Daily briefing

Nation

Rioter carrying podium gets prison

A Florida man who grabbed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's podium and posed for photographs with it during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced to more than two months in prison.

The image of Adam Johnson smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi's podium went viral after the pro-Trump mob's attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors argued that his actions at the Capitol "illustrate his sense of entitlement and privilege."

Massachusetts

Heavy snow moves into Northeast

BOSTON -- A snowstorm that started in the predawn hours Friday was expected to bring up to a foot of accumulation in some areas of the U.S. Northeast by the time it ends, while other spots were contending with a mix of sleet and ice.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of New England and eastern New York, and a winter weather advisory stretching from Ohio into coastal areas of southern New England and northern Maine.

District of Columbia

House panel requests Trump records

WASHINGTON -- A congressional oversight committee sought additional documents Friday from the National Archives related to former President Donald Trump's handling of White House records as the panel looks to expand its investigation into his handling of sensitive and even classified information.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to the archivist, laying out a series of document requests needed to determine if the former president violated federal records laws when he took 15 boxes of White House records to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after leaving office last year.

World

Kenya

UN weighs treaty to fight pollution

NAIROBI -- Delegates from United Nations member countries are considering proposals for a binding global treaty to curb plastic pollution.

The U.N. Environment Assembly, meeting Feb. 28 to March 2 in Kenya's capital, is expected to propose a framework to address the problem of plastic in the world's oceans and rivers. "For the first time in history, we are seeing unprecedented global momentum to tackle the plague of plastic pollution," said U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Afghanistan

UNICEF: Taliban to let girls go to school

KABUL -- The Taliban are showing "commitment" to allowing Afghan girls to go to school across the country next month, addressing a key condition set by the international community, UNICEF's newly appointed chief said on Friday.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said it remains to be seen whether the Taliban's commitment to reopening schools to girls and women on March 21 might hinge on more conditions or restrictions.

Hong Kong

COVID cases top 10,000 in outbreak

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong on Friday reported another sharp jump in new COVID-19 cases to more than 10,000 in the latest 24-hour period as it battles its worst outbreak of the pandemic.

The new daily case count reached 10,010, health officials said, after topping 8,000 earlier this week in a spiraling outbreak. The city has been reporting about 50 deaths a day.