Sunday, January 16th, 2022 

Onslow, Western Australia, reports the hottest day in recorded Australian history, reaching a high of 50.7°C (123.3°F). (The Guardian) 

Russian involvement suspected in cyberattack against Ukraine Microsoft has detected dangerous malware infecting dozens of government and private Ukrainian computer networks, the tech giant warned Saturday. The still-unidentified hackers behind the attack also left a message warning Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst.” Ukrainian officials say they suspect Russian involvement. Russia previously launched cyberattacks against Ukraine in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Talks between the U.S. and Russia broke down around the time of the attack, after Russian diplomats refused demands to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border. Intelligence analysts have warned that Russia is preparing a “false flag” operation to justify an invasion of Ukraine very soon. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Djokovic forced to leave Australia after court upholds visa cancellation Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic left Australia Sunday night after a court ruling upheld the immigration minister’s decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa. Djokovic traveled to Australia on Jan. 5 but was denied entry because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. After the Serbian champion won an initial appeal, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke invoked his ministerial discretion to cancel Djokovic’s visa, arguing that the unvaccinated athlete’s presence in the country would stoke “anti-vaccination sentiment” and lead to “civil unrest.” Djokovic, who was scheduled to play his first match of the Australian Open Monday, said he was “extremely disappointed.” NPR 

Trump mocks and criticizes Biden at rally in Arizona Former President Donald Trump repeated his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election and castigated President Biden for his handling of inflation, supply chain issues, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the southern border at a rally in Florence, Arizona, Saturday. Trump also did an impression of his successor, pounding the podium with his fist in an accurate approximation of Biden’s gestures and saying “I’m gonna get rid of COVID. I’m gonna get ri-i-id of COVID!” in a much less accurate approximation of Biden’s voice. The former president did not, however, reveal whether he plans to run for a second term in 2024. Trump is expected to announce his decision after the 2022 midterms. NEWSWEEK 

Over 2,400 Sunday flights canceled as winter storm strikes East Coast According to tracking site FlightAware, airlines canceled more than 2,400 into, out of, or within the United States as winter storms struck the Southeast. North Carolina’s Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines, canceled almost 90 percent of its flights. American Airlines announced it will allow travelers affected by the weather to rebook flights with no fee. In anticipation of the storm, the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia all declared states of emergency Saturday. CNN BUSINESSFLIGHTAWARE 

Official death toll from Kazakhstan unrest stands at 225 Kazakhstan’s prosecutor general’s office announced Saturday that the death toll from last week’s unrest now stands at 225, including 19 members of state security forces. The protests began to die down when a contingent of mostly Russian troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which both Russia and Kazakhstan are members, arrived in the country. CSTO troops began withdrawing from the Central Asian former Soviet republic Thursday and are expected to be completely out by Jan. 23. REUTERS 

The death toll from the civil unrest in Kazakhstan increases to 225, including 19 members of the security forces, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office. (Reuters) 

Rail trade between China and North Korea resumes A train from North Korea pulled into a Chinese station Sunday, marking the end of a long period of particularly intense North Korean isolation. Chinese brokers said North Korea was planning to re-open its border to rail trade with China Monday, but the timetable appears to have been moved up. “My business partner in North Korea told me on Friday that the land border will reopen to cargo freight on Jan. 17,” one Chinese commodities trader said. North Korea closed its borders in January 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This self-imposed isolation has led to food shortages, while restrictions on internal movement have cut down on defections to South Korea. REUTERS 

Suspect dead and all hostages safe after FBI storms Texas synagogue An FBI hostage rescue team stormed a Texas synagogue Saturday night, ending an almost 11-hour standoff with a hostage-taker who claimed to have a bomb and may have ties to al-Qaeda. The suspect was shot and killed. Four people, including the congregation’s rabbi, were held hostage Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The suspect released one hostage around 5:00 p.m. The other three were freed following the FBI raid, which started around 10:00 p.m. According to FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno, the suspect has been identified, but authorities are not yet ready to reveal his name. CNN 

An armed man claiming to be the brother of Pakistani Al-Qaeda suspect Aafia Siddiqui holds congregants hostage at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, United States. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) 

Extent of tsunami damage in Tonga remains unclear The extent of tsunami damage in the Polyneasian archipelago nation of Tonga remains unclear as ash obstructs the view from the sky and the submarine cable that connects Tonga to the outside world remains out of commission. New Zealand’s government has pledged the equivalent of around $340,000 to aid in recovery with the promise of more to follow. Tonga was struck by a tsunami Saturday after an undersea volcano erupted 40 miles south of the capital city on the main island of Tongatapu. The volcano, called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, shot smoke and ash more than 12 miles into the sky and produced a shockwave felt as far away as New Zealand. AL JAZEERA 

‘Biden’ blames Spider-Man for political setbacks in SNL cold open In the most recent Saturday Night Live cold open, James Austin Johnson gave a press conference as President Biden in which he offered a solution to the ongoing pandemic. “There is one simple thing you can do to make this whole virus go away,” Johnson-as-Biden said. “Stop seeing Spider-Man!” He went on to explain that, because the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home coincided perfectly with the beginning of the Omicron wave, it must have caused it. Seeing other movies, he told “reporters,” was fine. Johnson-as-Biden also blamed his other political setbacks on the latest Marvel film: “You think people can focus on voting rights when Spider-Man’s Aunt May is a freakin’ smokeshow?” THE WEEK 

Glenn Youngkin sworn in as governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin (R), who defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) last November in a race that attracted national attention, was sworn in as Virginia’s 74th governor around noon Saturday. One of his first executive orders banned “the use of divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory, in public education.” Youngkin takes office with a divided state government: Democrats hold a 3-seat majority in the Senate, while Republicans control the Assembly 52 to 48. Winsome Sears (R) was also sworn in as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, becoming the first woman of color to hold that office. Jason Miyares, also a Republican, took office as the commonwealth’s first Hispanic attorney general. THE WEEK 

Saturday, January 15th, 2022 

Australia detains Djokovic again The Australian government canceled Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa for the second time and placed him back in immigration detention. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday that he canceled Djokovic’s visa again on “health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” given Djokovic’s refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A federal court will hear his case Sunday. Djokovic is scheduled to play his first match in the Australian Open Monday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Students walk out of class over Omicron concerns Hundreds of students in Boston, Chicago, and other U.S. school districts staged walkouts Friday, demanding a return to remote instruction as Omicron cases continue to spike. “It was like: ‘This person has COVID. That person has COVID. Another person has COVID,’” said one of the students organizing a walkout in Montgomery County, Maryland. Many of the protesting students claim schools need to do more to provide them with COVID tests and high-quality masks, while others insist that in-person learning should be suspended altogether. The Omicron-driven surge in new infections has not produced a corresponding increase in deaths from COVID. REUTERS 

Insurance now covers at-home COVID tests Americans who have health insurance are entitled to receive up to eight rapid, at-home COVID tests per household member per month for free under a new Biden administration policy that took effect Saturday. Consumers can purchase tests over the counter and file for reimbursement or order tests for free on a special government website. The White House said Friday that this site will be live by Wednesday and that 500 million free tests are available. USA TODAY 

Russia may be preparing a ‘false-flag’ operation as pretext to Ukraine invasion The U.S. has information indicating Russia to be preparing a “false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine,” per a U.S. official, in an attempt at creating pretext for an invasion of the former Soviet republic. The official also said the U.S. has evidence that Russia has pre-positioned operatives “trained in urban warfare and in using explosives to carry out acts of sabotage against Russia’s own proxy forces,” CNN reports. A false-flag attack is one designed to look as though it were carried out someone other than the person (or, in this case, country) responsible. Adolf Hitler used a similar tactic to justify Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939. CNN 

Pence compares Biden’s voting bills to Jan. 6 Former Vice President Mike Pence published an op-ed in The Washington Post Friday with the headline, “Jan. 6 was a power grab. So is busting the filibuster to nationalize elections.” In the piece, Pence contrasted President Biden’s voting rights bills, which Pence said would give the federal government too much control, with his own behavior following the 2020 election. Former President Donald Trump’s fiercest supporters turned against Pence when he refused to overturn the 2020 election by rejecting slates of electors from states Biden won. Videos of the Jan. 6 attack show protesters chanting “Hang Mike Pence” and constructing a gallows. Pence also wrote that Biden’s bills, if passed, would deliver “an irreversible victory for the radical left.” THE GUARDIAN 

Dem organizers prepare for uphill battle after Biden’s voting bills fail After opposition from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) killed President Biden’s push to pass federal voting rights legislation by removing the filibuster, Democratic organizers are preparing for a difficult road ahead. Biden’s bills would have superseded the election security laws that many Republican-controlled states, spurred by former President Donald Trump’s baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud, have passed since the 2020 election. With those bills remaining in place, Democrats say they could be forced to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from candidates to voter registration and turnout drives. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Portland police presentation mocked ‘dirty hippy’ protesters and encouraged violence Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Friday that the Portland Police Bureau has launched an internal investigation into a training slideshow that included comical descriptions of violence against “dirty hippy” protesters. The 100-page PowerPoint presentation from 2018 provided straightforward guidance on how to handle mass protests and riots, but the final slide reflected a shift in tone. It featured an image of an officer in riot gear striking a seemingly unarmed protester. “They may christen your heads with hickory, and anoint your faces with pepper spray,” the mock-biblical text accompanying the image read, along with a reference to protesters being “stitched and bandaged.” CNN 

Southern states brace for severe winter storms The governors of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia declared states of emergency ahead of a winter storm system expected to strike the southeastern United States Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will “move eastward to the Southeast by Sunday morning, then head northeastward to the northern mid-Atlantic by Monday.” Stores are selling out of essentials while road crews desperately work to avoid a repeat of the situation in Virginia that left thousands stranded on I-95 earlier this month. CNN 

Supreme Court to hear case of high school football coach fired for praying on field The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it would hear the case of Joe Kennedy, who lost his job as a high school football coach for praying with players after games. Bremerton School District in Washington state fired Kennedy in 2015. “He led the team in prayer in the locker room before each game, and some players began to join him for his post-game prayer, too, where his practice ultimately evolved to include full-blown religious speeches to, and prayers with, players from both teams after the game,” wrote a judge from the Ninth Circuit Court, which ruled against Kennedy. Kennedy claims his rights to free speech and free exercise of religion were trampled, while the district argues Kennedy’s actions violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.   FOX NEWS 

Tonga is hit by ashfall and a tsunami after the eruption of Hunga Tonga, destroying homes as locals struggle to find higher ground. Major flooding is reported in the capital Nukuʻalofa. Shock waves from the eruption are detected as far away as Alaska, United States. Other Pacific countries have also advised their citizens to seek higher ground. Internet access has reportedly been disrupted in Tonga. (The Sydney Morning Herald) 

Tsunami strikes Tonga after undersea volcanic eruption The Polynesian archipelago nation of Tonga was struck by a tsunami Saturday after an undersea volcano erupted 40 miles south of the capital city on the main island of Tongatapu. No injuries or fatalities have yet been reported, but videos show large waves striking the shore and swirling around houses as people flee to higher ground. King Tupou VI has been evacuated from his palace by the sea. The extent of the damage is still unclear due to spotty communications. Tonga has a population of just over 100,000 people, of whom 70 percent live on the main island. BBC 

King Tupou VI is evacuated from the Royal Palace by His Majesty’s Armed Forces. (CNN) 

Iran reports its first three confirmed deaths related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in people from the cities of Tabriz, Yazd and Shahrekord. (CNA) 

The Philippines reports a record for the third consecutive day of 39,004 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,168,379. (Rappler) 

In an extraordinary session, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo votes to ban Kosovo Serbs from voting in Serbia‘s upcoming constitutional referendum on Kosovan territory. (Reuters) 

In American football, the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-19, ending their 31-year playoff drought and winning a playoff game for the first time since 1991. (BBC Sport) 

Friday,  January 14th, 2022 

Australian minister cancels Djokovic’s visa, again Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, canceled tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa on Friday, citing the need to protect “health and good order.” Djokovic is unvaccinated against the coronavirus, but he entered the country last week with a medical exemption, based on the fact that he already had COVID-19 in December. The world’s top-ranked men’s player, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam title in the upcoming Australian Open, was detained after authorities determined he did not have documents adequately supporting the exemption, invalidating his visa, but a judge ordered his release. Authorities then found there was false information on his travel declaration. Djokovic has apologized for what he says was “human error” on the form, and his lawyers said they would appeal Hawke’s decision. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Russia says Ukraine talks at impasse as fear of war rises Russia said Ukraine talks were hitting a dead end but diplomacy would continue, while Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau warned that “the risk of war” in Europe is the greatest it has been in 30 years. Russia has deployed about 100,000 troops to its border with Ukraine. The United States and Western allies fear Moscow is preparing to invade. Talks in three European cities this week were hampered by Russia’s call for the West to bar Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which the U.S. and NATO said was a “non-starter.” Russian Ambassador Alexander Lukashevich warned there could be “catastrophic consequences” without agreement on what Moscow says are security red lines. “The threat of military invasion is high,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. REUTERS 

Up to 70 Ukrainian Government websites are hit by cyberattacks. (BBC News) 

Talks between NATO and Russia over Ukraine hit a breaking point as Poland warns of possible war. (Al Jazeera) 

The U.S. Senate rejects a bill that would sanction the Nord Stream pipeline amidst fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The New York Times) 

The Philippine Department of Transportation issues a memorandum banning unvaccinated individuals from using all forms of public transportation in the National Capital Region beginning on January 17. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

The Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government issues an administrative order to all barangays in the Philippines to submit a list of unvaccinated residents in order to prevent their movement in response to the recent increase in cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (GMA News) 

The Philippines reports a record of 34,021 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,092,409. This is the highest reported number of cases in a day since the start of the pandemic. (GMA News) 

As part of the fallout from his ongoing civil sexual assault trial, Prince Andrew hands back all of his royal patronages and military titles to the Queen and drops the use of the title “His Royal Highness” in an official capacity. (BBC News) 

The End Sunday 

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Alex Hawke, invokes his ministerial powers under the Migration Act 1958 to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa on “health and good order grounds”. (ABC News Australia) 

Supreme Court blocks Biden vaccine mandate for large companies The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine-or-test mandate for workers at large companies, but let a similar requirement stand for health-care workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency measure, which applied to businesses with 100 or more employees and would affect 80 million workers, required workers to get vaccinated or show a negative COVID-19 test weekly. It also required non-vaccinated workers to wear masks at indoor workplaces. The court’s conservative majority said Congress had “indisputably” given OSHA power to regulate occupational dangers, but not “to regulate public health more broadly.” Liberal Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented, saying the majority was telling “the agency charged with protecting worker safety that it may not do so.” CNBC 

Biden says administration will buy another 500 million COVID tests President Biden announced Thursday that his administration would buy 500 million more COVID-19 tests for Americans, and dispatch military medical teams to help at hospitals overwhelmed with patients sickened in the Omicron coronavirus variant wave. The test purchases will double the number of kits the Biden administration plans to distribute to people free of charge. The 120 military medical personnel will go to six states where medical facilities have been swamped with new COVID-19 cases. Biden also promised to unveil a plan next week to provide high-quality N95 and KN95 masks, also free of charge, as part of an effort to increase protection and slow the spread of the virus. “As I’ve said in the last two years, please wear a mask,” Biden said. “I think it’s part of your patriotic duty.” THE NEW YORK TIMESUSA TODAY 

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Facebook, Google, Reddit, Twitter records The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack has subpoenaed Google-parent Alphabet, Facebook- and Instagram-parent Meta Platforms, Reddit, and Twitter, seeking records on the spread of misinformation, efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, domestic extremism, and foreign meddling in the 2020 election. The select committee’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a statement that the panel was trying to determine “how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what steps — if any — social media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence.” He said the committee had been seeking the documents for months. Meta said it had provided the requested documents and would continue to cooperate. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Oath Keepers founder indicted on seditious conspiracy charges Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the extremist Oath Keepers group, has been indicted and arrested for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters, according to indictments unsealed Thursday. Rhodes, 56, was at the Capitol during the insurrection but has denied entering the building. The Oath Keepers leader is the most high-profile suspect charged to date in the investigation of the riot. Rhodes and 10 other Oath Keepers and associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors say the suspects developed and participated in a plan to try to disrupt lawmakers on the day they certified President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Queen strips Prince Andrew of military titles, patronages Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and remaining royal patronages after failing to get a sexual abuse lawsuit against him dismissed. Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Andrew gave them up with the “approval and agreement” of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Andrew will no longer use the “His Royal Highness” title in an official capacity. The queen will redistribute his roles immediately to other members of the royal family, a source told CNN. The changes came a day after a U.S. judge ruled that a sex-abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre can proceed. Giuffre says she was forced into sex with Andrew when she was 17 by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Andrew denies the allegations. CNN 

Newsom rejects parole for Sirhan Sirhan California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Thursday denied parole to Sirhan Sirhan, the 77-year-old Palestinian immigrant who assassinated Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) in 1968. Kennedy, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, had just made a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles and was walking through the hotel’s pantry when Sirhan, then 24, walked up from behind and shot him point-blank in the back of the head. Sirhan has said he didn’t remember the shooting and suggested he must have been hypnotized. Despite a parole board release recommendation, Newsom said that Sirhan has “failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Sen. Kennedy,” so there’s no guarantee he would not still pose a threat. POLITICOTHE WASHINGTON POST 

Navient Corp. agrees to cancel $1.7 billion in student debt Navient Corp., a former unit of Sallie Mae, said Thursday it would cancel $1.7 billion in private student debt to settle allegations of deceptive lending practices. The agreement, which Navient reached with 40 state attorneys general, will affect about 66,000 borrowers. Nearly all the canceled loans originated at Sallie Mae from 2002 to 2010, when Navient serviced accounts at the student loan giant as student debt soared. Most of the affected loans, all of which were in default, were taken out by borrowers with poor credit who went to for-profit schools and other insitutions with less-than-stellar records, according to a website run by the settlement administrator. Navient denied it hurt any borrowers. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Biden picks 3 nominees for Fed board President Biden has settled on three nominees for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, including former Fed official Sarah Bloom Raskin and Lisa Cook, who would be the first Black woman to serve on the central bank’s board, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a person familiar with the decision. Biden also will nominate economist Phillip Jefferson, dean of faculty at North Carolina’s Davidson College and a former Fed researcher. The nominees, if confirmed by the Senate, will join the Fed as it tries to raise interest rates and taper its asset purchases to curb high inflation, without hampering the economic recovery from the damage of the coronavirus pandemic. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly got engaged and ‘drank each other’s blood’ We’ve been hoping for a Jennifer’s Body sequel for years, but this isn’t quite what we had in mind. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have announced their engagement, with Fox sharing a video on Instagram of the rapper getting down on one knee. They confirmed their relationship in summer 2020. “Somehow a year and a half later, having walked through hell together, and having laughed more than I ever imagined possible, he asked me to marry him,” the Transformers star wrote, concluding with the extremely casual declaration, “…and then we drank each other’s blood.” Sure, makes sense, no follow-up questions here! Last year, Kelly revealed “I wear [Fox’s] blood around my neck” after she gave him a vial before going off to shoot a movie. You know, as you do. “Some people give like a handkerchief to their partner or whatever,” he said. “She gave me her DNA.”  ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 

Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet split Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet are parting like the sea. The Aquaman and The Cosby Show stars announced they’re getting divorced after over four years of marriage and 16 years together. In a rather sweeping and dramatic joint statement, Momoa and Bonet, who have two children, said “we have all felt the squeeze and changes of these transformational times,” declaring that a “revolution is unfolding — and our family is of no exception.” Although they’ll be “parting ways in marriage,” Momoa and Bonet said that the “love between us carries on, evolving in ways it wishes to be known and lived,” and “we free each other — to be who are learning to become.” Naturally, Game of Thrones fans waited approximately five minutes before plastering their Jason Momoa and Emilia Clarke shipping dreams all over Twitter.  TMZNBC NEWS 

Kanye West is reportedly under investigation for criminal battery Kanye West is reportedly under investigation for punching someone, and believe it or not, it wasn’t Pete Davidson. The Los Angeles Police Department is reportedly investigating West for criminal battery after he allegedly punched a fan in downtown L.A. at about 3 a.m. The news was first reported by FOX 11, which said a fan told police he approached West to ask for an autograph when the rapper “jumped out of his car” and “punched him, knocking him to the ground,” FOX 11 reporter Gigi Graciette said. A police report was reportedly filed, though West was apparently no longer at the scene when police arrived. Misdemeanor battery, TMZ notes, carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.  TMZPAGE SIX 

Jesse Plemons got ‘pissed’ after Benedict Cumberbatch called him a ‘big boy’ Benedict Cumberbatch became the latest Oscar hopeful to utilize method acting on the set of The Power of the Dog, and Jesse Plemons’ feelings were harmed in the process. Plemons recalled to Variety a moment Cumberbatch got “under my skin” while immersed in character. “He was like, ‘Hey, big boy.’ It wasn’t ‘fatso.’ I feel like a few people in life have been like, ‘Hey, big boy,’ and I was like, ‘Goddamn it. What the f—.” Cumberbatch’s character in the film bullies Plemons’, but after shooting, Plemons told his co-star the comment “pissed me off,” prompting an apology. “He was like, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Plemons said. “I was like, ‘No, don’t worry. It was great.’” Considering certain other actors have been known to mail used condoms and anal beads to people when they go method, we’d say Plemons got off easy.  VARIETYINSIDER 

Thursday, January 13th, 2022 

NATO-Russia talks on Ukraine end in stalemate Russia and NATO ended four hours of talks in Brussels about Ukraine with no resolution on Wednesday, in the second round of discussions aimed at preventing Moscow from invading Ukraine again. The U.S. and Russia held talks in Geneva on Sunday and Monday, and Ukraine will participate on Thursday, when Russian diplomats meet in Vienna with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has sent 100,000 troops to the Ukraine border, is demanding that NATO guarantee Ukraine and Georgia never join the alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that all 30 NATO members agreed that NATO can’t let Russia dictate who can join, and warned there was “a real risk of a new armed conflict in Europe.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Talks between NATO and Russia over Ukraine hit a breaking point as Poland warns of possible war. (Al Jazeera) 

Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will cut ties with the United States if sanctions are placed upon him. (Business Insider) 

Unidentified militants launch several rockets at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, injuring a woman and a child. (CNN) 

The Nigerian government lifts its Twitter ban, which was implemented in June 2021, after Twitter agreed to pay an “applicable tax” and also establish a legal entity within the country sometime in the first quarter of the year. (The Guardian Nigeria) 

Germany reports a record for the second consecutive day of 81,417 new cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency) 

Sweden reports a record 25,215 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (U.S. News and World Report) 

Bangladesh bans all public gatherings, restricts the capacity of public transportation to 50%, and mandates that face masks be worn in all public places in an attempt to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Business Standard) 

South Korea receives their first shipment of Pfizer’s Paxlovid anti-COVID-19 oral drug. (AP) 

The WHO guideline development group of international experts recommends the use of rheumatoid arthritis drug Baricitinib for severe and critical COVID-19 patients in combination with corticosteroids. (The Times of India) 

Italy imposes a six-month ban of hunting and other activities involving direct or indirect contact with infected boars in 114 rural areas in the north-western regions of Piedmont and Liguria, where the spread African swine fever has infected the animals. (Reuters) 

The French Senate votes 249–63, with 26 abstentions, to approve a bill that would ban unvaccinated people from entering bars, restaurants, and other public places and also from using long-distance public transport. However, the modified bill would only apply to people over the age of 18 years and would only be in effect if the number of hospitalized patients exceeds 10,000 nationwide. (The Independent) 

As part of the fallout from his ongoing civil sexual assault trial, Prince Andrew hands back all of his royal patronages and military titles to the Queen and drops the use of the title “His Royal Highness” in an official capacity. (BBC News) 

Israel and the Argentine foreign ministry separately issue condemnations against the presence of Iranian minister Mohsen Rezai at the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Rezai is wanted by Argentina for his alleged connections to the 1994 AMIA bombing. (The Jerusalem Post) 

The Federal Court of Australia orders that Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic be released from immigration detention and allowed to compete in the Australian Open in order to defend his Championship, and also orders the federal government to pay Djokovic’s legal fees. (BBC News) 

In American football, Georgia defeats Alabama to win the national championship, its first since 1980. (CBS News) 

Kristen Stewart shockingly get snubbed at the SAG Awards Did erstwhile Oscar frontrunner Kristen Stewart just get knocked out of the Best Actress race? Stewart was long the favorite to win Best Actress at the 2022 Oscars for playing Princess Diana in Spencer. But on Wednesday, Stewart was shockingly left off the lead actress nominations list for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Instead, the nominees were Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Lady Gaga for House of Gucci, Jennifer Hudson for Respect, and Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos. It was a major setback for Stewart considering, as awards pundit Nathaniel Rogers noted, nobody has ever won Best Actress at the Oscars without first getting a SAG nod, though Regina King did so in the supporting category. It seems Golden Globe-winner Kidman may be the frontrunner now. Perhaps Stewart can still get back in the race, but maybe she shouldn’t start writing that acceptance speech just yet.  VARIETY 

Documentary on Evan Rachel Wood and her Marilyn Manson allegations to debut at Sundance A new documentary on Evan Rachel Wood and her decision to come forward with abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson is set to debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary, Phoenix Rising, “intimately charts her journey as she moves toward naming her infamous abuser for the first time,” as the Westworld star seeks to “reclaim her story in a culture that instinctively blames women,” Sundance said. Director Amy Berg has reportedly been working with Wood on the documentary for over two years, going back to before she came forward in 2021 to allege Manson “horrifically abused me for years.” Wood’s allegations prompted numerous other women to publicly accuse the rock star of sexual abuse. “[Wood is] so candid with us,” Berg told Variety. “And it’s very personal.” The documentary will also air on HBO. 

Manhattan rents surge to highest ever recorded in month of December Manhattan’s median rent rose to nearly $3,400 in December as vaccination rates rose and affluent renters returned to New York City, according to a new report from brokerage Douglas Elliman. The December median marked the highest ever recorded in the normally slow month. The median net-effective rent, adjusted for concessions from landlords, was $3,392, up 21 percent from the same period last year. The highest median rent for any month reached $3,540 a month in April 2020. Slowing lease activity suggested that rental activity is starting to return to pre-pandemic norms after the surge, said Jonathan J. Miller, an appraiser and the report’s author. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Consumer prices rise at fastest pace in 4 decades U.S. inflation rose to an annual rate of 7 percent last year, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The jump in the consumer price index in December, compared to a year earlier, was the fastest since 1982. It was the third straight month with an annual inflation rate above 6 percent. Pandemic-related supply problems contributed to the slight increase from November’s 6.8 percent pace. The core price index, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose by 5.5 percent in December compared to a year earlier, the fastest since 1991. “While inflation is likely to peak in the next few months, the overall pace is going to remain a challenge for consumers, businesses, and policy,” said Sarah House, director and senior economist at Wells Fargo. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Federal deficit fell to 2-year low in December The Treasury Department reported Wednesday that the federal government’s December deficit was $21.3 billion, the smallest monthly shortfall in two years. The shift came as the economy rebounded from the worst damage of the coronavirus pandemic, boosting tax receipts while spending on COVID-19 relief programs declined. The government has posted a $377.7 billion deficit since Oct. 1 in the first three months of the budget year, a 30.1 percent drop compared to the same period a year ago, when Washington was spending trillions to support families and businesses struggling to stay afloat through the coronavirus pandemic. Those programs are being used less now, and some have expired. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Trump hangs up on NPR interviewer who pressed him about false election claims Former President Donald Trump hung up nine minutes into what was supposed to be a 15-minute interview after NPR’s Steve Inskeep pressed him on his false claims that election fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election. Trump insisted during the interview that the only way to hold legitimate elections is to “solve the problem of the presidential rigged election of 2020.” Trump repeated his criticism of Republican Sen. Mike Rounds (S.D.), who said Sunday that the 2020 election was fair, saying that Rounds was “totally wrong” and that some Republican senators are turning on him “because Mitch McConnell is a loser.” Inskeep noted that numerous judges have rejected efforts by Trump allies to overturn 2020 election results, finding no evidence fraud affected the results. CBS NEWS 

McCarthy refuses to talk to House Jan. 6 committee House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday turned down a request for an interview with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, calling the panel “illegitimate” and accusing it of “abuse of power.” The committee earlier in the day sent McCarthy a request for an interview about his communication with then-President Donald Trump and his White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, during and after the insurrection. “You have acknowledged speaking directly with the former president while the violence was underway on Jan. 6,” the panel’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), wrote in the letter. Thompson said McCarthy also reportedly talked with Trump after the mob stormed the Capitol seeking to prevent lawmakers from certifying President Biden’s election victory. AXIOS 

U.S. imposes sanctions after North Korea missile tests The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced it was imposing sanctions on six North Koreans, one Russian, and a Russian company for helping Pyongyang acquire supplies for its weapons program from Russia and China. The penalties came after North Korea completed a series of missile launches, including two last week. These are the first sanctions directly targeting North Korea’s weapons programs that the Biden administration has imposed. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. is still committed to seeking diplomatic solutions to the standoff with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, although so far Biden administration efforts to restart a dialogue have not succeeded. REUTERS 

Biden administration to send schools 10 million COVID tests monthly The Biden administration will provide schools with 5 million COVID-19 rapid tests and 5 million more sensitive, lab-based PCR tests each month, starting this month, to counter supply shortages and help schools stay open, the White House announced Wednesday. Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, will join the administration’s pandemic-response team to supervise the testing push. The Biden administration also recently announced that it was requiring private insurers to reimburse Americans for COVID tests, and launching a website where people will be able to order free tests to be shipped to them. The increase in the supply of tests comes as the Omicron-variant-fueled wave of new cases is nearing its expected peak. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice ‘extremely unwell’ with COVID West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) postponed his State of the State address, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, after testing positive for COVID-19. Justice, 70, said he was “extremely unwell” but “thankful to the Lord above that I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve been boosted, and that I have an incredible support system, especially my loving family.” Justice added that his wife, Cathy, tested negative for the virus. Justice’s office said he was experiencing moderate symptoms, including headache, fever, congestion, and coughing. He received a monoclonal antibody treatment and is recovering at home. West Virginia’s top COVID-19 adviser, Dr. Clay Marsh, said he has “full confidence that Gov. Justice will recover quickly, and it’s because he chose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and his booster shot.” NPR 

Judge declines to dismiss sex-abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew A federal judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, against Britain’s Prince Andrew over her allegation that he sexually abused her when she was 17. The prince’s lawyers argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because of an old legal settlement between Giuffre and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who Giuffre said arranged the abusive encounters. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said that the lawsuit could proceed because the settlement between Giuffre and Epstein didn’t involve Prince Andrew. Giuffre said Andrew sexually abused her in encounters arranged by Epstein, who died in prison awaiting a sex-trafficking trial, and his companion Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last month for luring girls for Epstein to abuse. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Pop singer Ronnie Spector dies at 78 Ronnie Spector, leader of ’60s girl group the Ronettes, died Wednesday following a short battle with cancer. She was 78. Born Veronica, Spector started the Ronettes in the late 1950s with her sister, Estelle Bennett, and cousin, Nedra Talley. Their debut — and only — album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, was released in 1964. Their hits included “Be My Baby” and “Baby I Love You,” and they toured England with the Rolling Stones. The Ronettes broke up in 1967 after touring Germany, and Spector went on to release four solo albums. Spector, known for her style and love of bee-hives, wrote in her memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, that the Ronettes “weren’t afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick.” LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Jamie Lynn Spears insists she helped Britney during conservatorship battle Jamie Lynn Spears is commenting on Britney Spears’ conservatorship battle, insisting to Good Morning America that she did try to help her sister. “I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter,” the Zoey 101 star said, “so when she needed help, I set up ways to do so, went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed.” Spears’ conservatorship finally ended in November, and Jamie Lynn said she was “happy” about this, adding she “didn’t understand what was happening” when the conservatorship was set up 13 years ago. Britney Spears has repeatedly slammed her family’s handling of the conservatorship and recently unfollowed Jamie Lynn on Instagram. Britney also criticized that her sister “performed MY SONGS” at an awards show in 2017, adding, “My so-called support system hurt me deeply !!!!” Jamie Lynn tearfully told ABC of their rift, “I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.”  GOOD MORNING AMERICA 

Diane Kruger says Quentin Tarantino didn’t want to cast her in ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Quentin Tarantino almost said arrivederci to Diane Kruger while casting Inglourious Basterds. In a new podcast interview, Kruger revealed the director originally didn’t want to cast her as Bridget von Hammersmark in his 2009 war film, explaining, “He saw a movie that I was in he didn’t like. So he didn’t believe in me from the get-go.” In fact, Kruger says she only got an audition because “there was no one left,” and she recalls having to ” jump through all these hoops” to get the role, including paying for her own flight to Germany because Taratino wouldn’t meet with her in the United States. “But I was like, ‘You know what? F— him!” Kruger said. “I’m just gonna do that and prove to him that I can do it.’ And thankfully it all worked out.” Back in 2018, she said the experience of working on Inglourious Basterds was “pure joy,” adding Tarantino “treated me with utter respect.”  THE NEW YORK POST 

U.S. college enrollment drops again U.S. college enrollment dropped by 465,300 students, or 3.1 percent, in the fall compared to a year earlier, according to a report released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The decline, which came as universities took steps back to normal operations, continued a trend that began earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 1 million students now missing from U.S. campuses as attitudes shift about the value of a college education, potentially altering a generation’s career prospects. “The longer this continues, the more it starts to build its own momentum as a cultural shift and not just a short-term effect of the of the pandemic disruptions,” Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, told The Washington Post. THE WASHINGTON POST 

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