PoliticsThe IndependentTrump news: McEnany departs White House as McConnell calls impeachment ‘vote of conscience’
President Donald Trump is said to be planning a final trip on Air Force One to Mar-a-Lago during the inauguration, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly discusses impeachment with colleagues as the administration ends in history-making ignominy. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who entered the role in April 2020, joined a growing list of administration officials who left the president before his term officially ended. The president's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow has criticised his boss in The Wall Street Journal over his response to the deadly insurrection at the Capitol.
U.S.Associated PressWaitress credited with helping boy after noticing bruises
A Florida waitress who noticed bruises on an 11-year-old boy flashed him a handwritten note asking him if he needed help, and when he nodded yes, she called the police, authorities said. Orlando police credited Flaviane Carvalho, a waitress at Mrs. Potato Restaurant, with coming to the boy's aid on New Year's Eve when the child's parents weren't looking. Police took the boy to a hospital where doctors found bruises on his face, earlobes and arms.
PoliticsNBC NewsTexas realtor who took private jet is charged in Capitol riot
A Texas realtor who took a private jet to the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week and called it the best day of her life is facing federal charges. Jennifer Ryan, who goes by Jenna Ryan on social media, is the latest person charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. Federal authorities said in court documents released Friday that Ryan traveled with a group to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5 and documented her two-day trip on social media.
WorldReutersMalaysia's opposition leader to seek king's assent to end state of emergency
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday he would submit an appeal to the king to end a state of emergency imposed to fight the coronavirus, which he described as a move by the prime minister to cling to power. Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday declared a national state of emergency to curb the spread of the virus and suspended parliament, which the opposition said was Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's ploy to retain control amid a power struggle.
U.S.The Telegraph‘I need to protect myself in case there is a civil war’: Why middle-class America is arming up
But for many of Jimmy Gong's customers in Mineola – a suburban village 20 miles east of the skyscrapers of Manhattan – the storming of the Capitol by pro-Trump demonstrators on January 6 was the inflection point. The following day is one of the busiest Gong, 46, can remember, even accounting for a 150 per cent rise in demand. And he expects business to keep booming.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestMore Inside Artist Jorge Pardo's Transformed Bushwick Carriage House
When it came to the lighting in his home, Pardo drew inspiration from the insides of fruits, nuts, and seeds, as well as sea creatures and machine parts. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.Miami HeraldThe FBI keeps making more arrests in the Capitol riot. Here are some Florida suspects
At least a handful of Florida residents have been tracked down, thanks in part to video and images widely circulated on social media. At least one Floridian was a first responder: Andrew Williams, who was at first put on paid administrative leave by his employer, the Sanford Fire Department, and then unpaid leave. Williams was arrested Tuesday, charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.
PoliticsThe IndependentMitch McConnell tells senators to ‘vote their conscience’ as impeachment trial looms
Following Donald Trump's second impeachment in the House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell has told his senate colleagues to “vote their conscience” as the Senate determines whether to convict the president for his role inciting a deadly insurrection at the Capitol, fulled by false claims of voter fraud and a pervasive lie that the 2020 election was “stolen” from his supporters. The Senate Majority Leader, overseeing the remaining days of the GOP-controlled Senate as the balance of power shifts in a newly elected Congress, has not indicated how he expects his colleagues to vote, and an impeachment trial won't reach the Senate floor until Joe Biden is president.
U.S.The WeekSecret Service reportedly had to use Obama's bathroom after being barred from Ivanka Trump's
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have spent the past few years living in a six bedroom, 6.5 bathroom rented home in Washington, D.C.'s exclusive Kalorama neighborhood. The family could count high-profile officials and even one former president among their neighbors — as well as their own Secret Service detail, who had to rent a nearby apartment to use the bathroom because they weren't allowed inside the Kushner-Trump home, neighbors and law enforcement sources tell The Washington Post. It's not unusual for Secret Service agents to stay out of the typically expansive homes they're guarding, instead using a garage or auxiliary building as their home base, the Post notes.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderThe Texas realtor who was pictured in the Capitol after taking a private plane to DC for Trump's rally has been arrested
The woman who went viral for taking a private plane to President Donald Trump's "Stop The Steal" rally on January 6 before being pictured at the US Capitol has been arrested. Jenna Ryan, who owns a real estate firm called Jenna Ryan Realty, in Frisco, Texas, posted a 21-minute video on her Facebook account, of her and a group walking towards the Capitol building, prosecutors said. Ryan claimed she didn't enter the Capitol, but video shows her in a large crowd entering the front door of the building.
U.S.INSIDERA Houston police officer resigned after his chief accused him of breaching the US Capitol
Tam Pham, an 18-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, resigned on Thursday after facing discipline for attending the attempted coup at the Capitol on January 6. Pham apologized to the Houston Chronicle for his involvement and said he was only there to take photos. According to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, Pham was one of the hundreds who breached the Capitol.
U.S.TheGrioBiden nominates Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to DNC post
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. In the role, Bottoms would be in charge of civic engagement and voter protection. Mayor Bottoms is the only Mayor in Atlanta's history to have served in all three branches of government, serving as a judge and City Councilmember before being sworn in as Mayor,” the DNC said in press release Thursday night.
PoliticsThe WeekMelania Trump is reportedly more than ready to leave the White House
First lady Melania Trump is spending her final days in the White House packing, making photo albums, and counting down the minutes until she can move out, CNN reports. Since November, she has been overseeing the Trump family's move, deciding what will go to Mar-a-Lago in Florida and what will go into storage. With the help of White House staffers, she has been doing this stealthily, as to not upset President Trump — the official told CNN he really didn't think they would be moving, and it's a sensitive subject.
U.S.INSIDERAt least 6 pro-Trump rioters charged in the Capitol insurrection have already been released from custody
Josiah Colt is charged in federal court with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He is one of at least five pro-Trump rioters charged with federal crimes who have already been allowed to go home pending trial. Dozens of people who were at or around the violent siege of the Capitol building last week have been charged - some of them also indicted - with crimes in DC or federal courts, and that list is growing by the hour.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastPeyote-Loving ‘QAnon Shaman’ Vowed to Attend Inauguration, Left Chilling Note for Pence: Docs
The so-called QAnon Shaman who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week in Viking garb before sitting in Vice President Mike Pence's chair on the Senate dais admitted to federal agents he intended to return to D.C. to “protest” President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. “I'll still go, you better believe it,” Jacob Chansley bragged in an interview with FBI agents the day after the violent insurrection. The admission by Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, is one of several that prosecutors detailed in an 18-page detention memo arguing for the 33-year-old Arizona man to be held before trial.
PoliticsThe IndependentMelania snubs meeting Jill Biden as First Lady-to-be unveils advisors
As Dr Jill Biden acknowledged the fast-approaching inauguration, tweeting: “One week”, and began announcing her plans for her time in the White House, the current first lady Melania Trump has reportedly still not made any contact with her. Dr Biden intends to continue her work on issues affecting military families. Ms Trump's plans for her post-White House life are unknown.
- ScienceReuters Videos
Palm oil protests hinder sustainability drive: planters
Campaigners say that the industry is responsible for deforestation of tropical rainforests and human rights abuses and have initiated consumer boycotts of palm oil, which is found in everything from pizza to lipsticks. However, such campaigns are hindering the industry's efforts to achieve sustainability certification and develop a market for certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), top palm oil producers said during the Reuters Next conference. "The issue is how do we regain the trust we seemed to have lost?"
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPelosi taps retired military commander, who oversaw the US response to Hurricane Katrina, to oversee probe into security failures during Capitol siege
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré will lead "an immediate review" of the security during the Capitol attack. On January 6, pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol, which resulted in five deaths. Honoré is known for leading the task force that was in charge of the US military response to Hurricane Katrina.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump administration staffers reportedly getting snubbed while looking for new jobs
Trump administration staff are reportedly getting snubbed for jobs, amid the fallout of the end of Donald Trump's presidency and the Capitol riots. After a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol last week, several businesses turned on the Trump Organisation, as New York City announced on Thursday that it was ending all ties with the company. The rioters attacked the Capitol after attending a rally led by Mr Trump, who urged supporters to “walk down to the Capitol” and told them: “You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
U.S.Business InsiderAn intelligence report by Capitol Police warned 'Congress itself' could be targeted, days before the deadly siege on the US Capitol, according to The Washington Post
In a report produced days before the deadly siege on the US Capitol, Capitol Police intelligence warned "Congress itself" could be the target of an attack by pro-Trump protesters. The January 3 report, obtained by The Washington Post, said Trump supporters saw January 6 "as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election" and that this "sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent." Following the attack, US Capitol Police has come under scrutiny for failing to prevent the breach of the Capitol building.
BusinessBusiness InsiderNearly 6,000 Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama will vote next month on forming the first union in the company's history
About 6,000 Amazon workers in Alabama will vote on forming a union, which would be the e-commerce giant's first union in its history, according to a petition filed. Workers will receive their ballots on February 8 to vote in the mail-in election over the wishes of Amazon, which was pushing for an in-person election. Amazon has been staunchly opposed to its workers organizing a union, with the company even hiring detectives with the Pinkerton spy agency to monitor efforts.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump is back in contact with Steve Bannon and ‘asking him how to overturn election’
Donald Trump is reportedly back in touch with his former chief strategist Steve Bannon who he has been speaking to several times over the phone in the recent weeks, seeking advice on how to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential elections. Mr Bannon is considered one of the main architects of Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and had joined him as an adviser in the White House after the elections. Mr Bannon quit the position in August 2017 after he fell from the good books of the president due to a controversy related to his book.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRepublicans in Congress are starting to oppose Biden's $1.9 trillion economic rescue package, dampening odds of smooth passage for new stimulus checks
Republicans in Congress started criticizing the Biden rescue plan on Friday. "Blasting out another $2 trillion in borrowed or printed money.. would be a colossal waste and economically harmful," Sen. Pat Toomey said. Many economists favor more relief spending, given the severity of the pandemic and the low cost of borrowing.
EntertainmentLA TimesMAGA musician Ariel Pink, spurned by fans, complains to Tucker Carlson: 'People are so mean'
Days after attending a rally that led to a deadly right-wing insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the L.A. indie musician Ariel Pink tried to defend his actions on Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show on Thursday. “I had no choice, there's nothing else for me to do,” Pink said, looking shaken and nervous. Pink, an acclaimed but antagonizing fixture of L.A.'s experimental music scene, has become an unlikely far-right martyr-hero after photos of him attending the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally (with fellow local avant-garde artist John Maus) surfaced.
CelebrityINSIDERBindi Irwin re-created a photo of her parents in a sweet pregnancy post
Bindi Irwin, the late Steve Irwin's daughter, is pregnant with her first child. On Thursday, she and her husband re-created a photo her family took when Terri Irwin was pregnant. Bindi Irwin paid tribute to her late father, Steve Irwin, in her latest Instagram post.
“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.”