Jan. 6 report: Trump ‘lit that fire’ of Capitol insurrection
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, writes that Trump “lit that fire.” The 814-page report released Thursday concludes an extraordinary 18-month investigation, offering by far the most definitive account of a dark chapter in modern American history. It says the central cause of the riot was “one man”: Trump. Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the findings should be a “clarion call to all Americans: to vigilantly guard our Democracy.”
Russia scrubs Mariupol’s Ukraine identity, builds on death
Russian workers tear down bombed out buildings in Mariupol at an average of one per day and haul away the bodies. Russian soldiers, doctors, builders, administrators, and officials are replacing thousands of Ukrainians who died or fled. Russia is trying to eradicate all remnants of Ukraine from Mariupol, eight months after it was captured by Russia. It cannot hide the fact it is creating death. According to the Associated Press, Mariupol already has over 10,000 graves. Interviews with 30 residents were the basis of an Associated Press investigation into occupied Mariupol. This included 13 people living under Russian occupation. Satellite imagery was also used. There are hundreds of videos from inside the city.
Bankman-Fried, founder of FTX, was released on $250M bail. House arrest
NEW YORK (AP) — Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried has left Manhattan federal court after his parents signed a $250 million personal recognizance bond. As he ran to get to his parents’ house in California, he was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Bankman-Fried faces charges of stealing customer deposits and defrauding investors through his FTX trading platform. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos said that the 30-year-old Bankman-Fried “perpetrated a fraud of epic proportions.” Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein largely agreed to bail terms proposed by lawyers on both sides. Bankman-Fried is due to return to court Jan.
Holiday travel upended as forecasters warn of ‘bomb cyclone’
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of flights were canceled and homeless shelters are overflowing amid one of the most treacherous holiday travel seasons the U.S. has seen in decades. In a matter of hours, temperatures dropped to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. Forecasters predict a bomb storm to develop near the Great Lakes late Thursday into Friday. That occurs when atmospheric pressure drops quickly in a strong storm.They warn of an impending “bomb cyclone” that could pack blizzard conditions. The President Joe Biden warned Americans to be careful during a storm. He said Thursday in the Oval Office that “this is not like a snow day when you were a kid.”
Arizona lawyers: Kari Lake election loss lawsuit lacks merit
PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers for Arizona election officials say Republican Kari Lake didn’t offer evidence to back her claims of widespread, intentional misconduct on Election Day in challenging her loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs in the governor’s race. A lawyer for Hobbs, who won by just over 17,000 votes, told a judge Thursday that Lake never established her claim that printer problems at Maricopa County polling places were intentional acts that would have changed the race’s outcome had they not occurred. Lake’s attorneys say officials tried to downplay the effects of the printer problems in Maricopa County. Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson didn’t say when he would issue a ruling.
Canadian polar bears near ‘bear capital’ dying at fast rate
Polar bears in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay — on the southern edge of the Arctic — are continuing to die in high numbers, a new government survey of the land carnivore has found. Study found that bear cubs, as well as females, are experiencing difficulties. Researchers surveyed the region home to the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’ by air in 2021 and estimated there were 618 bears, down from the 842 in 2016, when the population was last counted. Frozen sea water, the sea salt that polar bears use to hunt seals and go out to retrieve them, is still disappearing.
Video of child victimized in sex abuse
In 2016, a video showing a man raping his nine-year-old daughter sparked a worldwide search for the girl. Her father was eventually arrested, and the child was freed from the abuse. The video continues to live, being downloaded by child pornographers around the world, as police, prosecutors, and internet companies pursue them in an unsuccessful effort to remove it. It could have been prevented that the child was being victimized. Six years ago, the father, who was a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church), confessed that he had abused his daughter.
Arizona removes Mexico border shipping container wall
PHOENIX (AP) — Gov. Doug Ducey has announced that Arizona will remove a temporary wall constructed of shipping containers along the Mexico border. This is in settlement to a lawsuit and political dispute with the federal government regarding trespassing onto federal lands. The Republican governor and the Biden administration reached an agreement in which Arizona would cease installing the containers within the Coronado National Forest. According to documents filed Wednesday at U.S. District Court, this is what the court documents state. The agreement states that Arizona must get rid of all shipping containers found in Cochise County’s southeast by January 4. Two weeks before Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, becomes governor, the resolution was passed.
Taliban minister defends ban on women’s university studies
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The minister of higher education in the Taliban government has broken his silence over his decision to ban women from universities. Nida Mohammed Nadim claimed Thursday that he made the decision earlier this week to stop the mixing between genders in universities. He also stated that he believed some subjects were violating Islamic principles. Earlier, the foreign ministers of the G-7 group of states urged the Taliban to rescind the ban, warning that “gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity.” The ministers warned after a virtual meeting that “Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban.”
Scientists uncover the secrets to frog transparency in Glass Act
WASHINGTON (AP) — A species of glass frogs found in South and Central America has the rare ability to turn on and off its transparent appearance. Researchers report Thursday in the journal Science that some sleeping glass frogs concentrate, or “hide,” nearly 90% of their red blood cells in their liver. Because they have transparent skin and other tissues, it’s the blood circulating through their bodies that would otherwise give them away. The frogs become opaque when they are awake and actively moving. Only a few animals, mostly ocean dwellers are naturally transparent. Frogs are the only ones who can turn on transparency while they sleep and remain vulnerable to predators.
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