Rubio pushes for new China sanctions amid questions over coronavirus lab leak theory

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is preparing to introduce a bill that would place new sanctions on China unless it allows “a transparent international investigation of suspect laboratories in Wuhan,” in particular the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has become the focus of intense speculation and scrutiny in recent months, including from President Biden. Rubio and other Biden critics want the president to be more aggressive in getting China to accede to a thorough investigation, which the country's leadership has so far resisted.

Israel's prime minister urges world leaders to shun Iran's new president

Israel's prime minister branded Iran's new president the "hangman of Tehran" over the weekend and called on world leaders not to restore a nuclear deal with his hardline government. Ebrahim Raisi was elected with just under 62 per cent of the vote in presidential elections on Thursday, replacing the comparatively moderate and pragmatic President Hassan Rouhani. But his victory was marred by historically low turnout and he is under immense pressure to deliver economic improvements, including via nuclear talks.

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  Israel's Bennett warns against nuclear talks with Iran's "hangmen regime"

  Reuters
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  Praise and condemnation for Iran's new hardline president

  Reuters

Pakistani police arrest cleric on suspicion of sexual abuse

A prominent Pakistani cleric who has led anti-blasphemy rallies has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a student after a purported video of the assault provoked widespread public anger. Aziz-ur-Rehman was held after cellphone videos apparently showing a cleric forcing himself on a student at a religious school went viral on social media. The video prompted protest about the lack of government action to protect students at such schools, which are often linked to hugely influential hardline religious parties.

Liz Cheney spent at least $58,000 on bodyguards after Jan. 6, wants to teach GOP basic civics

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has no regrets about opposing former President Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election, even though it cost her her position in House Republican leadership and earned her death threats, she tells The New York Times. "We've got people we've entrusted with the perpetuation of the Republic who don't know what the rule of law is," Cheney said. There has been a cost to Cheney's crusade.

Suspect who exchanged gunfire with officers has died, Kansas City, Kansas police say

A carjacking suspect who exchanged gunfire with police officers Sunday morning in Kansas City, Kansas, has died, according to police. Nearly 20 minutes earlier, Kansas City, Missouri, police officers identified a vehicle and suspect in an armed carjacking that occurred Thursday in Kansas City, Kansas. The chase went into Kansas City, Kansas, and ended when the suspect's vehicle crashed behind a convenience store, said Nancy Chartrand, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.

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  Two Kansas City police officers accused in three beatings also shot a man in 2019

  Kansas City Star
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  Wanted suspect shot after exchange of gunfire with SWAT officers

  KTRK – Houston

McManus : Why Republicans are suddenly reluctant to condemn political violence

The Republican Party has a problem with political violence: It's not sure whether it's for it or against it. In the first days after a mob loyal to former President Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to block Congress from certifying President Biden's election, GOP leaders delivered a sensible, unified response: There's no place in our constitutional system for that kind of violence. Since January, though, some leading Republicans have been backsliding — offering excuses for the insurgents who sought to overturn the election through extralegal means.

Covid: Brazil hits 500,000 deaths amid 'critical' situation

The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start of winter. The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing. The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical".

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  Brazil passes half a million COVID-19 deaths, experts warn of worse ahead

  Reuters
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  Brazil passes grim milestone of 500,000 Covid deaths amid protests over Bolsonaro response

  The Independent

‘Come here boy.’ Man tries to kidnap 12-year-old mowing his lawn, Tennessee police say

A 12-year-old Tennessee boy escaped an attempted kidnapping at his home, police say. The boy was mowing his lawn in Kingsport on Thursday morning when he saw a maroon car pass by the house, according to a news release from the Kingsport Police Department. Police say they arrested the suspect Saturday afternoon and obtained a warrant charging him with “attempted especially aggravated kidnapping,” “aggravated burglary” and “simple assault.”

I'm a Trump voter from Arizona. My state's Democratic Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, needs to support Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan.

Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan will create good jobs, and I'm calling on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to support it. Until the pandemic hit, my wife Tessa and I were living out our dream in Greenlee County, Arizona, owning our own auto-detailing business and raising sheep and horses. The problem, though, is there are few good jobs left in Arizona, and when working people are struggling, small businesses like ours just can't stay afloat.

Parul Khakhar: The Indian stay-at-home mum trolled for poem on Covid dead

She posted the mournful 14-line dirge called Shabvahini Ganga (A hearse called Ganga - the Indian name for river Ganges) on her Facebook page, where she has more than 15,000 followers. The Gujarati-language poem speaks about the wrath of the virus, leaving a trail of death and devastation in its wake. Khakhar writes about floating corpses, funeral pyres and the crematoria chimneys melting under the load of the burning dead.

A Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee who turned out to be the local police chief's daughter

A Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee for getting his order wrong earlier this week. The employee was the daughter of Miami Gardens Police Chief Noel-Pratt. The man identified as Omar Wright was arrested and charged.

With tension rising in the Pacific, Australia is preparing to fight alongside the US and on its own

Australia has announced major investments in its own military capabilities, especially new weapons. Countries in the region bolster their militaries amid heightened tensions between the US and China. Australia is looking for "a combination of integration with the US and greater self-reliance," one expert told Insider.

Fact check: Image claiming to show Joe Biden sleeping at G-7 Summit is altered

Some social media users are now using a manipulated photo of Biden resting his head on a desk with his eyes closed to claim he was asleep while meeting with world leaders. "Summary of G7 and the Biden/Putin Summit," reads the caption of a June 16 Facebook image with more than 1,000 reactions. While the image appears to have been satirically altered, the comments indicate some users took the post seriously.

‘Pack of lies’ about Marcus Whitman holds lessons about the rejection of truth today

When I served on the Statesman editorial board and joined my colleagues interviewing candidates seeking an endorsement from the paper, I was often amused when candidates kicked off their comments by telling us how long ago their families arrived in Idaho. It was as though great-great-Grandpa and -Grandma's decision to head west to Idaho made the candidate of today more qualified for office than one whose family only arrived in the state a generation ago. For one thing, most of us know little about the details of our ancestors' role in the growth and progress of America, and those histories may not all measure up to the patriotic and generous tales families weave about those who came before t...

Nine children dead after two-vehicle crash in Alabama: report

A two-car crash in Alabama killed 10 people - including nine children - Saturday. The cars likely hydroplaned, the Butler County coroner told local news outlets. Ten people died in a two-crash crash in Alabama Saturday, officials told local news outlets.

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  Nine children, one adult killed in Alabama crash

  Reuters Videos
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  8 kids in youth van among the 13 lives lost to Claudette

  Associated Press

Lindsey Graham calls the Democrats' voting-rights bill 'the biggest power grab' in US history, rejects Manchin compromise proposal

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday continued to reject the premise of the For the People Act. Graham said that he would also oppose Sen. Joe Manchin's compromise proposal. "We had the largest turnout in the history the US, and states are in charge of voting in America," he said.

A gay couple faced harassment for 5 years. Handwriting analysis led to a suspect: A neighbor.

For five years, we were living here and wondering which of our neighbors, who were all being kind and neighborly to us, is actually harassing us,” McLean said. Then the perpetrator made a mistake. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, signed the couple up for a Boston Globe subscription, but McLean and Furze already had a subscription.

Subway was sued for allegedly mislabeling its tuna as tuna. The New York Times tried to get to the bottom of the mystery.

After a lawsuit alleged Subway tuna isn't actually tuna, the New York Times did its own analysis. The newspaper used a commercial lab to analyze tuna samples bought in Los Angeles. The sandwich chain has dismissed claims its tuna isn't 100% authentic and has called the lawsuit meritless.

A Florida homeowner's association fined a couple for displaying a small pride flag on their front yard

A couple in Florida is being fined for displaying a small pride flag on their front yard. The Eastland Cove Homeowner's Association said the flag is in violation of a neighborhood rule. The two men told NBC News they will not take the flag down.

The Race to Replace Liz Cheney Is a Trump Sideshow

If Rep. Liz Cheney loses in a GOP primary in 2022, her successor's road to victory will likely have begun at a candidate's forum held by a QAnon-curious Florida activist who calls himself a “massive disrupter” with “titanium balls.” Earlier this June, six of the seven Republicans currently vying to unseat Cheney convened in a ballroom at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper, Wyoming, for their first chance to stand out since Cheney's vote to impeach the former president in January kicked off a fervent effort among pro-Trump Wyomingites to kick her out of Congress. K.W. Miller, the aforementioned disrupter behind the forum's organizing group, America First PC—not to be confused with America First Action PAC—came to the podium and declared that Wyoming is “ground zero” for the effort to take back the Republican party from so-called “RINOs” and “leftists.”

Fact check: False rumor that QAnon supporters buying tickets for Trump inauguration

The claim: QAnon supporters are buying fabricated tickets for Donald Trump's second inauguration Circulating on social media: a false claim about conspiracy theorists purchasing fabricated tickets to a fake presidential inauguration. Social media users are mocking QAnon supporters for allegedly purchasing fake tickets to "The 2nd Inauguration of Donald Trump." A photo of the tickets included in the posts says the event will be held in front of the United States Capitol building this August with "special musical guest stars" Ted Nugent and Kid Rock, both of whom are vocal Trump supporters.

Transgender dad: I used to have to celebrate Father's Day in secret

My first Father's Day after I began transitioning came in 2018. Sure, I paid for it the next day with some excruciating pain, but it was worth it to receive my first Father's Day gift – a gift card to Golden Corral, our favorite family restaurant – and to finally feel recognized for who I was inside. My son, Jacob, had been calling me “Dad” for years, and since he called my mother “Mom,” we had always celebrated Mother's Day with her, for her.

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  10 last-minute, dad-approved Father's Day gift ideas that won't break the bank

  Yahoo Life Shopping
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  What to Write in a Father's Day Card for Any Type of Dad

  Country Living

More than 350 Indonesian healthcare workers vaccinated with China's Sinovac vaccine got COVID-19 and dozens are hospitalized, raising questions about the vaccine's efficacy on variants

The vast majority of Indonesia's healthcare workers received China's Sinovac vaccine. A study in the country found the vaccine was very effective at curbing hospitalization and death. Over 350 healthcare workers caught COVID-19, most likely the Delta variant, Reuters reported.

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  Covid: China administers a billion vaccine doses

  BBC
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  Experts stress importance of vaccines as Delta variant spreads

  CBS News Videos

Disneyland-like crowds flooding national parks could cause some parks to close their gates

Yellowstone National Park experienced a 50% increase in cars compared to the 2019 Memorial Day weekend, and Zion National Park had a four-hour wait time for some popular hikes. With the crowds comes a mixed reaction from locals, the Journal reported. Many locals are frustrated and said they've seen an increase in graffiti, piles of human waste, and trash.