl was killed and her father was injured after police say gunmen opened fire on their car in a Chicago drive-thru line Sunday. Around 4:20 p.m., Jontae Adams, 28, and his daughter Jaslyn Adams were waiting in a silver Infiniti in a McDonald's drive-thru, police said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A McDonald's worker said two men got out of another car and started firing into the vehicle, WLS reported.
U.S.BBCCape Town fire: Residents evacuated on city's outskirts
South African emergency workers have evacuated three 17-storey residential buildings overlooking Cape Town as a huge fire burns along Table Mountain. The blaze spread quickly after breaking out on Sunday morning near a memorial to politician Cecil Rhodes. A restaurant was destroyed.
WorldAssociated PressCuba's Communist Party chooses Miguel Díaz-Canel as leader
In many ways, Cuba's new maximum leader is nothing like those who have governed the island for the past six decades. Miguel Díaz-Canel was never a guerrilla fighter and was for only a few years, like all Cubans of his generation, a soldier. On Monday, Cuba's Communist Party congress — as expected — chose Díaz-Canel to be its leader, adding that crucial post to the title of president he assumed in 2018.
PoliticsMiami HeraldBackroom legislative deals. DeSantis shouts back at boycott threats - but will he stand down?
The most controversial bill of the legislative session passed last week. HB 1, the “anti-mob” legislation promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and blasted by Democrats as racist, unconstitutional and partisan, It was immediately sent to the governor. He is expected to sign it as soon as today, as the George Floyd trial comes to a close, and it will take effect immediately.
U.S.Business InsiderMarjorie Taylor Greene says she'll introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Maxine Waters for her 'continual incitement of violence'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she'd introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Maxine Waters. Greene said Waters incited violence when she spoke with protesters in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Protests in the city have gone on for a week following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramTexas didn’t see a COVID surge after opening and ending its mask mandate. Here’s why
It's been over a month since Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state's mask mandate and ended business restrictions, but at least for now, Texas has not become the epicenter of a coronavirus surge as some predicted. After Abbott announced COVID-19 restrictions would end on March 10, President Joe Biden called the decision a “big mistake” and that it reflected “Neanderthal thinking. A slew of other political figures thought the decision was premature and a way to distract people from the February winter storm and power outage that killed at least 111 Texans.
LifestyleTODAYNo more fingerprints! How to easily clean stainless steel appliances at home
Cleaning stainless steel can also be tricky. Luckily, TODAY Home found the magic solution: olive oil. It turns out that the versatile oil is an effective cleaner for stainless steel and protector for all your stainless steel woes.
- WorldKGO – San Francisco
Bay Area braces for unrest following Derek Chauvin trial verdict
"Please, please, if you come to Oakland do not destroy our community, we're trying to build this community for the children and families of today and the future."
U.S.The IndependentDerek Chauvin trial: What are the possible outcomes?
Closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chuavin for the killing of George Floyd are about to finish. The 45-year-old is accused of restraining Mr Floyd for over nine minutes over a counterfeit bill, thereby causing the 46-year-old's death in the custody of Minneapolis police. The city was the location of the killing of Mr Floyd in May 2020, and with a final wait for justice imminent, the tension inside the courtroom – and out – is discernible.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe war against Russia's spies just cost Putin billions from a cancelled nuclear contract
Russia announced on Monday the expulsion of at least 20 Czech diplomats in a furious response to the gutting of Moscow's most critical intelligence station in central Europe over the weekend, when Czech authorities accused Russian intelligence of being behind two blasts at an ammunition storage facility in 2014. Czechia has accused a notorious Russian intelligence unit implicated in multiple operations across Europe and the UK of conducting two operations in 2014 that led to explosions at a munitions factory in 2014. At the time, the ammunition was said to be headed for Russia's rivals in Ukraine.
PoliticsUSA TODAYWhite House backpedals after Biden refers to a 'crisis' at the border
The White House backtracked after President Joe Biden referred to the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border as a "crisis" over the weekend, arguing Monday he meant the conditions in Central America that have led more people to flee. Biden used the word "crisis" – a descriptor his administration has avoided since taking office – on Saturday after a round of golf in Wilmington, Delaware, while speaking to reporters. He was explaining why he initially indicated Friday he would keep a Trump-era cap on refugees in place, only to announce plans to increase the number hours later.
U.S.The IndependentDerek Chauvin trial: When will we have a verdict?
The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, last May, is nearing its end. Closing arguments are set for Monday following three weeks of testimony, from which point the jury can begin deliberating. The jurors will then be sequestered away from the outside world to decide on a verdict, which could take just a few hours or up to several weeks.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe bosses of the Suez Canal say the excavator operator who helped free the Ever Given is getting his overtime pay, plus a bonus
The excavator driver who helped free the Ever Given ought to have been paid, Suez Canal bosses said. Abdullah Abdul-Gawad, a subcontractor, earlier told Insider he was still waiting for overtime money. The Suez Canal Authority said it paid, though Insider couldn't reach Abdul-Gawad's direct employer.
U.S.Kansas City Star1,000-year-old petroglyphs damaged by climbing bolts in Utah, photos show
A 36-year-old climber stood in front of a nearly 5,000-feet-tall rock formation looking to create a new route up when he made a regretful mistake. Richard Gilbert, a climber from Colorado Springs, was in Moab, Utah, in March, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. When Gilbert was visiting in March, he created climbing routes by adding bolts to Sunshine Slabs.
U.S.USA TODAY'Person of interest' arrested after 3 killed in shooting at Kenosha, Wisconsin, bar
Authorities say they arrested a "person of interest" in connection with the shooting that left three men dead at a busy tavern in southeastern Wisconsin early Sunday. According to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, the person in custody will be criminally charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide with additional criminal charges to follow pending further investigation. At least two people were seriously injured, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said, later adding that about 100 officers were looking for suspects.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: White House warns Russia of consequences if Navalny dies as John Kerry apologises for Trump
The White House has warned Russia that “there will be consequences” if Alexei Navalny, a Putin critic, dies in prison, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. This comes after President Joe Biden gave a speech on Thursday about Russia where he failed to mention the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, which angered critics. John Kerry has also apologised for former President Donald Trump's “non-leadership” on the effort to address the climate crisis during his four years as US leader.
BusinessBusiness InsiderFacebook says it will remove content that 'praises, celebrates or mocks George Floyd's death' ahead of Chauvin trial verdict
Ahead of the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Facebook is beefing up content moderation standards. Among those new standards, Facebook "will remove content that praises, celebrates or mocks George Floyd's death," the company said in a blog post on Monday. Floyd died during an interaction with police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
ScienceBusiness InsiderSee the photo from the first helicopter flight on Mars, showing the planet's surface and the Ingenuity drone's shadow
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flew on Mars for the first time Monday, making spaceflight history and proving that aerial exploration is possible on other planets. During the flight, it took the photo above, showing the surface of Mars and its own shadow. This was the first powered controlled flight conducted on another planet.
HealthTODAYSelma Blair recalls moment she knew something was wrong before MS diagnosis
Selma Blair can vividly remember when she knew she might be dealing with a health issue. The “Cruel Intentions” actor, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, says she was appearing in a show for Christian Siriano during New York Fashion Week in February of that year when she noticed she couldn't feel her leg after having experienced similar problems before that she didn't think were serious. It was on that runway, with the thrill of walking in the show, that I suddenly lost feeling in my left leg,” she told Town & Country.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”