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Larry King, Broadcasting Giant for Half-Century, Dies at 87 Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87. https://apnews.com/article/larry-king-dead-391f55fabb843d14a2635a9bd55880d4

Trump Will Withdraw U.S. From Paris Climate Agreement https://nyti.ms/2rv52tR?3

Biden Inaugurated as the 46th President Amid a Cascade of Crises Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in on Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, assuming leadership of a country ravaged by disease, dislocation and division with a call to “end this uncivil war” after four tumultuous years that tore at the fabric of American society. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/politics/biden-president.amp.html

Trump Impeached After Capitol Riot in Historic Second Charge President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office. With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol after the president’s calls for them to “fight like hell” against the election results. https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860

Michigan to Pay $600 Million to Victims of Flint Water Crisis The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis, according to two people with knowledge of a major settlement that is set to be announced this week.…

Twitter Permanently Suspends Trump’s Account, Cites ‘Incitement of Violence’ Risk Twitter Inc said on Friday that it has permanently suspended U.S. President Donald Trump’s account due to the risk of further incitement of violence following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The suspension of Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, silences his primary megaphone days before the end of his term and follows years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-twitter/twitter-permanently-suspends-trumps-account-idUSKBN29D355

Pro-Trump Mob Storms US Capitol in Bid to Overturn Election A violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House. The nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and don gas marks, while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power. A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence. https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818

UK Prime Minister Orders New National Coronavirus Lockdown British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new version of the coronavirus. Johnson said the country is at “a critical moment,” with cases rising rapidly in every part of the country. https://apnews.com/article/uk-1st-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-virus-013f538e8ec3a153a4d2e39601961472

UK Judge Refuses US Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Assange A British judge on Monday rejected the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges over the publication of secret U.S. documents a decade ago, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. https://apnews.com/article/julian-assange-london-espionage-freedom-of-speech-europe-5b148b0b6b9f72a20eedad4218e8227a

Breakthrough: UK and EU Reach Post-Brexit Trade Agreement Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Thursday that should avert economic chaos on New Year’s and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas after the U.K. breaks fully free of the EU on Jan. 1. https://apnews.com/article/brexit-europe-global-trade-coronavirus-pandemic-ursula-von-der-leyen-e4fd21be6500c709caee8b376c3c3d00

Several EU Nations Halt UK Flights, Fearing Virus Variant Several European Union nations on Sunday banned flights from the U.K. and Germany was considering limiting such flights to make sure that a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England does not establish a strong foothold on the continent. https://apnews.com/article/europe-england-united-kingdom-coronavirus-pandemic-germany-06a35eb02ce885ae7b80b2e1851ab893

US Government, States Bring Antitrust Action Against Facebook Federal regulators asked Wednesday for Facebook to be ordered to divest its Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services as the U.S. government and 48 states and districts accused the company of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. https://apnews.com/article/us-news-312de23e330a318ff8d339ef38dfbc08