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.

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

  Refinery29

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.

Violence in West Africa's Sahel displaces record 2 million people, U.N. says

The number of people fleeing violence in West Africa's Sahel region has quadrupled in the past two years, with 2 million now displaced in their own countries, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday. Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their reach in the semi-arid region on the edge of the Sahara, stoking ethnic conflict in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and forcing whole communities to flee their homes. More than half of those displaced within their own country are in Burkina Faso, where many are forced to sleep outside and do not have enough water, UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov said at a briefing in Geneva.

China conducts unusual military flights in Taiwanese airspace

It's not unusual for China to conduct military flights between the southern part of Taiwan — which it claims as its territory — and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, Reuters reports. Eight nuclear-capable Chinese bombers and four fighter jets entered the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defense identifications zone, Taiwan's defense ministry said.

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.

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  Saudi Arabia expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration

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

  Axios

British lawmakers seek investigation into UK-registered firm possibly linked to Beirut blast

Two senior British parliamentarians called on Friday for an investigation into a British-registered company possibly linked to last year's devastating explosion in Beirut, after Reuters found that the firm had not disclosed its beneficial owners. The company, Savaro Ltd, is registered at a London address, and like all British firms is required to list who owns it with Britain's companies register, known as Companies House. In an e-mail to Reuters this week, the woman listed as Savaro's owner and sole director at Companies House, Marina Psyllou, told Reuters that she was acting as an agent on behalf of another beneficial owner, whose identity she could not disclose.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

  The Independent

Iran's Zarif urges Biden to act first in returning U.S. to nuclear deal

Iran urged new U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday to "choose a better path" by returning to a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers, but said the opportunity would be lost if Washington insists on further Iranian concessions up front. Under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, Washington withdrew from the deal - designed to stop Iran developing a nuclear weapon - and bolstered sanctions in a bid to force Tehran into talks on a broader agreement that also addressed its ballistic missile program and support for proxies around the Middle East.

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  Iran's Zarif open to oil, Gulf security contacts with U.S., not on Israel

  Reuters
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  Can Biden Fix the Mess Trump Made of Our Relationship With Iran?

  The Daily Beast

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.

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.

U.S. and Mexican presidents talk migration, coronavirus after nagging tensions

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden discussed migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral cooperation on Friday during their first phone call since the American assumed the presidency this week. The afternoon call was "pleasant and respectful" Lopez Obrador said in a brief Twitter post, in which he appeared in a photo smiling, seated at a table with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and former presidential chief of staff Alfonso Romo. "Everything indicates relations will be good and for the benefit of our people and nations," Lopez Obrador said.

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.

Washington gets whiplash in shift from Trump to Biden

White House events have carefully calibrated themes. Washington is suffering whiplash — or enjoying it, depending on whom you ask — as President Biden takes over from former President Trump, a transition that stands as one of the starkest contrasts in U.S. political history. Before the election, Trump mocked his opponent as "Sleepy Joe."

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

Central African Republic declares emergency as rebels surround Bangui

The authorities have accused former President François Bozizé, who was blocked from running in the 27 December election, for the escalating violence. Africa Live: More stories from the continent The president who won an election but could lose country The country where teachers have disappeared Two brothers who walked out of the forest into a new home "The perpetrators... of these unforgettable crimes against the people of CAR will be found, arrested and brought before the competent courts," President Touadéra said on Monday, while also calling for national reconciliation.

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.

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.

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

  HuffPost
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  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.

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  Judge: Kenosha shooter can't associate with supremacists

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

  NBC News

Turkey hopes Mediterranean talks can calm choppy waters with EU

After a five-year hiatus marked by grievances over their rival claims to Mediterranean waters, Turkey resumes talks with Greece on Monday in the first test of its hopes to reverse deteriorating relations with the European Union. While diplomats say that rebuilding trust will be a hard slog, the talks follow Turkey's decision to stop its search for gas in disputed waters which angered Greece and Cyprus and a cooling of rhetoric around Ankara's wider disputes with the EU. They could also pave the way for an imminent visit to Turkey by EU leaders.

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.

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  First Lady brings cookies to National Guard

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

  Associated Press

Trump's pardons may be poorly worded enough to leave some people on the hook

President Trump's pardons leave some of their subjects open to additional prosecution, experts say. On his way out of office, President Donald Trump issued more than 100 pardons, mostly to his personal friends and political allies. A number of those pardons were for people convicted of federal crimes linked to the Mueller investigation - including his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and advisors Roger Stone and George Papadopoulos.