HealthAssociated PressDominant coronavirus mutant contains ghost of pandemic past
The coronavirus mutant that is now dominant in the United States is a member of the omicron family but scientists say it spreads faster than its omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease. Because it combines properties of both omicron and delta, the nation's dominant variant in the middle of last year. A genetic trait that harkens back to the pandemic's past, known as a “delta mutation," appears to allow the virus "to escape pre-existing immunity from vaccination and prior infection, especially if you were infected in the omicron wave," said Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas.
U.S.Milwaukee Journal SentinelWe may not want to admit it, but there’s truth in what the ESPN crew said about Milwaukee. So what are we going to do about it?
When ESPN's "First Take" discussed the possibility of traveling to Milwaukee for the NBA Finals on Tuesday, Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman, Molly Qerim Rose and Damien Woody quickly dissed the city. Woody, a former NFL player, asked Smith if he really wanted to travel to Milwaukee and Smith responded with “hell no.”
U.S.The Daily BeastTed Cruz Storms Out on British Interviewer When Asked Why School Shootings Only Happen in America
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) abruptly walked off from a British journalist's questions about gun violence in America two days after an elementary school massacre in his state left 19 children and two adults dead. Cruz, who is due to appear at a National Rifle Association convention this weekend, became incensed when pressed on gun laws and why mass shootings “only happen in America.”
U.S.Associated PressTrump loses appeal, must testify in New York civil probe
Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state's civil investigation into his business practices, a state appeals court ruled Thursday. A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state's trial court upheld Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 17 ruling enforcing subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children to give deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James' probe. “The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination,” the four-judge panel wrote, citing the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
U.S.INSIDERSwitzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings
In 2016, the NRA said on its blog that the European country had one of the lowest murder rates in the world while still having millions of privately owned guns and a few hunting weapons that don't even require a permit. Video: Inside a factory that makes untraceable 'ghost guns' But the Swiss have some specific rules and regulations for gun use. Insider took a look at the country's past with guns to see why it has lower rates of gun violence than the US, where gun death rates are now at their highest in more than 20 years, and the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThe wild life of billionaire Twitter founder and 'Block Head' Jack Dorsey, who's officially left the social network's board, eats one meal a day, and takes ice baths
After cofounding Twitter on March 21 2006, he was booted as the company's CEO two years later, but returned in 2015 having set up his second company, Square — which he rebranded as Block in 2021. He led Twitter through the techlash that has engulfed social media companies, testifying before Congress multiple times. Related video: Elon Musk on Twitter fame, loneliness and the future of AI And Dorsey announced on November 29, 2021, he had stepped down as the CEO of Twitter.
U.S.ReutersNew York subway shooting suspect charged with second-degree murder
A man suspected in the fatal weekend shooting of a New York City subway rider, less than two months after a mass shooting on the transit system, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said. Andrew Abdullah, 25, was arrested at his lawyer's offices for the slaying of Brooklyn resident Daniel Enriquez, 48, who was fatally shot in his chest while he rode in a subway car on Sunday morning, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
BusinessFortuneBig oil consultant resigns with scathing email to 1,400 executives asking them all to ‘look in the mirror’
In her resignation email—which was sent to 1,400 employees and contractors at Shell—she said despite warnings from the U.N. and the International Energy Agency that there was no safe level of new oil and gas extraction, Shell was planning to explore and extract “much more. I can no longer work for a company that ignores all the alarms and dismisses the risks of climate change and ecological collapse,” Dennett said. I want Shell execs and management to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they really believe their vision for more oil and gas extraction secures a safe future for humanity.
- PoliticsThe El Paso Times
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Texas shooting update
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Uvalde, Texas shooting update.
U.S.Yahoo NewsNewly released video shows moment Jalen Randle was fatally shot by Houston cop
Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a police officer in Houston fatally shot Jalen Randle, a 29-year-old Black man, in the back of the neck last month. The video, shared on Tuesday by attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Randle's family, shows what happened after Randle was pulled over on April 27 after a chase for what cops said were three felony warrants. Before he can finish saying “hands,” a shot rings out and the police officer yells, “Oh, shit!” As Privette continues to point his weapon, another officer handcuffs Randle as he lies face down on the ground.
U.S.QuartzBritain ended the horror of school shootings after one single massacre
His attack came before school shootings had become something schools prepared for with drills and plans—and before they were routinely carried out by other students. In that innocent time, when the Dunblane school principal heard loud bangs from another part of the school, he thought it was building work that he hadn't been told about. After a teacher burst into his office and told him what was happening, he he ran to the gym, where he witnessed “a scene of unimaginable carnage, one's worst nightmare,” he told the inquiry later.
U.S.HuffPostTucker Carlson Cooks Up Absurd New Scapegoat For Texas School Massacre
Australia hasn't had a mass shooting since 1996, when a gunman opened fire at a tourist resort in Port Arthur, killing 35 people. The government responded by enacting strict gun control legislation, including banning all semi-automatic rifles. In New Zealand, all semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles were banned after a gunman killed 51 people in Christchurch in 2019.
HealthYahoo LifePlanning on going back to the office, hitting the gym or attending a wedding? Here’s a guide to staying safe at this stage of the pandemic
Khabbaza says that's because every person has to assess their own individual risk factors when it comes to getting COVID. Dr. Prathit Kulkarni, an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, agrees, telling Yahoo Life: "Safety precautions at this stage in the pandemic are related to one's personal risk of having a bad outcome from COVID-19, vaccination status and one's personal risk tolerance. All situations are slightly unique and require an individual and situational risk assessment."
PoliticsPoliticoTrump hits back at Kellyanne Conway for admitting that he lost in 2020
Former President Donald Trump is denying a key anecdote in a former aide's new book, saying he would have banished Kellyanne Conway from his inner circle if she had ever told him he lost the 2020 presidential election. In a Thursday morning post on his social media network, Truth Social, Trump refuted Conway's assertion that she “may have been the first person Donald Trump trusted in his inner circle who told him that he had come up short this time.” For all their years working together, Trump has seldom criticized Conway even as he's attacked her husband, attorney George Conway, who helped start the anti-Trump organization the Lincoln Project and has been an outspoken critic of the ex-president.
U.S.The Daily BeastSchool Drop-Out Gave Warning on Facebook Minutes Before Uvalde Massacre
But Ramos legally bought two AR-style rifles just after his 18th birthday this month and appeared to grow angry and isolated after he failed to graduate high school, friends and family members said. Although Ramos was described as “quiet” by numerous people who knew him, a young woman who worked with him at Wendy's until March detected an aggressive streak. Several former friends said he had stopped showing up at school and was not going to graduate with the senior class this year.
NewsYahoo News UKUkraine's intelligence chief 'fully confirms' Vladimir Putin has cancer
Vladimir Putin has cancer but won't "die tomorrow", a Ukrainian intelligence official has reportedly claimed. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, told Ukrainian news outlet Pravda that the Russian president has "several illnesses". He told the outlet: "Yes, we fully confirm this information, that Putin has cancer.
U.S.Kansas City StarWhat killed ‘big frigging snake’ in Indiana? The answer may be stuck in its throat
Big snakes have even bigger appetites, but one large, swimming serpent in Indiana was recently found dead with a “huge” fish lodged in its throat, photos show. Amber Conley and Brad Walton were fueling up at Brookville Lake, about 76 miles southeast of downtown Indianapolis, when they spotted the snake, Conley said in a May 22 Facebook post. “While fueling up today, we came across a dead snake that had choked on a huge fish,” Conley said.
BusinessNextSharkChinese auto company releases electric car with 'Warm Man Mode' feature targeted at 'oriental women'
A Chinese car company is gaining attention for its marketing of a new electric vehicle designed for women. The battery-powered Ora Ballet Cat is made by Great Wall Motors, a Baoding-based automobile manufacturer in Heibei Province, and is loaded with features “specially designed for oriental women,” according to the company. When you look up, the intimate LED super-sized makeup mirror is in front of you, and the light source gear specially designed for oriental women illuminates the skin, and the makeup effect is more perfect,” Great Wall Motors' Ora brand wrote.
WorldReutersTanks, but no ammo – Germany's Ukraine pledges show military muddle
Four weeks ago, Germany agreed to send dozens of anti-aircraft tanks to help defend Ukraine from Russia's invasion, part of what it called a turning-point after decades of military restraint. Berlin says it can deliver the first Gepard tanks in July. That's too slow, a Ukrainian parliamentarian said on Tuesday, as Russian forces launched an assault on the country's east.
U.S.WSB Cox articlesWoman sexually assaulted while kayaking alone on west Georgia river
Haralson County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a sexual assault that occurred near the Tallapoosa River. Deputies say they responded to the Higgins Hospital in reference to a sexual assault call on May 16. DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The victim told deputies she was kayaking alone down the Tallapoosa River between Broad Street and Liner Road, when she was approached by three men.
U.S.Detroit Free PressGoFundMe for teacher killed in Texas shatters goal with help from Michigan philanthropist
Fourth grade teacher Irma Garcia, killed while protecting her students during a Texas school shooting massacre, is the focus of a GoFundMe campaign spotlighted by Bill Pulte — who urged his 3.2 million Twitter followers to donate money on Wednesday to offset funeral costs and help the victim's family. Garcia, along with co-teacher Eva Mireles, were among the 21 killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a number that includes 19 children. The school, which teaches only second through fourth graders according to its website, still has a homepage banner that reads, "Teacher Appreciation Week."
U.S.Associated PressReality TV’s Josh Duggar gets 12 years in child porn case
Former reality TV star Josh Duggar was sentenced Wednesday to about 12 1/2 years in prison after he was convicted of receiving child pornography. Duggar was also convicted of possessing child pornography in December, but U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks dismissed that conviction after ruling that, under federal law, it was an included offense in the receiving child pornography count. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to give the maximum term of 20 years to Duggar, whose large family was the focus of TLC's “19 Kids and Counting.”
U.S.Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘Most difficult customer ever.’ Deaf woman upset by note on Dutch Bros Coffee receipt
Dutch Bros Coffee has referred to an inappropriate note left on the receipt of a deaf customer in Texas as “unacceptable.” Ashley Vallejo detailed her recent experience at the coffee chain in a TikTok video, describing her first visit to a Waco location as “a little bit awkward.” When she received her order, she noticed on the receipt she was referred to as the “most difficult customer ever.”
U.S.The Daily BeastDaniel Defense, the Maker of the Uvalde Shooter’s ‘Perfect Rifle,’ Abruptly Exits the NRA Convention
On a Memorial Day weekend when we honor those who died in service to our country, the company that manufactured a weapon of war used to kill 19 children and two adults in a Texas elementary school had planned to hawk its wares at the gun industry's annual collective disgrace. But in the aftermath of Tuesday's slaughter in Uvalde, Daniel Defense, is no longer slated to join all the other profiteers of violent death at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston. Up until Wednesday afternoon,the company was to have occupied Booth 4839, conveniently close to the cafe at the George R. Brown Convention Center, amid what the NRA terms “14 acres of guns and gear.
WorldReutersDemand by Orthodox Church of Ukraine over monastery could widen rift
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is seeking permission from the government to take over a building on the grounds of a historic monastery in Kyiv, a move likely to widen a rift with a separate Ukrainian church that adheres to Moscow. The sprawling Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex is a Ukrainian cultural treasure and the headquarters of the Russian-backed wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church known as the Moscow Patriarchate. Ukrainians and Russians are predominantly Orthodox Christians, but Ukrainian church leaders have been at odds with Russia since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was formed in 2018, ending centuries of Russian stewardship over Ukraine's largest church.
“It could give millions a chance to finally buy a house or start their business or help their kids get an education, too.”
“You signed a contract…If you don’t want to deal with the financial pressure of debt, don’t take out the loan.”
“Without action from Biden, Black student debt will hinder his agenda with respect to eliminating racial inequities.”
“Blanket relief could end up routing too much relief to those who do not need it and too little to those who do.”
“Unlike a number of other policy issues, student debt relief doesn’t need to be pushed through a narrowly controlled Congress.”