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The IndependentCPAC: What is the convention Trump, Pence and Farage are speaking at and why is it so influential?
Republican gathering began in 1974 and sees American conservatives debate social worries but has struggled with position on 'alt-right' in recent years
- Reuters
U.S. president, Saudi king have phone call ahead of expected Khashoggi report release
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday told Saudi King Salman he would work for bilateral ties "as strong and transparent as possible," the White House said, ahead of the expected release of a sensitive U.S. intelligence report on the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The report is a declassified version of a top-secret assessment that sources say singles out the 85-year-old king's son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia denies that the 35-year-old crown prince, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, approved the killing.
- The Independent
Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Liz Cheney ‘a fool’ for criticising Trump
Controversial congresswoman previously said the Republican party belong to former president
- Reuters
Nasdaq finishes higher, tech stocks retrace some losses
The tech-heavy Nasdaq index rallied in choppy trading on Friday, even as sentiment remained fragile after the index's worst performance in four months the day before as fears of rising inflation kept U.S. bond yields near a one-year high. The S&P 500 ended little changed, while the Dow index closed lower after earlier dropping to a three-week low. The Dow still posted gains of nearly 4% for the month, as investors bought into cyclical companies set to benefit from an economic reopening.
- Reuters Videos
Best Buy signals waning stay-at-home demand
Best Buy is signaling a slowdown. The electronics retailer that saw strong demand for computing equipment amid the stay-at-home trend said Thursday it was – in its words – “difficult to predict how sustainable these trends will be.” Best Buy’s CFO forecast comparable sales growth for the full year would range between a drop of 2% to a gain of 1%. Earlier this week, two other retailers whose sales shot up during the health crisis - Home Depot and Lowe’s - stayed away from providing specific forecasts. Best Buy’s sobering forecast comes after sales surged as people stuck at home set up home offices and students switched to remote learning. That drove up demand for laptops, webcams, and other computer accessories last year. That sales drive continued in the holiday quarter helped by demand for new gaming consoles from Sony and Microsoft. But the momentum slowed markedly. The nearly 13% rise in comparable sales amounted to nearly half of the jump recorded in the previous quarter. Same-store sales as well as total revenue missed Wall Street’s expectations. But it appears the company is making a bet on digital sales. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the company has been laying off workers and cutting hours for some store workers as it adapts to the shift to e-commerce. Best Buy’s online sales nearly doubled in the latest quarter, making up 43% of U.S. sales. Shares fell in early Thursday trading.
- Associated Press
Jets spoil Dominique Ducharme’s debut as Montreal’s coach
Kyle Connor scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets spoiled Dominique Ducharme's debut as Montreal's coach, rallying to beat the Canadiens 6-3 on Thursday night to open a two-game series. The Jets rallied after Montreal took a 2-0 lead into the second period.
- Business Insider
FBI pinpoints a single suspect in the death of US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick
Federal investigators zeroed in on the assailant after video footage showed the suspect attacking officers with bear spray, The Times reported.
- The State
Teen in hospital for sledding injury dies after dad died visiting her, Ohio mom says
“Her daddy got to heaven just before she did.”
- Charlotte Observer
She taught piano to kids in NC for years. Then her daughter accused her of sex crimes.
This is the shocking story of the alleged sexual abuses that led to the January arrest of Sandra Hiler — aka Charlotte piano teacher Keiko Aloe — as told by her 21-year-old daughter.
- INSIDER
Residents of an Indian slum thought they were getting vaccinated like everyone else but were unknowingly part of a clinical trial
After a white van advertised COVID-19 vaccines to a central-Indian slum, many of its residents feel duped after finding out they were in a trial.
- Business Insider
Ted Cruz rants about comedians, late-night TV, and mask-wearing before shouting at people to 'just have fun' in wild CPAC speech
"Orlando is awesome. It's not as nice as Cancún, but it's nice," Cruz said, referring to the scandal he sparked by leaving Texas for Mexico.
- INSIDER
Ben Affleck says his divorce from Jennifer Garner and other 'life experience' shaped him into a better actor
In a new interview as part of The Hollywood Reporter's Actor Roundtable series, Affleck spoke about Garner and the three kids they share.
- TheGrio
Florida mom discovers infant son missing after daycare gives him to stranger
A Florida daycare is under fire after giving a 7-month-old baby away to a stranger. When Trinity McCoggle arrived at the Orient Road Child Development Center on January 25 to pick up her 7-month-old son, Adonis, she was left distraught when told her baby had been accidentally given to someone assumed to be the child’s parent, ABC2 News reports. Describing what happened, McCoggle said the daycare worker “went to the back to get him, and when she came back, she said, He’s not here.”
- Business Insider
Ted Cruz's colleagues mocked him by putting memes of his Cancun trip in the Senate gym locker room: 'Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!'
Those who turned up to the Senate gym Wednesday morning were welcomed by color printouts of Cruz's Cancun trip that read "Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!"
- INSIDER
Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler is out as owner of WNBA team, and the new owners include former star player who retired to fight for social justice
One month after WNBA players helped oust Kelly Loeffler from the Senate, the league announced that it had approved sale of the franchise she co-owned.
- INSIDER
Prince Harry knew he and Meghan Markle had something 'pretty special' by their second date. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
The couple's royal love story began in 2016 when they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.
- TODAY
9-year-old girl cries to virtual class that she's 'starving,' local food bank steps in
After the third-grader's classroom incident, a social worker connected the family to a local food bank.
- INSIDER
Prince Harry says 99-year-old Prince Philip just slams his laptop shut instead of hanging up at the end of Zoom calls
The prince told James Corden that he'd had a few Zoom calls with his grandparents where they got to see Archie running around.
- Business Insider
Merkel says she won't take AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine because she's too old, as 1.4 million jabs are left unused
The German chancellor said she wasn't eligible because the vaccine isn't approved for people over 65 in Germany.
- LA Times
'WandaVision' finally calls Wanda 'the Scarlet Witch.' Here's why that matters
By the end of "WandaVision" Episode 8, Wanda Maximoff has been called "the Scarlet Witch." What does that really mean?