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IMPORTANT
| | | New Phone | What Did Secret Service Agents Text Each Other on Jan. 6, 2021? Efforts by the House committee to obtain agents’ texts from Jan. 5 and 6 have been thwarted, according to Joseph Cuffari, head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. He told the committee Wednesday that texts had been “erased as part of a device-replacement program” — shortly after investigators asked to see them. Cuffari noted that DHS “repeatedly” refused to provide records and resisted his inquiries. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, a Trump appointee, stressed the deletions had not been malicious, adding, “In fact, the Secret Service has been fully cooperating with the OIG in every respect.” (Sources: The Intercept, WaPo) |
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| | | A New Day | Sri Lankans Celebrate as Rajapaksa Quits, PM Sworn In Protesters in Colombo are partying in the streets as former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally turned in his resignation after days of delays. “We are beyond happy, but also beyond relieved so we can take a break and go back to our lives,” one said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will act as president until Parliament elects a new leader within a month. Rajapaksa, meanwhile, has touched down in Singapore, where Sri Lankan nationals waited at Changi Airport, saying they wanted to express their anger at the former leader. Singaporean authorities have reminded citizens that unapproved public protest is unlawful in the city. (Sources: BBC, Straits Times) |
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| | | | | Not Getting the Boot | Italy Teeters on Brink of Political Crisis as PM Tries to Quit Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s resignation Thursday night. He told Draghi to return to Parliament to try to shore up support within his coalition. The group, which has governed for 17 months, has splintered over bills to address the country’s rising costs of living. Former ally 5-Star Movement, a party in the coalition, is agitating to leave, while the opposition can smell blood in the water and is demanding fresh elections. Parliament will hold a confidence vote for Draghi’s coalition next Wednesday. At this stage, it’s unclear if his leadership will survive — or for how long. (Sources: Euronews, Politico) |
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| | | Picked Battles | Iran Enraged by Pledge From Biden, Israel to Deny It Nuclear Weapons Force would be used as a last resort to prevent Tehran from getting nuclear arms, President Joe Biden said during his visit to Israel. Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a pledge Thursday to block Iran from developing nuclear weapons — though Iran has long insisted its nuclear materials are solely for energy generation. “The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price for using the word ‘force against Iran,’” Iranian armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi said. Biden is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia this weekend, where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Sources: BBC, Reuters) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Gunned down. An unidentified gunman shot and killed Indian-Canadian Ripudaman Singh Malik in British Columbia Thursday, local police confirmed. Malik was charged but eventually acquitted in the 1985 Air India terror attack that killed 329 passengers. (Source: Globe and Mail) Touching tribute. Former President Donald Trump announced the death of his first wife, Ivana — the mother of Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric — via his social media network on Thursday. She was 73. (Source: Newsweek) Relief deal. The International Monetary Fund has reached a preliminary agreement with Pakistan, besieged by an economic crisis since last year, for a $6 billion bailout package. (Source: AP) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | | | Sober Up | Under 40? New Research Shows No Benefits to Alcohol You’re cut off. There’s nothing but downsides to drinking young, according to the Global Burden of Diseases study, the largest of its kind, which gathered data on death and illnesses from around the world. University of Washington researchers found that 59% of all people who drink in harmful amounts are in the 15-39 age group and two-thirds of those are men. Having (a little) wine for your 40th birthday, however, is a good idea. The study found mature drinkers indulging in the occasional tipple can see some health benefits, particularly in reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Who Dis? | FCC: Give Us More Power to Fight Robocallers The Federal Communications Commission is smacking one robocalling operation with $116 million in fines. But what it really needs is the power to take scammers to court, Chair Jessica Rosenworcel says. The agency hands out fines, but it’s up to the Justice Department to collect, often at huge discounts to culprits. “Instead of wishing for the best, I would like the certainty of this agency being able to go to court directly and collect fines against these bad actors,” Rosenworcel says. Such power would require Congress to pass new laws, but that’s a call they’re too busy to take. (Source: TechCrunch) |
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| | | Fallen Star | Kevin Spacey’s House of Cards Tumbles All Over Again The actor has been ditched from another project hours after pleading not guilty to five sexual assault charges in a British court Thursday. Spacey was charged in relation to allegations that he assaulted three men in the U.K. between 2005 and 2013. He’s been dropped from the starring role in historical drama 1242: Gateway to the West, where he was slated to play a clergyman leading the defense of a Hungarian castle against invading Mongolian forces. Spacey will face Anthony Rapp, the first to publicly accuse him of sexual misconduct back in 2017, in a U.S. court in October. (Sources: Variety, Collider) |
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| | | All Aboard | What Do You Call a Flight That’s All Baggage, No Passengers? That was Delta’s “creative” fix to cope with Heathrow Airport’s “airmageddon” this week. The airline flew 1,000 pieces of luggage from London to Detroit after staff shortages and high demand threw the airport into chaos. Restrictions on passenger numbers at Heathrow meant Delta was forced to cancel a flight — but rather than leave it on the tarmac, it loaded the plane with late and misplaced luggage to return to American travelers. This week Delta reported quarterly earnings that were below expectations, partially due to rising fuel prices but also the added costs of service issues like this in airports worldwide. (Source: CNN) |
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| | | Dog Days | A Hot Dog at a Baseball Game Is Tradition — 18 Is Viral Video Gold All the action at Kauffman Stadium this week was in the stands. Jack Shaw, 18, isn’t a huge baseball fan but he’s happy to support his hometown Kansas City Royals — at least on Dollar Dog Night. He accepted the challenge to down one per half inning, making it a long night of 18 dogs during the 3 hour and 8 minute game. Shaw documented “the hardest thing I’ve ever done” on TikTok, prompting the Royals to comment, “Simultaneously impressed and concerned.” It’s not a feat Shaw’s looking to repeat, though. On dog #14 he commented, “I never want another one of these again.” (Source: KSN) |
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