PoliticsYahoo NewsAs Democrats take control of Senate, these 10 senators will shape the agenda
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday that he will support a power-sharing agreement with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that will allow Democrats — who won a narrow majority of the Senate last week when Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were sworn in — to officially organize the body, which has been operating under the rules of the last Congress, when Republicans were in charge. The deal, which had been delayed by McConnell's demands for a pledge by Schumer not to tamper with the Senate filibuster, clears the way for Democrats to take over leadership of the committees, scheduling hearings and deciding what legislation to advance.
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden replaces White House doctor with longtime physician
President Joe Biden has brought back Dr. Kevin O'Connor as his physician, replacing President Donald Trump's doctor with the one who oversaw his care when he was vice president. The White House confirmed that Dr. Sean Conley, the Navy commander who served as the head of the White House Medical Unit under Trump and oversaw his treatment when he was hospitalized with COVID-19, will assume a teaching role at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. O'Connor, a retired Army colonel, was Biden's doctor during his entire tenure as vice president, having remained in the role at Biden's request.
WorldReutersEU to hold off on new Russia sanctions if Navalny released
The European Union will hold off from imposing fresh sanctions on Russian individuals if the Kremlin releases pro-democracy campaigner Alexei Navalny, EU foreign ministers said on Monday, sending the bloc's top diplomat to Moscow next week. Despite calls from Baltic countries, Italy and Romania for sanctions on Russian officials in response to Navalny's detention as he returned to Russia from Germany on Jan. 17, Germany pushed to give the Kremlin more time. "We have agreed today to wait for the court's decision, to wait to see ...
PoliticsThe TelegraphUS Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell drops objection to power-sharing deal with Democrats
Mitch McConnell, the US Senate Republican leader, said on Monday he would agree to a power-sharing agreement with Democrats, dropping demands that had held up the basic organisation and daily work of the 50-50 chamber for days. Democrat Chuck Schumer, now the majority leader thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote, and Mr McConnell had been at odds over the Republican's request that Democrats promise to protect the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote supermajority to advance most legislation. Mr Schumer has refused to guarantee the filibuster would stay.
WorldAssociated PressIran sentences brother of senior vice president to 2 years
Iran has sentenced the brother of the country's senior vice president to two years in prison on corruption charges, the website of the Iranian judiciary reported Tuesday. According to the judiciary's spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili, the verdict for Mahdi Jahangiri, the brother of Eshaq Jahangiri, is final and cannot be appealed. Mahdi Jahangiri was on the board of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and was also the founder of the private Gardeshgari Bank.
PoliticsReutersSenate Republicans unite behind failed effort to challenge Trump impeachment trial
Forty-five Senate Republicans backed a failed effort on Tuesday to halt former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, in a show of party unity that some cited as a clear sign he will not be convicted of inciting insurrection at the Capitol. Republican Senator Rand Paul made a motion on the Senate floor that would have required the chamber to vote on whether Trump's trial in February violates the U.S. Constitution. The Democratic-led Senate blocked the motion in a 55-45 vote.
PoliticsThe IndependentJosh Hawley accuses Democrats who filed ethics complaint of conspiring with Lincoln Project
Republican Senator Josh Hawley has accused Democrats who filed an ethics complaint against him of working with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. Seven Democratic senators have called for an investigation into Mr Hawley and Ted Cruz. Mr Hawley and Mr Cruz have been accused of helping provoke the violence with their refusal to accept Mr Biden's legal victory over Donald Trump, and Mr Hawley was photographed giving a clench-fisted salute to the rioters.
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Texas man arrested in Capitol riot, another stays in custody
A Texas man accused of taking part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month while wearing a shirt with a message that stood for “murder the media” was arrested Tuesday, the FBI said. Nicholas DeCarlo, 30, was charged with obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted building and parading or demonstrating on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint. Investigators say DeCarlo, of Burleson, Texas, was seen in photos smoking a cigarette inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
PoliticsNational ReviewMcConnell Signals Support for Effort to Deem Trump Impeachment Trial ‘Unconstitutional’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and 45 members of his caucus backed an effort to declare the impeachment trial of former President Trump “unconstitutional” on Tuesday. McConnell's colleague from Kentucky, Senator Rand Paul, introduced a point of order on Tuesday to declare Trump's impeachment trial unconstitutional on the grounds that a president can't be impeached once he has left office. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer then moved to table Paul's point of order, blocking the effort to preemptively invalidate the impeachment trial.
WorldReutersBoycott 'wildcat' Scottish independence vote, says Scottish Conservative leader
Backers of the union of the United Kingdom's four nations should boycott any "wildcat" independence referendum for Scotland, the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party said on Monday, after the nation's first minister pressed ahead with plans for a vote. Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said on Sunday she was hoping a strong performance by her Scottish National Party (SNP) in an election in May would give her the mandate to hold a second referendum. To get a legal referendum, any such vote must be approved by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has ruled out doing so.
WorldAssociated PressCriminals in Mexico exploit desperation for oxygen canisters
Mexico continued to post near-record rates of coronavirus deaths Tuesday, and the huge demand for oxygen canisters has led to frauds, robberies and other crimes against families trying to care for relatives at home. Mexico posted a near-record 1,743 newly confirmed COVID-deaths, bringing the total to over 152,000, and 7,165 new infections. Hospitals in some parts of Mexico are almost 90% full, forcing families to treat their relatives at home.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden ‘doesn’t think’ Senate will convict Trump, but says second impeachment ‘has to happen’
President Joe Biden has reportedly indicated he does not believe Democrats in the US Senate will have enough votes to convict Donald Trump during the former president's second impeachment trial. In a brief interview with CNN in the halls of the West Wing, the new president said he thinks the trial “has to happen” despite his call for lawmakers to focus on providing immediate relief to Americans impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. I think it has to happen,” Mr Biden said about the impeachment trial on Monday, suggesting there could be “a worse effect if it didn't happen” in the weeks ahead.
WorldReutersAustralia set for 10th day of no local COVID-19 cases
Australia is on track for a 10th day of no new local COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with its most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) hoping to ease coronavirus restrictions this week after controlling a fast-spreading cluster. Australia's most populous state NSW has recorded no local cases for 10 days after low single digit numbers earlier in January. Victoria state, which is hosting the Australia Open tennis tournament, has gone three weeks without a local case.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia discloses math behind easing stay-at-home order
California's health director on Tuesday revealed the math behind the state's calculation that it was safe to lift all remaining stay-at-home orders, a response to criticism that Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration was hiding key data affecting people's lives and livelihoods. A surge that started in mid-October made California the nation's COVID epicenter before numbers improved in the new year. At his weekly virtual news briefing, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly displayed a slide showing that for each region the state used data including the weekly average of virus cases, transmission rate, hospitalizations, occupied ICU beds and other metrics to determine future ICU capacity.
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'Crisis has already begun' as Biden rolls back Trump immigration enforcement: Mark Morgan
As the threat of new caravans emerges, former CBP Acting Director Mark Morgan warns President Biden's 'open border strategy' is putting politics ahead of public safety.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestHere Are The Brightest Decor Buys of the Season
Let's get loud Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldThe TelegraphHong Kong police obtain financial records of arrested democracy activists
Hong Kong authorities are scrutinising the financial records of pro-democracy activists as they crack down on political opposition, according to some activists and a senior bank executive. Six pro-democracy activists told Reuters that Hong Kong police obtained some of their bank records without their consent and questioned them about certain transactions after they were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of subversion under the territory's national security law. The number of requests for customers' financial records by Hong Kong police has more than doubled over the past six months or so, an executive at a major retail bank in Hong Kong with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
PoliticsThe IndependentMillions of Covid vaccines missing under Trump
Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses appear to be missing after they were shipped by the Trump administration to US states. According to the Daily Beast and sources within the Biden administration, there could be almost 20 million doses missing since they were shipped to states by the previous administration. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 41.1 million doses have been sent to states since last month, but only 22.7 million Americans have received a dose.
PoliticsAssociated PressJudge bars Biden from enforcing 100-day deportation ban
A federal judge on Tuesday barred the U.S. government from enforcing a 100-day deportation moratorium that is a key immigration priority of President Joe Biden. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton issued a temporary restraining order sought by Texas, which sued on Friday against a Department of Homeland Security memo that instructed immigration agencies to pause most deportations. Tipton said the Biden administration had failed “to provide any concrete, reasonable justification for a 100-day pause on deportations.”
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGeorgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed support on social media for assassinating top Democrats
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly expressed support for assassinating powerful Democrats, CNN reported Tuesday. In 2018, Greene wrote on Facebook that "the stage is being set" to hang Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In 2019, she liked a Facebook comment suggesting Nancy Pelosi get a "bullet to the head."
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden orders end of federally run private prisons
President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the Department of Justice to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies. In remarks before signing the order, Biden said the U.S. government needs to change “its whole approach” on the issue of racial equity. Biden rose to the presidency during a year of intense reckoning on institutional racism in the U.S. The moves announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to follow through with campaign pledges to combat racial injustice.
U.S.USA TODAYAirlines issue travel waivers as winter storms drops 'historic' snow in parts of Midwest
Airlines are issuing a flurry of travel waivers allowing travelers to change their travel plans amid a winter storm in the Midwest. A major winter storm blanketed parts of the middle of the country with snow that was forecast into Tuesday in some areas, disrupting traffic and closing some coronavirus testing sites. The National Weather Service said at least 4 inches of snow is expected across most of an area stretching from central Kansas northeast to Chicago and southern Michigan.
WorldAssociated PressIsraeli military chief warns of new plans to strike Iran
Israel's military chief Tuesday warned the Biden administration against rejoining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, even if it toughens its terms, adding he's ordered his forces to step up preparations for possible offensive action against Iran during the coming year. The comments by Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi came as Israel and Iran both seek to put pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of his expected announcement on his approach for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program. In Iran, leaders said they would not wait indefinitely for Biden to act.
PoliticsINSIDERFilibuster drama explained: McConnell will organize the new Senate now that he's confident Democrats won't gut the filibuster
McConnell wanted a promise that Democrats would not eliminate the filibuster. Two Democratic Senators signaled their support for keeping the filibuster in place Monday. With those assurances, McConnell said he was ready to move forward with an organizing resolution.
HealthBusiness InsiderPfizer will supply the US with 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses 2 months sooner than expected because of 'extra' doses extracted from vials
Pfizer will fulfill the country's 200 million vaccine purchase two months earlier than expected. CEO Albert Bourla said the US would get 120 million doses in the first quarter of 2021, 20 million more than initially promised. The FDA changed Pfizer's vial labels to acknowledge they contain six doses, not five.
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”