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Britain’s Boris Johnson fights to remain prime minister amid revolt
Prime Minister Boris Johnson fought to keep his job on Wednesday, rejecting calls to resign after two senior ministers and a slew of lower-level officials said they could no longer serve under his scandal-plagued leadership.
Johnson has rejected his demands to step down in a stormy session of the House of Commons as his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a senior official caused an uproar. He remained unmoved when a delegation of some of his most trusted allies in the cabinet visited the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street later in the day, urging him to leave, according to the British Press Association.
According to the news agency, the prime minister rejected his suggestion to seek a “dignified exit”, opting instead to fight for his political career, citing “extremely important issues facing the country”. It quoted a source close to Johnson who told colleagues there would be “chaos” if he resigned.
The 58-year-old leader, who pulled Britain out of the European Union and steered it through the COVID-19 outbreak, is known for his ability to get out of the woods and has managed to stay in power despite accusations of being too close to political parties. He protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and he misled parliament about government office parties that violated pandemic lockdown rules.
He held on even as 41% of Conservative MPs voted to oust him in a vote of no confidence last month.
Stranger saves a young boy amid chaotic shooting
A woman – stunned and speechless in the chaos of the 4th of July massacre – walked up to Greg Lynn and handed him a 2-year-old boy covered in blood.
Ring, his wife and three children fled the scene in suburban Chicago’s Highland Park to the area behind a popular pancake house.
“We looked at each other and said nothing…I put my arms out and she gave him to me,” Ring said Wednesday, describing an exchange with the unidentified woman, who then lay in front of their The car was shocked.
The boy pointed in the direction of the parade route and said, “Mom, dad, mom, dad.”
Ring hopes to help the boy bring him back to the scene. He buried the boy’s face in his chest so he couldn’t see the carnage. But Ring soon realized it was too dangerous.
States move to protect abortion from prosecution elsewhere In states where abortion is still legal, Democratic governors are finding ways to protect any patients who travel there for surgery — and the providers who help them — from prosecution in their states.
In North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday signed an executive order to protect abortion providers and patients from extradition to states that ban abortion. Abortion is legal in North Carolina until the fetus is alive or certain medical emergencies, making the state an outlier in the Southeast.
“This order will help protect North Carolina doctors and nurses and their patients from the brutal right-wing criminal laws passed in other states,” Cooper said in announcing the order.
The governors of Rhode Island and Maine signed executive orders late Tuesday, saying they will not cooperate with other states’ investigations of people seeking abortions or health care providers who perform them.
Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Dan McKee says women should be trusted with their own health care decisions, Democratic Lieutenant Gov. Sabina Matos says Rhode Island must do what it can Protect access to reproductive health care as “other states attack fundamental rights” to choose. “
Despite fears of arrest, some Russians won’t stop war protests
Anastasia has started her day since Russia invaded Ukraine by writing an anti-war message and posting it on the wall at the entrance of her apartment building in the industrial city of Perm in the Ural Mountains.
“Don’t believe the propaganda you see on TV, read independent media!” read one. “Three months of violence and death – take care of yourself,” another reader wrote.
The 31-year-old teacher, who asked to be named only because she feared for her safety, said she wanted “a safe and easy way to get the message across”.
“I can’t do something big and public,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I want people to think. I think we should impact any space in any way possible.”
Despite the government’s massive crackdown on such protests, some Russians have insisted on speaking out against the invasion — even in the simplest of ways.
Revolutionary Guard accuses diplomat of spying
Iranian state television said on Wednesday that the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards accused the British deputy ambassador and other foreigners in the country of “espionage” and of taking soil samples from restricted areas.
The country’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that the foreigners had been arrested, but did not specify when. The UK Foreign Office quickly denied that its diplomat had been arrested, calling the report “completely false”.
Iranian state television broadcast a video that it claims shows foreigners taking samples from the ground under drone surveillance.
Tensions have escalated as Tehran’s arrests of foreigners rise and nuclear work progresses rapidly, while talks to revive the landmark 2015 atomic deal remain stalled.
Iran has detained a number of Europeans, including two French citizens and a Swedish tourist, in recent months as it tries to gain leverage in negotiations.
The report also comes after Iran made a rare replacement of the Revolutionary Guard’s longtime intelligence chief.
Jury finds man guilty of murdering rapper Nipsey Hussle
A 32-year-old man who grew up on the same street as Nipsey Hussle was convicted of first-degree murder with Nipsey Hussle in the 2019 shooting of the Grammy-winning rapper to the neighborhood where he was ultimately shot.
A Los Angeles County jury also found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter for shooting other men at the scene of the shooting. Prosecutors have sought two counts of attempted murder. Holder was also convicted of two counts of assaulting the same person with a firearm.
Holder, wearing a blue suit and face shield, stood in the small courtroom next to his lawyer as the verdict was read. He had no apparent reaction. His lawyers admitted during the trial that Holder shot Hussle, 33, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, but sought a lesser sentence for voluntary manslaughter.
“I am deeply disappointed by the first-degree murder verdict,” Holder’s attorney, deputy public defender Aaron Jensen, said in an email. “It’s always tough given the high-profile circumstances surrounding this case.”
Jensen added that he and Holder are grateful that the jury agreed to the attempted murder charge. He said they plan to appeal the murder conviction.
Fed: Big rate hike may be needed to quell inflation
Fed officials at last month’s meeting were concerned that consumers were increasingly expecting higher inflation, and they signaled that higher interest rates may be needed to keep inflation in check.
Policymakers also acknowledged in the minutes of their June 14-15 meeting released on Wednesday that their rate hikes could weaken the economy.
But they said the measures were necessary to slow price growth to the Fed’s 2 percent annual target.
Officials agreed that the central bank needs to raise its benchmark interest rate to “restrictive” levels to slow economic growth and “recognizes that a more restrictive stance may be appropriate if inflation persists”.
Following last month’s meeting, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a point to a range of 1.5% to 1.75% — the largest single increase in nearly 30 years — and signaled that further sharp hikes may be needed.
The Fed has been ramping up efforts to tighten credit and slow growth, and inflation has hit a four-year high of 8.6% and spread to more parts of the economy.
Americans are also starting to expect high inflation to last longer than before—a sentiment that could be embedded in inflationary psychology and make it harder to slow price increases.
As the midterm elections loom, high inflation has soared to America’s greatest fear, posing a threat to President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.
— Associated Press
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