Dan Patrick vowed Friday to never let the state turn Democratic, calling himself the "last man standing" electorally against future Democratic presidential candidates. Texas has 38 electoral votes, the most of any reliably Republican state and the second-most of any state next to California, which is a reliably Democratic state with 55 electoral votes. Texas last voted for a Democrat in a presidential election in 1976, when Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford. The last four presidential elections before that in Texas were double-digit wins for the Republican candidates. Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC and will be streaming live speeches from the most influential conservatives at CPAC 2021: America Uncanceled.

"Life, Liberty & Levin" host Mark Levin joined "Hannity" to discuss how people can begin to fight back against the growing popularity of Marxism in the United States. MARK LEVIN: It's not possible to get into everything and it doesn't also mean I have every idea imaginable on Earth and that's one of the things we need to think about and talk about too. I start with the tactics and motives of the left. Other than looting and burning and arson, in terms of their peaceful actions, we ought to learn from them, we got to steal some of their ideas. Not just parents, but thousands and thousands of taxpayers, we own these schools, need to show up.

Associated PressIt took Caitlyn Jenner 77 days to hold her first press conference after announcing she would run for California governor, and the event Friday ended in less than 15 minutes, was light on policy specifics and she flubbed details about polling that showed her having tepid public support. Jenner said she is a serious candidate in the Sept. 14 recall election of first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and claimed she is leading the field of Republican candidates, even though no independent polling has been done that shows that. Jenner also suggested building desalination plants to produce more water for the drought-ridden state but provided no specifics about when or where such facilities could be built.

With the COVID-19 vaccination rate plateauing across the country, the White House is returning fire at those they see as spreading harmful misinformation or fear about the shots. Henry McMaster tried this week to block door-to-door efforts to drive up the vaccination rate in his state, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words in her reaction. “Now we need to go to community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oftentimes, door-to-door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people” who need to be vaccinated, Biden said Tuesday. White House officials are quick to point out that their criticism is not related to the officials’ political affiliation but to their rhetoric. They credit effective communication and leadership on the vaccines by GOP officials including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Arkansas Gov.

A statue to a Confederate general that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017 is set to be removed on Saturday. In response, the city council set up a commission on race, memorials and public Spaces. The Lee statue became a rallying point for such extremists, culminating in a “Unite the Right” rally in August that year. Neo-Nazis and other white supremacists congregated in Charlottesville to defend the Lee statue and a counter-protester, 32-year-old Heather Heyer, was killed. A white supremacist was convicted of her murder.

A Laguna Hills event center canceled plans to host an “America First” rally on July 17 after learning the speakers were slated to be two of the most controversial Republicans in Congress: Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. “We just want to stay clear of that,” Javad Mirtavoosi, general manager of Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center, said by phone Friday. And they’re still selling tickets for a rally, though they’re still trying to find an Orange County venue for the same day. “We’re very close to securing a location that will proudly host our America First Rally with Congresswoman Greene and Congressman Gaetz,” Nick Dyer, spokesman for Greene’s campaign, said Friday afternoon. The flier lists the location as the Pacific Hills center on Moulton Parkway.

Right-wing scaremongering about the COVID-19 vaccine hit a fever pitch this week, from Fox News to some of the conservative movement's more fringe characters, with pundits placing particular emphasis on the apparent connection between President Biden's vaccine rollout and Nazi Germany. "The Biden Administration wants to knock on your door to see if you're vaccinated," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, tweeted . pic.twitter.com/gKXzogwM2C — Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) July 8, 2021Freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called the officials handling Biden's vaccine push "medical brown shirts." Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk, the founder of conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA, eschewed a Nazi-era comparison, instead calling Biden's vaccination push an "apartheid-style, open-air hostage situation." Conservative vaccine hesitancy, fueled by this militant anti-vaccine messaging, remains strong — despite pleas from numerous Republican governors to get vaccinated.

A years-long feud between Fuentes and CPAC organizers appeared to escalate on Wednesday after Fuentes' declaration. "I'm going to CPAC in Dallas on Saturday," he tweeted to his loyal "groyper army," many of whom responded with excitement. "Well, most likely, I'll be getting physically removed from CPAC in Dallas on Saturday, but you can come watch if you want," he added. I imagine if they have similar plans in Dallas ... their time inside the conference will be short-lived." Holt added that Fuentes and the "groypers" see CPAC as a way to "boost their own visibility" and attempt to "siphon off" attendees from more mainstream conservative groups.

(CNN) Two bronze statues of Confederate generals will be removed from public property in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, almost four years after the statues were the flashpoint for the violent "Unite the Right" rally that left one person dead and many others injured. In a news release , the Charlottesville government said the statues of Robert E. Lee in Market Street Park and Thomas J. The city said it is looking for a new home for the statues at a museum, military battlefield or historical society. A statue of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson is seen on April 1, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Charlottesville City Council voted June 7 to remove the the statues following a court battle of more than three years.

Donald Trump is doing Dallas on Sunday, his second appearance at a CPAC conclave since leaving the White House. A committee formed to deal with the unusual request negotiated a price so potentially embarrassing to Trump he insisted on an NDA. Trump’s grifting nature and need to outsmart the chumps is so deeply ingrained, he’s actually making money off his ex-presidency. ”For the whole of his life, Trump has counted on other people doing the right thing—like paying their taxes—so there’s no need for him to do the same. When he can spare the time out of the limelight, he will be able to, gulp, build a library automatically branded Trump.

Half an hour’s taxi ride from the House of Pizarro, the presidential palace in Lima, Peru, is a high-security prison at the Callao naval base. By the evening of June 6, 2021, Peru’s National Jury of Elections should have declared Pedro Castillo the winner of the presidential election. A month later, matters remain in stasis as Peru does not yet have an official winner of the election. BribesMeanwhile, hard evidence continues to emerge of the dirty tricks at the heart of Fujimori’s campaign to steal the election. Montesinos, the right-hand man of Fujimori’s father, made 17 phone calls from the prison between June 2 and June 24.

Venezuelan security forces moved into several poor neighborhoods of Caracas on Friday as part of an offensive against armed groups that control parts of the country's capital. Around 800 members of the security forces are taking part in the operation against the gangs. "The state security forces will remain in combat as long as necessary to liberate all the territories kidnapped by criminal gangs," Interior Minister Carmen Melendez tweeted Friday. "The enemies of the homeland intend to sow anxiety through the financing of criminal gangs, we will not sit idly by," Maduro tweeted Friday. Venezuela is one of the most dangerous countries on the planet, and marked 12,000 violent deaths in 2020, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams’ recent victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary is more proof that calls to “defund the police” are a “non-starter, even with black people,” House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said. That’s what your critics on the left would say.”“That is absolutely poppycock,” Clyburn responded on Hasan’s show Thursday. I’ve been one all of my life.”Former NYPD officer Eric Adams won the Democratic Primary in New York City’s mayoral race. “I’m not sure why you seem to think it’s such a big problem for your party,” the host told Clyburn. It’s a real problem,” Clyburn shot back.

Former President Donald Trump called on “RINO Republicans” to stop working on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, warning that they are “just being played by the Radical Left Democrats.”“[T]hey will give you nothing!” Trump said in a statement issued late Friday. That move would enable Senate Democrats to skirt the legislative filibuster and force their legislation through with just 51 votes. “We’ve added quite enough to the national debt.”Republicans have insisted that the legislation not be paid for by undoing the 2017 tax cuts enacted by Trump, a point the 45th president emphasized Friday night. Former President Donald Trump called on GOP senators to stop working the bipartisan infrastructure plan. “Keep the Trump Administrations [sic] tax cuts just where they are,” he added.

A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., the day before its scheduled removal after years of legal battle over the contentious monument, July 9, 2021. The city's planned removal of the Lee statue in 2017 prompted a rally by neo-Nazis and white nationalists that turned deadly when a car driven into a crowd killed a counter-protester, 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Weeks later the Charlottesville city council unanimously ordered the Jackson statue to be removed from another park in the downtown historic district. Citizens including the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans sued Charlottesville over the removal plans. In April, Virginia's highest court ruled the city could remove the two Confederate statues, overturning a state Circuit Court decision that had upheld the citizen lawsuit.

Rachel Maddow reports on a new executive order from President Biden that is meant to boost competition across the economy in a way that benefits workers, but includes measures to make life easier for consumers as well.

Rachel Maddow reports that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will follow up on a recommendation in a state Republican-led report that found that some false election fraud claims were so egregious and tied to fundraising schemes that they warranted investigation for fraud. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's lawyers who pushed false election fraud claims are facing possible disciplinary action in court on Monday.

FILE - The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Charlottesville said in a news release Friday, July 9, 2021, that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be taken down Saturday. (Zack Wajsgras/The Daily Progress via AP)FILE - The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Charlottesville said in a news release Friday, July 9, 2021, that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be taken down Saturday. Saturday’s removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee and another of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will come nearly four years after violence erupted at the infamous “Unite the Right” rally.

The former governor is the front-runner in the growing field of Republican primary candidates hoping to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt. Greitens, they say, has successfully tied himself to former President Donald Trump, a popular figure in ruby-red Missouri. “Eric Greitens is a sexual assaulter and a blackmailer; if he’s the Republican nominee, there’s a real chance Democrats win this seat,” Missouri Republican strategist Gregg Keller said. Meanwhile, the Schmitt campaign raised $1.3 million in the second quarter to finish the period with $1.1 million in cash on hand. Washington Examiner VideosTags: News, Campaigns, Eric Greitens, Missouri, Republican Party, 2022 Elections, Donald Trump, Kimberly GuilfoyleOriginal Author: David M. DruckerOriginal Location: Republicans opposed to Eric Greitens lament growing strength in Missouri GOP Senate race

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday the U.S. would take "any necessary action" to defend its people and infrastructure following the latest ransomware attack by a Russia-linked group that compromised as many as 1,500 businesses worldwide. The conversation comes as Biden has faced calls to retaliate against Russia over a ransomware attack on the software provider Kaseya, the latest in a string of breaches on U.S companies. He said there would be consequences if the Russian president did not act to curb the ongoing cyberattacks on the U.S. and elsewhere but seemed to predict it wouldn't come down to that. As many as 1,500 companies across the U.S., Europe and Asia were affected by the the latest attack. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden warns Putin to crack down on Russian ransomware attacks

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for the man accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018 want a judge to close all future hearings to the media and the public to ensure a fair trial. A motion filed Thursday by lawyers for Nikolas Cruz says news coverage of pretrial hearings could instill bias among prospective jurors in the death penalty case. For example, they say, the hearings could discuss evidence later found inadmissible at Cruz's trial. Hearings for Cruz, 22, have drawn extensive news coverage since his arrest in the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz has pleaded not guilty, but his lawyers say he would change his plea to guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence.

Reflecting Georgia’s new tossup status, Democrats are perhaps more bullish on Kemp’s ability to withstand the dynamics than some Republicans. Rep. Debbie Buckner, the last rural white Democrat in the General Assembly, said Kemp made an impression just by coming in 2019 to tour tornado damage in Talbotton, east of Columbus. Democrats also vowed to hammer Kemp over his handling of COVID-19, including an attempt to block local mask mandates, but aren't sure anymore of the issue's power as the pandemic fades. And Kemp can point to a strong economy and flush state coffers, even if buoyed by federal pandemic aid Republicans didn’t support. “I really feel like a lot of the race will be based on race,” said Buckner, explaining that most white voters in her district aren't willing to vote for a Black woman for governor.

A White House statement announcing the hourlong call also highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. In his call with Putin, besides reiterating the need for Russia to take action and that the U.S. stands ready to act in response, Biden also “emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware," the White House said. Biden told reporters that the U.S. and Russia have "set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate with one another when each of us thinks something is happening in another country that affects the home country. And so it went well. I’m optimistic.”In its own summary of the call, the Kremlin said “Putin noted that despite the Russian side’s readiness to jointly stop criminal activities in the information sphere, U.S. agencies haven’t made any requests during the past month.”

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Crews in Charlottesville are preparing to remove a Confederate statue that became a rallying point for white supremacists and helped inspire their violent 2017 rally that left a woman dead and dozens injured. Saturday's removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee and another of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will come nearly four years after violence erupted at the infamous “Unite the Right” rally. A long, winding legal fight coupled with changes in a state law that protected war memorials had held up the removal for years. Only the statues, not their stone pedestals, will be removed Saturday, taken down and stored in a secure location until the City Council makes a final decision about what should be done with them. Under state law, the city was required to solicit parties interested in taking the statues during an offer period that ended Thursday.

On election night in 2016, Donald Trump paid homage to America’s “forgotten men and women”, vowing they would be “forgotten no longer”. Frankly, We Did Win This Election is his first book. But to most of Trump’s party, six months after the insurrection, what happened that afternoon is something to be forgotten or at least ignored. “I don’t care if he apologizes or not,” Trump says of his vice-president presiding over the certification of Biden’s win. According to Bender, Trump offered the job to Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee – and niece of Mitt Romney, the Utah senator, 2012 nominee and, in Trumpworld, persona decidedly non grata.

Caitlyn Jenner's first news conference event on Friday was held 77 days after she announced she would run for California governor. The event, held in a nondescript hotel conference room in Sacramento, California, ended in less than 15 minutes, without any campaign specifics regarding policy or her viewpoint on many issues. The Republican candidate, 71, met briefly with roughly two dozen reporters, with no visible security on hand. Jenner asserted herself as a serious candidate in the Sept. 14 recall election of first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and claimed she is leading the field of Republican candidates – even though no independent polling has been done to corroborate that point.

Police are under pressure to investigate how Sarah Everard's killer was allowed to remain an officer despite three allegations of indecent exposure against him. Wayne Couzens, 48, pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Everard, 33, at the Old Bailey on Friday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later revealed that 12 Metropolitan Police officers are under investigation in relation to the Everard Case. Image: Ms Everard, 33, was walking home when she was abductedShadow home secretary Nick Thomas Symonds is also urging the Met to review its vetting process. The 12 Met officers served with misconduct notices include one who was still on probation and shared an inappropriate graphic relating to the case with officers over social media before manning the cordon at the scene of the search.

Advertising Read moreKunduz (Afghanistan) (AFP)Afghan soldiers have described carrying their wounded comrades across the border to Tajikistan after being abandoned by their commanders when the Taliban seized a key border crossing. "We did not leave the port, but the commanders fled before the soldiers." #photo1Ainuddin, another soldier, told how wounded troops were carried into Tajikistan by their comrades as the Taliban tightened their noose around the border crossing. Tajikistan authorities said that 1,037 Afghan government troops had crossed into the former-Soviet country, and they had offered them sanctuary and treated their wounds in order to "save their lives". Both soldiers are now at a military base in the Afghan capital, and say they are willing to rejoin the battle.

Advertising Read moreThe two leaders held an hour-long phone call on Friday, their first since they discussed ransomware attacks at a summit in Geneva on June 16. Biden's message to Putin in the call was direct, suggesting a growing impatience over attacks that have disrupted key U.S. sectors. The United States has not indicated how it plans to respond to the attacks emanating from Russia, but Biden hinted at digital retaliation if Russian cooperation was not forthcoming. Biden told reporters there would be consequences to Russian inaction, but gave no details. Moscow and Washington disagreed over whether the United States had formally sought Russian assistance to rein in ransomware attacks.

Tax lawyers and former prosecutors say the references to his family members are a not-so-subtle tactic to suggest to Weisselberg that he should cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization. "And I think he's sending a message to the Trump Organization: Your people should come in and talk with us earlier rather than later if you want a business that you can leave to your children. Former President Donald Trump doesn't use email and Weisselberg was a trusted ally. The Trump Organization has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and said Vance's office is using Weisselberg "as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former President." To date, Trump and Weisselberg have been aligned, and Weisselberg refused to cooperate before being charged despite pressure from prosecutors to do so.

Carrasco has also been accused of raping another woman at gunpoint in the passenger seat of her car Kansas days prior to the Colorado crimes. In April 2013, Carrasco was sentenced to slightly more than eight years in prison for the July 2011 assault. He was released form prison in Kansas days before his crime spree in Colorado, records show. In July 2020, Carrasco pleaded guilty to a felony contraband charge while in custody in Arapahoe County, and he was sentenced to two years in Colorado state prison. Carrasco has been detained since being arrested in early 2019, earning 878 days of time served.

However, in a rare display of honesty, another Fox News anchor delivered some factual information about the Biden outreach program. Gillian Turner interviewed Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen and presented him with what the program is actually doing. Thiessen, however, wasn't moved:Turner: In the Biden administration's defense, they're insisting with this door-to-door strategy they're not showing up with needles. x Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen complains that Trump wasn't included in the PSA featuring the other living former presidents promoting the vaccines. Thiessen went on to complain that Trump wasn't included in a public service ad that featured all of the living former presidents promoting the vaccine.

So the summer job was an excuse by homeless haters to push him off the city council. One Chico City Councilmember is optimistic the resting site near the airport will be O.K. 2020 was the first election that city council members were voted on by district rather than city-wide.) www.actionnewsnow.com/...x BREAKING: Chico City Council voted Tuesday night to fill the two vacant council seats through the appointment process. https://t.co/h31wtR0qlb — Action News Now (@ActionNewsNow) July 7, 2021Let voters decide —x We call on the Chico City Council to hold a special election to fill the two council seats that are now open.

Madison Cawthorn, making the rounds at CPAC today. I cover Madison Cawthorn’s latest antics almost weekly at North Carolina Open Thread and DKos Asheville. x Madison Cawthorn says today that Biden’s plan to send people door to door to offer vaccines is really a plot to confiscate people’s bibles and guns. 5:40More CawthornNorth Carolina Open Thread: Covid resurgence, Farm Act, CRT, Medical marijuana, Cawthorn's CornerNorth Carolina Open Thread: Cawthorn's world and moreDKos Asheville Open Thread: Reparations, Elder John Hayes dies, Cawthorn's Corner and Things to doNorth Carolina Open Thread: Deadly force disparity, Tillis treason, Nikole Hannah-Jones, CawthornNorth Carolina Open Thread: Justice, Child marriage, Art Pope, NC Trumpism and Cawthorn's CornerAll U.S. House districts, including the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina, are holding elections in 2022. General election candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

“Over the past six months, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, Buta Biberaj, has made impressive improvements to her office. She has my full support as she continues to make changes that will benefit all citizens of Loudoun County,” stated Chair Phyllis Randall of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. The group holding the press conference said it intends to bring in individuals from outside Loudoun County to help their efforts to remove our duly elected Commonwealth’s Attorney. The Loudoun County Democratic Committee has worked for decades to organize communities to win an unprecedented streak of elections. We will ensure that power-hungry outside groups cannot undo that with cheap signs and hand-picked soundbites.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2021x President Biden: "Capitalism without competition isn't capitalism. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2021x President Biden is nominating Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be Ambassador to India. https://t.co/6Q4YSENmOY — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2021CHARLOTTESVILLEx CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Charlottesville says on Saturday it plans to remove statue of Confederate Gen. Lee that drew white supremacists to city. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2021NEW YORKx NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. public health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks inside school buildings. @playbookdc — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2021

The second states that "The CONGRESS shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." "And I do think it's worth noting that all of the Reconstruction amendments expressly empower Congress to enforce them. What five of us say on this Supreme Court overrules what everyone says in Congress and the elected democratic branches. Stern also joins Hasen's (and my) anger in seeing SCOTUS blatantly ignore Congress's express intent for Section 2 of the VRA to prevent voting laws that result in the disenfranchisement of minorities. "The law says very explicitly that any voting restrictions that results in disproportionate impact on racial minorities is illegal."

“Pursuing that goal includes reducing the factors contributing to domestic terrorism. But elsewhere, the Strategy shows a reliance on the FBI’s deeply flawed approach to categorizing domestic terrorist threats. This is a structural problem that was created in 2017, when Congress first began demanding that the FBI explain its categorization of domestic terrorism and report back with data. … By 2017, the FBI had invented a new domestic terrorism program category it called the “Black Identity Extremism movement”. But there’s not a lot in the Strategy that requires them to actually focus on violence.”The key, he says, will lay in whether the Biden administration can reshape an agency with a long history of resisting efforts to confront far-right domestic terrorism.

Although the bills do modestly expand the availability of early voting in smaller jurisdictions, those less populous counties are disproportionately white and heavily Republican. Voting Access Expansions? California: California Assembly Democrats have advanced two bills in committee, both of which aim to make voting easier and ensure that votes get counted. Both bills were already passed by the Democratic-run state Senate last month, but require approval by additional committees in the Assembly. The second bill seeks to ensure that military and overseas voters, including those who have disabilities, have equal access to same-day voter registration. The 4-0 ruling that the law violated the state constitutions' right to vote guarantee comes despite GOP Gov.

One piece of this disinformation campaign lost to history is that the principles of inoculation were first introduced to the Western world by a black African slave in Boston Massachusetts. In this time before modern medical treatment or a robust understanding of infectious disease, Onesimus was one of the few people in the city with the knowledge to slow the outbreak. But when Boston experienced that smallpox outbreak in 1721, Mather promoted inoculation as protection against it. He cited Onesimus’ African folk medicine as the source of the procedure. A total of 280 individuals were inoculated during the 1721-22 Boston smallpox epidemic.

CNBC is reporting here that Biden has fired Andrew Saul — the Donnie Deathcount appointee to head the Social Secuirty Adminstration who refused to resign. BTW< Saul is refusing to leave and says he “will sign back in to work Monday”. Wonder what he will do when his passwords and card keys don’t work and his email address is cancelled? Oh, Saul claims this will leave “the agency in complete turmoil”. I think that turmoil is actually the sound of a massive sigh of relief.

Make it easier and cheaper to repair items you own by limiting manufacturers from barring self-repairs or third-party repairs of their products. It directs the agencies to focus enforcement in particular "on labor markets, agricultural markets, healthcare markets (which includes prescription drugs, hospital consolidation, and insurance), and the tech sector." The order also asks the FCC to limit excessive early termination fees ISPs charge for people switching providers. Biden insisted Friday that "competition works," and has made the U.S. the "wealthiest and most innovative nation in history." This executive order, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday, has the "overarching objective" of making sure the "President is encouraging competition in industries around the country."

And now, our feature presentation…-Cheers and Jeers for Friday, July 9, 2021Note: Tonight's C&J is paired with a 1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Jeroboam. “Daily Kos imploding? I’d better put on my concerned face!” It appears that the post-Yearly Kos month from hell is continuing for Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, the proprietor of the Internet's premier liberal blog Daily Kos. “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...psych!” Such internal squabbling comes at the same time that many prominent Democrats seem to be privately expressing concern about the direction the "netroots"—the self-described Internet grassroots movement of liberal bloggers and their loyal followers—are taking the Party. Fifteen years and fourteen successful Netroots Nation conventions later, "The" Daily Kos continues to not implode.

"We're in a competition with China and other countries to win the 21st Century," the president said to a standing ovation. In its first 100 days, the Biden administration is trying to convey to China the message: "Don't underestimate the United States. © APThe Biden administration has repeatedly made clear that an important piece of America's plan to win the great power competition with China is bolstering its alliances. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive Democrat from Vermont, greets President Biden in the House Chamber on April 28. © APThe Biden administration is still in the midst of a lengthy policy review of U.S. strategy on China.

Your neighbors are.”So not only can ordinary citizens sue anyone getting an abortion but they do not have to be connected to them, just confirm that the abortion reported was done so successfully. “Every citizen is now a private attorney general,” Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston said. Additionally, by offering a cash incentive to citizens, Texas is essentially bribing its citizens to violate the lives of others. According to The Texas Tribune, proponents of the law hoped to get around legal challenges including abortion restrictions in the courts. Without officials enforcing the laws, abortion providers are unable to sue officials in connection to the restriction laws.

Biden's visit gave Rep. Underwood an opportunity to tout Democratic successes on the American Rescue Plan along with what she plans to continue fighting for moving forward. "The American Rescue Plan saved our economy and it spared us from even worse hardship," Underwood said in a statement. x When we invest in families, we invest in our children’s futures, our communities, and the economy. I was so honored to welcome @POTUS to our community to discuss the American Families Plan at McHenry County College. pic.twitter.com/hY8UcuwULs — Rep. Lauren Underwood (@RepUnderwood) July 8, 2021x In our community, the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan would help create a brighter economic future for everyone.

Every single piece of evidence released on the events of Jan. 6 only makes things worse. In the past six months, it’s become clear that intelligence agencies and police repeatedly downplayed the threat represented by Trump’s white supremacist supporters. And it’s become clear that rather than putting the brakes on these threats, Republicans did everything they could to encourage violence. ‘Most of all, we’ve seen that the television coverage of that day barely hinted at the level of aggressive brutality used by those smashing their way into the Capitol. Even as Republicans in Congress have tried to pass off that day as a “tourist visit,” newly released videos continue to show additional incidents of extreme violence.

Today in the news: Calls coming to get our allies from Afghanistan out as soon as possible. Republicans and their media allies can’t stop lying about vaccines. Toyota finally reversed its despicable decision to donate money to elected insurrectionists. Texas restricted abortion … and then some. President Biden continues to take actions to help American workers.

In 2012, back in my reporter days, an ICE spokesperson told me that they didn’t detain pregnant women at all. “Several women report being ignored by detention staff when requesting medical attention or experiencing serious delays even during health emergencies involving severe bleeding and pain,” the complaint said. Teresa, one woman described in the report, was four months pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage while in detention. Yet ICE detention numbers have nearly doubled from April, despite pleas from lawmakers and advocates that it not again detain immigrants released due to the pandemic. ICE is endangering thousands through its actions, because it still has no official, nationwide vaccination plan in place.

‘Politics was always in the room.’ WHO mission chief reflects on China trip seeking COVID-19’s originScience ’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation. Q: But what led you to use the “extremely unlikely” label? We ended up with a five-phrase scale: “extremely unlikely,” “unlikely,” “possible,” “likely,” and “very likely.” It’s more an illustration of where these hypotheses are to help us organize our planning of future studies. Now that you’ve been there, do you have more reason to say it’s “extremely unlikely” than before? Some people have said the Wuhan press conference was basically a public relations (PR) win for the Chinese government.

Now, though, the lab leak hypothesis seems to have found new life. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization released a joint report with Beijing on the origins of the pandemic following a four-week investigation in China. It concluded, among other things, that the lab leak hypothesis was "extremely unlikely." But WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he does not believe the team's assessment of the lab leak possibility was extensive enough. In a joint statement, they did not mention the lab leak theory, but the Biden administration hasn't ruled it out.

A vast majority of voters support U.S. action against China if evidence is found proving that the coronavirus was leaked from a Wuhan lab, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. Eighty-three percent of registered voters in the May 30-June 1 survey said they support the U.S. government taking action towards China if new intelligence reveals that COVID-19 originated in a lab in the city, while 17 percent of respondents oppose any action. The Hill-HarrisX survey found strong support from voters across party lines to impose action on China if new evidence reveals the lab leak theory to be true. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans, 83 percent of Democrats, and 80 percent of independents said the U.S. should take action against China in that event. Only 18% would respond with sanctions on senior Chinese leadership and 6% want to boycott the 2022 Olympics,” Nesho added.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald joined "Media Buzz" on Sunday to sound off on the media who "pretended to have scientific knowledge" on the origins of coronavirus, but who he says intentionally dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory to keep "telling American liberals what they want to hear." "I think this is an extraordinary media debacle - probably one of the worst aside from Russiagate - over the last say five or six years," Greenwald said on Sunday. But the media "treated it as a conspiracy theory to the point where you should be kicked off social media." Nothing has changed, Greenwald observed, "except for the fact that Donald Trump is no longer president." "And American liberals didn't want to hear that maybe Trump was right about the origins of this virus, and so they just pretended they had scientific knowledge that that theory was a conspiracy theory," he added.

“It’s true that a lot is still unknown,” Cui said when CBS host Margaret Brennan asked about Cotton’s claims. “But it’s very harmful, it’s very dangerous, to stir up suspicion, rumors and spread them among the people. For one thing, this will create panic. Another thing is that it will fan up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus.”

And China might even tell us.”Pressed to explain what evidence he had seen that the virus originated in a Chinese lab, Trump responded, “I can’t tell you that. On Friday, Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said: “What we have before us doesn’t suggest that (a lab in Wuhan) is a likely source”. Pompeo pressed China to let outside experts into the lab “so that we can determine precisely where this virus began”. After initially praising the Chinese government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Trump has reversed course in recent weeks, blaming China for not containing the virus more quickly. The Chinese government said on Thursday that any claims that the coronavirus was released from a laboratory were “unfounded and purely fabricated out of nothing”.

Comparisons to Iraq’s non-existent WMDs have been made by both critics and promoters of the lab leak theory. It's an even more potentially powerful narrative because the lab leak theory fits nicely into the new foreign policy doctrine of the United States: Great Power Competition. There are two main variants of the lab leak theory, one in which China’s incompetence is to blame and another in which it’s China’s malfeasance. It would therefore serve the American public to be critical of the motives driving coverage of the lab leak theory or risk being dragged further into confrontation. Origins of the lab leak theoryIt did not take long for the “lab leak theory” to get mainstream attention, even if dimmissive in the beginning.

Administration officials also assert that the acquisition of nuclear arms might embolden Mr. Hussein and increase the chances that he might use chemical or biological weapons. Nuclear weapons are his hole card.'' the official added, referring to a potential military campaign to oust Mr. Hussein. The closer Saddam Hussein gets to a nuclear weapon, the harder he will be to deal with.'' Conscious of this lapse in the past, they argue that Washington dare not wait until analysts have found hard evidence that Mr. Hussein has acquired a nuclear weapon.

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that the world’s climate is changing, the president-elect of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has long been on the side of the deniers. In 2012, he posted on Twitter a couple of messages that asserted that climate change was a hoax that China had devised to secure an unfair trade advantage, presumably because the Obama administration was seeking to curb coal consumption in the United States. “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive,” Mr. Trump wrote. That message has been reshared more than 104,000 times and “liked” nearly 66,000 times. On Wednesday, a deputy foreign minister of China, Liu Zhenmin, told reporters at a climate conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, that starting from the 1980s, the administrations of Mr. Trump’s Republican predecessors — Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush — supported climate change negotiations under a United Nations panel.

Over the past month, the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal have all published editorials and op-eds endorsing the “credibility” of the theory that COVID-19 was released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. On May 6, 2014, Wade published a book titled, A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History. In his new book, A Troublesome Inheritance, the former science writer for the New York Times states this explicitly. After all, when New York Times columnist Bret Stephens quoted from a 2005 paper by Gregory Cochran, Jason Hardy and Henry Harpending, which declared, “Ashkenazi Jews have the highest average I.Q. What could possibly account for the reliance by all three leading US newspapers on a discredited serial fabricator and promoter of racist pseudo-science in their efforts to promote the Wuhan lab “theory”?

In the second, more ”speculative” half of the book, Wade’s claims about human genetics and evolution continue, but the scientific sources disappear. Wade is not only interested in rewriting the history of human civilization on a grand scale; he also rewrites the history of scientific racism. In what is probably the most ill-judged element of his entire project, Wade decided to devote an entire chapter to the issue of Jewish intelligence and biological distinctiveness. Steven Pinker is one of the leading scientific supporters of evolutionary psychology and biological explanations for psychometric data like IQ; he is also interested in questions of Jewish intelligence. For all of Wade’s supposed concerns about the politicization of science, his book is entirely a phenomenon of the racist, far-right fringe.

At the very least, Wade demonstrates that the “lab-leak” theory ought not to be discounted. Nonetheless, Cotton aired a version of the lab-leak theory in early 2020. Moreover, Ebright affirmed in a declaration to me his view that the lab-leak theory has actually been the strongest hypothesis about the origin of COVID since… January 2020. But that wouldn’t then justify castigating as a “conspiracy theory” his other suggestions about the potential origin of the virus. Columnist Josh Rogin also just published an article May 6 lauding congressional investigations into the lab-leak theory.

AdvertisementYet the report offered no evidence linking the patients’ illness to COVID-19 research at the Wuhan lab. Biden’s directive to the intelligence agencies has been taken as a virtual endorsement of the laboratory origin claim. But the history of virological outbreaks points strongly toward a “zoonotic” transfer of the COVID-19 virus — that is, from animals to humans. The lab-leak theory gains from a superficial plausibility — especially to laypersons. AdvertisementAnother reason for journalistic skepticism was that many professional virologists labeled the lab-leak theory as implausible from the first.

China reported to the World Health Organization that the first patient with Covid-like symptoms was recorded in Wuhan on December 8, 2019. The director of the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab, which is part of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, issued a strong denial of the report on Monday. The lab has not been aware of this situation, and I don't even know where such information came from." The source declined to say whether the intelligence report mentioning the hospitalized researchers was discussed during the briefing. One critical avenue to finding an answer would be to run genetic sequencing on the original samples that staff at the Wuhan lab were working on.

Three researchers at a Chinese lab that has been scrutinized as the possible origin point of the coronavirus pandemic went to the hospital due to an illness in November 2019, according to a new report. Many health experts believe the coronavirus began circulating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in November 2019. Researchers working in a lab in the Wuhan Institute of Virology on February 23, 2017. The letter also requested more information about the lifting of the moratorium in late 2017 and whether programs and researchers linked to the Wuhan lab were granted exceptions. White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has repeatedly denied that the NIH funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan, but Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

A previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report says three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology got sick enough to visit the hospital in November 2019, around the time the COVID-19 outbreak first appeared in its Wuhan epicenter, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The report "could add weight to growing calls for a fuller probe of whether the COVID-19 virus may have escaped from the laboratory," the Journals says. That fact sheet was based on U.S. intelligence, the Journal says. China and the WIV maintain the virus did not leak from the lab. Politics aside, Politico spoke with several experts last week — molecular biologists, virologists, and an evolutionary biologist — about the lab leak theory, and they split between arguing it's possible and explaining why it's very unlikely.

Three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became ill enough with symptoms similar to COVID-19 that they sought hospital care in November of 2019, according to a U.S. intelligence report obtained by The Wall Street Journal. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has reportedly not provided raw data, safety logs or lab records on its work looking into coronaviruses in bats. Many consider the virus to have originated in bats before jumping to humans. “The U.S. continues to hype the lab leak theory,” China's foreign ministry told the Journal. "We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data."

Foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said it was “completely untrue” that three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) became sick in autumn 2019. The report, based on “previously undisclosed” US intelligence, said the lab staff had become sick “with symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illness”. “The United States continues to hype up the ‘lab-leak’ theory … Does it care about traceability or is it just trying to distract attention?” Zhao said. In January 2020, as China attempted to contain the spread of the virus, rumours began to spread amid the scramble for answers. But what many virus experts deemed a pure science issue was quickly turned into a diplomatic row, amid growing tensions between China and the United States.

According to Janes defense news , the revolutionary guard murderer ground forces are receiving the latest weapons systems, including anti tank missiles , anti aircraft missiles and .......this wonderful news for the revolutionary guards comes when , there are severe shortages of the most basic needs in the entire country.

(Image by outtacontext from flickr) Details DMCAIn an oligarchy, the rich can get away with anything and average people who try to stop harm to themselves and their communities get crushed. In 2007, they reached a settlement with the government over their illegal and deadly marketing practices, promising to behave like good citizens. Then, as the Washington Post noted yesterday:"The family members -- including Richard Sackler, David Sackler, Mortimer D.A. Some years ago, Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore (before he was Trump's advisor) was a guest on my radio/TV program. I asked him, "Which is more important, democracy or capitalism?"

A new analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) shows that the Republican-Democrat divide in COVID vaccination rates is stark — and growing. In April, according to the analysis, counties that voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election had a 20.6 percent vaccination rate while counties that voted for Joe Biden had a 22.8 percent vaccination rate. By May, the red counties had a 28.5 percent rate of vaccination while the blue counties had a 35.0 percent rate. And on July 6, KFF found, counties that went for Trump had a vaccination rate of 35.0 percent while those that went for Biden had a rate of 46.7 percent. “These findings show a widening divide of communities at risk for COVID-19 along partisan lines,” wrote KFF.

These symbols continue to be prominently displayed on the Northern Red website and on company-run social media accounts. Harrison left Northern Red in 2020 to form his own company, Hades Consulting LLC, which, like Northern Red, caters to police departments and military personnel. (Instagram-Northern Red)* Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey police shoot targets at Northern Red gun range. It is likely that other police departments and agencies have paid for the services of Potynsky, Harrison and similar far-right paramilitary contractors. All three men are either former or current Northern Red trainers and former US special operations soldiers.

The RMT, alongside other rail unions ASLEF, TSSA and Unite, has endorsed an Enabling Framework Agreement (EFA) with Network Rail and the train operating companies. An exposure of the RIRG’s terms of reference published by the WSWS on June 2 was widely read by transport workers. By their participation in the RIRG, the RMT, ASLEF, Unite and TSSA are endorsing its outrageous threats against rail workers. The Socialist Party’s concern is not the “capitalist media” but rail workers’ emerging opposition to the RMT’s dirty backroom deal. But the mask is slipping, social reality is asserting itself, and rail workers are beginning to see the truth.

But the claim that the Donetsk People’s Republic is a weapon in the struggle against these forces is utterly false. Pavel Gubarew (Photo: Andrew Butko, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)The current leaders of the Donetsk People’s Republic are cut from the same cloth as Gubarev. The current interim president of the VRD is Dennis Pushilin, leader of the Russian nationalist party Donetsk Republic. Significantly, one of the speakers at the congress was the former representative of the Donetsk People’s Republic Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Darya Mitina. In the elections in Donbass on November 2, 2014, the KPDNR supported the candidacy of Sacharchenko and joined the parliamentary group of his Donetsk Republic party.

The policy of the ruling class means the continuation of the pandemic and, with it, mass death and social devastation. The only social force able to stop this war on society is the international working class. Today this forced retreat by the ruling class has ended. Everything now depends on the working class adopting a new axis of struggle and building the leadership necessary to fight for it. The working class must mount a unified fightback.

Susan Page of USA Today reacts to the GOP's inability to land any real attacks on Pres. Biden, so many Republicans are relying on culture war issues to gin up their base.

As the summer drags on, the president has struggled to get Congress to pass anything from his agenda after Democrats used a go-it-alone approach to get Biden's stimulus passed. Eugene Daniels of POLITICO breaks it down.

"I was doing research and studying the scholarship and who were behind these various movements, critical race theory, the current immigration movement, so-called climate change, the de-growth movement. Levin said those on the left are not "opponents" or rivals as often described but truly our "enemies." Levin said many of today's American Marxist leaders hide behind the language they have themselves altered, pointing to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is a self-described "democratic socialist." Levin also hit the Democrats' latest endeavor in education policy, Critical Race Theory. "When you look at Joe Biden and the executive orders he signs, they are the most radical cultural attacks on our system in American history.

As Ingraham reported, Sharpton appeared with other liberal activists at a White House meeting Thursday with President Biden "about the so-called horrors of state voting laws that merely target corrupt election practices with commonsense rules." "This will be a summer of activism, a summer of getting back into the streets," Sharpton announced at the White House. Ingraham noted that "getting back into the streets" did not "work out so well last summer for poor urban Americans." Ingraham responded that Sharpton is not telling the truth:"No one is eroding voting rights. "By naming their so-called voting rights bill the "For the People Act," Democrats insult the intelligence of the American people.

It’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene. It’s not Matt Gaetz. The most dangerous Republican member of Congress is Paul Gosar, who is now closely aligned with a white nationalist leader banned from Twitter. Jennifer Gosar, Rep. Paul Gosar's sister, and Professor Kurt Braddock join Mehdi Hasan to discuss the danger of Paul Gosar.

Rachel Maddow shares details of the arrest of Hervis Rogers, who gained brief celebrity for his dedication to his civic duty when he waited in line for six hours to vote in the Texas Democratic primary in 2020, and has now been charged with illegal voting and is being held on $100,000 bail.

On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden fired Social Security Administration Commissioner Saul after Saul refused to resign, and accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden fired Social Security Administration Commissioner Saul after Saul refused to resign, and accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. the White House said. A White House statement announcing the hourlong call also highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives.

Scott Applewhite)Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, departs the Capitol after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appointed him to lead the new select committee to investigate the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, in Washington, Thursday, July 1, 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed eight members to the select committee, including seven Democrats and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Thompson said the panel welcomes Republican members, but will be moving ahead even if McCarthy chooses not to participate. Under the committee’s rules, the eight members appointed by Pelosi will be enough for the committee to have a working quorum. He said there will also be no foregone conclusions — on timing or otherwise — as the committee begins its work.

Several members of the "Rise of the Moors," a group that does not identify with U.S. laws, were combative and chaotic during court arraignments Wednesday. MASSACHUSETTS POLICE ARREST GROUP OF ARMED MEN WHO 'DO NOT RECOGNIZE OUR LAWS' AFTER HOURSLONG STANDOFFAnother man, referred to as John Doe No. The "Rise of the Moors" members were captured on video insisting they were not anti-government. Members of the group allegedly failed to produce Firearms Identification Cards, which allow residents of the state to lawfully possess guns. Washington Examiner VideosTags: News, Massachusetts, Police, Law Enforcement, Crime, Firearms, CourtOriginal Author: Jake DimaOriginal Location: 'Rise of the Moors' members in Massachusetts armed standoff case combative in court appearances

President Joe Biden speaks with members of the press before boarding Air Force One, Friday, July 9, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)President Joe Biden speaks with members of the press before boarding Air Force One, Friday, July 9, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP) — When grieving with those who lost loved ones in a building collapse, President Joe Biden invoked the car crash that claimed members of his own family decades ago. In the first months of his term, he has drawn on that empathy to console those who have lost loved ones, including the more than 600,000 who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic. “I could tell it’s sincere, genuine caring for people that are hurt or have lost loved ones,” he continued.

But Grudina stayed and decided to run an election campaign as an independent in Murmansk, the city she loved. They all take grave risks, but often, it seems the women in Russia’s opposition circles bear the brunt of the attacks. About 70 percent of the population would like to see more women in politics, according to Levada Center’s social polls. But the government has been relentless in pressuring women opposition figures. Russian women journalists, human rights defenders and politicians are often braver and more effective in communicating ideas.

OAKLAND — A 26-year-old man was convicted of second degree murder, three years and a month he shot and killed a 43-year-old father of five in what police called a road rage incident. Eduardo Galindo-Garcia, of Oakland, was convicted of second degree murder and an enhancement for personal use of a firearm in the killing of 43-year-old Joseph Cox. During trial deputy district attorney Charles Bisesto argued to jurors that Galindo-Garcia fired at Cox out of anger after they traded insults as they drove down Foothill Boulevard in separate cars. Bisesto said during closing arguments last week Galindo-Garcia “escalated” a situation “that happens every day in East Oakland,” and fired the lone shot at Cox out of anger. Galindo-Garcia’s lawyer, deputy public defender Christina Moore, called it a case of self-defense and said Galindo-Garcia thought he saw Cox reaching for a gun.

Washington — The family of detained journalist Danny Fenster and their congressman are raising concerns about the health of the Michigan native being held in a prison in Myanmar that is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. Levin said Insein Prison, where Fenster is being held, has an outbreak among staff and inmates of COVID-19, though prison officials are claiming to have the situation under control. The U.S. Embassy has also been denied in its requests to vaccinate Fenster for weeks as the virus situation in the country has worsened, Levin said. Prison officials claim Danny does not have COVID but have provided no evidence to back up that claim," Levin said. Bryan Fenster told The Detroit News his family plans to meet with department officials this weekend.

the White House said. The warning to Putin on Friday was largely a repetition of the tough rhetoric Biden had used during their meeting in Geneva last month, when he warned that there would be consequences for continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. ADVERTISEMENTSkip................................................................A White House statement announcing the hourlong call also highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives. But ransomware attacks, perpetrated generally by criminal hacker gangs rather than state-sponsored hackers, appear to have eclipsed old-fashioned spying as a potent threat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is expected to hold its first public hearing this month with police officers who responded to the attack and custodial staff who cleaned up afterward, chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said. Thompson, D-Miss., said Friday the committee hopes to “set the tone” of the investigation by hearing from those first responders, many of whom were brutally beaten and verbally abused by former President Donald Trump’s supporters as they pushed past law enforcement and broke into the Capitol to interrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Referring to the police officers, Thompson told The Associated Press in an interview, “We need to hear how they felt, we need to hear what people who broke into the Capitol said to them.”He said the members of the panel, who held an initial strategy session this week, want to frame that first hearing so that it is clear that they are serious, and also that they care about “those individuals who either secure the Capitol or clean the Capitol.”

NHS staff could soon be exempt from self-isolation and Covid certificates introduced for hospitality in the autumn to stave off a joint healthcare crisis and pandemic fourth wave. Downing Street said on Friday that ahead of Step 4 of restrictions being lifted, expected on July 19, officials were examining whether NHS staff could be freed of the obligation to self-isolate if "pinged" by the Covid app. It comes as The Telegraph learned that double-vaccinated NHS staff could be released from self-isolation rules before August 16 under proposals being considered by Sajid Javid. But this may be brought forward for NHS staff, as leaders warned of the significant backlog faced by the health service which will only be intensified by staff having to stay at home. ??Follow the latest updates below.

As the family of slain Cambodian activist Kem Ley rebuild their lives in Australia, his youngest son, born just months after the assassination, acts as a human timepiece measuring the years since the five brothers lost their father. On the eve of the fifth anniversary of his death Saturday, his widow Bou Rachna visited a Melbourne temple to pray. Bou Rachna was five months pregnant at the time of the killing and named her fifth son, Kem Ley Vireakboth, after her late husband. “It also sends the message that killing human rights defenders for their activism in Cambodia is tolerated,” said Chak Sopheap of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. But from afar, Bou Rachna keeps her husband’s activism and memory alive, donating to youth democracy campaigners in Cambodia.

When ex-president Donald Trump held a press conference this week to announce his class-action lawsuit against social media companies, most people shrugged. That site won’t actually sign anyone on to the lawsuit though. The fine print on the landing page explicitly says entering a name does not make someone a plaintiff. Instead, it’s a fundraising effort for the nonprofit, which as a 501(c)(3) organization is not required to disclose its donors. As for the nascent lawsuit against social media companies, legal experts immediately blasted it as a ploy.

US President Joe Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups. (Photo: Reuters)US President Joe Biden on Friday spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the ongoing ransomware attacks from Russia, the White House said. Biden spoke with Putin about the ongoing ransomware attacks by criminals based in Russia that have impacted the US and other countries around the world, the White House said in a readout of the call. Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasised that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware, it said. ALSO READ: Biden and Putin discuss rules of engagement for cyber war, want critical services off-limit to cyberattacksALSO READ: Biden, Putin conclude summit between 'two great powers'; talk nuclear power, human rights

A resounding 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted to secede from Papua New Guinea and become the world's youngest nation in a 2019 referendumAdvertising Read moreWabag (Papua New Guinea) (AFP)Bougainville's leaders set a deadline of 2027 to gain full independence from Papua New Guinea Tuesday during talks on the future of the once-wartorn Melanesian island. A resounding 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted to secede from Papua New Guinea and become the world's youngest nation in a 2019 referendum. The poll capped a 2001 peace agreement that followed a decade-long war between Bougainville rebels, Papua New Guinea security forces and foreign mercenaries that left up to 20,000 people dead. The process would culminate in 2027, when Bougainville would "assume all or any sovereign powers" and would issue a "declaration of independence". "While Bougainville will have new national symbols and a new international border, Bougainville will still be a Melanesian brother."

The 52-page report from the agency, led by Biden appointee Avril Haines, featured several examples of stock imagery. "Do you feel safer knowing our Intel community is represented by stock photos?" "No, when it comes to the Intel community, I want the best and the brightest, not the least Whitest," the comedian replied. Carolla added that the immutable characteristics of the bureaucrats in the US intelligence community have nothing to do with their ability to perform their roles on behalf of the United States. He said that, in that way, China and Russia must be very excited and pleased to see "wokeness" now take over the intelligence community, as the host implied the report begets deference to identity and diversity over more germane factors.

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the focal point of the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. will be removed from its pedestal and put in storage this weekend, officials announced Friday. Fields pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges in March 2019 and was sentenced to life in prison that June. White nationalists participate in a torch-lit march on the grounds of the University of Virginia ahead of the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 11, 2017. Ryan M. Kelly/The Daily Progress via APThe Charlottesville City Council voted in February 2017 to take down the Lee statue amid mounting public pressure, including a petition started by a black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. After the riot, the spotlight moved off Charlottesville, but the Lee and Jackson statues, which were erected in the 1920s, remained standing.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was roundly mocked on social media Thursday for using an image on the cover of its annual diversity report that was obviously Photoshopped. They seem to have been Photoshopped into the image used on the ODNI report. The percentage of female civilian intelligence community employees held steady at 39.3 percent. “The Intelligence Community should reflect the diverse makeup of America and demonstrate that we are fostering an environment where every professional can succeed,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement accompanying the report. “Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion is fundamental to our democratic values and critical to meeting the IC’s mission.

As officials in Washington face growing pressure to deal with the attacks on ballot box access, the Feds are releasing new shocking video of Capitol riot mobs attacking police. We discuss it with Eugene Daniels of POLITICO.

Body camera footage appears to show a police officer being dragged into the pro-Trump mob laying siege to the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021. “And [I] don’t care [to be honest].”This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. The video shows the officer defending himself with a collapsable stick as he’s called a “motherf***er” by an attacking rioter.

The OPA Discipline Committee, which includes the officers’ chains of command, employment counsel and OPA Director Andrew Myerberg, recommended that the two officers be terminated. The two were among a group of six Seattle officers who traveled to D.C. to attend President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally. The Office of Police Accountability launched an investigation to determine whether the officers violated the law or department policy. But the OPA, using records, text messages, photographs, bank records and interviews with federal law enforcement, determined that two officers violated department policies and Washington, D.C., laws. “Accordingly, OPA recommended a finding of not sustained — inconclusive.”The investigation found that the other three officers did not violate the law or department policies.

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty ImagesIn May, violence between Israel and Palestine led to the deaths of 232 Palestinians and 12 Israelis. The ADL said the violence led to a surge in antisemitic incidents worldwide. As tensions in Israel and Palestine flared up in May, the Anti-Defamation League said the violence led to a spikes in antisemitic attacks in the US and abroad. Hamas, in retaliation, fired rockets into Israel, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes into Gaza. The ADL said it had received 193 reports, up from the 131 it reported the week prior, citing what it described as antisemitic incidents in the wake of the violence.

Former President Donald Trump called Friday night for Senate Republicans to withdraw from negotiations over President Biden’s $1.2 trillion spending proposal, warning that "RINO Republicans" were "just being played by the Radical Left Democrats." Trump warned in his message, which was distributed by email under the banner of Trump’s "Save America" organization. BIDEN TARGETS AIRLINES, INTERNET, HEARING AIDS, PHONE REPAIRS AND MORE IN NEW ORDER"Keep the Trump Administration tax cuts just as they are," Trump advised. The GOP members of the group included several who are often labeled "RINOs," or "Republicans in name only." Democrats speaking out against the bipartisan deal have included Ocasio-Cortez as well as U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

Britain's largest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was hunted by a Russian submarine in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, it has emerged. In response to the stalking of the Royal Navy vessel and her carrier strike group, two Merlin Mk2 helicopters were deployed to search for the Russian submarine. Her strike group includes two Type 45 destroyers, two Type 23 frigates and two support vessels. The Russian Navy is believed to have diesel-electric submarines in the Mediterranean, which is near their naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus. The route will also take the Queen Elizabeth close to China's only overseas naval base, located in Djibouti.

Kem Ley, a popular analyst and critic who dabbled in grassroots politics, was shot at point-blank range at a gas station cafe in Phnom Penh in 2016. Bou Rachna was five months pregnant at the time of the killing and named her fifth son, Kem Ley Vireakboth, after her late husband. Kem Ley junior is now five-years-old and has shown signs of autism. - 'Scapegoat' -Kem Ley was a vocal critic of Cambodian politicians of all stripes but he was particularly scathing about the corruption that blights the country. "It also sends the message that killing human rights defenders for their activism in Cambodia is tolerated," Cambodian Center for Human Rights Chak Sopheap said.

DALLAS — Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of right-wing militia group the Oath Keepers, was spotted by a Salon reporter Friday evening strolling the halls of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas. As of this week, 16 Oath Keepers have been charged for their involvement in the storming of the Capitol building. When asked why he was in attendance at the conservative conference, Rhodes quickly became enraged and yelled, "f**k off." A female associate, identified as Marcia Strickler on her CPAC pass, also came within inches of this reporter, yelling various obscenities. CPAC security also approved Rhodes for an official pass, which was photographed by Salon Friday before the encounter.

Breyer is one of only three liberal members remaining on the nation’s highest Court. Schumer did not mention Breyer by name in his comments, but it’s widely assumed that he was referring to the justice, who is 82 years old and the oldest member of the liberal bloc of justices. He has time to do so, and his waiting for a few weeks after the Supreme Court term ends isn’t without precedent, as Anthony Kennedy, who retired in 2018, did so in late July of that year. MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan excoriated Breyer late last week, after the justice hadn’t announced his retirement at the end of the Court’s term. “Stephen Breyer didn’t retire yesterday,” Hasan wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban claimed Friday to be in control of 85 per cent of Afghanistan after seizing key border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan, part of a sweeping offensive launched as US troops pull out of the war-torn nation. US exitHours earlier, Mr Biden said the US military mission would end on 31 August - nearly 20 years after it began - having "achieved" its goals. "The status quo is not an option," Mr Biden said of staying in the country. Mr Biden said the Afghan people alone should determine their future, but he acknowledged the uncertainty about what that would look like. US exit 'positive step', Taliban saysThe Taliban, for their part, welcomed Mr Biden's statement.

Myanmar reported 4,320 cases on Friday, a record for a second successive day, and 63 deaths, as anti-coup protests continue. “I told them that I want two million and they will give,” he said in remarks carried by army-owned Myawaddy television. Myanmar reported 4,320 cases on Friday, a record for a second successive day, and 63 deaths. Min Aung Hlaing said last month that he was seeking seven million doses of Russian vaccines. Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was eager to make its own COVID-19 vaccines and Russia wanted to cooperate and send a delegation to inspect its production plant during this month.

Instagram photos published by Business Insider showed Swalwell and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) happily posing shirtless while riding camels along the Persian Gulf. On April 1, the US-Qatar Business Council tweeted a photo of the masked members greeting the country’s monarch, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. InstagramThe paid-for congressional work trip, long a sore spot among good-government types, is making a comeback as the coronavirus pandemic winds down. Details of the trip and who accompanied them must be filed with their respective ethics committees and made publicly available. The trip was reportedly paid for by the US-Qatar Business Council.

Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection bodycam video newly released by the Department of Justice shows a police officer under attack by a mob. Plus, Rep. Madeleine Dean joins Joy Reid on the latest developments regarding the select committee probe.

Andrew Harrer/GettySIOUX FALLS, South Dakota—South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is claiming the man he ran over and killed—allegedly while scrolling through his phone on highway at night—wanted to die. South Dakota AG Jason Ravnsborg Pleads Not Guilty as Family of Victim Blasts ProcessVictor Nemec gave Boever a ride after Boever’s pickup drove off Highway 14 a few hours before the fatal crash, and said he showed no sign of drinking. According to the new court filing, he had sought assistance for mental issues, and was using Lorazepam, an anti-anxiety medicine. Investigators who interviewed Ravnsborg noted that Boever’s face came through the windshield and his glasses were found inside the car. South Dakota AG May Have Been Reading Right-Wing Biden Conspiracies While Killing Man With His CarIn his filing, Ravsnborg suggests a different crash scenario.

Paul Hodgkins. A Capitol riot attendee who pleaded guilty to obstruction is asking the court for no prison time. A defense attorney for Paul Hodgkins filed a wide-ranging sentencing memo on Thursday. Prosecutors say Paul Hodgkins, 38, took a selfie inside the Capitol during the insurrection that eventually led the FBI to his door. Story continuesHis sentencing later this month will be only the second case of a Capitol riot attendee being sentenced.

Former South African president Jacob Zuma turned himself in to police for contempt of court, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday, ending a weeklong legal drama over a court order for his arrest. Police had been ordered to arrest Zuma if he did not turn himself in by the end of Wednesday. The Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months in jail last week after he refused to comply with a corruption inquiry back in February. But in the end, Zuma decided to go quietly, a remarkable turn of events for a revered veteran of the African National Congress liberation movement. Zuma had previously been jailed by South Africa's white minority rulers for his part in the anti-apartheid movement.

The Constitutional Court last week ordered Zuma jailed for refusing to give evidence at an inquiry into corruption during his nine years in office from 2009. Zuma has separately challenged his sentence, partly on the grounds of his alleged frail health and risk of catching COVID-19. Story continuesAs a member of the ANC when it was a liberation movement, Zuma was jailed by South Africa's white minority government. Magashule is aligned with Zuma's ANC faction, which has been the most potent internal force opposing the president. Zuma also faces a corruption case relating to a $2 billion arms deal in 1999 when he was deputy president.

WASHINGTON — Five people from Florida have been charged with attacking police officers and other offenses during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building, according to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday. Perkins, Doolin and Pollock made their initial court appearance in the Middle District of Florida on the day of their arrest. More: Feds have arrested 535 in Jan. 6 Capitol assault, but still hunting violent rioters six months laterFive people died during or soon after the riot. Doolin, armed with zip-tie handcuffs and a riot-control chemical canister, is the only defendant not accused of assaulting officers, according to the report. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five people from Florida arrested, charged in Jan. 6 attack on Capitol

Donald Trump has had it with his oldest son’s “annoying” girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Politico reported Friday. He reportedly called Guilfoyle to thank her for that wild speech and compared her to Eva Perón, the controversial former first lady of Argentina. But now he’s upset that Donald Trump Jr.’s significant other is backing a candidate the former president has no intention of endorsing, according to Politico. He doesn’t appear to be a favorite of the Republican Party or Donald Trump. “Why the f**k is she working for him?” Trump reportedly asked.

Morales-Alfaro was one of several dozen women who miscarried after being placed in immigration detention centers under a Trump-era policy that critics said was aimed at deterring undocumented pregnant women from coming to the U.S. But under a new Biden administration policy, ICE will for the most part no longer arrest and detain pregnant women, postpartum women and women who are nursing. The policy also calls for pregnant women currently being held in immigration detention to be released while they await the outcome of asylum or immigration cases. "This policy change will have a direct impact on saving lives" because federal immigration detention centers are not equipped to provide care to pregnant women, said Joy Bertrand, a Phoenix lawyer. She called the Biden administration's policy change advising against detaining pregnant women a good step, "but it does not undo the damage that has already been done."

Northwestern Minnesota law enforcement agencies are searching for a man recently released from prison after a pipe bomb conviction in connection with a homicide on Friday. Authorities are searching for Erik James Reinbold, 44, in connection to a homicide in rural Pennington County, Minn. The sheriff’s office urged people not to approach Reinbold as he may be armed. According to court documents, Reinbold argued that his medical issues and the need to return to help take care of his family warranted a reduction in his sentence. Reinbold systematically set about creating five pipe bombs with unnerving attention to detail and destructive capability.

When former Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Crowley attended St. Joseph Catholic Church in West End, he'd quietly help children at the church's school who needed clothes or school supplies. When Crowley died of cancer in 2011 at age 73, his nieces started the charity Mr. Crowley's Kids in his honor to continue help to families associated with the church. As the 10-year anniversary of Crowley's passing approached this year, Crowley's grandson, Brennan Crowley, set out to reinvigorate the charity. "I always used to say my grandpa knew a million people," said Brennan Crowley, 23, of East Walnut Hills. “David Crowley’s legacy of service was an inspiration to so many and his commitment to those in need was unwavering,” said Councilman Chris Seelbach, a former staffer in David Crowley's vice mayor office.

Amy Silverman is honored for her "fantastic work highlighting issues within the state for those with disabilities," which she reported for the Star and for the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is planning to visit Iran to build ties with its new government led by a conservative hard-liner, diplomatic sources said Friday. It is the first time in eight years that a conservative hard-liner has won the presidency, fueling concern about a flare-up of tensions between Iran and the United States. Iran’s current foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, under the outgoing government of moderate Hassan Rouhani, is also likely to be replaced by a conservative hard-liner, according to the sources. It would be the first visit to Iran by a senior Japanese government figure since June 2019 trips by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono. He is also likely to visit Jordan, Iraq and Qatar.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lost up to 20 kg (44 pounds) but has no major health issues affecting his rule, according to a South Korean lawmaker briefed by a spy agency. The 37-year-old North Korean leader was out of the public eye for much of May, and when he reappeared in a June video showing him chairing a government meeting, he looked much slimmer. South Korean spies told lawmakers in November that Kim weighed about 140 kilograms, but they didn’t provide an estimate in this briefing. North Korea has been building up its nuclear-weapons capabilities under Kim, allowing it to become bigger and better able to strike South Korea, Japan and the U.S. mainland. The North Korean leader later said the country was facing a “great crisis” over a quarantine breach, though no details were provided at the time.

Someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference is handing out cards touting a 'seven-point plan' to return Donald Trump to the presidency 'within days'. In short, the plan calls for exposing the Democrats for monstrous crimes, electing Trump as House speaker, and impeaching and removing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The plan includes a link to a website that elaborates on the proposal, describing the seven 'dominoes' that must fall to reinstall Trump in the White House. plan to restore Donald J. Trump in days, not years,” which involves installing Trump as speaker and ousting Biden & Harris. Though the Constitution does not explicitly state that the House speaker must be a member of Congress, such a move would face intense legal challenges.

Police on the lookout for others suspected assassins of Haitian President Jovenel Moise outside the Embassy of Taiwan in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on July 9, 2021. Haiti has asked Washington and the UN to send troops to help it secure its ports, airport and other strategic sites after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a government minister said Friday. In the wake of the slaying “we thought that the mercenaries could destroy some infrastructure to create chaos in the country. During a conversation with the US Secretary of State and the UN we made this request,” elections minister Mathias Pierre told AFP. President Ivan Duque has told Haitian officials Bogota will collaborate in the investigation.

This year was the first time high-profile events have been held for a Chinese Communist Party anniversary in Hong KongAdvertising Read moreHong Kong (AFP)China's Communist Party has abandoned its tradition of working from the shadows in Hong Kong as authorities pursue a sweeping crackdown on critics and remould the financial hub in the mainland's authoritarian image. With 90 million members, the party is ubiquitous on the mainland but in Hong Kong it has been all but invisible. - 'Love the party' -"Beijing has turned to direct governance over Hong Kong," veteran journalist and political analyst Johnny Lau told AFP. #photo4"With 'Patriots rule Hong Kong' and the new security law... authorities have implied that people now have to love the country and love the party," he added. "You cannot say that you are patriotic but you do not love the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party or you do not respect it," he said.

"We control the area but there may still be a few snipers," an officer told AFP. On Thursday, the authorities issued search warrants and offered rewards of up to $500,000 for gang bosses behind the deadly clashes but now on the run. We hid and waited for it to pass," Jesus Rey, a 40-year-old mechanic who lives in the neighborhood told AFP. In June, similar clashes killed at least three people including a nurse who fell victim to a stray bullet. In 2020, the country registered 12,000 violent deaths, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)- Tennessee Democrats are calling for an audit of all COVID-19 relief spending from Gov. This comes days after Governor Bill Lee started a campaign to pay for tourists’ flights to four major Tennessee cities. According to the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group lead by Governor Lee, $8.4 billion federal dollars from COVID-19 relief bills have been sent to Tennessee. The letter, lead by Clemmons and signed on to by 11 other Democrats, accuses Governor Lee of spending nearly half a billion dollars on no-bid contracts, like the recalled sock masks. Governor Randy McNally, a day after criticizing Governor Lee’s spending, says he expects funds to be used correctly.

Private groups have spent more than $280,790 on trips for members of Congress in 2021. In late March, five US House members left the country for an all-expenses-paid trip to Qatar. At least 188 members of Congress or their staff have traveled on private groups' dime in 2021. A post shared by Biltmore Hotel (@biltmorehotel)Some members brought their spouses or extended the trip on their own dime. Under free-travel rules, lawmakers and staff can't fly private on another person's dime, nor can they receive entertainment, such as golf trips.

Now, Rogers is being prosecuted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office for allegedly voting illegally. Rogers was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison for burglary and intent to commit theft in 1995. Rogers was arrested on Wednesday in the South Acres neighborhood in Houston and he voted in Harris County, but the AG's office is prosecuting the case in Montgomery County. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has made prosecuting alleged cases of voter fraud a core mission of his office. Nicole D. Porter, director of advocacy with the Sentencing Project, said Hervis Rogers' case illustrates the need for the state to give people proper notification of their rights.

A Pennsylvania county prosecutor who pleaded guilty to pressuring clients for sex when he was a defense attorney is headed to prison for at least 18 monthsTOWANDA, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania county prosecutor who pleaded guilty to pressuring clients for sex when he was a defense attorney was sentenced Friday to 18 months to 5 years in prison. A message seeking comment was left for his defense attorney. A Republican, he was elected district attorney in November 2019. A judge appointed Albert Ondrey to serve as Bradford's district attorney in May. Salsman was also sentenced to six years of supervision upon his release.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson responded Friday on "Fox News Primetime" to criticism after his revelation the National Security Agency had reportedly "unmasked" his name in communications that purportedly sought an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year. Carlson told host Mark Steyn that Weissmann is the last person that should be lecturing anyone about being "anti-American," given his overtly partisan behavior during Mueller's probe. "First of all, to be lectured by patriotism who think America is systemically racist is beyond belief," Carlson said. "Tucker Carlson has never been an intelligence target of the Agency and the NSA has never had any plans to try to take his program off the air," the statement reads. Carlson elaborated that his team also tried repeatedly to get ahold of Gen. Paul Nakasone, the Trump-appointed head of the agency.

The newly-minted president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the Democrat announced plans to close the California Correctional Center in Susanville, which is staffed by SEIU members. "I believe in the power of voting and in this election for Local-1000, 2,637 people said Richard Louis Brown, fight for us. Two wildfires, the Sugar Fire and Dotta Fire, are currently burning just southwest of the prison in nearby Plumas County. That is what I would tell unions across California," Brown added.

Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff ripped President Biden's recent decision to speed the withdrawal of combat troops in Afghanistan because of what it could mean for the heroes on the ground. Rieckhoff said it was a "moral imperative" that the U.S. take care of those now reportedly vulnerable individuals. BIDEN CHANGES END OF US COMBAT MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN FROM SEPT. 11 TO AUG. 31"There is precedent to move people to American territories like Guam," he continued. And the White House is telling us that they can't get our friends out of Afghanistan? Rieckhoff said he was personally concerned about one of his former interpreters because he doesn't know his fate.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn is doing her best to fill the blank space of Republican ideas with culture war nonsense.

But he hasn’t started lobbying yet due to Moïse's killing, which he compared to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. Boulos also plans to lobby the Biden administration for Covid vaccination aid and financial assistance for the Haitian government. He started lobbying Congress on Boulos’ behalf on human rights issues in 2019 but deregistered in May, according to domestic lobbying disclosure filings. Estopinan, a Republican, has foreign lobbying experience. He’s looking to hire a Democratic lobbyist — perhaps a former aide to Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s chair — to help with outreach to Democrats, he said.

Kansas City police will be able to live outside the city, and a voucher-like school choice program will launch in Missouri, under new laws Gov. Criminal justice, policeOne measure will lift the residency requirement for Kansas City police officers, ban chokeholds and provide local prosecutors some power to overturn wrongful convictions. Opponents have said the measure will siphon funds from the public school system’s budget and have pushed to improve traditional public schools instead. He will also sign a bill prohibiting school district employees from using public funds to support or oppose ballot measures. Lawmakers proposed it after revelations of abuse and neglect allegations at several Missouri schools, uncovered in a Kansas City Star investigation.

Mike Parson highlighted on Wednesday a manufacturer’s altruism and innovation in producing about 20,000 face shields before signing COVID-19 liability legislation into law. That’s why COVID liability is so important, so people cannot come in here and sue a business like this.”Parson ceremonially signed Senate Bill 51 to provide liability protection for businesses, health care providers and religious organizations from COVID-related lawsuits. “This helped us get the shields to health care workers and first responders everywhere when there were concerns of the supplies going to the cities,” Koller said. “This legislation will help businesses, manufacturers and health care providers by protecting them from frivolous COVID-19 lawsuits,” Panik said. Washington Examiner VideosTags: States, News, Missouri, Business, Healthcare, CoronavirusOriginal Author: Joe Mueller, The Center SquareOriginal Location: Missouri governor signs bill protecting business, health care, religious organizations from COVID-19 lawsuits

A wealthy Russian national, who lived in a $5 million home in Raleigh before his 2018 arrest on a slew of charges, including murder-for-hire, was sentenced to five years in prison Friday in North Carolina after pleading guilty to lesser charges. Teyf will be deported when he completes his sentence, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said. Leonid Teyf’s lawyer called the outcome Friday a “tremendous victory” after his client originally faced charges related to murder-for-hire, firearms, money laundering and harboring illegal aliens. The FBI raided their North Raleigh mansion in December 2018. FBI revelations in North Raleigh lead to an arrest.

In Los Angeles, the news that Mayor Eric Garcetti was being tapped by the Biden administration as its nominee for ambassador to India was greeted with little surprise, following months of speculation about the possible pick. “The mayor doesn’t own 100% of that, obviously, but this is the Los Angeles that exists today,” he said. Chief among the concerns for mayoral hopefuls, Givens said, is who steps in as an interim mayor. Advertisement“You want to make sure that interim mayor is not someone that could potentially do anything or create an issue to impact your campaign,” Givens said. The significance of Friday’s announcement “really depends on who the City Council picks as interim mayor,” she said.

Lucas Pipes, 36, a resident of Capitol Hill, walked his daughter's purple scooter up to the fence as workers drilled in front of them. The fencing is expected to be removed within three days and the Architect of the Capitol can "expeditiously reinstall the temporary fencing should conditions warrant," according to a memo sent to lawmakers Wednesday. Capitol Police will continue to monitor threats and the Capitol will still remain closed to public visitors, according to the memo. AdvertisementResidents of Capitol Hill have expressed concern for months with the fortification of their neighborhood and the restrictionsto the Capitol. “Don’t Fence the Capitol was concerned that continued presence of a fence would serve as kind of an acknowledgment that insurrectionists won in some ways,” Cunningham said.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said that not all schools can accommodate physical distancing of at least 3 feet or more, so the best preventive measure is wearing masks indoors. Ahead of new school guidelines expected next week, health officials in California said Friday that requiring face coverings will allow all schools to reopen this fall for full in-person instruction. California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said that not all schools can accommodate physical distancing of at least 3 feet or more, so the best preventive measure is wearing masks indoors. “We believe that with masking and with testing, we can get kids back to in person 100% in our schools,” Ghaly said. Gavin Newsom at a Napa Valley elementary school to sign a bill that provides record funding for California schools.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. “Social Security is in deep trouble,” Pascrell said. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

The family of an innocent motorist who was killed when a Minneapolis police officer crashed into him while chasing a suspect called Friday for the officer to be fired and prosecuted. “It’s just so messed up,” Orlando Frazier, Leneal Frazier’s brother, said at a news conference with other family members and supporters outside City Hall. Leneal Frazier was Black. Storms said the family needs to learn more facts and see more evidence before proceeding with a lawsuit. He declined to say when the family might file it or what kind of damages or other relief relatives may seek.

Members of the public weighed in on the criteria Thursday, with many arguing in favor or against making the districts “fair” and “competitive." Republican Rep. Derek Skees of Kalispell spoke against using those terms as metrics for the districts, saying the words are “extremely subjective” and lack a clear definition. “They're really just feel-good words and they're not in the dictates of our constitution or in our Montana code,” Skees said. But Several Democratic lawmakers spoke in favor of making competitive districts a central tenet of the process. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Doug Ducey signed nearly two dozen bills Friday and vetoed one as he works to clear his desk of the measures lawmakers sent him toward the end of the legislative session that wrapped up last week. Ducey signed bills banning state or local governments from requiring training in “critical race theory” and shielding small business owners from paying any of the 3.5% income tax surcharge voters approved in November. The measure “would add unneeded bureaucracy to the management of emergencies, especially wildfires," Ducey wrote in a letter explaining his veto. The Republican governor faces a Monday deadline to sign or veto the 11 bills remaining. In addition to the critical race theory and taxation legislation, Ducey enacted:

PHOENIX — Arizona schools will be required beginning next year to teach students about the Holocaust at least twice between the 7th and 12th grades. But they won’t be given a controversial list of statements and actions that some say is evidence of antisemitism. “It’s troubling that two-thirds of millennials don’t know the Holocaust happened,’’ she said. “Obviously, there is little value to Holocaust education if we don’t teach students to identify antisemitism when they see it today,’’ he said in a prepared statement. And he lashed out at Hernandez for refusing to include the definition he wanted in her bill — and for Democrats in refusing to go along.

PHOENIX — Arizona schools will be required beginning next year to teach students about the Holocaust at least twice between the 7th and 12th grades. But they won't be given a controversial list of statements and actions that some say is evidence of antisemitism. "It's troubling that two-thirds of millennials don't know the Holocaust happened,'' she said. "Obviously, there is little value to Holocaust education if we don't teach students to identify antisemitism when they see it today,'' he said in a prepared statement. And he lashed out at Hernandez for refusing to include the definition he wanted in her bill — and for Democrats in refusing to go along.

Members of the public weighed in on the criteria Thursday, with many arguing in favor or against making the districts “fair” and “competitive." Republican Rep. Derek Skees of Kalispell spoke against using those terms as metrics for the districts, saying the words are “extremely subjective” and lack a clear definition. “They're really just feel-good words and they're not in the dictates of our constitution or in our Montana code,” Skees said. But Several Democratic lawmakers spoke in favor of making competitive districts a central tenet of the process. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

HAVANA – Haiti’s senate, which currently comprises just a third of its usual 30 senators, nominated on Friday its head Joseph Lambert to be interim president after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a document reviewed by Reuters showed. The move plunges Haiti deeper into political crisis with its constitution unclear as to who should take over the reins of power in this kind of situation and rival political factions in disagreement. The acting interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has taken over the reins of power so far. Elections Minister Mathias Pierre said he would keep that role until presidential and legislative elections are held on Sept. 26.

A White House official confirmed that Saul’s employment was terminated. “I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security,” Saul told the Post in an interview Friday afternoon, denouncing the "Friday Night Massacre." "This was the first I or my deputy knew this was coming," Saul told The Post, referring to a Friday morning White House email. The Social Security Administration was established in 1935 as an independent agency but was moved under the Department of Health and Human Services for some time before former President Clinton signed legislation restoring its independent status in 1994. "DONT POLITICIZE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMIN,” Grassley tweeted.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told a crowd in Kentucky Thursday that he was “perplexed” by vaccine hesitancy within the conservative movement. McConnell appeared at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to talk about infrastructure and to implore Kentucky Gov. But McConnell also expressed confusion about why Republicans continue to drag down the rest of the country’s efforts to overcome the pandemic. Advertisement“To use a sports analogy, we're in the red zone, the last 20 yards before the end zone, but we're not in the end zone yet because there is resistance for various reasons that seem to have gotten caught up in politics,” McConnell told attendees. Experts believe that the variant, which is more transmissible and now makes up a clear majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases, is driving an upswing in COVID-19 cases, particularly in states that have low vaccination rates.

PHOENIX (AP) — Blake Masters, an ally of billionaire entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel, filed papers Friday to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Masters has worked with Thiel for years and is currently the chief operating officer of Thiel Capital and president of the Thiel Foundation, according to his Twitter bio and LinkedIn profile. Thiel is a prolific Republican donor and is widely expected to spend millions supporting Masters’ campaign. Masters formed a campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission but did not make a formal announcement. Masters considered challenging former Republican Sen. Martha McSally last year but opted against running.

He was among Houston voters on Super Tuesday who waited more than an hour — and some for several hours — in mostly minority, Democratic neighborhoods. He was arrested this week on two counts of illegal voting, a second-degree felony that carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in prison. Texas is the biggest state where Republicans have vowed to make voting changes since Donald Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election. Photos of voters waiting in long lines on the Houston campus appeared on news websites and ricocheted around social media. As soon as Saturday, Texas Republicans could begin advancing their revived election bills at the state Capitol.

Shortly after 11pm ET on 3 November, Wolff writes, Lachlan Murdoch was told by the Fox News decision desk it was ready to call the state for Biden. It was, Wolff writes, “still, by most measures, hotly contested and still a definite Trump win” in one forecasting model. But Lachlan Murdoch called his father and asked if he wanted to make a call which was sure to anger Trump. Wolff reported that Trump called Murdoch to enthuse about how he was going to help big tech more than Barack Obama. Murdoch, Wolff writes, got off the phone, shrugged and said: “What a fucking idiot.”

A Saskatchewan First Nation Chief said calls for an investigation into child abuse at residential schools are needed to make sure nothing is left unturned. Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme is one of those who announced findings of unmarked graves at nearby residential school cemeteries. Chief Cadmus Delorme holds the agreement acknowledging jurisdiction and providing funding for Cowessess First Nation to control its own local child welfare system on Tuesday afternoon. Guest host Peter Mills talks with Cowessess Chief Cadmus Delorme about what this means to the community. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for residential school survivors and those affected.

The bills unveiled on Thursday include many provisions that provoked Democratic outrage back in May. The last maneuver carries the risk of the Senate simply approving the House bill without any changes to it. Virtually all of the discussion about fleeing and denying a quorum has come from Democrats in the House, where 55 of 67 Democrats would have to leave the state to block a vote. In the Senate, where there are 13 Democrats, 11 of them would have to stay away to prevent a vote. The people with knowledge of the discussions said there had been preliminary conversations about how Democrats would leave the state to avoid being forced back to the State Capitol.

The Department of Homeless Services temporarily suspended its push to move 8,000 homeless New Yorkers from hotels and into shelters Friday — just hours after advocates filed a motion accusing City Hall of violating the rights of people with medical and mental health problems. So far, residents from 23 of the 60 emergency hotel shelters opened to provide space for social distancing during the pandemic have already been moved back into the city’s congregate shelter system. The plan from the Department of Homeless Services would have relocated 8,000 people out of hotels. But Legal Aid’s lawsuit disputes that statement, claiming that City Hall failed to follow required protocol for transferring the homeless hotel residents with major health needs back to more traditional barracks-style shelters. “It is time to move homeless folks who were in hotels for a temporary period of time back to shelters, where they can get the support they need,” de Blasio said last month.

President Biden fired the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a holdover from the Trump administration, after he refused to resign Friday. The Associated Press reported that Deputy Commissioner David Black, another Trump holdover, had agreed to resign. Biden named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the administration conducts a search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner. Kijakazi currently is the SSA’s deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy. Congressional Republicans accused Biden of politicizing the agency, which pays out billions of dollars per year to more than 60 million Social Security beneficiaries, including seniors and the disabled.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., called this week for U.S. Air Force Academy professor Lynne Chandler Garcia to be fired after she publicly advocated for military academies to teach critical race theory to incoming cadets. "Critical Race Theory teaches that the only way to right past racial discrimination is with present racial discrimination," Green wrote in the letter. Green issued his call for Garcia’s dismissal amid a broader clash between GOP lawmakers and military leadership about critical race theory. Air Force and Air Force Academy officials did not immediately return requests for comment on Green’s call for Garcia’s dismissal. In May, Green introduced a bill seeking to block the teaching of critical race theory at military academies.

"The fact of the matter is that Black people are Americans, and Black history is American history," Republican House candidate Billy Prempeh told Fox News Friday. BLM UTAH CHAPTER CALLS AMERICAN FLAG ‘SYMBOL OF HATRED’The flag is the opposite, he said. The 31-year-old Republican House candidate said over the course of U.S. history, Americans made "incredible, incredible advancements" in terms of civil rights and social justice. "I'm an Air Force veteran, and I took a lot of pride fighting under the American flag," he said. The candidate and other volunteers will be in Paterson’s namesake park for a cleanup along the Passaic River Saturday morning.

The bills contained many similar provisions to SB7, the election legislation that failed earlier in the year, which would have added several new restrictions to voting in the state. State Senate and House committees both scheduled hearings on election legislation for Saturday morning, and Republican leaders in the state insist it is a top priority after their previous failure. Dan Patrick, a Republican who is also the state Senate leader, tweeted. Both men said that, depending on if a committee vote is held this weekend, the bill could see the state House floor as soon as next week. “My Democratic colleagues have been quoted as saying all options are on the table,” state House Speaker Dade Phelan told KXAN in an interview.

Mike Parson vetoed four bills Friday afternoon, including one that would have created new exceptions to the state’s open records law and another that aimed to allow registered lobbyists to maintain campaign committees. Parson deemed the provision duplicative of multidisciplinary team efforts and wrote that it “fails to strengthen protections for the children served by” the division. The provision would have only affected a small number of lobbyists, like Columbia Mayor Brain Treece, who has also been a registered lobbyist since 1996. Parson said in his veto letter he strongly opposed the provision. “I do not believe that such special laws, which are designed to benefit a few, should guide our state policy,” Parson wrote.

The IndependentThe US will withdraw all combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of August, and will not send more troops to the country to fight, according to President Joe Biden. Mr Biden vowed during a national address Thursday that the US would support Afghan leaders as it handed over the reigns for total control of Afghanistan’s territory to the government over which the US oversaw the formation, while adding that he did not see the potential of achieving a better outcome by keeping troops in the region. "I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome,” said the president.

“It is clear to us that our community needs and wants change without the involvement of Boston Pride. “Therefore, Boston Pride is dissolving. Boston Pride, the organization that for decades has organized the city’s annual LGBTQ parade, is dissolving amid a controversy over inclusion, the group’s board of directors announced Friday. “There will be a new parade,” said Jo Trigilio, cofounder of Pride 4 the People and a former member of the Boston Pride communications team. “Pride is both a celebration but also a political event, and I think that’s the part of Pride that’s been lost,” Trigilio said.

By Darlene Superville | Associated PressWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. “Social Security is in deep trouble,” Pascrell said. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

“The mayor has not yet been presented with nor agreed to any deal,” said Alexander Murphy, a spokesman for the mayor’s office. In that video, Catanzara said the deal is for eight years, but couldn’t go into details. He did say the contract, covering thousands of rank-and-file Chicago police officers, was reached Thursday with the city’s negotiating team. Getting a deal was important, since it avoided having to “roll the dice” with an arbitrator, Catanzara said in the video. Catanzara said the delay in announcing the tentative deal was because Lightfoot is currently in California and her team must inform her of the move.

Nevada on Friday reported 813 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths over the preceding day, capping a week in which major disease metrics in the state continued to rise and reached levels not seen since February. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphotoNevada on Friday reported 813 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths over the preceding day, capping a week in which major disease metrics in the state continued to rise and reached levels not seen since February. New cases were well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases of 394. The jump in new cases has been accompanied by increases in both the COVID-19 test positivity rate and hospitalizations. The Southern Nevada Health District reported 771 new coronavirus cases and all 13 deaths recorded by the state on Friday.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the personnel move an "unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration." The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. "President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing," de Juliis said.

SURFSIDE, Fla. — The death toll in the collapse of a Miami-area condo building rose to 79 on Friday, a number the mayor called "heartbreaking" as recovery workers toiled for a 16th day to find victims in the rubble. "This is a staggering and heartbreaking number that affects all of us very deeply," Levine Cava said of the latest death toll. "We know that there will be long-term impacts for the teams on the front line," Levine Cava said. To that end, Levine Cava said officials have added peer support personnel at the fire stations. Levine Cava said the high death toll is "an aching hole in the center of this close-knit family here in Surfside."

Dearborn Mayor John "Jack" O'Reilly Jr. on Friday responded to criticism he has not been in the public eye in recent months or during historic flooding in the city, citing health reasons. "I continue to completely fulfill administrative responsibilities required in the Dearborn City Charter. Another demonstration is planned Tuesday during a City Council meeting, according to the Dearborn Area Community Members Facebook page. "Is it time for the City Council to do their job and remove Dearborn’s absent Mayor?" He was first elected to the City Council in 1989 and served as its president for more than a decade.

A federal judge has withdrawn his opinion that had ruled in favor of a zip-code-based temporary Boston Public Schools exam school admissions policy, saying the district “misled” him by leaving out text message records that including now-controversial disparaging comments. “I’ve been misled and I don’t see how the opinion can stand,” fumed Judge William Young in a virtual hearing Friday. Hurd had argued that the temporary admissions policy was racially biased, which was further evidenced by the text messages between Oliver-Davila and Rivera, who resigned upon the release of the messages. Young did not offer any further opinion on whether the school committee’s decision on exam school admissions was racially biased. A Boston Public Schools spokesman declined to comment.

Michelle Lujan Grisham can allocate federal stimulus funding without legislative approval may move from the Roundhouse to the courthouse. State Sen. Jacob Candelaria, an Albuquerque lawyer, said this week that his office is preparing a lawsuit if lawmakers don’t succeed in calling themselves into session to take up the federal stimulus spending. Candelaria and Gerald Ortiz y Pino, both of Albuquerque — signed the certificate calling for a legislative session by Thursday, the target date set by Republican leaders. Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike have questioned Lujan Grisham’s authority to allocate federal stimulus funding without an appropriation approved by the Legislature. The governor’s administration has tapped federal stimulus funds to pay for a return-to-work program for residents receiving unemployment benefits, lottery awards for COVID-19 vaccination and for the unemployment fund.

Bryce Provance, former member of the Civil Guard, said Keller and the Albuquerque Police Department targeted the group prior to the protest and wrongfully arrested them afterward. He said that even though APD and Keller knew the group wasn’t associated with the shooter, they labeled Civil Guard members as criminals and worse to the public. Tensions rose between protesters and group members before counterprotester Steven Baca shot protester Scott Williams after a scuffle. The letter states APD then-Deputy Chief Harold Medina, Commander Arturo Sanchez and Sgt. During that time, the letter states police identified Baca as the shooter — through a detective at the scene, video evidence on social media and Baca’s own statements — but Civil Guard members were still not released.

Small business income is now taxed at the individual level and is subject to the surcharge. Mesnard said proponents of the tax said it would not affect small businesses and that some voters who backed the measure did not like how it might affect businesses but wanted the new revenue to fund education. He also said in an interview that he's not worried about the voter referral. “I’m not concerned about it because I think it’ll be a landslide election,” Mesnard said earlier this week. “And then it will be voter protected, which I don’t typically think is good public policy as a matter of rule, but if it’s voter protecting helping small businesses I could probably make an exception.”

Released by Mexican news outlet Latinus, the video apparently made in 2015 shows a man who later formed part of the Lopez Obrador administration handing Martin Jesus Lopez Obrador an envelope stuffed with a large stack of bills. Lopez Obrador told the news conference the cash was not for him or any political campaign, and that he understood it was a personal matter between his brother and Leon. The 2020 video leak did erode his approval rating somewhat, and the new one could do the same, said Roy Campos, head of polling firm Consulta Mitofsky. But Lopez Obrador has generally been more adept at switching the political narrative than the opposition has been at capitalizing on scandals, Campos said. On Friday afternoon, media attention began shifting away from the video leak after the attorney general’s office said it was investigating a prominent official in the previous government for suspected illicit enrichment.

South Korea's sports minister indicated Friday that President Moon Jae-in may visit Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics later this month, expressing hope for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries on the occasion. Hwang said his Japan visit has already been scheduled. Japanese and South Korean leaders have not held summit talks since late 2019. South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Friday that Moon is considering a two-day stay in Tokyo from July 23, when the opening event will be held. The report cited a South Korean government official.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, seen speaking to media in April 2021, has been tapped as US ambassador to IndiaAdvertising Read moreWashington (AFP)President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, an ambitious star in his Democratic Party, to be ambassador to India, with which the United States has an increasingly close relationship. Biden has stepped up the "Quad" partnership of the United States, India, Japan and Australia -- four democracies that largely share common cause on China's rising military and economic might. - Scandals rise at home -India has been facing major challenges from Covid-19 and air pollution -- two issues that Garcetti has tackled in Los Angeles. Garcetti in December said he turned down an unspecified job in the Biden administration so he could focus on defeating Covid-19 in Los Angeles. If Garcetti leaves, the City Council can either appoint an interim mayor or call a special election.

The Social Security Administration, which operates independently, pays out more than $1T per year. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from President Donald Trump who regularly drew criticism from Democrats, unions and social welfare advocates. The Social Security Administration, which has operated independently since 1994, pays out more than $1 trillion to 65 million beneficiaries each year. “This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted. In a joint statement, they said Social Security beneficiaries "stand the most to lose from President Biden’s partisan decision."

The White House fired Andrew Saul, the Social Security head, on Friday evening. President Joe Biden fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul and his top deputy on Friday afternoon, sparking a face-off as Saul says he doesn't intend to step down from his post. Advocates said the Social Security Administration delayed releasing information to the IRS for stimulus checks earlier this year. "Social Security beneficiaries stand the most to lose from President Biden's partisan decision to remove Commissioner Andrew Saul from leadership of the Social Security Administration," Brady and Crapo said. He wrote on Twitter Saul's removal would be "an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration."

New evidence indicates that more than 10,300 illegal votes were cast in Georgia in the November 2020 general election — a number that will continue to rise over the next several months, potentially exceeding the 12,670 votes that separated Joe Biden and Donald Trump. This evidence also vindicates former President Trump and his legal team for the related public (and private) comments and legal arguments made in challenging the Georgia election results. Also like sister states, Georgia ignored various legislative mandates designed to prevent fraud and to ensure the integrity of the vote. Yet the media, the courts, and the Secretary of State’s Office ignored or downplayed the issue. Upon learning of this new development, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office quietly opened an investigation into potentially illegal voting by residents who had moved between counties.

President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul after he refused a request to resign, a White House official told NBC News. The White House told the paper that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision conferred the power to replace him. This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration. https://t.co/Y33G4YoZKf — Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 9, 2021"This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration," McConnell said. Their agenda was not to protect Social Security but to impose cruelty on America’s seniors and disabled.

Haiti’s government has requested that the United States send troops to protect key infrastructure after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse this week, the elections minister, Mathias Pierre, said on Friday. Haitian officials said they had requested military support to protect port, airport and gasoline facilities and other key infrastructure, the New York Times reported. Police in Haiti said the assassination was carried out by 26 Colombian and two Haitian American mercenaries. “Another deployment of foreign troops to Haiti would be a disaster,” said Jake Johnston, a Haiti specialist from the Center for Economic and Policy Research thinktank. Kinsley Jean, a student leader and political activist, said he was “fervently” against foreign military interventions in his country.

The Social Security Administration, which operates independently, pays out more than $1T per year. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from President Donald Trump who regularly drew criticism from Democrats. Biden appointed Kilolo Kijakazi, deputy commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy at SSA, as acting commissioner until the search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner is completed. The Social Security Administration, which has operated independently since 1994, pays out more than $1 trillion to 65 million beneficiaries each year. “This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted.

Pandemic journal: Use Trump To Pitch Jabs“To convince the vaccine-hesitant to get immunized,” President Biden need only “Give Donald Trump the credit he deserves for the vaccines,” argues Marc Thiessen at The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Adams “attacked all his rivals without hesitation. He didn’t navigate Ranked Choice Voting with clever machinations. He steamrolled over it with pugnacious bravado. The former invite the latter.”— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

President Biden announced Friday that he has tapped Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as his nominee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to India. Speculation over whether Garcetti was in talks with the president for a position within the administration began to emerge in May. Garcetti was first elected to his position as mayor in 2013, previously serving as a city councilman and council president. Eric Garcetti (left) with President Biden at a campaign event last March. According to a report, Garcetti would become the first LA mayor to leave the position on his own terms in over a century.

Friends, the desire to stand before a bank of microphones and say, “… and then I told Biden” might be great. But rather than devote time to leaning on Biden, better to get on with the hard work where it counts: back home, down in the trenches, mobilizing voters to get on Congress’s case. Dial up pressure on the Senate and House to act, and do it like there’s no tomorrow. Because if the forces of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and the legions of state GOP legislators are successful with their voter suppression schemes, then tomorrow will be worse than all of the bad old days before passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

DALLAS – Rep. Mo Brooks, who is running in the Republican primary to succeed retiring Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, slammed his competitor Katie Britt as a "pretender" from the "establishment" and also strongly criticized critical race theory in an interview with Fox News at CPAC on Friday. Brooks, R-Ala., is a firebrand congressman with former President Donald Trump's endorsement for the Alabama Senate seat. But he's facing a crowded primary field including Britt, who is Sen. Richard Shelby's former chief of staff, and Lynda Blanchard, former U.S. Brooks also addressed critical race theory in schools during his discussion with Fox News. "Critical race theory is the exact opposite of what we should be teaching people across the United States of America… skin pigmentation is not what defines a person," Brooks said.

DALLAS -- Donald Trump Jr. says he will be "everywhere" in the 2022 midterm elections, as Republicans aim to win back the majority in the House and Senate. And Trump Jr. pledged that "you’ll see me everywhere" in the 2022 cycle. "There’s not many people that have sort of the privilege of having a big platform," Trump Jr., who has 6.8 million followers on Twitter, said. Some political pundits see Trump Jr. as a potential contender for the next GOP presidential nomination if his father doesn't run. "I haven’t personally thought about it," Trump Jr. answered when asked by Fox News if he’s mulled a 2024 run if his father doesn’t launch a campaign.

Lauren Wolfe, the former freelance editor who was fired by The New York Times over a pro-Biden tweet, defended her open political stance in a recent op-ed titled, "I’m a Biased Journalist and I’m Okay With That." They say that I’m biased … that journalists are all crooked, and that I’m a perfect example of why no one can believe anything we in the media say," Wolfe began her piece, which was originally written on her Substack. And yes, I often do write with an agenda—with an eye toward creating change," Wolfe wrote. "So yes, I am biased, and consciously so when it comes to certain subjects—especially when I’m reporting on criminality. "My actions as a journalist had effected change, which became part of the story I was telling.

EX-CBP DEPUTY COMMISSIONER SAYS BORDER CRISIS 'UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN,' WARNS OF 'BROKEN' SYSTEM"There's nothing humane about encouraging human trafficking of infants and pregnant women," Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton said Friday. But acting ICE Director Tae Johnson said the newest regulations preserve the "health and safety of pregnant, postpartum and nursing individuals" and reflect "our commitment to treat all individuals with respect and dignity." "Given the unique needs of this population, we will not detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist," Johnson said Friday. Under the Obama administration, pregnant women detained by immigration authorities were released from detention, though in 2017 Trump reversed the order. Opponents of detaining pregnant women argue it puts the health and safety of the mother and infant at risk.

That last clause, Weinstein told host Tucker Carlson, is key to why it is important that Ivermectin and other established pharmaceuticals are thoroughly investigated as alternative treatments. Ivermectin is also a cost-effective medication for its current uses, with a 3-day prescription-withstanding supply costing less than $50 on Amazon. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NATION"So if Ivermectin is safe and effective … then there shouldn't be vaccines that we're administering. Weinstein suggested that if the anti-malarial was proven effective, it would moot the Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine. New episodes of " Tucker Carlson Today " are available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday exclusively on Fox Nation.

U.S. President Joe Biden had raised the importance of the cross-border aid operation with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June. The Biden administration warned that any future cooperation with Russia over Syria would be at risk if cross-border aid deliveries were shut down. The council mandate for the long-running aid operation was due to expire on Saturday. Russia has said the aid operation is outdated and violates Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a swipe at the United States and others, Russia and China have also blamed unilateral sanctions for some of Syria's plight.

Former Afghan interpreters, who worked with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, demonstrate in front of the U.S. embassy in Kabul June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Nearly 20 U.S. senators now back legislation to help protect Afghan civilians who supported U.S. forces during the 20-year-long war in their country, a lead sponsor of the bill said on Friday, a day after President Joe Biden set a target date of Aug. 31 for withdrawal. Members of the House are also working on legislation to help the Afghan civilians. Many lawmakers have voiced support for evacuating interpreters and others who worked with U.S. forces to third countries to protect them while their applications for visas to reach the United States are reviewed. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden fired Social Security Administration Commissioner Saul after Saul refused to resign, and accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden fired Social Security Administration Commissioner Saul after Saul refused to resign, and accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

Valerie Baeriswyl/AFP via GettyTwo U.S. citizens with ties to Florida have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Apart from Solages and Vincent, whose alleged role in the assassination was not immediately clear, Charles said 15 of the suspects were from Colombia. Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections and interparty relations, released the names of Solages and Vincent late Thursday. Haitian authorities have not provided any information on what led them to arrest the two U.S. citizens. Everybody back up, stand down,” in videos from the attack on the Haitian president.

Later identified as Oeuth Ang, he claimed that he had killed Kem Ley over an unpaid debt. Thousands accompanied Kem Ley's body to a pagoda in Phnom PenhUnlike many academics, Kem Ley was in his element when far from the comforts of the capital. "No-one doubts for a second that Kem Ley was killed at the behest of powerful people in the government." Previous vigils to mark the anniversary of Kem Ley's death have been broken up and resulted in arrests. On 10 July, Cambodians will be remembering Kem Ley both in private and public, despite the threat of arrest.

Saul told the Post: "I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security." Deputy Commissioner David Black, also a Trump appointee, was asked to resign and complied, the White House official said. Biden has appointed Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the search for a commissioner and deputy commissioner is conducted, the official said. The Social Security Administration, which oversees programs that provide financial support to the elderly and disabled, referred questions about Saul and Black to the White House. "They've been trying to destroy Social Security," he said on Twitter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner's resignation, the White House said. Biden asked commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and his employment was terminated after he refused the Democratic president's request, a White House official said. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

He was among Houston voters on Super Tuesday who waited more than an hour — and some for several hours — in mostly minority, Democratic neighborhoods. He was arrested this week on two counts of illegal voting, a second-degree felony that carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in prison. Texas is the biggest state where Republicans have vowed to make voting changes since Donald Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election. Photos of voters waiting in long lines on the Houston campus appeared on news websites and ricocheted around social media. As soon as Saturday, Texas Republicans could begin advancing their revived election bills at the state Capitol.

President Biden fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul on Friday amid an ongoing dispute over his leadership of the independent agency responsible for administering retirement and disability benefits. Deputy Social Security Commissioner David Black was also asked to resign and he complied. "I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security," Saul said. She currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy at the Social Security Administration. To fulfill President Biden’s bold vision for improving and expanding Social Security, he needs his people in charge," Wyden said.

President Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of the Social Security Administration after the official refused to resign and accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Biden asked Commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and his employment was terminated after he refused the president’s request, a White House official said. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to resign, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. AdvertisementBiden named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the administration conducts a search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration.

Yeah, that was my first reaction when I heard a couple months ago that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti might be President Biden’s pick for ambassador to India. AdvertisementBut after thinking about it and talking to some foreign policy people, I changed my mind. And it’s not a bad deal for Los Angeles, which could really, really use a leadership change. But a foreign policy expert, Alyssa Ayers, was nowhere near as surprised as I was about Biden considering Garcetti for India. “Los Angeles has been quite creative in its own engagement with foreign policy,” Ayers said.

The Lee statue and another Confederate tribute nearby are both scheduled to be removed Saturday, nearly four years after violence erupted at the “Unite the Right” rally. The Charlottesville City Council voted in February 2017 to take down the Lee statue amid mounting public pressure, including a petition started by a Black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. Charlottesville continued to fight in court for the removal of the Lee statue and additionally voted to remove the Jackson figure. Since then, local governments across the state have removed statues that stood for a century or more. In the aftermath of the rally, Charlottesville residents unleashed a torrent of pain, anger and frustration at city and state officials, laying bare deeper issues about race and economic inequality.

Glendale police released edited footage of what they say led to the fatal shooting of a man suspected of breaking into a home in Glendale and advancing at police with tools in May. Surveillance footage from the home released by Glendale police shows 45-year-old Mariano Villegas walking on a grass yard of the property. In the footage, Villegas waves at the camera and says "here's my face, showing." Footage shows a few officers standing in front of the garage next to two Glendale police vehicles. Body-worn camera footage from another officer shows other police near the garage, but also does not show Villegas or the vehicle in the garage.

Dan Patrick said Friday that he expects the Legislature to approve an elections bill in short order, with the Senate passing its version of the controversial legislation next week. Patrick defended what he called Republican efforts to secure Texas elections, saying that critics of the legislation were distorting the issue. Former President Donald J. Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, flanked by Texas Lt. Gov. “I don’t know what Donald Trump is going to do in 2024, but I can assure you that his willingness to fight and standup is honored here in Texas,” Patrick said. “We will keep this a red state,” Patrick said.

All 13 Democratic Senators back the legislation. “This bill is designed to make voting and the election process more safe and more secure and more accessible,” said chief author Sen. Royce West of Dallas. A House hearing on its version of the voting bill begins at 8 a.m., while the Senate will take up its own proposal at 11 a.m. “My mom is 93 years old, she votes by mail,” said Senate Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Carol Alvarado of Houston. It remains to be seen whether the legislation floated by Senate Democrats will get a hearing in the GOP-controlled chamber.

A week after the state Supreme Court threw out Wisconsin's mask requirement, some schools are no longer requiring face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This week the Paris Consolidated School District in Kenosha County stopped requiring masks. The Cameron School Board in northwestern Wisconsin voted 3-2 Tuesday to make masks optional, against the advice of the county health officer. The Laona, Three Lakes and Crandon school districts in northern Wisconsin have also made masks optional, at least in some circumstances. A post by the Three Lakes School District drew more than 150 comments.

Murphy said a second defendant charged in the shooting was heard by a witness encouraging Tart to shoot Funches-Heard. The name of the second defendant — a woman — was not given in court nor was the charge against her.

On Thursday, he told the Pioneer Press he had kept his Wisconsin driver’s license and had not switched it over to a Minnesota one. HE SAID MINNESOTAIn October 2020, Thompson told the Pioneer Press that he’d lived in St. Paul for 18 years. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which oversees the state’s driver’s license program, Thompson has held a valid Wisconsin license since July 2000. The address or addresses on Thompson’s renewed and expired licenses are not public, but Wisconsin driver’s licenses are only available to Wisconsin residents. In at least one such form — the original driver’s license application — the penalty for falsifying that is perjury.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Biden asked commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and his employment was terminated after he refused the Democratic president’s request, a White House official said. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to resign, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Biden named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the administration conducts a search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration.

Updated 3 times AlertMeWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration. “Social Security is in deep trouble,” Pascrell said. The labor union that represents Social Security employees also welcomed the firings. “President Biden made the right call to send these Trump appointees packing,” de Juliis said.

Updated 5 times AlertMeThe Albuquerque City Clerk has declined Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales’ application to get public financing for his mayoral campaign, citing questions about potential misconduct in the qualifying process. But Gonzales’ campaign is claiming Watson, an appointed city official, has a conflict of interest. To qualify for public financing, mayoral candidates must prove they have sufficient community support by collecting $5 contributions from 1% of city voters — 3,779 people. Watson has certified Keller for public financing, according to records on the city’s campaign financing website. The first complaint includes a written statement from a voter who said Gonzales told him that he did not have to submit a $5 contribution and that the Gonzales campaign would pay for it.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Joe Biden will speak in Philadelphia on Tuesday to discuss voting rights, the White House announced — a visit that comes as fights over the 2020 presidential election and election laws roil state and U.S. capitols. The White House's announcement Friday gave little detail, saying only that Biden's remarks will be on “actions to protect the sacred, constitutional right to vote.”Pennsylvania is one of the battleground states buffeted by former President Donald Trump's baseless conspiracy theories that attribute his loss to Biden in last year's election to widespread election fraud. Philadelphia, a heavily Democratic city, was baselessly accused by Trump in both of his elections of harboring voter fraud, in 2020 saying “bad things happen in Philadelphia" and in 2016 that it needed to be closely watched.

Republican senator Marsha Blackburn continued her long-running feud with Taylor Swift in a recent interview, warning that the pop star would be the “first victim” of the “Marxist” society she believes liberals are pushing for in America. “Taylor Swift came after me in my 2018 campaign,” Ms Blackburn, the GOP senator from Tennessee, recently told the right-wing news site Breitbart. In 2018, Swift bucked convention in the tacit and often explicitly conservative world of country music and revealed her deep opposition to Ms Blackburn in a lengthy Instagram post, when she was running to be Tennessee’s first female senator. Though she was born in Pennsylvania, Ms Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her music career and is often associated with the state. In her 2020 Netflix documentary, Swift continued expressing her dismay, saying, “She gets to be the first female senator in Tennessee, and she’s Trump in a wig.

The researcher, who did not want to be identified because they feared further harassment, said: "I've had email hacks, emails that attempt to entrap me, and claims that I've faked data and am part of some sort of a systemic cover-up. And others have had it far, far worse.

A picture posted to Twitter on Thursday shows a U.S. Border Patrol agent carrying a Honduran migrant to safety after claiming to be injured near the United States-Mexico border. The photo was posted by Brian Hastings, the chief agent for the U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector, which has been inundated in recent months with an influx of undocumented immigrants. The agents then took turns carrying her for about 2,600 feet through the brush and muddy terrain before they reached a road and took her to Border Patrol station near Mission, Texas. Mexican authorities subsequently contact the US Border Patrol El Centro Sector, which was able to track the injured woman's location via her GPS and eventually located her at 10.22am. Border Patrol agents have also rescued a number of children who have been dumped over the border, according to FOX News.

Video: So.... what ARE you going to do Joe? Biden calls Putin and warns him for the SECOND time to deal with hackers and says there will be consequences if Russian cyber criminals attack the US againRussian President Putin and US President Joe Biden shook hands before their meeting got underway in Geneva.

Video: US Air Force Academy Prof. backs Critical Race Theory for ALL troops saying the Constitution created 'inequality', George Washington was racist and US 'domestic and foreign policy is shaped by racism'Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley DEFENDS teaching critical race theory in the military, slams 'offensive' claims troops are turning 'woke' and links 'white rage' to the Capitol riot

Video: Independence Day bloodbath: 142 people are killed in 379 shootings across the US during July Fourth weekend as celebrations turned violentPresident Biden blamed guns for the surge in crime, mocks the Second Amendment by saying Americans require 'nuclear weapons' to take on the government and insists assault rifles are only needed for 'deer wearing...

Video: Democrat Mazie Hirono snaps at Ted Cruz and tells him to 'stop mansplaining' during Senate hearing on one of Biden's judicial nomineesDuring a Senate hearing for Biden's judicial nominees Senator Mazie Hirono told Senator Ted Cruz to stop mansplaining because he was misstating her words.

AdvertisementBarron Trump was seen towering over his mother, Melania, on Wednesday as the mother and son duo left Trump Tower, where the former first family has been staying while in New York. In photos obtained by DailyMail.com, Barron Trump, now 15, walked next to his mother and carried Melania's vintage limited edition orange Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince bag, while she toted a $11,000 black Hermes Birkin. Last month, former President Donald Trump told the crowd at the North Carolina GOP convention that Barron is now 6-foot-7 inches tall. 'For four years in the White House, it was never quite clear how much time she was spending at the White House or in a house in Maryland where she had settled her parents.' He also said New York prosecutors want Weisselberg to 'lie against Trump' and flip on the former president.

I do national security work and it takes years for me to get access to a FISA warrant, I should say, or an NSA surveillance document,' he added. Indeed, his Fox News colleague Chris Wallace won the outlet its first Emmy nomination for his 2018 Putin interview. On June 29, the NSA denied that Carlson was 'an intelligence target'The NSA, in their June 29 statement, denied that Carlson had been deliberately targeted. Tucker Carlson has never been an intelligence target of the Agency and the NSA has never had any plans to try to take his program off the air. 'NSA has a foreign intelligence mission.

In a news release, Charlottesville confirmed the statue removal of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, along with a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson. The decision comes more than four years after the city voted to remove the Lee statue. The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. A portrait of Confederate general Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee was a decorated Confederate general. The Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, went up in 1924.

President Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a Trump-era holdover who had been accused of mismanaging the delivery of COVID stimulus payments and union bashing. Andrew Saul was appointed to a six-year term as Social Security Administration commissioner in 2019 by President Trump. Republicans said Social Security beneficiaries had the most to lose from the dismissal. As word spread, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell tweeted: 'This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration.' 'He has no background in Social Security whatsoever.'

President Joe Biden on Friday vowed there would be consequences for Russia after another round of ransomware attacks but he didn't detail what those might be. He called his Russian counterpart to demand Putin 'take action' about the ransomware attacks on the United States, warning him that he will take 'any necessary action' to defend the U.S.'It went well. 'I will deliver it to him,' he told reporters at the White House when asked his message for the Russian president. Kaseya provides services to more than 40,000 organizations and it was considered the single, largest global ransomware attack on record. Since the Geneva summit 'we have undertaken expert-level talks that are continuing, and we expect to have another meeting next week focused on ransomware attacks,' she said.

"In the face of terrorism, our special forces have developed a true brotherhood of arms. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Anton Semelroth called the roadmap "a statement of intent to broaden cooperation in all areas of special operations." In a discussion at the Atlantic Council after her Pentagon visit, Parly said the Takuba task force, nine European and African countries' special forces working together in the Sahel, was a model for future cooperation. Takuba "is a remarkable and concrete example of Europeans taking their responsibilities by accompanying the Malian armed forces in combat," she said. Ahead of their discussions, Austin called France an "ideal partner" in the Indo-Pacific, where Washington is trying to build stronger partnerships to counter China.

Biden fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, who's been on Democrats' wish list for removal. Several leaders appointed by President Donald Trump are staying in their high-level postsSee more stories on Insider's business page. President Joe Biden fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from the Trump administration who has been on Democrats' wish list for removal. Biden appointed Kilolo Kijakazi, currently the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy, as acting commissioner while the search for a commissioner and deputy commissioner is conducted, according to the official. But there are other officials appointed by President Donald Trump who are sticking around in their high-level posts in the Biden administration.

“Michigan State Police is also assisting in the matter.”The Michigan State Police separately confirmed to Law&Crime that the department is “providing investigative assistance” to the AG’s office. The other members of the oversight committee are majority vice chair Lana Theis (R), minority vice chair Jeff Irwin (D), and John Bizon (R). The report specifically addressed claims coming out of Antrim County, where the unofficial results were later discovered to be erroneous. A ‘Forensic Audit’ is ‘Not Justifiable’McBroom also specifically mentioned Antrim County in his opening letter. Read the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee’s report, below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Biden asked commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and his employment was terminated after he refused the Democratic president’s request, a White House official said. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to resign, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Biden named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the administration conducts a search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Administration, which operates independently, pays out more than $1T per year. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from President Donald Trump who regularly drew criticism from Democrats. Biden appointed Kilolo Kijakazi, deputy commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy at SSA, as acting commissioner until the search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner is completed. The Social Security Administration, which has operated independently since 1994, pays out more than $1 trillion to 65 million beneficiaries each year. “This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted.

Mr Shaub, who was an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter: "So instead of disclosing who is paying outrageous sums for Hunter Biden's artwork so that we could monitor whether the purchasers are gaining access to government, the [White House] tried to make sure we will never know who they are.

WASHINGTON POST GIVES WHITE HOUSE 'THREE PINOCCHIOS' FOR CLAIMING REPUBLICANS ARE DEFUNDING POLICEThe video shows a series of tweets and headlines where the left-wing politicians have called for defunding the police and abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). However, the Washington Post's Fact-Checker even dinged the White House for claiming Republicans were " defunding the police ," giving the eyebrow-raising talking points "Three Pinocchios." "Although Republicans all opposed Biden’s coronavirus relief package, no one voted to cut, or defund, anything. Rather, Democrats proposed $350 billion in emergency funds for state and local governments, and Republicans voted against those extra funds. "Democrats can't say the same - in fact, here are over two dozen examples of when they have."

It’s a significant amount of time apart for two men who live roughly 10 minutes apart and consider themselves close. The Biden administration has promoted social distancing during the pandemic, at times even discouraging visitors to the White House to keep the virus under control. Beyond COVID-19, the two camps have also collaborated on what the Biden administration considers important international progress, a final troop withdrawal out of Afghanistan by September. Earlier this year, during a CNN town hall, Biden admitted he’d never visited Obama in the residence when he was vice president. ADVERTISEMENTEarly into his first term, Biden has logged one main legislative success under a Democratic White House and Congress.

The White House fired Andrew Saul, the Social Security head, on Friday evening. President Joe Biden fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul and his top deputy on Friday afternoon. Advocates said the Social Security Administration delayed releasing information to the IRS for stimulus checks earlier this year. "Social Security beneficiaries stand the most to lose from President Biden's partisan decision to remove Commissioner Andrew Saul from leadership of the Social Security Administration," Brady and Crapo said. He wrote on Twitter that Saul's removal would be "an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration."

Frankly, we did win this election.” Obviously that wasn’t true at all—Trump hadn’t won anything because not all of the votes had been counted yet. Still, in some states it had become clear that he was very likely going to lose, hence Fox News’s decision to declare Arizona for Joe Biden. “The election desk,” Hemmer said, adding that the network’s decision was going to be aired imminently. Arnon Mishkin who leads the FOX News Decision Desk made the Arizona call on election night and FOX News Media President Jay Wallace was then called in the control room. Biden ultimately won Arizona by roughly 10,000 votes.

President Biden on Friday fired the man President Donald J. Trump appointed to lead the Social Security Administration, triggering a legal showdown over who rightfully holds the position. Mr. Biden asked on Friday morning for the resignation of Andrew Saul, the Social Security commissioner, and David Black as deputy commissioner. Mr. Black resigned as requested but Mr. Saul refused to relinquish his position and was notified by the administration that he had been fired. Mr. Biden moved to appoint an acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, while the administration looks for permanent replacements for the two jobs. The firing was the latest move by Mr. Biden to oust a Trump-appointed director of an independent executive agency.

The tracker does not show officials serving in an acting capacity, so positions unfilled by Biden are not necessarily vacant. All presidents appoint some temporary officials to Senate-confirmed positions to preserve continuity during transitions between one confirmed official and another. For now, the tracker includes official announcements by the Biden transition team and any picks reported by The Washington Post. During the first few months of the Biden administration, the tracker will be updated daily as positions are considered and filled. In some cases, public information on the status of certain officials or positions is inconsistent or nonexistent.

"My son Terrell Bosley, at the age of 18, his life was taken on the grounds of a church in Chicago, a place should have been safe. That is a story we hear often in our city of Chicago, not all over Chicago, [just] in 15 communities people don’t seem to care about." "So in Chicago, how can you say gang-related and destroy somebody’s character when these cases are not solved. We don’t need more police, more police is not the answer," she said. "We want Mayor Lightfoot to come talk to us: we need resources from her.

DALLAS–The mainstream media's bias in favor of critical race theory has only lit more of a fire under concerned anti-CRT parents, Texas school board member and education advocate Hannah Smith said Friday. Smith credited the author's narrative, which put Southlake in a less-than-flattering light, with getting outraged parents to the polls. ‘ANTI-WOKE’ CANDIDATE WINS TEXAS SCHOOL BOARD RACE, SAYS VOTERS REJECTING MEDIA'S ‘FALSE NARRATIVE' ON RACE"And that original article was so negative and actually galvanized our community into responding because the NBC article, that painted our community as a racist community," she said. MSNBC'S JOY REID CONFLATES OPPOSING CRITICAL RACE THEORY TO SUPPORTING QANON: ‘RADICALIZED PARENT ACTIVISTS’"I think it is to a degree and it depends on the outlet," Prior told Fox News. Parents have begun to not only confront their local school boards about CRT and progressive curricula, but to run for board seats themselves.

President Biden is looking to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the next U.S. ambassador to India. "I am honored to accept his nomination to serve in this role," Garcetti tweeted in response. LA MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI SAYS HE TURNED DOWN BIDEN ADMINISTRATION POSITIONThe mayor had previously asked to be removed from Cabinet consideration at the height of the U.S. coronavirus crisis last year. He added that he believed taking the job would "help strengthen Los Angeles’ place on the world stage." Additionally, a former aide is being sued for allegedly sexually harassing one of his bodyguards while the mayor laughed it off, a claim he has denied.

CNN has failed to reach more than 1 million total viewers on 16 different days from June 9 through July 8. CNN struggled to attract viewers throughout the day, starting with "New Day" attracting an audience of merely 421,000. at midnight ET averaged more than 1 million viewers. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" led the way, averaging 3.2 million viewers to outdraw all of CNN’s primetime programming combined. During the second quarter of 2021, CNN averaged only 654,000 viewers compared to 1.2 million for Fox News.

A federal judge on Friday blocked a Tennessee law that required business owners to post signs outside gendered bathrooms if the business allowed people to use them according to their gender identity. Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature passed the bill earlier this year, and it was swiftly signed by Gov. The law is reportedly the first restriction of bathroom use by transgender people to be signed in any state in five years, according to The Associated Press. Trauger, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, also determined that the law raises significant First Amendment concerns. The businesses say they are worried about driving customers away with the required signs or causing confusion.

President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a Trump administration appointee, after he refused to resign from the post. A White House official, in explaining the commissioner's termination, said Saul "undermined and politicized" Social Security disability benefits. Saul's deputy, David Black, another Trump appointee, resigned Friday upon request. Saul was known for his staunch anti-union attitude, a stance that became more controversial as the Social Security Administration dealt with federal employee unions amid the Covid-19 epidemic.

FILE PHOTO A sign is seen on the entrance to a Social Security office in New York City, U.S., July 16, 2018. Saul told the Post: "I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security." Biden has appointed Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the search for a commissioner and deputy commissioner is conducted, the official said. The Social Security Administration, which oversees programs that provide financial support to the elderly and disabled, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a tweet prior to the announcement that firing Saul would be "an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration."

The Biden administration is insisting on the release of all Americans unjustly imprisoned in Iran and will not accept a "partial deal" in its negotiations with Tehran over detained citizens, according to the U.S. envoy, Robert Malley. Former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S .out of the nuclear deal and Iran has since breached limits on its uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities. President Biden has offered to return the United States to the nuclear accord if Iran returns to compliance with its provisions. It was "distasteful" to have to negotiate for the release of Americans, Malley said, as he said they had committed no crime and should simply be released without conditions. Iran rejects that portrayal and says Washington must release Iranian nationals detained in the United States.

Peter Strzok, former FBI counterintelligence agent and author of “Compromised,”and Washington Post political reporter Nick Confessore break down the recent Russian cyberattacks against the United States and how the Biden Administration is handling Putin’s newfound aggression

Democratic state representative Jasmine Crockett shares what it is like on the ground in Texas with the rise in voter suppression laws in the state’s legislature and pleads for DC to do “what DC needs to do” to end these bills from being passed in states across the country

President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul after he refused a request to resign, a White House official told NBC News. A search for both commissioner and deputy commissioner will now be conducted, White House official said. The White House told the paper that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision gave the power to replace him. This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration. https://t.co/Y33G4YoZKf — Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 9, 2021"This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration," McConnell said.

6 Months After The Insurrection, The Remaining Capitol Fencing Comes DownEnlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty ImagesJust over six months after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, the protective fencing erected in the wake of the siege is coming down. The U.S. Capitol Police will continue to monitor intelligence for any threats to the complex and if needed, the Architect of the Capitol can reinstall the temporary fencing. The Capitol, which discontinued public tours in spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will remain off-limits to most members of the public. Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/APPittman also noted the force is expanding its wellness services for its members. Since the Jan. 6 attack, the government has brought charges against more than 530 individuals.

With the COVID-19 vaccination rate plateauing across the country, the White House is returning fire at those they see as spreading harmful misinformation or fear about the shots. Henry McMaster tried this week to block door-to-door efforts to drive up the vaccination rate in his state, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words in her reaction. “Now we need to go to community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oftentimes, door-to-door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people” who need to be vaccinated, Biden said Tuesday. Months ago, the Biden White House refrained from responding when officials criticized its vaccine allocation strategy of sending more doses directly to pharmacies instead of through state health departments after the former strategy proved more effective. White House officials are quick to point out that their criticism is not related to the officials’ political affiliation but to their rhetoric.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Biden asked commissioner Andrew Saul to resign, and his employment was terminated after he refused the Democratic president’s request, a White House official said.

According to Latinus, the video was filmed in 2015 just ahead of elections in which the newly-formed Morena party of Lopez Obrador was competing in its first elections. Latinus added that the cash was never reported to electoral authorities by Morena, and could amount to a campaign finance violation. The man in the video giving the president's younger brother the cash is David Leon, a political operative who served as an adviser to Lopez Obrador before heading Mexico's civil protection agency. Martin Jesus Lopez Obrador could not be immediately contacted for comment. Leon was also filmed giving a different brother of Lopez Obrador - Pio Lopez Obrador - wads of cash in separate videos published by Latinus last year.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday a video showing one of his younger brothers receiving cash from a political operator was part of an ongoing campaign by his adversaries to discredit him. "I think the intention is to do damage to me, or to try to damage me," the president told a news conference. "But my conscience is clear," added Lopez Obrador, who has built his reputation as an indefatigable scourge of corruption. The man filmed giving his brother the cash was David Leon, who Lopez Obrador named head of Mexico's civil protection agency on assuming the presidency in December 2018. Leon stepped down from the government last August after a separate video was leaked of him handing over money in 2015 to another brother of Lopez Obrador.

The notorious San Diego home of Mitt Romney, which made headlines in 2012 for having planned an installation of a car elevator, is now in escrow for $23.5 million. The move comes after years of enduring backlash from neighbors for tearing down and demolishing the initial oceanfront structure and building a new, bigger home. But Ciani added that he no longer has hard feelings after Romney kept his promise to "dedicate the beach for public use." "He could have bought other nearby houses that were bigger and for less, and for less trouble sooner, and he didn’t do that," Ciani told the San Diego Tribune in 2015. Romney, 74, and his wife, Ann, purchased the La Jolla home in 2008 for $12 million, property records show.

Los Angeles city officials backed away Friday from a deadline to clear all tents and other dwellings from the north end of Venice boardwalk, giving those living there illegally another week to comply. But those were not the deputies specializing in homeless outreach, who have not returned. For more than an hour Friday, sanitation workers sidestepped a young woman who lay face down beside a large sanitation truck appearing to be asleep. AdvertisementShortly afterward, outreach workers from St. Joseph and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority persuaded the woman to go with them. AdvertisementJack Rivers’ encampment is dismantled as a Los Angeles city crew conducts a major cleanup of homeless encampments on the Venice boardwalk on Friday.

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from the Trump administration who had alienated crucial Democratic constituencies with policies designed to clamp down on benefits and an uncompromising anti-union stance. The Social Security Administration pays out more than $1 trillion a year to about 64 million beneficiaries, which include seniors, the disabled and low-income Americans. “This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration,” Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell tweeted. The June decision raised the prospect that the head of the Social Security Administration would be next. “President Biden needs someone who can fulfill his promise of protecting and strengthening Social Security,” Representative John Larson, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Social Security subcommittee, said in an interview Thursday.

The eight-foot-high black mesh fencing at one point surrounded several blocks of Capitol Hill, interfering with pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The remaining sections, enclosing just the white-domed Capitol complex, will take about three days to remove, according to U.S. House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms William Walker. More than 535 people have been charged with taking part in the attack, when Trump supporters smashed windows, fought police and sent lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence scrambling for safety. Two police officers who took part in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives. Walker said the temporary fencing can quickly be reinstalled if needed and that other restrictions on access to the Capitol will remain in place.

Tony Evers vetoed two bills Friday that would have allowed local governments to delay drawing new district lines and attempted to prevent federal gun laws from being enforced in Wisconsin. Evers vetoed a bill that would have allowed city councils and county boards to delay drawing new district lines until after the spring 2022 election. Supporters of the measure pointed to delays in U.S. Census Bureau data that local governments use to draw new districts. Similar measures have been found unconstitutional in other states because state laws cannot override federal ones. Evers, who has supported stricter gun laws, questioned the bill's legal standing and called for "constructive conversations" on gun safety.

Cook County property tax bills that were supposed to be delivered Aug. 1 could be delayed because of “major errors” the Chicago Sun-Times exposed in a $250 million-a-year program that offers a tax break to certain seniors. In a letter Friday to Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough cited the newspaper’s reporting in warning there could be a delay in sending tax bills to Cook County’s 1.77 million property owners. related to senior tax exemptions. Smith says Kaegi’s staff provided Yarbrough’s office with up-to-date assessments Wednesday for all 1.7 million properties in Cook County. This is a common practice in our office, which ensures the timely mailing of tax bills.”

The vast majority of Minnesota police chiefs — more than 80 percent — say they support the use of body-worn cameras by police officers, according to a recent survey conducted by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association. But with the benefits of body-worn cameras, comes significant financial challenges, Potts said. Those challenges are particularly great for small agencies, Potts said. Legislators this past session considered a bill that included $1 million in funding annually for local agencies to acquire body-worn cameras. “We believe the more police officers with body-worn cameras equates to greater accountability for law enforcement; that’s what our communities desire and deserve,” Potts said.

Oregon State University student Chloe Zinda said she was in disbelief when she received a text message from the Oregon Health Authority -- the first indication that she’d won the state’s $1 million jackpot for getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Although the campaign doesn’t appear to have turned out to be the powerful motivator that state officials had hoped for -- with no statewide bump in inoculations that could be clearly attributed to the lottery incentive -- state officials still celebrated some overall victories. “I’m just absolutely thrilled that more than 2.4 million Oregonians have gotten their first vaccination,” Brown said. But the state Friday only announced Zinda’s $1 million win and hasn’t said who the other winners are yet. She plans to spend the money paying off college debt and pursuing an art career by opening an art studio.

Saul’s removal followed a Justice Department legal opinion that found he could be removed, despite a statute that says he could only be fired for neglecting his duties or malfeasance.

Washington — The family of detained journalist Danny Fenster and their congressman are raising concerns about the health of the Michigan native being held in a prison in Myanmar that is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. Levin said Insein Prison, where Fenster is being held, has an outbreak among staff and inmates of COVID-19, though prison officials are claiming to have the situation under control. The U.S. Embassy has also been denied in its requests to vaccinate Fenster for weeks as the virus situation in the country has worsened, Levin said. Prison officials claim Danny does not have COVID but have provided no evidence to back up that claim," Levin said. Bryan Fenster told The Detroit News his family plans to meet with department officials this weekend.

The court acknowledged that it believes the commission has been working diligently and through no fault of its own has been put in a difficult position to present fair voting maps, but said there isn't a sufficient legal reason to preemptively extend the deadline. Lawyers for the commission and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have said they will try to propose new maps by Dec. 11 and have them finalized by Jan. 25. "Not allowing time for this critical work is a disservice to voters across the state.”———Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday halted enforcement of a new Tennessee law requiring businesses to post special signs if they allow transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. The first-of-its-kind law went into effect on July 1 and would require such businesses to post signs on multiperson bathrooms that read, “This facility maintains a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom.”Businesses in Nashville and Chattanooga sued over the law, claiming that being forced to post those signs would violate their First Amendment rights by compelling them to communicate language they find offensive. The state of Tennessee argued in court that the signs are merely factual. In her Friday decision, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger handed a victory to the businesses that sued, granting a preliminary injunction that effectively prevents the state from enforcing the law while the case works through the courts. She noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has found that compelling individuals to “'mouth support for views they find objectionable'” violates a cardinal constitutional command unless justified by “the strongest of rationales.”

State employee union leaders are suing to stop Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's order to have workers return to the office now that much of the state has emerged from the pandemic, accusing him of violating prior telework agreements reached with the unions and ignoring the benefits of having people work from home. The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which filed the request for an injunction in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday, said in a statement that state workers proved throughout the COVID-19 crisis that a flexible teleworking agreement could be beneficial to the state of Connecticut. “From increased productivity and quality performance to the positive environmental impacts like reduced emissions, improved air quality and public health, the benefits of telework are clear and something that the Administration should be taking a proud step in leading,” SEBAC said in a statement posted on its website. In May, Lamont sent an email to state employees announcing they would be returning to their offices as of July 1 and that any telework would be limited to no more than 50% of their time, with manager approval.

"We’ve learned a lot of hard lessons from the power plant projects, in doing more outreach." The Virginia General Assembly passed an environmental law in 2020 called the Clean Economy Act that will eventually curtail the use of natural gas to create power. But under the law, the Chickahominy gas plant in Charles City, if built, could operate through 2050. Roberts, the retired paralegal who is helping lead opposition is active in Concerned Citizens of Charles City County and spent several hundred dollars in fees making FOIA requests to the county. She said people first found out about the two gas plant plans in mid-2019 via the groups Mothers Out Front and the Sierra Club.

The Chesterfield Bar Association this week endorsed two Black candidates for Chesterfield judgeships that are vacant or expected to be vacant soon, while rejecting a third Black candidate in a process that emphasized a nominee's character, temperament and experience as primary assets over their race alone. The endorsements partly conflict with the wishes of a majority of Chesterfield's 10-member state legislative delegation, which seems united in a desire to select candidates that would diversify the bench. The delegation hopes to reach an agreement on candidates before the General Assembly meets in special session next month, and the Chesterfield Bar is hoping to help shape the delegation's decision. In considering judges for appointment, the Senate and House traditionally follow the wishes of the legislative delegation that represents the locality where the judge will sit. Chesterfield currently has only one Black judge out of 15 (with two vacancies) in the county's three courts.

New York businessman Andrew Saul testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing to be commissioner of the Social Security Administration in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill October 02, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden on Friday fired the head of the Social Security Administration after the official, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, refused to resign. The White House said the Social Security commissioner, Andrew Saul, "undermined and politicized" the agency's benefits, among other things that warranted his firing. Saul's deputy, David Black, who was also appointed by Trump, resigned on Friday after the White House's request. Saul told The Washington Post, however, that he plans to log back into work on Monday.

Joe Biden has signed an executive order targeting anti-competitive practices across the economy that could have major ramifications for America’s largest tech companies. Friday’s order is the latest of Biden’s actions on anti-trust issues, which have pleased progressives pushing for more action on corporate power – particularly among big tech companies – for years. The measures targeting big tech acquisitions come weeks after Biden nominated the anti-trust scholar Lina Khan to the FTC, signaling a renewed effort to target big tech firms. “The executive order has a lot of great words, but we need to see some action for those words to mean anything,” she said. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Senate judiciary subcommittee on competition policy, said that Biden’s executive order needed to be buttressed by congressional action.

Haiti’s government has requested that the United States send troops to protect key infrastructure following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse this week, the elections minister, Mathias Pierre, said on Friday. Haitian officials said they had requested military support to protect port, airport and gasoline facilities and other key infrastructure, the New York Times reported. “Another deployment of foreign troops to Haiti would be a disaster,” said Jake Johnston, a Haiti specialist from the Center for Economic and Policy Research thinktank. Kinsley Jean, a student leader and political activist, said he was “fervently” against foreign military interventions in his country. “I don’t think the solution will come from foreign intervention.”Johnston said he thought the US was unlikely to agree to send troops.

Sign up for the Guardian's Fight to Vote newsletterA Texas man who became a national hero after he waited seven hours in line to vote in last year’s presidential primary has been arrested and charged with voting illegally. “I wasn’t going to let anything stop me, so I waited it out.”But on Wednesday, according to Houston Public Media, he was arrested and charged with two counts of illegal voting. In Texas, it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to vote until they complete their sentence, including probation and parole. Rogers’ parole began in 2004 and was set to expire in June 2020. Mason was convicted of illegal voting and sentenced to five years in prison, a sentence many saw as overly harsh.

CASABLANCA, Morocco – A Moroccan court in Casablanca on Friday handed a five-year jail sentence to Moroccan dissident journalist Soulimane Raisouni on sexual assault charges, which he denies, in a case that outraged human rights advocates in the country. Raisouni has been on a hunger strike for over 80 days to protest his pre-trial detention since May 2020. “A fair trial cannot take place in the absence of the defendant himself,” said his lawyer Souad Brahma. On the same day, hearings took place on a sexual assault and espionage case against Omar Radi, another dissident reporter in pre-trial detention since July last year. Both Radi and Raisouni have faced slander campaigns prior to their detention by outlets that usually defend authorities.

It's not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s***,' the individual said. tweeted Symone Sanders, Harris' senior advisor and chief spokesperson. Symone Sanders (center, in blue) vehemently defended Vice President Kamala Harris and her chief of staff Tina Flournoy against the claims made anonymously in the Politico story'We are not making rainbows and bunnies all day. Prior to the staff party, Harris previously used her residence for a women of the Senate dinner in mid-June, attracting several Republican guests. When now President Joe Biden lived at the vice president's Naval Observatory home, he was known for hosting events too.

A Capitol rioter allegedly set up a militia group under the guise of a 'Bible study' that discussed freeing fellow January 6 suspects from jail and preparing for a second civil war. Unbeknownst to him, he met an undercover cop when he stormed the Capitol who later introduced Duong to an undercover FBI agent. They gathered intel on Duong's plans, 'Bible study' group and weapons cache before he was arrested, according to his indictment, which was unsealed this week. The undercover FBI agent embedded himself in Duong's 'Bible study,' where they discussed two verses of the Bible before combat and firearms training and making plans for the future, according to court documents. 'The Bible study' also discussed a Virginia secession movement called 'the State of Appalachia,' which Duong wanted to be set up as autonomous zone, court documents say.

President Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a Trump-era holdover who had been accused of mismanaging the delivery of COVID stimulus payments and union bashing. He was asked to resign his post but was fired when he refused, according to a White House official. Andrew Saul was appointed to a six-year term as Social Security Administration commissioner in 2019 by President Trump. Republicans said Social Security beneficiaries had the most to lose from the dismissal. As word spread, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell tweeted: 'This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration.'

The DOJ released the videos after CNN and other outlets sued for access . All of the officers involved in this incident worked for Washington, DC's police force. Boyland's body is seen in some of the new videos, which also show her friend screaming for assistance. The crowd drags AW into the crowd while he pleads for help. The attack landed AW in the hospital, where he got staples in his head to stop the bleeding.

Chinese observers say remarks by Kurt Campbell, the White House’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, are in line with the official position the US has taken on Taiwan since 1979. Photo: EPA-EFE

Biden and his team stress ongoing legal efforts to safeguard voting rights. Biden has brought in outside advocates for meetings at the White House and has consulted advisers on the best strategy for combatting new laws. Most Republicans have similarly dismissed a separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court previously weakened. Biden believes "that voting is a fundamental right for the American people,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki this week. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling last week upheld voting limits in Arizona that a lower court had found discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Griswold is part of a bipartisan group of elections officials urging Congress to provide billions of dollars to shore up state and local voting infrastructure ("elections cost money"). But stateside, "elected officials really embraced the use of lies to try to manipulate Americans voters," Griswold said. "The blatant abuse of political seats for these elected officials' personal gain is incredibly dangerous to our democracy, but also to election workers," she said. "It's absolutely ridiculous to compare Colorado's gold-standard voter model to Georgia's voter suppression model," Griswold told Insider. "What we're seeing is insider political actors use voter suppression as a tool to steal future elections," Griswold said.

We know who made the call to leave Seattle Police’s East Precinct last summer, finally Jul 09, 2021 at 12:23 pmRecall June 2020. Mayor Jenny Durkan predicts a “summer of love.”But in all this, an unanswered question: Who made the call to leave East Precinct? T o explain how the East Precinct on Pine Street emptied out on Monday, June 8, we’ll rewind to the beginning of the weekend. “The decision has been made to allow demonstrators to march past the East Precinct today.” As his email lands in inboxes, officers at the East Precinct prepare to go. Officers board the armored vehicles, drive around the corner, and poof, just like that, the East Precinct is empty.

The Biden administration will stop detaining migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth in a reversal of a Trump-era policyWASHINGTON -- U.S. immigration authorities will no longer routinely jail migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth, reversing a Trump-era immigration policy. The practice of detaining pregnant migrants has been condemned as a threat to maternal and fetal health by immigrant and women's advocacy groups critical of medical care at detention centers. ICE recently adopted draft guidelines to focus apprehensions on people in the United States illegally who recently entered the country, pose a national security threat or have committed serious crimes. Under Obama, ICE adopted a policy in August 2016 that pregnant migrants would be presumed eligible for release as their cases made their way through immigration courts. The number of pregnant women detained by ICE increased from 1,380 in 2016 to 2,098, according to the Government Accountability Office.

President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One, Friday, July 9, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One, Friday, July 9, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday fired the commissioner of Social Security after the official refused to resign, and Biden accepted the deputy commissioner’s resignation, the White House said. Biden named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the administration conducts a search for a permanent commissioner and deputy commissioner. Kijakazi currently is the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the Social Security Administration.

CHICAGO — When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a press conference last month that the city was seeing a downward trend in violent crime, she was technically right. An NBC News analysis of Chicago Police Department data going back 20 years shows that overall, violent crime continued its slow decline during the pandemic. When all categories of violent crime are added together, the total declined by 46 percent over 20 years, and held steady between the first half of both 2019 and 2021. The most recent spike in gun violence was in 2016, when 788 homicides were recorded. Chicagoans are used to officials spinning numbers and choosing the rosiest statistics, critics say, but it’s harder to minimize the victims of gun violence.

(CNN) President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul after he refused to submit his resignation as the President had requested, a White House official told CNN. Biden had asked for the top two officials at the Social Security Administration to submit their resignations, the White House official told CNN, but only Saul refused. Deputy Commissioner David Black agreed to submit his resignation, the official said, and it was accepted. "Since taking office, Commissioner Saul has undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits, terminated the agency's telework policy that was utilized by up to 25 percent of the agency's workforce, not repaired SSA's relationships with relevant Federal employee unions including in the context of COVID-19 workplace safety planning, reduced due process protections for benefits appeals hearings, and taken other actions that run contrary to the mission of the agency and the President's policy agenda," the White House official said. The President has appointed Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner while the search for a commissioner and deputy commissioner is conducted.

The U.S. has agreed to send senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to Haiti to assist the government's investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the White House announced Friday. The political and security crises afflicting the Caribbean country are rivaled only by the coronavirus pandemic. Seventeen suspects have been detained, according to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph's office, including two Americans and 15 Colombians. Four other suspects were killed by police in a shootout late Wednesday, according to Haitian officials. The State Department declined to address a question about Pierre's comments during a press briefing Friday afternoon.

Eight members of the UK Labour Party that were suspended or expelled from the party over allegations of antisemitic remarks have lost a High Court claim against the party's disciplinary process. The eight alleged that the Labour Party had acted procedurally unfair by failing to close investigations or revoke suspensions or expulsions after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found the disciplinary procedure unfair. The EHRC stated that there was a “a lack of a clear and fair process for respondents” after the eight faced allegations of antisemitism. The eight deny they have made antisemitic remarks and comments. cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });if(window.location.pathname.indexOf("656089") != -1){console.log("hedva connatix");document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";}High Court Judge Mr. Christopher Butcher dismissed the claimants' case.

In 2016, the German historian and political philosopher Jan-Werner Müller published “What Is Populism?,” a well-timed examination of rising political movements, from the United States to India. Given the ways the world has changed over the past five years, has your conception of populism changed as well? Partly against the background of a European understanding of politics, I essentially want to argue that populism is really not just about criticizing élites or being somehow against the establishment. What about left-wing populism, which, as it’s generally understood, does not try to marginalize people by saying they’re not true members of the real people? I think that’s politically problematic because it violates a basic intuition about democratic equality, but then obviously I think it misunderstands how a lot of these outcomes came about.

Many of the agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, mentioned in the Friday order are independent, meaning the White House can only encourage them, not direct them, to take specific steps. One part of the order tells the federal agencies that approve mergers that they should update their guidance for vetting deals to better capture technology companies’ business models. Another asks the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate so-called net neutrality rules for broadband providers. Yet another asks the Federal Trade Commission to stop manufacturers from blocking farmers from repairing their tractors on their own. and the Justice Department to more stringently scrutinize hospital mergers to ensure that patients are not harmed by them.

Lauren Boebert Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert | Credit: Chip Somodevilla/GettyGreene and Boebert are staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump. But Conway is not fond of the reality television-esque environment developed during Trump's presidency that Greene and Boebert continue to perpetuate. Lauren Boebert Lauren Boebert | Credit: Joe Raedle/GettyGreene and Boebert have sparked plenty of controversy during their first six months in office. "I'm truly sorry for offending people with remarks about the Holocaust," Greene said at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol. It is antics like this that have Conway and VIEW PAC keeping their distance from Greene and Boebert, she said.

"We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders," the company wrote in a statement. Following a backlash on social media, Toyota announced on Thursday that they will no longer be making donations to members of Congress who contested the 2020 election results. "We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders," the company wrote in a statement. "We are actively listening to our stakeholders and, at this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election." Toyota also noted in the statement that the "vast majority" of their contributions this year "went to Democrats and Republicans who supported" certifying President Joe Biden's election.

"In sixth grade I was my school's spelling bee champion," Dr. Biden, 70, shared in opening remarks delivered ahead of the competition. Prior to her remarks, Dr. Biden met separately with the finalists and their families privately, according to a White House press pool report. A longtime educator, Dr. Biden returned to teaching this spring after taking the fall off to focus on the 2020 campaign. During a community college tour in Dixon, Illinois, in April, Dr. Biden said to reporters: "Most people now call me first lady. As the 2020 Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's competition was extra special for its 11 finalists.

Biden tells Putin the U.S. will take ‘any necessary action’ after latest massive ransomware attack, White House saysAdded: 09.07.2021 18:19 | 16 views | 0 commentsBiden has warned Putin that the United States would hold Moscow responsible for cyberattacks originating from Russia even if they cannot be directly linked to the Kremlin.

Added: 29.07.2020 15:29 | 20 views | 0 commentsSenate Republicans on Monday proposed a coronavirus relief plan that would significantly reduce the $600 weekly jobless benefit for Americans, a move that Democrats oppose. Meanwhile, President Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, became the highest-ranking administration official to test positive for COVID-19. Paula Reid reports.

Added: 29.07.2020 15:10 | 20 views | 0 commentsPresumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he's close to choosing a running mate. The former vice president said the decision will come next week. Ed O'Keefe reports from the campaign trail.

Added: 29.07.2020 14:09 | 18 views | 0 commentsTrump's reelection campaign and campaign committee are accused of hiding nearly $170 million in spending to vendors and Trump relations by funneling money through firms led by Brad Parscale and campaign officials.

Author Robert Draper on what led the U.S. to war in IraqAdded: 29.07.2020 12:02 | 19 views | 0 commentsOn "Intelligence Matters," Mike Morell and Draper discuss the key players, events and decisions that led to the George W. Bush administration's invasion of Iraq more than 15 years ago.

Added: 29.07.2020 16:29 | 8 views | 0 commentsActivists following in the footsteps of the late Congressman John Lewis are keeping up the fight for Black voters' rights. With less than 100 days to go until the presidential election, LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, joined CBSN's "Countdown to the Vote" special with more.

Added: 29.07.2020 15:40 | 18 views | 0 commentsAs U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 150,000, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss President Trump's controversial comments on hydroxychloroquine, which has been deemed not effective by medical professionals, and his retweeting of a video that contains mixed messaging on masks.

Sen. Chuck Schumer on what it will take to get a new stimulus packageAdded: 29.07.2020 15:29 | 20 views | 0 commentsDemocratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the GOP proposal for a new stimulus package and what it will take to make a deal.

Added: 18.06.2020 20:07 | 15 views | 0 commentsThe U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to confirm a federal judge who is a protege of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to an influential appeals court in Washington.

Added: 09.07.2021 22:18 | 5 views | 0 commentsGlenn Youngkin is doing everything he can to run as a Republican outsider in Virginia's gubernatorial election. But former President Donald Trump is muddling that strategy.

Dominic Cummings must go, Boris Johnson told as Tories warn him to get a ‘grip’ on Number 10 infightingAdded: 12.11.2020 12:24 | 15 views | 0 commentsSpin doctor Lee Cain denies he was behind leak over Lockdown 2‘If they have got rid of one Kray brother, the other has to go too’

'Publish EU accounts first!' Britons urge Boris to withhold £40BN Brexit bill paymentAdded: 09.07.2021 17:43 | 19 views | 0 commentsTHE UK is disputing Brussels demand for a £40.8billion Brexit "divorce payment".

Added: 09.07.2021 21:58 | 11 views | 0 commentsTHE PENTAGON has warned a nuclear war could happen as Russia and China armed themselves with terrifying nuclear weapons.

Were There Enough Illegal Votes in GA to Tip 2020? Added: 09.07.2021 19:40 | 15 views | 0 commentsBoth an audit and a recount confirmed Biden's victory, but ignored in the process was evidence that nearly 35,000 Georgians had potentially voted illegally.

Biden's Afghansitan Speech Was Worst of His PresidencyAdded: 09.07.2021 19:40 | 17 views | 0 commentsCNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen argues that President Joe Biden's speech defending US withdrawal from Afghanistan was peopled with straw men and littered with false assertions.

Added: 09.07.2021 22:16 | 13 views | 0 commentsGlenn Youngkin is doing everything he can to run as a Republican outsider in Virginia's gubernatorial election. But former President Donald Trump is muddling that strategy.

Added: 09.07.2021 22:11 | 14 views | 0 commentsCaitlyn Jenner held her first news conference Friday as a Republican candidate for California governor, 77 days after announcing she was entering a recall election that could remove first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Early Friday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to draft new regulations limiting device manufacturers’ ability to restrict independent repairs of their products. But the Biden administration’s involvement in repair issues brings national attention to a topic that has, for the most part, been addressed only in legislation at the state level. And it could have major implications for large tech companies and equipment makers that have historically held a tight grip on how—and by who—their devices can be repaired. The executive order is considered a significant win for right-to-repair advocates. “We’re really excited to hear this news,” says Kerry Maeve Sheehan, iFixit’s lead on US policy, in response to Biden’s executive order.

A proposed increase in the IRS budget cemented this agreement. In 1989 — eight years into Republican domination of the executive branch — it was often liberals who questioned the IRS’s political neutrality. They did so indirectly (and unwittingly) by simultaneously gutting U.S. campaign-finance law and the IRS’s budget. The president himself condemned the ostensible, disproportionate scrutiny of conservative groups, top IRS officials resigned amid a blitz of bad headlines. It’s possible that this lack of alternatives will ultimately lead ten Senate Republicans to back an IRS budget increase.

Paul LePage will return to politics to challenge his nemesis, Janet Mills. But now, at the age of 72, LePage is back home and has announced he will challenge Mills in 2022. Leaders of his party seem resigned to resume their tutelage under this angry reactionary who is very far from the traditional image of mild-mannered Maine Republicans. But none of them so resembles the 45th president in brash nastiness and mendacity as much as LePage does. Maine voters may want to think about that before heading to the polls next year.

Politico reported that the NYPD declined their requests for records about the prospective mayor’s time as an officer. Lawmakers voted last year to repeal Section 50-a, a portion of New York’s Civil Rights law that shields police disciplinary records from public access. During his tenure, Adams was critical of the NYPD in regards to police brutality and diversity issues on the force. The New York Times reported that Adams was investigated by the department four times. A spokesperson for Adams told Politico that the decision to release Adams’ records is up to the department.

Twice, Trump attempted to contact supervisors in Maricopa County, the most populous county in the state, after the 2020 election. “We need you to stop the counting,” Ward texted Hickman soon after the election. “Here is Sidney Powell’s number,” Ward texted Hickman on November 17th. “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state,” Trump told Raffensperger. In Arizona, Katie Hobbs’ call for a criminal investigation comes with a partisan tint, as she’s now running for governor.

“It’s unbelievable how offensive this administration is getting with a pandemic that is clearly on the run. This is a reason to keep vaccinating people, not to stop vaccinating people, especially as the highly contagious Delta variant is spreading around the world. The right’s campaign to keep people unvaccinated is starting to extend beyond Fox News chyrons and tweets. Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have for weeks been attacking the state’s health commissioner for “peer pressuring” teenagers about getting vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/J8fambqdoN — Brett Kelman (@BrettKelman) July 8, 2021The Tennessee Department of Health’s reversal — which has included the deletion of some pro-vaccine Twitter and Facebook posts — is especially concerning considering how quickly the Delta variant could spread.

Jenner running for change in California recall bidCaitlyn Jenner held her first news conference Friday as a Republican candidate for California governor, 77 days after announcing she was entering a recall election that could remove first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

J.B. Pritzker signed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act, which mandates "a unit of instruction studying the events of Asian American history, including the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Asian Americans toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward." "It is a watershed moment in history in terms of teaching Asian American history in K-12 schools." "Asian American history is American history." Others are focused on integrating Asian American history into existing American history courses or offering shorter survey courses on various groups. Kwoh's nonprofit, the Asian American Education Project, spun out of the group Asian Americans Advancing Justice last year.

The Value In Electing Women Political Action Committee, a prominent fundraising group for GOP women, is "intentionally" withholding campaign donations to Reps. Greene and Boebert. Boebert said she has "never heard of" the PAC, which she described as "DC insider." A prominent fundraising group for GOP women is “intentionally” withholding campaign donations to freshmen Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Insider reported Wednesday. We cannot let this work be erased by individuals who chose to be shameless self-promoters and carnival barkers. "I think that they would rather draw attention to themselves, and really Marjorie Taylor Greene more than Boebert, but they're cut from the same cloth," Conway added.

Former President Donald Trump is headlining an Aug. 5 fundraiser for the New York State Republican Party. State GOP chairman Nick Langworthy met with Trump at Trump Tower last month. Langworthy was one of Trump’s biggest boosters before becoming the state Republican Party chairman, while heading the Erie County GOP. FacebookThe fundraiser comes as Republican Party is fighting for influence in statewide politics, with races for governor, attorney general and comptroller up next year. Former President Donald Trump maintains strong ties to the leaders of the New York Republican Party.

President Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to "disrupt" ransomware groups operating out of Russia amid another series of attacks this week. The White House has faced mounting pressure to counter the spike in ransomware attacks following the summit with Putin last month. SCALE, DETAILS OF MASSIVE KASEYA RANSOMWARE ATTACK EMERGEIn a phone conversation between the two world leaders Friday, Biden warned Putin that the U.S. will take "any necessary action" to defend U.S. infrastructure and directed government agencies to prepare. The president also said he believes the U.S. will "get cooperation" from Russia, but said it was not "appropriate" to comment on what he expects Putin to do. The White House said only time will tell how Russia will respond to U.S. calls for action.

A second ally of PayPal co-founder and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel is now running for the Senate. THE GOP SENATE PRIMARY FIELD IN ARIZONA KEEPS GROWINGMasters formed a campaign committee in a filing with the Federal Election Commission, but the candidate did not make any formal announcement. Masters has the outside backing of the Saving Arizona PAC, which is being funded by a $10 million investment by Thiel. He becomes the second Thiel ally to launch a Senate campaign in the 2022 midterms. Republicans are playing plenty of defense – they’re defending 20 of the 34 seats up for grabs, including five seats where GOP senators are retiring.

"After careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. "Of course, he has the right to pursue an artistic career just like any child of a president has the right to pursue a career." "I think it would be challenging for an anonymous person who we don't know and Hunter Biden doesn't know to have influence," Psaki said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe younger Biden's foreign business dealings and laptop contents have already been a thorn in the side for the Biden White House. Hunter Biden described his full-time artistry as getting to the truth.

President of the National Action Network Reverend Al Sharpton discusses his meeting with other civil rights leaders and President Joe Biden where he says they expressed the outrage people feel over voting rights across the country

Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) — who first identified the funding shortfall in June — issued another warning on Friday afternoon. The Vermont Democrat said Capitol Police salaries will be depleted next month and the National Guard will have to cut training absent congressional action. Increasing bipartisan urgency in the Senate to cough up emergency cash to cover the financial needs of both forces comes after the House passed a $1.9 billion emergency spending bill in May. GOP lawmakers would provide about the same amount of money for the National Guard and Capitol Police salaries, while allocating far less funding to the Architect of the Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned on Friday of long nights, weekends and possible work into the scheduled August recess.

Caitlyn Jenner, Republican candidate for California governor, speaks during a news conference on Friday in Sacramento, Calif. | Noah Berger/AP Photo Jenner insists she's leading California recall field despite pollingSACRAMENTO — Reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner said Friday that she's leading all contenders in the Gov. Gavin Newsom recall despite polling and fundraising totals that suggest otherwise, addressing California political reporters in her first campaign press conference. In a Fox News interview earlier Friday, Jenner argued that “Gavin Newsom keeps changing the rules ... he’s like a dictator out here," she said. Asked if she wants Trump’s endorsement in the recall, Jenner demurred. Faulconer's campaign on Friday issued a release on homelessness that called him "the leading candidate to recall Gavin Newsom."

A federal judge on Friday blocked a Tennessee law that required businesses to post a notice if they allow transgender people to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. Judge Aleta A. Trauger of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee granted a preliminary injunction against the law while litigation proceeds. The communications director for the fourth defendant, Carter Lawrence, the state's fire marshal, declined comment due to ongoing litigation. Hedy Weinberg, the executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said the law is bad for businesses in Tennessee and harmful to trans people. The other was filed last week by Mike Curb, a Nashville record label owner, who is represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders.

FILE - In this March 26, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter Biden, second from left, as Hunter carries his son Beau and walks next to his wife Melissa Cohen, center, before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)FILE - In this March 26, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter Biden, second from left, as Hunter carries his son Beau and walks next to his wife Melissa Cohen, center, before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Hunter Biden has now shifted his focus to the art world. “That’s part of the appearance problem.”The concern, he said, is that regardless of who purchases the paintings, such high prices suggest Hunter Biden is profiting off his father’s name. Painter said that while the agreement concerning Hunter Biden’s paintings are not ideal, the administration overall has displayed a marked improvement on ethics matters over Biden’s predecessor.

Larry Culp, CEO of GE, speaks with Jack Hough on the Streetwise podcast to unpack reasons for optimism within the business of aviation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Friday phone call that he must “take action” against cybercriminals acting in his country and that the U.S. reserves the right to “defend its people and its critical infrastructure,” the White House said. Market Pulse: Biden told Putin to disrupt ransomware groups in Russia: White HouseThe conversation came less than a month after the two leaders met in Geneva, when Biden warned against continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. A new ransomware attack linked to the REvil hacking group based in Russia caused widespread disruption last weekend, affecting as many as 1,500 businesses. The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives. But ransomware attacks, perpetrated generally by criminal hacker gangs rather than state-sponsored hackers, appear to have eclipsed old-fashioned spying as a potent threat.

But he said that “all British troops assigned to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan are now returning home,” adding that “most of our personnel have already left.”Most U.S. and European troops have also pulled out in recent weeks. It will take combined efforts of many nations, including Afghanistan’s neighbors, to help the Afghan people to build their future,” Johnson said. Britain’s last combat troops left Afghanistan in October 2014, though about 750 remained as part of a NATO mission to train Afghan forces. He held out hope that the Afghan government could work with the Taliban to reach a political settlement. “I think the Taliban recognize that they can’t rule all of Afghanistan without a compromise.”

Now he's being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General's office for allegedly voting illegally. Houston Public Media reports that before Mr Rogers went viral, he had been arrested and imprisoned for 25 years for burglary and an intent to commit theft in 1995. Some states in the US, like Texas, deny people on probation the right to vote. Because he voted several months before his parole expired, Mr Rogers technically voted illegally, and was subsequently arrested. Mr Rogers is not the only person Texas has targeted for voting while on parole.

Associated PressLaw enforcement officers in Chicago fatally shot a 33-year-old man who pointed a gun at them as they tried to arrest him Friday, authorities said. The shooting occurred about 9:40 a.m. in the West Garfield Park neighborhood as members of a fugitive task force were trying to serve an arrest warrant for aggravated criminal sexual assault with a firearm, Chicago police Superintendent David O. Brown told reporters. A group of law enforcement officers identified the man, but he wouldn’t get out of the vehicle he was in and pointed a gun at the officers, Brown said.

The shooting Wednesday occurred the same day President Joe Biden traveled to the Chicago area and discussed persistently high levels of gun violence in the nation's third-largest city. Charging documents accuse McClaurin of shooting the other ATF agent and a Chicago task-force officer, though the charge pertains to one agent. “We will not relent in this fight against gun violence and protecting the people of Chicago,” he said. The three officers were on their way to an assignment when they were shot, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown told reporters Wednesday. With Wednesday’s shooting, 36 Chicago officers have been shot or shot at this year, Brown said.

He has mentioned potential vote fraud more than 20 times in the past two months and even floated the idea of canceling the election altogether. “I don’t mind handing over the government next year, to whomever it is, but with an honest vote, not with fraud," Bolsonaro told supporters July 1 outside the presidential residence. The president’s press office did not immediately comment on whether he will present evidence of past electoral fraud, with the deadline looming in August. Story continuesWere the proposal implemented, a receipt for each electronic vote would be visible to the voter before being deposited into a sealed ballot box. In the event of alleged irregularities with the electronic vote, the president argues, results could be checked by manually counting the printouts.

Greece - Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesNicola Sturgeon was under pressure on Friday to follow England’s lead and end the 10-day quarantine period for double vaccinated travellers after an industry chief warned that Scots would simply use airports south of the border. Despite the announcement that fully vaccinated UK residents arriving in England from amber list countries will no longer have to quarantine from July 19, SNP ministers have not yet said whether they will follow suit. "Absolutely what will happen is that Scots will fly from English airports," she told BBC Radio’s Good Morning programme on Friday. A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed that ministers are "considering relaxing restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers from amber list countries", but insisted this needs to be "fair and deliverable". They added: "Where possible we will look to adopt a four nation approach for the re-opening of international travel.

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's president on Thursday asked parliament to amend a recently approved law that would re-establish a special commission on appointing judges, a key condition for more aid from Ukraine's international partners. Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked for the removal of some contradictions and inaccuracies that were included in the draft by lawmakers during its final reading in June. The law must be signed by the president to become effective. "While supporting the need to resume the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, I cannot agree with the approach proposed by the Law to address some issues," Zelenskiy said in a statement. In particular, he requested that judges should constitute a majority on the commission and that the means of ensuring the independence of the commission should be clarified.

Boris Johnson - Henry Nicholls/REUTERSBoris Johnson could declare a bank holiday in August if England win the European Championship on Sunday, with a four-day weekend at the end of the month being touted as the most likely option. Mr Johnson has ruled out declaring a bank holiday before the match has finished, warning he does not want to "tempt fate". It means he would just have hours to spare after an England win to create a bank holiday. The prospect of that happening was remote, a senior government source said, adding that no plans for a bank holiday had been made. Others questioned the wisdom of granting a bank holiday on the day that the work from home guidance is lifted and pointed out that many schools would not break up until the following Friday.

President Joe Biden told reporters Friday afternoon that Russia will face consequences after cybercriminals within the country carried out a string of recent ransomware attacks against targets in the United States. Following an executive order signing ceremony, a reporter asked Biden "if there will be consequences" for Russia, to which the president responded simply, "Yes." "President Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware," the readout continued. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINERYou can watch Friday's entire White House briefing below. Washington Examiner VideosTags: News, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Russia, White House, Cybersecurity, Technology, Foreign PolicyOriginal Author: Christian DatocOriginal Location: Asked if US will deliver 'consequences' to Russia for ransomware attacks, Biden says 'yes'

U.S. immigration authorities will no longer routinely jail migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth, reversing a Trump-era immigration policy. The practice of detaining pregnant migrants has been condemned as a threat to maternal and fetal health by immigrant and women’s advocacy groups critical of medical care at detention centers. ICE recently adopted draft guidelines to focus apprehensions on people in the United States illegally who recently entered the country, pose a national security threat or have committed serious crimes. Under Obama, ICE adopted a policy in August 2016 that pregnant migrants would be presumed eligible for release as their cases made their way through immigration courts. AdvertisementThe number of pregnant women detained by ICE increased from 1,380 in 2016 to 2,098, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Weber did not object to adding Newsom’s party affiliation if the judge ordered it. “I want people to see what’s happening up here in Sacramento and the things that are going on,” Jenner said. “I guarantee you I’m in the lead” when it comes to who should replace Newsom, Jenner said. Gray Davis, a Democrat who in 2003 became the only California governor to be recalled from office. AdvertisementThe attorney for the recall proponents in that case was Bradley Benbrook of Sacramento, a former partner in a Sacramento law firm with Arguelles.

The park also has increased its lobbying at the Iowa Legislature, including for a recent law change allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to operate its rides. The park’s political impact has overlapped with several incidents in which workers or guests were injured, leading to regulatory fines and lawsuits. Adventureland Park CEO Michael Krantz has donated $175,000 to county, state, and federal Republican candidates since 2014. IOWA CITY — The Iowa amusement park where a ride accident killed one boy and critically injured another has become increasingly influential in Iowa politics as the state has trended Republican. The Jaramillo family has retained attorney Ryan Best, who says Adventureland failed to protect the family and respond quickly to the accident.

Election night results in rural Antrim County, which has roughly 23,000 residents, initially erroneously showed a local victory for Joe Biden over then-President Donald Trump. LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s attorney general has opened an investigation after a Republican-led state legislative panel said people are making baseless allegations about 2020 presidential election results in a northern Michigan county to raise money or publicity for their own ends. Colbeck has called the report “shoddy” and has called for the panel’s GOP senators to be censured. Dominion has accused Colbeck of “knowingly sowing discord in our democracy” and soliciting “exorbitant amounts of money” — over $1 million — to his business. The report called it a “serious breach.”The attorney general’s office did not elaborate on the probe’s specifics, saying it is an open investigation.

Boncore, 39, still has more interviews for the leadership job, according to another person familiar the hiring process. State Senator Joseph Boncore is a leading candidate to run the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, the trade group for the state’s booming biotech industry, according to an official close to the Winthrop Democrat. If appointed, it’s unclear whether Boncore would get Coughlin’s title of CEO and president, given that O’Connell currently holds the latter title. As the public face of the state’s high-flying biopharma industry, the head of MassBio has traditionally been well paid. Eighteen of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies have a presence in the state, including Pfizer, which last December got the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

After the lapse of no-excuse voting by mail in Massachusetts, a Boston city councilor hopes that his petition will ramp up the pressure on Beacon Hill to ensure city voters regain that option before they head to the polls to select a new mayor. Arroyo flagged concerns with each branch’s approach. A Senate vote to extend the pandemic-era policy into December would cover Boston’s Sept. 14 preliminary election and Nov. 2 general election, but not future contests, he said. The House’s permanent authorization for mail-in voting applies only to biennial state primaries, general elections and municipal elections that fall on those days, which Arroyo said would create “this weird sort of thing” where Boston voters would be able to cast ballots by mail in even-year elections but not odd-year municipal races. City election officials did not respond to a request for information about when mail-in ballot applications would need to be sent out in connection with the Sept. 14 preliminary election.

A Trump insider told Politico’s Playbook: “Trump thinks Greitens is problematic, and that Kim is annoying.” The insider added, “He (Trump) said, ‘Why the (expletive) is she working for him? Multiple advisers told Playbook that Trump is concerned that Guilfoyle’s affiliation with Greitens’ campaign will make it seem like an endorsement from him. Playbook added that Trump’s most frequent complaint about people is the perception that they are profiting off his name. After Guilfoyle joined Greitens campaign, the former president has become “increasingly short” with her, Playbook said. Meanwhile, the Playbook report doesn’t address whether Trump’s reported annoyance with Guilfoyle also stems from the ongoing controversy about her conduct when she was a top fundraiser for Trump’s re-election campaign.

Jury selection had been underway this week, with opening arguments set to begin Friday afternoon. But Judge Priscilla Loew announced in the early afternoon that a medical emergency for one of the prosecution’s witnesses will prevent the trial from going on as scheduled. Court officials characterized the witness as “indispensable” to the prosecution and said the medical situation would prevent her from traveling to Colorado to testify. The court declared a mistrial before jury selection was finished, and a new trial is now set for Oct. 25. After the confrontation, Webster followed the family to the parking lot, where he began firing, witnesses said during a 2018 preliminary hearing.

Sen. Ted Cruz isn’t at CPAC in Dallas this weekend. “You’re our local celebrity!” one woman told Rafael Cruz, an 82-year-old pastor. Ted Cruz publicly put that behind him, transforming from bitter adversary to Trump wingman once the rancor of that primary faded, and at the CPAC event in Orlando in late February, where both the senator and Trump spoke, Cruz reiterated his fealty. “Donald J. Trump ain’t going anywhere,” Cruz told activists. Cheers erupted for clips of the late Rush Limbaugh, and of Ted Cruz accusing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of stifling conservative speech.

The Milwaukee Common Council met this week for the first time in person since the coronavirus pandemic forced many government meetings and services to move online early last year. Restrictions have gradually loosened in Milwaukee, with City Hall and other facilities reopening to the public on June 21. He also noted, though, that Milwaukee is many times larger than the average city or village in the state. The pandemic fostered more openness by communities to accommodate members of the public and government officials who want to participate in meetings remotely, he said. The goal will remain to hold Common Council meetings in person but committee meetings could take place remotely, Johnson said.

Meeting with reporters for just under 15 minutes, Jenner asserted she is a serious candidate in the Sept. 14 election and claimed she is leading the field of Republican candidates, even though no independent polling has been done that shows that.

The next time you apply for a new Nevada driver’s license, the card will look different than it has for at least the past seven years. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will roll out a new driver’s license design beginning Monday. (Courtesy: Nevada DMV)The next time you apply for a new Nevada driver’s license, the card will look different than it has for at least the past seven years. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will roll out a new driver’s license design beginning Monday. There are also other new security features on the license beyond those noted on the sample images.

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said it approved felony charges in 84% of cases brought to its prosecutors for review by Chicago police over the July Fourth weekend. Of the 122 cases police took to the state’s attorney’s Felony Review Unit between July 2 and July 5, prosecutors approved felony charges in 102 of the cases — mostly gun-related, data provided to the Chicago Sun-Times shows. The Felony Review Unit rejects charges due to lack of evidence, Foxx spokeswoman Sarah Sinovic said. Chicago police Friday didn’t respond to a request for comment on the state’s attorney’s office’s July Fourth data. Over the July Fourth weekend, the Felony Review Unit approved unlawful use of a weapon charges in 82 cases and rejected charges in eight others — a 91% approval rate.

“I would have thought by this point in time, the bad publicity that surrounded this case and the adverse effects to the defense have already happened, if you think about it logically,” Raticoff said. “After all the public outcry about gun violence, it’s gonna be really hard for them to find a juror that is truly fair and impartial.”

Lansing — For the second time, the Michigan Supreme Court on Friday directed the Board of State Canvassers to certify Unlock Michigan's petition signatures and advance the group's proposal to the state Legislature. But an opposition group called Keep Michigan Safe filed a motion for reconsiderationIn response to that motion, the Michigan Supreme Court again ordered the Board of State Canvassers to approve the signatures. The Board of State Canvassers has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday when the Unlock Michigan petitions could be considered. "The Board of State Canvassers needs to do its job on Tuesday and certify the Unlock Michigan petition, finally," Wszolek said. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional on Oct. 2, the same day Unlock Michigan submitted its petition signatures to the Bureau of Elections.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is expected to hold its first public hearing this month with police officers who responded to the attack and custodial staff who cleaned up afterward, chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said Friday. Thompson, D-Miss., says the committee hopes to “set the tone” of the investigation by hearing from those first responders, many of whom were brutally beaten and verbally abused by former President Donald Trump’s supporters as they pushed past law enforcement and broke into the Capitol to interrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Referring to the police officers, Thompson told The Associated Press in an interview, “We need to hear how they felt, we need to hear what people who broke into the Capitol said to them.”He said the members of the panel, who held an initial strategy session this week, want to frame that first hearing so that it is clear that they are serious, and also that they care about “those individuals who either secure the Capitol or clean the Capitol.”

Mike Parson on Friday vetoed a wide-ranging bill that would have limited public access to certain government records. Among other things, the measure would have allowed Missouri government agencies to close off public access to people’s addresses and phone numbers provided for mailing lists. More broadly, the bill would give a 30-day deadline for people to pay once they receive a bill for the estimated cost to get public records, although requests could be resubmitted. Other provisions in the bill would have required public bodies to give 72-hour notice if the office is going to be closed for an extended period of time, a change pitched after many public offices shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. Another provision would have meant defendants facing extended jail time wouldn’t have had to pay for the police report and other public records on their own case.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two high-ranking Trump political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency engaged in fraudulent payroll activities — including payments to employees after they were fired and to one of the officials when he was absent from work — that cost the agency more than $130,000, a report by an internal watchdog says. The two men, who have since left the EPA, arranged for former agency employees to continue collecting nearly $38,000 salaries even after they were fired, the report says. Separately, Munoz also received an improper raise and submitted “fraudulent timesheets” during periods when he was not at his work station that cost the EPA almost $96,000, the report said. The March 31 report was released this week. In a statement Friday to The Associated Press, Inspector General Sean O'Donnell said, “Continuing to pay fired political staff, creating fraudulent records and authorizing improper pay increases represent serious waste of taxpayer funds.''

Only the statues of Lee and Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed for now, the city said. The stone bases of the monuments will be left in place temporarily and removed later. The statues are perched in places of relative prominence in Charlottesville, a small, picturesque city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and home to the University of Virginia. The Charlottesville City Council voted in February 2017 to take down the Lee statue amid mounting public pressure, including a petition started by a Black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. First, they rallied by torchlight at the statue in May 2017, then a small group of Klansmen gathered in July, far outnumbered by peaceful protesters.

Michael O’Sullivan, a deputy chief prosecutor, will assume the position of acting chief, according to the email. Taking up his duties as chief prosecutor in 2011, Martins predicted that the revamped commissions for the five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks would be more transparent and fair to defendants than a previous effort. That also applied to other terrorism defendants at the base, including a Saudi prisoner charged in the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole. After backing off a plan to try 9/11 defendants in federal court in New York, the Obama administration worked with Congress on an overhaul of the tribunals. Changes included restrictions on the use of evidence gained through coercion or torture and improved viewing access for the media and select observers.

(Bloomberg) -- President Jair Bolsonaro said, without providing evidence, that Brazil’s highest electoral authorities stole votes in previous elections and will do it again in the 2022 presidential contest unless congress approves his proposal to reintroduce paper ballots. “The fraud is inside the Superior Electoral Court, there’s no doubt,” Bolsonaro told a group of supporters in front of his official residence on Friday. © Bloomberg President Bolsonaro Holds Press Conference After Firing Military Chiefs And Defense HeadJair BolsonaroPhotographer: Andressa Anholete/BloombergCongressional and electoral authorities rebuked Bolsonaro’s remarks. Electoral authorities last month called on Bolsonaro to present evidence of election-fraud claims, but the president has so far refused to do so. Read more: Vaccine Scandal Takes Dramatic Turn With Brazil Arrest(Updates with statement from electoral court and Pacheco in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6.)

Minotaur: Poetry and the Nation State, Tom Paulin’s collection of critical essays, was published in 1992 at a significant and, for many, alienating moment in literary history. A powerful and necessary offshoot of this development further altered the direction of literary studies and history. Postcolonial studies had been, in substantial part, articulated by Paulin’s friend, Edward Said. Now, it’s possible to see how Paulin’s essays at once embodied this striking shift of register, while arguing with it. In both learning from and disagreeing with “these various critical approaches” concealed by “the unitary title ‘critical theory’,” the essays represent a departure, and make a case for the literary that is neither dated nor nostalgic.

The Lincoln Project has revealed its new mission: to destroy the Republican Party . In fact, Mr Galen spent much of his pre-Trump career working on Republican campaigns, including for George W Bush , John McCain , and Arnold Schwarzenegger . “The Republican party is irredeemable in its current form,” Mr Galen said. “We want them fighting,” Mr Galen said. And the biggest example of all, of course, is Mr Trump himself, who many saw as an easy opponent to beat in 2016.

Nearly half of Republican voters think it’s OK for state legislators to overturn election results, a new study has shown. Meanwhile, Mr Trump pressured individual election officials to reject their own vote counts, contravening their legal responsibilities. The Voter Study Group found that most Republican voters support these efforts to undo the election. Almost 62 per cent believe that Mr Biden is not a legitimate president, the survey found, and about two thirds believe Mr Trump actually won in 2020. Only 23 per cent of Americans believe state legislators are entitled to overturn an election, the study found.

Texas resident Hervis Rogers went viral last year after he stood in line for seven hours to vote on Super Tuesday at the Texas Southern University polling place. Now he's being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General's office for allegedly voting illegally. Houston Public Media reports that before Mr Rogers went viral, he had been arrested and imprisoned for 25 years for burglary and an intent to commit theft in 1995. Because he voted several months before his parole expired, Mr Rogers technically voted illegally, and was subsequently arrested. The Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has prioritised prosecuting alleged cases of voter fraud during his tenure.

By Maria Carolina MarcelloBRASILIA – Brazilian Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco on Friday vehemently rejected any speculation that the 2022 presidential election may not take place, insisting that the constitution will be upheld and the wishes and expectations of the Brazilian people will be met. Speaking to reporters in the Senate, Pacheco was responding to comments made by President Jair Bolsonaro earlier in the week that he may not accept the result of the election unless the voting system is changed. It’s that simple.”Bolsonaro claims the voting system, which uses computers to record votes, is susceptible to voter fraud, and is insisting that only printed ballots be used. There will be printed ballots, because if there are no printed ballots, this is a sign that there will be no election. The message is clear.”Pacheco on Friday rejected any suggestion there has been voter fraud in previous elections or that the current system is vulnerable to fraud.

A Confederate monument that helped spark the violent 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville four years ago, will be removed on Saturday, the city announced Friday. In a news release, Charlottesville confirmed the statue removal of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, along with the statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson. The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. In 2017, Charlottesville City Council voted to take Lee's statue down, but a lawsuit was quickly filed which put the city´s plans on hold. A lawsuit was quickly filed, putting the city´s plans on hold, and white supremacists seized on the issue.

Advertising Read moreWashington (AFP)US President Joe Biden on Friday once again told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "take action" against ransomware hackers operating from Russia, but the Kremlin gave little sign of listening. Talking to reporters, Biden said he "made it very clear" to Putin that "we expect them to act" against ransomware gangs. It was the same message Biden delivered in person to Putin in their first summit meeting in Geneva in June. Told of the Kremlin's claim, a senior Biden administration official said there had been "multiple, specific requests for action." "We expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is," he said.

After reviewing the oversight committee's report, the attorney general's office "accepted Sen. McBroom and the Committee's request to investigate," said Lynsey Mukomel, press secretary for Attorney General Dana Nessel. But the committee's report discredited many claims made in an election fraud lawsuit against Antrim County that served as a vehicle to advance election conspiracies. His website includes a link to donate to an "Election Fraud Defense Fund." The two were included in the speaker lineup for an "election integrity" fundraiser held in Antrim County in early June. And Colbeck's website, which includes false claims of election fraud, accepts financial contributions from readers.

The attorney general of Tennessee penned a letter — signed by twenty other states’ Republican attorney generals — that formally objects to an executive order by President Joe Biden on his first day in office that extended federal anti-discrimination protections to sexual orientation and gender identity. The attorneys general claim that the Department of Education (DOE) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have “misconstrued federal law and failed to adhere to the transparency and deliberative process” by following Biden’s directive. The actions that the DOE and EEOC have taken to enforce these rules against discrimination since are at issue. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and 18 other attorneys general — including those from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia — also signed the letter. It was sent to Biden as well as Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Congressional leaders of both parties in both chambers, and commissioners at the EEOC.

Citizens take part in a protest near the police station of Petion Ville after Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was murdered on July 08, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Richard Pierrin/Getty ImagesHaitian officials fear terrorists will attack the country's infrastructure in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti's minister of elections told the New York Times that officials have asked the US to send military troops down for support. Government officials in Haiti have asked the United States military to send in troops to help stabilize the country in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The US has staged military interventions in Haiti before, and Marines occupied the country from 1915 to 1934.

President Biden signed an executive order on Friday cracking down on what the White House says are anticompetitive practices among technology companies, labor and several other economic sectors. "The heart of American capitalism is a simple idea: open and fair competition," Mr. Biden said in remarks on Friday afternoon. Mr. Biden insisted that "competition works," and had led to the U.S. becoming the "wealthiest and most innovative nation in history." The order does not impose the will of the White House directly, but instead encourages different agencies to take action. Other White House economic advisers are also seen as favoring tougher antitrust rules.

The US plans to send FBI agents and other federal investigators to Haiti at the country’s request after its president was assassinated earlier this week, the Biden administration said Friday. Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was shot to death in a daring, pre-dawn raid Wednesday allegedly carried out by a 28-member hit squad made up of a number of Colombians and two Americans, officials said. Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was shot and killed earlier this week. Richard Pierrin/Getty ImagesSuspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise included Haitian Americans James Solages (left) and Joseph Vincent. The pair also told the judge that the hit squad had worked for a month to plan the raid — and met repeatedly in a ritzy hotel in suburban Port-au-Prince.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for a possible delay to next month’s scheduled recess. As negotiators continue to work on the bipartisan proposal, Schumer noted that legislators’ work would extend into Congress’ annual August recess if necessary. Senators should be prepared for the possibility of working long nights, weekends, and remaining in Washington into the previously-scheduled August state work period,” he wrote. The Senate is currently scheduled to begin a summer recess after the week of Monday Aug. 2. “Last month, all fifty Senate Democrats united for the first time this Congress to move forward on a strong and comprehensive voting rights bill.

The Pentagon’s top spokesperson acknowledged Friday that there was a “deteriorating security situation” in Afghanistan following the US troop withdrawal — despite President Biden downplaying the consequences. “What we have seen is a deteriorating security situation on the ground, no question about that, that the Taliban continues to take district centers,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN. Kirby’s comments come after Taliban officials claimed Friday that the Sunni Muslim insurgent group had taken control of 85 percent of territory in the country. On Thursday, Biden defended the decision to end America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan and toned down concerns that the Taliban will restore their Islamic fundamentalist rule. They’ve had training and the ability to be in the field with American forces much over the last 20 years,” Kirby said.

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted Friday that President Biden “does not” talk business with his son — despite new records indicating otherwise — and separately confirmed that Hunter Biden still co-owns a Chinese investment firm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted that President Biden does not talk business with Hunter Biden. An attorney for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Getty Images for World Food ProgA Senate report released in September said a firm linked to Hunter Biden received $3.5 million from Baturina in 2014. The buyers won’t be named publicly and the White House claims Hunter Biden won’t learn their identities.

Every day that goes by, the problem gets worse. To take just one front in the battle, this week the Texas legislature is back at work in an “emergency” session, the emergency being that too many people voted in the 2020 election. So they’ll be considering sweeping measures to make voting harder for people who might vote for Democrats, allow Republican activists to harass election officials, and create opportunities for judges to overturn elections that come out the wrong way.

CBS CORRESPONDENT ADMITS 'MAYBE WE WENT ABOUT COVERING' MICHAEL AVENATTI 'THE WRONG WAY'ARI FLEISCHER: I think, frankly, he is a symbol of the anti-Trump era. And how many times did the mainstream media try to get Donald Trump through whatever vehicle they could, including somebody a scurrilous as Michael Avenatti, who they gave so much attention to? And it all turned out to be false, from the Steele dossier to Michael Avenatti to collusion. The damage the mainstream media did to America to get Donald Trump was fierce. I get Donald Trump was controversial, but it doesn't mean you should be unfair in your media coverage.

The Justice Department (DOJ) announced this week it will provide more than $7 million in funding for body cameras so smaller law enforcement agencies can abide by increasing demands and standards of policing. The money will be distributed in microgrants to agencies that employ 50 or fewer full-time sworn personnel, most likely to include rural and Tribal agencies. "Today we encourage all small, rural and Tribal law enforcement agencies to apply for funding for this important tool that will enhance protection for both officers and citizens." ALVIN BRAGG POISED TO BE MANHATTAN'S FIRST BLACK DAThe BJA provides support for law enforcement through grants, cooperative agreements, training and technical assistance, and policy development resources at state and local levels. "Importantly, this grant program will make it easier for small, rural and Tribal law enforcement agencies to apply for funding."

Allies of Vice President Kamala Harris are making efforts to play damage control amid reports of White House infighting and staff complaints. She understands the significance of this moment in history and the tremendous weight of being the first [female vice president]." Harris' senior advisor, Symone Sanders, and deputy chief of staff Michael Fuchs also defended the vice president and Flournoy in statements to Axios. The outlet reported Harris’ chief of staff had "effectively shut out" some of the vice president’s allies in politics and business, including top donors. Republicans had slammed the vice president for resisting calls to personally assess the situation at the border.

Department of Homeland and Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced a new counterterrorism intelligence official to the department's senior leadership team, over six months after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Mayorkas said in a Friday announcement to DHS staff that John Cohen, coordinator for counterterrorism at DHS, will now also serve as acting head for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A). "John has over three decades of experience in law enforcement, counterintelligence, and homeland security," Mayorkas said in the Friday memo. "He previously served as the Acting Under Secretary and Principal Deputy Under Secretary of I&A and as Counterterrorism Coordinator for DHS during the Obama-Biden Administration." DHS confirmed the announcement of Cohen's appointment to Fox News Friday.

According to the Media Research Center, Kardashiani, Er, Avenatti, was booked on CNN 122 times. MSNBC wasn’t far behind with 108. Over one 10-week stretch, he was on the cheesy news network — CNN — 74 times. I don’t know… maybe don’t befriend a shady hustler who plays a lawyer on TV, only to proceed to "interview" him dozens of times if you’re a network "anchor." Avenatti hated Trump.

Instead, Democrats are performing a political trifecta of hypocrisy, deceit and psychological projection: Democrats didn’t defund the police. Lying Democrats now blame Republicans for defunding police and, presumably, unleashing the ensuing epidemic of lawlessness. Among numerous such actions, consider these:*Portland, Oregon’s City Commission voted 3-1 on June 17, 2020 to defund $15 million from its police budget, nixing 84 positions. *The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-2 on July 1, 2020, to defund the LAPD by $150 million. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPBeyond defunding, Democrats demonized police as trigger-happy racists who shoot blacks for sport.

LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden has nominated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as U.S. ambassador to India, ending months of speculation whether the two-term mayor would land a role within the Biden administration. "I am honored to accept his nomination to serve in this role," Garcetti said in a statement. "I love Los Angeles and will always be an Angeleno." — MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) July 9, 2021If confirmed, Garcetti would be the first L.A. mayor in more than 100 years to voluntarily leave office, the Los Angeles Times reported. But a recent lawsuit alleges that a top Garcetti staffer harassed one of the mayor's bodyguards while Garcetti brushed off the behavior.

Scott Applewhite)Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, departs the Capitol after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appointed him to lead the new select committee to investigate the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, in Washington, Thursday, July 1, 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed eight members to the select committee, including seven Democrats and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Thompson said the panel welcomes Republican members, but will be moving ahead even if McCarthy chooses not to participate. Under the committee’s rules, the eight members appointed by Pelosi will be enough for the committee to have a working quorum. He said there will also be no foregone conclusions — on timing or otherwise — as the committee begins its work.

FILE - A statue of Stonewall Jackson is seen uncovered in Justice Park, in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. The Lee statue and another Confederate tribute nearby are both scheduled to be removed Saturday, nearly four years after violence erupted at the “Unite the Right” rally. Only the statues of Lee and Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed for now, the city said. The Charlottesville City Council voted in February 2017 to take down the Lee statue amid mounting public pressure, including a petition started by a Black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. Charlottesville continued to fight in court for the removal of the Lee statue and additionally voted to remove the Jackson figure.

President Joe Biden hands out a pen after signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden hands out a pen after signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow corporate power. “This is really more of a blueprint or agenda than a traditional executive order,” said Daniel Crane, a law professor at the University of Michigan who focuses on antitrust. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, said that Biden’s executive order needs to be buttressed by congressional action.

President Joe Biden has nominated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as ambassador to India, the White House said Friday, selecting a high-profile ally to serve in one of the most difficult diplomatic posts. Garcetti, if confirmed, would be dispatched to India as it has been overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths. The two-term mayor would leave Los Angeles with an uneven record. And as is the case in many large cities, the crime rate in Los Angeles is spiking. See: Caroline Kennedy being considered by Biden for high-profile ambassador post: report

President Joe Biden signed an executive order promoting economic competition on Friday that includes three provisions designed to improve opportunities for workers. “Barriers to competition are also driving down wages for workers,” the White House said in a statement on Friday. Between 36 million and 60 million private-sector workers were subject to noncompete agreements in 2019, according to estimates by the Economic Policy Institute. “Noncompete agreements reduce wages. About 30% of U.S. jobs require this kind of licensing, according to estimates by the Federal Trade Commission.

By Nandita Bose and Jarrett RenshawWASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday that includes over 70 initiatives the White House wants over a dozen agencies to undertake to promote competition throughout the U.S. economy, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The order goes after corporate monopolies across a broad swath of industries such as technology, banking and airlines and pushes government agencies to consider how their decisions will impact competition in an industry, according to the sources. Reuters first reported Biden's plan to issue a competition executive order. It directs the FTC to issue rules to address competition concerns from Big Tech companies and ban or limit non-compete agreements, the source said. President Biden will deliver remarks and sign the executive order at 1.30 pm ET.

By Steve HollandWASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that he pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to act against groups conducting ransomware attacks from his territory. In comments made during a signing ceremony in Washington, Biden said he told Putin, "When a ransomware operation is coming from his soil even though it's not sponsored by the state, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is." Cybercriminals have used it to paralyze thousands of American organizations, setting off a series of increasingly high-profile crises. Biden had warned Putin about cyberattacks in person during a summit in Geneva last month https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-summit-cyber-idCAKCN2DS29A, telling his Russian counterpart that disruptive intrusions against critical infrastructure should be off limits. Last week the same hackers claimed responsibility for a mass ransomware outbreak centered on Florida IT firm Kaseya.

Jack Rodeman has been cleared of all charges after footage emerged of him being tased by a member of the Florida Highway Patrol. (WINK)Florida prosecutors will not go ahead with charges against a biracial 16-year-old boy who was tasered outside of his girlfriend’s house. Last month, surveillance footage showed Jack Rodeman being tasered by a police officer from the Florida Highway Patrol as he stood outside his girlfriend’s Fort Myers house waiting t be let in on 16 June. Mr Rodeman had arranged to meet his girlfriend at the house, however, police officer George Smyrious believed he was a burglar as he had made a short cut through the property’s bushes. Sawyer Smith, another lawyer for Jack Rodeman, said they would launch a legal case against Mr Smyrious, the man who had tased him.

Putin has consistently denied that his country carries out cyberattacks (AP)Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him to "take action" against ransomware groups operating in Russia that are attacking US government agencies and private businesses. Mr Biden made the call on Friday, and told Mr Putin that the US will take "any necessary action" to defend the US and its infrastructure from the threat of cyberattacks. The statement said Mr Biden "reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge”. The most recent attack targeted hundreds of companies across the world and the Republican National Committee over the 4 July weekend, which prompted the call from Mr Biden. In a 2016 interview, Mr Putin was asked why he has not cracked down on cyber criminals within his borders.

US President Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden has signed an executive order aimed at cracking down on big tech firms and promoting competition. The move points to Mr Biden's desire for tougher scrutiny of Big Tech, which the administration has accused of "undermining competition". The clearest sign yet of Biden's views of Big TechAnalysis box by James Clayton, North America technology reporterBiden is on the warpath - and he has Big Tech in his sights. Biden thinks Big Tech is too big, and he wants to do something about it. It comes weeks after the House Judiciary Committee also voted to approve a series anti-trust bills, which could eventually become law and force big tech firms to transform or even break up their businesses.

The order contains 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies and establishes a White House Competition Council to monitor the agencies' progress. President Joe Biden delivers remark regarding the Afghanistan drawdown in the East Room of the White House on July 8, 2021. It makes sense,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki earlier this week. The executive order calls for greater scrutiny of mergers, new FTC rules to curb data collection and surveillance and rules to bar unfair competition on internet marketplaces. Banking and consumer financeThe White House is calling for greater scrutiny of banking mergers, urging the DOJ and financial regulators to update their guidelines.

The United States said Friday it is sending senior FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials to Haiti — at that country’s request — to assess the situation and assist in the investigation. Washington has largely ignored the ominous signs coming from Haiti in recent months, including a constitutional crisis, gang kidnappings and a deteriorating security situation. More than a dozen Colombian nationals and two Haitian Americans from South Florida have been arrested so far, according to Haitian officials. The U.S. influence in Haiti remains enormous. The FBI and Homeland Security officials heading to Haiti should be the first wave of international help.

The knee-jerk reaction to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s first term was that she was less conservative than some had hoped and others had feared. But those judgments are likely to be premature, because the real tests for Barrett will come over the next year, in her second term as a justice. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in April. The Supreme Court could uphold the lower court’s ruling, but most observers think that’s unlikely. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, left, and Brett Kavanaugh at the State of the Union address in February 2020.

Hunter Biden, the former vice president's son, at his art studio in Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 2019. The gallerist, Georges Bergès, has agreed to not share any information about the buyers or prices of Hunter Biden’s work with anyone. Hunter Biden is also under investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware over his taxes. Hunter Biden has described painting as a form of therapy after a history of addiction to drugs and alcohol. Now I feel comfortable saying it.”Bergès told Artnet News last month that he expected Hunter Biden’s art pieces to be sold for as much as $500,000.

Tax refund delays: Why are millions still waiting for their money in July? But not this time: As of the end of June, the tax agency reported it had a backlog of over 35 million individual and business income tax returns still awaiting processing. That means if you're waiting for a refund you've needed to cover urgent expenses and pay down debt, it could be a while longer before you get the money. What to do if you needed your refund yesterdayMargJohnsonVA / Twenty20"Particularly for low-income taxpayers and small businesses operating on the margin, refund delays can impose significant financial hardships, says Collins in her report. According to the IRS, this year's average tax refund amount is $2,850, which is a significant amount of money to be waiting for.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has led the city during a period of booming development, a worsening homelessness crisis and a devastating pandemic, is President Biden’s nominee to become ambassador to India, the White House announced Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would become the first L.A. mayor to voluntarily leave office before the end of his term in more than a century.

He said Washington’s quick exit left the Afghan military logistically unprepared for the Taliban onslaught. Noor was harsh in his criticism of the fractious Afghan leadership, saying it often left the army without reinforcements in battle or even food and erratically paid soldiers’ salaries. He urged greater unity among Afghanistan’s leadership, saying America has given the Afghan government the weapons, training, and tools to sustain itself. Noor also criticized the Afghan government’s fighting strategy, saying the Afghan National Security and Defense forces’ leadership has overused its elite commando units. “We needed factories to produce our own ammunition and workshops to repair the aircraft and other vehicles that were given to the Afghan forces,” said Noor.

The Obama administration generally exempted pregnant women from immigration detention, but the Biden administration is also including women who gave birth within the prior year and those who are nursing, which could last longer than a year. Most pregnant women detained in recent years have been apprehended after crossing the US-Mexico border seeking refuge in the United States, according to the GAO. Advocates for immigrants counter that detaining pregnant and postpartum women endangers their physical and mental health. The new directive does not limit the “temporary placements” of pregnant women in “family staging centers” in South Texas, where several hundred pregnant women traveling with children have passed through this fiscal year, according to ICE data. AdvertisementThirteen pregnant women were in ICE custody as of Thursday, and they are being considered for release under the new policy, officials said.

Afternoon Edition Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. SubscribeThis afternoon will be sunny with a high near 75 degrees. More news you needA bright oneHumboldt Park claims a distinction that no other urban neighborhood shares: It is believed to be home to the oldest surviving outdoor community murals in the nation. Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition. Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

Cedarburg students and parents are upset after school officials covered up a mural supporting LGBTQ+ students. At Webster Middle School, students in the school's Student Acceptance Team were shocked to learn that the mural they had painted had been covered up. According to Myszewski, DeRosa said the work was covered because it wasn't finished and wasn't up to par. Like the first time, there was no communication to her or her students, Myszewski said. "The covered mural sent a message that ANY of the content contained within it was not appropriate, and we are saddened by this.

The governor has been in office more than two years and earlier served as lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor. Jenner said she would spend the final month of the campaign on a bus tour of the state. She said Friday that she doesn’t want Trump’s endorsement and hadn’t spoken to him about the campaign. Meanwhile Friday, attorneys for Newsom were in court seeking a ruling that would allow him to list his Democratic Party affiliation on the recall ballot. He sued the Democratic secretary of state he appointed, Shirley Weber, after Newsom’s campaign failed to file the appropriate paperwork to list his party.

Thompson said the select committee is eyeing the week of July 19 for the hearing, which is likely to be a dramatic curtain-raiser for the new investigation. An increasing number of police officers who responded to the attack, including members of the U.S. Capitol Police and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, have lobbied for Congress to launch an independent, bipartisan investigation of the insurrection, but that proposal was blocked by Senate Republicans. The officers have pressured Republicans who have downplayed the violence to listen to their stories, and several watched from the gallery last week as the House voted along party lines to form the select committee.

Lansing — Matthew DePerno, a lawyer who has been among the most vocal Michiganians pushing unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election, says he's considering running for attorney general next year. The interview came a day after Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel's office said it would investigate individuals who spread false information about the election for their own financial gain. "The real reason Dana Nessel is doing this is she's heard that I'm talking to other people about running for attorney general," DePerno told Bannon. Later in the podcast, DePerno said, "We’ve got to get her out of office, and that’s why I’m looking at running for attorney general here in Michigan." Leonard and Matthew Schneider, former U.S. attorney for Michigan's Eastern District, are among the potential GOP candidates for attorney general next year.

Most of the coverage on vaccine holdouts among Gen Z has focused on their lack of urgency due to their age. As recently as April, it was discovered that little to no vaccine messaging from the White House was being tailored to Gen Z. Vaccine coverage among Gen Z has been lower and is increasing more slowly than in other age groups. The White House is also leveraging the popularity of social apps among Gen Z, partnering with Snapchat and YouTube to encourage vaccinations. For the Biden administration and Gen Z, the stakes of building trust couldn't be higher.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Energy Department has agreed to pay Nevada $65,000 as reimbursement for costs incurred after the government mislabeled and mischaracterized low-level radioactive waste that was shipped to a site north of Las Vegas for more than five years. The settlement agreement announced Thursday also certifies that numerous changes have been made to prevent unapproved waste from being shipped to the Nevada National Security Site, state and federal officials said. Steve Sisolak in July 2019 that 33 package of unapproved waste were sent in 10 shipments to the site from 2013-18 from DOE’s National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His predecessor also ordered a department-wide assessment of its procedures and practices for packaging and shipping radioactive waste. Nevada Environmental Protection Administrator Greg Lavato praised the new agreement.

Small business income is now taxed at the individual level and is subject to the surcharge. Mesnard said proponents of the tax said it would not affect small businesses and that some voters who backed the measure did not like how it might affect businesses but wanted the new revenue to fund education. He also said in an interview that he's not worried about the voter referral. “I’m not concerned about it because I think it’ll be a landslide election,” Mesnard said earlier this week. Voters then have the final say in the next general election and can either approve or repeal the bill.

PHOENIX (AP) — Blake Masters, an ally of billionaire entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel, filed papers Friday to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Masters joins a crowded field of Republicans looking to take on Kelly in one of the top-tier Senate races of 2022, which will help determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress. Thiel is a prolific Republican donor and is widely expected to spend millions supporting Masters' campaign. Masters formed a campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission but did not make a formal announcement. Masters considered challenging Republican Sen. Martha McSally last year but opted against running.

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Energy Department has agreed to pay Nevada $65,000 as reimbursement for costs incurred after the government mislabeled and mischaracterized low-level radioactive waste that was shipped to a site north of Las Vegas for more than five years. The settlement agreement announced Thursday also certifies that numerous changes have been made to prevent unapproved waste from being shipped to the Nevada National Security Site, state and federal officials said. Steve Sisolak in July 2019 that 33 package of unapproved waste were sent in 10 shipments to the site from 2013-18 from DOE’s National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His predecessor also ordered a department-wide assessment of its procedures and practices for packaging and shipping radioactive waste. Nevada Environmental Protection Administrator Greg Lavato praised the new agreement.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Caitlyn Jenner held her first news conference Friday as a Republican candidate for California governor, but it was devoid of any detailed policy discussion 77 days after announcing she was entering a recall election that could remove first-term Democratic Gov. The governor has been in office more than two years and earlier served as lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor. “I have a tremendous advantage, obviously, because of name recognition," she said. “To be honest with you, I've been in a lot of races in my life, and I know how to win. I just keeping working hard."

© Richard Pierrin/Getty Images Citizens take part in a protest near the police station of Petion Ville after Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was murdered on July 08, 2021 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Richard Pierrin/Getty ImagesHaitian officials fear terrorists will attack the country's infrastructure in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti's minister of elections told the New York Times that officials have asked the US to send military troops down for support. Government officials in Haiti have asked the United States military to send in troops to help stabilize the country in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The US has staged military interventions in Haiti before, and Marines occupied the country from 1915 to 1934.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Caitlyn Jenner held her first news conference Friday as a Republican candidate for California governor, 77 days after announcing she was entering a recall election that could remove first-term Democratic Gov. “I have a tremendous advantage, obviously, because of name recognition," she said. “To be honest with you, I've been in a lot of races in my life, and I know how to win. Jenner said she would spend the final month of the campaign on a bus tour of the state. She also said she would release her tax returns next week.

"Too many cowards out there won't stand up and shout the truth," he tweeted. "Free expression and exchange of ideas is a core value of our university from its very founding," Coy said. Last month, UVA's board of visitors endorsed a statement on free expression, saying "All views, beliefs and perspectives deserve to be articulated and heard free from interference." Ken Stroupe, chief of staff for the Center for Politics, said it's a dangerous place for political parties to call out the opinions of academics that are protected by the First Amendment. "This is not what political parties in America should stand for," Stroupe said.

Britain and Brussels are back at loggerheads as a fresh row emerges over the size of the Brexit divorce bill. Downing Street rejected the figure on Friday and doubled down on its previous estimates of between £35 billion and £39 billion. The UK and European Commission have fought over vaccine supplies, Northern Ireland, fishing rights and come close to triggering a trade war over sausages. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated the total bill to be £37.1 billion in 2018. It was thought the total Brexit bill would be smaller than £39billion because the numerous Brexit extensions meant that the total was decreased thanks to the UK's contributions to the EU Budget.

Double-vaccinated NHS staff could be released from self-isolation rules before August 16 under proposals being considered by Sajid Javid, The Telegraph has learned. He is now understood to be seeking clinical advice on whether the change can be made. Separately, two NHS sources told The Telegraph that "live discussions" were taking place about how to reduce the number of staff being sent home to isolate as Covid cases continue to surge. Another said: "There is real recognition in government that there is a major issue here – obviously NHS staff were among the first to be vaccinated, so we have people who are double jabbed, and have been for some time, who are having to self-isolate repeatedly." Should Mr Javid decide to move the date forward from August 16, he is likely to argue that a "very specific" exemption is justified given the critical role of NHS staff in the pandemic response.

Others questioned the wisdom of granting a bank holiday on the day that the work from home guidance is lifted and pointed out that many schools would not break up until the following Friday. Some members of the England squad will also be on holiday, making it difficult to coincide it with a victory parade. Victory parade on Friday Aug 27 most likely optionTwo sources indicated that Friday Aug 27 was the most likely option, as it would already coincide with the summer bank holiday on the following Monday. However, senior government sources have told The Telegraph that in order for a bank holiday to be established on Monday, the Queen would have to give her approval within hours before the midnight cut-off point. Bank holidays are usually created by royal proclamation, whereby the Queen is advised by ministers to use her powers to create one on a certain date.

A group of Republican lawmakers were caught telling activists to thank Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin for refusing to reform or eliminate the congressional filibuster. “Without that we would be dead meat and this thing would be done.”He continued: "But thank goodness for Sinema and Joe Manchin”. Another Republican, Mr Donalds, also appeared in the footage telling activists to thank the two Democrats for refusing to abolish the filibuster rule. Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator, was also at the event and told activists: “Call Joe Manchin and say thank you, seriously”. The Independent has reached out to Mr Biggs and Mr Donalds’ offices for comment.

Mr Solages was a native of Jacmel, a city in southern Haiti, but lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although the charity’s website described Mr Solages work experience one way, his LinkedIn profile painted a different image. Florida resident Schubert Dorisme, 63, who is Mr Solages uncle, described the man as a “good boy, respectful,” when speaking to Insider. Mr Vincent was the other Haitian American arrested in connection to the assassination, but little was known about the man. Mr Vincent claimed the broader plot was orchestrated by a foreigner named “Mike” who spoke both English and Spanish.

Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch reportedly personally approved the network announcing that Donald Trump had lost Arizona on election night. The Daily Beast obtained an advanced copy of the book and reported on the election night decision approved by Mr Murdoch that signalled the end of Mr Trump's administration. Wolff writes that Fox News' CEO Lachlan Murdoch – operating with his father, Rupert's, support – made the decision to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night. Trump supporters were furious the day before the election when the network projected that Arizona would be won by Mr Biden, and were even more furious on election night when they called the state against Mr Trump. Some Republicans in Arizona have still not given up on the dream that Mr Trump actually won the state.

Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him to "take action" against ransomware groups operating in Russia that are attacking US government agencies and private businesses. Mr Biden made the call on Friday, and told Mr Putin that the US will take "any necessary action" to defend the US and its infrastructure from the threat of cyberattacks. The statement said Mr Biden "reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge”. The most recent attack targeted hundreds of companies across the world and the Republican National Committee over the 4 July weekend, which prompted the call from Mr Biden. In a 2016 interview, Mr Putin was asked why he has not cracked down on cyber criminals within his borders.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden plans to nominate Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the U.S. ambassador to India, the White House said on Friday.

WASHINGTON – Nearly 20 U.S. senators now back legislation to help protect Afghan civilians who supported U.S. forces during the 20-year-long war in their country, a lead sponsor of the bill said on Friday, a day after President Joe Biden set a target date of Aug. 31 for withdrawal. Senators co-sponsoring the bill include Democrats Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy, Jack Reed, Mark Kelly, Kirsten Gillibrand and Tim Kaine, as well as Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Republicans signed on to the measure include Joni Ernst, Roger Wicker, Steve Daines, Ben Sasse, Tim Scott, Dan Sullivan, Cynthia Lummis, Rob Portman and Todd Young. Members of the House are also working on legislation to help the Afghan civilians. Many lawmakers have voiced support for evacuating interpreters and others who worked with U.S. forces to third countries to protect them while their applications for visas to reach the United States are reviewed.

Brazil's 2022 presidential election will be ballot between "fascism and democracy", former leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Euronews, as he mulls mounting a challenge against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. But Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned the convictions earlier this year, clearing the way for him to try to secure a third, and final term, as Brazil's leader and polls currently put him in the lead. "So, in fact, the people made a – in my opinion – wrong decision to vote for Bolsonaro, but that is the risk of democracy, that is the risk of the electoral process," Lula told Euronews' Annelise Borges. The polarization in Brazil is between fascism and democracy. He told Euronews he has not yet made his final decision to run but would do so towards the end of the year.

Russia and the United States, whose relationship has been fraught on a number of issues, both described Friday's unanimous vote by the 15-member Security Council as an important moment. U.S. President Joe Biden had raised the importance of the cross-border aid operation with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June. The Biden administration warned that any future cooperation with Russia over Syria would be at risk if cross-border aid deliveries were shut down. The council mandate for the long-running aid operation was due to expire on Saturday. Russia has said the aid operation is outdated and violates Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

A week later Netanyahu also placed a congratulatory call to Biden. According to Wolff, Trump told his aides that the tweet came before the ink was dry” and was an “ultimate betrayal.”“As in all Trump reactions, a variety of grievances welled up here,” Wolff writes in the book, due to be published on July 13. Despite his call to Biden after the elections, Netanyahu walked on eggshells to avoid a public rift with Trump. Even after Trump left office, Netanyahu avoided appearing too friendly with Biden and publicly, hesitated to speak as fondly of him as he spoke of Trump.. In the book, Wolff writes that Trump also complained about the lack of Jewish support he received in the 2020 election.

“We are in a state of emergency in our neighborhoods, and we need some help,” Green said. “Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the state of Illinois. “Treating gun violence as a public health crisis isn’t just about addressing the cycle of gun violence at the end. Mayor (Lightfoot) and Governor Pritzker need to meet with them and find out what we can do.”Chicago Police Supt. Political and police leaders are continuing to spar over the best way to combat gun violence in Chicago, and NBC 5’s Alex Maragos has more details.

“Today’s executive order is built on the flawed belief that our economy is over-concentrated, stagnant and fails to generate private investment needed to spur innovation,” Neil Bradley, the business lobby’s executive vice president, said in a statement. The executive order directs the Justice Department and FTC to tighten their merger guidelines for hospital deals. The measure also asks for updated antitrust rules regarding companies that share wage and benefit information to avoid competing for workers. Freight railroad and shipping trade groups expressed opposition to Biden’s order, saying that there’s sufficient competition among their industries and the order would put them at a disadvantage. Unlike the Biden order, however, Obama’s didn’t direct individual agencies to take specific actions and instead required them to come up with their own plans.

Turkey and US negotiating on whether Turkish troops will stay in Kabul to guard the international airport – a move the Taliban has opposed. That may happen on the condition that Turkey, a NATO member, should get the necessary diplomatic, financial, and logistical support from the United States. Hungary, which took part in the airport mission as a NATO member, and Pakistan could also be involved. Erdogan’s announcement came with Turkey’s NATO membership being questioned, not only among its Western allies but also inside the country. The soldiers have overseen training Afghan security forces, and some still serve at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday called for a federal investigation of the process that led to the approval of a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease that has spurred sharp criticism from lawmakers and the medical community. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services’ independent Office of the Inspector General, the F.D.A.’s acting commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock, acknowledged the scrutiny the agency has faced about the approval process for the drug, which is known as Aduhelm and has a $56,000 annual price tag. She pointed to interactions between representatives from the drug’s developer, Biogen, and the agency, saying some “may have occurred outside of the formal correspondence process.”“To the extent these concerns could undermine the public’s confidence in F.D.A.’s decision, I believe it is critical that the events at issue be reviewed by an independent body,” Dr. Woodcock wrote. She noted that the review should look at whether any of the communication between the agency’s staff and Biogen’s representatives violated F.D.A. Dana Conti, a spokesman for Biogen, said the company “will, of course, cooperate with any inquiry in connection with a possible review of the regulatory process.”

Vaccinated students and teachers don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The CDC recommends, however, that students and drivers continue to wear masks on school buses. The CDC’s announcement comes as North Carolina’s year-round students and teachers return to classrooms for in-person instruction this week. The new CDC guidance mostly impacts students and teachers in middle schools and high schools. “We do want to let go of interventions that have not been found to be as effective and really focus on those things that are most effective,” Perry-Manning said.

After that, Cherizier went back to his neighborhood, which was plagued with these kidnappers and rapists. Cherizier started to see that everything was rotten — not just the police, not just the government, but also the opposition, the bourgeoisie. So Cherizier started to get a reputation as a vigilance brigade on steroids. He started to develop a reputation, and he started to develop relationships with some of the opposition powers, such as the bourgeoisie who were opposed to Moïse. Cherizier started to see that everything was rotten — not just the police, not just the government, but also the opposition, the bourgeoisie.

The Spanish government pardoned the Catalan activist and eight others who had been convicted for their role in the 2017 referendum on Catalan independence. The judges eventually dropped the initial charge of rebellion, which had been used to justify holding the trial before the Supreme Court in Madrid rather than a Catalan court. Sánchez’s pardons are partial and maintain restrictions on holding public office. During the speculation over Sánchez’s pardons, Casado and other right-wing leaders were caught off-guard when, in mid-June, the Spanish and Catalan corporate elite expressed support for any step, including pardons, that would help defuse the territorial tensions. For the past decade, Spain’s territorial crisis, relegated to the media and the courts, has divided and paralyzed the left while boosting the right.

Thousands of workers in Iran’s vast energy industry have gone on strike to demand better wages and conditions at oil facilities. The strike is proving to be a moment that tests the solidarity between permanent full-time workers and those employed on a contract basis. One of the key demands of UMMI is that wages must be paid monthly and without delay. “Nowhere does it state that the employer can delay the worker’s wages for three months plus or suddenly disappear having made no payment. The situation for workers in Iran is exacerbated by the fact that the government does not recognize independent trade unions, making it more difficult for unions to organize.

Kristin Richardson Jordan, winning New York City Council Democratic primary candidate from Harlem, marches at the head of a demonstration. Due to the relative safety of Democratic majorities across New York City districts, Jordan is all but guaranteed to win her seat after the hard-fought primary victory. Following her likely victory in November, Jordan, who is 34, will be the youngest Black woman ever to be elected to New York’s City Council. She did not receive the endorsement of the more established progressive electoral organizations, such as the Working Families Party, New York Progressive Action Network, or Our Revolution. It seems she’ll be disrupting more than just Harlem, though; come November she’ll be working to bring revolutionary change to the halls of City Council.

Governor Greg Abbott’s 30-day special session, which he called after Texas Republicans failed to pass legislation that cracks down on state voting laws in May, is on track to be a partisan circus. Abbott also included the restoration of funding for the legislative branch, which he defunded with a budget veto last month ostensibly as a threat to ensure that Democratic legislators behave during the special session. The regular session, which ended on Memorial Day, ended with more drama and finger pointing than usual. The autocratic ploy—which is being challenged in court—would effectively defund the Legislature beginning September 1, a move purportedly meant to force Democratic lawmakers to acquiesce in the special session. “Bottom line is that everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas,” he said.

The Biden administration is limiting the detention and arrest of pregnant immigrants in the US, according to a notice sent to congressional staffers on Friday. The policy — which states that ICE should not detain pregnant, postpartum, or nursing individuals unless it is legally prohibited or there are exceptional circumstances — comes after the Trump administration lifted the presumption of release for such detainees in 2017. “Given the unique needs of this population, we will not detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist. The memo represents the latest change pushed by a Biden administration that is intent on reshaping ICE. Soon, the proportion of immigrants with no prior criminal convictions who were being arrested and placed into deportation proceedings began to shoot up.

Police will lead off panel's first Jan. 6 hearingA new House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is expected to hold its first public hearing with police officers who responded to the attack and custodial staff who cleaned up afterward.

Biden signs competition EO targeting big businessPresident Joe Biden signs an Executive Order that targets anticompetitive practices in tech and health care while boosting wages and consumer protections. The sweeping order includes 72 actions the president says "help restore competition."

Biden tells Putin 'to act' against ransomware groupsPresident Joe Biden said Friday he made it "very clear" in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the White House expects the Russian government to take action against ransomware attackers operating on their soil.

Biden told Putin the U.S. would take "any necessary action" following the latest ransomware attack. Biden warned Putin that he would hold Russia accountable for the attacks that originated there even if they are not Kremlin-linked. WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday the U.S. would take "any necessary action" to defend its people and infrastructure following the latest ransomware attack by a Russia-linked group that compromised as many as 1,500 businesses worldwide. As many as 1,500 companies across the U.S., Europe and Asia were affected by the the latest attack. The president raised the issue with Putin when the two met in Geneva last month and said he demanded the Russian president crack down on such attacks against the U.S.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, said the panel is looking to hold its first hearing the week lawmakers in the lower chamber return from their July recess. The House voted to establish the select committee late last month, with just two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot, said the panel is looking to hold its first hearing soon. APWhile Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tapped Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md. It’s disgusting what transpired that day,” McCarthy told reporters shortly after Pelosi unveiled the makeup of the panel, which allows Democrats to select eight members to Republicans’ five.

and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) proposed the Green New Deal in 2019. The straphanger had water up to her ankles as she descended the stairs — before she walked into the underground pond. AOC mocked opponents of the Green New Deal on Twitter. TwitterClimate policy has been at the forefront of AOC’s legislative efforts, most notably through the Green New Deal and serving on the climate panel of the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces. The Green New Deal was introduced by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Friday described the Taliban's "concerning" advancement in Afghanistan as the U.S. military pulls troops out of the country after 20 years. Government officials on Friday dismissed the Taliban's claim that it had taken control of 85% of territory in Afghanistan, saying it was part of a propaganda campaign, according to Reuters. "We are seeing them continue to advance on district centers around the country, and it is concerning." The Foundation for Defense of Democracies' (FDD) "Long War Journal" described the security situation in Afghanistan as "rapidly" deteriorating, noting that in the six days ending July 5, the Taliban had taken control of nearly 10% of the entire country. The Pentagon told Fox News it had nothing further to add and pointed to Kirby's comments made during a Thursday press briefing.

Staffers for Vice President Kamala Harris took to Twitter to show off a post-Fourth of July BBQ hosted at Naval Observatory amid reports of a tumultuous atmosphere in the West Wing. The party held on Thursday came just days after reports surfaced detailing low morale in the vice president’s office. "What an honor to be at the Vice President’s residence with incredible colleagues for a post-July 4th BBQ," personal aid to the vice president, Opal Vadhan said in a tweet. "Tonight the Vice President and Second Gentlemen hosted the team at their home. Despite negative reporting of the management of Harris’ office from anonymous sources, the vice president’s chief spokesman defended the reportedly toxic workplace atmosphere.

Three years since the release of his bestselling book, John Carreyrou is debuting a new podcast to uncover the final chapter of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. "Bad Blood: The Final Chapter" will follow the upcoming trial of Holmes. He warns a not guilty verdict will set a dangerous precedent among start-up CEOs. Carreyrou, who spent years reporting on Holmes and what went on inside Theranos, says he doesn't buy the defense. Watch the video to hear more from Carreyrou on his trial predictions, new evidence he's obtained and his upcoming podcast.

People are traveling more but oil supply hasn't caught up with demand. CNN's Matt Egan explains why the BIden administration needs to focus on energy diplomacy. Source: CNNBusiness

DUBLIN — Ireland’s governing Fine Gael party suffered a loss on its home turf Friday in a by-election dominated by arguments over the country’s dysfunctional housing market. While Fine Gael’s candidate came second, Fianna Fáil’s finished a dismal fifth in a 15-candidate field in what was its worst by-election performance in history. She fills a parliamentary vacancy created when one of Varadkar’s close lieutenants in Fine Gael, former housing minister Eoghan Murphy, resigned after bearing the brunt of public criticism over the previous Fine Gael minority government’s failure to fix chronic housing supply problems. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael united against the enlarged Sinn Féin, making it the main opposition for the first time. Staying above that fray, Bacik won 30.2 percent of first-preference votes, while James Geoghegan of Fine Gael came second on 26.2 percent.

In this June 30, 2021, photo Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, speaks during a meeting with employees at Professional Computer Solution, in Denison, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) — In dress shirts and pants, Chuck Grassley and Tom Cotton dropped to their knees on stage at a recent Iowa Republican Party fundraiser and began pumping out pushups. In announcing his retirement, two-term Republican Sen. “Right now, the Republican Party doesn’t have a leader. We’ve got people who have great influence within the party like Sen. Cotton, Sen. (Ted) Cruz, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Now, Rogers is being prosecuted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office for allegedly voting illegally. Republicans in favor of new voting restrictions point to cases like Rogers' as proof of an insecure system. The charges against RogersIn 1995, Rogers was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison for burglary and intent to commit theft. A push to prosecute voter fraudIt's not the first time such a case has occurred in Texas. Nicole D. Porter, director of advocacy with the Sentencing Project, said Hervis Rogers' case illustrates the need for the state to give people proper notification of their rights.

Confederate Monument That Sparked Deadly Charlottesville Rally To Be Removed SaturdayEnlarge this image toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images Win McNamee/Getty ImagesThe statue of Robert E. Lee that sparked the deadly Unite the Right rally four years ago in Charlottesville, Va., will be removed Saturday, the city council announced Friday. "City Council has the sole authority to determine the ultimate, final disposition of the statues," the city said in a statement. "The City Manager is not authorized to destroy the statues or to sell them without further action by City Council." The debate over what to do with the Confederate statues in Charlottesville started in 2016 and led to neo-Nazis gathering in the city for what turned into a deadly rally. Similar lawsuits have also centered around Virginia's capital city of Richmond where several monuments have been removed along the prominent Monument Avenue.

President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Washington. The conversation came less than a month after the two leaders met in Geneva, when Biden warned against continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. A White House statement announcing the hourlong call highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives.

Earlier today, President Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to establish rules that will reduce the market power of dominant firms and improve the bargaining power of workers. While the order draws on lessons from previous telecommunications regulations, it also targets a broader set of industries. Within the airline industry, the order calls for fee adjustments for trip delays and increasing competition at major U.S. airports. In a blow to investment banks, the order seeks to implement modernized and adjusted bank merger reviews and guidelines. Despite the renewed interest in antitrust regulation, Mills doesn’t expect effective antitrust laws from Washington in the near term.

The “free our patriots” rally has been organised by a Republican candidate challenging Marco Rubio for Senate and is billed as a “peaceful demonstration” against the “corrupt federal government”. According to a press release, protesters are planning to gather on 10 July at 1pm at the Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Demonstrators will be “demanding the release of all the patriots being held as political prisoners by the corrupt federal government in relation to 6 January”. On 6 January, pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol in Washington in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election result following a Save America rally hosted by former President Donald Trump. The former president has baselessly maintained that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him without evidence and the “free our patriots” release pushed similar inaccurate sentiments.

President Donald Trump, right, smiles as he stands with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, left, before a ceremonial swearing in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 8, 2018. Susan Walsh/AP PhotoTrump slammed Kavanaugh after the Supreme Court dismissed an election-fraud lawsuit last year. But the Supreme Court dismissed the case, saying in a one-page opinion that it lacked standing. Trump nominated Kavanaugh, then a federal judge, to the Supreme Court in July 2018. What followed was one of the most contentious Supreme Court confirmation processes in recent history.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Caitlyn Jenner held her first news conference Friday as a Republican candidate for California governor, 77 days after announcing she was entering a recall election that could remove first-term Democratic Gov. “To be honest with you, I've been in a lot of races in my life, and I know how to win. Jenner said she would spend the final month of the campaign on a bus tour of the state. Jenner supported Trump in 2016 but later criticized his administration’s reversal of a directive on transgender people's access to public school bathrooms. She also split with Trump after he said transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.

Gavin Newsom over COVID-19 restrictions and who helped lead the recall movement against him announced Tuesday he’s running for governor. The court set a hearing for July 9 in response to a motion to intervene filed by the recall campaign. “No one is above the law, certainly not Gavin Newsom," California Patriot Coalition attorney and candidate for California Attorney General Eric Early said. It is time that he be made to follow his own laws.”The recall election has been scheduled for Sept. 14. Washington Examiner VideosTags: News, State, California, Gavin NewsomOriginal Author: Bethany Blankley, The Center Square contributorOriginal Location: State Rep. Kevin Kiley says he’s running in recall election against Newsom

Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom (D) when it comes to his September recall election. To trigger a recall election in California, petitioners must collect a number of valid signatures equivalent to 12 percent of the votes cast in the previous election. Story continuesWhen Newsom's political opponents collected the signatures to trigger this recall election, the state was under lockdown orders to curb the spread of COVID-19. Newsom will have to wait until September to see if this turnaround, and his supporters, are enough to keep him in Sacramento.

Tom Williams/CQ Roll CallSantorum was secretly taped saying Republicans don't want Democrats carrying out the public's wishes. No, no no, we don't want the people's will to be done immediately," he said at a conservative event. Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania was filmed saying Republicans are opposed to Democrats carrying out the wishes of most voters. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, which requires every Senate Democrat to be onboard. "Call Joe Manchin and say, 'Thank you,'" he said.

“A South Carolinian’s decision to get vaccinated is a personal one for them to make and not the government’s,” McMaster wrote. “As a member of Medical Affairs, I support @POTUS efforts to increase the vaccinations,” Kimpson tweeted. The agency does provide in-home vaccinations to homebound residents, he said, but only at the vaccine recipients’ request. If DHEC were to adopt the governor’s directive outlawing door-to-door vaccination drives, such an arrangement would be prohibited due to Providence’s involvement, McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes said. Mike Parson, who on Wednesday tweeted that sending federal government workers door-to-door to compel vaccinations would not be welcome in Missouri.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) on Thursday rejected the Biden administration's plan to send people door to door to urge residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The White House on Thursday had pushed back against Republican concerns with the door-to-door plan, saying conservatives are mischaracterizing the plan. By the numbers: About 43% of people in South Carolina are fully vaccinated, putting it in the lower half of states ranked by vaccination rate, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Mayo Clinic's vaccine tracker. Story continuesGo deeper: Trump country continues to fall behind on COVID-19 vaccinationsEditor's note: This story has been updated with Psaki's comments.

Mr Rees-Mogg argued that the Bill would ensure better treatment for people trying to legally enter the UK and swifter processing of illegal cases - House of Commons/APAn MSP has been criticised as "beyond the pale" after telling Jacob Rees-Mogg: "If your god exists, you will undoubtedly rot in hell." James Dornan, of the SNP, hit out at devout Catholic Mr Rees-Mogg over a video he posted praising Westminster's controversial Nationality and Borders Bill. Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tories' chief whip, said Mr Dornan's intervention was "beyond the pale" and questioned why the SNP allowed him to remain in the party. Mr Dornan, whose Twitter account is private, wrote in response: "Hope you remember this the next time you go to confession. If your god exists you will undoubtedly rot in hell."

Hunter Biden paints. The idea is to discourage potential purchasers who might actually be more interested in buying favor with President Biden than in embracing the creative visions of his son. We thought Hunter's painting was so fine we mounted it in the lobby of our corporate offices! To its credit, the Biden administration has recognized that this is a problem, thus the new rules. But Hunter Biden is already under scrutiny: The Department of Justice is investigating his finances, and Republicans remain eager to use his problems to tear down his father.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order promoting competition in the American economy on Friday in a move which Jim Cramer has called anti-business. Biden said that the order will lower prices, increase wages, and take another critical step toward an economy that works for everyone. It's exploitation," President Biden said at the signing ceremony. The order includes 72 initiatives, which the White House says will improve people’s lives. Here are some of the ways the order will impact the tech sector:

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has led the city during a period of booming development, a worsening homelessness crisis and a devastating pandemic, is President Biden’s nominee to become ambassador to India, the White House announced Friday. But it also opens him to criticism that he is abandoning Los Angeles as it grapples with an intractable homelessness crisis and rising gun violence. Gil Garcetti, Eric Garcetti has a long history with Biden. The mayor urged Biden to run for president in 2016 and served as a co-chair of his 2020 presidential campaign. Times staff writer David Zahniser in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

President Biden has picked Mayor Eric Garcetti as his ambassador to India. We had urged the mayor to stay and finish the job, but it’s clear Garcetti has been itching to exit City Hall for some time. AdvertisementOne thing is sure: The president of the City Council will take over as acting mayor upon Garcetti’s departure. Alternatively, the City Council could schedule a special election to let voters choose the person to serve out the rest of Garcetti’s term. Or the City Council could choose to appoint someone to finish Garcetti’s term.

The City Council probably won’t need to find a replacement for the mayor immediately: It could be weeks or months before the Senate takes up Garcetti’s appointment. With a vacancy in the mayor’s office, the City Council would have the power under the City Charter to formally appoint an interim replacement to serve out the remainder of his term. The City Charter also gives the council the authority to call a special election when there is a vacancy in the mayor’s office. Who might take over as interim mayor? Behind the scenes, several names have been floated for interim mayor, including Martinez, Krekorian, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former City Controller Wendy Greuel.

The rioters screamed at officers and verbally abused them as they fought their way inside and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. AdvertisementHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed eight members to the select committee, including seven Democrats and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Thompson said the panel welcomes Republican members, but will be moving ahead regardless of whether McCarthy chooses to participate. Under the committee's rules, only eight members are required for the committee to have a working quorum. He said there will also be no foregone conclusions — on timing or otherwise — as the committee begins its work.

It is rare for the OIG to investigate the FDA, and even more exceptional for it to investigate an individual drug approval decision, according to STAT’s review of public records. If OIG chooses to investigate the Aduhelm approval, it will eventually publish its findings in a public report. Earlier calls for an OIG investigation have focused on the close relationship between Billy Dunn, head of the FDA’s neuroscience division, and Biogen executives. One said they would not have supported approving the drug had they known the FDA would give it such an expansive approval. The official pointed out that even though Woodcock was not involved in the approval decision, it was made by people she had elevated to decision-making roles.

The conversation came less than a month after the two leaders met in Geneva, when Biden warned against continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. A new ransomware attack linked to the REvil hacking group based in Russia caused widespread disruption last weekend, affecting as many as 1,500 businesses. Biden told reporters that the U.S. and Russia have set up a means of communicating for when either country sees something happening. The White House statement announcing the hourlong call with Putin highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. Hackers also recently extorted an $11 million ransom payment from JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processor.

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Phoenix for a July 24 rally in the state he lost by about 11,000 votes to President Joe Biden. The event, dubbed the “Rally to Protect Our Elections,” marks Trump’s first trip back to the state since the election. Trump is expected to appear at the Arizona Federal Theatre in downtown Phoenix for an event hosted by Phoenix-based Turning Point Action, a politically active nonprofit affiliated with Turning Point USA. Martha McSally mum:Trump says she could be 'reinstated' to SenateThe time for the rally is not yet set. The rally will center on “restoring confidence” in the electoral system in Arizona and across the nation, Turning Point Action told The Republic.

Aurora’s municipal courthouse was locked down late Friday morning after a resident brought antique grenades near the building. On Twitter, police said three Type-97 grenades were in the vehicle. Type-97 grenades were used by Japanese soldiers in World War II. #APDAlert A community member brought 3 Type 97 grenades to the Aurora Municipal Campus to be properly disposed of. pic.twitter.com/seZlYNvOU2 — Aurora Police Dept ?? (@AuroraPD) July 9, 2021The courthouse was locked down as a precaution early Friday afternoon.

Some items were unacceptable to House Democrats, the majority of whom walked out before the deadline to vote on bills, leaving the chamber without a quorum. These are the two bills that House and Senate committees are set to consider and take testimony on Saturday in Austin. Republicans say the changes will help prevent voter fraud, even though there are few reported cases of fraud in Texas. Provisions eliminated from regular session billSenate Bill 7 was the compromise election bill during the regular session, but the conference committee report had some provisions added that ultimately led to the bill’s demise. The new bills don’t limit early voting on Sunday mornings but specify it can’t start before 9 a.m.

The Brown Deer Police Department has announced the two finalists vying for the open police chief position after a nearly five-month nationwide search. David Salazar and Shorewood Police Chief Peter Nimmer are being considered to fill the position left vacant by Mike Kass. Kass retired Feb. 3 after seven years as Brown Deer's police chief. The Brown Deer Police Commission plans to host a community meet-and-greet with the candidates from 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 13 at the Lois & Tom Dolan Community Center, 4355 W. Bradley Road. NimmerNimmer is familiar with the Brown Deer Police Department, where he had 12 years of supervisory experience.

Why, then, didn’t the U.S. see that Afghanistan has never been a nation state, but only a loose collection of warring tribes fighting each other within fake boundaries earlier drawn by Europeans? Senate Bill 2290 creates the Illinois Broadband Adoption Fund to support broadband access across all of Illinois. According to a study presented last December to the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council, only 70% of Illinois households are active subscribers to an internet service. This is why we need the Illinois Broadband Adoption Fund. We have the chance to do that right now with the Illinois Broadband Adopt Fund, and we urge Gov.

In less than two months, the county must submit a plan for spending nearly a half-billion dollars in federal pandemic aid. Clark County Commission Vice Chairman Jim Gibson urges the public not to wait until unemployment benefits expire to look for a job and provides details on an upcoming job fair at the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, July 6, 2021 in Las Vegas. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeIn less than two months, Clark County must submit a plan for spending nearly a half-billion dollars in federal pandemic aid and beginning Tuesday it will seek feedback from the public. Beginning Tuesday, the county will also be hosting public meetings with county agencies and community partners at the county Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. A session July 20 that will immediately follow the county commission meeting is focused on health and infrastructure.

Nevada on Friday reported 813 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths, according to state data. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphotoNevada on Friday reported 813 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths over the preceding day. New cases were well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases, which increased to 394. In Clark County, there were 771 new coronavirus cases reported Friday, according to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. Cumulative totals in the county rose to 263,915 cases and 4,530 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

A suspect who had escaped electronic monitoring was shot and killed in a standoff with Chicago police, federal marshals and sheriff’s deputies Friday morning — an incident Police Supt. The suspect displayed a gun and three police officers and a marshal opened fire, Brown said. As the confrontation unfolded, a sheriff’s officer radioed that there was a man with a gun inside a Jeep. Brown used the incident to repeat once again his claim that the Cook County courts system is fueling gun violence by releasing on electronic monitoring people charged with violent crimes. “I’ve mentioned that 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was killed by someone on electronic monitoring,” Brown said, referring to a shooting at a McDonald’s drive-thru earlier this year.

While it will take time and experts to understand what led to the Surfside collapse, it is not too soon to critically examine local regulations, state law, human dynamics and the limitations of the current building safety program. Locally, BORA and municipal officials need to reconsider enforcement strategies and consider potential changes to timing of targeted inspections. At the state level, the legislature needs to evaluate comprehensive statewide legislation on inspections and association rules. At the federal level, initiating long term loan funding may reduce the inertia to initiate inspections and repairs. As we did in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, 9/11 and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it is time to admit our blind spots and work together toward meaningful changes to protect our communities.

The stalemate has increased focus on the Senate filibuster, which, if left in place, would seem an insurmountable obstacle to sweeping voting bills in Congress. With Republicans unanimous in their opposition, it would take the elimination or modification of the filibuster for two bills still on the table to have a chance at passage. Moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona so far have expressed reluctance to change Senate rules that protect the filibuster.

The rioters screamed at officers and verbally abused them as they fought their way inside and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed eight members to the select committee, including seven Democrats and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Thompson said the panel welcomes Republican members, but will be moving ahead regardless of whether McCarthy chooses to participate. Under the committee's rules, only eight members are required for the committee to have a working quorum. He said there will also be no foregone conclusions — on timing or otherwise — as the committee begins its work.

Sarah RankinAssociated PressRichmond, Va. — A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville will be taken down this week, the city announced Friday. The development comes more than five years after a removal push focused on the Lee statue bubbled up in 2016. Because of litigation and changes to a state law dealing with war memorials, the city had been unable to act until now. Still, because of the litigation over a state law that protected memorials to war veterans, Charlottesville’s hands were tied. Although the city government still wanted Lee gone, and voted to remove the nearby Jackson statue, the pair of monuments had to stay in place.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley endorsed New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on Friday. Haley will attend a fundraiser for Ciattarelli on Sunday, according to the candidate's campaign. Phil Murphy in November's election. “I’m proud to endorse Jack Ciattarelli to fix what Phil Murphy has broken. Haley was an “exceptional governor” and helped the Trump administration move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Ciattarelli said in a text message.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in New Mexico are asking the state attorney general to weigh in on a spending dispute over $1.75 billion in federal pandemic relief aid. GOP leadership in a letter sent Thursday asked New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, a Democrat, to issue a legal opinion declaring that the funds must be allocated by the Legislature to protect the body's fiscal authority. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says her administration must distribute the money because of the way Congress passed the pandemic relief bill. The Legislature allocated money earlier this year, but Lujan Grisham used her veto power to effectively bring the money under discretionary control by her office.

“We’re pleased to see that belatedly she has made this request that should have been made months ago,” Carome said. “The signs of an inappropriate collaboration have been clear to us since November.”The FDA has faced intense backlash since approving the drug, which costs $56,000 a year and requires monthly IVs. Three of the FDA advisers who opposed the drug resigned over the decision. Aduhelm is the first Alzheimer's drug approved in that manner. “The trust that we have in FDA's ability to make independent decisions is very important.”

TOWANDA, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania county prosecutor who pleaded guilty to pressuring clients for sex when he was a defense attorney was sentenced Friday to 18 months to 5 years in prison. A message seeking comment was left for his defense attorney. Salsman, 44, a resident of Wyalusing, was charged in February with sexually assaulting women who were his clients in criminal and child custody cases. A Republican, he was elected district attorney in November 2019. His accusers told a grand jury he groped them, sought nude photos and pressured or forced them into sexual acts, sometimes on his office desk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is expected to hold its first public hearing this month with police officers who responded to the attack and custodial staff who cleaned up afterward, chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said Friday. Thompson, D-Miss., says the committee hopes to “set the tone” of the investigation by hearing from those first responders, many of whom were brutally beaten by former President Donald Trump’s supporters as they pushed past law enforcement and broke into the Capitol. The rioters screamed at officers and verbally abused them as they fought their way inside and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. “We need to hear how they felt, we need to hear what people who broke into the Capitol said to them,” Thompson told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. “And so we want to frame that first hearing so that everybody would know the committee is serious, but also that we take those individuals who either secure the Capitol or clean the Capitol — that we care about them.”

Greg Gianforte has discontinued Montana's membership in a coalition of two dozen states dedicated to fighting climate change. Climate Alliance is a nonpartisan group committed to achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Climate Alliance, said Gianforte did not respond to the organization’s invitation to continue Montana’s membership, Montana public radio reported. Gianforte spokesperson Brooke Stroyke said in a statement that the governor believes the solution to climate change is unleashing American innovation, not overbearing government mandates. Stroyke didn’t respond to requests to clarify Gianforte’s climate goals, or what sort of innovation is necessary in Montana.

Biden told reporters that the U.S. and Russia have "set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate with one another when each of us thinks something is happening in another country that affects the home country. And so it went well. I’m optimistic.”Friday's call underscored the extent to which the ransomware threat from criminal hacker gangs has mushroomed into an urgent national security challenge for the White House, and it suggested a possible concession by the administration that earlier warnings to Putin had failed to curb a criminal activity that has taken aim at businesses across the globe. The Kremlin said “Putin noted that despite the Russian side’s readiness to jointly stop criminal activities in the information sphere, U.S. agencies haven’t made any requests during the past month.”The Kremlin statement said the two leaders emphasized the need for cooperation on cybersecurity, which it said “must be permanent, professional and non-politicized and should be conducted via special communication channels ... and with respect to international law."

I could die tomorrow,” he told The Associated Press as he visited tiny Ida Grove in northwest Iowa last week. “If I announce I’m running, I’m planning on living to be 95. Despite the pace, and his activity on Twitter, there's no hiding Grassley has decades on most of his voters. At events, Grassley references his hearing aid, sometimes as a joke, but he also relies on a staffer to repeat what he misses. Meeting with a group of young professionals in Sioux City last week, Grassley fielded a question about same-sex marriage by noting that it reminded him of some constitutional research he did in college in 1953.

The earthquake, centered on the California-Nevada border, was felt as far west as San Francisco and as far south as Visalia, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley. The epicenter was about 167 miles northeast of San Francisco, 125 miles northeast of Fresno, 110 miles east of Sacramento and 70 miles southeast of Reno. Thursday's earthquake occurred on the Antelope Valley fault system of the Eastern Sierra — unrelated to the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County 275 miles to the south. Elliott, who was in San Francisco when Thursday's quake hit, said he felt strong shaking. Lin reported from San Francisco and Miller from Los Angeles.

Biden said afterward that he is “optimistic” after speaking with Putin and that the two nations have increased communications to address attacks like these. During their meeting, Biden warned Putin to curb the cyberattacks and gave him a list of 16 items he considered to be critical infrastructure that is off-limits. Biden said he warned Putin that the U.S. would respond if the cyberattacks continued. During their in-person meeting, Putin denied Russia's role in recent cyberattacks against U.S. institutions. At the time of the meeting, Biden said that the success of their talks would be determined in the next few months based on whether Putin's confrontational posture toward the U.S. improved.

These donors included defense lobbyists who worked as foreign agents for Saudi Arabia during the 2020 election cycle. Biden’s joint fundraising committee brought in even more contributions from “shadow lobbyists,” those currently unregistered but longtime foreign agents of Saudi Arabia. Saudi influence and lobbying spending targeting the United States grew significantly after Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. In 2020, Saudi foreign agents reported more than $16.3 million in payments for foreign lobbying and influence campaigns. Some firms attempted to publicly distance themselves from Saudi Arabia due to the Khashoggi controversy and mounting allegations of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

Archbishops have made a U-turned on their controversial race policy, claiming that justice officers would be too expensive to roll out across the country. The report, From Lament to Action, set out almost 50 actions including the establishment of new, salaried "racial justice officers" in all 42 dioceses, and introducing a "racial justice Sunday'' once a year. "The aspiration for a full-time racial justice officer in every diocese is something the national Church would have liked to support. "Given the need to reduce costs in diocesan and national administration, the Archbishops’ Council has, therefore, concluded that at the moment full time officers in every diocese cannot be afforded. It’s to say racial justice is too expensive when it is a foundation of our faith.

Britain and Brussels are back at loggerheads as a fresh UK-EU row emerges over the size of the Brexit divorce bill. Downing Street rejected the figure on Friday and doubled down on its previous estimates of between £35 billion and £39 billion. The UK and European Commission have fought over vaccine supplies, Northern Ireland, fishing rights and come close to triggering a trade war over sausages. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated the total bill to be £37.1 billion in 2018. It was thought the total Brexit bill would be smaller than £39billion because the numerous Brexit extensions meant that the total was decreased thanks to the UK's contributions to the EU Budget.

Nicola Sturgeon was under pressure on Friday to follow England’s lead and end the ten-day quarantine period for double vaccinated travellers after an industry chief warned that Scots will simply use airports south of the border. Despite the announcement that fully vaccinated UK residents arriving in England from amber list countries will no longer have to quarantine from July 19, SNP ministers have not yet said whether they will follow suit. With an announcement expected next week, the First Minister has said she is "carefully considering" quarantine rules as she faces increasing calls for her Government to adopt a four nations approach. "Absolutely what will happen is that Scots will fly from English airports," she told BBC Radio’s Good Morning programme on Friday. "We can't make decisions without considering what our neighbours are doing.

Nicola Sturgeon must stop "pondering" and provide "full clarity" on when restrictions will be eased and how she will resolve the deepening NHS self-isolation crisis, opposition leaders have demanded. He said that Ms Sturgeon must use her statement to Holyrood on Tuesday to "deliver full clarity once and for all on the road ahead", and argued that Scots can "ill afford" the First Minister leaving them "in limbo again". The Tories plan to use the statement to demand answers to a series of unresolved issues, including whether she will help struggling hospitals by ending the requirement for NHS staff to self-isolate for 10 days if they test negative. He said Ms Sturgeon "cannot come to Parliament on Tuesday with more plans to make plans. This isn’t a time for more pondering."

White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki accused Republican governors of “killing people” by not providing accurate information regarding vaccines. “The failure to provide accurate public health information including the efficacy of vaccines and the accessibility of them to people across the country including South Carolina is literally killing people,” Mrs Psaki said Friday. “Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating, or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy which will deteriorate the public’s trust and confidence in the State’s vaccination efforts,” Mr McMaster wrote in his letter. But Mrs Psaki said the efforts would not be federal employees going door-to-door, but rather volunteers and members of the clergy. Conversely, Vermont’s Republican Gov Phil Scott leads a state with the highest level of vaccination.

Among those who Mr Trump is upset with is his own son's girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to the report. The aides claim that Mr Trump is no fan of Mr Greitens, calling him "problematic," and that he also finds Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend "annoying." The advisers said Mr Trump would not back Mr Greitens if the primary were held today due to allegations that he beat, sexually assaulted and blackmailed a St Louis hairdresser in 2015. Mr Trump is said to be seeking other candidates to back for the seat. Mr Trump is fully aware of how much weight his endorsements carry, and has been protective of who gets his stamp of approval as a result.

As of May, the Border Patrol has rescued more than 7,000 people this fiscal year, more than the same period in previous years. Officials from both border nations at an event in Yuma, Arizona, on Thursday warned that excessive heat is making the crossing extremely dangerous, against a backdrop of 110 degree weather. Since then, policies like the US-Mexico border wall have shunted migrants even further into the dangerous wilderness. The woman carried on the Border Patrol agent’s shoulders is likely to be immediately deported without a chance to seek asylum. The Independent has reached out to the Border Patrol to confirm.

I took a second look and realised it was Mr Hancock. Mr Hancock resigned his Cabinet post two day after the affair was revealed, even though Downing Street initially described the matter as 'closed.' Mr Hancock had been under increasing pressure to quit, after The Sun published photos, and then a video, of Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo kissing. Former chancellor Sajid Javid who was chosen as Mr Hancock's replacement, yesterday cracked a joke at his predecessor's expense. Mr Javid has previously praised Mr Hancock, saying: 'I think Matt Hancock worked incredibly hard.

Pregnant women could be detained if they represented a flight risk or a danger to the community, among other factors. The number of pregnant women detained increased by almost 50 percent from Obama's final year in office, reaching 2094 in 2018. Advocates for immigrants have warned frequently of the dangers of detaining pregnant women and condemned the Trump policy. They also largely ban the use of restraints on pregnant women in an I.C.E. Earlier this year, the Biden administration ended family detention.

This past Tuesday, July 6, marked the half-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, which many mourned as the democracy’s sunset. It was democracy itself, not simply the Capitol, that was under siege. Rep. Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon ThompsonFive big questions about the Jan. 6 select committee Clyburn: Trump could be called to testify before Jan. 6 panel First hearing of Jan. 6 probe to feature Capitol Police testimony MORE (D-Miss.) The House committee should get clear answers to the complicated questions that surround the assault. Hopefully, the House inquiry and public reaction against the insurrection will stimulate a resurrection of American democracy.

Biden in a phone call on Friday ramped up pressure on Putin to address cyberattacks. Biden said he made it clear to Putin he expects him to act when cyberattacks emanate from Russia. This came a week after a massive ransomware attack affected up to 1,500 companies in the US, Europe, and Asia. President Joe Biden on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to do more to address ransomware attacks emanating from Russia, warning that the US would take "necessary action" to defend itself, the White House said. "Biden reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge," the White House added.

Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletterFor years, extremism experts have wondered why Nick Fuentes, a white-nationalist media figure, has been able to maintain a verified Twitter account. Even through denying the Holocaust, attending the 2017 violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, and frequently espousing overt racism, he kept his privileged access to the platform. That didn’t change when, the day before the January 6 insurrection, he floated the idea of killing state legislators who voted to certify election results. But on Friday, long after a bevy of other platforms—among them YouTube, PayPal, and TikTok—had booted him, Twitter finally stripped his access for unclear reasons. Company spokesperson Trenton Kennedy declined to specify why they did so, telling Mother Jones only that he’d been “permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules.” He declined to share more information.

“I think the intention is to do damage to me, or to try to damage me,” the president told a news conference. “But my conscience is clear,” added López Obrador, who has built his reputation as an indefatigable scourge of corruption. The man filmed giving his brother the cash was David León, who López Obrador named head of Mexico’s civil protection agency on assuming the presidency in December 2018. León stepped down from the government last August after a separate video was leaked of him handing over money in 2015 to another brother of López Obrador. López Obrador told the news conference the money was not for him or a political campaign, and that he understood it was a personal matter between the two men.

A girl was dragged to an abandoned house and shot by her tribe in a so-called 'honour killing' after she tried to run away with her lover and refused to marry her cousin in Syria. Just days after the video of Eida's murder emerged on social media, a 16-year-old girl was strangled to death by her father in another 'honour killing' after she was raped by a relative. After the 'honour killing', Eida's family published the video on social media 'in order to announce cleansing the shame according to their tribal beliefs', the SOHR said in a statement. Just days after the video of Eida's murder emerged on social media, a 16-year-old girl was murdered by her father on Monday in another 'honour killing'. 'Stop killing women,' read one sign.

"If France refuses to extradite Johannes Rivoire, Canada should aggressively urge France to prosecute him in France," she wrote. It's time for all abusers to face justice, said Qaqqaq and Angus. That would include residential schools, day schools and tuberculosis sanatoriums -- where Inuit were taken in the thousands. "We cannot trust the Justice Department to do this without an independent special prosecutor and international observers," Qaqqaq said. Justice Canada did not respond to a request for comment.

(CNN) US Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock on Friday requested an investigation by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General into the controversial approval of the Alzheimer's disease drug Aduhelm. In a letter posted on Twitter, Woodcock said an independent review and assessment should consider interactions between Biogen, the company that makes Aduhelm, and the FDA during the process that led to the June approval of the drug. Woodcock wrote she has "tremendous confidence in the integrity of the staff and leadership" in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research involved in the review of the drug, aducanumab, and sold as Aduhelm. "There continue to be concerns raised, however, regarding contacts between representatives from Biogen and FDA during the review process, including some that may have occurred outside of the form correspondence process," Woodcock wrote to to OIG Acting Inspector Christi Grimm. "To the extent these concerns could undermine the public's confidence in FDA's decision, I believe that it is critical that the events at issue be reviewed by an independent body such as the Office of the Inspector General in order to determine whether any interactions that occurred between Biogen and FDA review staff were inconsistent with FDA policies and procedures."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made transphobic remarks about Illinois Democratic Rep. Marie Newman's transgender daughter Thursday. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made transphobic remarks against Illinois’ Democratic Rep. Marie Newman’s transgender daughter Thursday — and it's not the first time she's made Newman's child a target. Rep. Newmans daughter is transgender, and this video and tweet represents the hate and fame driven politics of self-promotion at all evil costs,” Illinois Republican Rep. Kinzinger tweeted in response to Greene’s video. The Illinois Republican cited Adolf Hitler in a Washington speech in January. Greene did not hold back Thursday on using the kind of language that has raised her profile nationally.

The statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed. The development comes more than five years after a 2016 removal push focused on the Lee statue. A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving one person dead, is expected to come down Saturday. That afternoon, a self-identified white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 other people. More:House passes bill to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday called for a federal investigation of the process that led to the approval of a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease that has spurred sharp criticism from lawmakers and the medical community. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services’ independent Office of the Inspector General, the F.D.A.’s acting commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock, acknowledged the scrutiny the agency has faced about the approval process for the drug, known as Aduhelm. She noted that the review should look at whether any of the communication between the agency’s staff and Biogen’s representatives violated F.D.A. The unusual request for an investigation of an agency’s own staff’s decision making process for an individual drug approval is likely to intensify the controversy that has surrounded the approval of Aduhelm. approved the drug a month ago, overriding the fierce objections of its own independent advisers, who said there was insufficient evidence to know whether the drug was effective.

Women have taken up arms in heavily-contested regions of Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to make nationwide gains during the US military’s withdrawal. Government forces have already withdrawn from seven districts, focusing troops and resources around holding the capital province of Badakhshan. In response, hundreds of women have taken to the streets carrying guns and protesting the Taliban, The Guardian reported. “The majority of these women were those who had recently escaped from Taliban areas,” Faizzada said. The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism, with proponents saying the withdrawal will only increase the problems within the country.

In an op-ed published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal, the 45th president began by explaining, “The internet is the new public square. Trump is slamming platforms for being quick to moderate speech emanating from the US while excusing Chinese propaganda. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey eventually admitted it was a “mistake” to lock The Post’s Twitter account. AFP via Getty ImagesBoth President Biden and his son have continued to deny any wrongdoing. The then-outgoing president was banned from Twitter, Facebook and scores of other sites in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The United States Capitol Police Department is at risk of having to furlough tens to hundreds of officers in coming weeks if Congress doesn’t pass additional funding, according to a report on Friday. Without Congress authorizing additional funds, the USCP would not receive additional funding until after Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year expires. As the Capitol Police continue to struggle with staffing issues and low morale following the riot, it was noted that additional funding to keep salaries afloat could be transferred to tamp down on potential furloughs. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman recently laid out the strides the department has been taking to ensure another breach of the Capitol does not happen. Getty ImagesThe agency has said it is working with Congress to ensure its needs are met.

He also took Native American bones — a practice that, historically, has been shockingly common. Meanwhile, zealous hobbyists and those looking to cash in on a lucrative global demand for Native American goods continue to ransack graves. The theft is so pervasive that there’s an active debate about whether to mark Native American burials on public and tribal lands. It took five years, but in 1990, Congress finally passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, which made it illegal to dig, desecrate or take any Native American remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony from federal and tribal lands. No comprehensive data on the world market for Native American cultural items exists, but in 2018 the U.S. Government Accountability Office attempted to calculate at least some of the export, theft and trafficking of Native American cultural items abroad.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., refuted NBC Peacock host Mehdi Hasan after he suggested the movement to defund the police didn't hurt Democrats in 2020 House races. DEMOCRAT ERIC ADAMS CRITICIZES HIS PARTY FOR ‘DEMONIZING’ POLICE: ‘FEW HAVE EVER BEEN PART OF LAW ENFORCEMENT’"You have been quite critical of the left of your party. "So is the whole attention on defund the police really a deflection by the party leadership from your own failures? "I talk to people everyday, and defund the police is a chokehold around the Democratic Party," he added. "If you're going to categorize left and right, I'm on the left of my party.

Millions of individuals and families stand to receive money from the government through stimulus checks and monthly child tax credit payments. However, many are still waiting on their stimulus checks, while others may not know how to sign up for the child tax credit payments. More from Personal Finance:IRS data shows some high-income people received $1,400 stimulus checksFamilies can opt out of the monthly child tax credit paymentsMore stimulus checks still high on Americans' wish listsMore details on specific locations and times can be found here. The American Rescue Plan Act that was passed by Congress in March included third stimulus checks of up to $1,400 per person, as well as advance monthly payments of the child tax credit for up to $300 per month per child. In order to qualify for either the stimulus checks or child tax credit payments, individuals and families must meet certain requirements.

David Frost heard an unusual message from Northern Ireland politicians and business leaders Friday: Quit exaggerating the problems associated with the post-Brexit trade protocol and commit to fully enforcing it. During a one-day visit to Northern Ireland, Britain’s chief architect of the U.K.’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU visited Newry, a border town, where businesses are building trade with the Republic of Ireland. “People here do not trust you, they do not believe you,” she said, citing a recent poll that showed only 6 percent of Northern Ireland voters trust the British government. They accused him of selling their union with Britain down the river, pushing them economically toward a united Ireland by keeping Northern Ireland subject to EU trade laws. The lifelong diplomat — who maintained an air of detachment as he stuck to well-worn talking points — agreed with Sheehan that Northern Ireland sausages were “just as good.

In 2014, as tensions were aflame in Ferguson, Mo., after the shooting of Michael Brown, then-private citizen Donald Trump took to Twitter to mock the President. “Obama is community organizing from the Oval Office on Ferguson today,” Trump tweeted with typical contempt and obvious amplification of conservatives’ favorite ding of Obama as an activist. Back then, “community organizing” was a shorthanded criticism of Obama’s non-traditional pathway to the White House and an unsubtle smack against the process of building communities and using a sense of unity to force change. But Trump, a leader of the Birther Movement against Obama and considering yet another White House run of his own, just wanted to feed the beast that was his online following, revving up for a future White House run. After all, as Obama showed us, one voice can change a room, but one room can change a country.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is set to come down Saturday, the city announced. Charlottesville said in a news release that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed Saturday. Designated public viewing areas for the removals will be established in both parks where the statues are located, the news release said. The development comes more than five years after a 2016 removal push focused on the Lee statue. Preparations around the parks will begin Friday and include the installation of protective fencing, according to the news release.

Other recent high-profile cyberattacks include the digital strikes on Colonial Pipeline and the meatpacking giant JBS in May. Biden and Putin last spoke at their summit in Geneva three weeks ago, during which the American president warned the Russian dictator against striking 16 key sectors of U.S. infrastructure or harboring cybercriminals who orchestrate the attacks. Their face-to-face meeting last month was a topic of discussion when Biden and Putin spoke on Friday. The scope of Biden’s retaliatory options is broad, ranging from sanctions against Russian entities to the release of embarrassing information about Putin and his allies. The press secretary declined, however, to say whether Putin offered Biden any assurances that Moscow would crack down on cybercriminals residing in Russia.

“You look at the Republican Party today, and it's not exactly positioned to come after Biden hard on Afghanistan.”Poll after poll show a majority of Americans supports Biden’s decision. Even many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who pushed for a drawdown himself, back a withdrawal. “When it comes to understanding the war on terror and the dynamics we face as a nation, President Biden has consistently been wrong,” he tweeted. “I fear that his Afghanistan decision will prove to be his biggest mistake yet.”But the politics of the war have dramatically shifted in recent years. There is not a large public outcry across the country calling for withdrawal the way there was during the Iraq war.

Biden said afterward that he is “optimistic” after speaking with Putin and that the two nations have increased communications to address attacks like these. During their meeting, Biden warned Putin to curb the cyberattacks and gave him a list of 16 items he considered to be critical infrastructure that is off-limits. Biden said he warned Putin that the U.S. would respond if the cyberattacks continued. During their in-person meeting, Putin denied Russia's role in recent cyberattacks against U.S. institutions. At the time of the meeting, Biden said that the success of their talks would be determined in the next few months based on whether Putin's confrontational posture toward the U.S. improved.

Statues honoring two Confederate generals will finally be taken down in Charlottesville, officials said Friday, nearly four years after white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups stormed the Virginia college town to protect the monuments. The statues will be stored for now, until the City Council decides to sell, destroy or otherwise dispose of them. City efforts to remove that statues had been tied up for years in the courts. The Jackson statue has been up since 1921 and the Lee statue was first placed in 1924. White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups descended on Charlottesville in August 2017 for the violent "Unite the Right" rally to protest efforts to remove monuments to those infamous 19th century military leaders.

More Abortion Restrictions Have Been Enacted In The U.S. This Year Than In Any OtherEnlarge this image toggle caption Sergio Flores/Getty Images Sergio Flores/Getty ImagesMore abortion restrictions have been enacted across the U.S. this year than in any previous year, according to an analysis by a group that supports abortion rights. The previous record was set in 2011, when states passed 89 abortion restrictions over the course of the entire year. Reproductive rights proponents fear that the abortion providers and abortion rights activists will become the target in these cases. The Supreme Court prepares to take up abortion rightsThe push to weaken abortion rights comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that will put a longstanding legal precedent upholding abortion rights to the test.

A razor wire barrier is installed on border with Belarus - REUTERS/Janis LaizansLithuania has begun building a border wall to block undocumented migrants entering the EU via Belarus, after dictator Alexander Lukashenko threatened to “flood” the bloc with immigrants in retaliation for sanctions. On Friday, Lithuania started work on a 1600-foot stretch of the barrier, which will be six feet high and topped with razor wire, an army spokeswoman said. The country’s 400-mile border with Belarus runs through sparsely populated areas, with large stretches going through forests and marshes. Mr Lukashenko said this week that Minsk would only guard the border if this was “profitable” for Belarus. Lithuanian army soldiers install razor wire - REUTERS/Janis Laizans"If someone wants more, we are ready to go to the table and agree on what conditions we would do it", he said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said it would be "difficult" to overturn the results of the election. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rejected the idea that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president. A conspiracy theory about Trump's reinstatement has gained traction among his supporters. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rejected the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president in August. US officials are reportedly worried that the conspiracy theory might trigger violence.

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden’s executive order to bolster competition includes 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies, affecting everything from restricting noncompete agreements for workers to allowing imports of prescription drugs from Canada. The executive order directs the Justice Department and FTC to tighten their merger guidelines for hospital deals. The measure also asks for updated antitrust rules regarding companies that share wage and benefit information to avoid competing for workers. Freight railroad and shipping trade groups expressed opposition to Biden’s order, saying that there’s sufficient competition among their industries and the order would put them at a disadvantage. Unlike the Biden order, however, Obama’s didn’t direct individual agencies to take specific actions and instead required them to come up with their own plans.

AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, FileTrump aide David Bossie was "confused" and "appalled" when Trump tapped him to lead election challenges, a new book said. A longtime advisor to former President Donald Trump was less than enthused when Trump tapped him last year to lead a spate of lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results, according to a new book by author Michael Wolff. After mulling over who he wanted to spearhead the legal challenges, Trump finally settled on David Bossie, a 2016 campaign aide turned informal advisor. "I don't know if congratulations or condolences are in order," one campaign aide wrote to Bossie after Trump told him to lead the election lawsuits, according to Wolff. Giuliani, meanwhile, approached his new role as Trump's lead election lawyer with gusto.

Biden pushed back against the notion the U.S. mission has failed but also noted that it remains unlikely the government would control all of Afghanistan after the U.S. leaves. Advertisement“We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build,” Biden said in a speech from the White House’s East Room. Biden said that prolonging U.S. military involvement, considering Trump had already agreed to withdraw U.S. troops, would have led to an escalation of attacks on American troops and NATO allies. The Pentagon said the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, is expected to end his tour of duty this month as final arrangements are made for a reduced U.S. military mission. Biden added that 2,500 Afghans have been granted special immigrant visas since he took office in January.

WASHINGTON — While the global struggle continues against the death and devastation of COVID-19, a panel of independent experts is warning that the world is alarmingly unprepared to deal with the next pandemic. “I think for the next quarter-century, the risks to human well-being, security, and prosperity from global health issues are at least comparable to — and maybe greater than — the risks from climate change,” he said. The report echoed recent calls for reforms by two other high-level groups empaneled by the World Health Organization. AdvertisementAnother new initiative would be a Global Health Threats Board, loosely modeled on the financial stability board the G20 created after the 2008 financial crisis. “I don’t think anybody, even at the World Health Organization, is fully satisfied with the job the World Health Organization has done,” he told the Globe.

AdvertisementOn the night the School Committee approved the temporary plan last October via Zoom, Oliver-Dávila and Rivera exchanged disparaging texts about white parents from West Roxbury. Rivera has alleged the text messages were leaked in an effort to derail permanent changes to the exam school admission policy. The parent coalition is hoping to convince Young to overturn his verdict in the spring that upheld the constitutionality of the temporary admission plan for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the O’Bryant School of Math and Science. “BPS attested that only the exhibit was a ‘true and accurate transcription of text messages,’ which it certainly was. The School Committee is expected to vote next Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Friday phone call that he must “take action” against cybercriminals acting in his country and that the U.S. reserves the right to “defend its people and its critical infrastructure,” the White House said. The conversation came less than a month after the two leaders met in Geneva, when Biden warned against continuing cyberattacks on U.S. businesses and infrastructure emanating from Russia. A new ransomware attack linked to the REvil hacking group based in Russia caused widespread disruption last weekend, affecting as many as 1,500 businesses. The White House said “President Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware.

Advertisement“In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year,” the White House said in a fact sheet outlining the order Biden is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. It also encourages the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue rules allowing customers to download their banking data and take it with them. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry. It calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider issuing new rules defining when meat can use “Product of USA” labels.

By Marshall Cohen | CNNThe Justice Department said this week that former President Donald Trump’s claims that he’ll be reinstated to the White House could fuel more political violence from his supporters. There is no legal or constitutional mechanism for that to happen, and Trump’s claims of a “stolen” 2020 election have been fully debunked. Federal prosecutors brought up Trump’s rhetoric this week in one of the US Capitol riot cases. The Justice Department opposes this request, saying Trump’s rhetoric could inspire Harkrider to become violent in the future. Earlier this spring, federal judges and prosecutors cited Trump’s rhetoric during detention hearings for some of the Capitol rioters.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich is pledging to stand for “election integrity” if only you will put him into the Senate next year. “We need you to stop the counting,” she wrote to then-Supervisor Chairman Clint Hickman on Nov 7, as the votes were being tallied. By Nov. 20 — the day the supervisors were scheduled to certify Biden’s over Trump — she was asking Hickman and Supervisor Steve Chucri to delay the certification vote. “Sounds like your fellow Repubs are throwing in the towel,” she wrote to Supervisor Bill Gates. “You know, I really think it's a shame that Republicans sort of are both in this kind of situation.

In June 2020, Hutchinson arranged for the woman to be driven more than 100 miles from her home to Virgin Hotels Dallas, which his company developed, the lawsuit says. It also claims Dunhill Partners and Virgin Hotels Dallas were negligent in protecting the woman from Hutchinson because they were aware of his previous behavior. The attorney said she was aware of other “young survivors of Bill Hutchinson’s grotesque conduct” and encouraged them to come forward. “You deserve a life free of sexual violence and harassment, but Bill Hutchinson does not deserve to have his reprehensible conduct be kept a secret,” Simpson Tuegel said in the written statement. William Lewald "Bill" Hutchinson (Highland Park Department of Public Safety)Hutchinson was arrested this week on a charge of sexually assaulting an intoxicated 17-year-old girl at his Highland Park home.

The University of Wisconsin System board announced the first step in relaunching a search for a new system president, naming a 19-person search committee of administrators, professors, students, and board members. Board President Edmund Manydeeds III, who just started his role after a politically contentious election, announced the search committee Friday during his first meeting as the board chair. The system will now start the work to replace interim System President Tommy Thompson. As he did in his years as governor, Thompson combined political leadership with some much-needed boosterism for the state university system. “I’ve often said that the next UW System president is watching us, and our progress during COVID-19 will no doubt be noticed by potential candidates," Walsh said Friday.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is set to come down Saturday, the city announced. Charlottesville said in a news release that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed Saturday. Designated public viewing areas for the removals will be established in both parks where the statues are located, the news release said. The development comes more than five years after a 2016 removal push focused on the Lee statue. Preparations around the parks will begin Friday and include the installation of protective fencing, according to the news release.

Talking on the phone from his hospital bed, Hellmann told his longtime best friend and “union comrade” Pat Rensing this:“I need a promise from you, Pat. She told Hellmann he could lead the campaign himself once he recovered. That would turn out to be a heavy responsibility for Rensing after Hellmann died from the virus on March 13. An avid sportsman with a home on a quarry lake near far downstate Carlyle, Hellmann tried to fish every day, and he did his own taxidermy. I’d like to tell you that was just the start of an outpouring of union members and state corrections employees getting the vaccine after hearing Hellmann’s story.

The White House statement announcing the hourlong call with Putin highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The dual prongs of the agenda show how even as Biden pledges to get tough on Russia over hacking, there’s an inherent desire to avoid aggravating tensions as the administration looks for Russia to cooperate, or at least not interfere, with U.S. actions in other areas, including Syria, the Afghanistan withdrawal and climate change.

Lansing — The leaders of the Michigan Republican Party are contemplating holding an endorsement convention in the spring of 2022, a potentially significant shift in how the GOP picks its nominees for attorney general, secretary of state and other statewide offices. The 2018 Republican nominee for attorney general, then-House Speaker Tom Leonard, didn't win his party's nomination until four months later. If the GOP's current process goes unchanged, the Republican nominees to run against Benson and Nessel might not be certain until late August 2022 — a little over two months before the November election. Giving the GOP candidates an earlier start would be good, said Norm Shinkle, a member of the Republican Party's state committee. Then, the newly elected state convention delegates, who would be chosen by primary voters and at county conventions, would make the nominations official in late August.

Nearly 80% of those in ICE custody have no criminal record, and a majority of those who do have committed largely minor offenses, according to TRAC. The American Civil Liberties Union called on the government to stop detaining anyone who might be at risk in detention. Under Obama, ICE adopted a policy in August 2016 that pregnant migrants would be presumed eligible for release as their cases made their way through immigration courts. President Donald Trump ended that policy of presumed release, part of his administration's heightened immigration enforcement, including arrests of anyone without legal residency regardless of whether they had committed some other offense. The number of pregnant women detained by ICE increased from 1,380 in 2016 to 2,098, according to the Government Accountability Office.

LANSING, Mich (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday denied a request to extend the deadline for drawing new legislative and congressional maps despite a delay in census redistricting data. The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, whose members have been meeting since September 2020, asked the court in April to allow for more time to draw the maps. The current deadline for an initial proposal is Sept. 17, but the U.S. Census Bureau does not expect to have tabulated data ready for the public until Sept. 30. The commission asserts that the census data is necessary to draw fair and lawful maps. With its decision, the Supreme Court declined to protect the commission from lawsuits due to any delays.

Preparations around the parks will begin Friday and include the installation of protective fencing, according to the news release. The city said only the statuary will be removed for now; the stone bases will be left in place temporarily and removed later. The Lee and Jackson statues are perched in places of relative prominence in Charlottesville, a small, picturesque city in the Blue Ridge mountains that’s home to the University of Virginia. A lawsuit was quickly filed, putting the city’s plans on hold, and white supremacists seized on the issue. First, white supremacists rallied by torch-light at the state in May 2017, then a small group of Klansmen gathered in July, far outnumbered by peaceful protesters.

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2019, file photo, Marilyn Manson attends the 9th annual "Home for the Holidays" benefit concert in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2019, file photo, Marilyn Manson attends the 9th annual "Home for the Holidays" benefit concert in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rocker Marilyn Manson surrendered to police in Los Angeles last week in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant out of New Hampshire where he allegedly assaulted a videographer at a concert, authorities said. Gilford police Chief Anthony J. Bean Burpee said Thursday that Manson had turned himself into law enforcement in Los Angeles the week before. Manson turned himself in at the department’s Hollywood station on July 2 and was processed on the warrant before being released.

The city of Charlottesville, Virginia, plans to take down a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee this weekend, a long-controversial monument that became the center of the infamous 2017 “Unite the Right” neo-Nazi rally. Local residents had been pushing to take down the statues since even before the Unite the Right Rally. Like most Confederate monuments, the ones in Charlottesville were not put up in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. There are more than 750 Confederate monuments across the country, though the Unite the Right rally inspired some localities to begin taking them down. Until 2015, when activist Bree Newsome climbed a flag pole to remove it, the Confederate flag flew above the South Carolina statehouse.

DUBLIN – Support for the party of Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin collapsed to under 5% in a parliamentary by-election and his coalition partners both suffered significant setbacks, deserted by voters angry about soaring housing costs. The Fine Gael party of Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, which held what it views as a stronghold seat before one of its lawmakers resigned, looked set to come in second, with the dominant left-wing opposition party Sinn Fein third. The other party in the governing three-way coalition, the Green Party, saw its proportion of first preference votes in the constituency fall to 8% from 22% at an election a year ago. The director of election of Martin’s Fianna Fail party, which secured 14% of first preference votes there in February 2020, called for a more radical approach to housing policy to stem the collapse in support for the party registered in recent opinion polls. “I regret I don’t think that Fianna Fail understand the scale of the problem in housing yet and we have to,” Jim O’Callaghan told journalists.

President Joe Biden on Friday vowed there would be consequences for Russia after another round of ransomware attacks but he didn't detail what those might be. He called his Russian counterpart to demand Putin 'take action' about the ransomware attacks on the United States, warning him that he will take 'any necessary action' to defend the U.S.'It went well. 'I will deliver it to him,' he told reporters at the White House when asked his message for the Russian president. Kaseya provides services to more than 40,000 organizations and it was considered the single, largest global ransomware attack on record. Since the Geneva summit 'we have undertaken expert-level talks that are continuing, and we expect to have another meeting next week focused on ransomware attacks,' she said.

This stemmed from a compromise reached by the United States and Russia, both of which hailed what they called a rare instance of cooperation between them. The UN's cross-border aid authorization for northwest Syria, due to expire Saturday, will now be prolonged by six months, with a possible six month renewal. The United States had pressed for the border crossing from Turkey to be renewed for a full year, and sees this resolution as doing just that. US President Joe Biden, meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin recently in Geneva, pressed for an extension of the border crossing authorization. "And it's an important moment for the UN and the Security Council, which today showed we can do more than just talk.

Tony Evers signed the Republican-written state budget Thursday, enacting a two-year spending plan that includes a $2 billion income tax cut while making 50 largely minor partial vetoes, saying “unfinished business” still needs to be addressed. Evers' original budget would have raised taxes, primarily on manufacturers and the wealthy, by more than $1 billion. >>Federal COVID Relief Backfires On Wisconsin Schools In State Budget ProposalEvers, a former state superintendent of schools, had wanted to tap the state’s projected $4.4 billion surplus to spend more on schools. But he said he was signing the budget because he didn't want to jeopardize the federal money. "The only thing that concerns me is it’s federal money, so it’s one-time money," Kaukl said.

DeWine was one of the earliest high-profile Republicans to acknowledge Biden’s victory, and Scott said he voted for Biden during the 2020 campaign. DeWine joined Cox and Walz at a public event where the president lauded state governments’ responses to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, and Cox and Gordon both joined the president on a virtual meeting last month focused on the severe wildfires erupting in Western states this year.

On Friday, the White House announced a potentially important, if modest, effort to further tamp down the power of the technology industry. But in tackling the power of a tech sector that has not only wrested control of the economy but remade it in its own data-hungry image, the Biden administration is still throwing pebbles at its enemy’s parapets. The tech industry has had 20 years to establish a stranglehold over our personal data, attention, and consumer choice. Despite promising to take on the power of Big Tech, President Joe Biden and his administration have so far taken a cautiously incrementalist approach. In this proliferating legal war against Big Tech—premised on a lack of competition and companies’ abusing their monopoly status—any of these cases could yield billion-dollar fines for one of the tech giants.

The progressive lawmaker responded to videos of flooding in subway stations and on New York's Major Deegan Expressway as examples of why the legislation is needed. Ocasio-Cortez also condemned those who have referred to the Green New Deal as "unrealistic," as climate change heightens natural disasters across the country. New York faced intense downpours on Thursday as tropical storm Elsa pummeled the Northeast. Flooding was spotted both inside, and above, the 157th Street subway station in #WashingtonHeights earlier today as severe storms move through. Video: @NoxlucKeep track of the weather here: https://t.co/2CPjKXI0Au pic.twitter.com/UgK32DzWkF — Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2021The tropical storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden speaks about the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks about the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. The conversation came less than a month after the two leaders met in Geneva, when Biden warned against continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. The White House statement announcing the hourlong call with Putin highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives.

FILE - The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. (Zack Wajsgras/The Daily Progress via AP)FILE - The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Charlottesville said in a news release Friday, July 9, 2021, that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be taken down Saturday. Charlottesville said in a news release that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed Saturday. The development comes more than five years after a removal push focused on the Lee statue bubbled up in 2016.

This is not the transformative climate deal that activists have been pushing for. A large portion of the bipartisan deal, $109 billion, injects funding into repairing and building roads, bridges, and other major projects. While it’s not clear which climate policies are on the table now, what’s missing from the infrastructure deal tells us a great deal about what could be coming next. Federal investments and tax credits for clean energy: Congress would have to follow up with serious cash to transform the grid into a clean power sector. “In effect, that means no reconciliation package, no bipartisan deal,” Beachy told Vox.

They exhibited a lot of nomadic characteristics of Central Asia… Most of the Central Asian people are nomadic. The Mongols had taken all the characteristics of Central Asian nomads and elevated them to the highest degree. Silk Road, which actually reflects a strongly organized, subtly articulated and ambitiously scaled process of competition in and around Central Asia. The factors that determine the nature of interaction between Russia and the Central Asian states include their shared geopolitical position. In fact, the Central Asian region can be considered an intersection point between the West and the East.

Days after a statue of George Floyd was recently unveiled on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, it was covered with black spray paint and marked with a stencil for Patriot Front, a white nationalist group. The group’s name was also spray painted in early June on a mural of Floyd in Philadelphia. In Louisville, Kentucky, the “Say Their Names” mural, created last July to honor the lives of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others killed by police, was recently vandalized. There are so many far-right anti-government white nationalist neo-Nazi groups out there that it is difficult to keep up. How this vandalism promotes Patriot Front’s goal of spreading its ideology and increasing its numbers is anybody’s guess.

That's a problem because, in the long run, climate change is the most serious problem we face. There's abundant evidence about the climate change problem. In the June Gallup Poll, climate change rated a measly 3 percent. For this reason, the White House press secretary, and other administration press channels, did not talk about climate change. In addition, for many years, Fox News (https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/2021-fox-news-still-spreading-dangerous-climate-denial ) has denigrated climate change and spread the lie that human activity is not overheating our climate.

On Saturday, Hope Springs from Field PAC canvassed in three states: Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In many of these Senate states, we will be canvassing every weekend possible, where weather is not a factor. In Wisconsin, we have a pretty big list of Wisconsin volunteers from the presidentials as well as two groups who are very interested in this specific approach we are pursuing. Mentoring those who need it (like first time and newly registered voters). The ability to say, we know there are people in this house who are not registered to vote, was very helpful.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn't made a similar announcement, having previously said that the House won't take up either bill until the Senate has passed both. So Democrats had better be ready for any eventuality, including dumping everything on infrastructure—the bipartisan package and everything else—into one big reconciliation bill. "It's possible that we could reach that point while Congress is out in August," Yellen warned in June. So, yes, it s a very good thing that some or part of the Senate's August recess is now on hold. "Maybe that will be used as a carrot on the end of a very big stick."

Greg Pence is the slightly more crooked brother to former VP Mike Pence, and the U.S. House Rep. for Indiana's 6th Congressional District. Did we mention he's voting on bills that show he's siding with the insurrectionists who want to hang his brother? On this date one year ago, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled the U.S. House Representative from Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, Greg Pence, who yes, is the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Greg would call “Bubbles” in their youth. (Frankly, that’s the most humanizing thing I’ve ever heard about either Pence, who have all the charisma of jars of mayonnaise past their expiration.) Indiana’s 6th Congressional District has a +18 Republican lean, and yes, that’s a tie for the most conservative lean of any district in the state.

Working on the next stepWelcome ? to Friday’s Roundup of Good News! ? Out with the Bad, In with the Good ?Having tfg in office led to the deaths of so many. There`s this federal law that is designed to shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits, that this runs right up against. Here`s blue state New York today going on offense to say, hey, we`ll test it. 1, 2, 3: We open, share, and then savor the Roundup , because outreach, timing, acceleration, distractions, and the vicissitudes of memory.

Big Lie, Big Tech, and the Big Grift goes on… and the emoluments never got examined. Former president Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., charged the Secret Service nearly $10,200 for guest rooms used by his protective detail during Trump’s first month at the club this summer, newly released spending records show. The records — released by the Secret Service in response to a public-records request — show that the ex-president has continued a habit he began in the first days of his presidency: charging rent to the agency that protects his life. "Trump seems always willing to attack anyone who disagrees with him, or whom he does not see as sufficiently supportive of him. As a result, it had a ripple effect, where targeted groups (due to immigration status, race, religion, sexuality, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.)

The sources agreed that DeSantis and Trump are on an inevitable collision course as the 2024 GOP field takes shape. “There’s going to be a blowup,” a prominent Republican said. Not only did DeSantis narrowly defeat Trump in a recent conservative straw poll, Trump also insists DeSantis would be nowhere without Trump. For much of the 2018 gubernatorial primary, DeSantis trailed Florida agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam. According to Sherman, DeSantis has also shown a semblance of a backbone when dealing with Trump.

Taylor's campaign came to an end months later, though, when former state Rep. and eventual winner Barry Moore narrowly edged her out 20.5-19.9 for the second spot in the runoff. In the Senate race, Littwin mentions that some Republicans "are encouraging" former state Rep. Clarice Navarro to run, but there's no word on her interest. ? GA-Sen: Republican Rep. Governors? AK-Gov: Former Democratic state Rep. Les Gara announced Wednesday that he had formed an exploratory committee for a potential bid against Republican Gov. House? AZ-02: State Rep. Daniel Hernandez recently earned an endorsement from the Arizona Federation of Teachers for next year's open seat Democratic primary.

So there’s a lot of, “You know, I was a reporter.” Walter Hussman can legitimately say that—with a few important asterisks. When I was 27, I was a beat reporter going to fires, murder scenes, protests and government meetings. As a Black woman, she had to work longer and harder than I did to get ahead in newsrooms. In a new survey of 1,137 likely voters from June 30th to July 1st, Data for Progress examined likely voter support towards the components of the infrastructure bill. Voters support each individual component of the proposed bill, with notable support across parties.

That's right, Democratis Sen. Kyrsten Sinema who has forced this whole rigamarole of "bipartisan negotiations" because she refuses to just support her president. Rob PortmanBecause, remember, the whole point for Republicans is delay, delay, delay and stop anything good from happening. Or as GOP leadership team member Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming says, "I want to make Joe Biden a one-half-term president." If McConnell wasn't able to scuttle this deal on his own, he's now got some heavyweight conservative groups helping him out. That should mean fully funding the IRS and raising corporate taxes.

As of yet the maximum number of senators who have been willing to buck him has been six. That's how many Republicans refused to grant his "personal favor," and voted for the Jan. 6 commission. With these battling far-right pressure groups lining up against one another, Politico is still going with the Democrats in disarray narrative. If Manchin is there, Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema is unlikely to be willing to stand on her own in opposition. "If you add the two plans together, it would be the biggest bill in the history of the country.

And that’s why we’re asking the Congress to consider changing the law.” But that’s just not true, advocates and experts responded. “Biden is wrong about evacuating our allies to the United States and processing them here,” responded American Immigration Council policy counsel Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. President Biden has said U.S. forces are set to leave the nation on Aug. 31. “We need to act now to bring all these allies to Guam, if President Biden truly meant ‘speed is safety,’ it would apply to Afghan allies’ lives, not just American ones. President Biden stated that ‘speed is safety’ regarding Americans leaving Afghanistan, and that’s no less true for Afghan allies.”

The Republican anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project had announced earlier in the day that it planned to release an ad campaign targeting companies that were donating to pro-sedition GOP lawmakers. Toyota had originally been part of a cadre of major companies that made high-profile announcements saying they would temporarily halt donations to GOP lawmakers who voted against certification while they reassessed their political giving. The Lincoln Project not only released an initial ad but also announced a series of target markets designed to put the squeeze on the company, writes the Detroit News. The Lincoln Project subsequently said it would not air the ad and has yet to name new corporate targets. "We hope that the rest of corporate America will follow their lead—we’ll be there to make sure of it," said Lincoln Project spokesperson RC Di Mezzo.

Associated Press headline, July 8: "Biden with few options to stabilize Haiti in wake of slaying." State Department spokesman Ned Price says "It is still the view of the United States that elections this year should proceed." The way forward and out of that culpability is less, not more, interference in Haiti's affairs. If the US government really needs a "Haiti policy," that policy should include two elements: Free trade and welcoming refugees. Beyond that, hands off Haiti.

Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. The sheer volume of jargon words, and their mutual relationships, along with the usual internal bitter controversies, all serve to sow confusion. What the "Critical Race Theory" debate is really about. Scott Baker is a Managing Editor & The Economics Editor at Opednews, and a blogger for Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Global Economic Intersection. His anthology of updated Opednews articles "America is Not Broke" was published by Tayen Lane Publishing (March, 2015) and may be found here:http://www.americaisnotbroke.net/Scott is a former President of Common Ground-NYC (http://commongroundnyc.org/), a Geoist/Georgist activist group.

That's a problem because, in the long run, climate change is the most serious problem we face. There's abundant evidence about the climate change problem. During the Trump Administration, it was well known that Donald Trump did not regard climate change as a serious problem. For this reason, the White House press secretary, and other administration press channels, did not talk about climate change. In addition, for many years, Fox News (Click Here ) has denigrated climate change and spread the lie that human activity is not overheating our climate.

Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney and former New York City mayor, urged Trump in 2017 to drop federal charges against Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader. If the DOJ concludes Giuliani lobbied on behalf of Turkish interests, Giuliani could be forced to register as a foreign agent. The Turkish government paid the firm over $1.2 million in 2017, $1.7 million in 2018 and $769,000 in 2019. Greenberg Traurig has claimed its lobbying was ethical and that it separated Guiliani’s legal work from its foreign lobbying. Giuliani wouldn’t be the only lobbying tie Turkey had to the Trump White House.

An inquiry the Justice Department has reportedly launched an inquiry into Rudy Giuliani may reveal even more undisclosed lobbying. Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney and former New York City mayor, urged Trump in 2017 to drop federal charges against Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader. If the DOJ concludes Giuliani lobbied on behalf of Turkish interests, Giuliani could be forced to register as a foreign agent. Greenberg Traurig has claimed its lobbying was ethical and that it separated Guiliani’s legal work from its foreign lobbying. Giuliani wouldn’t be the only lobbying tie Turkey had to the Trump White House.

After being targeted by progressive climate campaigners, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear on Wednesday that he will work to include the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps in evolving federal infrastructure legislation. Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a lengthy statement outlining his support for the inclusion of a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), which was inspired by a New Deal-era program and formally unveiled as legislation earlier this year by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) “In the upcoming American Jobs and Families Plans legislation, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to confront the climate crisis and create millions of middle-class, family-sustaining union jobs,” Schumer said. “We must go big and bold with a Civilian Climate Corps. “I also want to enlist a new generation of climate, conservation, and… resilience workers, like FDR did… preserving our landscape with a Civilian Conservation Corps,” the president said.

Yet, land and water defenders fighting to save the planet face threats ranging from intimidation to imprisonment to assassination. On Monday, the Honduran Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, found Roberto David Castillo guilty of ordering the murder of Berta Cáceres. His conviction won’t bring Berta Cáceres back, but it might deter similar attacks and ultimately save lives. “Berta Cáceres was someone who called out Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration constantly,” Pitzer College professor Suyapa Portillo, said on the Democracy Now! As the climate emergency intensifies, we all have a responsibility to protect front line defenders like Berta Cáceres.

Under President Trump, the Justice Department declared safe consumption sites illegal. Safe drug consumption sites operate in countries across the world and are known by many names, including supervised injection sites, supervised consumption services and overdose prevention programs. Safe consumption sites in Canada and other countries also provide pathways to addiction treatment for those who want it. During Senate confirmation hearings, Garland said he could not comment on safe consumption sites because the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Safehouse was still pending. Whether any of that money will eventually reach safe consumption sites may depend on how the Biden-Harris administration reacts to the news out of Rhode Island.

And so, this is just, you know, again, one of the worst bills — this would make it the worst voter suppression bill in the country. Among them, “don’t come relying on activists to out-organize voter suppression to compensate for your legislative failures. We are litigating at the Legal Defense Fund in Georgia, challenging their voter suppression law. Twenty-five million dollars is not nearly enough to combat the kind of voter suppression that we’re seeing. The denial of the vote to D.C. is one of the oldest forms of voter suppression.

Indeed, over just the past weeks, the U.S. has been hit with climate emergency after climate emergency. “Firenados” are becoming more frequent in California and New York City’s subways are flooding before tropical storm Elsa has even hit the region. Most, if not all, of these emergencies have been brought on and worsened by the climate crisis. They also emphasize that strong climate provisions are vital for the upcoming reconciliation bill. “This is the very least we can do to avert the worst of the climate crisis.

U.S. immigration officers will avoid arresting pregnant, nursing or postpartum immigrants. WASHINGTON – The Biden administration will avoid the arrest of pregnant, nursing or postpartum undocumented immigrants, the latest move by the president to unwind his predecessor's hardline immigration policies. The report found that ICE detained pregnant women more than 4,600 times between 2016 and 2018. The Biden directive expands on the Obama administration policy, which focused on pregnant women. "This move brings us closer to more humane treatment by ICE of people who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing," she said in a statement.

On the face of it, you might think that the QAnon conspiracy has largely disappeared from big social media sites. When DFRLab analyzed more than 40 million appearances of QAnon catchphrases and related terms on social media this spring, it found that their presence on mainstream platforms had declined significantly in recent months. It is more difficult to come across blatant QAnon accounts on mainstream social media sites these days, at least from the publicly available data that does not include, for instance, hidden Facebook groups and private messages. Carusone, for instance, noted that Facebook banned QAnon groups tied to violence six weeks before it banned QAnon more broadly. “If there were ever a time for a social media company to take a stand on QAnon content, it would have been like months ago, years ago,” DFRLabs’ Rizzuto said.

President Biden’s administration is expected to begin releasing pregnant women and those who recently gave birth after they are apprehended illegally crossing the US-Mexico border. Although fewer than 20 people currently held by the government would be released, prior Biden administration policy changes have been panned for unintentionally fueling the ongoing border crisis. “ICE is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and preserving the health and safety of pregnant, postpartum and nursing individuals,” said acting ICE Director Tae Johnson. The number of US-Mexico border detentions hit a 21-year monthly high of more than 180,000 in May. Unaccompanied minors walk up the bank of the Rio Grande after crossing the US-Mexico border in Roma, Texas.

Just days after winning the Democratic nomination for mayor, Eric Adams broke bread at storied Italian eatery Rao’s with billionaire Republican John Catsimatidis. Eric Adams dined at Rao’s with billionaire Republican John Catsimatidis. TwitterEric Adams dined at Rao’s with billionaire Republican John Catsimatidis. Getty Images“We went to Rao’s for an enjoyable dinner and we were surprised to see Eric Adams,” another person at the table said. Catsimatidis said Friday he has known the rival-party candidate “a long time,” sounding impressed as he said, “Eric Adams is talking like he wants to do a good job.”Bo Dietl joined John Catsimatidis and Eric Adams at Rao’s.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-FLa., says he learned about Daytona Beach Police officer Jason Raynor’s condition after speaking with his chief. MAN CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY FIRING AK-47 NEAR POLICE OFFICERS DURING TRAFFIC STOPHowever, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young is criticizing Waltz Friday for revealing the information. "If I or @DaytonaBchPD intended to give an update on Officer Raynor’s status we would have done so ourselves! Waltz later offered his "sincerest apologies to the Raynor family" and Daytona Beach police. "I was excited at the prospect of good news for Officer Raynor and did not intend to share info that wasn’t meant to be released.

EXCLUSIVE: The conservative House Freedom Caucus is pushing back on President Biden's latest door-to-door vaccine push decrying the home visits as a "deeply disturbing" violation of Americans' privacy. WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS DOOR-TO-DOOR VACCINATION PUSH AMID BACKLASHCommunity members have been doing this since April and it has been effective, with vaccination rates among adults going up 3% in Alabama and 4.4% in Florida, Psaki said. After Biden first mentioned the idea of going door-to-door, Republicans in Congress were quick to push back against it. "The government now wants to go door-to-door to convince you to get an ‘optional’ vaccine," Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., wrote. "The door-to-door spying on Americans is one more example of the burgeoning surveillance state by the national government."

Minnesota police chiefs have raised concerns over the recent rise in violence across the state – particularly gun violence – with one chief saying it is unlike anything he’s seen before. MINNEAPOLIS TEEN WHO RECORDED GEORGE FLOYD VIDEO SAYS UNCLE KILLED IN CRASH DURING POLICE PURSUIT"I’ve never seen the gun violence like this," Brooklyn Park Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen told Fox 9. "The issue we are facing because of that is the complete lawlessness that’s going on in some of our cities," Revering told Fox 8. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"A lot of these folks are getting out quickly and committing the same crimes again," Revering explained. "You talk about carjackings, they get out and commit carjackings again, and then we sit back and ask, ‘How this is happening?’"

US President Joe Biden (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin meet for talks at the Villa La Grange. WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to take action to stem recent ransomware attacks from Russian-based groups in a phone call Friday, the White House said. The attack is the latest in a string of serious ransomware attacks carried out this spring and summer by groups originating in Russia. Putin has consistently denied any involvement in the three most recent ransomware attacks that originated in Russia. In June, Biden met with Putin in person in Geneva, where he warned the Russian president to crack down on cyberattacks originating in Russia.

The question is not whether the United States should defend Taiwan during war but how to prevent war in the first place. Taken together, China’s emergence as a near-peer military competitor to the United States represents the single greatest strategic challenge facing Washington. Taiwan’s defense acquisition should be focused on systems that are cost-effective, affordable in large numbers, mobile, survivable and lethal. The threat of Chinese military aggression is no longer hypothetical; gray zone operations have already begun. The question is not whether the United States should defend Taiwan during war but how to prevent war in the first place.

Senate Republicans have burned Democrats twice in filling Supreme Court vacancies. In 2016, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made the unprecedented decision to deny a Supreme Court seat to President Barack Obama for nearly a year, saying it was because it was a presidential election year. McConnell and Republicans kept the seat empty until Donald Trump was in the White House and could fill it with a GOP-backed nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Then, in 2020, McConnell broke from his own supposed standard for confirming Supreme Court nominees ? expediting confirmation of another Trump Supreme Court pick, Amy Coney Barrett, just weeks before the 2020 presidential election. McConnell seems intent on preventing Biden from filling a Supreme Court vacancy, too.

The U.S, Capitol Police may be forced to furlough officers as funding for their salaries has been held up in the Senate by political infighting. NBC's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports from Capitol Hill.

President Joe Biden speaks about the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks about the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a nationwide increase in violent crime — particularly involving firearms — President Joe Biden will meet Monday with law enforcement, local elected officials and advocates to discuss his efforts to address gun crimes. The White House says Biden will highlight his administration’s push to increase funding for local law enforcement to improve community policing practices through the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill he signed into law earlier this year. Biden’s budget request to Congress also calls for more funding for federal and state law enforcement, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to improve that agency’s ability to track and disrupt gun trafficking.

Since the start of the year, Twitter and Facebook have removed tens of thousands of accounts, groups and pages dedicated to the QAnon conspiracy theory. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)On the face of it, you might think that the QAnon conspiracy has largely disappeared from big social media sites. When DFRLab analyzed more than 40 million appearances of QAnon catchphrases and related terms on social media this spring, it found that their presence on mainstream platforms had declined significantly in recent months. Carusone, for instance, noted that Facebook banned QAnon groups tied to violence six weeks before it banned QAnon more broadly . “If there were ever a time for a social media company to take a stand on QAnon content, it would have been like months ago, years ago,” DFRLabs’ Rizzuto said.

The Biden administration will stop detaining migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth in a reversal of a Trump-era policy. The Biden administration will stop detaining migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth in a reversal of a Trump-era policy. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities will no longer routinely jail migrants facing deportation if they are pregnant or recently gave birth, reversing a Trump-era immigration policy. Women and immigrant advocacy groups have criticized medical care at immigrant detention centers and condemned the practice of detaining pregnant migrants as a threat to maternal and fetal health. Under Obama, ICE adopted a policy in August 2016 that pregnant migrants would be presumed eligible for release as their cases made their way through immigration courts.

And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster. DeSantis’ handling of the tragedy appears to have caught some Democrats off guard, leaving them with no unified response. Nikki Fried, Florida’s Democratic agriculture commissioner who has also announced a bid for governor, praised local officials, Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Friction between the two spilled into the public for the first time last week when Trump rebuffed DeSantis’ entreaties to postpone the rally in Sarasota.

President Joe Biden on Friday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ongoing ransomware attacks by criminals based in Russia that have hit the U.S. and other countries, the White House said in a statement. Biden "underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia," and the president reiterated that the U.S. "will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge," the White House added.

Alex Wong/Getty ImagesTrump called AG Bill Barr a "phony" and said he would "lick the floor if I asked him to," a new book says. Trump went on the warpath against Barr after Barr refused to back his election conspiracy theories. Former President Donald Trump accused Attorney General William Barr of being a "phony" when Barr refused to back his claims of election fraud, according to the book, "Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency," by Michael Wolff. In the weeks after he lost the 2020 election, Trump grew steadily more enraged with Barr, who had been on the chopping block for months. Story continues"We have to get rid of Barr," Trump reportedly told advisors including Jared Kushner, Mark Meadows, Pat Cipollone, and Eric Herschmann.

in court documents, wants joint guardianship of the baby she birthed, according to court papers obtained by The Daily Beast. in court documents, promised her to leave his wife and raise the baby with K.B., but he never followed through. in spring 2014 and they began an affair, according to court documents. During the affair, M.S.B.' also said "he would leave [his wife] and they would raise the child together as husband and wife," court documents said.

The White House Covid Response Team shared a picture of the Taiwan flag on Twitter this week (EPA)The White House has apologised for making an “honest mistake” in including the Taiwan flag in a tweet about vaccine allocation. The United States, similar to other countries, does not formally recognise Taiwan’s government due to its relations with China. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council also called the use of the Taiwan flag in the tweet “an honest mistake” and said it was not an indication of a US policy shift towards the country, according to Reuters. On Tuesday, Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, took part in an online discussion hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). He said that the country had an “unofficial relationship” with Taiwan but that “we do not support Taiwan independence”.

On July 7,2021, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang during national Memorial Day commemorations. KCNA via REUTERSKim Jong Un appears to have reshuffled North Korean leadership. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have dramatically reshuffled his senior leadership after expressing frustration with the negligence and irresponsible actions of some senior officials, offenses that have purportedly resulted in a "great crisis." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during WPK meeting in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during WPK meeting in Pyongyang.

Last week, North Korea announced the latest in a series of leadership changes that may be the most significant reshuffle of top officials in years. Ri, who sometimes wears his military uniform, was seen in the photos wearing civilian clothes and standing several rows behind Kim, indicating his new role is unclear. "The focus internally is on the economy, not the nuclear programme," he said. "Demotions are very common things in North Korea politics," he said. "We need to keep in mind that things that look like demotions to us can in fact be something else."

AxiosIsraeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Jordan secretly last week and met with King Abdullah II at his palace in Amman, a former Israeli official tells Axios.Why it matters: This was the first meeting between the king and an Israeli prime minister in more than five years. It follows a long period of tensions between Abdullah and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and comes as Bennett attempts to reset the relationship.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets.

Patrick Semansky/Pool via REUTERSGOP congressmen were caught on tape telling activists to thank Manchin and Sinema for holding firm on the filibuster. In the newest video, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona said Democrats were "pushing as hard as they can" to enact President Joe Biden's agenda. He went on: "But thank goodness for Sinema and Joe Manchin," referring to Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, both of whom have resisted a mounting chorus of Democratic calls to abolish the filibuster. "There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster," Manchin wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in April.

And it's the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country," he said. Addressing critics of his decision directly, Biden asked: "How many thousands more Americans, daughters and sons, were you willing to risk? Biden said the United States plans to move thousands of Afghan interpreters out of the country in August and they can safely apply for U.S. visas. But Biden said Afghan troops far outnumber the Taliban, 300,000 to 75,000, and that a Taliban takeover can be stopped. "There's going to be no circumstance you're going to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in the -- of the United States from Afghanistan.

Chris Christie, left, and Donald Trump. REUTERS/Scott AudetteTrump was "convinced" that Chris Christie gave him COVID-19, according to a new book. Chris Christie, according to a forthcoming book by journalist Michael Wolff. But he was furious with Christie following a final debate session in which Christie had assumed the role of Biden and attacked Trump, according to the book. After their bouts with COVID-19, Christie went on to criticize Trump's handling of the pandemic in the country.

The order contains 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies and establishes a White House Competition Council to monitor the agencies' progress. Biden is set to sign the order and deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. at the White House. President Joe Biden delivers remark regarding the Afghanistan drawdown in the East Room of the White House on July 8, 2021. "Our economy needs both large and small businesses to thrive — not centralized government dictates. TransportationThe White House argues "inadequate competition" has reduced incentives for airlines to provide good service.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday that Democrats may work into August in order to pass both a bipartisan infrastructure package and a separate reconciliation bill that would dramatically expand the government-funded safety net. The party used the method earlier this year to muscle through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan without any GOP votes. "Please be advised that time is of the essence and we have a lot of work to do," Schumer wrote. "There aren't the votes to pass just the bipartisan plan without the reconciliation plan," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the House Progressive Caucus, said recently during an interview with CNN. "Now I am calling on President Biden to engage Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi and make sure they follow his lead."

Instead, it takes the opposite approach, effectively deputizing ordinary citizens — including from outside Texas — to sue clinics and others who violate the law. Critics say the Texas law amounts to a kind of hack of the legal system. Protesters hold up signs at a protest outside the Texas state capitol on May 29, 2021 in Austin, Texas. “If they lose, they are on the hook for significant sums of money.”The Texas law has energized opponents of abortion. Lubbock was the only one with an abortion clinic, but the sentiment among people in those places could power a broader effort to enforce the state law, too, he said.

Doug Ducey on Friday signed HB2241, an education bill requiring students to learn about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between seventh and 12th grades. The bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson, passed the Legislature on June 30. Holocaust survivors and other advocates previously told The Arizona Republic they were hopeful Ducey would sign the bill into law, saying that mandated genocide education would improve Holocaust awareness and understanding as well as prevent future atrocities. Ducey specifically thanked Hernandez for "her many years of work on this important issue" and the Holocaust survivors who "played a crucial role in making this bill a reality." "Knowing that all Arizona students will learn about the Holocaust gives me hope," Hernandez said on Friday.

A two-vehicle collision left one person dead and another person injured near 71st Avenue and Thomas Road early on Thursday in west Phoenix, according to fire spokesperson Capt. Todd Keller. Phoenix fire personnel pronounced the person dead on scene. Phoenix police is investigating the crash. According to a tweet by Maricopa Department of Transportation, east and west Thomas Road, between 69th and 71st avenues, will be temporarily closed due to the police investigation.

A former longtime village of Grafton trustee won a public records case against the village, and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered that the village pay her court fees. Susan Meinecke served as a Grafton village trustee from 2007-20. According to Wisconsin Court of Appeals records, Williams denied Meinecke’s request for payment in part due to “a lot of people’s time and energy (being) wasted.”The circuit court also indicated that it suspected Meinecke had an “ulterior motive outside of” a public records request, court records show. The circuit court further noted that some documents didn’t serve Meinecke’s purpose in seeking them, and village officials had not acted with “wanton disregard” of the public records law. The circuit court will be responsible for calculating Meinecke's attorney fees, costs and damages, the appeals court ruled.

Asian American history will soon be woven into public school studies across Illinois under a bill signed into law by Gov. The lessons include the history of the Chinese Exclusion Acts; the internment of Japanese Americans; the military service of Asian Americans throughout American history; the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest; and Asian American contributions toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward. At the bill signing Friday, the Glenview Democrat said learning about her family’s history, and the larger history of Asian Americans in the U.S., was a “pivotal moment” in her life. The new law will ensure “the next generation of Asian American students won’t need to travel across the country or attend law school to learn something about their heritage.”“Empathy comes from understanding, and we cannot do better unless we know better,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “But when Asian American history isn’t taught, it leaves a gap that can lead non-Asian people to believe in stereotypes and act towards Asian Americans based on those stereotypes.

More than 5,000 people are expected to be seeking their next job during Friday’s massive Summer Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. More than 5,000 job seekers are expected to attend the Summer Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall on Friday, July 9, 2021. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)Job seekers line up for the Summer Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall, Friday morning, July 9, 2021. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)More than 5,000 people are expected to be seeking their next job during today’s massive Summer Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. “We are encouraged by the overwhelming response to this job fair by employers and job seekers,” Gibson said in the release.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it was responding to the shooting and was asking anyone with information to call its office at 312-746-3609 or visit http://www.chicagocopa.org.

After the past 10 years on Cincinnati City Council, Cincinnati's Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman now wants to represent all of Hamilton County. Smitherman will run as an independent candidate for Hamilton County commissioner, according to an email he sent to supporters on Thursday evening. There has been speculation for more than a year that the North Avondale resident could run for countywide office. So far, no one has pulled petitions to run for Hamilton County Board of Commissioners yet, according to the county board of elections. The Democrats took complete control of the county board of commissioners in 2018 when Dumas won the election in a surprising upset of veteran Republican Chris Monzel.

Cranley hasn't been quite as publicly outspoken, but slammed DeWine on June 30 for another weak Ohio jobs report. "When people ask me about my priorities, I say, 'Jobs, jobs, and more good-paying jobs.' Are Ohio GOP lawmakers hiding public records from the public? Unjustifiably withholding public records may not be the best way for our elected leaders to win the public's confidence they will pass that test. Public offices typically use search terms to fulfill public records requests of electronic communications.

“Folks, it is never too early to defend your rights,” Harris said. “With these new laws that have been passed, or they’re trying to, we have to start now to finish strong.”But some Democrats and voting rights activists believe that the White House did not start nearly soon enough. We have no more time,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Democrats on Capitol Hill already tried to respond with a sweeping voting and elections bill. Most Republicans have similarly dismissed a separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court previously weakened.

For nearly two decades, Mark Levin, the nation’s top conservative talker, has been penning New York Times bestselling warnings about the Left’s takeover of America. Like “American Crisis” pamphleteer Thomas Paine, who wrote under the pseudonym “Common Sense” during the American Revolution, Levin has called on the nation to wake up before falling off a political cliff. Already considered his best yet, Mark Levin's newest book is set for release next week. “The other day I was thinking to myself, ‘Rush, we need you now more than ever.’ But Rush isn’t here,” said Levin. “My hope is that this book will have the kind of influence that the ‘American Crisis’ had,” he said.

It is rare for the OIG to investigate the FDA, and even more exceptional for it to investigate an individual drug approval decision, according to STAT’s review of public records. If OIG chooses to investigate the Aduhelm approval, it will eventually publish its findings in a public report. Earlier calls for an OIG investigation have focused on the close relationship between Billy Dunn, head of the FDA’s neuroscience division, and Biogen executives. One said they would not have supported approving the drug had they known the FDA would give it such an expansive approval. The official pointed out that even though Woodcock was not involved in the approval decision, it was made by people she had elevated to decision-making roles.

At least 1,000 Afghan troops this week retreated into Tajikistan, prompting the country mobilize an extra 20,000 soldiers to guard its frontier. At the moment, authorities in Kabul still control all of the 34 provincial capitals, although two of them near the borders of China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are now being contested. “The situation in Afghanistan is an important factor for the security of CPEC.”With an economy that has grown by about five times since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, China is a particularly ripe target. More than 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees are already in Pakistan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A win for the Taliban would ultimately embolden all sympathizers across the region, said Madiha Afzal, a non-resident fellow at Washington-based Brookings Institution.

Ireland is still holding out against Joe Biden's plans for a minimum corporation tax rate of 15pc, despite G20 finance ministers urging opponents to sign up to the deal this weekend. The low tax country is one of eight nations digging their heels in against a global deal championed by the White House and agreed by 131 countries, amid fears the proposals will trash its economic model. Plans for a global tax increase have been brokered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and are intended to stop large corporations such as the US tech giants from shifting profits around the world to limit what they pay. There is growing disquiet within Ireland over the company it is keeping through its opposition to the proposals. Mr McNamara said: “At the next leader’s summit, I don’t see Michael Martin [the Taoiseach] falling over a table to be photographed with Viktor Orban.

Women getting abortions in Texas after six weeks could be sued by anyone as part of a controversial law taking effect in September. As The New York Times reported on Friday, the so-called “heartbeat bill” was signed into law by Governor Gregg Abbott in May amid criticism from women’s rights campaigners and medical officials. It will also become the only state to allow anyone to enforce the law against women and abortion clinics, which could close amid pressure from anti-abortion campaigners. Restrictions on voting and social media, as well as issues of border security and critical race theory, also feature on the agenda for Texas’ legislature, according to The Texas Tribune. “There’s still quite a lot of hoops to jump through for a claimant to prevail,” he added.

By contrast, in March 2020 just 29% of Americans accepted the lab leak theory. Whether or not they believe the lab leak theory, Americans are united about the need to investigate COVID's origins, with almost two-thirds of Republicans and Democrats calling the issue 'very' or 'extremely' important. Redfield, who was CDC director under the Trump administration, first revealed back in March that he believes the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab. Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, has flip-flopped on the issue, but recently said it was worth looking intoDid Covid leak from a Wuhan lab? He said his emails are 'ripe to be taken out of context' but he 'can't guarantee everything that is going on in the Wuhan lab'.

John Kerry will travel to Russia next week to discuss 'global climate ambition,' the State Department announced. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will meet with Russian officials in Moscow next weekRep. John Katko told DailyMail.com last week the U.S. is 'facing a time of reckoning' in relations with Russia. 'I will deliver it to him,' he told reporters at the White House when asked his message for the Russian president. President Biden said at the time that he was 'heartened' that Putin called for collaborating with other countries to advance carbon dioxide removal. 4 globally due to its dependence on coal burning, is an outsize contributor to climate change relative to the size of its economy and population.

Donald Trump lashed out against attorney general Bill Barr after a fruitless attempt to recruit a federal attorney to probe the 2020 election and called him a 'phony', a new book claims. In the weeks following the November election, Barr - until then a staunch Trump ally - publicly began distancing himself from the former president's wild claims of widespread fraud. In the months leading up to the election Barr also echoed his boss's unfounded criticisms of mail-in voting. Kelly allegedly admonished Trump that 'You cannot ever say anything supportive of Adolf Hitler,' though the book claims Trump continued. Trump said in January 2021, according to an excerpt of Wolff's book in The Times.

US President Joe Biden told Russian leader Vladimir Putin to take action against ransomware groupsAdvertising Read moreWashington (AFP)US President Joe Biden spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday and told him to "take action" against ransomware groups operating in Russia, the White House said. Biden also said the United States will take "any necessary action" to defend Americans and critical infrastructure threatened by cyberattacks, it said. "President Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware," it said. "President Biden reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge." Ransomware attacks on the United States and other countries have increased sharply in the past year and have included a high-profile attack that shut down a major fuel pipeline in the eastern United States.

Demonstrators holding portraits of relatives killed in the Beirut port blast shout slogans on July 9, 2021Advertising Read moreBeirut (AFP)Lebanese parliamentarians on Friday held up an investigation into the Beirut port blast, less than a month before its first anniversary, demanding more proof before they lift immunity for ex-ministers wanted for questioning. Hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded on the dockside at Beirut port last August 4, killing more than 200 people, injuring thousands and ravaging swathes of the capital. Afterwards, it emerged that officials had known about the explosive substance being stored unsafely at the port for years. He said the committee would reconvene once it had received a reply, to decide whether or not to waive immunity. The judge has also said he is looking at interrogating former public works minister Yusef Fenianos.

"Unfortunately this offensive implies increased pressure on all the Gulf of Guinea countries, which is already a reality," he said. ???During a virtual #summit with leaders of the #G5 #Sahel countries, Emmanuel #Macron said that the reduction of #France's military presence in the Sahel will begin in the coming weeks. They are among several thousands of people across the Sahel countries forced from their homes as jihadists closed schools and held off government forces with increasingly bold attacks in recent years. ???#Macron spoke of a "pivot to the south" of the Sahel region, towards Nigeria, Benin and Togo, due to the threat from #BokoHaram and other existing terrorist groups. "Even though I denounced these two coups... We remained militarily committed because it's important for Malians and everyone in the region," Macron said.

(CNN) On Thursday, Mitch McConnell was asked about the sluggish Covid-19 vaccination rates among his fellow Kentuckians -- and why he believed it to be the case. "I'm perplexed by the reluctance of some to get vaccinated, totally perplexed," he saidPerplexed, eh? Earlier this week, conservative talking head Charlie Kirk compared colleges and universities requiring the Covid-19 vaccine to an "apartheid-style, open-air hostage situation." Where Trump lost overwhelmingly -- Vermont, Massachusetts -- vaccination rates are some of the highest in the country. Blue states have the most heavily vaccinated populations; red states have the least vaccinated populations.

In a follow-up message two days later, Howard said that any staff who were scheduled for public events should cancel those appearances. An FTC spokesperson confirmed that the agency has called off all staff public appearances for the time being. “So the agency pushed pause on public speaking events that aren't focused on educating consumers to ensure staff time is being used to maximum benefit and productivity. Within hours, the White House appointed her as the agency’s chair. That move surprised Capitol Hill, as the president normally announces if a nominee is the FTC chair pick before Senate confirmation to allow for questions on agency priorities.

(CNN) The Justice Department said this week that former President Donald Trump's delusional claims that he'll be reinstated to the White House could fuel more political violence from his supporters. Federal prosecutors brought up Trump's rhetoric this week in one of the US Capitol riot cases. The rioter, Marine Corps veteran Alex Harkrider , asked a judge to discontinue his GPS tracking and remove his ankle monitor. The Justice Department opposes this request, saying Trump's rhetoric could inspire Harkrider to become violent in the future. "Television networks continue to carry and report on those claims, with some actually giving credence to the false reporting."

That’s just what our two castaways did this week. “I didn’t vote for it. But you’re going to get a lot more money. Cities and counties in Kentucky are getting close to seven or 800 million dollars. If you add up the total amount that’ll come into our state, $4 billion, that’s twice what we sent in last year.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned that lawmakers may need to cut short their annual summer recess in order to pass two pieces of legislation aimed at overhauling the nation’s infrastructure system. Democratic moderates in the Senate, however, have expressed their discomfort with a large, follow-up infrastructure bill that is not paid for. In addition to the intraparty debate over what kind of funding to include in the second infrastructure package, Democrats have varying opinions on how and whether they should pay for it. Those kinds of decisions have not been made yet, presenting another field of landmines for the party as members race to pass an infrastructure overhaul this year. Democratic moderates support a corporate tax rate hike, but not as large as the one the president proposed.

(CNN) The most populous county in the US is seeing "exponential growth" of Covid-19 cases as the Delta variant takes over as the dominant coronavirus strain, health officials in Los Angeles County said. "We do continue to see an uptick in cases and hospitalizations," Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. The Delta variant, first detected in India, has been found in 43% of new sequenced samples in California, the state said. A Pfizer spokesperson later told CNN the company planned to request FDA emergency use authorization for a booster shot in August. And if Americans ultimately need a booster shot, "people shouldn't get too worked up about that," he said.

FILE - The statue of Robert E. Lee is seen uncovered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Charlottesville said in a news release Friday, July 9, 2021, that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be taken down Saturday. Charlottesville said in a news release Friday, July 9, 2021, that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be taken down Saturday. Charlottesville said in a news release that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed Saturday. The development comes more than five years after a 2016 removal push focused on the Lee statue.

CHICAGO – Public schools in Illinois will be required to teach a unit of Asian American history under a new law education experts say is the first of its kind nationwide. "It is a watershed moment in history in terms of teaching Asian American history in K-12 schools." "Asian American history is American history." Others are focused on integrating Asian American history into existing American history courses or offering shorter survey courses on various groups. Meanwhile, Kwoh's nonprofit, the Asian American Education Project, spun out of the group Asian Americans Advancing Justice last year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband purchased upwards of $11 million in major tech stocks in May and June that quickly earned him over $5 million in profit — making the moves as his wife’s chamber ostensibly works to pass a series of bills reining in Big Tech. Pelosi’s call options for Alphabet, valued at $1,200 a share, were set to expire the day he sold them, when the company was valued at $2,500 a share. Nancy Pelosi has spoken with Apple CEO Tim Cook before about Big Tech. In the days after the speaker’s better half decided to bet on Big Tech, the House moved to advance five antitrust bills that would rein in Silicon Valley. Paul Pelosi, a venture capitalist and husband of Nancy Pelosi, also purchased 20 call options for Amazon at a strike price of $3,000 a share.

Howie Kurtz on President Biden defending decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, Donald Trump denying he fought with Mike Pence over hiring Corey Lewandowski and FDA disagreeing with Pfizer over vaccine booster shot. Follow Howie on Twitter: @HowardKurtzFor more #MediaBuzz click here

The U.S. State Department confirmed on Friday that two Americans have been arrested following the brutal assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, pledging to cooperate with authorities in the Caribbean nation. "We are aware of the arrest of two U.S. citizens in Haiti and are monitoring the situation closely," a State Department spokesperson told CNBC. "We remain committed to cooperating with Haitian authorities on the investigation." The State Department declined to comment any further, citing privacy considerations, and pointed to Haitian authorities for further information. The State Department on Thursday vehemently denied that the Drug Enforcement Administration was involved in the assassination after the attackers reportedly identified themselves as DEA agents.

Time's Molly Ball joins Morning Joe to discuss her recent interview with Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance, who was once an ardent Trump critic but is now no longer.

As U.S. troops wrap up a withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden administration officials have struggled to shape a plan to protect Afghans who worked for the U.S. government and now face retribution from the Taliban. Veterans groups, refugee advocates and lawmakers have called for an urgent evacuation and accused the administration of moving too slowly, potentially putting Afghan partners' lives at risk. Administration officials afterward said applicants for the Special Immigrant Visa program, which was set up for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters, could not legally be flown to the U.S. before their visas were approved. The administration also had to consider the human rights records of the countries accepting the Afghans, the officials added. Administration officials also were discussing the pool of Afghans to be evacuated, with the decision hinging in part on the status of the Afghans' visa applications.

The Republican-led Michigan Senate Oversight Committee was unsparing, going point by point, systematically shredding one election conspiracy theory after another, exposing every right-wing claim as utterly bonkers. The Michigan Senate Oversight Committee's report specifically called on state Attorney General Dana Nessel's (D) office to consider investigating those "utilizing misleading and false information about Antrim County to raise money or publicity for their own ends." Nessel's office will be assisted by Michigan State Police, Mukomel said. At this point, it's difficult to say who'll draw scrutiny, and the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee's report did not refer to any individuals by name. That said, the Free Press' article referenced a variety of figures who've peddled false claims, held an "election integrity" fundraiser, and/or accepted financial contributions online.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote to his members this morning, explaining not only what the governing majority intends to do, but also when the work might get done. The warning to senators that they should be ready to work during the August break is a step the majority leader has not previously taken. If his members need any additional convincing, I'd remind them that as recently as 2018, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) scaled back the chamber's summer break dramatically. It's possible that Schumer is entirely sincere about members "remaining in Washington into the previously-scheduled August state work period." It's also possible that the majority leader added this line to today's letter as added motivation for senators, in effect saying, "Let's get our work done or I'll start chipping away at your summer break."

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. Biden is set to sign an executive order the White House bills as an effort to target anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy while boosting workers’ wages and consumer protections. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry.

President Joe Biden plans to give a speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday on "actions to protect the sacred, constitutional right to vote," the White House said on Friday in a statement. His administration has faced growing complaints from civil rights activists and other Democrats that it hasn't done enough on the issue of voting rights.

Many top US companies scrambled to cut ties with the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted against the election results following the January 6 Capitol siege. GettyToyota said it would stop donating to Republicans who had objected to Joe Biden's certification. The automaker's PAC had given tens of thousands of dollars to these lawmakers since January. In an ad this week, the Lincoln Project targeted Toyota for donating to the objectors. The vast majority of corporations who pledged to stop funding these GOP lawmakers have stayed true to their word.

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Central European leaders on Friday voiced concern over what they said was a potential migration rush from Afghanistan as U.S. and NATO forces pull out from that country. Most Central and Eastern European countries have in the past opposed allowing into Europe people fleeing war and poverty from the Middle East, Africa or Asia. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday urged Central European countries to stick together on the issue of migration so that their voice is heard within the 27-member bloc. Central European countries have been critical of EU migration policies have have accused the bloc of fostering inequality among its members that diminishes their influence. Morawiecki complained that Central European countries feel that they're “only pawns on some European chess board.”“This is why our voice in the discussion about Europe’s future ….

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thirty-two percent of Russians support the extremism ban on jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's political network while 27% oppose it, according to an opinion poll by the Moscow-based Levada Centre published on Friday. Levada, which polled 1,630 people on June 24-30, said 38% had voiced indifference over last month's ruling that designated Navalny's groups as "extremist". It also said that support for Navalny's activities had dipped to 14% from 20% last September. Navalny's allies have said the extremism ban was designed to crush them ahead of parliamentary elections this September. Navalny's allies suspended their groups before the ruling to make their supporters less exposed to persecution.

He said the ban allowed him "to make phone calls, and do other things and read papers that I wouldn't read." Former President Donald Trump said he was glad to be banned from Twitter because, among other things, it gave him time to read more. "It's really better than Twitter," Trump said, according to the book excerpt. Now I actually have time to make phone calls, and do other things and read papers that I wouldn't read." Trump on Wednesday announced that he is suing Twitter, Facebook and Google and their executives over what he described as censorship.

President Biden on Friday will sign a sweeping new executive order aimed at cracking down on anti-competitive behavior by Big Tech and other sectors including labor, health care and financial services. The order is intended to "reduce the trend of corporate consolidation, increase competition, and deliver concrete benefits to America’s consumers, workers, farmers, and small businesses," the White House said. Biden is expected to sign the order at 1:30 p.m. Big Tech is also under mounting pressure on Capitol Hill as lawmakers take up a series of sweeping new antitrust bills that could break up some of Silicon Valley's most powerful companies. It would also prevent the companies from favoring their own products over competitors using their services.

Former Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney argued that the Biden administration's policies show they care more about politics than economics on FOX Business’ "Varney & Co."BIDEN IS RAISING ‘REGULATORY BARRIERS’ US HASN’T SEEN IN 45 YEARS: KUDLOWMICK MULVANEY: Biden economic policies are not about economics. They're not raising taxes to raise money, to pay for things. They use it as an excuse to raise taxes. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREThe Biden tax policies are social policy. But you have to stop asking economics questions about the Biden economic policies.

The earthquake, centered on the California-Nevada border, was felt as far west as San Francisco and as far south as Visalia, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley. The epicenter was about 167 miles northeast of San Francisco, 125 miles northeast of Fresno, 110 miles east of Sacramento and 70 miles southeast of Reno. Elliott, who was in San Francisco when Thursday’s quake hit, said he felt strong shaking. AdvertisementThe Sierra Nevada is underlain by cold, hard rock, and the mountains “ring like a bell when an earthquake happens there. Lin reported from San Francisco and Miller from Los Angeles.

Following news of an expected executive order from President Joe Biden regulating big tech, Jim Cramer had some words about the administration's treatment of business. "I'm mystified by President Biden," Cramer said. "He's using a shotgun when he should be using a rifle."

WASHINGTON — While the global struggle continues against the death and devastation of COVID-19, a panel of independent experts is warning that the world is alarmingly unprepared to deal with the next pandemic. “I think for the next quarter-century, the risks to human well-being, security, and prosperity from global health issues are at least comparable to — and maybe greater than — the risks from climate change,” he said. The report echoed recent calls for reforms by two other high-level groups empaneled by the World Health Organization. Another new initiative would be a Global Health Threats Board, loosely modeled on the financial stability board the G20 created after the 2008 financial crisis. “I don’t think anybody, even at the World Health Organization, is fully satisfied with the job the World Health Organization has done,” he told the Globe.

Nine people were cited outside the Arizona attorney general’s office on Thursday morning for obstructing traffic while protesting restrictive voting laws. Police say the protestors blocked northbound traffic and the light rail, causing both to shut down for approximately 30 minutes. Nine people were detained and cited for obstructing traffic before being released, said Phoenix police. In particular, the group pointed out the recent Supreme Court case that upheld controversial Arizona election laws, a position defended by Brnovich. According to Unite Here, the two methods of voting in Arizona are essential for minority, LGBTQ+ and working-class voters.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill Thursday that would have awarded up to $65 million in federal loans to prospective buyers of paper mills in Wisconsin Rapids and Park Falls. "I support efforts to provide reliable, long-term relief to Wisconsin's vital paper industry and the workers at the Wisconsin Rapids and Park Falls mills," Evers said. "Following my action on the state budget, there is ample state funding available for this and other priorities of the state," he said. The Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau suggested amending the bill since the rules were unclear if the project would qualify.

The countdown has begun to a potential U.S. Senate run by Mandela Barnes. Wisconsin's lieutenant governor has begun fundraising efforts for a possible campaign, according to a tweet posted Thursday by Ana Garcia-Ashley, who runs a Milwaukee non-profit. "Join me in supporting Mandela Barnes via ActBlue," the since-deleted tweet said. The link to a fundraising website said: "Let's be bold and unafraid to work together to change the game by sending Mandela Barnes to the US Senate! More:Meet the 5 Democrats already running for Ron Johnson's seat in Wisconsin's 2022 Senate raceJohnson has not announced if he'll run for a third term.

Ousted Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales will return as leader of the department Monday after his attorneys and the city failed to reach a settlement even with an extended deadline, according to the city's Fire and Police Commission. "The Milwaukee Police Department is managing significant internal and external challenges," the commission said in a statement. "The Fire and Police Commission is committed to working with Mr. Morales and the community to address these challenges and increase both safety and justice in Milwaukee." Morales' return as chief would mark yet another chapter in the saga that began well before he was pushed out nearly a year ago by the Fire and Police Commission. Announcement comes as deadline loomsThe announcement from the commission comes ahead of a July 12 deadline to either reach a settlement or let Morales return as chief under a court order.

Detroit — Voters casting absentee ballots ahead of the Aug. 3 primary election will find fewer drop boxes and satellite locations to turn in their votes compared to the November presidential election, and that is drawing criticism from two candidates challenging Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey. Detroit had 30 dropboxes in the presidential election and for next month's primary there are 20, Winfrey said. Denzel McCampbell also shared criticism saying the Department of Elections should reinstall ballot boxes so residents have as many options as possible. (at Third)Detroit Water/sewer - Eastside Customer Center, 13303 E. McNicholsFarwell Recreation Center, 2711 E. Outer Dr. (at Ryan Rd.) Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. 7 Mile (at Shiawassee)Kemeny Recreation Center, 2260 S. Fort (at Schaefer)Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers (at Curtis)Renaissance Baptist Church, 1045 E. Grand Blvd.

Backers of the measure say the Republican-controlled Legislature is thumbing its nose at voters who wanted the wealthy to pay more to fund education. The general fund would use about hundreds of millions of dollars a year to directly fund the new education spending in Proposition 208. Ducey vetoed similar legislation two years ago, which would have benefited all lawmakers, including those from Maricopa County. This time, lawmakers targeted the benefits only at long-distance commuters but did not delay the start date. If Ducey signs off, it will take effect for the 2022 legislative session.

U.S. troops slipped away in the night from Bagram Airfield, and the base's new Afghan commander didn't realize they were gone until hours later. When will Afghanistan's "forever war" really end? Get a full briefing here.

The first hurdle for Schumer and the Democrats is for Congress to approve a budget resolution. The budget would then let them push a massive spending bill through the Senate without facing a GOP filibuster. That spending bill — a pillar of Biden's domestic agenda — would finance health care, family, climate and other programs. Republicans are expected to solidly oppose Biden's domestic spending spending bill. Schumer hopes the Senate will approve that bill before departing for recess.

The Taliban have continued their rapid gains across Afghanistan to capture a major border crossing with Iran that is responsible for much of the country's customs' revenue. Iranian state radio reported that 300 Afghan soldiers and civilians had escaped the Taliban advance and slipped across the border. The desert crossing is one of Afghanistan's busiest international trade crossings and is believed to generate around £14m in monthly revenue for the government. As the border crossings were seized, a Taliban delegation visiting Moscow claimed its fighters now held 85 per cent of the country. The rural gains have put increasing pressure on urban centres, but in Moscow the movement said it would not attack provincial capitals.

When UK aid money built local government offices in Dehdadi, officials might have hoped the magnolia-painted rooms would host deliberations on reconstruction, schools and clinics. This week the offices in the rural district of Balkh province in the north of the country were not filled with civil servants and villagers, but instead hosted a council of war. “We have taken up arms to defend the country and we have all lost friends,” explained one of these militiamen, called Yar Mohammad. Alongside him, Zarob Ahmadzai said he had joined up because his brother had been killed fighting the Taliban. Yet the prospect of rearming these figures and their private armies fills many Afghans with dread.

An MSP has been criticised as "beyond the pale" after telling Jacob Rees-Mogg: "If your god exists, you will undoubtedly rot in hell." James Dornan, of the SNP, hit out at devout Catholic Mr Rees-Mogg over a video he posted praising Westminster's controversial Nationality and Borders Bill. The Glasgow Cathcart MSP commented on the video on Twitter, accusing the UK Government of being responsible for thousands of deaths and being "happy to see the most desperate people in the world suffer and drown". Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tories' chief whip, said Mr Dornan's intervention was "beyond the pale" and questioned why the SNP allowed him to remain in the party. The Nationality and Borders Bill gives Border Force the power to turn away asylum seekers crossing the Channel, with officers being able to use "reasonable force if necessary".

As Donald Trump and his business empire face their most serious legal crisis in decades, his now-indicted longtime associate Allen Weisselberg has left his post as director of what is possibly Mr Trump’s highest-profile overseas property: the Trump International Golf Club in Scotland. Mr Weisselberg has been indicted in New York on 15 felony counts for what prosecutors claim is a 15-year tax fraud scheme. Mr Trump and his relatives have been on the offensive since the case was brought, with the president’s older sons leading the charge. Mr Trump’s golfing resort in Aberdeenshire has been controversial ever since the Scottish government gave it the green light in 2008, and even before that. Rows about the economic and environmental impact of its construction have raged for years, while Mr Trump famously sued the Scottish government over the construction of a wind farm offshore near his property.

Lithuania has started building a fortified fence along its border with Belarus in an attempt to stop its neighbour sending migrants illegally into the EU. The first stretch of the fence was installed on Friday in southwestern Lithuania next to the border with EU neighbour Poland. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte also claimed on Wednesday that Belarus had been offering migrants flights to the Belarusian capital Minsk, specifically to dispatch them across the border into Lithuania. According to Lithuanian authorities, hundreds of migrants have been flown into Belarus and subsequently sent across the border into Lithuania in recent days, most of them Iraqi citizens. Lithuania's foreign ministry summoned the head of the Belarus embassy on Wednesday to demand that Lukashenko end the flow of migrants.

It's worth €800 million in total across the 27 member states and will be handed out as a mix of loans and grants. We also delve into other issues such as an expected plan by the EU for a carbon tax called the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Hahn tells us that this could raise "a couple of single digit billions […] over the years". After the EU member states' leaders agreed to borrow money on international markets by pooling their debt, the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said this could become "a permanent tool for EU states". Produced by Perrine Desplats, Isabelle Romero, Mathilde Bénézet and Céline SchmittDaily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe

While EU member states and their populations look forward to receiving their country’s slice of the €800 billion recovery fund, work continues to dole out money from the Cohesion Policy pot. The EU Commissioner for Cohesion Policy Elisa Ferreira speaks to FRANCE 24 as calls grow for action against member states, including Hungary, that are seen as degrading rule of law. AdvertisingCommissioner Ferreira explains why and how a state might have its Cohesion Fund money blocked: "We are talking about taxpayers' money so it is a big responsibility. This is because five of the member states have not signed up to take part. Commissioner Ferreira brushes off concern about widespread fraud in use of EU funds, saying: "The level of fraud is extremely low.

Trump called AG Bill Barr a "phony" and said he would "lick the floor if I asked him to," a new book says. Trump went on the warpath against Barr after Barr refused to back his election conspiracy theories. Former President Donald Trump accused Attorney General William Barr of being a "phony" when Barr refused to back his claims of election fraud, according to the book, "Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency," by Michael Wolff. In the weeks after he lost the 2020 election, Trump grew steadily more enraged with Barr, who had been on the chopping block for months. "We have to get rid of Barr," Trump reportedly told advisors including Jared Kushner, Mark Meadows, Pat Cipollone, and Eric Herschmann.

To finish the wall along the Texas border, Abbott has put forth a $250 million “down payment” drawn from state disaster relief funds and crowdfunded almost another $500,000 as of June 23. It’s also not clear whether Abbott can use disaster funds to pay for the wall under Texas state law. Abbott’s push for a wall is as much a political stunt as an actual projectAbbott and the Texas GOP’s embrace of a border wall seems to be part of their strategy for the 2022 midterm elections. The Texas Republicans appear to be trying to appeal to their right-wing base in order to fend off potential primary challengers. “Nothing dominates the public opinion landscape of Texas Republicans like immigration and border security,” Henson said.

Trump was "convinced" that Chris Christie gave him COVID-19, according to a new book. Chris Christie, according to a forthcoming book by journalist Michael Wolff. But he was furious with Christie following final debate session in which Christie had assumed the role of Biden and attacked Trump, according to the book. Whether or not Christie gave coronavirus to Trump, the former president was "convinced" that he did, Wolff wrote. After their bouts with COVID-19, Christie went on to criticize Trump's handling of the pandemic in the country.

Suhail said following the departure of US troops it was “necessary [to] hold talks” with China, the biggest investor in Afghanistan. AdvertisementHe said the Taliban had “inherited al-Qaeda” from the former government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani when al-Qaeda swept into Afghanistan in the nineties. “We will not permit any open recruitment or any training or fundraising centre for any group in Afghanistan,” said Suhail. China had in one sense been a “friend” by maintaining diplomatic contacts with the Taliban, he said. “Whatever benign language the Taliban use, China remains highly concerned about the security situation there,” said Small.

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch made the final decision for Fox News to call Arizona for Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election, a move that infuriated Donald Trump, according to a report in Business Insider. The controversial decision to call Arizona for Biden enraged Trump and his campaign officials, some of whom called for Rupert Murdoch to reverse the network's call. Trump personally called Murdoch, screamed at him and demanded a retraction, according to a report in Vanity Fair. Fox News put the head of its decision desk, Arnon Mishkin, on air to defend the call. However, during Trump's re-election bid, Murdoch complained Trump would lose due to his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan joined "Fox & Friends First" Friday, and slammed Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., after she called for the defunding of DHS, ICE, and Border Patrol. 'SQUAD' DEM TLAIB CALLS FOR DEFUNDING OF ICE, CBP, DHS, CLAIMS THEY ‘TERRORIZE’ MIGRANTSTOM HOMAN: That's the single dumbest thing I've heard any member of Congress say. She wants to defund the department that has responsibility for the safety, security, this nation. Defund Congress, defund the Squad, because name one thing they have done to improve this country. Name one thing they've done to address the rampant crime in the cities, the out-of-control border, the deficit, Afghanistan, the economy, they've done nothing.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, a rising star in the GOP, is currently on a three-day swing through New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the presidential nominating calendar. CRENSHAW: U.S. MILITARY ‘MOST INCLUSIVE, LEAST RACIST’ INSTITUTION IN AMERICA"The era of putting America first is apparently over," Crenshaw, who served as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer in Afghanistan, added. The fundraising dinner was the first stop for Crenshaw in New Hampshire during his trip. Political pundits see 37-year-old Crenshaw as a possible contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and the swing through New Hampshire will only fuel more speculation. Asked in March about any national ambitions in 2024, Crenshaw told well-known radio host Hugh Hewitt: "I would say pretty much, pretty much ruled it out."

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp defended his state's election laws after Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $25 million plan to combat Republican legislation on voting requirements. Now the vice president's lying like the president has been about Georgia's law. We actually add the amount of days that people can vote early on the weekends in the state of Georgia. They're going to try to boycott your business, move your ball game, just like they did the All-Star Game in Georgia. They're going to come after your way of life.

"It’s a crisis unlike anything I've ever seen and it’s a serious one...because first border security is national security. "These are national security issues that we deal with on the border well beyond just the movement of illegal migrants. That, in and of itself, those movements of those illegal migrants, here is the second point, is operated and controlled by criminal organizations. The Biden administration has pushed back, claiming the border is "closed" and pointing instead to root causes like poverty, violence and climate change in Central America. "So you talk about addressing root causes, root causes are much broader than just focusing on overseas and our foreign partners."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to the media after the Senate Democratic policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 22, 2021. The Senate may work into its August recess to pass both a bipartisan infrastructure plan and a budget resolution that would allow Democrats to enact a range of priorities without Republican support, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday. In a letter to his caucus, the New York Democrat said senators are working with the White House to turn the $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework into legislation. The Senate Budget Committee is also crafting a measure that would allow Democrats to pass a sprawling child care, health care and climate policy plan without a GOP vote. "Please be advised that time is of the essence and we have a lot of work to do.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House at a celebration of Independence Day in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2021. President Joe Biden next Tuesday will travel to Philadelphia to deliver an address about the actions his administration is taking to "protect the sacred constitutional right to vote," a source familiar with the matter told NBC News on Friday. The Department of Justice last month sued Georgia over its recently passed election law, alleging the changes violate federal voting protections for minorities. The Biden administration has taken other steps toward the fight over voting rights in the weeks leading up to the Philadelphia speech. In a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, Biden said that voting rights are "under assault with an incredible intensity like I've never seen."

New York (CNN Business) Toyota said it would stop donating to Republican lawmakers who opposed certifying the 2020 presidential election results, after a political action committee called out the automaker's financial support for "seditious politicians." Toyota TM The decision to support those members of Congress has "troubled some stakeholders,"said in a press release Thursday. "At this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election. " So why would Toyota support politicians who tried to overthrow very system that's been so profitable for them?" Toyota says its bipartisan PAC supports Democrats and Republicans running for Congress, and that in 2021, "the vast majority" of its contributions went to lawmakers in both parties who "supported the certification of the 2020 election."

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — It was once the epicenter of America’s longest war. Now the Bagram Airfield is virtually deserted, a relic of America’s time in Afghanistan. But when NBC News visited the Bagram Airfield on Wednesday,some Afghan soldiers were visibly angry about the decision to pull out on the night of July 2. America's longest war has cost the lives of around 2,300 U.S. troops and left thousands more wounded. Richard Engel and Marc Smith reported from the Bagram Airfield, and Rhea Mogul from Hong Kong.

Prosecutors said Verastigui also fantasized online about killing children while abusing them. Last November, a Trump Commerce Department political appointee, Adam Hageman, was arrested on charges he shared a child pornography video and commented on sexually abusing children. Hageman appears to have been set to enter a guilty plea in April, but court records do not indicate that hearing was ever held. Mehta accepted Verastigui’s guilty plea, but deferred a decision on whether to accept the roughly 12-to-15-year sentencing range prosecutors and Verastigui agreed to. He was also on the payroll of the RNC from 2017 to 2018, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

The memo, obtained by POLITICO, was based off of a series of focus groups conducted in battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They include suburban college-educated voters who supported Biden in 2020, Black voters who support Biden but are less likely to turn out in midterm elections, and white working-class voters, particularly women. The United the Country memo had some welcome findings for Biden in addition to the warnings. Their focus groups found strong support for cutting taxes by expanding the child tax credit, with the PAC describing the policy as “a home run even among the most hard-core” Trump supporters. “He hasn't told anyone to inject bleach yet,” one focus group member, identified only as “white non-college union man” from Pennsylvania said.

There were 13 pregnant women in ICE custody as of Thursday who are now being considered for release, officials told The Washington Post. During Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigration, no presumption of release was offered for pregnant women. The number of women who miscarried in ICE custody nearly doubled under Trump, the Daily Beast reported in 2019. Johnson’s new memo bars the use of restraints on pregnant women, except in extreme circumstances. ICE officers must obtain permission from a superior to request detention of a pregnant or nursing immigrant, the memo states.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will deliver remarks in Philadelphia on Tuesday about his administration’s actions “to protect the sacred constitutional right to vote,” a source familiar with the matter tells NBC News. New rules imposed in some Republican-controlled states will restrict when voting can happen, imposing voter ID requirements and overhauling election administration. On Thursday, Biden met with leading civil rights groups, who have called on him to take a stronger stance in support of federal voting legislation championed by Democrats, including to support calls to abolish the filibuster for voting rights legislation. Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off that effort Thursday, announcing the DNC’s $25 million expansion of its “I Will Vote” Campaign, focused on voter registration, education and turnout efforts. “We are going to assemble the largest voter-protection team we have ever had to ensure that all Americans can vote and have your vote counted in a fair and transparent process,” Harris said.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police employees are at risk of being furloughed if Congress doesn't provide the agency more money before the end of September. The police issued a statement saying that the agency "continues to advise and work with" lawmakers to ensure they can continue to protect the Capitol and members of Congress. No Republicans supported the measure in the House and it has since been stalled in the Senate. Police officials have already detailed in prior testimony that officers have worked more overtime since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., sounded the alarm about the stalled bill.

Here are six things to know about the now-defunct cloud computing contract. WHAT WAS THE JEDI CONTRACT? WHAT WILL REPLACE THE JEDI CONTRACT? WHAT WAS TRUMP'S ROLE IN THE JEDI CONTRACT AWARD? Amazon in its lawsuit cited a 2019 book that reported Trump had directed the Defense Department to "screw Amazon" out of the JEDI contract.

TechCrunchWhen the Pentagon killed the JEDI cloud program yesterday, it was the end of a long and bitter road for a project that never seemed to have a chance. The question is why it didn't work out in the end, and ultimately I think you can blame the DoD's stubborn adherence to a single vendor requirement, a condition that never made sense to anyone, even the vendor that ostensibly won the deal. In March 2018, the Pentagon announced a mega $10 billion, decade-long cloud contract to build the next generation of cloud infrastructure for the Department of Defense.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said Jibril had been sick for months and died at a Damascus hospital. Khaled Abdul-Mejid, who runs another Damascus-based Palestinian faction, said Jibril suffered from a heart condition. The son of a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Jibril was born in Jaffa in 1938, in what was then British-ruled Palestine. Jibril’s son Jihad was killed in an attack in 2002 in Beirut, for which the group blamed Israel. During Syria’s civil war that erupted following peaceful protests in 2011, Jibril’s group supported Syrian President Bashar Assad’s troops.

Jibril founded his PFLP-GC in 1968, after splitting from the PFLP of Palestinian nationalist leader George Habash. In 1974, three members attacked the town of Kiryat Shemona in northern Israel, killing 18 hostages before they were killed by Israeli troops. In November 1987 it used motorised hang-gliders to fly two guerrillas across the border from Lebanon, killing six Israeli soldiers. A prisoner swap Jibril negotiated with Israel in 1985 won him fame among Palestinians at the time. The deal saw the release of more than 1,000 prisoners, including long-serving Palestinian detainees, in return for the release of three Israeli soldiers.

Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesAn upcoming book from New York Times journalists Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang sheds new light on the security briefing in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg learned of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The company's security team had "uncovered information that no one, including the U.S. government, had previously known," write Frenkel and Kang. Zuckerberg and a "visibly agitated" Sandberg were reportedly not happy, with the CEO lamenting, "Oh f---, how did we miss this?" The room was quiet while the executives "drilled their chief security officer," asking why they had been kept in the dark and "how aggressive were the Russians?" In a statement to Axios, Facebook said it continues to "vigilantly protect democracy on our platform both here and abroad."

Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg (EPA)In an excerpt from their forthcoming book published in the New York Times, reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang detail how Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company’s COO Sheryl Sandberg came under strain as they navigated first the fallout from the 2016 election and then the ever-rising pressure on Facebook during the Trump administration. “Mr Zuckerberg and Ms Sandberg continued to drift further apart,” write Ms Frenkel and Ms Kang, who cover technology for the Times. One of her primary roles had been to charm Washington on Facebook’s behalf, and protect and burnish its image. According to the authors, “Ms Sandberg did not try to explain, or justify, the decision to Ms Pelosi’s staff”. The book excerpt has been released just after Donald Trump launched legal action against Mr Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google, claiming that by banning him from their platforms, they have breached his First Amendment rights.

Ethiopia says the $5 billion dam is essential to promote economic development and make sure the vast majority of its people don’t lack electricity. “Ethiopia believes an agreement is within reach, given the necessary political will and the commitment to negotiate in good faith.”Awulachew said the Security Council should encourage Egypt and Sudan to seriously negotiate a settlement on the filling and operation of the GERD. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry and Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi blamed Ethiopia for lacking political will. “This is not a water issue. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed concern at “the escalating confrontational rhetoric" and said “claims about possible use of force are unacceptable."

ReutersPresident Joe Biden's planned executive order to promote greater U.S. competition will target bank mergers by pushing the Federal Reserve and the Department of Justice to update merger guidelines and increase scrutiny of deals, according to a source familiar with the matter. It will also ask the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue rules giving consumers full control of their financial data to make it easier for customers to switch banks, the source said. The planned order, which is expected to be signed by Biden on Friday, is likely to chill M&A in the banking sector after a rash of deals unleashed by the Trump administration's more industry-friendly regulatory policy.

Former Treasury Department spokesperson Monica Crowley told "Mornings with Maria" Friday that the Biden administration and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen are pushing for a "globalist tax scheme" that Americans will eventually have to pay the price for. YELLEN MAY PUSH FOR GLOBAL MINIMUM TAX RATE HIGHER THAN 15%, TREASURY OFFICIAL SAYSMONICA CROWLEY: If you're in Ireland and you've been reaping all of the benefits of a relatively low corporate tax rate, why would you go along with this globalist tax scheme to raise it and put yourself back at a disadvantage? Now, this whole point, Maria, is to try to sink U.S. tax rates with those of high tax socialist European nations, which will have the effect of undermining international tax competition. …GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREInternational tax competition has tended to drive down international tax rates and has historically benefited the United States. So, of course, Biden and Yellen hate this kind of international tax competition and they're trying to kill it.

"ICE is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and preserving the health and safety of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing individuals," acting ICE director Tae Johnson said in a statement. Most pregnant women detained in recent years have been apprehended after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border seeking refuge in the United States, according to the GAO. Advocates for immigrants counter that detaining pregnant and postpartum women endangers their physical and mental health. The new directive does not limit the "temporary placements" of pregnant women in "family staging centers" in South Texas, where several hundred pregnant women traveling with children have passed through this fiscal year, according to ICE data. AdvertisementThirteen pregnant women were in ICE custody as of Thursday, and they are being considered for release under the new policy, officials said.

“In the area of 201 West Grove Street (Rte. Anyone living on Evergreen shelter in place! In a follow-up statement, local police said no injuries had been reported, and that officers had initially responded to a shots fired call at a state Department of Transportation building located on West Grove Street. AdvertisementFour to five shots were fired inside the building, police said, and the suspect fled into nearby woods. State Police said via Twitter that the suspect had reportedly been wearing fatigues.

Just-signed bipartisan legislation, which wound its way, unnoticed, through Austin’s regular session, aims to provide a $100 million dollar capital-investment shot in the arm for Fair Park. There’s still much to learn about what Dallas Park Board member Tim Dickey calls “a moonshot for Fair Park,” but so far I like what I’m hearing. Fair Park supporters believe the 20% cut, estimated at $100 million, will exponentially accelerate progress at Fair Park. The "paddle boat swans" remained docked at Fair Park on a recent Friday as the park sat almost entirely empty. Even with $50 million in 2017 bond dollars, Dickey recognized Fair Park needed tens of millions more for capital improvements.

Wisconsin ranks 42nd in the nation, plus Washington, D.C., in state spending on public health, spending about $18 per person in 2020. They also passed on public health spending that Democrats argue is key to preparing for the next pandemic. The State Health Access Data Assistance Center, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson program at the University of Minnesota, assembles a yearly ranking of per-person state public health funding. Since 2010, spending for state public health departments dropped 16% per person, and spending for local health departments has fallen 18%, according to a Kaiser Health News and Associated Press analysis of government spending on public health. Our rulingIn a retort about the state budget, Erpenbach said Wisconsin ranks 49th in the nation in public health spending.

A jail deputy in Weld County has been arrested as authorities investigate if he was involved in an intimate relationship with an inmate. Greeley’s Jason Hillyer, 32, was arrested Thursday and booked into Weld County Jail on one count of sexual conduct in a correctional institution, a Class 5 felony. The Weld County Sheriff’s Office said Hillyer was placed on paid administrative leave on June 29 when the allegation was reported to jail staff. The initial investigations were conducted by Weld County Sheriff’s Office internal affairs unit and the sheriff’s office’s criminal investigations unit. Hillyer was hired as a jail deputy on June 18, 2018, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian authorities have made more arrests in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, raiding Taiwan's Embassy where several suspects are believed to have sought refuge, while also detaining two Haitian-Americans and several former Colombian soldiers allegedly tied to the plot. In all, 17 suspects have been detained and another eight are being sought, according to National Police Chief Léon Charles. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Embassy in Port-au-Prince said Haitian police had arrested 11 individuals who tried to break into the Taiwanese Embassy in Port-au-Prince early Thursday. "As for whether the suspects were involved in the assassination of the president of Haiti, that will need to be investigated by the Haitian police," Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou told The Associated Press in Taipei. Police were alerted by embassy security guards while Taiwanese diplomats were working from home.

Lansing — The Michigan Supreme Court has denied a request to delay the deadlines for new voting maps in Michigan, opining that the justices' involvement would be pre-emptive and "unwarranted." Michigan's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission asked the high court to grant it an extension of the deadline because U.S. Census data that will guide the drawing of the maps is delayed by six months this year. Anticipating legal action because of the unavoidable delay, the commission sought relief from the Supreme Court for a plan that would extend the deadline out to Jan. 25, 2022. "By our decision today, we have declined the invitation to clothe the commission or the Secretary of State with any lawsuit-proof vest," Welch wrote. Besides, the justice wrote, the commission already plans to follow the delayed schedule with or without the blessing of the high court.

Aamer MadhaniAssociated PressPresident Joe Biden is set to sign on Friday an executive order that the White House bills as an effort to target anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy while boosting workers' wages and consumer protections. “In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year,” the White House said in a fact sheet outlining the order Biden is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry. It calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider issuing new rules defining when meat can use “Product of USA” labels.

.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........President Joe Biden is set to sign on Friday an executive order that the White House bills as an effort to target anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy while boosting workers’ wages and consumer protections. “In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year,” the White House said in a fact sheet outlining the order Biden is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry. It calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider issuing new rules defining when meat can use “Product of USA” labels.

The Kentucky Capitol building is open again for visitors, but some new security regulations are now in place on the Frankfort campus. Spokespersons for the Republican leadership in the House and Senate did not respond to a request for comment on Beshear's new emergency security rules. Here's a rundown of the new regulations:Guns still allowed, with new limitsThough Capitol visitors were prohibited from carrying firearms two decades ago under an order from former Gov. Paul Patton, they have since been allowed to bring guns into the Capitol Building and Annex. Under the new emergency regulation from Beshear, Capitol visitors are explicitly allowed to carry handguns and long guns, as long as they are properly secured.

Keir Starmer has said the situation in Northern Ireland is “fragile” as the standoff with Brussels over the implementation of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal continues. The Labour leader has met community groups and politicians from all the main parties during a three-day visit to Northern Ireland, where he previously worked for six years. He said lack of trust had repeatedly come up in his conversations, in particular in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol. “There’s a strong sense that he’s taking people here for fools, and they’re not fools in Northern Ireland. And over here in Northern Ireland, that is not the way forward”.

Southern Water has been fined a record £90m at a court in Kent after admitting to deliberately dumping billions of litres of raw sewage into protected coastal waters over many years. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, who was sentencing the privatised water company at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, said that the organisation had discharged between 16bn and 21bn litres of raw sewage into coastal areas including Herne Bay and Whitstable. Southern Water admitted to 6,971 illegal spills from 17 different locations in Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex between 2010 and 2015. Southern Water had 168 previous offences and cautions which had been ignored. The court heard that Southern Water employees locked documents away and tried to stop regulator’s officers inspecting sites in an "unprecedented" effort to hinder the agency's investigation.

President Joe Biden is set to sign on Friday an executive order that the White House bills as an effort to target anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy while boosting workers' wages and consumer protections. “In total, higher prices and lower wages caused by lack of competition are now estimated to cost the median American household $5,000 per year,” the White House said in a fact sheet outlining the order Biden is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry. It calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider issuing new rules defining when meat can use “Product of USA” labels.

“Mr Pence lost it.”“Mr Kushner had asked him to hire Mr Lewandowski, and he had discussed the plan with Mr Trump over lunch. Mr Pence picked up the article and threw it back at Mr Trump. Was there a bone saw?’”During his discussion about Hitler with Mr Kelly in 2018, Mr Trump reportedly kept defending the Nazi leader as Mr Kelly tried to explain who the allies and adversaries were in both World Wars. Mr Trump was allegedly “undeterred” and noted that Germany had made economic gains under the leadership of Hitler. When asked about it by Mr Bender, Mr Trump denied he had made the comments and that the conversation had occurred.

Rupert Murdoch personally made the decision to allow Fox News to broadcast that it had called Arizona for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, a new book reveals. Donald Trump and his aides were furious when Fox News became the first network on election night to call Arizona for Biden. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows phoned Fox News's decision desk while senior adviser Hope Hicks, who had returned to the White House after a spell working at Fox Corp., got in contact with Raj Shah, a former Trump White House staffer whom she hired at Fox, about getting the call reversed. Former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway reached out to Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier to complain. And White House senior adviser Jared Kushner contacted Rupert Murdoch to try and get it retracted.

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 9 - Ex-premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday criticised a reform of Italy's criminal justice system approved by Premier Mario Draghi's cabinet on Thursday. This is because it effectively waters down a reform passed by Alfonso Bonafede, a M5S lawmaker who was the justice minister in Conte's two coalition governments from June 2018 until the start of this year. It is possible for this to be extended by a year for appeals courts and six months for the supreme court for especially serious or complicated cases. "I appreciate the work done by Minister Cartabia, but I wouldn't stat celebrating," Conte said at a conference of the young entrepreneurs branch of industry association Confindustria. Conte said he was not taking aim at Draghi, arguing he was just making political points and parliament would have the final word.

Share this Story: Taliban say they control 85 per cent of Afghanistan as U.S. withdraws troopsTaliban say they control 85 per cent of Afghanistan as U.S. withdraws troops Local Afghan officials said Taliban fighters, emboldened by the withdrawal, had captured an important district in Herat province, home to tens of thousands of minority Shi'ite Hazaras Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFPArticle content Taliban officials said on Friday the Sunni Muslim insurgent group had taken control of 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan, and its fighters were tightening their grip on strategic areas. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Try refreshing your browser, or Taliban say they control 85 per cent of Afghanistan as U.S. withdraws troops Back to video But local Afghan officials said Taliban fighters, emboldened by the withdrawal, had captured an important district in Herat province, home to tens of thousands of minority Shi’ite Hazaras. Torghundi, a northern town on the border with Turkmenistan, had also been captured by the Taliban overnight, Afghan and Taliban officials said. Three visiting Taliban officials sought to address those concerns during their visit to Moscow.

The executive order also includes plans to allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter at pharmacies and to make it easier for people to fix their phones or other equipment themselves, according to information viewed by NPR ahead of the announcement. Big Tech will face more scrutinySome of the most sweeping measures target the tech sector. The White House wants Obama-era net neutrality rules to be restored — measures that prevent internet providers from throttling their service. For example, he said, hearing aids — an expensive market dominated by a few players — is one area ripe for competition. The Obama administration tried to make it possible to buy more types of hearing aids at pharmacies, just like reading glasses, rather than treating them like expensive medical devices.

Pro-Trump supporters have organised a rally in Florida this weekend at the state’s Capitol building, calling for the release of “political prisoners” who have been arrested in connection with the 6 January Capitol riots. The “free our patriots” rally has been organised by a Republican candidate challenging Marco Rubio for Senate and is billed as a “peaceful demonstration” against the “corrupt federal government”. According to a press release, protesters are planning to gather on 10 July at 1pm at the Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. On 6 January, pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol in Washington in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election result following a Save America rally hosted by former President Donald Trump. The former president has baselessly maintained that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him without evidence and the “free our patriots” release pushed similar inaccurate sentiments.

Taliban officials announced Friday that the Sunni Muslim insurgent group had taken control of 85% of territory in Afghanistan and its fighters were tightening their grip on strategic areas. Local Afghan officials said Taliban fighters, emboldened by the withdrawal, had captured an important district in Herat province, home to tens of thousands of minority Shi’ite Hazaras. Three visiting Taliban officials sought to address those concerns during their visit to Moscow. "We will take all measures so that Islamic State will not operate on Afghan territory... and our territory will never be used against our neighbors," one of the Taliban officials, Shahabuddin Delawar, told a news conference. He said "you and the entire world community have probably recently learned that 85% of the territory of Afghanistan has come under the control" of the Taliban.

(AP Photo)SEOUL--There is no sign that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been inoculated against the coronavirus and his country hasn’t received any foreign vaccines, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday. The NIS has a mixed record in reporting developments in North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive countries. He said the lawmakers were told that North Korea isn’t even allowing the entry of diplomats from China, its main ally and aid benefactor. North Korean state media said recently that some unidentified top officials including a Presidium member had been dismissed. Recent North Korean photos show Kim looking much thinner, sparking speculation that he might have health issues.

Texas Republicans Have A New Voting Bill. Republican leaders in the state vowed to take another pass at approving voting legislation after Texas House Democrats blocked a previous effort in May to pass more voting restrictions. The bills are part of a nationwide effort by state-level Republicans to enact more restrictive voting laws following former President Trump's loss in the 2020 election. 28 restrictive voting laws in 17 states have been enacted since January, according to the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice. "It's all in service of the big lie and enshrining the big lie even further into the laws of this most restrictive state in the country."

“We emphasize that Macri's Argentina gave the military forces, which repressed the social protest in November 2019, lethal ammunition,” Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta said during a press conference in La Paz. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The Government of Bolivia Thursday disclosed documentation that it claims proves Argentina was behind the revolt that ended up in the toppling of former President Evo Morales. Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta explained that the Argentine government of former President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) delivered weapons and ammunition to military officers to overthrow Morales in November 2019 and to repress the ensuing protests then. Read also: Check out our coverage on BoliviaMayta produced a letter sent by the head of the Bolivian Air . To read the full NEWS and much more, Subscribe to our Premium Membership Plan.

Barbara OrtutayThe Associated PressOn the face of it, you might think that the QAnon conspiracy has largely disappeared from big social media sites. When DFRLab analyzed more than 40 million appearances of QAnon catchphrases and related terms on social media this spring, it found that their presence on mainstream platforms had declined significantly in recent months. It is more difficult to come across blatant QAnon accounts on mainstream social media sites these days, at least from the publicly available data that does not include, for instance, hidden Facebook groups and private messages. Carusone, for instance, noted that Facebook banned QAnon groups tied to violence six weeks before it banned QAnon more broadly. “If there were ever a time for a social media company to take a stand on QAnon content, it would have been like months ago, years ago," DFRLabs' Rizzuto said.

Lebanon's Interior Minister, Mohammad Fahmi attends a news conference, as Lebanese Prime Minister, Hassan Diab asked the security forces on Saturday to enforce stricter measures to keep people indoors and prevent gatherings to curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Beirut, Lebanon March 22, 2020. The request from Judge Tarek Bitar to question Major General Abbas Ibrahim, head of the powerful General Security agency, was rejected by caretaker interior minister Mohamed Fahmy in a letter to the justice minister. Sawan had charged three ex-ministers and the outgoing prime minister Hassan Diab with negligence. Families of the victims protested nearby, some holding photos of their relatives, to expressing their anger against the interior minister and parliament speaker Nabih Berri. "Those who don't submit to questioning by the judge, immunity or no immunity, they will be our target," said Youssef al-Mawla, who lost his son in the blast.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador delivers a speech on the third anniversary of his presidential election victory at National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico July 1, 2021. "I think the intention is to do damage to me, or to try to damage me," the president told a news conference. "But my conscience is clear," added Lopez Obrador, who has built his reputation as an indefatigable scourge of corruption. The man filmed giving his brother the cash was David Leon, who Lopez Obrador named head of Mexico's civil protection agency on assuming the presidency in December 2018. Leon stepped down from the government last August after a separate video was leaked of him handing over money in 2015 to another brother of Lopez Obrador.

To date, the U.K. has paid its Brexit bill in full, the EU said Friday — but that won’t stop European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from seeking payback on the football pitch. Von der Leyen, a Belgian-born German citizen, is a self-professed Anglophile who lived in the U.K. and studied at the London School of Economics in the late 1970s. But Brexit means Brexit and the U.K. is now permanently offsides, so von der Leyen will be cheering for the Italians, the spokesman, Eric Mamer, said. “When it comes to 2021, there is an obligation for the United Kingdom to pay €6.8 billion,” Ujvari said. Daniel Ferrie, a third Commission spokesman and specialist on the Brexit file, noted that a committee exists for resolving any financial disagreements.

A nonpartisan watchdog group is calling for a code of ethics for Supreme Court justices amid concerns about conflicts of interest. Surprisingly, Supreme Court justices have no official code of conduct with clear ethical obligations, unlike other judges in America. “The Supreme Court is one of the most powerful and least accountable bodies in government, and it has no code of ethics. Interest in a code of conduct has surged recently, especially in some eyebrow-raising situations with new conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The foundation’s case before the Supreme Court challenged a California law demanding that major donors to charities be identified to the state.

The scandals marred the Trump administration and led to the departure of the office’s chief. Before those scandals emerged, Trump administration officials curtailed the ability of DHS’ Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to oversee some of the intelligence office’s work. Under the Trump administration, officials also shut down a unit within the office focused on combating domestic terrorism. Earlier this year, DHS stood up a new team in the intelligence office to focus on that specific threat. She also provided on-air national security commentary for CNN.

Colombia's government said it had been asked about six of the suspects in Haiti, including two of those killed, and had determined they were retired members of its army. The Haitian Americans were identified by Haitian officials as James Solages and Joseph Vincent. On his bio page for the charity, Solages said he previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. Calls to the charity and Solages’ associates at the charity either did not go through or weren't answered. Police were alerted by embassy security guards while Taiwanese diplomats were working from home.

The law, which came into force on Thursday, has set Orban on a collision course with rights groups, the E.U. "The European Parliament and the European Commission want that we let LGBTQ activists and organizations into the kindergartens and schools. Later on Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the law and demanding that E.U. countries and the European Commission use every power to stop it. "LGBTIQ rights are human rights," said the resolution, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, as well as those questioning their sexual orientation.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — It was once the epicenter of America’s longest war. Now the Bagram Airfield is virtually deserted, a relic of America’s time in Afghanistan. But when NBC News visited the Bagram Airfield on Wednesday,some Afghan soldiers were visibly angry about the decision to pull out on the night of July 2. America's longest war has cost the lives of around 2,300 U.S. troops and left thousands more wounded. Richard Engel and Marc Smith reported from the Bagram Airfield and Rhea Mogul from Hong Kong.

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. Biden is set to sign an executive order the White House bills as an effort to target anticompetitive practices in tech, health care and other parts of the economy while boosting workers’ wages and consumer protections. “Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation.”The White House said Biden’s order follows in the tradition of past presidents who took action to slow growing corporate power. The order includes several provisions that could affect the agricultural industry.

Finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries will push for agreement on proposals backed by U.S. President Joe Biden to deter tax dodging by multinational companies in Venice this weekend. Biden’s proposal for a 15% global corporate minimum tax resulted in a breakthrough in stalled international tax talks. European officials have downplayed concerns, saying their digital tax will not clash with the OECD agreement. The part of the deal letting countries tax companies with no physical presence would require countries to sign a diplomatic agreement. That might be difficult given the partisan environment, despite the provisions removing burdensome national digital tax taxes on U.S. tech companies.

The movement to get the FCC to restore net neutrality just gained some serious traction. In other words, it's targeting anticompetitive practices across a wide range of industries, including internet services and tech. The order contains 72 proposals and actions, among which it specifically says "the President encourages the FCC to restore Net Neutrality rules undone by the prior administration." The order also looked at how "dominant tech firms are undermining competition and reducing innovation," and announced an administration policy of greater scrutiny of mergers. In other industries, like banking and personal finance, the order similarly asked for more robust scrutiny of mergers.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has butted into Kansas City’s business by filing a brief in the funding lawsuit between the Board of Police Commissioners and Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City Council. In late May, the City Council voted to move $42 million dollars from one part of the police department’s budget to another account. The City Council made no changes in police sick leave, or disciplinary procedures, or any other policy. The City Council didn’t promote, demote or change a single line of the department’s policy manual. “The time for the City Council to negotiate over the budget or appropriate funds has long since passed,” Schmitt writes.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Taliban claimed on Friday that they now control 85% of Afghanistan's territory amid a surge in wins on the ground and as American troops complete their pullout from the war-battered country. Earlier this week, Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan, which hosts a Russian military base. Since mid-April, when President Joe Biden announced the end to Afghanistan’s “forever war,” the Taliban have made strides throughout the country. “We will not seize provincial capitals in order not to inflict death on Afghan citizen,” said Taliban negotiator Mawlawi Shahabuddin Delawar. He added that the Taliban now control 85% of Afghan territory.

The move comes after a social media backlash over the contributions, with threats to stop buying Toyota vehicles. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)DETROIT (AP) — Toyota has reversed itself and now says its political action committee will no longer contribute to the Republican legislators who voted against certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory. The Axios report, based on data gathered by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that Toyota donated $55,000 to 37 Republican objectors this year. Contribution data showed that 34 companies donated at least $5,000 to the campaigns and leadership political action committees of one or more election objectors this year, Axios reported. Six months later, many of those companies have resumed funneling cash to political action committees that benefit the election efforts of lawmakers whether they objected to the election certification or not.

ReutersThe Pentagon said on Thursday it was deeply concerned about a series of attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria in recent days. U.S. diplomats and troops in Iraq and Syria were targeted in three rocket and drone attacks on Wednesday alone, including at least 14 rockets hitting an Iraqi air base hosting U.S. forces, wounding two American service members. While there were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks - part of a wave targeting U.S. troops or areas where they are based in Iraq and Syria - analysts believed they were part of a campaign by Iranian-backed militias.

Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty ImagesTrump got upset and threw a newspaper article at Pence, per a new book. Pence threw the crumpled up paper back at Trump. "So disloyal," Trump reportedly told Pence as he threw the newspaper article. Pence then picked up the scrunched newspaper article and tossed it back at Trump. "The story written by third-rate reporter Michael Bender, that Mike Pence and I had a big fight over Corey Lewandowski, is totally false," Trump said in a statement.

President Joe Biden delivers remark regarding the Afghanistan drawdown in the East Room of the White House on July 8, 2021. The order contains 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies and establishes a White House Competition Council to monitor the agencies' progress. Biden is set to sign the order and deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. at the White House. Story continuesThe executive order calls for greater scrutiny of mergers, new FTC rules to curb data collection and surveillance and rules to bar unfair competition on internet marketplaces. TransportationThe White House argues "inadequate competition" has reduced incentives for airlines to provide good service.

President Biden will sign a sweeping executive order designed to promote competition across American industries, calling on regulators to increase scrutiny of technology companies, drug prices, shipping and more. He will sign the order later Friday after delivering remarks on the American economy. Biden will urge the FTC Federal Trade Commission to stop pharmaceutical manufacturers from paying generic drugmakers to delay entry of lower-priced versions of medications into the market. That idea is part of pending legislation in the Senate and aligns with campaign promises Biden made last year. The executive order will also encourage the FTC to ban or limit noncompete agreements and ban unnecessary occupational licensing restrictions.

Boncore, who joined the Senate in 2016 after winning a special election, would succeed Robert Coughlin in the high-profile and high-paying lobbying role for one of the state’s most influential business sectors. He could not be reached for comment Thursday, and a MassBIO executive told the News Service the CEO search was “on-going” and the council would not be commenting further. Boncore would succeed Coughlin, a former state representative and undersecretary for housing and economic development in the Patrick administration. His First Suffolk and Middlesex District covers Revere, Winthrop and parts of Cambridge and Boston, including East Boston and the North End. Potential candidates already being discussed to succeed Boncore in the Senate include Rep. Adrian Madaro, Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, Revere City Councilor Patrick Keefe, Boncore constituent services director Luigi Natale, former Boncore budget director and candidate for state representative Juan Jaramillo, and Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok.

Las Vegas police have made an arrest in the killing of a man who authorities say was run over with a vehicle. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)Las Vegas police have made an arrest in the killing of a man who authorities say was run over with a vehicle in a northeast Las Vegas parking lot Wednesday. Welch was booked under the same event number that police listed for a killing Wednesday at 12:50 p.m. in the parking lot of an AutoZone, 3690 E. Cheyenne Ave., near Las Vegas Boulevard North. Police said they were called to the parking lot for a report of a crash, Las Vegas police Lt. David Valenta said. Welch is scheduled for an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Friday afternoon.

In the lawsuit she accuses Findorff of subjecting her to "severe and pervasive harassment, including discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insults." On July 12, 2019, Walker claims Findorff's director of project management referred to her as "Inez," the only other Latina employee in the office. On July 15, 2019, Walker met with human resources and her supervisor regarding the email. According to the lawsuit, the human resources representative asked Walker why she had not corrected the director who'd called her "Inez." According to the lawsuit, during the time period between Jan. 1, 2018 and Oct. 1, 2019, Findorff employed 249 white employees and only 10 Latino or Hispanic employees.

Biden has brought in outside advocates for meetings at the White House and has consulted advisers on the best strategy for combating restrictive new laws. Most Republicans have similarly dismissed a separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court previously weakened. Biden believes “that voting is a fundamental right for the American people,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki this week. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling last week upheld voting limits in Arizona that a lower court had found discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act. “Where’s your voting rights tour?

Brian Kemp won the 2018 Republican primary for Georgia governor propelled by grassroots conservatives and a late endorsement from then-President Donald Trump. Ahead of his Saturday reelection campaign launch, The Associated Press talked to Kemp about the race ahead, Abrams, Trump and the new Georgia political landscape. But look, my role — and I’m going to always do this — I’m going to follow the law and the Constitution. KEMP: I can’t really control what they’re casting me as, but I know what the truth is. And I think Georgians, at least a lot more of them than in November 2018, know what the truth is versus what they were saying.

Militia attacks have only been increasing against the U.S. in military bases in both Iraq and Syria. “Iran isn’t the way it used to be, with 100% control over the militia commanders,” said one Shiite political leader. The Biden administration has responded by twice targeting Iraqi militia groups operating inside Syria, including close to the Iraqi border. But as soon as he leaves the meeting, they disregard his recommendations,” said another Shiite political leader. Almost weekly, various factional leaders hold face-to-face meetings with him in Lebanon, said Shiite political leaders.

.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........On the face of it, you might think that the QAnon conspiracy has largely disappeared from big social media sites. When DFRLab analyzed more than 40 million appearances of QAnon catchphrases and related terms on social media this spring, it found that their presence on mainstream platforms had declined significantly in recent months. It is more difficult to come across blatant QAnon accounts on mainstream social media sites these days, at least from the publicly available data that does not include, for instance, hidden Facebook groups and private messages. Carusone, for instance, noted that Facebook banned QAnon groups tied to violence six weeks before it banned QAnon more broadly. “If there were ever a time for a social media company to take a stand on QAnon content, it would have been like months ago, years ago,” DFRLabs’ Rizzuto said.

© Evan Vucci/AP In this Jan. 20, 2021 file photo, President Biden waits to sign his first executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. President Biden plans to sign an executive order Friday designed to rein in Big Business and boost competition, promising a raft of new initiatives designed to give workers, consumers and small businesses a stronger hand. The White House, referencing the antitrust efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt a century earlier, promised a “whole-of-government effort” to foster competition. The sweeping order will touch on a range of industries including Big Tech, health care and manufacturing, according to a fact-sheet released ahead the Friday afternoon signing. But the initiatives are sweeping in their scope and ambition, purporting to reverse long-standing economic trends through regulation and enforcement.

Southern Water has been fined a record £90m at a court in Kent after admitting to deliberately dumping billions of litres of raw sewage into protected coastal waters over many years. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, who was sentencing the privatised water company at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, said that the organisation had discharged between 16bn and 21bn litres of raw sewage into coastal areas including Herne Bay and Whitstable. Southern Water admitted to 6,971 illegal spills from 17 different locations in Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex between 2010 and 2015. Southern Water had 168 previous offences and cautions which had been ignored. "There is no evidence the company took any notice of the penalties imposed or the remarks of the court.

Ashton Kutcher has claimed that China could “create a problem” using TikTok in the South China Sea as the video-sharing app can be utilised to create “an anti-US propaganda”, and an “anti-Taiwanese propaganda effort”. While discussing how children need their own privacy, the actor claimed that he sees “a massive regulatory battle on the horizon” with regards to TikTok, which was created by the Beijing-based technology company ByteDance. Ashton Kutcher on Protecting Children and the Values for SuccessIn June, US president Joe Biden set about withdrawing Trump’s executive orders and ordered a new commerce department review of security concerns posed by the apps. “I think that most people believe that there is media manipulation happening and misinformation campaigns happening, just not through their sources,” Kutcher said in his interview. “I think that’s wrong and I think we’re about to face a reckoning in that particular domain and it’s going to probably change what social media looks like in the future.”

Then Mr Adams – likely to become the second-ever Black mayor of New York City – got his ears pierced. From 1997 through 2001, Mr Adams was registered to vote as a Republican. In 2019, Mr Adams, among his more colourful appearances in a career featuring many of them, demonstrated an extermination plan that involved a morbid display of bloated rat carcasses. The Brooklyn bossFollowing a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2016, Mr Adams pursued a vegan diet, reportedly shedding 30 pounds and reversing his diagnosis. Mr Adams also owns a home in Brooklyn and a condo in New Jersey.

The Taliban claimed on Friday that they now control 85% of Afghanistan s territory amid a surge in wins on the ground and as American troops complete their pullout from the war-battered country. Earlier this week, Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan which hosts a Russian military base. Since mid-April, when President Joe Biden announced the end to Afghanistan’s “forever war,” the Taliban have made strides throughout the country. “We will not seize provincial capitals in order not to inflict death on Afghan citizen,” said Taliban negotiator Mawlawi Shahabuddin Delawar. He added that the Taliban now control 85% of Afghan territory.

MOSCOW – Thirty-two percent of Russians support the extremism ban on jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s political network while 27% oppose it, according to an opinion poll by the Moscow-based Levada Centre published on Friday. Levada, which polled 1,630 people on June 24-30, said 38% had voiced indifference over last month’s ruling that designated Navalny’s groups as “extremist”. It also said that support for Navalny’s activities had dipped to 14% from 20% last September. Navalny’s allies have said the extremism ban was designed to crush them ahead of parliamentary elections this September. Navalny’s allies suspended their groups before the ruling to make their supporters less exposed to persecution.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called out GOP colleagues in Congress for blocking her Green New Deal amid flooding in New York and New Jersey. Torrential rain brought by storm Elsa on Thursday flooded New York City’s subway, with footage shared to Twitter of commuters wading through several feet of water. Retweeting that footage on Thursday, the Democrat called out the GOP for failing to adopt her Green New Deal, and for taking orders from fossil fuel firms, including Exxon Mobil. It followed criticism issued by dozens of Twitter users for the astonishing flooding of New York City’s subway — widely cited as a failure in climate adaptation and infrastructure. That bill, which still must pass a 60-vote filibuster in Congress, now features little of the fossil fuel reductions that Democrats, including Ms Ocasio-Cortex, had asked for.

THEHAGUE – Judges at the International Criminal Court have ruled that a Sudanese suspect can be charged with 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and have ordered the first trial at the tribunal linked to bloodshed in Sudan’s Darfur region. In a decision published on Friday, judges said Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman would face 31 counts including persecution, murder, rape and torture. “The trial chamber hereby … commits mister Abd-Al-Rahman to a trial chamber for trial on the charges as confirmed,” the decision read. Darfur’s conflict erupted in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan’s government, accusing it of neglecting the arid, western region. Sudan’s former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is facing ICC charges of orchestrating genocide and other atrocities in Darfur, was deposed in 2019 and remains in prison in Khartoum.

Even as he runs for a second term as governor of Florida, DeSantis is being mentioned as a top White House contender. Ron DeSantis at a July 1 briefing on the condo collapseHe's still the conservative populist who rarely parts with Trump. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster. If DeSantis´ popularity rises and he threatens Trump´s status as the undisputed leader of the party, many Republicans privately expect Trump to turn on the governor. Friction between the two spilled into the public for the first time last week when Trump rebuffed DeSantis´ entreaties to postpone the rally in Sarasota.

Ghadanfar Abu Atwan, a Palestinian hunger striker released from Israeli detention, pictured at a hospital near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on FridayAdvertising Read moreRamallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP)A Palestinian on hunger strike for more than two months while in Israeli detention claimed "victory" Friday after his release and transfer to a hospital in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said in a statement early Friday that she had overseen Atwan's transfer on Thursday from an Israeli hospital to Istishari, accusing Israel of "serious neglect of the rights of a Palestinian prisoner." Israel's administrative detention policy, inherited from the British mandate of Palestine, allows the internment of prisoners without charge for renewable periods of up to six months each time. "Everyone in administrative detention should go on hunger strike," he told AFP, insisting it was an effective tool against an "unjust" practice. According to the Israeli anti-occupation civil society group B'Tselem and the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, more than 375 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli administrative detention.

Taliban claims to control 85% of Afghanistan's territoryThe Taliban claimed Friday to be in control of 85 percent of Afghanistan after seizing key border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan following a sweeping offensive launched as US troops pulled out of the war-torn nation. FRANCE 24's Franz J. Marty tells us more.

Khan's comments came as the Taliban claimed they now control around 85 percent of Afghanistan -- including key border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Khan hails from Herat city, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Islam Qala, the main border crossing with Iran that was under Taliban control Friday. Khan, 75, blamed the government for the rapidly deteriorating situation and urged the military to show more backbone. "A lack of attention, incorrect information and many other reasons have led to the fall of the districts," Khan said. Khan told a news conference that hundreds of civilians from across the country had approached him saying they were ready to fight the Taliban.

Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have been considering a slew of changes to American antitrust policy. In contrast, President Joe Biden's new "Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy" simply tells federal agencies to make a slew of changes in line with the president's values. For instance, Biden "encourages the [Federal Trade Commission (FTC)] to ban unnecessary occupational licensing restrictions that impede economic mobility." But Biden also urges more burdensome meddling in private business practices and more aggressive federal involvement in many aspects of U.S. markets. For instance, the order "encourages the FTC to ban or limit non-compete agreements" and to establish new rules on internet user data.

One of the main factors driving differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates across the country is partisanship. To create a longer time series, we also looked at vaccination rates in April 2021. By May 11, the gap had increased to 6.5% and by July 6, 11.7%, with the average vaccination rate in Trump counties at 35% compared to 46.7% in Biden counties. Although there has been an overall significant slow-down in COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S., these findings show a widening divide of communities at risk for COVID-19 along partisan lines. A key component of any effort to boost vaccination rates among Republicans will be identifying the right messengers.

The Texas legislature began its second attempt to introduce new voting restrictions on Thursday, unveiling a pair of bills that could become some of the harshest election laws passed this year. Greg Abbott (R) announced the special session last month following a dramatic walkout by Democrats to block the initial barrage of restrictive legislation. Tamir Kalifa via Getty Images Members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus take part in a voting rights rally outside of the Texas State Capitol on July 8. The governor, however, was furious and vowed to pursue the voting restrictions as well as other issues such as bail reform and anti-transgender legislation. Republicans claim the bills are meant to ensure “election integrity.”This week, the White House unveiled a massive effort to counter such legislation.

The policy adds to the growing list of immigrants exempt from arrest or deportation for violating civil immigration laws. Critics have said that Biden is abandoning his responsibility to enforce U.S. laws, but the president has said he wants a more humane approach to immigration, especially for parents and children arriving in increasing numbers from regions such as Central America.

The House Republican leader also believes keeping these fringe members in the fold — rather than ex-communicating them all together — is a better long-term leadership strategy for keeping them in check. Plus, the GOP leader may be reluctant to alienate a group of Donald Trump-aligned Republicans whom he may need to count on for speaker votes one day. But that management style also poses a risk for McCarthy and the GOP, especially as the battle for the House heats up. Controversies in the conferenceGreene is hardly the only source of heartburn inside the House GOP. "What I talk to my members is what I talk to my members personally about," McCarthy said at a recent news conference.

A Michigan man is going to prison for five years for smashing a Black teen's face with a bike chain at a beach, allegedly telling the boy "Black Lives Don't Matter" before knocking his teeth out — a hate crime, federal officials said. One witness said they heard Mouat say: "I wish someone would say something to me so I can beat them." Instead, Mouat returned with the bike chain, swung it at the 18-year-old's face, knocked him to the ground and then swung at the witness but missed. Then he struck the teen in the face with a bike lock, knocking out several of his teeth, cutting his face and mouth, and fracturing his jaw. He also admitted to trying to strike another Black teen with the bike lock, but missing.

WASHINGTON – Two men believed to be Haitian Americans were detained in connection with Wednesday's brazen assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, an attack that jolted the Caribbean country and fueled further political chaos. Haitian police say the manhunt for Moïse's killers is ongoing, even after they killed four suspects and detained others. Former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told USA TODAY that 28 mercenaries were involved in the operation. But Moïse had named a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, just one day before his murder. He said American and Haitian officials have been in regular contact since the assassination.

The White House on Friday unveiled a new executive order aimed at reeling in Big Tech and protecting competition across a variety of industries, including agriculture and banking. “The impulse for this executive order is really around where can we encourage greater competition across the board,” White House chief economic adviser Brian Deese told CNBC. The order seeks to lower prescription drug prices, allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter and more. The executive order will also call on the Federal Trade Commission to craft new rules on internet marketplaces. The bills, however, have so far faced substantial pushback from critics who say they either don’t do enough to reel in big tech companies or that they’ll have unintended consequences.

A Tennessee man is facing charges after he allegedly fired an AK-47 near where officers were conducting a traffic stop. "Was that gunshots," one police officer is heard saying in a video of the incident on July 3 at around 9:30 p.m. The Dyersburg Police Department stated that three officers were conducting a traffic stop when they heard gunshots coming from a nearby area, prompting them to investigate immediately. FLORIDA MAN POINTS GUN AT POLICE OFFICER BEFORE BEING FATALLY SHOT, BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS"Law enforcement located an AK-47 that was still hot to the touch lying next to Akins’ chair. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAkins was subsequently charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment due to "close proximity to the officers on the traffic stop, heavily traveled roadway, school, and homes."

California announced on Monday that its ban on state-sponsored and state-funded travel includes five additional states as a result of recently-enacted LGBTQ legislation. The state’s attorney general Rob Bonta said that state-funded travel to Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia would be prohibited as of July 1. CALIFORNIA BANS STATE TRAVEL TO TEXAS, 3 OTHER STATES OVER ANTI-LGBT LAWSBonta said that the U.S. is in the midst of an "unprecedented wave of bigotry [and] discrimination" that California will not tolerate. "Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country — and the State of California is not going to support it." As previously reported by Fox News, there are some exemptions to the rule, including travel needed to enforce state law or to honor contracts agreed to before 2017.

Taliban forces have taken over nearly 10 percent of Afghanistan in the last week alone, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and they now control 195 of the country’s 407 districts — while contesting another 129. It is “time … for Afghan forces to show the capacity and the capability that we know that they have,” Kirby said. “It’s not a question of whether they have the capacity,” Biden said of Afghanistan’s government leaders and security forces. “The likelihood that there’s going to be a Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely,” Biden said. “They’ve got the capacity.

Civil rights leaders met with the president and vice president this week to discuss voting rights, and Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation joins Morning Joe to discuss the meeting.

The shooting Wednesday occurred the same day President Joe Biden traveled to the Chicago area and discussed persistently high levels of gun violence in the nation’s third-largest city. Charging documents accuse McClaurin of shooting the other ATF agent and a Chicago task-force officer, though the charge pertains to one agent. “We will not relent in this fight against gun violence and protecting the people of Chicago,” he said. The three officers were on their way to an assignment when they were shot, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown told reporters Wednesday. With Wednesday’s shooting, 36 Chicago officers have been shot or shot at this year, Brown said.

If these vying world powers don't reach an agreement, Syrian civilians could go without food, medicine and other supplies, with aid agencies warning that many won't survive. "If they close the crossing people will die," said Mohamed Salam Khan, 45, who lives in the rebel-held enclave of Idlib. "Everything comes through the crossing," he said, adding that people felt "under a siege from everywhere" and that "people are exhausted." Workers carry boxes of humanitarian aid near Bab al-Hawa crossing at the Syrian-Turkish border. "The idea of sending aid to the Syrian population but bypassing the Syrian government is unacceptable to Russia."

Campaigners have lost their legal challenge to the government's two-child limit on welfare payments. Mothers' caseThe case was brought by two lone mothers and their children, supported by the Child Poverty Action Group. They said the two-child policy was incompatible with human rights laws. A government spokesman said: "This policy asks families on benefits to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work. "No child born before the policy was introduced is included, and child benefit continues to be paid for all children.

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in Antalya, Turkey, on June 18, 2021. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe killing of Haiti's president has left Haitians feeling even more distressed about the future. One top expert on Haitian politics told Insider he's "shocked" and "dumbfounded" over the killing. "I'm quite a pessimistic guy, but I didn't expect any assassination," Fatton added. "It's speculation," Fatton said, adding that he was "dumbfounded" by the assassination and didn't see anyone benefiting from Moïse's killing in terms of the current political situation.

Happy Friday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. 2018Governor Gina RaimondoNumber of vetoes: 3Notable: One bill the governor vetoed would have criminalized the isolation of an elder or dependent adult. 2011Governor Lincoln ChafeeNumber of vetoes: 2Notable: The governor vetoed a Patient-Centered Medical Home Act. WHAT’S ON TAP TODAYEach day, Rhode Map offers a cheat sheet breaking down what’s happening in Rhode Island. Advertisement? Do you ? Rhode Map?

But after a deadly building collapse, the Republican governor is largely hitting pause on the culture wars. And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster. Jeb Bush of Florida and Chris Christie of New Jersey were widely praised for their response to devastating storms. DeSantis’ handling of the tragedy appears to have caught some Democrats off guard, leaving them with no unified response.

Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection and there’s nothing illegal about the payments. But some ethics experts say Trump could waive the rent payments, especially since he routinely claims that he makes little or nothing for serving.

But people mentioned in it include lawyer Matthew DePerno, who unsuccessfully sued the county on behalf of a resident, and ex-state Sen. Patrick Colbeck. Colbeck has called the report “shoddy” and has called for the panel's GOP senators to be censured. DePerno has accused the committee of an election “cover-up.”On his website, Colbeck asks for donations to cover costs to defend himself after Dominion Voting Systems threatened legal action over his false claims that the election was stolen by manipulating the company’s machines. Dominion has accused Colbeck of "knowingly sowing discord in our democracy" and soliciting “exorbitant amounts of money” — over $1 million — to his business. The report called it a “serious breach.”The attorney general’s office did not elaborate on the probe's specifics, saying it is an open investigation.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Albania's prime minister says he thinks a resurgence of nationalism in Europe is holding back plans to expand the European Union to include his country and others in the Balkans region. “Things have changed and changed in the wrong direction for all of us,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said Friday, speaking at a conference near Athens. “Once upon a time, we were told that this process, the integration process, would...repress somehow, by force of example, Balkan nationalism,” Rama added. Today, we are hostage to European nationalism. Slovenia, a former Yugoslav republic that currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, has said it considers ending the impasse a priority.

But people mentioned in it include lawyer Matthew DePerno, who unsuccessfully sued the county on behalf of a resident, and ex-state Sen. Patrick Colbeck. Colbeck has called the report “shoddy” and has called for the panel's GOP senators to be censured. Dominion has accused Colbeck of "knowingly sowing discord in our democracy" and soliciting “exorbitant amounts of money” — over $1 million — to his business. DePerno’s website seeks donations, too, and says $384,000 has been collected. The report called it a “serious breach.”The attorney general’s office did not elaborate on the probe's specifics, saying it is an open investigation.

The Metropolitan police constable Wayne Couzens was the subject of a claim of indecent exposure against a woman six years before he murdered Sarah Everard, it has been revealed. An allegation was reported to Kent police in 2015, who will now face an investigation into whether they investigated it properly. It said it was launching “an investigation into alleged Kent police failures to investigate an indecent exposure incident linked to PC Couzens in Kent in 2015”. The IOPC said it was carrying out a separate “investigation into alleged MPS failures to investigate two allegations of indecent exposure linked to PC Couzens in London in February 2021. “It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst the IOPC continues to carry out its independent investigation.”

By Tuvan GumrukcuANKARA – The United Nations and aid agencies can find workarounds to deliver cross-border aid into Syria if the U.N. Security Council cannot extend a resolution on access from Turkey this week, Turkish Red Crescent Chairman Kerem Kinik said on Friday. The aid operation began in 2014 from four border crossings and is due to expire on Saturday. It has been reduced to just one crossing, from Turkey’s Bab al-Hawa gate, due to Russia and China’s opposition last year on the 15-member Security Council. In an interview, Kinik urged the Security Council to renew the mandate with access from all possible crossings but said contingency plans were ready. There is a legal basis to continue delivering aid into Syria and some possible alternative arrangements, he said.

Vincent Bibbs, 49, was charged with murder and carrying a handgun without a licenseAn Indiana gas station clerk is facing a murder charge after he pulled out a handgun and shot a man in the face for stealing 'several' four-packs of Red Bull. Vincent Bibbs, 49, was arrested late last month, according to the Indianapolis Metro Police Department. One witness reported hearing yells of 'hey, hey, hey' and 'just give it back' before a single shot was fired, according to a police report obtained by the Indianapolis Star. Damon McClain, 49, is described as an Army vet with a 'huge heart of gold' in a memorial page. Bibbs was arrested the next morning, with an added charged of carrying a handgun without a license.

And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018. Since that victory, DeSantis has often taken his cues from Trump. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster. DeSantis’ handling of the tragedy appears to have caught some Democrats off guard, leaving them with no unified response. Friction between the two spilled into the public for the first time last week when Trump rebuffed DeSantis’ entreaties to postpone the rally in Sarasota.

President Biden is setting the federal government's sights on the power of Big Tech and Big Telecom in a competition order that will urge more regulation and enforcement against the sectors. Details: According to a White House fact sheet, the order takes aim at Big Tech by ... The White House also wants internet service providers to offer a "broadband nutrition label" detailing their internet packages to give consumers more transparency when they're buying service. What's next: Biden will give remarks about the executive order at a signing ceremony Friday afternoon, according to the White House. Go deeper: More highlights from the orderEditor's note: This story has been updated to include additional details from the White House on the executive order.

Trump reportedly sought to pressure US attorneys to investigate his election-fraud claims last year. The claim is in Michael Wolff's book about the final months of the Trump administration. Trump also grew furious when AG Bill Barr would not back his election-fraud claims, the book said. Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for the former president, has dismissed Wolff's book as containing a series of falsehoods. "All these stories from the Michael Wolff book are not true.

A partner in that deal, Tony Bobulinski, has publicly stated that all the partners knew the “Big Guy” (or BG) was Joe Biden. It seems that Joe Biden was the key to all Hunter’s business deals. Actually, they have only one connection: Joe Biden. Yet Hunter Biden reeled it in, despite having no investment experience. The White House press team dismisses all this evidence and depicts Joe Biden as if he were Sgt.

The possibility that nuclear weapons could be used in regional or global conflicts is growing, said a newly disclosed Pentagon doctrinal publication on nuclear war fighting that was updated last year. “Despite concerted US efforts to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in international affairs and to negotiate reductions in the number of nuclear weapons, since 2010 no potential adversary has reduced either the role of nuclear weapons in its national security strategy or the number of nuclear weapons it fields. See Joint Nuclear Operations, JP 3-72, April 2020. The document replaces a 2019 edition titled Nuclear Operations that was briefly disclosed and then withdrawn from a DoD website. “By design, nuclear weapons are highly destructive and have harmful effects that conventional weapons do not have.

The UK’s Brexit “divorce bill” is €47.5bn (£40.8bn) according to estimates from Brussels that are higher than the government’s forecasts. The final bill, buried in the European Union’s consolidated annual accounts for 2020, is significantly higher than an earlier estimate from the UK’s fiscal watchdog. In 2018 the Office for Budget Responsibility put the Brexit bill at €41.4bn (£37.1bn). During the Brexit negotiations, British government officials said the final bill would be around £35-39bn. Much of the rest consists of EU liabilities, including pensions and sickness insurance for retired EU officials, former EU commissioners and MEPs.

The bill, championed by an ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, was introduced to parliament on Thursday, with supporters saying it seeks to safeguard the African nation's sovereignty and prevent foreign meddling. "It is clearly a manoeuvre by those who want to hold onto power," Olivier Kamitatu, Katumbi's spokesperson, told Reuters. Tshisekedi's spokesman, Kasongo Mwema, said the president had "already excoriated these types of divisive subjects" but said he did not know whether Tshisekedi would veto the bill. The U.N. peacekeeping mission head in Congo, Bintou Keita, urged world powers not to let Congo slip back into divisive politics. Responding on Twitter, the bill's main champion, Noel Tshiani, told the United Nations to stay out of the issue.

President Biden announced that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by August 31st, saying “the United States did what we went to do in Afghanistan.” NBC News’ Monica Alba and Courtney Kube break down the president’s decision to speed up the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and how the Afghan military can cope as the Taliban is advances rapidly.

Dems gear up for crunch time on Biden agendaBUZZER BEATER: It’s game time for Democrats, who are entering their most consequential stretch of legislating since the passage of Obamacare. But major decisions still have yet to be made, as Democrats try to land on the size and scope of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. A failed bipartisan result would force Democrats to write one huge spending bill marrying all their priorities.”In other words, Dems have some big decisions to make. But Dems only have slim majorities in both chambers to pull off the — as Ciara would put it — one-two-step. Biden instead is throwing his support behind Afghan leaders as he seeks to remove the country from the nation’s longest war by the end of the month.

REUTERS/Andrew KellyWASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Friday that includes 72 initiatives he wants over a dozen agencies to undertake to promote competition throughout the U.S. economy, according to a fact sheet released by the White House. Reuters first reported Biden's plan to issue a competition executive order in late June. It directs the FTC to issue rules to address competition concerns from Big Tech companies and ban or limit non-compete agreements. The order also establishes a White House Competition Council, led by the Director of the National Economic Council, to monitor progress on finalizing the initiatives in the order. Biden will deliver remarks and sign the executive order at 1:30 pm ET (1730 GMT).

Conspiracy theory-endorsing and frequent outrage-generating GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.) shouldn’t expect an endorsement from this PAC that seeks to elect Republican women to office anytime soon. The pair were dismissed as “carnival barkers” by Julie Conway, executive director of the Value In Electing Women group, in an article published by Insider this week. Greene and Boebert were the only Republican women in Congress not being supported by the group, said Conway. Conway said Republican women have “fought too hard for too long to be respected and taken seriously as legislators, policymakers and thought leaders.”“We cannot let this work be erased by individuals who chose to be shameless self-promoters and carnival barkers,” she added. “I think that they would rather draw attention to themselves, and really Marjorie Taylor Greene more than Boebert, but they’re cut from the same cloth.”

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2006, file photo, Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egypt president Anwar Sadat, speaks at a news conference before speaking during the William Siebens American Heritage lecture series at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Jehan Sadat died in Cairo on Friday, July 9, 2021, at the age of 87, Egypt’s President’s office said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2006, file photo, Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egypt president Anwar Sadat, speaks at a news conference before speaking during the William Siebens American Heritage lecture series at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)CAIRO (AP) — Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, died in Egypt on Friday. Under Anwar Sadat, the government had sought the support of Islamic groups to counter the influence of leftists.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's attorney general has opened an investigation after a Republican-led state legislative panel said people are making baseless allegations about 2020 presidential election results in a northern Michigan county to raise money or publicity for their own ends. Election night results in rural Antrim County, which has roughly 23,000 residents, initially erroneously showed a local victory for Joe Biden over then-President Donald Trump. Colbeck has called the report “shoddy” and has called for the panel's GOP senators to be censured. Dominion has accused Colbeck of "knowingly sowing discord in our democracy" and soliciting “exorbitant amounts of money” — over $1 million — to his business. The report called it a “serious breach.”The attorney general’s office did not elaborate on the probe's specifics, saying it is an open investigation.

CAIRO (AP) — Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, died in Egypt on Friday. In recent weeks, the Egyptian press reported that Sadat had been hospitalized and was battling cancer. On Friday, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's office said she had been a role model for Egyptian women, and granted her a national award posthumously. In August 1933, Jehan Safwat Raouf was born in Cairo to an Egyptian middle-class father and a British mother. In 1977, Sadat graduated with an BA in Arabic literature from Cairo University.

On Tuesday, the chairmen of the House and Senate education committees will delve into the Legislature’s recent actions. The Dallas Morning News Education Lab editor Eva-Marie Ayala will moderate the discussion. Meanwhile, many education and civic advocates are watching lawmakers’ moves during the special session that just began. The event will also feature information on early childhood education, school funding and how teachers can make their lessons inclusive. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden's caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Lofven unveiled on Friday a two-party, minority coalition government just two days after garnering support in Parliament to cobble together a new administration. In line with constitutional rules, Lofven unveiled in Parliament the names of his 22-member team selected from his own Social Democrats and the Greens. This is Lofven's third government since he first became prime minister in Sweden in 2014. The new government will be formally presented to King Carl XVI Gustaf later on Friday. Lawmakers from the Center Party and the Left Party abstained from voting which handed Lofven the mandate.

For the acting Prime Minister Joseph to formally replace the President, he would have to be approved by Haiti's parliament, said Morin. Muddying the waters further, Moise had on July 5 appointed another Prime Minister, Dr. Ariel Henry. "So we are in a situation today where we have two Prime Ministers. One Prime Minister who is in office, and another one legally appointed by the President of the Republic. So which of these two Prime Ministers should take the reins of the country?"

TV reporter Dillon Collier went to cover the aftermath of a house fire in a San Antonio neighborhood Monday morning. In recent months, local TV news crews have faced verbal and physical abuse while on the job. ?Two armed culprits attempted to rob a San Francisco TV crew’s camera and equipment last month as they were conducting an interview outside Oakland City Hall. The episodes continued the trend of 2020, which may have been the most dangerous year in history for TV reporters in the United States. TV crews often travel to the scene of news stories in vans or satellite trucks splashed with station logos.

USA TODAY debunked all as false. The City of Florence Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY that it received no such reports. "What is contained in this Facebook post did not happen, and (her friend) never called the police." This isn't the first time misinformation about predatory behavior at that Walmart has spread on social media, Rehkamp said. Our rating: FalseWe rate the claim that predatory men have tried to drug women using spray sedatives at a Kentucky Walmart FALSE, based on our research.

Bab al-Hawa is Syria’s last lifeline, through which vital UN aid supplies for 3.4 million people living in the war-torn north-west of the country arrive. Aid workers say 1.8 million people living in camps will lose food supplies if the Bab al-Hawa crossing is suspended. Food prices will go up and bakeries will close down.”Across north-west Syria, need is acute. A human chain is formed by aid workers and activists during protests to keep the Bab al-Hawa crossing open, 2 July, Idlib. We need security council support to continue providing cross-border aid in north-west Syria, where there is artillery shelling and bombing virtually every day,” he said.

Taliban militants are continuing to make rapid military advances across Afghanistan as western forces withdraw after two decades of conflict. At least 56 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the last week alone, according to the World Health Organisation. It came after US President Joe Biden strongly defended his decision to pull military forces out of Afghanistan despite large parts of country being overrun by the Taliban and his acknowledgment a new civil war could erupt. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Afghanistan: What happens if Taliban return? "The likelihood there's going to be one unified government in Afghanistan controlling the whole country is highly unlikely," he added.

Dramatic flooding swept across New York City on Thursday as heavy thunderstorms ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa disrupted the city’s subway, forcing passengers to wade through waist-high dirty water to get to their trains. Flash floods and heavy downpours also led to the suspension of trains and the closure of the subway in some places. In another video, a subway rider was seen stepping into a trash bag to walk through the water and reach the platform. “Drains are working remarkably well,” tweeted Sarah Feinberg, the interim president of New York City Transit. With Tropical Storm Elsa expected to hit the city on Friday, state senator Mike Gianaris also issued a warning.

President Joe Biden has defended his decision to pull out of Afghanistan in a speech at the White House. Biden said he “will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan”, after confirming his target of removing all US troops by September. “Just one more year fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for being there indefinitely,” Biden said. Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan after two decades was first announced in April, but yesterday’s speech is his most extensive commentary on the policy. “We achieved those objectives.”'Thank you for your service'According to an Ipsos poll from April, a majority of Americans support Biden’s decision to move troops out of Afghanistan.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has claimed a viral video showing a flooded NY subway station is the result of Americans taking 'orders from fossil fuel execs.' Thunder storms brought flash flooding to the city this week with footage showing New Yorkers wading through filthy waist deep water at a Bronx subway station. 'Instead we will do the adult thing, which is take orders from fossil fuel execs and make you swim to work,' she continued. I just don’t understand how AOC is saying this is a republican caused / fossil fuel execs issue.' In the Washington Heights neighborhood, the 1 Train station at 157th Street was seen submerged in deep water.

Joe Biden has insisted that the American mission in Afghanistan has not failed 'yet' even as the Taliban recaptures swathes of territory in the wake of US withdrawal. Meanwhile Russia said the Taliban controls about two-thirds of the Afghan-Tajik border and urged all sides in Afghanistan to show restraint. 'Certainly the Taliban negotiators that I've met at these talks have seemed the Taliban of old,' she said. Plans for an American withdrawal from Afghanistan were drawn up under President Trump, before Joe Biden recommitted himself to the idea following his election win. Some '85 percent of Afghanistan's territory' was under the group's control, said Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Delawar.

NIS Director Park Jie-won speaks during a plenary session of the National Assembly's intelligence committee in Seoul on July 8, 2021. (Yonhap)South Korea's spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea could return to nuclear dialogue with the United States as it is intent on ending hostile relations with the country, a source said Friday. The National Intelligence Service made the comment Thursday while debriefing the National Assembly's intelligence committee on the recent remarks from Pyongyang, the source with knowledge of the matter said. "North Korea's consistent position is to end its hostile relations with the United States," the source quoted the NIS as reporting to the lawmakers. His statement came after Kim's sister, Yo-jong, said that the U.S. has "wrong" expectations about the dialogue.

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (Yonhap)Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke by phone with his Czech counterpart on Friday and discussed bilateral issues, including ways to boost cooperation in the nuclear power plant business, his office said. In the phone talks with Jakub Kulhanek, Chung stressed that South Korea is the best partner for the Czech Republic's new nuclear power plant project under way in the southern region of Dukovany, citing the technologies and price competitiveness proven through various projects Korean companies have carried out overseas. Kulhanek responded that his country is well aware of South Korea's outstanding capability in the field. In the talks, the two ministers hoped for bilateral people-to-people exchanges and tourism to resume as soon as theCOVID-19 situation stabilizes. Kulhanek also said that he hopes to see more South Korean investment in his country in future industries, such as the electric vehicle battery sector, the ministry said.

T O BE MAYOR of New York City is no easy task. In a crowded field, Mr Adams narrowly won the Democratic primary with support from a broad coalition of non-white, non-Manhattanites. Mr Adams is not their avatar. Even before his run for office, Mr Adams had been agitating to make it easier for officers who brutalised citizens to be sacked. Rather than increase the city’s budget by 25% in real terms, as Mr de Blasio did, Mr Adams has plans to trim its expansive bureaucracy.

Murdoch made the decision to call Arizona for Biden in the 2020 election, Michael Wolff reported. "F--- him," the Fox News proprietor reportedly said of Trump when making the call. The decision was a pivotal moment on election night, indicating Trump was on course for defeat. The Fox News proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, personally gave final approval to the network's decision to call Arizona for Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election, according to a Daily Beast report of Michael Wolff's upcoming book. Murdoch reportedly started to sour on Trump late last year, believing — according to reports — that Trump had botched his response to the coronavirus and was on course to lose the election.

Biden has brought in outside advocates for meetings at the White House and has consulted advisers on the best strategy for combating restrictive new laws. Most Republicans have similarly dismissed a separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court previously weakened. Biden believes “that voting is a fundamental right for the American people,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki this week. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling last week upheld voting limits in Arizona that a lower court had found discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act. “Where’s your voting rights tour?

Washington — Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Wednesday called for the state's attorney general to investigate possible efforts by former President Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others to pressure Maricopa County election officials during vote-counting in November. Giuliani, too, reportedly called Maricopa County supervisors and left voicemails that were obtained by the news outlet. President Biden defeated Mr. Trump in the state by 10,457 votes, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Arizona since 1996. In addition to a possible investigation in Arizona, Mr. Trump is also under scrutiny by the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, for his alleged attempts to influence the outcome of the election in the state. In a January 2 call with its secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, Mr. Trump pressured him to "find" enough votes to crown him the winner.

Toyota said it would stop donating to Republicans who had objected to Joe Biden's certification. In an ad this week, the Lincoln Project targeted Toyota for donating to the objectors. Toyota said Thursday it would stop donating to Republicans who objected to Joe Biden's certification as president, after the automaker came under fire from watchdogs and activists for giving tens of thousands of dollars to these lawmakers. —The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 8, 2021"If [Toyota's executives] don't reconsider where they send their money, Americans will reconsider where we send ours," they added. Comcast refused to air the ad, the Lincoln Project said.

Ángel Hernández, with his wife, María José Carrasco, at home in Madrid in October 2018. carlos rosilloÁngel Hernández, a 72-year-old Spanish man who helped his terminally ill wife María José Carrasco bring an end to her life in April 2019, has been acquitted of the crime of assisted suicide. The public prosecutor withdrew its accusation last week after Spain’s groundbreaking euthanasia law came into force. The public prosecutor asked the court overseeing the case to retroactively apply the changes of the Criminal Code introduced by the euthanasia law, which came into force on June 25, 2021. The video filmed by Ángel Hernández and María José Carrasco to prove that Carrasco wanted her husband to end her life (Spanish audio). Hernández’s wife, María José Carrasco was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1989 and was recognized as severely disabled seven years later.

That is a priority.”Another focus will be attention to public housing, established to provide safe and affordable rentals for eligible low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities. “About 70 percent of people who live in public housing are people of color,” Fudge said. Fudge, who’s part of what is informally known as President Joe Biden’s jobs Cabinet, has also been hitting the road to amplify Biden's infrastructure plan. “Some of our children have lost an entire year of education because they didn’t have broadband or high-speed internet where they lived, especially in public housing. So I’m especially pleased to be on the jobs Cabinet because, if we pass this infrastructure jobs plan, it’s putting people to work," she said.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador participates on a commemoration on the third anniversary of his presidential election victory at National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico July 1, 2021. According to Latinus, the video was filmed in 2015 just ahead of elections in which the newly-formed Morena party of Lopez Obrador was competing in its first elections. The man in the video giving the president's younger brother the cash is David Leon, a political operative who served as an adviser to Lopez Obrador before heading Mexico's civil protection agency. Martin Jesus Lopez Obrador could not be immediately contacted for comment. Leon was also filmed giving a different brother of Lopez Obrador - Pio Lopez Obrador - wads of cash in separate videos published by Latinus last year.

17 suspects detained in Haiti assassinationSeventeen suspects have been detained so far in the stunning assassination of Haiti's president, and Haitian authorities say two are believed to hold dual U.S.-Haitian citizenship and 15 others are from Colombia.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked residents on Thursday to voluntarily cut back on their water usage this summer amid the drought and high temperatures, according to reports. With his recall election two months away, the governor has so far refrained from mandating water restrictions. Newsom also expanded the regional state of emergency to nearly half of the state, according to the newspaper. CALIFORNIA GOV.

Surrounded by what she described as concerted efforts to eradicate American exceptionalism, Fox News host Laura Ingraham dropped the hammer on the Left's attempts to attack parental rights on Thursday's "The Ingraham Angle." "Forces are working overtime to undermine parental rights and their Judeo-Christian values," Ingraham claimed during the show's monologue segment. Ingraham was reacting after Randi Weingarten, head of the nation's second-largest teachers union, vowed to defend members in the critical race theory fight, citing the union's support to teach "honest history." In recent weeks, parents have presented critical race theory concerns during school district board meetings as a means to address the controversial academic curriculum. "None of these states allow tattoos for those under 18 without parental permission, but they’re allowing minors to get an experimental drug?"

Exclusive: As the first pitch in the relocated MLB All-Star Game approaches, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is targeting Stacey Abrams and other prominent Democrats in a new ad campaign and reiterating his pledge to fight legal challenges to the state’s controversial election law. MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred pulled the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in April, citing concerns that Georgia’s GOP-backed law would limit voter access. This year’s All-Star Game was later relocated to Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Fair Fight Action, Abrams' voting rights organization, did not respond to a request for comment.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is facing backlash after claiming her union has been trying to reopen schools for in-person learning since April 2020, a month after the coronavirus pandemic began. "We tried to reopen schools safely since April 2020…" Weingarten wrote in response to an anonymous Twitter user. We have to be sure we are re-opening safely and not rushing things," Weingarten wrote on Twitter that day. "Where did you call for reopening schools? "Once again the NY Post has a hit piece out on AFT - this time that is trying to make everyday advocacy look nefarious," Weingarten wrote on Twitter .

Open for businessThere will be no masks, no social distancing and no coronavirus-related health screenings for the thousands of attendees at the conference – Texas Gov. "During CPAC Orlando with [Florida] Gov. "When we got back from CPAC Orlando we said, look, Texas is the next big state, they're open. If there was a question whether Trump was still the leader of the GOP, it ended with CPAC Orlando – Trump won 55% of the vote in the 2024 presidential straw poll. TRUMP TO SPEAK AT DALLAS CPAC EVENT IN JULYSince the Orlando event, Trump's hold on the GOP has only become clearer.

She is the author of several books, including the forthcoming " Against White Feminism: Notes of Disruption " (W.W. Norton, August 2021). As I argue in my book " Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption ," it is possible to be White and a feminist and not be a "white feminist." In the century and a half that has passed since, American capitalism's popularization of a Girlboss-esque model of the empowered woman has also done its part to thwart any actual solidarity or sisterhood between White women and women of color. It is not that all White women lack the vocabulary or the concepts to understand and address racial discrimination within feminism. Without doing so, Crenshaw argued, it was not possible to truly understand the situation faced by Black women, who had been discriminated against based on both gender and racial grounds.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes thinks “MAGA World” is missing a key point when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and ending the pandemic. That is, going all-in on promoting ex-President Donald Trump’s involvement in the development of the jabs. “Now, it’s not like Donald Trump himself developed the vaccine,” said Hayes. “That Donald Trump delivered us these miraculous vaccines and we should all thank him and go get our Trump shots.”“They should be telling everyone that the vaccines were the greatest achievement of the Trump presidency,” he added. It would be “closer to true than 95% of the things Donald Trump says.”“They should be hosting MAGA rallies with mass vaccinations and a free MAGA hat with every shot,” said Hayes.

Remington Filed Cartoons In A Sandy Hook Case. "Unwilling to have this case decided by a jury on the merits with a full record, Remington has sought delay and obfuscation at every turn." What Remington has said all along is they will make substantial compliance to our request, the plaintiffs' request. Remington has also filed some 2,200 unique emails as part of the discovery process, according to the plaintiffs' complaint. Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families suggested that number was not comprehensive, listing several marketing executives at Remington whose emails had not been furnished.

The executive order also includes plans to allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter at pharmacies, and make it easier for people to fix their phones or other equipment themselves, according to information viewed by NPR ahead of the announcement. Big Tech to get more scrutinySome of the most sweeping measures are targeted at the tech sector. The White House wants Obama-era net neutrality rules to be restored — measures that prevent internet providers from throttling their service. For example, he said, hearing aids — an expensive market dominated by a few players — is one area ripe for competition. The Obama administration tried to make it possible to buy more types of hearing aids at pharmacies, just like reading glasses, rather than treating them like expensive medical devices.

This is a golden political opportunity for Democrats, if they aren't too cowardly to take it. Trump's putsch apologia is extremely unpopular, but Republicans have already given themselves no choice but to go along with it. The insurrectionists are the symbols of grievance, the symbols of absolute loyalty to Trump and the angry and aggrieved victims who are at the center of every Trump political demand, every argument. It was only when she tried to climb over the barrier that the officer shot her, and only her. If the officer had not shot Babbitt, there's a strong possibility multiple members of Congress would have been hurt or killed.

The Department of Justice unveiled a major indictment Thursday against five Tampa Bay-area residents accused of assaulting police officers during the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, CNN reports. The big picture: The five, accused of leading the charge during the insurrection, face 19 criminal counts, among the most for a Capitol riot case. The big picture: The indictments highlight the violence police faced at the hands of the pro-Trump mob, and the role of Tampa Bay residents. That might be one reason the U.S. Capitol Police announced this week that they're opening a field office in Tampa to protect members of Congress against threats. Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

The Taliban have captured a major border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, according to Afghan officials. Video footage appeared to show Taliban forces taking down the Afghan flag from the roof of the border customs office. The Afghan government on Friday acknowledged the loss of the Islam Qala border crossing, in Herat province. News of the capture of the border crossing came hours after US President Joe Biden defended his administration's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has insisted that Afghan security forces are capable of keeping the Taliban at bay, and Afghan forces appear to have retaken lost ground in some areas.

The Chicago Public Schools system has fired a company that had been granted the right to use school lots during Cubs games and other events this spring for paid parking. Premium 1’s owner also had fallen months behind on paying CPS to use the school lots, for which the company would charge people going to Cubs games and other events to park. “The district has terminated, effective June 17, the parking agreement with Premium 1 Parking Inc. due to incomplete payment,” CPS spokesman James Gherardi said. For most of the past decade, the school parking lease business in Chicago was dominated by Blk & Wht. To replace it and the revenue it brought some schools, CPS asked companies to make formal bids for the leases.

Associated PressINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Body cameras have been distributed to nearly one-third of front-line Indiana state troopers almost a year after the governor announced the step as part of the state’s response to racial injustice concerns, state police officials said Thursday. Distribution of the body and in-car cameras started last month and should be completed in late August, officials said. Those include uniformed troopers and sergeants assigned to patrol duties, Capitol Police officers and some Special Operations units. Eric Holcomb said last August that he wanted all front-line troopers to have body cameras by this spring. “The technology that we currently have really does explode that connectivity.”The state police cameras are coming after state legislators earlier this year approved a new law with misdemeanor penalties for police officers who turn off body cameras with intent to conceal.

North Carolina members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) collaborated with other neo-Confederate and far-right groups in failed efforts to preserve Confederate monuments in the state, according to emails, documents, and videos reviewed by the Guardian. ACTBAC has been active in statue protests in North Carolina at locations including Pittsboro, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Graham. Also present at the Graham event were two men who were arrested after unfurling a flag associated with white nationalism groups. A spokesman for the North Carolina elections board said that campaign finance investigations are confidential under North Carolina law, and offered no further comment. The North Carolina department of public safety did not immediately respond to a question on Stone’s employment status with the agency.

House representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had to deliver another comeback on social media on Thursday, after Republicans criticised her Green New Deal for the environment. “I’m so glad the filibuster is here to fix this oh wait,” AOC commented. “Shout out to all the legislators going out on dinner dates with Exxon lobbyists so they can say a Green New Deal is too expensive,” she wrote. We were looking out for our shareholders,” the individual, identified as Keith McCoy, said in the video. Twitter users have since shown support for AOC’s comments, and expressed shock at the scenes shared by the Democrat:Once again, the dangers of climate change are plain to see.

"I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan", defends Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden says the US military operation in Afghanistan will end on Aug. 31, delivering an impassioned argument for exiting the nearly 20-year war without sacrificing more American lives even as he bluntly acknowledged there will be no “mission accomplished” moment to celebrate. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more.

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Share this Story: Liberal MP William Amos says he appeared naked on camera twice because of 'hyperactive multitasking', 'lack of focus'Liberal MP William Amos says he appeared naked on camera twice because of 'hyperactive multitasking', 'lack of focus' May run again in next election — but that may not be as the Liberals' candidate Photo by FileArticle content Liberal MP William Amos says he mistakenly appeared naked twice during virtual House of Commons proceedings because of issues with “hyperactive multitasking” and a “lack of focus” and not because of any “mental health disorder.”Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “The first evaluations from my health team suggest that I don’t have any mental health disorder,” Amos said, according to a clip posted online by local radio station CHGA 97.3. Amos also said his family was very affected by the two incidents of nudity and ensuing media coverage.

Advertising Read moreAt a press conference in Moscow, Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Delawar said that "85 percent of Afghanistan's territory" is under the group's control, including some 250 of the country's 398 districts. More than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into Tajikistan this week after a blistering Taliban offensive in northern Afghanistan. Taliban claim key border crossing with IranMeanwhile in western Afghanistan, the Taliban on Friday claimed to have captured the country's biggest border crossing with Iran. There was no immediate confirmation of the government's loss of control of the border crossing, and the Taliban's claim could not be independently verified. Last month the Taliban captured Shir Khan Bandar, Afghanistan's main border crossing with Tajikistan, after fierce fighting that saw hundreds of Afghan troops flee to the neighbouring country.

Share this Story: RoseAnne Archibald first woman to lead Assembly of First Nations as national chiefRoseAnne Archibald first woman to lead Assembly of First Nations as national chief Previously regional chief for Ontario, she has been involved in First Nations politics for 31 years Photo by The Canadian Press file photoArticle content RoseAnne Archibald of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation in Ontario has become the first woman to serve as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Try refreshing your browser, or RoseAnne Archibald first woman to lead Assembly of First Nations as national chief Back to video “Today is a victory, and you can tell all the women in your life that the glass ceiling has been broken. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Outgoing national chief Perry Bellegarde is from Little Black Bear First Nation in the southern part of the province.

But there are some signs that OANN and Newsmax are replacing Fox News as the primary news sources for at least some Republicans. Meanwhile, Fox News Republicans were often more in line with Republicans who got their news from other mainstream outlets. That said, all three groups of Republicans expressed similar levels of hesitancy about getting vaccinated — 31 percent of mainstream news Republicans and 29 percent of Fox News Republicans said they weren’t sure if they’d get vaccinated, compared to 37 percent of far-right news Republicans who said the same. The vast majority of both groups — 86 percent of Fox News Republicans and 96 percent of far-right news Republicans — said the election was stolen, compared to 66 percent of Republicans who do not watch television news and only 44 percent of mainstream news Republicans. We don’t yet know whether Republicans are choosing their different media sources based on preexisting views, or whether the media sources are actively shaping those views.

John F. Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said the military was looking at relocating Afghan interpreters and their families to U.S. territories, American military installations outside the United States, and in other countries outside of Afghanistan. In essence, Mr. Biden said the longest war in United States history should have ended a decade ago, when Bin Laden was killed. The rapid American withdrawal, he said, was a matter of safety. “Our military commanders advised me that once I made the decision to end the war, we needed to move swiftly to conduct the main elements of the drawdown,” Mr. Biden said. At another time in the country’s history, Mr. Biden’s speech, and the final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, might have roiled politics in the United States.

Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia have moved to fill the military and diplomatic vacuum opening up in Afghanistan as a result of the departure of US forces and military advances by the Taliban. With an estimated 700km of its border with Afghanistan now in Taliban hands, Iran does not have much choice but to take an active interest. It is estimated that Iran already hosts 780,000 registered Afghan refugees and that between 2.1 and 2.5 million undocumented Afghans live in Iran. Some analysts argue mass migration from Afghanistan caused by a Taliban insurgency might help the Iranian economy, and that Iran should not oppose a Taliban takeover. “The Taliban could not have survived so long without genuine political support and they might now serve Iran’s regional diplomatic interests.

The Taliban have claimed to be in control of 85% of Afghanistan, including a key border crossing with Iran, following a sweeping offensive launched as US troops pull out. Hours after Joe Biden issued a staunch defence of the US withdrawal, the Taliban said fighters had seized the border town of Islam Qala – completing an arc of territory from the Iranian border to China. A delegation of Taliban officials in Moscow said the groups controlled 250 of Afghanistan’s 398 districts, a claim impossible to independently verify and disputed by the government. The Taliban have been emboldened by the troop withdrawal and with peace talks with the government deadlocked, appear to be pressing for a full military victory. This week more than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into Tajikistan in the face of a Taliban onslaught.

WASHINGTON – Two men believed to be Haitian Americans were arrested in connection with Wednesday's brazen assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, an attack that jolted the Caribbean country and fueled further political chaos. Haitian authorities say Moïse was killed by a group of "mercenaries" at his private residence early Wednesday morning. Former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told USA TODAY that 28 mercenaries were involved in the operation, many of them Venezuelan nationals. "I am a prime minister," Henry told the Nouvelliste newspaper on Wednesday. He said American and Haitian officials have been in regular contact since the assassination.

The U.S. Marshals-led Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force took 23-year-old Bryan Rhoden into custody when he surrendered in Chamblee, FOX 5 Atlanta reported Thursday evening. The site was about 25 miles southeast of where police found three bodies on the golf course July 3. Daniels alleged that she was paid $130,000 in 2016 by Trump's personal lawyer to stay silent about the fling. "Instead we will do the adult thing, which is take orders from fossil fuel exes & make you swim to work." Fox News’ Go Watch page is now available, providing visitors with Pay TV provider options in their area carrying Fox News Channel & Fox Business Network.

The eight-foot-high (2.4-m) black mesh fencing at one point surrounded several blocks of Capitol Hill, interfering with pedestrian and vehicle traffic. More than 535 people have been charged with taking part in the attack on Jan. 6, when Trump supporters smashed windows, fought police and sent lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence scrambling for safety. Two police officers who took part in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives. Walker said the temporary fencing can quickly be reinstalled if needed and that other restrictions on access to the Capitol will remain in place. In March a task force studying security failures on Jan. 6 recommended the creation of a rapid-reaction force in Washington and upgrades to Capitol Police intelligence capabilities and training.

Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven speaks during a media conference after being re-elected as prime minister in Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, Sweden July 7, 2021. Christine Olsson/TT News Agency/via REUTERSSTOCKHOLM, July 9 (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reappointed his previous cabinet of Social Democrats and Greens on Friday following his re-election as premier this week. Lofven resigned last month after losing a no-confidence vote but got re-elected by parliament on Wednesday. He reappointed Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson as finance minister and Ann Linde as foreign minister. The former union boss, 63, has headed a centre-left minority cabinet since a 2018 election which produced a nearly evenly-split parliament and big gains for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, with whom several other parties refuse to deal.

A failed bipartisan result would force Democrats to write one huge spending bill marrying all their priorities. House Budget Committee Chair John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) pauses for reporters after meeting with the House Democratic Caucus and Biden administration officials to discuss progress on an infrastructure bill at the Capitol. While both Budget Committee Democrats and the bipartisan group have been aiming to wrap their work by then, no one is setting hard deadlines yet. McConnell spent the July 4 break barnstorming Kentucky, saying he thought the bipartisan bill had a "decent chance" but also asking that it be “credibly” financed. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a Senate committee hearing.

Chan School of Public Health who designed the poll. “Usually, our polls find a big split between Republicans and Democrats, so this is unique,” he said. Democratic lawmakers have also faced pressure to look more closely at the lab leak scenario, though they worry Republicans will stoke uncertainty about the virus origin for political gain. The finding also surprised Blendon, who said the public isn’t typically invested in such a scientific inquiry. The broad attention on the issue underscores the stakes for the Biden administration’s upcoming report on the virus origin, due in August.

Growing in parallel to Canada’s vaccination rates is speculation about the timing of a federal election — and anxiety over how it could be as early as late summer. Should a snap vote be called, a spokesperson for Elections Canada, the independent agency responsible for administering elections, told POLITICO they’re ready to go. Changing election speculation seasonsElection speculation has been simmering since January after a winter Cabinet shuffle was interpreted by some as a sign of the government jostling toward a campaign. Election speculation has ramped up because of history: minority governments typically do not last long. Simon and Trudeau tempered election speculation Tuesday, telling reporters they have yet to discuss an election in their conversations so far.

West downplayed the talk even as he organized an unprecedented anti-Covid-lockdown rally targeting the incumbent governor of the party he nominally chaired. “On day four of Allen West’s farcical campaign for governor of Texas, he finds himself 4,000 miles away in Alaska. West’s last day as party chair is Sunday. In addition to West, former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines and political commentator Chad Prather are challenging Abbott from the right, hoping to capitalize on that frustration. Florida state Rep. Chip LaMarca, a top Republican in West’s former home in Broward County, said West was sometimes his own worst enemy.

And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster. DeSantis’ handling of the tragedy appears to have caught some Democrats off guard, leaving them with no unified response. Nikki Fried, Florida’s Democratic agriculture commissioner who has also announced a bid for governor, praised local officials, Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Friction between the two spilled into the public for the first time last week when Trump rebuffed DeSantis’ entreaties to postpone the rally in Sarasota.

It’s official: After just shy of 20 years of war, the United States will be ending military operations in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, President Joe Biden said Thursday. Still up in the air, though, is what will happen to thousands of Afghan translators who will be in harm’s way once the U.S. withdrawal is complete. Among the countries still in discussion to house the Afghan nationals and their families include United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Guam, a U.S. territory, The Wall Street Journal reported. Biden says that the State Department has approved around 2,500 Afghan Special Immigrant Visas since he took office. But as we head for the exits, it's telling how far down the list of priorities this planning apparently was.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan as the country appeared increasingly at risk of spiraling into civil war. When asked whether he trusted the Taliban, Biden responded: "Is that a serious question?" But I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped and more competent in terms of conducting war," Biden continued. Many military outposts have been surrendered without a fight, according to Afghan military and government sources. Afghan security forces are vowing to reclaim the lost territories from the Taliban and turn the tide.

The NSA denied Carlson's allegations in a rare, carefully worded statement. If Swan's anonymous sources are correct, the NSA might have scooped up Carlson's texts and emails while monitoring a suspected foreign agent he was communicating with. "Of course, the recipients of Carlson's texts and emails also knew about their content," and they could have shared the information, too, Swan notes. After Carlson said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the NSA, BuzzFeed News FOIA ninjas Jason Leopold and David Mack and The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein filed FOIA requests for Carlson's FOIA request. Story continuesOn Thursday night's show, Carlson appeared scandalized that Klippenstein, known for filing FOIAs and exposing government surveillance abuses, would FOIA his FOIA.

Republicans in both chambers appear ready to start talking — and go a little bit further. But in truth, the climate caucus and its somewhat more solutions-oriented tone are far too little, coming this late in the game. Instead, the caucus calls those sources of greenhouse gases part of the solution to the need for stable sources of energy. The caucus’ other areas of interest — safe nuclear energy and carbon sequestration — are more promising, with caveats. If Republicans can somehow come up with a truly safe nuclear path, the nation will be all ears.

The longtime coal lobbyist is among a group of Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in Ohio's 15th Congressional District. Carey has something his competitors don't — the coveted endorsement of former President Donald Trump sought by Republican candidates across the country. “I would not discount the importance of the Trump endorsement in the Republican Party," said Kevin Spiker, a political science professor at Ohio University. Eleven Republican candidates will appear on the ballot in the Aug. 3 primary, including Ohio Rep. Jeff LaRe and Sens. Besides Trump, other highly-anticipated GOP endorsement came from Stivers, who chose LaRe to succeed him after an extensive interview process.

In addition, the ATF and city police will coordinate with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Columbus to prosecute gun crime cases at the federal level, which can often result in harsher sentences and penalties. Police officers becoming ATF deputies typically will be sent to training programs and remain on that assignment for up to five years. "They have full federal authority, federal equipment, federal resources," and access to pursue prosecution in federal court, he said. Asked the difference between a city police officer working a gun-violence case for the ATF as opposed to a city police department, Herndon replied: "Time. Columbus is "not really losing these officers," Herndon said.

Becker said while answering a question about his experience with last summer's protests during The Dispatch's first "Columbus Conversations" town hall-style forum on Thursday. Full video of Columbus Conversation:Bridging the Divide Between Police and the PeopleBecker's apology was accepted by Columbus City Council president Shannon G. Hardin, another member of the six-person panel for the forum, which was titled "Bridging the Divide Between Police and the People." In addition to Becker, Hardin and Wynn, the other three panelists for the forum were:Vladimir Kogan, Ohio State University associate professor of political science and a member of the Columbus Community Safety Advisory CommissionBrian A. 9, which represents Columbus police officers, agreed with Walton that wrongdoers should be removed from the police division. Becker responded that Columbus police officers are "ready, willing and able to come out."

In the Massachusetts Legislature, the definition of “broke” is anything that runs counter to the status quo. Case in point: term limits for the speaker of the House. The office can also prevent legislation from moving ahead, even when it might win a majority of votes on the floor. “The speaker approves the hiring and firing of our staff,” Gouveia said. As soon as you swear in a speaker, the next speaker fight starts, whether you want to admit it or not.

Anticipating the reversal, the U.S. attorney's office in Tulsa obtained grand jury indictments in March against Foster, formerly of Bixby. Under federal law, crimes involving Native Americans on Indian reservations must be prosecuted in federal or tribal courts. More:Oklahoma's strategy to fight McGirt cases draws tribal criticismThough the focus of the event is the victims, it has become embroiled in pre-existing tensions between Stitt and the tribes. Those tensions began two years ago over Stitt’s desire to renegotiate tribal gaming compacts, a battle he lost in state and federal courts. The Chickasaw Nation is sending two representatives to the event, and Muscogee Nation Chief David Hill said he may attend.

Tucked away on a street corner in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister's official residence is hardly as opulent as the White House or Number 10 Downing Street. But Benjamin Netanyahu, who was ousted last month, is struggling to wrench himself away from the Balfour residence which has been his home for more than a decade. The 71-year-old was ousted on June 13 by a cross-party coalition led by Naftali Bennett, a former protégé of Mr Netanyahu. Mr Netanyahu, now banished to the opposition benches, has vowed to do all he can to topple the new government. The stunt infuriated Israel’s new government, which secured a promise from Mr Netanyahu that he would no longer hold official meetings at the residence.

By Josh SmithSEOUL – It would be desirable for South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit Japan and meet its leaders during the Olympics, South Korea’s sports minister said on Friday, after the Japanese leader suggested it was up to South Korea to mend ties. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday that whoever attends the opening ceremonies on behalf of South Korea would be treated “politely, following diplomatic protocol”. Relations between Japan and South Korea were in a “very difficult” situation, but it was up to South Korea to provide a response to the problems, he said. “In order for these issues between Japan and South Korea to be resolved, it is important that South Korea responds responsibly,” Suga said. Last month, South Korea summoned Japan’s deputy ambassador to protest over a map on the Tokyo Olympics website that showed the set of South Korean-controlled islands as Japanese territory.

STOCKHOLM – Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reappointed his previous cabinet of Social Democrats and Greens on Friday following his re-election as premier this week. Lofven resigned last month after losing a no-confidence vote but got re-elected by parliament on Wednesday. He reappointed Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson as finance minister and Ann Linde as foreign minister. Lofven will head a weakened government after he was forced to step down and seek new support. He is yet to find sufficient backing to pass a budget and has said he will resign once again if he is unable to get his budget through parliament in the autumn.

JOHANNESBURG -South Africa’s high court on Friday dismissed an application by the secretary general of the governing African National Congress (ANC) party, Ace Magashule, to have his suspension set aside. Magashule, one of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s main political rivals, was suspended from the day-to-day running of the ANC in May, in line with tougher rules for members charged with corruption. Both politicians’ court proceedings are regarded as a test for South Africa’s ability to enforce the law — even against powerful politicians — 27 years after the ANC ousted South Africa’s white minority rulers to usher in democracy. Later on Friday the high court will rule on a request to suspend his arrest, pending a court hearing of his challenge that is due on Monday. Ramaphosa, whose allies ousted Zuma as president in 2018, has staked his reputation on cracking down on corruption.

GENEVA – The World Health Organization is concerned about worsening access to provide life-saving medicines and supplies in Afghanistan and attacks on health care facilities, as Afghan forces fight Taliban insurgents, a WHO official said on Friday. Rick Brennan, WHO regional emergencies director for its Eastern Mediterranean regional office, said that aid supplies would arrive next week including 3.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and oxygen concentrators. “It is a terribly concerning situation and it’s very fluid right now,” Brennan, speaking from Cairo, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva. “We are concerned about our lack of access to be able to provide essential medicines and supplies and we are concerned about attacks on health care.”

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s caretaker interior minsiter has rejected a request by the lead investigator on the Beirut port explosion to question the country’s security chief, judicial and security sources said on Friday. A senior judicial source told Reuters that Judge Tarek Bitar had received the decision of Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy to reject his request to question security chief Abbas Ibrahim.

Another 62% said they do not approve of Navalny’s activities, a figure that has grown 12 percentage points since September 2020. The Levada Center polling agency said 14% of its respondents approve of Navalny’s activities, dropping from 20% last year and 19% earlier in 2021. Asked about last month's court decision blacklisting Navalny’s political and activist networks — both peaceful opposition movements — as “extremist,” 32% said they approve and 27% don’t approve of the ruling. Among Putin supporters, approval for the “extremist” designations was split at 40% approval to 20% disapproval. Those respondents who told Levada they don’t approve of Putin’s activities held a diametrically opposite view at 16% to 42%, respectively.

“The two sides should establish correct mutual understanding, eliminate interference from all sides and promote the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations along the right track,” Wang was quoted in the foreign ministry statement. “Both sides should give play to the leading role of the China-EU high-level exchange mechanism, release positive signals, increase confidence in China-EU relations,” Wang said. AdvertisementBut relations between China and Europe have drastically deteriorated in recent months. Beijing has denied the allegations, saying measures adopted in the western region are for counter terrorism purposes. “Politically-driven attempts to disrupt, obstruct and sabotage the preparation and holding of the Beijing Winter Olympics are extremely irresponsible,” the spokesman said.

The Supreme Court's Term Appeared To Be Cautious. The Numbers Tell A Different StoryEnlarge this image toggle caption Erin Schaff/AP Erin Schaff/APDespite a cautious approach to controversy for most of the Supreme Court term, statistics for the whole term tell a different story. By the numbers, the justices swerved to the right, even by the standards of the traditionally conservative Roberts court. Each wrote nearly as many pages when concurring with the court as they did when writing for the court's majority. Though the court reached unanimity in 43% of cases, many of those cases saw the justices reach the same outcome, but for different reasons.

Among the 10 biggest corporate PAC donors that pledged to pause their contributions to election objectors, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Verizon have followed through on their promises, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. ADVERTISEMENTBut many companies that are focused more on government funding, and not consumer dollars, have resumed PAC donations to election objectors after a brief pause. For decades, corporate PACs avoided scrutiny while regularly donating to incumbents on both sides of the aisle. They’re part of the small group of corporations that pledged to pause donations to election objectors but never ruled out funding closely tied GOP groups. Pfizer, Walmart and Home Depot also donated to one or both of the GOP party committees, which are working to reelect Republican election objectors.

Public hearings into new national laws that could allow employers to snoop on the private lives of their employees will be held today. The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has strong concerns about the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 which could see employees forced to submit to ASIO checks, security background checks and historical reviews of their personal internet and email usage. “Workers should not have their professional lives put on the line by their internet history, which could reveal to their employers they had been looking at other jobs. “There is also no case to justify the claimed heightened risk to the critical infrastructure ETU and CEPU members work on, and there is no evidence that existing industry legislation is inadequate. The ETU represents more than 61,000 electrical and electronic workers nationally, while the CEPU, in total, represents about 90,000.

Civil rights leaders dial up pressure on White House to protect voting rightsAdded: 09.07.2021 0:10 | 22 views | 0 commentsThe renewed efforts come as Democratic voting legislation has stalled in Congress and courts have ruled against them.

The harsh reality facing Texas Democrats who pulled off a May miracleAdded: 09.07.2021 9:30 | 5 views | 0 commentsDemocrats successfully obstructed Republican efforts to pass restrictive “election integrity” legislation in May. They face an uphill battle to defeat the legislation again.

Added: 09.07.2021 1:29 | 22 views | 0 commentsJOE BIDEN has defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, stating the US has completed its objectives.

Added: 09.07.2021 6:27 | 15 views | 0 commentsSurrounded by what she described as concerted efforts to eradicate American exceptionalism, Fox News host Laura Ingraham dropped the hammer on the Left's attempts to attack parental rights on Thursday's "The Ingraham Angle."

Added: 09.07.2021 6:06 | 16 views | 0 commentsGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp will launch his reelection campaign on Saturday, asking voters for four more years at the Peach State's helm. He says his record in office shows Georgians he's not the "racist voter suppressor" that Democrats cast him as.

Added: 09.07.2021 6:06 | 18 views | 0 commentsGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he's supported and defended many of then-President Donald Trump's policies. But after the 2020 election, Kemp did what he thought was right and what Georgians wanted him to do – certify President Joe Biden's win.

LOS ANGELES—The California Department of Transportation paid more than $13 million to have security at 120 vacant homes, Fox 11 reported exclusively. The report said Caltrans paid $9 million to the state’s highway patrol from November to April and another $4 million to a private security firm for five months. Caltrans told the station in a statement that the homes were purchased 60 years ago when the state wanted to connect the 710 freeway to the 210 in Pasadena. Caltrans said it is in the process of securing the homes and the security costs have been reduced since the peaks in March and December. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., whose district includes some of the homes in the San Gabriel Valley, said the homes should have been converted into affordable houses a while ago.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a speech in Minsk, Belarus May 26, 2021. The government in Kyiv decided on Wednesday to propose sanctions against Belarusian officials involved in "falsifying" the results of the 2020 presidential election and human rights violations but did not give names or details. read moreFriday's text said personal economic sanctions against Minsk officials will be imposed for a three-year period and include a ban on visits and transit through Ukraine, and an asset freeze. The decision on sanctions was made by the government and submitted to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's security and defence council. Ukraine froze contact with neighbouring Belarus last year and joined with the European Union in condemning the elections as not free or fair.

The one occasion that former Vice President Mike Pence properly “lost it” with Donald Trump was after the former president threw a crumpled newspaper article at him, a new book claims. Pence “lost it,” wrote Bender. The then-vice president reminded Trump that Jared Kushner, the then-president’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser, had asked him to hire Lewandowski and that they’d talked about it over lunch, per the book. Pence reportedly “picked up the article and threw it back at Mr. Trump,” wrote Bender, citing administration officials. ‘We walked you through every detail of this,’ Mr. Pence snarled.

President Joe Biden has nominated the first out lesbian to an ambassador-level position in U.S. history. Chantale Wong has been appointed U.S. director of the Asian Development Bank, which works to foster economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Region. Chantale Wong has been appointed U.S. director of the Asian Development Bank. Jones, an out lesbian and former Air Force pilot, ran last year to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional District as a Democrat. Shawn Skelly, a Navy veteran and transgender woman, also awaits confirmation to become assistant secretary of defense for readiness.

File image: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (via REUTERS)North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has lost about 20 kilograms of weight but all signs so far indicate that there are no major health issues affecting him, Seoul’s spy agency has claimed. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed lawmaker Kim Byung-kee about Mr Kim’s health, who then told the media that the North Korean leader has lost 10-20 kilograms of weight. The lawmaker said that Mr Kim continues to host long meetings and there’s also nothing unusual about how his walking posture. In November, reports had quoted intelligence official saying that Mr Kim weighed about 140 kilograms. Over the past few weeks, the North Korean leader has been making statements on issues related to foreign policy, food shortage and Covid-19.

By Polina NikolskayaMOSCOW (Reuters) - A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85% of territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others. Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of fighting, a move that has emboldened Taliban insurgents to try to gain fresh territory in Afghanistan. The officials said the Taliban would do all it could to prevent Islamic State operating on Afghan territory and that it would also seek to wipe out drug production. "We will take all measures so that Islamic State will not operate on Afghan territory... and our territory will never be used against our neighbours," Taliban official Shahabuddin Delawar said through a translator. "We want all representatives of Afghan society ... to take part in creating an Afghan state," said Delawar.

Former Vice President Mike Pence "lost it" after former President Donald Trump threw a crumpled newspaper article at him in frustration, according to a report. "Mr. Pence lost it," the essay continued, adding Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, was the one who asked Pence to hire Lewandowski, and he planned to discuss the matter with Trump over lunch. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)"Mr. Pence picked up the article and threw it back at Mr. Trump," Bender wrote. Washington Examiner VideosTags: News, Donald Trump, Mike PenceOriginal Author: Daniel ChaitinOriginal Location: Pence 'lost it' in clash with Trump: Book

The one occasion that former Vice President Mike Pence properly “lost it” with Donald Trump was after the former president threw a crumpled newspaper article at him, a new book claims. Pence “lost it,” wrote Bender. The then-vice president reminded Trump that Jared Kushner, the then-president’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser, had asked him to hire Lewandowski and that they’d talked about it over lunch, per the book. Pence reportedly “picked up the article and threw it back at Mr. Trump,” wrote Bender, citing administration officials. ‘We walked you through every detail of this,’ Mr. Pence snarled.

The disaster occurred on June 24 around 1:15 a.m. local time at the Champlain Towers South condominium in the small, beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach. The rest of the building was demolished on Sunday night, due to concerns about its structural integrity and an incoming tropical storm. Story continues"We have now officially transitioned from search and rescue to search and recovery," Levine Cava said during a press conference Thursday morning. PHOTOS: Surfside condo collapse search efforts turn to recoveryThe cause of the partial collapse to a building that has withstood decades of hurricanes remains unknown and is under investigation. Surfside building collapse latest: Death toll rises to 64 as rescue efforts shift to recovery originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The Taliban have said they have captured a key border crossing with Iran, hours after Joe Biden issued a staunch defence of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The insurgents now hold an arc of territory from the Iranian border to the frontier with China. “All Afghan security forces including the border units are present in the area, and efforts are under way to recapture the site,” said an interior ministry spokesperson, Tareq Arian. A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Friday the crossing was “under our full control”. Biden said the US “did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build” and that the Afghan people alone should determine their future.

KYIV – Ukraine’s government has proposed the introduction of personal sanctions against 52 Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko’s son Viktor, the detailed text of its resolution published on Friday showed. Belarus faced a political crisis following an Aug. 9 election marred by vote-rigging allegations that led to mass protests against Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. Friday’s text said personal economic sanctions against Minsk officials will be imposed for a three-year period and include a ban on visits and transit through Ukraine, and an asset freeze. The decision on sanctions was made by the government and submitted to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s security and defence council. Ukraine froze contact with neighbouring Belarus last year and joined with the European Union in condemning the elections as not free or fair.

Clashes between soldiers and civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday. The violence in Tonj began after several armed youths got into a disagreement with soldiers. An initial armed confrontation was brought under control, but according to Koang the youths mobilised others for an attack on the army position. Koang said two military officers involved in "triggering the clashes" had been arrested, and that the situation in Tonj had calmed down. South Sudan is emerging from a six-year civil war that left 380,000 dead and millions displaced, and disarmament is a major stumbling block.

Russia on Friday said the Taliban controls about two-thirds of the Afghan-Tajik border and urged all sides in Afghanistan to show restraint. "We have noted a sharp rise in tension on the Afghan-Tajik border. The Taliban movement quickly occupied a large part of border districts and currently controls about two-thirds of the border," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that Moscow urges all sides to "show restraint." She said that Moscow is ready to take "additional measures" to "prevent aggression" on its ally Tajikistan and called on all sides to "avoid spreading tensions outside of the country."

NATIONALPresident Moon Jae-in (L) greets a visiting delegation of the US Congressional Study Group on Korea at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude for the support the US Congress has provided in the advancement of the decades-old Seoul-Washington alliance during a meeting with a group of visiting US lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae.Moon hosted a reception for the visiting members of the US Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), a bipartisan study group on South Korea, at the presidential office. Ami Bera (D-CA) also praised the results of the recent bilateral summit as a success and highlighted that the arrival of the CSGK delegation exemplified the importance of the US-South Korea relationship. He also expressed thanks for Seoul's support to the United States at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.Korean American Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) told Moon that she is proud of her Korean heritage and praised highly the two country's summit agreement to cooperate in improving the human rights condition in North Korea.Kim also asked for the South Korean government's help to free two North Korean families that are reportedly in Chinese custody after having escaped from their home country. The congresswoman requested that Seoul contact Beijing to bring the families in question safely to South Korea.

NATIONALVice Defense Minister Park Jae-min (front) concludes a press briefing about the death of a sexually assaulted Air Force master sergeant who died by suicide on May 22. She was threatened and coerced not to pursue it, and left to withstand public humiliation when her story was made public against her intention,” the team said.The alleged assailant is another Air Force master sergeant, identified by his surname Jang. He is accused of sexually assaulting the victim on the way back to their base after an off-duty gathering. He has since been fired and is now under questioning.His superior who oversees the entire Air Force military police has been suspended from duty and will stand trial for making false statements, as he reported the victim’s death to the Air Force chief without mentioning the complaint. The military police chief faces separate disciplinary actions.The Air Force chief earlier stepped down to take responsibility for mishandling the sex crime probe.Meanwhile, the military prosecutors who were supposed to handle the victim’s complaint and her public defender are facing indictment.

BUSINESS(123rf)Major business lobbies in South Korea on Friday expressed concern over a new law that would allow CEOs to be punished, even by imprisonment, for serious workplace disasters.The Korea Employers Federation called the law ambiguous, saying it would have a negative impact on companies already burdened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic when it takes effect early next year.“A large part of the law, including the scope of a CEO’s legal responsibility, is still ambiguous and unclear, leaving firms with little clues as to how far one should follow in order to avoid punishment,” it said in a statement.The Korea Federation of Industries, a major business group representing big corporations here, echoed the view. It said companies and businesspeople would have difficulty in observing the law as it fails to make clear important details such as what exactly are the legal duties of a CEO in preventing industrial disasters.Earlier in the day, the government said it would proceed with from Monday a 40-day notice of an enforcement ordinance of the workplace disaster act that passed the National Assembly in January.While the law intends to force companies to enhance their safety management by holding the chief executive accountable for any major disasters resulting from lax oversight and poor safety management, it left the core elements to be determined at the ordinance level. For example, the law stipulates the chief executive should allocate an “appropriate budget” to safety control and “faithfully execute” his or her duties to keep employers safe.Under the law, CEOs can face a minimum one-year jail time if one or more lives are lost as a result of such incidents.The KEF said it plans to gather opinions from concerned industries and companies and submit a formal letter to the government.The workplace disaster law was first proposed by the far-left Justice Party with the aim of putting a stop to the recurring deaths at industrial sites.The law’s literature has been gr

NATIONALCaption: National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug meets with Italian Senate Speaker Elisabetta Casellati during his visit to Italy on Thursday. This issue is not for the National Assembly to decide, but I will strongly convey it to the administration,” she added.Prior to the visit to Italy, Park had also stopped by Greece to meet with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Athens on Tuesday. They discussed ways to expand economic cooperation in various fields, including energy, infrastructure and smart city development.During the talks, Park told Sakellaropoulou that Greece, the world’s No. 1 shipping powerhouse, and Korea, the No. 1 shipbuilder, enjoy a mutual win-win relationship thanks to the close cooperation between the two countries.“Based on this cooperation, we hope to further strengthen cooperation in energy, infrastructure and smart cities in the future,” he said.Park said Korea’s leading companies have a lot of interest and hope in participating in the development of Greece’s Hellenikon Metropolitan Park.The multibillion euro coastal park is being built on the site of the former Hellenikon International Airport in Athens, Greece.“Korea is already building smart cities by combining eco-friendly energy and information technologies at home and abroad,” Park said, giving examples such as Abdullah City in Kuwait.Sakellaropoulou was positive about potential opportunities ahead and said such tie-ups would “allow bilateral relations to move forward further.”By Shin Ji-hye ( shinjh@heraldcorp.com

Texas Legislature Sees Florida's Social Media Bill Go Down In Unconstitutional Flames; Decides 'We Can Do That Too!' Earlier this year, Texas proposed another awful social media content moderation bill, but the legislative session ended without it being voted on. Rather than move on to dealing with actual problems, Texas launched a special legislative session with a long list of culture war grievances -- including the social media bill. And so the bill has be re-introduced and it's arguably even more blatantly unconstitutional than the Florida bill. –The Techdirt TeamFiled Under: 1st amendment, censorship, content moderation, florida, section 230, texas, transparency

A District of Columbia court has suspended former President Donald Trump’s most prominent attorney, Rudy Giuliani, from practicing law in the nation’s capital, roughly two weeks after a New York court took action against the former New York mayor for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A New York court suspended Giuliani from the New York bar on June 24 for his “false and misleading” statements on behalf of Trump and the 2020 election. Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday’s suspension. He acknowledged the news on Twitter Thursday, retweeting posts from others condemning his suspension. He added the hashtag #politicalpersecution to one of the posts he shared.

Mr Abrahams was forced to spend New Year's Eve in hospital following the incident and had to use crutches fo