- PoliticsThe Independent
William Barr: Who is Trump's controversial pick for Attorney General and what will it mean for the Mueller investigation?
Donald Trump's latest pick to lead the Justice Department has made several lofty promises to the Senate during his confirmation hearings — several of which appear to go against his own record. William Barr, the president's nominee and former attorney general under George Bush in 1991, has vowed not to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, saying in a prepared statement to senators: “It is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work.
NewsAssociated PressStorm could set off mudslides in fire-scarred California
Light showers fell on parts of Northern California bracing for heavy rain and strong winds Wednesday that could unleash mudslides on communities struggling after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. Water levels could rise in small rivers and creeks and debris flows could hit areas scarred by flames, including where a November wildfire killed 86 people and destroyed nearly 15,000 homes. A week of storms has left authorities concerned about the potential danger for thousands of people living in foothill and canyon areas devastated by last year's wildfires.
- NewsReuters
Suspect shot by police dies after standoff at New Jersey UPS facility
A 39-year-old gunman opened fire at a United Parcel Service Inc facility in New Jersey and held two employees hostage for hours on Monday before police fatally shot him, officials said. William Owens barricaded himself and two women inside the sorting facility in Logan Township and police sent a heavily armed SWAT team to the location, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of downtown Philadelphia, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said in a statement. The standoff ended when Owens was shot while exiting the building with the hostages, the statement said.
NewsUSA TODAYWhat happens to the 62,500 students with special needs during Los Angeles teachers' strike?
The disruption triggered by the strike that began Monday in the nation's second-largest school district could set back Daniel and thousands of other children with developmental disabilities who need special education and consistency, parents told USA TODAY. About 62,500 students with special needs attend schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District School, said associate superintendent for Special Education Beth Kauffman. Students with developmental disabilities — from autism to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — sometimes need one-on-one aides and services such as behavioral and speech therapy at school.
- BusinessThe National Review
Procter & Gamble's Toxic Sanctimony
Recognized around the world as a symbol of manly civility for more than a century, Gillette will now be remembered as the company that did itself in by sacrificing a massive consumer base at the altar of progressivism. In case you hadn't seen or heard: Parent company Procter & Gamble launched a Gillette ad campaign blanket-demonizing men as ogres and bullies. At home and at work, in the boardroom, on the playground, and even while barbecuing in the backyard, Gillette sees nothing but testosterone-driven trouble.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Confirmed: The New Toyota Supra Also Offers a (BMW) Four-Cylinder Engine
UPDATE 1/14/19: Toyota has released global specs on the new Supra, confirming that a four-cylinder will be offered in other markets. As we reported before, it's BMW's turbocharged 2.0-liter B48 engine. In what Toyota dubs the Supra SZ, the engine in its lower state of tune makes 194 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, while the Supra SZ-R's version of the turbo four makes 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque-the same as in the Z4 30i, which is coming to the U.S. Toyota says that the four-cylinder Supra won't be offered on our shores for at least the first few years of its run here, although we wouldn't rule it out entirely.
- EntertainmentCar and Driver
See the New 2019 McLaren 600LT Spider in Photos
All the better to listen to its top-exit exhaust pipes. From Car and Driver
- PoliticsYahoo News
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand moves toward launching 2020 presidential campaign
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday moved toward launching a 2020 presidential campaign by forming an exploratory committee. The New York Democrat announced her intentions on CBS' “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” ahead of a trip to Iowa this weekend.
- WorldBloomberg
Kenya Hunts Gunmen in Fatal Hotel Attack Claimed by Al-Qaeda
The attack on 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi began with an explosion targeting three vehicles in the parking lot and then a suicide-bombing in the foyer of a Dusit Hotels & Resorts Co. outlet, police Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet said Tuesday in a televised briefing. Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda based in neighboring Somalia, said it killed 47 people in the attack, according to Radio Andalus, a broadcaster that supports its insurgency. The group didn't say how it obtained the figure, but if its involvement was confirmed it would be the Islamists' first significant assault in Kenya since a raid on a university campus in Garissa county in April 2015 that killed at least 147 people.
WorldReuters VideosHuawei's founder denies his company spies for China
Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei on Tuesday rejected claims his company is used by the Chinese government to spy, but as Reuters Breakingviews columnist Chris Beddor explains, it may take more than a public declaration of innocence to clear the cloud hanging over his firm. Ed Giles reports.
- NewsAssociated Press
California college student found dead, fraternity suspended
A Southern California college student has been found dead in a home near campus and his fraternity has been suspended, authorities said Monday. Noah Domingo, 18, of La Crescenta, California, was found Saturday near University of California, Irvine. Irvine police received a call around 9:40 a.m. that Domingo was unresponsive and found him dead in a bed at the home, said Kim Mohr, a police spokeswoman.
- WorldThe Independent
El Chapo trial: Joaquín Guzman paid former Mexican president $100m bribe, witness claims
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, a witness has claimed in court. Alex Cifuentes, who has said he was a close associate of Guzman for years, discussed the alleged bribe as part of the accused Mexcan drug lord's trial. Mr Pena Nieto, commonly known by his initials EPN, was president of Mexico from December 2012 until November 2018.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Top 5 moments from first day of William Barr's confirmation hearing for attorney general
Barr won't halt Mueller probe Barr asserted that President Donald Trump exacted no promises of favoritism and that he would not direct the Justice Department as an extension of the White House. Throughout the all-day hearing, Barr provided unflinching assurances that he would allow special counsel Robert Mueller to complete the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. I don't believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt," Barr said, acknowledging a long professional association and personal friendship with the special counsel.
NewsAFPMassive US teachers' strike affects half million pupils
More than 30,000 public school teachers in Los Angeles walked off the job on Monday to press their demands for better pay, smaller class sizes and more educators. "Here we are on a rainy day in the richest country in the world, in the richest state in the country, in a state that's blue (Democrat) as it can be -- and in a city rife with millionaires -- where teachers have to go on strike to get the basics for our students," Alex Caputo-Pearl, the head of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, told a news conference. Although the teachers' union and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) agree that class sizes -- some at more than 40 -- must shrink, teacher salaries must improve and more support staff are needed, they differ on funding.
WorldReutersIreland readies 'mega' no-deal Brexit legislation package
Ireland's cabinet on Tuesday began to build upon the no-deal contingency plans it issued last month by seeking to reassure business of the availability of additional transport capacity and patients of the security of medicine supplies. Its preparations will be underpinned by one single emergency Brexit bill incorporating 17 new laws that Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney will, if required, begin moving through parliament in the final week of February. "We don't want to have to do this of course, nobody wants a no-deal Brexit and everybody will work toward avoiding that but we also have to ensure that Ireland has done everything it can to protect itself and its citizens," Coveney told a news conference.
- BusinessThe National Interest
F-22 vs. F-35: Which Stealth Fighter Wins in a Shootout?
TNI Staff Security, The U.S. Air Force's original plan was for the F-22 to be its high-end air superiority fighter while the F-35 was designed to be primarily an air-to-ground strike aircraft, but one which could defend itself. Key point: The answer is that the F-35 cannot match the F-22 as an air superiority fighter—it was never designed as such. Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—which is built in three versions—recently completed its developmental test phase and is operational with the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps.
- WorldThe National Review
Will May Survive Her Brexit Defeat?
The only meaningful unity that the United Kingdom has seen in the past two years has been opposition to the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the European Union. That agreement, as predicted, suffered a crushing blow in the House of Commons today, voted down by a 432-to-202 margin in what was instantly the worst parliamentary defeat in history. The defeat, as predicted, has prompted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to propose a vote, expected to be held on Wednesday, of no confidence in the government.
BusinessAFPSaudi urges 'fair' energy transition, defends oil
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia called Tuesday for a "fair" and gradual global energy transition as it unveiled an ambitious domestic renewable energy programme. Experts say energy output from renewables, especially solar and wind, is growing faster than anticipated, threatening to displace oil, gas and coal as the world's main sources of power. But Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told a clean energy conference in Abu Dhabi that the transition must take place gradually in order to avoid "chaos".
- NewsUSA TODAY
Navajo Code Talker Alfred K. Newman, among the last of the World War II heroes, has died
Alfred K. Newman, one of the last of the Navajo Code Talkers, has died in New Mexico at age 94. Newman was among 400 Navajos who helped defeat the Japanese during World War II by developing an unbreakable code for military transmissions using the Dine language. The Code Talkers have been celebrated in books, movies and poems for their vital role in the war, their courage in combat and the unusual encryption system that stymied enemy intelligence. Newman's death was first reported by KAFF News, a northern Arizona radio station, and was announced on a code talker Facebook page.
- BusinessCar and Driver
A Look at the 2020 BMW 7-series
The BMW flagship sedan also gets revised engines and plenty of new tech. From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Prosecutor lauds Jayme Closs for bravery, escape
Wisconsin prosecutors say they expect to release more information soon on the case against a man charged with kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents. Jake Thomas Patterson was charged Monday with kidnapping and murder in an Oct. 15 attack on the Closs family. Jayme escaped last week after 88 days in captivity.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Barr pledges to allow Mueller to finish Russia report and to release 'as much as I can'
William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general, told senators at his confirmation hearing Tuesday that he doesn't believe Robert Mueller is involved in a “witch hunt” — contradicting what Trump has been saying almost since it began. He pledged to allow the special counsel to complete the Russia investigation without interference. It is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,” Barr said in his opening remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
BusinessAFPPG&E, utility tied to California wildfires, to file for bankruptcy
Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility company that has been tied to deadly wildfires in California, said Monday it plans to file for bankruptcy protection at the end of the month. The San Francisco-based company said its decision to reorganize under Chapter 11 is linked to more than $30 billion in claims it is facing over the so-called 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California -- the deadliest in the state's modern history -- that left 86 people dead. The utility has also been sued over blazes in 2017 that devastated the wine region in Northern California and left more than 40 people dead.
WorldReuters VideosA new migrant caravan heads for U.S. border
Several hundred Honduran migrants have crossed the border with Guatemala, as part of a new migrant caravan headed for the U.S. border. Jayson Albano reports.
- NewsThe Independent
US air traffic controllers say system 'eroding' beneath them due to government shutdown
Federal air traffic controllers have warned that the government shutdown is going to make travel delays worse given its dwindling workforce, which has already suffered from record low employment rates in recent years. With the federal closure well into its fourth week, officials with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Natca) say that dysfunction in Washington is causing undue stress for their members who already have precious little room for error in their jobs. Without money coming in, air traffic controllers who have been required to come to work and oversee the delicate dance between planes as they take off, land, and taxi at high speeds must now also worry about whether they have money to pay for their mortgages and child care payments.
