PoliticsYahoo NewsAs his voting rights proposal stalls, will Joe Manchin's dreams of bipartisanship ever come true?
Sen. Joe Manchin's latest attempt at bipartisanship — a compromise on voting rights legislation — has again received a cold shoulder from the Republicans he's attempting to win over. This week, the West Virginia Democrat circulated a three-page memo outlining his proposal for a bill that would eliminate partisan gerrymandering and increase early voting but would also require voter ID, a favorite provision of the GOP. Manchin wrote last month that he felt that “partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy.” Manchin has repeatedly touted the importance of bipartisanship, whether it's tied to COVID-19 relief, infrastructure, voting rights or a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S.Miami HeraldHis bagel didn’t have cream cheese, so he pulled gun on a police chief’s daughter, cops say
While working her job at Starbucks, the daughter of Miami Gardens' police chief was allegedly threatened with a gun over an order mix-up — the gunman was given his bagel without cream cheese, police say. Chief Delma Noel-Pratt told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 in an interview that the experience traumatized her 23-year-old daughter. “As a mother I am very concerned,” Noel-Pratt told the station.
WorldThe TelegraphViolence shatters Pakistani elite as thousands protest 'illegal' land grab
For those fortunate enough to own a home in a Bahria Town development, the elite suburb promises to offer a respite from the clamour of life in much of Pakistan. Prospective residents from Karachi are lured with assurances that they can swap the blackouts, floods and rubbish heaps of the port metropolis for a luxury lifestyle in a manicured architectural fantasia. While Pakistan is often gripped by political and religious protests, the rich are rarely targeted - and the violent intrusion in Bahria Town has shaken elite Pakistani society beyond its gates.
WorldThe TelegraphUS scales back missile deployment in the Middle East
The Biden administration has started cutting back its anti-missile systems in the Middle East as it refocuses its military strategy. According to the Wall Street Journal the Pentagon has started withdrawing eight Patriot missile systems from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Also being withdrawn is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or Thaad system, currently in Saudi Arabia.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverOfficers who fatally shot NC man at home won’t face charges, special prosecutor says
Two Mooresville police officers who fatally shot Chris Craven last summer after they say he pulled a gun — an account disputed by the dead man's wife — will not face criminal charges, a special prosecutor announced Friday. In a statement, Randolph County District Attorney Andy Gregson said officers Alexander Arndt and Christopher Novelli reasonably feared for their lives when they fired dozens of shots with high-powered rifles at Craven during an Aug. 2 confrontation outside his Mooresville home. “It is clear from all of the evidence that at the time Officers Arndt and Novelli fired their duty rifles they were presented with an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury from the actions of Mr. Craven,” Gregson said in summarizing the findings of a State Bureau of Investigation report.
WorldBBCIndia Covid pandemic: Girl, 5, reunited with mother in Australia
Through a Facebook support group dedicated to Australians stuck in India, they were introduced to a couple - Linda and Joby - who were planning to move to Sydney themselves, and offered to accompany Johannah on the flight. "We got to know Linda over some weeks, and we trusted them," Drisya said, adding, "They both took care of my child, it was so nice of them, we would like to express our gratitude to them." Linda and Joby also accompanied a second child on the Qatar flight, who was about the same age as Johannah.
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Prosecutors seek 'very substantial' prison time for Michael Avenatti over attempted extortion of Nike
Prosecutors on Wednesday urged a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
WorldThe TelegraphRumours swirl that China’s top spycatcher has defected to the US
Rumours abounded on Friday night that China's top spycatcher had defected to the US, amid a growing focus in Washington on the theory that Covid-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Dong Jingwei, vice minister of state security, was reported to have flown from Hong Kong to the US in February with his daughter. There was no confirmation of the rumoured development from either the US or China.
WorldThe TelegraphUS will be able to keep embassy in Afghanistan after Turkey agrees to secure airport
Turkey will secure the Afghan capital's airport after American troops withdraw, in an agreement designed to help the US, Britain and others to keep their embassies open. Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, told Joe Biden that his nation would take a lead role to safeguard the air link out of an increasingly beleaguered Kabul. Contingency plans to continue the safety of the airport had become a priority for diplomats working out how to operate after US troops leave by September.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanIdaho finally compensates first exonerated death-row inmate. Here’s what he got
After more than 18 years in prison and two decades spent without being formally declared innocent of the charges against him, 72-year-old Charles Fain received a declaration of innocence from the state of Idaho last week and compensation on Thursday. “Today we say we're sorry as a society,” said Sen. Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg, at a press conference at the Statehouse on Thursday. Ricks and Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, sponsored the Idaho Wrongful Conviction Act, which Gov. Brad Little signed into law in March.
BusinessMiami HeraldFederal judge throws out CDC’s cruise safety regulations, handing win to DeSantis
A federal judge threw out U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety rules for cruise companies operating in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a 124-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday of the Middle District of Florida said the agency's “conditional sail order” — a framework of regulations dictating how cruises can restart in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic — can remain in place for Florida cruises only until July 18, granting DeSantis' request for a preliminary injunction while the full case moves forward. After July 18, the rules will become non-binding recommendations for cruise companies as they are for other industries.
PoliticsThe StateAlex Murdaugh was ‘authorized’ as a volunteer for the Solicitor’s Office, letter says
Alex Murdaugh, a prominent Hampton lawyer who told police he discovered the bodies of his wife and son on June 7, was “authorized as a volunteer” for the 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, according to a letter obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. Almost two weeks after the killings of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, Duffie Stone, 14th Circuit Solicitor, still refuses to say what role his office is playing in the investigation. “It would be unethical for our office to be involved in prosecuting or sorting out the facts of any case in which material witnesses, potential defendants or victims have a familial relationship with someone in our office,” Jeff Kidd, spokesperson for the 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, wrote in 2019.
WorldThe TelegraphKim Jong-un says ready for negotiations with US as food shortages bite
Kim Jong-un has declared that North Korea should be ready for negotiations with the United States, striking an unusually conciliatory note amid a growing economic crisis that has led to dire shortages of fuel and food. The dictator's comments come just days after the United States and others urged the totalitarian regime to abandon its nuclear program and return to talks. Speaking at a meeting on the ruling Workers' Party on Friday, the North Korean leader “stressed the need to get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation,” according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
WorldThe TelegraphTory MP Imran Ahmad Khan accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy
A Tory MP is facing trial accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, it can now be revealed. Imran Ahmad Khan, 47, the Conservative MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is alleged to have groped the teenager in Staffordshire. Mr Ahmad Khan, who was elected at the 2019 general election, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday by video-link from his lawyers' office.
WorldBBCApple Daily: Hong Kong police raid sparks rush on newspapers
People in Hong Kong have queued up to buy copies of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily a day after its newsroom was raided by police. The raid on the newspaper came as two of its executives were charged under Hong Kong's controversial new national security law. Editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung were the two charged.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCatholic Bishops took another step towards denying Biden from receiving communion while he supports abortion rights
Catholic Bishops voted to advance guidance that would reproach Biden for receiving communion. The document is in response to Biden's support of abortion rights as a policy matter. Biden, a practicing Catholic who regularly attends Mass, is the second Catholic president.
U.S.Miami HeraldDemocrat Nikki Fried files complaint against former Trump attorney’s organization
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Friday said her office has filed a formal complaint against a charity run by Sidney Powell, a former attorney who joined President Donald Trump's legal team and spewed false voter fraud claims about the 2020 election. In the complaint, Fried alleges the organization — Defending the Republic — has not registered with the state and is deceptively asking for contributions by telling consumers that it is, in fact, registered. Fried, a Democrat challenging Trump ally Gov. Ron DeSantis for governor in 2022, denied that the complaint is politically motivated.
WorldThe TelegraphBrussels takes heat out of sausage trade war in Northern Ireland
Brussels has signalled it could back down and avert a trade war with the UK as on Friday it welcomed the Government's request for a three-month extension for British sausages to be sold in Northern Ireland. Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president, told an audience in Bruges that he was "convinced there is still a window for productive political dialogue" before the ban on chilled meats comes into effect in July. His comments came 24 hours after it was confirmed that Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, had formally requested that the EU agree to extend the grace period to allow the trade to continue until Sept 30.
U.S.The StateTeen sleeping in hammock at 12:30 a.m attacked by large bear in Great Smoky Mountains
A 16-year-old girl was attacked by a bear in the Great Smoky Mountains early Friday, prompting the National Park Service to close a back country section to visitors. The attack happened at 12:30 a.m., as the teen was sleeping in a hammock in the the Crosby section of the park, officials said. “The family was able to drive the bear off from the area immediately after the attack and quickly notified the park's emergency communications center,” the National Park Service said.
U.S.The WeekMark Meadows reportedly predicted 'nobody is going to care' about George Floyd's killing
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows reportedly initially dismissed the idea that George Floyd's killing would dominate the news and generate nationwide outrage in May 2020, instead thinking "nobody" would care. That's according to a new excerpt published in Politico Friday from reporter Michael C. Bender's book Frankly, We Did Win this Election, which details a West Wing meeting the morning after Memorial Day in 2020. The scheduled topic was the COVID-19 pandemic, but adviser Jared Kushner, who appeared "distracted" and "aloof," reportedly interrupted the discussion to bring up the video starting to spread of Floyd's killing at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
PoliticsKansas City StarSwamp 101: Joe Manchin asks billionaire donors to get Roy Blunt to do their bidding
This is Swamp 101, but instructive all the same: An audio recording has surfaced of Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin asking billionaire donors to lean on Republican Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt to change his vote on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection commission. That's important in itself, he said, but would also accomplish a very different goal, and one the donors on the call care about a lot: Their implied IOU of future opportunities for Blunt, Manchin suggested, could help neutralize the Democrats' best argument for doing away with the filibuster. Since Republicans oppose anything and everything the Democrats want to do, Rs could preserve the filibuster by proving Ds wrong about that.
WorldThe TelegraphItaly at crisis point as Mediterranean migrant numbers surge nine-fold
Italy's government is under huge pressure to staunch the arrivals of migrants from the coast of North Africa as the country recorded a nine-fold increase in the number of asylum seekers reaching its shores since 2019. Latest figures show the migration landscape shifting, with many more attempts to reach Spain and Italy than Greece, which has adopted hardline policies. On Friday, Greece's migration minister said the government had adopted the measures so “we don't send the wrong message of incentivising people to come”.
U.S.Miami HeraldA swimmer in the Gulf was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then came the shark
A state park in northwest Florida on the Gulf was on high alert Thursday after a swimmer was bitten by a shark. According to a Tweet from South Walton Fire District, an emergency crew was summoned to Grayton Beach State Park in Seaside sometime in the afternoon after calls came in about the attack. SWFD responded to a report of a shark attack off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park Thursday afternoon.
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Justice Dept. sends letter to Missouri governor, says state can’t void federal gun laws
The Justice Department warned Missouri officials that the state can't ignore federal law after the governor signed a bill last week that bans police from enforcing federal gun rules.
PoliticsIdaho StatesmanGov. Little, Idaho tax dollars belong in Idaho, not on a fool’s errand at Mexico border
Gov. Brad Little, don't spend Idaho taxpayer dollars on sending “law enforcement” to the Mexico border. Little on Thursday announced he would answer the call from Texas and Arizona Republican governors for help to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by sending “states' law enforcement agencies” to the border. Don't we have better things to spend Idaho taxpayer money on?
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”