- WorldAssociated Press
21 dead, 71 burned in fire at illegal tap on Mexico pipeline
A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 21 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said. The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Video footage showed dozens of residents near the town of Tlahuelilpan gathered to collect spilled fuel in buckets, garbage cans and other vessels.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Donald Trump to speak with families of four Americans killed in Syria
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump traveled to the Dover, Delaware, military base Saturday to meet with relatives of four U.S. service members killed in an attack in Syria. "I think it's the toughest thing I have to do" as president, Trump told reporters as he left the White House. Earlier in the morning, Trump tweeted that he would be "leaving for Dover to be with the families of 4 very special people who lost their lives in service to our Country!" He did not provide further details.
NewsReutersWinter storm disturbs travel as it rolls toward U.S. Midwest, Northeast
A major winter storm was expected to clobber a large swath of the northern United States with heavy snow, gusty winds and frigid temperatures making travel difficult and dangerous starting on Friday and through the weekend, forecasters said. The storm system will dump 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow in the Plains and Midwest on Friday night and Saturday and as it moves east at least a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in several advisories. The system was expected to also bring freezing rain, wind gusts of 35 miles (56 km) per hour and quickly dropping temperatures that will to dip into the teens and even below zero Fahrenheit in several areas, the service said.
- WorldThe Telegraph
First picture: Prince Philip car crash victim 'not getting enough support from Palace'
A mother of two whose wrist was broken when the car she was in collided with Prince Philip's Land Rover has told friends she is “unhappy” with the way Buckingham Palace has handled the accident. The Telegraph can reveal that Emma Fairweather, 45, was the passenger in the Kia car last Thursday when it struck the Duke of Edinburgh's Land Rover near the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Ms Fairweather has since complained of feeling “overwhelmed” by the experience of being involved, firstly, in a crash and, secondly, in one involving the husband of the monarch.
- BusinessBloomberg
Singapore Plans to Buy F-35 Fighter Jets to Replace F-16 Fleet
Singapore has identified Lockheed Martin Corp. s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the most suitable replacement for its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and plans to buy a small number for evaluation, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Friday. The Air Force's F-16s that were in service since 1998 will retire soon after 2030, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post the same day.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Aeromexico ad campaign trolls anti-Mexican sentiment in US with DNA discounts
The two-minute commercial, which features visuals of beautiful Mexican locations, could be seen as a trolling trifecta, tweaking anti-Mexican sentiment in the U.S. and, without mentioning him, President Donald Trump and his anti-illegal immigration comments aimed at countries south of the U.S. border. The slogan for the "DNA Discounts" campaign, "There are no borders within us," can be read as a swipe at Trump, whose disagreement with Congressional Democrats over money for a wall has led to a protracted partial-government shutdown. The commercial for the Mexican airline opens by saying, "Mexico's first destination is America," showing a fleet of jetliners flying north, before adding, "But America's first destination is not Mexico," as one lone plane flies in the opposite direction.
WorldAFPIsrael demolishes home of accused Palestinian killer
Israeli forces demolished the West Bank home on Friday of a Palestinian accused of the fatal September stabbing of an Israeli-American. Residents of the town of Yata, near the flashpoint city of Hebron, said that troops arrived at the home of Khalil Jabareen and were met by stone-throwing Palestinians. The Israeli army said the structure destroyed was an apartment where Jabareen lived.
- CelebrityAOL.com
Man makes terrifying jump from 11th story cruise ship balcony
Royal Caribbean has banned a group of thrill seekers after one of the men jumped off the cruise ship's high deck. The video, which has been gaining immense traction on social media, shows Nick Naydev of Vancouver, Washington, thoughtlessly plunging into the waters more than 100 feet below. Though the boat was docked, the stunt, equal to jumping from an 11-story building, was incredibly dangerous.
WorldAssociated PressMerkel's Bavarian allies elect new head, ushering in new era
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies elected a new leader Saturday, a change that offers Germany's center-right a chance to move past their persistent bickering over recent years. The 52-year-old Markus Soeder was elected unopposed in Munich with more than 87 percent of the votes to lead the Christian Social Union. The CSU is the Bavaria-only sister party to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, an independent-minded and sometimes-awkward ally despite the fact that they have a joint group in Germany's national parliament.
NewsAssociated PressThe Latest: Police chief calls 14-year-old's death 'tragic'
A suburban Phoenix police chief has offered her condolences to the family of a 14-year-old burglary suspect who was shot and killed by an officer. Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir called the death this week "tragic" and asked that the public withhold judgment until an investigation is completed. The boy, identified by his family as Antonio Arce, was carrying a replica handgun when he was shot by a Tempe officer identified only as Officer Jaen.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Donald Trump's week of living dangerously
A Quinnipiac University poll taken right at the time Trump visited the Texas border found that 59 percent of Americans considered a wall a bad use of taxpayer money, while just 40 percent agreed with the president. While there was no shortage of polls concluding that more Americans blamed Trump than Congressional Democrats for the shutdown, the data that might have concerned him more showed that he was losing support from his vaunted political base. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, for instance, showed Trump's support among suburban white men had dropped 18 points, his approval rating among white evangelicals was down 13 points, and there was an overall dip among all Republicans of 10 points.
- NewsTime
These Are the Americans Who Were Killed in Syria This Week
Three of the four Americans killed in a bomb blast in Syria on Wednesday have been identified. The Department of Defense said Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Farmer; Shannon Kent, a sailor assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66; and Scott Wirtz, an operations support specialist with the Defense Intelligence Agency, died as a result of wounds sustained in the explosion. The fourth American, a civilian contractor, has not yet been identified.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Students appear to perform Nazi salute in 'sickening' photo, superintendent says
INDIANAPOLIS – High school officials in Indiana are investigating after a picture posted on social media appeared to show students using a Nazi salute. The photo, which was taken at Zionsville Community High School and posted to Instagram, was confirmed in an email sent to parents, staff and faculty Thursday night. In the email, Zionsville Superintendent Scott Robison said a concerned student sent the photo to a teacher, who sent it to Robison.
- BusinessU.S.News & World Report
How to Get a Mortgage With Bad Credit
A bad credit score could add an extra wrinkle or two to the mortgage approval process. "While getting a mortgage with bad credit is not always easy or optimal, it's still possible under certain conditions," says Daniela Andreevska, content marketing director at Mashvisor, a real estate data analytics company. A better question might be whether you should get a mortgage with bad credit.
- BusinessCar and Driver
Tesla Is Cutting 3150 Jobs to Increase Model 3 Production
In an email sent to Tesla employees that was later published on its website, CEO Elon Musk announced that approximately 7% of Tesla's full-time employees will be let go. The cuts will hopefully help Tesla's quest to increase Model 3 production and finally introduce the $35,000 Standard Range variant that has been talked about since the Model 3's inception. In the email, Musk states "we unfortunately have no choice but to reduce full-time employee headcount," adding that "there isn't any other way" to achieve Tesla's goals.
WorldReutersTrump missile defense review calls North Korea 'extraordinary threat'
President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday that called North Korea an ongoing and "extraordinary threat," seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated. The plan, which also detailed concerns about the burgeoning capabilities of Iran, Russia and China, called for developing space-based sensors to detect incoming enemy missiles and exploring space-based weapons to shoot down missiles among other steps to shield the United States. The open acknowledgment in the Missile Defense Review of U.S. plans to counter Russian and Chinese technological advances likely will alarm those nations.
BusinessFOX News VideosCan Democrats afford to turn down a border security proposal that includes a DACA deal?
Democratic strategist Joel Rubin and District Media Group president Beverly Hallberg weigh in on whether or not Democrats will agree to Trump's new border security deal.
- NewsThe Independent
Women's March NYC 2019: Everything you need to know about the events in New York
Thousands of demonstrators will take up the streets of the Big Apple this weekend for the third annual Women's March in New York City. The mass protest began in January 2017 on the inauguration of President Donald Trump to protest his election win, notably racist and sexist policies, and his history of alleged sexual misconduct. One of the marches, organised by the Women's March Alliance—the same organisation that spearheaded the 2017 and 2018 marches in New York—will start from the Upper West Side and into Midtown.
- NewsAssociated Press
The Latest: Officer to plead not guilty after man's death
The Latest on the criminal case against a white Nashville police officer who shot and killed an armed black man who was fleeing (all times local): 4:05 p.m. The attorney for a white police officer indicted in Tennessee on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of an armed black man says the officer will plead not guilty. David Raybin says in an email that Nashville office Andrew Delke acted in accordance with his training and Tennessee law when he shot 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick from behind during a foot chase in July.
- PoliticsYahoo News
2020 Vision: Gillibrand's Franken problem, Beto's 'funk' and why Biden's history with Warren may come back to haunt him
Following Warren's launch of an exploratory committee, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii; former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro; and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. each announced their intention to run for president. Gillibrand did so on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which is becoming something of a prerequisite stop for Democratic hopefuls.
- EntertainmentTime
Sophie Turner Says Sansa Stark's Hair Is Full of Game of Thrones Secrets
Sophie Turner's lips may be sealed when it comes to the plot of season 8 of Game of Thrones, but it turns out her hair could be the real spoiler culprit. In an interview with InStyle that was published on Wednesday, Turner explained how Sansa Stark's hair has mirrored her character development throughout Game of Thrones. “The first few episodes she was a Northerner in Winterfell and took after her mother with a simple braid down the back,” she said.
NewsUSA TODAYTSA officers open up about what the government shutdown is doing to their families
Standing in the security line at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona, passengers likely haven't felt the impact of the partial shutdown of the federal government. Employees of the Transportation Security Administration are working without pay, but wait times have consistently been 5-10 minutes at most checkpoints. Like TSA officers elsewhere in the country, these officers missed their first paycheck on Jan. 11.
WorldAFPChina, Germany to boost financial sector cooperation
China and Germany on Friday signed a series of agreements to strengthen cooperation in banking and financial sector supervision, as Beijing moves to open up the country's financial markets. The agreements were signed at the end of a two day visit by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz to Beijing for talks with Vice Premier Liu He, China's top economic official. "German insurers and banks will now have easier access to the Chinese market," said Scholz at the conclusion of the talks.
- BusinessCar and Driver
The New 2020 GMC Sierra HD Will Be a Reskinned Silverado HD
There's a new GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickup truck soon to crest the horizon. The Denali model pictured above has the requisite chrome-laden front grille, along with headlights with an LED accent strip similar to the light-duty Sierra's. GMC is likely to offer similar trim levels for the Sierra 2500 and 3500 models as the Sierra 1500, such as the off-road-oriented AT4 and the less well-equipped SLE and SLT models. As for the Sierra HD's dirty bits, don't expect much variation from the new Silverado HD's powertrain offerings, which include a gasoline V-8 and a turbo-diesel V-8.
- WorldReuters
Blast heard on southern edge of Damascus: state TV
An explosion was heard near a highway at the southern edge of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday morning, Syrian state media reported. The head of the city's civil defense, Asef Hababe, told Reuters the blast came from military technicians detonating a bomb. State TV had said earlier that initial reports pointed to a terrorist attack, and that a number of people were injured.
