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HONG KONG, June 24 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's most vocal pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, printed its last edition on Thursday after a stormy year in which its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a new national security law, and its assets were frozen. The closure of the popular tabloid, which mixes pro-democracy views with celebrity gossip and investigations of those in power, marks the end of an era for media freedom in the Chinese-ruled city, critics say.

Maybe it's just me, but seems like there is a lot this year. I don't watch TV, but it seems all company websites have the rainbow logo. Also, I see lots more when driving through Minneapolis. Am I imagining things? Your thoughts?

President Joe Biden has shifted his messaging in recent days to feature the “delta variant” of the coronavirus in an effort to drive up vaccination rates among young adults. “Here’s the deal: The Delta variant is more contagious, it’s deadlier, and it’s spreading quickly around the world – leaving young, unvaccinated people more vulnerable than ever,” Biden wrote on social media on Thursday.

A transgender hurdler was ruled ineligible for tryouts for the Tokyo Olympics. CeCe Telfer was disqualified for not meeting the testosterone requirements set forth in the World Athletics guidelines. The exact nature of her violation has not been made public, but Telfer could have too much testosterone at this time or during the past 12 months. World Athletics governs Olympic eligibility and two rules decide which biological men can compete in the women’s division. Eligibility requires approval of both rules.

Pope Francis Receives Bishop Bätzing, Reportedly Encourages German Synodal PathIn a statement, the head of the German bishops’ conference said the Pope called on the Church in Germany to “help shape the path of synodality” for the upcoming Synod of Bishops for the universal Church.VATICAN CITY — During a private audience this morning, Pope Francis urged the president of the German bishops’ conference to continue with a much-disputed Synodal Path for the Church in Germany.According to a statement issued almost immediately by the German bishops’ conference after the meeting, Bishop Bätzing said the Pope “has encouraged us to continue...

For most of us, our daily interactions with others are based on common words, phrases and understandings. When someone says the sky is blue, we tend to believe that the sky is blue. When we talk with people other than our friends and family, we naturally believe that what they say is what they mean. That up is up and down is down. We believe the words we hear. But when it comes to politics, we might be better off being more skeptical and digging deeper to understand the truth for ourselves. That's because what is said is often the...

Rudy Giuliani has been suspended temporarily from practicing law in New York state due to making “false and misleading statements” about the election loss of former President Donald Trump, his client.

The other day a friend of mine on the west coast texted me to tell me that she and a friend had been talking about taking the COVID vaccine jab. My friend was doing her best to convince her friend not to take it, in the end, her friend got jabbed. In a matter of hours she would be dead, case closed. Are you thinking about taking the COVID jab? Think very hard. They are offering you food, but look close, there is death in the pot. It is not a conspiracy theory to say that there are very real...

U.S.—The nation scrambled to buy F-15s and nuclear weapons after President Biden said in a speech Wednesday that you'll never beat a government unless you have the fighter jets and intercontinental ballistic missiles All over the nation, American citizens were seen parking their brand-new F-15s in their driveways and garages. Some wealthier Americans purchased the F-22, while less fortunate citizens were forced to buy the F-35 joint fighter. But no matter what craft they chose, American citizens said they were just glad to finally be protected against a tyrannical government. "I need an F-15 to beat the government? Say no...

Only an aggressive federal approach — saner gun laws and zero tolerance for illegal sales — will reduce the number of crime guns flowing into Chicago and other towns. President Joe Biden discusses his crime prevention strategy at the White House on Wednesday, June 23. AP Photos When it comes to ending the obscene flow of illegal guns into Chicago, our town can never do it alone. Only a federal crackdown will stem the flow. Only an aggressive federal approach — saner national gun laws and zero tolerance for illegal sales — will reduce the number of guns used to...

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SYDNEY, Australia — A state government minister has been infected with COVID-19 and another minister is in isolation as a cluster in the Australian city of Sydney worsens. New South Wales Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said he was told on Thursday that he had tested positive after dining with three government colleagues on Monday at a Sydney restaurant after an infected diner. All four lawmakers had been attending Parliament as recently as Tuesday. Health Minister Brad Hazard said he was self-isolating after being exposed to a potential case at Parliament House.

NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus, 49 Democratic senators stay mum Democratic lawmakers and racial justice advocates have kept quiet about Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s membership in a racially exclusionary organization, seemingly satisfied with the Rhode Island Democrat's explanation that it is nothing more than "a long tradition." The Washington Free Beacon asked all 50 Democratic members of the Senate, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, for comment on the controversy related to Whitehouse's association with Bailey’s Beach Club. No office, other than Whitehouse’s, responded. "The club has no such restrictive policy. The club has had and has members...

Rick's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ_NAXaiI2Q

Morgan Stanley announced it would not let unvaccinated employees or clients into its office buildings, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. “Starting July 12 all employees, contingent workforce, clients and visitors will be required to attest to being fully vaccinated to access Morgan Stanley buildings in New York and Westchester,” Morgan Stanley Chief Human Resources Officer Mandell Crawley said in a memo obtained by the Financial Times on Tuesday.

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Just two months after President Joe Biden’s son Hunter released his confessional memoirs to an underwhelming reception, another family member has announced a lucrative deal of their own: Valerie Biden Owens. The president’s sister. Joe Biden’s longtime confidante and political strategist’s book, Growing Up Biden, is slated for publication next April.

Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID ====================================================================================== Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells (LSCs) can bind to and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, promoting viral clearance and reducing lung injury in a macaque model of COVID-19. By mimicking the receptor that the virus binds to rather than targeting the virus itself, nanodecoy therapy could remain effective against emerging variants of the virus. SARS-CoV-2 enters a cell when its spike protein binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on the...

In a recent poll, almost two-thirds of Americans (64%) said they expect Kamala Harris will take Biden's spot before his four-year term is up. =============================================================================== While President Biden's popularity is in decline — after starting at a much lower level than that of any of his recent Democratic predecessors — his vice president may be in even worse shape with the public, weighed down with a negative favorability rating and losing to former President Donald Trump by four points in a head-to-head match-up, according to a new poll. According to the most recent survey from Republican polling firm McLaughlin &...

Big Tech lobbyists are fighting “tooth and nail” against regulation Tech giants have repeatedly said they would welcome government regulation — if it’s the right regulation, of course. But faced with five antitrust bills that could unwind what the House Judiciary Committee described as Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook’s “monopoly power,” Big Tech is bringing out the big lobbying guns. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself called Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “deliver a warning” that the “rushed” antitrust bills could disrupt the iPhone, according to The New York Times, and that’s not all: “Executives, lobbyists, and more than a dozen think...