PoliticsThe TelegraphRepublican split widens as Donald Trump intervenes in party elections in Arizona
The acrimonious split within Republican ranks widened over the weekend as Donald Trump made his foray back into politics, backing the re-election of a hard-line supporter as chair of the party in Arizona. Underlining Mr Trump's grip on the Republican grassroots, the Arizona party also voted to censure John McCain's widow, Cindy, former senator Jeff Flake and governor Doug Ducey, who refused to back the former president's claims of election fraud. Mr Trump's intervention came amid reports that he is considering setting up a “Patriot Party” which would spearhead primary challenges to his opponents in the 2022 mid-term elections.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTed Cruz's 'Pittsburgh over Paris' campaign shows us just how dumb the Biden years are going to be
In response to Biden re-entering the US into the Paris climate agreement, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has launched a "Pittsburgh over Paris" campaign. Cruz says that Biden rejoining the Paris agreement will cost the citizens of Pittsburgh jobs, but the idea makes no sense and is just another bad faith attempt at scoring political points. This is the norm for Republicans, and a sign of what's to come.
U.S.Associated PressUS judge blocks release of Tennessee man in Capitol riot
A federal judge on Sunday blocked the release of a Tennessee man who authorities say carried flexible plastic handcuffs during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell for the District of Columbia set aside an order by a judge in Tennessee concerning the release of Eric Munchel of Nashville. After testimony at a detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley for the Middle District of Tennessee determined Friday that Munchel wasn't a flight risk and didn't pose harm to the public.
HealthReutersWhat you need to know about the coronavirus right now
New Zealand on Monday confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in the community in months in a 56-year-old woman, but said close contacts of the recently returned traveller had so far tested negative. The woman, who returned to New Zealand on Dec. 30, had tested positive for the South African strain of the virus after leaving a two-week mandatory quarantine where she had twice tested negative, COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said. China reported a climb in new COVID-19 cases driven by a spike in infections among previously symptomless patients in northeastern Jilin province, official data showed on Monday.
WorldThe TelegraphUAE cabinet approves establishment of embassy in Tel Aviv in further sting to Palestinians
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the establishment of its embassy in Tel Aviv as the US national security advisor announced that America hopes to build “on the success of Israel's normalisation agreements” under the Biden administration. The UAE cabinet decision to approve establishing the embassy comes after they signed the Abraham Accords in September, becoming the first Gulf state to establish a full diplomatic relationship with Israel. No further details about the embassy were given in UAE media.
PoliticsNational ReviewBiden Ends Partial Ban on Transgender Soldiers in U.S. Military
President Biden signed an executive order on Monday to lift restrictions on transgender Americans who wish to serve in the U.S. military. Biden's order allows all transgender soldiers to serve openly and to receive gender reassignment surgery under the military's health plans. “President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America's strength is found in its diversity,” the White House said in a statement.
WorldAssociated PressChina pushes conspiracy theories on COVID origin, vaccines
Chinese state media have stoked concerns about Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, despite rigorous trials indicating it is safe. A government spokesperson has raised the unsubstantiated theory that the coronavirus could have emerged from a U.S. military lab, giving it more credence in China. As the ruling Communist Party faces growing questioning about China's vaccines and renewed criticism of its early COVID-19 response, it is hitting back by encouraging conspiracy theories that some experts say could cause harm.
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Montana governor calls escorting of troops from Capitol 'national disgrace'
Greg Gianforte, R-Mont. discusses treatment of the state's National Guard troops following the inauguration, and President Biden's Keystone XL Pipeline decision.
WorldReutersBoycott 'wildcat' Scottish independence vote, says Scottish Conservative leader
Backers of the union of the United Kingdom's four nations should boycott any "wildcat" independence referendum for Scotland, the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party said on Monday, after the nation's first minister pressed ahead with plans for a vote. Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said on Sunday she was hoping a strong performance by her Scottish National Party (SNP) in an election in May would give her the mandate to hold a second referendum. To get a legal referendum, any such vote must be approved by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has ruled out doing so.
WorldThe TelegraphChinese fighter jets buzz Taiwan for second day as tensions rise days into Biden term
China ramped up its pressure on democratic Taiwan over the weekend, with an unusually large number of fighter jets approaching the island in a "test" for the new administration of US President Joe Biden. On Sunday, 12 Chinese fighter jets entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone, along with a reconnaissance aircraft and two anti-submarine aircraft, Taiwan's defence ministry said. A day earlier, China sent eight bomber planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons and four fighter jets to the same area to the southwest of the island, as well as one reconnaissance aircraft.
WorldAssociated PressFourth Zimbabwean Cabinet member dies of COVID-19 in surge
Four Zimbabwean Cabinet ministers have died of COVID-19, three within the past two weeks, highlighting a resurgence of the disease that is sweeping through this southern African country. President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the coronavirus is reaping a “grim harvest” in the country. Then came the death of the transport minister.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSome senators oppose the direct-payment part of Biden's stimulus plan because they think it gives too much money to the wealthy, report says
The group also expressed support for increasing funding for vaccine distribution. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Some senators are pushing back on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion economic rescue package over concerns that it provides too much money to wealthy Americans, according to a report from Politico.
WorldAssociated PressChina tackles pandemic with mass construction once again
A sprawling quarantine center with more than 4,000 rooms is being thrown up in northern China in response to a COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city of more than 10 million people in Hebei province. Satellite images from the European Space Agency show dramatic changes over 10 days in an area where there had been only flat land before construction started on Jan. 13. It's common practice for China to mobilize resources nationwide to tackle natural disasters and other crises.
PoliticsAssociated PressAP source: Lawmakers threatened ahead of impeachment trial
Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress as the second trial of former President Donald Trump nears, including ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside of the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The threats, and concerns that armed protesters could return to sack the Capitol anew, have prompted the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist thousands of National Guard troops remain in Washington as the Senate moves forward with plans for Trump's trial, the official said Sunday.
PoliticsThe IndependentSarah Huckabee Sanders: Trump press secretary comments on Capitol riots as she announces run for Arkansas governor
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her candidacy for governor of Arkansas on Monday. In a campaign announcement video released on Twitter, Ms Sanders, 38, says that “our freedom and the rule of law are under attack”. She claims she was the first White House Press Secretary to require Secret Service protection “because of a credible, violent threat against me”.
WorldAssociated PressEU pressures AstraZeneca to deliver vaccines as promised
The European Union lashed out Monday at the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, accusing the company of failing to deliver the coronavirus vaccine doses that it promised to the bloc despite getting EU funding to ramp up vaccine production. The EU, already facing heavy criticism for a slow vaccine rollout around its 27 nations, also warned that within days it will demand approving the export of any COVID-19 vaccines produced within the bloc. “The European Union will take any action required to protect its citizens and its rights," Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Supreme Court ends anti-corruption lawsuits against Trump
Five days after the end of Donald Trump's presidency, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday halted lawsuits accusing him of violating the U.S. Constitution's anti-corruption provisions by maintaining ownership of his business empire including a hotel near the White House while in office. The justices threw out lower court rulings that had allowed the lawsuits - one filed by the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland and the other by plaintiffs including a watchdog group - to proceed, while also declining to hear Trump's appeals of those decisions. The plaintiffs accused Trump of running afoul of the Constitution's "emoluments" provisions that bar presidents from accepting gifts or payments from foreign and state governments without congressional approval.
WorldINSIDERChina is spreading conspiracy theories that the coronavirus was created in an American lab and that a US-created vaccine is killing the elderly
Chinese state media is spreading a conspiracy theory that a US Army base created the coronavirus. The disinformation push comes as WHO scientists arrive in Wuhan to study the virus' origins. Chinese state media is playing up a conspiracy theory about the novel coronavirus' origins while also questioning the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's safety in older people.
U.S.Associated PressStates eye allowing concealed carry of guns without a permit
Republican lawmakers in several more states want to loosen gun restrictions by allowing people to carry concealed firearms without having to get a permit, continuing a trend that gun control advocates call dangerous. Fifteen states already allow concealed carry without a permit, and lawmakers in nine others have proposed allowing or expanding the practice. GOP governors are backing the changes in Utah and Tennessee.
PoliticsThe IndependentSeth Rogen says Ted Cruz ‘deserves ridicule’ after branding senator a ‘fascist’
Seth Rogen has said that Ted Cruz “deserves ridicule” amid calls for an investigation into the Republican senator over comments he made before the deadly Capitol Hill riots. Hollywood actor and producer Rogen has been embroiled in an exchange with Cruz over the past week, calling him a “fascist” on multiple occasions and telling him to “f*** off” during others. Cruz, meanwhile, has branded Rogen a “moron” and “an angry Hollywood celebrity”.
PoliticsThe New York TimesFauci on What Working for Trump Was Really Like
And the other thing that made me really concerned was, it was clear that he was getting input from people who were calling him up — I don't know who, people he knew from business — saying, “Hey, I heard about this drug; isn't it great? or, “Boy, this convalescent plasma is really phenomenal. And I would try to, you know, calmly explain that you find out if something works by doing an appropriate clinical trial; you get the information; you give it a peer review.
WorldAssociated PressIndia, China soldiers brawl again along disputed frontier
Indian and Chinese soldiers brawled last week along the countries' disputed border, Indian officials said Monday, as a monthslong standoff between the nuclear-armed rivals continued. The clash in the Naku La area of Sikkim came four days before the countries held a ninth round of talks on Sunday on ending tensions in another disputed border area in the remote Ladakh region. The Indian army described the clash at Naku La as “a minor face off” and said it “was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols.”
BusinessBusiness InsiderAirlines have banned more than 2,500 passengers for not wearing masks - here are the carriers that have booted the most
More than 2,500 passengers have been banned from US airlines for non-compliance with mask policies. Delta Air Lines banned 880 passengers, including six on a flight where Mitt Romney was harassed. President Joe Biden signed a mask mandate for air travelers on his first full day in office.
SportsAssociated PressNo British bust: Team UK into America's Cup challenger final
For a time in the pre-Christmas lead-up to the America's Cup regatta off Auckland it seemed INEOS Team UK would go the same way as so many ill-fated British challenges. The British yacht Britannia didn't win any of its six races in the America's Cup World Series, failing on one occasion even to finish the course. In light-wind racing Britannia would wallow sluggishly in one place while its challenger series rivals — Italy's Luna Rossa and the United States' American Magic — swept around the course, balletically poised on their foils.
CelebrityINSIDERSteve Harvey says he's got his 'eye on' daughter Lori Harvey's boyfriend Michael B. Jordan
Steve Harvey fired a playful warning at his daughter Lori Harvey's new boyfriend, Micheal B. Jordan. While speaking on The Steve Harvey Morning Show, the "Family Feud" host divulged his opinion on the budding romance for the first time. "I like this one," Steve admitted, before adding, "I still got my eye on him."
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”