In a new court filing, U.S. special counsel Jack Smith says former President Donald Trump and his allies “resorted to crimes” in an attempt to keep him in power after losing the 2020 election. He also blames Trump’s rhetoric for fomenting violence, saying he is responsible for “the tinderbox that he purposely ignited on January 6.” Read more from @abc.
A research team in the United Kingdom identified a new blood group system called MAL in which proteins called antigens are missing from red blood cells. They also developed a test to identify patients who fall into the blood group, which would allow for better blood transfusions and could potentially save thousands of lives a year. Read more from @BBCNews.
Florida's new COVID-19 booster guidance is straight-up misinformation.
From CBS News: "In what has become a pattern of spreading vaccine misinformation, the Florida health department is telling older Floridians and others at highest risk from COVID-19 to avoid most booster shots, saying they are potentially dangerous. Clinicians and scientists denounced the message as politically fueled scaremongering that also weakens efforts to protect against diseases like measles and whooping cough."
Donald Trump says crime is soaring in America, and that immigrants are to blame. But the data tell another story.
From the Los Angeles Times: "Violent crime shot up across the country at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 while Trump was president, but has since come down sharply. Studies for years have shown that immigrants are less likely than U.S.-born citizens to be incarcerated for committing crimes."
A well-known pastor in the Philippines was arrested on Sunday in a massive police operation on a church compound, ending a weeks-long hunt that transfixed the nation. Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, a close ally of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, is accused of child abuse and sex trafficking, and is on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for money laundering in the U.S. NPR has more.
About 140 homes in a coastal Southern California city are still without power after landslides have led to electric and gas services being shut off and warnings issued to evacuate. “This is an ever-changing crisis as we navigate through this, and we need to be prepared,” Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian says. Read more from NBC News.
"Barack and Michelle Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, delivering back-to-back speeches that eviscerated Donald Trump and urged Americans to reject the Republican nominee once and for all."
Russia struggles to repel deep incursion by Ukraine.
"Reports suggest that Ukrainian troops are operating more than 10km (six miles) inside Russia - the deepest cross-border advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022," according to BBC News.
Former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the 2020 election subversion case involving fake electors in Arizona for then-President Trump. In exchange, nine felonies against her including fraud, forgery and conspiracy will be dismissed. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says the agreement provides a “significant step forward” in the case. Read more from The Hill.
Two people were reportedly killed when security forces fired gunshots and tear gas to quell mass protests across Nigeria. Thousands, mostly young people, are rallying against the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. AP reports: https://flip.it/.ZbM3T #News#WorldNews#Nigeria#Africa
Venezuelans are voting in the country’s toughest election in decades. The outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend the policies that caused the world’s worst peacetime economic collapse by six more years. AP reports with live updates: https://flip.it/fe9y6v #News#WorldNews#Politics#Venezuela#Elections
"[U.S.] House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Tuesday the creation of a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, adding to the congressional panels that are looking into the shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania."
As birth rates continue to plummet across the U.S., hospitals in rural areas have been shuttering, leaving some people with no choice but to travel long distances for prenatal care. More than half of the rural hospitals that remain open lack labor and delivery services, and the dwindling caseloads raise safety concerns. According to a 2023 study, women are more likely to suffer serious complications when giving birth in rural hospitals that handled less than 110 deliveries a year. Read more from NPR.
Even for a desert metropolis used to scorching summers, Las Vegas is struggling to bear with the relentless heat. The city has been smashing temperature records, entering its second week of hitting 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) every day. Officials have closed public pools and museums, and the normally packed Las Vegas Strip is far more quiet than usual. Read more from NBC News.
U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of the Biden administration in case about false info on social media.
NBC News reports: "In reaching its conclusion, the court overturned an injunction that would have limited contacts between government officials and social media companies on a wide range of issues if allowed to go into effect."
"The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza was cast into doubt on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a 'partial' cease-fire deal that would not end the war, comments that sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas."
A U.S. journalist shot by police while covering the 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis is dying of her injuries.
NPR reports a "nonlethal" foam plastic bullet hit Linda Tirado, 42, in the eye — even though she was wearing protective goggles and press credentials. "While we she has battled, her condition has continued to worsen to the point she is at life's end and receiving palliative care," the National Press Club said in a statement.
As part of our mission to bring more high-quality journalism to the fediverse, we’re federating today the profiles of nine U.S. media sites, bringing their content to Mastodon and other platforms. We think this is especially important now as the world faces serious crises like Ukraine, Gaza and climate change — not to mention pivotal elections coming up this year in several countries.
We share stories, explainers and analysis to offer context for the top news of the day. All posts are created and curated by Flipboard’s editorial team. Not a bot.Boosts do not imply endorsement, but are used to highlight posts we think the community might find interesting.#news #media #journalismHeader photo: The U.S. Capitol on March 27, 2023. Photo by Daniel Slim/AFP.