WORLD NEWS

Reuters: Intense fighting darkens Ukraine peace talks

The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were due to attend a peace summit on Wednesday, but Ukraine’s pro-Moscow separatists diminished the chance of a deal by launching some of the war’s worst fighting in an assault on a government garrison.

Washington Post: US may slow exit of troops from Afghanistan 

The Obama administration is considering slowing its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan for the second time, according to U.S. officials, a sign of the significant security challenges that remain despite an end to the U.S. and NATO combat mission there.

Reuters: Greek Prime Minister wins confidence vote, EU showdown looms

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras comfortably won a confidence vote on his plan to cancel a deeply unpopular bailout program and challenge European leaders as both sides prepare for a showdown at meetings in Brussels this week.

FOX News: US, UK and France close embassies in Yemen

The State Department announced late Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Yemen had been closed and evacuated after much of the country was taken over by Shiite rebels last month.

NATIONAL NEWS

New York Times: Obama to seek war powers bill to fight ISIS

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has informed lawmakers that the president will seek a formal authorization to fight the Islamic State that would prohibit the use of “enduring offensive ground forces” and limit engagement to three years. The approach offers what the White House hopes is a middle way on Capitol Hill for those on the right and left who remain deeply skeptical of its plans to thwart extremist groups.

New York Times: NBC suspends Brian Williams for 6 months without pay

Brian Williams, the embattled NBC news anchor whose credibility plummeted after he acknowledged exaggerating his role in a helicopter episode in Iraq, has been suspended for six months without pay, the network said on Tuesday night.

Washington Post: Killing of 3 in Chapel Hill stirs alarm among Muslims

A Chapel Hill man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of a young couple and their sister Tuesday, police say. One of the slain was a student at North Carolina State University. Another was at the University of North Carolina and the third was planning to enroll at UNC dental school this year.

Huffington Post: Clarence Thomas: Justices’ minds are made up on gay marriage

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s move on Monday to allow gay marriage to proceed in Alabama is the strongest signal yet that the justices are likely to rule in June that no state can restrict marriage to only heterosexual couples.

FLORIDA NEWS

Tampa Bay Times: Jeb Bush hosts education summit 

TALLAHASSEE — He looked like a presidential candidate on Tuesday, hosting a $1,000-a-person lunchtime fundraiser at a posh Tallahassee hotel and convening lawmakers to discuss one of his top priorities.

Tampa Bay Times: Cabinet folds in Scott scandal

The Florida Cabinet wasted an opportunity Thursday to publicly question Gov. Rick Scott about his abuse of authority in ousting the head of the state’s most powerful law enforcement agency. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam largely ignored the serious allegations against the governor made by former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey. While Scott finally conceded he “could have handled it better” in forcing out Bailey, that late, grudging acknowledgement does not lessen the need for an independent investigation.