By Lauren Weber
Wednesday February 4th, 2015
TOP STORIES
JORDAN RETALIATES AFTER ISIS RELEASES HORRIFIC VIDEO OF JORDAN PILOT'S EXECUTION "In a swift and decisive response, Jordan authorities executed at dawn Wednesday two Iraqi terror convicts just hours after Islamic State militants released a video showing a Jordanian pilot burned to death in a cage." The horrific staged killing of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh is being used as propaganda for the militant group. [WaPo]
DEMS TO BOYCOTT NETANYAHU'S SPEECH TO CONGRESS "Vice President Joe Biden won’t commit to attending Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress next month. He’s not the only one. Dozens of House Democrats are privately threatening to skip the March 3 address, according to lawmakers and aides, in what’s become the lowest point of a relationship between the Israeli prime minister and President Barack Obama that’s never been good." [Politico]
TRANSASIA FLIGHT CRASHES IN TAIWAN Rescuers continue to pull survivors from the water after a passenger plane carrying 58 people crashed into a river in Taipei, Taiwan's capital. At least 23 people were killed in the crash, which was caught on video. [NYT]
TRAIN CRASH KILLS 7 IN NY'S METRO NORTH Seven died and dozens were injured when a New York commuter train slammed into a SUV at a crossing. The tragedy is the deadliest accident in the railroad's history. [NYT]
READ SOME OF THE EMAILS THAT BROUGHT DOWN DAVID PETRAEUS "In late 2012, Jill Kelley’s talent as a Tampa hostess and her knack for charming men in uniform indirectly triggered one of the most embarrassing national security scandals of the past decade. Among other casualties, the fallout led to the forced resignation of CIA Director David H. Petraeus -- a former four-star Army general -- and the early retirement of Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan." The Pentagon released a trove of heavily redacted emails between Kelly and top military brass. [WaPo]
WARRANT FOR ARGENTINE PRESIDENT'S ARREST FOUND IN PROSECUTOR'S APARTMENT "An Argentine prosecutor found dead in mysterious circumstances last month had drafted a request that President Cristina Fernandez be arrested for conspiring to derail his probe into the deadly bombing of a Jewish center, the investigator into his death said on Tuesday. The papers were found in the trash at Alberto Nisman's apartment while his property was being scoured for clues over whether the father-of-two committed suicide or was murdered." [Reuters]
U.S. DESTROYING LAST LARGE STOCKPILE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS Over 2,600 tons of mustard agent will be disposed of. [AP]
WHAT’S BREWING
HARPER LEE TO RELEASE 'MOCKINGBIRD' SEQUEL "Now, at age 88, Ms. Lee has revealed that she wrote another novel after all -- a sequel of sorts to 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' featuring an aging Atticus Finch and his grown daughter, Scout. On Tuesday, Ms. Lee’s publisher announced its plans to release that novel, recently rediscovered, which Ms. Lee completed in the mid-1950s, before she wrote 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' The 304-page book, 'Go Set a Watchman,' takes place 20 years later in the same fictional town." [NYT]
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH HER Felicity Jones just landed the starring role in a stand-alone "Star Wars" movie. [Variety]
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR KANYE AT THE GRAMMYS He'll be performing twice. [HuffPost]
RANKING ALL 121 BILLY JOEL SONGS Vienna waits for you. [Vulture]
BEFORE THE MATERNITY LEAVE "What goes less noticed is the way pregnancy and immediate postpartum life itself plays a serious role in slowing professional momentum for women for whom the simple -- and celebrated -- act of having a baby turns out to be a stunningly precarious economic and professional choice." [New Republic]
COMBATING THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS "An estimated 43.7 million American adults -- 18.6 percent of all adults in the U.S. -- suffer from a mental illness. But only 13.4 percent of U.S. adults get any mental health treatment at all. The reasons why are complex and include structural policy problems like the lack of mental health research and a growing psychiatrist shortage. There's at least one way that all of us, however, can help more people get the care they need. It's through understanding and combatting the stigma associated with mental illness." [HuffPost]
ON THE BLOG
CANCER PREVENTION: MORE ESSENTIAL THAN EVER "In 2015, Americans should know that what we eat, drink and how much we exercise have a profound effect on our health and well-being. Exposure to harmful, cancer-causing chemicals in our personal care products, cosmetics, cleaning agents and foods is raising our risk for cancer. And our children are most vulnerable to the effects of diet, exercise, and environmental toxins, and will predict their future health outcomes." [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
~ Drive in the snow in a regular car without losing your mind.
~ Rihanna dropped the video for "FourFiveSeconds" with Paul McCartney and Kanye West.
~ The marketing campaign for "Magic Mike XXL" is truly inspired.
~ We finally have Vanity Fair's Hollywood cover, and Amy Adams looks a tad uncomfortable.
~ You're my favorite muggle: All the dorky Valentine's cards you could ever want.
~ Watch the Coast Guard rescue this dog from icy waters.
~ Nobody's buying Amazon's Fire tablets.
~ Here's the first two minutes of the midseason return of "The Walking Dead."
~ How to make anyone feel awkward on Facebook, in one minute.
~ Cats and boxes.
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