WorldAssociated PressMexican leader says Biden offers $4B for Central America
President Joe Biden's first calls to foreign leaders went to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a strained moment for the U.S. relationship with its North American neighbors. Mexico's president said Saturday that Biden told him the U.S. would send $4 billion to help development in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — nations whose hardships have spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the United States. López Obrador, who spoke Friday with Biden by phone, said the two discussed immigration and the need to address the root causes of why people migrate.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionLetters to the Editor: Trump did a lot of bad things, but he outdid himself with this pardon
To the editor: Former President Trump did a lot of things that were terrible, but none was as disturbing to me as his pardon of a man who paid to have his daughter accepted to USC under false pretenses. The fact that the pardon was backed by several businesspeople who were financial supporters of Trump is yet another example of people being able to buy their way out of almost any crime. To the editor: Pardon me, but Trump's pardon of his former campaign manager Stephen K. Bannon may actually further endanger him.
U.S.Reuters$1 billion U.S. Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs after record winless streak
A billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot that has been building for four months will be up for grabs on Friday, available to whoever can beat the one-in-302 million odds. "We generally see a lot of the sales occur on the day of the drawings," Mega Millions spokesman Seth Elkin, of the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, said by telephone. The selection of the six numbers will be the 37th semi-weekly drawing since the last grand prize winner was picked on Sept. 15, the longest jackpot dry spell Mega Millions has ever had, Elkin said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Bidens were reportedly left waiting outside the White House on Inauguration Day because Trump sent the staff home
Biden reportedly wasn't greeted by White House staff on Inauguration Day because Trump sent them home. Trump reportedly sent the butlers home so "there would be no-one to help the Bidens when they arrived." Chief usher Timothy Harleth left his role before the Bidens arrived at the White House.
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Saudi TV says missile or drone intercepted over Riyadh
Saudi Arabia said Saturday it intercepted an apparent missile or drone attack over its capital, Riyadh, amid the kingdom's yearslong war against neighboring Yemen's Houthi rebels. Saudi state TV quoted authorities in the kingdom acknowledging the interception. Yahia Sarei, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a brief statement that the rebels had not carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past 24 hours.
U.S.NBC NewsFlorida man accused of being in Capitol riot arrested at Biden inauguration
A Florida man accused of participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month was arrested Wednesday at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the Justice Department said. Samuel Camargo, 26, was taken into custody after law enforcement in Florida attempted to arrest him on Tuesday at his home in Broward County, Florida, but learned he was not there. Investigators found him the following day in Washington, D.C. He faces charges of civil disorder, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, knowingly engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Ca...
PoliticsThe IndependentPriest who attended pro-Trump rally ahead of Capitol insurrection is suspended from post and may be defrocked
An Orthodox priest has claimed that he has been suspended by his diocese for three months and faces a “possible defrocking” after travelling to Washington, DC, to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally prior to the Capitol riots on 6 January. Reverend Mark Hodges, who is a “supply priest” at Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church in Dayton, Ohio, was “suspended from all priestly functions” from 12 January, according to the website of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the Midwest. Mr Hodges told the Dayton Daily News that he travelled to Washington, DC, on 6 January for the “Stop the Steal” rally that was organised by supporters of then president Donald Trump.
WorldReutersMorocco gets 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses, first big shipment to Africa
Morocco received 2 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, becoming the first African country to get a large enough shipment to start rolling out a nationwide free immunisation programme. The consignment arrived on a Royal Air Maroc flight from India, which began exporting the vaccine, developed in conjunction with Oxford University, to mid- and lower-income countries this week. The vast majority of the production of the three most widely approved COVID vaccines, including the AstraZeneca drug, has so far been hoovered up by developed nations.
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Judge Jeanine: Welcome to the Biden administration, home to the new slogan, 'America Last'
The Judge highlights the agenda of the new Biden presidency
U.S.Business InsiderBiden apologizes to National Guard chief after 5,000 soldiers had to reportedly sleep in a DC parking garage with only one bathroom
President Joe Biden called the National Guard's chief on Friday to issue an apology. National Guard members were forced to vacate the Capitol on Thursday, according to Politico. President Joe Biden has called the chief of the National Guard Bureau to apologize after images circulated online of troops sleeping in a parking garage.
PoliticsThe IndependentFormer Estonian president compares Trump Jr to ‘exceptionally small-brained fish’
A former president of Estonia has compared Donald Trump Jr to an “exceptionally small-brained fish” in response to a wild attempt to talk up his father on Twitter. Following his father's departure from office on Wednesday, Mr Trump Jr took to Twitter on Friday in an attempt to shore up his presidential legacy. “Donald Trump is the first president in modern history[sic] did not start a new war,” he tweeted.
PoliticsThe Independent‘We’re not packing our bags at 100 million’: Biden press secretary hits back at complaints Covid vaccine plan not enough
The White House press secretary has responded to criticism from the public that Joe Biden's plan to administer 100 million vaccines in 100 days was not enough, at a time when Covid-19 surges through the US. “Our objective in setting that bold goal … is to set our own markers but also set markers for the American people,” Jen Psaki said on Good Morning America on Friday. Mr Biden unveiled his national Covid-19 plan on Thursday, which included how his administration intended to get 100 million vaccines into the arms of Americans within 100 days.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell blamed Trump for inciting the Capitol riot, but the senator - and everyone else who refused to acknowledge Biden's win - was complicit too
On Tuesday, McConnell blamed Trump for inciting the mob that violently stormed the US Capitol. Republicans who did not admit Biden's win, and let those lies spread unchecked, are complicit. On his last day as Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell explicitly blamed President Donald Trump for inciting the mob that violently stormed the US Capitol building on January 6.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastDems Urged Not to ‘Waste a Second’ Negotiating as Republicans Back Away From COVID Relief
Democrats are facing new objections from Republicans over the Biden administration's COVID-19 relief package, a maddening reality that has set off alarm bells among progressives who fear hard-fought issues could be left on the chopping block. While President Joe Biden has long touted a working ability to inspire bipartisanship, some on the party's left wing are already warning against spending too much time trying to negotiate with the GOP, citing double control in the House and Senate and playing up the importance of providing fast monetary relief to Americans during the pandemic. “Democrats need to just plow ahead,” said Larry Cohen, chairman of Our Revolution, a grassroots network that supported Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential bids.
U.S.Business InsiderMan who punched cop during Capitol riot has brother in Secret Service who is friends with Michelle Obama, the Huffington Post has revealed
Scott Kevin Fairlamb, 43, of Stockholm, New Jersey, was arrested on five charges on January 22. Preston Fairlamb III led Michelle Obama's service detail while she was First Lady. The son of a police officer who punched a cop during the Capitol riots also has a brother in the Secret Service who Michelle Obama previously described as a "real friend," the Huffington Post found.
PoliticsThe IndependentDr Fauci says pressure from Trump had 'chilling' effect on White House coronavirus scientists
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is opening up about his experiences as a scientist under the Donald Trump administration, calling the president's pressure campaigns "chilling." Dr Fauci appeared on MSNBC's 'The Rachel Maddow Show' and recalled scientists working with the White House who felt they could not tell the truth because Mr Trump and his officials wanted to project an image of the pandemic that suggested everything was under control and improving. “I didn't want to be at odds with the president because I have a lot of respect for the office of the presidency, but there was conflict at different levels with different people and different organizations and a lot of pressure being put on to do things that just are not compatible with the science,” Dr Fauci said.
U.S.INSIDERA Michigan deputy was fired after he arrested a Black man who was going door-to-door collecting signatures
Authorities say two deputies were sent to a neighborhood in Springfield, Michigan on January 2 after a call about a suspicious person possibly soliciting. A 10-minute video recording shows La'Ron Marshall was going door-to-door collecting signatures to form a tenant organization when police arrested him. "We hold all Calhoun County sheriff deputies to a high standard," said Sheriff Steve Hinkley in a statement video.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestLucas Interior Embraces Color to Modernize Palm Springs Spanish Revival Home
The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.INSIDERRepublican governors are ordering their National Guard troops home from DC amid backlash over members resting in a parking garage
Several Republican governors said they're ordering their National Guard members to return home from DC, amid reports that the Guardsmen have endured poor conditions. The governors of Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, and Texas have recently complained about the way the troops were treated. Over 20,000 Guardsmen were sent to Washington, DC, following the US Capitol insurrection on January 6 and ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration.
EntertainmentThe IndependentAmanda Gorman: inaugural poet lands prestigious job offer
Amanda Gorman, the inaugural poet who read “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden's swearing-in, has a new job offer. Morgan State University President David Wilson offered the 22-year-old Harvard graduate a role at the historically Black university, tweeting on Wednesday (20 January), “Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, â ¦@MorganStateU.
PoliticsTheGrioTrump paid Capitol rally organizers over $2.7 million
Former President Donald Trump's campaign gave individuals and firms who helped organized the Jan. 6 rally in Washington D.C., which led to the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol, more than $2.7 million over two years. Bloomberg reported that payments were made until Nov. 23, according to Federal Election Commission filings — before the public announcement of the rally. @MaggieMulvaney was director of finance operations for the Trump campaign and helped plan the event that lead to last week's insurrection.
U.S.Business InsiderA Texas man who tweeted "Assassinate AOC" is facing charges in the Capitol riot, FBI says
A Texas man charged in the US Capitol riot tweeted "Assassinate AOC" the day of the attack. In a criminal complaint, the FBI says Garret Miller made multiple threats of violence online. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said she thought she was going to die during the insurrection.
U.S.USA TODAYFederal government wants Americans to buy groceries online. Most people on SNAP can’t, despite benefits increase.
But a majority of Americans who depend on food stamps have no choice but to shop in person because the federal government only allows online shopping with SNAP benefits in limited circumstances in 47 states. For those who are able to shop on the web, the costs can be shocking for families who barely have enough to eat in part because SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for delivery fees or tips. "Groceries have just gone up dramatically, your milk, your eggs," said Wilt.
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Ohio restaurant owner on how Biden’s $15 minimum wage impacts his business amid pandemic
President of Adornetto's Family of Restaurants, Adrian Adornetto, joins 'Fox and Friends Weekend.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFauci said he wanted to go on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show for 'months' but was 'blocked' under Trump administration
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top disease expert, said he was "blocked" under the Trump administration from going on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow" show. "I've been wanting to come on your show for months and months," Fauci told Maddow Friday. Fauci has openly expressed his feelings about working under Biden compared to when he previously worked on the coronavirus task force under Trump.
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”