PoliticsThe IndependentJill Biden spent her first week as First Lady reshaping the role. Melania Trump spent hers isolated in a tower
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.
U.S.The TelegraphFar-Right 'Proud Boy' leader arrested ahead of Capitol riots revealed to have been police informer
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.
PoliticsReutersExplainer: Why Trump's post-presidency perks, like a pension and office, are safe for the rest of his life
The impeachment proceeding against Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has fueled speculation online that he could lose some of the benefits extended to former presidents. But according to legal experts, under the laws currently in effect, Trump will retain perks including a pension, office space and security detail even in the unlikely event that he is convicted by the Senate in its impeachment trial. Trump can thank a relatively obscure law, the Former Presidents Act.
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Biden administration has system in place where reporters will not ask president tough questions: Media critic
Steve Krakauer, editor at Fourth Watch, says 'it shouldn't be contingent' on one reporter to ask Biden tough questions.
HealthThe TelegraphDoctor with terminal cancer kills paediatrician in hostage siege a childrens clinic
A doctor with terminal cancer killed a female paediatrician 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.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden news – live: Republican Party suffers ‘mass exodus’ as FBI thwarts plot against California governor
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.
U.S.TimePutting Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill Is Not a Sign of Progress. It's a Sign of Disrespect
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.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden’s new sign language interpreter runs a right-wing Facebook group and has been pictured in a MAGA hat
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.
WorldThe IndependentGrandmother ‘overjoyed’ to be outside after receiving Covid-19 vaccine killed in Portland vehicle attack
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.
U.S.Charlotte Observer‘Dangerous’ 70-year-old sought in slaying of two duck hunters, Tennessee officials say
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.
PoliticsTime‘He’s Saying One Thing and Then He’s Doing Another.’ Rep. Madison Cawthorn Peddles a Different Kind of Trumpism in a Post-Trump World
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.
U.S.The IndependentMan who held baton on Capitol police officer during riot says he was just patting him on the back
A geophysicist allegedly caught on video dragging a Capitol police officer down a set of stairs during the Capitol insurrection on 6 January claims he was just giving the officer a supportive pat on the back. Mr Sabol was arrested last week north of New York City and charged with attempting to interfere with law enforcement during a civil disorder. FBI documents claim Mr Sabol can be seen multiple times in a video bringing a police baton down across the back of a Capitol police officer's neck and using his other hand to control the officer.
PoliticsLos Angeles Times OpinionLetters to the Editor: Senate GOP's message: If a president incites a coup, do it right before Jan. 20
To the editor: Leaving the scene after committing the crime has never been a way of avoiding punishment. "Senate Republicans overwhelmingly back effort to declare Trump impeachment trial illegal," Jan. 26) It appears that convicting former President Trump so he can never hold office again is the only way to hold him accountable for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, but Republican senators are twisting themselves into knots trying to justify doing nothing. Instead, they should grow a spine and show that no one is above the law.
U.S.Business InsiderA reporter was kicked out of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's town hall and threatened with arrest for asking a question
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.
U.S.Miami HeraldIt began as a typical eviction case in Miami. Then it turned into a nightmare
When Linda Mallard's tenant stopped paying his $650 in monthly rent last February for an efficiency he leases on Northeast 80th Terrace, she hired a private company to begin eviction proceedings. Mallard's desperation — she's 66, retired and depends on the rent from four local modest properties she and her father, John Palmer, own — illustrates the frustration shared by landlords stuck with fraudulent tenants who cannot be removed due to the ongoing COVID eviction moratorium. “Right now there are probably hundreds of people like Mickens running around Miami doing the same thing,” said Armando Alfonso, a Miami-based attorney who represents landlords and tenants in eviction cases.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump’s ‘radioactive’ properties in New York are plummeting in value, report claims
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.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestHere Are The Brightest Decor Buys of the Season
Let's get loud Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldBusiness InsiderPutin warns against a fight of 'all against all' as the walls close in around him
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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderGOP group invests $700,000 into backing Sen. Josh Hawley after he was scrutinized for inciting Capitol riot
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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden removes Sean Conley, the White House physician accused of misleading the public about Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis
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.
U.S.USA TODAY‘Cheer’ star Jerry Harris was warned before child porn arrest by the owner of a gym featured on ‘AGT,’ lawsuit claims
Four months before his arrest for sexual exploitation of children, cheerleader Jerry Harris ditched his cellphone after a friend told him he might be under investigation, federal prosecutors say. Authorities have not named the person who warned Harris, saying only that it was someone who owns a gym. An amended lawsuit filed Monday claims the unnamed friend is Angela Rogers, co-owner of Cheer Athletics, a prominent cheerleading company whose Wildcats team competed this year on NBC's "America's Got Talent."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Trump Plaza condo board in West Palm Beach voted unanimously to dump the Trump name
The condo board of West Palm Beach's Trump Plaza voted unanimously to remove Trump from the name. The board of the Trump Plaza condominium complex in West Palm Beach has voted unanimously to remove Trump from its name, The Palm Beach Post reports. The vote comes after a violent insurrection by Trump supporters left five dead in early January.
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$17 mln allotted for Weinstein sex abuse claims
Women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse are being offered a payout, through the bankruptcy of the Hollywood company he founded. A U.S. bankruptcy court announced the ruling at the conclusion of a remote hearing. Judge Mary Walrath approved the Weinstein Co's liquidation plan that will set aside $17 million for those who say they are his victims.
U.S.INSIDERA police officer said 'I don't have time for this' before shooting an 18-year-old with a mental illness dead in his home, his mother says
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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderDemocrats are setting the stage to propose $300 monthly direct payments for families with children under 17
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.
“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.”