PoliticsNBC News'You want to see a temper tantrum?': Arizona Republican sides with Democrats, blocks voting bill
A bill that would stop some voters from getting a ballot automatically mailed to them each election failed unexpectedly in Arizona's state Senate Thursday after a single Republican joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. GOP state Sen. Kelly Townsend explained her surprise "no" vote on the state Senate floor amid a tense episode that saw the senator get into a heated confrontation with the bill's sponsor. "I am for this bill, but I am not voting for it until after the audit," she said, referring to an audit orchestrated by Senate Republicans of ballots in Maricopa County reportedly set to get underway this week and last through mid-May. The audit is a continuation of GOP efforts to question the results of the 2020 election in a state President Joe Biden won by over 10,000 votes.
WorldThe TelegraphAlex Salmond will pressurise Nicola Sturgeon over independence 'backsliding'
Alex Salmond has warned Nicola Sturgeon he plans to be a “daily” thorn in her side by pressuring her to take more radical action to win Scottish independence. Launching the Alba Party manifesto on Wednesday, the former First Minister vowed to inject “urgency” into the independence debate if he wins election to Holyrood and said he would make “absolutely sure” there would be “no more backsliding on timetables”. Ms Sturgeon twice abandoned plans for a new referendum during the last parliament, but her predecessor has said he would table a parliamentary motion within days of next month's election instructing her to begin “independence negotiations” with Whitehall.
U.S.BBCGeorge Floyd: Chauvin conviction a giant step forward, says Biden
US President Joe Biden has said the conviction of a former police officer in the killing of George Floyd "can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America". White officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on African-American Mr Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, sparking mass protests against racism. Sentencing is likely to happen in two months, and Chauvin could spend decades in jail.
- NewsReuters Videos
Body-cam of Ohio officer fatally shooting Black teenager released
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIDEO AND PROFANITY. AUDIO AS INCOMING** The incident on Tuesday sparked street protests in Ohio's largest city hours after a Minneapolis jury convicted a white former police officer there of murdering George Floyd last year by kneeling on his neck. Authorities declined to name the girl.
PoliticsMiami HeraldLegislature’s voting reform bills are more tweaks than big changes. Are they needed?
Florida lawmakers continued to water down an elections bill in the state Senate on Thursday, stripping out some of the more controversial measures that provoked outrage by Democrats and voting rights groups. Gone is a proposal that could have caused headaches for millions of voters by requiring them to update their signatures on file with their county elections supervisor. Senators also eased up on some concerns by elections supervisors.
LifestyleArchitectural Digest12 Outdoor Furniture Sets for Living Alfresco
With warmer weather just around the corner, we're taking our home-design focus to the great outdoors Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldBBCBiden: This will be 'decisive decade' for tackling climate change
US President Joe Biden has told a major summit that we are in a "decisive decade" for tackling climate change. The US has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by the year 2030. This new target, which was unveiled at a virtual summit of 40 global leaders, essentially doubles their previous promise.
U.S.INSIDEROther ex-officers charged in George Floyd's killing are 'almost 100 percent' going to plead guilty after Derek Chauvin's conviction, experts say
The three remaining former officers charged in George Floyd's death are awaiting trial in August. The officers will want to avoid going to a jury trial, criminal justice experts tell Insider. Experts say the officers are likely to take a plea deal if offered, or ask for a bench trial.
- WorldAssociated Press
UN concerned over halt of oil production in eastern Libya
The United Nations voiced concern Thursday over the recent halt of oil production at a Libyan eastern terminal and more imminent shutdowns of oil facilities prompted by a budget dispute. On Monday, Libya's National Oil Corporation said it had interrupted crude oil production and exportation from Marsa Al Hariga port, citing the Central Bank of Libya's refusal to pay out money set aside for the oil sector for several months. “The uninterrupted production of oil as well as maintaining the independence and impartiality of the NOC remains a vital cornerstone to the economic, social and political stability of Libya,” said the U.N. support mission in the country.
WorldThe TelegraphSocial distancing rules for hospitality 'a good way off' being lifted in Scotland, chief medical officer warns
Social distancing rules that threaten to bankrupt thousands of pubs and restaurants across Scotland are a "good way off" from being lifted indoors or outside, the country's chief medical officer warned on Thursday. Dr Gregor Smith said there was still a "theoretical risk" of Covid transmission outdoors with the one-metre distancing rule that will apply in licensed premises when they are allowed to reopen on Monday. He insisted the one-metre rule, which will even apply between people from different households enjoying a meal together, was "proportionate" and it would not change before more information is available about the impact of vaccination on transmission.
WorldBBCCovid: India sees world's highest daily cases amid oxygen shortage
India has recorded the highest one-day tally of new Covid-19 cases anywhere in the world - and the country's highest number of deaths over 24 hours. It has close to 16 million confirmed cases, second only to the US. Families are waiting hours to perform funeral rites, Reuters news agency reports, with at least one Delhi crematorium resorting to building pyres in its car park in order to cope with the numbers arriving.
U.S.LA TimesBiden administration proposes restoring California's right to set car pollution rules
The Transportation Department announced Thursday it was withdrawing part of a Trump-era rule that blocked states from setting their own tough car pollution standards, setting the stage for a return of broader power to California to fight climate change. The newly proposed rule change, which will be subject to a 30-day comment period, would restore California's authority to set fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and SUVs, and to require car companies to sell more electric vehicles. The agency's action Thursday is the precursor to the Biden administration's plan to return even greater authority to California in the form of a legal waiver granted by the Obama administration under the 1970 Clean Air Act.
U.S.The StateCop who fatally shot teen in Tennessee school bathroom won’t face charges, official says
Prosecutors say they won't charge the Tennessee officer who fatally shot a 17-year-old student last week during a violent confrontation inside a high school bathroom. Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen said Knoxville officers were justified in the April 12 shooting that killed Anthony J. Thompson Jr. at Austin-East Magnet High School. Knoxville policeman Jonathon Clabough fired in self-defense, Allen said, after thinking Thompson had shot and wounded an officer.
PoliticsThe IndependentJohn Kerry criticises Donald Trump for pulling out of Paris accord ‘without any facts, without any science’
John Kerry denounced former President Donald Trump for withdrawing the US from the landmark Paris treaty, which the former Secretary of State signed in 2015. “Regrettably, without any facts, without any science, without any rationale that would be considered reasonable, the former president decided to pull out,” Mr Kerry told reporters at the White House on Thursday following President Joe Biden's Earth Day pledge to cut US emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. Mr Biden announced on his first day in office that the US would re-enter the agreement after the former president refused to acknowledge the contract in 2017 and formally withdrew in 2020.
TechnologyBBCTaiwan authorities look into Apple supplier hack
Authorities in Taiwan say they are looking into a ransomware cyber-attack on a major technology firm there. Quanta Computer is a manufacturer of many flagship Apple products, including its MacBook line. The hackers, known as Revil, have published stolen blueprints for unreleased products, and are threatening to release more.
U.S.INSIDER'We don't have time to grieve': Families of Wright, Floyd, and Castile are channeling trauma into protest
Philando Castile, George Floyd, and now Daunte Wright were killed by Minnesota police in the last five years. Family members and friends of these three men told Insider there is no time to process their deaths. Attendees outside the downtown Minneapolis courthouse embraced and wiped tears as word spread that a jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts related to the murder of George Floyd.
PoliticsUSA TODAYSenate Republicans propose $568 billion infrastructure plan to counter Biden
Senate Republicans unveiled a $568 billion infrastructure plan Thursday limited to roads, bridges, broadband and other physical infrastructure, countering President Biden's American Jobs Plan with a framework around one-quarter the size of his sweeping $2.25 trillion package. Although their plan doesn't specify how to pay for the spending, Republicans suggested new user fees, resisting a corporate tax rate increase pushed by Biden and keeping former President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts intact. Republicans have slammed Biden's proposals for $400 billion to boost caregiving for the elderly and disabled, $174 billion for electric vehicle stations and $300 billion for manufacturing, among other areas, arguing Democrats want to use the popularity of infrastructure to fund unrelated liberal priorities in the same package.
TechnologyBBCEU artificial intelligence rules will ban 'unacceptable' use
Some "unacceptable" uses of artificial intelligence would be banned in Europe under proposals unveiled on Wednesday. The European Commission's rules would ban "AI systems considered a clear threat to the safety, livelihoods and rights of people", it said. It is also proposing far stricter rules on the use of biometrics - such as facial recognition being used by law enforcement, which would be limited.
U.S.The Independent100 more people to be charged over Capitol riots, federal prosecutors warn
Federal prosecutors expect “at least” 100 more people will face charges for the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January, after more than 400 people have been charged in connection with the attack. The statement and details about the ongoing investigations were included in court filings for the case of Michael Joseph Rusyn, who was charged with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct after live-streaming the attack. Prosecutors are seeking a delay in his case, arguing the complexities of navigating a sprawling number of connected cases and evidence.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump administration thought they'd be memorialized in statues for doing such a great job negotiating with China
Former Obama official Rich Hass recounted early transition meetings with the Trump administration in 2016. A member of Trump's circle told Hass the US was in "an existential struggle" with China, and it was imperative they won. When they did, the Trump official continued, there would be "statues erected in our honor."
BusinessBBCGoogle and Apple attacked on app store 'monopoly'
Senators have grilled Apple and Google in Washington over "anti-competitive" behaviour related to their app stores. Representatives from Tile, Spotify and Match also gave evidence, accusing the two tech firms of charging exorbitant fees and copying their ideas. The Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel focussed on claims that Apple's App Store and Google's Google Play are anti-competitive.
- NewsWLS – Chicago
Inbound I-290 lanes closed near 25th Avenue after shooting
All inbound lanes of I-290 are blocked from just before the 25th Avenue exit due to police investigation of a shooting.
PoliticsUSA TODAYSinema, Kelly ask Biden for feds to pay for deployment of Arizona National Guard at border
A day after Gov. Doug Ducey announced he was sending 250 National Guard troops to the border, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly wrote to President Joe Biden asking the federal government to reimburse the state for the action. The Arizona Democrats, who supported the Republican governor's decision to dispatch more guards, also asked Biden to increase the number of Homeland Security personnel to help process migrants and secure the border.
U.S.The IndependentWhat happened to the other officers arrested over George Floyd death?
Now attention turns to the coming trial of the three other police officers who were present when Mr Floyd died following his arrest in the city last year. Chauvin, 45, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death, and he will be sentenced in eight weeks time. When the jury's guilty verdicts were read out in the Minneapolis court room on Tuesday, Chauvin became the first white police officer ever convicted of the murder of a Black person in the state.
CelebrityThe IndependentInstagram star cat Ponzu killed after owner ‘attacked’ in New York park
A cat with more than 30 million Instagram followers was killed in an alleged attack on its owner and Instagram chef, Chanan Aksornnan. Ms Askornnan, known as 'Chef Bao Bao', was walking Ponzu and four other pets with her boyfriend in Brooklyn's McCarren Park on 4 April. A boy tripped on Ponzu's leash, and then pulled on it, according to an account of the incident by Facebook user ChaRee Pim.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”