HealthAssociated PressDominant coronavirus mutant contains ghost of pandemic past
The coronavirus mutant that is now dominant in the United States is a member of the omicron family but scientists say it spreads faster than its omicron predecessors, is adept at escaping immunity and might possibly cause more serious disease. Because it combines properties of both omicron and delta, the nation's dominant variant in the middle of last year. A genetic trait that harkens back to the pandemic's past, known as a “delta mutation," appears to allow the virus "to escape pre-existing immunity from vaccination and prior infection, especially if you were infected in the omicron wave," said Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas.
U.S.NextSharkSingaporean man terrorizes neighbors day and night for 11 years by banging on apartment walls
Residents at an apartment complex in Hougang, Singapore, are being terrorized by a neighbor who has been incessantly banging on his apartment walls for 11 years. The 41-year-old man has been reported to the police and the Housing Development Board (HDB) multiple times to no avail. His next-door neighbor created a TikTok account in April to document the daily incidents, which include the man loitering around his neighbors' apartment doors and scolding them through their windows.
U.S.LA TimesThey smeared blood on themselves, hid and watched their teachers get shot. These are the survivors' stories
Two days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School here, survivors are recounting stories of the horrifying moments they endured as they were attacked. "It's just really hard to cope with everything that's going on," said Amber Gonzales, whose 8-year-old daughter Aubree hid under her desk in another classroom while the shooting occurred. Gonzales said Aubree is still traumatized by what happened.
U.S.Yahoo LifeHere's why people are connecting the Texas school shooting, the baby formula shortage and the fight over abortion rights
With news about the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, dominating news headlines and social media feeds, there have been endless angles on the situation — from the heartbreaking discussions of the lives and deaths of the 19 children and two teachers murdered in the classroom to the heated arguments about gun rights and mental health and the police. One particularly passionate and unrelenting take, prevalent on social media, has been to link the shooting to two other major news stories — the leaked Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the ongoing baby formula shortage. It involves some social media users calling out the hypocrisies of those against abortion rights, claiming they are "pro-life" while simultaneously lobbying for gun freedoms that result in dead children, and of GOP lawmakers who want to take away a woman's choice to continue a pregnancy while not feeding or protecting their infants once they are born.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThe wild life of billionaire Twitter founder and 'Block Head' Jack Dorsey, who's officially left the social network's board, eats one meal a day, and takes ice baths
After cofounding Twitter on March 21 2006, he was booted as the company's CEO two years later, but returned in 2015 having set up his second company, Square — which he rebranded as Block in 2021. He led Twitter through the techlash that has engulfed social media companies, testifying before Congress multiple times. Related video: Elon Musk on Twitter fame, loneliness and the future of AI And Dorsey announced on November 29, 2021, he had stepped down as the CEO of Twitter.
U.S.QuartzBritain ended the horror of school shootings after one single massacre
His attack came before school shootings had become something schools prepared for with drills and plans—and before they were routinely carried out by other students. In that innocent time, when the Dunblane school principal heard loud bangs from another part of the school, he thought it was building work that he hadn't been told about. After a teacher burst into his office and told him what was happening, he he ran to the gym, where he witnessed “a scene of unimaginable carnage, one's worst nightmare,” he told the inquiry later.
U.S.Associated PressTrump loses appeal, must testify in New York civil probe
Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in the New York attorney general's civil investigation into his business practices, a state appeals court ruled Thursday, rejecting his argument that he be excused from testifying because his answers could be used in a parallel criminal probe. A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state's trial court upheld Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 17 ruling, which enforced subpoenas requiring that Trump and his two eldest children — Ivanka and Donald Jr. — give deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James' probe. “The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination," the appellate panel wrote, citing the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and other legal protections for witnesses.
U.S.INSIDERSwitzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings
In 2016, the NRA said on its blog that the European country had one of the lowest murder rates in the world while still having millions of privately owned guns and a few hunting weapons that don't even require a permit. Video: Inside a factory that makes untraceable 'ghost guns' But the Swiss have some specific rules and regulations for gun use. Insider took a look at the country's past with guns to see why it has lower rates of gun violence than the US, where gun death rates are now at their highest in more than 20 years, and the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.
U.S.HuffPostTucker Carlson Cooks Up Absurd New Scapegoat For Texas School Massacre
Australia hasn't had a mass shooting since 1996, when a gunman opened fire at a tourist resort in Port Arthur, killing 35 people. The government responded by enacting strict gun control legislation, including banning all semi-automatic rifles. In New Zealand, all semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles were banned after a gunman killed 51 people in Christchurch in 2019.
PoliticsAssociated Press'Trump is in the past': Mounting losses show limits of power
Donald Trump opened May by lifting a trailing Senate candidate in Ohio to the Republican nomination, seemingly cementing the former president's kingmaker status before another possible White House run. Trump faced a series of setbacks in Tuesday's primary elections as voters rejected his efforts to unseat two top targets for retribution: Georgia's Republican governor and secretary of state, both of whom rebuffed Trump's extraordinary pressure to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Nearly seven years after the onetime reality television star launched what seemed to be an improbable campaign for the White House, the “Make America Great Again” movement Trump helmed isn't going anywhere.
ScienceBBCAncient DNA reveals secrets of Pompeii victims
Researchers studying human remains from Pompeii have extracted genetic secrets from the bones of a man and a woman who were buried when the Roman city was engulfed in volcanic ash. This first "Pompeian human genome" is an almost complete set of "genetic instructions" from the victims, encoded in DNA extracted from their bones. Ancient DNA was preserved in bodies that were encased in time-hardened ash.
U.S.TheStreet.comElon Musk Chooses Sides on Gun Control Debate
Elon Musk is the most influential CEO in the world. The mogul with 95 million followers on Twitter is determined to use his platform to weigh in on public debates, whatever they may be. In recent months, the CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has thus imposed his voice on subjects such as the Russian war in Ukraine, free speech with the eventful acquisition-in-progress of the social network Twitter for $44 billion, cancel culture and its corollary wokeism.
PoliticsYahoo NewsGeorgia investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election ramps up
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is stepping up the pace of her investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, questioning a wide array of witnesses and preparing a rash of subpoenas to top Georgia state officials, state lawmakers and a prominent local journalist for testimony that will start next week. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who won a surprise victory against a Trump-backed opponent in Tuesday's Republican primary, is slated to be one of Willis's lead witnesses when he appears before the grand jury next Wednesday, sources confirmed to Yahoo News.
U.S.The Daily BeastDaniel Defense, the Maker of the Uvalde Shooter’s ‘Perfect Rifle,’ Abruptly Exits the NRA Convention
On a Memorial Day weekend when we honor those who died in service to our country, the company that manufactured a weapon of war used to kill 19 children and two adults in a Texas elementary school had planned to hawk its wares at the gun industry's annual collective disgrace. But in the aftermath of Tuesday's slaughter in Uvalde, Daniel Defense, is no longer slated to join all the other profiteers of violent death at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston. Up until Wednesday afternoon,the company was to have occupied Booth 4839, conveniently close to the cafe at the George R. Brown Convention Center, amid what the NRA terms “14 acres of guns and gear.
U.S.HuffPostFormer ESPN Journalist's Excuse For Uvalde Police Inaction Shocks Twitter Users
Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is inspiring a debate on what can be done to prevent future tragedies ― as are reports from witnesses that local police were slow to respond to the incident. Law enforcement authorities are facing questions and criticism over how much time elapsed before police put a stop to the rampage by a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults. Jason Whitlock, a former ESPN journalist who now works for conservative outlet The Blaze, shared a take in response to a tweet by right-wing disinformation peddler Jack Posobiec, who wondered why “armed Texans” didn't go after the gunman.
WorldReutersTanks, but no ammo – Germany's Ukraine pledges show military muddle
BERLIN (Reuters) - Four weeks ago, Germany agreed to send dozens of anti-aircraft tanks to help defend Ukraine from Russia's invasion, part of what it called a turning-point after decades of military restraint. Berlin says it can deliver the first Gepard tanks in July. Kyiv's pleas for heavy weapons have intensified since Moscow turned its firepower on Ukraine's east and south.
U.S.Miami HeraldDid Florida Rep. Randy Fine just threaten the president’s life? Secret Service better find out | Editorial
Here's what Fine said on Twitter: “I have news for the embarrassment that claims to be our president — try to take our guns and you'll learn why the Second Amendment was written in the first place. He made this wretched comment after President Biden responded to the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, in which 19 children and two adults died. The president said, in part: “When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down.
- BusinessReuters Videos
Russia prepares to seize exiting Western firms
STORY: The golden arches are coming down in Russia as McDonald's heads for the exit. It's just one of countless western firms that have decided to quit the country. That's angered Moscow, which now has a response in the works.
WorldAssociated PressChina wants 10 Pacific nations to endorse sweeping agreement
China wants 10 small Pacific nations to endorse a sweeping agreement covering everything from security to fisheries in what one leader warns is a “game-changing” bid by Beijing to wrest control of the region. A draft of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, team up on “traditional and non-traditional security" and expand law enforcement cooperation. China also wants to jointly develop a marine plan for fisheries — which would include the Pacific's lucrative tuna catch — increase cooperation on running the region's internet networks, and set up cultural Confucius Institutes and classrooms.
U.S.Belleville News-DemocratMan points gun at TV reporter during live segment on gun violence, Illinois station says
Illinois police are looking for a man that was shown on video pointing what appears to be a gun at a news anchor and her crew while she was filming a live segment on gun violence. A FOX32 reporter and her crew on May 25 were filming a segment in Chicago on gun violence, FOX2 reported. While the reporter was speaking on camera, a man walked behind her and quickly pointed a gun in her direction, footage from FOX2 showed.
U.S.QuartzWe ordered the same gun used in Uvalde. Here’s how easy it was.
After Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas left 19 children and two adults dead, we wondered how difficult it was to order a DDM4V7, one of the two rifles the gunman bought a few days after turning 18 years old, according to reports. The AR-15-style weapon, made by Georgia-based Daniel Defense, sells online for $1,870, plus tax. Shipping to a local gun shop is free.
WorldReutersRussian parliament scraps age limit for army recruits
Russia's parliament approved a law on Wednesday in double-quick time removing the upper age limit for contractual service in the military, amid heavy casualties in Ukraine. Lawmakers in the State Duma lower house approved the bill in three readings in a single session, with the upper house, the Federation Council, giving its assent shortly after. The bill now needs only the signature of President Vladimir Putin to become law.
U.S.The Daily BeastSchool Drop-Out Gave Warning on Facebook Minutes Before Uvalde Massacre
But Ramos legally bought two AR-style rifles just after his 18th birthday this month and appeared to grow angry and isolated after he failed to graduate high school, friends and family members said. Although Ramos was described as “quiet” by numerous people who knew him, a young woman who worked with him at Wendy's until March detected an aggressive streak. Several former friends said he had stopped showing up at school and was not going to graduate with the senior class this year.
- PoliticsThe El Paso Times
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Texas shooting update
Beto O'Rourke confront Gov. Greg Abbott during Uvalde, Texas shooting update.
BusinessReuters'Pay more attention' Ethereum co-founder says of crypto crash
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Ethereum's co-founder Gavin Wood said cryptocurrency investors need to be more aware of what is backing their holdings after a market rout which wiped more than $800 billion off their value. "I would hope that people pay more attention to what is belying the currency name when they get involved in a community, ecosystem, economy," Wood told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos. Crypto and blockchain firms have been highly visible at this year's gathering of business and political leaders, despite the market plummeting in value in the weeks leading up to the event, with the eighth-largest coin Luna becoming virtually worthless.
“It could give millions a chance to finally buy a house or start their business or help their kids get an education, too.”
“You signed a contract…If you don’t want to deal with the financial pressure of debt, don’t take out the loan.”
“Without action from Biden, Black student debt will hinder his agenda with respect to eliminating racial inequities.”
“Blanket relief could end up routing too much relief to those who do not need it and too little to those who do.”
“Unlike a number of other policy issues, student debt relief doesn’t need to be pushed through a narrowly controlled Congress.”