PoliticsReutersDefying Trump, U.S. Senate advances measure critical of easing Russia sanctions
The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to move ahead with a resolution disapproving of a Trump administration plan to ease sanctions on Russian companies tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, clearing the way for debate and a vote on the plan. The vote marked a rare break from President Donald Trump. Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans joined Democrats to vote 57-42 in favor of a motion to proceed to the resolution of disapproval.
- WorldBloomberg
Kenya Hunts Gunmen in Fatal Hotel Attack Claimed by Al-Qaeda
The attack on 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi began with an explosion targeting three vehicles in the parking lot and then a suicide-bombing in the foyer of a Dusit Hotels & Resorts Co. outlet, police Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet said Tuesday in a televised briefing. Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda based in neighboring Somalia, said it killed 47 people in the attack, according to Radio Andalus, a broadcaster that supports its insurgency. The group didn't say how it obtained the figure, but if its involvement was confirmed it would be the Islamists' first significant assault in Kenya since a raid on a university campus in Garissa county in April 2015 that killed at least 147 people.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Rep. Steve King raising money off controversy from white nationalism, supremacy comments
While Republicans and Democrats are condemning or calling for Rep. Steve King's resignation after his comments on white nationalism and white supremacy, the congressman is using the backlash to raise money for his campaign. "The unhinged left has teamed up with Republican 'NeverTrumpers' and is pulling out all the stops to destroy me," King wrote in a campaign email to his supporters. In the email, King, R-Iowa, said the New York Times and "rabid leftist media" are coming after him for supporting President Donald Trump and because of his views on immigration.
- 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
- NewsThe Independent
California storms: At least five people killed after heavy rain and snow cause devastation
At least five people have died in severe rain and snowstorms that blanketed parts of California with at least five feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains this week, besides triggering flooding and mudslides, officials said. Forecasters expect the bitter weather to push eastwards into the Rockies and US Midwest through the weekend, while the California Highway Patrol said rain-slicked highways led to two fatal accidents that killed four people. A family of three, including a one-year-old baby, died in El Dorado County on Tuesday, after their car spun across a rain-soaked freeway to hit another car, the San Francisco Chronicle said.
- 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.
- 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.
NewsAssociated PressKidnap suspect's lawyers: Confession problematic for defense
Defense attorneys for the man accused of kidnapping a Wisconsin teenager and killing her parents acknowledged Wednesday that they're starting the case at a disadvantage after their client gave detectives a detailed confession and said they're not sure he can get a fair trial in the state. According to a criminal complaint , 21-year-old Jake Patterson outlined in detail for detectives how he gunned down 13-year-old Jayme Closs' parents Oct. 15 in their home near Barron and abducted the girl. Jayme escaped last week from the remote cabin where Patterson had been hiding her.
WorldAFPVenezuela's parliament tries to lure military into disavowing Maduro
Venezuela's opposition-controlled but powerless National Assembly stepped up its battle with President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday by offering an amnesty to anyone from the military who joins it in disavowing the socialist leader. The "amnesty law" would extend also to civilian government officials who collaborate "in the restitution of constitutional order," parliament said. The row between the legislature and Maduro has intensified since the socialist leader was sworn in last week for a second term of office in the crisis-hit country, after he won snap elections in May that were boycotted by the opposition and dismissed by the United States, European Union and Organization of American States as a fraud.
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.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Kenya attack: At least six killed in Nairobi hotel complex terror siege
Islamist terrorists detonated explosives and fired automatic weapons as they mounted a deadly attack on a hotel and business complex frequented by Westerners in Nairobi on Tuesday. Six people have been confirmed killed in the attack, while a Kenyan police officer told reporters 15 bodies had been taken to the mortuary. A mortuary worker added that identification papers indicated that 11 were Kenyan, one was American and one was British, while the other two did not have documents on them.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
Vice President Pence tries to enlist U.S. ambassadors in the shutdown fight, but doesn't mention furlough
WASHINGTON – Vice President Mike Pence tried to enlist America's ambassadors in the shutdown fight on Wednesday, telling the diplomats they each have “a role to play as we take the battle forward on Capitol Hill to secure our border. But even as Pence urged the embassy chiefs to defend President Donald Trump's tough immigration policy, he did not mention the partial government shutdown's impact on U.S. diplomatic staff stationed across the globe. Hundreds of embassy employees have been furloughed amid the stalemate over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding.
PoliticsYahoo NewsSteve King faces increasing pressure to resign after 'white supremacy' remarks
Rep. Steve King's base of support, including in his home state of Iowa, continues to erode after comments he made appearing to praise white supremacy were published in the New York Times. The latest salvo came as the Sioux City Journal, a conservative newspaper in Iowa's Fourth District that had previously endorsed the Republican congressman, called on him to resign. “It's hard for us to summon words that will properly convey how repugnant we view that remark,” said the paper in response to King asking, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” earlier this month.
- 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.
WorldReuters VideosA new migrant caravan heads for U.S. border
Several hundred Honduran migrants have crossed the border with Guatemala, as part of a new migrant caravan headed for the U.S. border. Jayson Albano reports.
- PoliticsTime
Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Paid to Have a Twitter Account Praise Him As a 'Sex Symbol'
Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison in December after pleading guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and making false financial statements. According to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal, Cohen not only hired RedFinch Solutions — a small IT firm owned by Liberty University chief information officer John Gauger — to rig online polls in Trump's favor ahead of his presidential campaign, but also paid Gauger to enlist a female friend to create and run the Twitter account @WomenForCohen. The purpose of the account, which is still active as of Thursday, was to paint Cohen as a “sex symbol” and “pit bull” by posting tweets that “praised his looks and character, and promoted his appearances and statements boosting Mr. Trump's Candidacy,” the Journal reports.
- WorldReuters
Brexit deal defeat makes 'softer, later' exit more likely: Goldman Sachs
A vote in Britain's parliament on Tuesday crushing Prime Minister May's deal to leave the European Union has made a softer, later Brexit, or even no Brexit at all, slightly more likely, Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday. quot;We think the prospect of a disorderly 'no deal' Brexit has faded further," Goldman Sachs' European economist Adrian Paul wrote in a note. The bank maintains its base case scenario that "a close variant" of the current Brexit deal will ultimately command a majority in the House of Commons.
- 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.
- 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.
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
'Blockbuster' storm heads east, could drop 40 inches of snow. Then an Arctic blast will freeze 200 million
After hammering California with rain and snow, a 'blockbuster' winter storm is taking aim on the East, where as much as 40 inches of snow could fall over the weekend. Road travel may become "impossible" due to the heavy snow; flight delays and cancellations are also likely. After the storm heads offshore on Sunday, the intense cold will be the main weather story as bitterly cold air straight from the Arctic will roar in, bringing below-freezing temperatures to 200 million Americans.
- BusinessYahoo News
Poll shows federal workers don't prefer a border wall to getting paid
President Trump has claimed repeatedly that most federal workers support his tactic of shutting down the government to enforce his demand for a border wall — including those directly affected by it. According to the survey conducted by the Government Business Council and GovExec.com and released Tuesday, 71 percent of federal workers oppose the shutdown, compared to just 21 percent who support it. Just 34 percent of federal employees surveyed support Trump's demand for funding for the wall, while 56 percent oppose it.
- 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.
BusinessAFPFord forecasts $112 mn Q4 loss amid restructuring costs
Ford said Wednesday it expected to post a $112 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2018 as the automaker implements a massive restructuring in the United States and Europe. The second-biggest US automaker said it would still post a profit after charges stemming from the drive to cut $11 billion in costs. The firm sees adjusted profit of 30 cents a share during this period, according to the statement, less than the 32 cents anticipated by the markets.
- BusinessBGR News
Plans revealed for a massive atom smasher that dwarfs the Large Hadron Collider
The famous Large Hadron Collider, an insanely massive particle accelerator that's helped scientists crack some of the most deeply hidden mysteries of the universe, is about to be dwarfed by an atom smasher that's much bigger and more powerful. European physicists have just unveiled their proposal for the construction of a new particle smasher that calls for a 62-mile circular collider costing roughly the equivalent of $10 billion. Plans for the so-called Future Circular Collider were revealed Tuesday in a report by officials associated with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known by its acronym of CERN.
