U.S.NBC NewsFormer officer charged in Capitol riot jailed after 'shopping spree' for dozens of firearms
A former police officer in Virginia accused of entering the Capitol on Jan. 6 has been ordered to stay in jail after buying nearly three dozen guns online, which a federal judge called "a remarkable shopping spree for high-powered assault weapons." Thomas Robertson was a Rocky Mount, Virginia, police sergeant on the day of the Capitol riot.
PoliticsWashington ExaminerBiden snaps at reporter who questions mask flip-flop
President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter who asked him about past assurances that those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear protective face masks. “No, I didn't say that,” Biden began, noting he was referring to people who were fully vaccinated outside of government-designated COVID-19 hot spots. Biden was also pressed on his less equivocal comments about protective face coverings in May.
PoliticsReutersU.S. refusal to defend lawmaker in Capitol riot a signal to Trump -experts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's refusal to defend a Republican congressman accused in a civil lawsuit of helping to incite the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol could hamper former President Donald Trump's legal defense in the same case, experts said. The department late Tuesday told a federal judge it had declined https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-dept-wont-defend-republican-lawmaker-capitol-riot-lawsuit-2021-07-28 a request by Representative Morris "Mo" Brooks to grant him immunity by covering him under the Westfall Act, which shields federal employees from being sued for their words or actions in the course of their employment. Experts said the move appeared to send a message to Trump, a co-defendant in the case, ruling out immunity when it warned that inciting an attack on Congress "is not within the scope of employment of a Representative - or any federal employee."
U.S.Associated PressLargest US quake in half-century causes Alaska little damage
The largest earthquake in the United States in the last half century produced a lot of shaking but spared Alaska any major damage in a sparsely populated region, officials said Thursday. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake was reported about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and struck just south of the Alaska Peninsula, nearly 500 miles (804.67 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. The quake was about 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) offshore and 29 miles (46 kilometers) below the surface of the North Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
U.S.Kansas City StarFamily has baby shower for pregnant 12-year-old, her accused rapist, Oklahoma cops say
The family of a 12-year-old girl impregnated by a man twice her age “permitted” the relationship and even celebrated her pregnancy with a baby shower, according to Oklahoma police. Police arrested 24-year-old Juan Miranda-Jara on a charge of first degree rape of a minor earlier this month, according to the Tulsa Police Department Shortly after the young girl showed up to an area hospital pregnant, police said they were told she had possibly been raped. Investigators took Miranda-Jara into questioning and, as the girl was in labor, he admitted that the child was his, police say, and that he had been “in a relationship” with the girl since October 2020.
U.S.ReutersTrump, children cannot arbitrate marketing scam case -U.S. appeals court
A federal appeals court said former U.S. President Donald Trump and his adult children cannot move into arbitration a fraud lawsuit accusing them of exploiting their family name to promote a marketing scam targeting the poor and working class. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the plaintiffs' agreements to arbitrate claims against the multi-level marketing company American Communications Network did not extend to the Trumps, who had not signed those agreements. Lawyers for the Trump family did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday's 3-0 decision.
U.S.Associated PressNavy charges sailor with setting fire that destroyed warship
The U.S. Navy charged a sailor Thursday with starting a fire last year that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, marking the maritime branch's worst warship blaze outside of combat in recent memory. The sailor was a member of the crew at the time, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement. The sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel, Robertson said.
WorldWashington ExaminerTaliban could force 'existential crisis’ in Afghanistan, US watchdog says
The Taliban's surge in Afghanistan as the United States completes its withdrawal could lead to an "existential crisis," a U.S. oversight report said. The situation in Afghanistan is "bleak," and the "overall trend is clearly unfavorable to the Afghan government," a letter from the Special Inspector General John Sopko that accompanied Wednesday's quarterly report to Congress read. The number of enemy-initiated attacks has increased since the U.S.-Taliban agreement of February 2020, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's report to Congress.
BusinessNBC NewsTrevor Milton, founder of electric truck maker Nikola, charged with fraud
New York federal prosecutors have charged Trevor Milton, the founder of the electric truck company Nikola, with engaging in an audacious scheme to defraud investors, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Milton is accused of using his massive social media platform and TV appearances to mislead retail investors in order to inflate and maintain Nikola's stock price. “Milton sold a version of Nikola not as it was – an early stage company with a novel idea to commercialize yet-to-be proven products and technology – but rather as a trail-blazing company that had already achieved many groundbreaking and game-changing milestones,” the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York says.
U.S.AxiosMidwest under threat from hurricane-force winds as severe storm system strikes
Organizers in Wisconsin postponed the biggest air show in the U.S. as a severe storm system threatened the Midwest with potentially hurricane-force winds, tornados, hail and thunderstorms overnight. Threat level: More than 5.9 million people could be affected by the storm system — which saw the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, postpone events due to be held Wednesday until the following evening amid the threat of 90 mph winds. Storms moving through southern Wisconsin were bringing "damaging winds along the line" and the threat of tornadoes in the southeast of the state on Thursday morning, according to the NWS.
U.S.Washington ExaminerArizona auditors complete third ballot recount and ship materials back to Maricopa County
Auditors working on the Arizona Senate-led Maricopa County 2020 general election review completed a third and final ballot recount late on Wednesday and prepared materials to return to county custody on Thursday. The monthslong audit conducted at the Phoenix state fairgrounds since late April will now shift its focus to drafting a comprehensive report based on the results of the election machines and other voting material analyzed during the review. The Maricopa County Elections Department arrived with trucks at the audit site Thursday morning to retrieve the materials.
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Huge quake of magnitude 8.2 triggers tsunami alert in Alaska
A strong and shallow earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck the Alaskan peninsula late on Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings in the U.S. state and heightened surveillance across the pacific.
PoliticsCharlotte ObserverAll Democrats should show respect for the 5 Republicans who helped on infrastructure
Thank 5 in GOP The five Republicans who are taking up a bipartisan infrastructure deal deserve the respect of all Democrats. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez needs to stop criticizing, or form her own party. In this moment of history, Democrats should welcome the real Republican Party — of someday — represented by these courageous five.
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‘World’s Most Beautiful Girl’ Thylane Blondeau stuns in a bikini on the beach
Thylane Blondeau – who was once dubbed "the most beautiful girl in the world" continues to show why the moniker still sticks when she was photographed beach-bound on Tuesday at Club 55 beach in Saint Tropez. The 20-year-old French model, who shot to stardom when she was named the "most beautiful girl in the world" at the age of 6, hit the sun and waves in a pastel purple top and white bottoms as she waded with a male companion. A recent recipient of the "most beautiful" title, Yael Shelbia praised Blondeau in January after she was compared to the model.
CelebrityWashington ExaminerSteven Crowder hospitalized, has message for his fans: Death, 'he's a d***'
Conservative pundit Steven Crowder posted a photo of himself Tuesday in a hospital bed, telling his audience he'd been close to death. "Last night took a turn for the worse," Crowder tweeted. Crowder posted in late June that he was having surgery to fix a "genetic defect," later elaborating that he had a "connective tissue disorder" causing his "chest caving in on [his] heart."
LifestyleArchitectural Digest23 Home Decor Items We’re Shopping at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
Including savings on cookware, bath essentials, and rarely discounted candles Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.TheGrioCapitol officer Harry Dunn responds to right-wing attacks: ‘Can’t put Band-Aid on my emotions’
“If I came here with my arm in a sling or bandage around my head, would that give me more credibility?” Dunn asked CNN. A Black Capitol Police officer who testified on Tuesday before the House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill is responding to right-wing critics questioning his integrity. The 13-year veteran officer's character has been assailed by pundits on Fox News, including Tucker Carlson, who called him “an angry, left-wing political activist.”
PoliticsThe StateSC congresswoman to Pelosi on mask mandate: ‘Come and get me’
Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, of South Carolina's First Congressional District, accused Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of an “insane power grab” after the House reinstated a mask mandate amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. “Madam Speaker, your insane power grab is showing,” Mace tweeted on Thursday morning. The tweet and video from Mace came after Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the top doctor in Congress, recommended a return to masks in the Capitol.
U.S.Miami HeraldShip forced to leave US waters after invasive bugs discovered on deck, officials say
A carrier ship was ordered out of U.S. waters after federal officials say they discovered invasive bugs on board. Agricultural specialists at the Port of New Orleans found the bugs, some of which can kill trees, in shipping materials left on the deck of the Pan Jasmine, which arrived July 17 at the anchorage of Davant downriver from New Orleans, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The bugs were found in the wood, called dunnage, that was used to pack a shipment of aluminum that was dropped off in Vera Cruz, Mexico, customs officials said Wednesday.
U.S.Washington ExaminerFully vaccinated people make up quarter of new COVID-19 infections in Los Angeles County
Health authorities in Los Angeles County, California, said more than 25% of new COVID-19 cases are among the population fully vaccinated against the virus. The number of cases among fully vaccinated people has risen slightly since last month, when only 20% of breakthrough cases were reported in vaccinated individuals, according to Fox 11. "As more people are vaccinated, the number of fully vaccinated people becoming infected will increase, and with the delta variant that's far more infectious, exposures to infections have also increased," Ferrer said during a virtual meeting.
WorldArchitectural DigestIt’s Playtime: 9 Stylish Games for Grown-Ups
Old-school entertainment, with a twist Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsNBC News'Here we go again': GOP not the only ones questioning updated CDC masking guidance
Six months ago, Dr. Sarah Fortune could see an end to the pandemic. Wednesday morning, Fortune, chair of the immunology and infectious diseases department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, woke up with "existential dread" about the future of Covid-19. Fortune supports the new guidance, which has been widely praised by experts like her, saying it will surely save lives.
PoliticsWashington ExaminerEXCLUSIVE: Republican senators raise questions after receiving unredacted Fauci email about Wuhan lab
Five Republican senators are questioning why the Department of Health and Human Services redacted a portion of an email between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak, the president of a research organization that worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on coronavirus studies before the pandemic. The email in question gained widespread attention last month because Daszak, a key figure in research linked to the hypothesis that COVID-19 may have escaped from the Wuhan lab, thanked Fauci for downplaying the likelihood of a lab leak. It also gained attention after being released to media outlets under the Freedom of Information Act because the administration redacted a portion of the email using an exemption reserved for information related to “pending law enforcement proceedings.”
U.S.Los Angeles Times OpinionEditorial: Bring on the crackdown. The unvaccinated must be held accountable
The Delta variant is spreading rapidly in California and nationwide, but happily so are crackdowns by public and private employers aimed at limiting the ability of their unvaccinated workers to infect others with COVID-19. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new rules requiring vaccination or regular testing and masking for the 246,000 state government employees; the rules will apply as well to workers at both private and public healthcare and long-term care facilities. Similar workforce rules have popped up around the nation, including in the city of Los Angeles.
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Pelosi calls McCarthy a 'moron' in clash over Capitol mask mandate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy “a moron” on Wednesday in response to a reporter who asked her about McCarthy's suggestion that the decision Tuesday night by Congress's top physician to reinstate a mask mandate indoors on the House side of the Capitol wasn't based on science. Later at a press conference, Pelosi said, “To say that wearing a mask is not based on science, I think, is not wise.
“[The program] stands likely to leave millions of families — disproportionately the poorest and most fragile ones — behind.”
“[Paying] families monthly, instead of one lump sum ... will provide parents with more stability knowing when cash is coming.”
“More parents will disappear from the workforce, and more children will be locked into dependency.”
“Poverty is a political choice, not an inevitability.”
“Time is running out. There are only six months until monthly payments of the credit cease."