Committee Chair Bennie Thompson said the panel is aiming to speak to the former vice president by the end of January, as it continues its inquiry into the events surrounding last year’s attack. Asked about the possibility of interviewing Pence, Thompson told NPR on Friday: “I think you could expect that before the month’s out.” The Mississippi Democrat said Pence’s cooperation with the investigation could be crucial given that Trump falsely told his supporters the then-vice president could have stopped the certification of the 2020 presidential election results in favor of Joe Biden via the Veep’s ceremonial role as presiding officer of the Senate....

Three days after several news outlets called the election for President-elect Joe Biden, a reporter asked Pompeo whether the Department of State was preparing to work with the Democrat’s transition team, as is the norm. “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. We’re ready,” the secretary of state replied. “The world is watching what’s taking place. We’re going to count the votes, when the process is complete there will be electors selected....

Just a day after fellow superstar Bryce Harper hit a gosh darn baseball to gosh darn Jupiter, Mike Trout played a game of one-up and launched it even further into the Milky Way. MORE: Bryce Harper tells little leaguers he doesn’t believe in participation trophies According to Statcast, the home run is still flying — given Neptune’s gaseous composition — and may find an alien planet some time soon....

A public farewell ceremony was held for Gorbachev at Moscow’s House of Unions, to be followed by the funeral itself at Novodevichy cemetery. Putin did not grant Gorbachev a state funeral, making him the first Kremlin leader since Nikita Khrushchev to be denied the honor. According to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin is unable to attend in person because of work commitments. Peskov said: “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule will not allow him....

First, during an at-bat with the bases loaded, Soto took a curveball in the dirt and grabbed his crotch while staring at Mikolas. Then, after Mikolas got Soto to ground out to end the inning, the righty appeared to return the favor. This is Game 1 people. There are still potentially six games left in this series. The drama has begun. St. Louis just came out of a series with the Braves in which the drama was palpable....

The AP reported on Monday that Uzbekistan’s air defense system confirmed that it downed an Afghan military plane on Sunday that was attempting to enter its airspace illegally. They said the takedown took place in the southeastern portion of the country near Surkhandarya where the nation shares a border with Afghanistan. In an exchange with RIA Novosti, Russia’s state news agency, Uzbekistan’s Defense Ministry said that the air defense system, “averted an attempt by an Afghan military plane to illegally cross Uzbekistan’s air border....

It’s amazing what lobbyists and politicians are selling as crucial to the war on terror. California date farmers led a massive push to send their fruit to Afghanistan, arguing that dates were essential to aid starving Afghans. Road-sign manufacturers lobbied for new signs to better direct panicked citizens out of besieged cities. Since August the 2002 government-budget projection has shrunk from a $176 billion surplus to a $100 billion deficit, due largely to the economic downturn but also to the way 9-11 swept away spending restraint....

“It means a lot,” Rios told Sporting News. “I’m showing people that I haven’t forgotten where I came from and now they get to see me on a bigger stage than when I last fought back in Kansas in 2009. My name is bigger now than it was before. I love coming back and fighting for my people.” MORE: Join DAZN and watch the Miller vs. Dinu fight Rios wasn’t always this happy....

Whether it is Earl Woods teaching Tiger to form a mental image of the ball’s rolling into the hole, or Olympic weight-lifter Tara Nott’s training her brain to block out distractions, a strong mental game has always been part of elite sports. Michael Jordan, Nancy Kerrigan and Jack Nicklaus all practiced their moves mentally; Jean-Claude Killy used to ski a slalom course in his head umpteen times before exploding out of the starting gate....

It seems that not only Liberian forward Forkey Doe’s future at Selangor is in doubt. Brazilian-born midfielder Juliano Mineiro too may find himself be replaced by the Red Giants in the mid-season transfer window, as head coach Maniam Pachaiappan told the press that the team are keeping their options open with regard to the midfielder’s contract extension. The 31-year old player, alongside Romanian attacker Victor Astafei, had been signed by Selangor in the pre-season as temporary replacement for the then-injured Indonesia winger Andik Vermansah....

The side from Chandigarh accumulated 35 points from 18 games to be crowned India’s champions. The title was sealed on the final matchday after Minerva overcame Churchill Brothers 1-0 at home on Thursday. Winger Chencho Gyeltshen and striker William Opoku all played important roles in their title win in only their second season in India’s top-tier. The Ranjit Bajaj-owned side should have won the title much earlier but a slump in form meant they had to wait until the final day....

The students are demanding justice for Locke, who was awaken while Minneapolis police carried out a no-knock warrant at the apartment in which he was staying last Wednesday, then shot after he grabbed his legally obtained firearm. Locke was not listed on the warrant. Video shared on social media shows students marching while holding signs saying Black Lives Matter and Justice for Amir Locke. Some of the students plan to take their march to Minnesota Governor Time Walz’s residence, WCCO-TV reported....

That Minoso, who died Sunday, did not get to enjoy Induction Weekend in Cooperstown as an honoree while living is proof of how the baseball establishment to this day has failed to fully appreciate the significance of his accomplishments as an integration pioneer who starred as part of baseball’s greatest generation. MORE: Baseball’s All-Cuban team | Latino baseball legends The last chance to honor Minoso’s achievement in helping transform the formerly segregated major leagues and, more specifically, the American League (which proved much slower to embrace integration) came in December with the Golden Era Committee....

The preliminary competition, which determines the top 21 contestants who will compete on May 16, will be held on May 14. The preliminary competition will be streamed live at 7 p.m. ET on the Miss Universe YouTube channel. Viewers can vote for their picks via the Miss Universe app. The contest will be hosted by actor Mario Lopez and Olivia Culpo, who won Miss Universe in 2012, with a guest performance by rapper Pitbull....

Sajid Thungal set off from his home in the city of Kottayam in the southern state of Kerala in 1974. Thungal, then aged 22, left with plans to work in the Middle East, and took up a job managing events in Adu Dhabi using entertainers from India. Two years later, an Indian Airlines plane crashed while attempting to land in Mumbai on a domestic flight from Chennai. All of the 95 passengers and crew died after engine failure led to a fire and the pilot lost control of the aircraft....

Translation: instead of running a rapidly growing start-up, his company was constantly short of cash and manpower. He spent his days trolling for investment money and new employees to replace the ones who had defected for greener pastures. (Brilliant Media says it recently landed funding.) Last July, Harris, 37, left the company and went back to Los Angeles–and is now looking for a job in a traditional, non-techie company....

The law, passed in 2018, has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and was previously blocked by several lower court rulings. While no official date has been set by SCOTUS to hear the case, the expectation is that it will take place in the fall. The case is a significant pick up by the Supreme Court, as it could change nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:...

Biden criticized the GOP governors of Mississippi and Texas for recently easing COVID-19 restrictions, Texas, including the ending of mask mandates, as ill-advised “Neanderthal thinking” due to the ongoing pandemic on Wednesday. Reeves compared the comments to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s infamous remarks describing some supporters of former President Donald Trump as “deplorables,” while falsely claiming that both of the Democrats had directed their remarks towards “all of us in middle America....

The events began Wednesday in the city of Biloxi with a Twelfth Night Celebration. A crowd of people largely without masks gathered for the event at a lighthouse. Health experts told the Sun-Herald, a newspaper based in Biloxi, the state’s upcoming events are likely to spread the virus. Johns Hopkins University researchers reported Mississippi has the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths in the country, currently at over 10,520. Over the last two weeks, the daily new case average for the state has jumped by 1,305 percent....

Michael Hartfield II, 18, was arrested Thursday after publishing the lyrics to his rap song on a music sharing site and posting a video of him performing the song on soundcloud. A resource officer from Forrest County Agricultural High School informed the police of the song, apparently alarmed that some current faculty members were named in the song, and officers obtained a warrant. The lyrics allegedly include shooting up the school, classrooms and faculty in the song....