PoliticsNational ReviewRomney ‘Pretty Sure’ Trump Would Be Republican Nominee If He Runs in 2024
Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) said Tuesday that if former president Donald Trump were to run again in 2024 that he is “pretty sure” Trump would win the Republican nomination. “He has by far the largest voice and a big impact in my party,” Romney told the New York Times' DealBook. “I don't know if he's planning to run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I'm pretty sure he would win the nomination.”
WorldThe TelegraphItaly landslide drags 200 coffins into the sea near popular tourist resort
Firemen and rescuers in Camogli, a cliff-side village near the northern city of Genoa, scrambled to rescue the coffins, many of which were damaged or destroyed after falling on the rocks about 50 metres below the cemetery. Images of open and partially destroyed coffins floating in Camogli's green waters were published by most Italian media and were shared widely on social media. The landslide appears to have been caused by coastal erosion, aggravated by severe storms that hit the northern Liguria region in recent years.
U.S.The WeekAmy Klobuchar shuts down Ron Johnson's conspiracy mongering at Capitol attack hearing
On Tuesday, the former leaders of the Capitol Police and other authorities entrusted with protecting the Capitol building testified about the Jan. 6 attack, telling conflicting stories about what happened that day. One thing that clearly didn't happen was what Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) shared during his chance to question the law enforcement leaders: An account of the day published in the conservative publication The Federalist alleging those who broke into the Capitol were seemingly professional provocateurs and not the "working-class" people seen protesting outside early in the day.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestNo Need to Call an Architect—These 9 Room Dividers Elegantly Get the Job Done
From ornate to subtle, these beautiful screens double as functional art Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.The IndependentCalifornia police filmed shooting man dead for jaywalking
Police in California have released a video showing the moment a homeless man was shot dead for jaywalking. Sheriff's deputies from Orange County fatally shot the man, 42-year-old Kurt Reinhold, amid an altercation in September in San Clemente, California. The video, released on Thursday last week, shows two sheriff's deputies considering whether or not to charge Reinhold with jaywalking, before tackling him to the floor.
PoliticsAxiosDonald Trump Jr. deposed in D.C. attorney general probe of inaugural committee
Donald Trump Jr. was deposed on Feb. 11 as part of a lawsuit by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who alleged last year that former President Trump's inaugural committee coordinated with the Trump Organization to "grossly overpay" for event space at its D.C. hotel. Details: Racine alleges that in the course of his investigation, he uncovered a second instance in which the inaugural committee improperly spent funds — on a contract the Trump Organization signed with the Loews Madison Hotel for a block of rooms during the 2017 inauguration.
WorldReutersUkraine says Russian hackers attack web-based state document system
Ukraine accused an unnamed group of Russian hackers on Wednesday of trying to disseminate malicious documents through a web-based system on which government documents are circulated, but did not say whether any damage was caused. Kyiv has previously accused Moscow of orchestrating large cyber attacks as part of a "hybrid war" against Ukraine, which Russia denies. The aim of the attack was to contaminate information resources on the System of Electronic Interaction of Executive Bodies, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council said in a statement.
ScienceAssociated PressChina's Mars craft enters parking orbit before landing rover
China says its Tianwen-1 spacecraft has entered a temporary parking orbit around Mars in anticipation of landing a rover on the red planet in the coming months. The China National Space Administration said the spacecraft executed a maneuver to adjust its orbit early Wednesday morning Beijing time and will remain in the new orbit for about the next three months before attempting to land. During that time, it will be mapping the surface of Mars and using its cameras and other sensors to collect further data, particularly about its prospective landing site.
U.S.The Independent‘Hard to watch insurrectionist question witnesses’: Twitter erupts over Hawley appearance at Capitol probe
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley suffered fresh backlash online as he appeared at a hearing concerning the Capitol riot, which he is considered by some to have helped incite. Mr Hawley took part in a joint hearing between the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Senate Rules Committee where Senators interrogated former Capitol police chief Steven Sund, former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger, former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and the acting chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department Robert Contee. Referring to Mr Hawley, one Twitter user wrote that it was "hard to watch a traitorous insurrectionist attempt to question witnesses about his acts of sedition".
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverMan cuts out woman’s heart, cooks it and tries to serve it to uncle, Oklahoma cops say
Disturbing details have emerged following the gruesome deaths of three people in an Oklahoma neighborhood. On Feb. 9, police received a 911 call from the Chickasha home of Leon Pye, 67, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in a news release. Police busted through the door and found Pye and his 4-year-old granddaughter Kaeos Yates dead, the OSBI said.
PoliticsThe GuardianBiden is locking up migrant children. Will the world still care with Trump gone?
The detention center, a reconverted camp for oil field workers in Carrizo Springs, Texas, is expected to hold 700 children between the ages of 13 and 17, and dozens of kids have already arrived there. This is an awful development, reminding me of some of the worst abuses of the Trump years. And while we obviously don't know how this ominous development will play out in the long run, what we do know is this: unaccompanied migrant children deserve compassion, not detention.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
Former Capitol Police chief says he did not see FBI warning prior to Jan. 6 attack
In a joint hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Rules and Administration committees on security failures that led to rioters breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said he did not receive an FBI report issued the day before the attack with information about online calls for violence.
- WorldAssociated Press
Turkey accuses Greek military of harassing research ship
The Turkish government accused Greece's military Tuesday of harassing a Turkish research vessel in the Aegean Sea and said Turkey's military had responded to the alleged intimidation. Four Greek F-16 fighter jets harassed the TCG Cesme west of the Greek island of Lemnos, with one of them dropping a type of flare used to deceive enemy radar 2 nautical miles (3.7 kilometers) from the vessel, Turkish Defense Ministry officials said. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters that Turkey's military retaliated, but he did not say how.
BusinessReutersExclusive: Ant investor Boyu Capital targets $6 billion for new private equity fund: sources
Chinese private equity firm Boyu Capital, an investor in Chinese technology titans including billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Group, is raising a new, China-focused fund targeting as much as $6 billion, three people with knowledge of the matter said. Boyu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The fundraising by a firm widely associated with tech startups amounts to a high-profile test of investor appetite at a time when heightened oversight of China's tech giants clouds the near-term outlook of those companies.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverMissing California woman found dead below Grand Canyon lookout, officials say
A California woman was found dead in the Grand Canyon a day after family members reported her missing, park officials said. National Park Service officials discovered a body below a popular canyon overlook, Grand Canyon National Park officials said in a Tuesday news release. The body was identified as 31-year-old Lillian Meyn from Woodside, California, officials said.
PoliticsThe IndependentRepublicans welcome Merrick Garland and Joe Biden for returning norms to Justice Department
Merrick Garland breezed through his nomination hearing on Monday and is expected to be confirmed as the next US attorney general as soon as next week. The longtime DC Circuit Court judge's ascent to the top spot in Justice Department leadership is being welcomed by both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate after the tumultuous, norm-busting behaviour at the DOJ during the Trump years. While the former president would repeatedly weigh in publicly on the department's prosecutions of his former campaign and transition team associates — Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, and others — Mr Garland is unlikely to face such pressures from his prospective new boss, Joe Biden.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAfter suing Mike Lindell, Sidney Powell, and Rudy Giuliani, Dominion says it will go after others who spread claims of election fraud - and it's 'not ruling anyone out'
Asked whether the company would sue Fox News, John Poulos said Dominion was "not ruling anyone out." Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Dominion Voting Systems' CEO said the company would continue to take legal action against people who spread baseless claims that its voting machines were used to "steal" the 2020 US presidential election.
HealthReutersGuinea starts Ebola vaccine campaign as cases emerge
Guinea started an Ebola vaccination campaign on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as authorities race to contain the first resurgence of the virus there since the world's worst outbreak in 2013-2016. The vaccination was launched in Gouecke, a rural community in N'Zerekore prefecture, where the first cases were detected on Feb. 14, the WHO said, adding that the launch started with vaccination of health workers. "The vaccination uses the 'ring strategy' where all people who have come into contact with a confirmed Ebola patient are given the vaccine, as well as frontline and health workers," the WHO said in a statement.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverDeath of Minnesota justice’s daughter at Iowa sorority attributed to alcohol and cold
A 21-year-old college student died from alcohol poisoning and hypothermia outside an Iowa State University sorority, police say. Olivia Chutich was found dead in the parking lot of Delta Delta Delta sorority house in Ames on Jan. 22, police say. Chutich's death was determined to be an accident caused by “acute alcohol poisoning” and hypothermia, according to autopsy results released Wednesday.
U.S.The IndependentRepublicans defend energy deregulation as new report says Texas consumers overpay by $28 billion for power
Many Texans who enjoyed access to power during the deadly winter storm crisis earlier this month have since seen their electricity bills skyrocket to astronomical rates, with some reporting receiving thousands of dollars in charges. But a new report says consumers in the state have been overpaying for power since 2004, when Texas began deregulating its industries and shifted away from full-service regulated utilities for the vast majority of residents. Instead, many opted to pay spot prices for electricity rather than the traditional fixed rates — causing some bills to surge as demand increased during the unprecedented weather emergency last week.
U.S.BBCCovid: Biden calls 500,000 death toll a heartbreaking milestone
President Joe Biden has addressed the nation as the US passed the figure of 500,000 Covid-related deaths, the highest number of any country. The president and vice-president, and their spouses, then observed a moment of silence outside the White House during a candle-lighting ceremony. How did Biden mark the occasion?
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPence reportedly speaks 'very favorably' of Trump in GOP meeting and intends to launch a new political organization
Mike Pence has reportedly kept a close personal relationship with Donald Trump. In a meeting with conservatives, Pence expressed no bad feelings towards Trump over the Jan. 6 riot. Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told several conservative lawmakers that he has kept a tight personal friendship with former President Donald Trump and that he intends to start a political organization that will protect the legacy of the former administration, according to a CNN report.
PoliticsINSIDERThe White House has 132 rooms and its own restaurant. Here's what it's like inside Joe Biden's new home.
The six-story Executive Residence building is the White House's largest, consisting of two basement levels, a ground floor where building staff work, a state floor for events and receptions, and two floors where the first family lives and sleeps.
PoliticsUSA TODAYMitch McConnell blocked Merrick Garland for Supreme Court, but backs his AG nomination
McConnell was the Senate's majority leader in 2016, when he declined to have his chamber consider Garland's nomination by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the time, McConnell said American voters should ultimately have a say in the Supreme Court seat made vacant by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia's death, with the GOP leader explaining it was a presidential election year and the White House and Senate were controlled by different parties. See this: Trump bashes McConnell as 'unsmiling political hack' after Capitol riot Soon after Obama, a Democrat, formally nominated Garland in 2016, McConnell said the former president and his allies "may now try to pretend this disag...
WorldBusiness InsiderNorth Korea hacked Pfizer because it wants to sell bootleg COVID vaccines on the international black market, sources say
North Korea wants "to decide which [vaccine] will be the easiest to bootleg and transport for the black market," said an official. The nation has a long history of counterfeiting, bootlegging, drug dealing, and arms smuggling. The dictatorship wants foreign currency.
“How about we skip ‘he won’t win’ cycle and not do 2016 all over again. Trump can absolutely win another presidential election.”
“With independents deserting him, there is simply no path for Trump to get back into the White House — except as a tourist.”
“They might as well cancel the 2024 primaries...because there is no way he can lose.”
“The next Republican presidential primary will be heavily shaped by Trump — whether or not he decides to run again.”
“Donald Trump will not be running for president again. He will, however, continue to tease the possibility of a 2024 run.”