US Democrats Pass Controversial Voting Law
U.S. House Democrats voted for the most extensive overhaul of the nation’s election law in at least a generation despite unanimous Republican opposition and warnings is could undermine democracy.
Worthy News
Winter storms caused $155 billion in economic damages
Devastating coast-to-coast winter weather is estimated to have caused around $155 billion in economic damages, making it likely that February 2021 was the costliest in terms of weather impact in recent US history, UPI reports. The estimated economic damage costs for the entire 2020 Atlantic hurricane season were a comparatively small $60 billion to $65 billion.
House passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
The US House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Wednesday, in an effort to increase police accountability and end practices that facilitate the use of excessive force against unarmed citizens, USA Today reports. Drafted by Democrats, the bill was first introduced in the last Congress after the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Algeria Jails Pastor and Assistant For Evangelism
Algerian Christians have urged prayers for a pastor and his assistant who were jailed and fined for evangelizing in Algeria, an Islamic nation, Worthy News learned.
Islamic Militants Free Nigerian Pastor On Execution Day
Islamic militants have released a Nigerian pastor who they threatened to kill unless their demands were met, security sources said. Bulus Yikura of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) was held captive since December 24, 2020.
US: Russia blocks Syria chemical weapons use accountability
The United States accused Syrian President Bashar Assad and his close ally Russia on Thursday of trying to block all efforts to hold Damascus accountable for using chemical weapons during attacks on civilians.
$100 trillion in new debt over next 30 years: CBO
The government has opened the spending spigot over the last year to deal with the coronavirus crisis — but the Congressional Budget Office says unless something changes, Uncle Sam’s freewheeling ways will last long after the pandemic is over.
Gantz: IDF updating military plans for potential strike on Iran nuclear sites
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday said the Israel Defense Forces is continuously updating its plans for a prospective military strike on Iranian nuclear sites.
North Korean nuclear activity detected, possibly extracting plutonium
North Korea could be at it again. New activity has been detected at the Yonbyong nuclear site north of Pyongyang.
2,000 More to Go: Wycliffe Bible Translators Keeps On Task During the Pandemic
Wycliffe Bible Translators says the COVID-19 pandemic displaced some of its staff but that the urgent work continues as 1.5 billion people still do not have the full Bible available in their language.
Mississippi Gov. Reeves tells Biden after ‘neanderthal’ jab we should trust, not ‘insult’ Americans
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeve is responding to President Biden’s “neanderthal thinking” comment after he and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott announced earlier this week that they are lifting their coronavirus mask orders, saying the president should “trust Americans, not insult them.”
New Zealand downgrades tsunami threat after 8.1-magnitude quake
Officials in New Zealand on Friday downgraded a tsunami warning after multiple powerful earthquakes struck off the coast earlier in the day.
Facebook trains A.I. to ‘see’ using 1 billion public Instagram photos
Pugs, Ferraris, mountains, brunches, beaches, and babies — Instagram is full of them. In fact, it’s become one of the largest image databases on the planet over the last decade and the company’s owner, Facebook, is using this treasure trove to teach machines what’s in a photo.
U.S. Supreme Court grants another victory for religious worship in California
The U.S. Supreme Court has sided once again with California houses of worship in their most recent request for an injunction against a county health order, pending appeal in the Ninth Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of cert.
US urges ‘serious consequences’ for Syria’s Assad over chemical weapons use: envoy
The UN National Security Council must hold the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad accountable for the use of chemical weapons, US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Thursday.
‘Space hurricane’ seen hovering above Earth for the first time ever
As if humanity didn’t have enough weather phenomena to worry about, scientists have discovered a “space hurricane” that occurred over the Earth’s upper atmosphere for the first time.
Number Of ‘Unaccompanied Minors’ Crossing Border On Pace To ‘Shatter’ Records
The number of unaccompanied minors jumping the United States-Mexico border seeking asylum has risen dramatically over the last several weeks and, according to the Domestic Policy Council, which briefed President Joe Biden on the situation Tuesday, that number is growing and is likely to exceed the record by a shocking 45%.
Cuomo addresses misconduct allegations, says won’t resign, ‘never touched anyone inappropriately’
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday apologized amid a recent series of allegations of inappropriate behavior, saying he “never touched anyone inappropriately” while also saying he will not resign.
Supreme Court ruling on Arizona election case likely to shape states’ rights
The Supreme Court on Tuesday delved into the Democratic Party’s lawsuit to ease Arizona’s restrictions on ballot harvesting and other election conduct, putting the high court at the center of a growing battle over how Americans vote.
Israel has identified ship that caused oil spill
Israel has identified the ship that recently caused a massive Mediterranean oil spill that has been described as the worst environmental disaster to affect Israeli beaches in decades, the Times of Israel reports. No details about the ship were given.