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 | | | Cabinet full of firsts | | Pete Buttigieg confirmed as first openly gay Cabinet secretary. Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO. It's Tuesday's news. | | |
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| Two Senate confirmations mark historic firsts for the United States. Former President Donald Trump's legal team says the impeachment trial is unconstitutional. And one of the world's richest men is stepping down as CEO of one of the world's biggest companies. |
| It's Ashley with the news you need to know. |
| But first, exciting Short List news: I'm very eager to let you in on something we've been working on for our dear readers. The catch? It's dropping next week. Stay tuned! |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here! |
Pete Buttigieg and Alejandro Mayorkas: Two historic firsts |
| Pete Buttigieg was confirmed as transportation secretary Tuesday. He is the first openly gay Cabinet secretary to be confirmed by the Senate. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a Democratic presidential candidate, received overwhelming bipartisan support with a 86-13 vote. The Department of Transportation distributes billions of dollars in federal highway funding and regulates aviation, railroads and busing. |
| Alejandro Mayorkas was also confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, becoming the first immigrant and first Latino to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Despite opposition from Republicans, Mayorkas secured enough votes for confirmation, by a 56-43 vote. It was one the closest votes for any of President Joe Biden's nominees. |
 | | Alejandro Mayorkas will serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. | | Jacquelyn Martin, AP | |
Trump's defense team claims Senate has no grounds to hold trial |
| Donald Trump's attorneys, in their first formal response to the impeachment charge against the former president, argued his upcoming Senate impeachment trial is unconstitutional and asked for the case to be dismissed. Trump's team argues that remarks he made about the election were protected by free speech and denied he played any part in inciting the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 that left five people dead. Trump's lawyers said they wouldn't argue that the election was fraudulent, but their legal brief refers to Trump's complaints about the balloting, a hint that the accusations could come up at his trial, though they've been rejected by multiple courts and discounted by the Justice Department. |
 | | Former President Donald Trump's legal team argues that the impeachment trial against him is unconstitutional. | | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images | |
Jeff Bezos to step down from Amazon CEO role |
| In a surprise move, Amazon announced Tuesday that founder Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO this summer. Andy Jassy, leader of Amazon's cloud computing business, will succeed him in the third quarter of 2021. Bezos, one of the world's most powerful business figures and one of its wealthiest, isn't leaving the company entirely. He plans to transition to executive chair. |
What everyone's talking about |
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FBI: 2 agents killed serving warrant in 'crimes against children' case |
| Two FBI agents were killed and three were wounded in a shooting early Tuesday while serving a warrant in a child exploitation case in Sunrise, Florida. The suspect, who was not identified, also died. The FBI Agents Association called the deaths "devastating to the entire FBI community and to our country." The loss of the two agents – Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger – marked the deadliest day for the bureau since 2013. |
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 | | Law enforcement gather near the scene of a shooting in which FBI agents were killed and wounded in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 2. | | Joe Cavaretta, AP | |
Capt. Tom Moore dies after testing positive for COVID-19 |
| Capt. Tom Moore, a British World War II veteran who captured hearts around the world as he raised nearly $45 million for health workers by walking around his garden, died at 100 after testing positive for COVID-19. Captain Tom, as he became known by many, became an international symbol of hope in April when he pledged to walk 100 laps around his garden before his 100th birthday to raise money for the "heroes" at Britain's National Health Service. He reached his initial goal of $1,250 within about 24 hours, according to his fundraising page. Moore raised more than $40 million in donations from around the world. |
 | | Queen Elizabeth II awards Capt. Thomas Moore with the insignia of Knight Bachelor at Windsor Castle on July 17, 2020, in Windsor, England. The British World War II veteran raised almost $45 million for health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. | | Chris Jackson, Getty Images | |
Real quick |
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More winter is coming, according to an expert groundhog |
| It's official: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Tuesday during Groundhog Day celebrations in Pennsylvania, so we're in for six more weeks of winter. Tradition says Phil seeing his shadow is a sign that the next six weeks will bring wintry weather. If Phil doesn't see his shadow, it means an early spring. Will his wintry prediction hold true? Phil's weather predictions are wrong most of the time, so don't count on it. |
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 | | Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 135th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2021. | | Barry Reeger, AP | |
A break from the news |
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