NewsAssociated Press10 Things to Know for Today
HOW MIGRANT GIRL'S DEATH UNDERSCORES BORDER AGENT LANGUAGE CHALLENGES Shortly before a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl died in U.S. custody, her father signed a form stating that his daughter was in good health, but it's unclear how much the man understood because agents did not speak his native tongue. WHO SAYS TRUMP WILL TALK TO MUELLER 'OVER MY DEAD BODY' Rudy Giuliani says he would not allow the president to sit down for an interview with the special counsel investigating Russian interference into the 2016 election.
- NewsHuffPost
Dogs Thrown From Vehicle On New York Highway, Police Say
Two beagle mixes are recovering after authorities said they were tossed from a moving vehicle onto a New York highway, igniting a search for the culprits. The truck driver, whom police identified only as Adam, said he immediately hit the brakes and parked his vehicle on the side of the road to help. A passing state trooper assisted after spotting the trucker’s abandoned vehicle and then the two dogs, one of which was described as seriously injured. The dogs, since named Adam and Trooper after their heroes, were taken to the Broome County Humane Society in Binghamton for treatment.
HealthReutersE-cigarette usage nearly doubles in U.S. high-schools: survey
The percentage of high school seniors who used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days nearly doubled to 20.9 percent from last year, results of a survey released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed on Monday. The increase in vaping by 10th and 12th graders was the largest year-over-year jump for any substance ever measured by the survey, which started 44 years ago. The annual survey, which also measures use of other substances including marijuana, alcohol and opioids, questioned more than 44,000 students from 8th, 10th and 12th grades in U.S. public and private schools.
- WorldTime
Father of 7-Year-Old Who Died in Border Patrol Custody Calls for 'Thorough Investigation' of Her Death
The father of the 7-year-old who died earlier this month after being taken into Border Patrol custody is calling for an “objective and thorough investigation” of her death. Nery Caal Cuz, who is currently staying at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, released a statement prepared by his lawyers Saturday, about the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together. The pair had been traveling from Guatemala in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
Giant ships, new destinations: The biggest cruise stories of 2018
From the unveiling of the biggest passenger ship ever to the completion of one of the most ambitious ship overhauls ever, it was another year of milestones in the cruise world. Perhaps the biggest cruise story of the year was the debut of Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas – at 228,081 tons, the biggest cruise ship ever. Eighteen decks high and chock full of eateries, bars and entertainment zones, Symphony is a floating mega-resort on a scale only matched by its three slightly smaller sisters.
WorldAFPKosovo says army 'irreversible' ahead of UN meeting
Kosovo's president said the country's decision to build an army was "irreversible" before heading to a UN Security Council meeting on Monday about the move, which has drawn the ire of former war foe Serbia. The Kosovo parliament's Friday vote to transform a lightly-armed emergency force into a standing army was carried out with strong support from the United States, which hailed the move as historic. But the decision has angered Belgrade and its key ally Russia, who both refuse to recognise the independence of the former Serbian province.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Chili's Weighs In On North Carolina Election Fraud And Immediately Regrets Decision
Chili’s social media department is getting ribbed after it weighed in on North Carolina’s election fraud scandal ― without really understanding it. It all started Monday when Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the progressive super PAC American Bridge, offered a Chili’s gift certificate to North Carolina GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse with a caveat: Stop trying to seat Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris, whose election has been marred by ballot fraud allegations. Woodhouse didn’t respond, but Chili’s social media person did and aggressively attempted to do some promotion piggybacking on Bates’ tweet.
- BusinessUSA TODAY
Pauley Perrette, Sasha Alexander back ex-'NCIS' star Michael Weatherly amid harassment claims
Pauley Perrette and Sasha Alexander are jumping to the defense of their former "NCIS" co-star Michael Weatherly after actress Eliza Dushku accused him of sexual harassment. A New York Times story published Thursday disclosed that CBS secretly paid a $9.5 million settlement to Dushku after the actress alleged Weatherly made comments that made her feel "violated" on set of the TV series "Bull." CBS has confirmed the existence of the settlement to USA TODAY.
- WorldBloomberg
U.S., Taliban Meet in U.A.E. to Discuss Afghanistan Peace
The Afghan Taliban said it was holding another round of talks with U.S. officials in the U.A.E. on Monday after peace negotiations failed last month. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the U.A.E. will also attend the meeting, Zabihullah Mujahed, a spokesman for the militant group, said in a statement released on Sunday evening. Pakistan has also confirmed that talks will be taking place and hopes the meeting “will end bloodshed in Afghanistan and bring peace to the region,” Mohammad Faisal, a foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad, said on Twitter.
PoliticsAFPTrump agrees to shut down his embattled charity
President Donald Trump has agreed to shut down his personal charity, the Trump Foundation, the New York attorney general said Tuesday, accusing it of engaging in a "shocking pattern of illegality" to advance his political and business interests. State Attorney General Barbara Underwood said the family foundation would be dissolved and its remaining assets distributed to other charities under her supervision. Underwood accused the Foundation of a "shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation –- including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more."
NewsAssociated PressTerror charges issued in France's Christmas market attack
A man suspected of supplying the gun used in the Christmas market shooting attack that killed five people in Strasbourg has been handed preliminary terror charges, according to a French judicial official close to the investigation. The official, who could not be named with the case ongoing, said the individual appeared Monday before a judge and was charged with criminal association with terrorists, as well as possessing and supplying arms in connection with a terrorist enterprise. The man is suspected of furnishing the weapon that alleged gunman Cherif Chekatt used in the Dec. 11 attack, the judicial official said.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
Every Photo You Need to See of the $100,000 Lincoln Continental Coach
The 80 units of the special-edition sedan will celebrate the nameplate's 80th anniversary. From Car and Driver
- BusinessTime
Google Is Spending $1 Billion on a Massive New York City Expansion
Google is spending more than $1 billion to expand operations in New York City. Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Google and Alphabet, said in a blog post Monday that Google is creating a more than 1.7 million square-foot campus that includes lease agreements along the Hudson River in lower Manhattan. Google Hudson Square will be the company’s primary location for its New York operations.
- WorldThe Guardian
Fleeing home alone: the migrant children blocked at Mexican border
Guatemalan children caught in Mexico while trying to migrate into the US, queue before climbing into a minibus at Aurora international airport in Guatemala City. For years, Dora waited impatiently to turn 15, the age her mother had agreed she would be old enough to leave their home in El Salvador – where she suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather – and head to the US, in search of a new life. “Seeing them leave together … that gave me hope and gave me the courage to finally leave,” said Dora, who is now living at a children’s shelter in Tijuana, on the border with California.
WorldReutersPutin: Nothing to stop new states joining nuclear pact with U.S. and Russia
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that there was nothing to stop Russia and the United States holding talks with other countries about the possibility of them joining a landmark arms control treaty that is at risk of unraveling. The United States delivered Russia a 60-day ultimatum earlier this month to come clean about what Washington says is a violation of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty between Moscow and Washington. The pact keeps intermediate-range U.S. and Russian missiles out of Europe.
- NewsHuffPost
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Calls For Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana In New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday announced his support for legalizing recreational marijuana, another sign of his shift toward progressive policy positions in recent months, after facing a primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon. “Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all,” Cuomo said during a speech in Manhattan outlining his 2019 agenda. According to the New York Post, Cuomo is also exploring whether people previously arrested for possessing marijuana ― who tend to disproportionately be people of color ― could have their arrests dropped from their criminal records.
PoliticsFOX News VideosHilton: Trump’s record is head and shoulders above the rest
Trump haters say that the president pulling out of the Paris climate deal is definitive proof that he’s destroying the world.
BusinessUSA TODAYCash deposited in Robinhood's 3% checking and savings isn't insured, SIPC says
Cash deposited in Robinhood's new checking and savings product that was rolled out this week by the fintech investing platform is not insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corp., the nonprofit membership corporation said Friday. Robinhood made headlines on Thursday when it announced that the new products can earn 3 percent, much better than what traditional banks offer on checking and savings accounts. Robinhood's checking and savings products are not traditional bank accounts.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Michael Cohen would refuse a pardon from Trump, his former lawyer says
Veteran political consultant and attorney Lanny Davis said that his embattled advisee Michael Cohen is taking personal responsibility for his bad behavior and would refuse any pardon offered by President Trump. Davis was Cohen’s attorney last summer when he pleaded guilty to fraud and violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels. Cohen, who was Trump’s personal attorney for many years, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday.
WorldAFPJesuits release list of 89 US priests accused of sex abuse
Jesuit authorities for 20 US states on Monday released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950. The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church and come after 153 Jesuits were publicly identified by two other provinces earlier this month. Maryland released 24 names with allegations dating back to 1950 and USA Midwest released 65 names dating back to 1955.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
5 Products That Can Make Driving in Winter Easier
If you're looking for free shipping, you've got one more day for these Amazon deals. From Car and Driver
- BusinessThe National Interest
Introducing the 5 Ultimate Smith & Wesson Guns
Smith & Wesson’s successful “wonder nine” pistol, the M&P followed in the footsteps of the Glock to produce a highly effective, high capacity polymer frame pistol. The Military & Police Model, currently in version 2.0, has a low bore axis, which the manufacturer claims reduces muzzle climb and allows the shooter to get sights back on target faster. Smith & Wesson is one of the oldest, and most storied names in American firearms.
- LifestyleAssociated Press
French city honors victims of Christmas market attack
People filled a square in the French city of Strasbourg on Sunday to show respect and sympathy for the victims of last week's shooting attack near a famous Christmas market as the death toll rose to five. French authorities said a Polish man died in a Strasbourg hospital Sunday, one of a dozen people wounded in last Tuesday's attack. Poland's Foreign Ministry extended condolences Sunday on Twitter to his family.
NewsReutersMigrant family who fled tear gas at U.S. border seeks asylum
Members of a group of Honduran migrants, which included a mother who had been photographed running with her daughters from tear gas several weeks ago, began seeking asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico on Monday, according to a Reuters witness and lawyers for the group. The group comprised mostly teens but also included Maria Meza and her children, the lawyers said. The family appeared in a widely circulated photograph taken by Reuters as they fled tear gas thrown by U.S. authorities during a protest at the border last month when some migrants rushed the U.S. fence.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Hillary Clinton Offers Encouragement To Third-Grader Who Lost School Election
An 8-year-old Maryland girl reportedly received some high-powered encouragement after she lost a school election for class president by one vote. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a letter to Martha Kennedy Morales, a third-grader at Friends Community School in College Park, after hearing about the election results, The Washington Post reported. “As I know too well, it’s not easy when you stand up and put yourself in contention for a role that’s only been sought by boys,” wrote Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump.
