Let’s have a look at the stories making headlines today.
Trump’s ‘cognitive ability is normal’
US President Donald Trump has shown no abnormal signs following a cognitive exam and is in excellent health, his White House doctor says. “I have no concerns about his cognitive ability or neurological functions,” Ronny Jackson said on Tuesday. Last week, Mr Trump underwent a three-hour examination in his first medical check-up since becoming US president.
Ex-CIA officer held over secret files
A former CIA officer has been arrested on charges of unlawful retention of classified information, the US justice department says. Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a naturalised US citizen, was held after arriving at New York’s JFK airport on Monday. He worked for the CIA between 1994 and 2007, when he left for Hong Kong.
Puigdemont, the hologram president
The Catalan parliament in Barcelona has been standing empty for 83 days. The only official business has been done by the cleaning staff, keeping the cobwebs away. In October last year, the parliament chamber resounded with separatist songs of celebration when the whole cabinet sang in victory, after their illegal declaration of independence from Spain.
Home and Away actress dies after crash
Home and Away actress Jessica Falkholt has died from injuries she suffered in a car crash three weeks ago, an Australian hospital has confirmed. The accident in New South Wales on 26 December had already killed her parents, sister and the other driver. The actress, 29, played Hope Morrison in the soap.
Family of H&M model moves for security
The mother of the five-year-old H&M model caught up in a racism row has told the BBC her family has moved house in Sweden “for security reasons.” Last week, photos of Liam Mango modelling a “coolest monkey in the jungle” hoodie went viral, with social media users accusing H&M of racism.
Has Trump made the world more dangerous?
The world has become a more uncertain place since US President Donald Trump issued his “America First” decree in the dark and dystopian language that so alarmed allies and intrigued adversaries. But has it become more dangerous? Not if you look at what’s actually happened.
Trump expands military footprint despite campaign rhetoric
At one rally after the next, candidate Donald Trump lamented the “trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost” in the Middle East, criticized his opponent as a warmonger and signaled he would scale back US military commitments abroad.
The President is overweight, like most Americans
The President weighs 239 pounds. That means he’s gained 3 pounds over the last year, according to his last official records. At 6 feet, 3 inches tall, Trump had a body mass index, or BMI, that puts him in the “overweight” range, according to the National Institutes of Health’s online BMI calculator.
Booker slams DHS secretary’s ‘amnesia’ on Trump’s reported ‘shithole’ comment
The impassioned remarks came toward the end of an often testy oversight hearing in which Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen denied hearing President Donald Trump say the words “shithole” or “shithouse” in a White House meeting on immigration last week.
US cuts funding for Palestinians
The decision drew condemnation from Palestinians, praise from Israel, and expressions of deep concern from UN officials and refugee groups worried about the humanitarian impact and particularly the potential for further destabilization of a region already reeling from conflict in Syria.
Everyone is picking sides over the Aziz Ansari story
That’s the debate currently raging in the wake of the “Master of None” star responding to an allegation of sexual assault by a woman he went out on a date with last fall. There are two sides that are drawing supporters. Some are saying the allegations against Ansari weaken the #MeToo movement.
Saudi Ritz-Carlton set to reopen after stint as lavish prison
The Ritz-Carlton had closed its doors to guests since November last year, when around 200 people — including business executives, officials and at least 17 princes — were arrested and given rooms at the five-star hotel as holding cells.
Bizarrely Beautiful Photos Show Woman ‘Giving Birth’ To New Kitten
Cat photos are popular on social media, as are pics of birthing moms. So it’s no wonder Lucy Schultz managed the Reese’s peanut butter cup version of going viral when she managed to combine the two favorite things into a bizarrely beautiful birth announcement.
3 Things To Know About The Cognitive Test Trump’s Doctor Gave Him
After speculation about President Donald Trump’s mental health escalated in recent weeks, White House doctor Ronny Jackson revealed Tuesday afternoon that the president passed a cognitive assessment during his Friday physical at Walter Reed Medical Center.
GOP Lawmaker Slams Haiti: ‘Sheet Metal And Garbage’ Everywhere You Look
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) slammed Haiti on Tuesday, saying the country is covered with garbage and that conditions there are “disgusting.” Gaetz was defending President Donald Trump, who last week reportedly dismissed Haiti and African nations as “shithole” countries while meeting with lawmakers to discuss immigration. Trump has denied the comments.
Fox News Analyst Insists He’s Absolutely Not Fantasizing About Trump’s Penis
In a bizarre tweet that was quickly removed, Brit Hume of Fox News assured the world on Tuesday night that he was not fantasizing about President Donald Trump ‘s penis.
Kid gets head start on medical career by performing doll face transplants
January is rolling along and a lot of people are looking for some fresh hobbies. Have you considered cutting the faces off of dolls, then transplanting them onto other dolls? For one 7-year-old, at least, this pursuit is working out well – so well that an image of her handiwork ( posted by her sister Katelynn on Sunday) has been retweeted 18,000 times.
Senator reaches for nonexistent glasses and takes them off anyway
Today’s collective LOL at the expense of lawmakers came courtesy of Senator Orrin Hatch, who just reached for his glasses and, upon finding there were none there, decided to take them off anyway. The 83-year-old was deep in the middle of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen when he made the gaffe.
Google will construct three new undersea cables in 2019
Can’t get enough Google? You’re in luck. The company, a division of Alphabet Inc., has announced that it will expand its Cloud services to five new regions, and build three new submarine cables to service its capacity needs.
The Bitcoin community reacts to crash
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies crashed hard, and many people aren’t taking it well. Down from the near-$20,000 highs of early December, Bitcoin plummeted 25 percent on Tuesday to as low as $10,194. This hasn’t gone over so well with those who poured their life savings into cryptocurrency. Just how bad is it?
Here’s how NASA is preparing the largest telescope ever built for space
Watch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope undergoing an array of tests before its 2019 launch.
