PoliticsThe IndependentMike Pence is homeless after leaving office and ‘couch-surfing’ with Indiana politicians, report says
Former vice president Mike Pence, who was thrust into the spotlight during the last days of Donald Trump's presidency, does not have a permanent place to live in since leaving his official residence at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, according to reports. A source told the news portal, that the Pences are staying at a cabin that Indiana governor, Eric Holcomb, uses as a retreat, while two republicans close to the former vice-president said that Mr Pence and his wife were staying at Pence's brother's place in Columbus. Mr Pence, who grew up in Columbus, hasn't owned an Indiana home for at least the past eight years, reported Associated Press.
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 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.
WorldAssociated PressEXPLAINER: How Taiwan figures in US-China ties under Biden
It didn't take long for relations with China to become an issue for new U.S. President Joe Biden. A show of force by the Chinese air force off Taiwan last weekend prompted a U.S. response, even as Biden and his administration focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and other pressing issues at home in what is still their first week in office. Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported that China sent a dozen bombers and fighter jets into Taiwan's air defense identification zone on Saturday.
WorldThe IndependentFour teenagers arrested over ‘live-streamed’ murder of 15-year-old girl in Walmart
Four young girls were arrested over the weekend after the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl at a Louisiana Walmart was live-streamed on social media. The four girls, aged between 12 and 14, were arrested on Saturday after the victim was fatally stabbed at a Walmart in Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to a Facebook post by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office on Sunday. The suspects allegedly used a knife that they had stolen from the store in the incident, just moments after they were seen in the kitchen aisle, according to reports.
LifestyleArchitectural DigestHere Are The Brightest Decor Buys of the Season
Let's get loud Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
PoliticsNBC NewsGeorgia lawmaker removed from House chamber after refusing Covid test
A Georgia state lawmaker said his refusal to take a Covid-19 test got him kicked out of the House chambers on Tuesday. But Georgia House Speaker David Ralston said the lawmaker, Rep. David Clark, has repeatedly refused to follow House policy which states that all members and staff be tested for the coronavirus twice a week. "The member in question had been advised numerous times about the requirements and had refused to be tested at any point during this session," Ralston's office said in a statement on Twitter.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden tells Fox News reporter he talked to Putin about ‘You’ when asked about his call with Russian president
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Mr Biden what he discussed with Mr Putin on a recent call between the leaders. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Mr Biden called Mr Putin on Tuesday. "President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies," the White House said in a statement.
- U.S.Associated Press
Woman charged in Capitol riot may be released pending trial
The mother of a Tennessee man who authorities say carried flexible plastic handcuffs during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month can be released from custody, a federal magistrate judge ruled Monday in Tennessee. Lisa Eisenhart is accused of breaking into the U.S. Capitol with her son, Eric Munchel of Nashville, during the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington. Eisenhart poses no flight risk or danger to the public while awaiting trial, Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley ruled.
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.
PoliticsTimePresident Biden's First White House Sign Language Interpreter Has Ties to the Far Right
So when Press Secretary Jen Psaki began her briefing on Monday by announcing that American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters would now be present at all White House news briefings, many deaf and hard of hearing Americans celebrated this historic first. But it turns out the first ASL interpreter chosen was not such a change from the previous Administration after all. Heather Mewshaw, who Psaki introduced on Monday as “today's interpreter, Heather,” also manages a conservative group of ASL interpreters who provide sign language accompaniments to right-wing videos.
U.S.CBS NewsMan charged after allegedly wearing varsity jacket during Capitol riot
A New York man was charged on Monday for his alleged role in the Capitol riot, and the FBI has his high school varsity jacket to thank. Brian Gundersen, 26, was identified after multiple people recognized the jacket from photos of the January 6 riot and contacted the FBI, according to court documents filed Monday. Photos and videos from the riot show a man wearing a varsity jacket from Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, with a number on the left sleeve, according to a statement of facts accompanying the criminal complaint.
HealthReutersModerna says it believes vaccine will work against new variants
Moderna Inc said on Monday it believes its COVID-19 vaccine protects against new variants found in Britain and South Africa, although it will test a new booster shot aimed at the South African variant after concluding the antibody response could be diminished. The company said in a news release it found no reduction in the antibody response against the variant found in Britain. Against the South African variant, it found a reduced response but still believed its two-dose regimen would provide protection.
U.S.The IndependentTrump Plaza near Mar-a-Lago in Florida will be renamed following riots at US Capitol
The board of Trump Plaza in Florida has voted to remove the ex-president's branding from its twin-buildings following the riots at the US Capitol. The 32-storey tower in downtown West Palm Beach is a 10-minute drive from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago across the Intracoastal Waterway, where he has returned after leaving the White House to launch the Office of the Former President. Trump Plaza's condo board voted on 19 January to rename the complex after two attempts in 2020.
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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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderA federal judge in Texas just temporarily blocked the Biden administration's deportation moratorium
A federal judge in Texas halted the Biden administration's deportation moratorium for 14 days. The 100-day moratorium on deportations for certain immigrants was one of the immigration executive orders President Biden signed on day one of his presidency. The legal challenge in Texas is likely to be the first of many aimed at stopping the Biden administration's immigration reform goals.
PoliticsThe IndependentMike Pence adviser claims she was told to spy on Deborah Birx because she ‘was not to be trusted’
A former adviser to Mike Pence says she was told to "spy" on Dr Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus taskforce coordinator during the Trump administration. In response to Ms Birx speaking out publically this week, Ms Troye said she saw first hand the "very challenging situations" the administration placed on its health expert. "I'm the person that actually was brought into a room at some point when she first started, and she was coming into a no-win situation even more so than, I think, she even realized," Ms Troye said in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Monday.
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.
PoliticsPoliticoSenate GOP braces for more retirements after Portman stunner
Republicans need to flip just one seat next year to win back the Senate majority. But retirements are already complicating their path back to power. Two of the three toughest GOP defensive states on the 2022 Senate map, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, are already open seats, with GOP Sens.
U.S.The Daily BeastTeen Killed 6 Family Members After Dad Scolded Him for Leaving the House: Reports
An Indianapolis teenager accused of killing six family members over the weekend reportedly began the grisly attack after his father yelled at him for leaving the house without permission, according to police and people close to the family. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Monday announced the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in connection with the Sunday murder of five people, including a pregnant woman whose unborn baby also died. “I'm still tryna wrap my mind around this whole thing,” Nikki Smith, a childhood friend of victim Kezzie Childs, told The Daily Beast.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderRudy Giuliani admits Biden is president hours after being sued for $1.3 billion by voting-machine company
Rudy Giuliani on Monday acknowledged Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The statement came hours after Dominion Voting Systems sued Giuliani for $1.3 billion. Giuliani spent months peddling conspiracy theories about the company's role in the 2020 election.
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.INSIDERGhislaine Maxwell asked a judge to drop charges against her, arguing the grand jury pool didn't have enough Black or Hispanic people
Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers made an attempt to have the charges against her dismissed. They argued the grand jury pool wasn't diverse enough, that some of the charges were too vague or violated double jeopardy protections, and that some should take place in a separate trial. The Jeffrey Epstein associate is scheduled to stand trial in July.
HealthUSA TODAY'It is a slaughter': Public health champion asks CDC director to expose White House, orchestrate his own firing
A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health titan who led the eradication of smallpox asked the embattled, current CDC leader to expose the failed U.S. response to the coronavirus, calling on him to orchestrate his own firing to protest White House interference. William Foege, a renowned epidemiologist who served under Democratic and Republican presidents, detailed in a private letter he sent last month to CDC Director Robert Redfield his alarm over how the agency has fallen in stature while the pandemic raged across America. Foege, who has not been a vocal critic of the agency's handling of the novel coronavirus, called on Redfield to openly address the White House's meddling in the agency's efforts to manage the COVID-19 crisis, then accept the political sacrifice that would follow.
U.S.Business InsiderAirliners are on their own with no air traffic control at a Florida airport for 12 days after FAA staff contracted COVID-19
The air traffic control tower at St Pete-Clearwater International Airport in St Petersburg, Florida is closed until January 31. The FAA closed the facility for cleaning after personnel tested positive for COVID-19. Allegiant Air is the main carrier at the airport that also sees high general aviation and private jet traffic.
“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.”