U.S.NBC NewsBody of missing Instagram influencer Alexis Sharkey found on Texas road
The body of a 26-year-old Instagram influencer who vanished last week was found on the side of a road in Houston over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Alexis Robinault, who went by Alexis Sharkey and described herself as a "mentor," had no visible wounds and her cause of death hadn't yet been determined, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Police said that paramedics found her body on Saturday morning near a section of Interstate 10 roughly 17 miles west of downtown Houston.
PoliticsThe TelegraphRepublicans say Biden budget chief has 'zero chance' of confirmation
Republicans indicated they would try to block one of Joe Biden's proposed key economic advisers in what could be the first major confirmation battle of his administration. Mr Biden on Monday nominated Neera Tanden, 50, as the first woman of colour to be director of the Office of Management and Budget. Ms Tanden has for the last decade headed a liberal think tank, and is a former close aide to Hillary Clinton.
PoliticsNational ReviewTrump Lawyer Says Krebs Should Be ‘Taken Out at Dawn and Shot’ for Defending Election
Trump campaign lawyer Joe diGenova declared Monday that the Trump administration's former cybersecurity chief deserves to be put to death for claiming that the presidential election was the “most secure” in the country's history. President Trump fired Chris Krebs, his head of cybersecurity, earlier this month after Krebs disputed Trump's claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. Krebs found himself at odds with the president after he called the election the “most secure in United States history.”
WorldBusiness InsiderNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have already received an unapproved coronavirus vaccine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a COVID-19 vaccination from the Chinese government, Japanese intelligence sources told a Washington DC-based Korea expert. Kim's health has been the subject of rumors throughout his nine-year rule of the country. The 36-year-old dictator is a frequent smoker and obese, according to South Korean lawmakers, fueling speculation that he would experience complications if he were to contract COVID-19.
HealthAssociated PressBeware of COVID-19 scams as vaccine approaches FDA approval
The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by weary Americans longing for a path back to normal life. Homeland Security investigators are working with Pfizer, Moderna and dozens of other drug companies racing to complete and distribute the vaccine and treatments for the virus. “We're all very excited about the potential vaccine and treatments,” said Steve Francis, assistant director for global trade investigations with Homeland Security Investigations.
WorldThe TelegraphSwitzerland halves new infections without national lockdown as pubs and restaurants stay open
Switzerland is emerging as a model for how the coronavirus can be contained without a national lockdown, after daily new infections halved since the start of November despite pubs, restaurants, gyms and sports remaining open in much of the country. The figures were hailed as a triumph for the “Swiss special way” by Swiss government doctors last week, and will be seen as evidence that regional tiers can work in the UK. Rather than ordering a general lockdown, Switzerland allowed regions to decide their own measures and only the worst-hit imposed tough restrictions.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Is he just coming to bring Covid’: Democratic Georgia candidate launches blistering attack on Trump state visit
Georgia Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump and suggested his visit would just bring Covid to the state. And Mr Ossoff branded Mr Trump “a disgraced president” who would only “intensify” the enthusiasm of Democratic voters in Georgia. "With respect to President Trump, I mean, is he bringing stimulus for families?
- ScienceReuters Videos
Deforestation in Amazon skyrockets to 12-year high
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has skyrocketed to a 12-year high in 2020. Government data released on Monday (November 30) showed more than 11,000 square kilometers have been wiped away, a patch that's roughly seven times the size of London taken out of the world's largest rainforest and that's up 10 percent from 2019. This year, fires have blazed through the Amazon and environmentalists have blamed the government.
WorldBusiness Insider'I don't see any way around it': Former Navy SEAL McRaven says retaliation for assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist all but certain
Days after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist, retired US Navy Adm. William McRaven said that retaliation is all but inevitable. "The Iranians are going to be in a position where they have to retaliate. I don't see any way around it," McRaven, former head of US Special Operations Command and the Navy SEAL who oversaw the bin Laden raid, said on ABC's "This Week."
U.S.USA TODAY1 dead, 4 injured after 'randomly shooting' couple drives around Nevada city on Thanksgiving, police say
One person was shot dead and four others injured on Thanksgiving after police in Henderson, Nevada, say a man and woman fired at people while driving in the city. "It is believed that the suspects were driving around the city randomly shooting at citizens with no apparent motive," Henderson police said in a news release. Henderson police officers responding to the Thursday shooting at the 800 block of East Lake Mead Parkway found a 22-year-old man, who had died from an apparent gunshot wound, and a 23-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 53-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, all suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to a news release.
PoliticsThe IndependentLincoln Project calls for revenge on ‘grubby sellouts’ who backed Trump
Republicans have realised that the end of Donald Trump is near despite his “absurd, doomed lawsuits” and will start distancing themselves from the president, predicts former Republican and co-founder of the Lincoln Project Rick Wilson in a scathing new op-ed. In a strongly-worded piece for the Daily Beast, Mr Wilson wrote that “the dark is rising for Trump's sycophants, toadies and enablers”. Their tough-guy acts and f***-your-feelings s***-talk have become a furious whine of complaints and recriminations as a toxic slurry of rage and despair has left a stinging bile in the back of their throats that won't go away.
BusinessReutersExclusive: LG Chem to double China battery capacity to meet Tesla demand - sources
South Korea's LG Chem Ltd plans to more than double production capacity of battery cells it makes in China for Tesla Inc electric vehicles (EV) next year, sources said, to keep up with its U.S. client's growth in the biggest car market. The firm, a supplier for Tesla's Shanghai-built Model 3, will also ship its increased output from China as well as Korea to Tesla's factories in Germany and the United States, said two people with knowledge of the matter, signalling an increased role in the supply chain of the world's leading EV manufacturer. The plan comes as Tesla, LG Chem's primary customer, scrambles to secure cells as part of an aggressive global production expansion plan, as it targets soaring demand fanned by governments promoting EVs to curb air pollution.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden's decision to pick Neera Tanden for a top economic role exposes an ongoing rift with Bernie Sanders-allied progressives
President-elect Joe Biden has angered both progressive Democrats and Republicans with his announcement that he will nominate Neera Tanden to direct the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden, the head of the influential liberal think tank Center for American Progress, is a longtime advisor to Hillary Clinton and has made numerous enemies among both progressive Democrats and Republicans. While some Republicans insisted Tanden wouldn't be confirmed by the Senate, a slew of progressives aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Tanden's likely nomination as divisive.
U.S.TheGrioDC detective killed by wife in murder-suicide, authorities say
The bodies of Timothy Eugene Francis and Christina Lynn Francis were found in their Maryland home Friday. The bodies of 50-year-old Timothy Eugene Francis and Christina Lynn Francis, 41, were found in their Waldorf, Maryland home on Friday. Authorities confirmed that the weapon used was a handgun, and there were multiple guns in the home.
PoliticsThe IndependentGeorgia judge’s ruling gives boost to Trump lawyer’s bizarre conspiracy theory over voting machines
A judge in Georgia has ordered the state administration not to “alter, destroy, or erase” any software or data on Dominion-brand voting machines in three counties in the state, after a case was filed by former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell related to fraud in the elections. The judge, Timothy C Batten, also asked the state's Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to explain by Wednesday evening their views, if any, against allowing the inspection of the voting machines in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee Counties. The case by Ms Powell, who has been alleging without evidence that Dominion voting machines are part of an elaborate election rigging conspiracy, was heard by the US district judge on Sunday night via a Zoom call.
HealthINSIDERAn Oregon cancer nurse was put on leave after boasting on TikTok about ignoring COVID-19 rules
A cancer nurse at Salem Hospital in Oregon was placed on administrative leave after posting a TikTok making light of coronavirus guidance, the hospital said in a statement Saturday. The hospital did not name the nurse, but the Statesman Journal identified her as Ashley Grames. The TikTok showed the nurse wearing scrubs and includes the caption: "When my co workers find out I still travel, dont wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have play dates."
PoliticsPolitico‘They’ll freeze them out’: Democrats fear Senate Republicans will block Biden’s judges
It's also Joe Biden's chance to reshape the courts. Should Senate Republicans win the fight to keep their majority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have unilateral authority to stifle Biden's picks to the federal judiciary, weakening Democrats' hopes to make up for four years of confirming conservative judges and two years of a McConnell blockade during President Barack Obama's final years. While an increasing number of Republicans say they're willing to work with Biden on his Cabinet nominees, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin isn't optimistic about GOP cooperation on judicial nominees.
U.S.The IndependentMother of teenager killed by police is shot during funeral service, report says
The funeral of a Florida teenager ended abruptly on Saturday afternoon after an unknown gunman fired bullets at the service, hitting the deceased's mother. People gathered to honour Sincere Pierce, 18, at Riverview Memorial Gardens in Cocoa, Florida – who was one of two teenage victims in the 13 November killing by a Brevard County deputy officer. Gunfire rang out just as the pastor finished his prayers for Mr Pierce and friends and loved ones were placing flowers on his casket.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAndrew Yang reportedly named in a New York City mayoral poll, fueling speculation he may run on a 3rd-party line in 2021
A new poll for the New York City mayoral race included the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, according to Politico. Yang was said to be listed in an online poll gauging enthusiasm for a third-party candidate in the Big Apple in 2021. Amid ongoing speculation over his political future, the former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang appeared in an online poll about the coming New York City mayoral race.
- BusinessAssociated Press
Tesla to be added to benchmark S&P 500 index in one stage
Tesla will be added to the benchmark S&P 500 index on a single day next month, rather than over two days as previously contemplated. S&P Dow Jones Indices said Monday that it will move the electric car maker into the S&P 500 on Dec. 21 at the company's full market value. Because Tesla will be one of the largest companies added to the S&P 500 in the past decade, S&P had been considering adding Tesla in two stages on Dec. 14 and 21.
HealthThe IndependentLeaked documents show China lied about Covid-19 case totals and mishandled pandemic
China underreported Covid-19 numbers by more than half as it downplayed the severity of the virus and their failure to quickly diagnose cases in the early stages of the pandemic, according to leaked documents. A series of revelations in 117 pages of internal documents from the Hubei Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, obtained by CNN, shows how the Chinese Communist Party withheld vital information as the world grappled to contain the rapidly spreading virus. On 10 February, China publicly reported 2,478 new confirmed cases while privately reporting 5,918 new cases - a 139 per cent difference.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastTrump Tells Pompeo: Go Wild on Iran, Just Don’t Risk ‘World War III’
Two officials who spoke to The Daily Beast said the administration is set to announce new sanctions on regime-linked companies and individuals in the coming weeks to solidify a years-long effort to paralyze Tehran's economy. Knowledgeable sources say those actions are designed to help fulfill various Trump officials' long-brewing desire to make it more difficult for the Democratic president-elect to rekindle negotiations with Tehran and re-enter a nuclear deal. And it's a scenario for which Biden lieutenants and allies have long prepared, having already factored into their Iran strategy that current U.S. officials would do nearly everything they could to undermine a revival of Obama-era rela...
HealthMiami HeraldDon’t rush for a COVID-19 test after Thanksgiving gathering, experts say. Here’s why
Health experts are concerned about the potential surge of new coronavirus infections following Thanksgiving celebrations and travel, despite advice to avoid those activities altogether. People who participated in large gatherings and traveled on public transportation had higher chances of exposure to COVID-19 than those who didn't, so experts suggest those individuals, and anyone who spent the holiday with them, should get tested. But not right away.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA group of incoming GOP House members, calling themselves the 'Freedom Force,' are trying to counter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Squad'
A group of incoming Republican House members are banding together in a bid to recreate the buzz around the "Squad," the Democratic Party's cohort of progressive representatives elected in 2018. The newly-elected Republicans are calling themselves the "Freedom Force." The group says it opposes socialism, and some members have claimed the Democratic left "hates" its values of love of country, support for business, and respect for God.
PoliticsINSIDER12 photos show how first lady Melania Trump decorated for her final Christmas in the White House
The White House on Monday showed off how first lady Melania Trump decorated for her final Christmas there. Last month, Trump was overheard in leaked audio complaining about having to decorate the White House for the holiday season in 2018. "I'm working my a-- off with the Christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a f--- about Christmas stuff and decorations?
“This metastasizing debt crisis has had tremendous social costs. An entire generation has been set back.”
“It is not the government’s job to step in and rescue those who took on more debt than their future incomes would support.”
“Many student-borrowers need relief, but well-off borrowers who are thriving — thanks to their college degrees — do not.”
“It will stimulate the lagging economy. And though not everyone will directly benefit, the country as a whole will improve.”
“Canceling student debt would cost billions of dollars each year and would exacerbate, not lessen, economic inequalities.”