Intruder breaks into Air Force One base and is shot
An intruder broke into the home of Air Force One, one of the most sensitive military bases in the country. That’s according to a statement Monday night from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, which also said a resident opened fire on the intruder. Joint Base Andrews is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential planes, including Air Force One, Marine One, and the “doomsday” 747 plane that can serve as the airborne nuclear command and control center of the nation if necessary. It is not the first time that the security of the base has been breached; in february 2021 an intruder entered the facility and boarded a military plane.
Harris announces funding to address immigration crisis
Vice President Kamala Harris announced nearly $1 billion in pledges Monday from private companies to support communities in Central America, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to prevent migrants from fleeing toward the US border. Ten companies, including Nestlé, Target and Columbia Sportswear, said they would collectively spend $950 million on projects in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to support farmers, create textile jobs and invest in telecommunications and other industries. The idea is to address what Harris calls the root causes of migration: poverty, corruption, climate change and political instability that drive people to seek a better life.
Crews release toxic chemicals from derailed tanker trucks in Ohio
Crews in Ohio released toxic chemicals from five cars of a derailed train near the Pennsylvania state line to reduce the threat of an explosion. Flames and black smoke billowed into the sky from the derailment site. Norfolk Southern Railway confirmed late Monday that carriages were being emptied and the burning was underway as planned. Authorities were monitoring air quality to make sure no toxic gases were spreading. The Ohio governor previously ordered residents near the site to evacuate due to the risk of death or serious injury. Authorities believe most have left. The Pennsylvania governor said Pennsylvania residents near the derailment site had also left, but urged people within a 2-mile radius to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution.
Retailers try to curb theft without angering shoppers
Throughout the retail landscape, companies have locked items up as a quick way to stop thieves. Some are considering extreme measures, including Rite Aid Corp., whose director of retail sales recently said he is considering “putting literally everything behind the windows to ensure products are there for customers who want to buy them.” But by trying to solve one problem, these companies may be creating another: driving away buyers with far-reaching measures. For consumers of color in particular, heightened security measures risk alienating a population that already feels overcontrolled.
Generators, bad food: Slow electrical repairs infuriate Austin
The future of Austin’s top city executive was in jeopardy Monday as outrage erupted over power outages that have left thousands without power in the Texas capital for nearly a week and are likely to last for more days. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has called an emergency meeting for this week that will put the job of city manager Spencer Cronk on the line. The move reflected growing discontent in Austin over slow power line repairs after a deadly ice storm left residents uncertain when power might finally return. The city’s utility warned on Sunday amid mounting criticism that full power restoration might not happen until February 12.
Education issues jump to the top of the GOP presidential race
As the presidential primaries begin to move, Republicans are returning to the education debates that mobilized their most die-hard voters during the pandemic and sparked a wave of conservative activism around how schools teach about and tolerate racism in American history. gender fluidity. The message casts Republicans as champions of parents who feel schools have gone “wake-up” mad. In their appeal to voters, however, culture war messages on education have a decidedly mixed record. While some Republicans believe the issue can win over independents, the 2022 midterms showed that attacks on school curricula, specifically critical race theory and so-called gender ideology, were largely unsuccessful. in the general elections.
Russian forces keep up the pressure as Ukraine anniversary approaches
Officials in Ukraine say Russian forces are keeping Ukrainian troops on a leash with attacks in the eastern Donbas region. Moscow is believed to be mustering additional combat power there for an expected offensive in the coming weeks. Authorities said Monday that heavy fighting that has raged for weeks continued around the town of Bakhmut and the nearby towns of Soledar and Vuhleda. They are located in the Donetsk region, which with the neighboring Lugansk region forms the Donbas industrial area bordering Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin hungers for success on the battlefield to mark the anniversary of his invasion on February 24.
Israeli attack kills at least five Palestinians in West Bank
Israeli military forces killed at least five Palestinian fighters near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho on Monday during a firefight that the Israeli army said began after soldiers tried to arrest accused gunmen. of attempting an attack on an Israeli settlement. Hamas, the militant Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, said the five men were members of its armed wing, in a rare acknowledgment of the group’s armed activity inside the West Bank, where it has kept a low profile. The deaths near Jericho brought to more than 40 the number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year.
by wire sources
