There are only three viable presidential candidates, according to Mike Bloomberg's campaign

Only three candidates out of the more than half dozen vying for the White House have a viable path to the nomination, a senior official for the Mike Bloomberg campaign told reporters Tuesday. Bloomberg states director Dan Kanninen said that “we are really down to a race where there are three people left who could really be considered viable to be sworn into office next year, and that's Bernie Sanders, Mike Bloomberg and Donald Trump,” he said in a conference call with reporters. The blunt statement provides a window into how the campaign views the other established frontrunners, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

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  Jane Sanders reacts to Mike Bloomberg's 'Bernie Bro' attacks

  The Independent
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  Bloomberg qualifies for Las Vegas debate as Sanders rises in polls

  Fox Business

Abbott says top Malaysian leaders suspected pilot of MH370

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the “top levels” of the Malaysian government long suspected that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot. Australia, working on Malaysia's behalf, coordinated what became the largest search in aviation history, but it failed to find the plane before being ended in 2017. Speaking in a Sky News documentary to air on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbott said high-ranking Malaysian officials believed veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the jet.

Turkish president says a new military intervention in Syria is 'imminent'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday told his party's lawmakers it is "only a matter of time" before he launches a new military intervention in neighboring Syria's Idlib province if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not withdraw his forces from the area. "An operation in Idlib is imminent," Erdogan said. "We are counting down; we are making our final warnings.

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  Turkey's Erdogan says Syria talks with Russia unsatisfactory, offensive 'matter of time'

  Reuters
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  Turkey edges towards direct conflict with Russian-backed Syria

  Reuters

Former South Korean president jailed after losing appeal

Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was taken to prison Wednesday to begin a 17-year term for bribery and embezzlement after losing an appeal against a lighter sentence. Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, was briefly jailed in 2018 after being sentenced to 15 years and fined 13 billion won ($11 million), but was granted bail while he appealed. He was found guilty of creating slush funds of tens of millions of dollars and accepting bribes from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman, Lee Kun-hee, who was jailed for tax evasion.

Coronavirus updates: Quarantine ends on cruise ship as death toll passes 2,000

Almost 450 passengers allowed to leave quarantined cruise ship in Japan • U.S. evacuee from cruise ship confirmed to have virus • American passenger still on cruise ship unclear happens next • 2,004 dead, more than 74,100 confirmed cases in mainland China • Second coronavirus death recorded in Hong Kong • China announces measures to cut costs for business affected by outbreak • Adidas, Puma warn of coronavirus hit to China business Iran reports 2 coronavirus deaths Two Iranians have died in hospital after testing positive for the new coronavirus in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom, the head of the city's University of Medical Sciences told Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

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  Americans arrive home from virus-infected cruise ship

  AFP
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  'I smell a rat here': British couple quarantined on cruise ship claim their coronavirus diagnosis 'might not be true'

  Yahoo News UK

ICE says it plans to destroy a trove of detention records, including numbers on detainee deaths and sexual assaults

Customs & Border Protection Agency/Reuters The National Archives and Records Administration approved ICE's request to destroy years of detention records last year. The records included in the trove contain information related to deaths of detainees and allegations of sexual assault and abuse of detainees in December. On Tuesday, the ACLU filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to retrieve the documents before they are erased.

2 teens charged in deadly California library fire that killed at least one firefighter

PORTERVILLE, Calif. — Two 13-year-olds have been arrested and booked on suspicion arson and manslaughter charges in a deadly fire on Tuesday that destroyed the Porterville Library. Tuesday's blaze started shortly after 4 p.m. and killed one firefighter and left another missing. The man killed has been identified as Fire Capt. Raymond Figueroa, 35.

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  Porterville and Tulare County firefighters battling fire at Porterville library

  KFSN – Fresno
• 2 juveniles arrested for starting deadly fire that killed Porterville firefighter, 2nd firefighter still unaccounted for

  KFSN – Fresno

Russia Hates This: Why the Astute-Class Submarine Is the Pride of the Royal Navy

Key Point: London's Astute class submarines are powerful and very well-built. Since the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought in 1963, the Royal Navy has maintained a formidable force of nuclear attack submarines. The latest nuclear attack subs, the Astute class, have become a critical component of the future of the Royal Navy—but, given Russia's resurgence, are they enough?

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  The U.S. Navy's Submarine Force Is Shrinking Fast (And Trump Just Made It Worse)

  The National Interest
• 
  Why It Is Past Time for the Navy to Bring Back Diesel Submarines

  The National Interest

Maduro accused of "disappearing" US oilmen as trial delayed

Family members of six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela are accusing Nicolas Maduro's government of “forced disappearance” after the men were inexplicably missing for the scheduled start of their trial on Wednesday. Veronica Vadell said that lawyers for her father, Tomeu Vadell, and the five other executives from Houston-based Citgo had been waiting at a Caracas courthouse for more than six hours for the men to be transferred by the nation's intelligence police. The arrest took place the same day opposition leader Juan Guaidó met with President Donald Trump at the White House, fueling speculation the detention was politically motivated.

9 Rural Farms of the 21st Century Featuring Stunning Modern Design

From Italy to Tasmania, a new book covers those farms with an eye on both sustainability and beautiful design Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Democrats Still Haven’t Come to Terms with 2016

In an otherwise excellent Politico article advising Democrats how to avoid the fate of 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Obama staffer Dan Pfeiffer offers his team some self-soothing revisionism regarding the 2016 election: When all is said and done, the 2016 election might end up being a black-swan event. The combination of Russian interference, Comey intervention and multiple third-party candidates make that election a hard one to extract guidance from. Guess what?

Bloomberg campaign suggests other candidates drop out so Bloomberg can stop Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could soon build an "insurmountable" delegate lead, Michael Bloomberg's campaign warned in a memo, per Axios. "The fact is if the state of this race remains status quo – with [former Vice President Joe] Biden, [former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor] Pete [Buttigieg], and [Sen.] Amy [Klobuchar (D-Minn.)] in the race on Super Tuesday — Bernie is likely to open up a delegate lead that seems nearly impossible to overcome," said Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's top strategist. In the memo, Sheekey and his colleague Howard Wolfson, wrote the three candidates mentioned above have "no path" to accruing delegates and would essentially block Bloomberg from ably challenging Sanders.

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  Klobuchar campaign reportedly isn't sure it's feasible to compete in high-delegate states like Texas and California

  The Week
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  Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas: 5 things to watch for

  NBC News

Group of more than 1,000 judges calls emergency meeting amid Trump concerns

A national association of federal judges has called an emergency meeting to address growing concerns about the intervention of Donald Trump and justice department officials in politically sensitive cases, according to US media reports. Cynthia Rufe, a Philadelphia US district judge who heads the independent Federal Judges Association, which has more than 1,100 members, told USA Today the group “could not wait” until its spring conference to discuss the matter. The meeting comes after more than 2,000 former US justice department officials, including some of the top government lawyers in the country, called on the attorney general, William Barr, to resign in the wake of the Roger Stone scandal.

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  Trump discusses Roger Stone case ahead of west coast trip

  Yahoo News Video
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  Stone sentencing to go ahead amid pardon speculation

  Reuters

How Jewish American pedophiles hide from justice in Israel

Now another alleged Israeli victim has come forward, saying he began abusing her when she was 5-years-old, and continued for years. Karow has successfully evaded authorities by moving between communities in Israel for almost two decades, and he is not alone. A CBS News investigation has found that many accused American pedophiles flee to Israel, and bringing them to justice can be difficult.

Bloomberg campaign: There are only three viable presidential candidates

Only three candidates out of the more than half dozen vying for the White House have a viable path to the nomination, a senior official for the Mike Bloomberg campaign told reporters Tuesday.

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  Warren rips Bloomberg as 'egomaniac billionaire' as Dems prepare for new rival on debate stage

  USA TODAY
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  Bloomberg's debate debut set to shake up Democratic primary

  Associated Press

Hate crimes go unchecked at Syracuse University, students say

A student activist group that took over a Syracuse University administration building to protest long-simmering charges of racism and bias on campus rejected an attempt by the school to end its three-day sit-in, the school said in a statement Wednesday. The black-led movement #NotAgainSU launched the sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall with more than 20 students Monday to protest the administration's handling of racial incidents at the university. The university's Department of Public Safety sealed off the building and hasn't allowed in food or medicine since Tuesday, according to The Daily Orange, the university's independent newspaper.

Russia raises eyebrows with blanket ban on Chinese visitors

Moscow is to impose a blanket ban on Chinese visitors over coronavirus fears in a move that will hit its tourism industry as experts question the need for such "draconian" measures. Moscow will ban all Chinese citizens from entering its territory from Thursday. It has already halted visa-free tourism for Chinese nationals and stopped issuing them with work visas and suspended rail links and restricted air travel.

• Malaysia maintains tourism target, bets on locals and non-Chinese visitors

  Reuters
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  Russia relaxes visa rules for EU citizens – but not for UK visitors

  The Independent

Pope tenderly kissed on forehead by man in front-row seat

Well-wishers at Pope Francis' weekly audience have thrust soccer T-shirts, flowers and many a wailing baby into his arms. On Wednesday, Francis seemed to thoroughly enjoy a surprise expression of affection: a long, tender kiss planted on his forehead by a man in one of the front-row seats reserved for ailing or disabled people at the end of his audience. Francis appeared to be smiling when the man, who stood up when the pontiff approached to greet him and others in the front row, pulled the pope's head toward him and gave a kiss lasting several seconds, pressing his nose against Francis' forehead in the process.

A staggering 542 passengers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship

Five-hundred forty-two people on the Diamond Princess have tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The vessel is the largest site of coronavirus cases outside mainland China. Nearly two weeks ago, the vessel began a 14-day quarantine in the port of Yokohama, Japan, near Tokyo.

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  Americans arrive home from virus-infected cruise ship

  AFP
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  Coronavirus: British couple on cruise ship say they have tested positive

  The Independent

Vegas debate: Growing animosity between Buttigieg, Klobuchar could flare up

In one corner, we have a mild-mannered Midwestern moderate, looking to appeal to centrist Democrats and disillusioned Republicans. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar are competing for the same voters, and with both rising in polls and in prominence, the gloves have come off. The growing animosity between the two, however, could threaten both of their candidacies, experts told NBC News, especially if it spills over onto Wednesday's debate stage.

• 
  How To Watch Michael Bloomberg’s Democratic Debate Debut In Nevada

  Deadline
• 
  Long Nomination Process Doesn’t Necessarily Signal Party Weakness

  Bloomberg

Andrew Yang is headed to CNN

Andrew Yang's presidential bid failed, but it did land him a gig with CNN. The entrepreneur who made a run at the Oval Office before dropping out last week after a poor showing at the New Hampshire primary will be joining the network as a political analyst. He's doing so just in time for Wednesday night's Democratic debate in Las Vegas, as the remaining candidates take the stage before the Nevada caucuses Saturday.

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  CNN Hires Former Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang as Political Commentator

  The Wrap
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  Andrew Yang Joins CNN As Political Commentator, Will Provide Analysis Of Wednesday’s Democratic Debate

  Deadline

Hunter Biden Served on Board of Trade Group That Lobbied Obama Admin for Increased Ukraine Aid: Report

Hunter Biden, son of former vice president Joe Biden, was on the board of a trade group that lobbied the Obama administration for increased U.S. aid to Ukraine, according to a report Tuesday. From 2012 through 2018, the younger Biden served as a director for the Center for U.S. Global Leadership and was connected as well with its affiliate, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, The Daily Caller reported. The two groups, which include about 400 larger corporations and non-government organizations, lobbied for increased spending abroad by the State Department's International Affairs Budget, including a special focus on Ukraine.

Security guard sentenced to prison for murdering US woman in Costa Rica Airbnb

A security guard for an apartment complex with Airbnb rental units has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for the 2018 murder of an American tourist. Carla Stefaniak, a Venezuelan-American who lived in Miami, was in San Jose, Costa Rica, celebrating her 36th birthday when she was brutally murdered. On Monday, Bismarck Espinoza Martinez, originally from Nicaragua, was found guilty of fatally stabbing Ms Stefaniak on the night of 28 November, 2018.

• 
  This is the biggest drug bust in Costa Rica's history

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  American Tourist on Birthday Trip Was Killed by Security Guard at Costa Rica Resort

  People

China kicked out 3 Wall Street Journal reporters after it published an op-ed using a term that invokes the biggest humiliation in Chinese history

Reuters/Pool China is expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters, accusing the newspaper of publishing a racist headline about the country's battle with coronavirus. On February 3, the Journal had published an op-ed by a foreign-affairs academic titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia." The "sick man of Asia" is a 19th-century term that referred to a time when China was internally divided and exploited by foreign powers — a period that still deeply humiliates the country's leadership.

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  China revokes three Wall Street Journal reporters' credentials

  Reuters
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  China expels Wall Street Journal reporters over 'racist' headline

  AFP