(ABC News)
President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video meeting on Tuesday that the United States "would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation," as Russia builds up its forces on its border with Ukraine.
Jan. 6 panel threatens contempt vote after Meadows withdraws
The leaders of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection are threatening to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after his lawyer said Tuesday that his client will cease cooperating with the panel.
apnews.com
House passes bill authorizing $770 billion in Pentagon funding and setting Defense policy | CNN Politics
The National Defense Authorization Act, the annual must-pass legislation that sets the policy agenda and authorizes almost $770 billion in funding for the Department of Defense, passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night.
www.cnn.comJan. 6 panel threatens contempt vote after Meadows withdraws
The leaders of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection are threatening to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after his lawyer said Tuesday that his client will cease cooperating with the panel.
apnews.com
Biden's Supreme Court commission votes to submit report on reforms
Mr. Biden's commission on the Supreme Court held six meetings, heard testimony from 44 witnesses and received more than 7,000 public comments.
www.cbsnews.com
WHO Europe: Kids in 5-14 age group show highest COVID rates
The World Health Organization’s office for Europe says that children in the 5 to 14 age group now account for the highest rates of reported COVID-19 infection in the region.
apnews.com
Bidens honor Pearl Harbor's fallen in visit to WWII Memorial
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have marked the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with a visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington.
apnews.com
McConnell faces GOP pushback on debt deal
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is facing pushback over a deal announced Tuesday by congressional leaders that paves the way for Democrats to sidestep a filibuster and raise the debt…
thehill.com
Wall Street economists are confident Biden's Build Back Better bill will become law – and boost infrastructure firms
Economists at Goldman Sachs, Evercore ISI, Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan have written that passage of Biden's Build Back Better plan is a matter of time.
House Republicans seethe over Senate GOP's debt deal
Mitch McConnell's deal on the debt ceiling is just the latest example of the Senate GOP working with Democrats, to the scorn of House Republicans.
www.politico.com
The new Gilded Age: 2,750 people have more wealth than half the planet
Inequality during the pandemic has swelled to the highest level in over a century, new economic data show.
www.cbsnews.com
NASA says huge, ‘potentially hazardous’ asteroid will break into Earth’s orbit next week
On Dec. 11, NASA expects asteroid 4660 Nereus to be at its closest point to Earth over a 20-year period.
thehill.com
Judge sets July date for Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress trial
Bannon was charged after he refused to respond to a subpoena for his testimony from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
www.nbcnews.com
10 things you didn't know are in the Democrats' Build Back Better bill | CNN Politics
A sweeping $1.9 trillion social safety net bill is making its way through Congress and could make a key part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda a reality. Here are some of the lesser-known provisions in the Build Back Better bill.
www.cnn.com
More than 400 Hill staffers demand House leaders act after Boebert's anti-Muslim remarks
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., suggested in a video that surfaced online last month that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., had been mistaken for a terrorist.
www.nbcnews.com
Boris Johnson under fire after video shows staff joking about Christmas party amid COVID-19 restrictions
A newly uncovered video shows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former press secretary joking with No. 10 Downing St. staff about a controversial Christmas party that was held amid COVID…
thehill.com
35 GOP Reps warn North Korea must denuclearize before end of war or there will be ‘disastrous consequences’
FIRST ON FOX: GOP lawmakers demanded Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agree to denuclearize before any peace agreement is reached by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea and the U.S. removes its troops from the peninsula.
Capitol Police watchdog says agency hasn't improved enough since Jan. 6
Inspector General Michael Bolton testified at a Senate Rules Committee hearing about Capitol Police’s efforts to revamp their procedures.
www.nbcnews.com
House passes $768B defense policy bill
The House passed a compromise version of the annual defense policy bill on Tuesday amid a push to get the measure to President Biden’s desk.
thehill.com
Why Congress keeps letting deadlines pile up and pushing them back
Why does Congress keep missing deadlines and pushing them back, including on some critical funding issues and with President Joe's Biden's agenda?
Biden, Putin square off as tension grows on Ukraine border
Face to face for over two hours, President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have squared off in a secure video call focused on Ukraine.
apnews.com
Rep. Dan Crenshaw slams House Freedom Caucus members as 'grifters,' 'performance artists'
Members of the conservative House caucus toe the line in supporting former President Donald Trump, says the Texas Republican.
www.usatoday.com
Congress hatches novel plan to lift debt ceiling with only Democratic votes
The approach includes a multi-step process that would resolve the debt limit standoff and avoid automatic cuts to Medicare.
www.nbcnews.com
Environmental groups sue FDA over hormone-disrupting phthalates
Environmental groups are demanding that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take swift action to ban phthalates from food packaging and processing materials, in a lawsuit filed in a Wa…
thehill.com
'My soul is broken' because of Ghislaine Maxwell, accuser testifies
A woman whose accusations underlie the criminal sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell testified on Tuesday that she felt "broken" after the British socialite fondled her around the time she was giving nude massages to Jeffrey Epstein at age 14.
Russia vows to continue consultations about Ukraine following Putin-Biden call
The Russian government released a readout from President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with United States President Joe Biden and outlined the conversation the two had about escalating tensions in Ukraine.
Democrats' new plan to raise the debt limit will rely on some help from Republicans
Congress is considering a new strategy to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a default on U.S. debt without Republican votes.
Japan holds drills in north as it faces Russia, China threat
Japan's military has continued with troop and tank drills on its northern island of Hokkaido, as Tokyo looks to confront rising threats in the region, including from Russia and China
Elizabeth Holmes denies misleading investors in trial testimony
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes denied making misleading statements about the blood-testing startup during cross-examination on Tuesday, as her testimony in defense against fraud charges neared its end.
Senators to grill Instagram chief over platform’s effect on children
Lawmakers on the Senate Commerce’s subcommittee on consumer protection are set to grill Instagram chief Adam Mosseri Wednesday in a hearing focused on the impacts of social media use on teenagers a…
thehill.com
Teenager arrested for beheading sister as mother allegedly held victim's legs | CNN
A teenager has been arrested in western India for beheading his 19-year-old sister while his mother allegedly held the young woman’s legs, according to police.
www.cnn.com
Biden's nominee for bank regulator backs out after bipartisan opposition
Saule Omarova lacked unanimous support from Democrats, while at least two GOP lawmakers suggested she was a Communist.
www.nbcnews.com
Second Senate Democrat to back vote against Biden vaccine mandate
Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a centrist Democrat from a state that voted heavily in favor of former President Trump, is planning to vote for a Republican resolution to nullify President Biden’s vaccine…
thehill.comMarjorie Taylor Greene: Jan. 6 Defendants Are Being Taught Critical Race Theory In Jail
The Republican also complained that white defendants charged in the Capitol riot are being discriminated against “because of the color of their skin.”
Anti-Trump group led by Bill Kristol hires lobbyists to push presidential power reform
A nonprofit group that has funded attacks on former President Trump during his term in office has hired lobbyists to press for reforms to presidential powers.
Smollett and prosecutors trade jabs in heated cross-examination
Jussie Smollett on Tuesday pushed back during a heated cross-examination with prosecutors who claimed the Empire actor, who is accused of staging a hate crime, purposely identified one of the alleged attackers as white to better sell the story.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes struggles during cross-examination
She worked to recall key events that triggered the fraud charges facing her.
www.politico.com
Supreme Court commission submits report to White House with no recommendation on 'packing'
The White House commission's nearly 300-page report acknowledged 'profound disagreement' over expanding the nine-member Supreme Court.
www.usatoday.com
Psaki breaks with AOC, Lightfoot on smash-and-grab robberies: 'We don't agree'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday distanced the Biden administration from recent comments made by progressives Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over their responses to the uptick in organized smash-and-grab robberies in big cities.
Afghanistan: Girls' despair as Taliban confirm secondary school ban
The BBC hears about the ban's harmful impact from teachers and students in 13 Afghan provinces.
www.bbc.com
University of Iowa to pay nearly $2M to lawyers for Christian student groups in religious liberty cases
The University of Iowa will pay close to $2 million in attorneys fees to a religious freedom legal organization that represented two Christian student groups that sued the college for violating their right to free exercise of religion.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
China says US diplomatic boycott violates Olympic spirit
China has accused the United States of violating the Olympic spirit after the Biden administration announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games over human rights concerns.
apnews.com
Evergrande restructuring puts onus on Xi to limit fallout
Chinese property giant is headed for one of China’s largest debt restructurings.
Democrats face a broken branding problem for Biden agenda
First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
www.nbcnews.com
Mexico transfers migrants as it prepares to receive asylum-seekers from U.S.
Following a court order, the Biden administration is reinstating Migrant Protection Protocols requiring asylum-seekers to wait out their cases in Mexico.
www.nbcnews.com
LA District Attorney George Gascon fundraises to lower sentence of Jacqueline Avant’s killer
EXCLUSIVE — Hours after philanthropist Jacqueline Avant was shot to death during a Beverly Hills home invasion robbery, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon distributed a fundraising letter seeking to overturn a law that would keep her killer in prison.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
'A surreal moment': Fired employees share what it was like on that mass-firing Zoom | CNN Business
Christian Chapman, a former underwriter at Better.com, thought he was logging onto another of CEO Vishal Garg’s town halls.
www.cnn.com
Biden wants to prevent Russia-Ukraine conflict, but experts say time is running out
There are widespread concerns about Russian military activity on the border with Ukraine and its increasingly aggressive rhetoric.
Rittenhouse calls Binger fat eighth-grader, jokes about shooting, talks 'adult jail'
Sipping on his ice tea and smiling, Kyle Rittenhouse joined BlazeTV's You Are Here show to rip lead prosecutor Thomas Binger, joke about the night he killed two men, and discuss his time in "adult jail."
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Trump ex-chief of staff Meadows ends cooperation with Capitol riot panel
Mark Meadows, who served as former President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff, has decided not to cooperate with the congressional committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, and the panel said on Tuesday it is prepared to pursue contempt charges against him.
Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Embarrassment’ that Boebert punishment is delayed
Members of the liberal “Squad” lashed out at Democratic leaders on Tuesday for dragging their feet in punishing Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) for her Islamophobic comments directed at a Muslim Hous…
thehill.com
US sanctions won’t create leverage in nuclear talks, Iran warns
The US blacklisted two Iranian government agencies and several officials on Tuesday, accusing them of rights abuses.
Jan. 6 committee vows contempt proceedings if Mark Meadows fails to appear
The House Jan. 6th Select Committee warned Mark Meadows Tuesday that it will cite him for contempt if he does not appear, after the former White House chief of staff indicated he would refuse to testify
Survivors of the Pensacola terror attack speak out
It is the second anniversary of the Pensacola Naval Base terror attack.
Biden to speak Thursday with Ukrainian president after call with Putin
President Biden will speak on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to follow up on his video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House confirmed.Biden s…
thehill.com
U.S. Congress includes $300 million for Ukraine, addresses China in massive defense bill
U.S. lawmakers included efforts to push back against Russia and China in a compromise version of a massive annual defense bill released on Tuesday, proposing $300 million for Ukraine's military and a statement of support for the defense of Taiwan.
U.S. FTC settles with Vyera over Daraprim, Shkreli trial still on
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and seven states on Tuesday settled claims accusing Vyera Pharmaceuticals of trying to block generic versions of its life-saving drug Daraprim, but are preparing for a Dec. 14 trial against accused mastermind Martin Shkreli.
Biden Supreme Court study panel unanimously approves final report
A bipartisan commission tasked by the White House with exploring possible Supreme Court reforms voted unanimously Tuesday to submit the group’s final report to President Biden.The 34-member group s…
thehill.com
Biden told Putin that 'things we did not do in 2014, we are prepared to do now' if Russia escalates in Ukraine, top adviser says | CNN Politics
The White House says President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the United States is prepared to launch strong economic measures should Russia invade Ukraine – signaling that these new measures would pack a bigger punch than the sanctions issued in 2014 that failed...
www.cnn.com
Defense rests in Jussie Smollett trial; actor blasts attackers as 'liars'
The former "Empire" star, who was arrested and accused of filing a false police report in 2019, is being tried on six counts of felony disorderly conduct.
www.nbcnews.com
Disagreeing with Trump, Vernon Jones says he's 'the only candidate' who can defeat Stacey Abrams in Georgia
Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones takes aim at former Sen. David Perdue, Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams
Jan. 6 committee threatens contempt proceedings after Meadows stops cooperating
The chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol said last week that Meadows was cooperating with the probe.
www.nbcnews.comWomen politicians are under siege
Women in Congress feel besieged and singled-out amid surging threats against lawmakers at all levels, with some frustrated more hasn't been done to halt the trend.Why it matters: As record numbers of American women are being elected to public office, their growing political power is being met...
Senate rejects attempt to block Biden’s Saudi arms sale
The Senate on Tuesday night rejected a bipartisan effort to block President Biden’s $650 billion arms sale to the Saudi government.Senators voted 30-67 on the resolution from Sens. Rand Paul …
thehill.comExclusive: January 6 committee casts a wide net with over 100 subpoenas for phone records | CNN Politics
The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot has formally subpoenaed the phone records of more than 100 people, a substantial number that includes former Trump officials and associates of the ex-President such as his one-time chief of staff Mark Meadows, according to multiple...
www.cnn.com
House passes measure clearing way for Democrats to raise debt limit
The House passed legislation late Tuesday that will pave the way for Democrats to unilaterally raise the nation’s borrowing limit.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
New Mexico to join nationwide opioid settlement with drug distributors
New Mexico has agreed to join a proposed nationwide settlement worth up to $21 billion resolving claims that the three largest U.S. drug distributors fueled a deadly opioid epidemic, the state's attorney general said on Tuesday.
New York City expected to give some voting rights to noncitizens
Noncitizens would be able to vote in local elections, but not for president, members of Congress or in the state elections.
www.nbcnews.com
Senators turn up the heat on Amazon, data brokers during hearing
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spearheaded attacks at e-commerce giant Amazon during a hearing on data privacy and competition Tuesday, while other senators on the panel voiced concerns over data …
thehill.com
UAE announces 4.5-day workweek, Saturday-Sunday weekend
In significant change, the UAE says Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday will form the new weekend.
Statue of KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest taken down on land near Nashville
The Battle of Nashville Trust, which removed the statue, said it was “ugly" and that even Forrest would agree.
www.nbcnews.com
‘Remain in Mexico’ opens old wounds among immigration advocates
Immigration advocates are voicing frustration with the Biden administration over its court-ordered reimplementation of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, saying the enforcement — …
thehill.com
U.S. Senate confirms Biden's border chief amid record migrant arrests
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved an Arizona police chief as the top border official in a near party-line vote, as President Joe Biden deals with record migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border and criticism from both the right and left over his immigration policies.
Instagram CEO to testify before Senate committee on safety of teen users
An internal company research project from 2019 revealed that Instagram makes body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls.
www.cbsnews.com
Clarification: Abortion-LGBTQ Rights story
In a story published December 7, 2021, The Associated Press reported on legal scholars’ reactions to Supreme Court arguments over abortion.
apnews.com
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes faces cross-examination
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes spent another five hours on the witness stand Tuesday sparring with a federal prosecutor aiming to prove criminal allegations that she misled investors, customers, and patients about a flawed blood-testing technology that she spent years touting as a medical brea
apnews.com
House approves debt limit framework that will allow it to pass Senate with 51 votes
The fast-track process would require Democrats in the Senate to introduce the legislation to raise the debt limit by a certain amount, rather than suspending the debt limit.
www.cbsnews.com
Ghislaine Maxwell: Jury sees never-before-seen photos of Epstein and defendant
FBI agents submit previously unseen photo evidence as third accuser testifies in Maxwell trial.
www.bbc.com
Crenshaw slams House Freedom Caucus members as ‘grifters,’ ‘performance artists’
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) called out members of the House Freedom Caucus, referring to them as “grifters” and “performance artists.” Speaking at an event hosted by the Texas Liberty Alliance…
thehill.com
Accuser testifies Ghislaine Maxwell told her she 'had a great body for Epstein and his friends.' She was 14. | CNN
Now in her 30s, the woman described her harrowing teenage experiences with Epstein on Tuesday in Ghislaine Maxwell’s federal trial.
www.cnn.comVictory for US immigration judges as Biden administration recognizes union
Settlement comes after judges accused president of ‘doubling down’ on Trump’s position A man holds his daughter by the hand after she and his wife were deported from the US in 2018. Photograph: Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images In a stunning victory, US immigration judges have settled a tense...
U.S. Congress boosts funding for Boeing jet fighters, ships in defense bill
U.S. lawmakers sought to increase aircraft and Navy ship purchases in an effort to field a robust military and send a signal to Russia and China in a massive annual defense bill released on Tuesday.
Dr. Oz's past gun control positions raise eyebrows, but he says he strongly supports Second Amendment
TV personality and medical professional Dr. Mehmet Oz's previous statements on gun control have raised eyebrows after his entry into the 2022 Senate race in Pennsylvania as a Republican candidate.
Elon Musk slams federal subsidies for electric vehicles
Elon Musk slammed government efforts to subsidize electric vehicles, despite serving as CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
"I want Ghislaine behind bars for the rest of her life:" Sarah Ransome describes alleged abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell
Sarah Ransome said she was recruited into Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring in 2006 when she was just 22.
www.cbsnews.com
Senate confirms Biden's pick to lead border agency | CNN Politics
The Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick to lead US Customs and Border Protection, Chris Magnus, on Tuesday after months of confirmation setbacks that left the agency with a void at the top amid a record number of border arrests.
www.cnn.com
Rain eases in parts of Hawaii after Kona Low storm lashes state
The storm dumped more than a foot of rain in some areas, caused flooding and downed trees and power lines. Parts of downtown Honolulu lost power.
www.nbcnews.comHarris pushes for expansion of maternal healthcare, Medicaid postpartum coverage
Vice President Kamala Harris urges Congress to keep maternal health in the spending package, calls on states to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage.
Ethiopia accuses US and allies of ‘destructive’ approach
Prime Minister’s spokesperson says accusations of illegal detentions by the government were ‘misguided’.
Biden confronts 2 rivals in 24 hours | CNN Politics
US President Joe Biden has framed his presidency as an effort to reassert democracies against autocracies. But he faces formidable foes in Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
www.cnn.com
Manchin warns about inflation as Democrats pursue Biden spending bill
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on Tuesday that he is concerned about inflation and warned his party against rushing President Biden’s climate and social spending bill.Manchin, during a Wall …
thehill.com
Pediatric brain tumors like the one that killed Nick Cannon’s son are rare but serious in infants
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for kids and young adults, experts say.
www.nbcnews.comBiden to pick more Fed policymakers this month, White House says
President Joe Biden plans to put forward more nominees for open positions on the U.S. Federal Reserve Board by the end of the month, the White House said on Tuesday. "We hope to have those soon, and we continue to hope to have those out to you this month," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki...
Matthew Dowd ends campaign for Texas Lt. Gov, saying he doesn't want to hinder 'diversity' in politics
Matthew Dowd is ending his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Texas after more diverse candidates entered the Democratic primary
Why Biden is approving public lands oil drilling permits faster than Trump did — and angering environmentalists
The Biden administration has issued more permits for oil and gas drilling on public land per month than the Trump administration did in its first three years, according to a new analysis of federal data.
Religious freedom advocates ask Biden to put Nigeria back on watchlist for anti-Christian violence
A broad array of religious freedom advocates has banded together in asking President Biden to put Nigeria back on the State Department's list of countries of particular concern (CPC) on religious freedom, citing the ongoing violence, killing and displacement of Christians at the hands of Boko...
Australia joins US in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday it will join the U.S. in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games over human rights concerns.
apnews.com
Enes Kanter Freedom says NBA officials pressured him over 'Free Tibet' shoes
Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom revealed that NBA officials put pressure on him to remove his "Free Tibet" sneakers just before a game.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Whistleblower: As Afghanistan fell, UK abandoned supporters
A whistleblower has alleged that Britain’s Foreign Office abandoned many of the nation’s allies in Afghanistan and left them to the mercy of the Taliban during the fall of the capital, Kabul, because of a dysfunctional and arbitrary evacuation effort
Biden warns Putin of 'strong measures' amid Ukraine invasion fears
In a call with President Biden, Russia's Vladimir Putin seeks guarantees against eastward Nato expansion.
www.bbc.com
Bank predicts $3.6 million windfall from Manafort loans
Surplus cash expected from foreclosure on lending that led to federal prosecutions of former Trump campaign chair and Chicago banker.
www.politico.com
Biden urges Putin to de-escalate Ukraine tensions in direct talks
Vladimir Putin presents US president with demand for guarantees against NATO expansion eastward, Kremlin says.
Texas AG says Biden admin's recent lawsuits show they want 'control,' 'don't like Texans'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is firing back at the Biden administration after it launched another lawsuit against his state.
Major outage hits Amazon Web Services; many sites affected
Amazon’s cloud-service network suffered a major outage Tuesday, the company said, disrupting access to many popular sites.
apnews.com
Publisher scraps plans to release book by Chris Cuomo
A planned book by Chris Cuomo has been canceled as fallout continues for the former CNN host who had privately helped his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, respond to sexual harassment allegations.
apnews.com
Suspect in Khashoggi killing arrested in France
PARIS (AP) – A French judicial official says a suspect in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France.
apnews.com34N22? NNH? Super PACs with cryptic names raise transparency concerns
With the critical 2022 midterm election looming, elections experts say the already opaque world of campaign fundraising is becoming even more murky, as a number of political groups have started registering under cryptic and hard-to-trace names. "When super PACs name themselves using simply an...
Mississippi inmate revealed location of sister-in-law's body before he was executed for another murder, officials say
David Neal Cox, who was executed Nov. 17, told his attorneys where to find the body of Felicia Cox, who disappeared in 2007, officials say.
www.nbcnews.com
White House ‘strongly opposes’ Senate resolution to stop Saudi arms sale
The White House on Tuesday pushed back against the Senate’s bid to block the Biden administration’s first major arms sale to Saudi Arabia over the country’s involvement in Yemen’s civil…
thehill.com
McConnell secures GOP support for new debt strategy
Senate leaders seem to have found a path forward to avoid a debt cliff without Republican votes.
www.politico.com
Scholz sees strong US ties, leaves Olympic stance open
Germany’s incoming chancellor has pledged that his new government will stand up for a strong European Union and nurture the trans-Atlantic alliance, but he left open Tuesday whether it will join in a planned U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Olympic games
EXPLAINER: What's behind Russia-Ukraine tensions?
Ukrainian and Western officials are worried about a Russian military buildup near Ukraine. They fear it could signal plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor.
apnews.com
Delphi murders: Police investigating fake model profile who contacted underage girls
Delphi investigators are looking for the person who they say created a fake Snapchat and Instagram profile, posed as a wealthy male model and contacted underage girls.
Biden warns Putin on call against Ukraine invasion
The highly anticipated conversation between the American president and his Russian counterpart lasted just over two hours.
www.politico.com
Appeals court upholds former Malaysian PM Najib’s 1MDB conviction
Najib Razak had appealed sentence claiming he did not know origin of money that ended up in his personal bank accounts.
EPA lowers ethanol requirements, citing reduced demand
The Biden administration has lowered annual production requirements for ethanol and other biofuels to account for reduced demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
apnews.com
Blast levels French building; at least 1 dead, baby found
French rescue workers have dug out the body of a man but rescued his baby and the child’s mother from the rubble of a three-story apartment building that collapsed in a suspected gas explosion on southern France’s Mediterranean coast
Biden-Putin call: Analysts say US president may still have a chance to derail Ukraine invasion
With a massive build of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border, Russia’s Vladimir Putin is indicating a willingness to risk a devastating military conflict in his years-long bid to regain a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.
Seattle socialist politician faces tight race in recall push
Preliminary results Tuesday showed Seattle voters narrowly in favor of recalling socialist City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a firebrand who pushed the city to adopt a $15 minimum wage, raged against hometown tech giant Amazon for its business practices and angered many with her aggressive...
How the rise of electric cars endangers the ‘last frontier’ of the Philippines
A mine that supplies nickel for the batteries that power electric vehicles is on the verge of a major expansion into a pristine rainforest.
www.nbcnews.com
Zen, the 5-month-old son of Nick Cannon, has died of brain cancer
Cannon said his son was "always smiling" and that he had "the most beautiful spirit."
www.cbsnews.com
Column: US dignitaries shun Olympics. What about sponsors?
U.S. athletes will compete at the Beijing Olympics, but a “diplomatic boycott” means U.S. dignitaries won't be on hand to cheer them on
Bitcoin 'founder' wins right to keep billions of dollars
A jury decided Craig Wright, who says he created the cryptocurrency, can retain bitcoin worth billions of dollars.
www.bbc.com
Third inmate killed in new spate of federal prison violence
A federal prisoner at a high-security penitentiary in Colorado died Monday in an altercation with another inmate
Push to repeal Iraq war powers snags in overloaded Senate
As the NDAA goes down to the wire, the congressional attempt to reclaim AUMFs is a casualty of war.
www.politico.com
Rep. Dan Crenshaw slams members of Freedom Caucus as 'grifters in our midst'
Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw slammed members of his own party during an event over the weekend, calling members of the Republican Freedom Caucus "grifters in our midst" and "performance artists."
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Omicron travel bans strike South Africa's safari business
Recent travel bans imposed on South Africa and neighboring countries as a result of the discovery of the omicron variant in southern Africa have hammered the country’s safari business, already hard hit by the pandemic
Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress trial set for July 18 | CNN Politics
US District Judge Carl Nichols on Tuesday set a July 18 start date for the trial of Steve Bannon, the ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump who has been charged with contempt of Congress.
www.cnn.comCrypto executives urge light touch as Congress mulls new regulation
Top executives from six major cryptocurrency companies including Coinbase and Circle on Wednesday urged Congress to provide clearer rules for the booming $3 trillion industry, but warned that overly tough restrictions would push it overseas. The U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services...
'An exceptional day': Chilean couple can finally get married after same-sex approval
“At last, we will be able to be recognized as a family before the state," said dental surgeon Jaime Nazar, now able to tie the knot with engineer Javier Silva.
www.nbcnews.com
16-year-old football player slain in Michigan school shooting to be mourned at funeral
Family and friends are gathering Tuesday to remember 16-year-old football player Tate Myre, who was killed one week ago in a shooting at his Michigan high school.
Left-wing Shutdown DC protest blocks traffic around nation's capital
A left-wing protest in Washington, D.C., is blocking traffic to demonstrate against an administration and lawmakers they believe have failed them by not delivering on various promises.
Final defense bill shakes up military prosecutions, boosts Indo-Pacific fund
The details of the final legislation were included in summaries from House Armed Services Democrats and the committee's Republican minority.
www.politico.com
Brooke Shields calls 1981 Barbara Walters interview 'practically criminal'
Shields, then 15, starred in a 1980 Calvin Klein ad that included the famous slogan “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
www.nbcnews.comJudge blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors, the latest in a string of victories for Republican-led states pushing back against Biden’s pandemic policies.
apnews.comWHO advises against use of survivors' plasma to treat COVID
Experts at the World Health Organization have recommended against using blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat patients with the illness
Fauci: Omicron appears to be less severe
Top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that the omicron variant of the coronavirus seems to be less severe than delta, but cautioned it will take more time to get a fuller pictur…
thehill.com
Mix and matching some COVID vaccines gives high immunity: Study
Oxford University study finds mixing Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines with a second Moderna shot yields higher antibodies.
Pfizer vaccine may be less effective against omicron, early lab data indicate
The vaccine still appears to offer some protection against the variant, the preliminary findings show.
www.nbcnews.com
Omicron updates: COVID-19 cases could double in New York City
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 797,000 Americans.
6 states account for more than half of the country’s recent Covid hospitalizations
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois accounted for the majority of the increase in patients hospitalized with Covid.
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First study of omicron shows Pfizer vaccine may be less effective
The omicron variant of the coronavirus partially evades antibody immunity from two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to initial data from South Africa published Tuesday.The small stud…
thehill.com
DeSantis vows no lockdowns or mandates in Florida as omicron variant hits the state
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will not allow Florida residents to be placed under restrictions or mandates amid reports that the state had its first case of the COVID-19 variant omicron.
South African hospital data suggest omicron not more lethal
The omicron variant of COVID-19 has shown signs of being less virulent than other strains, with early hospital data out of South Africa indicating that patients infected with the variant require less intensive care.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
More than 100 LA firefighters placed on unpaid leave for defying COVID-19 vaccine mandate
More than 100 firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department were suspended without pay over their refusal to comply with the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
www.washingtonexaminer.com'A discipline issue': With vaccine deadlines passing, thousands in military remain unvaccinated
Thousands of active-duty service members have not complied with Biden's vaccine mandate, raising the prospect that they will be forced to leave the military.
COVID-19 and the U.S. courts: challenges to Biden vaccine rules
Courts have recently blocked many of the Biden administration's rules and regulations aimed at increasing U.S. vaccination against COVID-19, which has killed more than 780,000 Americans and weighs on economic growth.
Judge issues nationwide injunction against Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal contractors
A federal judge in Georgia said President Joe Biden's executive order probably exceeded his authority.
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Armed gangs raise risks in vaccinating rural Nigerians
As Nigeria tries to meet an ambitious goal of fully vaccinating 55 million of its 206 million people in the next two months, health care workers in some parts of the country risk their lives to reach the rural population.
apnews.com
Covid: Vaccines should work against Omicron variant, WHO says
A small study in South Africa suggests the new variant could partially evade the Pfizer jab.
www.bbc.com
New Yorkers react to de Blasio's vaccine mandates on private sector: 'Disaster' or 'about time'?
Fox News asked New York City residents their thoughts about Mayor Bill de Blasio's strict new vaccine mandates for private businesses and children ages 5-11.
Spain approves COVID vaccine for children in 5-11 age group
Spain’s health ministry has given the go-ahead for children between ages 5 and 11 to be vaccinated against COVID-19
Biden's plan for free at-home Covid test could be ineffective, experts warn
The plan requires private insurance holders to submit reimbursement claims that policy experts say might do little to make testing more widespread.
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