Good morning. Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. FBI Surrounds Remaining Oregon Refuge Occupiers
FBI agents surrounded the last four occupiers of an Oregon wildlife refuge on Wednesday night. Negotiations were under way and no shots have been fired, according to the FBI's Portland office. It said agents have been stationed at barricades in front of and behind the area of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where the occupiers are camping. Read more in NEWS.
2. N. Korean Leader Had Military Chief Executed: Sources
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed one of his top military chiefs for corruption and other charges, various South Korean officials said Wednesday. The execution of Ri Yong-Gil, chief of the North Korean military's general staff, would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals since Kim took power in late 2011. Read more in NEWS.
3. Christie Dramatically Altered the Republican Race
Chris Christie couldn’t get it done this time. He dropped out of the presidential race the day after the New Hampshire Republican primary. But Christie might have done more to alter the outcome of the Republican field than any other candidate so far. Read more in POLITICS.
4. Insult to Injury: Cleveland Bills Tamir Rice Estate $500
The city of Cleveland filed a claim against the estate of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old fatally shot by police in 2014, seeking $500 in reimbursement for the ambulance ride. Assistant Law Director Carl Meyer filed the creditor's claim in Cuyahoga County Probate Court on Wednesday, NBC affiliate WKYC reported. Read more in NEWS.
5. U.S. Sues Ferguson Over Resistance to Police Reforms
The U.S. Justice Department, fed up with the city of Ferguson, Missouri over proposed reforms in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting, filed a lawsuit late Wednesday seeking to force the city to make the changes it had earlier agreed to adopt voluntarily. Read more in NEWS.
6. Trump Makes Electability Pitch in First Rally Since Primary Win
In his first rally since winning the Republican primary on Tuesday night, Donald Trump told nearly 5,000 in the Palmetto State that he was the guy who could not only win in South Carolina, but beyond. "You’re next," Trump said to the South Carolinians assembled, citing his large margin of victory in the Granite State. Read more in POLITICS.
7. Ex-Auschwitz Guard Stands Trial Over 170,000 Deaths
A 94-year-old former guard at Auschwitz goes on trial in Germany on Thursday accused of being an accessory to the murder of at least 170,000 people — the first of four such court cases that could be the last due to the very old age of the defendants. Read more in NEWS.
8. WWII Vet Reunites With Wartime Love After 70 Years
An American World War II veteran and his wartime girlfriend will spend this Valentine’s Day together following an emotional reunion after more than 70 years apart. Norwood Thomas, 93, laughed Wednesday as he met and hugged Joyce Morris, 88, for the first time since 1945. Read more in NEWS.