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 WeekThe Derek Chauvin solitary confinement predicament
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day following his conviction for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin's solitary confinement is protective, and he's hardly languishing in a dank hole. A brief separation is one thing, but extended isolation from human contact is "cruel and unusual punishment," in constitutional parlance.
WorldAssociated PressIndonesia looking for submarine that may be too deep to help
Indonesian navy ships searched Thursday for a submarine that likely sank too deep to retrieve, making survival chances for the 53 people on board slim. “Hopefully we can rescue them before the oxygen has run out” at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Indonesia's navy chief of staff, Adm. Yudo Margono, told reporters. The navy believes the submarine sank to a depth of 600-700 meters (2,000-2,300 feet), much deeper than its estimated collapse depth.
U.S.NextSharkOver 400 Asian New Yorkers Sign a Letter Against Andrew Yang's Mayoral Bid
More than 400 Asian Americans in New York City have signed a letter opposing Andrew Yang's bid for mayor, arguing that "representation alone is simply not enough." Yang, who promised a monthly universal basic income of $1,000 as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, announced his mayoral campaign at a rally in Upper Manhattan in January. Since his confirmation, Yang has consistently placed at the top of polls, the latest of which shows 22% of likely Democratic voters favoring him the most.
PoliticsThe WeekAfter reading 'all 14 pages' of the Green New Deal, Marjorie Taylor Greene says she's ready to debate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Now that she's done her homework, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is ready to spar. One day after seemingly admitting she had never finished reading "all 14 pages" of the Green New Deal, a bill she's repeatedly criticized while throwing barbs at sponsor Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Greene has now finally perused the full policy — and dubbed it a "Communists manifesto." Greene incriminated herself on Wednesday, while tweeting a surreptitiously-taken photo of the two lawmakers chatting on Capitol Hill.
U.S.BBCGeorge Floyd: The murder that drove America to the brink
It is a landmark case for police violence against black people, and the verdict marks a significant victory for the activists who have pushed for policing reform: Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The jury's decision means police will now be under increased scrutiny, say legal experts, and are more likely to be prosecuted, and convicted, for wrongdoing. The verdict could usher in a kind of policing, say analysts, with more accountability for officers, as well as new policies for the use of force.
WorldReutersMyanmar activists hold 'blue shirt' protests; report says junta chief to attend summit
Myanmar anti-coup activists launched protests on Wednesday calling for the release of detained prisoners, as junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing was reported to be planning to attend a regional summit to discuss the crisis in the country. Saturday's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would be its first since the coup in Myanmar on Feb. 1 and a test of how the traditionally consensual organisation will respond. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the military commander would attend the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, the online service of the Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported.
U.S.Miami HeraldMinutes into a 911 call a Florida driver realizes what smashed through her windshield
“Something just came through the windshield and hit my mom in the head!” a woman cried out to a 911 dispatcher after she pulled over on Interstate 95 while driving to Daytona Beach on Wednesday. On the 911 call, the driver, heeding directions from the dispatcher, works to stem the bleeding, using towels. “There's so much blood,” the driver says.
U.S.BBCGeorge Floyd death: Five key moments from the Derek Chauvin trial
The death of George Floyd, a 48-year-old black man, while he was being restrained by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, during an arrest in Minneapolis in May 2020, shocked the world and sparked global protests about racism and police brutality. Chauvin's three-week trial - on charges of murder and manslaughter - has now resulted in his conviction. Darnella, who was 17 at the time of Mr Floyd's death, filmed the video that went viral around the world.
BusinessAssociated PressECB head: Europe "on crutches," still needs robust stimulus
European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde said the economy is still “on crutches” and in need of support from both the central bank and government spending as the 19 countries that use the euro limp through extended lockdowns in a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lagarde said Thursday that the monetary authority for the eurozone sees an eventual rebound this year but did not discuss any reduction in its emergency stimulus because such a discussion would be “premature.” The economy is “on crutches, one fiscal crutch and one monetary crutch" and isn't ready to stand on its own power yet, she said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublicans blew up after a Democratic congressman accused them of spreading 'racist trash' in a debate over giving Washington, DC, statehood
GOP lawmakers erupted after Rep. Mondaire Jones accused them of spreading "racist trash." The argument came as the House was debating a bill to grant statehood to Washington, DC. Jones withdrew his comment but said the GOP was scared its "white-supremacist politics" wouldn't work in DC.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘Frustrated’ dad kills his crying baby — then goes to sleep, Pennsylvania official says
A father who at first said he accidentally killed his infant daughter in March has now admitted to purposely harming the two-month-old child, a Pennsylvania district attorney said. Lamont Bacchus, 31, and two others received upgraded charges Thursday after officials said he revealed new information regarding the death of the baby, identified by Lehigh Valley Live as Reann M. Bacchus. The autopsy revealed the baby “suffered from a gaping skull fracture on the left side of the head and numerous scalp and brain hemorrhages,” according to the district attorney's office, which listed her cause of death as “traumatic brain injury as a result of homicide.”
U.S.Miami HeraldA Miami man killed an armed teen in self-defense. Why he’s still facing a criminal case
In a strange twist, police say, Luis returned to the scene minutes later — and from inside his truck, fired 10 more times at Nimikae as he lay dying on the ground, using the teen's own handgun. Luis surrendered Thursday to face a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm against Nimikae. Luis is not being charged with murder.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Ohio police kill Black teenage girl, sparking protests
Police in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday fatally shot a Black teenage girl they confronted as she lunged at two people with a knife, as seen in police video footage of the encounter, authorities said.
LifestyleArchitectural Digest12 Outdoor Furniture Sets for Living Alfresco
With warmer weather just around the corner, we're taking our home-design focus to the great outdoors Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
HealthThe TelegraphCovid pandemic is over in Britain
Britain is no longer in a pandemic, experts have said, as new data showed the vaccination programme is reducing symptomatic Covid infections by up to 90 per cent. In the first large real-world study of the impact of vaccination on the general population, researchers found that the rollout is having a major impact on cutting both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Sarah Walker, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at Oxford and Chief Investigator on the Office for National Statistics Covid-19 Infection Survey, said that Britain had 'moved from a pandemic to an endemic situation' where the virus is circulating at a low, largely controllable level in the community.
U.S.Business InsiderA Virginia GOP candidate for governor said Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict 'makes me feel sick'
A GOP candidate for Virginia governor said Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict made her feel sick. State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase made the comments at a campaign event Tuesday. The self-described "Trump in heels" touted her ultra-conservative values at the event.
TechnologyBBCTaiwan authorities look into Apple supplier hack
Authorities in Taiwan say they are looking into a ransomware cyber-attack on a major technology firm there. Quanta Computer is a manufacturer of many flagship Apple products, including its MacBook line. The hackers, known as Revil, have published stolen blueprints for unreleased products, and are threatening to release more.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia goes from worst to first in virus infections
Just a few months ago, California was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Hospitals in Los Angeles were drowning in patients, and ambulances were idling outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open. Now as cases spike in other parts of the country, California has gone from worst to first with the lowest infection rate in the U.S. even as it has moved quickly to reopen more businesses with greater customer counts and allow larger gatherings. “It has been a success story for California to have gone from our, if you will, viral tsunami that happened after the back-to-back holiday season to where we are now,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley of the University of California, Los Angeles' public health school.
WorldThe TelegraphSocial distancing rules for hospitality 'a good way off' being lifted in Scotland, chief medical officer warns
Social distancing rules that threaten to bankrupt thousands of pubs and restaurants across Scotland are a "good way off" from being lifted indoors or outside, the country's chief medical officer warned on Thursday. Dr Gregor Smith said there was still a "theoretical risk" of Covid transmission outdoors with the one-metre distancing rule that will apply in licensed premises when they are allowed to reopen on Monday. He insisted the one-metre rule, which will even apply between people from different households enjoying a meal together, was "proportionate" and it would not change before more information is available about the impact of vaccination on transmission.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublican House leader rejects George W. Bush's condemnation of the party as 'isolationist, protectionist' and 'nativist'
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed former President George W. Bush's recent condemnation of the GOP. Bush said his party had become "isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent nativist." McCarthy insisted Bush is wrong because the GOP has more House members who are women and people of color than ever before.
WorldBBCAustralia provokes China anger over scrapped deals
Australia has scrapped agreements tied to China's Belt and Road initiative, prompting anger from Beijing and adding further strain to tense relations between the countries. The federal government used new powers to rip up two deals made between the state of Victoria and China. Canberra said it was backing away from the agreements to protect Australia's national interest.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden preparing to recognise Armenian genocide, risking backlash from Turkey
The US president Joe Biden is preparing to declare the Ottoman empire's killings of over a million Armenians during the First World War an act of genocide. The move, even though symbolic, could impact the already strained ties US has with Turkey and is a big shift from the country's previous stand. According to Reuters, which quoted three sources familiar with the matter, Mr Biden is likely to use the word “genocide” as part of a statement on 24 April when annual commemorations for the victims are held around the world.
U.S.USA TODAYFact check: Ma'Khia Bryant was holding a knife when shot by police
Despite the limited information available on the Bryant shooting, many presented details of what purportedly happened. One such claim, a Facebook post made six hours after the shooting and shared over 3,000 times so far, presents this narrative: "As the George Floyd verdict was being announced, Columbus Ohio Police killed 15 year old Makhia [sic] Bryant. She called the police as she was about to get jumped.
HealthLexington Herald-LeaderHow 18 fully vaccinated residents caught COVID-19 in a KY nursing home. One died.
An unvaccinated health care worker brought COVID-19 into an Eastern Kentucky nursing home, propagating an outbreak that infected dozens of vaccinated and unvaccinated residents last month, a new study confirms. Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack first announced the outbreak in March, which ultimately infected 26 residents, 20 staff and killed three people, including one resident who was fully vaccinated and two who were not. In that facility, which hasn't been publicly named by state officials, roughly half of the staff population chose to get the vaccine.
“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.”