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Jackson Holliday’s Orioles career is off to an abysmal start: ‘Wasn’t expecting this’
His MLB dream has started with a nightmare at the plate.
nypost.com
4-year-old girl, father shot in Northeast Washington, police say
Authorities said the injuries to both victims did not appear to be life-threatening.
washingtonpost.com
Ranking the most likely Jets draft scenarios, from my current playmaker forecast to a long-shot trade
The choice for the Jets looks pretty clear: Get more protection for Aaron Rodgers or get him another playmaker.
nypost.com
Texas Gets 'Extreme' Warning at US Border
National Weather Service meteorologists warn that conditions for "extreme fire behavior" are ideal in far western Texas.
newsweek.com
Lee defeats Patel in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District primary: AP projects
Summer Lee has defeated Bhavini Patel in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.
cbsnews.com
Kansas City Chiefs Make Subtle Gesture to Taylor Swift in New Photo
Swifties caught the nod to the singer's new album and her romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
newsweek.com
Supreme Court to hear arguments on dispute over Idaho abortion ban
Less than two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is set to hear a high profile case Wednesday on Idaho’s near-total abortion ban that some doctors say is putting pregnant women at risk.
cbsnews.com
Russian Draft Dodgers Fleeing to West in Record Numbers: UK
Putting more potential fighters into the armed forces is a contentious issue for both Moscow and Kyiv.
newsweek.com
Chocolate milk can stay in school lunch program, Biden administration decides
The USDA had floated banning flavored milk options from some school lunches.
cbsnews.com
Travis Kelce reacts to Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber’s 2012 ‘Punk’d’ episode
In the throwback prank, comedian Andrew Santino convinced the "Cruel Summer" singer that the firework she had set off ruined his boat wedding.
nypost.com
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Tiger’ on Disney+, a New Nature Doc That’s Positively Rife with Adorable Tiger Kittens
You might learn a little something about Indian tigers, in between all the gamboling and tumbling.
nypost.com
Check out the best dog-friendly cafes in NYC
To get your day started on a paw-sitively wonderful note, head to these dog-friendly haunts where pups are welcomed with tail-wagging treats, a chance to make friends and even special events.
nypost.com
Tennessee lawmakers pass bill allowing teachers to carry guns in schools
Tennessee lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow the state's teachers to carry concealed handguns at school, as protesters yelled their opposition from the gallery.
nypost.com
Ship that tore down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was ‘unseaworthy,’ city claims
The city of Baltimore has accused the owner and manager of the Dali container ship of negligence over the March 26 bridge collapse that left six dead, arguing the companies should have realized the 980-foot-long vessel was unfit for voyage because it had experienced a power supply problem just hours earlier.
nypost.com
Russian church suspends priest who led Alexey Navalny memorial service
A priest who oversaw a memorial for late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been suspended by the head of the country's Orthodox Church.
cbsnews.com
Putin's Deputy Defense Minister Arrested for 'High Treason': Reports
Timur Ivanov's detention has sparked speculation about whether it might signal a purge, given his close relationship with members of Russia's elite.
newsweek.com
Watch as Dog Uses His Toy to Trap Owner in the Bathroom: 'He Knew'
Yogi knows the command to pick up his toy, but on that day he decided to ignore his owner and leave it there instead.
newsweek.com
United Nations demands investigation after mass graves discovered at 2 Gaza hospitals raided by Israel
The U.N. called for an independent investigation into mass grave sites that were discovered at two hospitals in Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew.
foxnews.com
Boeing Loses $355 Million in Latest Quarter
The manufacturer has had to slow production of its popular 737 Max planes after a hole blew open on a jet during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
nytimes.com
Video of Austin's 'Zombie Neighborhood' Shows Dozens of Abandoned Homes
Entire neighborhoods under construction in Austin, Texas, are being left unfinished and vacant by developers, a local realtor said.
newsweek.com
The entrenched pro basketball system fails Caitlin Clark and women athletes -- opinion
Big3 basketball league co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz writes about the organization's pursuit of Caitlin Clark and what was offered to the former Iowa star.
foxnews.com
The arguments for the Giants’ three most transformational NFL Draft scenarios
There is no need to downplay this pick. There is nothing good about going 6-11, other than receiving a high pick in the draft.
nypost.com
Kevin Hart Reenacts His 'Horrible' Audition for 'SNL'
The comedian shared that he auditioned for 'SNL' by doing an impression of basketball player Avery Johnson.
newsweek.com
Caitlin Clark makes more history as she notches another accolade
Indiana Fever No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark made history on Tuesday night when she was named the winner of the James E. Sullivan Award. Clark wrapped up her career at Iowa.
foxnews.com
Boeing reports $355 million loss amid door blowout crisis
It was the first quarterly report to show the financial impact of the January door blowout of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines.
washingtonpost.com
Hillary Clinton Shares Donald Trump Warning
The former secretary of state weighed in predictions of what a second Trump term could mean for the world.
newsweek.com
Watch: Mitch McConnell blasts Tucker Carlson over Ukraine bill
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been a staunch supporter of aid for Ukraine and Israel, blamed Tucker Carlson for stoking anti-Ukraine sentiment amongst Republicans, as Congress gets one step closer to passing a foreign aid package.
edition.cnn.com
Deadly Florida carjacking: 3rd person of interest in custody; sheriff says 'case is about drugs and money'
A third person of interest has been taken into custody in the deadly Florida carjacking case of Katherine Aguasvivas, and two of the three are expected to be charged for her death.
foxnews.com
Homeowners score legal victory over squatters in New York after ‘optics’ of landlord handcuffed in $1M home heist pushed lawmakers ‘over the finish line’
"I think this is what pushed it over the finish line, the investigation surrounding this case and the media surrounding this case. The optics of a homeowner being taken from their own home in handcuffs. That picture is what inspired Albany to act earlier today," Romer said.
nypost.com
Former officer accused of killing ex-wife and minor girlfriend, abducting son, shoots self
Oregon State Troopers found the wounded body of Elias Huizar, 39, following a police chase near Eugene at around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Huizar's 1-year-old baby was taken safely into custody.
foxnews.com
Anti-Israel campus protesters make demand of administrators, vow stay put until universities meet it
Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are forming anti-Israel protest encampments with a unified demand of their schools.
foxnews.com
Home Explosion Planned After 'Ancient Dynamite' Discovered
Officials said that calling the owner of the home in Utah a "collector of fine explosives would not be an understatement."
newsweek.com
Rural heritage, modern development merge in Davidsonville, Md.
Where We Live | Community tries balancing agricultural tradition and contemporary interests
washingtonpost.com
Pug Mom and Her Eight Puppies Abandoned Behind Gas Station: 'Indefensible'
The nine dogs were found in distress in a woodland area located behind a gas station in San Antonio, Texas.
newsweek.com
In eco-minded California, there's still no constitutional right to clean air and water
A proposal in the California Legislature would put a "green amendment" on the November ballot to add the rights to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment to the state constitution. The people should have their say.
latimes.com
F1 News: Ferrari To Reveal All-Blue Livery For Huge Milestone Alongside New Race Suits and Merchandise
Ferrari's celebration of 70 years in America is marked with historic blue livery and a special collection of race-day apparel for the Miami GP.
newsweek.com
A unionized Volkswagen plant in Tennessee could mean big things for workers nationwide
On April 18, the United Auto Workers won the union vote at a Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. | Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images The UAW is unlocking worker power in the South. An expert explains why it matters. The Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has about 5,500 employees. On April 19, almost three-quarters of them voted to join the United Auto Workers. It’s the latest victory for one of the country’s largest labor unions, coming on the heels of a major contract win last fall with the “Big Three” American carmakers: GM, Ford, and Stellantis (which merged with Chrysler), whose workers make up about 150,000 of the UAW’s 400,000-plus membership. A union vote at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant is big news for many reasons. For one, the US was the last country where Volkswagen workers didn’t have some form of representation. But perhaps more importantly, it’s failed twice before, once in 2014 and again in 2019; Volkswagen Chattanooga will be the first non-Big Three auto plant in the South to become unionized. The UAW has no intention of slowing down now. Union president Shawn Fain told the Guardian that the Volkswagen plant was “the first domino to fall” in a strategy targeting mainly foreign automakers in the South: In May, there’s a UAW vote at a Mercedes plant in Alabama, and organizing efforts are also beginning at BMW, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Nissan plants, among others, across several Southern states. (The union has also set its sights on Tesla facilities in Texas, Nevada, and California.) The UAW has eyes on the South because it stands to gain huge ground there. In the last few decades, a slew of auto plants have popped up in the region, a trend that’s only accelerating as more car companies invest in making EVs and announce new manufacturing facilities in the US. States often offer tempting subsidies to attract automakers to set up shop within their borders, but companies have an extra incentive to head South: it has some of the lowest unionization rates in the nation. In South Carolina, just 2.3 percent of workers belong to a union, compared to 24.1 percent in Hawaii and 20.6 percent in New York. This stark regional difference is tied to a history of racist anti-labor laws, an outgrowth of Jim Crow laws that segregated Black and white Americans in the South until they were overturned by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Vox spoke to Andrew Wolf, a professor of global labor and work at Cornell University, on how unionizing the South could not only raise wages for all auto workers, but also tear down some of the racial disparities workers of color experience in the economy. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Why was the union vote at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant such a big deal? This was a big deal for many reasons. There has not been an organizing victory of this size in the South in decades. It’s a place where the union had lost previously. It just has really big ramifications for the future of organized labor, and the future of the economy in the South. This is the first Volkswagen union in the US, but Volkswagen already has unionized workers in other countries. Did that make organizing easier or harder here? The existence of unions and the really strong labor laws that exist in Germany generally certainly helped. It helped compel the company to be far more neutral and less aggressive in opposing the union than, for example, what’s happening right now at Mercedes in Alabama. Yes, workers at the Alabama plant are claiming Mercedes is retaliating against their union efforts. As you noted, the Chattanooga vote is a huge deal because it’s in the South. I think I know the answer to this, but — are there many unionized auto plants in the South? No. These companies opened in the South to avoid unions, especially with the rise of neoliberalism after the general financial crisis in the 1970s. It’s a within-country version of outsourcing. More and more companies move to the South to avoid unions, to take advantage of the lower wages that are the historical legacy of Jim Crow. You see it explicitly in the comments of the governors — you had the governors of all of these states talking about how this unionization would undermine the culture and values of the South. That’s very coded language for, “We don’t let workers get representation or fair pay in the South, because it’s better for business.” In the past few years we’ve seen some high-profilewins for American unions, but the reality is that union membership rates in the US are pretty low. In the 1950s, about a third of workers were in a union. What happened in those intervening years? Many things happened — globalization, neoliberalism, change in laws. The biggest thing was just that there were declines in the industries where unions were strongest, and a lack of union organizing in the industries that were fast-growing. So that combined with increased employer hostility, increased political hostility, and weakening of labor and employment laws, drove down the rate of unionization in this country. In the South, specifically, what were the policies that led to such low unionization? As with everything in America, the answer to the question is race. Avoiding unions was part of the Jim Crow apparatus. Unions are particularly threatening to orders like Jim Crow, because they bring workers across races together in common cause. So unionization was a real threat to the economic order of the South and that has had lasting impact, with wages being significantly lower in the South, unionization rates lower in the South, and poverty rates being higher. The National Labor Relations Act passed in the ’30s, and then after World War II, Congress passes the Taft-Hartley Act, which undermined the NLRA. But specifically, [Taft-Hartley] empowers states to undermine [the NLRA]. All the Southern states passed these right-to-work laws while the more heavily unionized states in the North and Midwest didn’t institute right-to-work. Essentially, it’s a strategy that makes it both harder to organize and keep the unions funded if you do organize. And what are right-to-work laws? Right-to-work laws are laws that allow workers in unionized workplaces to refuse to pay fair-share fees. Where unions exist, workers can either become a member, in which case they pay dues, or if they don’t want to become a member they have to pay their fair-share fees, which covers the cost of the union representing them. This makes it much harder for unions to fund themselves. Then there’s other little things that exist in right-to-work laws in different states, such as requiring the union to get everyone to re-sign up for the union every single year in order to pay dues. Do workers who aren’t members of a union still benefit from them? [Yes.] For example, if you’re a worker in a shop that’s unionized in a right-to-work state, and you decide you don’t want to pay dues, but then you get fired and you want to challenge that termination — the union is still legally required to represent you, even though you have not paid for that representation. How does low unionization tie into the high rates of poverty we see in the South today? There’s two mechanisms. There’s a significant and persistent union premium, with unionized workers making more money. Additionally, there’s the spillover effects of this. If you have a high unionization rate in your locality, the other employers pay better as well, to remain competitive — a kind of “rising tides lifts all boats” situation. Without unionization, in the South, it depresses wages across the board, and then in turn it depresses wages across the country because there’s always this threat that auto companies could leave Detroit and go south. Also, many Southern states haven’t set their own minimum wage separate from the federal minimum [which is still $7.25 per hour]. Yes, exactly. And right now there’s this huge push across the South to roll back the few labor rights they do have — most prominently, removing all these child labor laws. They just rolled back health and safety laws, including heat laws in Florida for agricultural workers. To get back to Volkswagen in Chattanooga — the union vote passed with 73 percent saying yes. Is that high? Just okay? I was shocked. I mean, it’s a completely overwhelming victory, especially when you consider that the union had lost here in the past. It just really shows you how powerful this moment is right now, and how much workers are buying the message that the current UAW is selling. The Chattanooga facility voted no to unionization twice before. What do you think was different this time? Everything’s different. The biggest difference was this massive contract victory that UAW had at the Big Three last fall. When workers see unions win, it increases interest in the unions — so it had a real galvanizing effect. There was so much publicity on it, talking about these big wage increases. I think these workers down in the South were looking at their paychecks and comparing, right, and realizing the raw deal they have. Additionally, you had the experience of the pandemic, where all these workers were told they were essential, but then they weren’t compensated as if they were essential. It’s just spurred this massive upsurge in labor organizing since the pandemic. What did you think when you heard that the UAW was going to try to unionize the South? It just struck me as really smart, to leverage this big contract victory to go out and try to improve conditions more generally in the industry. Because, as I said, a rising tide lifts all boats, but also, the sinking tides in the South can diminish the wages for unionized workers in the North. I think [UAW organizers] also realize there’s this imperative, that you can’t let this big disparity in auto wages exist between the North and South and continue to win these meaningful contracts. What does this portend for the upcoming Mercedes UAW vote? It’s a different state, a different company. Are there different headwinds? It will be more challenging there, because the company is being far more aggressively anti-union. We talked about how the relationship with the VW union in Germany helped in this situation. But, at the same time, I think there are reasons to be hopeful that the UAW might succeed given what we’ve seen elsewhere. I feel much better about it considering that the Chattanooga vote was 73 percent than if it had been, say, 51 percent. Right now, many foreign carmakers are trying to establish a bigger presence here as the US transitions to electric vehicles. Does that make it more pivotal that the UAW expansion happen right now? Yeah, and you saw this reflected in the contract the UAW secured with the Big Three as well. The move to electric vehicles is going to really change the auto industry — it’s probably going to result in less putting-the-car-together jobs, so to speak, but probably more parts jobs. So the UAW contracts last fall secured the right to organize some of these battery factories. It’s absolutely coming at the right time, because it’s a moment [that] would have only further undermined the UAW foothold in the industry. Do you see this as potentially inspiring for other companies and industries in the South? For sure. I would imagine that is what we would see. It’s hard, though — I don’t know if interest in movements for it will necessarily result in victory. But I think you’ll see much more labor action in the South and elsewhere across the country.
vox.com
Will There Be a ‘Shōgun’ Season 2? Co-Creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo Tease Their Fantasy Shōgun-Verse
"Like what would the Yabushige Chronicles look like?" "Like, Yabushige goes to London, you know?"
nypost.com
These veterinarians have seen it all — here are their stories
“From anal gland explosions to the comical chaos of worm wrangling, we witness it all,” said the veterinary practice exec. But “amid the mess and mayhem, there’s a treasure trove of heartwarming and hilarious tales waiting to be shared.”
nypost.com
At least 4 people injured as military horses run loose in central London
Two runaway military horses bolted through central London, leaving at least 4 people and the animals injured, officials said.
1 h
cbsnews.com
Trump Bruised by Another Brutal Haley Protest Vote in Pennsylvania Primary
Curtis Means/ReutersDonald Trump may well have had the Republican nomination in the bag for weeks now, but legions of GOP voters are still apparently unable to stomach the idea of casting their ballots for him.The former president was given another reminder of the scale of his problem on Tuesday with the Pennsylvania primary. Nikki Haley, who axed her own campaign over a month ago, managed to take 16.5 percent of the vote.Trump, the only candidate still actually running, therefore easily won the primary with 83.5 percent, according to the Associated Press. But the problem for Trump is that Haley’s 16.5 percent amounts to more than 155,000 votes. In other words, 155,000 Republicans chose to support a defunct campaign instead of Trump in a key battleground state where, in 2016, he beat Hillary Clinton by fewer than 45,000 votes.Read more at The Daily Beast.
1 h
thedailybeast.com
What’s up with Aaron Judge?
Part of that is because he is in the second year of a nine-year, $360 million deal, and part is because the Yankees offense has been faltering.
1 h
nypost.com
Bethenny Frankel pauses divorce podcast after mother’s death, ‘traumatic events’
"I simply can't respond to the questions and demands at this time and will resume shortly," she shared in a follow-up message to her surprise announcement.
1 h
nypost.com
US Solar Eclipse Caused 'Pronounced' Changes in Bird Behaviors
"Along the eclipse path, many people reported hearing barred owls spontaneously vocalizing as if it were dusk," researcher Andrew Farnsworth said.
1 h
newsweek.com
Retailer Retaliation: Mega-Stores Use Government to Weaponize Political Power
The Durbin-Marshall credit card bill is just another way for corporate mega-stores to benefit, while already struggling business owners and consumers pay the price. The post Retailer Retaliation: Mega-Stores Use Government to Weaponize Political Power appeared first on Breitbart.
1 h
breitbart.com
Japan zoo discovers male hippo is actually a female
The hippo took a DNA test and it turns out he's 100% a female.
1 h
cbsnews.com
Owners Renovate Layout of House, but Dog Didn't Quite Get the Memo
Diesel "still can't get his head around the fact that by sitting there now, he is actually inside the house," Krista told Newsweek.
1 h
newsweek.com
No more noncompetes, FTC says; Tenessee bill would allow teachers to carry guns
The Federal Trade Comission voted yesterday to ban nearly all noncompete agreements. Tenessee's lawmakers have passed a bill allowing teachers to carry guns on campus.
1 h
npr.org