- U.S.Yahoo News
EPA administrator criticizes inspector general's conclusions on Scott Pruitt's alleged abuses
Scott Pruitt, the onetime administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was once a potent symbol of corruption within the Trump administration, as well as of its push to roll back environmental protections. With his penchant for first-class flights and other reported excesses — including, most infamously, an ill-fated search for a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel — Pruitt became an increasing problem for a White House that had promised to hold public officials accountable. Trump fired Pruitt just a day after Ingraham's second call for him to do so.
- PoliticsThe Week
Sanders finds out Bloomberg dropped out of the 2020 race hours later: 'First I heard about that'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) apparently hasn't been keeping a close eye on the news today. Sanders spoke to reporters in a post-Super Tuesday press conference on Wednesday afternoon, hours after former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he was bowing out of the 2020 race. "Has he stepped out?" Sanders asked the reporter.
- PoliticsNational Review
FISA Court Blacklists FBI Agents Involved in Surveilling Carter Page
The chief judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has barred Justice Department and FBI officials under review for wiretapping former Trump-campaign adviser Carter Page from appearing before the Court. In a 19-page opinion, Judge James E. Boasberg ordered that “FBI personnel under disciplinary review in relation to their work on FISA applications accordingly should not participate in drafting, verifying, reviewing, or submitting such application to the Court while the review is pending. He added that any “DOJ or FBI personnel under disciplinary or criminal review” are also prohibited from working on FISA applications.
- U.S.USA TODAY
Feds: Keep Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff in prison for his 'extraordinarily evil' crimes
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday night objected to Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff's bid for release from prison, arguing that the reviled and ailing ex-financier should continue serving his 150-year sentence. Charging that the 81-year-old convict who ran one of history's biggest scams has "demonstrated a wholesale lack of understanding of the seriousness of his crimes and a lack of compassion for his victims," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York urged a judge to keep him in prison. The recommendation came in response to Madoff's legal motion in February for compassionate release based on failing health.
- WorldReuters
Thailand announces compulsory quarantine for arrivals from six places
The Thai government on Thursday announces new compulsory quarantine measure for arrivals from four countries and two territories in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The move came as the Thai postal service began disinfecting all packages received from overseas, although the World Health Organization has said it is safe to receive post from badly affected countries such as China. The quarantine announcement, published in the official Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as "dangerous communicable disease areas".
- ScienceYahoo News Video
Large asteroid will fly close to, but won't hit, Earth next month: NASA
A large asteroid will fly close to, but won't hit, Earth next month, according to NASA data. CNN reports that the asteroid, predicted to be between 1.1 and 2.5 miles wide, is scheduled to fly past Earth on April 29.
- WorldBusiness Insider
8% of Iran's parliament has the coronavirus, and it released 54,000 prisoners as the country descends into chaos
Eight percent of Iran's parliament — 23 out of 290 members — has been infected with the coronavirus. At least seven government officials also have it, including one of Iran's vice presidents, and a key adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died from the virus. Iran is descending into chaos amid the coronavirus outbreak, with the government seemingly incapable of handling the scale of the crisis and going as far as to threaten the death penalty to those who hoard necessary materials or equipment.
- PoliticsTime
'Women Are Brave.' Jill Biden and a Top Aide Go Viral After Protesters Storm Rally Stage
The former second lady and Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders jumped in to keep the protesters at bay — and their actions quickly went viral on social media. The animal rights organization Direct Action Everywhere took credit for the protest on social media, posting on Facebook that the protestors, Sarah Segal and Ashley Froud, belonged to the group's Los Angeles branch. The protest was intended to draw attention to the inherent violence of the dairy industry,” a spokesperson for Direct Action Everywhere tells TIME over Twitter DM.
- WorldThe Daily Beast
Dubai’s Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, Abducted and Imprisoned Daughters, Says London Court
LONDON—Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, ordered his henchmen to abduct two of his daughters and force them into captivity after they tried to flee from his controlling grasp, according to a British court. One of the women was subjected to inhumane treatment amounting to torture in the view of a British High Court judge, whose findings about the 70-year-old leader were unsealed in London on Thursday. Sir Andrew McFarlane, the most senior family judge in England, published his findings as part of a case that was brought to protect two of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's younger children, who currently live in the U.K. Their mother is the daughter of Jordan's late King Hussein.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Court blocks 'Remain in Mexico' policy on part of US border
In the latest twist on a key Trump administration immigration policy, a federal appeals court said it will prevent the government from making asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for U.S. court hearings starting next week unless the Supreme Court steps in sooner. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Wednesday that it would only block the “Remain in Mexico” policy in Arizona and California, the two border states under its authority. President Donald Trump's administration says it is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and had asked that the policy remain in effect until next week to give the high court time to decide.
- BusinessBloomberg
Nigeria Senate Approves President’s $23 Billion Loan Request
Lawmakers gave their endorsement to the government during Thursday's proceedings in the capital, Abuja, to seek the funding expected from the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and creditors in China, Japan and Germany. The government will use the money to expand the railways, build a new hydro power dam and fund special intervention projects across the West African nation, according to a letter sent to the parliament in November. While Nigeria's outstanding loans amount to about about a quarter of its economic output, Africa's largest oil producer spends more than half of its revenue servicing debts.
- U.S.National Review
Arizona House Passes Ban on Male Participation in Women’s Sports
The Arizona House passed a bill on Tuesday that would ban the participation of males who identify as female in women's sports programs in the state. After an hours-long debate, the chamber passed the legislation 31-29 along party lines with Republicans in favor. The bill was sponsored by State Representative Nancy Barto (R., Phoenix), who argued that the participation of transgender women in women's sports was unfair to female athletes, especially if sports scholarships for universities are on the line.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
College student brings llama in tuxedo to his sister's wedding, keeping years-old promise
A Cleveland college student pulled a stunt for the ages at his sister's wedding, beginning with a promise made nearly half a decade ago. Mendl Weinstock, 21, a student at the University of Akron, made a peculiar proposal to his sister, Riva, during a 2015 road trip from Ohio to Indiana: He would only attend her wedding – whenever it would be – with a llama in tow. He told USA TODAY that he was peeved that his sister was talking about her wedding "as if it was going to happen the next day."
- WorldReuters
Coronavirus death toll jumps to 107 in Italy, all schools shut
Italy closed all schools and universities and took other emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe's worst-hit country as the death toll and number of cases jumped. The total number of dead in Italy rose to 107 after 28 people died of the highly contagious virus over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said. Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said schools and universities all over the country would be closed from Thursday until at least March 15.
- U.S.NBC News
Parents charged with murder after 6-year-old kept in closet dies
A mother, father and grandmother in Arizona were charged with murder and child abuse after admitting that a 6-year-old who died was kept in a closet with his brother as punishment for "stealing food," police said Tuesday. Anthony Jose Archibeque-Martinez, 23, Elizabeth Archibeque-Martinez, 26, and Ann Marie Martinez, 50, are being held at the the Coconino County Jail on one count each of first-degree felony homicide and two counts each of child abuse, according to a statement from the Flagstaff Police Department. Officers responded to a call Monday about an unresponsive child at a Flagstaff home, the statement said.
- PoliticsBusiness Insider
A group photo of all the 2020 female Democratic presidential candidates is going viral now that Elizabeth Warren has dropped out
REUTERS/Kyle Grillot Sen. Elizabeth Woman is planning on dropping out of the 2020 presidential race. After The New York Times first reported the news, people on Twitter started sharing a photo of female Democratic candidates from a Vogue profile published at the start of their campaigns. The photo shows Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Tulsi Gabbard smiling and giving each other high fives.
- WorldTime
Here's How to Self-Quarantine If You Get Exposed to Coronavirus
As the new coronavirus COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, an increasing number of people have been told to self-quarantine. While some have tested positive for the virus, others have simply been exposed to it and have been advised to self-quarantine as a precaution. Not everyone, however, is taking self-quarantine seriously.
- BusinessArchitectural Digest
The 2020 Geneva Motor Show Is Canceled, Forcing Automakers to Unveil Their Cars Online
The major European event was canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus—but the cars revealed online proved to be as exciting as they are bold in design Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- PoliticsThe Week
Pollster declares Democratic race 'pretty much over' after Joe Biden jumps to jaw-dropping lead in Florida
Former Vice President Joe Biden may have just secured his nomination. When several more states vote and provide clarity in the 2020 Democratic primary race on March 17, Florida, the home of the fourth biggest chunk of delegates in the 2020 Democratic primary race, will be among them. Biden's backing is a dramatic increase from the 34 percent he received in late February, and seems to draw directly from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other moderate candidates' supporters.
- U.S.Yahoo News Video
California cruise ship held for coronavirus screening after 20 passengers ill
A California cruise ship is being held offshore after two passengers who previously stayed on the vessel contracted coronavirus, and around 20 people onboard fell ill.
- PoliticsNational Review
Chief Justice John Roberts Scolds Schumer for ‘Dangerous’ Threat Directed at Conservative Justices
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday criticized Senator Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) over comments the minority leader made in reference to an abortion case currently being debated by the court. “For Justice Roberts to follow the right wing's deliberate misinterpretation of what Senator Schumer said, while remaining silent when President Trump attacked Justices Sotomayor and Ginsberg last week, shows Justice Roberts does not just call balls and strikes,” a spokesperson for Schumer responded. Earlier Wednesday, Schumer appeared to threaten Republican justices.
WorldAFPYemen cafes shut, women harassed as Huthis impose harsh morals campaign
The Huthi rebels arrived without warning, heavily armed and in a furious mood, as they barged into Ophelia, the only cafe for women in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and demanded it be shut down immediately. In recent months, restaurants where men and women mingle have been shut down, scissor-wielding militia have policed men's hairstyles, and rebel forces have patrolled college campuses to enforce dress codes. Yemen's long war has pitted the Huthis, who are backed by Iran and control large swathes of the north, against the internationally recognised government which has the support of a Saudi-led military coalition.
- WorldReuters
With North Korea border shut, China warns citizens to keep away, or else
SINGAPORE/SEOUL (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have told people to stay away from the border with North Korea, which has banned people from China to keep out the coronavirus, or risk being shot by North Korean guards, residents of the area said. Residents said the warning came in a printed notice that Chinese authorities in the area issued this week, the latest indication of how seriously North Korea takes the threat of the virus. Close allies China and North Korea share a 1,400-km (880-mile) frontier that is especially porous in winter, when rivers separating the countries freeze, allowing people to cross.
- U.S.Associated Press
Chicago cops in station shooting stripped of police powers
Chicago's interim police superintendent on Wednesday stripped two officers of their police powers pending the outcome of the investigation into their roles in the non-fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect inside of a downtown train station last week. Superintendent Charlie Beck made the decision hours after the head of the agency that investigates officer-involved shootings in Chicago, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, recommended that he take that step. The officers, whose names haven't been released, were placed on desk duty after Friday's shooting, in keeping with the department's policy in cases in which officers shoot people.
- WorldUSA TODAY
Pompeo says US will take 'all necessary measures' to bar war crimes probe of military
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the Trump administration would take "all necessary measures" to shield U.S. military and other personnel from a war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court. The international court, based in the Hague, Netherlands, ruled Thursday that its prosecutors could move forward with an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban, Afghan forces and American military and CIA personnel. "This is a truly breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution masquerading as a legal body," Pompeo said at the State Department.
"No Democrat this cycle did more to boost his political career."
"Yes, Buttigieg will almost certainly run for president again."
"At some point, the fact that a presidential candidate is LGBT will be a footnote rather than a headline."
"Those close to Mr. Buttigieg see no obvious political next step in Indiana."
"Buttigieg could run for president 40 years from now, but likely will not have to wait that long."
