PoliticsNational ReviewRand Paul Warns One Third of Republicans Will Leave Party if GOP Senators Back Impeachment
Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) warned Friday that one third of Republican voters could leave the party if GOP senators vote in impeachment proceedings to convict President Trump. The senator's remarks come amid an increasing divide between congressional Republicans who oppose impeaching the president, and a smaller number who support the measure following the riots at the Capitol on January 6. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is reportedly hopeful that Republicans can use impeachment to purge Trump from the GOP, although he would need the support of at least 16 additional Republican senators to vote to convict.
U.S.The Independent‘It was my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection’: DC officer injured in Capitol riot speaks out
A Washington DC police officer who was crushed by a far-right mob during the insurrection at the US Capitol earlier this month has said that he would do it all again to protect US democracy. “If it wasn't my job I would've done that for free,” Officer Daniel Hodges said in an interview with NBC. “It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection … We'll do it as many times as it takes."
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Biden taps former deputy CIA director Cohen for spy agency again
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday named former Deputy CIA Director David Cohen to reprise his role at the U.S. intelligence agency as he continued to fill out top roles for his administration. Cohen previously served as the deputy director for the Central Intelligence Agency from 2015 to 2017 under Democratic then-President Barack Obama, when Biden served as vice president. Cohen would serve under longtime U.S. diplomat William Burns, Biden's nominee for CIA director.
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California Gov. Newsom is ‘far behind’ on coronavirus vaccine distribution: Rep. Issa
Darrell Issa, R-Calif. provides insight into the push to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
PoliticsNBC NewsTexas realtor who took private jet is charged in Capitol riot
A Texas realtor who took a private jet to the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week and called it the best day of her life is facing federal charges. Jennifer Ryan, who goes by Jenna Ryan on social media, is the latest person charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. Federal authorities said in court documents released Friday that Ryan traveled with a group to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5 and documented her two-day trip on social media.
CelebrityTheGrioMAGA protester punched by Black woman security guard fired by UMass Hospital
On January 5th, Therese Duke and a group of pro-Trump protesters that included other family members were filmed harassing Ashanti Smith, a security guard working at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. After Duke made a failed attempt to grab Smith's phone out of her hand, the woman proceeded to punch Duke in the face once, to dissuade her. Following the incident, her very liberal 18-year-old daughter Helena Duke exposed her on social media. Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn't go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?
PoliticsThe WeekTrump reportedly began 'choreographing' premature victory speech weeks before election
President Trump is known for going off script, but his premature presidential election victory declaration in the early hours of the morning on Nov. 4 wasn't a completely spur-of-the-moment decision, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports. In the first installment of a reported series on Trump's final two months in office, Swan writes that Trump began "choreographing election night in earnest" during the second week of October following a "toxic" debate with President-elect Joe Biden on Sept. 29 and a bout with COVID-19 that led to his hospitalization. At that point, Trump's internal poll numbers had reportedly taken a tumble, Swan notes.
PoliticsThe IndependentAide to Lauren Boebert resigns following Capitol riots
The communications director for newly elected Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a gun-rights activist who has supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, has resigned after less than two weeks in office. The Colorado congresswoman had pledged to object to electoral college results certifying president-elect Joe Biden as a mob stormed the halls of Congress following Donald Trump's false claims that the election was “stolen” from his supporters. This week, the freshman Colorado Republican denied that she had led rioters on a tour of the US Capitol ahead of the insurrection on 6 January.
ScienceCBS NewsMoon rocket test firing aborted after engine shutdown
Engineers test fired the first stage of NASA's gargantuan Space Launch System rocket for the first time Saturday, but the planned eight-minute-long "hot fire" ended about a minute after ignition when one of the four main engines suddenly shut down. What impact the abort at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi might have on NASA's future plans for the rocket is unclear. The agency plans to ship the booster to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for an unpiloted maiden test flight and has long-term plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface on the rocket's third flight.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump's team is reportedly trying to assemble a crowd for a 'major send-off' hours before Biden's inauguration
President Trump is planning to exit the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, a few hours before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in a short distance away, CNN reports. "Eager for a final taste of the pomp of being president, Trump has asked for a major send-off," and "as one of their final acts, Trump's team is working to organize a crowd to see him off on the morning of Biden's inauguration, when he plans to depart Washington while still president" for a flight to Palm Beach, Florida, where his term will officially end at noon. There are 20,000 National Guard troops currently deployed or en route to Washington, D.C., ahead of Biden's inauguration, because the last crowd Trump drew to the White House morphed into an insurrectionist mob that stormed the Capitol.
U.S.Miami Herald‘You are violating my rights!’ Florida woman jailed — again — for refusing to wear a mask
Cindy Falco Dicorrado may have wanted a bagel at an Einstein Bros. Bagels near Boca Raton but she may have had to settle for eating one in a Palm Beach County jail the next morning. Dicorrado, 62, who lives in Boynton Beach, was arrested Thursday morning after she refused to leave an Einstein bagel shop at 9795 Glades Rd. because she refused to wear a mask. There is a mask mandate in Palm Beach County due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently surging in Florida.
U.S.INSIDERA couple of Capitol rioters told the FBI an officer shook their hands and said 'it's your house now' as insurrectionists stormed the US Capitol
Two Capitol rioters claim an officer told them "It's your house now" as hundreds stormed the Capitol on January 6. Bobby Bauer and a relative were identified as among those who breached the US Capitol after an unknown caller tipped the FBI's National Threat Operations Center. Bauer told authorities an officer "grabbed his hand, shook it, and said, 'It's your house now."
PoliticsThe IndependentKayleigh McEnany leaves White House after final two-minute press briefing following deadly Capitol riot
Donald Trump's press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has packed up her office at the White House, days before president-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, though she is expected to remain in the role until the president's term ends on 20 January. The press secretary took no questions from the reporters in the room. Following a career in right-wing cable news commentary, Ms McEnany was named the Republican National Committee's national spokesperson in August 2017 before joining the Trump campaign as its national press secretary in 2019.
U.S.NBC NewsArmed man arrested near Capitol with unauthorized inauguration pass, 500 rounds of ammo
A Virginia man was arrested at a Washington checkpoint near the Capitol with an "unauthorized" inauguration pass, a gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to Capitol police. The suspect, identified as Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, was stopped at the checkpoint near Lower Senate Park about 6:30 p.m. Friday, an arrest report said. An unregistered gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found inside the truck that was adorned with gun decals days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, according to Capitol Police.
U.S.Business InsiderA Black Capitol Police officer reportedly put on a MAGA hat to rescue his fellow officers during the Capitol siege
A Black Capitol Police officer who was suspended after being seen wearing a "MAGA" hat while defending the Capitol from the January 6 siege did so to try to free fellow officers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Video footage of the day's events showed the officer, identified as Lt. Tarik Khalid Johnson, apparently masquerading as a Trump supporter to get help from protesters to make his way through the crowd on the steps. The entrance to the Capitol was incredibly packed and crowded with rioters, but the group Johnson recruited to help him successfully shouted to the crowd to "make a hole" and "let the cops leave!"
PoliticsThe TelegraphDonald Trump visited by pillow tycoon who was carrying notes about martial law
Donald Trump had a bizarre visit in his final days at the White House from a businessman known as the My Pillow Guy . Michael Lindell was photographed just before he went in to see the president in the West Wing. He was carrying a set of notes which included references to "martial law" and advocating appointing someone loyal to Mr Trump to head the CIA.
U.S.INSIDER18 Chicago cops caught 'lounging' in a congressman's office during the George Floyd protests have been disciplined
The Chicago Police Department suspended 17 police officers and reprimanded an 18th for lounging in a lawmaker's office amid civil unrest, The New York Post reported. Rep. Bobby Rush's office captured surveillance footage of officers in his office, some with their feet up on desks, asleep on the couch, making popcorn, and brewing coffee. The Chicago Police Department disciplined 18 police officers caught lounging in a congressman's office and eating popcorn while looters ransacked the city last summer, The New York Post reported.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestMore Inside Artist Jorge Pardo's Transformed Bushwick Carriage House
When it came to the lighting in his home, Pardo drew inspiration from the insides of fruits, nuts, and seeds, as well as sea creatures and machine parts. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump news: McEnany departs White House as McConnell calls impeachment ‘vote of conscience’
President Donald Trump is said to be planning a final trip on Air Force One to Mar-a-Lago during the inauguration, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly discusses impeachment with colleagues as the administration ends in history-making ignominy. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who entered the role in April 2020, joined a growing list of administration officials who left the president before his term officially ended. The president's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow has criticised his boss in The Wall Street Journal over his response to the deadly insurrection at the Capitol.
- PoliticsWBAL - Baltimore Videos
Maryland Senate votes to override 16 of governor's vetoes
The Maryland Senate voted to override 16 of Gov. Larry Hogan's vetoes. The Senate bills debated Friday mostly benefited Baltimore City's crime-fighting efforts. Republican lawmakers objected to money being spent on programs without tougher penalties for those breaking the law.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan is set to collide with Republicans - and it could force Democrats to scrap measures like a $15 minimum wage
Biden unveiled a large new aid plan, but it may have to be modified substantially to gain Republican votes and faces a difficult road ahead. The president-elect is seeking GOP support for his rescue package to enact it more quickly and make good on his promise of bipartisanship. "I see no way this gets 10 Republican Senate votes in its current form," a conservative budget expert said in an interview.
U.S.USA TODAYEx-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones 'turning herself in' to face new charge
Rebekah Jones, the fired Florida Department of Health data scientist-turned-whistleblower, said Saturday she will be "turning herself in" to Florida police on Sunday after a warrant was issued for her arrest. Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger confirmed there is an active arrest warrant for Jones. "FDLE agents have been working with her attorney to have her turn herself in," Plessinger said.
PoliticsThe WeekMelania Trump is reportedly more than ready to leave the White House
First lady Melania Trump is spending her final days in the White House packing, making photo albums, and counting down the minutes until she can move out, CNN reports. Since November, she has been overseeing the Trump family's move, deciding what will go to Mar-a-Lago in Florida and what will go into storage. With the help of White House staffers, she has been doing this stealthily, as to not upset President Trump — the official told CNN he really didn't think they would be moving, and it's a sensitive subject.
PoliticsBusiness Insider'What the hell's the matter with them?': Biden scorches GOP lawmakers who didn't wear masks in secure areas during Capitol riots, saying they need 'to grow up'
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday excoriated Republicans who refused to wear masks while huddled with other lawmakers during the Capitol riots, saying they needed "to grow up." "Quite frankly, it was shocking to see members of the Congress while the Capitol was under siege by a deadly mob of thugs refuse to wear masks while they were in secure locations," he said. At least three Democratic House members who were in locations with a select number of maskless Republicans have now tested positive for COVID-19, including Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Brad Schneider of Illinois.
U.S.INSIDERIllinois mayor who attended Trump's DC rally apologizes after claiming the media lied about Capitol riot
Thomasboro, Illinois Mayor Tyler Evans Issued a statement Thursday apologizing for his comments accusing the media of lying about the violence that took place at the Capitol on January 6. In a now-deleted video, Evans described being at the Capitol building as "the most exhilarating thing." As of Jan 15, the FBI has identified more than 270 suspects involved in criminal activity related to the Capitol riot and taken more than 100 individuals into custody.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”