U.S.NBC NewsCalifornia man accused of stealing documents from Mitch McConnell's desk during Capitol riot
A California man accused of taking government documents he said were from Mitch McConnell's desk and attempting to steal an American flag from the Capitol has been charged in connection with the deadly riot there earlier this month. Tommy Frederick Allan was arrested on charges of violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, entering a restricted building or grounds and damage or theft of federal property, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 20 in federal court in Washington, D.C. An arrest warrant outlines how two people sent tips to the FBI alleging Allan was part of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden did not, in fact, remove Trump's 'Diet Coke button' from the Resolute Desk, White House clarifies
The new Biden administration has yet not disclosed the secrets of Area 51 or explained what the Air Force really knows about UFOs, but it did clarify, at least, the mystery of the vanished "Diet Coke button" former President Donald Trump would use to summon refreshments in the Oval Office. The usher button, as it is formally known, is not gone, even if it is no longer used to summon Diet Cokes, a White House official tells Politico. The White House official "unfortunately wouldn't say what Biden will use the button for," Politico's Daniel Lippman writes, suggesting Biden might summon Orange Gatorade and not the obvious answer, ice cream — or, let's get real, coffee.
PoliticsThe IndependentMillions of Covid vaccines missing under Trump
Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses appear to be missing after they were shipped by the Trump administration to US states. According to the Daily Beast and sources within the Biden administration, there could be almost 20 million doses missing since they were shipped to states by the previous administration. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 41.1 million doses have been sent to states since last month, but only 22.7 million Americans have received a dose.
PoliticsThe WeekChuck Schumer tried to unseat Susan Collins, and now it's personal
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will have his work cut out for him as he tries to maneuver through the 50-50 upper chamber. Take, for example, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who ultimately won a hard fought re-election campaign last year against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon. Despite the victory, Collins appears to have taken Schumer's efforts to unseat her personally.
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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.
U.S.Los Angeles Times OpinionEditorial: Is Gov. Newsom 'following the science' on COVID reopening, or following the politics?
New coronavirus infections are decreasing in California, as are the number of people filling intensive care hospital beds. ICU beds are all but unavailable throughout Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. Newsom defended the decision by saying that projections based on testing and transmission rates, as well as a steady decrease in the demand for ICU beds, make him confident about returning to the system that imposes various levels of restrictions by county and is tied to the percentage of positive coronavirus test results.
PoliticsReutersTrump opens Florida office to push his former administration's agenda
Donald Trump opened an office in Florida on Monday that will handle his duties as a former U.S. president and seek to further his administration's agenda. "The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism," a statement said. The announcement came on the same day the House of Representatives delivered to the Senate an impeachment article charging Trump with inciting insurrection in a speech to supporters before the deadly attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.
U.S.The IndependentTeenager in hiding after reporting own father for involvement in Capitol riots
A teenager from Texas says he's in hiding after he reported his own father to the FBI for his involvement in the Capitol riots. Jackson Reffitt, 18, contacted the FBI ahead of the Capitol riots about his father, Guy Reffitt, The New York Times reported. Guy Reffitt, from Wylie, Texas, has since been arrested for allegedly being part of the riotous mob that attacked the US Capitol building on 6 January.
PoliticsThe WeekMSNBC's Rachel Maddow says McConnell 'caved' on his filibuster demand during her Schumer interview
In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said his caucus won't allow Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to dictate the agenda in the Democratic-led 50-50 Senate or demand an end to the legislative filibuster as a precondition for a power-sharing pact. "While we were airing that right now, and you were watching it, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just put out a statement that he is folding on this" and willl "agree to go forward with what Sen. Schumer told him he must," she said.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: National Guard members didn't turn away from Biden's Inauguration Day motorcade in dissent
The claim: Video shows National Guard members turned away from Biden's motorcade History will remember President Joe Biden's inauguration for its many irregularities, including the 26,000 National Guard members who descended upon Washington to provide additional security after pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol two weeks earlier. While tensions were high on Inauguration Day, a viral video does not show guard members insulting Biden, as online opponents claim. A 21-second video titled “Troops Turn Backs on Biden as Motorcade Drives By” shows guard members standing along a road, with some backs turned from the presidential motorcade.
PoliticsBBCTrump impeachment: When will he go on trial in the Senate?
Donald Trump has been impeached - again. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives accused Mr Trump of encouraging violence with his false claims of election fraud and egging on a mob to storm the Capitol on 6 January. Mr Trump, a Republican, now faces trial in the upper chamber, the Senate.
PoliticsThe IndependentJosh Hawley issues counter-complaint against Democrats who called for investigation into him over Capitol insurrection
Republican Senator Josh Hawley filed an ethics counter-complaint against seven Democratic senators who called for an investigation into him and Ted Cruz. Both senators have faced widespread criticism and calls for them to resign for their role in trying to challenge Joe Biden's election victory. Five people were killed when Pro-Trump rioters attacked the Congress as lawmakers gathered to certify the electoral college results earlier this month.
PoliticsThe Independent‘In Wyoming men don’t wear make-up’: Cheney spokesperson hits out at Matt Gaetz amid GOP civil war
The spokesperson was most likely referring to a clip from the HBO documentary The Swamp in which Mr Gaetz puts on makeup before TV interviews at the capitol. The spat comes after Rep Cheney, the House Republican Conference Chair and number 3 in the House Republican leadership, voted to impeach former President Donald Trump along with nine other Republicans and all 222 House Democrats.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderJoe Biden says he's willing to adjust income thresholds for stimulus checks in the new relief package
Joe Biden on Monday seemed willing to negotiate an aspect of the new coronavirus relief package. President Joe Biden on Monday said he was open to altering the income thresholds for a fresh wave of direct payments to Americans, a key demand among some moderate senators reluctant to back his coronavirus rescue package.
PoliticsThe IndependentGiuliani slams ‘hate-filled left-wing’ as he responds to $1.3bn defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems
Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has described a $1.3bn (£1.15bn) defamation lawsuit filed against him by Dominion Voting Systems as “intimidation by the hate-filled left-wing”. Dominion filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr Giuliani on Monday, following months of baseless claims from the former mayor of New York City that the company's systems were rigged in favour of the Democrats in 3 November's presidential election. The 107-page lawsuit, which was filed by the company in the Federal District Court in Washington, DC, on Monday, accused Mr Giuliani of carrying out “a viral disinformation campaign about Dominion” that was made up of “demonstrably false” allegations, according to The New York Times.
HealthThe WeekCancer drug is 27.5 times more effective at treating COVID-19 than remdesivir, study suggests
Researchers reported Monday in the journal Science that a drug developed to fight multiple myeloma has proved 27.5 times more effective at treating COVID-19 than remdesivir in laboratory studies with infected human lung and kidney cells. The drug, Aplidin or Plitidepsin, was also effective at fighting COVID-19 in lab mice. Aplidin was developed in Spain from a tubular, plantlike marine animal called a sea squirt.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden plans to replace the US government's fleet of 650,000 vehicles with electric models in a shift to clean energy
President Joe Biden said Monday he plans to replace the "enormous fleet" of government vehicles with electric models. President Joe Biden said on Monday his new administration will replace the US government's fleet of around 650,000 vehicles with electric models in a bid to shift to clean energy. Whilst signing a new "Buy American" executive order, Biden said: "The federal government also owns an enormous fleet of vehicles, which we're going to replace with clean electric vehicles made right here in America made by American workers."
ScienceBBCScientists address myths over large-scale tree planting
Scientists have proposed 10 golden rules for tree-planting, which they say must be a top priority for all nations this decade. Tree planting is a brilliant solution to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity, but the wrong tree in the wrong place can do more harm than good, say experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "Planting the right trees in the right place must be a top priority for all nations as we face a crucial decade for ensuring the future of our planet," said Dr Paul Smith, a researcher on the study and secretary general of conservation charity, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, in Kew.
PoliticsThe IndependentQAnon merges with white extremists and spreads new conspiracy Trump will be president again on March 4
Believers of the QAnon conspiracy have begun to spread rumours that Donald Trump will become president again on 4 Match, as the theory merges with other online extremist movements. QAnon supporters have been circulating the theory that the Republican will return to office in recent days, with many suggesting 4 March as a final day of reckoning for the former president's opponents. The rumours, which have been shared on TikTok, come amid reports QAnon was moving towards theories promoted by The Sovereign Citizen movement.
U.S.Business InsiderProsecutors say the woman accused of stealing Pelosi's laptop is attempting a cover-up by deleting her social-media activity during house arrest
Department of Justice prosecutors have accused Riley June Williams, the 22-year-old woman suspected of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Capitol riot, of trying to cover up her tracks by deleting her social-media activity, according to Law & Crime and the NBC 4 reporter Scott MacFarlane. In a court hearing on Monday, prosecutors also said Williams had been telling others to delete messages she had sent them, WHTM reported. The judge hasn't decided on the matter, as Monday's hearing ended abruptly because of a scheduling conflict with Williams' new public defender, Law & Crime reported.
PoliticsThe IndependentSarah Huckabee Sanders: Trump press secretary comments on Capitol riots as she announces run for Arkansas governor
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her candidacy for governor of Arkansas on Monday. In a campaign announcement video released on Twitter, Ms Sanders, 38, says that “our freedom and the rule of law are under attack”. She claims she was the first White House Press Secretary to require Secret Service protection “because of a credible, violent threat against me”.
PoliticsINSIDER11 hidden meanings behind the personal touches in President Biden's Oval Office you may have missed
Every incoming president gets to redecorate the Oval Office, and Biden has added his own touches. Portraits of rivals Jefferson and Hamilton hung in close proximity signal Biden's hope for bipartisanship. Every incoming president gets to redecorate the Oval Office to their taste, but few have packed in as many personal touches and as much symbolism as President Joe Biden.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderDr. Anthony Fauci is the federal government's top-paid employee, and was paid $18,000 more than Trump in 2019
Fauci earned $417,608 in 2019, according to OpenTheBooks – a rise of $18,000 from the year before. A spokeswoman for the National Institutes of Health told Insider in December his current salary was $434,312 per year. Dr. Anthony Fauci has the highest salary of all federal government employees in the US.
U.S.The Daily BeastMayor Aims to Turn Small Town Into QAnon, USA
“Do you still stand behind your belief that QAnon is a truth movement?” Armacost critic Marsha Maguire asked during a council meeting held on Zoom. Armacost didn't say anything, but the QAnon questions weren't over. Next up, a Sequim resident who gave his name as “Josh” had an urgent question for Armacost: Could Armacost hold off on joining any new QAnon insurrections, even if just for a few weeks?
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Female student athletes speak out against Biden executive order on transgender competition
Three Connecticut female student athletes who filed a discrimination complaint over transgender competition argue that the president's new executive order is not fair.
“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.”