PoliticsYahoo NewsU.S. government formally blames Russian spies for SolarWinds breach
The White House Thursday morning accused the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, of orchestrating the recent massive breach that affected private sector networks and U.S. government agencies through the popular IT monitoring software made by SolarWinds. The statement linking the SVR's hacking group, also known as “Cozy Bear,” to the “broad-scope cyber espionage campaign” is the most concrete connection the Biden administration has made between the hack and Russia. “The SVR's compromise of the SolarWinds software supply chain gave it the ability to spy on or potentially disrupt more than 16,000 computer systems worldwide,” according to the White House statement, which also included a number of measures directed against the Russian government for a range of malign activities in addition to the SolarWinds breach.
U.S.Yahoo News 360Is it time to take the police out of traffic stops?
Last year, 121 people were killed by police after being stopped for a traffic violation. Several of the most controversial law enforcement-related deaths in recent years have resulted from traffic stops — including the shooting of Philando Castille in 2016, which occurred miles away from where Wright was killed. Wright's killing has also brought attention to so-called pretextual stops, a practice in which police use a minor violation — such as changing lanes without signaling or a broken taillight — as a pretext for investigating an unrelated crime.
U.S.Yahoo NewsDerek Chauvin defense witness suggests carbon monoxide may have helped kill George Floyd
A medical expert called by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin's defense team testified Wednesday that carbon monoxide inhaled by George Floyd may have played a role in his death. Dr. David Fowler, a retired forensic pathologist and former Maryland chief medical examiner, was the only witness called on the 13th day of Chauvin's murder trial, and his testimony was a marked departure from that of medical experts called by the prosecution. Fowler, who reviewed Floyd's medical records, autopsy and death certificate, was asked by defense attorney Eric Nelson about his opinion on the cause and manner of Floyd's death.
PoliticsAssociated PressUS says Russia was given Trump campaign polling data in 2016
It was one of the more tantalizing, yet unresolved, questions of the investigation into possible connections between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign: Why was a business associate of campaign chairman Paul Manafort given internal polling data — and what did he do with it? A Treasury Department statement Thursday offered a potentially significant clue, asserting that Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian and Ukrainian political consultant, had shared sensitive campaign and polling information with Russian intelligence services. Kilimnik has long been alleged by U.S. officials as having ties to Russian intelligence.
U.S.The Week'Pro-police' televangelist Pat Robertson slams Derek Chauvin, Kim Potter, says 'we cannot have a bunch of clowns' policing the U.S.
O.G. televangelist Pat Robertson isn't about to take to the streets to protest the police shooting of Daunte Wright at the hands of former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree manslaughter. "If you can't tell the difference in the feel of those things, it's crazy," and Potter "deserves" the consequences, Robertson said on Thursday's 700 Club, holding both a handgun and a Taser. "And the thing that's going on in Minnesota about that Derek Chauvin — I mean, they ought to put him under the jail, he has caused so much trouble by kneeling on the death of George Floyd, I mean on his neck — it's just terrible what's happening."
U.S.The TelegraphIndianapolis attack: At least eight killed during mass shooting at FedEx facility
At least eight people were killed in a shooting in the US city of Indianapolis by a gunman who is believed to have then killed himself, police said. The victims were all found at a Fedex facility near the international airport where the shooting took place late Thursday, police spokeswoman Genae Cook told a news conference, adding several others had been taken to hospital. One man who said he works at the plant told local broadcaster WISH-TV he saw the gunman start shooting and heard more than 10 gunshots.
WorldBBCFrance urges citizens to leave Pakistan amid anti-French protests
France has urged all its citizens in Pakistan to leave the country temporarily amid violent anti-French protests across the country. The country's embassy in Pakistan warned of "serious threats to French interests in Pakistan", saying protests were increasing nationwide. The protests were sparked months ago after France defended the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
PoliticsAssociated PressGOP leaders diverge on Trump, putting party in limbo
The chair of the Senate Republican campaign committee, Rick Scott, stopped by to enlist Trump in efforts to regain the Senate. Lindsey Graham goes to play golf. But missing from the appearances has been perhaps the most powerful Republican elected official in the country, Mitch McConnell, a onetime ally who ushered the former president's legislative and judicial agenda to fruition, but now claims to want nothing to do with Trump.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramToddler found walking alone near highway while mom dined with friend, Texas police say
Dominique Edwards was driving home late Tuesday when he saw something he won't soon forget — a 2-year-old toddling along the feeder road to North Freeway in Harris County. Police arrived to take the girl then started checking nearby hotels, according to KTRK. An 8-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother were asleep inside, KHOU reported.
WorldThe Telegraph'Denmark is waging psychological war': Trauma for Syrian refugees facing controversial deportation
"He kills us with missiles directly," she says of Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad. "But the Danish government is waging a psychological war. Ms al-Natoor is one of dozens of Syrian refugees who have been told their temporary residency in the seemingly progressive haven of Denmark has been revoked.
PoliticsAssociated PressRed states on U.S. electoral map lagging on vaccinations
The emerging pattern: Americans in blue states that lean Democratic appear to be getting vaccinated at more robust rates, while those in red Republican states seem to be more hesitant. We can draw a conclusion that red states and voters that voted for Trump are going to be more difficult to vaccinate because we have real good survey data to support that," said Dr. Howard Forman, a professor of public health and management at the Yale School of Medicine. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in March found that 36% of Republicans said they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, compared with 12% of Democrats.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestShop Troye Sivan’s Eclectic Home Style
Take a page out of the stylish young star's book, from must-have splurges to affordable accessories Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
BusinessAssociated PressMercedes rolls out luxury electric car in duel with Tesla
Daimler AG on Thursday unveiled a battery-powered counterpart to its top Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan as German carmakers ramp up their challenge to electric upstart Tesla. The EQS is the first Mercedes-Benz vehicle to be built on a framework designed from the start as an electric car, rather than using components from an internal-combustion vehicle. Mercedes underscored the car's technological features by equipping it with a sweeping touchscreen panel that stretches across the entire front of the car's interior in place of a conventional dashboard.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramMan stole 41 checks worth more than $700,000 from a lone mailbox in Virginia, feds say
Jonathan Drew was out on bond for mail theft charges stemming from a cluster of stolen paychecks and credit cards when more than $700,000 in business checks reportedly disappeared from a Virginia mailbox. “The defendant illegally obtained the personal identifiers and financial information of more than 150 individuals ... by stealing their mail, which he then used to conduct fraudulent transactions and create counterfeit COVID-19 stimulus checks,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia. A public defender appointed to represent Drew did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment Thursday.
CelebrityThe TelegraphPrince Philip news: Funeral will show how much armed forces 'loved and respected' Duke, says General Sir Nick Carter
How Prince Philip planned his funeral with military precision Custom-made Land Rover hearse unveiled The Queen's jewellery gifts from Prince Philip Obituary: HRH The Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh 1921 - 2021 Matt: 'I took aim at Prince Philip in my cartoons – and he loved it' Princes William and Harry will not walk shoulder to shoulder at funeral How to watch Prince Philip's funeral – TV and radio coverage Prince Philip was the guiding force behind all elements of the arrangements for his own funeral, having meticulously planned the ceremony over at least 18 years.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden called George W. Bush before he announced his Afghanistan troop withdrawal plan - but neither said whether Bush supported it
President Joe Biden called George W. Bush to discuss his plan to pull US troops out of Afghanistan. Biden didn't say if Bush supported the decision to end the war that started during his presidency. Biden also spoke with former President Barack Obama by phone before announcing the decision.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Chicago releases video of fatal police shooting of 13-year-old boy
Body camera footage of a Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy last month shows the officer yelling “Drop it! at the teen right before he opens fire.
WorldAssociated PressThailand's daily COVID infections hit record, topping 1,300
Thailand reported more than 1,300 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, setting another daily record and adding pressure on the government to speed up a nearly nonexistent vaccination drive and do more to control a surge that comes amid mass travel as the country celebrates its traditional New Year festival. The 1,335 new infections brings the number of new cases to nearly 7,000 since April 1, when a cluster linked to nightclubs and bars in central Bangkok was found. Most of the new cases reported Wednesday were yet again in Bangkok, but also seeing hefty increases were the northern province of Chiang Mai and the southern seaside province of Prachuap Khiri Khan.
ScienceAssociated PressNASA spacecraft leaves mess after grabbing asteroid samples
A NASA spacecraft left a mess at an asteroid when it grabbed a load of rubble last year for return to Earth, new pictures revealed Thursday. The Osiris-Rex spacecraft made one final flyby of asteroid Bennu on April 7 to take photos of the disturbance left by October's sample collection. A depression is visible where Osiris-Rex penetrated the asteroid's surface.
U.S.INSIDERName of Chicago Police officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo revealed in incident report
A police watchdog agency released the incident report of an officer-involved shooting where 13-year-old Adam Toledo was killed. The report identifies the officer, Eric Stillman, 34, as a victim in an aggravated assault of police. Body camera footage shows Toledo turning to face the officer with his hands up, and it is unclear if he was holding a gun.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell reportedly wants GOP senators to praise Manchin and Sinema, so they won't move to scrap filibuster
McConnell wants GOP senators to say nice things about Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, per Politico. He said the Democratic pair are under pressure to scrap the filibuster, which he needs to preserve as a block on Biden's agenda. Manchin and Sinema are emerging as key swing votes in Democrats' razor-thin Senate majority.
WorldBBCIndia's desperate Covid-19 patients turn to black market for drugs
Akhilesh Mishra started getting a fever and a cough last Thursday but he initially thought it was just the flu. Akhilesh began to worry the next day, when his father Yogendra developed similar symptoms. The two men decided to get Covid RT-PCR tests done and tried to book a slot online but the next available appointment was three days later.
WorldAssociated PressBiologists defy Cyprus' ethnic divide to protect environment
There's something regal in the sprightly step and curious gaze of the long-horn sheep that roam the hills near Varisia, an abandoned village inside a U.N. buffer zone that cuts across ethnically divided Cyprus. The endangered Mouflon sheep that's endemic to the eastern Mediterranean island nation is one of many rare plant and animal species that have flourished in this no-man's land, which stretches for 120 miles (180 kilometers) and divides the island's breakaway north from its internationally recognized south. This unlikely refuge has been embraced by two environmental scientists, one Greek Cypriot and one Turkish Cypriot, as an open-air laboratory where complex politics and physical divisions can be put aside to focus on the overriding concern of protecting the parched country's fragile ecosystem.
WorldBusiness InsiderTop US general in Europe says there's a low-to-medium risk Russia invades Ukraine in the next few weeks
The top US general in Europe said there's a "low to medium" risk Russia invades Ukraine soon. Russia has amassed 80,000 troops on Ukraine's borders. Tensions between Russia and the West have reached historic heights.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: Pence undergoes pacemaker operation as Sanders pays Trump rare compliment on Afghanistan
Former vice president Mike Pence is recovering after surgery to install a pacemaker, a small device to regulate a heartbeat. Mr Pence is expected to fully recover and return to normal activity in the coming days following the procedure, described as “routine surgery”. While Sanders praised Joe Biden's commitment to withdraw troops from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of September 11, he made clear it was a deal negotiated by the former president.
“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.”