PoliticsNBC News'You want to see a temper tantrum?': Arizona Republican sides with Democrats, blocks voting bill
A bill that would stop some voters from getting a ballot automatically mailed to them each election failed unexpectedly in Arizona's state Senate Thursday after a single Republican joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. GOP state Sen. Kelly Townsend explained her surprise "no" vote on the state Senate floor amid a tense episode that saw the senator get into a heated confrontation with the bill's sponsor. "I am for this bill, but I am not voting for it until after the audit," she said, referring to an audit orchestrated by Senate Republicans of ballots in Maricopa County reportedly set to get underway this week and last through mid-May. The audit is a continuation of GOP efforts to question the results of the 2020 election in a state President Joe Biden won by over 10,000 votes.
U.S.The TelegraphGender reveal party prompts fears of 'earthquakes' after US couple detonates 80 pounds of explosives
Explosives used for a gender reveal party in New Hampshire were so loud that residents across state lines thought there was an earthquake. Locals in the Rockingham County area reported the foundations of their homes cracking and walls rocking to police, who located the origin of the blast in a quarry, where a family admitted to holding the gathering. “It was earth-shaking,” a neighbor who lives near Torromeo Industries in Kingston, where the explosives were set off at 7pm EST on Tuesday, told NBC news.
U.S.ReutersA cheerleader's Snapchat profanity gets U.S. Supreme Court's attention
(Reuters) - Two days after Mahanoy Area High School in Pennsylvania held its cheerleading tryouts, ninth-grader Brandi Levy was still fuming about being passed over for a spot on the varsity squad. While a younger girl had been picked for varsity, Levy was facing another year relegated to the junior varsity cheer squad. Levy, age 14 at the time, posted the photo to the Snapchat social media platform, adding a caption using the same curse word four times to voice her displeasure with cheerleading, softball, school and "everything."
WorldArchitectural DigestBookmark These 11 Places on HipCamp for Your Next Outdoor Retreat
A WiFi break? Yes, please Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe TelegraphJapanese man arrested after dating 35 women at the same time in bid to 'get birthday presents'
A Japanese man has been arrested after reportedly dating more than 35 women at the same time. Takashi Miyagawa, a part-time worker, is being investigated for allegedly defrauding dozens of women by pretending he was serious about each of their relationships and receiving hundreds of pounds worth of gifts from them. He was apparently caught out when the women joined forces to create a victims' association after discovering his extensive infidelity and reported him to the police, according to local media.
HealthThe WeekCNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says vaccinated people can generally go maskless outdoors, with some caveats
There's been some heated discussion about whether it's safe, for you and others, to do outdoor activities without wearing a mask. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting together new guidance for vaccinated Americans, CNN's Jake Tapper told chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Thursday evening, but "what does the science say about what the rules should be for people, like us, who are vaccinated?" Gupta said the research shows that fewer than 10 percent of all infections happen outdoors, and the odds of transmitting COVID-19 indoors is 18.7 precent higher than outdoors.
WorldReutersUK parliament declares genocide in China's Xinjiang; Beijing condemns move
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's parliament called on Wednesday for the government to take action to end what lawmakers described as genocide in China's Xinjiang region, stepping up pressure on ministers to go further in their criticism of Beijing. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government again steered clear of declaring genocide over what it says are "industrial-scale" human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang. So far the government has imposed sanctions on some Chinese officials and introduced rules to try to prevent goods linked to the region entering the supply chain, but a majority of lawmakers want ministers to go further.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramCop seen punching teen with autism in California video. ‘Disturbing,’ boy’s dad says
Surveillance video shared by a California dad shows a police officer violently attack a teenager in a residential neighborhood on Wednesday. Adam Wolf says he is worried his 17-year-old son, Preston, who has autism and ADHD, will never trust police officers again. “I am pro police, but I am not pro ABUSE,” Wolf said on Facebook, where he posted the video.
PoliticsAxiosBiden will unveil eye-popping new tax rates for wealthiest Americans
President Biden in the next few days will unveil eye-popping new tax rates for the wealthiest Americans —a top marginal income tax rate of 39.6% and a capital gains rate of 43.4%. Why it matters: The proposal, to be announced ahead of Biden's address to Congress next Wednesday, is an opening bid for Hill negotiations. Practically and politically, the White House needs buy-in from Congress to pay for social spending in the next phase of his plan to reshape the American economy, the American Families Plan.
WorldThe TelegraphWho killed Chad’s warrior king? Macron flies into murder mystery troubling the West
Emmanuel Macron touched down in Chad on Friday to pay his respects to one of France's indispensable African strongman, a warrior king allegedly killed on the battlefield in a murder mystery troubling Western leaders. President Idriss Déby Itno was killed suddenly as he visited his troops facing down a heavily armed Russian-trained rebel force that had made a blitzkrieg dash across the Sahara to capture Chad's capital, N'djamena. The Chadian rebels — the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) — who swept out of Libya some two weeks ago in about 400 to 450 vehicles had fought for years as mercenaries in Libya's Civil War under General Khalifa Haftar.
U.S.Miami HeraldThe biker thought he was getting a ticket. Instead, the deputy gave him a phone number
Largely phased out nationwide, just a few Officer Friendly programs have endured through the millennium, including one by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, according to WFTS Tampa Bay. This story isn't about Officer Friendly, but it is about a friendly officer. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted video of a traffic stop that went in a direction the motorist probably didn't expect.
TechnologyBBCFlubot: Warning over major Android 'package delivery' scam
A text-message scam that infects Android phones is spreading across the UK, experts have warned. The message - which pretends to be from a package delivery firm, prompts users to install a tracking app - but is actually a malicious piece of spyware. Called Flubot, it can take over devices and spy on phones to gather sensitive data, including online banking details.
PoliticsAssociated PressSen. Johnson on others getting shots: 'What do you care?'
Contrary to what medical experts advise, Johnson has said he doesn't need to be vaccinated because he had COVID-19 in the fall. Johnson's comments come as health officials in the U.S. and around the world urge people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible, saying that reaching herd immunity is the best shot at stopping the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Herd immunity occurs when enough people have been vaccinated or have immunity from natural infection that the virus can't easily spread and the pandemic fizzles out.
U.S.Kansas City StarMcCloskey’s tale of ‘thousands...dead set on killing us’ refuted by St. Louis protesters
St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey told an alarming story to a Jackson County Republican dinner last Saturday night, about receiving a warning that a mob of thousands was headed for his home to kill him and his wife last summer — in retribution for famously pointing guns at police brutality protesters from their front lawn days earlier. The couple became instant GOP and Fox News stars after they were photographed pointing guns at protesters on June 28, an incident that also led the St. Louis Circuit Attorney to charge them with weapons crimes. As McCloskey mulls a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (the announced candidates, former Gov. Eric Greitens and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, also attended the dinner) the story of his encounter with protesters has become the heart of his pitch to Republican audiences.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanA Boise motel closed. A developer wants to convert its rooms into studio apartments
Small apartments the size of hotel rooms could become the rage in Boise. An Oregon developer plans to take a vacant Boise motel and convert it into an apartment complex. It would be the second proposal this year to create hotel-room-size apartments in Boise, where small living units are being eyed as an alternative to skyrocketing house prices and rents.
- NewsKTRK – Houston
Man shot in the face during armed robbery at million dollar home
Police said the couple was followed to the home after leaving a restaurant in a McLaren. They were ambushed in the garage and robbed.
U.S.INSIDEROther ex-officers charged in George Floyd's killing are 'almost 100 percent' going to plead guilty after Derek Chauvin's conviction, experts say
The three remaining former officers charged in George Floyd's death are awaiting trial in August. The officers will want to avoid going to a jury trial, criminal justice experts tell Insider. Experts say the officers are likely to take a plea deal if offered, or ask for a bench trial.
WorldBusiness InsiderA deadly fight 33 years ago shows just how destructive a war between the US and Iran could get
In April 1988, the US attacked Iran in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the mining of a US ship. Operation Praying Mantis, the largest US naval action since World War II, was brief but deadly. Just before 8:00 a.m. on April 18, 1988, members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) stationed on the Sassan and Sirri oil platforms in the Persian Gulf received a warning from US Navy ships several thousand yards away.
WorldINSIDERHundreds of Jewish supremacists chant 'Death to Arabs' as tensions boil over in Jerusalem clashes
Members of the supremacist group, Lehava, chanted "death to Arabs" as they marched to the Old City. Police were able to separate the two crowds, but The Jerusalem Post still reported incidents of violence and arrests. Planned protests among far-right Jewish extremists and Arab crowds escalated in Jerusalem's Old City Thursday night and early Friday morning amid increasing tensions in the city.
- NewsWLS – Chicago
Chicago police shoot suspect in Jaslyn Adams murder during I-290 chase
The man Chicago police shot after a pursuit on I-290 in the western suburbs is a suspect in the shooting death of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams, CPD said.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Gaslighting 101’: Ted Cruz ridiculed over claim GOP has never tried to pack the Supreme Court
Ted Cruz has been accused of “gaslighting” for saying Republicans never tried to “rig the game” by altering the size of the Supreme Court, a response to Democrats introducing legislation to expand the court to 13 judges. The Republican senator for Texas was accused of contradicting his stance from 2016, when late Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly and Mr Cruz endorsed an unprecedented partisan blockade in the Supreme Court to insist that the high court have eight members for 11 months. The criticism came after Mr Cruz, along with fellow Repulicans Lindsey Graham and Marsha Blackburn, held a press conference in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday and accused Democrats of a “power grab” by introducing the legislation.
U.S.Kansas City Star‘Slave auction’ was annual tradition for a South Dakota high school club — until now
An annual “slave/branding auction” hosted by a high school club is a decades-long tradition in Faith, South Dakota, a town of about 400 people. The Faith High School Rodeo Club planned to have this year's auction on Monday, but the event was canceled after some people criticized it for being racist and inappropriate. As part of the club's fundraiser, which also includes a pancake supper and pie auction, students offer to work for someone for a day in exchange for a donation to the club, according to Dakota News Now.
WorldINSIDERA couple married and divorced 4 times in a span of 37 days so they could take advantage of a honeymoon-leave loophole
A Taiwanese couple used their nuptials to game the system and make the most of a honeymoon holiday. A Taiwanese couple who got hitched last April found an unexpected way to benefit from their nuptials - not by purchasing budget decorations or snagging venue deals, but by gaming the system to get free vacation days. The South China Morning Post reported Wednesday that in 37 days, the couple - who were not named in documents - married four times and divorced three times, exploiting a loophole in Taiwan's labor laws, under which an eight-day leave is provided for newlyweds.
PoliticsThe IndependentSouth Korean president calls Trump failure who ‘beat around the bush’ on North Korea
South Korea's president Moon Jae-in has criticised Donald Trump's efforts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula and said he “failed” in his diplomacy towards North Korea. He beat around the bush and failed to pull it through,” Mr Moon said about the former US president in an interview with the New York Times. The South Korean president, who is scheduled to meet US president Joe Biden next month, said he hopes he would “go down as a historic” leader to have achieved substantive and irreversible progress on the stalled denuclearisation process.
U.S.The IndependentFox host says those protesting police violence should be ‘barred’ from calling 911
A host on Fox News has suggested that those protesting against police violence towards Black Americans should never be allowed to call 911 again. The comments came as Fox & Friends discussed the fatal shootings of Daunte Wright and Ma'Khia Bryant on Thursday, as the presenters made reference to ongoing unrest over the killings. “In Minnesota, protesters were yelling at police 'get the blank out' and in New York at that local restaurant, 'we don't want you here,'” Ainsley Earhardt said.
“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.”