Law and legacy

February 16, 2016 - Daily News Briefing

Antonin Scalia was a giant of modern American conservatism who didn't let ideology get in the way of friendship.

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Russia's prime minister accused the West on Saturday of rekindling the Cold War, telling a meeting of top defense officials, diplomats and national leaders that sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea and new moves by the NATO alliance "only aggravate" tensions. Dmitry Medvedev said Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same Munich Security Conference in 2007 that the West's building of a missile defense system risked restarting the Cold War, and that now "the picture is more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than anticipated."

Philanthropist David Rubenstein is giving $18 million to fix up the Lincoln Memorial. The billionaire investor has already donated tens of millions of dollars to refurbish the Washington Monument and other icons around the D.C. area. The National Park Service plans to fix the memorial's roof, clean the marble and improve accessibility by adding a second elevator. The park service also plans to create 15,000 square feet of visitor space tucked beneath the memorial for exhibits.

Pope Francis denounced the centuries-old exploitation and social exclusion of Mexico's Indians on Monday, saying the world should instead learn from their culture and appreciation of nature. Francis celebrated Mexico's Indians during a visit to the southern state of Chiapas, a center of indigenous culture. He presided over a Mass in three native languages approved for use recently by the Vatican in a service that also featured a traditional dance of prayer and other indigenous elements.

President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asian nations are gathering in Southern California for an unprecedented two days of talks on economic and security issues and on forging deeper ties amid China's assertive presence in the region. Obama on Monday welcomed each leader from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, for a summit at Sunnylands, a posh California desert estate. Obama has traveled to Asia for the association's annual summit, but this is the first time leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are meeting in the U.S.

Iraq's influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for government reform Saturday, demanding greater accountability and threatening to withdraw from the political process if his proposal is not accepted and the government does not show results within a year. Al-Sadr's comments follow a slew of similar demands from Iraq's political and religious elite after months of stalled progress on a reform package Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proposed last summer.

Thousands of Burundians on Saturday participated in government-sanctioned demonstrations against neighboring Rwanda, accusing the neighboring nation of supporting a rebellion to topple Burundi's president. The demonstrations highlight the souring of relations between the Central African neighbors since Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected for a disputed third term.

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