NewsYahoo NewsOcasio-Cortez takes a victory lap after Amazon scraps plans to build in New York
The freshman Democratic representative celebrated online retailer Amazon's decision Thursday to scrap its plans to build a new headquarters in her New York City district. “I think it's incredible,” Ocasio-Cortez responded when asked to comment on Amazon's about-face. Earlier Thursday, the company announced it was reversing the plan, announced in November, to build new East Coast headquarters buildings in New York City and in Arlington, Va. The Virginia part of the plan will go ahead.
NewsReutersFlorida governor calls for grand jury over Parkland school shooting
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday called for a state grand jury to investigate the 2018 school massacre in Parkland in which 17 people died, pledging accountability for any local failures that led to the deadliest U.S. high school shooting. DeSantis, a Republican elected last fall after campaigning on the issue, petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for the investigation the day before the first anniversary of the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. "They are going to have the power - subpoena and otherwise - to get to the facts and get to the truth," DeSantis said at a news conference, flanked by the parents of slain students.
- WorldThe Telegraph
British schoolgirl Shamima Begum who joined Isil found in Syria and 'wants to come home'
A British schoolgirl who fled to Syria to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has said she does not regret it, but wants to return to the UK to give birth. Shamima Begum, 19, vanished from her home in Bethnal Green in London four years ago, along with two other teenage girls, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase. A girl who identified herself as Shamima Begum, was found in a refugee camp in Syria as the Isil caliphate collapsed, the Times reported.
PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Bargainers complete bipartisan border compromise
The Latest on congressional border security negotiations and President Donald Trump (all times local): 12:30 a.m. Congressional bargainers have completed a bipartisan border security compromise that gives President Donald Trump less than a quarter of the $5.7 billion he wanted to build a wall with Mexico. Summaries of the legislation say that besides nearly $1.4 billion to build new barriers, there's over $1 billion for other border security programs.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Manafort Judge Finds His Lies Violated Mueller Plea Deal
Paul Manafort broke his plea deal by repeatedly lying to prosecutors after he agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a judge ruled Wednesday. His misrepresentations touched on areas of central interest to Mueller's prosecutors. Manafort lied about his contacts with a Russian translator, Konstantin Kilimnik, who Mueller says has ties to Russian intelligence services, the judge concluded.
WorldAssociated PressGuaido seeks to wrest control of Venezuela's oil company
Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly appointed a transitional board of directors for the state oil company Wednesday, in a bid by congress chief Juan Guaido to gain control of an industry that is the economic backbone of the country. Guaido, who declared himself interim president of Venezuela on Jan. 23 with the backing of the United States and most South American nations, said the new board will also oversee PDVSA's U.S. subsidiary, Houston-based refiner Citgo. "The rescue of our oil industry has begun.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
Our Favorite Eco-friendly Finds Put Sustainable Materials to Stylish Use
- NewsUSA TODAY
During a school lockdown, 7-year-old writes note on her arm in case she dies
WILMINGTON, Del. — A note that a Delaware student scrawled on her arm during a school lockdown is going viral online. Shelley Harrison Reed, the mother of the 7-year-old student, posted the haunting image on Facebook after her daughter came home following a lockdown at the Wilmington-area Odyssey Charter School on Feb. 7. Reed said it was the first school lockdown her daughter and 10-year-old son have ever experienced. She wrote they appeared to be fine once they got home.
WorldAFP37 killed in Indian Kashmir attack
At least 37 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed on Thursday in Indian-administered Kashmir in one the deadliest attacks on government forces there, police said. The suicide bombing outside Srinagar claimed by an Islamist group is likely to ratchet up tensions between nuclear-armed arch rivals India and Pakistan, with New Delhi long accusing Islamabad of supporting militants. "The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain," Indian Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, calling the attack "despicable".
- PoliticsBloomberg
The Ocasio-Cortez Party Turns Amazon's NYC Plans Into HQ0
Just a few months ago, the deal seemed like an unalloyed coup for the world's richest man and New York's top political power players. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—two Democrats who rarely agree on anything—brokered a truce to put together a $3 billion tax break for Amazon.com Inc. that helped secure one half of a second headquarters.
U.S.FOX News VideosMigrants overwhelm New Mexico border post with thousands of illegal crossings
New Mexico border patrol resources stressed after more than 28 large migrant groups make illegal crossings since October
- NewsThe Independent
California braced for mudslides and torrential rain after devastating storm
Authorities have warned of the threat of mudslides after a damaging storm struck California, trapping people in floodwaters, triggering a debris flow which destroyed homes and forcing residents to flee communities scorched by wildfires last year. The powerful system swept in from the Pacific Ocean and unleashed rain, snow and wind across the US west coast into Wyoming and Colorado after walloping northern California and southern Oregon. The National Weather Service reported staggering rainfall amounts across California, including more than 24cm over 48 hours at one location in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles.
WorldReutersKremlin, after summit, says no offensive planned in Syria's Idlib
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia, Turkey and Iran had agreed to take unspecified extra steps to clear Syria's Idlib region of what he called "a hotbed of terrorists," but the Kremlin said there would be no military operation there. Putin, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies, was speaking after hosting a summit in southern Russia to weigh the future of Syria with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. All three countries have forces on the ground in Syria, where they have coordinated their efforts despite sometimes differing priorities and interests.
- NewsTime
Texas Mom Arrested After Kids Found Locked in Dog Cage and Covered in Feces
Four malnourished children who were discovered inside a North Texas barn on Tuesday — some covered in urine and feces, and others crammed inside a dog cage — have been placed in foster care, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services confirmed. The children — who authorities said were between the ages of 5 and 1 — were released from the hospital on Tuesday and are now safely in foster care, Marissa Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the agency, tells TIME. Gonzalez said the children's case will go before a judge within the next two weeks to determine next steps.
BusinessAssociated PressThe Latest: German minister says Airbus must find jobs
The Latest on Airbus' announcement that it will stop making the superjumbo A380 (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Germany's economy minister says it's now up to Airbus to find new jobs for German workers who are affected by the end of production of the A380. Peter Altmaier told reporters in Berlin that the company's decision to end manufacture of the superjumbo "doesn't come as a surprise."
- NewsThe National Review
There's Not Much Performance in Denver Schools' 'Pay for Performance' System
On Monday, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) went on strike, the latest in a series of teacher strikes that have erupted across the country over the past year. While Denver teachers have voiced concerns about class sizes, support staff, and starting salaries, the consensus is that the issue at the heart of the strike is teacher frustration with Denver's once-celebrated ProComp pay system, which was jointly developed by the DCTA and Denver Public Schools in 2005. Back then, ProComp was heralded as a pioneering step forward on pay-for-performance/merit pay, and that framing has colored coverage of the strike.
- PoliticsUSA TODAY
'I use many stats.' Trump spars with reporter over why he declared a national emergency at the border
WASHINGTON – Pressed to explain his decision to declare a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border to help build his controversial wall, President Donald Trump said Friday he relies on "many stats" from "a lot of sources" to inform his opinions. Trump did not specify which statistics guided his decision. Critics have noted that border crossings are down significantly from a decade ago and that most illegal drugs coming through the border arrive through ports of entry.
WorldAFPJaish al-Adl: shadowy Sunni extremists on Iran-Pakistan border
A suicide attack that killed 27 troops in Iran's restive southeast on Wednesday was claimed by Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Muslim extremist group that only emerged seven years ago. Jaish al-Adl -- Army of Justice in Arabic -- is seen as the incarnation of Jundallah, or Soldiers of God, which began a bloody rebellion against the Islamic republic in 2000. For a decade, Jundallah waged a deadly insurgency on civilians and officials in the restive southeast.
- WorldBloomberg
May Scrambles for Brexit Compromise With Two Weeks to Save Deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to compromise with the European Union over the future of Ireland's border, with just two weeks left to save her Brexit deal. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay privately told the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Monday the U.K. doesn't need to reopen the divorce agreement and would accept other ways to address British concerns, a person familiar with the talks said. On Thursday, members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Conservatives inflicted another embarrassing parliamentary defeat on the premier after they refused to endorse her approach to resolving the deadlock.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
The 20 Most Powerful Crossovers and SUVs You Can Buy in 2019
Is 400 horsepower not enough for your people- and cargo-hauler in 2019? How does 500, 600, or 700 horsepower sound? From Car and Driver
- CelebrityThe Telegraph
Gay couples in Japan join together on Valentine's Day to sue government over same-sex marriage ban
Thirteen gay couples filed Japan's first lawsuit challenging the country's rejection of same-sex marriage on Valentine's Day, arguing the denial violates their constitutional right to equality. Six couples holding banners saying "Marriage For All Japan" walked into Tokyo District Court to file their cases against the government, with similar cases filed by three couples in Osaka, one couple in Nagoya and three couples in Sapporo. Plaintiff Kenji Aiba, standing next to his partner Ken Kozumi, told reporters he would "fight this war together with sexual minorities all around Japan."
BusinessReutersAmazon's NY exit spurs reactions on money saved and jobs lost
Amazon.com Inc's decision on Thursday to scrap its proposal to locate a second headquarters in the Queens borough of New York City ignited a sea of duelling reactions on Twitter, with some calling it a victory for working people while others said it meant that fewer people would work. Some people who praised the pullout included references to the wealth of Amazon's chief executive and founder, Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man with an estimated fortune of about $135 billion, while many who saw the decision as a blow to New York cited the loss of potentially tens of thousands of new jobs. The deal negotiated by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had offered the world's largest online retailer about $3 billion in incentives, in exchange for the company's promise of 25,000 new jobs in the Long Island City section of Queens.
- NewsAOL.com
FBI releases 16 drawings prolific serial killer Samuel Little made of his victims
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released more than a dozen drawings made by a prolific serial killer in hopes the public may be able to identify some of his victims. Samuel Little, 78, was arrested at a Kentucky homeless shelter in September 2012 and extradited to California, where he was wanted on a narcotics charge. In 2014, Little was convicted on all three counts and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
- BusinessAssociated Press
Airlines to give customers 'nonbinary' choice under gender
American, Delta and United confirmed Friday that they are in the process of updating their booking tools to add such an option. This will be well-received, and we're happy to do it," American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said. United Airlines plans to let people select M for male, F for female, U for undisclosed or X for unspecified from the gender menu when booking a ticket on its website or mobile app, said spokeswoman Andrea Hiller.
- LifestyleThe National Review
Valentine's Day Is Stupid, But Men Should Stop Complaining about It
A new survey found that men plan to spend an average of $339 on their partners for Valentine's Day, while women play to spend an average of $64 — and some men think that this is unfair. First of all, let me say that I think spending $339 on Valentine's Day is ridiculous. Maybe I'm a little jaded, but I guess I always assumed the only reason someone would spend $339 on their partner for Valentine's Day would be that he feels bad because he's actually cheating on her.
