10 Things to Know for Today
Among 10 Things to Know: Chicago's vast network of surveillance cameras helped police break Smollett case; Calls for new culture of accountability in the Catholic Church; Rival concerts at both sides of a Colombia-Venezuela border bridge.
In this Feb. 1, 2019 photo, a surveillance camera is seen near the spot where "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett allegedly staged the attack in Chicago. Chicago police tapped into a vast network of surveillance cameras _ and some homeowners' doorbell cameras _ to help determine the identities of two brothers who later claimed they were paid by "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett to stage a racist and homophobic attack. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. LIGHTS, CAMERA, CLUES
Chicago's vast network of surveillance cameras, with more than 32,000 mounted on buildings, poles, train tunnels and elsewhere, helped police break the case of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.
2. REAL CHANGE AT LONG LAST?
Cardinals attending Pope Francis' summit on preventing clergy sex abuse have called for a new culture of accountability in the Catholic Church to punish bishops and religious superiors who fail to protect their flocks from predator priests.
3. VENEZUELAN BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Musicians demanding President Nicolas Maduro allow in humanitarian aid and those supporting his refusal will sing in rival concerts being held at both sides of a border bridge where tons of donated food and medicine are stored.
4. TWIN BOY OF GAY COUPLE FOLLOWS BROTHER TO CITIZENSHIP
A federal judge in California has ruled that a twin son of a gay married couple has been an American citizen since birth. The government had only granted the status to his brother. Each boy was conceived with donor eggs and the sperm from a different father — one an American, the other Israeli— but born by the same surrogate mother minutes apart.
5. PLEASE PUT AWAY YOUR CELLPHONES
Claims of jury misconduct in the trial of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have drawn new attention to the digital-age challenge courts face in preventing jurors from scouring media accounts or conducting their own research before rendering a verdict.
6. A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP
As President Donald Trump seeks a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week in Vietnam, some in Seoul are wondering if the fate of Washington's decades-long military alliance with South Korea could be at stake.
7. THE FATE OF THE MUELLER REPORT
Attorney General William Barr is on the cusp of staring down what will almost certainly be the most consequential decision of his long career: how much to make public of the special counsel's findings of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.
8. EXTREMISTS TAKING THEIR BATTLES ELSEWHERE
Islamic State fighters facing defeat in Syria are slipping across the border into Iraq, where they are destabilizing the country's fragile security.
9. AIMING FOR THE MOON
An Israeli spacecraft has rocketed into space for the country's first attempted lunar landing.
10. FROM FIDEL TO THE DIGITAL AGE
In the 2 1/2 months since Cuba allowed its citizens internet access via cellphones, fast-moving changes are subtle but palpable.
