As President Biden prepares to lay out his plan Wednesday to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war, a source familiar with his thinking tells me that he thinks no amount of US troops in the country can be a game changer anymore. Biden has been remarkably consistent in this belief, dating
Continue ReadingKristen Clarke, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, heads to her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday as a groundswell of supporters says there’s an urgency for Clarke to take office and lead the team of federal prosecutors to address recent allegations of unconstitutional acts across the country, including police
Continue Reading
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the planned withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, which will also mark the end of America’s longest war — a war many no longer remember or understand why we entered. But, trust me, the reasons we went in — after the
Continue ReadingFor astronauts aboard the International Space Station, sourdough is off-limits and whole wheat is out of bounds. It’s not because anyone is on a gluten-free diet, however. Tortillas are preferred over bread in a weightless environment because they don’t crumble and leave crumbs floating around, according to NASA. Since the astronauts don’t have the luxury
Continue ReadingBerlin Police are investigating a possible violation of coronavirus lockdown rules during an alleged party at the private members club Soho House, a police spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday. Police said they were investigating the event after evaluating photos and a video of the event that were shared on social media. The posts now appear
Continue ReadingIt’s 100 days until the Tokyo Olympics, and Japan is running into another problem: Only about 1% of its population is vaccinated from Covid-19. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox
Continue Reading
Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski launched her campaign for Senate on Wednesday, jumping into what’s expected to be a contentious Democratic primary as Republicans eagerly await word on whether Sen. Ron Johnson will seek a third term. As Johnson faces pressure from party leaders and former President Donald Trump to run again, his new Democratic foe
Continue ReadingW. Galen Weston, the patriarch of a retail and food empire that spans the Atlantic, has died at 80. Weston’s family announced his death on Tuesday, saying in a statement that he died “peacefully at home after a long illness faced with courage and dignity.” The retail magnate was one of Canada’s wealthiest people, having
Continue ReadingBitcoin and Ethereum aren’t the only digital currencies that are hitting record highs this week. Dogecoin, the crypocurrency that features the face of a Shiba Inu dog as its logo, has surpassed 10 cents for the first time. The virtual currency, which originally started as an internet parody more than seven years ago, has surged
Continue Reading
When 2020 Tokyo Olympics volunteers have in recent weeks asked officials how they’ll be protected from Covid-19, given the foreign athletes pouring into Japan for the event and the country’s low vaccination rate, the answer has been simple. They’ll be given a small bottle of hand sanitizer and two masks each. “They don’t talk about
Continue Reading
Egyptian authorities have seized a massive cargo ship which blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week last month, amid a dispute over financial damages. An Egyptian court ordered the vessel’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, to pay $900 million in compensation as a result of losses inflicted when the Panamanian-flagged Ever Given prevented marine
Continue Reading
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Women are banned from leaving their homes without a male companion and nobody dares ask about schooling for girls living here. Taxation, that’s sometimes fair and often on the rich but compulsory, can be prey to rival taxmen and lead to beatings and imprisonment for non-payment. Justice is dispensed in mobile
Continue Reading The last time the top three intelligence officials testified in front of Congress, they were publicly criticized by the President, who lashed out at them in a series of tweets calling them passive and naive and saying that they should “go back to school.” The incident in January 2019 epitomized the antagonistic relationship between then-President
Continue Reading The circumstances around this year’s Olympics might be wildly different compared to previous Games, but history could be about to repeat itself when it comes to the Tokyo 2020 medal table. With Wednesday marking 100 days to go until the Olympics get underway in Japan on July 23, the USA is predicted to top the
Continue ReadingTesla is still trying to get back on China’s good side. An executive at the electric carmaker told Chinese authorities this week that Tesla will store any data it collects in China within the country’s borders, Chinese state media reported Tuesday night. The remarks from Grace Tao Lin, vice president for external affairs at Tesla
Continue Reading
The world already seems more dangerous and complex than when Joe Biden took office less than three months ago. That’s partly because America’s adversaries are putting the new commander in chief to the test. The United States is being drawn into great power confrontations with China and Russia. Iran plans to enrich uranium to higher
Continue Reading
The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic is poised to fracture societies worldwide, increase instability across the globe and reshape political and economic realities for years to come, the US intelligence community warned in a stark report laying out the top security concerns facing the country. “The economic fallout from the pandemic is likely to create
Continue ReadingStates trying to fend off a new, dominant strain of coronavirus have a new challenge: having to stop Johnson & Johnson vaccinations for now. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration are recommending the country pause the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine after six reported
Continue Reading
People in a crowd of demonstrators set fire to the Portland Police Association building Tuesday night, prompting police to declare a riot for a second straight night.
Continue Reading
President Joe Biden’s decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan by September marks a pivotal moment after almost 20 years of war in the country and thousands of lives lost — it also signals a coming shift in US focus and resources overseas. Biden administration officials said Tuesday that the President has ordered the
Continue Reading