Новости за 23.08.2023

A longtime friend says the California woman killed for apparently refusing to remove an LGBTQ+ rainbow Pride flag from outside her store was adamant that she would never take it down. Laura Ann Carleton was fatally shot Friday outside Mag.Pi, the shop she owned in a mountain community east of Los Angeles. Carleton's friend Korey Pollard says she was defiant in the face of criticism. Pollard said Carlton told her, "'This is the hill I’m going to die on. No one is going to make me take down that flag.’”... Читать дальше...

Temperatures are soaring in the Midwest and Texas. A National Weather Service official says Wednesday that the heat is expected to reach dangerous levels this week. The harsh heat wave has damaged roads, water lines and forced the evacuation of a nursing home this week as some cities brace for triple digit temperatures through August. In Nebraska, a 1-year-old left in a hot van died, and in Texas, temperatures have broken records. Experts warn infrastructure like roads can buckle under the extreme... Читать дальше...

Hundreds of people have been charged with the theft of more than $830 million in COVID-19 emergency aid following a nationwide operation conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday. The May-through-July operation underscores how pervasive the fraud was and the time it takes for law enforcement officials to hunt down, charge and convict people who stole money during a national emergency. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a... Читать дальше...

A new study suggests that deep-sea “hot tubs” may help octopus eggs hatch faster. Octopus usually live solitary lives. So scientists were startled to find thousands of them huddled together at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of California. The researchers say it appears these octopus are taking advantage of heat seeping up from the base of an extinct underwater volcano to accelerate egg-hatching. The researchers found that eggs at this site hatch after about 21 months — far shorter than the... Читать дальше...

Authorities evacuated neighbors from a Pittsburgh neighborhood after someone reportedly facing eviction began firing from inside a home. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said it was trying to serve an eviction notice Wednesday when an occupant began firing. Witnesses reported what sounded like hundreds of shots fired, and hours into the siege more gunfire erupted. The sheriff's department says a sergeant leading the eviction notice detail sustained an injury that was not related to gunfire and was doing OK. Читать дальше...

Wisconsin Democrats are trying to prohibit the use of expensive, sham lawsuits to deter criticism by news outlets and members of the public. Their proposal reacts to Republican state Sen. Cory Tomczyk's ongoing lawsuit against the Wausau Pilot & Review, a local news site that reported on his alleged use of a homophobic slur in 2021 before he became a lawmaker. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in April, but Tomczyk is appealing the decision in what Democrats say is an attempt to bankrupt the news site. Читать дальше...

Kohl’s reported on Wednesday that profits dropped nearly 60% on weak sales in the second quarter, joining a slew of retailers that are wrestling with shoppers’ cautious spending in a challenging economy. But Kohl’s results beat Wall Street expectations as the retailer cut inventory and expenses. The department store chain also reaffirmed its annual guidance. Shares rose nearly 4% in midday trading. Kohl’s, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, is among the last group of retailers to report second-quarter... Читать дальше...

Rudy Giuliani is expected to turn himself in at a jail in Atlanta on charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The former New York mayor was indicted last week with former President Donald Trump and 17 others. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says they participated in a wide-ranging conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump lost to Joe Biden. Giuliani faces charges related to his work as a lawyer for Trump after the November 2020 general election. Читать дальше...

Egyptian authorities say two tankers have collided in a single-lane stretch of the Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic through the global waterway. The Suez Canal authority says the BW Lesmes, a Singapore-flagged tanker that carries liquefied natural gas, suffered a mechanical malfunction and ran aground while transiting through the canal. The Burri, a Cayman Island-flagged tanker which carries oil products, collided with the broken-down vessel on Tuesday night. The Suez Canal authorities say... Читать дальше...

What might persuade affluent 20- and 30-somethings to give to charity? Charity Navigator, which millions of Americans use to guide their giving, is betting it has an answer for nonprofits: a new online platform that promotes giving to causes, not individual organizations. The ratings giant announced Tuesday its acquisition of the start-up behind Causeway. The platform, which launched last year in a test with about 100 donors, invites the charitably minded to make monthly recurring gifts to one of its cause funds ... Читать дальше...

Tennessee House Republicans are being sued over their new rule banning the public from holding signs during floor and committee proceedings. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed the lawsuit Wednesday in a Nashville state court. It's on behalf of three people ordered by a Republican subcommittee chair to be removed by state troopers just a day prior for holding signs during a committee hearing. The GOP-dominated Statehouse is meeting for a special session in reaction to a Nashville school shooting in March. Читать дальше...

South Carolina's new all-male Supreme Court has reversed course on abortion, upholding a ban on most such procedures after just weeks of pregnancy. The 4-1 ruling departs from the court's own decision earlier this year to strike down a similar law. The continued erosion of legal abortion access across the U.S. South comes after Republican state lawmakers replaced the lone female on the court. Writing for the new majority, Justice John Kittredge acknowledged the ban infringes on “a woman’s right of... Читать дальше...

Carlos Ghosn, the former rock star businessman who fell from grace and fled authorities smuggled in a music instrument box, is getting what his dramatic story deserves — a multi-part Apple TV+ documentary series. “Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn” is the juicy real tale of how Ghosn went from attending red carpets to fleeing to Lebanon with the help of a former Green Beret. The four-part series, which starts Friday, takes a wider lens to Ghosn’s story, tracing the rise of the auto executive which... Читать дальше...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has promoted Natalie Hudson to chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. When she assumes the post this fall, Hudson will be the first Black person to lead the state’s highest court. Hudson was appointed associate justice in 2015 after serving on the Minnesota Court of Appeals for 13 years. She’ll lead the high court when the current chief justice retires in October. Walz also appointed his former general counsel, Karl Procaccini, to fill Hudson’s spot as associate justice. Читать дальше...

Foot Locker is cutting its full-year outlook again and pausing its quarterly dividend as sales dropped in its fiscal second quarter with consumers continuing to be more cautious about their purchases. Shares tumbled more than 27% before the market open on Wednesday. The footwear and clothing retailer said quarterly sales declined to $1.86 billion from $2.07 billion. That’s short of the $1.88 billion that analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research were calling for. Same-store sales, a key indicator of a retailer’s health... Читать дальше...

Japanese officials plan to start discharging treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. It's a contentious step more than 12 years after a massive earthquake and tsunami set off a battle against ever-increasing amounts of radioactive water at the plant. The government and plant operator say the release is an unavoidable part of its decommissioning and will be safely carried out, but the plan faces opposition in and outside Japan.

The second day of Tennessee’s special legislative session has been filled with emotional and chaotic scenes in which Republican lawmakers largely ignored calls to address gun control. On Tuesday, families close to a Nashville fatal school shooting broke down in tears after Republican leaders ordered state troopers to remove them and others from a legislative hearing room while they waited to testify in favor of gun control measures. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the new rules but Republicans... Читать дальше...

India is counting down to landing a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole — an unchartered territory that scientists believe could hold important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. A lander with a rover inside is orbiting for a touchdown on the lunar surface later Wednesday. The moments spent waiting are agonizing for India’s space scientists in the southern city of Bengaluru. India unexpectedly got into a race with Russia, which had planned to land its Luna-25 spacecraft in the same lunar region on Monday. Читать дальше...

Two Philippine boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in a confrontation in the South China Sea to deliver food and other supplies to Filipino forces guarding a contested shoal. However, two Philippine coast guard vessels escorting the supply boat were blocked by at least four Chinese coast guard ships for about five hours on Tuesday. A United States Navy plane circled overhead during the encounter. It's the latest flare-up from territorial disputes in the busy sea that has become a delicate... Читать дальше...

A year ago, Chair Jerome Powell warned that to fight high inflation, the Federal Reserve would continue to sharply raise interest rates, bringing “some pain” in the form of job losses and weaker economic growth. Since Powell spoke at the conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Fed has raised its key rate to its highest level in 22 years. Yet so far, not much pain has arrived. As Powell and other central bankers return to Jackson Hole, the economy’s resilience has raised the prospect... Читать дальше...

Asian markets are trading mixed ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s highly anticipated speech later in the week. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong, while falling in Seoul and Shanghai. Powell is set to speak Friday at an event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the site of several major policy announcements by the Fed. Attention is also on what the People’s Bank of China might do next on monetary policy. Meanwhile, investors are awaiting the earnings report from U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks. Читать дальше...

Bagungu people who farm and worship in an oil-rich, remote region in Uganda are worried about the future of their sacred natural sites. Custodians who care for these hallowed places say oilfield development is hurting the spiritual power of at least 32 sites in the area. They are concerned it will only get worse as oil companies work toward the goal of making Uganda an oil producer by 2026. Their traditional beliefs are seen as peculiar in this Christian-majority country, contributing to the sense... Читать дальше...

Authorities in Hawaii are pleading with relatives of those missing after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century to come forward and give DNA samples. Officials said Tuesdsay that the low number provided so far threatens to hinder efforts to identify any remains discovered in the ashes. Some 1,000 to 1,100 names remain on a tentative, unconfirmed list of people unaccounted for after wildfires destroyed the historic seaside community of Lahaina on Maui. But authorities say that so far,... Читать дальше...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' education policies have faced wide criticism from civil rights leaders and educators, among others, but they also have paid off politically. As DeSantis prepares for the first GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night, he is one of the country’s most popular Republican politicians and a top contender for the party’s nomination. Policy and education experts say DeSantis’ agenda on education has influenced what it means to be a viable Republican candidate. It’s likely to drive some of Wednesday’s debate, too.

As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a dash for safety. Many were turned back toward the rapidly spreading fire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30. But those who disobeyed, or took seldom-used back roads, made it out safely. The road closures contributed to making Lahaina the site of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. But there were many problems that day, and in some ways the disaster began long before the fires started. Читать дальше...