- PoliticsBloomberg
EPA Nominee Wheeler Defends Rollbacks While Pressed on Climate
Wheeler, a former energy lobbyist who has served as acting administrator for six months, did not mention global warming in his opening remarks to the Environment and Public Works Committee, instead touting agency deregulatory efforts he said would spare businesses some $1.8 billion in compliance costs. “How does it happen that the nominee to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency does not mention the words climate change at a time when the scientific community thinks climate change is the greatest environmental crisis facing the planet?” asked Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats.
- WorldReuters
'El Chapo' paid former Mexican president $100 million bribe: trial witness
Accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a former associate testified on Tuesday that he previously told U.S. authorities. Alex Cifuentes, who has described himself as Guzman's onetime right-hand man, discussed the alleged bribe under cross-examination by one of Guzman's lawyers in Brooklyn federal court. Cifuentes testified that he had told U.S. prosecutors Pena Nieto reached out to Guzman first, asking for $250 million.
- BusinessThe National Review
Procter & Gamble's Toxic Sanctimony
Recognized around the world as a symbol of manly civility for more than a century, Gillette will now be remembered as the company that did itself in by sacrificing a massive consumer base at the altar of progressivism. In case you hadn't seen or heard: Parent company Procter & Gamble launched a Gillette ad campaign blanket-demonizing men as ogres and bullies. At home and at work, in the boardroom, on the playground, and even while barbecuing in the backyard, Gillette sees nothing but testosterone-driven trouble.
- WorldTime
'Enough is Enough.' How European Media Responded to the Brexit Deal Defeat
On Tuesday night, U.K. lawmakers resoundingly rejected the Brexit agreement Prime Minister Theresa May has spent a year and a half negotiating with the European Union. It was the biggest parliamentary defeat for a government proposal in the U.K.'s modern history, with 432 lawmakers voting against the deal, and only 202 in favor. As May faces a no confidence vote Wednesday and the British government scrambles to find a way to avoid crashing out of the bloc without a deal on March 29 (a “no-deal” Brexit), the rest of Europe is watching the chaos unfold.
- EntertainmentCar and Driver
See the New 2019 McLaren 600LT Spider in Photos
All the better to listen to its top-exit exhaust pipes. From Car and Driver
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
The lone Democrat who voted against denouncing Rep. Steve King sees censure effort fizzle
WASHINGTON – The lone lawmaker who prevented the House of Representatives from unanimously denouncing Rep. Steve King, due to worries that the measure didn't go far enough, saw his censure effort against the Iowa Republican fizzle on Wednesday. Rep. Bobby Rush, a civil rights leader and Democrat representing Illinois, attempted on Wednesday, the day after the House voted 424 to 1 to condemn King, to bring up a censure resolution over King's comments about white nationalism.
NewsReutersLos Angeles teachers strike for second day as mayor seeks to restart talks
Some 30,000 Los Angeles teachers on strike for higher pay, smaller classes and more staff walked picket lines in the rain for a second day on Tuesday as Mayor Eric Garcetti embraced their cause while trying to nudge the two sides back to the bargaining table. Negotiators for the Los Angeles Unified School District and the United Teachers Los Angeles have not met since union leaders rejected the LAUSD's latest contract offer on Friday night, calling the proposal an "insult." Asked on Tuesday afternoon whether the two parties had any intention of resuming labor talks, an LAUSD spokeswoman said: "Nothing is scheduled at this time."
- PoliticsUSA TODAY Opinion
Shutdown is no time for celebratory State of the Union. No time is. Let's scrap it.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that President Donald Trump either postpone the State of the Union message until the government shutdown is over, or submit it in writing. Her judgment is correct. In her letter to Trump, the speaker noted that the event places enormous demands on the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, which have not received funding in weeks and are already under strain from furloughs. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen disagrees with the speaker, claiming that matters are well in hand.
- BusinessThe Telegraph
Apple boss Tim Cook attacks 'shadow economy' of data in call for new privacy law
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has called for the US to introduce a national privacy law, attacking a “shadow economy” in which people's personal data is bought and sold without their knowledge. Mr Cook said companies should have to collect as little data as possible and make it easy for people to delete the information that is held about them. It is the latest attempt from Apple to position itself as the steward of consumers' privacy, and to draw a line between itself and companies such as Facebook and Google.
PoliticsFOX News VideosNew footage shows Dems at swanky 'cocktail reception' in Puerto Rico amid government shutdown
New footage has emerged of congressional Democrats enjoying a swanky cocktail party in Puerto Rico in the midst of the partial government shutdown.
NewsAssociated PressCalifornia storms kill at least 5 as flooding fears rise
Heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled much of California Thursday, causing at least five deaths, leaving thousands without power and forcing wildfire victims threatened by floods to flee their homes. Southern California authorities concerned with rising streams and excessive runoff ordered evacuations in parts of Malibu and other areas scarred by wildfires. In harder hit Northern California, authorities warned of imminent floods and debris flows in the wildfire-ravished city of Paradise and the surrounding region denuded of protective trees and vegetation, telling residents to prepare to flee their homes on a moment's notice.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani: 'I never said there was no collusion' with Russia during 2016 election campaign
Donald Trump's personal lawyer has insisted he “never said there was no collusion” between the president's campaign team and Russia. Rudy Giuliani said he had “no idea” if campaign staffers had been working with the Kremlin ahead of the 2016 election, and only knew that Mr Trump had not. The remarkable claim came during a CNN interview on Wednesday in which the former New York mayor complained about “false reporting” of the Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
NewsReutersIn third year, U.S. women's marches turn to 2020 elections
Millions of people took part in the women's marches in Washington and other cities in the United States and abroad on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the Republican president was sworn in. Vanessa Wruble, a co-founder of the original Women's March on Washington who left to start March On, a separate grassroots coalition, said the movement has evolved from being a reaction to Trump's presidency. Women's March, a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march, is using its #WomensWave marches in Washington and elsewhere on Saturday to roll out a 10-part policy platform that includes raising the federal minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights.
- BusinessAOL.com
Marriott is rolling out a brand new rewards program -- Here's everything you need to know
This included SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest), Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards — three previously unrelated loyalty programs that existed with separate point-value systems and benefits. The merger essentially unified the currency for all three separate rewards programs and allowed for members of any of the three programs to use their points across Marriott's entire combined portfolio of 29 brands and 6,700 participating resorts and hotels. Today, Marriott has solidified the mega-merger under the new name and introduction of Marriott Bonvoy, the new travel-focused loyalty program that will be taking the place of the three merged programs.
BusinessUSA TODAYSouthwest Airlines flights canceled, delayed due to computer issue in Baltimore
A four-hour Southwest Airlines computer glitch on Tuesday caused delays and cancellations for passengers traveling to and from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The exact number of delayed and canceled flights isn't clear, though 37 Southwest flights were canceled leaving the airport Tuesday out of 174 scheduled. It's also not yet clear what caused the four-hour glitch between 10 a.m.
- WorldBloomberg
Al-Qaeda Hotel Attack Kills 21, Shaking Kenya Economy Pillar
Using hand grenades, automatic rifles and a suicide-bomber, the militants stormed 14 Riverside in Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon, a venue popular with business travelers and Kenya's elites and home to offices of companies including Pernod Ricard SA and Dow Chemical East Africa Ltd. That precipitated an 18-hour siege around the DusitD2 hotel, which President Uhuru Kenyatta said ended about 9 a.m. Wednesday with the attackers dead. Somalia-based al-Shabaab took responsibility for the assault, the latest in a recent wave of jihadist strikes across Africa, including in Nigeria and Mali, which a loose coalition of African, Western and United Nation troops are struggling to stop. It's al-Shabaab's first significant assault in Kenya since it killed 147 people at a northeastern university in April 2015 and echoed a September 2013 attack on Nairobi's Westgate mall that left 67 dead and rocked the tourism industry.
WorldAFPUK PM May reaches out to rivals in Brexit deadlock
British Prime Minister Theresa May faces deadlock Thursday over a new Brexit plan, after narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote sparked by the crushing defeat of her EU withdrawal deal. With the clock ticking, May has appealed to opposition leaders to meet for cross-party talks before she presents an alternative proposal to parliament on Monday. But her opponents have set out a list of demands for cooperating -- including ruling out the possibility that Britain would leave the EU in March without any deal at all.
- BusinessReuters
McDonald's loses 'Big Mac' trademark case to Irish chain Supermac's
McDonald's Corp has lost its rights to the trademark "Big Mac" in a European Union case ruling in favour of Ireland-based fast-food chain Supermac's, a decision from the EU's Spain-based Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed. The judgement, provided to Reuters by Supermac's, revoked McDonald's registration of the trademark, saying that the world's largest fast-food chain had not proven genuine use of it over the five years prior to the case being lodged in 2017. The EUIPO did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.
- BusinessCar and Driver
The 2019 Heavy Duty Ram's Cummins Requires An Entire Eight Feet of Diesel-Exhaust-Scrubbing Tech
For more, see our full story with photos and details on the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty. On one hand, they offer a glimpse into how an engine or even a whole car turns, from most to least interesting, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, or stored electricity into mechanical movement. On it you can see the optional air-spring pump and tank, suspension position sensor, and massive hunks of steel (black is all the high-strength stuff) dedicated to latching a trailer (pictured: up to 35,100 pounds on a fifth wheel or a three-inch gooseneck ball), beefy live axles, the 6.7-liter Cummins, the six-speed Aisin transmission, and the two-speed transfer case.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Grandfather: Suspect 'backed off from crowds'
The Latest on the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs (all times local): 6:30 p.m. The grandfather of a 21-year-old Wisconsin man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents during a home invasion says his grandson was "quiet and shy." Jim Moyer told ABC News on Tuesday that his grandson, Jake Thomas Patterson, is a "nice boy, polite" who often "backed off from crowds."
- NewsUSA TODAY
40 mph mudslides, floods, blizzards, 6 feet of snow, 110 mph winds: California nightmare
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the California county where a wildfire destroyed more than 13,000 homes last year as the state braced for a powerful storm that could trigger deadly mudslides. "A powerful Pacific storm will hammer the West Coast into Friday with strong winds, heavy rain and heavy mountain snow," the National Weather Service warned. Heavy rain will bring a threat of flash flooding along recent burn scars while blizzard conditions are expected in the Sierras.
- WorldYahoo News
Mike Pence amends claim that 'ISIS has been defeated' following deadly attack on U.S. troops
Vice President Mike Pence issued a statement Wednesday that sought to clarify remarks he delivered earlier in the day in which he claimed that “ISIS has been defeated” — several hours after the radical Islamic group set off a bomb that killed at least two U.S. service members and two American civilians in Syria. In a speech at the U.S. State Department Wednesday morning, Pence credited President Trump and the U.S. military with vanquishing Islamic State terrorists in Syria. “Thanks to the leadership of this commander in chief and the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces, we are now actually able to begin to hand off the fight against ISIS in Syria to our coalition partners,” Pence said, “And we are bringing our troops home.
WorldReutersOxford University suspends funding from China's Huawei
The University of Oxford said on Thursday it has stopped accepting funding from China's Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], the leading global supplier of telecoms network equipment, after scrutiny over the company's relationship with China's government. quot;Oxford University decided on January 8 this year that it will not pursue new funding opportunities with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or its related group companies at present," the university said in a statement. quot;The decision has been taken in the light of public concerns raised in recent months surrounding UK partnerships with Huawei.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Republican congressman Steve King defiantly supports vote rebuking his own racist remarks
Steve King defiantly rejected what he described as an "unprecedented assault” on his freedom of speech while simultaneously supporting a resolution in Congress condemning his own racist remarks. The Iowa Republican — whose has a history of controversial rhetoric — sparked a backlash after an interview with the New York Times was published last week in which the congressman appeared to lament why language like white nationalist and white supremacist had "become offensive". Mr King took to the House floor to seemingly clarify his controversial statements before the vote.
- PoliticsBloomberg
New York's Gillibrand Takes First Step Toward Presidential Race
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced Tuesday she's taking a first step toward formally running for president in 2020, joining what's shaping up to be the biggest field of Democratic candidates in a generation. I'm filing an exploratory committee for president of the United States tonight,” Gillibrand said during a taping of CBS's “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. She's one of a dozen congressional Democrats who are either considering or have announced their intention to seek the party's 2020 presidential nomination, along with as many as another dozen current or former federal, state and local officeholders eyeing a bid.
