Nearly two-thirds of voters expect Trump to win reelection in November, poll finds

Nearly two-thirds of voters think President Donald Trump will be reelected in November, a CBS News poll released Sunday found. Though the survey found that Trump will face a tight race with any of the likely Democratic nominees, 31% of registered voters said the president will definitely win a second term, and 34% said he probably will, for a total of 65% expecting him to be reelected. A total of 35% disagreed; 23% said he "probably will not" win, and 12% said he would "definitely not" win.

Police at checkpoints, events scrapped as virus fears hit Italy

Police patrolled perimeters of virus-stricken town in northern Italy Sunday as tens of thousands of people were placed under lockdown and public events cancelled to stem Europe's worst outbreak of the new coronavirus. "Virus -- Northern Italy under Siege," read Sunday's headline in the Il Fatto Quotidiano daily, as television stations delivered a steady stream of images of masked locals and hospital workers in protective suits. Health officials in the Lombardy region, the centre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak, said an elderly woman being treated in hospital for cancer who had tested positive for the virus had died.

• 
  Italy clamps down on travel after virus deaths, as cases rise

  AFP
• 
  A dozen towns in northern Italy are locked down after coronavirus deaths

  USA TODAY

Coronavirus challenges $45 billion cruise industry

Coronavirus concerns have pushed the $45 billion cruise line industry to cancel trips and reroute ships as it struggles to contain the impact from fearful travelers. “Business is soft, people are scared to travel,” Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., told investors Thursday. Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises all together recently announced they'd canceled nearly 40 cruises and rerouted over 40.

Here Comes 1984: China's Regime Is An Existential Threat to the World

The Chinese communist government increasingly poses an existential threat not just to its own 1.4 billion citizens but to the world at large. China is currently in a dangerously chaotic state. And why not, when a premodern authoritarian society leaps wildly into the brave new world of high-tech science in a single generation? Predictably, the Chinese Communist Party has not developed the social, political, or cultural infrastructure to ensure that its sophisticated industrial and biological research does not go rogue and become destructive to itself and to the billions of people who are on the importing end of Chinese products and protocols.

Three Weinstein Accusers Could Send Producer to Prison for Life

As the jurors in Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial wrestle with a pair of charges that could send the fallen movie mogul to prison for life, the testimony of three women who don't even appear in his indictment could help seal his fate. They're known as Molineux witnesses in New York, where Weinstein is being tried, and they testified to their own encounters with him as prosecutors sought to persuade the jury that the two women he is charged with attacking never gave their consent to sex. Such witnesses testified in the retrial of Bill Cosby in Pennsylvania, which ended in his conviction.

• 
  Anxiety, nausea, endless wait: Weinstein accusers await verdict in landmark sex assault case

  NBC News
• 
  What the Jury's Note Could Mean for the Weinstein Deliberations

  The New York Times

10,000 mourn victims of racist shooting rampage in Germany

Around 10,000 protesters marched through the central German town of Hanau on Sunday to mourn the nine people who were killed by an immigrant-hating gunman four days ago. These days and hours are the blackest and darkest our town has ever experienced during peace times,” Hanau mayor Claus Kaminsky told the somber crowds, according to the German news agency dpa. But, he said, those who want to pull apart society won't succeed, “because we are more and we will prevent that.

South Korean Government Raised COVID-19 Alert to Its 'Highest' Level as Confirmed Cases Surpass 600

South Korea's government put the country's response to COVID-19 on its highest alert Sunday and health officials say the number of confirmed cases of the disease has risen to over 600. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said authorities raised the “COVID-19 alert level to the highest of 'Red' to strengthen the overall response system.” Doing so allows the government to order the temporary closure of schools and reduce travel operations, including public transport and flights to and from South Korea, according to the Associated Press. There are now more than 78,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide with more than 76,000 reported in China, according to a virus tracker maintained by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

• 
  South Korea Signals Unprecedented Steps to Contain Outbreak

  Bloomberg
• 
  Concern over coronavirus spread as cases jump in South Korea, Italy and Iran

  Reuters

10 Amazing Facts About Polar Bears

A few things you might not have known about the largest bear in the world. From Popular Mechanics

US accuses Russia of huge coronavirus disinformation campaign

US officials say thousands of social media accounts linked to Russia are part of a coordinated effort to spread disinformation about the new coronavirus. The campaign allegedly aims to damage the US's image and spread unfounded conspiracy theories that it is behind the outbreak which has infected nearly 78,000 globally and killed over 2,500 people. US State Department officials told AFP fake accounts were created and used on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so the campaign could reach as many people as possible in multiple languages.

Donald Trump congratulated 'crazy' Bernie Sanders on his win in the Nevada caucus

Trump tweeted his reaction to the vote, congratulating "Crazy Bernie." In his victory speech Sanders predicted he would also win in Texas, and said: "The president gets very, very upset easily, so don't tell him that we're going to beat him here in Texas." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

• 
  Bernie Sanders attacks Trump’s ‘greed, corruption and lies’ after historic victory in Nevada

  The Independent
• 
  Sanders cruises to victory as Biden declares 'we're alive': key takeaways from Nevada

  The Guardian

Indian authorities scramble to give Trump mega-rally

The city of Ahmedabad in India was jostling with activity on Sunday as workers cleaned roads, planted flowers and hoisted billboards featuring President Trump, a day ahead of his maiden two-day visit to India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised him a lively public reception.

• 
  Gandhi's former home gets facelift ahead of Trump's first India visit

  Reuters
• 
  Trump heads to India eyeing trade deal as re-election trophy

  The Independent

Grave of slain Iraq commander, a new anti-US magnet

Clad in black, they joined wailing women and men beating their chests in grief at Wadi al-Salam (valley of peace), an ever expanding cemetery. All eyes were on the grave of Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Killed alongside top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, Muhandis is now revered as a martyred icon of anti-American resistance.

Harry Dunn's family want Julian Assange's extradition blocked

The family of Harry Dunn has called for Julian Assange not to be extradited as long as the US refuses to send the suspect in the teenager's death back to the UK. They have accused the American government of "demonstrating an extraordinary amount of hypocrisy" in seeking the extradition of the Wikileaks founder, despite rejecting a request for Anne Sacoolas to return to Britain. Mr Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike collided with a car outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27.

Girl, 11, gave birth to baby allegedly fathered by brother

An 11-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her brother gave birth at home, and now he and their parents are facing criminal charges. The girl gave birth to a boy in a bathtub in St. Charles, Missouri, according to a probable cause statement. Her biological brother, who is 17, was charged last week with incest, statutory rape and statutory sodomy of a person younger than 12, while her parents were charged with child endangerment.

Haiti police exchange fire with troops near national palace

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian police officers exchanged gunfire for hours Sunday with soldiers of the newly reconstituted army outside the national palace, in a dangerous escalation of protests over police pay and working conditions. At least three police officers were wounded, fellow officers told The Associated Press. Haiti's raucous three-day Carnival celebration was to have started Sunday afternoon in Port-au-Prince and other major cities but the government announced Sunday night that Carnival was cancelled in the capital “to avoid a bloodbath.” Police protesters and their backers had burned dozens of Carnival floats and stands at recent protests, saying they did not believe the country should be celebrating during a crisis.

I Live in South Korea Where Coronavirus Cases are Rising. Not Much Has Changed

South Korea now has the second-highest number of cases of the coronavirus in the world. First, it is worth noting, per Andray Abrahamian, that because South Korea is an open society with an excellent medical system, you are hearing a lot more about corona here than in closed countries. It goes without saying that should corona strike North Korea, that repressive government will tell us nothing and treat the victims terribly.

• 
  South Korea reports surge in virus cases linked to hospital

  AFP
• 
  Concerns grow over virus spreading as new hot zone identified in South Korea

  ABC News Videos

CDC is preparing for the 'likely' spread of coronavirus in the US, officials say

Health experts sounded the alarm Friday over the worldwide threat of the coronavirus, with officials warning of its "likely" community spread in the United States and the World Health Organization cautioning that "the window of opportunity is narrowing" for containing the outbreak worldwide. The COVID-19 coronavirus, which erupted in China in December, has killed at least 2,360 people and sickened at least 77,900 worldwide, the majority of cases in mainland China. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday that U.S. health officials are preparing for the coronavirus to become a pandemic.

Joe Biden says he was arrested in South Africa on a visit to see Nelson Mandela. He has never mentioned the arrest before.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is telling a story on the campaign trail about being arrested in South Africa, but there's no record of him mentioning the arrest before now. The 77-year-old has told three campaign events about being arrested while trying to visit Nelson Mandela in the 1970s. The New York Times looked into his past mentions of South Africa and reported that Biden has never before publicly talked about an arrest.

Outcry after MSNBC host compares Sanders’ Nevada win to Nazi invasion

“I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940 and the general, Reynaud, calls up Churchill and says, 'It's over,'” Matthews said on air on Saturday night. “So I had that suppressed feeling,” Matthews also said.

• 
  Bernie Sanders has early lead at Nevada caucus

  ABC News Videos
• 
  Nevada Democratic caucuses: Bernie Sanders wins in Silver State, solidifying front-runner status over Buttigieg and Biden

  The Independent

U.S. judge rejects Roger Stone's request she be kicked off his case

A U.S. federal judge on Sunday denied a request by Roger Stone's lawyers that she be removed from the case in which she last week sentenced the long-time adviser to President Donald Trump to three years and four months in prison. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had been accused of bias by Stone's attorneys in a filing on Friday that called for her recusal. Stone, 67, was convicted on Nov. 15 of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

A charter bus swerved and rolled over on a California highway, killing 3 and injuring 18

A charter bus rolled over on a Southern California highway on Saturday, killing three people and injuring 18 others. Authorities said one of the patients was in critical condition and three others suffered major injuries. A charter bus swerved on a rain-slicked Southern California highway and rolled down an embankment Saturday, killing three people and injuring 18 others, authorities said.

• 
  Charter bus rollover kills 3, injures 18 outside San Diego

  WLS – Chicago
• 
  3 people killed in bus crash in Southern California

  ABC News Videos

Vietnamese dissident monk who was a Nobel Prize nominee dies at 93

Thich Quang Do, a dissident Buddhist monk who has effectively been under house arrest since 2003 and was nominated multiple times for the Nobel Peace Prize, has died aged 93. Head of the banned Unified Buddist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), the vocal patriarch was born on November 27, 1928 in northern Thai Binh province and spent most of his life advocating for religious freedom and human rights in communist-run Vietnam. His staunch activism landed him under what was effectively house arrest in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003, where he was under constant surveillance.

Nevada caucus results delayed for hours, Buttigieg camp claims 'irregularities'

More than 24 hours since the Nevada caucuses closed, a large portion of the results had yet to be released, adding an additional layer of confusion to an already fractured primary process. Former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg both claimed a second-place finish in Nevada and the delayed results are only generating more skepticism of the caucus process. Officials released more data later Sunday night, putting Biden in second place and Buttigieg in third, according to an NBC News projection.

• 
  Democratic nominees drum up support before Nevada caucus

  ABC News Videos
• 
  Democratic candidates facing 3rd contest in Nevada

  ABC News Videos

For Virginia Tech parents, new gun laws a long struggle

When Virginia lawmakers pass sweeping new gun control laws in the coming days, it will mark the culmination of nearly 13 years of often thankless work for two parents whose children were shot in one of the country's worst mass shootings. Lori Haas and Andrew Goddard started pressing lawmakers to enact new gun laws shortly after a gunman killed 32 people and wounded more than a dozen others at Virginia Tech in 2007. Haas and Goddard have been Virginia's most visible gun-control lobbyists for years, but until recently had little to show for their work.

Hawaii holds woman over missing children amid suspicious deaths

A 46-year-old American woman with reported links to a doomsday cult and to at least three people whose deaths are being investigated has been arrested in Hawaii over the disappearance of her two children. Lori Vallow was arrested Thursday on the island of Kauai and charged with felony desertion of the children, 7-year-old Joshua Vallow, who is autistic, and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, police said in a statement. According to US media reports, the children, who have different fathers, were last seen on September 23, 2019.