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Shane Rose won silver in the team event at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo Australian three-time Olympic medallist Shane Rose has been stood down from competition for wearing a mankini during a show jumping event. Equestrian Australia said "concerns were raised" about the 50-year-old's "attire" during the event at Wallaby Hill near Sydney last weekend. The governing body said it "has an obligation to address these concerns and is currently reviewing the matter". Riders were encouraged to wear fancy dress at the event. Paris 2024 hopeful Rose wore three costumes - a fluorescent orange mankini, a gorilla costume and a Duffman outfit from the Simpsons. He wrote on Facebook: "If my costume offended anyone, I am truly sorry as this was never my intention." Rose also said he hoped the incident would not affect his Olympic preparation. He later deleted the post to de-escalate the issue. Rose, who won team eventing silver at the 2008 and 2020 Olympics and bronze at 2016, told the Sydney Morning Herald, external he wanted the situation resolved quickly. "With a bit of luck this will all be a bit of a laugh in a few days and we can all move on," he said. "I wore a costume which you could see at a theme park or a beach. Potentially no-one has done it on [a] horse, but there you go. "I think I am a good person and I do a lot for the sport, and for people in different situations. I don't feel like I have done anything particularly bad. "In hindsight, I should have re-thought what I did, but at the time I thought it was just a bit of fun." Equestrian Australia chief executive Darren Gocher said the complaint was made about how Rose was dressed and that there were children at the event. "Whether it is one [complaint] or 1,000, we have an obligation to review it," he said. In a statement Equestrian Australia said Rose was bound by the High Performance and Equestrian Australia Codes of Conduct and Athlete Agreement and it expects a resolution this week. "To be clear, Shane has not been suspended or sanctioned," it said. "As is usual in these circumstances for all high performance athletes, he has been stood down from competition for several days while the review is carried out. "This does not affect his ability to train or otherwise participate in the sport. Equestrian Australia has also encouraged Shane to provide an account of the events if he wishes to do so." Several Olympic equestrian competitors have accused Equestrian Australia of over-reacting. Link

For the first time ever, McLaren will race in all three of the ‘Triple Crown’ races in the same year, which of course includes that famous French one... McLaren has revealed its all-new 720S GT3 Evo for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and in news that'll surprise nobody, it looks... quite brilliant. Sporting McLaren’s now customary black and orange-themed livery, the 720S GT3 adopts a massive air intake up front on either side of a set of stretched canards. More bulbous arches also curve atop the new Good Years, which replace last season’s Pirelli’s. The team's pair of competition cars will run the numbers ‘59’ and ‘95’ to signal McLaren’s Le Mans win in 1995 with the F1 GTR. Very cool. Aside from the selection of huge bumpers and splitters - which are noticeably more aggressive than its predecessor - the rear wing is also wider with lower overhangs, and looks like it could shield you from a category-five hurricane. No word on upgrades to the M840T 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 just yet, but our best guess sits between 550 and 600bhp. Remember, most of these GT3 cars focus on aerodynamic trickery over outright brute force to achieve their best times, so we expect McLaren’s exterior enhancements alone would shave a second or two off previous track times. Richard Dean, CEO of United Autosports, which is one of McLaren’s new partners for the upcoming campaign, said: “The design has racing heritage at its core, harking back to the 1995 Le Mans winner, while being - unmistakably - part of the current McLaren family. It’s an exciting addition to the 2024 McLaren line-up, complementing the Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E designs; they look like winning cars, and we have big ambitions.” Speaking of which, this will also be the first time McLaren competes in all three of motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ races in the same year, having won each of the three events individually in the past. The WEC season begins on 2 March in Qatar and will see McLaren’s six-driver lineup take in eight races, including Le Mans, a race which McLaren hasn't raced in since 1997. Game on... Link

The animal will also be tested for rabies after the incidents at an Arlington park. Arlington Animal Services on Thursday morning captured a coyote believed to be responsible for biting three children in separate incidents. A coyote that Texas officials think bit three children at a park is set to be "humanely euthanized," leaders in Arlington said Thursday. Arlington Animal Services captured the coyote Thursday morning after the bites at Parkway Central Park in north Arlington, a city between Dallas and Fort Worth. The animal will be tested for rabies at the Texas Health and Human Services in Austin, the city said on X. An animal control officer and a police officer were at the park because of “aggressive coyote activity at the park” when they captured the animal, according to the city. The officers said they saw the coyote on a road near the park before it charged at them, the city said in a statement. “This animal was completely unusual because … it started walking toward me. I’ve never seen a coyote do that,” Arlington Police Sgt. Eric Belisle told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Typically, coyotes “spot you and they get out of the area quickly. This animal was completely different.” The park will remain closed until further notice, the city said, adding that it will partner with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Wildlife Services "to evaluate and determine next steps." The three children were bitten from Saturday to Tuesday at the park on the playground or in the parking lot, the city said in a release Wednesday. All were treated and released from the hospital. They will also get post-exposure rabies treatment, the city said. After the first child was bitten Saturday, Arlington Animal Services set a trap and began to search for the animal, according to the city. The city decided to close the park Tuesday, prompting animal services to set more traps and enact patrols after news that a second child had been bitten came to light, the city said. Later, the city learned that the third child was bitten Monday, the release said. Link

Some prominent Democrats aren’t persuaded that the approach will ease concerns about his cognitive abilities. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s approach to deflecting questions about his age has pivoted from “watch me” to vouch for me. In the days since special counsel Robert Hur released a report that described Biden’s memory as “significantly limited,” presidential appointees and friendly lawmakers have been stepping forward one by one to attest to his acuity. Biden asks “pertinent questions” and cares about “minute details,” they’ve told news outlets. He is “very engaging” and detail-oriented. The White House went so far as to put out a memo name-checking senior officials from both parties who’ve said they found Biden to be mentally sharp. For all the people vouching for Biden, some prominent Democrats aren’t persuaded that the approach will ease concerns about his cognitive abilities. They worry that a protective White House staff has bubble-wrapped Biden in ways that tend to distance him from people who appreciate his humanity, flaws and all. “You need to let Joe Biden be Joe Biden,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said on “The Chuck ToddCast,” taped Tuesday. Biden has nine months before the election — time enough to refine his strategy and see if Hur’s report fades in peoples’ minds. For now, though, the special counsel has pushed to the fore Biden’s biggest electoral vulnerability — his age — and opened a high-stakes debate about his capabilities. “The special counsel said the quiet part out loud,” said one former Democratic House member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering allies. This former lawmaker recalled being in meetings with Biden, including a bicameral session at the White House three years ago, when he rambled off-topic and appeared to be lost in the nostalgia of his time in Congress. “I think I share some of the concerns of the American people,” the former lawmaker said, using the plot line of a 1980s film to make a point. “Because if it’s really ‘Weekend at Bernie’s,’ who are the two guys carrying him along?” The special counsel’s report was sufficiently troubling that it should be grounds for Biden to leave the race, the ex-lawmaker said. (Biden has given no sign that he’s dropping out; at this point, Democrats would face a chaotic scramble to replace him if he did.) “This is a great ‘exit stage right’ moment,” this person said. “But I just don’t think that hubris and ego will allow that to be.” A White House official denied that the Hur report has brought about a change in strategy. “We’ve always encouraged people who are actually around the president to rebut this false narrative Republicans are promoting by sharing their own experiences working for him,” the official said in a statement. “And if we’re doing that more, it’s only because the media is spending so much time on the gratuitous and false attacks made by Hur last week.” ‘He does grill you’ Eager to debunk the report last week, the White House hastily called a news conference in which the 81-year-old Biden insisted that “my memory has not gotten — my memory is fine.” With reporters shouting questions at him and Biden squinting into the lights, the event did little to stem the furor. Since then, presidential appointees have scrambled to provide anecdotes showing him to be fully in charge. Perhaps no official spends more time with Biden than his chief of staff, Jeff Zients. Press aides did not make him available for an interview. Instead, they released a statement from Zients that compared Biden favorably to much younger presidents — including Barack Obama, for whom Biden served as vice president. “President Biden has gotten more done in three years than any other president in recent history,” Zients said. “How? No one works harder. No one asks tougher questions. No one is better at making decisions.” Gene Sperling, an economic adviser to each of the last three Democratic presidents who now oversees the implementation of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, said the president’s advisers have grown accustomed to fielding detailed questions from him over minute policy details. “Like a good student, you overprepare,” Sperling said of the homework that goes into a meeting with Biden. “When he does grill you, you’re happy you did.” ‘Just the reality’ One reason the Hur report may have resonated the way it did is that it validated a conclusion that voters have reached on their own. A Democratic congressman said that when he talks to his constituents about Biden, their comments focus on his age. “They don’t ever bring up his accomplishments, which have been pretty incredible,” the lawmaker said. “All they talk to you about is his age. That’s just the reality.” Polling shows that age is among the biggest obstacles to Biden’s re-election and Republicans are already seizing on Hur’s conclusion that Biden is diminished. In a potential trial, the report stated, “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” A consensus judgment of people who’ve met with Biden is that he looks and sounds old, with frailties evident to anyone. Perspectives differ when it comes to his capacities. A Republican senator who spent time with Biden early in the term said they needed to suppress an instinct to take his arm when walking with him from one room to another inside the West Wing. “He got up and walked very, very slowly — just creeping along,” recalled the senator, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s fitness. “I almost reached out to grab his arm and I caught myself. That would have been rude.” “He was perfectly lucid,” the senator added. “My impression was that [Biden] is a gentleman who at this stage in his life, likes to talk about the old days, sit around and tell stories.” At the point when Biden offered to show the senator the White House movie theater, aides stepped in to end the visit, the lawmaker recalled. (The White House physician, Kevin O’Connor, wrote a report last year that discussed Biden’s “stiffened gait,” attributing it to arthritis of the spinal joints. Biden is due to take another physical soon. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested to reporters this week that O’Connor doesn’t believe a cognitive test is needed.) One incumbent House Democrat questioned whether Biden is really running his own White House. “It makes me worry there are other people who have an oversized influence on major decisions, specifically his advisers inside and outside the White House, and that somebody else could be calling the shots,” the lawmaker said. ‘An old man that gets things done’ There's no “time machine” to make Biden seem more youthful, a White House adviser says. But the president can at the very least demonstrate he is a more lucid and trustworthy figure than his likely opponent, Donald Trump, some of the president’s allies argue. They’d like to see Biden make the case himself. In the podcast interview, Dingell said the president is being scripted to a fault. “He’s being so managed that his compassion and his empathy” aren’t always breaking through, Dingell said. The Rev. Al Sharpton, another White House ally, said that Biden’s age is a potential asset if presented differently. Make the case that Biden installed a new Supreme Court justice when he was 79 and passed a landmark infrastructure bill at 78, Sharpton said. The implication would be clear: Other presidents didn’t rack up as impressive a record even though they were decades younger. “They should own it,” Sharpton said of the age issue. Biden’s message should be: “I’m an old man that gets things done. Now, compare me with the old man I’m running against,” Sharpton said. Link

Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden in the Oval Office US President Joe Biden has assured his Ukrainian counterpart that $60bn in military aid is on its way. The measure still needs to pass a final congressional vote, but Mr Biden told Volodymyr Zelensky that he was confident it would be approved. Mr Zelensky had earlier made an urgent appeal for more weapons to avoid a "catastrophic" situation in Europe. The US has blamed Ukraine's withdrawal from the battle at Avdiivka on a lack of Congressional support. Taking Avdiivka - a gateway to the Russian-seized Donetsk regional capital in the east - is Russia's first notable gain since they seized nearby Bakhmut in May. "Ukraine's military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction," a White House statement read. Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package - which includes $60bn for Ukraine - after months of political wrangling. But it still faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives, where members of the Republican Party are divided on the measure. "Look, the Ukrainian people have fought so bravely and heroically, they've put so much on the line and the idea that now, when they're running out of ammunition, we'd walk away - I find it absurd," Mr Biden told reporters following his call with Mr Zelensky on Saturday. "I find it unethical, I find it just contrary to everything we are as a country", he added. "So I'm going to fight until we get them the ammunition they need and the capacity they need to defend themselves." The Ukrainian president also urged US lawmakers to approve the financial package. "I am glad that I can count on the full support of the American president," he posted on Telegram. Mr Zelensky has been in Germany, where he made an urgent appeal for more weapons to avoid a "catastrophic" situation in Europe. "Keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficits of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war," he told an international conference in Munich. "Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat," he said. "We can get our land back." "Do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it?" Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to keep fighting Russia - a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said help for Ukraine from the UK, the EU and the US would make a "real difference" to the fight against Russia. Speaking to the BBC, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko said that he felt let down by the American leadership. "If you can't count on your partner, because America was saying you can count on us, we will be with Ukraine as long as it takes, and where are those words now?" he said. "We're dying every day." Avdiivka has been engulfed in fierce fighting for months and has been a battlefield town since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters seized large swathes of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The fall of Avdiivka marks the biggest change on the more than 1,000km-long (620-mile) front line since Russian troops seized the nearby town of Bakhmut in May 2023. The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, welcomed Russia's territorial gain. "The Russian city of Avdiivka, one of the oldest settlements in Donbas, today returned home to Russia," he said in a video posted on Telegram. "On behalf of all residents of Donbas, I sincerely thank Russian military personnel, our army, our president, for the fact that the Donetsk People's Republic continues to be liberated." Announcing the decision to withdraw early on Saturday, head of the Ukrainian armed forces Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said he acted "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel". "Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment," he said. Link

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Alexander Smirnov, 43, disliked President Joe Biden, according to the Justice Department. He was arrested in Las Vegas after returning from a trip overseas. Hunter Biden and President Joe Biden at Fort McNair in Washington, in 2023. WASHINGTON — An FBI informant has been indicted on two counts of allegedly feeding the bureau false information about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Alexander Smirnov, 43, disliked Joe Biden and was arrested in Las Vegas after returning from a trip overseas, according to the Justice Department. The case grew out of the special counsel investigation being led by David Weiss, who is also leading the case against Hunter Biden. Weiss had been appointed by then-President Donald Trump as the top federal prosecutor in Delaware. The 37-page indictment alleges that Smirnov had been a confidential human source for the FBI since 2010 and "provided false derogatory information to the FBI" about both Bidens after Joe Biden became a candidate for president in 2020. Smirnov allegedly told the FBI — falsely — that officials with Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that Hunter Biden worked for, had told him they hired Hunter Biden because he would "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems." Smirnov allegedly told the FBI — again, falsely — that Burisma officials had told him they paid Hunter Biden and Joe Biden $5 million and that it would take investigators 10 years to find the illicit payments to Joe Biden. A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that Hunter Biden does not know the individual who was charged and does not believe he ever met him. According to the indictment, Smirnov's claims to the FBI, which he first made in June 2020, "were fabrications," and, in truth, he only "had contact with executives from Burisma in 2017," when Joe Biden had left office as vice president and "had no ability" to influence U.S. policy. "In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against [Joe Biden], the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against [Joe Biden] and his candidacy," the indictment alleges. The indictment also states that Smirnov "repeated some of his false claims" after being interviewed by FBI special agents in September 2023 — after Hunter Biden's plea deal fell apart that summer — while Smirnov "changed his story as to other of his claims, and promoted a new false narrative after he said he met with Russian officials." Smirnov wrote in one May 2020 message to his FBI handler that Joe Biden was "going to jail" and suggested that he knew some of the allegations "should be soon in the news." Smirnov was told at least seven times he may have to testify about information he provided to FBI and was admonished by the handler at least 21 times to tell the truth to the bureau, the indictment says. Link

There have been widespread riots in Senegal following the president's announcement of the delay to the election, scheduled for later this month The decision to postpone this month's elections in Senegal is against the country's constitution, the country's top court has ruled. The Constitutional Court annulled President Macky Sall's decree and a contentious bill passed by parliament moving the vote to December. Widespread protests have gripped the West African country, once considered a bastion of democracy in the region. Opposition figures said it amounted to an "institutional coup". Mr Sall had announced he was pushing the election back because of what he claimed were concerns over the eligibility of opposition candidates. His proposal had been backed by 105 out of the 165 MPs. A six-month postponement was originally proposed, but a last-minute amendment extended it to 10 months, or 15 December. Mr Sall had reiterated that he was not planning to run for office again. But his critics accused him of either trying to cling on to power or unfairly influencing whoever succeeds him. Opposition candidates and lawmakers, who had filed a number of legal challenges to the bill, will likely feel vindicated by the court's decision on Thursday evening. Khalifa Sall, a leading opponent and a former mayor of the capital Dakar, who is not related to the president, had called the delay a "constitutional coup" while Thierno Alassane Sall, another candidate, also no relation, called it "high treason". The ruling effectively means the election will go ahead - but the court did not specify when the election should be held. There are only 10 days before the original polling date of 25 February, and most candidates have not been campaigning since President Sall issued his 3 February decree, hours before campaigns were meant to kick off. The court decision comes on the same day as several opposition politicians and civil society members were released from prison, in what some in the country viewed as a move to appease public opinion. Link

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Kiptum registered three of the seven fastest marathon times in history Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum was a "special talent" who would have gone on to have an "incredible career", says Sir Mo Farah. Kiptum, 24, died in a car accident alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana in his native Kenya on Sunday. He broke Eliud Kipchoge's world record last year and was set to compete at this summer's Olympics in Paris. "Kelvin was an amazingly talented athlete and had already achieved so much," Briton Farah said. Farah, Britain's four-time Olympic champion over 5,000 and 10,000m, finished ninth in last year's London Marathon - a race Kiptum won in a course record time of two hours, one minute and 25 seconds. "He truly had a special talent and I have no doubt he would have gone on to have had an incredible career," Farah said. "I send all my sympathies and condolences to his and Gervais' family and friends at this tragic time." Kiptum also broke the record for fastest debut marathon in Valencia in 2022 before bettering Kipchoge's overall record in Chicago in October last year, clocking the 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds. Just last week, his team announced he would attempt to become the first person to run the distance in less than two hours in open competition. Hugh Brasher, London Marathon event director, said Kiptum "had the sport of marathon running in his feet and at his feet." Brasher added: "He was a once-in-a-generation athlete who was set to redefine the boundaries of our sport. "His was a flame that burned so bright and was tragically put out. "As a sport we mourn for a life so tragically cut short, a talent and a work ethos that was only starting to be appreciated and a man that we had only just started to know." Britain's Emile Cairess, who finished sixth in London last year behind Kiptum, said the Kenyan could have become "Usain Bolt-esque" as a "figurehead of athletics". "It's a massive blow because at his level, someone can really capture the attention of people outside off the sport," Cairess told the BBC. "Many people thought they would never see a sub two-hour marathon in their lifetimes but since he came along, it's like it was just a given that he would do it because of his exceptional performances so far. "It was almost certain that he would have done it. It's terribly sad and a real shame that we won't get to see him again or to attack that barrier." Kipchoge, 39, completed a marathon in Vienna in one hour 59 minutes 40 seconds but that time does not count as an official record as it was in a specifically arranged sponsored event with pacemakers. Kiptum's performances in the past two years had seen him emerge as a rival to his great Kenyan team-mate. In paying tribute, Kipchoge said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic passing". "[Kiptum was] an athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness," he said. "I offer my deepest condolences to his young family." Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, said Kiptum was "an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy". "On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, team mates and the Kenyan nation," Coe said. Kiptum's road accident happened at about 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday, police were quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. Giving further details of the crash, police said Kiptum was the driver, and the vehicle "lost control and rolled, killing the two on the spot". A spokesman quoted by AFP added that a female passenger had been injured and "rushed to hospital". Link

Abarth turns 75, celebrates by decking out a 500 in Scorpion decals. Yours for £32k Though it apparently signals Abarth’s “ongoing commitment to innovation”, there is no great innovation in this new, limited edition 695 over and above what you get in a not-at-all regular 695. There is the same hardy little 1.4-litre engine. There is the same Garrett turbocharger. There is the same 178bhp and 184lb ft of torque. The same 0-62mph time of 6.7s, and the same top speed of 140mph. So far, so 695. Where this one does offer some innovation, however, is in the livery. Because the new 695 75 Anniversario - unsurprisingly celebrating 75 years of Abarth - is less a car, more a massive Scorpion decal with a set of wheels attached to it. There it is, on the roof! And because it’s on the roof of a modified Fiat 500, you’ll be able to see it regularly because Fiat 500s are tiny. There are other mysterious hints that this is no ordinary Fiat 500 along the flanks, what with them proudly displaying the ‘ABARTH’ logo. Channels some proper JPS vibes, no? Black and gold works a treat on a baby hot hatch, as it turns out, this one featuring tinted windows, those aforementioned golden decals, and a set of 17in gold alloys. There’s some meat behind the livery, of course. While it’s no more powerful than before, 184bhp in something weighing as much as an actual Scorpion is still pretty lively. Throw in this car’s Koni FSD shocks all round and the “iconic Record Monza” active exhaust, and it’ll certainly be as much of a handful as all Abarth 695s are. Brakes? They are present, and big. An interior? Also present, replete with carbon seats, black Alcantara, a digital infotainment display and some connected features thrown in by Mopar. Only 1,368 Anniversarios will be built – the exact size of that T-jet engine in cc – and less than 200 will Scrappy Doo-their way over to the UK. Each one will cost £32,895 – the price of exclusivity, of course, and a ruddy massive Scorpion sitting atop your car. Link

The driver was not charged in the incident, and Amazon said he is no longer employed by the company. An Amazon delivery driver shot a dog while making a delivery in Alabama to a person who said she was not expecting a package. Hueytown police responded to a home in the 1000 block of 26th Avenue on a report of a dog that had been shot on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Hueytown is about 15 miles southwest of Birmingham. Officers learned that as the driver was making a delivery to a residence, the dog emerged from under the porch of the home, police said in a news release. “It was reported that the dog was being very aggressive and charged at the delivery driver,” police said. The driver fired a single shot at the dog in an attempt to get away, and left the scene, officials said. That driver was later interviewed by officers. Police determined that the driver was attempting to defend himself, and the driver was not charged in the incident. However, Rose Kirk, the owner of the dog and the residence in question, disputes the police's self-defense claim — and says she had never ordered a package to begin with. Kirk told WBRC of Birmingham, Alabama, that her two dogs Solar and Lunar were lying in chairs under the porch on Sunday when she heard a gunshot by her front door. When she went to investigate, she found Solar had been shot in the shoulder, and the bullet exited through his chest. “When I saw all the blood dripping from my dog, and I was like, my dog was on a leash. He was on a chain,” Kirk said. “Why would you come up on my porch? Both of them were sitting in their chairs. He noticed them, but instead of backing off, he did not back off." “Suppose he had a package to deliver, which I never ordered a package. He had no reason to be on my property,” she continued. An online fundraiser has been made for the dog's medical bills. Kirk’s family has hired an attorney to investigate the matter, USA TODAY reported. NBC News has reached out to attorney Travis McCormick for comment. McCormick told USA TODAY: “At this time, the focus of the Kirk family is on the continued recovery of Solar and working to heal themselves emotionally after this tragedy.” The driver is no longer employed by Amazon, company spokesperson Austin Stowe told NBC News. “We are in touch with the customer and we’ve reached out to Hueytown Police Department as they investigate,” Stowe said It’s against Amazon’s policies for employees who deliver for the company to carry weapons. However, delivery associates and Amazon Flex delivery partners are allowed to carry dog deterrent devices as long as they comply with state and local laws. Link

Trump seeks Supreme Court intervention in election subversion case Former President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Las Vegas on Jan. 27. WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump on Monday filed a last-ditch request at the Supreme Court seeking to prevent his prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election from moving closer to trial. Trump asked the justices to put on hold an appeals court ruling that rejected his broad claim of presidential immunity in relation to events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The court should block the ruling to "forestall, once again, an unprecedented and unacceptable departure from ordinary appellate procedures and allow President Trump's claim of immunity to be decided in the ordinary course of justice," Trump's lawyers wrote in the filing. "President Trump’s claim that Presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for their official acts presents a novel, complex, and momentous question that warrants careful consideration on appeal," they added. If Trump's prosecution is allowed, then "such prosecutions will recur and become increasingly common, ushering in destructive cycles of recrimination," the lawyers wrote. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a ruling against Trump on Tuesday that it said would be implemented Feb. 12 unless the former president filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court. The stakes are high because if the court rejects Trump's request, the case would return to Washington-based U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, with the possibility of a trial going ahead before the November election. Chutkan has already backed off on her original plan to hold the trial in March. If Trump wins the election, he would be in a position to order that the charges be dismissed or seek to pardon himself. Trump ultimately would like the Supreme Court to hear his case and overturn the appeals court decision, but before the justices can reach that issue they have to decide whether to put the lower court ruling on hold. In an additional request that could add further delay, Trump's lawyers also asked the Supreme Court to give them time to ask the appeals court to reconsider its ruling before they even file their appeal to the high court. The appeals court ruled that as "citizen Trump," the former president cannot benefit from any of the immunity defenses that a sitting president can deploy. Trump's lawyers say that presidents should have total immunity for official acts as president and that his actions in questioning the election results were part of his official duties. In a statement Monday, a Trump campaign spokesman said that without "complete immunity, the President of the United States will not be able to function properly." "Even while the President is still in office, his political opponents will use the threat of future prosecution as a weapon, effectively blackmailing and extorting him to influence his most sensitive and important decisions," spokesman Steven Cheung said. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, with three Trump appointees. Trump would need at least five votes to prevent the appeals court ruling going into effect. The justices have several options in how to handle the case, including granting Trump's request while fast-tracking a ruling on the immunity issue, or denying Trump's request outright. Even if the court agrees to intervene, it could still issue a decision fast enough for the trial to go ahead before the election. Despite the court's ideological make-up, Trump has not fared well in recent cases. On Thursday, the justices heard arguments in yet another Trump-related case on the former president's attempt to avoid being kicked off the ballot in Colorado. In that case, the court seems likely to rule in his favor. Trump’s appeal arose from the four-count indictment in Washington, including charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. He has pleaded not guilty. Chutkan in December rejected Trump’s plea to dismiss the indictment on presidential immunity and other constitutional grounds. The case is on hold while the appeals process plays out. Link

Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har have been reunited with their families Israel said two Israeli-Argentine hostages have been rescued in a raid in Rafah, amid heavy Israeli air strikes on the southern Gazan city. The Israeli military said the two men were in "good medical condition". The pair were named as Fernando Simon Marman, aged 60, and Louis Har, 70, from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. Some 1.5 million people are sheltering in Rafah. The Hamas-run health ministry said dozens had been killed in the overnight strikes. It follows warnings from the international community over Israel's planned offensive in the city. The hostages were found on the second floor of a building in Rafah, said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He said Israeli forces had engaged in "heavy exchanges of fire at several locations simultaneously, with many terrorists". Abou Suhhaib, who lives in the Shaboura neighbourhood in Rafah, heard "heavy shooting" and "strong explosions" overnight. "At approximately midnight, we heard the sounds of strong explosions, as if hell had opened on the civilians," he told AFP news agency. He described seeing a helicopter landing, adding, "there was heavy shooting, as if it was a very big battle". There are conflicting reports on Palestinian casualties from the air strikes: the AFP news agency reported that "around 100 people" were killed, citing Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that at least 50 people were killed, quoting local hospital officials. In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that during an overnight "joint operation between the IDF, ISA [Israel Security Agency or Shin Bet], and Israel Police, two Israeli hostages from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak were rescued: Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70)". The hostages were taken to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel for tests. Armon Aek, its acting director, said: "I'm very happy to announce that this night, two released hostages landed here. "They were received in our ER [examination room] and initial examination was conducted by our ER staff and they are in a stable condition." They had been kidnapped by Hamas, the IDF said, in the 7 October cross-border attack that triggered the ground invasion. Mr Marman's niece said she was still "shaking" from the news of her uncle's rescue. "When I saw him I couldn't believe he was real," Gefen Sigal Ilan told AFP. Louis Har and Fernando Marman were taken to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel Israel's military launched its operations in the Gaza Strip after about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, who also took 253 people hostage. A number of those hostages were later released. On Monday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 164 people had been killed and 200 injured in Gaza over the last day, although it is not clear exactly how many died in Israeli attacks overnight. The ministry says 28,340 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 68,000 wounded in the Strip since 7 October. A number of countries and international organisations have warned Israel against conducting its planned offensive in Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people have sought refuge. Most of them have fled from the rest of Gaza. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron earlier said "over half of Gaza's po[CENSORED]tion are sheltering in the area", while Saudi Arabia warned of "very serious repercussions" if Rafah was stormed. Rafah - on the border with Egypt - is the only open point of entry for humanitarian aid into Gaza. On Sunday, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a Rafah offensive should not happen without measures to ensure the safety of civilians. Mr Biden said Israel needed a "credible and executable plan" to protect the more than a million people in the city, according to the White House. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted it will go ahead and a plan is being prepared. Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas rulers said there could be "tens of thousands" of casualties, warning that any operation would also undermine talks about a possible release of Israeli hostages held in the territory. Link

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