Ross Wilburn elected as Iowa Democratic Party's first Black chairman

Ross Wilburn elected as Iowa Democratic Party's first Black chairman

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  • Scientists spotted a 'space hurricane' swirling above the magnetic north pole. It was raining charged solar particles.

    Satellites observed a swirling storm above the magnetic north pole in 2014. It was the first space hurricane ever spotted, according to a new study.

  • ICC launches war crimes probe into Israeli practices

    The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Wednesday launched an investigation into alleged crimes in the Palestinian territories, turning the tribunal’s focus toward Israeli military actions and settlement construction on lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war. The decision dealt an embarrassing blow to the Israeli government, which had conducted an aggressive public relations and behind-the-scenes diplomatic campaign to block the investigation. It also raised the possibility of arrest warrants being issued against Israeli officials suspected of war crimes, making it potentially risky to travel abroad.

  • Myanmar's Christian refugees hold anti-coup protest in India

    About 300 refugees from a Christian minority community from Myanmar held a demonstration in India's capital on Wednesday against last month’s military takeover in their country and demanded the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other Myanmar leaders. The demonstration was held at Jantar Mantar, an area of New Delhi close to Parliament that is often used for protests.

  • Former Pakistan PM wins Senate election in setback to gov't

    A former Pakistani prime minister Wednesday defeated a ruling party candidate in Senate elections in a major setback to the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, election authorities and opposition parties said. Yusuf Raza Gilani defeated the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf party's Hafeez Sheikh, an adviser to Khan who was named finance minister in December 2020, Gilani received 169 votes to Sheikh's 164. Gilani's success suggested some ruling party lawmakers revolted and didn't vote for Sheikh for the key seat reserved for the capital Islamabad.

  • Bill Burr says fired 'Mandalorian' costar Gina Carano 'was an absolute sweetheart'

    The actor who plays Migs Mayfield on the show said "it's f---ing crazy times" in regards to cancel culture.

  • Trump Served With Civil Rights Suit After Capitol Riot

    Michael Reaves/GettyAttorneys for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and the NAACP have served former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club with a lawsuit filed against him in February. Thompson and the NAACP filed suit against Trump alleging that his incendiary rhetoric and false claims of a “stolen” election amounted to a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights by inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.The suit names Trump alongside his attorney Rudy Giuliani and the right-wing extremist groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers as co-defendants and builds off the 1871 “Ku Klux Klan Act,” which was “intended to protect against conspiracies, through violence and intimidation, that sought to prevent Members of Congress from discharging their official duties,” according to a complaint.If Jan. 6 Was ‘Domestic Terror,’ Who Was the Terrorist in Chief?“The Defendants conspired to prevent, by force, intimidation and threats, the Plaintiff, as a Member of Congress, from discharging his official duties to approve the count of votes cast by members of the Electoral College following the presidential election,” the lawsuit alleges.It accuses the defendants of acting “in concert to incite and then carry out a riot at the Capitol” that “created grave danger of harm” to Thompson and other lawmakers. Similar to the case laid out by Democrats in Trump’s impeachment trial last month, the suit lays out a timeline of Trump’s “concerted campaign” to retain power at any cost, from his refusal to commit to a peaceful transition before the election to his explicit endorsement of efforts to overturn the election result to his fiery rally speech on January 6.Trump “solicited the support of, and endorsed the belligerent and violent actions of, organizations such as the Proud Boys that expressed support of his reelection,” the suit alleges.Trump advisers did not immediately provide comment on who, if anyone, at this point is representing the former president for this lawsuit. When Trump was served, it was merely signed for by a “Ricky,” according to the court document.Several Trump attorneys who The Daily Beast asked about this said they had no involvement. As of Tuesday, Alan Dershowitz, a member of the Trump legal defense for the ex-president’s first Senate impeachment trial, said “nobody [on the Trump team] has reached out to me yet” regarding this suit, but added that he personally believes Trump’s rhetoric on Jan. 6 is “protected by the First Amendment” and that “I would hope that the ACLU would take on a case like this.”The suit adds to a growing list of legal troubles now facing former President Trump, his family, and his associates, since leaving office.After a victory at the Supreme Court in February, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance obtained copies of Trump’s tax returns. The paperwork is reportedly part of a city fraud investigation looking into whether the former president lied about the value of his assets in order to gain financial advantages.It’s unclear who will represent Trump, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers in the latest suit but court records show that Austin, Texas-based attorney Joseph D. Sibley IV accepted service of the suit on behalf of Giuliani. Sibley, a graduate of Harvard Law school, is a former U.S. Army Ranger.“I am representing Mayor Giuliani in the Thompson lawsuit, and I will also be representing him in the Smartmatic and Dominion cases,” Sibley told The Daily Beast on Wednesday afternoon.Orange Is the New Orange: Trump Just Might Go to JailSibley handles breach of contract, intellectual property, and other commercial law cases but has also represented clients in defamation cases and provided expert commentary for The Washington Post on defamation suits.He represented far-right blogger Charles Johnson in a 2020 libel lawsuit that was originally filed against Verizon, The Huffington Post, and reporter Andy Campbell for a 2019 article which labeled Johnson a “Holocaust-Denying White Nationalist”—a description Johnson strongly denies. Johnson dismissed the suits against Campbell and Verizon but has appealed a federal judge’s dismissal of his suit against The Huffington Post.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Creator of CPAC golden Trump statue admits it was made in China, after saying Mexico

    ‘Everything is made in China,’ said a business partner behind the six foot replica

  • Volvo to go all-electric by 2030

    It already has some electric models coming down the production line. But now Volvo says all its cars will be fully electric by 2030. Even hybrids will be a thing of the past. The Swedish brand says it's convinced no one will want a petrol engine by the end of the decade. Volvo aims to get half way to its goal by 2025. To get there it will launch a new family of electric cars over the next few years. All will be sold online only, and feature wireless upgrades and fixes - an approach pioneered by Tesla. The move comes as carmakers face emissions targets in Europe and China, and fossil fuel bans in some countries. Last month Ford said its lineup in Europe would be fully electric by 2030. Other brands including Jaguar and Bentley have made similar pledges. Now going electric is an expensive process for carmakers, which have to totally rethink design and production. It also spells upheaval, and maybe job losses, for suppliers, as EVs require far fewer parts than conventional vehicles. But Volvo says the move will ultimately allow it to 'radically reduce' the complexity of its model lineup.

  • 11 of the most pioneering women in rock-and-roll history

    These musicians blazed new trails for the genre, often collaborating with or inspiring some of rock's biggest male performers.

  • Biden suffers first Cabinet defeat as Neera Tanden withdraws nomination

    President Biden said Tuesday that he had accepted a request from Neera Tanden to withdraw her nomination for a Cabient position, the first such defeat of his administration.

  • U.S., EU impose sanctions on Russia for Navalny poisoning, jailing

    The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions to punish Russia for what it described as Moscow's attempt to poison opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent last year, in President Joe Biden's most direct challenge yet to the Kremlin. The sanctions against seven senior Russian officials, among them the head of its FSB security service, and on 14 entities marked a sharp departure from former President Donald Trump's reluctance to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.

  • 'If the others go I'll go': Inside China's scheme to transfer Uighurs into work

    A high-level Chinese study says a massive work scheme is reducing Uighur population density in Xinjiang.

  • Jack Ma loses title as China's richest man after coming under Beijing's scrutiny

    Alibaba and Ant Group founder Jack Ma has lost the title of China's richest man, a list published on Tuesday showed, as his peers prospered while his empire was put under heavy scrutiny by Chinese regulators. Ma and his family had held the top spot for China's richest in the Hurun Global Rich List in 2020 and 2019 but now trail in fourth place behind bottled water maker Nongfu Spring's Zhong Shanshan, Tencent Holding's Pony Ma and e-commerce upstart Pinduoduo's Collin Huang, the latest list showed.

  • Harry and Meghan Are Begged to Delay Oprah Broadcast While Prince Philip Is Gravely Ill

    DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / Getty ImagesPrince Harry and Meghan Markle are being urged by some commentators in the U.K. to ask CBS to postpone the airing of its Oprah Winfrey interview, in which they are expected to mount a stinging attack on the royal family, as concern mounts over Prince Philip’s prospects of beating an infection.Prince Harry Tells Oprah He Left the Royals Because He Feared Meghan Markle Would Suffer Like Princess Diana Philip, 99, was moved to a specialist heart hospital on Monday and royal sources have been quoted by British newspapers saying the family is “pretty appalled” at the idea of the interview, which Oprah has said sees Meghan saying “pretty shocking things” being broadcast while Philip is so unwell.Penny Junor, author of Prince Harry, Brother, Soldier, Son, told The Daily Beast that airing the interview while Prince Philip was undergoing very public health travails risked making the interview look inappropriate, saying, “Anything could hijack this interview. Philip is ill. He is 99 and could die at any time. They were not to know he would get ill, but it could be seen to be the wrong time. But I doubt it is in their gift to postpone the interview. The control is in the hands of CBS and Oprah.”Robert Lacey, historical consultant for The Crown and author of the definitive royal biography Majesty, told The Daily Beast, “I think it would be a marvelous turnaround for Harry’s image if he took the brave step of canceling the whole thing this weekend—or, if that’s not practical, postponing it at least.”Royal commentator and former editor of Who’s Who Richard Fitzwilliams said it would “surely be appropriate” to postpone the interview.He told MailOnline, “Oprah is their friend and neighbor and would undoubtedly comply if asked and the gesture would I am sure be appreciated by the royal family. If an interview has been extended, as this recently has, it can also be postponed, as this undoubtedly should be.” Royal biographer Robert Jobson told the Mail, “With the Duke of Edinburgh clearly very unwell, the fact that the couple plan to go ahead with airing their self-indulgent, no-holds-barred interview with chat show queen Oprah Winfrey makes them appear heartless, thoughtless, and supremely selfish.“For U.S. broadcast network CBS, this interview is a coup, all about securing big viewing figures and big advert sales around the airing of their exclusive interview. So even if they wanted to, Harry and Meghan probably couldn’t dictate terms to Oprah Winfrey and the network now. Too much has been invested.”A TV industry insider told the Mirror, “CBS has sold millions of dollars worth of advertising around the interview, but bosses are aware of the delicacy of the Duke’s health. They have no loyalty to the royal family, although some feel as though they do to Harry and Meghan. For it to run if Philip’s condition worsened would be like setting off a diplomatic bomb. It would be grossly insensitive and hugely disrespectful.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Baby rhino takes first wobbly steps in Australia

    CCTV camera footage shared on social media shows the little one taking her first steps under her mother's watchful eye.The yet-to-be-named calf was born to 18-year-old Bakhita and is the fourth calf for the experienced mother, the zoo said in an emailed statement.

  • Cambodian court sentences opposition leaders in absentia

    A Cambodian court has convicted and sentenced the exiled leader and eight senior members of the country's banned opposition party to more than 20 years in prison, effectively barring them from ever returning home. The decision made by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court late Monday was condemned by the head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, human rights organizations and the U.S. Embassy. The trial was held in absentia, as all the party leaders are living abroad.

  • German exports to UK slump after Brexit

    The numbers are coming in on post-Brexit trade in Europe. And they don't make pleasant reading for either side. Germany said Tuesday (March 2) that its exports to the UK fell 30% on the year in January. The country's statistics office blamed the fall on Brexit effects. Though it said the global health crisis hadn't helped either. The related economic slump means the UK economy is smaller than it was a year ago. The International Monetary Fund says it and other European economies won't return to pre-crisis levels until next year. Brexit raised barriers to trade, but the flow of goods was slowing even before Britain finally left the EU's orbit. Over all of 2020, German exports to the UK fell 15.5%. That was the biggest year-on-year drop since the global financial crisis over a decade ago. Trade going the other way also took a hit. UK exports to Germany fell almost 10%.

  • India woos Tesla with offer of lower costs

    India says it will offer incentives to ensure Tesla's cost of production in the country would be less than in China.The country's transport minister told Reuters it would be in return for Tesla making its vehicles there. His pitch comes weeks after Elon Musk's pioneering car firm registered a company in India.Sources familiar with the matter have said Tesla plans to start by importing and selling its Model 3 electric sedan.But Nitin Gadkari told Reuters that Tesla should "make the entire product in the country by hiring local vendors".Adding that India would then give higher concessions, although he didn't give any details on what they would be.He did however say that India would make the production costs for Tesla lower than in China.India wants to boost local manufacturing of EVs, batteries and other components to cut costly imports and curb pollution in its major cities.But India faces a big challenge to win a production commitment from Tesla.The country's fledgling EV market is still a long way behind China, where Tesla already makes cars.Just 5,000 electric vehicles were sold in India last year, versus over 1 million new energy cars in China. The automaker did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment about its plans for India.

  • Three women media workers shot dead in eastern Afghanistan

    Three women who worked for a local radio and TV station in eastern Afghanistan were gunned down Tuesday in separate attacks, the news editor of the privately owned station said. Shokrullah Pasoon, of Enikass Radio and TV in Jalalabad, said one of the women, Mursal Wahidi, was walking home when gunmen opened fire, according to eyewitnesses. Afghanistan is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for media workers.

  • Jack Ma loses title as China's richest man

    Jack Ma has lost his title as China's richest manThe Alibaba and Ant Group founder slipped to fourth placebehind- Nongfu Spring’s Zhong Shanshan- Tencent Holdings' Pony Ma- Pinduoduo’s Collin HuangMa's fall comes after heavy scrutiny from BeijingChinese regulators reined in his empire on anti-trust issues