U.S.Associated PressTexas attorney general refuses to hand over Jan. 6 records
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has rejected a prosecutor's demand for records of his appearance at a pro-Donald Trump rally that preceded the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Last week, the Travis County district attorney's office had set a four-day deadline for Paxton to turn over the records involving the Jan. 6, 2021, rally or face a lawsuit accusing him of violating the state open records law. But in a letter to the district attorney's office Friday, the attorney general's office denied any violations and rejected the office's demands.
BusinessINSIDERKat Von D is being sued by a former employee who says the tattoo artist fired her for voicing concerns about COVID
Kat Von D is being sued by a former employee who claims she was wrongfully terminated after voicing concerns about COVID-19 at work. Stephanie Davidson worked as a manager of Von D's High Voltage Tattoo studio in California between 2017 and 2020, according to a complaint filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court this month. The complaint says the studio was required to shut down at the start of the pandemic, and began reopening around June 2020.
BusinessLA TimesColumn: Here's what happened after $1,200 was drained from an 11-year-old's bank account
In response to Chase's refusal to restore even a portion of his daughter's money, Golden said he closed his five Chase accounts and moved about $160,000 in assets to another bank. "I was amazed," he told me. "They showed no remorse whatsoever.
U.S.Associated PressMother: teachers manipulated child to change gender identity
A mother who claims teachers secretly manipulated her 11-year-old daughter into changing her gender identity and name has filed a legal case against a tiny California school district. Spreckels Union School District was responsible for “extreme and outrageous conduct” that led the student on a path toward transitioning as a boy and drove a wedge between mother and child, according to the claim filed Wednesday by a conservative legal group. Jessica Konen said two middle school teachers who ran the school's Equality Club — later known as UBU (You Be You) — planted the seed that her daughter was bisexual in 6th grade and then introduced the idea she was transgender.
- BusinessYahoo Entertainment
'SNL' stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost buy decommissioned Staten Island ferry for $280K at auction
Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have purchased an old Staten Island ferry — and, no, it's not for a Saturday Night Live bit. The sketch-show stars — and Staten Island natives — have been revealed as the mystery buyers of the out-of-service passenger ferry that was operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry, named the John F. Kennedy, which had been retired from service, went up for auction this week.
U.S.The Daily BeastFBI Reveals What Was in Brian Laundrie’s Notebook
Brian Laundrie scrawled messages in a notebook admitting that he killed his girlfriend Gabby Petito, the FBI said in a statement Friday as they announced that their investigation into the couple's deaths was now closed. The notebook was found alongside Laundrie's remains in a wooded area in Florida in October, weeks after police say he killed Petito while they were traveling the country in a van. “The FBI's primary focus throughout the investigation was to bring justice to Gabby and her family,” said FBI Denver Special Agent Michael Schneider.
BusinessReutersU.S. suspends 44 U.S flights by Chinese carriers after China action
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government said on Friday it would suspend 44 China-bound flights from the United States by four Chinese carriers in response to the Chinese government's decision to suspend some U.S. carrier flights over COVID-19 concerns. The suspensions will begin on Jan. 30 with Xiamen Airlines' scheduled Los Angeles-to-Xiamen flight and run through March 29, the Transportation Department said. The decision will cut some flights by Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.
U.S.BBCUS man found dead surrounded by deadly pythons and cobras
A US man has been found dead at his home surrounded by dozens of snakes - many of them venomous. Neighbours alerted police after going to the house in the US state of Maryland and discovering him lying on the floor, apparently unconscious. When officers arrived, they found 124 venomous and non-venomous snakes including pythons, cobras and rattlesnakes.
U.S.BuzzFeedPeople Are Sharing Things They Don't Do Anymore Because Of COVID, And It's A Reminder How Much Our Lives Have Genuinely Changed These Past Two Years
So when I stumbled upon a Reddit thread comparing life before COVID versus now, I was intrigued by the conversation going on in the comments. Redditor u/Outrageous-Collar-09 asked the question, "What normal thing pre-COVID feels weird now?" and the responses ranged.
PoliticsReuters'No SALT no deal': Democrats vow to block Build Back Better bill without tax break
Several U.S. House members from President Joe Biden's Democratic Party are threatening to block a renewed push for his Build Back Better spending bill if it does not include the expansion of a federal deduction for taxes paid to states and local entities. Expanding the deduction, known as SALT for State and Local Taxes, has been a demand of lawmakers in higher-tax states such as California, New Jersey and New York, especially in suburbs where Democrats seek to retain control in Nov. 8 elections. The SALT deduction, part of the U.S. income tax code from its inception more than a century ago, was restricted to $10,000 in a 2017 Republican tax law.
PoliticsThe HillBill Maher pushes back on Fauci: 'Don't sit there in your white coat and tell me "just do what we say"'
"That's not a criticism of them like they're being corrupt, although there certainly is plenty of corruption in the medical establishment," the "Real Time" host said in an interview with Deadline published Friday, when asked if he believes Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease doctor ,or the medical establishment "really know what they are doing." The medical community, the controversial HBO host said, has been wrong "a lot" throughout history. Despite the country seeing more than 860,000 deaths from COVID-19 since 2020, Maher said he was "never scared" of the pandemic.
PoliticsINSIDERThe January 6 committee obtained a draft of post-insurrection White House remarks that said 'the election fight is over.' Trump gave a speech but left out that sentence.
The January 6 committee reportedly has a Trump White House document titled "Remarks on National Healing." The document was drafted for delivery a day after the riot, and Trump gave nearly identical remarks. A line in the document that Trump didn't say in his Twitter video is: "The election fight is over."
U.S.Associated PressKansas teen's death has spotlight on 'stand your ground' law
Kansas lawmakers were thinking of homeowners facing down burglars and people attacked on the street when they wrote a “stand your ground” law more than a decade ago allowing use of deadly force in self defense. Now even some Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature who support the idea behind the law want to revisit it. Police took 17-year-old Cedric Lofton to the center after a foster care agency said he needed a mental health exam for increasingly erratic behavior.
U.S.TheGrioThe problem with Joe Rogan…and white boys
However, I cannot, in good conscience, declare that I am unbiased when it comes to Spotify's $100 million white man because of one fact: I like Joe Rogan. Perhaps “like” is too austere a word. I've paid to see him perform live.
U.S.The Daily BeastRacist New York Couple From Viral Train Incident Are Arrested... and Fired
A man and woman in New York have been both fired and arrested for verbally assaulting a family on a train in an incident that police have determined to be a hate crime. The Daily Voice reported that Justin Likerman and Kristin Digesaro, of Long Island, turned themselves in on Wednesday. New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority said the charges were brought in conjunction with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Hate Crimes Unit.
WorldReutersBulgaria says it decides on its defence with NATO allies
Bulgaria decides on its defence plans in coordination with its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Friday after Russia said its security demands included that NATO forces leave Bulgaria and Romania. Concern is running high in the West as Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border. Russia denies planning an attack, but says it could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met.
WorldBuzzFeedIt Turns Out Some Tattoos Are MAJOR Red Flags To Have — Here Are 24 Of The Worst
Here are 24 tattoos — besides the obvious, like tattoos of hate symbols — that people think are major red flags for someone's personality. "Something in a language they don't speak." u/Hullaba-Loo "What you think it means: 'Wisdom and Courage.
U.S.INSIDERA Black woman involved in a botched Chicago police raid got a $2.9 million settlement. She said she would have rather seen the cops get fired.
A Black woman received a $2.9 million settlement after a botched Chicago police raid in 2019. Anjanette Young told CBS she would've been happier if the cops were fired and she "didn't receive a dime." A Black woman who received a $2.9 million settlement over a botched Chicago police raid said she would've been happier if the cops involved were fired and she "didn't receive a dime."
WorldReutersSpain sends warships to Black Sea, considers sending warplanes
Spain has sent warships to join NATO naval forces in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea as tension in the region rises over the Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Thursday. A mine-sweeper is already en route and a frigate will sail within three or four days, Robles told reporters. "Russia cannot tell any country what to do, so NATO will protect and defend the sovereignty of any country that can or wants to join NATO," she said.
BusinessMarketWatchVolatility of lumber prices hits high not seen since end of World War II — why home buyers should be concerned
The cost volatility you see in the construction space is in part responsible for some of the price gains in the overall housing market. Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders That volatility is producing ripple effects throughout the housing market — a market that is currently struggling due to the record-low inventory of homes for sale. When you introduce the cost volatility that you see in major products like lumber, it just makes it that much more difficult for builders to expand their level of home construction, which in turn, reduces the available inventory in the market,” said Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders.
PoliticsThe Commercial AppealSenate Ethics Committee recommends Sen. Katrina Robinson's expulsion, will go before Senate vote
The Senate Ethics Committee determined Thursday that state Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, violated the Senate code of ethics and recommended her expulsion due to her conviction on federal fraud charges. Robinson will now face a full Senate vote based on the committee's recommendation. The senator is awaiting a March sentencing date for two federal fraud charges related to the mismanagement of federal funds in connection to her leadership of a nursing school.
U.S.Associated PressJury selection proceeds for Avenatti-Stormy Daniels trial
Michael Avenatti, the once high-profile California attorney who regularly taunted then-President Donald Trump during frequent television appearances, was introduced Thursday to prospective jurors who will decide whether he cheated porn star Stormy Daniels out of book-deal proceeds. Jury selection hit full stride a week after written questionnaires were filled out as U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman introduced over 60 prospective jurors to Avenatti and the lawyers on both sides who will present evidence during a trial projected to last up to a month.
U.S.The StateChapin HS football player knew girl was 13 before they had sex, witness told investigator
A witness told investigators that a Chapin High School football player knew a girl was only 13 years old before they had sex in October, according to a Richland County Sheriff's Department document obtained by The State. The player, David Bennett Galloway III, told authorities through his lawyer he did not know the girl's age. Galloway, 18 at the time of the encounter, had been charged in November with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, a felony.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastJimmy Kimmel Reveals the Unlikely Guy Who Could Bring Down Trump
On Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel gleefully ran down the significant legal problems facing former President Donald Trump during his monologue. “The legal woes for Trump are piling up,” said Kimmel. Yes, according to Trump's former press secretary Stephanie Grisham, Trump held top secret closed-door meetings at the Executive Residence of the White House just prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection, and attendees were not officially recorded to keep it off the books.
WorldReutersThich Nhat Hanh, poetic peace activist and master of mindfulness, dies at 95
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Zen Buddhist monk, poet and peace activist who in the 1960s came to prominence as an opponent of the Vietnam War, died on Saturday aged 95 surrounded by his followers in the temple where his spiritual journey began. "The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away peacefully at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95," said his official Twitter account. In a majestic body of works and public appearances spanning decades, Thich Nhat Hanh spoke in gentle yet powerful tones of the need to "walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet".
“Cooking is the No. 1 way you’re polluting your home … You’re basically living in this toxic soup.”
“People (myself included) like cooking with gas! It’s one of the few energy uses that inspires brand loyalty to the fuel consumed.”
“It’s time to start making new buildings all-electric and switching out all those existing gas appliances, including gas stoves.”
“If you're looking for personal ways to protect the environment and your health right now, you have much bigger fish to fry.”
“Market-based solutions have not achieved their desired goals, thus new ways of thinking need to emerge.”