U.S.AxiosFBI: Trump-appointed State Department aide arrested in connection with Capitol riot
The FBI on Thursday arrested former State Department aide Federico Klein, a Trump appointee who worked on the former president's 2016 campaign, on charges related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, according to a court filing. Why it matters: The 42-year-old Klein is the first member of the Trump administration to be arrested in connection with the insurrection, which led to the former president's second impeachment and charges against over 300 people. Details: Prior to resigning from the State Department on Jan. 19, Klein — whose arrest was first reported by Politico — worked in the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs and possessed a "Top Secret" security clearance that was renewed in 2019, according to the FBI affidavit.
WorldThe TelegraphMyanmar policemen cross border into India after refusing to carry out orders set by new military junta
At least 19 Myanmar police officers have crossed the border into India in the latest sign of growing dissent within the security forces and civil service officials who are opposed to the military coup. The first reported case of police fleeing the country came as one of the country's top diplomats resigned from his post at the United Nations after being promoted to the role of ambassador by the junta. Tin Maung Naing, the deputy envoy, refused to take over from Kyaw Moe Tun, the current ambassador, who was fired last week by the generals after he urged countries at the 193-member UN General Assembly to use “any means necessary” to reverse the coup that ousted the nation's elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
U.S.NBC NewsAsians were thought to be the 'model minority.' Then came 'receipt culture.'
In another video recorded last July, a tech CEO taunted an Asian American family at an upscale Northern California restaurant, calling them an “Asian piece of s—.” Fueled by former President Donald Trump's anti-China rhetoric, the Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed an onslaught of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. In 2020, the group Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 self-reports of coronavirus discrimination nationwide, from verbal harassment to physical assault.
WorldReutersEU countries approve green transition fund, look to challenges ahead
European Union officials on Wednesday formally approved the bloc's multi billion euro fund that is to help wean countries off fossil fuels by shielding vulnerable communities from the economic impact of transforming polluting sectors. As part of its plan to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the EU has set aside part of its budget and COVID-19 recovery fund to support those most affected by plans targeting industries relying on or producing fossil fuels. EU ambassadors greenlit the legal text to create a 17.5-billion euro EU Just Transition Fund, a pot of cash to help regions wind down their coal, peat and oil shale sectors and replace them with low-carbon industries and jobs.
PoliticsAssociated PressHouse impeachment manager sues Trump, allies over riot
It follows a similar suit filed by Rep. Bennie Thompson last month in an attempt to hold the former president accountable in some way for his actions Jan. 6, following his Senate acquittal. Swalwell charges that Trump, his son Donald Jr., along with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, had made “false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to the Defendant's express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol.
PoliticsThe WeekCapitol riot's 'QAnon Shaman' defends himself by claiming he 'stopped somebody from stealing muffins'
A suspect charged in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building is speaking from jail in a new interview — and offering a unique defense positioning himself as simply a savior of baked goods. Jacob Chansley, the Capitol riot suspect who refers to himself as the "QAnon Shaman" and was photographed during the insurrection wearing fur and horns, spoke with 60 Minutes in an interview broadcast Thursday, in which he claimed his "actions were not an attack on this country" as he faces up to 20 years in prison for them. "I sang a song, and that's a part of shamanism," he said.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestThe 29 Best Bar Carts Under $500
Guaranteed to look great in your Zoom happy hours Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
BusinessAxiosSurprise oil supply cut from OPEC won't just hit gas prices
Oil and gas prices jumped on Thursday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers said on Thursday that they would extend production cuts into April. The big picture: Oil is being driven by the production cuts of OPEC, a consortium of the world's largest producers, and expectations for a rebound in global demand as more countries emerge from coronavirus lockdowns. Crude oil has been a top performing asset this year, with variants like gasoline and diesel also delivering big gains in 2021 of 38.6% and 24.3%, respectively.
WorldReutersMyanmar protests and crackdown intensify, U.S. imposes trading curbs
Police broke up demonstrations with tear gas and gunfire in several cities across Myanmar on Thursday, as protesters returned to the streets undeterred by the bloodiest day yet in a crackdown on opponents of last month's military coup. The United Nations said 38 people had been killed during Wednesday's demonstrations, far more in a single day than the 23 believed to have been killed up until March 1. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet demanded the security forces halt what she called their "vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters."
U.S.Associated PressEx-chief: Dallas cop kept on job to not tip him off to probe
The Dallas Police Department allowed an officer to continue patrolling for more than a year while investigating whether he ordered two people to be killed because it didn't want to tip him off, the city's former police chief said. Former Police Chief U. Renee Hall, who left the department at the end of 2020, told The Dallas Morning News that the decision not to place Officer Bryan Riser on leave was made in conjunction with federal law enforcement and the Dallas County district attorney's office. Riser was arrested Thursday on two counts of capital murder and taken to the Dallas County Jail, where he was being held Friday on $5 million bond after a court appearance Thursday night.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverKentucky man — and a motorcycle — found after 465-foot Grand Canyon fall, officials say
A missing Kentucky man was found dead after a 465-foot fall from the Grand Canyon, according to the National Park Service. A motorcycle was also found beside the body of John Pennington, a 40-year-old man from Walton, officials say. He was believed to have entered the Grand Canyon around Feb. 23 and abandoned his vehicle at Yaki Point, a scenic overlook, officials say.
U.S.TODAYSenate bill narrows who can receive $1,400 stimulus checks. Here’s who’s eligible
A third stimulus bill will be debated today, but a last-minute change to the relief package means that about 7 million families may not receive a $1,400 check. Initially, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which is known as the American Rescue Plan, included $1,400 checks for people who make an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less, or couples who earn up to $150,000. The checks would have phased out as income increased, and individuals earning more than $100,000 a year and couples earning over $200,000 a year would not receive a check at all.
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Civil war within the GOP continues as Trump fires back at strategist Karl Rove
Former President Donald Trump intensified his war with the Republican establishment on Thursday by attacking Karl Rove, a longtime Republican strategist who criticized Trump's first speech since leaving office for being long on grievances but short on vision.
ScienceBBCNasa's Perseverance rover takes its first drive on Mars
It's two weeks now since the one-tonne robot landed on the Red Planet. Engineers have spent the time commissioning the vehicle and its many systems, including its instruments and robotic arm. Perseverance's mission is to explore a near-equatorial crater called Jezero, to search for evidence of past life.
PoliticsUSA TODAYBiden's relief bill isn't getting bipartisan support like previous stimulus bills. What do Republicans dislike so much?
Republican Senators have described President Joe Biden's COVID-19 stimulus plan as a "clunker," "bad politics" and “wildly expensive." The legislation, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, which the Senate started debating Thursday, is getting a partisan reception in Congress. Democrats want it passed soon, but little to no Republican members of Congress have so far voiced support.
U.S.AxiosMan pictured with feet on Pelosi's desk yells at judge: "It's not fair"
The Arkansas man who was pictured with his feet on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk during the Jan. 6 insurrection had an outburst in court Thursday, yelling at the judge and his own lawyers that it isn't "fair" he is still in jail, KNWA reports. Background: Richard Barnett, 60, has been asking to be freed on bond since he was arrested days after the attack at the Capitol, per the New York Times. Barnett lost his patience after D.C. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper continued his trial until May 4.
U.S.The State‘Impossible to trace.’ Tech savvy dad may be holding daughter captive in WA, cops say
A father accused of kidnapping his teenage daughter 17 months ago could be holding her captive in Washington, but his technology skills are making it hard for authorities to find him, officials say. Authorities say John Oliver Westbrook kidnapped his daughter, Daphne Westbrook, 17, in October 2019 from Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to a news release posted on Facebook by the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office in Tennessee. Investigators say Westbrook is holding Daphne against her will and they're struggling to locate them because he is “an IT expert specializing in security, block chain technology and bitcoin.”
PoliticsUSA TODAYJoe Biden campaigned as the mask candidate. Now he's facing the limits of the bully pulpit
Joe Biden ran for the White House as the mask candidate, criticizing then-President Donald Trump's dismissal of masks, promising to get tough on mask wearing and modeling good behavior by wearing at least one – and sometimes two –masks himself. "The one thing we do know — these masks make a gigantic difference," Biden said last June. As president, however, Biden is running up against the limits of the bully pulpit as mask-wearing remains politically polarized.
WorldCBS NewsIndian man accused of beheading daughter in apparent "honor killing"
Indian police have arrested a man and accused him of decapitating his own teenage daughter in a rage over her relationship with another man he didn't like, BBC News reported on Thursday, in what appears to be the latest gruesome case of so-called "honor killing" in the Asian nation. Police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh said Sarvesh Kumar was arrested as he walked toward the local police station carrying his daughter's head. BBC News said the local police released a video of Kumar confessing to the crime, in which he explains that he was enraged to learn of his daughter's relationship, came home to find her alone, locked her in a room and decapitated her with a sharp object.
BusinessAxiosT-Mobile tries again to go after big businesses with trio of new services
T-Mobile is making another concerted effort to win big businesses as customers as it announced a trio of new services at an online event Thursday. Why it matters: While T-Mobile was the fastest growing mobile carrier even before it absorbed Sprint, it has struggled to crack the lucrative big business market, where Verizon and AT&T control more than 90% of the market. Driving the news: T-Mobile's new services for business include...
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Barrett authors first Supreme Court ruling, a loss for environmentalists
Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday authored her first ruling since joining the Supreme Court in October as the court handed a defeat to an environmental group looking for access to government documents.
WorldBBCWorld's oldest known wild bird has another chick at age of 70
Wisdom the albatross, the world's oldest known wild bird, has had a chick at the age of at least 70. The Laysan albatross hatched the chick on 1 February in a wildlife refuge in the North Pacific Ocean, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has said. The father is Wisdom's partner, Akeakamai, who she has been with since 2012, US wildlife officials said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden supports making a temporary $3,000 payment to parents in the stimulus bill permanent going forward
Biden supports making a temporary boost to a tax credit for parents permanent, a Democratic aide said. Senate Democrats want to make this permanent and to give families the option of monthly checks. President Joe Biden told House Democrats on Wednesday that he supported making the temporary beefed-up child tax credit in his stimulus plan permanent, a Democratic aide briefed on the call told Insider.
TechnologyAxiosThe rise of vaccine passports
Vaccine passports were touted early in the pandemic as an important piece of the plan to get people back to normal life. Driving the news: CLEAR, the secure digital identity app that you see in airports around the world, and CommonPass, a health app that lets users securely access vaccination records and COVID test results, have joined forces. The result is an app that'll tell planes you're cleared to fly, arenas you're cleared to watch the ball game, and Vegas casinos you're cleared to head to the slot machines — all while promising to keep your health data private.
U.S.Miami HeraldDemocrats ask FBI for investigation into vaccine distribution; DeSantis pushes back
Florida's two top Democratic officials on Thursday called on the U.S. Justice Department to launch an investigation into Gov. Ron DeSantis for what they say appears to be a “pay to play” scheme in which the governor directed vaccine doses to communities in the state's wealthiest ZIP codes in exchange for campaign contributions. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Senate Democratic Leader Gary Farmer issued separate statements urging the U.S. Attorney and the FBI to look into whether the $3.9 million in contributions made to the governor's political committee since December alone were connected to favorable treatment for vaccine distribution. On Thursday, the governor angrily blasted a Miami Herald report that quoted an internal newsletter sent to residents of the wealthy gated enclave of the Ocean Reef Club, located in north Key Largo.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”