In the news

Phil Griffin, MSNBC’s president, apologized for a tweet suggesting that some conservatives will hate a Cheerios ad that features a biracial couple and fired the person responsible after Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus suggested that party officials should boycott the network.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a potential 2016 White House candidate, said at a breakfast in Washington that the Amtrak Acela corridor between New York and Washington is putting too much stock in the idea that Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the next president and a “lot of folks” have “already measured the drapes, moved in, it’s a done deal.”

Phillip Chism, a 15-year old Massachusetts boy charged in the rape and killing of math teacher Colleen Ritzer in October, pleaded innocent to a second charge of raping her.

Gov. Jerry Brown of California provided some guidance for his state’s residents amid a deepening drought and advised shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing teeth and not flushing “more than you have to.”

Joel Rakower, 66, a tropical fish merchant, admitted smuggling more than 39,000 piranhas into New York City and mislabeling them as common aquarium fish, with him and his company agreeing to pay $73,000 in fines.

President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton will speak to Senate Democrats at their annual issues conference next week at the indoor section of the Washington Nationals’ stadium.

Alfred Covello, a federal judge, upheld Connecticut’s gun control law enacted last year after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

President Cristina Fernandez, 60, of Argentina is undergoing treatment for hip pain three months after surgery to remove a blood clot.

Shamal Battice, who is paraplegic, faces a possible charge of grand theft auto, accused of stealing a vehicle from a Florida dealership and leading officers on a brief chase.

Regina Marie Coleman, 28, was charged in Charles County, Md., with child neglect, accused of leaving her two young daughters in a cold car on a day when the outdoor temperature was 16 degrees while she had her makeup done in a mall department store.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 01/31/2014

Upcoming Events