WorldReutersLooming China extradition deal worries Uighurs in Turkey
Joining hundreds of women in Istanbul to protest at China's treatment of Uighurs, Nursiman Abdurasit tearfully thinks of her jailed mother in Xinjiang and fears that Uighurs like her in Turkey may one day be sent back under an extradition deal. Beijing approved an extradition treaty between the two nations in December and with the deal awaiting ratification by Ankara's parliament, activists among some 40,000 Uighurs living in Turkey have stepped up efforts to highlight their plight. Abdurasit came to Turkey to study in 2015 and lost contact with her family four years ago.
- U.S.Associated Press
FBI arrests 2, including Stone bodyguard, in Capitol riot
Two men wanted in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol were arrested over the weekend, including one who reportedly served as a bodyguard to former President Donald Trump's longtime political confidant Roger Stone, federal authorities said Monday. Roberto Minuta breached the Capitol grounds and “aggressively berated and taunted U.S. Capitol police officers" during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the FBI said in court papers. Minuta, 36, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, had been “equipped with military-style attire and gear, including apparel emblazoned with a crest related to the Oath Keepers," the FBI said, referring to the far-right antigovernment militia.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news - Cuomo faces fresh allegations as Obama praises president on Covid-19 relief bill
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly facing fresh allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, two more women have come forward to accuse Mr Cuomo of misconduct. Karen Hinton, a former press aide, has said Mr Cuomo invited her to his hotel room after a work event in Los Angeles in 2000.
PoliticsNational ReviewSenator Roy Blunt Announces He Will Not Run for Reelection
Senator Roy Blunt (R., Mo.) announced Monday he will not seek reelection in 2022. “After 14 general election victories — three to county office, seven to the United States House of Representatives, and four statewide elections — I won't be a candidate for reelection to the United States Senate next year,” said Blunt, who is the ranking Republican member of the Senate Rules Committee. Blunt, who was first elected to the Senate in 2010, is the fifth Republican senator to announce he will retire rather than seek reelection next year.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Accountant faces pressure to turn on Trump in criminal probe
When lawyers asked Donald Trump more than a decade ago to identify who estimated values on some of his signature properties, he pointed to his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg.
WorldReutersFrench billionaire politician killed in helicopter crash
French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician. Dassault was the eldest son of late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation, builds the Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. "Olivier Dassault loved France.
WorldAssociated PressB-52s again fly over Mideast in US military warning to Iran
A pair of B-52 bombers flew over the Mideast on Sunday, the latest such mission in the region aimed at warning Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran. The flight by the two heavy bombers came as a pro-Iran satellite channel based in Beirut broadcast Iranian military drone footage of an Israeli ship hit by a mysterious explosion only days earlier in the Mideast. While the channel sought to say Iran wasn't involved, Israel has blamed Tehran for what it described as an attack on the vessel.
WorldReutersPhilippine leader's order to kill rebels 'legal', spokesman says
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's order to kill armed rebels was legal, his spokesman said on Monday, as catholic leaders joined condemnation of the killings of nine activists in separate weekend raids against suspected insurgents. Human Rights groups are outraged over the deaths of what they said were legitimate activists under the guise of counter-insurgency operations, which came two days after Duterte told security forces they could kill rebels if they were holding a gun and to "ignore human rights". "The president's 'kill, kill, kill' order is legal because it was directed at armed rebels," his spokesman Harry Roque said in a briefing, adding the government would still investigate the incident.
WorldBBCWhat's causing vaccine delays in some Asian countries?
In others countries however, vaccine programmes are either yet to begin or are still at a very early stage. The reasons for this have been varied - ranging from an abundance of caution to high levels of vaccine scepticism. We looked at some of the countries in this situation and the different reasons behind it.
PoliticsAssociated PressSunshine State dims for Dems amid election losses, cash woes
Democrats may delight in their brightening prospects in Arizona and Georgia, and may even harbor glimmers of hope in Texas, but their angst is growing in Florida, which has a reputation as a swing state but now favors Republicans and could be shifting further out of reach for Democrats. As the jockeying begins to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2022, Democrats' disadvantage against Republicans is deeper than ever, as they try to develop a cohesive strategy and rebuild a statewide party deep in debt and disarray. Former President Donald Trump's brand of populism has helped power a GOP surge in Florida, where Trump defeated now-President Joe Biden by more than 3 percentage points last fall — more than doubling the lead he had against Hillary Clinton.
WorldReutersChina says hopes U.S. will remove 'unreasonable' curbs on cooperation
China urged the United States on Sunday to remove "unreasonable" curbs on cooperation as soon as possible and work together on issues like climate change, while accusing Washington of bringing chaos in the name of spreading democracy. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden singled out a "growing rivalry with China" as a key challenge facing the United States, with his top diplomat describing the country as "the biggest geopolitical test" of this century. Speaking at his annual news conference, the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, struck a tough line even as he outlined where the world's two biggest economies could work together.
CelebrityThe TelegraphThe Queen emerges unscathed as Meghan and Harry lavish praise on his grandmother
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unloaded on Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cambridge, and the tabloid press in their extraordinary tell-all with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan described how "everyone" welcomed her to the royal set-up initially, but singled out the Queen as making her particularly comfortable. Meghan said the Queen has "always been wonderful" to her and that she reminded the Duchess of her own grandmother.
PoliticsAssociated PressIowa governor signs GOP-forced voting changes bill into law
We don't have to wait to have Democrats talking with their neighbors in rural and metropolitan areas in the state about how these harmful pieces of legislation are being forced through,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn. The law shortens the early voting period to 20 days from the current 29, just three years after Republicans reduced the period from 40 days. It also requires most mail ballots to be received by Election Day, rather than counting votes postmarked by Election Day that arrive by noon on the Monday following the election.
U.S.Miami HeraldFlorida’s Sunday COVID update: 1.9 million fully vaccinated, fewest deaths since Nov. 29
After three days of falling positive test rates, Saturday's rate mini-bounced back up to 5.84%. COVID vaccines in Florida and South Florida ▪ Florida: The state's vaccination report says another 17,192 have received either the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their second COVID vaccine dose of the two-shot vaccines, meaning 1,941,468 are fully vaccinated. Miami-Dade County: The state reported 2,949 people completed their vaccinations, meaning 210,398 in Miami-Dade have received both vaccination shots.
PoliticsAssociated PressUS offers residency to Venezuelans and will review sanctions
The Biden administration said Monday it is offering temporary legal residency to several hundred thousand Venezuelans who fled their country's economic collapse and will review U.S. sanctions intended to isolate the South American nation. Both measures mark a shift from U.S. policy toward Venezuela under President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden's administration announced it would grant temporary protected status to Venezuelans already in the United States, allowing an estimated 320,000 people to apply to legally live and work in the country for 18 months.
U.S.Business InsiderA Trump appointee who was arrested over the Capitol riot asked a judge if he could be transferred to a cell with no cockroaches
A former State Department aide arrested over the Capitol riot has complained of his cell conditions. The former aide, Federico Klein, told a judge he felt "cockroaches crawling" all over him. Klein is believed to be the first Trump appointee arrested in connection to the Capitol riot.
WorldAssociated PressSyrian president, wife test positive for coronavirus
Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president's office said Monday, with both having only mild symptoms of the illness. In a statement, Assad's office said the first couple did PCR tests after they experienced minor symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 illness. It said Assad, 55, and his wife Asma, who is 10 years younger and announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, will continue to work from home where they will isolate between two to three weeks.
U.S.USA TODAYFact check: Image of Jill Biden handing out food to asylum-seekers in 2019 is missing context
The claim: Image shows Jill Biden handing out food and gifts to asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico; 'Has anybody seen her in Texas helping Americans yet? A viral meme shared by users across Facebook asserts that first lady Jill Biden traveled to Mexico to hand out food and gifts to asylum-seekers but did not provide assistance to those in Texas struggling in the aftermath of deadly winter storms. "Jill Biden handing out food and gifts to asylum-seekers in Matamoros, Mexico," reads a Feb. 26 post with over 300 shares.
CelebrityReutersUK's Johnson steers clear of royal racism row after Meghan interview
Prime Minister Boris Johnson avoided wading into the clash of British royals on Monday, praising the queen but sidestepping questions about racism and insensitivity at the palace after an interview by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. The former Hollywood actress, whose mother is Black and father is white, accused the royal family of pushing her to the brink of suicide. In a tell-all television interview, she said someone in the royal household had raised questions about the colour of her son's skin.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, says he will fight for Republicans to get a say in Biden's infrastructure bill and block it if they don't
Sen. Joe Manchin told Axios that he wanted bipartisan backing for Biden's infrastructure bill. Manchin, a Democrat, said he'd oppose a bill without tax hikes and GOP support being sought. Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat, said in an interview with Axios broadcast Sunday that he'd block President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill if it didn't attract Republican support.
U.S.INSIDERFormer neo-Nazi says Fox News radicalizes people by saying the same stuff he used to say
A former neo-Nazi was interviewed by CNN's Pamela Brown Saturday about domestic extremism in the US. Frank Meeink said Fox News has radicalized Americans by saying the same stuff he used to say. Fox News has been accused in the past of using language that echoes white supremacists.
WorldBusiness InsiderA new lab study shows troubling signs that Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 shots could be far less effective against the variant first found in South Africa
Pfizer's and Moderna's shots were at least 10 times less effective against variant in a new study. Researchers tested the vaccines on a variant first found in South Africa, which is now in 20 states. A mutation on the variant called E484K appeared to be a "major contributor," the study authors said.
U.S.USA TODAYUSS Nimitz completes a 99,000-mile journey likely not done since WWII
At long last, the USS Nimitz returned home Sunday, close to a year after the aircraft carrier left Sinclair Inlet in Washington state. The 100,000-ton warship, in completing a deployment that included flying sorties against the Islamic State in the Middle East to navigating the disputed waters of the South China Sea, returns to Bremerton, Washington, having logged 99,000 miles. Most of its 3,000-plus sailors, roughly half of which were serving in their first-ever deployment, boarded the warship April 1, 2020 to quarantine for COVID-19.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden eyes trashing Trump-era rules that advocates feared would silence sexual assault survivors on college campuses
Biden is directing the Education Department to review policies about sexual assault on college campuses. The controversial policies were instituted under Trump by Betsy DeVos. The president will direct the Education Department to determine if the rules mesh with his policies.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe White House says a 'large number' of Americans will receive $1,400 stimulus checks by the end of March
The White House says many Americans can expect to get a $1,400 stimulus check this month. Under the last stimulus bill, the IRS distributed 147 million checks in two months. The White House said on Monday that many Americans could expect to get a $1,400 stimulus check within a few weeks.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”