Family of Tyre Nichols prepares to lay him to rest
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The family of Tyre Nichols plans to lay him to rest on Wednesday, three weeks after he was beaten to death by Memphis police after a traffic stop. In those three weeks, five officers have been fired and charged with murder, and their specialized unit was disbanded. Two more officers have been suspended. Two Memphis Fire Department emergency medical workers and a lieutenant were also fired. And more discipline could be coming. But Wednesday will be about Nichols, a 29-year-old skateboarder, father, and amateur photographer who worked at FedEx, made friends during morning stops at Starbucks, and always greeted his mother and step-father with a sunny, “Hello, parents!”
Anti-abortion activists aim to sway GOP White House hopefuls
CHICAGO (AP) — Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the next presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party. Leaders of the influential group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America are telling potential GOP presidential hopefuls they expect Republican candidates to support national restrictions on the procedure. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or the mother’s life are acceptable to the group, while leaving the question up to states is not. That directive is creating an early litmus test for Republicans considering entering the presidential race. It also could create problems for the party’s eventual nominee in the general election.
Republicans set to oust Rep. Omar from Foreign Affairs panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly empowered House Republicans are preparing to oust Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Republicans want to remove the African-born Black lawmaker from the panel over comments she has made critical of Israel. The move is also seen as payback after Democrats booted far-right Republicans from panels for incendiary, violent remarks. Voting could come as soon as Wednesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been eager to flex Republican power in the new Congress. He has already blocked two other Democrats, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, from rejoining the House Intelligence Committee. Omar has apologized for her comments and calls the move against her “politically motivated.”
Pell mourned at Sydney cathedral day before funeral, protest
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Mourners are paying respects to Cardinal George Pell in a Sydney cathedral before the funeral of the polarizing church leader who was once the most senior Catholic convicted of sex abuse. Pell spent more than a year in prison before his convictions were overturned in 2020. He died at age 81 in January from heart complications after hip surgery. Pell will lie in St. Mary’s Cathedral until he is interred at the cathedral crypt after a funeral Mass on Thursday. Police dropped an attempt to stop a protest of his funeral after a compromise was reached with protesters over the location.
Powell likely to stress Fed’s inflation fight far from over
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation is cooling, and parts of the economy appear to be weakening. But Chair Jerome Powell is likely Wednesday to underscore that the Federal Reserve’s primary focus remains the need to fight surging prices with still-higher interest rates. With markets anticipating that the Fed will stop raising rates soon and possibly even cut them later this year, analysts say Powell will need to push back against such optimism. Powell’s tough message will likely emerge at a news conference after the Fed’s policy committee announces its latest action. The policymakers are set to raise their benchmark rate by a quarter-point to its highest level in about 15 years.
Peshawar, the city of flowers, becomes epicenter of violence
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani city of Peshawar was once known as “the city of flowers” but has borne the brunt of rising militancy in the region for the past decades. Now it’s reeling after one of Pakistan’s most devastating militant attacks in years, in which a suicide bomber hit a mosque, killing at least 100 people and wounding 225, mostly police. Analysts say the carnage is the legacy of decades of flawed policies by Pakistan and the United States. In the 1980s, the city became the center of the U.S. and Pakistani program to back the mujahedeen fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, creating a legacy of radicalism and violence that continues until today,
Palestinians face removal as far-right Israel vows expansion
KHAN AL-AHMAR, West Bank (AP) — The long-running dispute over the West Bank Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar has resurfaced this week as a focus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Four years ago, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the evacuation of the entire village, saying it was built illegally on state land. Now Israel’s new far-right ministers are pushing the government to fulfill its long-stalled commitment. They vow to expand Israeli presence in what is known as Area C, the 60% of the occupied West Bank over which the Israeli military has full control. Palestinians seek that land for a future state. For Palestinians, Khan al-Ahmar is emblematic of the latest stage of the conflict, as Palestinians struggle for Israeli permission to build.
Flights canceled, at least 2 dead as ice storm freezes US
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Winter weather has brought ice to a wide swath of the United States, canceling more than 1,700 flights nationwide and snarling highways. Authorities say at least two people died on slick roads Tuesday and two Texas law officers were seriously injured, including a deputy who was pinned under a truck. Tracking service FlightAware says more than 900 flights to or from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and more than 250 to or from Dallas Love Field were canceled or delayed. The storm began Monday, and a winter weather advisory is in place in much of Kentucky, West Virginia and southern parts of Indiana and Ohio.
Nikki Haley planning Feb. 15 launch for 2024 White House bid
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley is moving closer to making her presidential campaign official. On Wednesday, supporters of the former South Carolina governor will get an email invitation to a Feb. 15 launch event in Charleston, at which she plans to announce her campaign, according to a person familiar with the plans but not authorized to speak about them. Haley was elected to two terms as South Carolina governor before Donald Trump tapped her to serve in his Cabinet. Haley at times feuded with other White House officials. Her 2018 departure fueled speculation that she would challenge Trump in 2020, or replace Vice President Mike Pence on the ticket, but Haley did neither.
Hong Kong bans CBD, forcing businesses to shut or revamp
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has banned CBD as a “dangerous drug” and imposed harsh penalties for its possession, forcing fledging businesses to shut down or revamp. Supporters say CBD, derived from the cannabis plant, can help relieve stress and inflammation without getting its users high, unlike its more famous cousin THC, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana which has long been illegal in Hong Kong. CBD was once legal in the city, and cafes and shops selling CBD-infused products were popular among young people. With the ban, CBD-related businesses have closed down while others have struggled to remodel their businesses. Consumers dumped what they saw as a cure for their ailments into special collection boxes set up around the city.
