PoliticsYahoo NewsHow the FBI became the target of a conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A theory embraced recently by conservative media personalities and politicians who support former President Donald Trump, which alleges that the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was somehow orchestrated by the FBI, appears to have originated with an article on a right-wing website run by a fired Trump White House official. On Tuesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson told his roughly three million viewers that it appeared “the FBI was organizing the riots of Jan. 6.” Over the course of two days, outraged calls for the truth about the FBI's supposed involvement in the Capitol riots ricocheted across social media, making their way to FBI headquarters and even into the Congressional record.
PoliticsYahoo NewsRubio pushes for new China sanctions amid questions over coronavirus lab leak theory
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is preparing to introduce a bill that would place new sanctions on China unless it allows “a transparent international investigation of suspect laboratories in Wuhan,” in particular the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has become the focus of intense speculation and scrutiny in recent months, including from President Biden. Rubio and other Biden critics want the president to be more aggressive in getting China to accede to a thorough investigation, which the country's leadership has so far resisted.
WorldThe TelegraphPakistani police arrest cleric on suspicion of sexual abuse
A prominent Pakistani cleric who has led anti-blasphemy rallies has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a student after a purported video of the assault provoked widespread public anger. Aziz-ur-Rehman was held after cellphone videos apparently showing a cleric forcing himself on a student at a religious school went viral on social media. The video prompted protest about the lack of government action to protect students at such schools, which are often linked to hugely influential hardline religious parties.
WorldThe TelegraphIsrael's prime minister urges world leaders to shun Iran's new president
Israel's prime minister branded Iran's new president the "hangman of Tehran" over the weekend and called on world leaders not to restore a nuclear deal with his hardline government. Ebrahim Raisi was elected with just under 62 per cent of the vote in presidential elections on Thursday, replacing the comparatively moderate and pragmatic President Hassan Rouhani. But his victory was marred by historically low turnout and he is under immense pressure to deliver economic improvements, including via nuclear talks.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanShell shock. Investigators recover 42,000 pounds of stolen pistachios in California
An investigation into 42,000 pounds of missing pistachios led California detectives to a trailer containing the stolen nuts, Tulare County sheriff's detectives say. The 2,000-pound bags of pistachios, stolen from Touchstone Pistachio Company, were being repacked into smaller bags for resale, the sheriff's department said on Facebook. On Friday, detectives found the purloined pistachios on a tractor-trailer that had been moved from Montemayor Trucking in Delano to a nearby lot, the Facebook post said.
PoliticsLA TimesMcManus : Why Republicans are suddenly reluctant to condemn political violence
The Republican Party has a problem with political violence: It's not sure whether it's for it or against it. In the first days after a mob loyal to former President Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to block Congress from certifying President Biden's election, GOP leaders delivered a sensible, unified response: There's no place in our constitutional system for that kind of violence. Since January, though, some leading Republicans have been backsliding — offering excuses for the insurgents who sought to overturn the election through extralegal means.
WorldBBCCovid: Brazil hits 500,000 deaths amid 'critical' situation
The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start of winter. The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing. The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical".
U.S.Kansas City StarJohnson County teen raped by classmate says school didn’t protect her. ‘It was insane’
The only support the district did offer her was to have an employee escort her to classes or stand by her in the halls, she said, but she felt that would have singled her out rather than protect her. In an interview with The Star, the male teenager said school officials told him to avoid contact with her, including in the hallways and at graduation. But she claims she saw him between classes and at student events multiple times.
BusinessMiami HeraldRoyal Caribbean sails first ‘simulator’ cruise ship from Miami, as industry set to restart
A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship left from PortMiami with 600 passengers on board Sunday evening — part of a test sail trip as the cruise industry gears up for a grand restart later this summer. The two-day trip on the Freedom of the Seas is a simulation with volunteer passengers, many of whom are Royal Caribbean employees, set to test whether cruise ships are safe. It's a major milestone for the cruising industry after it came to a sudden halt last year during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not sailed with passengers for 15 months.
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UC Davis alum found killed in Russia, suspect arrested
Russian news reports said searchers on Saturday found the body of an American student and UC Davis alum who went missing several days earlier and that a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The body of Catherine Serou, 34, was found in a wooded area near the city of Bor, 250 miles east of Moscow, the reports said. Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement that a woman's body was found in Bor and that a suspect with a record of serious crimes had been arrested, but did not give names.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderChris Christie says 'not much was accomplished' during Biden's trip to Europe, but 'no damage was done'
Chris Christie says that "not much was accomplished, but no damage was done" during Biden's trip. The G-7, NATO, and Geneva summits were Biden's first international meetings since taking office. While in Geneva, Biden had a long-awaited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S.INSIDERA Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee who turned out to be the local police chief's daughter
A Florida man pulled out a gun on a Starbucks employee for getting his order wrong earlier this week. The employee was the daughter of Miami Gardens Police Chief Noel-Pratt. The man identified as Omar Wright was arrested and charged.
ScienceBBCNasa's giant SLS rocket: a guide
Nasa has been developing a huge rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) to launch astronauts to the Moon - and eventually Mars. Set to make its debut in late 2021, the SLS is the most powerful launch vehicle built since the 1960s. Nasa has plans to send a man and woman to the lunar surface this decade, in what will be the first landing with humans since Apollo 17 in 1972.
U.S.Business InsiderFormer Gov. calls for an independent commission to investigate why so many people from Florida attended the Capitol riot
Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida called for an investigation into the state's role in the Capitol riot. The former governor said Friday he was worried about how many Floridians were involved in the attack. Florida is one of the two states with the most residents facing charges related to the insurrection.
U.S.USA TODAYA gay couple faced harassment for 5 years. Handwriting analysis led to a suspect: A neighbor.
For five years, we were living here and wondering which of our neighbors, who were all being kind and neighborly to us, is actually harassing us,” McLean said. Then the perpetrator made a mistake. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, signed the couple up for a Boston Globe subscription, but McLean and Furze already had a subscription.
U.S.Idaho Statesman‘Pack of lies’ about Marcus Whitman holds lessons about the rejection of truth today
When I served on the Statesman editorial board and joined my colleagues interviewing candidates seeking an endorsement from the paper, I was often amused when candidates kicked off their comments by telling us how long ago their families arrived in Idaho. It was as though great-great-Grandpa and -Grandma's decision to head west to Idaho made the candidate of today more qualified for office than one whose family only arrived in the state a generation ago. For one thing, most of us know little about the details of our ancestors' role in the growth and progress of America, and those histories may not all measure up to the patriotic and generous tales families weave about those who came before t...
WorldBBCParul Khakhar: The Indian stay-at-home mum trolled for poem on Covid dead
She posted the mournful 14-line dirge called Shabvahini Ganga (A hearse called Ganga - the Indian name for river Ganges) on her Facebook page, where she has more than 15,000 followers. The Gujarati-language poem speaks about the wrath of the virus, leaving a trail of death and devastation in its wake. Khakhar writes about floating corpses, funeral pyres and the crematoria chimneys melting under the load of the burning dead.
PoliticsUSA TODAY OpinionJoe Biden is better on the world stage than any president since George H.W. Bush
Joe Biden has had more foreign policy experience than any other president in U.S. history. When he entered the Senate and began dealing with global issues, it was 1973 and Leonid Brezhnev was chairman of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The previous most experienced among our presidents when it came to foreign policy was George H.W. Bush.
U.S.Business InsiderSubway was sued for allegedly mislabeling its tuna as tuna. The New York Times tried to get to the bottom of the mystery.
After a lawsuit alleged Subway tuna isn't actually tuna, the New York Times did its own analysis. The newspaper used a commercial lab to analyze tuna samples bought in Los Angeles. The sandwich chain has dismissed claims its tuna isn't 100% authentic and has called the lawsuit meritless.
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SF Walgreens shoplifter suspect arrested
The suspect seen in a viral San Francisco Walgreens heist video and caught in the act of another attempted theft has been arrested by police.
U.S.INSIDERNine children dead after two-vehicle crash in Alabama: report
A two-car crash in Alabama killed 10 people - including nine children - Saturday. The cars likely hydroplaned, the Butler County coroner told local news outlets. Ten people died in a two-crash crash in Alabama Saturday, officials told local news outlets.
PoliticsUSA TODAYUS borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed through July 21, DHS says
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Twitter Sunday that U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed "to reduce the spread" of COVID-19. "The United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through July 21, while ensuring access for essential trade & travel," the agency tweeted. Last month, the DHS extended the restrictions to June 21.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP congressman lashes out at Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday: 'Are we going to do one for the Native American Indians?'
GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of 14 Republicans who voted against the legislation, took to Fox News Radio on Thursday to explain his opposition, saying that the vote "was an easy no vote" and questioned if a holiday would now have to be established for Native Americans as well. During the program "Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla," Norman also cited the number of existing holidays in detailing his rejection of a federal holiday for Juneteenth, while alleging that supporters were using "race" as an issue. "There's one Fourth of July.
WorldThe New York TimesDeparture of U.S. Contractors Poses Myriad Problems for Afghan Military
An Afghan Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, shelled while on the ground by the Taliban on Wednesday, sat helpless at a small outpost in the country's southeast, its burning and damaged airframe displayed in a video on Twitter. Even if it could get to the chopper to try to service it, the Afghan military would face another escalating problem: It is heavily reliant on American and other foreign contractors for repairs, maintenance, fueling, training and other jobs necessary to keep their forces operating, and those contractors are now departing along with the U.S. military, leaving a void that leaders on both sides say could be crippling to Afghan forces as they face the Taliban alone.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: False rumor that QAnon supporters buying tickets for Trump inauguration
The claim: QAnon supporters are buying fabricated tickets for Donald Trump's second inauguration Circulating on social media: a false claim about conspiracy theorists purchasing fabricated tickets to a fake presidential inauguration. Social media users are mocking QAnon supporters for allegedly purchasing fake tickets to "The 2nd Inauguration of Donald Trump." A photo of the tickets included in the posts says the event will be held in front of the United States Capitol building this August with "special musical guest stars" Ted Nugent and Kid Rock, both of whom are vocal Trump supporters.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”