- PoliticsReuters
Trump rejects idea of expanding U.S. Supreme Court
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out the idea of expanding the nine-member U.S. Supreme Court, using a question about "court packing" to criticize Democrats in a preview of a likely attack line for the 2020 election. Trump said he "wouldn't entertain that," when asked about expanding the size of the court at a news conference. "The only reason they're doing that is they want to try to catch up, so if they can't catch up through the ballot box by winning an election they want to try doing it in a different way," the Republican president added, referring to Democrats.
WorldAssociated PressNew Zealand police: Mosque gunman had planned a 3rd attack
A father and son who fled the civil war in Syria for "the safest country in the world" were buried before hundreds of mourners Wednesday, the first funerals for victims of shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that horrified a nation known for being welcoming and diverse. The funerals of Khalid Mustafa, 44, and Hamza Mustafa, 15, came five days after a white supremacist methodically gunned down 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch — a massacre that he broadcast live on Facebook. During the funerals, Hamza's high school principal described the student as compassionate and hardworking, and said he was an excellent horse rider who aspired to be a veterinarian.
CelebrityUSA TODAYWhat we know about Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin's daughter caught up in admissions scandal
Before March 12, Olivia Jade Giannulli was a powerful social media influencer still on the rise as a YouTube and Instagram star. But Tuesday's stunning announcement of a federal investigation into a college-admission fraud scheme has dramatically changed the narrative for the 19-year-old freshman at the University of Southern California — who goes by her social media name "Olivia Jade." Olivia Jade's parents, "Fuller House" star Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli, whose Mossimo label has been featured at Target stores, have both been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
U.S.Yahoo News VideoPHOTOS: Dramatic aerial views of Midwest flooding
Emergency officials in Southern U.S. states kept a wary eye on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers as massive flooding that killed four people and caused more than $1 billion in estimated damages to homes, businesses and crops threatened to extend south. Floodwaters inundated a large swath of Midwestern farm states Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa along the Missouri. States of emergency have been declared in all or parts of the three states.
- WorldBloomberg
What Happens Next in Brexit? Two Cliff-Edges and a Summit
Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. Prime Minister Theresa May is still fighting to get her Brexit deal through Parliament with just days to go until the U.K. is meant to leave the European Union. If she gets through one cliff-edge on March 29 as expected, another looms three months later.
- NewsTime
The Supreme Court Ruled That Immigrants With a Criminal Past Can Be Detained Years After Serving Time
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the government can detain immigrants with past criminal records even after they have completed their prison terms, issuing a narrow verdict that sided with the Trump Administration's pursuit of hardline immigration policies. The 5-4 decision was led by the court's conservative justices and dissented by its liberal wing. The ruling reverses a determination by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which stated that migrants can only be put in immigration detention within 24 hours of their release from criminal custody, as opposed to months, or even years later.
WorldReutersUK's May urges lawmakers to back her Brexit deal now
Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she deeply regretted her decision to seek a Brexit extension from the European Union and she urged lawmakers, who have twice previously rejected her plan, to back her now. "I passionately hope that (lawmakers) will find a way to back the deal I have negotiated with the EU, a deal that delivers on the referendum and is the very best deal negotiable, and I will continue to work night and day to secure the support" for the deal. Earlier on Wednesday, May asked the EU to allow Britain to delay its departure date by three months to June 30, and EU leaders are expected to discuss the matter at a summit on Thursday.
WorldAFPEarly celebrations as Syria war on IS holdout wraps up
Their battle against the last jihadists holding out in the besieged Syrian village of Baghouz hasn't quite ended but Kurdish-led fighters have already started celebrating. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) delivered the killer blow to the last vestige of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" this week and the end of the bruising six-month-old operation is now within touching distance. With backing from the US-led coalition's warplanes, they forced holdout jihadists from their main encampment and into a few hectares (couple of acres) of farmland by the Euphrates River.
LifestyleUSA TODAYI got into 39 colleges without cheating: What applying to schools looks like in 2019
Jordan Nixon has received 39 college acceptance letters so far, all without celebrity parents or $500,000 bribes. It just took years of planning, a private college adviser, 50-plus applications and the unwavering support of family. As the nation's largest-ever college admissions scandal surfaces this week, with celebrity parents and rich CEOs accused of cheating to get their children into prestigious schools, the Nixons are navigating college admissions like the rest of us.
PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump is 'looking into' Facebook 'bias' as aide melts down over suspension
President Trump threatened an investigation into Facebook over perceived bias after a White House staffer was temporarily banned from posting comments on the site. Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, complained Monday that Facebook had banned him from posting comments. “Dear Facebook,” wrote Scavino, posting a screengrab of the blocking notice he received, “AMAZING.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe Gallery From Car and Driver
NewsAssociated PressCorrection: Mob Shooting story
A corrected version of the story is below: Suspect arrested in murder of reputed mob boss New York police say a man is in custody in the shooting death of the reputed Gambino crime family boss NEW YORK (AP) — A 24-year-old man was arrested Saturday in the shooting death of the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family, New York City police said. Anthony Comello was arrested in New Jersey in the death of Francesco Cali on Wednesday in front of his Staten Island home, said Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, who stressed that the investigation is in its early stages. "There are multiple, multiple angles that we are exploring," Shea said at a news conference at police headquarters.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Supreme Court will decide if convicted sniper in 2002 District of Columbia-area killings can get new sentence
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether life-without-parole sentences for the primary gunman in a series of murders that terrorized the Washington region in 2002 must be reconsidered. The justices will hear the state of Virginia's appeal of a federal appeals court ruling that Lee Boyd Malvo should be resentenced because he was a teenager at the time of the crimes. Malvo was 17 during the shooting spree that killed 10 people in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
- NewsMashable
Aggressive Instagramming is ruining Southern California's super bloom
Fields of fiery "super bloom" poppies are lighting up the hills of Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore, a city about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Thanks to uncommonly heavy rains this winter, much of Southern California is seeing a massive burst of wildflower blooms across the state. The poppies in Walker Canyon are so lush, they can be seen from space.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Beto O'Rourke campaign: Bernie Sanders' supporters fuel misinformation about Texas Democrat's record-breaking fundraising haul
Beto O'Rourke's record-breaking fundraising haul has appeared to upset supporters of Bernie Sanders, who began spreading misinformation about how the Texas Democrat's campaign managed to top that of the Vermont senator's in its first 24 hours. A tweet claiming the former congressman's 2020 campaign was part of a supposed financial kickback with the Texas Democratic Party went viral after Mr O'Rourke released his fundraising figures from his first day on the campaign trail earlier this week. That tweet was posted by Xavier Perez, a member of the Democratic county committee in Bronx, New York and a former volunteer for Mr Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
- BusinessReuters
Elon Musk hasn't sought approval for even a single Tesla tweet, SEC tells judge
Chief Executive Elon Musk has never sought pre-approval for a single tweet about Tesla since striking a court-approved deal about how to communicate important information about the electric vehicle maker, the top U.S. securities regulator told a judge on Monday. The Securities and Exchange Commission is doubling down on the government's demand to find the Tesla CEO in contempt of a previous fraud settlement that required him to have the company pre-approve any tweets that could materially impact the automaker. The ongoing public battle between Tesla's chief executive and the SEC piles pressure on Musk, the public face of Tesla, who is struggling to make the company profitable after cutting the price of its Model 3 sedan to $35,000.
WorldAFP'Generation Nazarbayev' jokes, hopes after Kazakh leader resigns
People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. His stage-managed departure -- he will keep key posts and significant political influence -- has left Kazakh millennials wondering what will come next. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Danish MP told her baby not welcome in parliament
A Danish MP said on Tuesday she was ordered to remove her infant daughter from parliament's chamber, sparking surprise in a country often hailed as a pioneer in women's rights. "You are not welcome with your baby in the parliament's chamber," speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, an outspoken former leader of the far-right Danish People's Party, allegedly told MP Mette Abildgaard. "I didn't ask for permission to bring her since I had previously seen another colleague bring a child into the chamber without any problems," Ms Abildgaard, whose Conservative party is part of the ruling centre-right coalition, wrote on Facebook.
NewsYahoo NewsTrump administration plays favorites with faith-based media
The State Department barred members of traditional news outlets from covering a briefing with “faith-based media” on Monday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held the telephone briefing with reporters from religious media groups, but the State Department denied requests from mainstream outlets for a transcript of the call or a list of who had been invited to attend. In a statement to CNN, a State Department spokesman said the phone meeting differed from typical “briefings and sprays” in that it was tailored for “audience-specific media.
- WorldTime
Venezuelan Opposition Take Over Diplomatic Offices in the U.S.
Representatives of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó said Monday they had seized three diplomatic properties in the U.S. previously used by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, as the two men continue their tug of war over the South American country. Guaidó has been locked in a stand-off with Maduro since January 23, when he launched a claim on the presidency, saying Maduro's second term, won in rigged elections last year amid a sprawling economic, political and humanitarian crisis, is illegitimate. Guaidó's supporters say that, as head of Venezuela's parliament, the constitution mandates that he take charge if there is a power vacuum in Venezuela.
NewsAssociated PressColleges weigh fate of students with tainted applications
In the wake of a massive college bribery scheme, the schools caught in the middle have been left facing a thorny question: What to do about the students who may have been admitted through fraud? The University of Southern California announced late Monday it had placed holds on an undisclosed number of students, meaning they can't register for classes or obtain transcripts until their cases are reviewed. At Yale, the president declined to comment on specific cases but said it's a "longstanding policy is to rescind the admission of students who falsified their Yale College applications." Stanford similarly noted that students could be "disenrolled" or have offers of admission rescinded.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Ethiopian Airlines crash raises questions about Boeing 737 Max certification process
Federal investigators and prosecutors appear to be raising questions about the process that led to the certification of Boeing's 737 Max jetliners in the aftermath of two deadly crashes. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, said a grand jury issued a subpoena dated the day after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines' 737 Max 8. It seeks emails, messages and documents and lists a Justice Department prosecutor as the contact, the Journal reported.
- WorldBloomberg
Novartis Probe Finds No Trace of Payoffs to Greek Officials
Novartis AG said its own internal investigation found no evidence of bribery to Greek state officials as an upcoming election puts the Swiss drugmaker back in the spotlight. Greece is investigating reports of payoffs by Novartis in a high-profile case that implicates two of the country's former prime ministers and a European Union commissioner. The U.S. is investigating similar allegations.
- PoliticsNational Review
In Defense of the Electoral College
Senator Elizabeth Warren has joined a growing chorus within the Democratic party in calling for the abolition of the Electoral College. Speaking at a forum in Mississippi on Monday night, Warren said that she hoped to ensure that “every vote matters” and proposed that “the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting, and that means get rid of the Electoral College. Warren's lofty rhetoric notwithstanding, a large portion of the Democratic party's present animosity toward the Electoral College is rooted in rank partisanship.
WorldReuters'I am your mother now': New Zealand mosque shootings hit tight-knit Bangladesh community hard
Waiting to meet her was Farid, the man she would marry in a few hours, as their families had agreed. A quarter of a century later, the life they had built together was torn apart when a gunman walked into the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch and began firing on worshippers at Friday prayers. Husna encountered the gunman on his way out of the mosque.
