WorldBBCPutin sees 'double standard' in US Capitol riot prosecutions
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the US of double standards for its treatment of the Capitol rioters. He said it was wrong for the US to criticise crackdowns on anti-government protests overseas, while prosecuting Americans with "political demands". Speaking at a business forum in St Petersburg, Mr Putin set expectations low for his summit with US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
- U.S.Associated Press
Man sentenced who killed wife, propped body in front of kids
A Southern California man who killed his wife and propped up her body on a sofa as her children opened Christmas presents was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison. William Wallace, 39, of Anaheim was convicted of second-degree murder earlier this year for the 2011 killing of Za'Zell Preston, 26. Authorities said Preston suffered repeated abuse from Wallace during the marriage.
WorldReutersUK approves Pfizer/BioNTech COVID shot for 12- to 15-year-olds
Britain's medicines regulator said on Friday it had approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for use on 12- to 15-year-olds, following similar clearances in the U.S. and the E.U. The regulator said it would now be up to the country's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to decide whether to go ahead and inoculate this age group as part of Britain's vaccination roll-out plan. Children aged 12-15 are already receiving the Pfizer shot in the United States, while France and Germany are planning to start offering it to that age group this month. Britain's Health and Social Care department said it would provide an update once the JCVI had made its decision.
PoliticsNational ReviewBiden DOJ Received Gag Order Preventing NYT from Notifying Journalists of Government Phone, Email Surveillance
During the remaining weeks of the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) attempted to seize the communication records of four New York Times reporters in a quest for their sources. The Biden administration maintained the pursuit that Trump began and informed some top Times executives about the record-collection initiative. However, the Biden DOJ implemented a gag order prohibiting any public discussion of the matter, the New York Times reported Friday, citing the disclosure of one of its top attorneys David McCraw.
- WorldAssociated Press
UN: Unprecedented Taliban violence in 2020 carries into 2021
Taliban insurgents show no sign of reducing the level of violence in Afghanistan to facilitate peace negotiations with the government, and appear to be trying to strengthen their military position as leverage, with the “unprecedented violence" of 2020 carrying into 2021, U.N. experts said in a new report circulated Friday. The panel of experts said the Taliban are reported to be responsible for the great majority of assassinations that have become a feature of the violence in Afghanistan, targeting government officials, women, human rights defenders and journalists among others. In the 22-page report to the U.N. Security Council, the panel said the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces by Sept. 11, the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, “will challenge Afghan forces by limiting aerial operations with fewer drones and radar and surveillance capabilities, less logistical support and artillery, as well as a disruption in training.”
U.S.Architectural DigestIt’s Time to Reconsider the Ashtray
Democratizing the smoking accessory for all Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Miami HeraldA Florida 86-year-old pleaded for his job. Now, he’ll enter a plea on a murder charge
A senior citizen nightmare, losing a long held job when you still need the money, descended a couple of circles when a Belle Glade octogenarian shot the man firing him Friday. PBSO said Cabrera asked his supervisor “to continue to work for another year due to financial reasons.” When the supervisor denied Cabrera's request, PBSO said, “Cabrera became upset, pulled the gun out of his pocket and shot the victim several times, killing him.”
PoliticsThe TelegraphTrump denounces Fauci's handling of Covid pandemic and demands reparations from China
Former president Donald Trump on Saturday sharply attacked US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, demanded reparations from China and denounced an investigation into his finances in a speech in North Carolina. Speaking in Greenville, North Carolina, at the state's Republican Party convention, Mr Trump joined a chorus of Republican politicians who are criticising Dr Fauci for asking Americans to wear masks to guard against the virus and who at times has been sceptical of a theory that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Mr Trump called Dr Fauci "not a great doctor but a great promoter" for his frequent television appearances.
U.S.Associated PressMother eulogizes Southern California boy killed in road rage
The mother of a Southern California boy killed in a road rage shooting remembered him Saturday as 6-year-old with a vocabulary beyond his years who exuded warmth and tenderness. The boy was fatally shot in the abdomen on May 21 while seated in the back seat of a car driven by Cloonan, on State Route 55 in the city of Orange. A reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect has grown to at least $500,000, Southern California News Group reported.
PoliticsAxiosGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp booed and Raffensperger censured at state GOP convention
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was booed at the Georgia GOP convention, where a resolution was passed to censure Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for ignoring former President Trump's pressure to overturn the state's 2020 election results. Why it matters: The action shows the grip Trump has on the Republican Party in the state. Details: Raffensperger was censured for a "dereliction of his constitutional duty" over the presidential election, according to the resolution obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
U.S.Los Angeles Times OpinionOp-Ed: A nutty court ruling on California's assault weapons ban makes us less safe
Would anyone really compare an AR-15 assault rifle, which has been used in so many recent mass killings, to a Swiss Army knife? Such a comparison is ludicrous, yet that is exactly what a federal judge in San Diego did on Friday in striking down California's 32-year-old ban on assault weapons. Judge Roger Benitez began his decision by declaring, “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment.”
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramMattie Parker is the new Fort Worth mayor. Here’s why that’s important to Republicans
Mattie Parker will be Fort Worth's new mayor, and that's no surprise. From the moment in January when lawyer Dee Kelly Jr. decided not to run, former mayoral chief of staff Parker was favored as the legacy candidate to succeed popular 10-year Mayor Betsy Price. This was Fort Worth's biggest and craziest city election by far, and also its most expensive: $4 million combined for all the candidates, fighting over a job that pays $29,000 a year.
U.S.The IndependentMan beats 23-year-old Asian woman with walking cane as she gets off subway train
A 23-year-old Asian woman was attacked with a walking cane by a man at a subway station in Manhattan last month, and the police are now asking for the public's help in tracking down the suspect. The incident happened on 12 May as the woman exited the northbound 1 train at Broadway and West 116 Street in Morningside Heights, the police said. The NYPD's Hate Crime task force, which is investigating the attack, said in a tweet that an unknown man swung his cane at her multiple times, striking her on the head and hip.
U.S.Business InsiderVideos shows a man who allegedly tried to hijack a Delta flight being restrained and zip-tied by passengers and flight attendants
A man attempted to breach the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight from LA to Nashville. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Videos show passengers and flight attendants working together to restrain the man.
U.S.USA TODAY5.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Southern California; felt in cities over 90 miles away
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was felt across parts of Southern California on Saturday morning. The temblor was a part of a cluster of earthquakes that have been reported in Southern California, according to United States Geological Survey. People in Chula Vista, San Diego, El Centro and Indio felt the 5.3 quake, according to the USGS, Did You Feel It reports.
- NewsAssociated Press Videos
Psaki: No circumstance where Biden would fire Fauci
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended Dr. Anthony Fauci amid growing criticism of the nation's top infectious disease expert among Republicans after the release of thousands of pages of his emails from the early months of the pandemic. (June 4)
CelebrityINSIDERA timeline of the allegations against Sienna Mae Gomez, including the video that shows her kissing Jack Wright
Sienna Mae Gomez and Jack Wright are members of the TikTok collective the Hype House. The two of them appeared to date until Gomez was accused of sexual assault, which she denies. Wright has yet to acccuse Gomez himself, but two others have posted claims and a video.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump on idea to run for House seat in 2022 in a bid to become Speaker and launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden: 'It's very interesting'
A radio host suggested to Trump that he should run for a House seat in 2022 and become Speaker. Trump responded that it was a "very interesting" idea and might be better than running for Senate. Trump could, theoretically, become House Speaker - but experts say it is very unlikely.
WorldThe IndependentJasmine Hartin manslaughter case exposes divides in Belize
And the stark divides in everyday life have been exposed by the high-profile case of Jasmine Hartin, the daughter-in-law of Tory grandee, Lord Ashcroft. Ms Hartin, who has two children with Lord Ashcroft's son Andrew, is currently on remand, charged with the manslaughter of police officer Henry Jemmott after his body was found in the water off San Pedro, shot with his own Glock 17 gun. The case has made headlines across the world.
U.S.USA TODAYMassive fire in Phoenix prompts 'largest response' in local fire department's history
A massive fire that prompted the "largest response" in the history of the Phoenix Fire Department burned multiple recycling yards and commercial structures Saturday in west Phoenix, threatening nearby homes and filling the sky with clouds of smoke and flames. The fire started at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday as a first-alarm fire at a recycling yard, said Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Capt. Todd Keller. At about 3:30 p.m., the fire was upgraded to a Type 1 fire and had reached five commercial structures along with multiple recycling yards, officials said.
U.S.INSIDERCalifornia police arrested two parents who went to a casino hours after their disabled kid starved to death
Two parents were arrested Friday in California after allegedly neglecting their three adopted kids. One of the kids - 15-year-old Karreon Franks - was disabled and died from starvation, the Oregonian reported. Two parents from Vancouver, Washington, were arrested Friday in California on suspicion of second-degree murder and homicide by abuse in the death of their adopted disabled son Karreon Franks.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe GOP is failing to make a villain out of Biden and has run out of ideas - so now they're getting desperate and turning on their own.
Biden's popularity has left Republicans in a state of chaos. Joe Biden is a popular president and Republicans are losing their minds. Biden, a 78-year-old moderate Democrat, has a job approval rating hovering around 60% of Americans.
HealthThe IndependentFauci calls on China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers who fell sick in 2019
Doctor Anthony Fauci has called for China to release the medical records of three Wuhan lab researchers who fell sick with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019. A spokesman for China's foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, would not say whether China would release the records but firmly denied that the laboratory was linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The comments come amid complex and deepening tensions surrounding the origins of the disease, with the controversial theory that the pandemic originated from a lab-leak in China recently gaining more traction.
U.S.INSIDERA homeless woman in Oregon died while more than $800,000 of inheritance funds remained in a state bank, report says
A homeless woman, Cathy Boone, died while hundreds of thousands of unclaimed money was held in the state bank. Boone's mother died in 2016, and her mother's estate tried to contact her multiple times but failed, KGW reported. A homeless woman in Oregan died while nearly $900,000 of inherited funds was being held by the state, according to KGW.
U.S.Business InsiderA 5th-grade student gave a first-person speech dressed as Hitler. The teacher and school's principal are now on administrative leave.
A fifth-grade student dressed as Adolf Hitler and gave a speech titled, "Accomplishments." The speech was part of a "Character Development project" organized by his teacher, Fox News said. The school's principal and the student's teacher have been placed on administrative leave.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”