How Republicans and Democrats are killing competition
The number of competitive congressional districts is on track to dive near — and possibly below — the lowest level in at least three decades, as Republicans and Democrats draw new political maps designed to ensure that the vast majority of House races are over before the general election starts. With two-thirds of the new boundaries set, mapmakers are on pace to draw fewer than 40 seats — out of 435 — that are considered competitive based on the 2020 presidential election results, according to a New York Times analysis.
Overhaul of electoral count act ‘absolutely’ will pass, Manchin says
Key senators working on an overhaul of a law that former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to use to overturn the 2020 election pledged Sunday that their legislation would pass the Senate, saying recent revelations about the plot made their work even more important. In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said their efforts to rewrite the Electoral Count Act of 1887 were gaining broader support in the Senate, with as many as 20 senators taking part in the discussions. “Absolutely, it will pass,” Manchin said of an overhaul of the law, which dictates how Congress formalizes elections.
Seaman dies after ‘Hell Week’ of SEAL training, Navy says
One Navy SEAL candidate died and another was hospitalized after completing several days of excruciating training known as “Hell Week” in Coronado, California, Navy officials said Saturday. Both candidates, who were assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, were transported for medical treatment “several hours” after their basic underwater demolition SEAL class “successfully completed Hell Week,” the Naval Special Warfare Command said in a statement. Navy officials on Sunday identified the seaman who died as Kyle Mullen, 24, of Manalapan, New Jersey. “We extend our deepest sympathies to Seaman Mullen’s family for their loss,” Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III said in a statement.
Ottawa mayor declares state of emergency amid anti-government protests
One day after the police chief in Canada’s capital said his city was under “siege” by thousands of truckers and other protesters angry over government policies, the mayor on Sunday declared a state of emergency and called for outside help. “We’re in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced,” the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, said in a television interview after declaring the emergency. “And we need to get moving much more quickly and much more proactively to bring order back to the streets.” “Someone is going to get killed or seriously injured because of the irresponsible behavior of some of these people,” the mayor warned.
Haiti opposition group calls on US to end support for current government
A powerful Haitian opposition group is demanding the United States withdraw its support for the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Haiti, saying the administration’s legitimacy is tarnished by delayed elections and Henry’s potential connection to the assassination of the country’s president. The opposition group, called the Montana Accord, has called for the United States to act by Monday — the date on which President Jovenel Moïse had vowed to step down, before he was gunned down in his home last year. The government will be rendered unconstitutional by Monday, according to the Montana Accord and independent experts.
Macron tries to avert a European war and reshape European security
The standoff with Russia over Ukraine enters a critical phase this week. President Joe Biden meets Monday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and President Emmanuel Macron of France will visit Russia President Vladimir Putin. With the Biden administration staking out a hard line and Putin seemingly determined to force a solution to Russia’s security grievances, it is Macron who has positioned himself at the center of the diplomacy in Europe. To Moscow, he is a “quality interlocutor,” as Putin called Macron, according to a senior official in the French presidency. For Macron, the chance to lead the effort to create a new European security architecture has placed him front and center.
South Korea’s omicron surge continues with daily case record, surpassing 1 million
Family gatherings and traditional celebrations during last weekend’s long break for the Lunar New Year holiday may be taking a toll on South Korea. The nation recorded 38,691 new coronavirus cases Sunday, setting another daily record, according to local health authorities. In the current surge driven by the omicron variant, South Korea has been reporting records week after week. The country also recorded its 1 millionth known case Sunday. While public health officials had predicted that cases would reach 30,000 a day by the end of February, such figures have come weeks earlier. According to Our World in Data, South Korea’s average daily case count has increased 318% over the past two weeks.
Queen Elizabeth marks 70-year reign
Seventy years ago this weekend, a young English princess climbed into Treetops, a game-viewing lodge in Kenya, built in a fig tree overlooking an elephant watering hole. The next morning, she came down as a queen, although she only learned of the death of her father, George VI, later that day. The 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne will be a good deal more earthbound: The 95-year-old monarch plans to spend a quiet Sunday at her country estate, Sandringham, where her father died Feb. 6, 1952. Four days of festivities to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee are scheduled for June.
By wires ources