Biden promises federal government will assist storm-ravaged California
President Joe Biden traveled to Northern California on Thursday to survey the damage left by weeks of winter storms and promised that the federal government would assist the state for the recovery effort, which officials estimate could cost several hundred million dollars. Biden landed near Capitola, a colorful beach town along Monterey Bay, where a popular pier was nearly washed away by coastal swells and local businesses were damaged by floods. He took an aerial tour of the state’s Central Coast, where flooding and mudslides have wrecked power lines, damaged homes and swallowed cars. At least 20 people died in the storms.
Alec Baldwin to be charged with manslaughter in set shooting
Actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons specialist will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set. The Santa Fe district attorney issued a statement Thursday announcing the charges against Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the set of the Western “Rust.” Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at her when the gun went off. Officials said the assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun has signed an agreement to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
T-Mobile says data on 37 million customers stolen
U.S. wireless network T-Mobile says hackers have stolen data on 37 million customers. It says the breach occurred in late November and was discovered Jan. 5. The company said Thursday in a regulatory filing that the unidentified intruder obtained data including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. It said the exposed data did not include bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers or other IDs or passwords. T-Mobile said it has notified law enforcement and federal agencies it did not name. The company said it did not expect the incident to have material impact on its operations.
Ukraine’s allies pledge to send major infusion of military aid
A day before a critical meeting in Germany to chart the next steps in the defense of Ukraine, Kyiv’s allies made it clear Thursday that they were prepared to furnish a major infusion of military aid to help it fend off Russian aggression. Armored vehicles, rockets and missiles, artillery rounds and air-defense systems were just part of an aid package that is expected to total billions of dollars worth of materiel when officials from as many as 50 nations will have struck a final deal Friday. U.S. officials said they planned to send nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles as part of a roughly $2.5 billion shipment of arms and equipment.
Peru police use tear gas to block protesters from marching
People are pouring into Peru’s capital, many from remote Andean regions, for a protest against President Dina Boluarte and in support of her predecessor, whose ouster last month launched weeks of deadly unrest and cast the nation into political chaos. Supporters of former President Pedro Castillo, Peru’s first leader from a rural Andean background, hope the protest opens a new chapter in the movement to demand Boluarte’s resignation and structural change. Castillo was impeached after a failed attempt to dissolve Congress. The protests have so far been held mainly in Peru’s southern Andes. By bringing the protest to Lima, demonstrators hope to give fresh weight to the movement.
France: Over 1 million march against raising retirement age
French unions have announced new nationwide strikes and protests Jan. 31 against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age. Eight leading unions held a meeting Thursday after their first day of mass protests against the plan, and issued statements vowing to push on with their action to try to get the government to back down. The government says the plan is needed to keep the pension system financially viable, but unions say it threatens hard-fought worker rights. The Interior Ministry said more than 1.1 million people protested across France, including 80,000 in Paris. Unions said more than 2 million people took part nationwide, and 400,000 in Paris.
China accuses ‘some Western media’ of COVID-19 coverage bias
China has accused “some Western media” of bias, smears and political manipulation in their coverage of China’s ending of its strict “zero-COVID” policy. That came as part of a defense of actions taken to prepare for the change in an editorial Thursday in the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily. The move in December to end mass testing and quarantines led to a sharp rise in cases, with some hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed with victims. The writer outlined what they called China’s “optimization and control measures” and blasted reports by the media outlets they didn’t identify as “completely biased hype, smear and political manipulation with ulterior motives.” Life in much of China has largely returned to normal in recent days.
By wire sources
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