Twitter CEO defends Trump ban; McConnell open to Trump conviction; ‘Jeopardy’ names new guest hosts
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AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
A penguin swims in an enclosure housing Gentoo and chinstrap penguins at Inbursa Aquarium, in Mexico City, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Last month Inbursa saw the birth of Alex, the first gentoo penguin to be born in Mexico.
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AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The entrance to Sen. Mitch McConnell's leadership office is seen at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
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AP
Mayim Bialik, from left, Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers and Bill Whitaker.
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Michael Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP, File
In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, file photo, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey appears on a screen as he speaks remotely during a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington.
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Delcia Lopez
President Donald Trump walks down the steps before a speech near a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Alamo, Texas. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP)
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Gerald Herbert
President Donald Trump talks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 in Washington. The President is traveling to Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Eric Gay
Supporters of President Donald Trump gather in anticipation of his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Harlingen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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J. Scott Applewhite
Shattered glass from last week's attack on Congress by a pro-Trump mob is seen in the doors leading to the Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling for swift congressional action to rein in President Donald Trump after inciting last week's deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Gerald Herbert
President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. The President is traveling to Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert )
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Francisco Seco
A boxing coach, wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, works out with his student on the arcade of the Royal Military museum at Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Belgium, with a population of around 11.5 million people, has been one of the hardest hit countries in Europe. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Matt Dunham
A patient is pushed on a trolley outside the Royal London Hospital in east London, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, during England's third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. Britain, with over 81,000 dead, has the deadliest virus toll in Europe and the number of hospital beds filled by COVID-19 patients has risen steadily for more than a month. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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Manu Fernandez
Family members of baby Jesus Fernandez, one month old, melt snow in a pot at the Canada Real shanty town, outside Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. As a record snowfall blanketed much of Spain this week and temperatures plunged below zero, few suffered the consequences as severely as the thousands of residents of La Cañada Real Galiana, a mega shantytown outside Madrid. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Patrick Semansky
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, center, speaks during a news conference on Operation Warp Speed and COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. Standing alongside Azar from left are Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Army Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)
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Marco Trovati
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during the first run on an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Flachau, Austria, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
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Oli Scarff
Sheffield United's Billy Sharp scores his side's first goal from the penalty spot during the English Premier League soccer match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at the Bramall Lane stadium in Sheffield, England, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (Oli Scarff/Pool via AP)
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Charles Rex Arbogast
A man walks his dog past lottery signs Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, displaying the recent jackpot amounts in Chicago's fames Loop. Lottery players have a chance to win the largest jackpots in nearly two years as Tuesday's Mega Millions has grown to an estimated $625 million and Wednesday's Powerball to an estimated $550 million. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
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Christian Chavez
An older section of the border wall divides Ciudad Juarez, Mexico from Sunland Park, New Mexico, top, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. With eight days remaining in his term, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday visited a completed section of the border wall in Texas to trumpet his campaign against illegal immigration in an attempt to burnish his legacy. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
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Giovanni Auletta
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course on her way to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Flachau, Austria, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
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Juan Karita
Bolivia's President Luis Arce holds a pre-Hispanic object being presented at an archaeological museum in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Bolivian archaeologists and government officials are presenting the findings of a recent discovery of ancient vessels unearthed in a dig on the site once home to one of the most significant pre-Hispanic empires, the Tiwanacota. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
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Juan Karita
Aymara Indigenous women wearing masks amid the new coronavirus pandemic wait to enter the archaeological museum in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Bolivian archaeologists are presenting the findings of a recent discovery of ancient vessels unearthed in a dig on the site once home to one of the most significant pre-Hispanic empires, the Tiwanacota. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
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Agus Suparto
In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo, left, receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. Writings on the banner in the background read "Safe and Halal." (Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
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Carlos Osorio
Michigan guard Chaundee Brown (15) reacts next to Wisconsin forwards Aleem Ford, left, and Micah Potter after a dunk during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Andrew Harnik
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo waits nearby before speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
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Oded Balilty
A man is tested for the coronavirus by a healthcare worker at a testing center, set up on a basketball court, in Ramat Gan, Israel, during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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Maya Alleruzzo
An Israeli anti-government protester holds a banner as he is enveloped in the smoke from a bonfire outside of the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the day his corruption trial was originally scheduled before it was postponed, in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. In Hebrew, the sign reads: "Coward! Go to trial!" (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
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Achmad Ibrahim
Debris found in the waters around Sriwijaya Air passenger jet crash site is brought to shore by recovery teams at the search and rescue command center in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Divers looking for the crashed plane's cockpit voice recorder were searching in mud and plane debris on the seabed between Indonesian islands Wednesday to retrieve information key to learning why the Sriwijaya Air jet nosedived into the water over the weekend. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
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AP FILE
1968 — The Green Bay Packers win their second straight Super Bowl. The game draws the first $3 million gate in football history. Bart Starr, the game’s MVP, completes 13 of 24 passes for 202-yards.
Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi is carried off the field after his team defeated the Oakland Raiders 33 to 14 in the Super Bowl II game in Miami, Fla. on Jan. 14, 1968. Packers guard Jerry Kramer (64) is at right. (AP Photo)
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AP FILE
1973 — The Miami Dolphins, who went 14-0 in the regular season and won two playoff games, beat the Washington Redskins 14-7 in the Super Bowl to become the only undefeated team in NFL history.
In this Jan. 14, 1973 file photo, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula is carried off the field after his team won NFL football Super Bowl game with a 14-7 victory over Washington Redskins in Los Angeles.
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AP FILE
1990 — Joe Montana sets an NFL record when he tosses his 30th and 31st postseason touchdown passes as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-3 in the NFC championship game. Terry Bradshaw had thrown 30.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver John Taylor goes high to haul in a Joe Montana pass for a touchdown between Los Angeles Rams James Washington (37) and LeRoy Irvin (47) in the second quarter at Candlestick Park, Sunday, Jan. 14, 1990, San Francisco, Calif. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
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AP FILE
1990 — John Elway passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns as the Denver Broncos advance to their fourth Super Bowl with a 37-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship.
Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (7) flashes the victory sign as he leaves the field following the Broncos win over the Cleveland Browns in the AFC championship game, Sunday, Jan. 14, 1990, Denver, Colo.
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AP FILE
2001 — Led by Kerry Collins’ five touchdown passes, the New York Giants reach their first Super Bowl in a decade with a 41-0 romp past the hapless Minnesota Vikings — the biggest rout in NFC championship history.
New York Giants quarterback Kerry Collins (5) looks for a receiver during the first quarter of the NFC championship against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Jan. 14, 2001, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
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AP FILE
2006 — Johnny Weir wins his third straight title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and Sasha Cohen takes the women’s division.
Two-time U.S. figure skating champion Johnny Weir, from Newark, Del., reacts after his performance in the men's free skate event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006. Weir finished first in the competition and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team going to Turin. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
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AP FILE
2007 — In Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Kildow captures the top two places in a World Cup super-combi and Resi Stiegler just misses making it an American sweep. The 1-2-4 finish is a first for American women in a World Cup alpine skiing event.
Julia Mancuso, of the United States, celebrates in the finish area after winning an Alpine Ski World Cup women's super-combi race in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan.14, 2007. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
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AP FILE
2012 — Alex Smith completes a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds left just after Drew Brees put the high-powered Saints ahead, and the resurgent San Francisco 49ers capitalize on five New Orleans turnovers for a thrilling 36-32 playoff victory.
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) celebrates with tight end Justin Peelle (81) and guard Jonathan Goodwin (59) after scoring on a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Smith against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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AP FILE
2012 — Tom Brady throws for a record-tying six touchdown passes, five in the first half and three to Rob Gronkowski, to lead the New England Patriots to a 45-10 win over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the divisional playoffs.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signals to his bench during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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AP FILE
2017 — Top-ranked UConn breaks its own NCAA record with its 91st consecutive victory, scoring the first 21 points and romping past SMU 88-48. Coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies (16-0) surpass the record of 90 that his team first accomplished more than six years ago. The four-time defending national champion Huskies haven’t lost a game since falling in overtime at sixth-ranked Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014.
Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma gives a post-game interview after an NCAA college basketball game against SMU, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Dallas. Connecticut won 88-48, their 91st straight win, breaking their previous record and the NCAA record. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
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AP FILE
2017 — New England’s Dion Lewis becomes the first in NFL postseason history to have a rushing TD, receiving TD and kickoff return for a TD in a single game, which led to the Patriots’ 34-16 division playoff win over Houston.
New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis (33) runs for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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Invision
Rock singer-musician Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) is 39.
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Actor Carl Weathers is 73.
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AP
Rock singer-musician Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) is 52.
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AP
Actor Emayatzy Corinealdi is 41.
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Actor Emily Watson is 54.
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Actor Faye Dunaway is 80.
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Actor-singer Grant Gustin is 31.
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Actor Holland Taylor is 78.
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Actor Jake Choi is 36.
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Actor Jason Bateman is 52.
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Actor Jordan Ladd is 46.
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Actor Kevin Durand is 47.
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Movie writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is 72.
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Rapper-actor LL Cool J is 53.
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Retro-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard is 39.
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Actor Mark Addy is 57.
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Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is 69.
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Singer/guitarist Molly Tuttle is 28.
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Former Fox News Channel anchorman Shepard Smith is 57.
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Rapper Slick Rick is 56.
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Movie writer-director Steven Soderbergh is 58.
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Singer-producer T-Bone Burnett is 73.
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Actor Zach Gilford is 39.
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Rock musician Zakk Wylde is 54.
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AP
In 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April 1784.
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AP
In 1914, Ford Motor Co. greatly improved its assembly-line operation by employing an endless chain to pull each chassis along at its Highland Park, Michigan, plant.
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AP
In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.
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AP
In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with the pledge, “Segregation forever!” — a view Wallace later repudiated.
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In 1964, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, in a brief televised address, thanked Americans for their condolences and messages of support following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, nearly two months earlier.
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In 1968, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the AFL’s Oakland Raiders, 33-14, in the second AFL-NFL World Championship game (now referred to as Super Bowl II).
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AP
In 1970, Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
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In 1994, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.
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AP
In 2010, President Barack Obama and the U.S. moved to take charge in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, dispatching thousands of troops along with tons of aid.
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Ten years ago: The national Republican Party ousted chairman Michael Steele and chose Wisconsin party chief Reince Priebus (ryns PREE’-bus) to lead in the run-up to the 2012 presidential race.
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Ten years ago: In an unprecedented popular uprising, Tunisian protesters enraged over soaring unemployment and corruption drove President Zine El Abdine Ben Ali (ZEEN ehl AH’-bih-deen behn-ah-LEE’) from power after 23 years of iron-fisted rule.
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In 2013, Lance Armstrong ended a decade of denial by confessing to Oprah Winfrey during a videotaped interview that he’d used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.
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Five years ago: Actor Alan Rickman, 69, died in London.
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Five years ago: Chicago city attorneys released a grainy 2013 surveillance video showing the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Black carjacking suspect by a white police officer.
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Five years ago: During a Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz clashed over the Texas senator’s eligibility to serve as commander in chief and the businessman’s “New York values.”
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Five years ago: Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta in a brazen assault that left seven people dead.
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One year ago: “Jeopardy” viewers saw veteran Ken Jennings beat James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter to capture the $1 million prize in the fourth night of the show’s “Greatest of All Time” tournament.
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One year ago: As House Democrats prepared to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for the trial of President Donald Trump, they released a trove of documents obtained from a close associate of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, including a handwritten note that mentioned asking Ukraine’s president to investigate “the Biden case.”
Today is Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Let’s get caught up.
These headlines are in the news this morning: Twitter’s CEO is defending his company’s ban of President Trump in wake of Capitol riots; McConnell won’t speed up impeachment trial of Trump and won’t rule out conviction; ‘Jeopardy’ names Katie Couric and Aaron Rodgers among new guest hosts.
Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.
Top stories
Twitter CEO defends Trump ban, warns of dangerous precedent
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended his company’s ban of President Donald Trump in a philosophical Twitter thread that is his first public statement on the subject.
When Trump incited his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol last week, then continued to tweet potentially ominous messages, Dorsey said the resulting risk to public safety created an “extraordinary and untenable circumstance” for the company. Having already briefly suspended Trump’s account the day of the Capitol riot, Twitter on Friday banned Trump entirely, then smacked down the president’s attempts to tweet using other accounts.
“I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter,“ Dorsey wrote. But he added: ”I believe this was the right decision for Twitter.” Read more:
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McConnell open to convicting Trump in impeachment trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointedly did not rule out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached President Donald Trump, but he also blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial.
Minutes after the House voted 232-197 on Wednesday to impeach Trump, McConnell said in a letter to his GOP colleagues that he’s not determined whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate’s upcoming proceedings. The House impeachment articles charge that Trump incited insurrection by exhorting supporters who violently attacked the Capitol last week, resulting in five deaths and a disruption of Congress.
“I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell wrote. Read more:
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Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik to be ‘Jeopardy!’ guest hosts
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and journalist Bill Whitaker are among the future guest hosts who will fill in for the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy!”
The show announced Wednesday that Couric, the journalist and former “Today” show host, will become the first woman ever to host the show.
Trebek, the face of the show for 36 years, died from pancreatic cancer Nov. 8, and the final shows he recorded aired last week. The show has opted to use a series of interim guest hosts rather than immediately find permanent replacements. Read more:
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Today’s weather
A storm system will bring winds near hurricane-force to the Central Plains as snow develops across the Upper Midwest. CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest forecast.
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In other news today …
- President-elect Joe Biden hopes his multidimensional coronavirus strategy, expected to be detailed in a Thursday evening speech, will put the country on the path to recovery by the end of his first 100 days.
- Encrypted messaging apps Signal and Telegram are seeing huge upticks in downloads from Apple and Google’s app stores. Facebook-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, is seeing its growth decline following a fiasco that forced the company to clarify a privacy update it had sent to users.
- Two years after leaving office, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is facing charges of willful neglect of duty in the Flint water crisis as prosecutors revisit how the city’s water system was contaminated with lead.
- The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $640 million without a winner heading into the next drawing Saturday. That comes a day after the Mega Millions prize grew to $750 million ahead of Friday’s drawing.
- The number of people killed on the nation’s highways rose 4.6% in the first nine months of 2020 despite coronavirus lockdowns that curtailed driving early in the year.
- Ugandans were voting Thursday in a presidential election tainted by widespread violence that some fear could escalate as security forces try to stop supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine from monitoring polling stations. Internet access has been cut off.
- James Harden is heading to Brooklyn, joining old teammate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to give the Nets a potent trio featuring some of the NBA’s highest scorers.
Click on the links below for full versions of these stories and scroll further for trending stories, a look at today in history and celebrity birthdays.
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