WorldReutersLockdown for Dunkirk, other areas under watch as French COVID-19 cases spike
France's government on Wednesday ordered a weekend lockdown in the Dunkirk area to arrest an "alarming" rise in COVID-19 cases, signalling extra curbs might also be needed elsewhere as daily cases nationwide hit their highest since November. Unlike some of its neighbours, France has resisted a new national lockdown to control more contagious coronavirus variants, hoping a curfew in place since Dec. 15 can contain the pandemic. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the national situation was deteriorating, and "a source of worry in about 10 regional departments".
PoliticsNational ReviewFormer Trump Aide to Run Primary Challenge against Kinzinger
Representative Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) will face a primary challenge from a former Trump administration aide as the pro-Trump faction of the GOP looks to oust Republicans, such as Kinzinger, who voted in support of the former president's second impeachment. Catalina Lauf, who served in the Department of Commerce under the Trump administration, launched a bid Thursday to oust Kinzinger from his seat in the 16th congressional district of Illinois.
PoliticsThe GuardianBiden is already backtracking on his promises to provide student debt relief
Biden absolutely has the legal authority to use executive power to cancel all federal student debt. Congress granted this authority decades ago as part of the Higher Education Act. It's even been put to the test: in response to the Covid pandemic, Donald Trump and his former education secretary, Betsy DeVos, used that authority three times to suspend payments and student loan interest.
U.S.CBS NewsDeputies say gangs exist within Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
A CBS News investigation has uncovered allegations of gangs existing within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, possibly for decades. Current deputies out of the East Los Angeles station say the existence of gangs within law enforcement has been a problem in the area. The deputies, who do not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, claim the most prevalent are called the Banditos — comprised of mostly Latino deputies who serve predominantly African American and Latino neighborhoods.
CelebrityThe IndependentWho is Heidi Cruz? The high-powered Goldman Sachs executive and wife to ‘disgraced’ Texas senator Ted Cruz
Heidi Cruz, the wife of Texas senator Ted Cruz, is reportedly on the hunt for the neighbour who leaked her text messages about their much criticised trip to Cancun during a snow-storm that left thousands without heat or electricity. “Ritz Carlton Cancun $309 plus tax,” she allegedly wrote in messages passed to The New York Times last week, that demonstrated the family was planning to violate government guidelines and the recommendations of her own husband. In 2000, when the pair met whilst working on George W Bush's presidential campaign before marrying the next year and moving into government positions, Heidi Nelson wasn't necessarily destined to be window dressing to someone else's ambitions.
WorldReutersPhilippines to receive first COVID-19 vaccines, start inoculations next week
The Philippines will take delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccines at the weekend, allowing it to kick off its inoculation programme from next week, a senior official said on Thursday. Despite having among the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Asia, the Philippines will be the last Southeast Asian country to receive its initial set of vaccines. The delivery of 600,000 doses Sinovac Biotech's vaccines, donated by China, will arrive on Sunday, said Harry Roque, spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte.
- WorldWABC – NY
Woman grabbed from behind, attacked at NYC subway station
The victim's daughter says her mother is still too shaken up to speak about the attack publicly.
WorldAssociated PressLawmakers, rights groups ask Malaysia to explain deportation
Malaysian lawmakers and rights groups on Wednesday demanded that the government explain why it violated a court stay order and deported 1,086 Myanmar migrants, saying it put their lives in danger following Myanmar's military coup. A high court on Tuesday ordered a stay of the repatriation of 1,200 Myanmar nationals pending an appeal by Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia, which said there were refugees, asylum-seekers and minors among the group. But hours later, the immigration department said it had sent 1,086 of them back on three Myanmar military ships.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden nominee Neera Tanden’s tweet about Joe Manchin’s daughter may come back to haunt her
Neera Tanden, Joe Biden's nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, previously criticised Democratic Senator Joe Manchin's daughter, a slight that might factor into whether or not she is confirmed for the position. Ms Tanden tweeted an image of an article about Mr Manchin's daughter, Heather Bresch, taking aim at a significant increase in her pay while she was CEO of Mylan. In the tweet, Ms Tanden pointed out that the company's board was justifying the pay raise by saying Ms Bresch had "contributed significantly to the company's growth in recent years".
WorldReutersVenezuela non-profit groups denounced harassment by Maduro government
Carlos Julio Rojas, 36, says he has been detained four times in the last five years for demanding that the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro improve basic services such as power and water in the capital. Rojas, who leads the non-profit group Front for Defense of Northern Caracas, last July spent 10 hours in a jail cell for joining a protest of retirees who were seeking better pensions. "There is legal intimidation ... or harassment by armed groups or state security forces that directly impede efforts to file complaints and to protest," Rojas said in an interview.
U.S.INSIDERChristopher Cantwell, known as 'The Crying Nazi,' sentenced to 41 months in prison on extortion charges
Christopher Cantwell, known as "The Crying Nazi," was convicted on a felony charge. The Keene, New Hampshire, man was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Christopher Cantwell, who was dubbed the "The Crying Nazi" following the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally, was sentenced to 41 months in prison on Wednesday after being convicted on charges of extortion and threatening rape.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news - live: President lifts Trump visa ban as Ted Cruz approval rating crashes after Cancun holiday
President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a Trump-era policy that blocked most green card applicants from entering the US. Mr Trump issued the ban last year, saying it was needed to protect workers amid high unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. However the President rejected that reasoning and rescinded the visa ban, saying it had prevented families from reuniting in the United States and harmed US businesses.
WorldReutersNorthern Irish Brexit issue is two-way street, says EU's Sefcovic
Britain must show it is fully using the avenues available under the Brexit divorce deal to minimise trade disruption in Northern Ireland before seeking concessions, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. Britain's exit from the EU's trading orbit in January has created trade barriers between Northern Ireland - which remains in the EU's single market for goods - and the rest of the United Kingdom. Maros Sefcovic, a vice president of the European Commission, said he hoped to learn of British efforts during an online meeting on Wednesday .
U.S.Business InsiderAn ex-girlfriend tipped off the FBI about an alleged US Capitol rioter after he called her a 'moron'
Richard Michetti has been charged with entering restricted grounds at the US Capitol. The Pennsylvania man was turned in by his ex-girlfriend after he called her a 'moron'. A Pennsylvania man was outed by his ex-girlfriend after trying to stop Congress from recognizing President Joe Biden's election victory, according to court documents.
PoliticsThe IndependentAngry Democrat Gerry Connolly tells Trump ally he ‘will not be lectured’ by someone who tried to overturn election
Virginia Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly blasted Ohio Republican Representative and staunch Trump ally Jim Jordan, telling him during a hearing on the postal service that he "will not be lectured" about partisanship by people who voted to overturn the election. The hearing before the House Oversight Committee included questioning of the president of the American Postal Workers Union Mark Dimondstein and the Postmaster-General, Trump appointee Louis DeJoy. Mr Jordan defended Mr DeJoy who he argued had been unfairly criticised by Democrats during the lead-up to the 2020 election, saying: "They accused you of things, they said you were restricting overtime - False.
LifestyleTODAY3 speedy sheet-pan suppers that will be your weeknight superheroes
It's no mystery why one-pot meals are so popular: Making everything with just one piece of cooking equipment cuts down on cleanup time, keeps prep and cooking quick and makes eating healthy easier. The New York Times' food columnist Melissa Clark is joining TODAY to share a few of her favorite sheet-pan dinner recipes. She shows us how to make roasted cumin-spiced pork chops with Brussels sprouts, chicken and potatoes with garlic yogurt and chicken with sweet tomatoes and pancetta.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestNo Need to Call an Architect—These 9 Room Dividers Elegantly Get the Job Done
From ornate to subtle, these beautiful screens double as functional art Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsBusiness InsiderDemocrats want to enact a new stimulus package within weeks. Here's the possible calendar for passage of $1,400 direct payments.
Democrats want to pass President Joe Biden's rescue package within weeks. Final passage could come in early March, before the expiration of enhanced unemployment insurance. Democrats aim to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan in a matter of weeks.
U.S.The Daily BeastTeen Accused of Killing Disabled Sister as Parents Slept
Claire Elaina Miller, 14, has been charged with homicide after calling authorities on Feb. 22 to admit she stabbed her older sister, 19-year-old Helen Miller, while her parents were asleep, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's office. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast, the Manheim Township Police Department arrived at the home just after 1 a.m. to find Miller, a ninth-grader at a local private school, standing in front of the house close to “what appeared to be blood on the snow near the driveway.”
PoliticsThe IndependentCPAC 2021 - live: Trump expected to announce 2024 run and Liz Cheney denies ‘civil war’ as GOP summit opens
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) opens on Thursday in Orlando, Florida, with ousted president Donald Trump its headline speaker, appearing on Sunday in his first public engagement since leaving the White House for Mar-a-Lago a month ago. This year's gathering, entitled “America Uncancelled”, is likely to be unusually fraught given that the Republican Party is currently mired in internal conflict following Mr Trump's election defeat and last month's US Capitol riot, with pro-Trump loyalists and establishment moderates locked in a feud that could determine its future.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTexas Lt. Gov. says that people getting huge energy bills 'gambled on a very, very low rate' - but suggests they won't have to pay the full amount
Texas Lt. Gov, Dan Patrick said that Texans getting huge energy bills took a gamble and lost. In Texas, some energy deals are linked to wholesale prices, exposing consumer to sudden spikes. After last week's devastating storm, some Texans faced energy bills as high as $16,000.
U.S.Architectural Digest9 Products to Help You Become a Better Plant Parent
You can't buy a green thumb, but at least you can buy the right tools Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsUSA TODAYWisconsin Rep. Ron Johnson wants answers on Capitol insurrection
A day after Johnson's statements in a Senate hearing defending Trump supporters gathered at the Capitol and suggesting the actions of police contributed to the violence, Johnson sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate committees posing a series of questions that he said "must be addressed." They included queries about overall security numbers, details of confrontations, numbers of shots fired by law enforcement and rioters, the cause of death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and cost estimates to replace or repair damage at the Capitol.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderStephen Miller, the architect of Trump's migrant-family-separation scheme, called Biden's immigration policies 'cruel' and 'inhumane'
In a Fox News interview, Stephen Miller weighed in on Biden's reopening of a child-migrant facility. "What we're seeing here is the cruelty and inhumanity of Joe Biden's immigration policies," he said. Stephen Miller, the Trump administration official who masterminded the policy of separating migrant children from their families at the US-Mexico border, described President Joe Biden's immigration policies as "cruel" and "inhumane" during an appearance on Fox News' "Ingraham Angle" on Wednesday night.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump-appointed federal judge indefinitely blocks the Biden administration's 100-day deportation freeze
A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a 100-day deportation freeze. The ruling does not mandate that deportations have to return to their previous rate. Democrats are hoping to pass a large-scale immigration overhaul in Congress this year.
“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.”