Wednesday evening First Alert forecast (03/31/2021)

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  • Turkey's Erdogan calls for end to 'worrying' developments in eastern Ukraine, offers support

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called for the "worrying" developments in eastern Ukraine's Donbass region to come to an end after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart in Istanbul, adding Turkey was ready to provide any necessary support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held more than three hours of talks with Erdogan in Istanbul as part of a previously scheduled visit, amid tensions between Kyiv and Moscow over the conflict in Donbass. Kyiv has raised the alarm over a buildup of Russian forces near the border between Ukraine and Russia, and over a rise in violence along the line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in Donbass.

  • Dennis Schroder and Kyrie Irving ejected as Lakers roll to blowout win over Nets

    The Lakers cruised after Dennis Schroder and Kyrie Irving were tossed early in the third quarter, picking up a 126-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

  • Markstrom blanks Oilers as Flames win 5-0

    Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 shots he faced and the Calgary Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-0 Saturday night to end a four-game skid. Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano each had a goal and an assist, and Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Brett Ritchie also scored for Calgary. Sam Bennett and Mikael Backlund each had two assists.

  • London mayor wants to host Indian Premier League cricket

    The mayor of London wants to bring Indian Premier League cricket matches to the British capital. Mayor Sadiq Khan told The Associated Press he is working with London-based cricket team Surrey about the feasibility of getting IPL franchises to play in London, saying the city has benefitted from having NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball teams come across the Atlantic for games in recent years.

  • Matt Gaetz Surfaces at Trumpy Summit to Declare ‘I’m Built for the Battle’

    Joe Raedle/GettyAfter 10 days of relentless developments in the Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) saga of scandals, the Florida Republican reemerged Friday evening to mostly ignore the most recent and damning reports and offer boilerplate MAGA defenses and applause lines.“I’m built for the battle, and I’m not going anywhere,” Gaetz told attendees at the Save America Summit at Trump Doral in Miami, Florida.As Gaetz tries to brush aside reports that he’s under investigation for paying women for sex—including, potentially, an underage minor—Gaetz seemed to see no irony in addressing an event hosted by “Women for America First.” Instead, he claimed the reports were “smears” and “wild conspiracy theories” promoted by a “lying media.”As the sun set on one of Trump’s golf clubs, Gaetz was celebrated as a hero and a “fearless leader.”Gaetz Paid Accused Sex Trafficker, Who Then Venmo’d TeenThe congressman kicked things off by regurgitating the lie that the 2020 “election was stolen” from former President Donald Trump, due to “changes to the rules.” He then moved into familiar “America First” boosterism before saying the past week had been “full of encouragement.”But outside the warm confines of another Trump property, the list of Gaetz scandals is growing and intensifying. Just a few hours before Gaetz spoke Friday, the House Ethics Committee announced it was also opening an investigation into the “public allegations” against him—and the usually laconic press release offered a laundry list of complaints.“The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds for personal use, and/or accepted a bribe/improper gratuity, or impermissible gift in violation of House rules,” the Committee wrote in a letter.And yet, no one in attendance for the “Dinner and Drinks with Rep. Matt Gaetz” event would have known that he is potentially fighting for his political future and, more importantly, his freedom. He delivered a speech that largely could have been recited at any Trump rally during the last four years.Still, as much as Gaetz continues to associate himself with the Trump brand, Trump himself appears to be keeping his distance.Republicans Have Been Waiting for a Matt Gaetz Scandal to BreakAs The Daily Beast reported late last week, advisers to the ex-president implored Trump to not publicly defend Gaetz, at least until more was known about the veracity of the allegations regarding a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and the federal probe. For the most part, Trump has privately agreed with that advice, and various Trumpworld luminaries, members of the Trump family, and top Republicans and conservative media stars have shut the hell up about the Gaetz scandal.Some are already preparing to wash their hands of the loyal MAGA soldier, despite years of Gaetz vigorously going to bat for Trump on nearly every scandal or major controversy.None of the 16 former senior Trump admin officials, ex-campaign brass, longtime GOP operatives, and sources close to the ex-president contacted by The Daily Beast were willing to defend Gaetz on the record. Not a single one would even do so anonymously.When former President Trump finally did issue a statement on Gaetz on Wednesday, it was a brief, mostly self-serving statement that offered a half-hearted defense at best."Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon," Trump said in a statement, after reports that Gaetz sought a blanket pardon for himself and other Trump cheerleaders. "It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him."But for Gaetz, it’s all the vindication he needs.“The best is indeed yet to come,” Gaetz said at Friday night’s event.Matt Gaetz Said His ‘Travel Records’ Would Exonerate Him. Not So Fast.It’s a sentiment lifted from the 2020 Republican National Convention speech of Kimberly Guilfoyle, a prominent Trump ally and Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend.In the intervening time between when Guilfoyle first bellowed those words and when Gaetz said them Friday, Joe Biden beat Trump in the presidential election, the U.S. Capitol was overtaken by insurrectionists, Trump became the first U.S. president to get impeached twice, and it was exposed that Gaetz is the subject of a Justice Department probe into alleged sex trafficking and prostitution.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.

  • Elk Grove is paying its homeless residents to clean their encampment sites

    A pilot project in Elk Grove is paying homeless residents to tidy up their living areas, and it's changing the culture of the city. The idea stemmed from a conversation with one of the city's police sergeants, said Sarah Bontrager, the housing and public services manager for Elk Grove. See more above.

  • Volcano erupts in southern Caribbean, sparking evacuation 'frenzy'

    ROSE HALL, St Vincent and the Grenadines (Reuters) -La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted on Friday after decades of inactivity, sending dark plumes of ash and smoke billowing into the sky and forcing thousands from surrounding villages to evacuate. Ash and smoke plunged the neighboring area into near total darkness, blotting out the bright morning sun, said a Reuters witness, who reported hearing the explosion from Rose Hall, a nearby village. Smaller explosions continued throughout the day, Erouscilla Joseph, director at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, told Reuters, adding that this kind of activity could go on for weeks if not months.

  • Medical examiner stands by Floyd homicide ruling

    PROSECUTOR JERRY BLACKWELL: "You found then and do you stand by today that the manner of death for Mr. Floyd was, as you would call it, homicide?"HENNEPIN COUNTY CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER ANDREW BAKER: "Yes, I would still classify it as a homicide today."The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on George Floyd after his deadly arrest last year said he stood by his conclusion that the 46-year-old's death was a homicide at the hands of police.BAKER: "My opinion remains unchanged. It's what I put on the death certificate last June. That's cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression. That was my top line then. It would stay my top line now."Dr. Andrew Baker testified on Day 10 of Derek Chauvin's murder trial that Floyd's heart stopped beating and his lungs stopped working because the former Minneapolis policeman and other officers pinned him to the ground in a way that starved his body of oxygen.DEFENSE ATTORNEY ERIC NELSON: "But you also took into consideration the heart disease, correct?"BAKER: "Yes."NELSON: "As well as the toxicology results. Agreed?" BAKER: "Yes."In cross-examination, Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson focused on the defense's central argument: that Floyd's underlying health problems and the drugs found in his system may have led to his death.Baker said he noted Floyd's heart disease and the fentanyl and methamphetamine found in his blood on the death certificate because they may have played a role in the death, but he said they "were not direct causes."BLACKWELL: "Did you rule out 'drug overdose' as a cause of death?"FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST LINDSEY THOMAS: "Yes."Prosecutors sought to further dismantle Chauvin's central defense with testimony from Dr. Lindsey Thomas. The forensic pathologist said the sheer volume of videos of Floyd's arrest made it clear that physical signs associated with opioid overdose were not present in Floyd's death.THOMAS: "The point is that it's due to law enforcement subdual restraint and compression."

  • Bafta Film Awards 2021: Two-night ceremony announces first winners

    The ceremony is split over two days for the first time, with more winners to be revealed on Sunday.

  • Techies give an old fashioned Supreme Court decent marks in coding case

    Programmers say the Supreme Court, often teased for its ambivalence toward technology, got it (mostly) right in describing some nuances of software.

  • Rain wins again; Martinsville to have doubleheader Sunday

    Rain forced the postponement of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway after just 42 laps Saturday night, setting up a doubleheader Sunday. Denny Hamlin passed pole-sitter Joey Logano just four laps into the race and led the rest of the way until light drizzle intensified and the drivers were told to come down pit road for a red flag delay. Conditions on the track were good, but pit road was very wet.

  • Myanmar junta attacks again as spokesman defends crackdown

    Security forces in Myanmar cracked down heavily again on anti-coup protesters Friday even as the military downplayed reports of state violence. Reports on online news outlets and social media said at least four people were killed in Bago, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Yangon, in an attack by government troops and police that began before dawn and continued sporadically until after dark. The Bago Weekly Journal Online said a source at the city’s main hospital, whom it didn’t name, believed about 10 people had been killed.

  • Race at Martinsville postponed for rain. NASCAR will try again Sunday

    The Cup Series completed 42 laps after a long rain delay and before the skies opened up again Saturday night.

  • Kim Jong-un warns of North Korea crisis similar to deadly 90s famine

    Human rights groups say North Korea is facing dire food shortages and economic instability.

  • The Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes battle into a shootout at PNC Arena

    The Canes and Wings couldn’t settle things in overtime, and it took seven players in a shootout before a winner emerged.

  • A Proud Boys leader is arguing he shouldn't be sent back to jail, since other accused Capitol rioters are being beaten and threatened by guards

    Ethan Nordean of Washington is one of the Proud Boys' leaders who is accused of leading members into the US Capitol building on Jan. 6.

  • Boris Johnson says he won't attend Prince Philip's funeral so a royal family member can take his place

    Prince Philip's funeral on April 17 has a 30-person limit. A statement from 10 Downing Street said Johnson wants family members to be able to attend.

  • NASCAR at Martinsville live updates: Remainder of Cup race postponed to Sunday

    The latest racing news and lap-by-lap highlights from Martinsville Speedway.

  • Service with a smile: Prince Philip puts Land Rover hearse at heart of funeral he designed himself

    The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin will be carried through the grounds of Windsor Castle in a modified Land Rover that he designed for the occasion himself. The funeral will take place next Saturday at 3pm, following a short procession in which the Prince of Wales and senior members of the Royal family will follow the coffin on foot as it is driven to St George’s Chapel. The Queen will not take part in the procession. It will be a royal funeral like no other, with Royals adhering to Covid-19 guidelines by wearing masks throughout the ceremony and maintaining social distancing. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that it would not be a state occasion, in accordance with the Duke’s wishes, but a ceremonial royal funeral in line with the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002. Her Majesty gave final approval to the plans, which “very much reflect the personal wishes of the Duke" who died peacefully at home in Windsor Castle on Friday morning.

  • Texas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw recovering from emergency eye surgery that will leave him blind for a month

    Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) revealed Saturday that he underwent emergency surgery on his left eye a day earlier after a doctor discovered his retina was detaching. The surgery "went well" he said, but it will require a long and likely arduous recovery. "I will be effectively blind for about a month," he explained, adding that a "few more prayers that my vision will get back to normal ... wouldn't hurt." While he recovers, he'll be mostly "off the grid," he said. It was a "terrifying prognosis" for Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who was hit by an IED blast during a mission in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2012. The injury cost him his right eye and badly damaged his left, his vision only returning after several surgeries, The Dallas Morning News notes. Crenshaw said "it was always a possibility that the effects of the damage to my retina would resurface, and it appears that is exactly what has happened." pic.twitter.com/9laF7Gjfvo — Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) April 10, 2021 House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called Crenshaw a "fighter" who "has the support of every one of his colleagues" in Congress. "He's going to win this battle, too," McCarthy wrote on Twitter. More stories from theweek.com7 brutally funny cartoons about Mitch McConnell's corporate hypocrisyYou should start a keyhole gardenHow red states silence urban voters