NATION / WORLD BRIEFING
Trump says Venezuela’s move to democracy is ‘irreversible’
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – President Donald Trump sought Monday to rally support in the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S. for opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying Venezuela’s “current path toward democracy is irreversible.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump has “strong support” for Guaido, whom the U.S. recognizes as the country’s rightful president, and he condemns President Nicolas Maduro’s government and its socialist policies. As the monthslong political crisis continues, Trump is making a public case to Venezuela’s military, which could play a decisive role in the stalemate, to support Guaido’s government. The Venezuelan military has largely remained loyal to Maduro.
California diocese names 45 accused of sexual abuse
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Catholic Diocese of Oakland, California, has released the names of 45 priests, deacons and religious brothers who officials say are “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors.
The San Francisco Chronicle said Monday that Oakland’s list goes back to 1962 – when the diocese was founded. None of the men are currently in the ministry. Of the 45 people named, 20 were priests.
5 bystanders shot, wounded in New Orleans police shootout
NEW ORLEANS – Five people waiting at a downtown New Orleans bus stop were wounded by gunfire during a police shootout with an armed robbery suspect, authorities said, in a weekend marred with multiple shootings.
The shootout happened Sunday night, and officials said the robbery suspect was killed during an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and officers with the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana State Police that stretched over two city blocks.
The New Orleans Police Department said officers investigating two armed robberies that happened last week confronted a man deemed a person of interest in the crimes, according to local news reports. Police said the man fired a gun at officers as they approached.
Israeli leaders’ Nazi comments derail European summit
JERUSALEM – Poland on Monday withdrew from a European summit in Jerusalem, derailing the meeting and embarrassing its Israeli hosts, to protest claims by Israel’s acting foreign minister that Poles collaborated with the Nazis and “suckled anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk.”
The abrupt cancellation marked a new low in a bitter and long-running conflict between Poland and Israel over how to characterize Polish actions toward its Jewish community during World War II. It was also a diplomatic setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had touted the gathering as a milestone in his outreach to the emerging democracies of central and eastern Europe.
Ancient site linked to Caesar’s murder to open to public
ROME – A complex of ancient temples in Rome that are linked to the scene of Julius Caesar’s murder will be opened to the public.
The below-street-level temple ruins at Largo Argentina in downtown Rome are visible to pedestrians peering from above but closed to visitors. For decades, access was limited to a colony of cats, the cadre of volunteers who fed them and, occasionally, archaeologists.
But Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi announced Monday that by late 2021, walkways will be built inside the site so tourists can stroll through the ruins.
Nigeria’s president tells security forces to be ‘ruthless’
UGHELLI, Nigeria – Nigeria’s president says security forces should be “ruthless” ahead of the country’s postponed election and that anyone who tries to disturb the vote “will do so at the expense of his own life.”
President Muhammadu Buhari spoke Monday as both Nigeria’s ruling party and top opposition party condemned the last-minute decision to delay Saturday’s vote until Feb. 23.