U.S.National ReviewCapitol Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Ashli Babbitt Won’t Face Charges
The U.S. Capitol police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the U.S. Capitol riots in January has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing and will not face charges, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Authorities found there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the unnamed officer. The office of acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips of Washington, D.C. said in a statement that prosecutors notified Congress and Babbitt's family of its findings on Wednesday.
WorldReutersRussia, Ukraine hold military drills, NATO criticises Russian troop build-up
Russia and Ukraine held simultaneous military drills on Wednesday as NATO foreign and defence ministers began emergency discussions on a massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. Washington and NATO have been alarmed by the large build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week. Russia -- which said the U.S. naval move was an unfriendly provocation and warned Washington to stay far away from Crimea and its Black Sea coast -- says the build-up is a three-week snap military drill to test combat readiness in response to what it calls threatening behaviour f...
U.S.AxiosGeorge Floyd associate invokes 5th Amendment, will not testify in Chauvin trial
Morries Hall, one of the passengers in George Floyd's car before his arrest, will not testify in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after being permitted to invoke his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. Why it matters: The presiding judge denied the defense's subpoena of Hall, thwarting their hopes of shedding more light on Floyd's past drug use. Chauvin's lawyers have sought to argue that Floyd's opioid use may have contributed to heart failure and ultimately his death.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverA California man vanished 42 years ago on road trip. His remains were just identified
Kenneth Lee Bell was traveling from California's Bay Area to Washington when he vanished, officials said. On Jan. 8, a timber crew working in a remote wilderness area near Molalla, Oregon, unearthed a partial human skull and other human remains, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. “If you knew Kenneth Lee Bell in the late 1970s, detectives would like to hear from you,” the sheriff's office said.
PoliticsAssociated PressNo. 2 House Republican says GOP would act against Gaetz
The No. 2 House Republican leader said Wednesday that party leaders would “take action" against Rep. Matt Gaetz if the Justice Department formally moves against the Florida lawmaker, who is under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking. The remarks by Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana made him the latest congressional Republicans to opt against springing to the defense of the three-term lawmaker from Florida's panhandle. Federal investigators are probing Gaetz over allegations that include sex with a minor, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss details publicly.
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
WorldReutersEuropean powers warn Iran over fate of talks after 60% enrichment move
The European powers party to the Iran nuclear deal told Tehran on Wednesday that its decision to enrich uranium at 60% purity and install a further 1,000 centrifuges at its Natanz site were contrary to efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. Talks between world powers, Iran and the United States are due to resume in Vienna on Thursday, but in a joint statement Britain, France and Germany said Tehran's decision to enrich at 60 percent was not based on credible civilian reasons and constituted an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon. "Iran's announcements are particularly regrettable given they come at a time when all JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) participants and the United States have started substantive discussions, with the objective of finding a rapid diplomatic solution to revitalise and restore the JCPoA," the three countries said.
- NewsYahoo News Video
Jill Biden to undergo 'procedure,' White House says
The White House says President Biden will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, Wednesday morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “common medical procedure.
U.S.Associated PressExpert blames George Floyd's death on heart rhythm problem
The judge at Derek Chauvin's murder trial Wednesday turned down a defense request to acquit the former officer in George Floyd's death, rejecting claims that prosecutors failed to prove Chauvin's actions killed the Black man. Judge Peter Cahill pressed on with the case after Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson said the prosecution's expert witnesses gave conflicting opinions about what caused Floyd's death after the 46-year-old was pinned under the white officer's knee for what authorities say was 9 1/2 minutes last May. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher countered by saying the state has proved that Chauvin's use of force was unreasonable and has introduced evidence that "clearly established that the defendant's conduct was a causal factor in bringing about Mr. Floyd's death.”
ScienceThe Telegraph'Brideshead' for Roman elite found at Scarborough housing estate
A Roman “Brideshead” has been unearthed at a planned Scarborough housing estate, and archaeologists believe it may be the first and only one of its kind. The building complex dating from the period of Roman rule, between 43 AD and 410 AD, consists of a circular room with adjoining chambers built to a design “never seen before in Britain”. Archaeologists believe the complex which functioned like a “gentlemen's club” for the wealthy elite could also be the first of its kind to be discovered within the entire former Roman Empire.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Senate confirms Biden nominee for No. 2 State Dept post
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nominee Wendy Sherman to be deputy secretary of state, the number two position at the department. The Senate backed the nomination by 56-42, as a handful of Republicans joined Biden's fellow Democrats to vote in Sherman's favor. Sherman, 71, a foreign policy veteran, ran into Republican resistance because she helped negotiate the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran, which was fiercely opposed by Republicans as well as some Democrats.
U.S.ReutersDefense expert testifies George Floyd died from heart disease, exhaust fumes
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -A medical expert testifying in defense of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin told the jury on Wednesday he believed that George Floyd's death during his arrest was the result of heart disease making his heart beat erratically. Dr. David Fowler, who was Maryland's chief medical examiner until his retirement in 2019, said exhaust fumes from the police car next to which Chauvin pinned Floyd to the road may also have contributed to Floyd's death in May 2020.
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.
WorldReutersHong Kong announces more electoral system changes favouring pro-Beijing camp
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced amendments to voting laws on Tuesday that critics say favour pro-Beijing candidates by redrawing constituency boundaries, creating more electoral districts, and criminalising calls for voters to leave ballots blank. Having become Hong Kong's least popular chief executive in the near quarter century since the handover from British colonial rule, it remains unclear whether Lam will seek re-election. She faced the largest and most violent anti-government protests in 2019 after proposing a bill to allow extraditions to mainland China.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverBear on North Carolina coast compared to Bigfoot: ‘We weren’t even sure it was real!’
A bear got caught looking a little too human in eastern North Carolina, and photos of the encounter are being likened to a Bigfoot sighting. The photos were taken Sunday as two East Carolina students, Zachary Allen and Erin McAllister, visited Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge near the coast. “To be honest, when we both first saw it, we weren't even sure it was real!” Erin McAllister of Waxhaw told McClatchy News.
U.S.The WeekFauci shoots down Tucker Carlson's 'crazy' COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory as 'not helpful'
Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing back against the "crazy" COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory Fox News host Tucker Carlson floated on his highly-rated show. In a Tuesday night segment, Carlson questioned why those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are still advised to wear masks and avoid large gatherings, proceeding to baselessly suggest of the vaccines, "Maybe it doesn't work and they're simply not telling you that." Asked to comment on these remarks on CNN on Wednesday, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, dismissed them as "crazy."
LifestyleTODAYWant to lose weight? Drop 10 pounds with this healthy meal plan
Luckily you don't have to worry about that — TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer is here to help! While some folks may drop 10 pounds in a month, others will hit their goal in November (prime time to feel fabulous for the holidays). Each morning meal follows a "10/4" winning combination, meaning these meals consist of at least 10 grams of protein and at least 4 grams of filling fiber to help jump-start your day and keep you energized until lunchtime.
U.S.LA TimesColumn: The UC system is one of the best and worst parts of living in California
And indeed, biology, managerial economics, social psychology and computer science are listed as UC Irvine's most popular majors on the college ranking and review site Niche.com. Although UC Irvine offers many traditional humanities majors, not one of them made the top 10. English, history and political sciences do make the top 10 at other UC campuses, including UCLA, but according to Niche.com, business/economics, biology and computer science reign supreme.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderMississippi dad suffers stroke after Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Here’s what happened.
A 43-year-old father of seven from Ocean Springs suffered a stroke hours after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Brad Malagarie was otherwise healthy before he suffered the stroke April 6 while at work. Malagarie had the most common form of stroke, an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot in an artery leading to the brain.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news – live: Jill Biden returns to work after undergoing ‘medical procedure’
Jill Biden has returned to the White House after a “common” medical procedure, to which she was accompanied by Joe Biden. There was no immediate detail offered about the nature of the first lady's treatment. It comes as US climate envoy John Kerry is heading to China for talks between the world's two biggest carbon emitters ahead of an environmental summit of world leaders.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen returns to royal duties four days after Prince Philip's death
The Queen has returned to royal duties just four days after the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. On Tuesday, the 94-year-old monarch hosted her first in-person event since Philip's passing on Friday to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official, former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel. It was announced at the weekend the monarchy and their households would observe two weeks of royal mourning, with members of the family "continuing to undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances," a royal official said.
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.Business InsiderA woman who traveled to the Bahamas with Rep. Matt Gaetz in 2018 says no one was underage on the trip, according to Politico
A woman who traveled to the Bahamas with Matt Gaetz in 2018 told Politico that everyone was over 18. Politico said it was unable to confirm the age of that woman at the time of the trip. A woman who was with Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on a trip to the Bahamas in September 2018 that federal investigators are looking into told Politico that no one was underage on the trip.
U.S.USA TODAYAfrican bush viper — a snake with no known antivenom — bites San Diego Zoo employee
A venomous snake bit an employee at the San Diego Zoo on Monday, according to zoo officials. A zoo spokesperson said the wildlife care specialist was immediately transported to a hospital for evaluation and medical care. “Although the San Diego Zoo cares for a number of venomous reptiles, incidents like this are very rare, and the snake was contained at all times with no risk of an escape,” the zoo said in a statement to USA TODAY.
WorldBusiness InsiderTaiwan says China flew 25 warplanes into its air-defense zone in the largest breach yet
Taiwan said China flew 25 warplanes into its air defence identification zone on Monday. It's China's biggest breach since Taiwan started reporting Chinese plane movements last year, reports say. The US recently warned of China's "increasingly aggressive actions" against Taiwan.
“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.”