WorldAssociated PressMexican leader says Biden offers $4B for Central America
President Joe Biden's first calls to foreign leaders went to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a strained moment for the U.S. relationship with its North American neighbors. Mexico's president said Saturday that Biden told him the U.S. would send $4 billion to help development in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — nations whose hardships have spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the United States. López Obrador, who spoke Friday with Biden by phone, said the two discussed immigration and the need to address the root causes of why people migrate.
PoliticsThe IndependentPriest who attended pro-Trump rally ahead of Capitol insurrection is suspended from post and may be defrocked
An Orthodox priest has claimed that he has been suspended by his diocese for three months and faces a “possible defrocking” after travelling to Washington, DC, to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally prior to the Capitol riots on 6 January. Reverend Mark Hodges, who is a “supply priest” at Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church in Dayton, Ohio, was “suspended from all priestly functions” from 12 January, according to the website of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the Midwest. Mr Hodges told the Dayton Daily News that he travelled to Washington, DC, on 6 January for the “Stop the Steal” rally that was organised by supporters of then president Donald Trump.
WorldLA TimesRussia arrests 350 protesters demanding Alexei Navalny's release
Russian police on Saturday arrested hundreds of protesters who took to the streets in temperatures as low as minus 58 degrees to demand the release of Alexei Navalny, the country's top opposition figure. Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin's most prominent and durable foe, was arrested Sunday when he returned to Moscow from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from a severe nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Authorities say his stay in Germany violated terms of a suspended sentence in a criminal conviction in a case that Navalny says was illegitimate.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Bidens were reportedly left waiting outside the White House on Inauguration Day because Trump sent the staff home
Biden reportedly wasn't greeted by White House staff on Inauguration Day because Trump sent them home. Trump reportedly sent the butlers home so "there would be no-one to help the Bidens when they arrived." Chief usher Timothy Harleth left his role before the Bidens arrived at the White House.
U.S.Associated PressMichigan Mega Millions ticket wins $1.05 billion jackpot
Someone in Michigan bought the winning ticket for the $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot, which is the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The winning numbers for Friday night's drawing were 4, 26, 42, 50 and 60, with a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi, the Michigan Lottery said.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden reeled in a record-breaking $145 million in 'dark money'
President Biden reeled in a record-breaking $145 million in so-called dark money from anonymous donors during his presidential campaign, topping the $113 million that went to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) before his failed presidential bid in 2012, Bloomberg reports. It's not surprising that Biden set the mark given that the $1.5 billion he hauled in overall was the most ever for a challenger to an incumbent president, but it's notable in large part because Democrats have been at the forefront of a movement to ban dark money in politics since it means that supporters can back a candidate without scrutiny.
- NewsFOX News Videos
Ohio restaurant owner on how Biden’s $15 minimum wage impacts his business amid pandemic
President of Adornetto's Family of Restaurants, Adrian Adornetto, joins 'Fox and Friends Weekend.
U.S.The IndependentRioters who entered Capitol building may not be charged if they didn’t engage in violence, report says
Rioters who stormed the Capitol Building may not face criminal charges if they did not act violently, a report says. Federal law enforcement officials are reportedly debating not pressing charges against some of the pro-Trump mob to prevent hundreds of cases swamping the court system. No final decision has made on the non-charging of individuals who took part in the 6 January pro-Trump violence, according to the Washington Post.
ScienceCBS NewsAtmospheric river means massive snow coming to the West
In what has been the worst fire season in recorded history in California, with twice the burned acreage of any season prior and fires burning months past the end of traditional wildfire season - some just days ago - fortune is about to shift, but to another extreme. A rip-roaring jet stream with embedded atmospheric rivers is primed to pummel California with heavy rain and massive snow over the coming week. With the flip of a switch, California and the Southwest U.S., will go from the driest 6-month stretch in state history to the potential for flash flooding, landslides and snow so deep in the elevations, avalanches will become a danger.
PoliticsThe TelegraphBiden on collision course with Saudi Arabia that could upset Trump's alliance against Iran
The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community's assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration's refusal to release the full version for US House representatives.
U.S.The IndependentFormer police officer who climbed over fences to get into Capitol during riot claims he was there to see art
A former police officer admitted to climbing over fences to get into the Capitol during the 6 January riot but then claimed he only went inside because it was a rare moment to view historical art pieces. Ex-officer Tam Dinh Pham was arrested Wednesday for unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, The Washington Post reported. After 18 years working for the Houston Police Department, he stepped down on January 14, Chief of Police Art Acevedo announced on Twitter.
U.S.INSIDERA Michigan deputy was fired after he arrested a Black man who was going door-to-door collecting signatures
Authorities say two deputies were sent to a neighborhood in Springfield, Michigan on January 2 after a call about a suspicious person possibly soliciting. A 10-minute video recording shows La'Ron Marshall was going door-to-door collecting signatures to form a tenant organization when police arrested him. "We hold all Calhoun County sheriff deputies to a high standard," said Sheriff Steve Hinkley in a statement video.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestLucas Interior Embraces Color to Modernize Palm Springs Spanish Revival Home
The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe WeekBiden's next executive order will let people stay on unemployment if they quit an unsafe job
President Biden has issued another two executive orders aimed at the coronavirus pandemic's economic fallout. Millions of Americans have claimed unemployment insurance as they lost their jobs amid the pandemic, not to mention thousands of noncitizen workers who haven't been eligible for the benefits. Biden is pushing Congress to pass another $1.9 trillion stimulus program, but took initial and immediate relief steps Friday with another round of executive orders.
U.S.The Daily BeastSEAL Promoted After Killing Green Beret Sentenced to 10 Years
Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph will spend the next decade in a military prison for his role in the killing of a Special Forces soldier in Mali in 2017. A military jury sentenced DeDolph, a member of the elite SEAL Team 6, Saturday. DeDolph had pleaded guilty earlier this month to involuntary manslaughter in the strangulation death of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, a Special Forces soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group.
PoliticsThe IndependentSean Hannity denounces Biden’s first week as ‘disastrous’ before the president completed a full day of work
Fox News opinions host Sean Hannity has already reviewed the Biden administration's first week as “disastrous”, less than two days after President Joe Biden entered office. On Thursday evening, Mr Hannity opened his show eager to give a review of what the new administration has done in the first week. This included a Fox News chyron declaring “Biden's disastrous first week”.
PoliticsThe IndependentBidens left stuck outside White House on Inauguration Day after ‘petty’ final Trump act
The Bidens were momentarily left to wait outside the White House in an awkward moment on Inauguration Day, possibly as a result of a final “petty” act by the Trump administration. Later, as the Bidens walked up the steps to enter the executive mansion, pausing to wave before turning to enter, the much anticipated moment fell flat as the doors failed to open and the couple was left on the doorstep. According to The National Journal, a well-placed official not associated with the incoming Biden team told the newspaper: "The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived."
U.S.Business InsiderOhio lawmaker who questioned the COVID-19 hygiene of Black Americans now leads legislative health committee
An Ohio GOP lawmaker and doctor who last year described Black Americans as "colored" in questioning their hygiene as it relates to contracting COVID-19 will now lead the state Senate Health Committee, according to the Associated Press. This past June, state Sen. Stephen Huffman, an emergency room doctor, openly questioned the coronavirus prevention methods of Black Americans while speaking with Angela Dawson, a Black woman and the executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. "I understand African Americans have higher instances of chronic conditions that makes them more susceptible to death from COVID," Huffman said.
U.S.USA TODAYInvestigation finds 33 missing children in Southern California, FBI says
A multiagency investigation recently found 33 missing children in Southern California, including eight who had been sexually exploited, the FBI said in a news release Friday. Operation "Lost Angels" began Jan. 11 amid Human Trafficking Awareness Month and involved more than two dozen agencies in an effort to identify and find missing children, the FBI said. Officials said two of the children were found multiple times at known locations for commercial sex trafficking and explained endangered children often return to such situations for various reasons as a part of a "harmful cycle" of abuse.
U.S.Business InsiderBiden apologizes to National Guard chief after 5,000 soldiers had to reportedly sleep in a DC parking garage with only one bathroom
President Joe Biden called the National Guard's chief on Friday to issue an apology. National Guard members were forced to vacate the Capitol on Thursday, according to Politico. President Joe Biden has called the chief of the National Guard Bureau to apologize after images circulated online of troops sleeping in a parking garage.
PoliticsThe IndependentFormer Estonian president compares Trump Jr to ‘exceptionally small-brained fish’
A former president of Estonia has compared Donald Trump Jr to an “exceptionally small-brained fish” in response to a wild attempt to talk up his father on Twitter. Following his father's departure from office on Wednesday, Mr Trump Jr took to Twitter on Friday in an attempt to shore up his presidential legacy. “Donald Trump is the first president in modern history[sic] did not start a new war,” he tweeted.
PoliticsThe Independent‘We’re not packing our bags at 100 million’: Biden press secretary hits back at complaints Covid vaccine plan not enough
The White House press secretary has responded to criticism from the public that Joe Biden's plan to administer 100 million vaccines in 100 days was not enough, at a time when Covid-19 surges through the US. “Our objective in setting that bold goal … is to set our own markers but also set markers for the American people,” Jen Psaki said on Good Morning America on Friday. Mr Biden unveiled his national Covid-19 plan on Thursday, which included how his administration intended to get 100 million vaccines into the arms of Americans within 100 days.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell blamed Trump for inciting the Capitol riot, but the senator - and everyone else who refused to acknowledge Biden's win - was complicit too
On Tuesday, McConnell blamed Trump for inciting the mob that violently stormed the US Capitol. Republicans who did not admit Biden's win, and let those lies spread unchecked, are complicit. On his last day as Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell explicitly blamed President Donald Trump for inciting the mob that violently stormed the US Capitol building on January 6.
U.S.INSIDERFormer Marine arrested for Capitol riot appeared on Ellen after going viral for rescuing dogs after a hurricane
A former Marine arrested for his role in the Capitol riot had previously been hailed a hero and had appeared on Ellen. A video of him saving six dogs after Hurricane Florence went viral in 2018. Ryan Nichols, 30, from Longview, Texas, was arrested on January 18 on seven charges.
EntertainmentThe IndependentAmanda Gorman: inaugural poet lands prestigious job offer
Amanda Gorman, the inaugural poet who read “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden's swearing-in, has a new job offer. Morgan State University President David Wilson offered the 22-year-old Harvard graduate a role at the historically Black university, tweeting on Wednesday (20 January), “Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, â ¦@MorganStateU.
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”