WorldThe TelegraphLast Castro of Cuba finally steps down as island gripped by most serious bout of protests in years
For the first time in more than 60 years, a Castro will not be ruling Cuba, with Raúl, brother of Fidel, stepping down as head of the country's all-powerful Communist Party. There have been protests, hunger strikes and even clashes with police as an underground opposition movement has increasingly ventured into the open. Late on Friday night, the Castro era was broken as 89-year-old Raúl announced his resignation as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba - a position more powerful than that of the President.
U.S.National ReviewMaxine Waters Tells Protesters to ‘Stay in the Street,’ Be ‘More Confrontational’ If Chauvin Acquitted
Representative Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) told demonstrators to “stay in the street” and become “more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted of killing resident George Floyd. Waters arrived in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Saturday to join demonstrations over the police shooting of Daunte Wright last week. A local officer shot and killed Wright with a handgun during a traffic stop after intending to use a Taser., sparking nightly demonstrations in front of the local police headquarters, with some turning violent.
PoliticsAssociated PressAs Biden improves with vets, Afghanistan plan a plus to some
Patrick Proctor Brown says the war in Afghanistan was lost within a year of its start. The suburban Milwaukee lawyer, who was an infantry captain in Iraq, said the trillions of dollars spent and the thousands of lives lost, including a lieutenant he trained with, make it “a tragedy.” Brown supports President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, and by voting for the Democrat, he represents a subtle but potent shift in the voting behavior of some in the military.
WorldThe TelegraphSinn Fein leader apologises for the death of Lord Mountbatten following Prince Philip's funeral
The leader of Sinn Fein has said she is sorry for the murder of Lord Mountbatten at the hands of the IRA following the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. Mary Lou McDonald, the President of the republican party, said the death of the Duke's uncle in 1979 was “heartbreaking” and that it was her responsibility to “lead from the front”. Her comments represent a significant shift from her predecessor Gerry Adams, who expressed regret over the assassination but refused to retract his claims that Lord Mountbatten knew the risk of travelling to Ireland.
U.S.AxiosU.S. regulator urges people with children to stop using Peloton treadmill after child death
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Saturday urged people with kids and pets to "immediately" stop using a treadmill made by Peloton after a child died and dozens of others were injured. Driving the news: CPSC said in its "urgent warning" that it was aware of 39 incidents, including one death. The agency warned that the Peloton Tread+ machine "poses serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death."
U.S.NBC NewsFlorida nurse accused of threatening to kill VP Kamala Harris
A Miami-area woman was charged in federal court with making threats to kill Vice President Kamala Harris in a series of videos she sent to her husband in prison, authorities said. Niviane Petit Phelps, 39, sent five 30-second videos and two photographs to her husband back in February through a service known as "JPay," which is used to share media between incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals, according to a Secret Service complaint. "The videos generally depict Phelps complaining and speaking angrily to the camera about her hatred for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others," authorities said.
WorldLos Angeles Times OpinionOp-Ed: We don't need a new Cold War with China
Has a new Cold War, this one pitting the United States against the People's Republic of China, commenced? Rhetoric coming out of Washington, amplified by hawkish media commentary, appears to take a Second Cold War as a given, something perhaps even to be welcomed. If Cold War II looms, how will it compare with its predecessor?
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 9 Best Wireless Headphones for Every Kind of Use
From the most comfortable pair to the best value buy, these headphones will carry you through the spring, summer, and beyond Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressAP PHOTOS: Reflections on a royal funeral amid a pandemic
As military bands played and a procession of royals escorted his coffin to the church, Prince Philip was laid to rest Saturday in a funeral ceremony that honored his lifetime of service to the U.K., the crown and his wife of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II. Philip, who died on April 9, two months shy of his 100th birthday, was honored at Windsor Castle in a service that was steeped in military and royal tradition but also pared down and infused with his own personality. The entire royal procession and funeral took place out of public view on the grounds of the castle, a 950-year-old royal residence 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of London, but was shown live on television.
WorldBBCChina and US pledge climate change commitment
China and the US say they are committed to working together and with other countries on tackling climate change. It comes after several meetings between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry in Shanghai last week. US President Joe Biden is holding a virtual climate summit this week, which China says it is looking forward to.
ScienceReutersMars helicopter flight test promises Wright Brothers moment for NASA
NASA hopes to score a 21st-century Wright Brothers moment on Monday as it attempts to send a miniature helicopter buzzing over the surface of Mars in what would be the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. A modest debut is likewise in store for NASA's twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter Ingenuity. While the mere metrics may seem less than ambitious, the "air field" for the interplanetary test flight is 173 million miles from Earth, on the floor of a vast Martian basin called Jezero Crater.
WorldINSIDERNeighbor who tossed an elderly Jewish woman off a balcony while yelling 'Allahu Akbar' avoids trial because he smoked weed
Kobili Traoré killed an Orthodox Jewish woman in 2018 by throwing her off her balcony in Paris. France's top court has ruled that he will not go on trial because he was in a drug-induced psychosis. Cannabis was found in Traoré's blood after he was taken into custody for the killing.
- WorldKGO – San Francisco
Father, daughter die in early morning fire in Oakland
Oakland Fire Department arson Investigators' preliminary investigation indicated the fire was intentionally set, she said, and they are continuing to investigate.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramSpringtown math teacher ‘in love’ with student had sex with teen boy, authorities say
A teacher who authorities alleged had years-long sexual contact with a student in Parker County was arrested on Friday. Misty Cato, 43, of Springtown, is a fifth-grade math teacher at Springtown Intermediate School. Cato was contracted as a math teacher with the Springtown Independent School District at the time the crime in which she is accused, second-degree improper relationship between educator and student, occurred.
LifestyleCBS NewsEuropean travel guide Rick Steves, stuck at home
Every summer for four decades, Rick Steves would head off on an annual tour through Europe. "I never knew how to make pasta!" Steve told correspondent Conor Knighton. After his first trip to Europe at 14, he was hooked.
U.S.Los Angeles Times OpinionLetters to the Editor: We need to talk about racism and 'blue lives matter'
To the editor: The low turnout for the "white lives matter" rally in Huntington Beach on April 11 is no doubt partly due to the fact that many people are ashamed to overtly support such a racist assembly. Yet wherever one goes, one sees altered flags, signs and bumper-stickers saying "blue lives matter." Aside from the smart few who display them on cars because a cop would be more inclined to let you off with a warning, these mostly white, conservative people are oblivious of the racist reek of these signs.
U.S.The StateCharlotte woman, who was oldest living American and had 125 great-grandchildren, has died
Hester McCardell Ford, believed to be the oldest living person in the United States and among the oldest human beings on the planet, died peacefully at her home in Charlotte on Saturday, according to her family. She was at least 115, but possibly as old as 116. She lived more than twice as long as her late husband — John Ford, who died at age 57 in 1963 — and was the matriarch of an enormous family: 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.
U.S.Lexington Herald-LeaderSecond body pulled from water as 11 remain missing on capsized boat off Gulf Coast
Crews have detected possible signs of life amid a frantic search for survivors after a boat capsized off the coast of Louisiana this week. On Friday, crews recovered a second body from the water days after the Seacor Power capsized in rough waters Tuesday, just south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, multiple outlets report. The body hasn't been identified, but U.S. Coast Guard officials believe it is a crew member from the sunken ship.
LifestyleThe GuardianClam hunters’ supertool has California worried: ‘It might be too good’
Along the beaches of northern California, and the past year has seen a boom in crowds on the hunt for one of the region's favorite edible delights: clams. The surge in the use of these hydraulic pumps, which have the capacity to collect a day's worth of clams in just a few minutes, has raised concerns about their effects on the coastline and clam populations. “With any good fisherman, you're always looking for a better tool,” says Sonke Mastrup, an environmental program manager at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
U.S.INSIDERA Minnesota man attacked a store employee over a mask policy then dragged a police officer with his vehicle and struck him with a hammer, police say
A 61-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with assaulting a store employee and a police officer. Police say Luke Oeltjenbruns attacked an employee with lumber over the store's mask policy. Oeltjenbruns then dragged a police officer from his truck and struck him with a hammer, police said.
BusinessThe TelegraphThe end of 'bigger is better'? America's most expensive house sits unsold in sign of the times
For years architects, particularly in Los Angeles, have sought to outdo each other with ever more palatial residences featuring breathtaking infinity pools, in-home cinemas and flashy helipads. The biggest property so far is referred to by luxury estate agents as the "giga-mansion". Officially called "The One" it is America's largest and most expensive house and sits on a hill in Bel-Air, with 360 degree views of Los Angeles.
CelebrityArchitectural DigestOur 9 Favorite Items From Jessica Alba’s Affordable Office Makeover
In a new YouTube video, the star shows how she decorated a space using all Amazon products Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- NewsWTVD – Raleigh/Durham
Couple's car stolen at Raleigh Macy's, but thief doesn't go far
A bizarre incident involving an attempted car theft left a woman hurt at Triangle Town Center in Raleigh.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMarjorie Taylor Greene said she is not launching 'America First' caucus and that she had not read the proposal, following backlash from GOP
Greene said she had not read the proposal that emphasized "Anglo-Saxon political traditions." See more stories on Insider's business page. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not launching an "America First" caucus and said she had not read the document shared by Punchbowl News on Friday that emphasized "Anglo-Saxon political traditions."
PoliticsPolitico‘Trumpiest Trumpster of the bunch’: GOP gets a gut check
He said, “You're going to get a really good case study of just how much can a Donald Trump endorsement standing alone in a Republican state do for somebody. Nebraska represents a different — and perhaps more significant — kind of lab test for Republicans than more highly publicized contests that have pitted outspoken Trump critics against his loyalists in other states. This is not neighboring Wyoming, where Republican Rep. Liz Cheney has faced ongoing recriminations for her vote to impeach Trump, or Texas, where at least one Republican is running on an anti-Trump platform in a special congressional election.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”