PoliticsLA TimesColumn: You thought McConnell was tough as majority leader? Wait until you see him as minority leader
In the first days after a mob invaded the Capitol to try to halt President Biden's election, a welcome wave of bipartisan anger rippled through Washington. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader in the Senate, condemned the riot as an assault on democracy, accused former President Trump of provoking the mob, and even said he would consider voting to convict Trump in an impeachment trial. In Week One of the Biden presidency, McConnell opted for a more familiar pursuit: partisan combat.
WorldReutersGermany expects AstraZeneca to deliver 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in February
Germany expects British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to deliver 3 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in February despite the company's latest production problems, Health Minister Jens Spahn told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. AstraZeneca informed European Union officials on Friday it would cut deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the bloc by 60% to 31 million doses in the first quarter of the year due to production problems, a senior official told Reuters. The decrease deals another blow to Europe's COVID-19 vaccination drive after Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech slowed supplies of their vaccine to the bloc this week, saying the move was needed because of work to ramp up production.
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.
PoliticsThe TelegraphBiden on collision course with Saudi Arabia that could upset Trump's alliance against Iran
The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community's assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration's refusal to release the full version for US House representatives.
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
PoliticsAssociated PressKansas advances anti-abortion measure on Roe anniversary
Republicans on Friday pushed a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution through the state House, a bitter reminder of election setbacks for abortion rights Democrats on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The vote was 86-38 on a measure that would overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that declared access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state's Bill of Rights. The measure would add language to the state constitution declaring that it grants no right to abortion and that the Legislature can regulate abortion in line with U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
WorldReutersIndia to give homegrown vaccine in seven more states this week
India said it will administer homegrown coronavirus vaccine COVAXIN in seven more states from Monday as it seeks to inoculate 30 million healthcare workers across the country. The government this month gave emergency-use approval to the vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd and state-run Indian Council of Medical Research, and another licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca PLC that is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. The expansion from the 12 states now administering COVAXIN includes the southern state of Kerala, which has a high COVID-19 caseload, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, the government said late on Saturday.
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Russia seizes more than 1,000 pro-Navalny protesters
Police arrested more than a thousand people and used force to break up rallies across Russia on Saturday (January 23). As tens of thousands of protesters defied bitter cold and an official ban to demand the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Navalny had called on his supporters to take to the streets after being arrested last weekend on his return to Moscow, for the first time since being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in August.
PoliticsThe IndependentQAnon Shaman feels ‘duped’ after Trump doesn’t pardon him
A man known as the "QAnon Shaman," who stormed the Capitol shirtless while wearing fur and horns, feels he was “duped” by Donald Trump after the president failed to pardon him, his lawyer has revealed. Al Watkins, the lawyer for Jacob Chansley, said his client "regrets very, very much having...been duped by the president," he told local news station KSDK. Weeks before his inauguration, President Joe Biden called the 6 January attack an "unprecedented assault on our democracy," and "one of the darkest days in the history of our nation".
WorldAssociated PressUS reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes
The U.S. has reaffirmed support for Taiwan following China's dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test American resolve. The State Department on Saturday said it “notes with concern the pattern of ongoing (China's) attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.” “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected representatives," spokesperson Ned Price said in the statement.
WorldBBCClimate change: Six questions about the Cumbria coal controversy
Coal mine go-ahead 'undermines climate summit' Government defends Cumbria coal mine green light John Kerry calls Trump 'reckless' over climate But coal is seen as the dirtiest of the fossil fuels driving up global temperatures. The British government heads a UN climate summit in November and has launched the 'Powering Past Coal' alliance of nations to relinquish coal. Fiji is an alliance member - and its UN ambassador Satyendra Prasad told me opening a new mine sends the wrong signal.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump did ‘more harm than expected’ to transition, says senator close to president
Senator Chris Coons has said that Donald Trump and “his team caused more harm than expected” during the transition period after Joe Biden's transition team was not permitted access. The revelation came during an interview on MSNBC during which the Democratic senator was asked for his opinion on the flurry of executive actions passed by the president since Wednesday. Senator Coons, who holds Mr Biden's old seat and has known the president for 30 years, said the president had been thoroughly preparing since he won the election in November.
WorldAssociated PressArab Spring exiles look back 10 years after Egypt uprising
The Egyptians who took to the streets on Jan. 25, 2011, knew what they were doing. Police forces backed off, and within days, former President Hosni Mubarak agreed to demands to step down. A decade later, thousands are estimated to have fled abroad to escape the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi that is considered even more oppressive.
PoliticsLA TimesWashington gets whiplash in shift from Trump to Biden
White House events have carefully calibrated themes. Washington is suffering whiplash — or enjoying it, depending on whom you ask — as President Biden takes over from former President Trump, a transition that stands as one of the starkest contrasts in U.S. political history. Before the election, Trump mocked his opponent as "Sleepy Joe."
U.S.Associated PressFor 1st Black Pentagon chief, racism challenge is personal
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will have to contend not only with a world of security threats and a massive military bureaucracy, but also with a challenge that hits closer to home: rooting out racism and extremism in the ranks. Austin took office Friday as the first Black defense chief, in the wake of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where retired and current military members were among the rioters touting far-right conspiracies. Austin, who was confirmed in a 93-2 vote, has made clear that accelerating delivery of coronavirus vaccines will get his early attention.
PoliticsINSIDERThe White House has 132 rooms and its own restaurant. Here's what it's like inside Joe Biden's new home.
Welcome to the White House, the most famous home in America where Joe Biden will live for the next four years.
U.S.Business InsiderMembers of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers used Facebook Messenger during the Capitol siege to hunt for lawmakers, FBI says
Thomas Edward Caldwell, the leader of the far-right militia group known as Oath Keepers, has been accused by the FBI of coordinating an effort to track down lawmakers during the siege of the US Capitol building. Caldwell, 66, was cited with leading the effort to locate members of Congress, The Washington Post reported. Two others, Donovan Ray Crowl and Jessica Marie Watkins, were also accused of having conspired with the Navy veteran, The Post said.
HealthINSIDERPfizer will now ship fewer COVID-19 vaccine vials to the US after scientists discovered extra doses in them
Pfizer will ship fewer COVID-19 vaccine vials to the US after extra doses were discovered. The company has pushed the FDA to formally acknowledge the extra doses found in each vial. Last month, pharmacists across the US found a pleasant surprise when they discovered that the vials of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine contained extra doses.
PoliticsAssociated PressPolitical upheaval alters strategies in US abortion debate
Anti-abortion leaders across America were elated a year ago when Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to appear in person at their highest-profile annual event, the March for Life held every January. The mood is more sober now — a mix of disappointment over Trump's defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. Meanwhile, Trump, whose administration took numerous steps to curtail abortion access, has been replaced as president by Joe Biden, a staunch supporter of abortion rights.
U.S.INSIDERKyle Rittenhouse's bond conditions modified after prosecutors said he was seen using white power hand symbols with Proud Boys members at a bar
The terms of Kyle Rittenhouse's bond were modified after he was seen at a bar with his mother and members of the far-right Proud Boys, according to FOX 6. Kenosha County prosecutors previously requested to adjust his bond conditions after being spotted using white power associated hand symbols and drinking beers following his release. Rittenhouse,18, is the gunman associated with the deaths of two people and injuring another during a Jacob Blake protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.
BusinessBusiness InsiderElon Musk's SpaceX reportedly plans to drill near a Texas launchpad for natural gas
Elon Musk, who recently relocated to Texas, now reportedly has plans to to drill for natural gas there, too. SpaceX, Musk's space company, is looking to drill wells close to the company's Boca Chica, Texas, launchpad, according to Bloomberg. The site in Boca Chica previously hosted prototype launches for the company.
WorldThe Daily BeastMaduro Is More Powerful Than Ever as Venezuela Collapses
These Chavistas—what Maduro supporters call themselves—regained absolute control of the National Assembly following the Dec. 6 elections, which were boycotted by the opposition and not recognized as legitimate by most Western countries, including the U.S. The opposition, calling the election fraudulent, effectively lost the last democratic institution in the country. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó—once deliriously popular—has vowed to fight on, even if it would mean getting together with his fellow opposition lawmakers in parks, gymnasiums or backyards. However, many have gone underground and Guaidó is now in danger of becoming irrelevant.
PoliticsAssociated PressDemocrats make federal election standards a top priority
Democrats plan to move quickly on one of the first bills of the new Congress, citing the need for federal election standards and other reforms to shore up the foundations of American democracy after a tumultuous post-election period and deadly riot at the Capitol. States have long had disparate and contradictory rules for running elections. But the 2020 election, which featured pandemic-related changes to ease voting and then a flood of lawsuits by former President Donald Trump and his allies, underscored the differences from state to state: Mail-in ballots due on Election Day or just postmarked by then?
EntertainmentINSIDERKamala Harris' nephew-in-law dedicated an entire suitcase to transport the $2,000 Dior Jordans he wore to the inauguration
Though Nikolas Ajagu's kicks cost $2,000 retail, they go for as much as $25,000 on the resale market, making his packing decisions all the more understandable. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Though it was Kamala Harris who made history on Wednesday as the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American to become vice president of the United States, it was another member of her party who was dubbed Secretary of the newly-formed "Department of Drip."
PoliticsThe New York Times10 Republicans Voted to Impeach Trump. The Backlash Has Been Swift.
It's been less than two weeks since Reps. Peter Meijer, Tom Rice and Liz Cheney broke with nearly all of their Republican colleagues in the House and voted to impeach President Donald Trump, but in their home states, the backlash is already growing. In Michigan, a challenger to Meijer received a boost when Steve Bannon promoted him on his podcast. In South Carolina, a local Republican is getting so many calls urging him to run against Rice that he can't keep his phone charged.
“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.”