U.S.Associated PressCourt tosses $300,000 hospital bill for promised $1,300 tab
Colorado's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a woman who expected to pay about $1,300 for spinal fusion surgery but was billed more than $300,000 by a suburban Denver hospital that included charges it never disclosed she might be liable for. This week's ruling in favor of Lisa French, who underwent two surgeries in 2014, follows efforts by many U.S. states and the federal government to help curb health care costs by restricting or eliminating so-called “surprise billing ” and requiring increased price transparency for consumers. In a unanimous opinion, the Colorado justices ruled Monday that agreements French signed before surgery at St. Anthony North Health Campus in Westminster don't compel her to pay the extra charges, which stemmed from a then-secret list of prices for services that hadn't been disclosed to her.
U.S.The New York TimesBodies Pulled From Parched Lake Mead Stir Wise-Guy Ghosts of Las Vegas
It's the mob guy who went missing after skimming from the Stardust casino. Ever since the bodies started turning up this month in Lake Mead — the first in a barrel, the next half-buried in sand, both exposed by plunging water levels — theories in Las Vegas are flourishing about who they are, how they wound up in the country's largest man-made reservoir, and what might surface next. Lynette Melvin found the second body with her sister while paddleboarding.
U.S.Miami Herald‘Reunited and it feels so good.’ Watch a Florida panther finally find her lost kitten
Thank you, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for capturing it and making our weekend. Back in March, after the 4-month-old somehow got separated from her mother in Collier County, staffers launched a search in the area, to no avail. When that didn't work, biologists then tried to attract the Florida panther with her actual baby, by placing the little one in a cage in the same area.
WorldReutersStruggling in Ukraine, Russia paves way to sign up over-40s for army
LONDON (Reuters) -In a sign of Russia's urgent need to bolster its war effort in Ukraine, parliament said on Friday it would consider a bill to allow Russians over 40 and foreigners over 30 to sign up for the military. The website of the State Duma, parliament's lower house, said the move would enable the military to utilise the skills of older professionals. Russia has suffered huge setbacks and heavy losses of men and equipment in the 86-day-old war, in which Ukraine has mobilised practically its entire adult male population.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramAngler reels in ‘freaking scary’ fish in Texas marsh, photos show. It’s a rare beast
An angler recently reeled in a rare and “freaking scary” fish after casting his hook into a murky Texas marsh, photos show. The scaly creature's striking look, jet black from tail to toothy tip, took the fisherman and his guide by surprise, according to a post by Lotus Guide Service. Well … (we) found out melanistic gar do exist,” said the May 16 post, sharing photos of the fish whipping and thrashing against the fishing line.
U.S.The Root“Don’t you have some fish to catch, African-American man?” says Santa Barbara Karen
On a sunny day at The Boathouse, a Santa Barbara restaurant, a Karen decided to cause an unnecessary ruckus. In a five-minute video recording of the incident, the woman confronts the person recording, a Black man, and takes things to another level. On May 11, Ian Soleimani, a local DJ, shared to his Instagram the footage he caught of the incident.
WorldAssociated PressUS intel shows Russians fear Mariupol abuse will backfire
The U.S. has gathered intelligence that shows some Russian officials have become concerned that Russian forces in the ravaged port city of Mariupol are carrying out grievous abuses, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday. The Russian officials are concerned that the abuses will backfire and further inspire Mariupol residents to resist the Russian occupation. The U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Russians, who were not identified, also feared that the abuses will undercut Russia's claim that they've liberated the Russian-speaking city.
ScienceBGROctopuses torture and eat themselves after mating, and scientists finally know why
For years, scientists have wondered why octopuses torture themselves after mating. Now, after all this time, researchers may finally have the answer. Today's Top Deals #1 best-selling bed pillows are on sale for $13 each — see why they have 126,000 5-star Amazon reviews!
HealthShapeSee Kate Upton Hang Upside Down In an Impressive Aerial Yoga Pose
Few people could make aerial yoga look easy, but Kate Upton has done just that. The 29-year-old actress and model — who regularly posts her workouts on social media — recently shared a photo on Instagram of herself hanging upside down in a precarious aerial yoga pose. In the photo, Upton is suspended by a sling-like hammock in an inverted dancer pose, wearing a matching purple sports bra and leggings.
U.S.ReutersA prison cell, blood and 'zombies': Trevor Reed describes detention in Russia
Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed described his experience in a Russian psychiatric facility in an interview broadcast on Friday, detailing squalid conditions amid severely mentally ill inmates. Reed, detained in Russia in 2019, was freed on April 28 in a prisoner swap that took place amid the most tense bilateral relations in decades over the war in Ukraine. In excerpts from an interview with CNN, Reed said he was held with seven other prisoners in a cell at a psychiatric treatment facility.
BusinessMarketWatch‘Robinhood’ investors are ‘going to get their heads handed to them,’ as bear market takes hold, says ‘Godfather’ of chart analysis
Prominent market technician Ralph Acampora told MarketWatch that stocks may still be looking at “another 10% or 15% to come on the downside,” as a protracted period of lofty valuations comes unbound. “I think there's so much confusion out there,” Acampora, a pioneer in the field of chart-based trading, told MarketWatch, in an interview on Friday afternoon. The market technician said he wanted to see a more pronounced move in the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) aka VIX, with, perhaps, a one-day jump of around 50% seen as a meaningfully indicator, in his view.
U.S.WFTVDeputies: Motorcyclist with concealed carry permit stops knife-wielding driver in road rage incident
A Flagler County man is under arrest after he threatened a motorcyclist with a knife in a road rage incident near Palm Coast Tuesday. Deputies said they responded to the intersection of Pine Lakes Parkway and Whirlaway Drive just after 1 p.m. after getting several calls to 911 for a reported road rage incident. According to the sheriff's office, 50-year-old Rafael Vincent Rivera and a motorcyclist got into an argument after Rivera cut the motorcyclist off.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia tree trimmer guilty in deadly throat-slashings
A tree trimmer in rural Northern California was found guilty in a series of throat-slashing attacks that left three people dead, prosecutors announced Wednesday. A jury in Butte County on Tuesday found Ryan Scott Blinston, 37, guilty of murder, attempted murder and arson, the Tehama County District Attorney's office said. Blinston, of Oroville, faces a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Erdogan: Sweden and Finland's NATO bid is a 'no'
STORY: Finland and Sweden formally applied on Wednesday (May 18) to join U.S.-led NATO, a decision spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey's objections have come as a surprise to the other members of the alliance. "We will continue our policy in a determined way.
PoliticsNBC NewsTrump leaves Pennsylvania GOP fuming over 'cockamamie election.' Next up: Georgia.
Three days before Election Day, Trump veered hard to the right in the governor's race by backing Doug Mastriano, the state senator who built a devoted grassroots following for his efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's win and promote Trump's stolen election lie. Mainstream Republicans fear that Mastriano, who had been on track to win the primary anyway before Trump's nod, is too extreme to win a general election in a state with a half million more registered Democrats than Republicans. A Democratic victory in the Pennsylvania contest for governor would reverberate through the 2024 presidential election cycle.
PoliticsAssociated PressTrump pays $110K fine, must submit paperwork to end contempt
Former President Donald Trump has paid the $110,000 in fines he racked up after being held in contempt of court for being slow to respond to a civil subpoena issued by New York's attorney general. Trump paid the fine Thursday but must still submit additional paperwork in order to have the contempt order lifted, the office of Attorney General Letitia James said Friday. A Manhattan judge declared Trump in contempt of court on April 25 and fined him $10,000 per day for not complying with a subpoena in James' long-running investigation into his business practices.
U.S.Rock Hill HeraldRock Hill SC man again denied parole after conviction in fire that killed baby brother
A South Carolina man, who has been in prison for seven years for a deadly Rock Hill fire that killed his baby brother, was denied parole Wednesday. Morgan, now 24, was denied a chance at release Wednesday by the unanimous vote of a panel of the S.C. Parole Board after a video conference hearing, said Valerie Suber, associate deputy director of the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The parole board had gathered in Columbia.
WorldBusiness InsiderVideos show Russian soldiers leading a group of Ukrainian captives at gunpoint moments before they were executed in Bucha, report says
A photo taken in Bucha in April showed a group of Ukrainian men who appeared to have been executed. A NYT investigation showed the men were in custody of Russian troops before apparently being killed. A video showed the Ukrainian captives being marched in a single file and flanked by Russian troops.
BusinessYahoo FinanceCalifornia's electrical grid has an EV problem
California energy officials issued a sobering warning this month, telling residents to brace for potential blackouts as the state's energy grid faces capacity constraints heading into the summer months. In Sacramento, officials said California's grid could face a potential shortfall of roughly 1,700 megawatts, which would affect the power supply of between 1 million and 4 million people this summer. “Let's say we were to have a substantial number of [electric] vehicles charging at home as everybody dreams,” Ram Rajagopal, an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, who authored a recent study looking at the strain electric vehicle adoption is expected to place on the power grid, told Yahoo Finance.
HealthINSIDERA 30-year-old with a hoarse voice, back pain, and achy bones visited a walk-in clinic to see a doctor for his symptoms. He found out it was lung cancer.
An otherwise healthy man with back pain and a hoarse voice was later found to have lung cancer. Lung cancer can be tricky to catch, so see a doctor if you have persistent chest pain or coughing. A fit, otherwise healthy 30-year old was found to have stage 4 lung cancer after experiencing back pain and a hoarse voice, Today reported.
WorldThe Daily BeastVladimir Putin’s Secret Grandchild Is a Zelensky, Says Report
As is often the case with sisters, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's alleged daughters is publicly defying him while the other is defending her daddy dearest. Another allegation in the report: The Russian president has also had to stomach—if true—that his youngest daughter's child with a ballet dancer shares a last name with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky. The dancer/baby daddy Igor Zelensky is not related to Putin's archenemy, according to the joint report, which was based on a dossier of leaked documents including flight records showing the Putin kid's apparent love of European travel to where Zelensky was based during the time they are thought to have conceived their now 2-year-old daughter.
WorldAssociated PressBrazil's Lula gets married at 76 with a political touch
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the front-runner heading into Brazil's presidential election in October, was married Wednesday in a ceremony that had a political touch. The 76-year-old leftist politician, who was president in 2003-2010 and leads incumbent far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in all opinion polls, wed sociologist Rosangela Silva, 55, before 150 guests who sang his old and new campaign songs more than once. It was the third marriage for Lula, as he is known to Brazilians.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramMassive senior prank ‘devolved rapidly’ — and now Texas students have to pay for it
What started as a mostly harmless senior prank involving Post-it notes eventually led to a mass destruction event at a Texas high school. Because of the vandalism caught on video at Memorial High School in Frisco, students involved could face charges and will have to pay for the damage. The senior prank occurred on Wednesday, May 18, and the students were given permission to use Post-it notes on the walls of the campus, school officials said in a letter to parents obtained by McClatchy News.
- ScienceAZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Monsoon storms bring heavy rain, flooding to Arizona
The Arizona monsoon brings to the desert heavy rain, flooding and lightning from the storms every summer.
WorldReutersGermany and Italy approved Russian gas payments after nod from Brussels - sources
Germany and Italy told companies they could open rouble accounts to keep buying Russian gas without breaching sanctions against Moscow following discussions with the European Union, sources said. The debate over Russia's demand that foreign buyers pay for gas in roubles has tested the resolve of European governments to take a hard line against Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Poland, Bulgaria and Finland have refused to comply with Moscow's demand that importers pay for gas via rouble accounts with Gazprombank and their supplies have been cut.
“It could give millions a chance to finally buy a house or start their business or help their kids get an education, too.”
“You signed a contract…If you don’t want to deal with the financial pressure of debt, don’t take out the loan.”
“Without action from Biden, Black student debt will hinder his agenda with respect to eliminating racial inequities.”
“Blanket relief could end up routing too much relief to those who do not need it and too little to those who do.”
“Unlike a number of other policy issues, student debt relief doesn’t need to be pushed through a narrowly controlled Congress.”