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Trump's NATO jab, Texas church shooting and Super Bowl victors

 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Trump roils European allies with NATO harangue

What happened?
Former President Donald Trump faced widespread criticism Sunday for threatening to ignore NATO's mutual defense obligations if Russia invaded. Trump said at a rally he had warned the leader of a "big" European country he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO countries that don't spend enough on defense. 

Who said what?
Encouraging "murderous regimes" to invade "our closest allies" is "appalling and unhinged," a White House spokesperson said. "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The commentary
It's shocking to see a former U.S. president "threatening America's closest friends as if we were running a mafia protection racket," said Kori Schake at the American Enterprise Institute. Trump's allies will argue he was "merely playing hardball" with "European freeloaders," Tom Nichols said at The Atlantic, but anyone familiar with his presidency and "servile fascination" with Russian President Vladimir Putin "knows the truth: Donald Trump would make the United States a friend to the Kremlin and an enemy to NATO. Putin knows it," and "so should every American."

What next?
Congress made it harder for a president to withdraw from NATO, but if Trump wins he could unilaterally "render it pointless" by withdrawing U.S. troops and repudiating U.S. security commitments, The New York Times said.

 
 
Today's NATIONAL story

Woman killed after opening fire at Osteen's megachurch

What happened?
A woman in her 30s was shot dead by off-duty officers on Sunday after she opened fired inside Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, one of the country's largest megachurches. Two people were wounded, including a 5-year-old boy hospitalized in critical condition.

The commentary
"I'm in a fog," Osteen told reporters. "We don't understand why these things happen, but we know God is in control." Houston Mayor John Whitmire called it "unfortunate that on the day we want to attend church and watch America’s No. 1 sports event, we find ourselves gathered here to respond to this tragedy."

Who said what?
"Several mass shootings have occurred in U.S. houses of worship in recent years," including two other Texas churches, The Texas Tribune said. In response to the deaths of 26 people at a Sutherland Springs church, Texas now "allows licensed handgun owners to carry those weapons in places of worship."

What next?
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said the 5-year-old boy entered the church with the woman, adding, "We don't know her motivations and we may never know."

 
 
Today's SPORTS Story

Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII

What happened?
The Kansas City Chiefs won Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII, beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime. It was Kansas City's third NFL championship in five years.

Who said what?
"We battled to the very end," said Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. "Just like we drew it up," President Joe Biden deadpanned on X, poking fun at conservative conspiracy theories involving the "deep state," Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The commentary
The Chiefs are officially "the NFL's newest dynasty," joining "the 1960s Green Bay Packers, 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, 1980s San Francisco 49ers, 1990s Dallas Cowboys and 21st century New England Patriots," Nate Davis said at USA Today. Sunday's game wasn't a "smooth coronation," but coach Andy Reid, Mahomes and Kelce "more than earned the crown."

What next?
The Chiefs are the ninth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls and the first since the 2003-04 Patriots. A win next year would be the NFL's first three-peat of the Super Bowl era.

 
 

It's not all bad

Florida's manatee population is making a comeback. A record 932 manatees were spotted in January at Blue Spring State Park, up from the previous high of 736, and close to 1,100 of the marine mammals gathered at Tampa's TECO Manatee Viewing Center in December. Wildlife officials said 2023 had Florida's lowest manatee mortality rate in six years, thanks to water quality improvements and enhanced manatee protection programs. 

 
 
Under the radar

Thousands of teens are revitalizing the part-time job market. It is a significant shift for Gen Z, with an increasing number of them seeking after-school and summer jobs, "reversing a trend of forgoing work when millennials were teens," The Washington Post said in a recent analysis. 

At least 250,000 more teens are working compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Post's analysis of Labor Department data. The wave of teen applicants is boosting employment for restaurants and retail stores and "changing cultural norms," said the Post. The recent uptick breaks a pattern of more than four decades of declines in teen employment. 

"When the labor market is tight, more teens work," Elizabeth Ananat, an economics professor at Barnard College, told the Post. "When teens hear there are jobs available, they take the jobs."

In the background lurked an ominous surge of child labor violations in 2023, a shift The Washington Post said was fueled by fast food companies illegally scheduling thousands of teens to work long, late hours. Some states are nonetheless loosening local mandates to allow teens to work longer hours. 

Florida 16- and 17-year-olds are a step closer to being allowed to surpass 40 work hours during the school week after the Florida House passed a Republican-backed bill. Critics are calling the legislation a "child labor" bill that would "walk back decades of laws protecting children and preventing them from working overly long hours," the Tallahassee Democrat said.

 
 
On this day

February 12, 1818

Chile issues its Declaration of Independence, formally announcing its emancipation from the Spanish Empire. The declaration results in the Chilean War of Independence and eventual establishment of the Republic of Chile. Spain does not recognize Chile as independent until 1844, at which time the two nations establish diplomatic relations.

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

Most U.S. Monday newspapers highlight the Kansas City Chiefs' repeat victory in Sunday's Super Bowl. Hometown paper The Kanas City Star does not report who won — as USA Today notes, it was "a late night" as the Chiefs narrowly beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime. The New York Post picked a different victor: "Taylor wins the Super Bowl!" the tabloid says over a photo of Taylor Swift celebrating boyfriend Travis Kelce's triumph.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

'A mother's intuition'

Some couples have nothing in common — and then there's Elizabeth Christensen and Joshua Colbert. After the Minnesota residents met last April, they learned they were born on the same day at the same hospital and attended the same kindergarten class. Christensen's mom filmed their kindergarten graduation, and zoomed in on Colbert before panning out and focusing on her daughter. “A mother’s intuition, I guess,” Colbert told CBS News. The kindergarten teacher attended Christensen and Colbert's recent wedding.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Sean Gallup / Getty Images; Timothy Fadek / Corbis via Getty Images; Michael Reaves / Getty Images; Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty Images