News

The Washington Post reports: After 20 months of demands, obstruction and delay, the Turkish parliament on Tuesday night voted in favor of Sweden joining NATO, clearing one of the final hurdles for a major expansion of the military alliance set in motion by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still needs to sign the ratification document. Assuming …

Gothamist reports: Commuters will notice something a little different the next time they’re at the 191st Street subway station in Manhattan. The Washington Heights stop now has platform barriers. It’s the first of four to get the new technology as part of a platform safety pilot program that could spread to the rest of the city. “It’s still in an …

Axios reports: Israel has given Hamas a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian mediators that includes up to two months of a pause in the fighting as part of a multi-phase deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza, two Israeli officials said. While the proposal doesn’t include an agreement to end the war, it is …

Reuters reports: A group of relatives of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem on Monday, demanding that the lawmakers do more to try to free their loved ones. The action by about 20 people signaled growing domestic dissent in the fourth month of the Gaza war against Hamas. One woman held …

Nexstar reports: A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for Monday and Tuesday this week after an eruption of solar material was detected early Sunday morning. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) warned about the eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) in a post to X. The northern lights, otherwise known as the aurora, are often associated with …

Via press release from US Central Command: We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased. The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing during the boarding of an illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons Jan. …

The Drive reports: Gas station and convenience store chain Kum & Go will reportedly rebrand after being bought out in 2023. The new owners are reportedly worried the double entendre in Kum & Go’s name could hurt its business prospects. Established in Iowa in 1959, Kum & Go was acquired by FJ Management’s Maverik chain in April 2023. After blowing …

The City reports: The MTA plans to explore “biometric” technology to prevent break-ins to off-limits areas of subway trains, the head of New York City Transit told THE CITY — but in the meantime, will tweak existing locks. Richard Davey said security devices that recognize unique physical characteristics are among the potential long-term defenses being considered to keep vandals from …

The Hill reports: The House on Thursday approved a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded through March, sending the stopgap to President Biden’s desk for his signature one day before a partial shutdown deadline. The chamber cleared the two-step continuing resolution (CR) in a 314-108 vote hours after the Senate approved the measure, punting government funding deadlines to …

NPR reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson has been under pressure from his right flank to scrap the budget agreement with Schumer, and the bill to keep the government running will need Democratic support to pass the Republican-majority House. Johnson has insisted he will stick with the deal as moderates in the party have urged him not to back out. It …

The Washington Post reports: A state judge overseeing the election-interference case against former president Donald Trump in Georgia has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 15 to hear evidence regarding accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) and her lead prosecutor engaged in an improper relationship and mishandled public money. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee also wrote in …

The Hill reports: No Labels filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice over what leaders contend are organizations engaging in a “conspiracy” to interfere with its ballot access effort. During a press briefing on Thursday, group leaders alleged a “brazen” attempt among mostly Democratic aligned outside groups to curb its work to build popular support for a unity …

St. Louis’s NBC affiliate reports: After months of private deliberations, the abortion-rights campaign Missourians for Constitutional Freedom has launched a new website asking abortion advocates to circulate petitions on a ballot question that would restore some legal abortions in Missouri. The website, which appears to have gone public Thursday night, promotes a plan that would “end the government’s cruel ban …

“If you go to the Drudge Report, and I think it will still be up, there is a story that talks about Trump having hand cuts and you can link to it. They don’t look like cuts to me. They look like sores. And I’ve asked a number of MDs what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores and the …

Cleveland.com reports: He’s baaack. Former Democratic Cleveland mayor, congressman and longshot presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich filed paperwork at the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday that indicates he’s running as an independent for the congressional seat held by Rocky River Republican Rep. Max Miller. Kucinich has previously run for office as a Democrat. He missed the December deadline to run in …

Reuters reports: Pakistan used killer drones and rockets to strike separatist Baloch militants inside Iran on Thursday, Pakistani authorities said, two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Iranian media said several missiles hit a village in the Sistan-Baluchestan province that borders Pakistan, killing at least nine people. Earlier reports said three …

The Associated Press reports: No Labels, the group preparing for a possible third-party presidential campaign, can prohibit members from using its ballot line to run for office in Arizona, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The decision protects the group’s efforts to maintain control and secrecy around its operations and finances as Donald Trump critics warn that No Labels could help …

The BBC reports: King Charles III is set to attend hospital next week for treatment for an enlarged prostate. Buckingham Palace said the King’s condition is benign but he will undergo a “corrective procedure”. The 75 year old’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation, the palace said. The announcement comes shortly after it was revealed …

Roll Call reports: The Senate overwhelmingly voted Tuesday night in favor of the first procedural move needed to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of this week. The chamber voted 68-13 to end debate on the motion to proceed to the shell legislative vehicle for the stopgap spending measure, which would run to March 1 for four of …

Cleveland’s ABC affiliate reports: In an effort to crack down on kids and teens accessing porn, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted have proposed legislation that would require every porn watcher to provide 18+ age verification. The legislation was introduced by state Sens. Stephanie Kunze (R-Dublin) and Bill DeMora (D-Columbus). It is so new that it …