WorldReutersSaudi and Iran held talks aimed at easing tensions, say sources
Saudi and Iranian officials held direct talks this month in a bid to ease tensions between the two foes, a senior Iranian official and two regional sources said, as Washington works to revive a 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran and end the Yemen war. The April 9 meeting in Iraq, first reported https://www.ft.com/content/852e94b8-ca97-4917-9cc4-e2faef4a69c8 by the Financial Times on Sunday, did not lead to any breakthrough, the Iranian official and one of the regional sources familiar with the matter said. The regional source said the meeting focused on Yemen, where a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group since March 2015.
U.S.BBCIndianapolis FedEx shooting: Who were the eight victims?
Officials in Indianapolis have released the names of the eight people who were killed when a gunman opened fire at a FedEx warehouse on Thursday night. Among the victims were four members of the local Sikh community - including a mother, a father and two grandmothers. Other victims include two 19-year-olds, a university graduate and a father.
PoliticsThe WeekDemocrats condemn Biden's reversal on refugee cap as 'cruel' and 'unacceptable'
The Biden administration faced swift criticism on Friday after it was reported that it would no longer raise the United States' refugee cap from the historic low set by the Trump administration. Rather than stick to its pledge to welcome more than 60,000 refugees, rather than the 15,000 maximum set by former President Donald Trump, the White House will instead keep the target of refugee admissions at the lower level. Democrats and advocacy groups condemned the news as "cruel" and "unacceptable," and noted that the Biden administration was using the same justification that Trump did.
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.
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
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.
WorldThe TelegraphEvery living PM outside of politics will give evidence to a new anti-corruption inquiry
Every living Prime Minister who has quit politics will be called to give evidence in public to a major new anti-corruption lobbying inquiry to be announced on Monday. The investigation by MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee (PACAC) will be the biggest and most wide ranging public 'show trial' into the lobbying of officials and ministers. On Saturday, William Wragg, the chairman of the committee, likened the new investigation (which will hear all evidence in public and is expected to report by the end of July) to a probe by the fictional police anti-corruption unit 'AC-12' on the BBC's hit TV series Line of Duty.
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.
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.
WorldLA TimesA royal feud has some Jordanians asking: Is this the monarchy we want?
A century ago this month, the British created Jordan. In possibly the world's first instance of nation-building as consolation prize, they carved out a piece of desert with little water and even less oil from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and gifted it to their Hashemite ally, Emir Abdullah bin Hussein, whose brother had been granted control of Iraq. A hundred years later, the emir's great-grandson, King Abdullah II, celebrated the centennial of a country few believed then would still exist.
- 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.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.
U.S.The Daily BeastTimes Square AK-47 Suspect Had Just Lost His Dad in a Police Shootout
The father of the Ohio teen arrested Friday with an AK-47-style assault rifle in the Times Square subway station was killed in a shootout with cops last month after fleeing in his car the wrong way down a busy interstate, police sources told the New York Post and NBC News. Details about the father of Saadiq Teague have come out as questions swirl about what the 18-year-old was doing in New York City and why he was carrying a weapon. Police have so far released scant details about the young man's plans or his possible motivation, pending further investigation.
BusinessThe TelegraphThe end of 'bigger is better'? America's most expensive house fails to sell 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. But their time may finally be up as the looming foreclosure of America's most expensive house has raised questions over whether the US has reached peak mega mansion. Luxury estate agents refer to it as the "giga-mansion".
U.S.INSIDERThe head of the Chicago Police Union called the officer who shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo 'heroic'
The Chicago Police Union head said Thursday that the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo was "justified." A video released this week shows Toledo running down an alley and raising his hands before he was shot. Toledo appeared to have a gun but dropped it before officer Eric Stillman shot him once in the chest.
U.S.The New York TimesWhy Police Can Stop Motorists With Air Fresheners Hanging in Their Cars
In places where air fresheners have been treated as a primary offense, the traffic stops have faced legal challenges with various outcomes. On an April evening in 2008, Benjamin Garcia-Garcia was driving a minivan along Interstate 55 near Springfield, Illinois, when a state trooper who had been parked in the median moved onto the freeway and pulled him over. According to court records, the trooper claimed he had seen the pink air freshener hanging from Garcia-Garcia's mirror and believed it violated the state statute prohibiting objects that could obstruct the driver's view.
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."
U.S.USA TODAYWorld War II-era plane makes emergency landing in surf off of Florida beach
A World War II-era plane taking part in the Cocoa Beach Air Show made an emergency landing in the ocean near Patrick Space Force Base beaches Saturday afternoon. A video posted to Twitter showed the single-engine TBM Avenger making a "soft" landing in the shallow water south of Cocoa Beach.
CelebrityThe TelegraphWhy the Queen chose loyal lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey for her loneliest journey
The Queen had personally asked Lady Susan to join her for the journey as she prepared to say farewell to her husband of 73 years. One of a close inner circle of ladies-in-waiting, Lady Susan has been by the Queen's side since the birth of Prince Andrew, when she joined the royal household to help answer a flood of letters. Known affectionately as "Number One Head Girl" in an office once likened to the cheery atmosphere of a girls' school common room, she has been described as one of the key trusted figures helping the Queen in her later life.
U.S.The IndependentDeath toll rises to four after vessel capsized in freak storm amid fears for nine men still missing
Two more men were confirmed dead on Saturday following the capsize of the Seacor Power oil exploration vessel earlier this week off the coast of Louisiana, bringing the death toll to four. Officials confirmed that they had recovered the bodies of Anthony Hartford, 53, from New Orleans, and James Wallingsford, 55, from Gilbert, Louisiana. The bodies of the two men were found inside the capsized boat by divers, according to the Coast Guard.
U.S.INSIDERAn Ohio teen faces multiple charges after police arrested him for carrying an AK-47 throughout a Times Square subway station
An Ohio teen was arrested at a New York City subway station for carrying a firearm. Saadiq Teague was taken into custody on Friday for carrying an AK-47 and other items in his bag. Police in New York City arrested an 18-year-old for carrying an AK-47 that was sticking out of his bag at the Times Square Subway station.
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.
CelebrityBusiness InsiderJerry Falwell Jr.'s infamous photo with his pants unzipped was taken during a yacht party honoring a raunchy TV show, lawsuit says
A new lawsuit revives a scandalous photo of former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. The lawsuit says Falwell hosted a yacht party themed around the raunchy TV show "Trailer Park Boys." A lawsuit Liberty University filed Friday against Jerry Falwell Jr., its former president, details the circumstances behind a controversial photo Falwell shared of himself on a yacht with his arm around a woman and his pants unzipped.
CelebrityThe TelegraphDuchess of Cambridge acts as peacemaker as Princes Harry and William share private chat
Brought together under the saddest of circumstances, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex put on a show of unity at their beloved grandfather's funeral. Reconciled for the first time in more than a year – and seen together in public for the first time since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey – the estranged brothers chatted together following the 3pm ceremony at St George's Chapel. Although they did not walk shoulder to shoulder in the procession behind the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin, they made a point of seeking each other out after the 50-minute service and walked back to Windsor Castle side by side.
CelebrityTODAYCassie Randolph breaks silence after ex Colton Underwood comes out as gay
Former "Bachelor" couple Cassie Randolph and Colton Underwood have been through many ups and downs but Underwood's revelation on Wednesday that he is gay has been the most shocking twist of all in their very public relationship. On Friday, Randolph broke her silence on the stunning news in a post in her Instagram stories. "Thank you everyone for all the kind comments and messages," Randolph, 25, wrote on a link to her YouTube channel, which she usually updates weekly.
“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.”