Jan. 6 committee recommends contempt charge for Meadows
Mark Meadows, the last White House chief of staff for President Donald Trump, played a far more substantial role in plotting to overturn the 2020 election and fueling Trump’s efforts to cling to power than was previously known, investigators for the House committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol have learned. The committee voted 9-0 on Monday evening to recommend that Meadows be charged with criminal contempt of Congress for defying its subpoena, after Meadows shifted from partially participating in the inquiry to waging a full-blown legal fight against the panel, in line with Trump’s directive to stonewall the investigation.
No US troops will be punished for deadly Kabul strike, Pentagon chief decides
None of the military personnel involved in a botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 10 civilians will face any kind of punishment, the Pentagon said Monday. The Pentagon acknowledged in September that the last U.S. drone strike before U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan the previous month was a tragic mistake that killed the civilians, including seven children, after initially saying it had been necessary to prevent an Islamic State group attack on troops. A subsequent high-level investigation into the episode found no violations of law but stopped short of fully exonerating those involved, saying such decisions should be left up to commanders.
California is reinstating an indoor mask mandate
California will once again require residents to wear masks in indoor public settings everywhere in the state, amid uncertainty surrounding the rapid spread of the omicron coronavirus variant and rising case rates as the holidays approach. The mandate will go into effect Wednesday and will remain until at least Jan. 15, state officials said Monday. The state will also require unvaccinated people attending so-called mega-events to show proof of a negative coronavirus test result from within a day if it’s an antigen test and from within two days for a PCR test. Also, the state formally recommended that travelers returning to California get tested within a few days of their arrival.
Derek Chauvin appears likely to plead guilty to federal crimes
A federal court in Minneapolis on Monday set a hearing for Derek Chauvin to change his plea, signaling that the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd intended to plead guilty to charges that he also deprived Floyd of his civil rights. Chauvin, 45, who recently began serving a prison sentence of more than 22 years for murder, has been facing charges that he violated Floyd’s constitutional rights when he knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as he arrested him in May 2020. The killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by Chauvin, a white officer, led to the largest protest movement in a generation.
Israeli leader holds historic meeting with Emirati crown prince
The Israeli prime minister met the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates on Monday on the first official visit by an Israeli leader to the Gulf state, a historic encounter that would have been unimaginable a few years ago and showcased the rapid realignment of the Middle East, driven by shared fears of a nuclear Iran. Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, spent four hours with the de facto Emirati leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. They met amid renewed tensions between the United States and Israel, which opposes revived efforts by Washington to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.
Denmark and Norway predict drastic spike in omicron cases
Public health authorities in Denmark and Norway on Monday released grim projections for the coming wave of the omicron coronavirus variant, predicting that it will dominate both countries in a matter of days. Although scientists don’t yet know how often the variant causes severe disease, they say its rapid rate of spread will lead to an explosion of cases and could potentially increase pressure on hospitals, even if it proves to be mild. The reports follow similarly worrisome findings from England released over the weekend, although researchers caution that the trend could change as the variant comes into clearer view.
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