US News
Military and intelligence officials have revealed that a US Navy SEAL raid in Yemen last week failed to capture or kill al Qaeda's chief in the Arabian Peninsula. Qassim al Rimi has reportedly been heard gloating in an audio recording, believed to be genuine by military officials, that "the fool in the White House got slapped."—NBC NewsDemocrats Hold All-Night Session to Stop Betsy DeVos
Democrats in the Senate spoke through the night in a bid to block Betsy DeVos's confirmation as the Trump administration's education secretary. Defections by two Republican senators are expected to leave the vote in a 50-50 split, and could force Vice President Mike Pence to break the deadlock and vote through DeVos's confirmation late Tuesday.—VICE
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San Francisco to Provide Free Local College Tuition
San Francisco will provide free community college tuition to all students who have lived in the city for more than one year and one day, regardless of income. Mayor Ed Lee said the money to cover around 30,000 local students would come from a hike in real estate transfer tax on properties valued at more than $5 million.—ABC NewsUS Strikes Went Unreported by Pentagon
Pentagon officials declined to report as many as thousands of deadly airstrikes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria over several years, according to a new report. At least 456 airstrikes carried out in Afghanistan in 2016 were not reported on the US Air Force's public database. One US military official described the reporting regime as "really weird."—Military TimesIsraeli Bill Legalizes 3,800 Settler Homes
Israeli Knesset has voted 60–52 to pass a bill to retroactively legalize 3,800 homes built in the occupied territory of the West Bank. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned the bill, describing it as a way to "legalize theft" of privately owned Palestinian land. The Israeli government's attorney general has called it "unconstitutional."—Al JazeeraSarkozy Faces Trial Over Fraud Accusations
A French judge has ordered former President Nicolas Sarkozy to face trial over alleged campaign finance crimes in 2012. Sarkozy, who denies the allegations, is accused of conspiring with his Republican Party, known then as the UMP, to falsify campaign finance records to avoid exceeding a $24 million spending limit.—Sky News
San Francisco will provide free community college tuition to all students who have lived in the city for more than one year and one day, regardless of income. Mayor Ed Lee said the money to cover around 30,000 local students would come from a hike in real estate transfer tax on properties valued at more than $5 million.—ABC NewsUS Strikes Went Unreported by Pentagon
Pentagon officials declined to report as many as thousands of deadly airstrikes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria over several years, according to a new report. At least 456 airstrikes carried out in Afghanistan in 2016 were not reported on the US Air Force's public database. One US military official described the reporting regime as "really weird."—Military Times
International News
Israeli Knesset has voted 60–52 to pass a bill to retroactively legalize 3,800 homes built in the occupied territory of the West Bank. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned the bill, describing it as a way to "legalize theft" of privately owned Palestinian land. The Israeli government's attorney general has called it "unconstitutional."—Al JazeeraSarkozy Faces Trial Over Fraud Accusations
A French judge has ordered former President Nicolas Sarkozy to face trial over alleged campaign finance crimes in 2012. Sarkozy, who denies the allegations, is accused of conspiring with his Republican Party, known then as the UMP, to falsify campaign finance records to avoid exceeding a $24 million spending limit.—Sky News
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Thousands Hanged in Syrian Prison, Report Says
A new report by human rights group Amnesty International claims that between 5,000 and 13,000 people, mostly opposition supporters, were executed at Saydnaya prison in Syria. Amnesty is basing its estimate on the testimonies of former detainees, guards, and officials. The report claims groups of between 20 and 50 were hanged at least once a week.—BBC NewsAustralian Senator Forms New Right-Wing Party
Cory Bernardi has defected from Australia's Liberals to form a brand new right-wing party, the Australian Conservatives. The move leaves Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's ruling Liberal-National coalition, which just won power seven months ago, on thin ice.—ReutersKanye Deletes Tweets Defending Trump Meeting
Kanye West has axed tweets explaining why he met with President Trump in December. The artist has also deleted a tweet that showed a picture of a signed copy of TIME magazine on which Trump has described Kanye as a "great friend."—CNNDrake Appears to Jab at Trump on Tour
Drake seemed to speak out against President Trump at a recent show, warning against those "trying to tear us apart," intoning, "If you think one man can tear this world apart, you're out of your motherfucking mind."—NoiseyLabor Nominee Hired and Fired Undocumented Housekeeper
Andrew Puzder, the Trump administration's choice as labor secretary, has admitted he and his wife hired an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper for a few years. Puzder said he ended the woman's employment when he learned of her status.—USA TodayVaping Cuts Down Health Risks if Tobacco Dropped, Say Researchers
A study funded by Cancer Research UK found e-cigarette users who stop smoking tobacco reduce exposure to carcinogens and toxicants by between 57 and 97 percent. The American Vaping Association called it a "wake-up call" for anyone who has dismissed vaping as unhealthy.—CBS NewsItalian Priest Admits to Orgies in Church Rectory
Andrea Contin, a priest at the Church of St. Lazarus in Padua, Italy, has reportedly admitted organizing sex parties in the church rectory. Police apparently found video evidence of the orgies, and one woman claims Contin both encouraged her to have sex with a horse and fathered her child.—VICEClassic Shooter Modded to Ask if Anti-Nazi Violence Is OK
Game designer Ramsey Nasser has added dialogue boxes asking questions about violence against Nazis to an online version of classic 1992 shooter Wolfenstein 3D. Sarcastic questions include: "Have you tried talking to them?"—Motherboard
A new report by human rights group Amnesty International claims that between 5,000 and 13,000 people, mostly opposition supporters, were executed at Saydnaya prison in Syria. Amnesty is basing its estimate on the testimonies of former detainees, guards, and officials. The report claims groups of between 20 and 50 were hanged at least once a week.—BBC NewsAustralian Senator Forms New Right-Wing Party
Cory Bernardi has defected from Australia's Liberals to form a brand new right-wing party, the Australian Conservatives. The move leaves Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's ruling Liberal-National coalition, which just won power seven months ago, on thin ice.—Reuters
Everything Else
Kanye West has axed tweets explaining why he met with President Trump in December. The artist has also deleted a tweet that showed a picture of a signed copy of TIME magazine on which Trump has described Kanye as a "great friend."—CNNDrake Appears to Jab at Trump on Tour
Drake seemed to speak out against President Trump at a recent show, warning against those "trying to tear us apart," intoning, "If you think one man can tear this world apart, you're out of your motherfucking mind."—NoiseyLabor Nominee Hired and Fired Undocumented Housekeeper
Andrew Puzder, the Trump administration's choice as labor secretary, has admitted he and his wife hired an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper for a few years. Puzder said he ended the woman's employment when he learned of her status.—USA TodayVaping Cuts Down Health Risks if Tobacco Dropped, Say Researchers
A study funded by Cancer Research UK found e-cigarette users who stop smoking tobacco reduce exposure to carcinogens and toxicants by between 57 and 97 percent. The American Vaping Association called it a "wake-up call" for anyone who has dismissed vaping as unhealthy.—CBS NewsItalian Priest Admits to Orgies in Church Rectory
Andrea Contin, a priest at the Church of St. Lazarus in Padua, Italy, has reportedly admitted organizing sex parties in the church rectory. Police apparently found video evidence of the orgies, and one woman claims Contin both encouraged her to have sex with a horse and fathered her child.—VICEClassic Shooter Modded to Ask if Anti-Nazi Violence Is OK
Game designer Ramsey Nasser has added dialogue boxes asking questions about violence against Nazis to an online version of classic 1992 shooter Wolfenstein 3D. Sarcastic questions include: "Have you tried talking to them?"—Motherboard