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CHEAT SHEET
1. WHAT NOW?
Theresa May Loses Critical Brexit Vote

Theresa May’s Brexit deal, which she negotiated with the European Union in an attempt to give the U.K. the smoothest possible exit from the bloc, has been overwhelmingly rejected by British lawmakers. Members of Parliament voted to reject the deal 432 to 202. The rejection of the deal—which was the sum total of May’s two years of work—leaves the future of the prime minister and the U.K. deeply uncertain. The country is still due to leave the EU at the end of March this year. If a deal can’t win the support of a majority of lawmakers by then, and May doesn’t attempt to extend the deadline of the exit, Britain would crash out of the EU with no deal in place. Such a scenario would see the British economy shrink by 9.3 percent, according to the British government’s own analysis. May can now attempt to win more concessions from the EU and ask British lawmakers to vote on the deal again, proceed with the risky no deal option, or roll the dice with another referendum and let the public decide what they want. The opposition Labour party may also call for a no confidence vote in the government which could ultimately lead to a general election.

Read it at BBC
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2. WATCH
The 5 Videos You Have to See Right Now

Welcome to the Video Cheat Sheet, your source for the videos you absolutely have to see right now. Today, we have a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, teachers protesting in Greece, a 51-year-old white man knocking down an 11-year-old black girl, a citywide snowball fight at the Washington Monument in D.C., and a mouse that just doesn’t seem to understand that it can’t run down an escalator going up.

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3. BOMBSHELL
El Chapo Witness: Drug Kingpin Gave Mexican Prez $100M Bribe

A witness at Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s trial claimed the notorious drug kingpin paid former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto a $100 million bribe, The New York Times reports. Alex Cifuentes Villa, a Colombian drug lord and longtime associate of Guzman’s, reportedly said in Brooklyn federal court that the bribe was delivered to Peña Nieto “through an intermediary.” According to Reuters, Villa also said he informed authorities that Guzman arranged the bribe in 2016. Guzman is accused of bringing almost half a million pounds of cocaine into the U.S. as the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Peña Nieto served as Mexico’s president from 2012 to 2018, and served in a number of high-ranking government positions before his presidential tenure.

Read it at The New York Times
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4. ‘UNDER ATTACK’
7 Dead in ‘Terror Attack’ at Kenyan Hotel Complex: Reuters

At least seven people were killed when armed men stormed an upscale hotel complex in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Somali militant group al-Shabab has taken responsibility for the assault, which authorities have called a “terror attack.” Kenyan security forces have secured the buildings where gunmen mounted the deadly attack, and expect the death toll to rise as bodies are recovered, according to government officials. “The security teams have evacuated scores of Kenyans and other nationalities from the (hotel and office) buildings,” Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said, according to CNN. “We are now in the final stages of mopping up the area and securing evidence and documenting the consequences of these unfortunate events.”

Witnesses told BBC that four armed men entered the hotel complex, and a person inside the complex told Reuters they were “under attack” before hanging up the phone. Footage from the scene showed cars set on fire and armed officers escorting office workers to safety as the sound of shots rang out. “I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives,” a woman in a neighboring building told Reuters. The attack happened in an upscale neighborhood of the capital city. Victims are now being escorted out of the area by armed officers, BBC reports. Video from CBS News showed smoke rising from the area in the Westland district of the city near the DusitD2 spa hotel and office spaces. Nairobi police commander Philip Ndolo confirmed they had already cordoned off the area due to a suspected robbery.

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Read it at BBC
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5. AD BY BERLIN PARTNER
Berlin Fashion Week Is Cutting-Edge Fashion AND Tech

Fashion isn’t about looking good. Or, we should say, it’s not just about looking good. It’s always been about innovation and about how clothes contribute to a larger cultural discussion. Nowhere is this more evident than Berlin Fashion Week, where the intersections of fashion, technology, and sustainability take center stage...er...center catwalk.

From reinvented (and redesigned) music wearables to a company pioneering tools to help fashion labels create sustainably,  Berlin’s fashion scene isn’t just about looking amazing (though, of course, everyone does); it’s about creating fashion that pushes the boundaries of what people imagine clothes can do.

Berlin Fashion Week is happening now, so check out the official website to keep abreast of the newest advancements unveiled.

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6. STOP IT
Judge: Trump Admin Can’t Add Citizenship Question to Census

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration cannot add to the 2020 U.S. Census a question about respondents’ citizenship. Critics had decried Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ move to include the question, arguing that it would dissuade immigrants of all kinds from responding to the decennial survey, which helps allocate congressional seats and approximately $675 billion in federal funding. The plaintiffs, which included 18 states, the District of Columbia, and activist groups, claimed the Trump administration was aware of that potential, and actively attempted to reduce the response rate of immigrants by adding the “arbitrary” and “capricious” question. The Trump administration claimed it had the authority to change the Census if it chose to, and that aggressive follow-up from personnel would ensure that response rates didn’t drop. The administration is expected to appeal the decision.

Dale Ho, the director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, heralded the ruling. “The ruling is a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration’s attempt to weaponize the Census for an attack on immigrant communities,” Ho was quoted as saying in a statement. “The evidence at trial, including from the government’s own witness, exposed how adding a citizenship question would wreck the once-in-a-decade count of the nation’s population. The inevitable result would have been—and the administration’s clear intent was—to strip federal resources and political representation from those needing it most.”

Read it at U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
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7. DOWN IN HISTORY
Watch: New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge Blown Up

A section of New York’s old Tappan Zee bridge was demolished Tuesday morning, as explosives attached to the former span were detonated and sent it plummeting into the Hudson River. Since 1955, the Tappan Zee has carried travelers across the Hudson about 30 miles north of New York City—but in recent years, drivers have complained about the bridge’s notoriously bad infrastructure. Gov. Andrew Cuomo even got in on the criticism in 2017, the New York Daily News notes, when he recalled dreaming up how he would escape if the bridge collapsed. “‘Do I take off the seatbelt? Do I open the window?’ I had one of those special tools with the hammer and the seatbelt cutter,” Cuomo said, adding that “I think it traumatized an entire generation.” The Tappan Zee has already been replaced by the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, an homage to his father. Officials originally worried that demolishing the old bridge could harm the Hudson’s marine life—but the span was reportedly so structurally shaky that an explosion was the only option.

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Read it at New York Daily News
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8. COME AGAIN?
Barr ‘Can Conceive’ of Prosecuting Journos ‘as Last Resort’

President Trump’s attorney general nominee, William Barr, told a Senate panel Tuesday that he “can conceive of situations” where the Justice Department might jail reporters. Barr made the worrisome remark in response to a question from Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who asked Barr, “If you’re confirmed, will the Justice Department jail reporters for doing their jobs?” Barr reportedly did not give a direct answer, but finished his response by stating that prosecuting reporters would be a “last resort” that could happen, especially if a news outlet has run through a “red flag.” Barr also faced questions about how he would oversee Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Barr told senators he would not be “bullied” into interfering with the Mueller investigation. “I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong,” Barr said. “By anybody. Whether it be editorial boards, or Congress or the President. I’m going to do what I think is right.” Barr also pledged to release Mueller’s findings to the public under the proper regulations.

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Read it at CNN
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9. FOUL
Ex-World Series MVP Accused of Child Sex Abuse

John Wetteland, the 1996 World Series MVP, was arrested Monday on one charge of child sexual abuse, according to a report from The Dallas Morning News. The News notes that the former player, who pitched for the Yankees, Dodgers, Expos, and Rangers, stands accused of “continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14,” but did not provide more specific information. Wetteland reportedly posted bond on the day he was arrested, and has since been released from custody. At one time, he also reportedly coached baseball and worked as a bible studies teacher at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas—but he does not appear to be affiliated with the school at this time.

Read it at The Dallas Morning News
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10. HEALTHY
New York State Bans LGBT Conversion Therapy Aimed at Minors

New York State will soon prohibit efforts to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity, thanks to a conversion-therapy ban that easily cleared the state legislature on Tuesday with a 57-4 vote in the State Senate and a 143-3 vote in the State Assembly.

The ban, as the Associated Press reported, has historically faced roadblocks in the New York State Senate, which was under Republican control until the 2018 midterms when Democrats regained a majority. The bill was the second major piece of LGBT rights legislation—alongside the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA—to be passed by the New York State Legislature in the same day.  

A total of 15 states and the District of Columbia have now instituted bans on the medically-discredited practice of conversion therapy, while major municipalities in states without such bans continue to pass their own. The New York City Council, for example, voted to ban conversion therapy in 2017. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who in 2016 issued an executive order barring insurers from covering conversion therapy for minors, is expected to sign both the conversion therapy ban and GENDA in the coming days.

Samantha Allen

Read it at NBC News
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