US News
Senator Elizabeth Warren was stopped from reading a historic letter by Dr. Martin Luther King's widow about her colleague Jeff Sessions using his power to "chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens" on the Senate floor late Tuesday. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used an arcane rule prohibiting character attacks on fellow members of the chamber to prevent Warren from finishing Coretta Scott King's 1986 letter about President Trump's current nominee for attorney general.—CBS NewsYemen Halts Permission for US Ground Operations
Yemen will no longer allow American troops to conduct counterterrorism ground operations inside the country, according to US military and civilian officials. The ban follows a raid by Navy SEALS at the end of January in which several Yemeni civilians, including children, were killed. White House press secretary Sean Spicer nonetheless insisted the raid was a "highly successful" intelligence-gathering mission.—The New York Times
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Dakota Access Pipeline to Get Final Army Approval
The US Army Corps of Engineers plans to grant the final permit needed for the Dakota Access pipeline any day now after canceling an environmental impact assessment ordered by the Obama administration. This clears the way for the company behind the pipeline to build under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River despite a likely renewal of protests at Standing Rock.—VICE NewsTornadoes Leave Dozens Injured in Louisiana
At least 31 people were injured in Louisiana and Mississippi when a series of tornadoes barreled through the region Tuesday. Several tornadoes touched down across the state, damaging buildings and wiping out power for thousands of residents in New Orleans, where a state of emergency was declared.—ABC NewsTurkey Sacks Thousands of Government Workers
The Turkish authorities have ousted more than 4,400 civil servants over suspected ties to terrorist organizations and other groups "deemed to be acting against national security interests." Among the government workers dismissed in the latest post-coup purge were teachers, police officers, librarians, academics, and IT experts.—ReutersFour Guards Killed in Attack on Somali Hotel
Armed gunmen from the al Shabab militant group attacked a hotel compound in the Somali city of Bosasso early Wednesday, killing four guards. The governor of the region, Yusuf Mohamed, said two of the gunmen had been killed, while a third attacker escaped. "Fortunately the attackers did not enter the rooms," he said.—Al Jazeera
The US Army Corps of Engineers plans to grant the final permit needed for the Dakota Access pipeline any day now after canceling an environmental impact assessment ordered by the Obama administration. This clears the way for the company behind the pipeline to build under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River despite a likely renewal of protests at Standing Rock.—VICE NewsTornadoes Leave Dozens Injured in Louisiana
At least 31 people were injured in Louisiana and Mississippi when a series of tornadoes barreled through the region Tuesday. Several tornadoes touched down across the state, damaging buildings and wiping out power for thousands of residents in New Orleans, where a state of emergency was declared.—ABC News
International News
The Turkish authorities have ousted more than 4,400 civil servants over suspected ties to terrorist organizations and other groups "deemed to be acting against national security interests." Among the government workers dismissed in the latest post-coup purge were teachers, police officers, librarians, academics, and IT experts.—ReutersFour Guards Killed in Attack on Somali Hotel
Armed gunmen from the al Shabab militant group attacked a hotel compound in the Somali city of Bosasso early Wednesday, killing four guards. The governor of the region, Yusuf Mohamed, said two of the gunmen had been killed, while a third attacker escaped. "Fortunately the attackers did not enter the rooms," he said.—Al Jazeera
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Russian Opposition Leader Found Guilty in Retrial
Alexei Navalny, perhaps the leading figure of political opposition in Russia, has been found guilty of fraud in a retrial of a 2013 fraud case. The court ruling will prevent Navalny from running in the 2018 presidential election against Vladimir Putin.—APELN Rebels Enter Peace Talks with Colombian Government
Members of the left-wing rebel group ELN have begun talks with the Colombian government in the hope of ending more than half a century of fighting. "We are willing to take responsibility for the mistakes we have made, but we expect the other side to do the same," said chief ELN negotiator Pablo Beltran.—BBC NewsJoe Biden Gets New Job as Professor
Former vice president Joe Biden will take up a new position as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Biden has been named the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor at the school's not-yet-opened diplomacy center in Washington, DC.—The Daily Pennsylvanian'Throw Shade' and 'Ghost' Added to the Dictionary
Merriam-Webster has added around 1,000 new words and phrases to its dictionary, including "face-palm," "throw shade," and the use of "ghost" as a verb. Editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski said they had "demonstrated frequent and increasing use in a variety of sources."—TIMEDaft Punk to Launch Pop-Up Store in LA
French music duo Daft Punk have announced its first pop-up store at Los Angeles' Maxfield. Special edition merchandise will be available alongside a "retrospective" of props, artwork, and robot helmets between February 11 and 19.—Rolling StoneM.I.A. to Curate Meltdown 2017
M.I.A. will curate this year's Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Center, one of the UK's leading music events. M.I.A. said her chosen acts will be music's "best forward thinkers" and the June event will redefine "the concept of a melting pot."—NoiseyShopify Faces Boycott Because of Breitbart Ties
Canadian e-commerce company Shopify is the latest to experience an anti-Trump consumer backlash. Shopify's hosting of the online store for far-right media site Breitbart, formerly led by Steve Bannon, has spawned the #DeleteShopify hashtag.—Motherboard
Alexei Navalny, perhaps the leading figure of political opposition in Russia, has been found guilty of fraud in a retrial of a 2013 fraud case. The court ruling will prevent Navalny from running in the 2018 presidential election against Vladimir Putin.—APELN Rebels Enter Peace Talks with Colombian Government
Members of the left-wing rebel group ELN have begun talks with the Colombian government in the hope of ending more than half a century of fighting. "We are willing to take responsibility for the mistakes we have made, but we expect the other side to do the same," said chief ELN negotiator Pablo Beltran.—BBC News
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Former vice president Joe Biden will take up a new position as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Biden has been named the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor at the school's not-yet-opened diplomacy center in Washington, DC.—The Daily Pennsylvanian'Throw Shade' and 'Ghost' Added to the Dictionary
Merriam-Webster has added around 1,000 new words and phrases to its dictionary, including "face-palm," "throw shade," and the use of "ghost" as a verb. Editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski said they had "demonstrated frequent and increasing use in a variety of sources."—TIMEDaft Punk to Launch Pop-Up Store in LA
French music duo Daft Punk have announced its first pop-up store at Los Angeles' Maxfield. Special edition merchandise will be available alongside a "retrospective" of props, artwork, and robot helmets between February 11 and 19.—Rolling StoneM.I.A. to Curate Meltdown 2017
M.I.A. will curate this year's Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Center, one of the UK's leading music events. M.I.A. said her chosen acts will be music's "best forward thinkers" and the June event will redefine "the concept of a melting pot."—NoiseyShopify Faces Boycott Because of Breitbart Ties
Canadian e-commerce company Shopify is the latest to experience an anti-Trump consumer backlash. Shopify's hosting of the online store for far-right media site Breitbart, formerly led by Steve Bannon, has spawned the #DeleteShopify hashtag.—Motherboard