People with extremist views less able to do complex mental tasks, research suggests

Cambridge University team say their findings could be used to spot people at risk from radicalisation

Our brains hold clues for the ideologies we choose to live by, according to research, which has suggested that people who espouse extremist attitudes tend to perform poorly on complex mental tasks.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge sought to evaluate whether cognitive disposition – differences in how information is perceived and processed – sculpt ideological world-views such as political, nationalistic and dogmatic beliefs, beyond the impact of traditional demographic factors like age, race and gender.

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Republicans eye federal funds to help pay Texans’ exorbitant energy bills

Texas Republicans will use federal funds to help pay exorbitant energy bills hitting ordinary Texans after a deep freeze crippled the state this week, a senior congressman said on Sunday.

Related: Texans rally to help neighbors amid big freeze as officials are caught cold

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IAEA and Iran strike three-month deal over nuclear inspections

Agreement paves way for diplomatic talks between Tehran and the US over sanctions

The UN’s nuclear inspectorate has struck a three-month deal with Iran giving it sufficient continued access to verify nuclear activity in the country, opening the space for wider political and diplomatic talks between Tehran and the US.

Iran will go ahead with its threat to withdraw this week from the additional protocol, the agreement that gives inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) intrusive powers.

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Malcolm X family says letter shows NYPD and FBI conspired in his murder

Ex-undercover officer claims in posthumous letter he was pressured to lure activist’s security men into committing crimes

Almost 56 years since the day Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City, lawyers and family members of the late civil rights and Black nationalist leader released new evidence they claim shows the NYPD and FBI conspired in his murder.

Related: 'The humanity of black characters is often forgotten': behind Oscar-tipped One Night in Miami

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Airplane debris narrowly misses Broomfield home after midair engine fire – video

United Airlines plan rained debris on Denver suburbs, narrowly missing a home, after suffering catastrophic engine failure shortly after takeoff on Saturday. The Boeing 777-200 returned to the airport in an emergency landing.

United said there were no reported injuries on Flight 328 from Denver International airport to Honolulu, which had 231 passengers and 10 crew on board

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‘Something blew up’: plane rains debris on Denver suburbs after engine fire

  • FAA: United flight suffered engine failure before landing
  • Witness sees explosion and smoke from low-flying airliner

A United Airlines plane has rained debris on Denver suburbs, narrowly missing a home, after it suffered a catastrophic engine failure shortly after take-off on Saturday. The Boeing 777-200 returned to the airport safely for an emergency landing, with no reports of anyone hurt.

United said in a statement there were no reported injuries on Flight 328 from Denver International Airport to Honolulu, which had 231 passengers and 10 crew on board.

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Three dead after shoot-out in New Orleans gun store

Customers and staff opened fire on a person who walked into the Metairie store and fatally shot two people

Three people are dead and two more in hospital after a person in a New Orleans gun store opened fire, killing two before dying when customers and staff shot back, police say.

The shooting happened at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in the suburb of Metairie around 2.50pm on Saturday, according to a release from the Jefferson Parish sheriff’s office.

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Donald Trump to address CPAC on future of Republican party

Former president Donald Trump will address the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Florida next week, about the future of the Republican party and the conservative movement, a source familiar with the plan told Reuters on Saturday.

Related: Trump ally Nunes sees CNN Ukraine lawsuit thrown out by New York judge

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Michelle Wie hits back at Rudy Giuliani over crass story on Bannon podcast

  • Wie criticized “highly inappropriate” story told by Giuliani
  • Former Trump attorney made comments on Bannon podcast

Michelle Wie has hit back at Rudy Giuliani after the former personal attorney to Donald Trump shared a story about being able to see the golfer’s underwear while she putted during a charity fundraiser in 2014.

Guiliani was appearing on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast on Thursday for a discussion on Rush Limbaugh, the influential rightwing talk radio host who died earlier that day, when he asked if he could tell a story about a golf outing with Limbaugh and Wie.

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Joe Biden to meet Justin Trudeau of Canada after Keystone pipeline order

  • Allies seek to turn page on strains of Donald Trump era
  • Oil permit revocation and US goods order complicate picture

Joe Biden will hold his first bilateral meeting with the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, on Tuesday, the White House said on Saturday.

Related: Alberta leader says Biden's move to cancel Keystone pipeline a 'gut punch’

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Biden approves major disaster declaration over Texas deep freeze

Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas, which has suffered widespread power blackouts and water shortages during a deep freeze, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said on Saturday.

Related: Why the cold weather caused huge Texas blackouts – a visual explainer

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Myanmar coup: at least two protesters shot dead by riot police

Second reported victim, a 36-year-old carpenter, was shot in the chest and died en route to hospital

At least two anti-coup protesters in Myanmar have been shot dead by riot police, emergency workers have said, amid continuing demonstrations demanding an end to military rule and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

The deaths, in the country’s second-largest city Mandalay, mark the bloodiest day in more than two weeks of increasingly fraught protests as a civil disobedience movement grows.

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Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s plan to honour Rush Limbaugh raises hackles

  • Democratic leader angry at honour for deeply divisive figure
  • Flags to fly at half-staff for late hard-right talk radio host

Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has said flags in the state will fly at half-staff for Rush Limbaugh, the hard-right talk radio host who died this week aged 70.

Related: Florida's Republican governor accused of ‘playing politics’ with Covid vaccine

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Trump ally Nunes sees CNN Ukraine lawsuit thrown out by New York judge

  • California congressman sought $435m in damages
  • Story linked him to hunt for Biden dirt in Ukraine

A defamation lawsuit brought against CNN by the California Republican Devin Nunes, a leading ally of former president Donald Trump, was tossed out by a Manhattan judge on Friday.

Related: Icy blast of anti-Ted Cruz outrage shows little sign of abating

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New stars on the American flag? Fresh hope as Puerto Rico and DC push for statehood

Five US territories float in constitutional limbo, but impetus is growing to put and end to a ‘fundamental democratic flaw’

One of the most powerful prosecutions of former US president Donald Trump last week came from Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, the first delegate from an American territory to hold the position of impeachment manager.

Yet Plaskett’s status meant that she was unable to vote for Trump’s impeachment because she has no vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. The US Virgin Islands has no representation at all in the Senate. Its residents cannot even vote for president.

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US warns Beijing against using force in South China Sea

State department concerned by new laws that authorise Chinese coastguard to use weapons against foreign ships

The United States has warned China against the use of force in disputed waters as it reaffirmed its view that Beijing’s assertive campaign in the South China Sea is illegal.

The state department voiced “concern” about new legislation enacted by China that authorises its coastguard to use weapons against foreign ships that Beijing considers to be unlawfully entering its waters.

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Texas storm: Biden to declare major disaster to secure federal aid – live

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, a Democrat-led legislature has overturned a dormant 1969 ban on most abortion procedures.

History made. #SB10, affirming that decisions about abortion should remain with NM women, has passed both chambers of the #nmleg. Thank you to every New Mexican who has fought for this progress. #nmpol pic.twitter.com/OigA95YhMB

This November, you elected leaders to build a better future for all New Mexicans. Thank you to the voters, activists, and champions who fought for a New Mexico where abortion care is accessible for all. You made this win possible! #nmleg #SB10 #repealtheban pic.twitter.com/ltIrJ0ZFJv

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has already indicated that he would oppose Neera Tanden’s to be director of the Office of Management and Budget, in part because of combative statements she has made on Twitter.

New: Manchin is opposing Neera Tanden's nomination for OMB: "I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget."

OMB: Biden tells reporters he will not pull @neeratanden nomination, will find the votes for her

WH press secretary Jen Psaki: "Neera Tanden is an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent Budget Director and we look forward to the committee votes next week and to continuing to work toward her confirmation through engagement with both parties."

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‘Something bit my butt’: Alaska woman using outhouse attacked by bear

Shannon Stevens was treated with first aid kit after incident in which bear face was seen at at toilet seat level

An Alaska woman had the scare of a lifetime when using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below.

“I got out there and sat down on the toilet and immediately something bit my butt right as I sat down,” Shannon Stevens told the Associated Press. “I jumped up and I screamed when it happened.”

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West file for divorce

The reality TV and rap superstar couple known as Kimye are parting ways after almost seven years of marriage, following reports a split was ‘imminent’

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are getting a divorce after almost seven years of marriage.

The reality TV superstar, 40, filed for divorce from the rapper, 43, on Friday in Los Angeles, court sources confirmed to the AP, and is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their four children, daughters North, seven years old, and Chicago, two, and sons Saint, five, and Psalm, 19 months.

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