PoliticsThe IndependentConservative Newsmax guest says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was chosen 'probably for his skin colour'
Christian Whiton, a senior adviser in both the Trump and Bush administrations, told Newsmax that Joe Biden's Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was likely hired because he was Black. Mr Whiton appeared on Newsmax to discuss an announcement from the Pentagon that it would enact military-wide stand downs for the next 60 days to tackle extremism and white supremacy within its ranks. The former Trump and Bush adviser said the decision to root out extremism in the military was "cancel culture" and then disparaged Mr Biden's pick for Secretary of Defense by claiming he was likely hired solely because he is Black.
U.S.The WeekProsecutors don't know where Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse is, want him arrested again
Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sought a new arrest warrant Wednesday for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with killing two people during an Aug. 25 protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man now paralyzed from the waist down. The prosecutors said Rittenhouse has violated the terms of his $2 million bond by moving without informing the court or providing his new address. After a court filing sent to Rittenhouse was returned as undeliverable Jan. 28, Kenosha detectives visited Rittenhouse's listed address and discovered another man has been living there since mid-December, prosecutors explained.
WorldThe TelegraphIndian protesters burn pictures of Greta Thunberg after she sides with striking farmers
Outraged members of a Hindu nationalist group have burnt photographs of Greta Thunberg in New Delhi after the Swedish environmentalist tweeted in support of India's protesting farmers. Amid rising tensions between protesting farmers and the authorities, members of the United Hindu Front also held signs saying India will "not tolerate interference in internal affairs." Hundreds of thousands of farmers are occupying the streets outside of New Delhi ahead of a planned nationwide strike on Saturday, their numbers swelling after a farmer died after violent clashes with police on January 26.
BusinessAxiosDavid Hogg launching pillow company to compete with MyPillow's Mike Lindell
March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg tweeted on Thursday that he and software developer William LeGate are launching a pillow company to compete against MyPillow, which is led by Trump supporter CEO Mike Lindell. Driving the news: Lindell is one of former President Trump's most adamant defenders and has repeatedly shared unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the election since President Biden took office. Lindell had a tumultuous interview with Newsmax earlier this week, where anchors attempted to block the CEO from reiterating conspiracies about the 2020 election.
PoliticsNational ReviewGOP Senators Will Force Dems to Vote on Paying Illegal Immigrants, Raising Taxes during Pandemic
Senate Republicans will make Democrats vote on a number of controversial topics in the coming days as part of the budget reconciliation process that Democrats are using to pass President Biden's COVID relief plan against GOP lawmakers' wishes. Debate on the budget resolution began Wednesday and will continue in the Senate on Thursday. As retribution for using budget reconciliation — which will allow Democrats to avoid the 60-vote threshold required to pass most legislation and instead only require just a simple majority vote to pass Biden's plan — Republicans plan to force Democrats to vote on a number of hot button issues.
U.S.NBC NewsDriver stuck in snow burns to death after repeatedly revving SUV's engine
A New Jersey man was killed in a fire after repeatedly revving his SUV's engine while trying to get out of a snowbank, authorities said. Shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, police in Little Ferry said officers responded to a report of a car getting stuck in a pile of snow after going down an embankment near Losen Slote Creek Park, about 10 miles northwest of New York City. Little Ferry police Capt. Ronald Klein told NBC News on Thursday that two officers found a 62-year-old driver repeatedly revving up the engine and rocking his Mazda SUV back and forth to dislodge the vehicle from the snow.
U.S.NextSharkTeen Who Pushed Elderly Thai Man to His Death Pleads Not Guilty to Murder
A 19-year-old man facing murder and elder abuse charges over the death of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee has pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance at the Hall of Justice on Wednesday. Details -> https://t.co/6Z5rqIQpcZ pic.twitter.com/PJnuuWgE3Y — Evan Sernoffsky (@EvanSernoffsky) February 1, 2021 Ratanapakdee, who was originally from Thailand, died from injuries on Saturday after being slammed into the ground by Antoine Watson, NextShark previously reported. Watson was arrested on Saturday for the seemingly unprovoked attack on Ratanapakdee, reports SF Examiner.
PoliticsThe WeekMarjorie Taylor Greene tells lawmakers she regrets being 'allowed to believe things that weren't true'
Controversial lawmaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) acknowledged Thursday afternoon the 9/11 terrorist attacks really happened while insisting inflammatory remarks she's made "do not represent me." Greene, who has been under fire for past racist and anti-Semitic remarks and support of conspiracy theories including QAnon and the false assertion that school shootings are hoaxes, spoke on the House floor ahead of a vote to remove her from committee assignments, saying she regrets being "allowed to believe things that weren't true." "You see, school shootings are absolutely real," Greene said, adding that "9/11 absolutely happened" and "I do not believe that it's fake."
U.S.The IndependentBiden reportedly considering sending face masks to all Americans after Trump scrapped a similar plan
The new White House administration was considering a range of actions to assist states in lowering the spread of coronavirus infections nationwide, including sending face masks to every American household, reports claim. While the plan has not yet been finalised, a similar proposal was allegedly scrapped under the previous administration last year, when the United States Postal Service offered to send cloth masks to every household in April. In a statement to NBC News about the reported plans, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “There are a range of options on the table to help protect more Americans from the coronavirus and encourage people to mask up, but no decision has been made.”
PoliticsNational ReviewLiz Cheney 1, Matt Gaetz 0
Matt Gaetz may be auditioning for many roles in the Republican Party, but evidently House Republican whip isn't one of them. Gaetz confidently predicted that a majority of House Republicans would vote to oust Liz Cheney from her leadership role when, instead, Cheney prevailed last night by a resounding 145–61 vote. For the sin of frankly stating Trump's transgressions on January 6 and accordingly voting to impeach him, Cheney faced an immediate backlash.
- PoliticsYahoo News Video
WH says proposed $1,400 relief is not breaking campaign promise of $2,000 checks
In a White House briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden was not breaking a campaign promise of delivering Americans $2,000 in coronavirus relief. Psaki said the current proposal of $1,400 in a relief bill would be in addition to $600 relief checks that were distributed during the Trump administration.
U.S.NBC NewsMother died protecting daughter from hitmen allegedly hired by her brother
The mother, Brittany Cormier, was killed on Jan. 13 at her home in Montegut, about 70 miles southwest of New Orleans. Hope Nettleton, a neighbor visiting Cormier at the time, was also killed. Cormier's brother and convicted sex offender, Beaux Cormier, was arrested along with two of his friends, Andrew Eskine and Dalvin Wilson.
WorldReutersAnalysis: As polls tighten, Hungary's Orban steps up pre-election spending
Ahead of an election next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is spending money on key groups of voters as opinion polls show a neck-and-neck race with an opposition united against him for the first time. The right-wing premier, in power since 2010, is under pressure to reopen the economy after a pandemic-driven crash that sent Hungary into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, ending seven years of steady growth. A tally by news website hvg.hu showed about a quarter of the spending channelled via a $12 billion COVID recovery fund last year was linked to the pandemic as Orban spent on other items, including support for ethnic Hungarians living elsewhere in central Europe, who backed him in previous elections.
PoliticsThe WeekGOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger mocks GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz after House GOP votes to keep Liz Cheney in leadership
House Republicans voted by secret ballot Wednesday night to retain Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) as the No. 3 leader in their caucus, so it's impossible to know which 145 Republicans voted to keep Cheney in leadership and which 61 voted to oust her for voting to impeach former President Donald Trump. No we voted.
LifestyleMiami HeraldCanada bans cruises until 2022 in latest blow to industry paralyzed by COVID-19
Canada announced Thursday it is banning cruises until Feb. 28, 2022. The announcement by the country's transportation ministry is a blow to the already beleaguered cruise industry, which has been paralyzed since mid-March when COVID-19 outbreaks on multiple ships forced the industry to shut down passenger operations. “As Canadians continue to do their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, our government continues to work hard to ensure Canada's transportation system remains safe,” said Minister of Transportation Omar Alghabra in a statement.
LifestyleArchitectural Digest27 Best Desk Lamps to Brighten Up 2021
Let there be light Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsThe IndependentAOC hits back at Republican claims she lied about Capitol assault: ‘It’s because they know they are implicated’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has hit back at claims she lied about her experience during the pro-Trump Capitol riots. Critics have said that the congresswoman was in her office in the nearby Cannon House Building and not in the US Capitol Building when it was stormed. “To survivors of any trauma who worry about being believed, or that their situation wasn't 'bad' enough or 'too' bad, or fear being branded or deemed 'manipulative' for telling the truth: I see you,” she tweeted.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden unites with all past presidents - apart from Trump - to call for end to ‘political extremism’
Donald Trump was absent as former presidents asked for unity and Joe Biden called for an end to “political extremism” during this year's National Prayer Breakfast. Speaking to the virtual breakfast on Thursday morning for the first time as US president, Mr Biden spoke about various topics including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and last month's Capitol riots. Five people died and several more were injured, as a pro-Trump mob breached the US Capitol on 6 January during the certification of Mr Biden's presidential election victory.
U.S.Business InsiderProud Boys may have deliberately planned the Capitol siege as revenge against law enforcement, FBI says
The Proud Boys may have planned the Capitol siege as revenge on law enforcement, the FBI said. Officials said some members charged in the riot, including Ethan Nordean, had prepared for violence. They were angry at the police response to the stabbing of a member at a December rally, the FBI said.
HealthCharlotte ObserverHere’s what you should and shouldn’t do after getting a COVID vaccine shot
As vaccines for the coronavirus continue to roll out, questions still remain for some about how they should handle themselves and what they need to still be concerned about once they get a shot. More than 82,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Mecklenburg County as of Thursday. Both COVID-19 vaccines available right now require two injections, spaced weeks apart.
- NewsReuters Videos
Spectacular explosions as Mount Etna erupts
Bursts of sweltering hot lava shot into the sky at around 9 p.m. gmt). The 3,330-metre-high volcano can burst into spectacular action several times a year, spewing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island of Sicily.
PoliticsThe Independent‘If Biden acted quickly, we could’ve saved his life’: Immigration experts react to Biden’s new executive orders
Last week, Felix Montes de Oca, a 57-year-old Mexican migrant, died of coronavirus complications in a Georgia hospital after being held in a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility for about a month. Stewart Detention Center, which has a record of mistreating migrants in medical need and the second highest rate of Covid cases of any ICE detention centre, underscores the challenge for the Biden administration's ambitious immigration agenda. The president made big promises for change, but is getting things off to a measured start, signing executive orders rolling back or reviewing Trump policies, but not making law that replaces them.
LifestyleFort Worth Star-TelegramDad died of COVID, but his Christmas lights comforted family. Then came ‘rude’ letter
Sara Pascucci says her father loved the holiday season. “He was always into Christmas, and those are our fond memories that we have of him, just always decorating and doing a lot of stuff during Christmas,” the Bethpage, New York, woman told WLNY. Pascucci and her family grieved as they planned two funerals, WCBS reported.
HealthMiami HeraldSide effects after your second dose of COVID vaccine may be more intense. Here’s why
Health experts say these side effects are just normal signs your body is building the immune response it needs to protect you from severe disease. But these signs tend to grab more of your attention after the second shot — kind of like a roadside billboard that's been revamped with flashing neon lights. The first shot floods your immune system with instructions that teach your cells to pump out harmless proteins similar to those the coronavirus uses to infect people.
EntertainmentArchitectural Digest9 Floral Boutiques That Literally Deliver Romance on Valentine’s Day
Don't get up; these flowers will come directly to you Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
“We need to reverse this catastrophic choice to keep kids at home by ensuring the health and safety of our teachers.”
“It is decades of disinvestment in the public education of our most vulnerable students that’s keeping students out of classrooms.”
“We ultimately have to choose: bars and gyms or schools and daycares? Choose wisely.”
“Labor groups are continuing to flex their political muscle, most often pushing for a more conservative approach.”
“The terrible and mounting toll of the pandemic has caused positions to harden on both sides of the reopening debate.”