When the dust settled from the first round of the Senate battle over the filibuster, one man had clearly won: President Joe Biden. The new president, a 36-year veteran of the Senate, has long believed in the principle of unlimited debate. In sidestepping the fight publicly, Biden protected his political capital while reassuring both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that he could see both of their divergent points of view — and, more important, their political needs.
The leader of the Proud Boys extremist group has been unmasked as a "prolific" former FBI informant. Enrique Tarrio, 36, worked undercover exposing a human trafficking ring, and helped with drug and gambling cases, according to court documents. Tarrio's documented involvement with law enforcement related to the period 2012 -2014.
Dr Biden tapped former US Ambassador to Uruguay Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon to serve as her chief of staff before Inauguration Day could even arrive. The political strategist and prominent attorney who previously worked under former President Barack Obama would help the new first lady roll out her agenda, which included the relaunch of Joining Forces, an initiative she co-founded with former First Lady Michelle Obama providing support for military families. Whereas the national gaze is typically cast on the new president during their first days in office, the first lady's presence could be felt in a recently unfamiliar way.
South Africa has given fast-track approval to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and is reviewing applications by rival manufacturers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, the medicines regulator said on Wednesday. As the country prepares to roll out a massive vaccination programme, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) chairwoman Helen Rees said: "In terms of the AstraZeneca vaccine ... this has been granted emergency use (approval)."
President Joe Biden's American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter reportedly manages a pro-Trump Facebook group that provides sign language accompaniments to right-wing videos. ASL interpreter Heather Mewshaw was introduced by press secretary Jen Psaki as “today's interpreter, Heather” on Monday, as the administration announced it would be adding a sign language interpreter to its daily press briefings. However, on Wednesday, Time magazine reported that Ms Mewshaw manages the Hands of Liberty Facebook page, which has featured ASL interpreters providing sign language accompaniments to videos featuring former President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
A doctor with terminal cancer killed a female pediatrician and then himself after taking hostages at a children's clinic in Austin, Texas. Dr Bharat Narumanchi held hostages in a five-hour siege before killing Dr Katherine Lindley Dodson. Narumanchi had applied for a volunteer position at the clinic a week ago and was declined.
A congressional staffer departs holding a visual aid following a news conference regarding the redesigned $20 bill meant to honor Harriet Tubman, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2019. The Biden Administration announced its plan to return to an Obama-era initiative to put Harriet Tubman's face on the U.S. $20 bill. Her image would replace Andrew Jackson, the notoriously racist President, known both for owning hundreds of slaves and for his brutal and genocidal policy of Indian removal. Based on current designs, a statue of Jackson would remain on the back of the bill, while Harriet Tubman would grace the front.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the State Department was taking a "very urgent and very close look" at the Trump administration designation of Yemen's Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization and wants to make sure aid groups can deliver assistance to the country. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blacklisted the Iran-aligned Houthis last week - a day before President Joe Biden took office - despite warnings from the United Nations and aid groups that it would push Yemen into a large-scale famine.
Steve Krakauer, editor at Fourth Watch, says 'it shouldn't be contingent' on one reporter to ask Biden tough questions.
Let's get loud Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
A woman who was "overjoyed" to be outside again after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine was killed when a driver in Portland ploughed into a group of people. Jean Gerich, 77, was killed after Paul Rivas, 64, drove his vehicle into a group of people in Portland, according to KGW News. The grandmother had just received her Covid-19 vaccine and was enjoying some return to normalcy when she was killed.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy warned his members to stop the public bickering within the conference if they want to effectively push back on the Biden administration and win back the majority in 2022, a congressional aide tells CBS News. The warning comes as several members within the conference are organizing an effort to oust the number three House Republican, Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, from her position as conference chairwoman. Cheney voted to impeach then-President Trump and angered many Republicans by releasing a statement the day before her vote outlining her position — which was later quoted by several House Democrats during the floor debate.
A 70-year-old man wanted for the murders of two duck hunters on a lake in Tennessee is still at large, according to state investigators. Law enforcement is looking for David Vowell in connection with the deaths of 26-year-old Chance Black and 25-year-old Zachery Grooms on Monday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Warrants for his arrest on two counts of first-degree murder were issued Tuesday.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and will overturn several Trump administration decisions, the acting U.S. envoy to the United Nations assured the Security Council on Tuesday. The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with east Jerusalem as its capital, all territory captured by Israel in 1967. However, under a failed peace proposal by former President Donald Trump, Washington would have recognized Jewish settlements in occupied territory as part of Israel.
As Joe Biden marks his first full week in office, a new report suggests that more than 30,000 registered Republican voters have left the GOP in response to the events of 6 January when a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in protest at the Democrat's election win, leaving five people dead. The US remains on high alert over the threat posed by “violent domestic extremists”, with California governor Gavin Newsom believed by the FBI to have been the target of a planned attack by a Trump supporter charged with weapons offences in Napa County.
Sen. Rand Paul attends the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill on Jan. 27, 2021. Sen. Rand Paul lost the very first procedural vote of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. “The impeachment trial is dead on arrival,” the Kentucky Republican and regular Trump ally declared yesterday after his attempt to short-circuit the impeachment trial on the grounds it is unconstitutional failed by a 55-45 vote.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R.N.C., speaks as the House debates the objection to confirm the Electoral College vote from Pennsylvania, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. early on Jan. 7, 2021. As the Trump Administration drew to a close, Republican legislators and aides were forced to choose a side. Longtime Trump faithfuls, including Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Tom Rice have chosen Option 1, rebuffing their former leader, calling for rule of law and returning, at least rhetorically, to the storied principles of conservatism that once guided the Grand Old Party.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene held a town hall in Dalton, Georgia, Wednesday evening. A reporter said she was kicked out for trying to ask a question and threatened with arrest. A spokesperson for Greene said the reporter was a "disruption" at the event.
Donald Trump's real estate empire appears to be feeling the heat of his divisive presidency, with Trump-branded properties in Manhattan losing half their value since he took office, according to a new report. Data from UrbanDigs, analysed by the real estate website Curb, suggested that even Trump properties that have removed his name from their branding saw their value drop by as much as 17 per cent since 2016. The changes represent reductions in value significantly greater than the shift in property values across Manhattan as a whole, estimated to have fallen 9 per cent.
Democrats are drafting legislation to have the IRS send monthly payments of up to $300 to millions of families, sources told Insider. People could opt to receive a monthly check or a lump sum after filing taxes, according to an early version of the plan. Biden supported an identical measure during the presidential race, and Democrats are expected to lobby heavily for it.
A political action committee has put $700,000 behind Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley after he was criticized for his role in inciting the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Axios reported. Hawley continued with his effort to dispute the electoral votes even after Trump supporters breached the Capitol. Critics have called on him to resign, and several Democrats have asked for an ethics probe into his and Sen. Ted Cruz's actions.
After an unsuccessful attempt to get her 18-year-old son involuntarily committed for treatment, Mary Wilsey turned to 911 to assist with his mental-health crisis. Wilsey is one of five mothers who talked to Insider about calling 911 to help their son, only for officers to kill him instead. Mary Wilsey had been confined to her home on the North Carolina coast for about a week, spending almost every moment monitoring her 18-year-old son, who was suicidal.
President Joe Biden removed Dr. Sean Conley, Trump's White House physician. Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's longtime physician, will assume the role. Conley was accused of concealing information about Trump's condition after he got COVID-19.
Ricki Lake is speaking out about her struggles with hair loss. The former talk show host, who revealed in an Instagram post last year that she's been dealing with hair loss since 1988 when she shot “Hairspray,” says it was a hard decision to go public. "I was afraid of coming out," Lake added about dealing with hair loss by shaving her head and being so honest about her hair.
The Russian leader's remarks came as he faced unrest at home and a new, more assertive US president. Facing escalating challenges at home and abroad, Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech on Wednesday expressed alarm about the potential for a world war. Addressing a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum (typically held in Davos, Switzerland), the Russian leader said the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing tensions in the international community.
“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.”