Jan 12, 2017

Mike Pompeo's Confirmation Hearing (Live Updates)

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Trump's pick for CIA director takes the stand today.

  • No torture: Pompeo said he would not comply with orders to bring back the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques." He added he didn't think Trump would ask for that.
  • Putin's a war criminal: He admitted to Marco Rubio that Vladimir Putin had committed war crimes. Rex Tillerson got slammed by Rubio the day before for not calling Putin a war criminal.
  • Don't trust Wiki: He said, "I have never believed WikiLeaks is a reliable source of information."

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Amnesty International: U.S. police must end militarized response to protests

Washington State Police use tear gas to disperse a crowd in Seattle during a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd. Photo: Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Amnesty International issued a statement on Sunday morning calling for an end to militarized policing in several U.S. cities and the use of "excessive force" against demonstrators protesting police brutality.

Why it matters: The human rights group said police across the country were "failing their obligations under international law to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, exacerbating a tense situation and endangering the lives of protesters."

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Jacob Knutson
45 mins ago - Health

Coronavirus looms over George Floyd protests across the country

Protestors rally in Minneapolis. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Health experts fear that massive protests against police brutality in major cities around the United States could result in new coronavirus outbreaks due to the close proximity of demonstrators, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. has already recorded more confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country in the world. A potential surge in cases stemming from the protests would come as many states are weeks into their phased reopening plans.

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David Nather
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The cracks in Trump’s GOP shield

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images

President Trump’s mockery of coronavirus masks, his false claims about the dangers of voting by mail and his insinuations that a cable TV nemesis was involved in a murder are testing more high-profile Republicans' willingness to look the other way.

The big picture: Republicans learned a long time ago how dangerous it is to alienate Trump’s base — which is why any hint of disagreement, even a whisper, is so remarkable when it happens.

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