Facebook/Instagram reinstate Trump; U.S. sends tanks to Ukraine. Are Fighter Jets next?; 12,000 dead from Covid in China in a week; North Korea locks down; MTG looking to be VP
Elaine Chao is right; Trader Joe's shopper favorites; Spotify cuts; Prince Andrew promises news; Super Bowl entertainment; Avatar's enormous box office; dealing with rejection; defogging your car
Good Thursday morning!
My take: Elaine Chao the former Secretary of Transportation under former President Trump and former Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush (and the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) is right. The vile words that have come out of her former boss (not Bush) say far more about who Donald Trump is than anything else. His taunting, sarcastic and anti-China comments should be an affront to all Americans. His nicknames and accusations have no place in American lexicon and especially in American politics. Similar to calling African nations, shit hole nations, Trump shows us every day why he is not a leader but a divider. His hatred for McConnell triggers him to do what he has done his whole life —retribution and treating women as objects and with distain. His comments are racist but are we surprised based on who he associates with. Now Facebook (or something called META) is reinstating him. Now isn’t their founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg married to an Asian American (Priscilla Chan)? Let’s hope the poor rich boy has some backbone and once again pulls Trump’s ticket if he uses the platform to spew his racist dog whistles.
Now to your “1 to…”
Viral: Michigan K-9's mugshot goes viral after police accuse pup of stealing officer's lunch: A police dog named Officer Ice is grabbing attention on Facebook after reportedly committing his crime: 'People coming to his defense'.
What we care about: Trader Joe’s releases annual list of shopper favorites, new items take top spots.
Remote work saved workers 72 minutes per day, study finds: Working from home saved workers around the world an average of 72 minutes in commute time every day in 2021 and 2022. And many of them plowed that time right back into ... working more, according to a new paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research. In the U.S., remote work saved an average of 55 minutes a day, per worker, according to the working paper. The researchers looked at two surveys of employees who worked mainly from home at some point during the pandemic, conducted over the past two years. China was the country where people saved the most commute time — 102 minutes on average.
Why it matters: The data underscore that the benefits of remote work flow both to employees and employers. 40% of workers used the time saved to work on either a primary or secondary job. 34% used the time for leisure activities, including exercise or watching TV, and 11% went to caregiving, for children or others.
Facebook and Instagram to end Trump's suspension from platforms: Trump’s accounts, which were suspended by Meta after the Jan. 6 riot, will be reinstated “in the coming weeks” and come with “new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.”
U.S. will send Abrams tanks to Ukraine ahead of expected Russian offensive: The Biden administration will send 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as the country prepares for a fresh Russian offensive in the coming months. The move is a reversal after the U.S. hesitated for weeks to arm Kyiv with tanks. The development came as Germany also moved to send tanks to help Ukraine in its fight.
Ukraine will now push for F-16 fighter jets, government adviser says: With main battle tanks from the U.S. and Germany now headed to Ukraine, Kyiv is now focusing on securing modern fighter jets from Western allies. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s Defense secretary, told The Hill that he was optimistic about receiving Western fighter jets such as the American F-16s, which Ukrainians have sought since early last year when Russia first invaded.
A minister is sacked in Ukraine as corruption allegations swirl: The war has diverted resources from anti-graft bodies—and created cover for crooks.
National Archives considering asking past presidents and vice presidents to look again for classified materials: The National Archives is looking into sending letters to all living former presidents and vice presidents, asking them go through their records to ensure there are no classified materials, according to sources familiar with the matter. Representatives for four former presidents have all so far told CNN they do not have any classified records in their possession after news that former Vice President Mike Pence had classified documents in his Indiana home. The representatives for former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and the late George H.W. Bush all told CNN that all classified records had been turned over to the National Archives upon leaving office.
The discovery of classified documents in Pence’s Carmel, Indiana, home was the third such case in recent months. Former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden have also been subject to scrutiny after classified material was found in their homes.
America’s system for handling classified documents is broken, say lawmakers and former officials: Far too many documents are classified, and gatekeepers charged with tracking the secret papers are struggling to keep up, experts say.
Here's what we know about the Monterey Park shooting victims.
Teacher shot by 6-year-old texted a dire warning to a loved one before she was wounded, source says: The text “showed her frustration,” the source said. “She was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child, for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming.”
AP African American Studies course rejected by Florida to be revised, College Board says: The organization, which oversees the Advanced Placement program, said it would release “the official framework” of the course on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.
Former Gynecologist convicted of luring women to his office for abuse: Robert A. Hadden had previously admitted to sexual abuse in a 2016 plea deal that required no prison time.
New Jersey Murphy administration bought eight new SUVs — at a cost of $521K — with federal Covid funds: The eight Chevrolet Suburbans are for use by the Executive Protection Unit,.
China reports over 12,000 COVID-19 deaths in week through Jan.19: China's health authorities said over 12,000 hospitalized people infected with the coronavirus died in the seven days through Thursday. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Saturday that 12,658 patients had died in medical institutions between January 13 and 19. Officials said 681 people died of respiratory failure while 11,977 others died of complications. The announcement marked the first time in seven days that the Chinese government has updated official death counts.
The private angst over Donald Trump’s racist attacks on Elaine Chao goes public
His rhetoric “says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”: But while former President Donald Trump’s taunts at Elaine Chao — demeaning her as “Coco Chow” or a variation of Mitch McConnell’s “China-loving wife” — have been mostly met with silence from fellow GOP officials, the main target of them is now speaking out. “When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name. Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation,” Chao said in a statement to POLITICO. “He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”
Donald Trump will stop in New Hampshire ahead of his South Carolina rally: The visits will kick off Trump's first large public events since he announced his 2024 presidential run.
Dual citizen of France and Canada who mailed ricin to President Trump pleads guilty: A dual citizen of France and Canada pleaded guilty on Wednesday to sending letters containing homemade ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House and eight Texas law enforcement officials. Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier sent threatening letters containing the poison in September 2020, according to the plea agreement filed in a Washington, DC, federal court.
According to the agreement, Ferrier made ricin at her home in Quebec, Canada, and put the poison in letters addressed to Trump and the Texas officials.
Marjorie Taylor Greene aims to be Trump's VP pick in 2024: "She sees herself on the short list for Trump's VP," said former Trump aide Steve Bannon, who has spoken with Greene.
Santos in newly resurfaced podcast mulled possibility Epstein was still alive: In a 2020 podcast episode, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) discussed a theory that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, could still be alive.
He said while he believes that Epstein is dead, he “wouldn’t put it past” the former financier still being alive. Santos also latched on to the popular conspiracy that Epstein did not hang himself in his Manhattan jail cell, but was actually murdered.
Journalist deaths jumped 50 percent in 2022, CPJ says: At least 67 journalists were killed in 2022, with the toll driven by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico, and Haiti, the Committee to Protect Journalists says.
Tornado damage near Houston ‘catastrophic,’ official says as storm moves eastward: Emergency responders in the Houston area say they are responding to reports of damage and stranded motorists after a possible tornado moved through the area Tuesday. Structural damage from a tornado in Pasadena, about 15 miles southeast of Houston, is “catastrophic,” according to the local police chief.
“In my 25 years here, this is probably the worst damage I’ve seen,” Chief Josh Bruegger told reporters outside a damaged animal shelter in the city, where two dogs were injured.
What we know about Tyre Nichols' death after encounter with Memphis police: The U.S. government is investigating whether the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died days after a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee, were violated during his encounter with police officers. Attorneys representing Nichols' family alleged earlier this week that video from the traffic stop showed police officers "beating" Tyre Nichols for three minutes. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee Kevin Ritz announced earlier in January that the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the FBI Memphis Field Office and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, opened a civil rights investigation into Nichols' death. `"Last week, Tyre Nichols tragically died, a few days after he was involved in an incident where Memphis Police Department officers used force during his arrest," Ritz's statement from then reads.
‘Happening way too often’: Report delves into mass attacks.
The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crime.
Famed civil rights lawyer Ben Crump warns DeSantis he’ll sue over rejection of AP African American studies course: Gov. Ron DeSantis has argued that the course is a Trojan horse for “indoctrinating” students in left-wing ideology.
Why the IRS says to expect smaller tax refunds this year: The IRS is warning taxpayers at the opening of the 2023 tax filing season that they should expect smaller refunds due to pandemic relief measures that have been allowed to expire.
A big reason is that there were no stimulus payments from the government to people to help get them through the pandemic in 2022. The last stimulus payments went out in 2021.
Survey finds Americans wildly misinformed on housing market: A new survey finds Americans are woefully misinformed about the nation’s mercurial housing market, even as millions of them prepare to buy homes. Twenty-eight million Americans plan to purchase a home in 2023, according to a survey released Tuesday by NerdWallet, the personal finance company. On average, they hope to spend $269,200.
North Korea locks down Pyongyang due to ‘respiratory illness’: North Korean authorities have ordered a lockdown in the nation’s capital city Pyongyang because of the spread of an unspecified respiratory illness, according to a statement released by the Russian embassy in North Korea on Facebook.
The lockdown will last for five days, and could be extended another three days, according to the post, which called for a “special anti-epidemic period” and urged foreign diplomats to remain inside.
North Korea-linked hackers behind $100 million crypto heist, FBI says: The FBI said it was “able to confirm” that Lazarus Group, aka APT38, a group linked to North Korea, was responsible for the attack on the so-called Horizon bridge last year. Hackers stole $100 million worth of cryptocurrencies in the attack on the Horizon bridge, which traders use to swap digital tokens between different blockchain networks. The FBI also said that the North Korean cyber actors this month used the Railgun system to launder over $60 million worth of the token ether stolen during the June 2022 heist.
Prince Andrew tells friends mystery 'development' within the next month will restore his reputation - and that the Queen had told him his exile from royal duties would only be 'temporary': Duke of York claims the revelations will change the public perception of him. Prince Andrew told friends developments could restore his reputation in months. He could launch a bid to overturn a settlement struck with sex abuse accuser
Iceberg roughly the size of London breaks off in Antarctica: An iceberg nearly the size of Greater London broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Sunday according to the British Antarctic Survey. Scientists first discovered significant cracks in the ice shelf a decade ago, but in the last two years there have been two major breaks. The BAS Halley Research Station is located on the Brunt Ice Shelf and glaciologists say the research station is safe. The iceberg is around 600 square miles, or 1550 square kilometers. The researchers say this event was expected and not a result of climate change.
Earth’s inner core may have stopped turning and could go into reverse, study suggests: Elon Musk is swatting down a new story in The Wall Street Journal claiming that he has considered raising $3 billion to pay off a portion of Twitter’s debts. Conversations over the matter took place last month, the report said, and the potential investment figure may have clocked in below $3 billion. The social media platform has about $13 billion in debt, and while Musk has cut the majority of Twitter’s head count, its revenue has also fallen precipitously. Musk disputed the report in a Twitter thread on Wednesday in which he also railed against the “corpo media shills [who] clearly have their marching orders to write hit pieces on me these days.”
Walmart raises minimum wage to $14: Walmart workers are about to get a pay bump. The retail giant is raising its minimum wage from $12 to $14, according to a memo sent to staff, bringing it closer to rivals like Target, which pays at least $15 per hour. The increase will boost Walmart’s average hourly wage to over $17.50 and will benefit around 340,000 store employees, or a fifth of the retail giant’s 1.6 million-person U.S. workforce. The move comes as many retailers look to combat job churn amid a tight labor market.
Tesla reports record revenue and beats on earnings: Tesla just reported fourth-quarter earnings for 2022 including revenue of $24.32 billion, and earnings per share of $1.19. Automotive revenue amounted to $21.3 billion in the three months ending 2022, and included $324 million of deferred revenue related to the company’s driver assistance systems. Automotive gross margins came in at 25.9%, the lowest figure in the last five quarters.
Elon Musk denies report that he’s thinking of raising $3 Billion for Twitter: Elon Musk is swatting down a new story in The Wall Street Journal claiming that he has considered raising $3 billion to pay off a portion of Twitter’s debts. Conversations over the matter took place last month, the report said, and the potential investment figure may have clocked in below $3 billion. The social media platform has about $13 billion in debt, and while Musk has cut the majority of Twitter’s head count, its revenue has also fallen precipitously. Musk disputed the report in a Twitter thread on Wednesday in which he also railed against the “corpo media shills [who] clearly have their marching orders to write hit pieces on me these days.”
IBM tops revenue estimates, says it will cut 3,900 jobs: IBM managed to avoid posting a revenue decline. The company plans to cut about 3,900 jobs, or 1.5% of its workforce.
Spotify cuts jobs in latest round of tech layoffs: Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify says it will cut 6% of its about 10,000 employees, citing a need to improve efficiency. "In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth," boss Daniel Ek wrote on the company's blog.
Spotify has never posted a full-year net profit, despite its popularity in the online music market.
The Times Asks Judge to Unseal Documents in Fox News Defamation Case:
Most of the evidence in the case has remained under seal at the request of Fox’s lawyers.
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chris Stapleton and Babyface to perform in 2023 Super Bowl pre-show: The full entertainment lineup for the 2023 Super Bowl has arrived.
In addition to Rihanna’s highly anticipated halftime show performance, a number of additional Hollywood heavyweights are joining the major sporting event as pre-show performers. The NFL announced on Tuesday that Emmy-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in the pre-show. The “Abbott Elementary” star notably sang on stage while accepting her Emmy award in 2022. Joining Ralph in the pre-show festivities is Grammy-winning country music artist Chris Stapleton, who has been tapped to sing the National Anthem. R&B crooner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds will also perform, with a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
How Avatar: The Way of Water became the 6th movie in history to make $2 Billion: fter being in theaters for just over a month, Avatar: The Way of Water—the long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 hit—has officially grossed over $2.024 billion. It took over Spider-Man: No Way Home’s spot as the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time last week; to move up to the No. 5 spot, currently held by Avengers: Infinity War, it needs to make over $2.05 billion. Now it has become the first ever pandemic-era movie to hit the $2 billion mark and Cameron’s third movie to gross that much in box office receipts. He’s the only director in history to have three movies gross over $2 billion.
Razzies apologize to 12-year-old 'Firestarter' actress for listing her among 'worst' performances: The Razzie Awards, which pick on the "worst" movies of the year, said they will now have an age minimum and won't include Ryan Kiera Armstrong on the final ballot.
U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin wins record 83rd World Cup race: American skier Mikaela Shiffrin won a record 83rd World Cup race Tuesday. Shiffrin's giant slalom victory broke a tie on the women's career list with former American teammate Lindsey Vonn. Vonn retired four years ago when injuries cut her career short. "I don't think there are words to explain all the feelings," Shiffrin said. "In the end of it, it's like there's too much excitement to feel. I don't know if that makes sense. So it's something you can't explain. So I just try to breathe a bit and enjoy it." Shiffrin needs only three more wins to match Ingemar Stenmark's overall mark -- in men's or women's events -- of 86 victories.
2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results: Scott Rolen gets in, joins Fred McGriff; Todd Helton just short: Rolen earned 76.3% of the votes from submitted ballots.
Slideshow: Fitness tips for beginner athletes.
You're defogging your car windows wrong: Should you use the heat or the air conditioning? Or should you use both?
The best places to write your novel according to authors: tried and tested: Maya Angelou liked a hotel room, Roald Dahl preferred a shed: Amelia Tait tries out famous writers' preferences to discover which works best.
Why ‘soft skills’ are essential for new graduates.
Have a great Thursday!