UPDATE: All evacuation warnings lifted for Rueben Leigh Fire near Lowell

Associated Press
Steve Bannon's border wall trial delayed until March 4 as new lawyers plot aggressive defense
Steve Bannon’s trial on charges that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border will start a week later than scheduled, a judge said Wednesday, after the conservative rabble-rouser hired new lawyers to pursue an aggressive defense strategy. Bannon, a political strategist and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, had been scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25 in the “We Build the Wall” case in state court in New York. It will now start March 4, Judge April Newbauer said.
USA TODAY
Elephants are not human, Colorado high court rules for zoo in animal rights group's suit
The Colorado high court ruled in favor of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo after an animal rights group alleged the park's elephants were 'unlawfully confined.'
AFP
Elephants are not people, US judges say
A bid to get five elephants released from a US zoo has failed after judges ruled the animals are not people so laws on unlawful imprisonment do not apply."Colorado's habeas statute only applies to persons, and not to nonhuman animals, no matter how cognitively, psychologically, or socially sophisticated they may be," a panel of judges ruled.
Associated Press
Sledding on boogie boards, ice hockey on Canal Street: The Gulf Coast embraces a rare snow day
When the sun rose over the Sunshine State on Wednesday, palm trees were dusted with snow, waves crashed on icy beaches, and overjoyed Floridians grabbed whatever would slide and headed for the closest hill. At a park a few blocks from the state capitol in Tallahassee, the young and the young at heart raced down the snow-covered slopes on improvised sleds. "Being from Florida, we have a boogie board and then we also have a skim board," Michael Holmes, 35, said of his kids' makeshift sledding gear.
NBC News
Meta pushes back on claims that it's boosting Trump on Facebook and Instagram
Meta is countering claims that it boosted President Donald Trump and his administration on Facebook and Instagram as it came into office Monday.
USA TODAY
Harvard settles lawsuits over antisemitism on campus
Harvard University will provide additional protections for Jewish students under a settlement announced on Tuesday.
CBS News
63,000 Jeeps recalled over potential loss of power and parking function
Stellantis warns that a poorly fitted part in some Jeep Cherokees could cause the vehicles to lose power, increasing the risk of crash.
Associated Press
Musk clashes with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over Trump-supported Stargate AI data center project
Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump, the latest in a feud between the two billionaires that started on OpenAI's board and is now testing Musk's influence with the new presidential administration. Trump on Tuesday had talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion through a new partnership formed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alongside Oracle and SoftBank.
Yahoo Finance
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's war of words with Microsoft rages on at Davos
Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff takes his latest shot at AI rival Microsoft.
Associated Press
New Michigan law requires destruction of guns turned in during community buybacks
State police in Michigan will be required to destroy guns collected during community buybacks, under legislation signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. State police in 2024 acknowledged that a previous disposal method destroyed only the frame or receiver of the firearm. State police last March announced that they would destroy entire guns.
Associated Press
Native Hawaiian brothers say police framed them for a tourist's murder in 1991
Two Native Hawaiian brothers who were convicted in the 1991 killing of a woman visiting Hawaii allege in a federal lawsuit that local police framed them “under immense pressure to solve the high-profile murder” then botched an investigation last year that would have revealed the real killer using advancements in DNA technology. Albert “Ian” Schweitzer, who had been incarcerated for more than two decades for the killing of Dana Ireland, was released in 2023 based on new evidence. Ireland, 23, a tourist from Virginia, was visiting a remote part of the Big Island when she was found along a fishing trail, raped and beaten and barely alive.
CNN
Trump’s three-day immigration blitz severely tightens border, sets stage for rapid deportations
The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to roll out the president’s immigration agenda, effectively closing off the US southern border to asylum seekers, severely limiting who’s eligible to enter the United States and laying the groundwork to swiftly deport migrants already in the country.
Associated Press
Nancy Leftenant-Colon, who was the first Black woman in Army Nurse Corps, has died
The first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s has died. Nancy Leftenant-Colon, who retired as a major and died earlier this month at a New York nursing home, was remembered by relatives and friends for quietly breaking down racial barriers during her long military career. Known as “Lefty," she was one of six siblings who served in the military, including a brother who was a famed Tuskegee Airmen pilot. He was killed in a mid-air collision over Austria in 1945, according to a biography of Leftenant-Colon on the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. website.
CBS News
How much snow has fallen? Map shows record-breaking numbers
Snow totals in Louisiana have broken records. Parts of Florida, Texas and Georgia have also accumulated several inches of snow.
USA TODAY
Couple posing as Oregon firefighters in the Palisades area arrested for impersonation
The alleged suspects, identified as a 31-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, wore turnout gear and had helmets and radios, officials said.
Associated Press
Trump’s threat of tariffs and sanctions on Russia over Ukraine may fall flat
President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to impose stiff taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russia if an agreement isn’t reached to end the war in Ukraine, a warning that is likely fall on deaf ears in the Kremlin. The United States already prohibits the import of virtually all Russian products, and Russia has faced a multitude of U.S. and European sanctions since the invasion began almost three years ago. In a post to his Truth Social site on Wednesday, Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war.”
Yahoo Finance
Gap, Ralph Lauren, retail CEOs say they're prepared for tariffs under Trump 2.0
Retailers believe they're prepared for this round, but price hikes could be tricky for consumers to swallow.
USA TODAY
Post falsely claims officials paid $300K for rainbow fire hydrant | Fact check
The photo of the rainbow hydrant was AI-generated and originated from a satirical account. There are no credible news reports supporting the claim.
CNN
Supreme Court likely to side with family of man killed by police after his rental car was pulled over for toll violations
The Supreme Court spent nearly 80 minutes Wednesday debating a traffic stop outside Houston that turned deadly in just five seconds.
Politico
House Republicans create new panel aimed at undermining Jan. 6 committee
Days after Trump pardoned the Capitol’s violent attackers, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) will lead a new subcommittee investigating what led to the attack.

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