NORAD shoots down ‘unidentified object’ over Yukon, Trudeau says  —  NATO chief Stoltenberg, US' Blinken warn of growing Chinese military surveillance, threats after balloon incident  —  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says an “unidentified object” that violated Canadian airspace on Saturday has been shot down over Yukon.

Trump campaign paid researchers to prove 2020 fraud but kept findings secret  —  An outside firm's work was never released publicly after researchers uncovered no evidence that the election had been rigged for Joe Biden  —  Former president Trump's 2020 campaign commissioned an outside research firm …

Turkey Detains Building Contractors as Recovery Efforts Ramp Up  —  As the death toll in Turkey and Syria passed 25,000, Ankara was coming under growing criticism for its slow response and tolerance of shoddy construction.  —  ADIYAMAN, Turkey — With anger swelling in Turkey on Saturday …

Millionaire Rep. Dan Goldman has racked up 84 tickets in 6 years  —  He's off to a fined start.  —  Freshman Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman's two luxury vehicles have amassed at least 84 traffic and parking violations in the last six years.  —  The congressman and multi-millionaire …

The Only Success Story in Right-Wing Social Media  —  For a moment, the right's longtime dream of an alternative social media seemed within reach.  Various companies had been trying to build alt-Facebooks and alt-Twitters and alt-Reddits for years, of course, but they remained marginal.  Then came 2020.

WWII-era bomb explodes in England in “unplanned” detonation  —  A World War II bomb that was found in Great Yarmouth, England exploded on Friday in what authorities are calling an “unplanned” detonation.  —  Officials first became aware of the 250 kilogram (about 550 pounds) explosive on Tuesday …

Affirmative Action in Jail Sentencing  —  the court system in Canada is broken, and it's only going to get worse  —  On December 31, 2020, a 17-year old man in Calgary was pulled over for a routine traffic violation by 37-year old police officer Sgt. Andrew Harnett.

Texas Attorney General Agrees to Give $3.3 Million and an Apology to His Former Aides  —  The multimillion-dollar settlement will come from state funds and be paid to top deputies who had accused the attorney general, Ken Paxton, of corruption.  —  HOUSTON — The Texas attorney general …

NASA rover finds ‘clearest evidence yet’ of an ancient lake on Mars  —  In the foothills of a Martian mountain, NASA's Curiosity rover found stunning new evidence of an ancient lake in the form of rocks etched with the ripples of waves — and the telltale signs appeared in an unlikely place.

Florida school district pulls children's book on Roberto Clemente  —  A school district in Florida has removed a children's book on Latino baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente to see if it complies with a new state law limiting discussions about race, Axios has confirmed.

MrBeast's blindness video puts systemic ableism on display  —  Recently, megastar creator MrBeast posted a video to his YouTube in which he spotlights numerous blind and visually impaired people who have undergone a surgical procedure that “cures” their blindness.

In a tight labor market, some states look to another type of worker: Children  —  Bills advancing in the Iowa and Minnesota state legislatures would roll back child workplace protections to address worker shortages.  —  As local economies grapple with a tightening labor market …

Matt Gaetz Honors Accused Murderer at Committee Hearing  —  A quick Google search would have informed Rep. Matt Gaetz who his honored guest really was, but the victim's family says he's trying to make it right.  —  When members of the House Judiciary Committee convened for their first meeting …

Kamala Harris Gets Uncomfortably Excited About Electric School Buses  —  Kamala Harris really, really likes electric school buses.  In fact, they seem to be the only thing that excites her more than talking about Venn diagrams.  —  For years now, the vice president has given public speeches extolling …

This Gen Z Democrat is deftly skewering right-wing fantasies  —  Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, had numerous breakthrough moments this week during hearings run by House Republicans.  The Florida Democrat's performance did more than unmask the folly of GOP investigations, though it certainly did that.

A Close Look at the Chaotic House Republican Majority  —  The tumult that broke out last month during the election of Kevin McCarthy for speaker illustrated the potential for profound dysfunction in the new House Republican majority.  And the spectacle created by Republican lawmakers …

Trump Lawyer in Mar-a-Lago Search Appeared Before Grand Jury  —  Evan Corcoran, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, appeared before a federal grand jury last month as part of the special counsel investigation into whether classified information and other government records were mishandled …