Patch Morning Briefing: Trump Fires Acting AG; Transgender Boy Scouts; Trump On LGBT Rights

Good morning, Patchers. A flurry of news came Monday night, but we've got everything you need to know to catch up and start your day.

PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRES ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL

Sally Yates, an Obama appointee, had instructed the Justice Department's employees to not defend Trump's immigration order in court, and was subsequently fired by the president. She will be replaced by Dana Boente, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, until Jeff Sessions' confirmation. Trump's decision to fire Yates reminded some political observers of President Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" in 1973. (Patch)

President Nixon confronts reporters six days after Saturday Night Massacre, October 1973: pic.twitter.com/8fZegsKWFV
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 31, 2017

BOY SCOUTS WILL ACCEPT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN

The organization said it will accept new scouts based on the gender they choose on their application, not what their birth certificate says. (Patch)

.@HRC praised the news that the Boy Scouts of America is finally opening its doors to #transgender boys https://t.co/F5vyNct1U9
— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) January 31, 2017

SENATE COMMITTEE WILL VOTE ON JEFF SESSIONS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

Speaking of the attorney general nomination, Sessions faces his first hurdle this morning in a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee. NAACP protesters were arrested Monday for a sit-in they staged outside of his office in Alabama. (AL.com)

These mugshots are a measure of our #RESISTANCE after today's sit-in to #stopsessions. #NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/jsmPeWvSVp
— Cornell Wm. Brooks (@CornellWBrooks) January 31, 2017

QUICK HITS

Adorable Penguins at Detroit Zoo Will Make You Swoon (Patch)

Texas Mosque Destroyed by Fire Raises Close to $1 Million for Rebuilding Effort (Patch)

Patch Picks: 7 Best Super Bowl Commercials (Patch)

Heinz is Petitioning to Make the Day After the Super Bowl a National Holiday (Patch)

PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL KEEP OBAMA LGBTQ PROTECTIONS IN PLACE

“President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of L.G.B.T.Q. rights, just as he was throughout the election,” a White House statement said. (The New York Times)

#CUTEANIMALTWEETOFF FIGHTS DEPRESSING NEWS WITH PICTURES OF ADORABLE CREATURES

The news is pretty depressing these days. The nation's zoos, aquariums and animal shelters are here to add some joy to your social media feeds. (Patch)

Welcome this cozy cheetah cub to the #cuteanimaltweetoff! pic.twitter.com/vdhUKmyRqa
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) January 26, 2017

PRESIDENT OBAMA DENOUNCES IMMIGRATION BAN AS WHITE HOUSE PLAYS DEFENSE

The former president makes good on his promise to speak out on policies he thinks put U.S. ideals at risk. (Patch)

BILL O'REILLY THINKS WE SHOULD TAP THE BRAKES

In the hockey world, the New York Islanders are moving out of Barclays Center after just two years in Brooklyn. (Patch)

SATELLITE SHOWS SATURN'S RINGS IN STUNNING DETAIL

The Cassini probe, on its last leg after 13 years of orbiting Saturn, just sent back some of the closest images we've ever seen of the planet's rings. (Phys.org)

Lead image: Sally Yates, via U.S. Marshals Service