News

The New York Daily News reports: An event planner who landed a job in the Trump administration apologized Wednesday for calling a White House correspondent “Miss Piggy” during a Twitter spat. Lynne Patton, who heads a regional Housing and Urban Development office overseeing New York and New Jersey, called April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks “Miss Piggy” in …

InStyle has the quote: “I’ve always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not. And so it’s not something that interests me. I don’t have the DNA for it. Gayle — who knows me as well as I know myself practically — has been calling me regularly and texting me …

The Washington Post reports: In November, The Washington Post and our polling partners at ABC News asked Americans if they believed that Trump was biased against black people. Did his words and actions outweigh his repeated assertions that he’s the “least racist person” you’ll ever meet? At that point, 50 percent of Americans said that Trump held a racial bias …

CNBC reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he spends little time thinking about dollar weakness over the short term, walking back his comments that sent the U.S. currency reeling amid fears of a trade war. Speaking during a CNBC-moderated panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mnuchin said dollar weakness in the short term was “not a concern …

Deadline reports: Another beloved comedy series is coming back for a new installment on its original network. CBS has given a 13-episode series order to Murphy Brown, a revival of the 1988 sitcom with its creator Diane English and star Candice Bergen both set to return. Warner Bros. TV, which was behind the original series, is the sole studio. Bergen …

The New York Daily News reports: Former Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly considering a presidential run in 2020. Kerry met with Hussein Agha, an ally of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in London where he touted the idea when discussing the Middle East’s peace process, the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday citing Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv. Kerry, 74, when asked about …

ABC News reports: Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, is confirming he will seek re-election, quelling his party’s fears that if he retired a Republican could win his seat. Manchin warned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other fellow Democrats about his frustrations with Washington politics Tuesday before conceding he plans to run again, according to the New York …

The New York Times reports: Toys “R” Us is planning to close as many as 182 of its stores as it struggles to reorganize in bankruptcy. The toy chain, which filed for bankruptcy last September, said in a court filing late Tuesday that the stores selected for closing have failed to meet “performance standards.” The planned closings represent about 20 …

The Guardian reports: Julian Assange’s long stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London is having a “dangerous” impact on his physical and mental health, according to clinicians who carried out the most recent assessments of him. The pair renewed calls for the WikiLeaks publisher to be granted safe passage to a London hospital. Sondra Crosby, a doctor and associate professor …

The Associated Press reports: The former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison as the judge declared: “I just signed your death warrant.” “It is my honor and privilege to sentence you. You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again. You …

CBS News reports: The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to do away with special elections for the state’s two U.S. Senate seats and instead let the governor’s appointee serve for up to two years. Instead of calling a special election, the governor’s would appoint an interim replacement who would serve in the U.S. Senate until the next statewide …

ABC News reports: Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” is well on its way to becoming one of the top- selling nonfiction books in recent years. The tell-all about the Trump administration has sold more than 1.7 million copies in the combined formats of hardcover, e-books and audio, publisher Henry Holt and Co. told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Published less …

Switzerland’s The Local reports: More than a thousand people protested in central Zurich on Tuesday against the planned arrival of US President Donald Trump in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF). Trump is due to make a speech at the gathering of international business and political leaders in Davos on Friday. The demonstrators marched through the Swiss city chanting …

Stormy fallout? CBS reports: First Lady Melania Trump will not be accompanying President Trump when he flies to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, although the trip had earlier been on her schedule. Melania Trump’s press office said that there were “too many scheduling and logistical issues,” so she would not be traveling to Davos. Monday was the couple’s …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: U.S. Rep Pat Meehan said Tuesday he had developed a deep “affection” for a younger aide and told her that he saw her as “a soul mate” as they talked over ice cream one night last year, but in an interview with the Inquirer he said he never pursued a romantic relationship with the woman, who …

CNN reports: Americans continue to broadly support annual checkups for their commander in chief, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, but they are divided about how much information about his or her health a president ought to make public. The poll finds that 82% feel a president should be required to take an annual physical examination to …

An update on this morning’s mass shooting: A shooting Tuesday at a rural high school in Kentucky left two students dead and 19 others injured, 14 from gunshot wounds, Gov. Matt Bevin said during an early-afternoon news conference. The gunman was a 15-year-old boy, authorities said during a news conference early Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he’s …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump is signing a measure Tuesday imposing tariffs on imported solar-energy components and large washing machines in a bid to help U.S. manufacturers. The administration says the decision is part of Trump’s pledge to put American companies and jobs first. The administration is imposing an immediate tariff of 30 percent on most imported solar …

NBC News reports: New York City filed a $500 million lawsuit Tuesday against prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors, seeking to hold them accountable for their alleged part in the city’s drug epidemic. The lawsuit aims to recover expenses the city will incur in combating the crisis. In 2016, more than 1,000 people in New York City died of an opioid …

The Christian Post reports: A mother of two has filed a lawsuit against former Church for Life pastor Robert Litzinger and his wife Cindy, alleging sexual battery, assault and harassment stemming from a slew of incidents, including teaching young women how to masturbate and orgasm in preparation for their husbands in pre-marriage classes. Robert Litzinger, explains the Santa Maria Times, …