U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramBorder Patrol officer sneaks Mexican woman into US to be her nanny in Texas, feds say
A Border Patrol officer is accused of sneaking a Mexican woman into the U.S. to be her nanny, authorities say. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Rhonda Lee Walker, 40, was charged with conspiring to transport an illegal alien and making false statements after undercover agents and surveillance video caught her bringing the woman across a Laredo border crossing, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. In June, an anonymous tipster told the federal agency that Walker employed a live-in caretaker and nanny who didn't have permission to work in the U.S., according to a criminal complaint.
U.S.The WeekAmy Klobuchar shuts down Ron Johnson's conspiracy mongering at Capitol attack hearing
On Tuesday, the former leaders of the Capitol Police and other authorities entrusted with protecting the Capitol building testified about the Jan. 6 attack, telling conflicting stories about what happened that day. One thing that clearly didn't happen was what Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) shared during his chance to question the law enforcement leaders: An account of the day published in the conservative publication The Federalist alleging those who broke into the Capitol were seemingly professional provocateurs and not the "working-class" people seen protesting outside early in the day.
WorldAssociated PressHelicopters, firefighters battle 2 forest fires in Japan
A forest fire broke out in a rural area north of Tokyo on Thursday, near another blaze burning for a fourth day. One man suffered burns and was hospitalized, and firefighters have been deployed, said Hitomi Hirokami, an official at Kiryu in Gunma prefecture, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Tokyo. Another fire has been raging in nearby Ashikaga in Tochigi prefecture, where 207 households have been asked to evacuate, said spokesman Minoru Takayama.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestNo Need to Call an Architect—These 9 Room Dividers Elegantly Get the Job Done
From ornate to subtle, these beautiful screens double as functional art Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsNational ReviewRomney ‘Pretty Sure’ Trump Would Be Republican Nominee If He Runs in 2024
Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) said Tuesday that if former president Donald Trump were to run again in 2024 that he is “pretty sure” Trump would win the Republican nomination. “He has by far the largest voice and a big impact in my party,” Romney told the New York Times' DealBook. “I don't know if he's planning to run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I'm pretty sure he would win the nomination.”
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden nominee Neera Tanden’s tweet about Joe Manchin’s daughter may come back to haunt her
Neera Tanden, Joe Biden's nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, previously criticised Democratic Senator Joe Manchin's daughter, a slight that might factor into whether or not she is confirmed for the position. Ms Tanden tweeted an image of an article about Mr Manchin's daughter, Heather Bresch, taking aim at a significant increase in her pay while she was CEO of Mylan. In the tweet, Ms Tanden pointed out that the company's board was justifying the pay raise by saying Ms Bresch had "contributed significantly to the company's growth in recent years".
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Cuban migrant boat capsizes after 16 days at sea
The Martin County Sheriff's Office said officials received calls on Sunday (February 21) of a "distressed vessel" trying to reach the shore in St. Lucie County. While on their way to the scene, a wave hit the vessel causing it to capsize. Authorities and civilians helped rescued the six men and two pregnant women, the sheriff's office said, adding they were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.
BusinessReutersU.S. audit report cites 'weaknesses' in FAA certification of Boeing 737 MAX
The U.S. Transportation Department's inspector general faulted "weaknesses" in U.S. government certification of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that was grounded for 20 months after two crashes killed 346 people, according to a report released Wednesday. The 63-page report said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not have a complete understanding of a Boeing Co safety system tied to both crashes and said "much work remains" to address outstanding issues. Boeing said it has "undertaken significant changes to reinforce our safety practices, and we have already made progress" on recommendations outlined in the report.
WorldAssociated PressSanctions prompt Venezuela to expel head of EU delegation
Venezuela's government on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of the chief European Union diplomat in the South American nation following the bloc's decision to impose sanctions on several Venezuelan officials accused of undermining democracy or violating human rights. Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa was given 72 hours to leave the troubled country. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Brilhante Pedrosa was declared persona non grata by decision of President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverMan cuts out woman’s heart, cooks it and tries to serve it to uncle, Oklahoma cops say
Disturbing details have emerged following the gruesome deaths of three people in an Oklahoma neighborhood. On Feb. 9, police received a 911 call from the Chickasha home of Leon Pye, 67, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in a news release. Police busted through the door and found Pye and his 4-year-old granddaughter Kaeos Yates dead, the OSBI said.
PoliticsThe IndependentAngry Democrat Gerry Connolly tells Trump ally he ‘will not be lectured’ by someone who tried to overturn election
Virginia Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly blasted Ohio Republican Representative and staunch Trump ally Jim Jordan, telling him during a hearing on the postal service that he "will not be lectured" about partisanship by people who voted to overturn the election. The hearing before the House Oversight Committee included questioning of the president of the American Postal Workers Union Mark Dimondstein and the Postmaster-General, Trump appointee Louis DeJoy. Mr Jordan defended Mr DeJoy who he argued had been unfairly criticised by Democrats during the lead-up to the 2020 election, saying: "They accused you of things, they said you were restricting overtime - False.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverMissing California woman found dead below Grand Canyon lookout, officials say
A California woman was found dead in the Grand Canyon a day after family members reported her missing, park officials said. National Park Service officials discovered a body below a popular canyon overlook, Grand Canyon National Park officials said in a Tuesday news release. The body was identified as 31-year-old Lillian Meyn from Woodside, California, officials said.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Zero respect’: Ted Cruz pictured scrolling through phone during harrowing opening testimony into Capitol riot
Texas senator Ted Cruz has been filmed scrolling through his phone during the harrowing opening testimony at the Senate hearing into the Capitol riots, less than a week after his controversial trip to Mexico. The US Capitol's three former top security officials have been testifying on Tuesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committees about how Congress was breached during the riots on 6 January. Steven Sund, who was serving as the chief of the Capitol Police at the time of the insurrection, gave a harrowing account of the actions of that day in front of the committees on Tuesday.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMitch McConnell blocked Merrick Garland for Supreme Court, but backs his AG nomination
McConnell was the Senate's majority leader in 2016, when he declined to have his chamber consider Garland's nomination by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the time, McConnell said American voters should ultimately have a say in the Supreme Court seat made vacant by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia's death, with the GOP leader explaining it was a presidential election year and the White House and Senate were controlled by different parties. See this: Trump bashes McConnell as 'unsmiling political hack' after Capitol riot Soon after Obama, a Democrat, formally nominated Garland in 2016, McConnell said the former president and his allies "may now try to pretend this disag...
CelebrityThe IndependentWho is Heidi Cruz? The high-powered Goldman Sachs executive and wife to ‘disgraced’ Texas senator Ted Cruz
Heidi Cruz, the wife of Texas senator Ted Cruz, is reportedly on the hunt for the neighbour who leaked her text messages about their much criticised trip to Cancun during a snow-storm that left thousands without heat or electricity. “Ritz Carlton Cancun $309 plus tax,” she allegedly wrote in messages passed to The New York Times last week, that demonstrated the family was planning to violate government guidelines and the recommendations of her own husband. In 2000, when the pair met whilst working on George W Bush's presidential campaign before marrying the next year and moving into government positions, Heidi Nelson wasn't necessarily destined to be window dressing to someone else's ambitions.
WorldBusiness InsiderNorth Korea hacked Pfizer because it wants to sell bootleg COVID vaccines on the international black market, sources say
North Korea wants "to decide which [vaccine] will be the easiest to bootleg and transport for the black market," said an official. The nation has a long history of counterfeiting, bootlegging, drug dealing, and arms smuggling. The dictatorship wants foreign currency.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastPostmaster General Taunts Dems: You’re Stuck With Me for Good
Louis DeJoy had a defiant message on Wednesday for those craving to see him ousted as U.S. Postmaster General: “Get used to me. The comment came after Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) asked the embattled U.S. Postal Service chief how long he would remain as Postmaster General—“long time,” DeJoy spat back—during a Wednesday hearing in the House Oversight Committee. That exchange was indicative of the entire proceeding, which was frequently chippy, combative, and fueled by Democratic lawmakers' outrage over DeJoy's handling of the USPS at a time of worsening mail delays and difficult questions about the service's long-term viability.
HealthThe IndependentParents of child who died of Covid share the warning signs of the virus in kids
“It presents very differently [in children] than it does in adults, so it's hard to know what to look for,” Priscilla Morse told CNN. Gigi succumbed to the virus on August 4 last year in Tennessee. The Morses say Gigi seemed fine in the hours before she died, except for a few unusual ailments.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGucci has reportedly extended its lease in the Trump Tower. Other companies, including Tiffany's, have pulled away from the former president.
Gucci has extended its lease in Trump Tower, where it's the biggest commercial tenant, the NYT reported. In 2020, the company extended its lease beyond 2026 and reduced its rent, sources told the publication. Gucci was paying $18.7 million in annual rent for the space in 2012, per an SEC filing.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump-appointed federal judge indefinitely blocks the Biden administration's 100-day deportation freeze
A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a 100-day deportation freeze. The ruling does not mandate that deportations have to return to their previous rate. Democrats are hoping to pass a large-scale immigration overhaul in Congress this year.
U.S.The Daily BeastTeen Accused of Killing Disabled Sister as Parents Slept
Claire Elaina Miller, 14, has been charged with homicide after calling authorities on Feb. 22 to admit she stabbed her older sister, 19-year-old Helen Miller, while her parents were asleep, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's office. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast, the Manheim Township Police Department arrived at the home just after 1 a.m. to find Miller, a ninth-grader at a local private school, standing in front of the house close to “what appeared to be blood on the snow near the driveway.”
CelebrityThe IndependentTiger Woods was unaware of his ‘grave injuries’ in aftermath of collision, police say
Tiger Woods was unaware of how severe his injuries were in the immediate aftermath of the serious single-car accident in California which left him with “open fractures” to his legs, police have said. The Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, who was first on the scene following the brutal crash, has said that the golf star was "lucid and calm” upon discovery. "When I arrived on the scene, Mr Woods was seated in the driver's seat,” Mr Carlos Gonzalez said in a press conference.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThree-quarters of all voters, including 60% of Republicans, support Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan: poll
A Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 76% of all voters and 60% of Republicans support the bill. A majority of all voters, including Republicans, support the passage of President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll shows. The Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 76% of all Americans strongly support or somewhat support the legislation, with just 17% saying that they somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the package.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPence reportedly speaks 'very favorably' of Trump in GOP meeting and intends to launch a new political organization
Mike Pence has reportedly kept a close personal relationship with Donald Trump. In a meeting with conservatives, Pence expressed no bad feelings towards Trump over the Jan. 6 riot. Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told several conservative lawmakers that he has kept a tight personal friendship with former President Donald Trump and that he intends to start a political organization that will protect the legacy of the former administration, according to a CNN report.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderDemocrats want to enact a new stimulus package within weeks. Here's the possible calendar for passage of $1,400 direct payments.
Democrats want to pass President Joe Biden's rescue package within weeks. Final passage could come in early March, before the expiration of enhanced unemployment insurance. Democrats aim to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan in a matter of weeks.
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“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”