TNS International Budget for Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

Updated at 0100 UTC (8 p.m. U.S. ET)

Additional news stories appear on MCT-NEWS-BJT and MCT-NEWSFEATURES-BJT.

TOP STORIES

Biden announces major border strategy shift, expands Trump policy

IMMIGRATION-MIGRANTS:LA — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will unveil a new border strategy Thursday expanding a Trump-era policy that gives border agents the power to turn back migrants without considering their claims for asylum, while also allowing thousands of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti to apply for entry into the U.S.

It appears the administration decided that turning back migrants from Cuba and Nicaragua — two countries that have either limited or refused to accept deportations of their nationals — along with Haitians was an essential tool to lower the number of people arriving at the border. The decision, crucially, comes as Democrats continue to be hammered by Republicans over border policy, and border cities such as El Paso struggle to handle the influx of migrants crossing in recent weeks.

837 words by Hamed Aleaziz and Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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US to expand humanitarian passage for migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela

IMMIGRATION-MIGRANTS:DA — DALLAS — The U.S. government will expand humanitarian passage monthly for as many as 30,000 people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela under a broad measure designed to grapple with historic migration from the Western Hemisphere, senior White House officials announced Thursday.

Under the program, the immigrants must have an eligible sponsor and pass a vetting process to come to the U.S. for up to two years and receive work authorization, officials of President Joe Biden’s administration said in a briefing Thursday morning.

435 words by Dianne Solis, The Dallas Morning News. MOVED

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Historic deadlock continues: McCarthy takes another loss on 10th speaker ballot

HOUSE-GOP-LEADER-2ND-LEDE:LA — WASHINGTON — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California on Thursday failed in four more attempts to be elected speaker, extending the saga to determine which Republican will succeed Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The House remains paralyzed, delaying members’ oaths of office, GOP committee assignments, congressional probes and hearings, a rules package and passage of any legislation. Until a speaker is a elected by a majority of the chamber, the House can only vote for a speaker or move to adjourn.

740 words by Nolan D. McCaskill, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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US and Germany to send Ukraine armored vehicles in major arms upgrade

UKRAINE-USGERMANY:BLO — The U.S. and Germany will send armored vehicles and an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, a significant upgrade in firepower urgently sought by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the fight against Russia’s invasion.

The U.S. will provide its Bradley Fighting Vehicles while Germany is sending its Marder vehicles, the leaders said Thursday in a joint statement. Germany also will provide Ukraine a Patriot battery — the second headed to the country after the U.S. said last month that it would send one of the powerful air-defense systems.

670 words by Jennifer Jacobs, Peter Martin and Michael Nienaber, Bloomberg News. MOVED

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CORONAVIRUS

The XBB.1.5 variant is taking over on the East Coast. Will it happen in California too?

CORONAVIRUS-XBB:LA — LOS ANGELES — You may have come home with it after a recent trip to New England. Or you may have gotten it from that friend or family member who flew in from New York over the holidays.

The newest omicron subvariant of concern is XBB.1.5, and it has arrived in Southern California. This version of the coronavirus is more contagious and more resistant to existing immunity than any of it predecessors.

930 words by Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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What we know about the ‘kraken’ COVID variant XBB.1.5 and why it’s causing concern

CORONAVIRUS-XBB-EXPLAINER:BLO — A new COVID-19 variant that was first detected last year has quickly become the dominant strain in the U.S. — and picked up a creepy moniker along the way.

Nicknamed the "kraken variant" by some, it surged through the nation and has now been identified in at least 28 other countries, according to the World Health Organization. Is it more dangerous? Does it spread more easily? And how will it affect China’s COVID-19 outbreak?

930 words by Low De Wei, Bloomberg News. MOVED

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WORLD NEWS

Putin orders a surprise 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas

UKRAINE-CEASEFIRE:BLO — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to cease fighting in Ukraine for 36 hours starting Friday at noon, Moscow time, but Kyiv quickly dismissed the move as a ploy, unlikely to slow a conflict that’s heading for its second year.

The Kremlin said Putin gave the order Thursday for Russian Orthodox Christmas. It follows an appeal by the patriarch of that church, which has close ties to the Kremlin.

523 words by Bloomberg News. MOVED

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Russia pardons first convicts who survived 6 months at front

UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONVICTS:BLO — Russian authorities pardoned the first wave of former convicts who survived six months at the front in Ukraine, making good on a promise made to them by mercenary tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has sent thousands of troops to fight in the Kremlin’s invasion.

Prigozhin, head of the Wagner military contracting company, announced the pardons and hailed the roughly two dozen survivors as “warriors” in a meeting with them from the southern Krasnodar region near the Ukrainian border, according to the state-run RIA Novosti agency, which published a brief video showing him clad in fatigues. A second clip showed him at an apparently separate event with wounded fighters, including several who had lost legs.

430 words by Bloomberg News. MOVED

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City of Culiacan sieged by cartel after son of 'El Chapo' is captured

MEXICO-ELCHAPO-SON:LA — Armed men burned vehicles and stormed an airport in northern Mexico on Thursday in an apparent effort to prevent the capture of Ovidio Guzmán, one of the world’s most-wanted cartel leaders and the son of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed Guzmán’s arrest, but multiple local news outlets and the international news agency Reuters reported that the drug boss had been arrested by federal forces early Thursday in the city of Culiacan, a stronghold of Guzmán’s Sinaloa cartel.

439 words by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Many thousands attend funeral Mass as Benedict XVI buried in Vatican

RELIG-BENEDICT-XVI-1ST-LEDE:DPA — ROME — Late pope emeritus Benedict XVI was buried in the heart of the Vatican on Thursday, after tens of thousands of the faithful attended his funeral Mass in St Peter's Square.

The service was historic for being led by a living pope, after Benedict became the first pontiff in centuries to resign in 2013.

661 words by Johannes Neudecker, Manuel Schwarz and Britta Schultejans, dpa. MOVED

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Iran slams France and shuts down cultural center over Charlie Hebdo’s Khamenei cartoons

FRANCE-IRAN-CARICATURES:BLO — Iran rebuked the French government and shut down a French cultural center in Tehran after the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a series of cartoons ridiculing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday it was reviewing all French cultural activities in Iran and had suspended the French Institute for Research in Tehran in response to the caricatures of the top cleric.

295 words by Golnar Motevalli and Samy Adghirni, Bloomberg News. MOVED

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US State Department will now refer to Turkey in the Turkish language

USTURKEY:LA — WASHINGTON — Ceding to a long-standing Turkish demand, the State Department on Thursday agreed to begin spelling the country's name in Turkish in its official documents.

Turkey will now be referred to as "Türkiye," officials said. And indeed, around midday, the State Department released its first press announcement saying "the United States and Türkiye" had disrupted Islamic State financial networks operating in Turkey and Syria.

491 words by Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Did the heir physically attack the spare? That’s what Prince Harry alleges in memoir

BRITAIN-ROYALS-HARRY:LA — Prince Harry claims in his forthcoming memoir that his brother, Prince William, physically attacked him in 2019 after insulting his wife, the former Meghan Markle.

According to a bombshell report from the Guardian published this week, William allegedly called the Duchess of Sussex “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive” before shoving Harry to the ground and injuring his younger brother’s back. The Guardian obtained an excerpt from the Duke of Sussex’s highly anticipated memoir, “Spare,” which comes out Tuesday.

667 words by Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Prince Harry unsure he’ll attend King Charles’ coronation

BRITAIN-ROYALS-HARRY:NY — King Charles’ coronation might not serve as a royal reunion with son Prince Harry.

Harry doesn’t know if he’ll attend his father’s coronation in May if he’s invited, he revealed in an interview with ITV airing Sunday.

316 words by Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News. MOVED

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UNITED STATES

Sen. Bob Casey announces prostate cancer diagnosis, plans to undergo surgery in coming months

SENATE-CASEY-1ST-LEDE:PH — PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month and says the prognosis is excellent with a full recovery after surgery, according to a statement released Thursday.

“Last month, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the senator said in the statement. “While this news came as a shock, I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family. In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery. I am confident that my recommended course of treatment will allow me to continue my service in the 118th Congress with minimal disruption, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

690 words by Jesse Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer. MOVED

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US makes its case for legality of Biden student debt program

SCOTUS-STUDENTLOANS:CON — WASHINGTON — The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court to uphold the president’s student loan forgiveness plan Wednesday in the face of several challenges to a program that could forgive up to $20,000 in debt for millions of borrowers.

Wednesday’s filing leaned heavily on a 2003 federal law that allows the secretary of education to cancel debts for borrowers who face hardship because of national emergencies. The filing asks the justices to reject challenges from frustrated borrowers and conservative-led states in the case, which is set for oral arguments next month.

623 words by Michael Macagnone, CQ-Roll Call. MOVED

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Biden to honor former Fulton election workers, officer from Georgia on Jan. 6

ELECTION-WORKERS-HONORED:AT — WASHINGTON — Two former Fulton County election workers who were falsely accused of ballot fraud after the 2020 election will be honored by President Joe Biden during a White House ceremony marking two years since insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Biden also plans to bestow the Presidential Citizens Medal upon Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, a Georgia native, during Friday’s event. She was the first officer injured when the Capitol was breached on Jan. 6, 2021.

631 words by Tia Mitchell and David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MOVED

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Providers say Medicare Advantage hinders new methadone benefit

HEALTHCARE-OPIOID-TREATMENT:CON — In 2018, responding to a wave of overdose deaths, Congress passed legislation requiring Medicare to pay for services at opioid treatment programs for the first time.

But two years after Medicare began covering those programs, which use methadone and other medications to help reduce opioid use and overdose deaths, providers say their efforts are being hindered by Medicare Advantage — private insurance companies that administer benefits to about half of the Medicare population.

1592 words by Jessie Hellmann, CQ-Roll Call. MOVED

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Michigan US Sen. Stabenow won't seek reelection in 2024

SENATE-STABENOW-1ST-LEDE:DTN — WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the first woman elected to the Senate from Michigan, says she won’t seek reelection and will retire when her fourth term ends in 2025.

In an exclusive interview, the Lansing Democrat told The Detroit News that her decision was inspired by the November election results ― seeing the “energy” among young voters and a new generation of Democratic leaders in Michigan made her confident she can "pass the torch" to a Democratic successor.

2110 words by Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News. MOVED

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Here's who might run for Debbie Stabenow's Senate seat

SENATE-STABENOW-SUCCESSOR:DTN — WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow's announcement Thursday that she won't run for re-election shocked Michigan's political class and sparked buzz across the halls of Capitol Hill and Lansing about who would throw in for the battleground race in 2024.

Political insiders floated a stream of names expected to possibly run, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Lansing, a centrist who has widely been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate; Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Detroit, who has run statewide three times; and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ― the former Democratic presidential candidate who recently moved to Traverse City.

1294 words by Melissa Nann Burke, Riley Beggin and Craig Mauger, The Detroit News. MOVED

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Voicemails: Trump lawyer, ex-senator sought access to Dominion voting machines in Michigan

MICH-ELECTION-VOTING-MACHINES:DTN — LANSING, Mich. — A lawyer who said he worked for former President Donald Trump's campaign and a former state senator asked a clerk in Oakland County for access to voting machines in the weeks after the 2020 presidential election, according to two voicemails that were made public for the first time Thursday.

The Michigan Secretary of State's office provided an email about the voicemails to the U.S. Department of Justice in December after investigators subpoenaed the agency for communications with Trump's campaign as part of an ongoing probe into the former president's bid to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

1068 words by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News. MOVED

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In response to insurrection, Gavin Newsom will march to state Capitol Jan. 6 for inauguration

CALIFGOV-INAUGURATION:SA — SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom, who assailed conservative Republican leaders and their policies while celebrating California’s progressive values during his first four years in office, is launching his second term in similar fashion.

On Friday, Newsom will kick off his second inauguration with a march to the state Capitol, where he will be sworn in for another four years in California’s highest elected office.

619 words by Maggie Angst, The Sacramento Bee. MOVED

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What you need to know about the new program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua

IMMIGRATION-MIGRANTS-EXPLAINER:MI — The Biden administration announced Thursday it will sharply step up the expulsion of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti who show up illegally at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration also unveiled a new program to allow as many as 30,000 migrants from those countries to live and work in the U.S.

If they want to immigrate legally, migrants from the three countries — as well as Venezuelans, for whom there’s been a similar program in place since October — need to have an eligible sponsor in the United States willing to provide financial and other support. The migrants and their sponsors will need to pass background checks.

1005 words by Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald. MOVED

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South Carolina’s 6-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, state Supreme Court rules

SC-ABORTION-1ST-LEDE:CS — COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban, ruling 3-2 that it violated the state’s constitutional right to privacy.

In its 147-page opinion, the state’s high court wrote, in part, “We hold that our state constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman’s decision to have an abortion.”

1451 words by Zak Koeske and Maayan Schechter, The State (Columbia, S.C.). MOVED

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Minnesota Democrats move quickly to codify abortion access in state law

MINN-ABORTION:MS — MINNEAPOLIS — A fast-tracked proposal to enshrine access to abortion into Minnesota law cleared its first legislative hurdle on Thursday, signaling newfound urgency on an issue that has been static for years under divided government.

Abortion rights supporters and opponents packed a House hearing and offered more than an hour of emotional testimony on the issue, their first opportunity since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer, sending the issue of abortion access back to individual states.

868 words by Briana Bierschbach, Star Tribune. MOVED

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DNA evidence, cellphone records led to University of Idaho homicide suspect’s arrest, document shows

CMP-IDAHO-SLAIN-STUDENTS-1ST-LEDE:ID — MOSCOW, Idaho — A court document that explains the Moscow Police Department’s step-by-step investigation into the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students was released Thursday morning, shortly before the suspect in the killings appeared in an Idaho court for the first time.

The 19-page probable cause affidavit sheds new light on what led police to suspect and eventually arrest Bryan C. Kohberger in the killing of seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.

1649 words by Alex Brizee and Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman. MOVED

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Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing 4 University of Idaho students, hears murder charges read in court

CMP-IDAHO-SLAIN-STUDENTS-CHARGES:ID — MOSCOW, Idaho — Quadruple homicide suspect Bryan Kohberger nodded along in a Latah County courtroom Thursday morning as a judge read the five charges against him: four counts of murder in the first degree and a felony burglary charge in the killing of four University of Idaho students.

During his first appearance in Idaho since his arrest in Pennsylvania, 2nd District Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall advised Kohberger of his rights, asking him, “Do you understand?” after reading each charge. “Yes,” replied Kohberger, who wore an orange jumpsuit with “Prisoner Latah Co Jail” written on the back in bold black letters.

668 words by Angela Palermo, The Idaho Statesman. MOVED

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Flood threat high in Northern California after storm kills toddler, forces evacuations

WEA-CALIF-RAIN-2ND-LEDE:LA — SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A powerful winter storm that blasted Northern California with strong winds and heavy rain, knocking out power, toppling trees, including one that killed a toddler, and flooding homes and businesses along the coast in Santa Cruz, continued its march through the region Thursday.

While the brunt of the storm has passed, scattered showers and possible thunderstorms will linger through the northern swath of the state as the atmospheric river — fed by a plume of subtropical water vapor at the lower and middle levels of the atmosphere — moves east.

1572 words by Summer Lin, Susanne Rust, Hannah Fry, Jessica Garrison and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Bay Area storm: Tens of thousands without power as damage assessments begin

WEA-CALIF-RAIN-BAYAREA:SJ — SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tens of thousands of people woke up without power Thursday after a punishing, deadly storm that rattled the Bay Area, felling trees, closing some roadways and schools, and reportedly resulting in at least two deaths in the North Bay.

A day after the powerful atmospheric river storm roared ashore, emergency crews and residents on Thursday began assessing the damage wrought from the third such system to hit the Bay Area and Northern California in a little more than a week.

595 words by Jakob Rodgers, Bay Area News Group. MOVED

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Storm slams Southern California with heavy rain, flood fears and strong winds

WEA-CALIF-RAIN-SOUTHERN:LA — LOS ANGELES — Another menacing storm front moved into Southern California early Thursday morning, bringing heavy rain, flash flood concerns, strong winds and dangerous surf as the region is still reeling from a moisture-rich atmospheric river that has pounded the entire state in recent days.

The cold front and heaviest rainfall moved through the Los Angeles area around midnight, dropping about 1 to 2 inches of rain at lower elevations and 2 to 5 inches of rain at higher elevations, meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said.

956 words by Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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California’s aging levees are being pushed to the breaking point by climate whiplash

WEA-CALIF-RAIN-LEVEES:LA — LOS ANGELES — The pounding rains of New Year’s Eve had ceased, but the pastures, freeways and neighborhoods surrounding the tiny community of Wilton continued to disappear beneath a vast, growing ocean of muddy water that left only the roofs of sunken vehicles visible to rescue helicopters.

It was a chilling vision of just how vulnerable California’s network of rural levees has become in an age of climate extremes. By Wednesday, nearly a dozen earthen embankments along the Cosumnes River near Sacramento had been breached, and three people had been found dead inside or next to submerged vehicles.

1227 words by Hayley Smith, Louis Sahagún and Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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22-year-old posed no threat to police before Colorado deputy killed him, law enforcement review finds

COLO-POLICE-SHOOTING:DP — DENVER — The Clear Creek County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed 22-year-old Christian Glass last year had no reason to use any force on Glass because he posed no lethal threat and there was no legal reason to detain him, a law enforcement review of the killing found.

Former Clear Creek County Deputy Andrew Buen violated multiple agency policies and made several errors while responding to the June 11 call for help from Glass, according to a 72-page review of the incident by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office released Wednesday.

764 words by Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post. MOVED

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Bloody chaos after Frank James’ Brooklyn subway shooting revealed in new video

NY-SUBWAY-SHOOTING-VIDEO:NY — NEW YORK — Newly released cell phone video reveals the horrific aftermath of last year’s mass shooting on a Brooklyn subway, showing wounded passengers crying in pain as smoke from the attack cleared out.

A federal judge ordered the video and several other pieces of evidence released Wednesday, a day after Frank James, the 63-year-old shooter, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

695 words by John Annese, New York Daily News. MOVED

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YSL trial judge to also hear motions in spa shooter death penalty case, but not until May

GA-SPA-SHOOTINGS:AT — ATLANTA — The 23-year-old charged in the 2021 spa shooting rampage that killed eight people across metro Atlanta appeared virtually in a Fulton County courtroom Thursday afternoon.

Robert Aaron Long appeared via Zoom for a status conference in his death penalty case. Chief Judge Ural Glanville, who is occupied with the upcoming YSL gang trial, said he would try to set aside four days in May for a series of motions hearings in the case.

555 words by Shaddi Abusaid, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MOVED

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They were the ‘idyllic’ family. Now, the father is accused of driving a Tesla off a cliff to kill them

CLIFF-PLUNGE-CHARGES:LA — They were the “idyllic” family at the end of the cul-de-sac.

With their pair of Teslas parked in the driveway, Dharmesh Patel, 41, and his wife, Neha, 41, were the most visible family on the quiet residential block of single-family homes on Lomay Place in Pasadena. As a couple, they pushed a stroller occupied by their 4-year-old-son and 7-year-old daughter as they went for runs in the morning. Patel would pass out cookies to neighbors. His wife started a mass text thread for neighbors to stay in contact.

893 words by Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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For first time, California civil rights officials file lawsuit alleging Section 8 discrimination

CALIF-SECTION8-LAWSUIT:LA — LOS ANGELES — California civil rights officials have sued two Sacramento landlords, alleging they illegally harassed and evicted a tenant because she paid through a Section 8 voucher.

The lawsuit, announced Wednesday, is the first brought by the state Civil Rights Department under a 2020 state law making it illegal for landlords to refuse to accept tenants who pay with subsidies like Section 8. It comes amid criticism from tenant advocates that the department hasn’t adequately enforced the law.

733 words by Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Migos rapper Takeoff’s suspected killer released on $1 million bond

TAKEOFF-SHOOTING:NY — The suspect in the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff posted a $1 million bond and was released from a Texas jail, court records show.

Patrick Xavier Clark was released Wednesday night, the news station KPRC-TV reported Thursday, citing the Harris County District Clerk in Houston.

237 words by Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Hillary Clinton to be Columbia University professor

CMP-COLUMBIA-HILLARYCLINTON:NY — NEW YORK — Former U.S. Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton will join the faculty at Columbia University next month, officials announced Thursday.

Clinton will be a professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs, or SIPA, and a presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects, as first reported by the college newspaper The Columbia Spectator.

322 words by Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Idaho Supreme Court upholds all abortion laws challenged in Planned Parenthood cases

IDAHO-COURT-ABORTION:ID — BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Supreme Court has voted to uphold multiple sections of Idaho code restricting abortion access, according to an opinion published Thursday.

The court rejected Planned Parenthood’s petitions to block three laws. The first petition challenged an Idaho law that would let certain family members of a fetus sue health care professionals who perform abortions. The second challenged a state law that bans nearly all abortions. The third would make it a felony for medical professionals to perform an abortion after electrical activity is detected — a so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill by those who oppose abortion rights.

169 words by Nicole Blanchard, The Idaho Statesman. MOVED

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In hearing closed to public, former Bolivian minister gets 6 years in Florida tear gas case

BOLIVIA-EXMINISTER:MI — MIAMI — A former minister in the Bolivian government who has been in federal custody since 2021 was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Wednesday for laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes through a Miami bank in exchange for steering an inflated tear-gas contract to a South Florida company.

Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic, 59, admitted as part of his plea agreement in Miami federal court that he received at least $532,000 in bribe payments from a Broward-based company so it could land a $5.6 million contract to supply tear gas and other non-lethal equipment to the Bolivian Ministry of Defense in 2019.

1086 words by Jay Weaver, Miami Herald. MOVED

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How a retired LA television executive became publisher of the National Catholic Reporter

RELIG-CATHOLIC-NEWSPAPER:LA — LOS ANGELES — In his first column as publisher of the National Catholic Reporter, former television executive and journalist Joe Ferullo declared that the Roman Catholic Church is at a crossroads, pulled between two radically different visions for its future.

Writing in early December, Ferullo explained that a series of synods, or listening sessions, held in parishes around the world under the direction of Pope Francis had revealed a hunger among the faithful for a church that was more welcoming to its LGBTQ members and that allowed more opportunities for women to take on leadership roles.

And yet, in November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had elected conservatives to nearly every important leadership role.

As publisher of the 59-year-old National Catholic Reporter, where liberal voices have long held sway, Ferullo will have a front seat to the unfolding historic drama that could affect the church for years to come.

1593 words by Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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New York's supervised injection sites have halted nearly 700 overdoses in just over a year

NY-INJECTIONSITES:PH — NEW YORK — Sitting before a large mirror in a cubicle in East Harlem, a man in his mid-40s tied a length of elastic around his arm and began searching for a vein.

He made no effort to hide his next step: Injecting himself with illicit fentanyl — an often deadly opioid, far more powerful than heroin.

A medical worker watched the man's reflection from a desk in a room set up like a call center — but for the strategically placed mirrors, the neatly stacked sterile syringes and crack pipes, the "crash cart" with oxygen tanks and overdose-reversing medication.

The man, who asked not to be identified to protect his privacy, has been addicted to opioids since 2019. He used to use alone, in his car, sometimes blacking out and then waking up to find he'd been robbed. But here in the supervised consumption site at OnPoint NYC, when he overdosed, he woke up with an oxygen mask on his face. He credits his life to OnPoint, the first officially sanctioned place in America where people in addiction can use drugs under medical supervision.

1926 words by Aubrey Whelan, The Philadelphia Inquirer. MOVED

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‘Mutant Ape Planet’ NFT seller arrested for alleged fraud

NFT-SELLER-FRAUD:BLO — U.S. prosecutors charged a French national with defrauding buyers of his “Mutant Ape Planet” non-fungible tokens, alleging he duped investors out of more than $2.9 million in cryptocurrency before his arrest Wednesday at a New York airport.

Aurelien Michel, 24, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, falsely promised buyers of the NFTs exclusive rewards and benefits that he claimed were designed to increase demand for the unique images and boost their value, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn, New York, said in a statement on Thursday.

331 words by Erik Larson, Bloomberg News. MOVED

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Report says California plan to reach ambitious emissions reduction goals lacks ‘clear strategy’

ENV-CALIF-EMISSIONS:SA — SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Legislative Analyst’s Office on Wednesday criticized a recently adopted state plan outlining how California will meet ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, saying it lacked “a clear strategy” and “specificity.”

The report from the agency, which advises the state Legislature on policy and fiscal matters, recommended that lawmakers direct the California Air Resources Board to clarify the document it approved in December.

576 words by Stephen Hobbs, The Sacramento Bee. MOVED

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BUSINESS

'Target on its back:' How Tesla's woes could benefit competitors like GM, Ford

AUTO-TESLA-COMPETITORS:DTN — After Tesla Inc.'s shares closed their worst year ever, they continued to fall Thursday — a clear signal of investor concerns swirling around the leading electric-vehicle maker even as competitors like General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. look to steal some of its business in 2023.

Tesla's challenges are myriad: Gloomy macroeconomic conditions. Signs of softening demand. Headwinds in China, a key market for Tesla and EV sales broadly. Increasing scrutiny of its promises around the capabilities of Tesla's advanced driver assistance system. An aging product lineup. An EV market that promises to be more competitive than ever.

1667 words by Jordyn Grzelewski and Kalea Hall, The Detroit News. MOVED

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Many families with unaffordable employer coverage now eligible for covered California subsidies

HEALTHCARE-COVERAGE-CALIF:KHN — If having the family on your employer-sponsored health plan has been a financial hardship, or outright impossible to afford, help may be on the way.

The federal government recently fixed a controversial Treasury Department rule tied to the Affordable Care Act that denied assistance to many families whose workplace coverage busted their budgets.

1133 words by Bernard J. Wolfson, Kaiser Health News. MOVED

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ENTERTAINMENT

For Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy, it is so much more than talking

MOVIE-WOMEN-TALKING-BUCKLEY-FOY-QA:LA — Claire Foy is talking about TikTok or, more precisely, how she doesn't understand TikTok and needed the younger cast members on the set of her new film "Women Talking" to help her navigate the popular app, when co-star Jessie Buckley stands up and starts doing what she calls that "flossy thing," swinging her arms in her oversize sweater, doing the celebratory dance in the best possible way and laughing uncontrollably.

"Now," Foy tells me, "picture Rooney Mara doing that wearing a Mennonite costume and a pregnancy bump, and you'll have an idea of what we were like when we weren't on that hayloft set."

1604 words by Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

Jeremy Renner was ‘completely crushed’ by snowplow, according to 911 call log

RENNER:LA — A 911 call log from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has detailed some of the injuries Jeremy Renner suffered in a snowplow accident on New Year’s Day.

Obtained by CNN through a public records request, the call log states that Renner was “completely crushed under a large snowcat” during the incident on Mount Rose Highway in Nevada. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a snowcat as “a tracklaying vehicle for travel on snow.”

662 words by Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

'It was way gorier': How 'M3GAN' came to life and landed in theaters (with a lower body count)

MOVIE-M3GAN-COOPER-QA:LA — Years ago, after rising through the ranks on genre TV shows such as "Grimm" and "The 100," screenwriter Akela Cooper found herself at a crossroads. A lifelong horror fan, she'd long put off writing the two horror features that had been swimming around in her head — until one day she committed to putting them on paper, working before and after each day of writing on "Luke Cage."

The resulting spec scripts landed her a career-changing meeting at James Wan's Atomic Monster Productions, home of the "Conjuring" franchise. Cooper was hired to write the sci-fi horror film "M3GAN," about an AI companion doll gone haywire, then to pen the giallo-infused "Malignant" — shot first and released on HBO Max last year to cult acclaim — and the upcoming Warner Bros. sequel "The Nun 2."

1840 words by Jen Yamato, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

Quavo turns mourning into music in new Takeoff tribute: 'I'll see you again some day'

MUS-QUAVO-TAKEOFF-TRIBUTE:LA — Rapper Quavo has channeled his grief for late nephew and collaborator Takeoff into new music, two months after the latter died in a fatal Houston shooting in November at age 28.

"Can't tell you how many times I cried/ Days ain't the same without you/ I [don't] know if I'm the same without you," Quavo sings in his latest song, "Without You," which dropped Wednesday.

451 words by Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

Kelly Osbourne welcomes first baby, shades mom Sharon for sharing the news

KELLYOSBOURNE-CHILD:NY — Kelly Osbourne took to Instagram Wednesday to confirm she’s officially a mom, and shade her own mother for sharing that news publicly.

“I am not ready to share him with the world. It is no one’s place but mine to share any information on my baby,” Osbourne, 38, wrote on her Instagram story.

298 words by Jami Ganz, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Nicki Minaj’s husband tried and failed to get off the New York sex offender registry

MUS-MINAJ-HUSBAND-SEXOFFENDER:NY — NEW YORK — Rapper Nicki Minaj’s husband tried and failed to get his name off the state’s sex offender registry, Brooklyn Federal court papers show.

Kenneth Petty, who was convicted of attempted rape in 1995 for a sex attack on a 16-year-old girl a year earlier, tried to argue in a Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit that he never got the chance to contest his status as a medium risk sex offender.

571 words by John Annese, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Nirvana, Heart to receive Grammys lifetime achievement awards

MUS-GRAMMYS-HONOREES:SE — SEATTLE — It was already highly probable that at least one of Seattle’s Grammy nominees would walk away with a trophy this year. But even before the 65th Grammy Awards commence Feb. 5 in Los Angeles, we know two hometown heroes will receive some hardware.

The Recording Academy announced the recipients of its special merits awards on Thursday, with Nirvana and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson earning lifetime achievement awards. Voted on by the academy’s national trustees, the award is given to performers who “have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording,” according to the announcement. Nirvana and the Wilson sisters join a stellar 2023 class alongside Nile Rodgers, The Supremes, blues pioneer Ma Rainey, Slick Rick “The Ruler” and Bobby McFerrin.

358 words by Michael Rietmulder, The Seattle Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

TikTok's addictive anti-aesthetic has already conquered culture

VID-TIKTOK-AESTHETICS:LA — If Franz Kafka were to reconceive "The Metamorphosis" for our era, he might decide to ditch the novella in favor of a series of surreal TikToks — Gregor Samsa as eyes and mouth green-screened onto a picture of a roach jacked from the web.

Kafka is long gone. But thankfully, we have Kendria Bland, a Mississippi comedian who does a semiregular bit on TikTok about the travails of a pack of domestic roaches who like to party behind the refrigerator and sneak Popeyes when the humans aren't around. One defiant arthropod, Roachkeishiana, refuses to scuttle when the lights come on and crafts a wig out of hair she finds in the bathtub. "You know how many times I got stepped on?" she says with a haughty hair toss. "I'm still here."

2765 words by Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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‘Corsage’ review: A striking Vicky Krieps anchors this anachronistic biopic

CORSAGE-MOVIE-REVIEW:SE — The Luxembourg-born actor Vicky Krieps has one of those faces that seems to be made of air, her expressions ever-sculpting. Like a young Meryl Streep, she has a soft, quizzical stillness and an unhurried quality, as if she’s ever-so-slightly amused by those swirling around her. In 2018’s “Phantom Thread,” playing a fashion designer’s muse, that softness made for a marvelous contrast to the needle-sharp other two points in the movie’s triangle. As the Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Marie Kreutzer’s period film “Corsage,” set in a creatively realized version of the 1870s, she’s likewise the film’s quiet center, gazing out from beneath her coronet of heavy braids, drawing us to her.

492 words by Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times. MOVED

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OP-ED

Commentary: Democracy means more than just holding elections

DEMOCRACY-COMMENTARY:FUL — Democracy means more than just holding elections. And, “the people” are more than just voters. Yet, “we, the people,” have allowed our role as popular sovereigns to be reduced to benchwarmers.

Democracy is supposed to be a system through which “the people” exercise power. That power appears to have been lost. We have effectively made “the people” the equivalent of designated hitters -- we participate sparingly (every two years); give our best go at having an impact (casting votes in elections decided by other factors--namely, money); and, spend the rest of our time cheering for our respective teams.

813 words by Kevin Frazier, The Fulcrum. MOVED

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Commentary: Europe’s carbon tariff is the right general idea, but doomed by details

CARBON-TARIFF-COMMENTARY:LA — The European Union just unveiled its plan to impose border taxes on greenhouse gas polluters as part of its effort to become carbon neutral by 2050. In doing so it will become the first major economic bloc to try to enforce good climate behavior, not just on its own industries, but also on those that would sell to the EU.

The bloc does deserve credit for doing a better job at confronting the climate challenge than the U.S. or any other large economic bloc has. The need for action is hair-on-fire obvious. Unfortunately, the EU’s action won’t work.

762 words by Eugene Linden, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

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Editorial: COVID vaccines don’t kill people, but anti-vaxx conspiracists do

VACCINES-DISINFORMATION-EDITORIAL:NY — The full-contact sport of football is one that is rife with risks. The public and the players have for some time known the dangers posed to the brain by the forceful blows to the head that occur during regular gameplay, leading first to concussions and then commonly and devastatingly to conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Yet every part of the body is at risk in such a physical violent sport, including the heart, a fact that was made agonizingly evident Monday night as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered an apparent cardiac arrest after a relatively routine tackle in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and then collapsed on the field. He was administered CPR and a defibrillator treatment and then rushed to the hospital.

362 words by New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Editorial: What’s behind the growing Cuban migrant exodus?

USCUBA-MIGRANTS-EDITORIAL:MI — More than 500 Cubans arrived in South Florida during the holiday weekend in makeshift, largely motorless boats. Most drifted up in the Florida Keys and at Dry Tortugas National Park, some 70 miles from Key West.

So many migrants crowded into the park that it had to be closed as a destination for tourists, who inadvertently got to see our ruptured immigration system at work firsthand. Many of the migrants floated to Dry Tortugas. Tourists’ videos show them jumping and swimming or running to make it to shore.

613 words by Miami Herald Editorial Board, Miami Herald. MOVED

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Editorial: Title 42 a sad substitute for real immigration policy

IMMIGRATION-TITLE42-EDITORIAL:LV — The U.S. Supreme Court did the Biden administration a favor when it ruled the White House could continue to use pandemic powers to turn away migrants who might otherwise qualify for entry. The decision makes it easier for the president to keep dawdling over the border crisis.

When the pandemic began, the Trump administration invoked Title 42, an obscure codicil of a 1944 public health law, to expel many of those entering the country illegally under the premise that the rule would help limit the spread of COVID-19. While President Joe Biden attacked Trump’s “inhumane” approach at the border, he has continued and even expanded the policy rather than do the heavy lifting necessary to reach a political compromise on immigration.

489 words by Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, Las Vegas Review-Journal. MOVED

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SPORTS

Bills say Damar Hamlin is showing ‘remarkable improvement,’ asked if Buffalo had won

FBN-BILLS-HAMLIN-CONDITION:NY — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin woke up on Wednesday night and asked in writing if his team had beaten the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

“Did we win?” Hamlin wrote with a pen on a piece of paper on a clipboard.

411 words by James O’Connell, Pat Leonard, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Damar Hamlin’s ordeal motivates Bo Kimble to keep honoring the memory of Hank Gathers.

BKC-GATHERS-HAMLIN-SPORTSPLUS:PH — PHILADELPHIA — Bo Kimble was about to tune in Monday night to the Bengals-Bills game when he received a phone call from Albert Gersten, a booster from Kimble’s basketball days at Loyola Marymount.

“He was in tears,” Kimble said Tuesday.

1130 words by Matt Breen, The Philadelphia Inquirer. MOVED

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