U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverNC town to appeal after judge threatens officials with jail — again — over seized cash.
The legal fight over the police seizure of $17,000 in Mooresville took on a Whac-A-Mole quality this week with a judge again holding the town in contempt only to see town officials file another appeal to stop her. On Monday — and for the second time this year — Iredell County District Judge Christine Underwood threatened town leaders and police with jail time for not returning Jermaine Sanders' money. The judge gave officials seven days to comply with her signed order or she would start putting people behind bars.
WorldThe TelegraphIran to enrich uranium to 60 per cent, upping ante for nuclear talks
Iran said Tuesday it would dramatically increase its uranium enrichment levels in response to an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, a further breach of its nuclear deal with world powers that ongoing talks are struggling to salvage. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading negotiations in Vienna on saving the nuclear deal, said Tehran would begin enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity on Wednesday, according to state TV, up from the 20 per cent it is currently producing. Tehran has informed the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency, which declined to comment.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump skewers FDA's Johnson & Johnson decision — then casually invents conspiracy theory blaming Pfizer
Former President Donald Trump released a statement Tuesday criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, baselessly suggesting the decision was politically motivated. "The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary, but now it's [sic] reputation will be permanently challenged," Trump said. "[The FDA] should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it," he said.
U.S.Associated PressEx-officer appeals 20-year sentence for killing Black man
A white former police officer serving 20 years in prison for killing an unarmed Black man in South Carolina who ran from a traffic stop said his lawyer never told him about a plea offer from prosecutors that could have cut years off his sentence. Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is requesting a new sentence in federal court this week, saying he would have taken the deal and that his lawyer was grossly incompetent for not telling him about it. Prosecutors said Savage's mistake didn't rise above the very high bar of tossing out Slager's sentence and added that the attorney's defense was excellent in almost every other way.
- WorldReuters
Taliban refuse to attend summit on Afghan peace in Turkey if held this week -spokesman
The Afghan Taliban said on Monday they were not willing to attend a major summit on the Afghan peace process in Turkey if it took place this week, the militant group's spokesman said. Turkey is hosting a crucial meeting this month with the United Nations and Qatar as part of a U.S.-backed push to jump-start the Afghan peace process. Diplomats and officials briefed on the matter said it was planned to take place over 10 days from April 16, though the date had not been finalised or officially announced.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
WorldThe TelegraphDavid Cameron Greensill scandal: Why is there an independent investigation?
The Government has launched an independent review into Greensill Capital, the collapsed financial firm for which David Cameron lobbied ministers. Labour has led calls for an inquiry after it emerged that Mr Cameron had privately lobbied ministers, including Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to win access to an emergency coronavirus loan scheme for his employer, Lex Greensill. Allegations also surfaced that Mr Greensill, an Australian financier, was given privileged access to Whitehall departments when Mr Cameron was in No 10.
WorldReutersChina push for global power tops U.S. security threats: intelligence report
China's push for global power is the leading threat to U.S. national security, while Russia's efforts to undermine American influence and assert itself as a major actor also pose a challenge, said a U.S. intelligence report released on Tuesday. The 2021 Annual Threat Assessment lays out U.S. spy agencies' views of the chief foreign policy issues facing U.S. President Joe Biden in his first year in office, complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and global climate change. While China and Russia are presented as the leading challenges, Iran and North Korea will also test U.S. national security, the report said.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverVenomous viper bites San Diego Zoo employee, officials say. There’s no anti-venom for it
A San Diego Zoo employee has been bitten by a venomous viper, according to officials. A wildlife care specialist was bitten Monday by an African bush viper “while they were in an area away from the public,” an official said, NBC News reported. The employee was hospitalized for “evaluation and medical care,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said, according to KTLA5.
WorldAssociated PressChina's March exports rise 30.6% as global demand revives
China's exports rose 30.6% over a year ago in March as global consumer demand strengthened and traders watched for signs of what President Joe Biden might do about reviving tariff war talks with Beijing. China's exporters have benefited from the relatively early reopening of its economy while some other governments are re-imposing anti-virus curbs that limit business and trade. “While global shipping delays pose a near-term challenge, the strong global economic recovery that we expect this year should support China's export outlook.”
WorldBBCHaridwar: Crowds surging at Kumbh Mela as India overtakes Brazil in Covid cases
Several million Hindus have gathered to take a dip in the Ganges river as a deadly second Covid-19 wave continues to sweep India. The devotees are marking an auspicious bathing day on Monday at the Kumbh Mela religious festival in Haridwar city in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years and the venue is chosen from amongst four cities, including Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market
These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
ScienceReutersListen to the music of a spider's web. Tell me what do you hear?
From communication to construction, spiderwebs may offer an orchestra of information, says Markus Buehler, engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has been using artificial intelligence to study them. "We have recorded these vibrations from spiders and used artificial intelligence to learn these vibrational patterns and associate them with certain actions, basically learning the spider's language." Buehler and his team of researchers created 3D models of spiderwebs when the arachnids were doing different things - such as construction, repair, hunting and feeding.
BusinessMiami HeraldMiami Mayor Francis Suarez’s committee has its biggest fundraising haul yet in March
March was the biggest fundraising month yet for Miami Mayor Francis Suarez's political committee, which pulled in more than $875,000 from a variety of power players including a new-to-Miami tech startup, a cryptocurrency trader and a local sports team owner. The biggest donation to his Miami for Everyone committee in March was $75,000 from GoBrands Inc., the company behind retail delivery startup goPuff, according to state records released Monday. Michael Komaransky, a cryptocurrency investor who famously sold his Miami mansion for Bitcoin in 2018, also poured $50,000 into Suarez's committee last month.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Brooklyn Center, Minn., police release footage of Daunte Wright shooting, chief says he believes officer mistakenly grabbed gun instead of Taser
During a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center, Minn. released bodycam video of the police shooting of Daunte Wright. Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes the officer who shot Wright intended to use her Taser, but mistakenly grabbed her firearm.
U.S.INSIDERThe Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back has returned to active duty without being disciplined or charged
Rusten Sheskey, the Wisconsin police officer who shot Jacob Blake, returned from administrative leave on March 31. Blake was shot seven times in the back, and Blake's father said his son was paralyzed from the waist down after the incident. Officer Rusten Sheskey, the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer who shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the back in August 2020 will not be charged or disciplined, the police department said on Tuesday.
PoliticsAssociated PressIRS chief expects new child payments to start this summer
It's a strain, but the head of the IRS said Tuesday he expects to meet the July 1 deadline in the new pandemic relief law for starting a groundbreaking tax program aimed at reducing child poverty. In testimony at a Senate hearing, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said it will cost nearly $400 million and require the hiring of 300 to 500 people to get the new monthly payment system and electronic portal in place for the child tax credit. “We have to create a new structure,” Rettig said, adding that the tax-collecting IRS is “not historically” a benefits agency.
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
WorldBBCTaiwan: 'Record number' of China jets enter air zone
Taiwan has said a record number of Chinese military jets flew into its air defence zone on Monday. The defence ministry said 25 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday. The incursion is the largest in a year and comes as the US warns against an "increasingly aggressive China".
TechnologyCBS NewsSoftware fix planned for Mars helicopter
The long-awaited maiden flight of an experimental $80 million mini helicopter carried to Mars by the Perseverance rover is on hold while engineers test software to resolve a glitch that cropped up Friday during a pre-flight test, NASA announced Monday. If all goes well, the team hopes to determine a new flight date next week. Engineers initially expected to clear the Ingenuity helicopter for launch Sunday on a 30-second up-and-down flight to verify the 4-pound drone can, in fact, autonomously lift off, hover and land in the ultra-thin atmosphere of Mars.
CelebrityThe WeekMeghan Markle reportedly goes on maternity leave next month
It's unclear exactly how Meghan Markle spends her days in sunny Montecito, California, when she isn't taking care of baby Archie, tending to her rescue chickens, and riling up the British royal family by simply existing. Markle — who co-founded the nonprofit Archewell and recently guest edited British Vogue — will have some free time more immediately, too, since she wasn't medically cleared to fly with Prince Harry the 12 hours to the U.K. for her grandfather-in-law's funeral.
U.S.INSIDERDefense use of force expert testifies Derek Chauvin's treatment of George Floyd was 'objectively reasonable'
Fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's defense kicked off their case Tuesday, calling witnesses including a use of force expert who said Chauvin's treatment of George Floyd was "objectively reasonable." Former Santa Rosa, California, police officer Barry Brodd's statements were completely different from the testimony of the prosecution's law enforcement experts - including Minneapolis Police Department leadership - who previously told jurors Chauvin should have stopped using once Floyd was handcuffed and no longer resisting. Brodd's testimony followed that of Shawanda Hill, George Floyd's ex-girlfriend who was in the car on the day of his death, and other law enforcement witnesses.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen will have to sit alone at Prince Philip's funeral because of strict Covid rules
The Queen faces the prospect of having to sit on her own during the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral because of strict Covid rules, it has emerged. The law states that anyone attending a funeral must stay at least two metres apart from anyone who is not part of their household, meaning all members of the Royal family will have to spread out in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen is not eligible to be in a support bubble because she does not live on her own, meaning the only person who could sit with her during the service would be a member of her Windsor Castle staff.
U.S.The IndependentAfter ‘God awful shooting’ of Daunte Wright, Biden under pressure to move on police reform
As his administration urges Congress to pass a civil rights bill aimed at nationwide police reform, Joe Biden is facing another national reckoning over police violence and the deaths of unarmed Black Americans in the wake of the killing of Daunte Wright, an unarmed 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop. But after quietly abandoning plans for a White House-led national commission on police oversight, the president and administration officials are focusing efforts on the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – which could face stiff opposition from Republicans in the Senate, where Democrats hold a razor thin majority critical to Mr Biden's legislative a...
BusinessBusiness InsiderCompanies that have containers on the Ever Given could have to help pay the up to $1 billion Egyptian authorities are demanding before the ship leaves the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal Authority said the Ever Given can't leave until $1 billion in damages is paid. The $1 billion would likely include paying for the tugboats and dredging ships that freed the ship. The owner of the Ever Given declared "General Average," so insurance could pay some of the damages.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”