NEWS

Unbiased headline news for Wednesday May 22, 2024 – Funeral events for Iran’s president and foreign minister got underway Tuesday with a procession on the streets of the northwestern city of Tabriz. Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Tabriz, the closest large city to the site of the crash, to kick off a three-day funeral for the 63-year-old hardline cleric who had been seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei announced five days of mourning for the fallen president. — Pro-Palestinian protesters continually declared U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken a “war criminal” as he testified during separate Senate hearings. Blinken testified before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs regarding the Department of State’s $58.8 billion budget request for fiscal year 2025. “Blinken, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza,” one man yelled. — Technologies such as artificial intelligence and electric vehicles have increased demand on America’s power grid. The demand is so much that members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources said Tuesday that the grid will need to rely on fossil fuel longer than expected and delay a transition to cleaner energy. — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and 10 co-defendants pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges accusing them of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. Giuliani remotely entered his plea during the arraignment hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, which ordered him to pay a $10,000 bond after state officials tried to serve Giuliani for several weeks. — A former University of Arizona graduate student was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a hydrology professor on campus, months after he was expelled. A Pima County Superior Court jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching a verdict against Murad Dervish, 48, in the death of Thomas Meixner, who was shot 11 times near his office in October 2022. Dervish also was convicted of five other felony counts, including aggravated assault for a bullet that grazed a building manager. — One person on a Singapore Airlines flight died and dozens of others were injured when the plane traveling from London to Singapore “encountered sudden extreme turbulence.” Flight SQ321 from London’s Heathrow Airport was diverted to Bangkok and touched down at 3:45 p.m. local time Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the carrier said in a statement posted to its Facebook page. “We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” an earlier statement said. — After failing in several U.S. states this year, global chemical manufacturer Bayer said that it plans to amplify efforts to create a legal shield against a proliferation of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer. Bayer, which disputes the cancer claims, has been hit with about 170,000 lawsuits involving its Roundup weedkiller and has set aside $16 billion to settle cases. But the company contends the legal fight “is not sustainable” and is looking to state lawmakers for relief. — It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees. At least 83 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them. “They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever,” said Dr. Sergio Valenzuela. ”They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke.”

Unbiased headline news for Tuesday May 21, 2024 – Israeli anti-government activists clashed with police on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway as they demanded the government resign over its failure to gain the release of hostages held by Hamas. Protesters from various anti-government organizations, including Brothers in Arms, engaged in confrontations with law enforcement officials on the major roadway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. According to Brothers in Arms, 13 of its members “stood on the sidelines holding pictures of the hostages and Israeli flags” before being arrested after obstructing traffic flow. — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned. Approximately 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over the last year violated standards meant to prevent breaches or other intrusions, the agency said. Officials urged even small water systems to improve protections against hacks. Recent cyberattacks by groups affiliated with Russia and Iran have targeted smaller communities. — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’s ruling system or to its overarching policies. Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader, and his death makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei’s son. A hereditary succession would pose a potential crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic. — New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the police department’s response to a pro-Palestinian street demonstration in Brooklyn over the weekend. “Look at that entire incident,” Adams said on the “Mornings on 1” program on the local cable news channel NY1. He complained that protesters who marched through Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge section on Saturday had blocked traffic, spit at officers and, in once instance, climbed on top of a moving city bus. — A 10-year-old boy who was swept into a storm drain while helping his family clean up storm debris is being kept on life support so that his organs can be donated, according to his father. The boy, Asher Sullivan, “officially passed away” on May 18, but remains on life support to facilitate the organ donation process, his dad, Jimmy Sullivan, wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s 100% an ‘Asher’ type thing to do in continuing to be selfless,” Sullivan shared on Facebook. — The cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore nearly two months ago was moved from the crash site for the first time on Monday morning. The Dali, a 984-foot-long and 158-foot-wide container ship, had been partially blocking the entrance to one of America’s busiest ports since the March 26 collision that triggered a catastrophic collapse of the bridge and killed six workers. — The White House said Monday that the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will step down. This is a departure that follows the release earlier this month of a damning report about the agency’s toxic workplace culture. The White House said Martin Gruenberg will step down once a successor is appointed and that President Joe Biden will name a replacement “soon.” — An Ohio law prohibiting cities from banning the sale of flavored tobacco products is unconstitutional, a judge has ruled. The state is expected to appeal the ruling issued Friday by Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Serrott, who had issued a temporary restraining order in April that stopped the law from taking effect. The measure had become law in January, after the Republican Legislature overrode GOP Governor Mike DeWine’s veto.

Unbiased headline news for Monday May 20, 2024 – At least 11 casualties were documented in assaults across Ukraine’s conflict-ravaged northeastern regions as Russia advanced its renewed offensive operations. Within Kharkiv oblast, the focal point of the offensive thrust, the regional prosecutor’s office reported six fatalities and twenty-seven injuries from a Russian strike targeting the outskirts of Kharkiv city itself. Russia initiated an offensive drive in Kharkiv oblast late last week. — An Israeli airstrike aimed at a residential structure in a central Gaza refugee camp claimed at least 27 lives, predominantly women and children, according to a local hospital’s account, the Associated Press conveyed. Sunday’s bombing unfolded as clashes intensified across northern Gaza while Israel’s leadership voiced disunity over governance of the Palestinian territory after the war’s eight-month duration. It also coincided with a U.S. envoy’s regional visit, meeting various leaders through midweek. — An exhaustive law enforcement probe has ascertained that Boeing whistleblower John Barnett’s demise was a suicide, per documents released by the Charleston Police Department. Barnett had been in Charleston, South Carolina, testifying in his whistleblower lawsuit against the embattled aerospace corporation when on March 9 he was discovered deceased from a gunshot wound inside his vehicle in the hotel parking lot where he was staying. He was 62 years old. Police documents indicate officials have accepted suicide as Barnett’s cause of death. — Law enforcement in Savannah, Georgia, is investigating a shooting incident that injured 11 individuals in the city’s downtown district on Saturday night. The shooting erupted shortly before midnight in Ellis Square, a prominent landmark of Savannah’s historic quarter and a popular tourist draw. Multiple precincts responded at 11:55 p.m. to reports of gunfire in the area, the Savannah Police Department stated in a news release. — Six fatalities resulted from a two-vehicle collision in Idaho on Saturday that involved a large passenger van, authorities stated. Ten others sustained injuries in the crash on U.S. Highway 20 in Idaho Falls and were transported to local hospitals, Idaho State Police said in a statement. An eastbound pickup truck crossed the centerline around 5:30 a.m. and struck a westbound passenger van head-on, police reported. The van’s driver and five passengers succumbed to their injuries at the scene. — A child was among the three victims killed when an Amtrak passenger train collided with a pickup truck, officials confirmed. The deceased included a 6-year-old boy, a 66-year-old woman, and a 69-year-old man, North Tonawanda Police Department Captain Daryl Truty stated. None of the Amtrak crew members or its 21 passengers sustained injuries in the crash. — The individual charged with assaulting actor Steve Buscemi on a Midtown Manhattan street has been held in jail on bond in New York, prosecutors revealed. Police stated the 66-year-old actor, renowned for roles in “Boardwalk Empire,” “Fargo,” and other performances, was walking in Manhattan on May 8 when an unknown assailant punched him in the face. Police arrested a 50-year-old man Friday in connection with the assault, three days after releasing a photo of the suspect. — The host of a news conference about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition battle dryly welcomed journalists last week to the quote “millionth” press briefing on his court case. Deborah Bonetti, director of the Foreign Press Association, was only half-joking. Assange’s legal saga has dragged on for well over a decade, but it could conclude in the U.K. as soon as Monday. Julian Assange faces a hearing in London’s High Court that could result in his extradition to the U.S. to face espionage charges.

Unbiased headline news for Saturday May 18, 2024 – Thousands of demonstrators gathered for a protest in the nation’s capital on Saturday, voicing their support for Palestinian rights and demanding an immediate cessation of Israeli military operations in Gaza. The event commemorated the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, the Arabic term for “catastrophe,” which refers to the exodus of around 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel during the state’s establishment in 1948. In an unusual move, the rally organizers did not apply for any permits from the National Park Service. — The State Department is issuing a warning to American citizens traveling abroad about “the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” The worldwide alert cautions Americans about the potential for violence targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. It urges travelers to remain vigilant in locations frequented by tourists, “including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.” The alert is reportedly in response to threats made by ISIS militants against Pride events. — Three lives were lost in western New York after their vehicle was struck by a northbound Amtrak train, fire officials confirmed on Saturday. Amtrak Train 281, traveling from New York to Niagara Falls, collided with a vehicle obstructing the track, an Amtrak spokesperson confirmed. “There have been no reported injuries to the 21 passengers or crew onboard.” — The man convicted of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and attacking her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. “The Pelosi family couldn’t be prouder of their pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in the case,” the Pelosi family said in a statement on Friday. — Heavy seasonal rains have caused flash floods in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of at least 68 lives, according to Taliban officials on Saturday, who noted that the death toll was based on preliminary reports. Afghanistan has been experiencing unusually heavy seasonal rainfall. In the severely affected western province of Ghor, 50 casualties were reported, said Abdul Wahid Hamas, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He added that the province has suffered significant financial losses due to the damage inflicted on thousands of homes and properties. — At least five lives were lost when a powerful wind storm swept through Houston, officials confirmed. The National Weather Service in Houston determined this to be a derecho event, based on the intensity and path length of the storm. A derecho is a powerful wind storm that produces straight-line winds capable of causing substantial damage. — A Washington state trooper fatally shot a man wielding a hammer who had attacked state Department of Transportation workers along Interstate 5 north of Seattle, according to law enforcement officials. State patrol troopers responded to a report of a road rage incident on the shoulder of northbound I-5 in Everett, the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team said in a news release. The team investigates police use of force incidents. One of the Department of Transportation contract workers was injured and is expected to survive. — Dabney Coleman, the character actor renowned for portraying villains like the chauvinistic boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie,” has passed away at the age of 92. Coleman breathed his last on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, as confirmed by his daughter, Quincy Coleman, in a statement to The Associated Press. She said he “took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely.” —

Unbiased headline news for Thursday May 16, 2024 – The Supreme Court will permit Louisiana to utilize a congressional map comprising a second district where Black voters make up the majority for the 2024 elections. This Supreme Court ruling represents a triumph for Democrats, who are poised to secure an additional seat in Louisiana under the redrawn congressional boundaries. It further marks the latest development in a protracted legal battle over the state’s House district lines, which commenced following the 2020 Census. — The U.S. military has commenced the positioning of components for a temporary pier, which will facilitate the transportation of humanitarian aid into Gaza from the Mediterranean Sea. Last week witnessed the completion of the two components, the floating platform and the causeway, though inclement weather had delayed their final placement. With the components now being situated, the temporary pier could become operational in the imminent days, potentially as early as Thursday, according to a defense official. — The parliament of Georgia has ratified a law that critics perceive as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. Tens of thousands of protesters brought a major intersection in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to a standstill. The law would mandate media outlets, non-governmental organizations, and other non-profits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. — President Biden and former President Donald Trump will engage in presidential debates on June 27th and September 10th. Plans for the debates materialized swiftly after the president’s campaign expressed in a letter his willingness to debate his Republican opponent twice before the November election. This prompted a series of competing proposals and social media posts from the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees. — Three individuals have lost their lives after a small plane crashed in Tennessee on Wednesday, according to authorities. Around noon on Wednesday, a 911 caller reported an explosion in Williamson County, believed to have been a potential plane crash, authorities stated. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that a Beech V35 aircraft had crashed near Franklin. While the cause of the crash remains unclear, “it does appear that the plane did break up in the air,” Chief Deputy Mark Elrod said. — A barge collided with a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, resulting in an oil spill in waters near busy shipping channels. The impact dislodged sections of the bridge, which connects Galveston to Pelican Island, causing them to tumble onto the barge and necessitating the closure of a stretch of waterway to facilitate cleanup operations. The accident knocked one man off the vessel and into the water, but he was swiftly recovered and unharmed. — The iconic Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip will cease operations this summer. The closure on July 17 will pave the way for major renovations and construction on the 80-acre property, which is scheduled to reopen in 2027 as the Hard Rock Las Vegas, featuring a hotel tower resembling a guitar soaring nearly 700 feet (about 210 meters) above the heart of the Strip. — Walgreens Boots Alliance has announced plans to sell its own generic version of the overdose reversal drug Narcan. Narcan is administered as a nasal spray, and its active ingredient — naloxone — can rapidly restore breathing if someone is experiencing an opioid overdose, provided it is administered promptly. The nasal spray became available in fall 2023 at pharmacies, drugstores, and grocery stores. —

Unbiased headline news for Wednesday May 15, 2024 – The Federal Reserve Chairman said “it may take longer than expected” for inflation to be brought under control as he gave no indication of an imminent interest rate reduction. “We did not anticipate this path to be a smooth one,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell remarked at an annual Foreign Bankers’ Association meeting held in Amsterdam. Powell acknowledged that the United States’ inflation figures “were higher than I believe anybody expected” as he maintained that future steps should involve “being patient and allowing restrictive policy to take effect.” — European Union member nations adopted groundbreaking reform of the bloc’s migration and asylum system with new regulations designed to process arrivals in an orderly and efficient manner, standardize procedures, and alleviate pressure on front-line countries. The 10 new laws adopted by a European Council meeting in Brussels include triaging of arrivals at the border, enhanced data collection to inform policy and gain control over migration, a standard asylum procedure for quick initial assessments, and a new mandatory border procedure for well-defined cases. — The Justice Department stated that it is evaluating whether to prosecute aircraft manufacturer Boeing after federal investigators accused the corporation of violating the terms of a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. Federal prosecutors wrote that Boeing “breached its obligations” under the deferred prosecution agreement, in part by allegedly failing to “design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.” — A group of prominent TikTok users filed a lawsuit against the federal government over a new law that would force the sale of the widely popular video-sharing app. The eight users, who collectively have millions of followers on TikTok, argued that the law signed by President Biden last month violates their First Amendment rights by threatening to shut down a communication medium that has become a prevalent part of American life. — Multiple individuals lost their lives, including a woman who was nine months pregnant, after severe storms swept through the South, according to officials. Three people were killed in Louisiana — including the pregnant woman and her unborn child — due to severe weather on Monday, officials said. The pregnant woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home in Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish, the Louisiana Department of Health stated. — Eight individuals were killed when a bus carrying approximately 53 farmworkers was struck by a truck and overturned on West Highway 40 in central Florida, according to state officials. The truck driver, Bryan Maclean Howard, was arrested on eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Thirty-eight people were injured, eight of whom are in critical condition and 30 who have non-life-threatening injuries, according to Marion County Fire Rescue. — A Maryland woman accused of plotting to carry out attacks on multiple energy substations surrounding Baltimore pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and firearms charges, court records show. Sarah Beth Clendaniel, of Catonsville, was charged last year with conspiring with a Florida-based founder of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen to carry out the attacks, in what prosecutors described as a racism-fueled plot to spark mass chaos in the majority-Black city. — Dozens of Red Lobster locations across the U.S. are facing closure. Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced this week that it would be auctioning off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed as part of the seafood chain’s “footprint rationalization.” The locations span across more than 20 states.