PoliticsLA TimesMcManus: McConnell wants to use the filibuster to block Biden's agenda. Here's how Biden can outfox him
Now the measure, in all likelihood, will go to the Senate to die. Under the rules of the 100-member Senate, it takes 60 votes to end debate and move most bills to a vote. A filibuster used to mean a senator actually had to stand and speechify, refusing to give up the floor and thus keeping a bill from coming to a vote.
WorldReutersFrench billionaire politician Olivier Dassault 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.
PoliticsAxiosCuomo says resigning due to allegations is "actually anti-democratic"
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was defiant on Sunday, stating again that he would not resign even as more former aides have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. The big picture: Cuomo has denied all sexual harassment allegations against him and said that he "never inappropriately touched anybody." Three women who formerly worked in Cuomo's office, two former male aides, and one of his former press aides have described being berated by the governor with explicit language, being asked about their dating lives, or being uncomfortably touched, and in one instance, kissed without consent, per the Washington Post.
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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.
U.S.The WeekRead the words that will appear on the exterior of Obama's presidential library in Chicago
On the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the name given to the events on March 7, 1965 in Selma, Alabama, which included a civil rights march led by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and the violent response from state police — former President Barack Obama's foundation revealed the text that will appear on the exterior of his planned presidential library in Chicago. The words will come from a speech Obama, the United States' first Black president, gave in Selma on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2015.
U.S.NBC NewsOhio college student's organs to be donated after alleged hazing incident
An Ohio college student is being kept alive so his organs can be donated after a fraternity hazing incident on Thursday left him in critical condition. Stone Foltz, 20, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University and a new member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, was allegedly hazed during an initiation event where he was made to drink alcohol, school officials said. Foltz was taken to the hospital after the alleged incident, and remains there as of Sunday.
PoliticsNational ReviewManchin Defends COVID Relief Bill: Republicans Had ‘Tremendous Amount of Input’
Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) on Sunday defended the COVID-19 relief bill that passed the Senate with no Republican support on Saturday, saying the measure does not spell the end of bipartisanship as Republicans “had a tremendous amount of input.” The moderate Democrat's comments came during an appearance on ABC's This Week in response to a question from co-anchor Martha Raddatz about whether bipartisanship seems “like a false hope” after “Biden did not get a single Republican vote for a relief package in the middle of a pandemic.” “Not at all,” Manchin responded.
U.S.The 74A High School in Ohio Is Giving Students a Choice: Keep Up With Remote Learning — Or You Have to Come Back to the Classroom
Far too many students were skipping online classes and failing this fall at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, one of the poorest districts in the nation and that the state had declared in “academic distress” before the pandemic. As absences increased through the holiday season, that “academic distress” was only getting worse. We saw students struggle in the remote period,” said Henry Pettiegrew, CEO of the district of 1,800 students at Cleveland's border.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramSWAT officers hit with bricks while breaking up 800-person party, Colorado cops say
A raucous — and largely maskless — 800-person party in Colorado left SWAT officers injured and several vehicles damaged overnight Saturday, police say. The party had been going for hours in Boulder's University Hill neighborhood near the University of Colorado Boulder when police responded to the scene, the Daily Camera reported. Three SWAT officers were pelted with bricks and rocks and an armored rescue vehicle and fire truck sustained heavy damage, police said, according to KUSA.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Senator Manchin says filibusters could be made more 'painful'
Centrist Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a pivotal vote in the U.S. Senate, on Sunday advocated making the procedural maneuver called the filibuster more "painful" to do, with Democrats concerned about Republicans obstructing President Joe Biden's legislative agenda. Some Democrats have advocated eliminating the filibuster to prevent Republicans from blocking Biden's initiatives. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield made clear on Sunday that the president is not calling for ending the filibuster.
WorldBBCMyanmar coup: Party official dies in custody after security raids
An official from Aung San Suu Kyi's party has died in custody in Myanmar after being arrested during raids by security forces in Yangon. On Sunday the body of U Khin Maung Latt was released to his family, who were reportedly told that he had died after fainting. The UN says more than 50 people have been killed since the military detained Ms Suu Kyi, Myanmar's democratically elected leader, on 1 February.
U.S.INSIDERAn Iowa man was charged for breaking into college women's apartments and recording them while they were sleeping
An Iowa man was arrested after being accused of breaking into multiple women's homes. Trenton Williams, 29, is accused of recording women while they were sleeping. Williams is facing various charges, including three counts of stalking.
PoliticsAxiosBiden says $1,400 stimulus payments can start going out this month
President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.
PoliticsThe TelegraphSecurity beefed up at Trump Tower as ex-president plans first visit to New York since leaving office
Security is being stepped up outside Trump Tower in New York ahead of the former president's first visit to the city since leaving the White House. Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Manhattan on Sunday night having moved to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida in January. Speculation was fuelled by reports of police planning to augment security outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the building where he launched his bid for the presidency in 2015.
PoliticsUSA TODAYGov. Whitmer on N.Y. Gov. Cuomo allegations: If true, 'I think we have to take action'
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday she had a "gut-wrenching" reaction to sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the "very serious" allegations from former employees must be thoroughly and independently investigated. "If accurate and true, I think we have to take action," Whitmer said on "State of the Union" on CNN. Whitmer would not directly answer whether the allegations against Cuomo constitute sexual harassment.
U.S.INSIDER'Lesson fully received': An 18-year-old charged in the Capitol riot says he was 'wrong' and begged a judge to release him
The youngest suspect charged in the Capitol riots wrote a letter begging a judge to release him. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, previously boasted on Instagram of storming the Capitol and fighting inside. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, faces a slew of federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection, including assault on a federal officer, engaging in physical violence, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and civil disorder.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden immigration strategist Susan Rice burning sage which ‘combats negativity’ in her office after 4 years of Stephen Miller
Susan Rice, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is apparently burning sage in her office, which was formerly occupied by Donald Trump strategist Stephen Miller. Mr Miller was the architect of some of the last administration's most controversial immigration plans, including the child separation policy, the Muslim ban and the use of military money to build the border wall. Burning sage has long been used by indigenous peoples in ceremonies meant to cleanse spaces from negativity and to promote healing.
U.S.INSIDERPolice arrested a Maryland officer on a child porn charge while he was working at a mass vaccination site
Daniel Joseph Morozewicz, a Maryland police officer, has been arrested on one count of child pornography. Authorities on Friday arrested a police officer from Maryland on a child porn possession charge while he had been on duty at a mass vaccination site. Daniel Joseph Morozewicz with the Rockville City Police Department is believed to have been in possession of "downloads containing images and videos of nude pre-pubescent females engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a statement from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramPeople threaten to call ICE on Texas Mexican restaurant that kept mask rule, it says
A Mexican restaurant in Houston says it's been getting some “horrific” threats after announcing it was keeping its mask requirement as Texas reopens. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order lifting the statewide mask mandate and allowing businesses and facilities to operate at 100% capacity. After Picos announced it would still require masks for diners, co-owner Monica Richards said she started receiving some disturbing messages and calls from people threatening to report the Picos staff to Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, The Houston Chronicle reported.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden signs executive order to expand voting rights: ‘If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide’
President Joe Biden marked the 56-year anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama by signing an executive order to protect and strengthen nationwide voting access, while calling on states to expand voting rights for all eligible Americans. The order was described by the White House as an “initial step” towards securing voting rights just days after the passage of HR1, legislation focusing on expanding access to mail-in voting and making it easier for Americans to register to vote. The right to vote is sacred and fundamental — and H.R. 1 is urgently needed to protect that right, to safeguard the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy.
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Pope bids farewell to top Shi'ite cleric
Francis's meeting in the holy southern city of Najaf, during a whirlwind and risky tour of Iraq, marked the first time a pope has met with such a senior Shi'ite cleric. After his 55-minute meeting with Sistani, Francis headed to the ruins of ancient Ur in southern Iraq, revered as the birthplace of Abraham, father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Sistani is one of the most important figures in Shi'ite Islam, both within Iraq and beyond.
PoliticsBBCWho truly was the most dishonest president?
Former President Donald Trump was often accused of having a complete disregard for the truth. When Saddam Hussein invaded the oil-rich emirate of Kuwait in August 1990, President George HW Bush snarled: "This will not stand." The Kuwaiti government-in-exile promptly hired a US public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, whose Washington DC office was run by Bush's former chief of staff.
CelebrityThe TelegraphQueen warns we must keep in touch with family to 'transcend division' in Commonwealth Day message
The Queen has stressed the importance of keeping in touch with family to “transcend boundaries or division” in her annual Commonwealth Day message. It came as the world awaited the explosive revelations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their Oprah Winfrey interview, as the Royal family braced itself for the damaging fallout. The Queen will not watch the controversial interview, which is being broadcast by CBS in the US at 1am UK time, but will receive a full breakfast briefing from aides in the morning.
U.S.USA TODAYMan dies when gunfire erupts near 'George Floyd Square' in Minneapolis as Chauvin trial looms
A manhunt was underway Sunday in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of a man near "George Floyd Square," an intersection that serves as a memorial to the man whose death at the hands of police in May set off Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. Police provided few details of the shooting, which took place less than 48 hours before jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of the police officer charged in Floyd's death. Police spokesman John Elder said police were alerted to Saturday's shooting at about 5:45 p.m. local time and were told the victim or victims had been brought to the "autonomous zone" at the edge of the intersection.
U.S.INSIDERA snorkeler discovered 25 bricks of cocaine worth more than $1.5 million in water off the Florida Keys
A snorkeler spotted 25 bricks of cocaine while swimming off the Florida Keys on Wednesday. The unexpected find was reported to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and US Border Patrol. The bricks of cocaine are valued at more than $1.5 million.
“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.”