As you observed, I'm a fairly practical guy.
I want to get things done.
I want to get them done,
consistent with what we promised the American people.
And in order to do that, in a 50-50 Senate,
we've got to get to the place where I get 50 votes
so that the Vice President United States can break the tie
or I get 51 votes without her.
And so
I'm going to say something outrageous.
I had never been particularly poor at calculating
how to get things done in the United States Senate.
So the best way to get something done, if you
if you hold near and dear to you that you uh,
uh, like to be able...
anyway.
I'm, we're going to get a lot done and if we have to if there's complete
lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster then
we'll have to go beyond what I'm talking about.
More than 600 activists have been released from prison in Myanmar
after weeks of demonstrations the streets today have been deserted
as protesters observe calls for a silent strike.
It's a show of mourning for those shot by security forces
and it comes after a seven-year-old
was shot in her own home.
At the same time a court hearing for ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been postponed
for a second time.
Quiet streets across Myanmar.
after weeks of violence protesters have taken a different approach.
They've called on people to stay home and close businesses in a day of silence.
It's a show of mourning for the hundreds who have been killed
At markets, the usual vendors didn't show up.
A cargo ship owned by an Israeli company was damaged
by an Iranian missile in the Arabian sea earlier today.
Reuters reported Israel's Channel 12 News publishing on its website.
The report said the ship, sailing from Tanzania to India,
was able to continue its voyage.
According to the report, the ship is owned by XT Management
based in the port city of Haifa.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the incident or reach officials
at the company for comment.
A spokeswoman at Israel's foreign ministry said they were checking the report.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
blamed Iran for an explosion aboard an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman.
The vehicle carrier MV Helios Ray was hit between the night of February 25th
and morning of February 26th by a blast above the water line
that a US official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull.
Coronavirus cases have exploded in India
with more than 53 000 reported on Thursday.
The country has seen its highest daily toll since October last year.
News comes as scientists revealed the discovery of a so-called
double mutation of Covid-19
when two mutations come together in the same virus.
The Indian health ministry was quick to say that the recent spike in cases
was not related to the new variant,
but it remains unclear if the double mutation is more contagious or deadly,
a question scientists are now working to answer.
The Kremlin has been tightening its grip on social media platforms.
This month, the country's media watchdog threatened to block sites like Twitter
if they failed to remove banned content.
And now the video sharing platform Tik Tok is on the Kremlin's radar as well.
During opposition protests in support of Alexei Navalny
the site was flooded with political content.
Tik Tok in particular has been on the authority's radar
since the return of opposition politician Alexei Navalny to Russia.
His arrest in January caused a wave of opposition protests across the country
and a sudden explosion of politics on Tik Tok.
Teenagers filmed themselves at schools
replacing portraits of Putin with portraits of Navalny.
The former president of the republic Jacob Zuma insists
he will serve a prison term if the constitutional court decides on one.
Zuma has written a 26 point statement explaining why he won't appear before
the state capture commission.
He says he's lost trust in the South African judiciary,
including judges of the constitutional court.
Yesterday the commission's lawyer,
Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi,
pleaded with the constitutional court to give Zuma a two-year sentence
for contempt of court.
The court reserved judgment.
A series of powerful tornadoes tore through Alabama on Thursday,
killing several people, injuring dozens of others
and leaving a trail of destruction in its path.
Five fatalities have been confirmed so far in Ohatchee,
a tiny town of 1 200 residents in the northwest corner of the state.
60 Miles southwest in Pelham,
video obtained by Reuters showed roofs sheared off of homes,
cars destroyed and tree trunks and power lines torn down.
Tens of thousands of people across the state have been left without power.