PoliticsLexington Herald-LeaderMcConnell: Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan ‘a grave mistake’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said a Biden administration plan to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September is a “grave mistake” that would abandon the allied global fight against terrorism. “It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership,” McConnell said on Tuesday. There are about 2,500 troops remaining in Afghanistan and this fall will mark the 20th anniversary of the original invasion of the central Asian country following the attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001.
U.S.AxiosJudge rules for Black Buffalo police officer fired for stopping colleague's chokehold
A New York court on Tuesday reinstated the pension of former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne, who was fired for intervening when a white colleague had a Black man in a chokehold during a 2006 arrest. Today the State of New York Supreme Court vacated and annulled the City of Buffalo's decision to fire her and take her benefits. Ward partially based his decision to overturn a 2010 ruling that upheld her firing on legislation signed by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in October, known as "Cariol's Law" — which makes it a "crime for a law enforcement officer to fail to intervene when another officer is using excessive force and also protects whistleblowers," per the Buffalo News.
WorldBBCChinese man kidnapped and killed in elaborate body swap scheme
A Chinese man with Down's syndrome was kidnapped and killed as part of an elaborate body swap scheme. There is a ban on burials in many parts of China - to get around this, one family hired someone to provide them with a substitute body, which was cremated in its place. The hired man - identified only by his surname Huang - has been handed a suspended death sentence, according to the Guangdong Higher People's Court.
- WorldReuters
Taliban refuse to attend summit on Afghan peace in Turkey if held this week -spokesman
The Afghan Taliban said on Monday they were not willing to attend a major summit on the Afghan peace process in Turkey if it took place this week, the militant group's spokesman said. Turkey is hosting a crucial meeting this month with the United Nations and Qatar as part of a U.S.-backed push to jump-start the Afghan peace process. Diplomats and officials briefed on the matter said it was planned to take place over 10 days from April 16, though the date had not been finalised or officially announced.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Brooklyn Center, Minn., police release footage of Daunte Wright shooting, chief says he believes officer mistakenly grabbed gun instead of Taser
During a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center, Minn. released bodycam video of the police shooting of Daunte Wright. Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes the officer who shot Wright intended to use her Taser, but mistakenly grabbed her firearm.
U.S.AxiosGov. DeSantis directs Florida to close Piney Point wastewater reservoir after averting disaster
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Tuesday he directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection to develop a plan to permanently close the wastewater reservoir at Piney Point phosphate plant that recently threatened to cause a catastrophic environmental disaster, according to AP. Why it matters: The governor said that $15.4 million in agency funds will be used to treat the water, which contains waste from the phosphate production that can cause algae blooms and fish kills and eventually impact the food chain if introduced into the environment in large amounts. What they're saying: “We want this to be the last chapter of the Piney Point story,” DeSantis said Tuesday, according to AP.
U.S.Associated PressEXPLAINER: Prosecution explores Floyd's 'spark of life'
Prosecutors trying a white former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd's death put one of Floyd's brothers on the witness stand Monday in a further effort to humanize him for the jury and counter the defense narrative that Floyd was at least partially responsible for his own death due to his use of illegal drugs. Philonise Floyd, who has frequently occupied the Floyd family's sole seat in the socially distanced courtroom, was allowed to testify under a legal doctrine called “spark of life. He told the jury about how they grew up poor in Houston's Third Ward, his brother's passion for sports, his marginal cooking skills and how he was devastated by his mother's death.
PoliticsKansas City StarDisgraced MO Rep. Rick Roeber calls it quits. Never forget what happened to his kids
Disgraced Missouri state Rep. Rick Roeber announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon, just steps ahead of potential ouster proceedings in the House chamber. Roeber, of Lee's Summit, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual assault of his now-adult child Anastasia, and physical abuse of Samson Roeber, a sibling. Gabrielle Galeano, a sister, said she was aware of Roeber's behavior at the time.
WorldReutersChina push for global power tops U.S. security threats: intelligence report
China's push for global power is the leading threat to U.S. national security, while Russia's efforts to undermine American influence and assert itself as a major actor also pose a challenge, said a U.S. intelligence report released on Tuesday. The 2021 Annual Threat Assessment lays out U.S. spy agencies' views of the chief foreign policy issues facing U.S. President Joe Biden in his first year in office, complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and global climate change. While China and Russia are presented as the leading challenges, Iran and North Korea will also test U.S. national security, the report said.
WorldLA TimesJordan's powerful tribes on collision course with monarchy over alleged royal plot
East Bankers consider themselves the country's Indigenous inhabitants, rather than the Jordanians of Palestinian origin who came from areas west of the Jordan River. The arrests, officials say, were the result of a year-long surveillance operation by the army, police and intelligence service. In their telling, they struck just before the zero hour, averting a wave of chaos and discontent that Prince Hamzah hoped to unleash and ride into the palace to replace his half brother, King Abdullah II.
U.S.Kansas City StarVenomous viper bites San Diego Zoo employee, officials say. There’s no anti-venom for it
A San Diego Zoo employee has been bitten by a venomous viper, according to officials. A wildlife care specialist was bitten Monday by an African bush viper “while they were in an area away from the public,” an official said, NBC News reported. The employee was hospitalized for “evaluation and medical care,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said, according to KTLA5.
WorldArchitectural DigestThe World’s 9 Most Expensive Home Listings Currently on the Market
These fantastical houses range from a 64,000-acre Texas ranch to an oceanside estate in the south of France Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressOpposition accuses UK govt of sleaze amid lobbying scandal
A lobbying scandal swirling around former British Prime Minister David Cameron has deepened with claims that a senior civil servant held down a part-time job with a now-bankrupt financial firm that was awarded lucrative government contracts. The main opposition Labour Party called a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday to demand a full parliamentary inquiry into the relationship between government ministers, civil servants and Greensill Capital, a financial services firm that collapsed last month, threatening thousands of jobs at a British steelmaker it helped finance. The Conservative government has launched an investigation led by a lawyer, but opponents doubt it will get to the truth.
U.S.USA TODAYA grieving daughter dropped her toy. A president gave it back.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute Tuesday to U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans during a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Evans, an 18-year member of the force who served on the agency's First Responders Unit, died during an attack at the Capitol earlier this month. His body is lying in honor in the Rotunda, an unusual distinction for a private citizen.
U.S.INSIDERMinnesota mayor says police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright should be fired and face 'full accountability'
Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Sunday. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott says the officer who shot Wright should be fired. Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Mayor Mike Elliott says the police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright on Sunday should be fired and face "full accountability" in the shooting.
BusinessReutersExclusive: Toshiba CEO faced board ouster before $20 billion buyout offer - sources
Toshiba board members planned to oust CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani before CVC Capital Partners launched a $20 billion buyout bid last week, telling him the day before the offer was announced they would replace him, people familiar with the matter said. Two members of Toshiba Corp's nomination committee, including board chairman Osamu Nagayama, met Kurumatani, himself a former CVC executive, and told him they intended to look for a new chief executive, three of the people said. While the board had not formally started the process of replacing Kurumatani, the plan was already in motion, the three said.
WorldBusiness InsiderIran says it will enrich uranium to highest level ever after apparent Israeli attack on key nuclear facility
Iran says it's going to enrich uranium to 60% purity, much closer to weapons-grade levels (90%). This could complicate efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. This announcement came after an apparent Israeli attack on an important Iranian nuclear facility.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: False claim that President Joe Biden's approval rating lowest in American history
The claim: President Joe Biden's approval rating is at 11%, the lowest of any president in American history President Joe Biden already has tangled with members of both parties over the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and infrastructure since his inauguration less than three months ago. But his approval rating is not at an historic low, as a viral social media post suggests. The post, originally from a Twitter account on March 29, attributes Biden's supposed 11% approval rating to a Gallup poll, as reported by the Daily Caller.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen returns to royal duties four days after Prince Philip's death
The Queen has returned to royal duties just four days after the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. On Tuesday, the 94-year-old monarch hosted her first in-person event since Philip's passing on Friday to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official, former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel. It was announced at the weekend the monarchy and their households would observe two weeks of royal mourning, with members of the family "continuing to undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances," a royal official said.
U.S.The IndependentCaron Nazario ‘feared for his life’ in pepper spray traffic stop
Caron Nazario's lawyer said the army officer feared for his life as he was pulled over by two Virginia police officers who aimed their guns at him and used pepper spray during a violent traffic stop. Attorney Jonathan Arthur told CNN: "He was terrified that if he was going to move his hands below where Officer Gutierrez could have seen them to undo that seatbelt, they would have murdered him." Apart from pointing their guns at him, the officers also pushed Lt Nazario to the ground and pepper sprayed him.
U.S.INSIDERBrooklyn Center Police Chief says 'we train with our handguns on our dominant side and our Taser on our weak side,' casting doubt on 'accidental discharge' theory
But right-handed police officers are trained to carry a Taser on the opposite side of their belt. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. According to Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, the officer who shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was trained to carry her sidearm on the right side of her duty belt and her Taser on the left.
CelebrityThe WeekMeghan Markle reportedly goes on maternity leave next month
It's unclear exactly how Meghan Markle spends her days in sunny Montecito, California, when she isn't taking care of baby Archie, tending to her rescue chickens, and riling up the British royal family by simply existing. Markle — who co-founded the nonprofit Archewell and recently guest edited British Vogue — will have some free time more immediately, too, since she wasn't medically cleared to fly with Prince Harry the 12 hours to the U.K. for her grandfather-in-law's funeral.
U.S.The IndependentRashida Tlaib calls for ‘no more police’ following Daunte Wright shooting
The White House distanced itself from calls of "Squad" member Rashida Tlaib for "no more" policing and incarceration following the shooting of Daunte Wright. The Democratic congresswoman from Michigan said the shooting by Minneapolis officer Kim Potter "wasn't an accident" and that policing in the United States was "inherently and intentionally racist". Asked if the Biden administration "disavows" Ms Tlaib's calls to end the practice of policing, press secretary Jen Psaki said the president does not share her position.
U.S.Business InsiderMatt Gaetz's indicted associate Joel Greenberg has been cooperating against him since last year, report says
Gaetz has been embroiled in a political firestorm since The Times reported last month that the Justice Department was investigating him as part of the Greenberg inquiry. In particular, the feds are said to be looking into whether Gaetz had sex with a minor and violated sex-trafficking laws. The Florida Republican lawmaker has fervently denied the allegations against him and dismissed the department's investigation as being part of an elaborate and convoluted extortion scheme against his family.
PoliticsINSIDERPro-Trump prophet still believes Trump is president, peddles claim that God will 'do something' on April 25
Jeff Jansen, a self-proclaimed prophet, said he still believed Trump was in office. Self-styled evangelical prophet Jeff Jansen says he still believes that Donald Trump is president, and is certain that God will "do something" to the Biden administration on April 25. Jansen is the co-founder of the Global Fire Ministries International in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and a self-proclaimed "prophet."
“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.”