Scientists Recover Oldest Wooden Tools Ever From Greece
Two artifacts found at a lake shore in Greece are the oldest wooden tools to be uncovered so far and date back 430,000 years.
One is a spindly stick about 2 1/2 feet long that could have been used for digging in the mud. The other is a smaller, more mysterious handheld chunk of willow or poplar wood that may have been used to shape stone tools, according to research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Trump Announces Tariffs On South Korean Products Increasing To 25%
President Donald Trump announced Monday that because the South Korean legislature is "not living up to its Deal with the United States" by enacting its trade agreement with the United States, he's increasing the tariffs on auto, lumber, pharmaceutical and other South Korean products from 15% to 25%.
"Our Trade Deals are very important to America," Trump wrote. "In each of these Deals, we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to. We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same."
‘It’s Hideous’: Actors At Sundance Denounce ICE Violence
Celebrities at Sundance denounced the fatal violence by federal immigration agents as “hideous,” “absolutely horrific” and “the worst of humanity” while attending the film festival this weekend.
“What’s going on in our country right now is absolutely horrific with what the federal government, Trump’s government, Kristi Noem, ICE — what they’re doing is really the worst of the worst of humanity,” actress Natalie Portman told Deadline after Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday.
“It's hideous," said director and actress Olivia Wilde, who emphasized the need “to cast ICE out" and "delegitimize this unbelievably criminal organization” in a Saturday interview with Variety.
Others, including Elijah Wood, also spoke out by participating in a Sunday protest dubbed “Sundancers Melt ICE,” which sought to memorialize 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother and poet killed by ICE, as well as Pretti, an ICU nurse.
The demonstration added to massive protests across the country as outrage about ICE’s brutality has only continued to grow.
Dick Durbin Not So Thrilled To Wait 5 Weeks For Kristi Noem To Testify At Senate
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin appeared to make a dig at Kristi Noem after reports the embattled Homeland Security secretary will come testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee ... in March.
"Secretary Noem refused to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year and now tells us that she will be available in five weeks — should she still be DHS Secretary at the time," the Illinois Democrat, who serves as the committee's ranking member, said in a Monday statement.
"With all of the violence and deaths involving DHS, the Secretary is apparently in no hurry to account for her mismanagement of this national crisis," he continued. "And she expects us to rubber stamp her record-breaking budget in the meantime."
Since last June, Durbin has been calling on Noem to testify before the committee regarding "escalating use of alarming" federal immigration enforcement tactics. According to the senator, Noem said she will testify on March 3.
Frey Says Trump Agreed With Him That 'The Present Situation Can't Continue'
President Donald Trump and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke on the phone Monday about federal agents' presence in Minnesota, both men confirmed.
"I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis," Trump wrote. "Lots of progress is being made!"
Frey said that Trump "agreed the present situation can’t continue" and that some federal agents will begin leaving the area soon.
"I expressed how much Minneapolis has benefited from our immigrant communities and was clear that my main ask is that Operation Metro Surge needs to end," Frey said of his conversation with Trump. "The president agreed the present situation can’t continue."
Frey will meet with Border Czar Tom Homan on Tuesday, the mayor and Trump confirmed.
Bangor Airport And Police Contradict FAA Statement On Small Plane Crash In Maine
The Bangor, Maine, police department and the Bangor International Airport released a joint statement Monday about a small plane crash on Sunday night, sharing an account that conflicts with that of the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We would like to acknowledge that we are aware there are sources providing information regarding the Sunday night aircraft accident at Bangor International Airport that have not been verified or vetted through all appropriate channels before being released,” the statement said.
“According to the flight manifest there were six people on the flight. No one from the incident was transported to the hospital, and all on the flight are presumed to be deceased. The identities of the people on the flight are not being released publicly at this time, pending positive identification,” the statement continued.
However, the FAA has said that eight people were on board — seven of whom are dead and one of whom is injured. HuffPost reached out to the FAA for additional comment but has not yet heard back.
Texas Governor Says White House Must 'Recalibrate' ICE After Deadly Shooting
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that the White House needs to "recalibrate" how it handles immigration enforcement, in a way that improves public trust and respect, after the recent shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti sparked massive backlash.
"In general, we need to have respect for law enforcement officers in the country," the Trump-friendly Republican said on the conservative "Mark David Show." "And so they, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be re-instilled."
Abbott still mostly blamed the ongoing violence in Minnesota on state and local Democratic leaders, who have called for federal immigration agents to stop targeting civilians and leave the state.
"Texas actually ranks No. 1 for ICE removals, and yet we don't have fighting and protests like that," he said of his border state. "And that's because we have leaders — whether it be the governor or local mayors, or other local leaders — no one's trying to incite violence here in the state of Texas."
Houston News Anchors Are … Freezing T-Shirts
Been there, done that, froze the T-shirt.
Gage Goulding, a reporter with local Houston news station KPRC, successfully tested a novel new metric in weather reporting Monday by ... freezing a Buc-ee’s shirt solid.
At a temperature of around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, the soaked piece of fabric transformed into a crisp flat pancake in about 15 minutes, according to the station.
Solid work.
Read more at KPRC:
Top Immigration Officials Summoned To Testify Before Senate Committee
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, summoned on Monday top immigration enforcement officials to testify before his panel in the aftermath of the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minnesota by a federal officer.
The Kentucky senator has written to the heads of Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and asked them to appear before his committee at a Feb. 12 hearing.
In each respective letter, Paul noted the “exceptional amount of funding” that has been allocated to the Department of Homeland Security for border security, and says that Congress “has an obligation to conduct oversight of those tax dollars.”
The move comes amid growing Republican disquiet following the killing of 37-year-old VA nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.
Trump's Agents Brutally Arrested Him On Video. Now He's Speaking Out.
Orbin Mauricio Henríquez Serrano, like many immigrants living in the Twin Cities, was scared to go into work on Jan. 11. Immigration agents had been marauding through Minneapolis and St. Paul for weeks, targeting neighborhoods with large immigrant populations and demanding papers from people based on their accents. Four days earlier, one of them had killed Renee Good. But several of his co-workers at a local tavern, where he was a cook and assistant manager, had called out, so he felt like he had to go in.
First, he had to get gas.
He stopped at a Speedway in St. Paul, bought a Red Bull, and sat in his car as it filled up. That’s when he noticed the immigration agents surrounding his vehicle. He knew as soon as he saw them that they wanted to arrest him, all too aware of the seemingly random ambushes by masked agents across the region recently.
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Kanye West Takes Out Full-Page Ad To Explain Why He Went On Pro-Nazi Bender
Kanye West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Monday to apologize for his previous antisemitic statements, saying that medical issues influenced his behavior and that he “lost touch with reality.”
West ― who has been using the name “Ye Ye” in business documents since July and went by “Ye” for four years before that ― titled the apology ad “To Those I’ve Hurt.” In the ad, the rapper goes to great lengths to stress that, despite his past comments, he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite” and loves Jewish people.
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Hearing On Evidence Preservation In Alex Pretti Killing Underway
A federal judge in St. Paul, Minnesota, is hearing arguments this afternoon from state officials who want to compel the federal government to cooperate in an investigation into the shooting death of Alex Pretti this weekend at the hands of ICE agents.
U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud issued a temporary restraining order over the weekend at the request of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, who feared senior federal officials would seek to have evidence altered or destroyed.
It’s an alarming accusation. But after the shooting death of Renee Good under similar circumstances earlier this month, it's not without justification.
When an ICE agent shot and killed Good earlier this month, the same senior federal officials named in Tostrud’s restraining order appeared to try to cover it up, going so far as to prevent state investigators from collaborating on — or even viewing — evidence they had collected in the case.
Republican Senator Calls Out Kristi Noem, Says She's 'Weakened Confidence'
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) directly called out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her response to an immigration agent fatally shooting 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
"I disagree with Secretary Noem’s premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence," Curtis wrote on social media Monday, noting that he is "working with a bipartisan group of senators to demand real oversight and transparency." He also called for an "independent investigation" into the shooting.
"Officials who rush to judgment before all the facts are known undermine public trust and the law-enforcement mission," added Curtis, an occasional critic of President Donald Trump.
The Utah Republican's remarks follow less pointed ones he made Sunday, when he said he was awaiting the "full set of facts" and emphasized the importance of the "legal process" following an officer's use of force.
White House Distances Trump From Alex Pretti ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Smear
While senior Trump administration officials initially rushed to smear Alex Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot him while he observed their activities in Minneapolis on Saturday, now it seems they’re not so sure.
“I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that way,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.
That’s a clear break from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who both separately and baselessly claimed after Pretti’s death that his conduct constituted terrorism.
“A domestic terrorist tried to assassinate federal law enforcement," said Miller, contradicting clear video evidence that shows Pretti was holding a phone at the time he was shot and killed.
Noem, meanwhile, claimed that "when you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism."
The government has offered no evidence Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse, was “perpetuating violence,” as Noem claimed.
At the press briefing, Leavitt also ducked a question when asked if Miller would be apologizing to Pretti's family for calling him an “assassin.”
France Honors Soldiers Who Died In Afghanistan After Trump Slanders NATO Troops
Trump’s blithe dismissal of NATO soldiers who died in Afghanistan fighting alongside the U.S. is, predictably, not going over well with the other countries in the defense pact.
“We do not accept that their memory be insulted,” Alice Rufo, a senior official at the French Defense Ministry, told the Associated Press Monday while laying a wreath at a monument to troops who died overseas.
Ninety French soldiers died in the conflict.
“I have seen the statements, in particular from veterans’ associations, their outrage, their anger, and their sadness,” Rufo added, while reaffirming trans-Atlantic solidarity.
“You know, there is a brotherhood of arms between Americans, Britons, and French soldiers when we go into combat.”
Last week, Trump prompted anger when he falsely claimed that NATO troops “stayed off the frontlines” in Afghanistan.
Price Of Gold Breaks New Record At More Than $5,000 Per Ounce
The price of gold broke a new record on Monday at $5,104 per ounce, with experts anticipating continued increase throughout the year.
According to CBS News' MoneyWatch, the milestone is likely driven by geopolitical uncertainty, inflation and interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Those factors are also likely impacting the surging price of silver.
Trump Hasn't Committed To Releasing Body Cam Footage Of Pretti Killing
When asked Monday if the federal government would be releasing officer-worn camera footage of a federal agent fatally shooting Alex Pretti, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "That's not something I've heard the president commit to."
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed earlier Monday that investigators are reviewing body cam footage.
Leavitt also declined to answer whether the Trump administration is considering requiring all Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to wear body cameras.
Tim Walz Says Trump Agreed To Share Evidence With State For Independent Probe: NYT
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office said President Donald Trump agreed in their Monday morning call to share evidence with state and local officials so they can conduct an independent investigation into Saturday's shooting death of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by immigration agents.
Walz had reportedly called Trump to request the federal government work with state and local officials on investigating Pretti's killing, as federal authorities were refusing to share evidence related to the crime. The Democratic governor called the conversation "productive" and said the president agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in the state, according to The New York Times.
Walz also allegedly stressed Minnesota's cooperation with federal authorities for cases involving criminals in state custody, a topic Trump included in his own summary of the call. Trump's summary did not mention sharing evidence with the state, nor did he bring up an independent investigation.
In his summary, Trump mentioned that Walz was happy when he said border czar Tom Homan would come to Minnesota and work with the governor. Walz appears not to have mentioned Homan in his own summary of the call.
Karoline Leavitt Kicks Off Press Conference By Decrying Minnesota ‘Hysteria’
Once again, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to pin any blame on federal immigration officers for the shooting death of a Minnesotan who was trying to observe their operations.
During a Monday press conference, Leavitt began by stating that “obstructing federal law enforcement and inciting violence against officers is wrong and illegal.”
She decried the “hysteria” over the situation in Minnesota that has blown up as residents become increasingly angry at federal overreach.
“As a result of that defiance, two Minnesotans have now tragically lost their lives on the streets of Tim Walz’s state,” Leavitt said, referring to the Democratic governor.
Leavitt notably did not pin blame directly on Saturday’s victim, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, marking a slightly softer approach than the one she took after Renee Good’s death earlier this month.
"Nobody here at the White House, including the president of the United States, wants to see Americans hurt or killed and losing their lives on American streets," Leavitt said, adding that "we mourn for the parents."
Judge To Rule Soon On Restraining ICE In Minnesota
Following arguments that spanned nearly three hours, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez, a Biden appointee, said she will decide soon whether the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be reduced in Minnesota or if she can limit their activities more broadly.
“I do not intend in any way for the depth of my analysis or whatever time I take to write to be seen as a belief that this is unimportant. It's because it's extremely important that I’m doing everything I can to get it right,” Menendez said Monday.
U.S. attorney Brantley Mayers urged Menendez to let an estimated 4,000 federal agents stay in Minnesota because the state, he alleged, is not properly enforcing federal immigration law. When Menendez asked if the feds could do their job with reduced numbers, Mayers hedged.
As Minneapolis City Attorney Sara Lathrop noted, before thousands of ICE agents were sent into Minnesota, there were just 80 ICE agents stationed in the state who had arrested 4,000 or more people in the first nine months of Trump’s term this year.
The sheer volume of agents now in place is unnecessary, Lathrop argued, and it is actively creating “toxic and lifelong harms” to the public, who fear leaving their homes or turning a corner and being taken by ICE — or worse.
"You can act now,” Lathrop said, emphasizing that Menendez could simply pause ICE conduct and then make a more fulsome decision later.
“Rights are being trampled on, and it’s created such a fever pitch that the state can only be protected through a pause on Operation Metro Surge,” she said.
Attorneys for the U.S. government suggested any decision against them would likely trigger an appeal.
