Intruder breaches base of Air Force One, shot fired
An intruder has breached the home of Air Force One, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases. That’s according to a statement late Monday from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, which also said a resident opened fire on the trespasser. Joint Base Andrews is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One, Marine One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control centers if needed. It’s not the first time the base’s security has been breached; in February 2021 an intruder got onto the installation and climbed into a military aircraft.
Harris announces funding to address migration crisis
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday announced almost $1 billion in pledges by private companies to support communities in Central America, part of the Biden administration’s effort to keep migrants from fleeing toward the U.S. border. Ten companies, including Nestle, Target and Columbia Sportswear, said they would collectively spend $950 million on projects in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to support farmers, create textile jobs, and invest in telecommunications and other industries. The idea is to address what Harris calls the root causes of migration: poverty, corruption, climate change and political instability that drives people to search for a better life.
Crews release toxic chemicals from derailed tankers in Ohio
Crews in Ohio have released toxic chemicals from five cars of a derailed train near the Pennsylvania state line to reduce the threat of an explosion. Flames and black smoke billowed high into the sky from the derailment site. Norfolk Southern Railway confirmed Monday evening that the cars were draining and that burning was underway as planned. Authorities were monitoring the air quality to make sure that toxic fumes weren’t spreading. Ohio’s governor earlier ordered residents near the site to evacuate because of the risk of death or serious injury. Officials believe most have left. Pennsylvania’s governor said residents of that state near the derailment site also had left but he urged people within a 2-mile radius to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution.
Retailers try to curb theft while not angering shoppers
Across the retail landscape, businesses have been putting items under lock and key as a quick way to stop thieves. Some are considering extreme measures, including Rite Aid Corp., whose chief retail officer recently said it’s looking at “literally putting everything behind showcases to ensure the products are there for customers who want to buy it.” But by trying to solve one problem, these businesses may be creating another: turning off shoppers with overreaching measures. For consumers of color in particular, the stepped-up security measures risk alienating a population that already feels overpoliced.
Generators, spoiled food: Slow power repairs anger Austin
The future of Austin’s top city executive plunged into jeopardy Monday as outrage boiled over power outages that have left thousands of people without electricity in the Texas capital for nearly a week and are likely to drag on for days longer. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called an emergency meeting for later this week that will put City Manager Spencer Cronk’s job on the line. The move reflected the growing discontent in Austin over slow repairs to power lines following a deadly ice storm that left residents with no sense about when their electricity might finally return. The city’s utility warned Sunday in the face of growing criticism that full power restoration may not happen until Feb. 12.
Education issues vault to top of the GOP’s presidential race
With a presidential primary starting to stir, Republicans are returning to the education debates that mobilized their staunchest voters during the pandemic and set off a wave of conservative activism around how schools teach about racism in American history and tolerate gender fluidity. The messaging casts Republicans as defenders of parents who feel that schools have run amok with “wokeness.” Yet, in its appeal to voters, culture-war messaging over concerning education has a decidedly mixed track record. While some Republicans believe the issue can win over independents, the 2022 midterms showed that attacks on school curriculums — specifically critical race theory and so-called gender ideology — largely were a dud in the general election.
Russian forces keep up pressure as Ukraine anniversary nears
Officials in Ukraine say Russian forces are keeping Ukrainian troops tied down with attacks in the eastern Donbas region. Moscow is thought to be assembling additional combat power there for an expected offensive in the coming weeks. Officials said Monday that intense fighting that has raged for weeks continued around the city of Bakhmut and the nearby towns of Soledar and Vuhleda. They are located in the Donetsk region, which with neighboring Luhansk region makes up the Donbas industrial area that borders Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hungry for some battlefield success to mark the anniversary of his invasion on Feb. 24.
Israeli raid kills at least 5 Palestinians in West Bank
Israeli military forces killed at least five Palestinian fighters near the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Monday, during a firefight that the Israeli army said began after soldiers sought to arrest gunmen accused of attempting an attack at an Israeli settlement. Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, said the five men were members of its armed wing, in a rare acknowledgment of the group’s armed activity inside the West Bank, where it has kept a low profile. The deaths near Jericho brought the number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of the year to more than 40.
By wire sources