PoliticsYahoo NewsAt CPAC, Cruz and Hawley remain defiant about Capitol riot
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri took to the stage today at the Conservative Political Action Conference and gave what amounted to their most extensive public remarks since Jan. 6, when both were seen by critics as having helped incite a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Cruz spoke on Friday morning, while Hawley addressed the audience in a less enviable afternoon spot. As they have in appearances on Fox News and other outlets in recent weeks, they cast themselves as victims of Democratic “cancel culture” — an ill-defined concept that encompasses social and corporate disapproval — while taking no responsibility for inciting the white supremacists and other supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol in hopes of keeping Joe Biden from assuming the Oval Office.
WorldBBCJamal Khashoggi: How intelligence report could dent US-Saudi ties for years
The release of the declassified US intelligence report into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi represents a blow to the power, prestige and international standing of one of the most powerful men in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It could even have implications for the West's dealings with Saudi Arabia for decades to come. Asserting that the crown prince, known by his initials as MBS, was complicit in that gruesome murder in 2018, will make it harder than ever for Western leaders to be publicly associated with him as an individual.
WorldThe TelegraphNicola Sturgeon should resign 'if even half' of Alex Salmond's claims are true, MSP says
A leading Scottish Conservative has said that “if even half” of what Nicola Sturgeon is being accused of is true she should resign as the country's First Minister. Murdo Fraser, who sits on the Scottish Parliament committee investigating the government's handling of harassment complaints against former First Minister Alex Salmond, said that if true the claims were fatal for her leadership. The Conservative MSP said: “If even half of what Alex Salmond claimed yesterday was true it's absolutely devastating for Nicola Sturgeon and her leadership of the Scottish National Party.”
U.S.Architectural DigestMore Inside A New Safari Lodge Treehouse Tucked Away in Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Only reachable by canoe, this Xigera hideaway is centered along lush riverbeds and a rich concentration of wildlife. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.ReutersFBI pinpoints suspect in probe of U.S. Capitol policeman's death: NYT
The FBI has pinpointed a suspect in its investigation into the death of a U.S. Capitol Police officer in the Jan. 6 attack on Congress by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported on Friday. The Times, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials briefed on the inquiry, said investigators have zeroed in on an individual seen in video footage of the riot who attacked several officers with bear spray, including Brian Sicknick, the policeman who died. Sicknick, 42, was among a vastly outnumbered group of police officers confronted by the mob who stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Congress from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.
WorldAssociated PressIS bride loses bid to return to UK to fight for citizenship
A woman who ran away from London as a teenager to join the Islamic State group lost her bid Friday to return to the U.K. to fight for the restoration of her citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds. Shamima Begum was one of three east London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria in 2015. She resurfaced at a refugee camp in Syria and told reporters she wanted to come home, but was denied the chance after former Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked her citizenship.
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Mobster Peter Gotti from notorious Gambino crime family dies in prison
Mobster Peter Gotti, the brother of notorious Gambino crime boss John Gotti, has died while serving a federal prison sentence, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press Thursday.
WorldThe TelegraphDollars flood Venezuela as Maduro abandons 'socialismo' in favour of Chinese system
Now, the hotel is open again as a symbol of an impending economic recovery and tourism boom in a country that has suffered the worst economic crisis in modern Latin American history. But the so-called Socialist president's touting of the luxurious, $300 per night hotel in a country where most live in poverty represents something else to others - an abandonment of a political project promising a socialist utopia in favor of an 'anything goes', capitalist kleptocracy. Since the dark days of mid-2019, when inflation hit 10 million per cent and Venezuela's weaved baskets out of useless Bolivar notes, the economy has shown signs of recovery.
WorldReutersMyanmar police launch most extensive crackdown; hundreds arrested
State television announced that Myanmar's U.N. envoy had been fired for betraying the country, a day after he urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to reverse the Feb. 1 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide. The coup, which stalled Myanmar's progress toward democracy, has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets and drawn condemnation from Western countries, with some imposing limited sanctions.
WorldBBCHaiti prison escape: Hundreds of inmates flee from Croix-des-Bouquets jail
More than 200 prisoners are on the run in Haiti after escaping from a jail near the capital, Port-au-Prince. Authorities said 25 people died following Thursday's mass escape from the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, including the prison director. One of those who fled, a powerful gang leader named as Arnel Joseph, was killed hours after escaping.
WorldAssociated PressEXPLAINER: How US airstrike in Syria sends message to Iran
A U.S. airstrike targeting facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria appears to be a message to Tehran delivered by a new American administration still figuring out its approach to the Middle East. The strike was seemingly a response to stepped-up rocket attacks by such militias that have targeted U.S. interests in Iraq, where the armed groups are based. It comes even as Washington and Tehran consider a return to the 2015 accord meant to rein in Iran's nuclear program.
HealthReutersRussian scientists say Sputnik V performs well against COVID mutations
A Russian trial testing the effectiveness of revaccination with the Sputnik V shot to protect against new mutations of the coronavirus is producing strong results, researchers said on Saturday. Last month President Vladimir Putin ordered a review by March 15 of Russian-produced vaccines for their effectiveness against new variants spreading in different parts of the world. A) recent study carried out by the Gamaleya Centre in Russia showed that revaccination with Sputnik V vaccine is working very well against new coronavirus mutations, including the UK and South African strains of coronavirus, said Denis Logunov, a deputy director of the centre, which developed the Sputnik V shot.
PoliticsThe WeekDemocrats decry Biden's airstrikes in Syria as unconstitutional. Republicans praise them as 'proportional.'
Democrats are calling the Biden administration's airstrikes in Syria unconstitutional. President Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militant groups, his first military action since taking office. The strikes were in response to several rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.
WorldAssociated PressPakistan expert: Religiosity aiding spike in militancy
Militant attacks are on the rise in Pakistan amid a growing religiosity that has brought greater intolerance, prompting one expert to voice concern the country could be overwhelmed by religious extremism. Pakistani authorities are embracing strengthening religious belief among the population to bring the country closer together. But it's doing just the opposite, creating intolerance and opening up space for a creeping resurgence in militancy, said Mohammad Amir Rana, executive director of the independent Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.
PoliticsReutersDonald Trump's niece blasts his 'chutzpah' toward her fraud lawsuit
Donald Trump's niece accused him on Friday of trying to dodge accountability for defrauding her out of a multimillion dollar inheritance by claiming she took too long to sue. Lawyers for Mary Trump made the accusation in a New York state court in Manhattan, where the 55-year-old psychologist is suing the former president, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and his late brother Robert's estate. "The offensiveness of defendants' past conduct — stealing tens of millions of dollars from their own niece — is perhaps surpassed only by the chutzpah of their current arguments for dismissal," the lawyers wrote.
PoliticsUSA TODAYSen. John Cornyn, Gov. Greg Abbott — but not Ted Cruz — to meet with Joe Biden in Texas
Two out of Texas' top three Republican officials will meet with President Joe Biden during his Friday trip to Houston following the state's winter storm and power outages last week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, plan to join Biden and first lady Jill Biden as they survey storm and power grid damage, visit an emergency operations center and food bank and stop by NRG Stadium, a mass vaccination site. The state's other senator, Ted Cruz, won't be joining them.
WorldReutersDutch appeals court says coronavirus curfew was right move
A Dutch appeals court said on Friday the government had been right to impose a night curfew in the fight against the coronavirus, overturning a lower court's order which had caused confusion over the measure last week. In a clear victory for the government, the appeals court said it had rightfully used emergency powers to install the curfew, the first in the Netherlands since World War Two, and had adequately proved that the measure was necessary to rein in the pandemic. The district court in The Hague last week had ruled that the government had failed to make clear why emergency powers were needed at this stage of the pandemic, siding with anti-lockdown activists who had brought the case.
U.S.Associated PressRush Limbaugh buried in private cemetery in St. Louis
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has been buried in a private cemetery in St. Louis, his family announced Friday. Limbaugh's widow, Kathryn, and his family said a private ceremony with close family and friends was held Wednesday, but they did not say where he was buried. The family said additional celebrations of Limbaugh's life are planned in the future, both virtually and in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, The Southeast Missourian reported.
PoliticsThe IndependentCPAC 2021 – live: Pompeo ‘lets rip’ saying left will gut military spending trading ‘army green for AOC green’
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) enters its third day in Orlando, Florida, with attendees gearing up for the culmination on Sunday when it is rumoured Donald Trump will announce a 2024 presidential run. Described as “Woodstock for election liars” by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, Joe Biden has said he will not be paying attention to the four-day gathering. On Saturday morning, Republican senator Marco Rubio's scheduled speech was cancelled just minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage.
WorldReutersAsylum-seekers, children among Myanmar deportees from Malaysia: rights groups
At least nine asylum-seekers and two unaccompanied children were among a group of Myanmar nationals deported by Malaysia this week, despite a court order halting the plan, rights groups said on Friday. Malaysia on Tuesday sent 1,086 Myanmar nationals back on three navy ships sent by Myanmar, a move the groups said could endanger the deportees' lives. The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) said in a statement it had confirmed that two children were separated from their families and deported back to Myanmar alone on the ships.
WorldAssociated PressBrazil death toll tops 250,000, virus still running rampant
Brazil's COVID-19 death toll, which surpassed 250,000 on Thursday, is the world's second-highest for the same reason its second wave has yet to fade: Prevention was never made a priority, experts say. Since the pandemic's start, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro scoffed at the “little flu” and lambasted local leaders for imposing restrictions on activity; he said the economy must keep humming along to prevent worse hardship.
BusinessBBCHow Bitcoin's vast energy use could burst its bubble
President Biden's top economic adviser described Bitcoin as "an extremely inefficient way to conduct transactions," saying "the amount of energy consumed in processing those transactions is staggering". From buying a Bentley to losing it all Bitcoin keeps hitting new highs after Tesla backing Bitcoin hits new record of $50,000 It's unclear exactly how much energy Bitcoin uses. Cryptocurrencies are - by design - hard to track.
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia to spend $28M to help arriving asylum-seekers
California is freeing up as much as $28 million to help immigrants arriving from Mexico and being released in the U.S. until their court dates, a sharp contrast from other border states that have emerged as foes of President Joe Biden's immigration policies. The funding, expected to last through June, comes as Biden unwinds former President Donald Trump's policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico until their court hearings. It will pay for hotel rooms for immigrants to quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic before going to their final destinations throughout the U.S. Money also will go to Jewish Family Service of San Diego to provide food, transportation and help with travel logistics.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestMore Inside an Art Adviser’s Eclectic Minneapolis Pad
The owner Kathy Ganley, who also views her home as an informal gallery, fills the 6,500-square-foot space with an array of artworks, including a still life in the laundry room to make sure no wall is left behind Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Business InsiderSouth Dakota's legislature is moving to impeach its attorney general after investigators uncovered a hit-and-run victim's glasses in his car
AG Jason Ravnsborg was charged with three misdemeanors in connection to a fatal car crash. New details have since emerged with the victim's glasses found in Ravnsborg's car. Ravnsborg was charged with three misdemeanors last week after initially saying he thought he hit a deer, not a person.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”