For Planet Earth, 2020 was quietest period in decades
Earth had its quietest period in decades during 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced human activity, according to scientists working on a global study.
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ReutersTrump demands three Republican groups stop raising money off his name
Former President Donald Trump has clashed again with his Republican Party, demanding that three Republican groups stop using his name and likeness for fundraising, a Trump adviser said on Saturday. The adviser, confirming a report in Politico, said lawyers for Trump on Friday had sent cease-and-desist letters to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Campaign and National Republican Senate Campaign, asking them to stop using his name and likeness on fundraising emails and merchandise.
- Business Insider
An Eiffel Tower-sized asteroid is about to whiz by Earth. When it returns in 8 years, it could cross paths with our satellites.
On Friday night, the asteroid Apophis will pass by Earth. When it returns in 2029, its orbit may put it on a collision path with some satellites.
- Reuters
Lobbyist says Myanmar junta wants to improve relations with the West, spurn China
An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar's junta said on Saturday that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China. Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official who has previously represented Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Sudan's military rulers, said Myanmar's generals also want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations says more than 50 demonstrators have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup when the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won polls in November by a landslide.
- Business Insider
Cellphone records tie Proud Boys member to someone in Trump White House, NYT reports
An anonymous source who is familiar with an FBI cellphone data report says there was communication between the two.
- Associated Press
'We can do big things,' Schumer says as Senate approves aid
Tensions were raw ahead of midnight as Republican leader Mitch McConnell rose in the Senate for the purpose of publicly ridiculing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over the daylong delay as Democrats argued among themselves over the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package. Senate passage of the sweeping relief bill Saturday puts President Joe Biden’s top priority closer to becoming law, poised to unleash billion for vaccines, $1,400 direct payments and other aid, and shows Schumer, in his first big test as majority leader, can unify the ever-so-slim Democratic majority and deliver the votes.
- Associated Press
Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge
... We can put up all the barriers in the world and imagine that they work, but in the end, it adapts and penetrates them,’’ lamented Bollate Mayor Francesco Vassallo. Bollate was the first city in Lombardy, the northern region that has been the epicenter in each of Italy’s three surges, to be sealed off from neighbors because of virus variants that the World Health Organization says are powering another uptick in infections across Europe.
- Business Insider
MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough says there's 'no doubt' that the GOP is 'unsavable'
"You know, my friends and my family members, they all voted for him, and it's been hard for me to process it," Scarborough said of support for Trump.
- The Independent
Tucker Carlson calls QAnon supporters ‘gentle’ patriots a week after suggesting the conspiracy didn’t exist
‘Do you ever notice how all the scary internet conspiracy theorists – the radical QAnon people ... they’re all kind of gentle people now waving American flags?’
- Associated Press
Pakistan's PM wins vote of confidence after Senate setback
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan handily won a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday, days after the embarrassing defeat of his ruling party’s key candidate in Senate elections. Khan secured the votes of 178 members of the lower house of Parliament, which is comprised of 340 lawmakers. The 11-party opposition alliance — the Pakistan Democratic Movement —boycotted the assembly’s special session.
- Associated Press
Larson settled in at Hendrick one month into new job
Kyle Larson was out of NASCAR long enough to wonder if he'd still feel comfortable in a Cup car. Larson, who won 42 of 83 open-wheel races during his NASCAR suspension for using a racial slur, has fallen right back into the old routine. Larson, fired by Chip Ganassi Racing after using a racial slur during an iRacing event in April, was hired by Hendrick Motorsports when his ban was lifted at the end of last season.
- Business Insider
A handful of QAnon followers flew all the way from California to DC in hopes of watching Trump's March 4 'inauguration'
March 4 had become a highly anticipated date for followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, who believed it was the day Trump would return to power.
- Reuters
Antivirus software pioneer McAfee charged by U.S. with cryptocurrency fraud
John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer whose former company still bears his name, has been indicted on fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges stemming from two cryptocurrency schemes, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. Authorities accused McAfee and his bodyguard, Jimmy Gale Watson Jr., of exploiting McAfee's large Twitter following to artificially inflate prices of "altcoins" through a so-called pump-and-dump scheme, and concealing payments McAfee received from startup businesses to promote initial coin offerings.
- INSIDER
Kim Kardashian will reportedly stay in family's $60 million mansion as part of divorce from Kanye West
Kim Kardashian West will stay in the minimalist, beige-filled Hidden Hills, California, home she and Kanye West bought in 2014, TMZ reported.
- Business Insider
An American Airlines 737 Max declared an emergency after a mechanical issue and landed safely
The 737 Max has been plagued with issues since it was grounded in 2019, though the airline said this mechanical issue was unrelated to others.
- Business Insider
Rudy Giuliani's legal woes mount as a federal criminal investigation into his Ukraine dealings resumes, report says
Giuliani, Trump's longtime personal attorney, is also facing lawsuits linked to his baseless claims of voter fraud during the presidential election.
- Business Insider
A future COVID-19 vaccine could be squirted up the nose. The nasal spray could stop transmission, especially in kids.
A company called Altimmune is working on a nasal-spray version of a COVID-19 vaccine. The technology could stem the virus' spread better than shots.
- Business Insider
Donald Trump was wrong to claim absentee ballots helped Joe Biden beat him, according to new Stanford University study
Republicans have baselessly maintained that the expansion of mailed ballot votes was a major reason why Donald Trump lost the election.
- INSIDER
Buckingham Palace continues to protect Prince Andrew but it's a different story for Meghan Markle
The palace hasn't publicly looked into Prince Andrew's connection to Jeffrey Epstein, but it's investigating bullying claims against Meghan Markle.
- INSIDER
15 former child stars who have opened up about the price of fame
When young actors become famous early on in life, it can be difficult to maintain a sense of normalcy.
- INSIDER
A YouTuber duo had royal 'experts' comment on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview before they'd seen it
YouTubers Josh Pieters and Archie Manners paid four royal commentators to speak about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming interview with Oprah.