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DA office's list of suspect police, PHL plans expansion, Chloe Kim earns gold | Morning Newsletter

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Chloe Kim will try for her first Olympic gold medal on Monday night.
Chloe Kim will try for her first Olympic gold medal on Monday night.Read moreJulie Jacobson / AP File Photo

Good morning, Philadelphia. Today we're catching up on Olympics updates, and diving into new stories surrounding the District Attorney's office and the Philadelphia International Airport. It's also Mardi Gras, so let the good times roll if you can.

If you like what you're reading, tell your friends it's free to sign up for this newsletter here.

— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

» READ MORE: Chloe Kim, Scranton’s Adam Rippon add to medal count

The 2018 Winter Olympics are in full swing and so far the U.S. has won 6 medals: 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze.

Monday was a big day for American figure skaters: Scranton-born Adam Rippon, the first openly-gay American man to compete in the Winter Olympics, helped the American team win a bronze medal. And Mirai Nagasu became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics

Early Tuesday (last night for the U.S.), snowboarding phenom Chloe Kim brought home gold on the halfpipe, living up to all the hype that's surrounded the 17 year old. Her teammate Arielle Gold won the bronze.

Is binge watching your Olympic sport? Turn on these winter games-themed movies instead.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia’s DA office keeps secret list of suspect police

Last year, the Philadelphia District Attorney's secretive Police Misconduct Review Committee made a list of officers with a history of lying, racial bias, or brutality, in a move to block them from testifying in court.

The list was intended for internal use and has not been made public, though sources said it included Reginald V. Graham, who in 2007 arrested the rapper Meek Mill.

District Attorney Larry Krasner has confirmed the existence of the list and, according to sources, he believes the list is a limited snapshot of the real problem.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia International Airport plans a shipping hub

Transporting people isn't cool. You know what is cool? Transporting people and cargo. That's why the Philadelphia International Airport is adding a massive air-freight complex to its footprint.

Though representatives of the land once accused the city of trying to buy it for less than its value, last month the airport acquired the 135 acres immediately west of its passenger terminals.

What's at stake? An estimated $50 billion in air-cargo business. The move, alongside updates to the Port of Philadelphia, looks to take advantage of Philly's central location in the mid-Atlantic.

What you need to know today

  1. Thousands of survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico evacuated to Philadelphia, and many are struggling to find jobs and housing. For some, their FEMA aid ends Wednesday. Now, Mayor Jim Kenney is calling on the federal government to do more.

  2. A lawsuit is being brought against a Delaware County man under a law allowing foreigners to pursue civil claims for torture and extrajudicial killings against people living in the U.S. He's said to have led one of the biggest massacres of the Liberian Civil War.

  3. Nervous about new licensing requirements that may mean sacrificing bullet-proof windows, beer deli owners are hoping a new bill from Pennsylvania State Rep. Todd Stephens will offer protections.

  4. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared at the Union League Monday to receive its Lincoln Award and, in his speech, praised Abraham Lincoln as a leader with "moral and legal clarity."

  5. Entrepreneurs as far as Florida are trying to trademark the phrase "Philly Special" following the Super Bowl, and a Philly law firm is getting involved.

  6. The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled the official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama. As columnist Elizabeth Wellington writes, the unconventional portraits are "the final piece of a legacy marked by breaking the mold."

  7. Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture returns to Love Park today. But first, it's doing a little tour of the city this morning.

  8. Get excited, baseball fans: the Phillies report for spring training today. Here are the story lines fan should watch out for. 

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

We want to see what our community looks like through your eyes. Show us the park that your family walks through every weekend with the dog, the block party in your neighborhood or the historic stretch you see every morning on your commute to work.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

That’s Interesting

  1. It's Mardi Gras, so you may find celebrants slurping on hurricanes around the city. Thanks to the New Orleans'-inspired bar Khyber Pass Pub, you can make a delicious one at home, too.

  2. Drones don't just make for great photos and Christmas presents. Local engineers are making advanced drones to help out in the case of a fire or a nuclear accident.

  3. Need a dose of schadenfreude? Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been absolutely miserable since the Eagles' Super Bowl win.

  4. Speaking of misery, if you or a loved one has been cursing the flu lately, it may comfort you to understand exactly how the virus makes you feel so bad.

  5. It looks like Comcast may renew its bid for 21 Century Fox's entertainment assets, despite Fox's recent deal with Disney.

  6. The latest Disney Channel original movie, Zombies, may stoke a new dance craze among middle-schoolers — and it's all thanks to Montgomery County native David Light.

  7. The Sixers continued their four-game winning streak Monday with a 108-92 win against the Knicks.

Opinions

"It is this toxic bias that prevents so many men from admitting they've been abused, whether out of embarrassment or the resignation that they won't be deemed credible."
— Columnist Christine Flowers writes it’s time to turn #MeToo into #MenToo.
  1. As the #MeToo movement continues in the U.S., there are five reforms Middle Eastern governments (and Western feminists) should support to advocate for women's rights, writes foreign policy and national security researcher Madyson Hutchinson Posey.

  2. Philadelphia's arts and culture organizations came together to buoy the city ahead of the Super Bowl. Now, writes culture reporter Peter Dobrin, it's time the Eagles team up with the arts to improve the city. 

What we’re reading

  1. The founder of a Philly grassroots nonprofit recently took on the SNAP Challenge, relying on $135 a month for food. As she told Billy Penn, experiencing this glimpse at food insecurity was eye-opening. 

  2. It's almost Valentine's Day. Are you following the new rules of dating in Philly, according to Philadelphia Magazine? Covering everything from online dating to talking politics, they're certainly food for thought.

  3. The Philadelphia International Airport is still jazzing up its terminals with curated art installations after two decades. WHYY's check in on the program explains how they find all of the artwork. Spoiler alert: it's not easy.

  4. Black Panther, directed by Creed director Ryan Coogler, finally hits theaters this weekend. The New York Times takes a comprehensive look at why the film is one of the — if not the — most anticipated films of the year.

  5. So who is Chloe Kim? This ESPN profile on the young phenom will tell everything you need to know about the star making Olympic snowboarding look so easy.

Your Daily Dose of | Resilience 

Yehuda Hammer, a 101-year-old Holocaust survivor who loves to exercise, is teaching doctors at his Voorhees retirement community a thing or two about living.