House panel seeks interviews
with three more GOP lawmakers
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol sent letters Monday seeking interviews with three Republican members of Congress, and the panel said it had gathered evidence that some House Republicans sought presidential pardons in the aftermath of the violence that engulfed the Capitol. The committee is requesting interviews with Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, former leader of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus; Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who has said former President Donald Trump has continued to seek reinstatement to office; and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, Trump’s former White House doctor.
Arrest warrant is issued for jail officer
who disappeared with inmate
Authorities in Alabama said Monday that they had issued an arrest warrant for a corrections officer who disappeared with a murder suspect after they left a jail together last week for an appointment that turned out not to exist. The officer, Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, Alabama, left the county jail Saturday to take the inmate, Casey White, to a mental health evaluation at the county courthouse in Florence. The officer and inmate are not related, officials said. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said it was possible the officer had been coerced or threatened.
Tennessee halts executions
after failing to test lethal injection drugs
Tennessee’s governor Monday ordered a halt to all executions through the end of the year and opened an investigation into why the state had failed to properly test lethal injection drugs that were set to be used on a prisoner last month. The execution of that prisoner, Oscar F. Smith, was halted about an hour before he was scheduled to be killed because the drugs were not tested for endotoxins, contaminants that could cause unforeseeable side effects if injected. The moratorium will temporarily delay the execution of Smith and four other men who had been scheduled to die this year.
Georgia jury to consider whether Trump illegally interfered in 2020 election
An investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and his allies illegally interfered with Georgia’s 2020 election results took a significant step forward Monday, as 23 people were chosen to serve on a special grand jury. The panel will focus exclusively on “whether there were unlawful attempts to disrupt the administration of the 2020 elections here in Georgia,” Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court told 200 potential jurors. The ability of the special grand jury to subpoena witnesses and documents will help prosecutors, who have encountered resistance from some potential witnesses.
Bangladesh shutters dozens of schools set up by Rohingya in camps
Every morning, Mohammad Reyaz, a sixth grader, appears in uniform outside his school for Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh. And every morning, he returns home after finding its gate locked. Bangladeshi authorities shut the school down last month. It is one of more than 30 closings of community-run schools that have sent waves of frustration and disappointment across the densely crowded refugee camps, home to about 400,000 school-age children, according to UNICEF, the U.N. Children’s Fund. The school closings have come amid a broader effort by the Bangladesh government to tighten its control of the camps.
Beijing reopens isolation center
as it tries to avoid citywide lockdown
Authorities in Beijing on Monday said they had reopened a mass coronavirus isolation center, the latest in a raft of measures to try to stave off a citywide lockdown. Officials in Beijing are under immense pressure to quickly stamp out outbreaks. In recent days, they have placed a temporary ban on dining in restaurants, closed schools indefinitely and ordered residents to show proof of a negative test within the past week to enter public spaces. So far, the scale of the outbreak in Beijing appears to be limited. On Monday, officials announced 50 new cases, down from 59 reported Sunday.
South Africa’s latest surge is a possible preview of pandemic’s next chapter
Coronavirus cases are surging again in South Africa, and public health experts are monitoring the situation, eager to know what’s driving the spike, what it says about immunity from previous infections and what its implications are globally. South Africa experienced a decline in cases after hitting an omicron-fueled, pandemic peak in December. But in the past week, cases have tripled, positivity rates are up and hospitalizations have also increased, health officials said. The surge has the country facing a possible fifth wave. The spike is linked to BA.4 and BA.5, two subvariants that are part of the omicron family.
NYPD veteran convicted
of assaulting officer in Capitol riot
A federal jury has convicted a New York Police Department veteran of assaulting an officer during the U.S. Capitol riot, rejecting his claim he was defending himself when he tackled the officer and grabbed his gas mask. Thomas Webster showed no reaction to Monday’s verdict. Webster was the first Capitol riot defendant to be tried on an assault charge and the first to present a jury with a self-defense argument. Webster testified he was trying to protect himself from a “rogue cop” who punched him in the face. Webster accused the Metropolitan Police Department officer of instigating the confrontation. The officer denied punching Webster, who’ll be sentenced in September.
Guam ends indoor face mask mandate
Face masks to protect against COVID-19 are no longer required in Guam, a U.S. territory. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero issued an order Monday that starting Tuesday, wearing masks in public is optional, Pacific Daily News reported. Masks were required to enter public buildings on the island for more than two years. The governor’s order said that businesses are allowed to require masks and other pandemic safety measures, subject to local and federal law. Guam’s outdoor mask mandate was lifted last month, along with size limits on social gatherings and requirements for social distancing.
By wire sources
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