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U.S. Fire that destroyed historic Clayborn Temple in Memphis was intentionally set, investigators say By Updated on: May 21, 2025 / 6:11 PM EDT / CBS/AP The fire that destroyed the Clayborn Temple, a historic Black church in downtown Memphis that was the organizing point for Martin Luther King Jr.'s final campaign in 1968, was intentionally set, investigators said Wednesday. The Memphis Fire Department said the fire on April 28 was started on the interior of the church, and authorities are searching for a person of interest. Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat last month described the inside of the church...

A 93-year-old disabled man was sprayed in the face with synthetic pepper spray before being shot by a Taser and hit with a baton by police officers, a court has heard. Donald Burgess was allegedly assaulted by PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto after officers responded to a call at his care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, on 21 June 2022. He was taken to hospital after the incident and later contracted Covid. He died 22 days later. Staff called police after Burgess, who had one leg, was seen poking a care worker in the stomach with a...

Two young Israeli diplomats, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were shot and killed outside a Jewish event in Washington, D.C., by a gunman shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. The attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Key Details: The shooting occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum around 9 p.m. following a reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The suspect allegedly shouted “Free, free Palestine” before opening fire. Lischinsky had just purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose to Milgrim next week in Jerusalem. Diving Deeper: A senseless act of violence rocked the Israeli diplomatic community in Washington, D.C.,...

During the COVID pandemic, public health officials were obsessed with presenting a united front and a grossly oversimplified message regarding anything pandemic-related. Is masking up a good or bad idea? There was little to no data that it was a good idea, but once the idea was pushed out there, everybody fell in line. That 6-feet social distancing guidance? The idea came out of nowhere and had zero scientific evidence to back it up, but soon enough, we were all standing in lines outside in winter because we had to "follow the science." School closures? You will murder grandma if...

A California woman who threatened to kill a U.S. District judge presiding over an abortion pill case has pled guilty. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Dolly Kay Patterson of California sent threatening messages to the office of a Texas judge presiding over a case on abortion pill regulations, threatening both him and his children. Patterson took a plea deal, pleading guilty to one of the charges against her for Interstate Threatening Communications. A Florida woman also sent death threats to the judge during the same time frame and was sentenced to 10 months in prison last year. THE DETAILS: Court documents state that...

The growing popularity of suppressors among both hunters and tactical shooters has brought increased attention to the various mounting systems available on the market. When selecting a suppressor, the mounting system is a critical consideration that directly impacts performance, convenience, and versatility. The two primary mounting types—direct thread and quick-detach (QD)—each offer distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on your specific needs and usage scenarios. This comprehensive comparison examines both systems through the lens of practical application, helping you determine which option best suits your particular requirements. Whether you’re a hunter seeking noise reduction in the field or a tactical shooter...

Even the media is growing concerned over the fact that a lack of climate-controlled delivery and extreme temperatures may negatively impact the stability and efficacy of mail-order drugs — including abortion pills. KEY TAKEAWAYS: While the FDA regulates certain aspects of packaging and transporting drugs from manufacturers to wholesalers and pharmacies, they do not regulate the shipping of mail-order drugs (including abortion drugs) sent to customers’ homes. Mailed abortion pills often spend a great deal of shipping time in extreme temperatures. Experts note that this could cause the drugs to become compromised, unstable, and less effective. The lack of oversight...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making record-breaking progress in processing a backlog of veteran disability claims that mounted under former President Joe Biden, the agency told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The VA brought unresolved claims down from 264,717 to 198,378 — or by approximately 25% — since President Donald Trump returned to office, the VA told the DCNF. Trump’s VA has also hit the highest daily and monthly processing rates in the agency’s history while reversing a 24% increase in the backlog that occurred under Biden, the VA said in a statement. [snip] The last time the...

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued the order in March 2020 that ultimately killed at least 15,000 nursing home residents. Many senior living centers were flooded with COVID patients thanks to Cuomo’s reckless order putting them in senior living facilities instead of other locations that could have protected elderly people. Now, the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Cuomo, probing whether he lied to Congress about his role in a state policy that led to the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents. The investigation, initiated last month, centers on a controversial March 2020 directive that required...

In the days following missing camper Tiffany Slaton’s rescue from the Sierra National Forest, what began as a heartwarming tale of a woman surviving against all odds has been tinged by a chorus of online skeptics questioning the hiker and her family.While many have praised the tenacity of the 28-year-old Georgia woman, others have expressed doubts about the veracity of her shocking survival story and have criticized her family’s fundraising motives.Slaton had set out for a three-day camping trip in the Huntington Lake area on April 20 but wound up surviving three weeks in the wilderness — eating wild leeks...

May 22 (UPI) -- A New York park is celebrating one of the city's most iconic animals next month with Pigeon Fest, a day-long event featuring art exhibitions, science demonstrations and the city's first Pigeon Impersonation Pageant. The High Line, an elevated park on the West Side of Manhattan, announced Pigeon Fest will be held from noon to 8 p.m. June 14, coinciding with National Pigeon Appreciation Day.

Thursday’s Senate vote to block California’s ban on sales of gas cars is the latest GOP effort to stop state climate policies.The Senate voted Thursday to block California from enforcing a rule that would ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035, a move that could have far-reaching implications for auto sales in a dozen states.The vote marks Republicans’ latest effort to curtail state-level efforts to tackle climate change, even as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have empowered states to set their own education policies and abortion laws.This month, the Justice Department sued New York and...

Question to ChatGPT: During World War II, when American Military Chaplains who were Catholic Priests would conduct services for Protestant servicemen, when Protestant chaplains were unavailable and only the Catholic chaplain could preside, were the services broken out separately for the five largest mainline Protestant denominations, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist, or were there single, unified Protestant services, corresponding with the Protestant section of the Army Navy Hymnal of 1942? Reply from ChatGPT: During World War II, when Catholic chaplains (who were ordained priests) conducted services for Protestant servicemen in the absence of Protestant chaplains, they generally conducted unified...

The move was a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with President Trump’s demands.The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda.The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a back-and-forth in recent days over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.“I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs. The administration said it would challenge the ruling.U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from carrying out plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump’s goal to shut down the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president’s campaign promises.The ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits that said Trump’s plan amounted to an illegal closure...

Now this is a heartwarming story and a side of Trump the mainstream media will never talk about. Scott Adams has recently announced that he has prostate cancer -- the same diagnosis that Joe Biden has. We covered that here and here. Today Adams told us about a very special call he received after his diagnosis. [Warning: Language] VIDEO AT LINK................ President Trump got sent to voicemail and then called Adams back later that day! What a guy. I mean, it's not like he's the busiest and most important man in the world or anything. This is your favorite president....

Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that if he does not "make a serious proposal for an immediate ceasefire" with Ukraine, the Senate will pass new sanctions against the Russian government. -snip- "If Russia is not willing to engage in serious diplomacy, the Senate will work with the Trump administration to consider additional sanctions to force Putin to start negotiating," Thune said Thursday. This comes the same week Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned senators in a hearing that if "you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking." -snip- The bill also would set...

SummaryPasses in a knife-edge 215-214 vote, two Republicans vote no, one falls asleep Would add $3.8 trillion to the US debt, stirring investor concern Would cut green-energy incentives, fund Trump deportation push WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a sweeping tax and spending bill by a single vote which would enact much of President Donald Trump's policy agenda and saddle the country with trillions of dollars more in debt. The bill would fulfill many of Trump's populist campaign pledges, delivering new tax breaks on tips and car loans and boosting spending on...

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“Every single Democrat” voted against the “big, beautiful bill,” the Republican National Committee (RNC) said in a statement celebrating its passage by the U.S. House of Representatives. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was able to get the sweeping tax and spending bill across the finish line in the lower chamber Thursday morning in a narrow 215-214-1 vote. The RNC credited President Donald Trump for his leadership in ushering along the bill, highlighting some of the main victories in it for the American people, including tax relief. “Today, under President Trump’s leadership, House Republicans delivered a huge win for the American people...