McManus: McConnell wants to use the filibuster to block Biden's agenda. Here's how Biden can outfox him

Now the measure, in all likelihood, will go to the Senate to die. Under the rules of the 100-member Senate, it takes 60 votes to end debate and move most bills to a vote. A filibuster used to mean a senator actually had to stand and speechify, refusing to give up the floor and thus keeping a bill from coming to a vote.

French billionaire politician Olivier Dassault killed in helicopter crash

French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician. Dassault was the eldest son of late French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose namesake Dassault Aviation, builds the Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. "Olivier Dassault loved France.

Read the words that will appear on the exterior of Obama's presidential library in Chicago

On the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the name given to the events on March 7, 1965 in Selma, Alabama, which included a civil rights march led by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and the violent response from state police — former President Barack Obama's foundation revealed the text that will appear on the exterior of his planned presidential library in Chicago. The words will come from a speech Obama, the United States' first Black president, gave in Selma on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2015.

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  Bloody Sunday memorial honors late civil rights giants

  Associated Press
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  Biden marks Selma anniversary with order to expand voting access

  Reuters

Cuomo says resigning due to allegations is "actually anti-democratic"

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was defiant on Sunday, stating again that he would not resign even as more former aides have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. The big picture: Cuomo has denied all sexual harassment allegations against him and said that he "never inappropriately touched anybody." Three women who formerly worked in Cuomo's office, two former male aides, and one of his former press aides have described being berated by the governor with explicit language, being asked about their dating lives, or being uncomfortably touched, and in one instance, kissed without consent, per the Washington Post.

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  Cuomo Refuses To Step Down, Says Accuser Has 'Political' Motives

  HuffPost
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  2 More Former Aides Allege Uncomfortable Encounters With Andrew Cuomo

  HuffPost

Ohio college student's organs to be donated after alleged hazing incident

An Ohio college student is being kept alive so his organs can be donated after a fraternity hazing incident on Thursday left him in critical condition. Stone Foltz, 20, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University and a new member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, was allegedly hazed during an initiation event where he was made to drink alcohol, school officials said. Foltz was taken to the hospital after the alleged incident, and remains there as of Sunday.

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  Family donating student’s organs after fraternity hazing in Ohio, attorney says

  Raleigh News and Observer
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  20-Year-Old Bowling Green Sophomore on Life Support After ‘Deathly’ Hazing Incident

  The Daily Beast

U.S. Senator Manchin says filibusters could be made more 'painful'

Centrist Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a pivotal vote in the U.S. Senate, on Sunday advocated making the procedural maneuver called the filibuster more "painful" to do, with Democrats concerned about Republicans obstructing President Joe Biden's legislative agenda. Some Democrats have advocated eliminating the filibuster to prevent Republicans from blocking Biden's initiatives. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield made clear on Sunday that the president is not calling for ending the filibuster.

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  Joe Manchin Signals Openness To Filibuster Reform As Push For Abolishing It Grows

  HuffPost
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  Manchin says he’s open to tweaking Senate filibuster rules

  MarketWatch

A High School in Ohio Is Giving Students a Choice: Keep Up With Remote Learning — Or You Have to Come Back to the Classroom

Far too many students were skipping online classes and failing this fall at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, one of the poorest districts in the nation and that the state had declared in “academic distress” before the pandemic. As absences increased through the holiday season, that “academic distress” was only getting worse. We saw students struggle in the remote period,” said Henry Pettiegrew, CEO of the district of 1,800 students at Cleveland's border.

Biden says $1,400 stimulus payments can start going out this month

President Biden said Saturday that the Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package means the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans can begin going out later this month. Driving the news: The Senate voted 50-49 Saturday to approve the sweeping legislation. The House is expected to pass the Senate's version of the bill next week before it heads to Biden's desk for his signature.

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  Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package including $1,400 stimulus checks

  Yahoo Money
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  Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill

  HuffPost

Myanmar coup: Party official dies in custody after security raids

An official from Aung San Suu Kyi's party has died in custody in Myanmar after being arrested during raids by security forces in Yangon. On Sunday the body of U Khin Maung Latt was released to his family, who were reportedly told that he had died after fainting. The UN says more than 50 people have been killed since the military detained Ms Suu Kyi, Myanmar's democratically elected leader, on 1 February.

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  Myanmar protests, after death of Suu Kyi official

  Reuters Videos
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  Unions call for total strike in Myanmar; Suu Kyi party official dies in custody

  Reuters

Security beefed up at Trump Tower as ex-president plans first visit to New York since leaving office

Security is being stepped up outside Trump Tower in New York ahead of the former president's first visit to the city since leaving the White House. Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Manhattan on Sunday night having moved to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida in January. Speculation was fuelled by reports of police planning to augment security outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the building where he launched his bid for the presidency in 2015.

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  Donald Trump set to visit New York for first time since leaving White House

  The Guardian
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  Trump set to return to NYC for first visit since leaving office

  WABC – NY

An Iowa man was charged for breaking into college women's apartments and recording them while they were sleeping

An Iowa man was arrested after being accused of breaking into multiple women's homes. Trenton Williams, 29, is accused of recording women while they were sleeping. Williams is facing various charges, including three counts of stalking.

Accountant faces pressure to turn on Trump in criminal probe

When lawyers asked Donald Trump more than a decade ago to identify who estimated values on some of his signature properties, he shrugged and pointed to his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg. “I think ultimately probably Mr. Weisselberg,” he said, testifying in 2007 in a defamation lawsuit he brought against a journalist, a case that hinged on whether Trump had inflated the value of his business empire. A judge dismissed that suit, but Trump's comments illustrate the challenges now facing Weisselberg, 73, as he comes under scrutiny in Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's investigation into whether the former U.S. president and his Trump Organization committed financial crimes.

'Lesson fully received': An 18-year-old charged in the Capitol riot says he was 'wrong' and begged a judge to release him

The youngest suspect charged in the Capitol riots wrote a letter begging a judge to release him. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, previously boasted on Instagram of storming the Capitol and fighting inside. Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, faces a slew of federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection, including assault on a federal officer, engaging in physical violence, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and civil disorder.

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  ‘I will not step one foot out of line’: 18-year-old charged in Capitol riot begs for release

  The Independent
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  18-year-old Capitol rioter wants to go home to his ‘loving family’ who drove him to DC

  NY Daily News

Who truly was the most dishonest president?

Former President Donald Trump was often accused of having a complete disregard for the truth. When Saddam Hussein invaded the oil-rich emirate of Kuwait in August 1990, President George HW Bush snarled: "This will not stand." The Kuwaiti government-in-exile promptly hired a US public relations firm, Hill & Knowlton, whose Washington DC office was run by Bush's former chief of staff.

Queen warns we must keep in touch with family to 'transcend division' in Commonwealth Day message

The Queen has stressed the importance of keeping in touch with family to “transcend boundaries or division” in her annual Commonwealth Day message. It came as the world awaited the explosive revelations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their Oprah Winfrey interview, as the Royal family braced itself for the damaging fallout. The Queen will not watch the controversial interview, which is being broadcast by CBS in the US at 1am UK time, but will receive a full breakfast briefing from aides in the morning.

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  Queen stresses importance of friends, family during pandemic

  Associated Press
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  Queen speaks of ‘selfless dedication to duty’ in Commonwealth message

  The Independent

Thousands of people who visited a COVID-19 vaccination site in California received the wrong dosage, report says

An estimated 4,300 people received less of the Pfizer vaccine than they should have, KTVU reported. Too little of the vaccine was administered due to a problem with new syringes, the media outlet said. California health officials have said patients will be informed "immediately" if they need a booster.

Man dies when gunfire erupts near 'George Floyd Square' in Minneapolis as Chauvin trial looms

A manhunt was underway Sunday in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of a man near "George Floyd Square," an intersection that serves as a memorial to the man whose death at the hands of police in May set off Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. Police provided few details of the shooting, which took place less than 48 hours before jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of the police officer charged in Floyd's death. Police spokesman John Elder said police were alerted to Saturday's shooting at about 5:45 p.m. local time and were told the victim or victims had been brought to the "autonomous zone" at the edge of the intersection.

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  Key players in trial of ex-officer charged in Floyd's death

  Associated Press
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  Officer's trial could reopen intersection where Floyd died

  Associated Press

Lauren Boebert, who once expressed support for QAnon, accused Democrats of being 'obsessed with conspiracy theories'

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert told Fox News that the Democrats are "obsessed with conspiracy theories." The congresswoman once said she hopes the QAnon conspiracy theory was real but denied being a follower. Freshman GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who has previously expressed support for QAnon, accused Democratic of being "obsessed with conspiracy theories."

Prince Harry and William to reunite at unveiling of Diana statue as they move past rift

The Duke of Sussex is determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whatever the fallout from his interview with Oprah Winfrey. Prince Harry hopes that the brothers can present a united front  at Kensington Palace on July 1, which would have been the Princess's 60th birthday, in an attempt to move past their rift. A source close to Prince Harry insisted that whatever had been said and done, he desperately hoped to attend the event and considered it a priority.

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  How can I watch Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview in the UK?

  Yahoo Style UK
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  A look at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's finances ahead of Oprah Winfrey tell-all

  Yahoo Finance

A snorkeler discovered 25 bricks of cocaine worth more than $1.5 million in water off the Florida Keys

A snorkeler spotted 25 bricks of cocaine while swimming off the Florida Keys on Wednesday. The unexpected find was reported to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and US Border Patrol. The bricks of cocaine are valued at more than $1.5 million.

Prominent Georgia family sued their local grocery clerk after she made claims on Facebook about their role in the Capitol riots, report says

A family is suing a grocery clerk after she posted allegations about their roles in the Capitol riots. Katheryn and Thelma Cagle had helped organize buses from Georgia to DC, according to the Washington Post. Grocery clerk Rayven Goolsby confronted them on Facebook after seeing videos of them at the rally.

Police arrested a Maryland officer on a child porn charge while he was working at a mass vaccination site

Daniel Joseph Morozewicz, a Maryland police officer, has been arrested on one count of child pornography. Authorities on Friday arrested a police officer from Maryland on a child porn possession charge while he had been on duty at a mass vaccination site. Daniel Joseph Morozewicz with the Rockville City Police Department is believed to have been in possession of "downloads containing images and videos of nude pre-pubescent females engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a statement from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

McConnell planning an 'escape hatch' in case he leaves Senate before term expires, report says

When former President Donald Trump lost his reelection bid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky became the most powerful Republican in Washington DC. With the upper chamber evenly split between 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, 79-year-old McConnell, who was reelected to his seventh term last year, will most certainly fight hard to regain the majority in 2022. However, McConnell, always a tactician, has created a list of successors in case he doesn't serve out his full term, which will expire in January 2027, according to The Intercept.