U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramMissing 10-year-old found safe; father accused of killing child’s mother in Carrollton
A missing 10-year-old Carrollton girl was found safe Wednesday morning, hours after she was reported missing when her mother was discovered slain. Rosemary Singer was located along with her father, Ronald Singer, who is accused of killing the child's mother early Wednesday in Carrollton. Red Oak and Dallas police located the child and took Ronald Singer into custody, Carrollton police said.
BusinessNational ReviewAOC’s Terrible Minimum-Wage Argument
Not only do Danish fast-food employees making $45,000 hand over around half their earnings to the government, they pay a 25 percent value-added tax on most purchases, as well as a number of other levies. In return, Danes are afforded all kinds of government-provided services. Presumably, Ocasio-Cortez approves of this arrangement.
U.S.Associated PressGeneral: Pentagon hesitated on sending Guard to Capitol riot
Defense Department leaders placed unusual restrictions on the National Guard for the day of the Capitol riot and delayed sending help for hours despite an urgent plea from police for reinforcement, according to testimony Wednesday that added to the finger-pointing about the government response. Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, told senators that the then-chief of the Capitol Police requested military support in a “voice cracking with emotion” in a 1:49 p.m. call as rioters began pushing toward the Capitol. Walker said he immediately relayed the request to the Army but did not learn until 5:08 p.m. that the Defense Department had approved it.
WorldThe TelegraphNicola Sturgeon chokes back tears as she rejects 'absurd' claims she was out to destroy Alex Salmond
Nicola Sturgeon today choked back tears and insisted "I would never have wanted to 'get' Alex Salmond" as she rejected as "absurd" his claims of a plot among senior SNP figures to destroy him. The First Minister told a Holyrood inquiry the "simple" truth was that several women made complaints about Mr Salmond's behaviour and "I refused to follow the usual pattern of allowing a powerful man to use his status and connections to get what he wants." In an appearance spanning more than eight hours, against the backdrop of calls for her resignation, Ms Sturgeon insisted she had seen "nothing that comes within a million miles" of backing Mr Salmond's conspiracy claims.
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramGrads on senior trip discover they’re victims of Texas travel agent’s scheme, feds say
Large groups of high school students arrived at meeting spots ready to celebrate graduation by traveling — only to learn their trip was canceled. It wasn't an accident, authorities say, and the Texas travel agent who booked the trips could go to prison for years. George Barragan, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday to mail fraud in a scheme to steal at least $150,000 from high school students, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
EntertainmentNational ReviewDr. Seuss Gets Blindsided by a Moral Minority
If, in 1987, the editorial boards of the major newspapers learned that a fanatical cult of angry moral scolds, representing a small sliver of the population, was successfully campaigning to remove books from the public eye with the not-so-subtle encouragement of the president and his political allies, they would have been outraged. The Left used to be against banishing books, banning books, burning books. Just six years ago, when Barack Obama was publicly praising Dr. Seuss on March 2, Read Across America Day — a day specifically chosen by the National Education Association to honor Theodor Geisel's birthday — you would have called me a paranoid wingnut if I had told you that books such as On Beyond Zebra!
U.S.Associated PressPolice uncover ‘possible plot’ by militia to breach Capitol
Capitol Police say they have uncovered intelligence of a “possible plot” by a militia group to breach the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, nearly two months after a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the iconic building to try to stop Congress from certifying now-President Joe Biden's victory. The threat appears to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly promoted by supporters of QAnon, that Trump will rise again to power on March 4. Online chatter identified by authorities included discussions among members of the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia group, concerning possible plots against the Capitol on Thursday, according to two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S.The TelegraphNorth Carolina mocked after prioritising anyone who has smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime for a vaccine
Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said that all frontline essential workers can have their vaccine now while giving three weeks' notice for those who are obese, in jail, pregnant, homeless - or who have smoked just five packets of cigarettes in their life. The cohort including smokers will be called forwards on March 24, and is designed to include adults at higher risk of virus exposure or who are at an increased risk of having a severe illness Smokers are defined as “current or former” having “smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.” Victor Ricchezza, a Geology Professor at Georgia State University added: “I haven't smoked in years but was just joking with my wife that I could almost certainly smoke 100 cigarettes by the time we hit North Carolina in the car.”
U.S.Miami HeraldThe FBI has arrested a white supremacist in Fort Lauderdale. Here’s the charge
The arrest of Paul Nicholas Miller by FBI agents at his Fort Lauderdale home Tuesday morning on a pedestrian charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon seems a minor thing for the feds to make a point of announcing. Until, that is, it's noted that the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force was part of the arresting team, along with FBI agents and Fort Lauderdale police officers. Also, the Anti-Defamation League considers Paul Miller “a volatile white supremacist-accelerationist.”
WorldArchitectural Digest9 of the Best Outdoor Rugs That Literally Ground Any Space
High-traffic areas are about to meet their match Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsNational ReviewRon Johnson to Force Reading of 600-Page COVID Relief Bill to Delay Vote
Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wisc.) reportedly plans to force Senate clerks to read out the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill on the Senate floor, potentially delaying the vote by as much as 10 hours. Johnson told News/ Talk 1130, a local radio station in Wisconsin, that he plans to “make them read their 600-700 page bill” to ensure “Every member of the Senate has time to read” the bill and “highlight that this is not relief and that it's a Democratic boondoggle.” Unanimous consent from all 100 senators is needed to waive a read-out on the Senate floor — most bills bypass a reading by unanimous consent in order to save time.
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Authorities investigate whether human smuggling involved in Calif. crash
Barely a mile from where an SUV packed with 25 people struck a tractor-trailer — killing 13 inside — a cemetery with unmarked bricks is a burial ground for migrants who died crossing the border from Mexico to remote California desert.
PoliticsAxiosPence breaks silence to condemn Democrats' sweeping voting reform bill
In some of his most extensive remarks since Jan. 6, former Vice President Mike Pence wrote an op-ed Wednesday condemning House Democrats' sweeping election and anti-corruption proposal as an "unconstitutional power grab" by "leftists." Why it matters: Pence has largely stayed quiet since the Capitol insurrection, during which rioters were heard chanting "hang Mike Pence" after former President Trump promoted the claim that the vice president could block the certification of the Electoral College. The big picture: Writing in The Daily Signal, Pence repeated dubious claims that the 2020 election was "marked by significant voting irregularities."
U.S.Associated PressCalifornia crash kills 13 of 25 people crammed into SUV
Authorities are investigating whether human smuggling was involved after a crash Tuesday involving an SUV packed with 25 people and a tractor-trailer that left 13 people dead and bodies strewn across a roadway near the U.S. Mexico border. When police arrived, some of the passengers were trying to crawl out of the crumpled 1997 Ford Expedition while others were wandering around the fields. The rig's front end was pushed into the SUV's left side and two empty trailers were jackknifed behind it.
PoliticsNBC NewsThe nefarious issue that tanked Biden Cabinet nominee Neera Tanden
What happened to Neera Tanden is racist, and we can't ignore how that influenced the White House's decision Tuesday to pull her nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden's confirmation failure makes her the first of President Joe Biden's picks to be disqualified. It's no coincidence that she also happens to be an Asian American woman.
PoliticsThe IndependentProgressive Democrats’ landmark amendment to extend voting rights to prisoners fails in House
A proposal from Democratic congressmembers Cori Bush and Mondaire Jones to enfranchise people in prison failed by a vote of 97-328, though the effort marked a landmark attempt to bring the issue of voting rights for incarcerated Americans into the halls of Congress. The lawmakers proposed the measure in an amendment to House Resolution 1, one of the largest pieces of voting rights legislation since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The For The People Act would, among other things, expand voter access and eligibility, work to eliminate partisan gerrymandering, and amend campaign finance laws to remove corporate interests from political campaigns.
U.S.TheGrioCalif. doctor calls into virtual traffic court during surgery; medical board investigating
Using Zoom to connect online for meetings or virtual catch-ups during the pandemic has gone next level in a California court. The phenomenon of utilizing Zoom to connect online for business meetings or family catch-ups amid the coronavirus pandemic has gone next level in California: A Sacramento plastic surgeon showed up for his virtual traffic court hearing from the operating room — while apparently operating. Dr. Scott Green was scheduled to appear in front of Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link on Thursday, and he arrived on time, albeit from the operating room, donning surgical scrubs.
PoliticsAssociated PressSenate Finance panel OKs Tai as top U.S. trade negotiator
The Senate Finance Committee easily approved President Joe Biden's pick to be America's top trade negotiator. The panel on Wednesday confirmed Katherine Tai to be U.S. trade representative on a voice vote. Tai has promised to make sure that U.S. trade policy benefits America's workers, not just corporations, and to work more closely with U.S. allies to counter an increasingly assertive China.
U.S.The IndependentFBI investigating if Capitol officer Brian Sicknick was sprayed with chemical irritant
Investigators are scrutinising new video evidence that appears to show chemical irritants sprayed at officer Brian Sicknick during the US Capitol riot as they work to determine his cause of death. Quoting law enforcement sources and people familiar with the matter, multiple outlets report that investigators are looking at whether there are any connections between a possible chemical assault on Officer Sicknick during the riot and the medical distress that led to his death. It comes as anonymous sources told The Washington Post that Officer Sicknick's death was not believed to be from blunt force trauma, despite early reports he was struck in the head by a fire extinguisher.
U.S.NBC NewsWatchdog: Pentagon wasted millions on Italian planes later sold as scrap, no one held accountable
The U.S. Air Force wasted $549 million on faulty Italian-made cargo planes for the Afghan government and no one involved in the deal has been held to account, according to a new report by a government watchdog. Neither a former U.S. Air Force general who was heavily involved in the project nor the company that sold the flawed aircraft to the Pentagon has faced prosecution over the program, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in the report obtained by NBC News. The Pentagon bought 20 G222 cargo aircraft from Alenia North America in 2008 but the planes proved unreliable, with long delays to secure the delivery of spare parts, maintenance problems and numerous complaints about their safety from Afghan pilots.
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramStimulus checks will go to fewer Americans under Biden agreement on COVID relief deal
President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday to a plan that would reduce the income eligibility cap for stimulus checks in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. The Senate's version of the legislation would send reduced payments to people earning more than $75,000 and $150,000 for joint filers, and cap the payments at earnings of $80,000 and $160,000, respectively, The Associated Press reported. Under the House's bill, payments would've been gradually phased out and cut off for individuals making $100,000 and couples making $200,000.
PoliticsThe Independent‘Completely insane’: Trump decision to get vaccine in secret criticised by CNN doctor
Former President Donald Trump's decision to get vaccinated in secret at the White House in January to protect himself against Covid-19 after being infected with the virus in October was criticised by CNN Medical Analyst Dr Jonathan Reiner. Responding to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll which had 75 per cent of Democrats saying that they had already gotten the vaccine or will at some point, compared to only 41 per cent of GOP voters, Dr Reiner said Monday: "In a similar fashion to the politicization of masks, we've seen the same thing now to a little bit of a lesser degree, but nonetheless there with the vaccines.
PoliticsLA TimesDemocrats agree to narrow who gets $1,400 checks in COVID-19 relief bill
Senate Democratic leaders and President Biden have agreed to more narrowly target which Americans would be eligible for a $1,400 stimulus payment in the latest COVID-19 relief measure, a Democratic source familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday. To ease the bill's way with moderate Senate Democrats, the proposed new version allows single filers with annual income under $75,000 to receive the full amount, phasing it out entirely for those with incomes of $80,000 and higher. Joint filers with annual incomes of less than $150,000 would each receive the full amount, but those above $160,000 would get no check.
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Supreme Court appears ready to uphold Arizona election measures in Voting Rights Act case
The Supreme Court's conservative majority on Tuesday appeared ready to uphold election measures in Arizona that would require election officials to throw away provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, and limit who can collect absentee ballots for delivery to polling places. The justices heard arguments in the case as dozens of state legislatures consider changes to their election laws, including many that voting rights groups say could curb voter access. Ed O'Keefe reports.
PoliticsFort Worth Star-TelegramWhy is Gov. Greg Abbott waiting a week to reopen Texas and lift mask mandate?
There is a week before Gov. Greg Abbott's order ending the mask mandate and capacity limits at businesses goes into effect. Why did Abbott pick March 10 as the date to roll back his previous COVID-19 orders? Abbott told Hasty he intended to announce the lifting of the state's mask mandate and business capacity limits on the last Monday in February.
“Taking humans to Mars would require an investment astronomically out of kilter with the possible benefits.”
“Can a Mars settlement be a freer society than we enjoy on Earth? Maybe.”
“What we learn...may spark the next revolution that will make life in 2071 beyond anything we can imagine right now.”
“Our presence on Mars could jeopardize one of our main reasons for being there — the search for life.”
“The future of geologic investigation of other worlds lies with highly improved versions of our Mars rovers.”