Investigators find gaps in White House logs of Trump’s Jan. 6 calls
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has discovered gaps in official White House telephone logs from the day of the riot, finding few records of calls by President Donald Trump from critical hours when investigators know that he was making them. Investigators have not uncovered evidence that any official records were tampered with or deleted, and it is well known that Trump used his personal cellphone, and those of his aides, routinely to talk with aides, congressional allies and outside confidants. But the sparse call records are the latest major obstacle to the panel’s central mission: re-creating what Trump was doing throughout the day.
NYC set to fire up to 3,000 unvaccinated workers Friday
New York City is expected to fire up to 3,000 municipal workers Friday for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the mayor’s office — a figure that represents less than 1% of the city workforce but is still possibly the largest worker reduction in the nation tied to a vaccine mandate. The city’s municipal worker vaccine mandate required existing city employees like police officers, firefighters and teachers to receive at least one dose of the vaccine, and many of those workers must do so by Friday. About 95% of the city’s 370,000 workers have received at least a first dose — an increase from 84% when the mandate was announced in October.
Biden predicts Supreme Court nominee will get Republican support
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he had thoroughly vetted four potential Supreme Court nominees, all of whom he believes could draw the support of Republican senators during the nomination process. Biden said that he wanted his nominee, who he has promised will be a Black woman, to have a similar view of the law to Justice Stephen Breyer, who recently announced his retirement. “I’m looking for someone to replace Judge Breyer with the same kind of capacity Judge Breyer had,” Biden said, adding that he is looking for a candidate “with an open mind, who understands the Constitution, interprets in a way that is consistent with the mainstream interpretation of the Constitution.”
Puerto Rico teachers lead push for higher pay for public workers
In Puerto Rico, the base pay for public school teachers is $1,750 a month — a figure that has not increased in 13 years and has forced Jessica Colón Cartagena, a special-education teacher, to tutor students and run a catering business with her husband to make ends meet. So Wednesday, Colón did not go to work in her school in Cayey, a mountain town in central Puerto Rico. Instead, she went to San Juan, the capital, and joined thousands of other teachers, firefighters and labor union members demanding better pay for public workers as Puerto Rico tries to pull itself out of the huge bankruptcy that has strained daily life on the island.
Wolves will regain federal protection in much of the US
Gray wolves will regain federal protection across most of the lower 48 United States after a court ruling Thursday that struck down a Trump administration decision to take the animals off the endangered species list. Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White, of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in declaring wolf conservation a success and removing the species from federal protection, did not adequately consider threats to wolves outside the Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains where they have rebounded most significantly. Although the decision to delist wolves came under the Trump administration, the Biden administration has defended it in court.
With buildup on land and sea, Russia closes inon Ukraine
Thousands of Russian troops on Thursday began 10 days of exercises in Belarus, and Ukraine warned of upcoming Russian naval drills so extensive that they would block shipping lanes, as the Kremlin continued to tighten its military vise on Ukraine. Satellite images collected Wednesday and Thursday revealed new deployments of Russian military equipment and troops in Crimea, western Russia and Belarus. In Belarus, Russian fighter jets launched air patrols, and Russia’s potent S-400 air defense systems were deployed near the Ukrainian border. And off Ukraine’s coast, Russia was preparing to hold large-scale naval exercises.
Biden warns US Won’t send troops to rescue Americans in Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Thursday warned Americans to leave Ukraine, saying that U.S. troops would not be dispatched to retrieve them should Russia invade. “American citizens should leave, should leave now,” Biden said in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt that aired on Thursday evening, adding that there was no scenario that could prompt him to send troops to rescue Americans. Biden’s comments followed a string of increasingly urgent warnings for U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine as thousands of Russian troops have amassed on its borders. In October, a State Department spokesman estimated that about 6,600 U.S. citizens were living in Ukraine.
Latvia to reimburse Jewish community for properties of Holocaust victims
The 19th-century synagogue in the Latvian town of Akniste has become a firefighting depot. An older synagogue, with wooden vaulted ceilings, is now a community center. After the Latvian Jews who owned, managed and frequented the buildings were killed during the Holocaust, the state took them over. Now, the Latvian Jewish community will be reimbursed for buildings that were expropriated during the war. On Thursday, the Latvian parliament gave its approval to a law that awards 40 million euros (about $46 million) to the Latvian Jewish community, according to a news release after the bill was approved.
Americans convicted of killing Italian officer appeal life sentences
In 2019, two American teenagers had a scuffle on a street corner with a pair of police officers. One of the officers was stabbed 11 times and left fatally wounded. The Americans, Finnegan Elder, now 22, and Gabriel Natale Hjorth, now 20, were found guilty in May of murder and sentenced to life in prison — Italy’s toughest punishment. They appeared in court Thursday to appeal their sentences. Defense lawyers said they hoped that a full review of the case would prove that their clients did not deserve such long sentences. The result of the appeal is expected in March.
By wire sources