Landslides, sinkholes, floodwaters plague soggy California
Sinkholes swallowed cars and raging torrents swamped towns and swept away a small boy as California was wracked by more wild winter. Meanwhile, the next system in a powerful string of storms loomed on the horizon. Millions of people were still under flood warnings, and more than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power because of heavy rains, hail and landslides. Thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes. State officials say at least 17 people have died from storms that began late last month.
Trump executive Allen Weisselberg gets 5-month jail sentence
Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg has been sentenced to five months in jail for dodging taxes. A judge imposed the punishment Tuesday at a court hearing in New York City. The longtime executive for Donald Trump’s family company has also paid $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest. Weisselberg was promised the five-month sentence in August when he agreed to plead guilty to 15 tax crimes. He later testified against the company where he has worked since the mid-1980s. The Trump Organization was convicted last month of helping executives, including Weisselberg, dodge taxes.
Santos probe sought by Democrats over House ethics
The House Ethics Committee has been asked to investigate Rep. George Santos. The newly-elected Republican from New York has admitted to lying about his job experience, college education and even family heritage. Two Democrats on Tuesday requested the probe saying Santos has “failed to uphold the integrity expected” of lawmakers. In a letter to the Ethics Committee, Democratic Representatives Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman said Santos also failed to file accurate financial disclosure reports as required by law. Some Democratic leaders said Santos should be expelled from the House. Republican leaders have said they will handle the situation internally. Santos’ election helped give Republicans the House majority.
Cries for help pour into 988 mental health, suicide line
The 988 mental health and suicide prevention helpline has quickly expanded its reach in the six months since it launched. It has received just over 2 million calls, texts and chat messages since July. The number of centers answering calls from Spanish speakers grew from three to seven by the end of last year. A pilot line dedicated to LGBTQ youth started taking calls in September. And plans are underway to keep the momentum going, expanding the service even further. The helpline was created with bipartisan support in Congress and just under $1 billion in federal funds.
House GOP kicks off majority with vote to slash IRS funding
House Republicans have began their tenure in the majority by passing a bill that would rescind nearly $71 billion that Congress had provided the IRS. Monday’s action fulfills a campaign promise, though the legislation is unlikely to advance any further. That funding was on top of what Congress provides the IRS annually through the appropriations process. Shortly before the vote, the Congressional Budget Office projected that rescinding the IRS funding would increase deficits over the coming decade by more than $114 billion. Republicans argued that revenue collected through increased enforcement would help finance what they called reckless spending.
China halts visas for Japan, South Korea in COVID-19 spat
Chinese embassies have suspended issuing new visas for South Koreans and Japanese in apparent retaliation for COVID-19 testing requirements recently imposed by those countries on travelers from China. The embassies in Tokyo and Seoul announced the suspensions on Tuesday in brief online notices. The notice from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said the ban would continue until South Korea lifts its “discriminatory entry measures” against China. The Chinese government threatened last week to retaliate against countries that had announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China. At least 10 countries have done so recently after expressing concern about a lack of information about rapidly spreading virus outbreaks in China.
Political vacuum in Haiti deepens as senators’ terms expire
Haiti has been stripped of its last democratically elected institution. The end of its Senate solidifies what some call a de facto dictatorship that’s only nominally in charge of a country wracked by gang violence. The 10 remaining senators were the last to represent the population of more than 11 million people because Haiti hasn’t held legislative elections since October 2019. Their terms expired at midnight Tuesday, leaving Haiti without a single elected lawmaker. Meanwhile organized crime gangs run unchecked. The appointed prime minister wants an international military intervention, but the United States and Canada, among others, have responded with sanctions, not troops.
By wire sources
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