PoliticsThe WeekMcConnell threatens to block Senate's power-sharing agreement if it doesn't preserve the filibuster
The evenly split Senate is having a hard time agreeing who's in charge. Georgia's two new Democratic senators were sworn in Wednesday, giving Republicans and Democrats 50 senators each, with Vice President Kamala Harris as a Democratic tiebreaker. The two parties are now working out a power-sharing agreement, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) commitment to the filibuster is standing in the way.
PoliticsCBS NewsKamala Harris to move temporarily to Blair House
Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will temporarily move to Blair House, which is near the White House, before moving to the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory, according to an aide for Harris. Seven vice presidents have called Number One Observatory Circle their home while in office, beginning with Vice President Walter Mondale. The house located at the U.S. Naval Observatory is not open to the public and is just a few miles from the White House.
PoliticsNational ReviewBiden Admonishes Reporter for Questioning Whether Vaccine Goal Is Ambitious Enough: ‘Give Me a Break’
President Biden pushed back on a reporter at a press briefing on Thursday, who questioned whether the new administration's coronavirus vaccine goal is ambitious enough. During the press conference, Biden called the Trump administration's distribution of coronavirus vaccines a “dismal failure so far,” warning that “things are going to continue to get worse before they get better.” On Thursday, Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller asked Biden if the vaccination goal was “high enough,” since “that's basically where the U.S. is right now.”
WorldNextSharkChinese Actress Faces Backlash After Allegedly Hiring 2 Women to Have Her Babies Then Abandoning Them
Chinese actress Zheng Shuang is facing massive backlash after being accused by her former partner, producer Zhang Heng, of abandoning their two children born to U.S.-based surrogate mothers. An international scandal: In a 2019 audio recording that emerged on Monday, Heng said Shuang decided to abandon the children before they were even born following the end of their relationship, South China Morning Post reports. Shuang's father purportedly made the suggestion to abandon the children at the hospital.
WorldReutersItaly PM wins backing for deficit hike after surviving coalition ambush
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won near unanimous parliamentary backing for extra spending for the COVID-hit economy on Wednesday, just hours after he narrowly survived an attempt by a junior coalition partner to unseat him. Laying aside their normal animosity, opposition and coalition parties joined forces to approve the 32-billion-euro ($38.7 billion) stimulus package in both houses of parliament. The money will be used to help the hard-pressed national health service, fund grants to businesses forced to close due to coronavirus lockdowns, finance company furlough schemes and provide cover for a postponement of tax payment deadlines.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump reportedly extended 24-hour Secret Service protection to his 4 adult children
One of former President Donald Trump's last acts in office was issuing a directive extending free Secret Service protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses for the next six months, three people with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post. It's not just his adult children benefiting — Trump also directed that former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien continue to receive Secret Service protection for six months, two people familiar with the matter told the Post. Under federal law, only Trump, former first lady Melania Trump, and their 14-year-old son, Barron, are entitled to Secret Service protection now that they have left the White House; while Donald and Melania can receive protection for the rest of their lives, Barron is only entitled to it up until his 16th birthday.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestAD100 Designer Monique Gibson Designs a Tribeca Aerie with High-Impact Views
800 feet up in the sky, the Dreamy 6,000 square foot space offers panoramic views from the East River to the Hudson Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.The IndependentMichael Flynn’s brother reveals he was involved in Capitol riot response after Army denied it, report says
Army officials reportedly denied that the brother of Michael Flynn, the disgraced former national security adviser, was at a meeting that discussed deploying the National Guard to the Capitol amid the 6 January riot. The Pentagon, Capitol Police and Washington DC officials were also on the call, which did deploy troops to defend the US Capitol from Donald Trump's supporters, who had already started to besiege the building. According to the Washington Post, Army officials on the telephone call were reluctant to deploy troops to the Capitol because their presence would have created a negative “visual” of a heavy military response.
WorldThe TelegraphSocial worker who died after secret liposuction in Turkey struggled to communicate with doctors after surgery, inquest hears
A social worker who died after having secret liposuction in Turkey struggled to communicate with doctors due to the language barrier, an inquest has heard. Abimbola Bamgbose, 38, left the UK on Aug 16 for what her husband believed was a week-long holiday with some friends in the coastal city of Izmir. At an inquest into her death, it emerged that Ms Bamgbose had struggled to communicate with doctors after she started to feel unwell following the operation.
U.S.INSIDERThe Capitol riot's 'zip-tie guy' appeared to take the plastic handcuffs from Capitol police, prosecutors say
Eric Munchel, the "zip-tie guy," was photographed storming the Capitol while carrying plastic handcuffs. Prosecutors initially raised questions about whether rioters intended to take lawmakers hostage. Eric Munchel, a pro-Trump rioter who stormed the Capitol building while holding plastic handcuffs, took the restraints from a table inside the Capitol building, prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday.
StyleTheGrioMichelle Obama’s hair stylist flooded with appointment requests following inauguration
Popular former First Lady Michelle Obama — who many refer to as America's “Forever FLOTUS” — absolutely stole the show at Wednesday's inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, helped by a shiny mane of bouncing, flowing curls. Obama hair wizard Yene Damtew says she and her squad of stylists have been flooded with hundreds of appointment requests in just one day. My team and I have received literally hundreds of DMs and emails about hairstyling services at Aesthetics Salon,” Yamtew wrote on Instagram.
PoliticsBBCUnited States profile - Timeline
George Washington elected first president of USA. Bill of Rights guarantees individual freedom. France sells Louisiana territories to USA.
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Biden tells appointees 'I will fire you on the spot' for showing disrespect to colleagues
President Joe Biden issued a warning Wednesday to his appointees that a hostile workplace will not be allowed in his administration.
U.S.The IndependentSurvivors demand Marjorie Taylor Green resign over more school shooting conspiracy comments
Gun control organisations and school shooting survivors have called for newly elected Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to step down after more uncovered social media posts appear to show her supporting conspiracies that the 9-11 attacks were “done by our own" government and that "none of the school shootings were real or done by the ones who were supposedly arrested for them." Earlier this week, Media Matters discovered that the Georgia congresswoman appeared to endorse a conspiracy theory on Facebook in 2018 that the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida was a “false flag” event.
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'We feel incredibly betrayed': Thousands of Guardsmen forced to vacate Capitol
Thousands of National Guardsmen were allowed back into the Capitol Thursday night, hours after U.S. Capitol Police officials ordered them to vacate the facilities, sending them outdoors or to nearby parking garages after two weeks pulling security duty after the deadly riot on Jan. 6. One unit, which had been resting in the Dirksen Senate Office building, was abruptly told to vacate the facility on Thursday, according to one Guardsman. The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking garage without internet reception, with just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops, the person said.
PoliticsThe WeekBiden's team reportedly realized after inauguration that Trump really had no vaccine distribution plan
It's been more than a month since the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved for distribution, and nearly a year since it became clear the coronavirus pandemic would require a vaccine to fully end. But former President Donald Trump's administration still failed to arrange a usable plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to Americans, as President Biden's incoming administration reportedly just discovered. Biden's team expected to find major flaws in Trump's distribution plans when they arrived at the White House on Wednesday, sources with direct knowledge of the administration's COVID-19 work tell CNN.
U.S.The Daily BeastCapitol Rioter Came Back to D.C. for Inauguration, Feds Say
A Florida man wanted after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot tried to return to the scene of the crime for the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Like many of the MAGA fanatics who have been arrested in the two weeks since the insurrection, Samuel Camargo implicated himself by bragging about his participation on social media, authorities said. “Got some memorabilia, did it myself,” Camargo allegedly wrote under a photo of a hand showing a piece of metal from the Capitol.
PoliticsINSIDERKamala Harris' nephew-in-law wore $2,000 Dior-Air Jordans to the inauguration, and sneakerheads were drooling
Someone in VP Kamala Harris' camp wore sneakers to Wednesday's inauguration — but they weren't just any old pair of sneakers. Nikolas Ajagu — the husband of Harris' neice, Meena, and the father of the VP's adorable grand nieces — was spotted wearing Dior x Air Jordan 1 Retros at the ceremony. The shoes retail for $2,000 but are selling for up to $25,000 on the resale market.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden administration now allowing visitors of White House website to choose pronouns
The Biden administration is now allowing visitors of the White House website to choose their pronouns while offering gender neutral options. The change came hours after Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th US President, as part of the remastering of the website that is standard for new administrations. The contact form for the White House now allows individuals to select their pronouns from she/her, he/her, he/him, they/them, other, or prefer not to share.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderSen. Bernie Sanders says Democrats don't need GOP support to approve $2,000 stimulus checks and cancel student debt
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote an opinion column this week pushing for Democrats to implement a bold economic agenda. Now that the Democratic Party has full control over Congress, Sanders argues they can use a tool called reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority in the Senate to pass bills. Among the key measures Sanders urges the Senate to pass are $2,000 direct payments to Americans and raising the minimum wage to $15.
U.S.The IndependentNeighbours in exclusive Florida community complain to local paper over Don Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle moving in
Several Florida residents have raised concerns about the imminent arrival of Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle after they reportedly purchased two properties on a private estate. According to The Palm Beach Post, the couple bought two addresses in Admirals Cove, a “personal resort” and private enclave in Jupiter that comes with a $195,000 (£142,000) membership fee. Although the purchases cannot be blocked, the Post reports, Admiral Cove residents circulated an email thread last week in which they denounced Mr Trump Jr's arrival as “a nightmare”.
PoliticsThe IndependentRepublican Marjorie Taylor Greene files articles of impeachment against Joe Biden
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed articles of impeachment against Joe Biden the day after he was inaugurated as president. The lawmaker, who has ties to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, took to Twitter to announce the move against the new president. “I've just filed articles of impeachment on president Joe Biden, we will see how this goes," she said.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA GOP congressman tried to enter the Capitol Building on Thursday with a concealed firearm, HuffPost reports
GOP Rep. Andy Harris, of Maryland, attempted to carry a concealed weapon into the House Chambers on Thursday, the Huffington Post reported. Metal detectors placed in the Capitol following the January 6 attack went off when Harris attempted to walk through. Republican Rep. Andy Harris was prevented from entering the House chambers with a gun on Thursday by metal detectors that were put in place following the January 6 Capitol siege, the Huffington Post reported.
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Graham on Amazon offering vaccine help to Biden: 'It's disgusting' if they refused to help Trump
Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. reacted to Amazon offering President Biden help to distribute the vaccine after President Trump left office.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump’s tax lawyers cut ties as he leaves office and reports say federal prosecutors already have his records
Donald Trump's legal troubles began mounting before he could even step foot out of the White House on Wednesday. Reports indicated early in the morning on Inauguration Day that federal prosecutors in New York had obtained some of his financial records amid an investigation into the former president and his private business. While the district attorney's office was still waiting for an order from the nation's highest court on its subpoena powers, Bloomberg News reported the new developments meant investigators can begin verifying criminal allegations against the Trump Organization and former president.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”