While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 6
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US President Donald Trump departs with first lady Melania Trump for travel to Florida from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,Jan 31, 2020.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump acquitted of all impeachment charges
US President Donald Trump drew on staunch Republican support on Wednesday to defeat the gravest threat yet to his three-year-old presidency, winning acquittal in the Senate on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Only the third US leader ever placed on trial, Trump readily defeated the effort to expel him from office for having illicitly sought help from Ukraine to bolster his 2020 re-election effort.
Despite being confronted with strong evidence, Republicans stayed loyal and mustered a majority of votes to clear the president of both charges - by 52 to 48 on the first, 53 to 47 on the second - falling far short of the two-thirds supermajority required for conviction.
"Two-thirds of the senators present not having pronounced him guilty, the Senate adjudges that respondent Donald John Trump, President of the United States, is not guilty as charged," said Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial.
Turkish jet splits open on landing, killing one and injuring 157
At least one person was killed when a Turkish jetliner broke apart after after landing in wet weather in Istanbul with at least 177 people on board.
In addition, 157 people were injured when the Boeing 737-800 operated by Pegasus Airlines veered off the runway at Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey's health minister said on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Video footage showed passengers fleeing through gaps in the fuselage.
Pelosi says she ripped up Trump speech because it 'shredded the truth'
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had not planned to tear up President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech but decided to do so after she could not find a page "that didn't have a lie on it," she told fellow Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday.
Pelosi ripped a copy of Trump's speech on Tuesday night seconds after the Republican president finished delivering it.
She got a standing ovation from Democratic lawmakers at their caucus meeting on Wednesday, Democratic aides said.
Chinese GP in doubt as Shanghai suspends sports events due to coronavirus
Shanghai sports authorities have recommended the suspension of all sporting events in the city due to the coronavirus outbreak, casting further doubt on whether the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix will take place.
The fourth grand prix of the season is scheduled for April 19 in Shanghai.
The race was expected to be on the agenda at a Formula One Strategy Group meeting on Wednesday amid increasing speculation that it could join the growing list of sports events already postponed or cancelled.
Viola Davis to play Michelle Obama in First Ladies TV series
Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis will play former US first lady Michelle Obama in a new TV series on the Showtime cable network, it was announced on Wednesday.
First Ladies will focus on the wives of US presidents and their lives in the White House, and media reports said Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford would also be portrayed.
"Presidents' spouses have wielded remarkable influence, not only on the nation's leaders but on the country itself," Jana Winograde, president of entertainment for Showtime, said.
