- PoliticsThe Telegraph
Kamala Harris launches 2020 White House bid
California senator Kamala Harris has launched her presidential campaign for 2020, adding to a crowded Democratic field dominated by a new generation of women and minority candidates. The 54-year-old former prosecutor announced her bid for the White House on Monday in an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America programme, saying "The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren have already announced their campaigns, along with congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro and John Delaney, a Democratic Congressman from Maryland.
NewsUSA TODAYVideo shows Florida toddler walking towards police with hands up during her father's arrest
A passerby's video of Tallahassee Police making a shoplifting arrest Thursday showed a toddler climbing out the driver's side door of a pick-up truck and walking barefoot with her hands up over her head toward officers with their guns drawn. As the video ricocheted around social media and concern mounted, TPD released two body camera videos in response Friday evening that provide a fuller picture of the incident. It shows the officers talking with adults and working to get the toddler and an infant who were in the cab safely away from the vehicle.
- WorldReuters
Suicide bomber rams U.S.-backed forces at Syria checkpoint
A suicide bomber drove his car into a checkpoint in northeastern Syria on Monday, injuring several soldiers of Kurdish-led forces during a joint convoy with U.S. allies, locals said. The attack happened on the western edge of Shadadi town in Hasaka province near a route frequented by the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, residents and sources said. In a tweet, the coalition said a convoy with allied Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was involved in an attack, but there were no American casualties.
NewsAssociated PressHouston home to rival Martin Luther King Day parades
For more than two decades, Houston has had competing parades on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with organizers lobbing allegations of favoritism and conspiracy at each other and at city officials as the groups battled over permits and preferred starting times. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, up for re-election in November, hoped to finally put an end to the dueling events this year in a city where about a quarter of the population is black. Instead of backing down, organizer Charles Stamps invited two of Turner's biggest political challengers to join in his MLK Grande Parade, which will take place at the same time and within miles of the city-backed Original MLK Jr. Day Parade.
WorldAFPDeath toll from Mexico fuel explosion rises to 89
The death toll from a fiery explosion in central Mexico rose to 89 on Monday as authorities vowed to hold accountable those responsible for a deliberate fuel-line puncture that drew hundreds of people looking to gather gasoline before it ignited. The search for human remains at the site of the explosion in the state of Hidalgo ended Saturday. While families began to bury the dead, officials indicated the death toll could still rise.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Covington Catholic closes Tuesday, first school day after D.C. incident
CINCINNATI – Covington Catholic High School is closed Tuesday along with many other Northern Kentucky schools. Frigid temperatures and snow prompted many of the closures, but it's likely Covington Catholic was the only school with police blocking its entrances Tuesday. Tuesday would have marked the first school day since a video prompted public outrage and accusations that students mocked a Native American activist.
- NewsThe National Review
Meet the Women Who Protested the Women's March
Women from various political and ideological backgrounds challenged the 2019 Women's March by marching in protest and organizing alternative rallies near the Washington, D.C. event on Saturday. The third annual Women's March took place in Freedom Plaza, a more confined space than in years past, suggesting that organizers anticipated smaller crowds after facing allegations of anti-Semitism and defending Nation of Islam's anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan. Following the development of those controversies, conservative group Independent Women's Forum (IWF) organized a rally across the street in the name of “all women” at the same time as the Women's March.
NewsUSA TODAYAirlines already canceling flights into Monday from Winter Storm Harper
PREVIOUS UPDATE (Saturday, 8:25 p.m.): Flight headaches were on the rise Saturday as a potent winter storm moved from the Midwest into the Northeast. Airline cancellations mounted, with some flights on Monday already off the books. For Saturday, more than 2,125 flights had been canceled nationwide and another 2,570 delayed as of 8:25 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
BusinessAssociated PressReport: China population growth continued to slow in 2018
China's population growth rate continued to slow in 2018, spelling possible trouble ahead as a swelling number of retirees pushes up against a shrinking labor pool. Numbers released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics put the population at 1.395 billion in 2018. China for decades sought to slow its population growth, seeing a massive population as a drag on development, and it now joins Japan, South Korea and other East Asian nations in seeing a radical drop in its birthrate.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Model who alleged Russian meddling in US election tells Moscow court she will not publish Deripaska recordings
Anastasia Vashukevich, the model who recorded a former employer of Paul Manafort allegedly discussing US relations with a Russian deputy prime minister during the 2016 election, has promised in a Moscow court not to release any further recordings. Ms Vashukevich previously claimed to have evidence of Russian interference in the US election from a fling with Oleg Deripaska, the metals magnate to whom Donald Trump's campaign manager Manafort reportedly promised private briefings, something Deripaska always denied. Video she uploaded to Instagram showed Mr Deripaska speaking on a yacht in 2016 with Sergei Prikhodko, a deputy prime minister and long-time aide to Vladimir Putin.
BusinessReutersRussia opens civil cases against Facebook, Twitter - report
Russia's communication watchdog said on Monday it was opening administrative proceedings against Twitter and Facebook for failing to explain how they plan to comply with local data laws, the Interfax news agency reported. Roskomnadzor, the watchdog, was quoted as saying that Twitter and Facebook had not explained how and when they would comply with legislation that requires all servers used to store Russians' personal data to be located in Russia. The agency's head, Alexander Zharov, was quoted as saying the companies have a month to provide information or else action would be taken against them.
WorldReutersNorthern Ireland police says Londonderry security alerts were hoaxes
Northern Ireland police said the three security alerts they were examining in Londonderry on Monday have ended after the department confirmed the incidents, including one where they carried out a controlled explosion, to be hoaxes. Police had carried out a controlled explosion on a vehicle on Monday that was hijacked by masked men in Londonderry and examined two other abandoned vans, two days after a car bomb had exploded in the city. There was a large bang and black smoke from the first van after an army bomb disposal robot entered.
PoliticsAssociated PressWhere the investigations related to President Trump stand
A look at where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT? Trump is facing investigations in Washington and New York. Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation.
- NewsTime
4 Arizona Women Convicted for Leaving Water for Migrants
Four aid workers were convicted Friday on charges connected to their efforts to leave food and water for migrants in an Arizona wildlife refuge along the U.S.-Mexico border. The volunteers, who are members of the faith-based humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, were caught on Aug. 13, 2017, by a Federal Wildlife officer as they left water jugs, beans and other supplies for migrants in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a 50-mile border with Mexico. The judge, United States Magistrate Bernardo P. Velasco, ruled that three of the volunteers – Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco-McCormick – were convicted of entering a national wildlife refuge without a permit and abandoning personal property or possessions.
PoliticsFOX News VideosDemocrat who opposed Pelosi for speaker is blocked from a seat on the judiciary committee
New Jersey Democrat Rep. Jeff Van Drew says he did not vote Nancy Pelosi for speaker because his constituents wanted someone with new ideas.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Native American veteran: 'Mob mentality' in students seen in viral video was 'scary'
On Friday, his battle gained national attention, as social media videos captured his standoff with a group of taunting Catholic school students in the nation's capital. The video of Phillips, peacefully drumming and singing, while surrounded by a hostile crowd illustrates the nation's political and racial tensions. Speaking to the Free Press by phone, Phillips, 64, of Ypsilanti, explained what happened after 5 p.m. Friday during the Indigenous Peoples' March he was attending and spoke of his history working for the cause of Native American people.
BusinessAFPAFP to cut 95 jobs, CEO says, scaling back initial 125 target
Agence France-Presse will cut 95 jobs over the next five years, 30 fewer than announced in October, without affecting targeted savings, CEO Fabrice Fries said Monday. Presenting a revised version of his "transformation plan" to employee representatives, Fries said the company would still save 14 million euros ($15.9 million) on wage costs and five million euros on other expenses by 2023. To achieve this, management will convert 15 of the current 175 expatriate postings into local jobs and realise savings through replacing senior employees with younger ones.
- NewsAccuWeather
After the storm: Dangerous stretch of subzero AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to grip northeastern US
A polar plunge of brutally cold air is following this weekend's blockbuster winter storm, which can threaten lives and complicate travel and cleanup efforts. Between lingering effects of the storm and the cold, there can be further disruptions to daily routines during this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The brutal cold that dropped temperatures down to around 40 below zero in International Falls, Minnesota, will continue to plunge on the backside of the storm from the Plains to the East through Sunday.
- BusinessThe Telegraph
China population growth slows despite abolition of the one-child policy
China's population grew at a slower rate last year despite the abolition of the one-child policy, official data showed Monday, raising fears an ageing society will pile further pressure on an already slowing economy. There were 15.23 million live births in 2018, a drop of two million from the year before, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. With 9.93 million deaths, this led to a growth rate of 3.81 per thousand in 2018, a dip from 5.32 per thousand the previous year.
- SportsCar and Driver
The Entry-Level 2019 Porsche Cayenne Deserves Your Attention
The route from Los Angeles to our desert testing grounds climbs over the San Gabriel Mountains through 40 miles of corners and clouds that test handling, braking, and power. Of our dozens of commutes over these mountains this year, there are a few memorable standouts: the traffic-free run in a Mustang GT, the 911 GT3's 9000-rpm shriek bouncing off the rock walls, a paradigm-busting drive in an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and this most recent assault in the redesigned Porsche Cayenne. Porsche did spec this one with the optional air springs and adaptive dampers ($4160) and 21-inch wheels wrapped in wide summer tires ($5510).
WorldReutersReport reveals an undeclared North Korean missile base headquarters
One of 20 undeclared ballistic missile operating bases in North Korea serves as a missile headquarters, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on Monday. quot;The Sino-ri missile operating base and the Nodong missiles deployed at this location fit into North Korea's presumed nuclear military strategy by providing an operational-level nuclear or conventional first strike capability," the report said. The discovery of an undeclared missile headquarters comes three days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he "looks forward" to another summit to discuss denuclearization with North Korean leader Kim Jo...
- WorldAssociated Press
The Latest: Israel announces attacks on Iran forces in Syria
In a very unusual move, the Israeli military has issued a statement saying it is attacking Iranian military targets in Syria. It is also warning Syrian authorities not to retaliate against Israel. The army issued the statement early Monday, hours after Israel carried out a rare daylight air raid near the Damascus international airport.
- PoliticsThe National Review
The Mueller Squirrel Cage
Special counsel Robert Mueller recently indicted yet another peripheral character in his Trump probe, Russian attorney Natalia V. Veselnitskaya, for alleged money laundering in a matter quite separate from Trump. Like almost all of Mueller's indictments of the past 20 months, the charges against Veselnitskaya had nothing to do with his original mandate of finding any possible Trump-Russia collusion. If Mueller was not a special counsel, and if he was not looking for anyone deemed useful to flip to find dirt on Donald Trump, then Veselnitskaya would have been just another daily Washington foreign influence peddler being courted with impunity by her American influence-peddling and often equally suspect counterparts.
- BusinessBGR News
Google hit with $57 million GDPR fine, the first for a US tech company
Google has kicked off 2019 by getting hit with yet another multimillion-dollar fine from a European regulator. Stemming from an investigation that began in May — the day after Europe's strict new data privacy rules known as GDPR went into effect — France's data protection authority has announced a $57 million fine against Google in the first such GDPR penalty levied against a US technology company. In a statement explaining the action, the French agency known as the CNIL noted that the fine is a result of deficiencies that include Google not being clear enough about the way user data is handled to present personalized ads.
- NewsTime
Kentucky Catholic School Considers Expelling Boys Who Taunted Native Americans
A Kentucky Catholic high school is considering expelling students who were captured in viral videos taunting a Native American veteran on Friday. In the videos, a large group of teenage boys – including several wearing Covington Catholic High School sweatshirts – are seen chanting and surrounding a small group of Native Americans, who were attending the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. One of the boys, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, smirks and stands close to an elderly Native American man, who was later identified as Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips. Covington Catholic High School and the Diocese of Covington released a joint statement Saturday, saying that they “condemn the actions” of the students and apologize to Philips.
