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- BBC
Lady Gaga's dogs found safe after armed robbery
The US singer's two French bulldogs were stolen after gunmen attacked and wounded her dog walker.
- The Independent
CPAC 2021 – live: Roger Stone dances to pro-Trump rap as Kristi Noem and Mike Pompeo woo party faithful
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- Reuters
Iran condemns U.S. strikes in Syria, denies attacks in Iraq
Iran on Saturday condemned U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria, and denied responsibility for rocket attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq that prompted Friday's strikes. Washington said its strikes on positions of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah paramilitary group along the Iraq border were in response to the rocket attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq.
- Associated Press
10 death row inmates in Oklahoma could get new trials
As many as 10 death row inmates in Oklahoma, more than one-fifth of the state’s prisoners condemned to die, could escape execution because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country. The inmates have challenged their convictions in state court following the high court’s ruling last year, dubbed the McGirt decision, that determined a large swath of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation. The decision means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal charges in cases in which the defendants, or the victims, are tribal citizens.
- The Independent
Republicans cite ‘public health emergency’ for skipping Covid relief votes while speaking at maskless CPAC
Lawmakers due to attend conservative conference where crowds booed hosts for asking guests to wear masks
- The Daily Beast
Sacha Baron Cohen Accuses Big Tech of Promoting Murder, Capitol Riot
REUTERSSatirist, actor, and prominent internet activist Sacha Baron Cohen escalated his attacks on Big Tech on Friday, accusing the billionaires who run Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and Twitter of promoting and profiting off violence and murder.In an online interview with Time magazine editor in chief Edward Felsenthal as part of the Time100 Talks series, Baron Cohen recalled how Big Tech—on the night of last November’s election—was a super-spreader of the lie that millions of votes were being stolen from President Donald Trump.“That lie was spread via Facebook, via YouTube, via Twitter, and the heads of these organizations knew very well that they were enabling this lie to become a mass movement, and that the end result would be violence,” Baron Cohen said, citing other instances of mob violence that had been connected with social media. “So they knew very well at that time what would be happening in January”—a reference to the lethal Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.Baron Cohen—a Cambridge-educated Brit who in real life bears zero resemblance to such iconic characters as Borat and Ali G—has dubbed Big Tech “The Silicon Six” for the six leaders of the five dominant companies, notably including the actor’s particular bête noire, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.‘Borat 2’ Exposes the Insidious Racism of Trump’s America“They are unelected. They are white billionaires. Why is it that they should be deciding what happens with democracy?” Baron Cohen demanded.He argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—which protects social-media companies from legal liability when they platform big lies, slander, bigotry, Holocaust denialism, and other forms of hate speech—needs urgently to be overhauled.“In every other industry, you can be sued for the harm you cause,” Baron Cohen said. “Publishers, as you know, can be sued for libel, people can be sued for defamation. I have been sued hundreds of times. In fact, I’m still being sued now by a very eminent judge”—a sarcastic reference to former Alabama Senate candidate and accused pedophile Roy Moore, one of Baron Cohen’s unwitting victims in 2018’s Showtime series Who Is America?By contrast, social-media companies are protected from such litigation, and “Facebook cannot be held liable for the harm that it does, including deaths,” Baron Cohen said. “There were deaths that were the result of the inability to hold these people liable. There were a handful of deaths. There would be ethnic minorities. Some Jews would be killed in a synagogue, Muslims would be killed in a mosque, and the video would go online on YouTube and on Facebook, and you could not sue them.”Baron Cohen added: “We do need some accountability for these people. They must be held liable for the deaths they cause because without it, we are relying on the whims of individuals.”Sacha Baron Cohen Pulls Epic Prank on Far-Right Militia EventAiming at Zuckerberg, Baron Cohen continued: “One man controls Facebook. It isn’t a board. It’s Mark Zuckerberg. And not only that. When Mark Zuckerberg passes away, the ultimate control of Facebook goes to his child. So this is the old system of emperors… He has decided internationally how 3 billion people get their information, and at a whim, he can shut off news to a country like Australia.”In a dispute over money, Facebook—which raked in $86 billion in 2020—abruptly shut off news content to that country as the Australian parliament was about to pass a law requiring Facebook and Google to pay for repurposing the content of media outlets for their news-feed algorithms. Facebook grudgingly reversed the shutoff after it was widely accused of abuse of power and bullying.Baron Cohen noted “that there already are some exemptions” to Section 230. “For example, Facebook and other companies can be sued for enabling pedophilia. So my argument is, if there’s an exemption for people who want to have sex with children, then surely there should be an exemption for people who are attempting to murder children—whose ideologies fundamentally advocate the death of children because they are from a different race or ethnicity.”For more, listen to Sacha Baron Cohen on The Last Laugh podcast.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
- Raleigh News and Observer
Hurricanes outlast Florida Panthers for 4-3 shootout victory
The Canes, after four straight games against Tampa Bay, won the first of two against the Central Division-leading Florida Panthers.
- BBC
Golden Globe Awards 2021: Stars prepare for virtual ceremony
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return to host the year's first major film and TV awards ceremony on Sunday.
- INSIDER
Coffee experts share 14 ways to make a better cup at home
From buying whole, fresh beans to nailing the perfect water-to-coffee ratio, coffee connoisseurs have plenty of tips for better at-home brewing.
- INSIDER
The Queen urged everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying skeptics 'ought to think about other people rather than themselves'
The message from Queen Elizabeth II promoting the COVID-19 vaccine is reminiscent of her support of polio vaccination efforts more than 70 years ago.
- Reuters
Polish judge critical of government reforms should be allowed to work, says court
A Polish judge fiercely critical of the government's judicial reforms is immune from prosecution and can work, an appeal court said, contradicting a Supreme Court disciplinary chamber ruling in a sign of divisions in the legal system. The removal of judge Igor Tuleya's immunity from prosecution in November by the disciplinary chamber highlighted a rift over the rule of law between the Polish government and critics including the European Union and many judges, who say the chamber is not independent and do not accept its authority.
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighing end to mask order, other statewide coronavirus rules
Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that Texas is looking at when it will be able to lift all statewide orders related to the coronavirus pandemic and that an announcement is forthcoming.
- The Independent
CPAC is promoting Donald Trump’s big lie of election fraud
From ‘election integrity’ panels to outright falsehoods about a stolen election, how CPAC is relitigating the 2020 election as Republican lawmakers file legislation to restrict voting rights
- Reuters
Stock gains power higher Berkshire profit, Buffett presses on with stock buybacks
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Saturday said stock market gains fueled a record quarterly profit, while the billionaire signaled investors are undervaluing his company by repurchasing another $9 billion of its stock. Berkshire's fourth-quarter buybacks boosted the company's overall stock repurchases to $24.7 billion in 2020, five times the record from a year earlier, and Berkshire appears to have repurchased another $4 billion or more in 2021. "The math of repurchases grinds away slowly, but can be powerful over time," Buffett wrote in his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders.
- Business Insider
The DOJ says it will appeal after a Trump-appointed judge struck down a federal eviction moratorium
Justice Department attorneys on Saturday said they would appeal a Trump-appointed judge's ruling that the federal eviction moratorium is unlawful.
- Business Insider
Ted Cruz said the Republican Party is 'not just the party of country clubs' but CPAC is fixated on Donald Trump - a man who literally lives at one
Trump, who lives at his private Mar-a-Lago club, has already stolen the show at CPAC and will deliver his own speech on the last day of the conference.
- INSIDER
Jonah Hill slams the media for body-shaming photos: 'I'm 37 and finally love and accept myself'
After the Daily Mail posted photos of a shirtless Jonah Hill, the actor clapped back at "public mockery of his body" and said it "doesn't phase" him.
- CBS News
L.A. restaurant closes after high-tech "dine and dash" scheme
"I just felt so incredibly helpless and frustrated," said Spoon by H owner and chef Yoonjin Hwang.
- USA TODAY
'We're done with that lifestyle': Jessica Watkins, Ohio woman charged in Capitol riot, renounces Oath Keepers
Jessica Watkins, 38, says she has disbanded her local armed group and is canceling her Oath Keeper membership after her arrest.
- Business Insider
Vegas is betting on Trump announcing his 2024 reelection bid during highly-anticipated CPAC speech
Trump is expected to use his Florida speech to talk about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement.