PoliticsThe WeekLiz Cheney secretly orchestrated Jan. 3 letter from 10 defense secretaries warning about Trump, friend says
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is almost certainly going to be ousted as No. 3 House Republican next week, even though she voted with former President Donald Trump more often (93 percent) than her likely replacement, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) — as Stefanik's conservative critics point out. While Stefanik has morphed from Trump skeptic to enthusiastic booster, Cheney has transformed from one of those "hold-their-noses-and-deal-with-him" establishment Republicans into, finally, Sen. John McCain's political "heir," Susan B. Glasser writes in The New Yorker. After Trump tried to co-opt "the Big Lie" this week to refer to his false claims that he won the 2020 election, Cheney shot back that "the 2020 presidential election was not stolen," and "anyone who claims it was is spreading the big lie."
WorldThe TelegraphA note of unity: Glasgow candidates rally against ‘racists and fascists’
While the results for the four Glasgow constituencies announced on Friday at the city's Emirates Arena were unsurprising – huge SNP majorities for the Southside, Anniesland, Maryhill & Springburn and Pollok – there was a palpable lack of fanfare as the nationalists moved closer to demanding a second independence referendum. Easily holding off a direct challenge from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Ms Sturgeon won the seat by 9,456 votes – just marginally less than the 9,593 she took the Southside by in 2016. Mr Sarwar was still able to deliver a credible nine-point increase in his party's vote share, which is likely the result of switching Conservative voters and an increased turnout.
WorldAxiosAsia faces massive new COVID surge
Several Asian countries are facing new coronavirus waves, with some struggling to keep up with some of the worst outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic. The big picture: While India accounted for half of the global infections this past week, per the World Health Organization, cases are surging in countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia, CNN reports. By the numbers: "The Southeast Asia region reported over 2.7 million new cases and over 25,000 new deaths, a 19% and a 48% increase respectively compared to the previous week," WHO said in a press conference earlier this week.
U.S.National ReviewDisney Employee Training Claims U.S. Was Founded on ‘Systemic Racism,’ Includes ‘White Privilege Checklist’
The Walt Disney Corporation has launched a “diversity and inclusion program” which teaches employees that America was founded on “systemic racism” and asks employees to complete a “white privilege checklist,” according to a new report. According to whistleblower documents obtained by City Journal, Disney's new initiative is called “Reimagine Tomorrow” and includes training on so-called systemic racism, white privilege, white fragility, white saviors, microaggressions, and antiracism. The training claims that the U.S. has a “long history of systemic racism and transphobia” and pushes employees to “take ownership of educating yourself about structural anti-Black racism” and “not rely on your Black colleagues to educate you,” which is “emotionally taxing.”
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Don't take questions': White House press secretary frowns on Biden's media interaction
President Joe Biden was fielding his fourth question from a reporter after delivering remarks on the pandemic last week when he apologized to the press corps. In fact, yes, White House press secretary Jen Psaki divulged in a podcast interview this week. Psaki told CNN's David Axelrod that the communications shop frowns on Biden's willingness to engage with reporters who shout questions during Biden's public appearances.
HealthAxiosCDC acknowledges "repeatedly documented" threat of airborne transmission of COVID-19
The CDC acknowledged Friday that airborne spread of COVID-19 among people more than 6 feet apart "has been repeatedly documented." "These transmission events have involved the presence of an infectious person exhaling virus indoors for an extended time (more than 15 minutes and in some cases hours) leading to virus concentrations in the air space sufficient to transmit infections to people more than 6 feet away, and in some cases to people who have passed through that space soon after the infectious person left." The bottom line: Aerosol expert Linsey Marr "pointed out that one updated page on the C.D.C. website, entitled 'How Covid-19 Spreads,' says that inhaling the virus when people are far apart is 'uncommon,'" the Times noted.
U.S.Miami HeraldAnother brawl breaks out at Miami International Airport. It’s part of a national trend
Just mere days after a huge brawl at Miami International Airport, another massive fight broke out in the terminal Tuesday night. The mayhem was captured in cellphone footage taken by multiple onlookers at Gate G-15 by the Southwest Airlines counter. The fight is part of a troubling trend airports across the nation are seeing, now that many people have resumed traveling.
U.S.INSIDERDerek Chauvin was indicted in the arrest of a 14-year-old whom prosecutors say he knelt on for 17 minutes and hit with a flashlight
Chauvin is accused of using his authority as an officer to deprive the teen of his rights. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A federal grand jury has indicted the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on a civil-rights charge in the 2017 arrest of a 14-year-old boy.
- WorldWLS – Chicago
3 killed after blast near Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County
Officials believe the men were fatally injured after igniting a type of black powder substance along an area near the river bank.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis' former aides say he treated them 'like a disposable piece of garbage'
Many of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' former staffers told Politico they felt abused by the politician. A group of the ex-staffers have formed a "support group" to discuss their experiences DeSantis is closely aligned with former president Donald Trump, who recently said he'd consider the governor as a potential running mate. See more stories on Insider's business page.
U.S.USA TODAYMan who took 5 hostages at a Minnesota bank threw cash, made threats and wanted to be a 'martyr,' court docs say
A man who took five hostages at a Minnesota Wells Fargo bank on Thursday wasn't armed with a gun but held scissors to a person's neck, destroyed hostages' phones and threw cash around the bank during a eight-hour standoff Thursday, according to police and court documents. Ray Reco McNeary, 35, told both hostages and law enforcement he intended to kill the employees, according to court documents. He said he wanted to “go viral” and to be a “martyr and also threatened to kill himself or put law enforcement in a position to kill him.
PoliticsThe IndependentDonald Trump’s election fraud ‘big lie’ winning over GOP but could cost midterms, pollster Frank Luntz warns
Donald Trump's claim of election fraud is tightening his grip on the Republican party, but veteran pollster Frank Luntz says the “big lie” could cost both the 2020 midterms and 2024 presidential election. In a new podcast released Thursday, Mr Luntz said the former president may “single-handedly” cost GOP control of the House and Senate, while also ensuring another term for Democrats in the White House. What Donald Trump is saying is actually telling people 'it's not worth it to vote'.
WorldINSIDERThe driver of a cash truck who dodged armed robbers' bullets was a cool professional. But his partner was a 'rookie,' says security expert.
A video out of South Africa showed the moment armed robbers attempted a cash-in-transit heist. The video has since gone viral, garnering more than 10 million views on YouTube. Insider spoke to a security expert to analyze the video and assess how the men reacted to the ambush.
WorldBusiness InsiderA pilot recruit was blindfolded and strapped to a target as fighter jets fired on him in a brutal hazing ritual, says legal complaint
A French pilot was tied to a target on a live firing range as part of a brutal hazing ritual. A French fighter pilot has filed a legal complaint after a brutal hazing ritual in which he alleges he was kidnapped, tied up, and left on a live firing range by his colleagues in the French air force. The incident, which happened in March 2019, was first reported by the French newspaper La Provence on Friday.
U.S.Miami HeraldKeys man got busted for illegal fishing in the Bahamas. Now, he’s giving them a new boat
Henry Danzig is described by friends as a beloved member of the Tavernier community who often left bags full of fresh fish in a fridge in the back of his house for anyone in need. On Thursday, Danzig, 56, was sentenced to one-year probation for illegally harvesting commercial quantities of reef fish from Bahamian waters, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said in a statement. Danzig violated the Lacey Act, a U.S. law that bans trafficking in illegal fish and wildlife, NOAA said.
PoliticsThe IndependentGiuliani cutting back large entourage to cut costs amid legal challenges. report claims
Rudy Giuliani, former president Donald Trump's personal attorney and former mayor of New York, is apparently tightening his purse strings as he has reportedly cut some of his personal entourage. Sources familiar with the layoffs told Politico that the reduction was done in an effort to save money. In recent years, the former mayor would travel around the city with a staff of five people, but his shrinking crew may be indicative of financial difficulties he is facing in the fallout of the 2020 election.
U.S.INSIDERJosh Duggar's internet usage was sent to his wife to track his porn habit, federal officials say
Duggar's computer had "accountability software" that sent internet-usage reports to his wife, Anna. A federal agent said the software, Covenant Eyes, was registered to both Duggar and Anna. Josh Duggar, who's been charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, had "accountability software" installed on his computer that monitored his internet usage and sent reports to his wife, a federal agent testified in a detention hearing on Wednesday.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderWhite House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says she'll resign next year when it's 'time for somebody else to have this job'
Jen Psaki, the face of Biden's administration, says she will step down in around a year. "I think it's going to be time for somebody else to have this job in a year from now, or about a year from now," she told CNN. Psaki says she accepted the job after agreeing with President Biden's transition team that she would serve in the role for about a year.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderArizona election auditors 'indefinitely defer' voter canvassing following DOJ letter expressing concerns about voter intimidation
Arizona election auditors say the Senate decided to "indefinitely defer" voter canvassing weeks ago. The Justice Department raised concerns earlier this week about Maricopa County's election audit. Republican-led election auditors in Maricopa County, Arizona, have "indefinitely deferred" the door-to-door voter canvassing aspect of the audit, two days after the US Justice Department sent a letter to the president of Arizona's state senate expressing various legal concerns about the November 2020 election inspection.
U.S.The Independent‘I’m a vet ... f*** you all!’: Capitol riot suspect screams at judge and disconnects call during wild hearing, report says
An “out of control” hearing for a suspect in the 6 January US Capitol riot was abruptly cut short after the defendant reportedly unleashed a stream of obscenities over the phone at the court and then hung up. It was the initial remote appearance before a judge of Landon Copeland of Utah, whom federal investigators say assaulted and toppled police during the violent insurrection on 6 January. Washington-based investigative reporter for NBC Scott MacFarlane live-tweeted the hearing as the defendant continuously disrupted proceedings.
LifestyleMiami HeraldWant younger-looking skin? Follow this one tip from a Miami dermatologist
Almost every day, a new anti-aging skincare product or “miracle cure” is advertised to consumers. It is important to understand the difference between UVA and UVB rays, because even though you may not see signs of a full-blown sunburn, your skin can still be damaged from the sun, causing premature aging. UVA rays have longer wavelengths than UVB rays, so UVA light penetrates more deeply into your skin, causing premature lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging.
CelebrityINSIDERAnti-vaxxer records himself stealing a vial of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to 'investigate' in a laboratory
A man shared a video of himself appearing to steal a COVID-19 vaccine from a CVS pharmacy. Instagram videos of the man, identified as Thomas Humphrey, reveal that he is vehemently opposed to vaccines. A Minnesota man filmed and shared a video of himself that appears to show him stealing a vial of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from a CVS pharmacy, Newsweek reported.
BusinessBusiness InsiderBiden's break from neoliberalism to invest in the middle class could create 'the mother of all economic booms' - an economic commentator explains why
Farooqui researches and thinks deeply about some of the most complex systems shaping our world today, and he's not afraid to take big swings on bold predictions. One such prediction in a recent essay, "The Making of the Mother of All Economic Booms," caught Hanauer's attention In the piece, Hanauer says, Farooqui "argues that the Biden administration is making a really profound break with the last 45 years of neoliberalism, and that that break is going to create probably the biggest economic boom in collective memory, probably since the '60s." If Farooqui is right, the consequences of that boom would be world-changing.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump DOJ secretly pulled Washington Post reporter phone records, and tried to score email records
In the early days of the Trump administration, the Justice Department covertly pulled phone records from several Washington Post journalists and also tried to source their email records, according to government letters sent to the reporters and reviewed by The Post. The reporters were looking into Russia's influence in the 2016 elections. The Post reported that in three separate letters dated May 3 and addressed to reporters Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller, and former reporter Adam Entous, the DOJ told the reporters, they were, "hereby notified that pursuant to legal process the United States Department of Justice received toll records associated with the following telephone numbers for the per...
U.S.The IndependentCapitol police reveal 107% increase in threats against Congress members
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) has revealed there has been more than a 100 per cent increase in threats made against members of Congress this year in comparison to 2020. The department shared the statistics in response to a report on the findings from the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) regarding USCP's counter-surveillance and ability to assess threats. “As the department has previously reported, the number of threats made against Congress has increased significantly,” the release reads.
“Every college has a public health responsibility to require its students to be vaccinated.”
“While the vast majority of students will likely get the vaccine, schools should honor the decisions of the few who object.”
“A vaccinated campus could be the step toward normality that college leaders are seeking.”
“College students are mobile and spread COVID-19 with them whenever they travel.”
“There almost certainly are going to be legal challenges because the anti-vaccine movement is already preparing for them.”