U.S.Yahoo Celebrity'ER' actress Mary Mara's cause of death revealed
Mary Mara, who was found dead in New York's St. Lawrence River on Sunday, died of asphyxiation, or suffocation, due to drowning, according to autopsy findings. The ER and Ray Donovan actress's cause of death was announced Wednesday by police, bringing an end to online rumors around the fatal accident. "The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office performed a post-mortem examination and determined that Mary Mara's manner of death was an accident, due to asphyxiation, and water drowning," says an updated statement provided by a New York State Police Troop D spokesperson.
WorldBusiness InsiderAs Sweden's and Finland's NATO bids move forward, the alliance is already eyeing their fighter jets
From June 5 to June 17, Finnish and Swedish forces joined the militaries of 14 NATO members, including the US, for Baltic Operations 2022. The 51st iteration of the maritime-focused exercise involved over 45 ships, more than 75 aircraft, and 7,500 personnel. During one drill, a US Air Force KC-135 tanker refueled US, Finnish, Swedish, and German jets, allowing them to keep operating over the Baltic.
U.S.CBS NewsAnother giant African snail sighting forces Florida county into quarantine
The reappearance of an invasive snail species forced state officials to enact a quarantine order last week for residents of Florida's Pasco County, an area north of Tampa along the gulf coast. Authorities took action after confirming that a notoriously destructive breed of mollusk, known as the giant African land snail, was identified by a community gardener in the city of Port Richey. A division of Florida's department of agriculture that manages pest control began to survey the region for additional snail sightings once the quarantine mandate was in place, according to the agency.
U.S.ReutersU.S. Supreme Court throws out rulings upholding gun restrictions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -On the heels of last week's landmark ruling expanding individual gun rights, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday threw out several lower court rulings that had upheld gun restrictions including bans on assault-style rifles in Maryland and large-capacity ammunition magazines in New Jersey and California. The actions by the justices sent these cases back to lower courts to reconsider in light of their June 23 ruling that declared for the first time a constitutional right to carry a handgun in public for self defense. The ruling also clarified how courts must now assess whether regulations are valid under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, requiring them to be comparable with restrictions traditionally adopted throughout U.S. history.
PoliticsAZCentral | The Arizona RepublicThis was the scariest moment in Arizona's GOP governor's debate. Be warned, America
But the cringiest, creepiest, scariest moment of all was when Kari Lake asked for a show of hands of how many of the four candidates believe the 2020 presidential election was “corrupt and stolen”. Three hands immediately shot up. After all this, they think the election was stolen After sample audits and a “full forensic audit” found no evidence that the election was rigged … After eight unsuccessful lawsuits, including a two-day detailed hearing that produced no evidence that Trump was robbed...
WorldUkrayinska PravdaAnother "goodwill gesture": Russians lose an Alligator near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island
ALONA MAZURENKO – THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2022, 19:50 A Russian Ka-52 helicopter that flew close to Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on the evening of 29 June has been damaged and has fallen into the sea near the island. Source: Pivden Operational Command Quote: "Yesterday one of four helicopters, likely Ka-52s, which flew close to Zmiinyi Island was damaged and fell into the sea between the island and the Odesa gas condensate field. The Ruscists were trying to organise a search-and-rescue operation, but the helicopter was invited to land on the Moskva cruiser."
PoliticsYahoo NewsFilmmaker who gave footage to Jan. 6 committee: Trump is 'dangerous,' living in 'cloud cuckoo land'
A British documentary filmmaker who recently testified behind closed doors to the House Jan. 6 select committee said that former President Donald Trump is living in “cloud cuckoo land,” and is incapable of ever acknowledging that his claims about voter fraud are “delusional.” Holder was granted exclusive access to Trump and his family in the months before and after the 2020 election, giving him the opportunity to compile over 100 hours of footage of the former president, his two eldest sons and eldest daughter talking in interviews and among themselves. When the Jan. 6 select committee learned of the project — which will be aired by Discovery+ in the coming months — they subpoenaed him hoping to find footage of the Trumps speaking candidly about events that are the subject of the investigation.
BusinessFortuneDelta Air Lines offered passengers $10,000 each to get off an oversold flight
Passengers on a Delta flight from Michigan to Minnesota say that the airline offered them $10,000 cash to give up their seats on an oversold domestic flight. In the end, the hour-long flight departed just 20 minutes later than scheduled from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, according to Cirium's flight tracker. Jason Aten, a tech columnist at Inc. magazine, boarded the plane with his family and was waiting for it to leave the gate when a flight attendant came over the intercom, he wrote earlier this week.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe term 'no look handshake' is trending on Twitter after Biden was seen shaking hands with South Korea's president without making eye contact
In a moment captured on video, Biden appeared to shake Yoon's hands without making eye contact. Now, "no look handshake" is trending on Twitter in South Korea as users scrutinize the gesture. An awkward handshake between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, at the NATO summit in Madrid lit up social media on Wednesday.
U.S.Associated PressTexas woman accused in cyclist death arrested in Costa Rica
A Texas woman suspected in the fatal shooting of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson at an Austin home has been arrested in Costa Rica, the U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday. Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, was arrested Wednesday at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the Marshals Service said in a statement. “The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run,” said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau.
WorldThe Burlington Free PressThis Vermont ski resort is changing its name in the interest of mental health
A small ski area in Vermont has announced that it's retiring its name, Suicide Six, this summer amid growing concerns about the insensitive nature of the historical name. The resort said on its website on Tuesday that it shares those concerns and “embraces the increasing awareness surrounding mental health. The feelings that the word 'suicide' evokes can have a significant impact on many in our community,” the resort statement said.
- PoliticsThe Week
Trump, Secret Service agent confirmed main elements of bombshell Jan. 6 fight over driving to Capitol
But the most jaw-dropping — and most contested — part of Hutchinson's testimony was probably about Trump being so "irate" he couldn't go to the Capitol with his armed supporters that he grabbed at the steering wheel of his presidential SUV and assaulted his lead Secret Service agent, Bobby Engel. Hutchinson testified that she heard about the incident right afterward from a visibly shaken Tony Ornato, Trump's former lead Secret Service agent who controversially became his White House deputy chief of staff for operations in 2020.
WorldReutersCrypto crash threatens North Korea's stolen funds as it ramps up weapons tests
SEOUL (Reuters) -The nosedive in cryptocurrency markets has wiped out millions of dollars in funds stolen by North Korean hackers, four digital investigators say, threatening a key source of funding for the sanctions-stricken country and its weapons programmes. North Korea has poured resources into stealing cryptocurrencies in recent years, making it a potent hacking threat and leading to one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record in March, in which almost $615 million was stolen, according to the U.S. Treasury. The sudden plunge in crypto values, which started in May amid a broader economic slowdown, complicates Pyongyang's ability to cash in on that and other heists, and may affect how it plans to fund its weapons programmes, two South Korean government sources said.
U.S.Fox NewsCarnival cruise brawl caught on camera broke out over alleged cheating, passenger says
An all-out brawl that broke out between dozens of passengers aboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship was sparked over allegations of cheating while on the trip, according to an eyewitness passenger who shared video of the fight with Fox News Digital. Theresa James, who said she is a travel agent, told Fox News Digital that the fight started just before 2 a.m. on the ship's fifth floor, where a dance club and casino are located. The brawl lasted about an hour, according to the travel agent, and took the parties involved from the fifth floor to the ship's first floor, which James described as a huge distance.
PoliticsHuffPostEx-Aide Releases Melania Trump's Revealing 1-Word Text Message From Jan. 6
Former first lady Melania Trump was given a chance to call for peace on Jan. 6, 2021 as her husband's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and attempted to block the certification of the 2020 election. Grisham, who was also a former White House press secretary and communications director, resigned later that day, but made no mention of the assault on the Capitol. Like others who served the Trumps, Grisham saved her criticism for a tell-all book.
ScienceReutersChinese spacecraft acquires images of entire planet of Mars
An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft has acquired imagery data covering all of Mars, including visuals of its south pole, after circling the planet more than 1,300 times since early last year, state media reported on Wednesday. Among the images taken from space were China's first photographs of the Martian south pole, where almost all of the planet's water resources are locked. In 2018, an orbiting probe operated by the European Space Agency had discovered water under the ice of the planet's south pole.
- ScienceReuters Videos
Toxic foam cloud floods 30 homes in Colombia
STORY: Footage shows residents waking up amid a foam cloud sweeping at least 30 homes as firefighters sprayed water to disperse the cloud. Honestly, this (house) can collapse at any minute and I will have to sleep under the bridge,” Soacha resident William Sanchez said, while cleaning up his kitchen that was flooded with the toxic foam. Local media reported the foam came from a sewage gully that overflowed under the downpour.
U.S.Cincinnati.com | The EnquirerPolice warn of rise in car thefts of two particular car brands. Is yours one of them?
The Forest Park Police Department is warning residents of a local increase in car thefts of Kia and Hyundai brand vehicles, similar to instances reported in other cities across the country. The thefts are mainly of Kia cars newer than 2011 and Hyundai cars newer than 2015. Forest Park police say there were six reported thefts of these vehicle brands since June 21 from large apartment complexes at night.
BusinessTechCrunchByju’s cuts hundreds of jobs, pushes back payments for $1 billion acquisition
Byju's, India's most valuable startup, has eliminated hundreds of jobs in recent days and pushed back on payments for a $1 billion acquisition it announced last year. The Bengaluru-headquartered startup, valued at about $22 billion, has cut hundreds of jobs at Toppr, an online learning startup it acquired last year for $150 million, and about hundreds at WhiteHat Jr, a kids-focused coding platform it acquired two years ago for $300 million. The development follows Byju's extending the deadline for making parts of the payments for a ~$1 billion acquisition of Aakash, a 34-year-old chain of physical coaching centres, it announced over a year ago, according to a person familiar with the matter.
U.S.CBS NewsWidow of truck driver killed in Amtrak collision files wrongful death suit
The widow of a man killed when the truck he was driving was hit by an Amtrak train this week has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. In the suit, Erin Barton alleges that the Missouri railroad crossing where Billy Dean Barton II died was "ultra-hazardous," due in part to the defendants' failures to maintain the intersection. The first of two defendants is Mariano Rodriguez, a manager in the BNSF Railway's engineering department.
PoliticsINSIDERMitch McConnell says he'll kill the bipartisan China bill if Democrats revive their agenda with Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema
Mitch McConnell vowed to effectively kill major bipartisan legislation if Democrats pursue their own plan. McConnell's statement is a major and perhaps fatal setback for a lengthy effort to pass a China bill. Lawmakers on both sides have moved to bulk up the US semiconductor industry, which is a major part of the plan.
WorldReutersTurkish media hails Erdogan's 'victory' deal to lift NATO veto
Pro-government Turkish media lauded a deal to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO as a triumph for President Tayyip Erdogan, saying on Wednesday he had wrested concrete gains from the West in the country's fight against terrorism. The 11th hour agreement on Tuesday, which caught many by surprise, lifted Ankara's veto over the Nordic states' membership bids. It ended a weeks-long dispute that tested the defence alliance's unity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine ahead of this week's NATO summit in Madrid.
U.S.Kansas City StarMom accused of flashing inmates as her kids played now faces prison time, PA judge says
A Pennsylvania mom was sentenced to prison time after authorities said she flashed inmates while her kids played nearby. Inmates within the prison began yelling and could still be heard when police arrived on the scene, authorities said. During the incident, officials said her kids “were running around the car and swinging from a speed limit sign.”
WorldThe New Voice of UkraineRussian assault ship hits mine near Mariupol — Odesa Oblast authorities
"We have reports that a Russian amphibious assault ship of project 1176 Akula of the Black Sea Fleet D-106 blew up near Mariupol,” he said. We are waiting for confirmation of the 'gesture of goodwill'," he added. Earlier it emerged that following powerful strikes by Ukrainian forces, the Russian occupiers of Ukraine's Snake Island in the Black Sea had hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison on two speedboats.
BusinessYahoo SportsReports: USC, UCLA planning to leave Pac-12 for Big Ten
Is more realignment coming in college athletics? USC and UCLA are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News is reporting. According to Wilner, arguably the most plugged-in reporter on the Pac-12, the move could come to fruition as early as 2024 but “has not been finalized at the highest levels of power.
“Left unchecked, if artificial intelligence reaches cognition … it will be fueled by some of the most inhumane impulses of humanity.”
“Now is the time to stop and think — before our technology outstrips us once again.”
“I don't want to talk about sentient robots, because at all ends of the spectrum there are humans harming other humans.”
“Minds can take different forms … We should avoid reducing questions about AIs to ‘Can AIs think and feel like us?’”
“To identify sentience, or consciousness, or even intelligence, we’re going to have to work out what they are.”