McCarthy refuses interview request from Jan. 6 committee
The House committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on Wednesday formally requested an interview with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, who was in close contact with former President Donald Trump before, during and after the violence. McCarthy quickly announced that he would refuse to cooperate, releasing a statement condemning the investigation as “illegitimate.” His refusal to meet with the committee raised the question of whether the panel would issue a subpoena to try to force him to testify or hold him in contempt of Congress if he refused to comply.
COVID leading cause of death among US police officers in 2021, report says
For the second year in a row, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death for U.S. law enforcement officers, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. A total of 458 officers died in the line of duty in the country last year, according to preliminary data compiled by the organization. Of those, it found that 301 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers had died of COVID-19. In the three decades before the pandemic, the organization’s annual tally of officers killed in the line of duty surpassed 200 only twice, in 2001 and 2007.
Trading threats, US and Iran inch closer to nuclear pact
Iran and the United States have recently engaged in a spiraling escalation of threats and warnings, even as they are progressing in diplomatic talks about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. On Saturday, Iran’s Parliament placed largely symbolic sanctions on 51 Americans for “terrorism” and “human rights violations,” in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iran’s top commander two years ago. Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, then warned that Iran would “face severe consequences” if it attacked any Americans. Yet the country’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, said outstanding differences in the deal were diminishing and that talks were moving forward, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend testifies before federal grand jury
A former girlfriend of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., testified Wednesday before a federal grand jury in Orlando, Florida, scrutinizing whether he broke sex trafficking laws, according to two people briefed on the case. The development suggests that the Justice Department may have secured a key witness in its inquiry, which is seeking to determine whether Gaetz provided goods or payments to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for sex. Representatives for Gaetz did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case, including having sex with a minor and paying for sex.
NATO and Russia talk frankly
After four hours of talks, NATO leaders said that they were willing to engage in serious diplomacy with Moscow over arms control and missile deployments in Europe, but they rejected outright Russian demands that the alliance pull back from member states bordering Russia and guarantee Ukraine will never join. The United States and its NATO and European Union allies are pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon any invasion of Ukraine, pull back his troops and engage in reciprocal diplomacy. Russian representatives did not commit to pulling back the troops, nor did they reject the demand, officials said.
Car bomb kills 8 in Somalia’s capital
A large explosion killed at least eight people and injured nine others in Mogadishu on Wednesday, according to the head of an ambulance service, the latest attack to hit Somalia’s capital as the country grapples with political infighting and a growing humanitarian crisis. The bombing, part of a string of attacks blamed on the Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, comes as the country’s leaders struggle to resolve a political crisis that has distracted the government from the deteriorating security situation. Somali Memo, a news website affiliated with al-Shabab, said the militants claimed responsibility for the attack Wednesday.
By wire sources
