Over 3 dozen Democrats lawmakers urge Biden to commute the sentences of all remaining federal death row inmates

Thirty-seven lawmakers asked President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of all remaining federal death row inmates. The effort was led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri. Biden is opposed to the death penalty and campaigned on ending the practice.

Israeli police, ultra-Orthodox protesters clash over schools

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with Israeli police in two major cities on Sunday, as authorities faced new difficulties in enforcing coronavirus restrictions in the country's religious communities. The clashes occurred in Jerusalem and Ashdod as police attempted to close religious schools that had opened in violation of lockdown orders. Throughout the pandemic, many major ultra-Orthodox sects have flouted safety regulations, continuing to open schools, pray in synagogues and hold mass weddings in funerals.

Overseas travellers returning to the UK face paying for 10 extra days at a hotel

British families returning from foreign holidays will have to pay for an extra 10 days in an airport hotel under heavy guard, in plans backed by the Home Office. Senior Cabinet ministers are likely to approve a plan to force people returning from overseas to quarantine in a hotel to ensure that they cannot bring variants of Covid-19 back into the UK. The chief dispute at Cabinet level is whether the hotel quarantine rules apply to all visitors or just to those returning from coronavirus hotspots.

Lucas Interior Embraces Color to Modernize Palm Springs Spanish Revival Home

The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Column: You thought McConnell was tough as majority leader? Wait until you see him as minority leader

In the first days after a mob invaded the Capitol to try to halt President Biden's election, a welcome wave of bipartisan anger rippled through Washington. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader in the Senate, condemned the riot as an assault on democracy, accused former President Trump of provoking the mob, and even said he would consider voting to convict Trump in an impeachment trial. In Week One of the Biden presidency, McConnell opted for a more familiar pursuit: partisan combat.

• 
  McConnell blamed Trump for inciting the Capitol riot, but the senator - and everyone else who refused to acknowledge Biden's win - was complicit too

  Business Insider
• 
  Trump Is No Longer President. How Will This Affect The Senate Impeachment?

  Refinery29

The Bidens were reportedly left waiting outside the White House on Inauguration Day because Trump sent the staff home

Biden reportedly wasn't greeted by White House staff on Inauguration Day because Trump sent them home. Trump reportedly sent the butlers home so "there would be no-one to help the Bidens when they arrived." Chief usher Timothy Harleth left his role before the Bidens arrived at the White House.

• 
  For Biden, pandemic safety starts at home: In the White House

  Yahoo News
• 
  Bidens left stuck outside White House on Inauguration Day after ‘petty’ final Trump act

  The Independent

Protests against Israeli PM Netanyahu continue nationwide

Over a thousand protesters gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday for weekly demonstrations demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down over corruption charges, as smaller protests were staged at intersections and bridges across the country. The protests have taken place each week since last summer, primarily at a Jerusalem square near Netanyahu's official residence, and continued despite lower turnout in the cold winter nights. In March, Israel will hold its fourth national election in less than two years, and Netanyahu is facing further challenges from defectors within his Likud party.

Biden on collision course with Saudi Arabia that could upset Trump's alliance against Iran

The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community's assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration's refusal to release the full version for US House representatives.

• 
  Saudi Arabia expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration

  Reuters
• 
  Schiff asks new intel chief Avril Haines to declassify Jamal Khashoggi report

  Axios

Man who punched cop during Capitol riot has brother in Secret Service who is friends with Michelle Obama, the Huffington Post has revealed

Scott Kevin Fairlamb, 43, of Stockholm, New Jersey, was arrested on five charges on January 22. Preston Fairlamb III led Michelle Obama's service detail while she was First Lady. The son of a police officer who punched a cop during the Capitol riots also has a brother in the Secret Service who Michelle Obama previously described as a "real friend," the Huffington Post found.

Kremlin says Putin ready for dialogue if U.S. willing

Russia is ready to set up a dialogue with the new Biden administration in which differences are expected to be aired, a Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday, adding that President Vladimir Putin would respond in kind to U.S. willingness to talk. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been at their lowest since the end of the Cold War, with the two sides at odds over Russia's role in Ukraine and allegations of its meddling in U.S. elections, which it denies, among other issues. The United States on Saturday also called on Russian authorities to release protesters and journalists detained at demonstrations supporting detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and condemned what it called "harsh tactics" used against them.

Arizona Republicans censure Cindy McCain, GOP governor

Arizona Republicans voted Saturday to censure Cindy McCain and two prominent GOP members who have found themselves crosswise with former President Donald Trump. The censures of Sen. John McCain's widow, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Gov. Doug Ducey are merely symbolic. But they show the party's foot soldiers are focused on enforcing loyalty to Trump, even in the wake of an election that saw Arizona inch away from its staunchly Republican roots.

Almost 1 in 5 people charged for Capitol riots served in military

Ongoing investigations have shown that more than one in five of the people currently charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has served in the military. NPR conducted an analysis of arrest records and compiled a list of people facing charges by either the federal government or the District of Columbia. Their review reveals that of more than 140 people charged, at least 27, or roughly 20 percent, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.

• 
  Man Arrested For Capitol Riot Involvement Threatened To 'Assassinate' Rep. Ocasio-Cortez

  HuffPost
• 
  Nearly 1 in 5 Charged in Capitol Riot Are Current or Former Military Members: Report

  The Root

Citizenship data is latest rollback of Trump census efforts

The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending efforts to create neighborhood-level statistics on the citizenship and age of residents, using 2020 census data, in the latest rollback of Trump administration census-related initiatives that critics feared would be used to favor Republicans and whites during the drawing of state and local districts. As part of an order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday on the 2020 census, the Census Bureau said Friday that it would discontinue efforts to create citizenship tabulations at the city-block level using 2020 census data combined with administrative records.

10 Republicans Voted to Impeach Trump. The Backlash Has Been Swift.

It's been less than two weeks since Reps. Peter Meijer, Tom Rice and Liz Cheney broke with nearly all of their Republican colleagues in the House and voted to impeach President Donald Trump, but in their home states, the backlash is already growing. In Michigan, a challenger to Meijer received a boost when Steve Bannon promoted him on his podcast. In South Carolina, a local Republican is getting so many calls urging him to run against Rice that he can't keep his phone charged.

• 
  Majority of House GOP reportedly supports removing Liz Cheney from leadership after impeachment vote

  The Week
• 
  Biggs on Liz Cheney's vote to impeach Trump

  FOX News Videos

US reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes

The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan following China's dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the resolve of the new American presidential administration. The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was concerned by China's "pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.” “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected representatives," Ned Price, a spokesman for the department, said in the statement.

Trump did ‘more harm than expected’ to transition, says senator close to president

Senator Chris Coons has said that Donald Trump and “his team caused more harm than expected” during the transition period after Joe Biden's transition team was not permitted access. The revelation came during an interview on MSNBC during which the Democratic senator was asked for his opinion on the flurry of executive actions passed by the president since Wednesday. Senator Coons, who holds Mr Biden's old seat and has known the president for 30 years, said the president had been thoroughly preparing since he won the election in November.

Arab Spring exiles look back 10 years after Egypt uprising

The Egyptians who took to the streets on Jan. 25, 2011, knew what they were doing. Police forces backed off, and within days, former President Hosni Mubarak agreed to demands to step down. A decade later, thousands are estimated to have fled abroad to escape the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi that is considered even more oppressive.

National Guard: President Biden apologises over troops sleeping in car park

US President Joe Biden has apologised after some members of the National Guard stationed at the Capitol were pictured sleeping in a car park. Mr Biden called the chief of the National Guard Bureau on Friday to apologise and ask what could be done, according to US media reports. First Lady Jill Biden also visited some of the troops to thank them personally, bringing biscuits from the White House as a gift.

• 
  First Lady brings cookies to National Guard

  Associated Press Videos
• 
  NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen last week

  Associated Press

Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General

The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month: One of their peers, they were told, had devised a plan with President Donald Trump to oust Jeffrey Rosen as acting attorney general and wield the department's power to force Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results. The unassuming lawyer who worked on the plan, Jeffrey Clark, had been devising ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Trump's continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Rosen had refused the president's entreaties to carry out those plans, Trump was about to decide whether to fire Rosen and replace him with Clark.

• 
  Trump Plotted With Loyalist To Oust Acting AG In Bid To Steal Georgia Election: Report

  HuffPost
• 
  Plan to oust acting attorney general seen as Trump White House 'in a nutshell'

  The Week

Kyle Rittenhouse's bond conditions modified after prosecutors said he was seen using white power hand symbols with Proud Boys members at a bar

The terms of Kyle Rittenhouse's bond were modified after he was seen at a bar with his mother and members of the far-right Proud Boys, according to FOX 6. Kenosha County prosecutors previously requested to adjust his bond conditions after being spotted using white power associated hand symbols and drinking beers following his release. Rittenhouse,18, is the gunman associated with the deaths of two people and injuring another during a Jacob Blake protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.

• 
  Judge: Kenosha shooter can't associate with supremacists

  Associated Press
• 
  Kenosha killing suspect Rittenhouse's bond terms changed after bar visit

  NBC News

Sir Kenneth Branagh to play Boris Johnson in Sky coronavirus drama

Sir Kenneth Branagh will play Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an upcoming Sky drama based on the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been announced. The BAFTA and Emmy award-winning actor,  who has starred in Valkyrie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Dunkirk will portray Mr Johnson in This Sceptred Isle, a five-part drama will chart the events surrounding the Prime Minister, the government, and the country in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic. This Sceptred Isle will tell the tale of some of the most devastating events to ever befall the United Kingdom, and of a Prime Minister leading in these unprecedented times, Sky said.

• 
  ‘Far too soon’: Pandemic TV drama starring Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson accused of being ‘inappropriate’

  The Independent
• 
  Kenneth Branagh To Play British PM Boris Johnson In Sky Drama ‘This Sceptred Isle’

  Deadline

Dems Urged Not to ‘Waste a Second’ Negotiating as Republicans Back Away From COVID Relief

Democrats are facing new objections from Republicans over the Biden administration's COVID-19 relief package, a maddening reality that has set off alarm bells among progressives who fear hard-fought issues could be left on the chopping block. While President Joe Biden has long touted a working ability to inspire bipartisanship, some on the party's left wing are already warning against spending too much time trying to negotiate with the GOP, citing double control in the House and Senate and playing up the importance of providing fast monetary relief to Americans during the pandemic. “Democrats need to just plow ahead,” said Larry Cohen, chairman of Our Revolution, a grassroots network that supported Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential bids.

MyPillow Guy among the Trump acolytes picking up the torch

When Mike Lindell, better known to TV viewers as the MyPillow Guy, went to the White House last week to try to persuade President Donald Trump to keep pushing bogus theories about the election, he came away disappointed. Unexpectedly, Trump passed him — and his claims about sabotaged voting machines — off on staffers. The president has told him before that he would back his bid for governor of Minnesota, Lindell told The Associated Press.