Berlin Suspect Dead, Trump Wants Nukes

Suspect Killed: Anis Amri, the suspect in the Berlin market truck attack, was shot and killed by Italian police outside Milan overnight. During a routine stop, he pulled out a gun, fired, and wounded an officer. The police returned fire and killed Amri.

With a massive manhunt under way since Wednesday, Amri appeared to travel at will through Europe. Police say he entered Italy from France. He went to Turin, Italy, and then to Milan, where he arrived by train around 1 a.m.

Hijacked: A Libyan airliner carrying over 100 people was hijacked this morning and forced to land in Malta. The hijackers are threatening to blow up the plane.

Duke Nuke’em: President elect Donald Trump yesterday tweeted a call for beefing up the US nuclear arsenal. “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” Trump said.

His pronouncement is counter to US policy of curtailing nuclear buildup since Ronald Reagan was president.

Trump appears to be chest-bumping with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Russia’s military can beat any potential foe, but the country should strengthen its nuclear arsenal anyway. “We can say with certainty: We are stronger now than any potential aggressor,” Putin said at a meeting of his defense chiefs. “Anyone!”

Russian relations with the West soured in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea then sent troops into Eastern Ukraine. Things got even worse when Russia sent its air force to Syria to pound rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Permawar: Speaking of which, the Syrian government says it finally has complete control of the city of Aleppo after four years of fighting. Aleppo has been devastated by the fighting, which left much of the city in rubble. The ancient portion of Aleppo, which is designated a World Heritage site, has been badly damaged.

Biggest Loser: With the final votes certified from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million. Clinton won the largest popular vote margin out of five candidates in US history who won the popular vote and lost in the Electoral College.

In Transition: Trump has chosen Sean Spicer, the communications director for the Republican National Committee, to be White House press secretary.

Trump is expected to deal with the press differently from previous presidents, and maybe hardly at all. He has not given a press conference since July 27, just after the Republican convention. There’s some question whether Spicer will give the customary daily White House press briefings.

The President-elect speaks by Twitter, yesterday announcing, “Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!”

Nation: The US population last year grew at its slowest rate since 1937, according to the Census Bureau. The population grew by just 0.7 percent, bringing the total to 323 million. Growth during the 1950s Baby Boom years was 1.8 percent a year, but now growth will likely be slow for years to come. When the Boomers start dying off, the death rate will offset much of the birth rate. — The Ikea furniture chain has agreed to pay $50 million for the deaths of three small children killed by toppling chests of drawers in separate incidents. The model in question is the “Malm” which, you might expect, has been recalled. — The judge declared a mistrial for former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca after the jury deadlocked in his trial on charges of corruption and prisoner abuse. Baca had initially pleaded guilty, then decided to go to trial.

The Obit Page: Valerie Fairman, who was featured on the MTV reality series “16 and Pregnant,” died Wednesday, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, of a suspected overdose. Fairman, 23, gave birth during the series to a daughter who is now 7.

Signoff: Radio interviewer Diane Rehm ends her run today after 37 years on the air. Her show distributed by National Public Radio was one of the longest-running news and talk shows in broadcast history.

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Friday, March 29, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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