PoliticsAssociated PressGen. Milley key to military continuity as Biden takes office
In taking charge of a Pentagon battered by leadership churn, the Biden administration will look to one holdover as a source of military continuity: Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President-elect Joe Biden will inherit Milley as his senior military adviser, and although Biden could replace Milley, he likely won't. A Princeton-educated history buff with the gift of gab, Milley has been a staunch defender of the military's apolitical tradition even as President Donald Trump packed the Pentagon with political loyalists.
PoliticsNational ReviewWhy Is Israel Doing Better Than Everyone Else in COVID Vaccinations?
It has administered 24.5 doses per 100 persons, nearly double the next-best country (the United Arab Emirates) and about 8 times as many people per capita as in the U.S. and the U.K. Israel's per capita vaccination rate is 24 times that of the normally efficient Germans and 50 times better than the world average. Only three other countries in the world — the U.S., China, and the U.K. — have administered more vaccines. Why is Israel doing so much better than anyone else?
U.S.BBCWilmington 1898: When white supremacists overthrew a US government
They destroyed black-owned businesses, murdered black residents, and forced the elected local government - a coalition of white and black politicians - to resign en masse. Historians have described it as the only coup in US history. Its ringleaders took power the same day as the insurrection and swiftly brought in laws to strip voting and civil rights from the state's black population.
WorldReutersUK sees third-highest daily death toll with new cases at three-week low
Britain reported its lowest number of daily new coronavirus infections since the start of the year on Saturday, adding to signs that a national lockdown is slowing the spread of a more infectious variant of the disease. However the effect of the recent surge in cases remains clear in the death toll, which was the third-highest on record. Britain has Europe's highest death toll - though more have died in Italy and Belgium on a per capita basis.
WorldAssociated PressReport: Images show latest 'attack' on Ethiopia refugee camp
New satellite images of a refugee camp in Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region show more than 400 structures have been badly damaged in what a research group believes is the latest “intentional attack” by fighters. The report by the U.K.-based DX Open Network nonprofit, shared with The Associated Press, says “it is likely that the fire events of 16 January are yet another episode in a series of military incursions on the camp as reported by (the United Nations refugee agency).” The Shimelba camp is one of four that hosted 96,000 refugees from nearby Eritrea when fighting erupted in early November between Ethiopian forces and those of the defiant Tigray region.
WorldAssociated PressBrazil’s health agency approves the use of two vaccines
Brazil's health regulator on Sunday approved the urgent use of coronavirus vaccines made by Sinovac and AstraZeneca, enabling Latin America's largest nation to begin an immunization program that's been subject to delay and political disputes. Brazil currently has 6 million doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine ready to distribute in the next few days and is awaiting the arrival of 2 million doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca and partner Oxford University. This is good news for Brazil, but 6 million doses are still very few.
WorldAssociated PressIsrael OKs hundreds of settlement homes in last-minute push
Israeli authorities on Sunday advanced plans to build nearly 800 homes in West Bank settlements, in a last-minute surge of approvals before the friendly Trump administration leaves office later this week. COGAT, the Israeli defense body that authorizes settlement construction, confirmed the approvals, which drew swift condemnations from the Palestinians. The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now said that over 90% of the homes lay deep inside the West Bank, which the Palestinians seek as the heartland of a future independent state, and over 200 homes were located in unauthorized outposts that the government had decided to legalize.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump will take nuclear football out of DC on his final day in office - and the codes will be deactivated at the stroke of noon
Donald Trump will get to take the nuclear football with him when he leaves Washington DC on his final day in office – but the codes will be deactivated at the stroke of noon. Mr Trump will be accompanied by the 45-pound briefcase when he flies to Florida on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration, as he is reportedly expected to do. Military officials will have a nuclear football ready and waiting to accompany Mr Biden after he becomes the commander-in-chief, officials told CNN.
WorldReutersChina reports 109 new COVID-19 cases to keep concerns simmering before Lunar New Year
Worries simmered in mainland China about a potential fresh wave of coronavirus cases ahead of the Lunar New Year next month as authorities on Sunday reported 109 new COVID-19 cases, most of them in Hebei province surrounding Beijing. Though the Jan. 16 tally of new cases was less than the previous day's 130, China has in the past week seen the number of daily cases jump to an over 10-month high. Giving details of the latest daily caseload, the National Health Commission (NHC) said 96 were local infections, 72 of them in Hebei, 12 in northeastern Heilongjiang province, 10 in northeastern Jilin province and two in Beijing.
WorldAssociated PressEgypt unveils ancient funerary temple south of Cairo
Egypt's former antiquities minister and noted archaeologist Zahi Hawass on Sunday revealed details of an ancient funerary temple in a vast necropolis south of Cairo. Hawass told reporters at the Saqqara necropolis that archaeologists unearthed the temple of Queen Neit, wife of King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty that ruled Egypt from 2323 B.C. till 2150 B.C. Archaeologists also found a 4-meter (13-foot) long papyrus that includes texts of the Book of the Dead, which is a collection of spells aimed at directing the dead through the underworld in ancient Egypt, he said.
WorldAssociated PressIran asks watchdog not to publish 'unnecessary' nuke details
Iran urged the United Nations' nuclear watchdog to avoid publishing “unnecessary” details on Tehran's nuclear program, state TV reported Sunday, a day after Germany, France and Britain said Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for its development of uranium metal. The report quoted a statement from Iran's nuclear department that asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to avoid publishing details on Iran's nuclear program that may cause confusion. It is expected the international atomic energy agency avoid providing unnecessary details and prevent paving ground for misunderstanding” in the international community, the statement said.
U.S.INSIDERA Virginia man arrested at a DC checkpoint with guns and ammo says he was just lost and made an 'honest mistake'
A Virginia man arrested at a DC checkpoint and accused of having guns and a cache of ammunition says it was an "honest mistake," and he was simply a private security guard who got lost. Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, was released by a judge on Saturday and told The Washington Post he was licensed to carry the gun, and had an inauguration badge as he'd been working security gigs all week. Washington, DC, has dramatically ramped up security measures ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, just two weeks after Trump supporters violently stormed the US Capitol.
PoliticsThe WeekLindsey Graham: Impeachment could 'destroy' GOP
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reiterated his belief that his Republican colleagues in the Senate should not embrace what he considers "an unconstitutional impeachment" of President Trump. Speaking with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday morning, Graham said Trump is facing a "scarlet letter" impeachment that's driven by the "radical left," calling on President-elect Joe Biden and the GOP to put a stop to it.
PoliticsAssociated PressVice President-elect Harris to resign her Senate seat Monday
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will resign her Senate seat on Monday, two days before she and President-elect Joe Biden are inaugurated. Aides to the California Democrat confirmed the timing and said Gov. Gavin Newsom was aware of her decision, clearing the way for him to appoint fellow Democrat Alex Padilla, now California's secretary of state, to serve the final two years of Harris' term. Padilla will be the first Latino senator from California, where about 40% of residents are Hispanic.
- ScienceReuters Videos
NASA's Boeing moon rocket cuts short in test
NASA's newest deep space rocket built by Boeing might have to stay grounded a little while longer. The Space Launch System was designed to return US astronauts to the moon by 2024 as part of NASA's Artemis Program. During an engine test on Saturday, all four of the Space Launch System's engines were ignited together for the first time, but that only lasted over a minute, well below the roughly eight-minute target for the test, designed to simulate the internal conditions of a real liftoff.
WorldBusiness InsiderNorwegian health officials have adjusted their advice on who gets a COVID-19 vaccine as 29 frail elderly people die
Norwegian health officials have changed their advice on who gets a COVID-19 vaccine after more than 25 elderly people with underlying health conditions died. According to the agency, "all deaths" are linked to the Pfizer vaccine, which was the only one available in the country until Friday. However, Norwegian officials maintain they are not alarmed and have advised individual doctors to decide who should receive a vaccine.
WorldThe Daily BeastThe Kashmiri Families Begging for Their Sons’ Bodies Back
Indian-administered Kashmir—On the afternoon of Jan. 7, 2021, a narrow lane covered with a huge layer of snow—and the muddy foot imprints of Kashmiri mourners—formed a track leading to the door of Mushtaq Ahmad Wani's house. Two Kashmiri men in their early 20s who wore long dull-colored pheran, a traditional Kashmiri dress, served the tea to the mourners, who had come to express their condolences to Mushtaq over the killing of his only son, 16-year-old Athar Ashraf Wani. The teen was killed two weeks earlier on the highway that connects Srinagar, the capital city of Indian-administered Kashmir, to the northern and southern parts of the region.
PoliticsThe IndependentAdam Schiff says ‘massive intelligence and security failure’ at US Capitol being investigated by the House
Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, said a "massive intelligence and security failure" was being investigated in connection with the US Capitol insurrection by Donald Trump's supporters on 6 January. Mr Schiff made the comments while appearing on CBS's Face the Nation. "Along with my fellow chairs, we are beginning an investigation into what went wrong," Mr Schiff said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz's former staffers say they are 'disgusted' by his role in the US Capitol insurrection and his unflinching support of Trump, report says
At least six of Sen. Ted Cruz's former aides have expressed their disgust at the recent actions of their former boss, according to New York Magazine's Intelligencer. Ted Cruz is under fire for spreading election misinformation, objecting to the results of the 2020 election being certified, and having fundraised during the US Capitol insurrection. Democratic lawmakers have called for Cruz to resign or to be removed from office.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastThe Boogaloos Are Pitching a Big Tent for Far-Right Violence
In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol Building in D.C., right-wing militia groups and allied Trump supporters are planning something bigger for the week of Jan. 17, in the lead-up to the inauguration of Joe Biden. A widely disseminated online poster calls for an “armed march on Capitol Hill and all state capitols.” The National Counterterrorism Center and Department of Homeland Security this week issued a bulletin that “domestic violent extremists” and “boogaloo adherents” intending to trigger a race war “may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States.”
CelebrityINSIDERLily Allen says she decided to get sober after she considered taking heroin while on tour with Miley Cyrus
Lily Allen decided to get sober after she considered taking heroin while performing on Miley Cyrus' Bangerz tour in 2014. While speaking with DJ Fat Tony on The Recovery podcast, Allen opened up about her journey to sobriety and the obstacles she overcame along the way. Allen, 35, recalled her time as an opening act on the Bangerz tour as particularly difficult, saying she didn't feel like a pop star at all.
SportsBBCCovid: Australian Open players frustrated by hotel isolation
Several Australian Open tennis players have expressed frustration at being confined to their hotel rooms for two weeks after people on their flights tested positive for coronavirus. At least three players said they might not have gone to the tournament if the rules had been made clear to them. Dozens of players are now in isolation ahead of the competition in Melbourne, which begins on 8 February.
PoliticsAssociated PressDeceptions in the time of the 'alternative facts' president
Truth caught up with Donald Trump after years of giving chase. “It really matters that the president of the United States is an arsonist of radicalization,” Kori Schake, a senior national security and State Department aide in the George W. Bush administration, told a postelection conference.
CelebrityINSIDERPrince Harry is reportedly 'heartbroken' by supposed royal family tensions, but he and Meghan Markle are 'content' in their new life
About one year ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their "step back" from official royal duties. Recently, journalist Tom Bradby said he thinks the couple is content in their post-royal life, but Harry is "heartbroken" over reported tension with the royal family. Bradby, a confidant of the couple, previously interviewed them on their fall 2019 royal tour.
SportsLA TimesBright future: Rookies Cam Akers, Van Jefferson shine on playoff stage
But that moment was one of several that might preview what's to come for Akers and receiver Van Jefferson, rookies who excelled on the playoff stage. Akers finished with 90 yards rushing in 18 carries and a touchdown. Jefferson, who started in place of the injured Cooper Kupp, finished with 46 yards receiving and a touchdown.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”