WorldNBC NewsSteady increase in Russian troops in Crimea on Ukraine border, says Pentagon
The number of Russian troops deployed in occupied Crimea near Ukraine's border has steadily increased over the past two weeks and has surpassed the size of the force that annexed the peninsula in 2014, the Pentagon said on Monday. Press secretary John Kirby declined to provide specific numbers on the growing Russian troop presence. A spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week there are about 80,000 troops now stationed along the country's border with Russia, 40,000 of them in Crimea.
U.S.The WeekGarland says DOJ is 'pouring its resources' into stopping domestic terrorists 'before they can attack'
At a ceremony Monday commemorating the 26th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department is "pouring its resources into stopping domestic violent extremists before they can attack, prosecuting those who do, and battling the spread of the kind of hate that leads to tragedies like the one we mark here today." The bombing targeted the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and killed 168 people, including 19 children in a day care center. Domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh was convicted of the bombing in 1997 and executed in 2001.
U.S.Associated PressGrizzly mauling near Yellowstone kills backcountry guide
A Montana backcountry guide has died after he was mauled by a large grizzly bear that was probably defending a nearby moose carcass just outside Yellowstone National Park, officials said Monday. Charles “Carl” Mock, 40, who lived in the park gateway community of West Yellowstone, died Saturday, two days after he was attacked while fishing alone in a forested area along the Madison River several miles north of West Yellowstone, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Christine Koosman said. The male bear, which weighed at least 420 pounds, was later shot and killed when it charged wildlife workers investigating the attack.
WorldReutersEU's Borrell cites progress in Iran nuclear talks
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Monday he saw a willingness to save the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers, citing progress in talks in Vienna to bring the United States back to the accord. The optimism follows comments by China's envoy to the negotiations, Wang Qun, on Saturday that negotiations were starting to pick up pace. "I think that there is real good will among both parties (Iran and the United States) to reach an agreement, and that's good news," he said, citing progress but not giving details.
U.S.National ReviewChauvin Trial Judge Says Maxine Waters Comments Could Lead to Trial Being ‘Overturned’ on Appeal
The judge in the Chauvin trial stated Monday that inflammatory remarks by Representative Maxine Waters could lead to the trial being “overturned” on appeal. Waters had called for demonstrators to “get more confrontational” and protest in the streets if no guilty verdict was reached in the case. Waters delivered the comments over the weekend ahead of closing arguments in the high-profile case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who's been charged with the murder of George Floyd.
PoliticsAssociated PressMondale remembered as effective policymaker, public servant
During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today. Fritz Mondale provided us all with a model for public service and private behavior.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Chauvin trial judge says Waters's comments could overturn a verdict on appeal
After final arguments in the Derek Chauvin trial were delivered, defense attorney Eric Nelson moved for a mistrial based in part because of statements made by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. In Minnesota on Saturday, Waters responded to reporters' questions about what protesters should do, saying, “We've got to stay on the street, and we've got to get more active. We've got to get more confrontational.
WorldBBCCuba leadership: Díaz-Canel named Communist Party chief
Cuba's Communist Party has announced Miguel Díaz-Canel will succeed Raúl Castro as the party's first secretary. Mr Díaz-Canel, who in 2018 succeeded Mr Castro as Cuba's president, had been widely tipped for the arguably more influential post of party leader. The transition means that the island will be governed by someone other than Fidel or Raúl Castro for the first time since the Cuban revolution in 1959.
U.S.National ReviewPelosi: Waters Should Not Apologize for Urging Protesters to ‘Get More Confrontational’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said she does not believe Representative Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) should apologize for her recent suggestion that protesters should “get more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted. On Saturday, Waters traveled to Brooklyn Center, Minn., to join protests in response to the police shooting of Daunte Wright last week. Speaking just a few miles from where George Floyd died last year after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during his arrest, Waters said she was “going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” and called on others to join her.
WorldReuters'A very good weird': Israel drops outdoor COVID mask order
Israelis went about barefaced on Sunday after the order to wear masks outdoors was rescinded in another step towards relative normality thanks to the country's mass-vaccination against COVID-19. With about 81% of citizens or residents over 16 - the age group eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Israel - having received both doses, contagions and hospitalisations are down sharply. But entry by foreigners is still limited and non-immune Israelis who return from abroad must self-isolate, due to concern virus variants could challenge the vaccine.
WorldAssociated PressEgypt says 11 killed in train crash north of Cairo
A passenger train derailed Sunday north of Cairo, killing at least 11 people, Egyptian authorities said. Four train wagons ran off the railway at the city of Banha in Qalyubia province, just outside Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement. The train was travelling to the Nile Delta city of Mansoura from the Egyptian capital, the statement said.
U.S.INSIDERJudge denies Chauvin defense's motion for a mistrial, but says Rep. Maxine Waters' comments 'could lead to this whole case being overturned'
Derek Chauvin's defense cited comments from US Rep. Maxine Waters in a motion for a mistrial. Over the weekend, Waters called on protesters to stay on the streets if there's no guilty verdict. Judge Peter Cahill denied the motion but said Waters may have given the defense a successful appeal.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news: White House warns Russia of consequences if Navalny dies as John Kerry apologises for Trump
The White House has warned Russia that “there will be consequences” if Alexei Navalny, a Putin critic, dies in prison, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. This comes after President Joe Biden gave a speech on Thursday about Russia where he failed to mention the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, which angered critics. John Kerry has also apologised for former President Donald Trump's “non-leadership” on the effort to address the climate crisis during his four years as US leader.
TechnologyBBCParler set to return to Apple's App Store
Apple is to allow the controversial social media app Parler, a popular platform with far-right supporters, back onto its App Store. The app was pulled following the deadly US Capitol riots on 6 January. In a letter to two Republican lawmakers on Monday, Apple said Parler had made updates to its app and content moderation policy that would lead to it being reinstated.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe war against Russia's spies just cost Putin billions from a cancelled nuclear contract
Russia announced on Monday the expulsion of at least 20 Czech diplomats in a furious response to the gutting of Moscow's most critical intelligence station in central Europe over the weekend, when Czech authorities accused Russian intelligence of being behind two blasts at an ammunition storage facility in 2014. Czechia has accused a notorious Russian intelligence unit implicated in multiple operations across Europe and the UK of conducting two operations in 2014 that led to explosions at a munitions factory in 2014. At the time, the ammunition was said to be headed for Russia's rivals in Ukraine.
WorldBBC5G: Rural areas to be allowed taller and wider masts
The government is to allow taller and wider mobile phone masts to be built across the English countryside to speed up the 5G network rollout. Parliament will vote on the plans, which the government says would improve rural coverage, while “minimising any visual impact” on the landscape. Stricter rules will apply in protected areas, including national parks, conservation areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
U.S.USA TODAYElderly Korean couple attacked in park in California by same man who harassed Olympian Sakura Kokumai, police say
Olympian Sakura Kokumai said she was verbally harassed and called racial slurs in April. Now, weeks later, authorities say they arrested her harasser after he attacked a senior couple on Sunday. According to authorities, Michael Vivona, 25, punched a 79-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife, knocking them to the ground while they were walking in a park in Orange, California, about 40 miles from Los Angeles.
PoliticsThe IndependentSupreme Court scraps last GOP election lawsuit, ending five-month challenge to results
After five months and an estimated 65 lawsuits, the GOP lost its final legal bid at challenging the results of the United States' presidential election. The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed as moot a Republican challenge to the extension of Pennsylvania's deadline to receive mail-in ballots. It was the last challenge over Pennsylvania's results, and the last of 65 cases brought by GOP plaintiffs, according to Democrat Party attorney Marc Elias, who has been tracking the post-election legal battle.
BusinessBusiness InsiderFacebook says it will remove content that 'praises, celebrates or mocks George Floyd's death' ahead of Chauvin trial verdict
Ahead of the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Facebook is beefing up content moderation standards. Among those new standards, Facebook "will remove content that praises, celebrates or mocks George Floyd's death," the company said in a blog post on Monday. Floyd died during an interaction with police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
U.S.INSIDERThe police officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo was listed as a victim on an incident report. One law enforcement expert said it's 'an old cop trick meant to muddy the murky waters.'
An incident report lists Officer Eric Stillman as the victim in an officer-involved shooting that left 13-year-old Adam Toledo dead. A law enforcement expert told Insider that doing so is an "old cop trick" meant to shift culpability from the police. It's "meant to muddy the murky waters," often used in "the aftermath of what we cops call a 'bad shoot,'" he said.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Give back her socialist cash’: Democrats pushed to return campaign donations from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The campaign arm of the Republicans in the House of Representatives is putting pressure on their Democratic colleagues to return donations from New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The National Republican Congressional Committee launched a website on Monday called “Socialist Give Back”, listing 26 House Democrats who have received funds from Ms Ocasio-Cortez. The new NRCC site comes after Politico reported earlier this month that the New York Democrat donated $5,000 to a number of her House colleagues in an effort to help keep the House majority in the upcoming 2022 midterms.
CelebrityThe TelegraphNo man-to-man for Prince Charles and Harry as Duke heads back to US
The Duke of Sussex will return to California without having a private meeting with his father, The Telegraph understands. Many family members had hoped the pair would take the opportunity to spend some time together alone, to air their differences face to face. While the Duke's travel plans have not been disclosed, he is thought likely to return home to his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, 39, and their son Archie, who turns two next month, within the next day or two.
U.S.Chicago TribuneJaslyn Adams shooting: First grader shot 6 times, Chicago police investigating if father was target
The 7-year-old girl killed Sunday afternoon while with her father in a McDonald's drive-thru was a first grade student who attended a Chicago public school in Humboldt Park and Chicago detectives are investigating her fatal shooting as possibly targeting her father, according to police. Jaslyn Adams, 7, was shot six times Sunday as she and her father waited in a drive-thru line at the McDonald's, 3200 W. Roosevelt Road in the Homan Square neighborhood on the West Side, a preliminary police report states. A responding police officer took the gravely injured child in a squad car and rushed her to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:39 p.m. Her father, 29, with whom she had been in an Infiniti sedan in the drive-thru lane at the time of the shooting, was shot once in the lower back, the report states.
CelebrityTheGrioScottie Pippen’s son Antron dies at 33: ‘I’m heartbroken’
NBA legend Scottie Pippen is mourning the death of his first-born son Antron who has died at the age of 33. Pippen shared the devastating news on social media that Antron died on Sunday. Pippen, whose legendary career in the NBA included winning six championship rings with the Chicago Bulls, went on to describe the resiliency of his son's spirit.
U.S.The IndependentChris Cuomo says police reform won’t happen until white kids start getting killed
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has said that police reform won't happen until "white people's kids start getting killed" after a string of police shootings of people of colour. "George Floyd, Daunte Wright, I wonder if you'll remember their names six months from today because there'll be replaced by so many others," Mr Cuomo said during his show on Friday. Mr Cuomo criticised those who blame victims after police shootings.
“High-speed rail is bold and attention-grabbing, but the scale of the project makes it near impossible.”
“While a long, slow train ride across the country can be a great thing, the US needs real high-speed rail too.”
“Liberals are right that America has a car problem — but it's commutes, not road trips, that suck.”
“Investments into a high-speed rail system wouldn’t just improve the railroads — automobile traffic could also see some relief.”
“Big cities that are reasonably close together is pretty much a prerequisite for high-speed rail.”