U.S.Associated PressHouse arrest plan for invader of Pelosi's office halted
A federal judge in Washington on Friday night halted a plan to release and put on house arrest the Arkansas man photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol. Richard Barnett will instead be brought to Washington, D.C., immediately for proceedings in his case, Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered Friday night, staying a decision by another judge to confine Barnett to his home in Gravette, Arkansas, until his trial. Howell's ruling came hours after U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Wiedemann in Arkansas set a $5,000 bond for Barnett and ordered that a GPS monitor track his location.
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.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump's team is reportedly trying to assemble a crowd for a 'major send-off' hours before Biden's inauguration
President Trump is planning to exit the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, a few hours before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in a short distance away, CNN reports. "Eager for a final taste of the pomp of being president, Trump has asked for a major send-off," and "as one of their final acts, Trump's team is working to organize a crowd to see him off on the morning of Biden's inauguration, when he plans to depart Washington while still president" for a flight to Palm Beach, Florida, where his term will officially end at noon. There are 20,000 National Guard troops currently deployed or en route to Washington, D.C., ahead of Biden's inauguration, because the last crowd Trump drew to the White House morphed into an insurrectionist mob that stormed the Capitol.
WorldReutersVenezuela says Guaido nixed deal to buy coronavirus vaccines, opposition denies
Lawyers for Venezuela's central bank on Thursday said opposition leader Juan Guaido rejected a proposed deal to buy coronavirus vaccines in Britain, an assertion the opposition dismissed as false. The lawyers said the bank - whose board was named by President Nicolas Maduro - requested the support of an ad-hoc central bank board appointed by Guaido to transfer $120 million in funds frozen in Britain to Gavi, an alliance seeking to improve poor countries' vaccine access. "Due to international sanctions the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela have worsened, and President Maduro's government has been unable to effect payment to Gavi to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines by any other means," the central bank's lawyers at Zaiwalla & Co said in a statement.
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.
PoliticsThe IndependentMitch McConnell tells senators impeachment trial is ‘vote of conscience’
Following Donald Trump's second impeachment in the House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell has told his senate colleagues it would be a “vote of conscience” as the Senate determines whether to convict the president for his role inciting a deadly insurrection at the Capitol, fuelled 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.
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.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.
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.
WorldAssociated PressFire destroys hundreds of homes in Rohingya refugee camp
A fire raced through a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes, officials said. The fire broke out early Thursday in Nayapara Camp in Cox's Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are staying. Nayapara is an old camp that was started decades ago.
U.S.The IndependentLocal newspapers turn on Lauren Boebert as 68 state politicians demand investigation into Capitol riot role
The demand for an investigation into Lauren Boebert gained traction after 68 elected officials from Colorado wrote to House speaker Nancy Pelosi, condemning the representative's alleged association with “right-wing groups that supported the insurrection of Capitol Building." Ms Boebert is the representative for Colorado's third congressional district in Congress. “We have heard overwhelmingly from our constituents, therefore her constituents, that there is deep concern about her actions leading up to and during the protests that turned into a violent deadly mob," said the letter signed by officials, including mayors, county commissioners and town council members, reported the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper.
WorldAssociated PressIranian Guard drones in drill mirror those in Saudi attacks
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard conducted a drill Friday that saw “suicide drones” crash into targets and explode, triangle-shaped aircraft that strongly resembled those used in a 2019 attack in Saudi Arabia that temporarily cut the kingdom's oil production by half. Iran has long denied launching the attack on the sites of Abqaiq and Khurais while Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels initially claimed the assault. However, the United States, Saudi Arabia and U.N. experts believe the drones were Iranian, likely launched amid an escalating series of incidents stemming from President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.
- WorldAssociated Press
Raids in Pakistan's NW leave 3 soldiers, 2 militants dead
Security forces raided two militant hideouts in a former insurgent stronghold in Pakistan's northwest Thursday, triggering shootouts that left three soldiers and two insurgents dead, the military said. The separate raids took place in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and one of the slain militants was a bomb-making expert, the military said in a statement. It provided no further details and the identity and nationality of the slain militants were not known.
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.
WorldAssociated PressPfizer temporarily reduces European deliveries of vaccine
U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer confirmed Friday it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its COVID-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity to 2 billion doses per year. “This temporary reduction will affect all European countries,” a spokeswoman for Pfizer Denmark said in a statement to The Associated Press. Line Fedders said that to meet the new 2 billion dose target, Pfizer is upscaling production at its plant in Puurs, Belgium, which “presupposes adaptation of facilities and processes at the factory which requires new quality tests and approvals from the authorities.”
TechnologyBBCSamsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Does stylus spell end of the Note?
The S Pen is an optional add-on for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung told the BBC it had yet to make a decision about this. "There's increasing logic for Samsung to converge the Galaxy S and Note platforms, because there's so little differentiation between the two kinds of devices now," said Ben Wood, from the CCS Insight consultancy.
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.
- 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?"
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.”
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestIt's Playtime: 8 Beautiful Games for Grown-Ups
You'll love the twist these designers have put on old-school entertainment Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldBBCCoronavirus vaccine: India begins world's biggest drive
A sanitation worker became the first Indian to receive a Covid vaccine as the country began the world's largest inoculation drive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme, which aims to vaccinate more than 1.3 billion people against Covid. India has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world after the United States.
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 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.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBumble removed its political filter after people said they used it to lure conservatives who were at the Capitol riot into sending incriminating evidence
The dating app Bumble has temporarily removed its political-identification filter to prevent "misuse." The move came after women tweeted about using the filter to find conservatives who took part in the Capitol breach and passing on evidence to law enforcement. Users started to notice the political filter had been removed on Thursday, and people on Twitter criticized Bumble as appearing to protect the insurrectionists.
WorldBBCSuper Nintendo World opening delayed by Japan's virus outbreak
The opening of Nintendo's first theme park has been delayed because of rising coronavirus cases in Japan. Super Nintendo World, modelled on levels of the company's Mario games, had been due to open on 4 February. But Japan has expanded its state of emergency, due to last until at least 7 February, beyond Tokyo to include Osaka prefecture, where the park is located.
“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.”