The Washington Post
The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than a thousand points on Thursday. It wasn’t the largest single-day drop in history, but only because the drop on Monday was bigger. So, thanks to the big drop earlier in the week, Thursday’s was the second-biggest drop in history. This week has so far seen the second-biggest weekly drop in history, coming in slightly behind the week that ended on Oct. 10, 2008. If the Dow drops 214 points on Friday, it will be the worst week in history. […]
As of the end of the day Thursday, the Dow was lower than it’s been on any day since Nov. 28 of last year — meaning that the Dow has lost all of the value it added since that point.
Hours to a midnight shutdown deadline, congressional leaders scrambled to rally support for a sweeping half-trillion-dollar spending deal Thursday amid last-minute objections from a conservative in the Senate, and attacks from left and right in the House.
As opposition appeared to swell in the House and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) threw up last-minute roadblocks in the Senate, White House Office of Management and Budget spokesman John Czwartacki said that “agencies are now being urged to review and prepare for lapse” in spending after midnight. […]
“I can’t in all good honesty, in all good faith, just look the other way because my party is now complicit in the deficits,” Paul said on the Senate floor as evening pushed into night, after objecting as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to move to a vote.
Dozens at White House lack permanent security clearances
Dozens of White House employees are awaiting permanent security clearances and have been working for months with temporary approvals to handle sensitive information while the FBI continues to probe their backgrounds, according to U.S. officials.
People familiar with the security-clearance process said one of those White House officials with an interim approval is Jared Kushner — the president’s son-in-law and one of his most influential advisers.
The issue of clearances has become a major area of concern since White House staff secretary Rob Porter resigned after allegations surfaced that he had been violent toward his two ex-wives — accusations he has denied.
The Guardian
Breakthrough as human eggs developed in the lab for first time
Women at risk of premature fertility loss might have cause for new hope as researchers reveal that human eggs can be developed in the lab from their earliest stages to maturity.
While the feat has previously been achieved for mouse eggs, and has given rise to live young after fertilisation, the process has proved tricky in humans.
Experts say the latest development could not only aid the understanding of how human eggs develop, but open the door to a new approach to fertility preservation for women at risk of premature fertility loss – such as those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
EPA head Scott Pruitt says global warming may help 'humans flourish'
Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has suggested that global warming may be beneficial to humans, in his latest departure from mainstream climate science.
Pruitt, who has previously erred by denying that carbon dioxide is a key driver of climate change, has again caused consternation among scientists by suggesting that warming temperatures could benefit civilization.
The EPA administrator said that humans are contributing to climate “to a certain degree”, but added: “We know humans have most flourished during times of warming trends. There are assumptions made that because the climate is warming that necessarily is a bad thing.
FBI investigation finds no evidence of attack in death of border patrol officer
An extensive FBI investigation into the death of a border patrol agent that President Donald Trump described as a murder has found no evidence that the man was attacked.
Rogelio Martinez died from injuries sustained in November last year while responding to reports of a late-night incident near Interstate 10 in remote west Texas, about 30 miles from the border with Mexico.
Trump tweeted the next day that Martinez was “killed”, adding “we will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!”.
Los Angeles Times
George W. Bush says Russia meddled in 2016 U.S. election
Add former President George W. Bush to the list of those speaking out about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
On Thursday, Bush, who since he exited office in 2009 has kept a relatively low profile, said that "there's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled."
Supreme Court's conservatives appear set to strike down union fees on free-speech grounds
[…] This year, the high court is poised to announce its most significant expansion of the 1st Amendment since the Citizens United decision in 2010, which struck down laws that limited campaign spending by corporations, unions and the very wealthy.
Now the "money is speech" doctrine is back and at the heart of a case to be heard this month that threatens the financial foundation of public employee unions in 22 "blue" states. […]
Conservatives also believe the attack on mandatory union fees has the potential to weaken the public sector unions that are strong supporters of the Democratic Party.
Pence urges North Korea to abandon 'long pattern of deception' in its quest for nuclear arms
With a diplomatic deal securing its spot in the Winter Olympics, North Korea successfully changed the international narrative away from its illicit pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.
Events on Thursday may have refreshed some memories.
Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Seoul on Thursday determined to remind the world about the North's advancing weapons capability — a theme the totalitarian nation helped advance by staging a large military parade in the streets of Pyongyang.
McClatchy DC
As court weighs Microsoft case, rest of world feels a big stake in privacy ruling
Later this month, Supreme Court justices will hear a case involving Microsoft’s heated dispute with federal prosecutors over whether it must turn over data currently hosted in a storage facility in Ireland. At the heart of the legal dispute is whether U.S. courts can compel a company to turn over an individual’s data when it is held overseas.
The case has drawn intense global interest, including more than a dozen legal briefs to the Supreme Court from abroad, in a sign that some parties believe a ruling may offer a future road map for the internet.
The showdown is unfolding on several fronts. Bills put forth in both chambers of Congress this week would partially resolve disputes over law enforcement access to private data held across borders. The bipartisan bills would obligate service providers in “possession, custody, or control” of data to turn it over to prosecutors under certain conditions regardless of where in the world the material is stored.
Why Florida’s orange growers will get more money than Puerto Rico’s broken power grid
Congress is poised to pass its first disaster relief plan since October on Thursday as part of a massive government spending deal, but the funds doled out to Puerto Rico fall far short of what Gov. Ricardo Rosselló asked for in November, and more money may not be on the horizon.
Rosselló asked for $94.4 billion from Congress to rebuild and remake Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria caused widespread damage and triggered an exodus of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland.
He got about $17 billion.
Included in the $17 billion total is $2 billion to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid, about $15 billion less than Rosselló requested, and $4.8 billion for Puerto Rico’s Medicaid fund that was set to run out of money in a matter of weeks.
The $2 billion for Puerto Rico’s electric grid, which affects about 3.5 million people, is less than what Congress secured for Florida’s citrus industry after Hurricane Irma destroyed most of last year’s crop, resulting in a loss of about $760 million and higher orange juice prices.
Florida’s citrus industry, which employs about 45,000 people, received $300 million more than Puerto Rico’s power grid.
Vox
Trump’s draft plan to punish legal immigrants for sending US-born kids to Head Start
The Trump administration is working on new rules that would allow the government to keep immigrants from settling in the US, or even force them to leave, if their families had used a broad swath of local, state, or federal social services to which they’re legally entitled — even enrolling their US-born children in Head Start or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). […]
The rule wouldn’t make it illegal for immigrants to use public services that are open to everyone regardless of immigration status, or that are available to their US-born children. But it would make it possible for the government to deny their applications for a new type of visa, or a green card, if they’d used those services. In other words, it could force them to choose between taking advantage of available social services, and their family’s future ability to stay in the United States permanently.
Here’s what war with North Korea would look like
A full-blown war with North Korea wouldn’t be as bad as you think. It would be much, much worse.
Late last September, I moderated a discussion about North Korea with retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, whose 37-year military career included a stint running NATO, and Michèle Flournoy, the No. 3 official at the Pentagon during the Obama administration, who has helped shape US policy toward North Korea since 1993.
It was a chilling conversation. Stavridis said there was at least a 10 percent chance of a nuclear war between the US and North Korea, and a 20 to 30 percent chance of a conventional conflict that could kill a million people or more. Flournoy said President Trump’s tough talk about North Korea — which has included deriding Kim Jong Un as “Little Rocket Man” and threatening to rain “fire and fury” down on his country — made it “much more likely now that one side or the other will misread what was intended as a show of commitment or a show of force.”
The Trump administration, for its part, seems more confident in its ability to manage North Korea with precision. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is pushing something known inside the White House as a “bloody nose” strategy of responding to a North Korean provocation with a set of limited US military strikes. McMaster seems to believe that Kim would passively absorb the attack without hitting back and risking all-out war.
Deutsche Welle
'World on the brink,' warns Munich Security Report
Security experts are rarely optimists and security reports rarely optimistic. That holds true for the latest Munich Security Report published on Thursday. Titled "To the Brink — and Back?" it forecasts a new era of uncertainty on the horizon.
"In the last year, the world has gotten closer — much too close — to the brink of a significant conflict," wrote Munich Security Conference (MSC) Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, who has served as Germany's former ambassador to the US and UK. […]
Under Trump, the US has given up on policies based on shared values, showing little interest in developing regional or global institutions that shape international relations, and instead favoring bilateral ties that serves its own interests, according to the report's assessment. […]
"The world's most powerful state has begun to sabotage the order it created," the report said, quoting John Ikenberry, a US foreign policy expert at Princeton University.
Colombia tightens border amidst wave of Venezuela refugees
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Thursday that his government would strengthen controls at the border with Venezuela after thousands of refugees fleeing economic catastrophe and malnutrition have entered the country.
Speaking at the border town of Cucuta, which is connected by a pedestrian bridge to Venezuela, Santos said that he would deploy 3,000 new security personnel to patrol the two countries' porous land border.
He added that the government would stop distributing day passes that allow Venezuelans to come into Colombia to buy food, medical supplies and other necessities. About 1.3 million people have already registered for this card.
Al Jazeera
East Ghouta reels under intense Russian, Syrian bombing
Residents and medical sources in Eastern Ghouta have warned that the Damascus suburb is running short of food, water and medical supplies amid intense Russian and Syrian bombardment of the rebel-held area.
The area's designation as a de-escalation zone by Turkey and allies of the Syrian government, such as Russia and Iran, has not prevented Syrian forces aided by Moscow from trying to capture the area.
Nearly 200 people have died in four days of intense bombardment in the area, whose 400,000 residents have been besieged since 2013.
Nigeria's 'cattle colony' problem
Since the New Year, more than 80 people have been killed in clashes between nomadic herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria's central Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states. Herders, mostly from the Fulani ethnic group, and farmers often clash over the use of fertile land.
For a very long time, the Nigerian government did not offer a concrete plan to solve the problem, doing little more than giving cliche political sermons, condemning the killings and issuing palliatives.
But after the latest killing spree in early January, the government announced that they have finally found a solution that would end these clashes once and for all: "cattle colonies".
ICC to probe Duterte over crimes against humanity
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken the first step in an investigation into Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, which has left thousands of people dead.
Duterte's office announced on Thursday that it has received a notice that the international tribunal "is opening preliminary examination" into the deaths to determine if the gravity of the crimes fall under its jurisdiction.
The case stems from a complaint filed before the international court last year accusing Duterte of ordering the killings "repeatedly, unchangingly, and continuously".
Reuters
U.S. dismisses fears of wider war after deadly Syria clashes
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis dismissed concerns on Thursday that the United States was being dragged into a broader conflict in Syria, after a major clash with pro-Syrian government forces overnight that may have left 100 or more of them dead.
The U.S.-led coalition said it repelled an unprovoked attack near the Euphrates River by hundreds of troops aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who were backed by artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and mortars.
The incident underscored the potential for further conflict in Syria’s oil-rich east, where the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias holds swathes of land after its offensive against Islamic State. […]
Russia’s Interfax cited the Defence Ministry as saying the incident showed the U.S. goal in Syria was not to battle Islamic State but “the capture and withholding of the economic assets”, an apparent reference to the Khusham oil field.
Istanbul: city of cats
In Istanbul's narrow backstreets, cats perch on rooftops and window sills, crouch on doorsteps and rest on nearly every corner.
Whether lounging in sunlight, grooming themselves or scampering into shops in search of food, cats have become an inseparable part of neighbourhood life in Europe's biggest city.
They are so ubiquitous that no one bats an eye at a cat padding across the lobby of a high-rise office building, or when one curls up to sleep on a nearby barstool. Shop owners and locals often know their neighbourhood cats by name and will tell tales about them, as if chatting about a friend.
U.S. jobless claims drop to near 45-year low
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, dropping to its lowest level in nearly 45 years as the labor market tightened further, bolstering expectations of faster wage growth this year.
The second straight weekly decline in claims reported by the Labor Department on Thursday also pointed to strong job growth momentum, which could further drive the unemployment rate lower.
“The extremely low level of claims is a sign of tightness in the labor market and suggests that February is shaping up to be another solid month for job creation,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.
BBC News
Tamil Nadu: the Indian state to become a global leader in clean energy
India's southern state of Tamil Nadu is poised to become a global leader in wind power, according to a new report. But first the state must overcome its addiction to coal, writes Nityanand Jayaraman.
The report - by the US-based Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis - predicts that by 2027, more than half of Tamil Nadu's power will be generated by "zero emissions" technologies - notably solar and wind.
The state's current capacity to generate wind power - 7.85 gigawatts (GW) - is already impressive considering it is higher than that of Denmark or Sweden. But the report estimates that it could double over the next decade, and that solar installations too could increase six-fold to reach 13.5GW.
'Reindeer rebellion' in central Finland
Locals in central Finland are campaigning to have reindeer corralled all year round in a dispute with traditional herders.
In what's been described by national broadcaster Yle as a "reindeer rebellion", people living in North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu regions want tighter restrictions on herding, because they say that the free-range animals are damaging their crops and forests and harming their livelihoods.
While the indigenous Sámi use traditional herding areas in the north of the country, people living to the south of Lapland want tighter controls on the animals, and have been taking to social media to press their case.
Cambodia Facebook feud hits California courts
Lawyers for exiled Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy have filed legal action against Facebook, in a case that highlights how the quest for "likes" has gripped the small Southeast Asian country's leading politicians.
The petition in US federal courts asks the social media giant to disclose information related to the popularity of the Facebook page of Sam Rainsy's rival, Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose Facebook page ranked third in global engagement among world leaders, according to public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.
The petition accuses Hun Sen of using state money to buy Facebook ads and says he levelled death threats against Rainsy in violation of the platform's policies, including a speech posted to his page last week vowing to attack opposition members with rocket launchers.
MercoPress
China confirms support for Venezuela and lashes out at “irresponsible” US
China’s support for Venezuela has benefited ordinary people and been broadly welcomed, the foreign ministry said after the U.S. Treasury accused China of aiding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government with murky oil-for-loan investments. […]
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said financial cooperation between the two countries was set by companies and financial bodies in both nations on commercial, win-win principles.
Loans were totally in accordance with international standards and benefited local people, he added.
“What the United States said is baseless and extremely irresponsible,” Geng said.
US warns Mexico to pay attention to Russian meddling in the July elections
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Mexico on Friday to pay attention to Russian meddling in elections around the world, following comments from another US official that there were signs of such interference in the country's presidential race.
Speaking in Mexico City, Tillerson said European counterparts had noticed that Russia had had its fingerprints on a number of elections.
“We hear this from our European counterparts,” Tillerson said. “My advice would be ... pay attention to what's happening.”
CBC News
Ottawa to scrap National Energy Board, overhaul environmental assessment process for major projects
The federal Liberal government says it will streamline the approval process for major natural resources projects, scrapping the National Energy Board and empowering a new body to conduct more extensive consultation with groups affected by development.
The changes are part of the largest overhaul of Canada's environmental assessment process in a generation.
The new system comes after years of criticism that the National Energy Board, the regulator that weighs approval for construction of projects such as pipelines, was ill-suited to conduct environmental assessments or the Crown's duty to consult with Indigenous peoples.
SpaceX's 'Starman' misses Mars orbit, heads to asteroid belt
It was a launch to remember: on Tuesday, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy soared into the sky from Cape Canaveral, Fla., with a mannequin headed for Mars in a red Tesla Roadster. But the booster fired the car and passenger — "Starman" — into a different orbit, and it turns out he's going a little farther than expected. […]
Originally, the plan was to place Starman in an orbit that would take it between Earth and Mars. However, the second stage fired longer than originally planned, which has placed the car and driver into an orbit that reaches the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
NPR News
Tracking Shows Russian Meddling Efforts Evolving Ahead Of 2018 Midterms
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sounded an alarm this week: The Russians are already meddling in the 2018 midterm elections.
"The point is that if their intention is to interfere, they're going to find ways to do that," Tillerson told Fox News. "I think it's important we just continue to say to Russia, look, you think we don't see what you're doing. We do see it, and you need to stop."
A new poll shows that a clear majority of Americans believe Russia will try to meddle in the next U.S. election. But Tillerson also noted that Russia's tactics for interfering in U.S. politics are constantly changing. A bipartisan effort is shedding new light on how Russian methods evolve.
California May Have A Way To Block Trump's Offshore Drilling Push
More than a dozen states oppose the Trump administration's proposal to open up nearly the entire U.S. coastline to offshore oil leasing. Federal officials will get public feedback on the plan in Sacramento on Thursday. The Interior Department says it takes local concerns into account — as happened in a recent controversial move with Florida — but states have no direct say, since the leasing would take place in federally controlled waters.
California thinks it may have found a way around. In fact, it's a strategy used the last time the West Coast was open for offshore oil drilling, in the 1980's, when President Reagan's Interior Secretary James Watt was leading the push.
"We have enough energy to meet America's needs for thousands of years," said Watt at the time, "if we will have a government that will allow for its reasonable development."
Tax Cuts Put Oklahoma In A Bind. Now Gov. Fallin Wants To Raise Taxes
Oklahoma taxpayers are fed up.
Riding high on the oil boom of the late 2000s, the state followed the Kansas model and slashed taxes. But the promised prosperity never came. In many cases, it was just the opposite.
Around 20 percent of Oklahoma's schools now hold classes just four days a week. Last year, Highway Patrol officers were given a mileage limit because the state couldn't afford to put gas in their tanks. Medicaid provider rates have been cut to the point that rural nursing homes and hospitals are closing, and the prisons are so full that the director of corrections says they're on the brink of a crisis.