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| TOP STORIES |
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| GOP presidential candidates face delicate balancing act |
| DES MOINES — The most wide-open Republican presidential nomination campaign in memory had its unofficial opening here on Saturday at a gathering that highlighted anew the thorny path ahead for candidates as they try to attract support from the party’s conservative base without compromising their hopes of winning a general election. Read full article » |
| India’s Modi welcomes Obama with a big hug |
| NEW DELHI -- When President Obama walked off Air Force One here Sunday morning, he was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who walked up to Obama and gave him a big hug.The airport meeting, a break from tradition, and embrace comes as the two countries are looking to reinvigorate a relationship that had stagnated in recent years -- and one that both men hope will benefit from a personal rapport they developed last year. Read full article » |
| Potential for blockbuster snow storm along Northeast coast Monday night, Tuesday |
| The storm’s configuration and rapid intensification could lead to wicked wind speeds which, in combination with snow, may create white-out conditions that would be paralyzing for travel. Read full article » |
| Japan’s prime minister condemns video said to show hostage killed by Islamic State |
| TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was “speechless” after a video uploaded Saturday appeared to show the decapitated body of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State. Read full article » |
| Rand Paul’s claim that ‘over half of the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts’ |
| “What I tell people is, if you look like me and you hop out of your truck, you shouldn’t be getting a disability check. Over half of the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts — join the club. Who doesn’t get a little anxious for work and their back hurts? Everybody over 40 has a back pain. And I am not saying that there are not legitimately people who are disabled. But the people who are the malingerers are the ones taking the money away from the people who are paraplegic, quadriplegic. You know, we all know people who are horrifically disabled and can’t work, but if you have able bodied people taking the money, then there is not enough money for the people who are truly disabled.” Read full article » |
| New far-right anti-immigrant sentiment hits German streets |
| DRESDEN, Germany — Ahmed, a 36-year-old Moroccan, hoped to find a better life in Europe’s economic powerhouse, Germany. But these days in Dresden, he said, he is afraid to walk the streets.This urban phoenix rebuilt from ashes after World War II is the center of a movement against immigrants — Muslims in particular — that has shocked much of the rest of Germany even as anti-immigration marches have spread to 10 cities nationwide. Downtown Dresden, Ahmed and other immigrants here say, has become a no-go zone for them on Monday nights, when the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West — or Pegida, in German — stages its weekly rallies. Read full article » |
| Ex-spies infiltrate Hollywood as espionage TV shows and movies multiply |
| NEW YORK — The place in Brooklyn looks like a CIA safehouse. Red brick office building with peeling metal awning. No sign. Inside, writers are plotting out the popular Cold War espionage show “The Americans” — one of an assortment of Hollywood spy and national security dramas being driven by ex-spies. Read full article » |
| Deeply conservative Oklahoma adjusts to sudden arrival of same-sex marriage |
| The “polite gays,” was how Tracy and Kathryn described themselves. Not political or loud, not obvious or overt, but understated, in keeping with their Oklahoma surroundings. Never asking anyone to think too hard or talk too much about the fact that they were gay at all. Except now they were about to ask everyone they knew to think about it, because they’d decided to have a wedding. Read full article » |
| When your rental breaks down, how do you avoid blowing it? Sometimes you can’t. |
| A car rental should be the least dramatic part of your vacation. You pick up the vehicle, you drive it, you return it to the airport. All done.Unless you’re John Themelis. When he rented a VW Passat from Hertz in San Francisco recently, his car blew a tire in a remote part of Northern California. More from Travel:Travel GuideSki GuideCaribbean Guide Read full article » |
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| POLITICS |
| At controversial prayer rally, Jindal calls for spiritual revival |
| Skipping an Iowa event that drew a number of 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls in favor of a controversial Louisiana prayer rally, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) called for a national spiritual revival and urged event attendees to proselytize on behalf of their Christian beliefs. Read full article » |
| Virginia happy hours could become less secretive if new booze law passes |
| It’s after five but before seven on a recent Friday evening, and across Clarendon, despite the odds, office workers have found themselves sitting in front of discounted drinks. Happy hour in Virginia is a somewhat secretive affair. Bars can detail drink specials anywhere inside an establishment. But signs in windows, chalkboards on the street, online menus and social media accounts are heavily restricted. Only recently were bars allowed to reveal outside their walls that they had drink specials at all. If new proposed legislation succeeds, they might be able to say what drinks are involved — say, tequila cocktails or Dominion beer. But they still won’t be allowed to advertise the price. Read full article » |
| Charles Koch calls on fellow conservative donors to expand their commitment |
| RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.— Conservative benefactor Charles Koch on Saturday called on other wealthy donors to expand their commitment to promoting free-market ideas and shrinking government, saying they would only succeed if the cause was “a central part of our lives.” Read full article » |
| OPINIONS |
| William Bratton: Reconciling cops and civilians requires being good to each other |
| There is a divide in America, and in New York City. It is racial, but it is also about poverty and failed social systems and unequal access to the American Dream.On one hand are the protesters, who see a criminal justice system that incarcerates vast numbers of minorities, especially young black men, and subjects even larger numbers to obtrusive enforcement. Many see police officers as willing agents of that system, and some see them as racist, brutal and even murderous. Read full article » |
| Colbert King: There’s nothing secular about Boko Haram |
| A reader of last week’s column about Islamist extremism wrote, “It is not really about Islam. It is about things you understand all too well: poverty, alienation, disenfranchisement, and a search for meaning and identity. Identifying with Muslim extremist groups gives terrorists a package of support, doctrine, and legitimacy to draw on.” The writer commented that, while Boko Haram does not have “much to do with Islam,” through its militancy it is able to attract money and training from groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Read full article » |
| Abolish West Point — and the other service academies, too |
| Most Americans are familiar with the prestige that surrounds the United States military service academies. Various names and phrases, spoken like solemn incantations, attest to their sacrosanct status: the Point, the Long Gray Line, Annapolis, cadets. Their graduates constitute a who’s who of American greatness, including Ulysses Grant, Jimmy Carter, novelist James Salter and sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein, to name a few. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in a 1962 address at West Point, typified the veneration when he told the cadets that they were “the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense.” Read full article » |
| End Obamacare, and people could die. That’s okay. |
| Say conservatives have their way with Obamacare, and the Supreme Court deals it a death blow or a Republican president repeals it in 2017. Some people who got health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act may lose it. In which case, liberals like to say, some of Obamacare’s beneficiaries may die. Read full article » |
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| LOCAL |
| D.C. area forecast: Tricky storm brings snow tonight into Monday, cold start to the work week |
| Tonight’s clipper system is set to explode into an intense Nor’easter. The question is, how much snow does it give us before heading up the coast? Read full article » |
| Metro begins to address riders’ safety concerns after Yellow Line incident |
| Dear Dr. Gridlock:For the last 14 years, my commute from Alexandria to downtown Washington has routinely included the Yellow Line. Since the tragic incident on Jan. 12, however, I have been very hesitant to get back on. Read full article » |
| Sunday night-Monday snow likely to cause problems; exact accumulations elusive |
| Accumulation totals are elusive, but at least a thin blanket of white is expected. Read full article » |
| SPORTS |
| Wizards vs. Trail Blazers: Washington falls to LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland, 103-96 |
| PORTLAND, Ore. — Word trickled through the Moda Center on Saturday morning as the Washington Wizards concluded their shoot-around. LaMarcus Aldridge, the all-star power forward Washington expected to dodge during its only regular season visit to the Pacific Northwest, had a change of heart. Read full article » |
| TV and radio listings: January 25 |
| NFL8 p.m. Pro Bowl » ESPNNBA1 p.m. Miami at Chicago » WJLA (Ch. 7), WMAR (Ch. 2), WTEM (980 AM)3:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Cleveland » WJLA (Ch. 7), WMAR (Ch. 2), WTEM (980 AM) Read full article » |
| 2015 NHL All-Star Game: After skills competition, Alex Ovechkin still really wants a car |
| COLUMBUS, Ohio — After he struck out swinging with a goaltender’s stick and creamed a blistering slapper that still lost in the hardest shot competition by 7 mph, Alex Ovechkin was still focused on winning a car. Read full article » |
| Wizards at Trail Blazers: Game 44 discussion thread |
| PORTLAND — The Washington Wizards (29-14) begin a four-game West Coast trip Saturday night with a stiff test against a squad receiving an unforeseen boost.The Portland Trail Blazers (31-13), losers of five of their past six games, were expected to be without all-star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge for up to eight weeks due to a torn ligament in his left thumb. Instead, he will be in uniform against the Wizards after deciding to put off surgery. Read full article » |
| FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
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| Inspector general rips TSA over redaction of JFK airport audit |
| The Transportation Security Administration abused its authority to classify information as too sensitive for release when it blocked sections of a recent audit report from being published, according to the agency’s independent watchdog. Read full article » |
| Disney cool on State Department pitch to use ‘Frozen’ to teach climate change |
| When a senior State Department official asked a Disney executive if they wanted to build a public service announcement, he was told to let it go.Adm. Robert Papp, the U.S. special representative for the Arctic, visited Disney in California with an idea to use the beloved characters from the highest-grossing animated film of all time, “Frozen,” to teach children about climate change. Read full article » |
| Supremes protect federal whistleblowers |
| Winning a Supreme Court case can be like winning a championship football game.It’s exciting and thrilling, but winner Robert MacLean said he isn’t planning on visiting Disneyland anytime soon.Instead, the former federal air marshal is returning to the much less glamorous Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to get back his job. Read full article » |
| NATIONAL |
| Boston, you’re my less insecure home… |
| I was abroad when it was announced that Boston had won the U.S. Olympic Committee nomination to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, besting bids by San Francisco, Los Angeles, and D.C. When I heard, I felt an understandable mix of local pride and fear about doing business with the International Olympics Committee. Read full article » |
| Why putting a Bush or Clinton back in the White House could be harder than you think |
| The 2016 presidential campaign, now in full swing in the media and the political class, starts with a fundamental question: How can American voters, who are so dissatisfied with Washington politics and the state of the nation, name the wife of one former president, and the son and brother of two others as top candidates for the White House? National dissatisfaction is at a dismal 68 percent, and Americans’ confidence in their government has been in steady decline for years. And yet, voters seem prepared to put two familiar names — Bush and Clinton — back at the helm. In recent polls, Hillary Clinton led the Democratic field by an average 49.5 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics. And Jeb Bush led the crowded GOP field by an average 5.8 percentage points, when Mitt Romney is taken out of consideration. (When Romney’s name is included, he becomes the top choice of the Republicans by an average 8.8 percentage points, and Bush slips into second.) Read full article » |
| Want to convince people that climate change is real? Stop talking about the science of it. |
| Scientists tell us the world is warming and that a climate catastrophe is imminent. They’re probably right. Yet climate change framed by scientists, politicians and economists as a straightforward pollution problem will neither convince skeptics nor advance the difficult decision-making process. Read full article » |
| WORLD |
| As normalization talks begin, Cubans begin anticipating changes to come |
| HAVANA — Most Americans have been barred by their own government from visiting Cuba for decades. For the rest of the world, it’s just another Caribbean vacation destination.Millions of sandals- and shorts-wearing Europeans, Canadians and Latin Americans flock here each year for the wide beaches and free-flowing rum. Although the accommodations are modern, the Cuba experience also offers a step back in time, to a slow-moving land of belching 1950s cars and peeling Spanish mansions — thanks to both the state-run economy and the U.S. embargo enacted in 1960 — and the residual glory of a once world-famous revolution. Read full article » |
| High-value Guantanamo detainees call home for the first time in nearly a decade |
| For almost a decade, the 15 detainees considered to be the most dangerous at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been locked in a special top-security facility, deprived of some of the privileges granted to other prisoners, such as communal living, live television and periodic calls with their families. Read full article » |
| Why Obama’s trip to India’s Republic Day is a big deal |
| NEW DELHI — President Obama is traveling about 7,500 miles to be the guest at a parade here. But it’s not just any procession.Obama will attend India’s annual Republic Day parade, a stunning, hours-long spectacle that showcases India’s culture, military, states and federal programs.The parade, held Jan. 26, celebrates the adoption of the Indian Constitution — the day that India became a republic. (It’s not the same as Indian Independence Day, which is in August.)Each year, the Indian government invites a different foreign head of state to be its special guest. Last year it was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.“It’s India’s most important formal invitation to offer,” said Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.The unprecedented invitation to Obama, which officials said came as a surprise, would have been unheard of a few years ago as the relationship between the two countries stagnated. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in May, sees the relationship with the United States as one that is good for both India and his ambitions, despite personal and political tensions. Modi was denied a visa by the U.S. government in 2005 due to alleged violations of religious freedom. Modi offered Obama the invitation after the men met in Washington in September.“I think President Obama was personally honored to receive that invitation,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. “ I think he sees this as a potentially transitional if not transformational moment for the relationship, because we have a very strong and clear indication from India’s leadership that they want to elevate” our cooperation and relationship.Obama will be both the first U.S. president to attend the parade and the first to visit India twice while in office. The invitation from Modi also underscores how the men both use social media — Modi put the news on Twitter and the White House publicly accepted via the network.This Republic Day, we hope to have a friend over…invited President Obama to be the 1st US President to grace the occasion as Chief Guest..@narendramodi: President Obama looks forward to celebrating Republic Day in New Delhi with you: http://t.co/70cQ7rpppfObama was also scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal, but shortened his trip to travel to Saudi Arabia, where he will pay respects to the family of the late King Abdullah, who died last week.Obama should expect to see quite a show filled with pomp and military precision. President Pranjab Mukherjee presides over the parade. It will start with Modi laying a wreath at India Gate to honor members of the military who were killed, followed by a 21-gun salute and the national anthem. The parade proceeds down Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard, and ends at India’s war memorial. It’s an elaborate spectacle combines elements of a U.S. inauguration, a Russian victory parade and the Trooping of the Color in London, said Tanvi Madan, director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution.Members of the military will march in formation, a nod to India’s military power and as Modi wants to jointly develop weapons with the U.S. Madan said the Indian border security’s camel contingent— kind of like a cavalry unit but with camels — marches each year.There will be dances by individuals and groups and elephants marching. A few dozen floats will roll down the wide boulevard; typically they come from one of India’s states. Others showcase government programs — it would be like having a float for Obamacare in the annual Rose Bowl parade.Indian media is reporting that one theme this year will be Modi’s “Made in India” campaign, which aims to turn India into a global manufacturing hub.Portions of the parade are open to the public, but require tickets. Needless to say security is going to be extremely, extremely tight. According to the Wall Street Journal, cellphones, food and even remote controlled car keys won’t be allowed on the parade route. Tradition dictates that India's president and the visiting head of state travel together to the parade, but this year reports are that the Secret Service would rather have Obama travel in his own car, an armored limo known as The Beast.Madan said this trip shows that the relationship between the two countries is getting serious.“It’s India finally taking the us home to mom and saying here, this is the person I go talk to very quietly usually. I wouldn’t understate the symbolism,” she said. Read full article » |
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| BUSINESS |
| Cosigning is crazy: Day 14 of the 21-day financial fast |
| Cosigning is the worst kind of debt. You are often pledging to pay a debt for an asset that you have no control over. Many people don’t really understand what it means to cosign. Did you know that the lender can come after you even if one payment is missed? The creditor can use the same collection methods against you that can be used against the primary borrower. They can sue you, too. If the debt goes into default, that negative information can end up on your credit reports. Read full article » |
| The winners and losers of a strong dollar |
| It’s a really good time to own wads of crisp, green American cash.As President Obama boasted during his State of the Union address last week, the U.S. economy is back. The job market is growing at a pace unseen in 15 years. The unemployment rate is lower than it was before the financial crisis hit. The Federal Reserve could — at last — raise interest rates from rock-bottom levels this year or the next. As the man said: “This is good news, people.” Read full article » |
| Obama’s visit spurs hope that obstacles to U.S.-India relations can be overcome |
| For decades, the reality of U.S. relations with India has fallen short of the much-ballyhooed potential.Nearly nine years ago, for example, President George W. Bush signed controversial legislation clearing the way for U.S. sales to India’s civilian nuclear energy sector, brushing aside restrictions that had been in effect since 1974 when India tested its first nuclear bomb. Read full article » |
| TECHNOLOGY |
| This device thinks it can be the last smartphone you will ever need |
| By now, upgrading a smartphone has gotten fairly routine, so much so that it seems like consumers often do so simply out of habit. It’s a costly one, however, with consumers coughing up over $11 billon each year for a new shiny gadget. Much of these expenses are often hidden in carrier contracts. Read full article » |
| Microsoft’s HoloLens may be the least stupid pair of smartglasses yet |
| Microsoft showed off its HoloLens headset on Wednesday, a device that just may win the prize for the least stupid pair of smartglasses launched by a major tech company to date.It's a dubious honor. But Microsoft ably handled its first reveal of the HoloLens with a mix of modesty, optimism and showmanship. And introducing a promising piece of future technology is pretty important for the company as it looks to make over its image as a stodgy firm that's unable to cope with changes in the industry. Read full article » |
| Yes, we’re still using dumb passwords. But not nearly as much as before. |
| Another year, another study shouting about how we're all using lazy passwords like "123456" and "abc123." Protip: Don't use these passwords. They're easy to break and even easier to guess. But while it may seem as though the Internet never learns — an impression that's only bolstered by the past year's high-profile hackings and data breaches — there's a more important takeaway: It turns out we are getting better at not using lame passwords. Read full article » |
| Chris ‘moot’ Poole is leaving 4chan, the site he founded when he was 15 |
| The founder and only official employee of 4Chan announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down after 11 years.Chris Poole, better known as "moot," started the often controversial online message board when he was 15 years old and has been the site's only administrator ever since. The site is highly influential online, generating many of the memes and pranks that spread to the larger Internet -- notably that time some of its users tried to send Justin Bieber to North Korea. Read full article » |
| LIFESTYLE |
| How Blake Shelton replaced Taylor Swift as the face of country music |
| This weekend, Blake Shelton will do the most mainstream American of mainstream American things: Be the host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.”Shelton is the first country singer to host the famed late-night sketch show since Taylor Swift, who took the stage in November 2009, way back when she was decidedly still a country star. It’s a fitting, pass-the-baton situation: Now that Swift has officially defected to the pop world, Nashville needs a new face of mainstream country music. And that role belongs to Shelton. Read full article » |
| A meat-and-potatoes (and vending-machine tuna) woman in a haute cuisine world |
| I’m not a “food” person. By that I mean I eat by-the-pound lunch and vending-machine tuna. I don’t think that says I have no taste, but I am open to the idea that it’s time to up my game. That point was brought home in a recent conversation with my colleague-slash-office husband, Manuel. An urbane, sophisticated bon vivant, he was catching me up on his trip to Italy, which included the best meals, he said. He had the pictures on his phone to prove it. Read full article » |
| Remembering SkyMall, the in-flight catalogue at the apex of commercialism |
| SkyMall has been grounded, perhaps permanently. The parent company of the ubiquitous airline catalogue announced it filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, and not even a Hotshot Corporate Turnaround Specialist ($24,499.95) may be able to rescue it from the abyss. Read full article » |
| Carolyn Hax: Phone-obsessed Mom unplugged from the family |
| Dear Carolyn: My wife of 20 years has become obsessed with her phone. She is constantly checking Facebook, texts and e-mail, while seeming to ignore me and our three kids at home and in the car. While I drive, her head is always down, staring at her phone, unaware of what the rest of us are seeing or talking about. I try to start conversations, but she usually responds with one or two words then is back to her screen. Read full article » |
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