WorldThe TelegraphUS announces sanctions against Russia and expels 10 diplomats
The United States announced economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday and the expulsion of 10 diplomats in retaliation for what Washington says is the Kremlin's US election interference, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity. President Joe Biden's executive order "sends a signal that the United States will impose costs in a strategic and economically impactful manner on Russia if it continues or escalates its destabilising international action," the White House said. The moves are in response to alleged interference in last year's presidential election as well as the hacking last year of federal government agencies.
U.S.The StateToddler 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.
- WorldChristian Science Monitor
How the far-right has shifted France’s political center of gravity
As next year's presidential elections in France approach, the two front-runners are trying on each other's clothes. Marine Le Pen, traditionally a candidate of the extreme right, is seeking more moderate voters by steering her party, the National Rally, toward the middle ground of French politics. More surprisingly, perhaps, President Emmanuel Macron is veering sharply rightward, shocking many of his supporters and raising questions about the boundaries of acceptable political discourse.
PoliticsAssociated PressAnalysis: Biden takes a risk pulling troops from Afghanistan
Even so, by withdrawing the remaining few thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Biden is taking a calculated risk that extremists in Afghanistan can be countered by U.S. and partner forces elsewhere in the region — and that he won't become the president who underestimated the resilience and reach of extremists who still aim to attack the United States. CIA Director William Burns told Congress on Wednesday the U.S. unavoidably will lose some intelligence leverage against the extremist threat, although he suggested the losses would be manageable. The U.S. government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish.
U.S.BBCChauvin trial: Floyd's death should be 'undetermined', defence expert says
George Floyd's death should have been classified as "undetermined", an expert has told the murder trial of former US police officer Derek Chauvin. Forensic pathologist David Fowler told the court in Minnesota that the cause of Mr Floyd's death was not clear. Mr Fowler said in his view, drug use, heart disease and other factors contributed to Mr Floyd's death.
U.S.The StateBody found in Mississippi River is missing LSU student Kori Gauthier, officials say
Kori Gauthier, a Louisiana State University freshman reported missing one week ago, was found dead. LSU officials confirmed Wednesday night that a body recently found in the Mississippi rRiver is Gauthier. “Since Kori was first reported missing, the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and volunteers have taken exhaustive measures to locate her and, in the process, to determine what led to her disappearance,” LSU Chief of Police Bart Thompson said in a statement.
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.
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.
- NewsAssociated Press Videos
Video shows shooting in Ohio hospital
Police body camera footage shows a routine police pat-down of a man in a hospital emergency room erupting within minutes into a fatal police shooting after the man apparently fires a gun he had concealed in his possession. (April 15)
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
U.S.Charlotte ObserverCharlotte had two homicides reported overnight in a three-hour period, CMPD says
Charlotte had two homicides reported in a three-hour period overnight, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. The first was reported around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Wilkinson Boulevard, near west Charlotte's Westerly Hills community. The victim was identified as Demontravis Davonte Reid, 25, CMPD said in an update.
- U.S.Lexington Herald-Leader
Watch police rescue dog that got stuck in truck’s undercarriage during Texas storm
Police arrived and soon requested the help of the fire department and animal control. In video of Booger's rescue, he's seen suspended in the undercarriage, paws dangling as he whimpers. What are you doing up in there?
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Time for American troops to come home': Biden announces Afghanistan withdrawal by Sept. 11
Calling for the end of a two-decade war that saw 775,000 American troops serve and 2,300 killed, President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced all U.S. forces will withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that triggered the conflict. "It is time to end America's longest war," Biden said in a speech from the White House Treaty Room, where former President George W. Bush announced the first airstrikes in Afghanistan in 2001. "It is time for American troops to come home."
HealthThe Telegraph'My healthy sister just never woke up'. The reality of Sudden Adult Death – and how to protect yourself
Patrick Mead had just finished his breakfast one Sunday morning in October 2019 when he noticed his sister, Lauren, hadn't yet left her bedroom. The siblings worked together at a restaurant near their family home in Frome, Somerset; they had a shift that morning and Lauren was going to be late. Lauren, the seemingly healthy 19-year-old with whom Patrick used to gossip every afternoon after school, had died in her sleep.
CelebrityNBC NewsWhat happened to Bernie Madoff's family? Where Ruth Madoff and others are now
The death of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff has dredged up memories of the destruction and pain left behind in the wake of perhaps the most infamous Wall Street scheme in recent history. Madoff, 82, died while serving a 150-year prison sentence stemming from fraud charges that involved cheating thousands of investors, including the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, out of billions in promised returns. In 2011, Ruth said during an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show that she did not miss her imprisoned husband, adding that "the villain of all this is behind bars."
PoliticsUSA TODAYBiden set to give first formal address to Congress just before he marks 100 days in office
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is set to deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, April 28, just before he marks his 100th day in office. Biden accepted an invitation Tuesday night from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to address a joint session on that date, the White House confirmed. The speech will allow Biden to claim progress during his first 100 days, a benchmark historically for the presidency.
U.S.The ConversationHow Baptists hold differing views on the resurrection of Christ and why this matters
As a Baptist minister and theologian myself, I believe it is important to understand how Baptists hold differing views on the meaning of the Resurrection. The Resurrection Easter is the Christian holiday which commemorates the story of Jesus Christ's resurrection. According to the Christian faith, resurrection is the pivotal event on which “God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day” after he was crucified by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and then buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThese are the 6 Republicans who voted against a bipartisan bill on anti-Asian hate crimes
The Senate voted Wednesday to move forward a bill that would address the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. In a rare bipartisan showing, almost all senators voted to advance the bill. Insider reached out to the six Republican senators who voted to block the legislation.
U.S.The Independent‘It should be murder’: Brooklyn Center reacts to manslaughter charges against Daunte Wright shooting officer
Earlier on Wednesday, Kim Potter, 48, a white police officer with the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, over the shooting of Mr Wright, after a traffic stop on Sunday afternoon turned fatal. “Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said in a statement. “[Potter's] action caused the unlawful killing of Mr Wright and she must be held accountable.”
HealthBBCJohnson & Johnson vaccine paused over rare blood clots
The US, South Africa and European Union will temporarily stop the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid jab, after reports of rare blood clotting. Six cases were detected in more than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. Johnson & Johnson has paused its EU rollout, which started this week.
PoliticsThe IndependentPelosi says she would have ‘battled’ capitol rioters with stilettos: ‘I’m a street fighter’
Nancy Pelosi has insisted that she would have fought back against pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on 6 January had they found her amid the riots. Trump supporters breached the Capitol on 6 January as lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election, forcing them to evacuate. While most of Congress took shelter in a secure location on the Capitol grounds, Capitol Police evacuated Ms Pelosi from the Capitol complex entirely.
U.S.Business InsiderAn Army sergeant who was filmed shoving a Black man has been charged with 3rd-degree assault
Jonathan Pentland was charged with third-degree assault on Wednesday. Pentland, a sergeant first class, was filmed shoving a Black man in his neighborhood on Monday. The commanding general of Pentland's base strongly condemned the behavior in the video.
PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats to unveil bill adding four new justices to the Supreme Court
House and Senate Democrats are planning to introduce a legislation on Thursday that seeks to expand the number of Supreme Court justices from nine to 13. The bill, bound to draw fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers, is led by senator Ed Markey and representatives Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson and Mondaire Jones who will introduce it in both the chambers. The legislation comes days after president Joe Biden announced the formation of a bipartisan commission to study potential Supreme Court reforms including the expansion and limiting terms of the justices.
U.S.The IndependentHouse committee votes for the first time in favour of slavery reparations bill
A House committee, in a historic vote, passed a legislation for forming a panel to study reparations for slavery for Black Americans on Wednesday. It intends to establish a 13-person commission to study the lasting impacts of slavery and ongoing racial discrimination throughout the country's history, in order to send its recommendations on necessary remedies, including reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. The bill was passed after a long discussion over the issue last year during the Black Lives Matter protest and 2020 election campaign trail, as it garnered support from several other Democrats, including President Biden who made racial inequality his focus in his domestic agenda.
CelebrityThe TelegraphA tearful Prince Charles makes first public engagement since Prince Philip's death as he inspects flowers and tributes
The Prince of Wales appeared close to tears as he inspected the many flowers and tributes left for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, by well-wishers today. Prince Charles, 72, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, was clearly moved as he paid an emotional visit to Marlborough House Gardens to read some of the messages left by members of the public, his first engagement since the Duke's death. The Duchess, dressed in black, also looked solemn as she bent to look at the messages, paying particular attention to a model Land Rover with the words “The Duke R.I.P” written on the roof.
“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.”