Presidential hopeful DeSantis inspires push to make book bans easier in Republican-controlled states
As he vies for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books — not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states
1970-01-01 08:00
Yellen pushes back forecast of potential US default date
WASHINGTON U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday extended the deadline for raising the federal debt limit, saying
1970-01-01 08:00
Biden celebrates LSU women's basketball team, UConn men's team due next at White House
President Joe Biden has appealed for more support for female athletes during a White House event celebrating Louisiana State's championship women's basketball team
1970-01-01 08:00
Jules Kounde speaks out on transfer speculation
Jules Kounde has spoken out on reports that he has asked to leave Barcelona this summer, just one year after signing from Sevilla.
1970-01-01 08:00
Eddie Howe confirms Newcastle's desire for 'marquee signings' as PIF make transfer plans
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has admitted he would sanction the club's moves for 'marquee signings' this summer. Neymar, James Maddison and Scott McTominay are among their targets.
1970-01-01 08:00
'I still like my Tina wig': Oprah Winfrey reveals why she donned a Tina Turner-inspired wig 'at all times,' even while sleeping
'I did it for the show, I did it for the next show, I think we did five or six shows around the country,' said Oprah Winfrey
1970-01-01 08:00
New York City mayor signs ban on weight and height discrimination
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has signed legislation that will ban discrimination based on body size by adding weight and height to the list of protected categories such as race, sex and religion
1970-01-01 08:00
After yearslong delay, DEA revokes license of drug distributor over opioid crisis failures
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has stripped one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors of its license to sell highly addictive painkillers after determining it failed to flag thousands of suspicious, high-volume orders at the height of the opioid crisis
1970-01-01 08:00
Three more Oath Keepers sentenced for roles in January 6 attack: ‘I was just another idiot’
Three members of a far-right anti-government extremist group who joined a mob inside the US Capitol on January 6 were sentenced to federal prison after their convictions on a range of charges connected to the attack. The hearings in US District Court in Washington DC follow the 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted by a jury on a treason-related charge of seditious conspiracy after a nearly two-month trial last year. His is the longest sentence, to date, related to the assault at the Capitol on 6 January 2021. Kelly Meggs, another member of the Oath Keepers who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in that same case alongside Rhodes, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 25 May. Jessica Watkins, a US Army veteran who was convicted of several other charges in that same trial, was sentenced to eight and a half years. A jury found Watkins guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress and guilty of conspiracy to obstruct. “My actions and my behaviors that fateful day were wrong, and as I now understand, criminal,” she told US District Judge Amit Mehta on 26 May. “Violence is never the answer.” Federal prosecutors argued that Watkins mobilised a group in Ohio alongside the Oath Keepers, and joined a mob in Washington DC in tactical gear to upend the results of the 2020 presidential election, fuelled by Donald Trump’s false narrative that the election was stolen and rigged against him. “I was just another idiot running around the Capitol,” she said on 26 May. “But idiots are held responsible, and today you’re going to hold this idiot responsible.” Prosecutors argued that she marched from the former president’s rally at the Ellipse and breached the halls of Congress in a military-style stack formation, encouraging members of the mob to push through law enforcement. According to messages and recordings shared at trial, Watkins declared the group “stormed the Capitol” on a radio-like communication app on the day of the attack. Judge Mehta, noting her apologies, said that her efforts that day were “more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others’.” “And you led others to fulfill your purposes,” he added “And there was not in the immediate aftermath any sense of shame or contrition, just the opposite. Your comments were celebratory and lacked a real sense of the gravity of that day and your role in it.” Kenneth Harrelson was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with documents or proceedings. He was sentenced to four years in prison on 26 May. In his plea for leniency, Harrelson, weeping as he spoke, apologised to US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who testified during the trial that the Oath Keepers that the group failed to support law enforcement and ignored his warnings that they were endangering officers’ lives. “I am responsible and my foolish actions have caused immense pain to my wife and children,” Harrelson told Judge Mehta on Friday. The judge noted that, in evidence from federal prosecutors, “there is not a single word in a single communication that anyone would consider extremist, radicalized” or “encourages anyone to engage in violence.” Read More Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years in prison for January 6 sedition Who are the Oath Keepers?
1970-01-01 08:00
Rwanda suspect denies killings but 'sorry' over genocide
By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN One of the Rwanda genocide's most wanted remaining suspects, accused of ordering the
1970-01-01 08:00
U.S. FDA approves Lexicon Pharma's heart failure drug
(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc's drug as a broad treatment for heart
1970-01-01 08:00
Congress must address debt ceiling by June 5, Yellen warns
Congress must address the debt ceiling by June 5 or the US Treasury will not have enough funds to pay all of the nation's obligations in full and on time, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday.
1970-01-01 08:00
