New Yorker publishes stunning video of Capitol riot

The New Yorker on Sunday published 12 minutes of new, surreal footage from inside the Capitol during the mob rampage that left five people dead earlier this month. The video, recorded by veteran war correspondent Luke Mogelson, captures the mob breaking into the building, walking through hallways and taking over the Senate chamber. “If you will not stand down, you are outnumbered,” a man tells a Capitol Police officer after the rioters broke inside.

Congresswoman's spokesman quits less than 2 weeks into term

The spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has quit less than two weeks after she was sworn into office, saying he was prompted to by the insurrection at the nation's Capitol. Ben Goldey confirmed his departure to The Colorado Sun after it was first reported on Saturday by Axios. The Sun reported that Goldey did not respond to additional questions, but he told Axios he was leaving in the wake of a deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

• 
  Communications director for gun-toting congresswoman quits

  Axios
• 
  Aide to Lauren Boebert resigns following Capitol riots

  The Independent

Mount Semeru: Erupting volcano spews ash above Indonesia's Java island

Indonesia's Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring ash and smoke an estimated 5.6km (3.4 miles) into the sky above Java, the country's most densely populated island. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) warned villagers living on the mountain's slopes to be alert for ongoing volcanic activity. Mount Semeru erupted at about 17:24 local time (10:24 GMT), authorities said.

Venezuela slams U.S. court approval of Citgo parent sale as 'fraudulent'

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Saturday criticized a U.S. court ruling authorizing a sale of the shares in the parent company of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum Corp, calling it the result of a "fraudulent judicial process." Citgo is a unit of Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela. A federal court in Delaware this week approved the sale as a way for Canadian gold miner Crystallex to collect on a $1.4 billion judgment for expropriation of its assets, though U.S. sanctions currently bar the transaction.

Biden fills out State Department team with Obama veterans

President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday filled out his State Department team with a group of former career diplomats and veterans of the Obama administration, signaling his desire to return to a more traditional foreign policy after four years of uncertainty and unpredictability under President Donald Trump. Biden will nominate Wendy Sherman as deputy secretary of state and Victoria Nuland as undersecretary of state for political affairs — the second- and third-highest ranking posts, respectively. They were among the 11 officials announced to serve under the incoming secretary of state, Antony Blinken.

Indonesia earthquake: Heavy rain hampers search for survivors

Indonesian officials say heavy rain is hampering the search for survivors following a powerful earthquake on Sulawesi island on Friday. The death toll has now risen to 78, including five members of one family. Thousands of people left homeless are living in makeshift shelters, and there are fears of a Covid outbreak there.

Distrust, division and doubt cloud Palestinian election call

Beset by political infighting, split between three territories and distrustful of their institutions, many Palestinians are sceptical that their first national elections in 15 years will bring change - or even happen at all. President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held later this year in a bid to heal long-standing divisions. The announcement is widely seen as a gesture aimed at pleasing U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, with whom the Palestinians want to reset relations after they reached a low under Donald Trump.

• 
  Divisions and doubt cloud Palestinian election

  Reuters Videos
• 
  Explainer: Road to Palestinian vote full of obstacles

  Associated Press

Trump's presidency not just a blip in US foreign policy

President-elect Joe Biden's plan to scrap President Donald Trump's vision of “America First” in favor of “diplomacy first” will depend on whether he's able to regain the trust of allies and convince them that Trumpism is just a blip in the annals of U.S. foreign policy. From Europe to the Middle East and Asia, Trump's brand of transactional diplomacy has alienated friends and foes alike, leaving Biden with a particularly contentious set of national security issues. Biden, who said last month that “America's back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it,” might strive to be the antithesis of Trump on the world stage and reverse some, if not many, of his predecessor's actions.

China builds hospital in 5 days after surge in virus cases

China on Saturday finished building a 1,500-room hospital for COVID-19 patients to fight a surge in infections the government said are harder to contain and that it blamed on infected people or goods from abroad. The hospital is one of six with a total of 6,500 rooms being built in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. China had largely contained the coronavirus that first was detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019 but has suffered a surge of cases since December.

Wilmington 1898: When white supremacists overthrew a US government

They destroyed black-owned businesses, murdered black residents, and forced the elected local government - a coalition of white and black politicians - to resign en masse. Historians have described it as the only coup in US history. Its ringleaders took power the same day as the insurrection and swiftly brought in laws to strip voting and civil rights from the state's black population.

Mexico says it's OK with getting less Pfizer vaccine for now

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday that his government has agreed with a U.N. proposal to delay shipments of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to countries like Mexico that had exiting purchase agreements, in order to get more doses to poorer countries quicker. López Obrador said the delayed shipments would be made up later. “Anyway, that won't change our plan, because we are already seeking out other vaccines,”' López Obrador said, referring to the AstraZeneca vaccine as well as the Chinese CanSino and Russian Sputnik V vaccines, neither of which has been approved for use yet.

• 
  Lebanon signs with Pfizer for 2.1 million vaccine doses

  Associated Press
• 
  Brazilian approval of Sputnik V vaccine delayed by missing data

  Reuters

Egypt unveils ancient funerary temple south of Cairo

Egypt's former antiquities minister and noted archaeologist Zahi Hawass on Sunday revealed details of an ancient funerary temple in a vast necropolis south of Cairo. Hawass told reporters at the Saqqara necropolis that archaeologists unearthed the temple of Queen Neit, wife of King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty that ruled Egypt from 2323 B.C. till 2150 B.C. Archaeologists also found a 4-meter (13-foot) long papyrus that includes texts of the Book of the Dead, which is a collection of spells aimed at directing the dead through the underworld in ancient Egypt, he said.

In final Trump administration days, Israel approves new settler homes

Israel approved on Sunday plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, projects it is advancing in the final days of the pro-settlement Trump administration. The planned construction, on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war that Palestinians seek as part of a future state, was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu ordered the plans advanced and on Sunday, a government committee gave final ratification for 365 homes and preliminary approval for another 415, said the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, which monitored the session.

A couple of Capitol rioters told the FBI an officer shook their hands and said 'it's your house now' as insurrectionists stormed the US Capitol

Two Capitol rioters claim an officer told them "It's your house now" as hundreds stormed the Capitol on January 6. Bobby Bauer and a relative were identified as among those who breached the US Capitol after an unknown caller tipped the FBI's National Threat Operations Center. Bauer told authorities an officer "grabbed his hand, shook it, and said, 'It's your house now."

• 
  FBI Shares Photos Of Suspects Who Surrounded And Beat DC Officer During Capitol Riot

  HuffPost
• 
  Capitol rioters taking selfies leave digital trail of 140,000 images under FBI investigation

  The Independent

Iran asks watchdog not to publish 'unnecessary' nuke details

Iran urged the United Nations' nuclear watchdog to avoid publishing “unnecessary” details on Tehran's nuclear program, state TV reported Sunday, a day after Germany, France and Britain said Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for its development of uranium metal. The report quoted a statement from Iran's nuclear department that asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to avoid publishing details on Iran's nuclear program that may cause confusion. It is expected the international atomic energy agency avoid providing unnecessary details and prevent paving ground for misunderstanding” in the international community, the statement said.

Trump will take nuclear football out of DC on his final day in office - and the codes will be deactivated at the stroke of noon

Donald Trump will get to take the nuclear football with him when he leaves Washington DC on his final day in office – but the codes will be deactivated at the stroke of noon. Mr Trump will be accompanied by the 45-pound briefcase when he flies to Florida on the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration, as he is reportedly expected to do. Military officials will have a nuclear football ready and waiting to accompany Mr Biden after he becomes the commander-in-chief, officials told CNN.

Norwegian health officials have adjusted their advice on who gets a COVID-19 vaccine as 29 frail elderly people die

Norwegian health officials have changed their advice on who gets a COVID-19 vaccine after more than 25 elderly people with underlying health conditions died. According to the agency, "all deaths" are linked to the Pfizer vaccine, which was the only one available in the country until Friday. However, Norwegian officials maintain they are not alarmed and have advised individual doctors to decide who should receive a vaccine.

Ted Cruz's former staffers say they are 'disgusted' by his role in the US Capitol insurrection and his unflinching support of Trump, report says

At least six of Sen. Ted Cruz's former aides have expressed their disgust at the recent actions of their former boss, according to New York Magazine's Intelligencer. Ted Cruz is under fire for spreading election misinformation, objecting to the results of the 2020 election being certified, and having fundraised during the US Capitol insurrection. Democratic lawmakers have called for Cruz to resign or to be removed from office.

• 
  Ted Cruz responds to DC rioter saying Cruz 'wants us to do this'

  KTRK – Houston
• 
  Group calls for Sen Ted Cruz's resignation at protest

  KTRK – Houston

Twitter suspends US congresswoman over election fraud claims

Twitter on Sunday temporarily suspended the account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia who has expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories online. Greene's account was suspended “without explanation," she said in a statement, while also condemning big tech companies for “silencing” conservative views. Before noon Sunday, Greene posted a clip from an interview with a local news outlet in which she condemned Georgia election officials and expressed support for debunked theories claiming that voting machines, absentee ballots and other issues led to widespread fraud in the state during the presidential election.

• 
  Twitter Temporarily Suspends QAnon Rep. For Election Disinformation, Inciting Violence

  HuffPost
• 
  Twitter locks account of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican who promoted QAnon

  Reuters

In Florida, are rich people jumping to the head of the COVID-19 vaccine line?

Last week TCPalm detailed how Piper's Landing Yacht & Country Club managed to get ahold of some 270 Moderna vaccines, courtesy of Mobile Medical Associates, which provides "concierge" in-home medical services. Mobile Medical is approved by the state to distribute the vaccine, and owner Laurie McCuen told TCPalm the firm already provides health care services to about 70 country club members/homeowners; 20 were home-bound patients, and 50 have mobility issues. The other 200 vaccines went to other club members age 65 and up.

Parler's CEO fled his home and went into hiding after receiving death threats and security breaches, a court filing says

Parler CEO John Matze Jr. and his family have fled their homes after receiving death threats, a new court filing says. Parler was recently removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and Amazon Web Services stopped hosting the platform after it deemed Parler a "risk to public safety." Trump supporters flocked to the platform after the president was banned from Twitter following the siege at the Capitol on January 6.

Kanye West's Yeezy sues former intern for allegedly breaching NDA by sharing confidential photos on Instagram

Yeezy LLC has sued a former intern, Ryan Inwards, for allegedly breaching a non-disclosure agreement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The complaint claimed Inwards breached the NDA by posting confidential Yeezy photographs on Instagram. Yeezy LLC is reportedly seeking $500,000 in liquidated damages and punitive damages.

Iran fires long-range missiles into Indian Ocean in military drill: media

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean on the second day of a military exercise, state media reported. The drill, which comes in the waning days of high tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, was conducted in the country's central desert region. "One of our most important defence policy goals is to use long-range ballistic missiles against enemy warships, including aircraft carriers and warships," state media quoted Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying.