Senate hearing for Biden’s nominee for DHS chief
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a confirmation hearing for Alejandro Mayorkas, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee secretary of Homeland Secretary.
OTTAWA — The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): 11:20 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says any Canadians who still have international trips planned need to cancel them. The variants of the novel coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil could change the situation rapidly and he warns that Canada could impose new restrictions on the border at any time, without warning. --- 11:15 a.m. Quebec is reporting a significant drop in new COVID-19 infections today with 1,386 new cases. The province also reported 55 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including 16 that occurred in the prior 24 hours. Health officials say hospitalizations rose by nine, to 1,500 and 212 people were in intensive care, a drop of five. Quebec has reported a total of 245,734 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,142 deaths linked to the virus. --- 10:50 a.m. Prince Edward Island is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 today. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Heather Morrison says the new cases involve a woman in her 40s who is a contact of a previously reported case, and a woman in her 20s who recently travelled outside Atlantic Canada. There are now seven active reported cases in the province. P.E.I. has reported 110 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. --- 10:35 a.m. Ontario is reporting 1,913 new cases of COVID-19 today, likely under-reported due to a technical error in Toronto. Health Minister Christine Elliott says that Toronto is reporting 550 new cases of the novel coronavirus. Over the past three days, Toronto reported 815 new cases, 1,035 new cases and 903 new cases. There were 46 more deaths linked to the virus in Ontario. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2021. The Canadian Press
Government support is keeping roughly one in ten German companies afloat that would otherwise have gone bust during the coronavirus pandemic, the International Monetary Fund has found. In a report that on Tuesday laid bare the scale of economic damage masked by state aid, the Fund also warned that, once support was unwound, bankruptcy could soar, potentially weakening Germany's banks. German government support - broad-based and including guarantees, grants and waivers on filing for insolvency - has been among the most generous among western nations, according to a separate study by think tank Bruegel.
Taylor Gray has also been put on NASCAR probation for the rest of the season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are meeting Tuesday with Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni about their head coaching vacancy, ESPN reported. Sirianni, 39, has held that position for the last three seasons with the Colts following five seasons as an assistant with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (2013-17) and four with the Kansas City Chiefs (2009-12). Indianapolis went 11-5 during the 2020 regular season and lost 27-24 to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.
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The Electric Vehicle Battery Market will grow by $ 44.24 bn during 2020-2024
WASHINGTON — The Latest on Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees for his administration (all times local): 11:05 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national intelligence director says that the intelligence community under her watch would have a support role in assessing the threat coming from domestic extremists like the ones who stormed the U.S. Capitol this month. Avril Haines said at her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the primary responsibility for U.S.-based threats belongs to the FBI and the Department Homeland Security. But she says she expects that intelligence agencies would be involved in those discussions, particularly if there are connections between Americans and foreign-based extremist groups. Haines called the events of Jan. 6 “truly disturbing” and said it was “eerie” coming to the Senate and seeing the National Guard deployed around Washington. ___ HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN’S CABINET PICKS: President-elect Joe Biden’s national security Cabinet may be bare on Day One of his presidency, but an inauguration eve spurt of Senate confirmation hearings suggests that won’t be the case for long. Read more: — Yellen urges Congress to do more to fight pandemic recession ___ HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON: 10:45 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national intelligence director says that perhaps no greater priority on the job right now is “building the trust and confidence necessary to protect the American people.” Avril Haines is vowing at her Senate intelligence committee confirmation hearing Tuesday to speak “truth to power” even when that truth is inconvenient or difficult. The comments signalled a course correction to the four years of the Trump administration, when President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked intelligence community assessments that he disagreed with — particularly about Russia. Haines also says the American people deserve a “government worthy of their trust” and that she will work to promote transparency in the intelligence community. 10:40 a.m. The Democratic vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee is telling President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national intelligence director that the intelligence community will have to “recover” from the experience of Donald Trump’s leadership. Sen. Mark Warner says that during the four years of the Trump administration, intelligence community officials willing to speak the truth were “vilified, reassigned, fired or retaliated against.” Warner told Avril Haines at her confirmation hearing on Tuesday that she will be expected to keep politics out of national security decision making. He says he expects to hear a strong statement of support for the professionalism of the intelligence community. ___ 10:30 a.m. One of President Donald Trump’s national intelligence directors is introducing President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for the job at her confirmation hearing. Dan Coats, a former Republican senator who held the post under Trump, is speaking Tuesday at Avril Haines’ confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence community. His appearance is designed to show that Haines, who served in the Obama administration, has bipartisan support. He says Haines is committed to bringing “nonpoliticized truth to power” and restoring trust in confidence in the intelligence community. He calls Haines an “exceptional choice.” ___ 10 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security will address the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol at the start of his Senate confirmation hearing. Alejandro Mayorkas says in prepared remarks released ahead of the Tuesday hearing that the Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot was “horrifying” and authorities still have much to learn about what happened that day and what led to the insurrection. Mayorkas says that as secretary of Homeland Security he would do everything he can to ensure that “the tragic loss of life, the assault on law enforcement, the desecration of the building that stands as one of the three pillars of our democracy and the terror felt by you, your colleagues, staff, and everyone present, will not happen again.” If confirmed, the former federal prosecutor and senior Homeland Security official under President Barack Obama would be the first Latino and first immigrant to lead the department. He would lead one of the largest agencies in government to enforce the nation’s immigration laws and run the immigration services agency as well as the components such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the civilian cybersecurity agency. ___ 6:30 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be America’s top diplomat says he’s ready to confront challenges posed by China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken also says he’s committed to rebuilding the State Department after four years of atrophy under the Trump administration. Blinken is set to appear Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In testimony prepared for his appearance, Blinken says he sees a world of rising nationalism and receding democracy. He also says that mounting threats from authoritarian states are reshaping all aspects of human life, particularly in cyberspace. Blinken says American global leadership still matters and without it rivals will either step in to fill the vacuum or there will be chaos. He says neither choice is palatable. Blinken also promises to bring Congress in as a full foreign-policy partner, a subtle jab at President Donald Trump’s administration and its secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, who routinely ignored or bypassed lawmakers in policy-making. ___ 6 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national intelligence director is planning to tell Senate lawmakers that intelligence and national security issues will not be politicized under her watch. Avril Haines faces a confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate intelligence committee. Haines will also tell lawmakers that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence must not shy away from “speaking truth to power” even if inconvenient or difficult. That’s according to excerpts of her prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing. Haines served in the Obama administration as deputy director of the CIA and deputy national security adviser. If confirmed, Haines would be tasked with restoring stability to an intelligence community that has been repeatedly denigrated by President Donald Trump. She would also be the first woman to hold the position. The Associated Press
The lessons of Trump's presidency for EuropeSascha Engel says Europeans must look to their own crises before pointing the finger at the US, while Carolyn Kirton recalls Boris Johnson fawning over Donald Trump
Ditch the scarf and wooly hat to enjoy any outside area at home – even in winter
ViacomCBS announced Tuesday it plans to launch Paramount+, which will combine content from CBS, Viacom and the Paramount film studio, on March 4.
ArcLight Clean Transition (NASDAQ: ACTC) is joining the ranks of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) merging with electric-vehicle makers and bringing them public. Shares of ArcLight have more than doubled in the last week, and advanced those gains with a 12% jump as of 11 a.m. on Tuesday. ArcLight will be bringing Proterra public through a business combination expected to close in the first half of 2021.
The "Energy Transition Strategies of Major Oil and Gas EPC Companies" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
When British politics strikes at the heartReaders Les Bright and Dr Eric Watts respond to a piece by Rafael Behr in which he described his experience of a heart attack a year ago
‘Giving the go-ahead to a new coal mine does more than create a “slight tension” with climate policy, it drives a coach and horses through it,’ a campaigner said
She's been a cast member of the MTV reality show since it premiered in 2018
New York City could run out of Covid-19 vaccine doses by Thursday, warned Mayor Bill de Blasio, which could force the city to cancel vaccination appointments. “We will have literally nothing left to give as of Friday,” Mr de Blasio said. Last week the city administered 220,00 vaccine doses after eligibility opened up to include more residents and more vaccination sites were created.
Everything you need to know about women's health insurance
Garth Brooks, Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lopez are among the stars tapped to appear during Joe Biden's inauguration festivities this week.
MOSCOW — Russian state gas company Gazprom acknowledged there is a risk that its undersea pipeline to Germany could be suspended or cancelled after the U.S. on Tuesday imposing sanctions on a Russian ship involved in its construction. Germany’s Economy Ministry said it had been informed in advance of the new U.S. sanctions against the Russian pipe-laying ship Fortuna and its owner. "We take note of this announcement with regret,” the ministry said. The U.S. has said that the $11-billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline would make Europe more dependent on Russian gas and hurt European energy security. The Kremlin has responded by accusing the U.S. government of trying to promote sales of its own liquefied natural gas. In a memorandum for investors linked to a debt issue, Gazprom noted political risks for Nord Stream 2. The company acknowledged that they could make “the implementation of the project impossible or unfeasible and lead to its suspension or cancellation,” according to the Tass news agency. Speaking Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lamented what he described as “crude and illegitimate U.S. pressure.” “We closely follow the situation and analyze it as we continue work to finalize the project,” he said in a conference call with reporters. Gazprom said that 6% of the pipeline, or about 150 kilometres (93 miles), remains to be completed and insisted that it intends to complete the project soon. The pipeline construction was suspended in December 2019 when a Swiss firm pulled its vessels out of the project amid threats of U.S. sanctions, forcing Gazprom to try to complete it with its own resources. After a long effort to deploy Russian pipe-laying vessels, construction work resumed in German waters last month. Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press
In crushing news for music lovers, Rough Trade NYC will close its Williamsburg location in the spring and will relocate to another, yet-to-be announced city location in the summer. During the intervening months, Rough Trade’s online record store, www.roughtrade.com, will continue to serve patrons with its emphasis on pre-orders, weekly new releases, exclusive editions and sale […]