PoliticsYahoo NewsBiden, Harris sign law establishing Juneteenth federal holiday
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signed into law a bill establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day, a celebration designating the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. By making Juneteenth a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history, and celebrate progress, and grapple with the distance we've come but the distance we have to travel to,” Biden said during remarks Thursday in the East Room of the White House. The last federal holiday was created in 1983, when former President Ronald Reagan established Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
PoliticsYahoo NewsStacey Abrams says she supports Manchin's voting rights compromise
Activist and former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams said she “absolutely” could support Sen. Joe Manchin's, D-W.Va., compromise proposal on voting rights. “What Sen. Manchin is putting forward are some basic building blocks that we need to ensure that democracy is accessible no matter your geography,” the Georgia Democrat said Thursday during an interview with CNN, “and those provisions that he's setting forth are strong ones that will create a level playing field, will create standards that do not vary from state to state and I think will ensure that every American has improved access to vote despite the onslaught of state legislation seeking to restrict access to the right to vote.” Manchin's office circulated a three-page memo outlining his voting rights proposal after writing earlier this month that he didn't support the For the People Act, a sweeping piece of legislation on voting, elections and campaign finance that passed the House in March.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderLatest Kentuckian charged in U.S. Capitol riot caught on video near fatal shooting
A Kentucky man charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol wrote in a Facebook post that he was nearby when a woman trying to get into the Speaker's Lobby was shot and killed. Kurt Peterson of Hodgenville was arrested Wednesday and charged with obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the FBI announced. On Jan. 10, Peterson put a lengthy post on Facebook detailing his time in the Capitol protesting former President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election, according to a federal affidavit.
WorldThe TelegraphViolence shatters Pakistani elite as thousands protest 'illegal' land grab
For those fortunate enough to own a home in a Bahria Town development, the elite suburb promises to offer a respite from the clamour of life in much of Pakistan. Prospective residents from Karachi are lured with assurances that they can swap the blackouts, floods and rubbish heaps of the port metropolis for a luxury lifestyle in a manicured architectural fantasia. While Pakistan is often gripped by political and religious protests, the rich are rarely targeted - and the violent intrusion in Bahria Town has shaken elite Pakistani society beyond its gates.
WorldThe WeekAfter Putin meeting, White House now looking to 'engage' with China's Xi Jinping
A meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin now under his belt, President Biden is considering holding talks with China's Xi Jinping. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday told reporters that what Biden has said "about there being no substitute for leader-level dialogue as a central part of why he held the summit with Putin yesterday also applies to China and to President Xi Jinping. He will look for opportunities to engage with President Xi going forward."
WorldThe TelegraphLet children travel under double vaccination holidays scheme, urge Tory MPs
Children under 18 must be exempt from the Government's proposed new double vaccination scheme for holidays, senior Tories have urged, as ministers appeared to endorse the plan. Jesse Norman, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, confirmed on Thursday that the Government was looking at opening up summer holidays abroad to fully vaccinated Britons, allowing them to return from amber list countries without having to quarantine. Amid concerns that EU nations are stealing a march on the UK by opening up to vaccinated travellers, he said: "We don't want to be left behind by other countries that are taking a two-jab approach if it can be done safely."
PoliticsThe WeekFox News reportedly presented GOP activist guests as parents concerned about critical race theory
Fox News on numerous occasions has reportedly conducted interviews with "everyday" parents or educators opposed to "critical race theory" — who also happened to be Republican activists. Almost a dozen guests the network has talked to about their opposition to teaching "critical race theory" in schools "also have day jobs as Republican strategists, conservative think-tankers, or right-wing media personalities," the progressive watchdog Media Matters for America reported Thursday. Fox reportedly either downplayed or ignored this fact during several segments.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderDad accused of killing daughter’s boyfriend after alleged assault, Michigan cops say
A Michigan father faces charges after shooting and killing a man he believed had assaulted his daughter, authorities say. The incident unfolded Wednesday outside an apartment complex in Harrison Township, about 30 miles northeast of Detroit, according to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the shooting was sparked by an argument between the victim and his girlfriend's 66-year-old father.
WorldThe Telegraph‘I am not going to vote’: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to abstain from most restricted election in Iran’s history
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not vote in Friday's presidential election in Iran and warned that the outcome would produce a government without a popular mandate, in another blow to the credibility of the most restricted poll in the Islamic Republic's history. Mr Ahmadinejad, who was president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, said he would exercise his "personal right" to abstain after what he described as the disenfranchisement of voters. I am not going to vote.
U.S.The StateVictims ‘need justice,’ McMaster says in denouncing court’s decision to stay executions
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster decried the state Supreme Court's decision to stay all upcoming executions until the state's Department of Corrections could offer a firing squad as a method of execution. The Republican governor told reporters Thursday morning that he disagreed with the decision, which was issued by the state's highest court Wednesday, two days before South Carolina's first execution in a decade was schedule to be carried out. I think the law has been passed and it is sound,” McMaster said.
CelebrityArchitectural DigestStill Need a Father’s Day Gift for Dad? Here Are Chip Gaines’s Suggestions
The Fixer Upper star shares five little ones with his wife, Joanna Gaines Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.BBCPornhub videos: Women sue, alleging lack of consent
More than 30 women are suing the company which owns the streaming site Pornhub, alleging exploitation over the use of explicit videos of them. The women say the videos were uploaded to Pornhub without their consent and have lodged a civil suit in California. The California lawsuit accuses Mindgeek of running a "criminal enterprise".
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverJudge frees man from death row, points to withheld evidence in Charlotte murder trial
Michael Wayne Sherrill, convicted 12 years ago for the 1984 fatal stabbing and rape of Cynthia Dotson, climbed into a truck with his brother on Wednesday evening and drove off from Central Prison in Raleigh. Sherrill's freedom hinged on the discovery in April that several pieces of evidence, which could have strengthened his defense, had not been shared with his attorneys before his 2009 trial. Sherrill's release after more than 16 years in custody angered and dismayed two members of Dotson's family who were in Superior Court Judge Lou Trosch's courtroom on Wednesday, according to courtroom observers.
WorldThe TelegraphHindu priest tipped to succeed Narendra Modi claims hospitals lied about India oxygen shortages
Yogi Adityanath, the Hindu priest tipped as successor to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has said hospitals lied about shortages of oxygen during the height of the Covid crisis, in an exclusive interview with the Telegraph. Mr Adityanath, the chief minister of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, is seen as the third most powerful man in India behind his colleagues in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr Modi and home minister Amit Shah. The controversial politician attracts fervent support among many of India's 966 million Hindus, who admire his Trump-like forthrightness on domestic issues - but, until now, Mr Adityanath had never spoken to the international media.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPutin says 'there is no happiness in life' after his meeting with Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a dark tone after his private chat with President Joe Biden. "There's no happiness in life," Putin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a dark tone during his lengthy, rambling press conference following nearly four hours of talks with President Joe Biden in Geneva on Wednesday.
WorldMiami HeraldAs Biden pulls out of Afghanistan, what’s his plan for Pakistan? It harbors terrorists, too | Opinion
Like Afghanistan, Pakistan is a world-leading narcotics supplier, where terrorists get most of their money as drug cartels. Al Qaida set up headquarters in Pakistan's tribal areas after U.S. forces arrived in 2001. In a May 6 appearance on “Morning Joe,” former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates argued that the United States has ignored Pakistan while overemphasizing Afghanistan.
WorldBBCWhat's gone wrong with Australia's vaccine rollout?
Now, the government faces fresh supply pressure after it raised the recommended age for the AstraZeneca jab to people over 60. Right now, AstraZeneca is the main component of the country's immunisation programme. Vaccine hesitancy in some pockets of the community has also risen even as the pace of the rollout has picked up in recent weeks and reached daily records.
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Rep. Gosar said Ashli Babbitt was 'executed' during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack
While questioning FBI Director Christopher Wray about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in a hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. said Ashli Babbitt, who was killed as she attempted to breach a set of doors in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, was "executed" and that the officer who shot her was "lying in wait." In April, the Department of Justice cleared the U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot Babbitt of criminal wrongdoing in the shooting.
U.S.INSIDERA murder suspect accused of stabbing and setting fire to his son cross-examined the 11-year-old in court
A Florida judge allowed a murder suspect to represent himself at trial and cross-examine witnesses. Ronnie Oneal III is charged with killing his girfriend and daughter and nearly killing his son. A murder suspect accused of shooting his girlfriend, axing his 9-year-old daughter in the head, then stabbing and lighting his son on fire cross-examined the 11-year-old survivor Wednesday in a jaw-dropping courtroom scene.
PoliticsThe State‘We didn’t win.’ Trump appears to admit Biden won election in Fox News interview
More than seven months after the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump appeared to admit his defeat on Wednesday. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said the results of the 2020 election were “shocking.” President Joe Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232, but the results continue to be disputed.
CelebrityMiami Herald‘You’re welcome’: Woman dragged into the middle of ARod-JLo split breaks her silence
We're getting more Bennifer intel as the days wear on. Paps have been flashing away so we know that JLo and Ben Affleck are officially together. Their kissing session caught on video Monday night at a Los Angeles restaurant was basically the formerly engaged couple's official statement.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastDems Who Raged Against Amy Coney Barrett Look Like Idiots
Texas didn't have standing to sue over the individual mandate. This is especially noteworthy because, last October, Democrats made demagoguing the ACA their key line of attack against Barrett during her confirmation battle. There were numerous examples, one of the most blatant being Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's contention that: “Confirming Amy Coney Barrett will be the end of the Affordable Care Act.
U.S.USA TODAYAiden Leos case: California man in suspected road rage killing admitted to firing gun, prosecutors say
A Southern California man charged with killing a 6-year-old boy in a road rage incident last month told police he pulled out a gun and fired at a car on the freeway after he got angry with a driver who made a rude gesture, prosecutors said. Orange County prosecutors wrote in a court document filed Wednesday that murder suspect Marcus Eriz, 24, told police on June 6 that he grabbed the loaded gun, rolled down the window and shot at the car driven by a woman who gestured toward him on a freeway while he was on his way to work on May 21. The shot killed 6-year-old Aiden Leos while he sat in a booster seat in the back of his mother's car on his way to kindergarten, prosecutors have said.
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Prosecutors seek 'very substantial' prison time for Michael Avenatti over attempted extortion of Nike
Prosecutors on Wednesday urged a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPennsylvania governor says Republican voting bill is based on 'fringe conspiracy theories'
Pennsylvania Republicans are seeking to impose new ID requirements on the state's voters. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has promised to veto any GOP voting bill. After the 2020 election, the Pennsylvania GOP tried to delay certification of Biden's victory.
“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.”