U.S.

NBC News
Suspect in deadly Portland hit-and-run crashes charged with murder
Paul Rivas, 64, is believed to have intentionally struck pedestrians and cyclists Monday, killing a 77-year-old woman.
Reuters
Three teens arrested in Denver fire that killed five Senegalese immigrants
Three teenage boys were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder and arson stemming from a house fire last year that killed a family of five Senegalese immigrants, including two small children, police said. Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said the three juveniles were being held for investigation on nearly two dozen charges, including five counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and eight counts of first-degree arson. The Aug. 5, 2020, fire deaths shook members of Denver's ethnic Senegalese community who feared the family whose house burned may have been targeted because they were Muslim immigrants from the West African nation.
Reuters
Apple becomes world's biggest smartphone seller in fourth-quarter
Data from research firm IDC showed Apple's shipments surged 22% in 90.1 million phones in the quarter, giving it global market share of 23.4%, and marking a record for the company. The U.S. tech giant reported record holiday quarter sales on Wednesday, with revenue crossing $100 billion for the first time. Huawei shipments tumbled 42.4% in the quarter to 32.3 million, IDC said.
Associated Press
Russia envoy: US and Russia need to start strategic dialogue
Russia hopes the success of extending the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty will give a new boost to re-starting a strategic dialogue between Moscow and the Biden administration, Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador said Wednesday. Dmitry Polyansky told a press briefing that “there are a lot of security and strategic issues on the table,” including arms control, which require “a serious, in-depth dialogue, on equal footing.”
Associated Press
Samsung reports profit jump driven by strong chip demand
Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday its operating profit for the last quarter rose by more than 26% as it capped off a robust business year where its dual strength in parts and finished products allowed it to thrive amid the pandemic. Like many technology companies, Samsung has gotten a boost from surging demand for its computer chips and devices as the pandemic forces people to work from home. Samsung has also dealt with legal issues surrounding its vice chairman and de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, who last week was sentenced by the Seoul High Court to two and a half years in prison for his involvement in a 2016 corruption scandal that spurred massive protests and ousted South Korea’s then-president.
CBS News
Ex-Seahawks player charged with domestic violence assault
Prosecutors said in a filing that Wheeler allegedly attacked and strangled the victim in her bedroom on January 22.
Reuters
Mexico coronavirus death toll rises to 153,639
Mexico's health ministry on Wednesday reported 17,944 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 1,623 additional fatalities. The government says the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. Mexico has the fourth-highest death toll in the world and is close to surpassing that of India, a country with a population more than ten times the size of Mexico's 120 million inhabitants.
Charlotte Observer
Woman arrested in fatal hit-and-run. Man was changing tire on a busy Charlotte road.
Police say the woman fled after hitting the 53-year-old man on northbound Brookshire Boulevard.
Associated Press
Driver accused in Oregon road rampage pleads not guilty
A motorist accused of hitting pedestrians, bicyclists and killing a 77-year-old woman Monday in Portland, Oregon, has pleaded not guilty to murder and has given detectives bizarre explanations about the incident, according to court documents. Paul Rivas, 64, through a court-appointed lawyer, also pleaded not guilty Wednesday to six counts of second-degree assault, six counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver after causing injuries, and one count of failure to perform the duties of a driver resulting in a death. Prosecutor Sean P. Hughey wrote in a probable cause affidavit that Rivas initially told investigators his Honda Element was having brake problems and that he was searching for an auto repair shop.
Reuters
HBO Max considering animated 'Game of Thrones' series - report
The hit "Game of Thrones" fantasy franchise may be expanded to animation in a new series for streaming service HBO Max, The Hollywood Reporter said on Wednesday. Executives at HBO Max, owned by AT&T Inc's WarnerMedia, have started holding meetings with writers about a possible animated drama series for an adult audience, the publication said. An HBO spokesperson had no comment on the report.
TheGrio
Florida man sentenced after killing Black man who was his alleged lover
A Florida man was sentenced to just one year in prison after he allegedly shot and killed a former lover. Gardner Fraser was sentenced to one year in Macclenny, Florida’s Baker County jail on Monday in connection to the death of Dominic “DJ” Broadus II. The rural county is about an hour from Jacksonville. Fraser pleaded no contest to tampering with evidence.
Miami Herald
Protest bill backed by governor, Republican lawmakers draws its own vigorous protests
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders are prioritizing a bill that seeks to clamp down on riots and violent protests, but the measure is quickly drawing heavy criticism from public defenders, local governments, some conservatives within the GOP and even pop superstar Ariana Grande.
Associated Press
Tiger undergoes rare hip replacement surgery at Illinois zoo
A 10-year-old Amur tiger with arthritis underwent hip replacement surgery at a zoo outside Chicago on Wednesday, and her surgical team is confident the procedure will add years to her life. Veterinarians at Brookfield Zoo noted that, like humans, animals routinely develop degenerative problems in their joints as they age. When the tiger, Malena, arrived at the zoo last year, she had already been diagnosed with arthritis of the hip and was receiving pain relief medications.
Reuters
Corky Lee, 'unofficial Asian American photographer laureate,' dies from COVID-19
Corky Lee, a photojournalist who pushed for greater Asian American representation through his work over five decades, died on Wednesday in New York City due to complications from COVID-19. Lee, 73, was admitted to Long Island Jewish Hospital in Forest Hills on Jan. 7, said Karlin Chan, a fellow community activist. Lee, who joked that he was the "undisputed unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate," embarked on his quest while studying American history at Queens College in 1965.
Reuters
Asia shares unsettled by Wall Street swoon, short seller squeeze
Asian shares slid on Thursday while the safe-haven dollar rallied as a sudden sell-off on Wall Street and delays with coronavirus vaccines shook investor optimism about an early recovery for the global economy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.2%, with valuations looking stretched given the index had risen more than 6% just this month. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.3%, its sharpest drop since October, and Chinese blue chips 1.5%.
Reuters
British public getting keener for COVID-19 vaccination - poll
The British public have grown more enthusiastic about getting a COVID-19 vaccination as the number of cases has mounted, and almost half think it should be mandatory, an opinion poll published on Thursday showed. Seventy-seven percent of respondents in the poll conducted by market research firm Kantar said they have already had or would have a COVID-19 vaccine, up from 65% in December. Britain has rolled out one of the world's fastest vaccination programmes after suffering Europe's highest death toll from COVID-19.
Reuters
WallStreetBets' Reddit chat room briefly made private by moderators
"You must be invited to visit this community," its page, where participants discuss stock trading, showed earlier when access was attempted. The page also said that it was facing technical difficulties due to an "unprecedented" scale of newfound interest in the server. Separately, Discord Inc, a messaging platform for online gamers, said it had removed the WallStreetBets server from its platform for violating its guidelines on hate speech and spreading misinformation.
Reuters
English COVID-19 infections starting to fall, but prevalence still high, study finds
The number of COVID-19 infections in England is starting to fall, possibly reflecting the impact of a new lockdown, but cases are not coming down quickly enough and prevalence remains very high, a large study showed on Thursday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday indicated that the COVID-19 lockdown in England would last until at least March 8, dashing any lingering hopes that schools would be able to fully reopen in February. The Imperial College London study found that the numbers infected with coronavirus are at their highest since the study began last May.
CBS News
25-year-old pleads guilty in alleged plot to kidnap Michigan governor
Ty Garbin is the first to be convicted in the high-profile case, and his detailed testimony of the alleged kidnapping plot could aid prosecutors in securing more convictions.
Miami Herald
Police looking for Miami-Dade inmate released from jail ‘in error’ on his birthday
Eduardo Cabana was released from a Miami-Dade jail on Monday, his birthday.
Reuters
Facebook says it will permanently stop recommending political groups to users
Facebook Inc's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would no longer recommend civic and political groups to users of the platform. The social media company said in October that it was temporarily halting recommendations of political groups for U.S. users in the run-up to the presidential election. On Wednesday Facebook said it would be making this permanent and would expand the policy globally.
Associated Press
Fire captain accused of stealing vaccine turns himself in
A Florida fire captain accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccines meant for first responders turned himself in Wednesday afternoon, sheriff's officials said. Polk County Fire Rescue Capt. Anthony Damiano, 55, faces a felony charge of falsifying an official record as a public servant and misdemeanor petit theft, according to a Polk County Sheriff's Office news release. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference Tuesday that paramedic Joshua Colon, 31, was arrested Monday for covering up Damiano’s theft.
Associated Press
Teradyne: 4Q Earnings Snapshot
The North Reading, Massachusetts-based company said it had profit of $1.05 per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations. For the current quarter ending in April, Teradyne expects its per-share earnings to range from 95 cents to $1.11.
Associated Press
Editorial Roundup: US
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to lift regional stay-at-home orders across the state makes absolutely no sense. The governor’s irresponsible action Monday is the latest in a series of blunders that is severely damaging California’s ability to end the COVID-19 crisis. California is far, far away from being out of the woods.
Reuters
Pfizer vaccine only slightly less effective against key South African mutations - study
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appeared to lose only a small bit of effectiveness against an engineered virus with three key mutations from the new coronavirus variant found in South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by the U.S. drugmaker. The study by Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), which has not yet been peer-reviewed, showed a less than two-fold reduction in antibody titer levels, indicating the vaccine would likely be effective in neutralizing a virus with the so-called E484K and N501Y mutations found in the South African variant.