Republicans reelect head of the RNC after a heated challenge
Members of the Republican National Committee reelected Ronna McDaniel on Friday to a fourth two-year term at the helm of the party, despite an angry pressure campaign from conservative activists and spirited calls from inside the committee for a leadership change after three successive elections of defeats and disappointments. McDaniel, a Michigan GOP insider chosen by then-President Donald Trump to lead the party in 2017, promised she would be the agent of change that Republican activists wanted. That promise and years cultivating connections with the committee’s 168 members proved unbeatable as the party gears up for what is likely to be a wide-open primary for the 2024 presidential election.
US officials overseeing aid say Ukrainian leaders are tackling corruption
Since the start of war in Ukraine, U.S. officials have watched with some anxiety as billions of U.S. dollars flowed into the country, well aware of Kyiv’s history of political corruption. The ouster of several top officials from Ukraine’s government this week following accusations of government corruption has renewed questions of how Ukrainian officials are tackling those concerns. Although U.S. and European officials say there is no evidence that aid to Ukraine was stolen, even the perception of fraud would threaten political support for continued wartime assistance. Rather than betray alarm, however, U.S. officials insist the drama shows that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is committed to fighting corruption.
Pelosi attack video shows struggle and savage hammer swing
Newly released video shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi struggling for control of a hammer with his assailant during an attack in the couple’s San Francisco home last year. The footage was released Friday after a coalition of news agencies, including The Associated Press, sought access to evidence prosecutors played in court during a preliminary hearing last month. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office had refused to make it available to journalists. The evidence includes portions of Paul Pelosi’s 911 call, as well as images from Capitol police surveillance cameras, a body camera worn by one of the responding police officers and a recording from the suspect’s police interview. David DePape has pleaded not guilty in separate state and federal cases.
7,600 fake nursing diplomas were sold in scheme, US says
Twenty-five people have been charged in connection with a scheme in which fake nursing diplomas were sold to buyers who used the credentials to obtain nursing licenses and jobs in health care settings across the country, federal prosecutors said. The scheme involved the sale of more than 7,600 fake diplomas issued by three South Florida nursing schools, which have since closed: Siena College and Sacred Heart International Institute, both in Broward County, and Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County. Those charged include administrators of the schools and administrators and affiliates of nursing test prep academies in other states that recruited candidates to buy the fake diplomas.
New blood donation rules to loosen restrictions on gay and bisexual men
The Food and Drug Administration plans to revise a policy that excluded most gay and bisexual men from blood donation, instead adopting an approach that will screen donors depending on their recent sexual activity, officials said. The move follows years of criticism from LGBTQ advocates, who have described the prohibition as unscientific and discriminatory. Federal officials have justified the exclusion of gay and bisexual men as a way to keep HIV out of the blood supply. A complete prohibition was put in place in the 1980s. In 2015, the agency allowed gay and bisexual men to donate if they had not had sexual contact with men for the previous year.
Rain batters New Zealand’s largest city, causing major flooding
A state of emergency was declared in Auckland, New Zealand, on Friday night, and residents in the worst-affected areas were ordered to evacuate as rain and severe flooding battered the city. Heavy rain before a three-day weekend Friday had initially led to traffic snarls, the cancellation of an Elton John concert and sodden highways. But within a few hours, mere inconvenience gave way to frantic and chaotic scenes across the city. The torrent submerged parks and backyards, caused waterlogged cars to be abandoned on roadsides and led to at least one bridge being washed away.
Palestinian gunman kills 7 near Jerusalem synagogue
Officials say a Palestinian gunman killed seven people and wounded three others near a synagogue in east Jerusalem in the deadliest attack on Israelis in years. The gunman was killed by police. The attack came a day after Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians during a raid at a refugee camp in the West Bank. The latest attack took place as worshippers were celebrating the Jewish Sabbath and set off public celebrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The burst of violence poses an early challenge for Israel’s new government and casts a cloud over an upcoming visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
DEA Mexico chief quietly ousted over ties to drug lawyers
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration quietly ousted its former top official in Mexico last year over improper contact with lawyers for narcotraffickers. Nicholas Palmeri’s socializing and vacationing with Miami drug lawyers, detailed in confidential records obtained by the Associated Press, brought his ultimate downfall after just 14 months at the helm. But colleagues told the AP there were plenty of other red flags, including lax handling of the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in two sickened agents having to be airlifted out of the country. A separate internal probe found Palmeri used drug-fighting funds for inappropriate purposes, including to pay for his own birthday party.
Brazil police raid Bolsonaro nephew’s home in uprising probe
Brazil’s federal police have searched the home of a nephew of former President Jair Bolsonaro in connection with the Jan. 8 storming of government buildings in the capital by far-right protesters. Police said Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus, known by Bolsonaro supporters as Leo Índio, was one of the targets of a series of raids that led to 11 arrests in different states. It was the first time a member of Bolsonaro’s family has been included in the investigations of the uprising in Brasilia, which underlined the political polarization in Brazil. Police say thoseunder investigation could be tried for crimes against democracy and criminal association.
By wire sources