Attack on Iranian nuclear facility complicates Biden's diplomatic outreach to Tehran, experts say

While White House press secretary Jen Psaki denied Monday any U.S. involvement in a Sunday explosion that damaged an Iranian nuclear facility, the incident may complicate the Biden administration's efforts to bring Tehran's government back to the negotiating table. “The next rounds of nuclear talks were always going to be tough, but they just got tougher,” Eric Brewer, deputy director and senior fellow with the Project on Nuclear Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in an email to Yahoo News. Early on Sunday, the Natanz nuclear facility, best known as the earlier target of a 2010 joint U.S.-Israeli cyberattack called Stuxnet, experienced a blackout or power failure as a result of a large explosion.

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  U.S. distances itself from explosion at Iranian nuclear site

  Axios
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  Israeli media suggests country was behind Iranian nuclear facility blackout

  The Week

Mistaking Asian woman as white, Asian man attacks her over hate crimes, CA cops say

An Asian man was arrested after California police say he kidnapped and tried to sexually assault an Asian woman, believing she was white, in retaliation for the rise in hate crimes against Asians. Michael Sangbong Rhee, 37, was arrested Thursday night at his Lake Forest home, Irvine police said in a Facebook post. Rhee was charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual assault and is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.

Taliban not ready to meet Afghan govt in Turkey as US wants

A Taliban spokesman said Monday the religious militia won't attend a peace conference tentatively planned for later this week in Turkey, putting U.S. efforts to get a peace plan anytime soon in jeopardy. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said he wanted to see a peace agreement between Afghanistan's warring sides finalized at a conference hosted by Turkey and attended by top officials from both the Taliban and the Afghan government. Afghan government, U.S. and Turkish officials had said they intended to begin the conference Friday.

Tens of thousands flee Myanmar town after crackdown leaves 100 protesters dead

Tens of thousands have fled the central Myanmar town of Bago after the military regime brutally attacked anti-coup protesters at the weekend, leaving at least 100 dead. Residents told Radio Free Asia that many people were seeking refuge from the junta's violence in villages in the surrounding countryside. “The people fleeing their homes are residents of four neighborhoods in the city where the junta forces attacked,” said one woman who declined to give her name.

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  Myanmar coup: 'Dozens killed' in military crackdown in Bago

  BBC
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  Myanmar coup: The people shot dead since the protests began

  BBC

Defense set to take turn in ex-cop's trial in Floyd death

The defense for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death was set to start presenting its case Tuesday, following 11 days of a prosecution narrative that combined wrenching video with clinical analysis by medical and use-of-force experts to condemn Derek Chauvin's actions. Prosecutors called their final witnesses Monday, leaving only some administrative matters before they were expected to rest Tuesday. Once the defense takes over, Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson is expected to have his own experts testify that it was Floyd's drug use and bad heart, not Chauvin's actions, that killed him.

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  The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, continues

  Yahoo News Video
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  Doctor Says George Floyd Had 'Exceptionally Strong Heart,' Undercutting Defense

  HuffPost

The World’s 9 Most Expensive Listings Currently on the Market

These fantastical homes range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Black Army officer pepper-sprayed by police said he thought he could be murdered as officers gave quickly changing commands

A uniformed Black Army officer was held at gunpoint and pepper-sprayed during a traffic stop. Second lieutenant Caron Nazario filed a lawsuit against the 2 Virginia officers involved. In a complaint, Nazario said they gave conflicting orders and he was worried he would be murdered.

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  U.S. Army lieutenant files suit against two Virginia police officers for assault during traffic stop

  Yahoo News Video
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  Town Fires Officer Who Pepper-Sprayed Black Army Lieutenant During Traffic Stop

  HuffPost

Ukraine accuses Russia of blocking talks to defuse tense military stand-off

The president of Ukraine accused Vladimir Putin of ignoring attempts to reach him by telephone to defuse the rapidly spiralling military stand off between his country and Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said via his spokesman on Monday that he had asked the Kremlin for a phone call with the Russian president more than three weeks ago, but had so far been ignored. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that he hadn't seen any requests from Mr Zelenskiy "in recent days".

Sailor who shot, killed himself at Hawaii resort identified

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office on Monday identified the U.S. Navy sailor who shot and killed himself at a luxury resort after a standoff with police over the weekend. Russell Cruz, 40, of Kailua, Hawaii, died of a gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner's office said. The Navy was still notifying relatives Monday and hadn't released his identity, said Cmdr. Cindy Fields, a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force.

Trump turns down meeting with Gaetz amid investigation: report

'My family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official,' the embattled Gaetz said in a statement. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has reportedly been denied a meeting with former President Donald Trump amid a sex trafficking probe that has shrouded his political career. The Republican congressman, a staunch supporter and close friend of Trump, believes the former commander-in-chief should run for office again in 2024.

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  Gaetz and Trump rep challenge report that the Florida congressman was denied a meeting with the former president

  Business Insider
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  Matt Gaetz request for meeting with Trump was not snubbed, both sides say

  The Guardian

Haridwar: Crowds surging at Kumbh Mela as India overtakes Brazil in Covid cases

Several million Hindus have gathered to take a dip in the Ganges river as a deadly second Covid-19 wave continues to sweep India. The devotees are marking an auspicious bathing day on Monday at the Kumbh Mela religious festival in Haridwar city in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years and the venue is chosen from amongst four cities, including Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.

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  India's daily virus infections are world's highest but crowds gather for festival

  Reuters
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  What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

  Reuters

Blinken warns of China's 'increasingly aggressive actions' against Taiwan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the United States is concerned about China's aggressive actions against Taiwan and warned it would be a "serious mistake" for anyone to try to change the status quo in the Western Pacific by force. "What we've seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits," Blinken said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press." Beijing on Thursday blamed the United States for tensions after a U.S. warship sailed close to Taiwan.

Pubs, hairdressers set to reopen as UK eases virus lockdown

Millions of people in Britain will get their first chance in months for haircuts, casual shopping and restaurant meals on Monday, as the government takes the next step on its lockdown-lifting road map. Nationwide restrictions have been in place in England since early January, and similar rules in the other parts of the U.K., to suppress a surge in coronavirus infections that swept the country late last year, linked to a more transmissible new variant first identified in southeast England. Britain has had Europe's worst coronavirus outbreak, with more than 127,000 confirmed deaths.

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  UK economy partially reopens as next stage of lockdown lift enacted

  Yahoo Finance UK
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  Have your say: Which lockdown rule change today are you most excited about?

  Yahoo News UK

Biden nominee Wormuth would be first woman to lead Army

President Joe Biden plans to nominate Christine Wormuth, a former senior Pentagon official, to be the first woman to lead the Army, the White House said Monday. If confirmed by the Senate as Army secretary, Wormuth would be one of the more powerful officials in a defense establishment long dominated by men. She would work with the Army's chief of staff, Gen. James McConville, who does not command soldiers but is responsible, along with the Army secretary, for training and equipping them.

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  Biden set to nominate Christine Wormuth as 1st female Army secretary

  The Week
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  Biden makes historic nomination for Army secretary

  ABC News Videos

This tricky creature isn’t a snake — or a worm, wildlife officials say. What is it?

At first glance, this reptile may look like a snake, but it's actually a lizard - a California... Posted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 “Looks can be deceiving,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said April 6 on Facebook. At first glance, this reptile may look like a snake, but it's actually a lizard - a California legless lizard to be exact!

Chinese official says local vaccines 'don't have high protection rates'

China's top disease control official has said the efficacy of the country's Covid vaccines is low, in a rare admission of weakness. In a press conference, Gao Fu added that China was considering mixing vaccines as a way of boosting efficacy. China has developed four different vaccines approved for public use, though some trials abroad had suggested efficacy as low as 50%.

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  China considers mixing COVID-19 vaccines to boost protection rate

  Reuters
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  China considers mixing COVID-19 vaccines

  Reuters Videos

What's next as Congress ramps up investigations of Jan. 6

More than three months after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Congress is still trying to figure out how to move forward and prevent future attacks. While the Senate has already heard testimony from law enforcement leaders who were responsible for failures during the riot, several more committees are examining possible changes to the Capitol Police and a restructuring of the Capitol Police security command. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last month that seven House panels would be probing the attack after hopes faded for setting up an independent, bipartisan commission.

Business faces tricky path navigating post-Trump politics

For more than a half-century, the voice emerging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's monolithic, Beaux Arts-styled building near the White House was predictable: It was the embodiment of American business and, more specifically, a shared set of interests with the Republican Party. The party's bond with corporate America, however, is fraying. Fissures have burst open over the GOP's embrace of conspiracy theories and rejection of mainstream climate science, as well as its dismissal of the 2020 election outcome.

Water-worried Vegas wants useless grass a thing of the past

A desert city built on a reputation for excess and indulgence wants to become a model for restraint and conservation with a first-in-the-nation policy banning grass that nobody walks on. Las Vegas-area water officials have spent two decades trying to get people to replace thirsty greenery with desert plants, and now they're asking the Nevada Legislature to outlaw roughly 40% of the turf that's left. The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates there are almost 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of “nonfunctional turf" in the metro area — grass that no one ever walks on or otherwise uses in street medians, housing developments and office parks.

Minnesota protests, Derek Chauvin trial, Officer lying in honor: 5 things to know Tuesday

Tensions between protesters and police intensified for the second night in a row Monday after a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop Sunday. Protesters stayed out despite Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz imposing a curfew that stretched to 6 a.m. Tuesday for three counties, which included the city of Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb about 10 miles from where George Floyd died in police custody last May. About 90 minutes after the curfew deadline, police in Brooklyn Center began firing gas canisters and flash-bang grenades in an attempt to drive protesters away.

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  NFL players react to Minnesota police shooting of Daunte Wright

  Yahoo Sports
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  Police Claim Officer Who Shot And Killed Man In Traffic Stop Likely Meant To Shock Him Instead

  HuffPost

Psaki says Biden 'does not spend his time tweeting conspiracy theories' after a GOP senator criticized the president's social-media use

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday defended Biden's communication style. Biden "does not spend his time tweeting conspiracy theories," Psaki said. The comments came after a GOP senator criticized Biden's use of social media.

TikTok star Justine Paradise accuses YouTuber Jake Paul of sexual assault, says he did not ask for consent

TikTok star Justine Paradise, 24, said that YouTuber Jake Paul sexually assaulted her at his home in Los Angeles. Paradise - who has over 524,000 followers on TikTok - said that she met Paul, who is also 24 this year, in July 2019 at the Team 10 house in California, where he and several friends lived. In a 20-minute YouTube video posted last Friday, she said that she went to the Team 10 house with several friends on several occasions.