- WorldYahoo News
Americans stranded at Pakistan airport after cruise ship was denied entry to multiple countries over coronavirus fears
A plane full of Americans and Canadians was stranded on a tarmac at an airport in Karachi, Pakistan, for several hours on Thursday after it was turned away from multiple countries due to fears of the coronavirus, according to a family member of two of the passengers. Kelly Chrjapin, whose parents were among those on the flight, said the plane contained more than 250 people, all of whom were American and Canadian nationals who had been traveling on the cruise ship MS Westerdam. One passenger from that boat tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.
WorldAFP59 Hong Kong police quarantined after meal with virus colleague
Dozens of Hong Kong police officers have been placed in quarantine after attending a banquet with a colleague who later tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Friday. The news prompted celebrations among some pro-democracy protesters, a vivid illustration of how deeply polarised the city has become after months of rallies and thousands of arrests last year. Health officials said four officers as well as the infected policeman's wife and mother-in-law showed symptoms of illness.
- PoliticsAssociated Press
Judge dismisses Nunes lawsuit against Fusion GPS
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a racketeering lawsuit brought by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes against the political research firm that enlisted a former British spy to look into Donald Trump's ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. Nunes, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a vocal ally of Trump, had accused Fusion GPS in a lawsuit last year of harassing him and trying to impede his panel's investigation into Russian election interference. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and also named a nonprofit advocacy group as a defendant, sought nearly $10 million in damages.
- PoliticsThe National Interest
Kill Shot: Did Elizabeth Warren Just Knock Michael Bloomberg Out of the Presidential Race?
Last night former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made his first appearance on the 2020 Democratic debate stage to optically disastrous results (others disagree, see this). As predicted, Elizabeth Warren was on the offensive throughout the debate, launching direct verbal attacks on her opponents in an attempt to resuscitate her dwindling campaign ahead of Super Tuesday. “Democrats are not going to win if we have a nominee who has a history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women, and of supporting racist policies like redlining and stop and frisk.” She followed this statement by assuring viewers she would still support Bloomberg if he was the Democratic nominee.
- WorldUSA TODAY
CDC is preparing for the 'likely' spread of coronavirus in the US, officials say
Health experts sounded the alarm Friday over the worldwide threat of the coronavirus, with officials warning of its "likely" community spread in the United States and the World Health Organization cautioning that "the window of opportunity is narrowing" for containing the outbreak worldwide. The COVID-19 coronavirus, which erupted in China in December, has killed at least 2,360 people and sickened at least 77,900 worldwide, the majority of cases in mainland China. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday that U.S. health officials are preparing for the coronavirus to become a pandemic.
- WorldReuters
Archaeologists unveil possible shrine to Rome's first king
Archaeologists said on Friday they had discovered an ancient cenotaph that almost certainly commemorated the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, buried in the heart of the Italian capital. The small chamber containing a simple sarcophagus and round stone block was originally found at the start of the last century beneath the Capitoline Hill inside the old Roman forum. Alfonsina Russo, the head of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, said the site probably dated back to the sixth century BC, and was located in the most ancient part of the city which was directly linked in historical texts to Rome's first king.
- WorldThe Week
A recurring Biden campaign story about being arrested in South Africa is full of inconsistencies
Former Vice President Joe Biden has a pretty good tale to share — but it may be a little tall. Biden, who is running for president, has been spicing up his recent campaign stump speeches with a story of how he was arrested while in South Africa trying to see Nelson Mandela, The New York Times reports. During recent campaign speeches, Biden says he "had the great honor" of meeting Mandela and "of being arrested with our U.N. ambassador on the streets of Soweto." As Miami Herald reporter Alex Daugherty points out, Soweto is a ways away from Robben Island, where Mandela's maximum security prison was located.
- WorldBusiness Insider
More than 100 wild animals in China died from poisoning in a mass die-off seemingly triggered by coronavirus disinfectant
STR/AFP via Getty Images More than 100 wild animals were found dead in a Chinese megacity and tests show that they were poisoned by the disinfectant that's being used to combat the coronavirus. At least 17 species of animals, including wild boar, weasels, and blackbirds, were affected by the mass die-off. Nanchong Stray Animal Rescue claims that authorities are killing domesticated animals outright amid fears that they can spread the coronavirus.
- U.S.NBC News
Airport worker with no license takes plane for spin near D.C., almost crashes, feds say
A Virginia man piloted at least one plane without a license in 2018, in a dangerous journey that ended with a "bounced" landing, federal authorities said. Ryan Guy Parker "knowingly and willfully" flew above suburban Washington D.C., posing a "significant risk of injury and death" to himself and the public, according to an affidavit by U.S. Department of Transportation Special Agent Bret Stolle. In a Sept. 27, 2018 trip out of Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Parker nearly crashed on touch down, Stolle wrote.
- BusinessNational Review
California Pension Fund Does Not Deny CIO’s Involvement in China’s ‘Thousand Talents Program’
The CEO of California's public pension fund said Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind. had made “baseless accusations” about the fund's chief investment officer being involved in Chinese espionage — but did not deny that Yu Ben Meng had been recruited to the “Thousand Talents Program. Marcie Frost, the head of California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), also admitted that her organization — the largest public pension fund in the country with “approximately $400 billion in global assets — had increased its Chinese investments in 2019 after shifts in “well-established indexes.
U.S.AFPQuadruple murderer executed in Tennessee
A quadruple murderer was put to death in Tennessee on Thursday despite lawyers asking the US Supreme Court for a stay of execution. Nicholas Sutton, 58, was found guilty of stabbing a fellow inmate to death in 1985. Sutton's lawyers in January asked the state's Republican governor, Bill Lee, to grant clemency, citing expressions of support for Sutton from prison officials.
- U.S.Associated Press
Police: Couple forced boys off road, angered by Trump flags
A northwestern Indiana couple allegedly used a car to force two teenage boys off a road, angered that the twin brothers were riding bicycles adorned with flags supporting President Donald Trump, before ripping one of the sibling's flag from his bike, police said Friday. Hobart police said Snapchat videos helped officers secure charges against Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones, 23, and Cailyn Marie Smith, 18, in connection with a July 22 incident. Police Capt. James Gonzales said the Hobart couple are accused of driving in their car, running the 14-year-old boys off of the road, and making threats toward them.
- PoliticsThe Guardian
Debate shows Bernie Sanders could win most votes but be denied nomination
Amid the Mike Bloomberg pile-on and the Pete Buttigieg-Amy Klobuchar squabbling, there was a key point that slipped by almost unnoticed during Wednesday's tumultuous Democratic debate – one that could potentially prevent Bernie Sanders from becoming the nominee. Towards the end, each of the six candidates was asked if – at the Democratic national convention this summer in Milwaukee – they would support the person who has won the most delegates – even if that person hasn't achieved a majority. It might seem a wonky, opaque detail, but it raises the prospect that Sanders, who has a commanding lead in the polls and has emerged as the frontrunner, could win the most pledged delegates – those allocated on the basis of votes during the marathon Democratic primaries – but be swindled, at the last, by the Democratic party elite.
- WorldThe National Interest
Watch Out! U.S. Army Tanks Could Collapse Polish Bridges On Their Way to Battle Russia
The U.S. Army and its closest allies have a problem. To deter Russia from attacking Poland and the Baltic States, the Army and its NATO allies should deploy heavy armored forces such as M-1 tanks, armored fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery. RAND, a California think-tank with close ties to the U.S. military, in a February 2020 report underscored the importance of heavy ground forces.
- WorldReuters
Turkey's Erdogan asks France, Germany to help end Syrian humanitarian crisis
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan asked the French and German leaders to provide "concrete" support in ending a humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria's Idlib region, the Turkish presidency said on Friday, amid escalating tensions in the region. In a phone call, Erdogan said that attacks in Idlib, where a Russian-led Syrian government offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and brought Ankara, Moscow and Damascus to the brink of confrontation, must be stopped. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express their concern about the humanitarian situation in Idlib, urging an end to the conflict there, a German spokesman said.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Elizabeth Warren trolls Republican donor with ad in his paper telling him how much tax she'll make him pay
Elizabeth Warren has bought ad space in a newspaper owned by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, taunting the billionaire with an estimate for how much he would pay during the first year of her presidency with her promised 2 per cent wealth tax. “With that small wealth tax, we can invest in Nevada families,” it continues. Ms Warren's ad was printed in the newspaper the morning after she seemed to dominate the Democratic debate in the same city by mounting a full-throated attack on another billionaire, democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg.
- U.S.Business Insider
The Diamond Princess cruise ship, where at least 634 people caught the coronavirus, is setting sail again in April. Here's how it's being cleaned.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship incubated more than 630 cases of the novel coronavirus, the largest number of infections outside China. The cruise ship is already planning its next cruise, which will set sail in April. A spokesperson for Princess Cruise Lines' parent company, Carnival Corporation, said its ships are disinfected with a spray product, manufactured by Virox.
PoliticsYahoo News VideoFormer national security adviser denounces the House's impeachment proceedings as 'grossly partisan'
Former national security adviser John Bolton on Wednesday denounced the House's impeachment proceedings against President Trump as ”grossly partisan” and said his testimony would not have changed Trump's acquittal in the Senate, as he continued to stay quiet on the details of a yet-to-be-released book.
- WorldNBC News
Coronavirus updates: Cases in South Korea surge as U.S. prepares for pandemic
Cases surge in South Korea after outbreak at church • Coronavirus incubation could be as long as 27 days • Second death emerges in Italy • Tokyo postpones training for Olympics volunteers over virus fears • U.S. takes steps to prepare for pandemic as global COVID—19 cases rise • Federal judge blocks effort to transfer coronavirus patients to California city • China's central bank vows to take more steps to support virus-hit economy China reports fall in new cases, amid concerns over rising global spread China reported a sharp decrease in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, but a surge of infections in South Korea and new cases in Iran added to unease about its rapid global s...
- WorldThe Week
Taliban's deputy leader writes New York Times op-ed detailing 'what we want'
A leader of one of the most notorious terrorist groups in the world just got a megaphone from The New York Times. On Thursday, the Times published an op-ed from Taliban deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani ominously titled "What we, the Taliban, want." It comes as the Taliban continues to work out a peace deal with the U.S., and in it, Haqqani insists "everyone is tired of war" on their side too. Haqqani paints a thoroughly positive picture of his terrorist organization, and apparently the Times just decided to roll with it.
- U.S.Associated Press
Family of man killed by trooper seeking more than $10M
Relatives of a black Connecticut man killed by a state trooper are seeking more than $10 million in wrongful death damages from state and local police, according to legal notices filed Thursday. Lawyers for the family of Mubarak Soulemane, 19, asked the state claims commissioner for permission to sue the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and top state police officials including Public Safety Commissioner James Rovella for $10 million. They also filed notice with the town of West Haven that they intend to sue the town and local police officials for an undisclosed amount of money.
- PoliticsNational Review
Poll: Trump Expected to Double 2016 African American Support if He Draws Buttigieg Challenge
President Trump would double the support he received from African American voters in 2016 if he ends up facing former South Bend., Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg in the upcoming election, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Friday. Trump, who recorded eight percent of the African American vote against Hillary Clinton in 2016, hits 16 percent in the 2020 estimate against Buttigieg. Both men are tied with three percent of “enthusiastic” black voters — with Buttigieg having the lowest percentage of enthusiasm in the entire Democratic field.
- WorldThe National Interest
This Fighter Jet Is The Biggest Threat To Russia's Su-57 Stealth Fighter (Not the F-35)
Key point: The Su-35S was intended as an interim solution; as a modernized air superiority fighter to sustain the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) through the 2010's until the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter enters serial production. “A unique machine, a deadly aerial fist,” is how the official television channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense introduced the Su-35S superiority fighter earlier this week. TV Zvezda's three-minute clip of a recent Su-35S training sortie over Syria provides close-up shots of the fighter jet being prepped for flight, taking off, cruising over the Syrian coast, and firing flares.
- WorldReuters
Moscow says Russian official detained in Spain after U.S. request
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a Russian official was detained by Spanish police during a working trip on Feb. 14 after her arrest was requested by the United States. The Russian woman, who is now in jail in Tenerife, works for a government organization overseen by a Russian agriculture watchdog and was a part of an official delegation, the ministry said. It added in a statement that her detention "could have been linked to a request from the United States".
- WorldINSIDER
China is offering families of doctors who died fighting the coronavirus a 'sympathy payment' of $716
Chinese healthcare workers are on the frontlines of battling the coronavirus outbreak and several have lost their lives to the virus. On Monday, the government announced that it will pay $716 to families of healthcare providers who have died, Shanghaiist reported. Chinese healthcare providers are on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak, and several have lost their lives trying to save others.
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