January 31, 2021

Donald Trump’s impeachment defense attorney’s have reportedly all quit. “A person familiar with the departures told CNN that Trump wanted the attorneys to argue there was mass election fraud and that the election was stolen from him rather than focus on the legality of convicting a president after he’s left office.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/30/politics/butch-bowers-deborah-barbier-trump-impeachment-team/   If it wasn’t for the 2/3rds rule in the Senate to find a president guilty, Trump would be doomed. ‘Teflon Don’ is probably going to make another sleazy escape from justice, but no one is going to forget how he tried to steal the election and drove the country to the brink of civil war. His political career is over (I hope).

Supermarket heiress was reportedly the major funder of Trump’s ‘Save America’ rally in Washington, D.C. “Julie Jenkins Fancelli, a top donor to former President Donald Trump, gave about $300,000 to the ‘Save America’ rally – more than half the cost of funding the event, the (Wall Street) Journal said…. (Previously,) Fancelli, the daughter of the Publix Super Markets founder, donated more than $980,000 to a joint account for Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican Party, the Journal notes.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/publix-grocery-heiress-top-funder-washington-pro-trump-rally-report-2021-1

If the federal minimum wage is raised to $15/hour, 21% of Americans would get a pay raise. “Under the proposed wage increase, nearly 32 million Americans — 21% of America’s total workforce — would get a raise, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI)…. the raise would benefit nearly one-third of Black workers, and six out of 10 working women.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-much-15-minimum-wage-worth-every-state-2021-1

More violent clashes between police and protesting farmers in India’s capital, internet blocked. “One person died and hundreds were wounded…. India’s interior ministry said on Saturday that internet services at three locations had been suspended until Sunday night to ‘maintain public safety’.”   https://news.yahoo.com/india-cuts-internet-farmers-start-151357266.html

More than half of Colorado’s prison population reportedly infected with coronavirus. “For every 1,000 people incarcerated in Colorado prisons, 557 prisoners have contracted COVID-19…. the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility is one of six state prisons in which the number of inmates infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic began exceeds more than 80% of the total inmate population.”   https://www.9news.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/for-every-1000-people-incarcerated-in-colorado-prisons-557-have-contracted-covid-19/73-b1434ce3-1581-4814-a876-68eb2725b2d4

U.K. offers to accept fleeing residents of Hong Kong, if they have enough money. “Under the visa scheme, those hoping to move have to show they have enough funds to sustain both themselves and their dependents for at least six months. Hongkongers already in Britain who are involved in helping others relocate say many of the early applicants tend to be educated middle-class people, often with young families, who have enough liquidity to finance their move.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/britain-launches-new-visa-for-millions-of-hongkongers-fleeing-chinas-crackdown

Stock trading app’s CEO denies he was pressured by hedge funds into blocking additional purchases of shorted stocks, after said hedge funds lost billions. “Robinhood drew widespread criticism this week after it temporarily applied purchase limits to several stocks touted on Reddit’s “WallStreetBets” forum, including GameStop, AMC Entertainment and Nokia. The day trading app began accepting buys again on Friday, but enacted a limit of just one share per user as of the close of trading.”   https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/robinhood-ceo-refutes-conspiracy-theory-hedge-funds-prompted-gamestop-trading-halt

Economist claims that a truly accurate unemployment rate would take both underemployment and full-time employment at poverty wages into account. “Anyone who wants full-time work but can only find part-time work, and those working full-time but earning too little to climb above the poverty line, should be considered functionally unemployed…. The divergence between the official unemployment numbers and functional unemployment is stark, and it was bad even before the pandemic. In February 2020, when the economy was supposedly ‘hot’, the official BLS release suggested that a mere 3.5 percent of Americans were unemployed, but the ‘TRU’ number was 24 percent.”   https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2021/01/25/unemployment-worse-than-you-think-462218

Successful entrepreneurs and innovators often got a boost from their successful parents. “Bill Gates’s mom introduced him to executives at IBM, which helped him forge a deal for his first operating system MS-DOS. Bezos’s parents were early investors in Amazon. Musk comes from a wealthy, South African background. Among other well-known entrepreneurs, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly took a $100,000 loan from his father to start Facebook. Michael Dell’s parents offered some seed money for his fledging computer business. Nike founder Phil Knight credits his parents for helping him start the company too. All of these men came from upper-middle-class families…”   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/31/small-business-entrepreneurs-success-parents

U.S. Rep. Katie Porter issues report on consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry. “As our report shows, Big Pharma has little incentive to invest in new, critically needed drugs. Instead, pharmaceutical giants are free to devote their resources to acquiring smaller companies that might otherwise force them to compete. Lives are on the line; it’s clear the federal government needs to reform how it evaluates healthcare mergers and patent abuses.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/29/new-report-rep-katie-porter-reveals-how-big-pharma-pursues-killer-profits-expense

January 30, 2021

Sacramento, California didn’t open shelters for homeless during storms. “On Tuesday night, after the National Weather Service warned of ‘strong and damaging winds’, city officials did not open warming shelters, as the standard for opening those was cold weather reaching below 33 degrees. Overnight on Tuesday, as blasting winds and torrential rains tore through the region, homeless residents’ tents were battered, soaked and destroyed. At least two unhoused people were found dead the next day.”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sacramento-homeless-rain-storm-shelter_n_601340efc5b6bde2f5bde2cd

U.K. appeals court dismisses terrorism charges against protesters who blocked deportation flight. “Two years ago, the activists were found guilty of a terrorism-related offense — charges that human rights groups and civil libertarians objected to for their severity. The ‘Stansted 15’ appealed the verdicts, and an appeals judge agreed that the charge had been inappropriate.”   https://theintercept.com/2021/01/29/stansted-15-terrorism-deportation-overturn/

Facebook accused of removing or blocking anarchist and anti-fascist activists. “I, along with a number of other leftwing organizers, was deemed a threat to the inauguration of Joe Biden and placed on a restricted list that limited my ability to communicate with others. My account could no longer create Facebook groups or events, two tools that I’ve used over the last decade to coordinate protests and build entire organizations. I was also banned from commenting in Facebook groups, liking Facebook pages, and messaging Facebook pages…. In August 2020, Facebook expanded its “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy”, aimed at removing the presence of far-right extremists from its website. It rid itself of many QAnon groups and far-right militias. But it is also struck at leftwing organizations, seeming to accept Trump’s post-Charlottesville “both sides” moral equivalency with little thought.”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/29/facebook-banned-me-because-i-am-leftwing-i-am-not-the-only-one   On the other hand, it’s a bit amusing that people who argued that ‘Nazis don’t have a right to free speech’ (with the term ‘Nazis’ being rather flexible) are now complaining when left-wing extremists also get silenced. We (the civil libertarians) told you this would happen.

Norwegian legislator nominates Black Lives Matter movement for Nobel Peace Prize. “In his nomination papers, the Norwegian MP Petter Eide said the movement had forced countries outside the US to grapple with racism within their own societies…. ‘They have had a tremendous achievement in raising global awareness and consciousness about racial injustice.'”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/29/black-lives-matter-nobel-peace-prize-petter-eide-norweigan-mp

Homeless community in Bellingham, Washington battles city hall – literally. “Crews in Bellingham, Washington, cleared out a sprawling homeless camp on city grounds Thursday, a week after protesters opposed to the sweep broke into city hall and harassed journalists covering the demonstration…. Bellingham Police rushed Democratic Mayor Seth Fleetwood out of the building and the protesters later left. No arrests were made.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/bellingham-washington-clears-homeless-camp-after-city-hall-break-in/

Family reportedly turned away from ‘whites only’ cemetery in Louisiana. “(President Craig) Vizena told KPLC that he hadn’t been aware of the language contained in the cemetery’s sales contracts, which date back to the 1950s and included the phrase ‘the right of burial of the remains of white human beings’. The issue hadn’t come up before, he said.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/29/us/louisiana-cemetery-whites-only-trnd/index.html

Twitter users in Seattle get coronavirus vaccine appointments after another freezer suddenly fails. “Non-profit health system Swedish tweeted late Thursday night that it had 588 Moderna coronavirus vaccine appointments available from 11 p.m. til 2 a.m. A freezer storing 1,650 doses of the Moderna vaccine at Kaiser Permanente had broken, meaning those doses could expire, KING 5 in Seattle reported. All appointments were taken shortly after the tweet was posted, Swedish said on Twitter. All 1,650 doses ended up being administered that night, Swedish Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Kevin Brooks told NBC News.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mad-scramble-ensues-vaccinate-hundreds-after-freezer-breaks-seattle-n1256195   “Susan Mullaney, president of Kaiser Permanente Washington, said all freezers and refrigerators were tested Friday morning, and they are functioning properly.”   https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/seattle-university-moderna-coronavirus-vaccine/281-901b8aa3-0c32-489b-a065-e1b276621d6e   There are no alarms on these freezers, or, as in previous incidents, did the freezer and alarm fail simultaneously? And if there was no alarm system, aren’t there at least thermometers in each freezer that are periodically checked, like in restaurants? And why were only people with Twitter accounts notified? Isn’t that kind of elitist? And what Twitter accounts was this posted on? Only the people who happen to follow those accounts were in the loop?

Seattle coronavirus vaccination provider reportedly offered invitation only vaccination appointments to its donors, former board members and former patients after alleged booking glitch. “Tom DeBord, Overlake’s chief operating officer, told the paper the move came after the hospital’s booking system crashed after Washington state opened up vaccine eligibility to people aged 65 and over on January 18. Overlake proceeded to set up a new booking system, but technical difficulties across the old and new systems left the hospital with 1,400 open appointments that couldn’t be easily listed, The (Seattle) Times reported. The quickest way to get the appointments filled, then, was to reach out to the system’s email list, DeBord told the paper.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/seattle-hospital-invited-donors-coronavirus-vaccine-slots-invite-only-2021-1

FBI lawyer sentenced to probation for falsifying legal document requesting government surveillance of Trump campaign advisor. “The Justice Department’s inspector general found that when (Kevin) Clinesmith was working in the FBI’s Office of General Counsel, he altered an e-mail about (Carter) Page so that it said he was ‘not a source’ for another U.S. intelligence agency. Page has publicly said that he was a source for the CIA, which would provide an innocent explanation for his Russian contacts.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ex-fbi-lawyer-gets-probation-falsifying-carter-page-surveillance-application-n1256179   I wonder what would happen to me if I submitted a falsified document to a federal court? Probably not probation!

High school student body-slammed by Osceola County sheriff’s deputy identified. “(Taylor Bracey has) been suffering severe headaches and memory loss since the violent incident at Liberty High School in Osceola County…. The Sheriff’s Office claims (Deputy) Fournier was breaking up a fight, but (Taylor’s mother) Jamesha  says there was no physical fight at all — and the students were only arguing.”   https://www.tmz.com/2021/01/29/ben-crump-taylor-bracey-mom-body-slammed-cop-headaches-memory-loss/

Israeli newspaper accuses Jewish settlers of conducting a ‘pogrom’ against West Bank Palestinians. “According to information released by the B’Tselem organization on Thursday, over the last five weeks its researchers have documented 49 violent incidents, including 28 physical attacks on Palestinians that wounded 15 of them, including four children. Palestinian cars were torched, thugs invaded their homes, dogs were sicced on them and people were deliberately run over. In at least one case, an elderly man was beaten with a baton until he bled.”   https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/state-sanctioned-pogroms-ravage-palestinians-after-settler-teen-s-death-1.9492620

‘SolarWinds’ hackers also compromised other software programs for their attacks. “… the hackers appear to have leveraged a multitude of strategies to worm their way into U.S. entities—not just by hacking into (SolarWinds’) Orion. This has included exploiting improperly secured administrative credentials, password spraying, and even, apparently, just guessing passwords. They also compromised other companies independent of the SolarWinds supply chain, such as Microsoft, FireEye and Malwarebytes, and also seem to have used Microsoft’s cloud-based Office software to access certain government agencies.”   https://gizmodo.com/30-of-solarwinds-hacking-victims-did-not-actually-use-1846160687

200,000 refugees flee civil war in Central African Republic. “The CAR army, backed by U.N., Russian and Rwandan troops, has been battling rebels seeking to overturn a Dec. 27 vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared the winner…. The current fighting between a coalition of militias on the one side and the national army and its backers on the other was sparked by a Constitutional Court decision to bar (ousted former president Francois) Bozize’s candidacy in the Dec. 27 presidential election.”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centralafrica-security-un/more-than-200000-flee-apocalyptic-conflict-in-central-african-republic-idUSKBN29Y133

U.K. photographer arrested after covering protest against detention of asylum seekers. “(Andy) Aitchison spent more than six hours covering the protest, during which signs were held saying: ‘Close Napier now’, and: ‘There will be blood on your hands’ after at least 120 men at the barracks tested positive for Covid this month. Five police officers later arrived at Aitchison’s nearby home and arrested him on suspicion of criminal damage, in front of his children…. Aitchison’s photos were used in a number of press reports, as well as the Guardian’s photographs of the day. The freelancer who shoots for Getty and regularly has his pictures published by national media, was taken to a police station and remained in a cell for almost seven hours after having his fingerprints and DNA taken.”   https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/30/arrest-of-photographer-at-kent-protest-raises-press-freedom-fears

 

 

January 29, 2021

Minneapolis agrees to pay $57,900 to settle lawsuit of George Floyd protester hit in the face with police projectile. “According to the suit, an officer fired a projectile without warning, which struck (Graciela Cisneros) in the face just below her left eye.”   https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/01/27/minneapolis-settles-suit-over-mpd-response-to-unrest   Story includes photo but no description of her injuries. “Cisneros’ cheekbone was broken and her injury required stitches.”   https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/minneapolis-settles-lawsuit-with-injured-demonstrator/89-da1c303c-120c-4c86-b806-73d8d6df97ab

Family claims police detective fatally intervened in attempt by two Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina police officers to subdue suicidal teen. “‘So you have Keith (Vidal) on the floor, two cops on top of him, another cop to my left, and me and my husband all in the hallway,” (Mary) Wilsey recalled. “My husband takes the screwdriver out of (Keith’s) hands, and out of the corner of my eye, I see (Detective) Bryon Vassey take his gun out and do a kill shot.’ From the time Vassey arrived at Wilsey’s home to when he alerted the station that he had discharged his weapon, 70 seconds had passed, Wilsey told Insider.”   https://www.insider.com/cop-said-i-dont-have-time-shooting-keith-vidal-2020-11

U.S. drops two places in international corruption ranking. “On a scale of 0 to 100, where a lower score equals greater corruption, the United States earned a 67, ranking as the 25th least corrupt nation — right between Bhutan and Chile. Last year, the U.S. ranked 23rd with a score of 69. The report’s authors blamed Donald Trump’s White House for the backsliding.”   https://thefulcrum.us/corruption-perception-index   “The 2020 index ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on expert assessments and surveys. Denmark and New Zealand received 88 points, while Syria, with 14 points, and Somalia and South Sudan with 12 points each, ranked last.”  https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/435374/nz-denmark-named-as-world-s-least-corrupt-countries

Six employees killed, eleven hospitalized due to nitrogen leak at Gainesville, Georgia poultry processing plant. “In a 3:30 p.m. update, officials did say it appeared that the situation stemmed from a ruptured nitrogen line used at the (Foundation Food Group) facility.”   https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gainesville/hazmat-situation-shuts-down-gainesville-roadway/85-b6f8860a-a67e-4f37-93c4-8c18c60622d8

President Biden orders special Obamacare enrollment period to help those who have lost employer provided health insurance or who are simply not covered, to obtain insurance, lifts ‘gag rule’ for family planning aid. “The (Kaiser Family Foundation) analysis released Wednesday estimates the 8.9 million people eligible for free or reduced-cost coverage represent some 60% of the approximately 15 million uninsured people in the U.S. who could shop for marketplace plans…”   https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-01-28/biden-takes-action-to-open-obamacare-marketplace-counter-trump-abortion-policies

Covid-19 deaths in New York nursing homes were under-reported by up to 50% says state’s attorney general. “The report holds New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s feet to the fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the early months of 2020, after he directed nursing homes in the Empire State to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19. The decision created an onslaught of COVID-19 cases that infected thousands of elderly patients and resulted in hundreds of deaths among the state’s most vulnerable population.”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ny-undercounted-nursing-home-deaths-by-as-much-as-50-state-ag-says

One suspect in 2020 Denver arson that killed five African immigrants is reportedly arrested at a million-dollar suburban home. “Police said it does not appear to be a hate crime, but gave no motive…. ‘We need to know why this happened. If the police don’t believe it was a hate crime, the police need to explain what the motive was.’ …. A fourth person, the sister of one of those suspects, was placed in the Denver Downtown Detention Center on a US Marshal hold.”   https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/01/28/green-valley-ranch-deadly-arson-fire/

Large protests in Poland as additional abortion restrictions go into effect. “Abortion will now only be permitted in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s health or life is in danger…. There were 1,100 abortions performed last year in Poland; of those, 1,074 were due to fetal abnormalities, The New York Times reports.”   https://www.npr.org/2021/01/28/961619076/in-poland-protests-as-near-total-ban-on-abortions-goes-into-effect

Republican state representative in Arizona introduces bill that would allow the state legislature to throw out election results if they don’t like them. “One section grants the Legislature, which is currently under GOP control, the ability to revoke the secretary of state’s certification ‘by majority vote at any time before the presidential inauguration’.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/arizona-gop-lawmaker-introduces-bill-give-legislature-power-toss-out-n1256097

Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation releases documentary on political corruption in Russia, featuring an alleged billion-dollar palace and multiple vineyards for President Vladimir Putin, reportedly financed by kickbacks from major companies. “Navalny’s video shows the neoclassical palace has a casino, ice skating rink, theater and helicopter pad and the documentary provides a paper trail that allegedly leads back to Putin despite attempts to hide its ownership, Reuters reported.”   https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-opposition-leader-navalnys-documentary-alleging-opulent-putin-palace-goes-viral   Article features an embedded YouTube video of the documentary, which includes English subtitles. It truly is a palace, something a king (or a tsar in this case) would live in. If it’s true, and it seems pretty convincing, it’s very sad for Russia. In the U.S., the plunder is spread around a little more widely, but it’s the same principle – a small group of people own most of the wealth and they mostly spend it on themselves, while the rest of us struggle.

Alexei Navalny gives speech during court hearing, court rejects his request for release pending his trial. “You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by (this) government,” he said. “Yes, you have the power now to put me in handcuffs, but it’s not going to last forever.”   https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/28/navalny-warns-russian-regime-you-won-t-succeed-as-court-rejects-appeal-for-release

Gay Indonesian men publicly caned after neighbors caught them having sex. “The men, aged 27 and 29, were arrested in November after neighbors became suspicious of their relationship. They broke into their rented room and caught them having sex, according to Heru Triwijanarko, Aceh’s acting Sharia police chief.”   https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-men-publicly-caned-indonesia-same-sex-sharia-law-20210128-xxgszwuudve75i756n3r5sbhay-story.html

German far-right extremist found guilty of assassinating conservative politician. “During his trial, (Stephan) Ernst admitted to the June 1, 2019 shooting of Walter Luebcke, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s (Christian Democratic Union) party who led the regional administration in the Kassel area of central Germany…. Luebcke was targeted because he had been outspoken in favor of helping refugees.”   https://apnews.com/article/state-courts-angela-merkel-crime-germany-courts-60c5d9f587ed41e914e93540f174bdc2

January 28, 2021

Proud Boys leader accused of being a police informant. “In the (2014) Miami (court) hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and (Enrique) Tarrio’s own lawyer described his undercover work and said he had helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and human smuggling.”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-proudboys-leader-exclusive-idUSKBN29W1PE   How convenient!

Russia accuses U.S. diplomats of boosting anti-Putin protests. “Yesterday the US embassy in Moscow published ‘protest routes’ in Russian cities and (included) information about a ‘march on the Kremlin’,”(Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS on Saturday)…. “We can imagine what could have happened if Russia’s embassy in Washington had published a map of protest routes with destinations, for example at the Capitol.”   https://tass.com/politics/1248177   Embassy claims the information is provided to help U.S. citizens avoid the protests and the associated risk of being arrested. “Given the likely substantial police presence and possible dispersal of demonstrators into other areas of the cities, U.S. citizens should avoid these demonstrations and any demonstration-related activities. In Moscow, demonstrators plan to gather near Pushkin Square at approximately 1400 and march towards the Kremlin. In St. Petersburg, demonstrators plan to gather near Senate Square at approximately 1400 and march towards Gostiny Dvor (located on Nevsky Avenue)….”   https://ru.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert-u-s-mission-russia-5/

Biden’s new Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, accused of stage managing pre-invasion hearing on Iraq. “… Blinken was Democratic staff director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee under Chairman Biden during the critical months leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Under their leadership, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee limited hearings to only a day and a half and stacked the witness list with war supporters, refusing to call leading Mideast scholars and former UN inspectors who would have testified that Iraq had already essentially disarmed and that an invasion would have disastrous consequences.”   https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-pick-for-secretary-state-helped-lead-the-us-into-the-iraq-war/

Police in Dubai using the brain waves of suspects to identify who is guilty. “… Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Issa Al Hammadi confirmed that the case was a murder in a warehouse where several people work. Hammadi said that the police showed pictures of the crime scene to those (who were) present at the (crime scene), and there was one person whose brain emitted strong waves when he was shown (the) tool used in the crime.”   https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2021/01/25/dubai-police-crack-murder-case-using-brain-fingerprint-technology   Police were then able to extract a confession (hopefully a true one). Sort of like a lie detector, but using images and brain waves.

Lawyers claim Black Panther leader Fred Hampton’s murder was an FBI COINTELPRO operation that was being monitored at the very highest levels of the agency. “… (as part of our 1976 lawsuit, the FBI produced) a pair of documents to and from the Bureau in Washington and the Chicago office that were buried in (Black Panther Party Chicago security chief William) O’Neal’s personnel file… which requested and obtained for O’Neal a $300 bonus for furnishing ‘a detailed floor plan of the apartment’ that ‘subsequently proved to be of tremendous value’ and ‘was not available from any other source’…. We also had obtained two other damning FBI documents: a December 3, 1969, document that claimed the impending raid as a COINTELPRO project, and a post-raid document that set forth the outlines of the conspiracy to cover up the FBI’s involvement in the raid…. The newly released file, containing several hundred pages of FBI memos and reports…. provides the first direct documentation that (Director of Domestic Intelligence William C.) Sullivan, (head of the Extremist Section of the Domestic Intelligence Division George) Moore and even (FBI Director J. Edgar) Hoover were aware of (Chicago FBI Racial Matters Squad agent Roy) Mitchell and (informant William) O’Neal’s Black Panther activities; that they ratified, celebrated and rewarded O’Neal and Mitchell’s integral roles in the Hampton raid; and that they were involved in the early stages of the cover-up of the FBI’s involvement.”   https://truthout.org/articles/new-documents-suggest-j-edgar-hoover-was-involved-in-fred-hamptons-murder/

Joe Biden executive order puts new federal oil and gas leasing on hold. “Biden’s moratorium on oil and gas leases won’t end fossil fuel extraction since industry leaders currently hold (active and) undeveloped leases. Drilling on public lands generates billions of dollars in revenue but comprises roughly a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/biden-suspends-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-series-of.html   No fracking ban either. This is the bare minimum he could possibly do and still claim to be doing something.

Department of Homeland Security issues domestic terrorism warning, citing risk of far-right political violence. “Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs-federal-alert-system-1st-time-year-warn/story?id=75517886

Defendant in plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor pleads guilty and agrees to cooperate with prosecutors. “The defendants, according to (Ty) Garbin’s plea agreement, concluded that kidnapping Whitmer from the Michigan Capitol would be too difficult and that her vacation home would be an easier target…. Garbin said the group’s planning, training and surveillance continued into the fall. According to the plea agreement, another member of the group was an undercover FBI agent. The defendants were arrested Oct. 7 when the agent invited them to a meeting as a ruse to gather the group.”   https://www.npr.org/2021/01/27/961215604/suspect-pleads-guilty-in-plot-to-kidnap-michigan-governor-turns-government-witne

Indictment accuses group of Capitol invasion defendants of being members of the Oathkeepers militia, whose group began organizing for a coup attempt right after the election. “In a 15-page indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors revealed new allegations, accusing (Jessica) Watkins of contacting recruits on Nov. 9, six days after the election, for a ‘Basic Training’ camp outside Columbus, Ohio, in early January so they would be ‘fighting fit by innaugeration’ (sic)…. Asked earlier by a recruit what to prepare for, Watkins allegedly wrote in November that if Biden became president, ‘our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights.'”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/self-styled-militia-members-in-three-states-began-planning-in-novembe-for-recruits-weapons-ahead-of-capitol-breach-us-alleges/2021/01/27/f13b0bfc-60b9-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html

California Trump supporter arrested after search of his home and business reportedly turns up pipe bombs, a silencer, unregistered semi-automatic rifles and a machine gun. “Henry Wofford, public information officer for the (Napa county) sheriff’s office, said his agency began investigating (Ian) Rogers after a person close to him reported that he had weapons and ‘was potentially dangerous to the community’.”   https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-27/napa-man-arrested-with-explosives-gavin-newsom-fbi

Man charged with interfering with 2016 election through social media disinformation campaign. “(Douglass) Mackey (aka ‘Ricky Vaughn’), a 31-year-old from Vermont, was arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors allege he conspired with others to use memes and social media platforms to spread misinformation aimed at depriving people of their right to vote during the 2016 presidential election.”   https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/ricky-vaughn-twitter-troll-arrested-election-interference   (BuzzFeed News article includes an example meme)   “In September 2016, Mackey’s groups turned to creating memes that misled potential voters about how they would be able to cast votes, creating memes that falsely claimed that supporters could cast their votes by posting on Facebook or Twitter or by voting through text messages. According to the complaint, 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted their votes to the number that was provided.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/twitter-troll-arrested-election-interference-related-disinformation-campaign-n1255864

Hedge funds lose millions after Reddit users pile in to buy shorted GameStop stock. “Wall Street hedge funds, including Citron Research and Melvin Capital, had shorted the stock, meaning they bet against it and needed it to drop in price in order for their investments to be successful.”   https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/game-stop-reddit-wall-street-losses

Republican state legislators introducing bills that would make it harder for their residents to vote. “One idea is to eliminate (Arizona’s) popular permanent early voting list of individuals who automatically receive a ballot, while another would require mail-in voters to have a notary sign their ballot envelopes…. Georgia Republicans, reeling from losses in the presidential election and both US Senate races, have proposed the elimination of no-excuse absentee voting and ballot drop boxes, while adding a requirement that absentee voters provide a copy of a photo ID…. Pennsylvania Republicans, meanwhile, are seeking to repeal the 2019 law that adopted no-excuse mail-in voting…. New Hampshire legislators have introduced a bill to repeal same-day registration…. Wisconsin Republicans want to change their Electoral College allocation to district-by-district instead of a statewide winner-take-all — also in an effort to help a Republican candidate in 2024.”    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/27/opinions/republican-voting-rights-election-douglas/index.html

Florida school resource officer body slams student’s head onto the pavement, apparently knocking her unconscious, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez assures the media that the deputy is doing ok. “The officer, identified as Deputy Ethan Fournier, can be seen in videos taken from different angles holding the girl’s hands behind her as he slams her to the concrete of an outside walkway at Liberty High School in Kissimmee. The girl’s head appears to hit the ground before it bounces back up and she goes limp… ‘The student was not complying with lawful commands.'”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/videos-show-florida-school-resource-officer-slam-student-concrete-n1255825   None of the numerous news articles I’ve read give the victim’s age.

Idaho man fined $9.9 million for making tens of thousands of racist robocalls from fake phone numbers. “… the FCC said (Scott) Rhodes repeatedly violated the Truth in Caller ID Act by manipulating the calls to make them appear as if they came from local phone numbers, a process known as ‘neighbor spoofing’.”   https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2021/jan/27/fcc-slaps-libby-based-neo-nazi-10-million-fine/

Target and Costco reportedly dropping coconut milk brand over allegations of forced, unpaid labor. “According to PETA, the supplier of Chaokoh coconut milk exploits monkeys by chaining then and making them pick coconuts. Target has joined Costco and other big chains in no longer selling the product.”   https://wgntv.com/news/target-costco-dropping-chaokoh-coconut-milk-over-allegations-of-animal-abuse/   Monkeys are reportedly going on strike and demanding 15 bananas an hour. (attempt at humor)

American production company to film drama about Kurdish women’s militia in northern Syria. “The series… will be an adaptation of writer Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice, a book based on hundreds of hours of interviews with members of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the female wing of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the armed (leftist) group who gained international attention for fighting the Islamic State group in Syria…. The series is set to be produced by HiddenLight, the production company founded by Clinton and her daughter Chelsea. ‘The Daughters of Kobani is an extraordinary account of brave, defiant women fighting for justice and equality,’ said (Hillary) Clinton.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-kobani-kurdish-female-fighters-ypj-clinton-tv-show   Will be interesting to see how they conceal or distort the cult/group’s ideology (thinly disguised Maoism) to make it palatable for Western liberals. ‘It’s the story of an ethnic minority’s struggle against discrimination, and of women’s struggle for gender equality, professional advancement and leadership, as they stand up to Islamic State terrorism and patriarchy. Join us, and discover how their radical, one-party democracy defeated extremism.” (satire)

Number of Jewish settlers in occupied West Bank has increased faster since 2017 than the rest of Israel’s population. “The report by West Bank Jewish Population Stats shows the settler population growing by around 13% since the start of 2017 to reach 475,481. During the same period, Israel’s population grew by around 8% to reach nearly 9.3 million, according to the government.”   https://www.timesofisrael.com/west-bank-settler-population-surged-during-trump-era-report-says/

Oklahoma seeking to return $2 million worth of hydroxychloroquine pills. “Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt defended the purchase last year, saying the drug was showing some promise as a treatment in early March and he didn’t want to miss an opportunity to acquire it…. The drug has since been shown to have little or no effect on severe cases of COVID-19, and a former state health official chalked up Oklahoma’s purchase to something that happens in ‘the fog of war’.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/oklahoma-seeking-to-return-2m-worth-of-hydroxychloroquine/   How about in ‘the fog of stupidity’?

 

January 27, 2021

Facebook accused of censorship after deleting pages of socialist group and those of its leaders. “On Monday, following widespread protests, Facebook restored the page of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at the University of Michigan, along with the accounts of leading members of the IYSSE and the Socialist Equality Party (SEP)…. Facebook claimed the removals were the result of an ‘automation error’…. The claim is belied by the repeated statements of Facebook officials, both in congressional hearings and before military audiences, that Facebook deliberately seeks to combat what it calls ‘radical’ political viewpoints.”   https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/01/26/pers-j26.html

Acting Capitol Police chief apologizes for security lapse during Capitol invasion, admits they received intelligence warnings. “We knew there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target.”   https://www.foxnews.com/us/capitol-police-apologizes-congress-target-riot   “‘They had the information. They did not act on it. And a question that I have, and one that I think we need to get to the bottom of, is who made the decision not to act?’ (House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa) DeLauro told CNN.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/26/politics/democrats-stunned-by-capitol-briefing-insurrection/index.html

Trump impeachment trial barely survives test vote in the Senate. “The Senate voted 55-45 to reject (Sen. Rand Paul’s) argument that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. Just five Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — joined Democrats in voting to table the motion.”   https://www.wbur.org/npr/960774352/early-procedural-test-shows-where-senate-gop-may-stand-on-convicting-trump   67 votes will be needed to find Donald Trump guilty.

Dept. of Justice ends ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy, but 611 children separated from their families at the borders have still not been reunited with their parents. “Under the zero tolerance policy, which was in effect from April 2018 to June 2018, all adults who illegally entered the U.S., including those with children, were referred for prosecution. Any children who entered with those adults were separated from them and put into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. The widely criticized policy led to the separation of more than 5,500 children from their parents, with no method for reuniting the children with their parents, some of whom were deported. Pro bono attorneys indicated earlier this month that they still cannot locate the parents of 611 children.”   https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/535984-doj-rescinds-zero-tolerance-border-policy-memo-behind-family

Russia and U.S. agree to extend START treaty. “It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads deployed by the United States and Russia to 1,550 each, as well as the number of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that deliver them.”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-security-kremlin/russia-u-s-extend-new-start-arms-pact-kremlin-says-idUSKBN29V10N?il=0

Glenn Greenwald compares liberal horror over Rep. Tom Cotton’s proposal to use the military against Black Lives Matter protesters, versus liberal consensus over the necessity of an extended deployment of National Guard soldiers in Washington D.C. “And so the scenes of soldiers on the streets of the nation’s capital, there in the thousands and for an indefinite period of time, is provoking little to no concern…. Why was the idea of troops in American streets so grotesque and offensive in June, 2020 but so normalized now?”   https://greenwald.substack.com/p/reflecting-the-authoritarian-climate   Although some BLM protesters did start fires, smash windows, commit acts of vandalism and loot, in some places, most of the protests were peaceful, and the movement clearly did not pose a military-level threat to law and order. They were not a heavily armed, well organized, military force focused on seizing power and eliminating their opponents. On the other hand, right-wing militias are heavily armed and many of their members are proficient at military combat, and their plan is to carry out a coup to remove the current government and replace it with a white nationalist regime, and to execute their opponents. It’s very doubtful that they have the manpower or resources to succeed, but they may give it a try. A better solution than having soldiers patrolling the streets of Washington would be to have troops on standby at nearby military bases, who could be quickly deployed in the event of a real coup attempt.

Biden executive order instructs Justice Dept. to stop signing contracts with privately-owned, for-profit prisons. “The order to end the reliance on privately-run prisons directs the attorney general not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities. The move will effectively revert the Justice Department to the same posture it held at the end of the Obama administration. ‘This is a first step to stop corporations from profiting off of incarceration,’ Biden said.”   https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-prisons-coronavirus-pandemic-c8c246f00695f37ef2afb1dd3a5f115e

Russian woman kicked to the pavement by riot cop needed stitches after being assaulted. “Margarita Yudina, 54, was among tens of thousands of people across Russia who protested against the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Saturday…. In the video, Yudina is seen falling back on the pavement after being kicked (in the stomach), banging her head hard. Hospital documents show she suffered (a) concussion and needed stitches to the back of her head…. ‘I want the person who kicked me to be found, named and punished according to the law.'”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny-protests-woma/woman-kicked-by-russian-policeman-becomes-protest-symbol-seeks-justice-idUSKBN29V20R

Death of Tunisian protester sparks violent response. “Haykel Rachdi’s family told local media he had been struck by a tear gas canister after joining the protests that erupted this month on the anniversary of Tunisia’s 2011 revolution that introduced democracy in the North African nation…. After news of his death, a group of young men tried to storm and torch the Sbeitla police station, leading to more clashes, TAP reported.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/26/clashes-break-out-in-tunisia-after-death-of-protester

Investigation to examine extent of government involvement in President Trump’s attempt to overturn presidential election results. “The Justice Department’s inspector general has announced plans to investigate whether any current or former officials at the Justice Department worked with President Trump in his failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election.”   https://www.democracynow.org/2021/1/26/headlines/inspector_general_to_probe_whether_doj_officials_worked_with_trump_to_overturn_election

China reportedly now using anal coronavirus test. “The anal swabs method ‘can increase the detection rate of infected people’ as traces of the virus linger longer in the anus than in the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a senior doctor from Beijing’s Youan hospital, told CCTV.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/27/china-starts-using-anal-swabs-test-covid-high-infection-areas

64% of people polled around the world agree that climate change is an emergency. “While younger people showed the greatest concern, with 69% of those aged 14-18 saying there is a climate emergency, 58% of those over 60 agreed, suggesting there is not a huge generational divide…. The poll found that the more education a person had completed, the more likely they were to think there is a climate emergency.”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/27/un-global-climate-poll-peoples-voice-is-clear-they-want-action

Salla, Finland, located in Arctic Circle, to make bid for 2032 Summer Olympic games. “Despite the obviousness of the global warming, the ideology of climate change denial is gaining traction all over the world and increasing every year,” the campaign website says. “So, we’ve created this bid to raise attention about the climate emergency. Salla is changing. The whole planet is changing. Not in a good way.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/26/planet-cooks-one-worlds-coldest-towns-bids-host-2032-summer-olympics

San Francisco to rename schools named after ‘cancelled’ historical figures, including those named after our country’s radical founders. “They were honored with grand memorials in the nation’s capital and hailed as two of the greatest American presidents but George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are no longer welcome as names of San Francisco public schools. The city’s board of education on Tuesday approved renaming 44 public schools, including those named after Thomas Jefferson and Star Spangled Banner writer Francis Scott Key, both slave owners, and Spanish missionary Junipero Serra, who critics say supported the conquest of indigenous people…. Replacing signage for schools will cost approximately $440,000, Deputy Superintendent Myong Leigh said Tuesday.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/san-francisco-oks-plan-to-strip-lincoln-and-washington-from-school-names/   Democracy instead of monarchy? Free speech? Freedom of religion? The right of the public to own firearms? Search warrants? A ban on cruel punishments? In the 1770s, these ideas were fringy, far-left, crazy talk in most of the world.

Billionaire political donors have a disproportional influence on American politics, especially after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. “Over the last five years, (Sheldon Adelson’s) dollars supplied over a third of the funding for the prime super PAC serving Republican candidates for the House of Representatives and a quarter of the funding for Senate Republicans. His total outlay for right-wing electioneering: over half a billion dollars since 2010. But Adelson did more to shape American politics than write checks to candidates and political committees. In 2015, the casino magnate secretly bought up Nevada’s most influential communications outlet, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The paper would later become the first major daily paper in the country to endorse Trump for president.”   https://consortiumnews.com/2021/01/25/the-political-immortality-of-billionaires/

 

 

 

 

 

January 26, 2021

House impeachment managers deliver charges against Donald Trump to the Senate. “It was (Rep. Jamie) Raskin’s task Monday evening to read the impeachment charges on the Senate floor, including warnings that Trump poses an ongoing threat ‘to national security, democracy and the Constitution’ and therefore should be disqualified from holding ‘any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States’.”   https://thehill.com/homenews/house/535749-house-formally-sends-impeachment-to-senate-putting-trump-on-trial-for-capitol   Interestingly, there are only two possible punishments mentioned in the Constitution – removal from office and barring the person from holding public office. Trump can still be charged in a court of law for other offenses, however. It’s clear he tried to undermine the election, but the incitement charge will be difficult to prove since he never explicitly called for the storming of the Capitol.

Nine Houston, Texas police officers charged in connection with 2019 no-knock drug raid. “The raid occurred after (Officer Gerald) Goines was alleged to have lied to a judge to obtain a ‘no knock’ warrant to search the home of (Dennis) Tuttle and (Rhogena) Nichols, (Harris County District Attorney Kim) Ogg said. An investigation touched off by the firefight revealed that officers were involved in the scheme to steal overtime funds, she said.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/9-houston-officers-charged-including-1-murder-probe-deadly-2019-n1255611   Tuttle, Nichols and their dog were all killed during the raid. Officer Felipe Gallegos and Officer Gerald Goines have reportedly been charged with murder.

FBI using mass surveillance technology to track down hundreds of Capitol rioters. “Working on tips from co-workers, acquaintances and friends, agents have (also used) driver’s license photos to match their faces with those captured on camera in the building. In some cases, authorities got records from Facebook or Twitter to connect their social media accounts to their email addresses or phone numbers. In others, agents used records from license plate readers to confirm their travels.”   https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-media-social-media-f9a4050fc3179c87e0c29b8872e020e9

Supreme Court dismisses emolument lawsuits against the former president, orders lower courts to vacate their rulings. “Maryland and Washington (D.C.) contended that (Donald) Trump improperly benefited financially whenever foreign or state governments patronized his hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue NW…. ‘The president’s establishments offer government patrons something that the plaintiffs cannot: the opportunity, by enriching the president, to obtain favorable governmental treatment from the president and the executive branch,’ it said.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-dismisses-challenges-trump-s-business-profits-n1255524

31 police officers from around the country reportedly under investigation in connection with D.C. ‘Save America’ rally, Capitol protest or Capitol invasion on January 6th. “Most of the officers have not been publicly identified; only a few have been charged. Some were identified by online sleuths. Others were reported by their colleagues or turned themselves in.”   https://wreg.com/news/at-least-31-law-enforcement-officers-in-12-states-tied-to-storming-of-the-capitol/

Protesters in Tacoma, Washington want justice after police officer drove through crowd. “Both injured people went to hospitals with injuries not considered to be life threatening. One person has since been released, news outlets reported.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/25/tacoma-protests-washington-police-car-crowd   “The officer was identified Monday as 58-year-old Khanh Phan, with the department nearly 30 years. He was placed on paid administrative leave per department policy immediately following the incident, TPD said in a statement Sunday.”   https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/video-shows-tacoma-police-vehicle-driving-over-at-least-one-person-on-a-crowded-street/281-94cda0e5-daf6-4877-82ad-6fc703ef16a1

Farmers flood India’s capital with tractors to protest planned free market pricing of their crops. “Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into India’s capital on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day…. ‘Inequality is growing in India and farmers are becoming poorer. Policy planners have failed to realize this and have sucked the income from the bottom to the top. The farmers are only demanding what is their right.'”   https://apnews.com/654ef151a8af6de8c264c29363d0607b

Refugees from Tigray region of Ethiopia report mass killings and looting. “‘We are investigating credible reports of a whole range of abuses by the Eritrean forces in central Tigray, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, widespread looting and damage of public and private property, including hospitals,’ Human Rights Watch researcher Laetitia Bader said, urging ‘immediate international scrutiny’ and a U.N.-led investigation.”   https://apnews.com/article/tigray-ethiopia-news-2bdd10888f7717690847ad117f09f2d4

U.N. International Labor Organization says pandemic-induced economic recession is four times worse for workers than the 2008-2009 financial crisis. “We are at a fork in the road. One path leads to an uneven, unsustainable, recovery with growing inequality and instability, and the prospect of more crises. The other focuses on a human-centered recovery for building back better, prioritizing employment, income and social protection, workers’ rights and social dialogue. If we want a lasting, sustainable and inclusive recovery, this is the path policymakers must commit to.”   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/25/covid-19-workers-lost-earnings-ilo-job-losses

Cyber-criminals reportedly selling Facebook users’ phone numbers. “Although the data is several years old, it still presents a cybersecurity and privacy risk to those whose phone numbers may be exposed—one person advertising the service says it contains data on 500 million users. Facebook told Motherboard the data relates to a vulnerability the company fixed in August 2019.”   https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgz7bd/facebook-phone-numbers-bot-telegram

Many Chinese workers unhappy with long work hours imposed under capitalism. “(A social media post about life before the country’s economic transformation) has prompted a wave of nostalgia among the urban workers who are struggling with the so-called 996 working culture, which stands for ‘9 am to 9 pm, six days a week’…. Under the Weibo post, many commentators have accused the ‘capitalists’ of depriving people of a stress-free lifestyle and rights to enjoy the fruits of China’s economic success. ‘Everyone should read Marx to learn how capitalists exploit,’ one person said.”   https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgz7ed/millennial-workers-in-china-wonder-about-life-before-996

The Oval Office ‘diet Coke button’ is back! “Photos from Monday show the call box sitting next to Biden’s phones, in the same place Trump placed the box when he would sit at there…. The call box has been around for decades and other recent presidents have also been pictured in the White House with it, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush.”   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-brought-the-button-trump-used-to-order-diet-cokes-back-to-the-oval-office/ar-BB1d55Dr

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says U.S. will defend uninhabited rocky outcroppings claimed by Japan, which are located off the coast of Taiwan. “The Senkakus are uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are currently administered by Japan but are also claimed by China and Taiwan.”   https://news.antiwar.com/2021/01/25/new-secdef-reaffirms-us-commitment-to-defending-senkaku-islands/   What could go wrong?

Amnesty International says denial of health care in Egyptian prisons ‘constitutes torture’. “Prisoners are kept in dark, poorly ventilated cells with little or no fresh air and unsanitary conditions with little access to water and toilets and receive unhealthy food, it said. Inadequate healthcare makes prisoners suffer unnecessarily and in some cases may have resulted in death, Amnesty alleged…. ‘When the denial (of treatment) causes severe pain or suffering and is a deliberate act for the purpose of punishment, it constitutes torture.'”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/25/amnesty-says-egypt-keeps-prisoners-in-inhumane-conditions

Popular Egyptian animator arrested after sharing his work on YouTube. “In one of his most recent videos, (Ashraf) Hamdi recounts the experiences felt during the 25 January revolution in 2011, including some of the popular slogans that were chanted, such as ‘bread, freedom, social justice’. In the video, an animated character speaks about his feelings of being silenced and his hopes for the revolution to continue.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-cartoonist-arrested-video-january-revolution

New York City wholesale produce market workers win $1/hour pay raise after short strike. “Some 1,400 members of the Teamsters Local 202 union walked off the job on January 17, demanding a $1 raise and recognition for their work to keep New Yorkers fed during the pandemic, with the Hunts Point Market supplying about 60% of the city’s produce. Management had offered a 32-cent raise instead.”    https://www.democracynow.org/2021/1/25/hunts_point_produce_market_bronx_strike

Voting machine company suing Rudy Giuliani over allegations of election fraud, demands $1.3 billion in damages. “‘Dominion’s founder and employees have been harassed and received death threats, and Dominion has suffered unprecedented and irreparable harm,’ the lawsuit states.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/25/dominion-rudy-giuliani-lawsuit-election

U.K. will sell arms to almost anyone. “British ministers and officials have approved the sale of arms to nearly four-fifths of countries subject to arms embargoes, trade sanctions or other restrictions over the past five years, according to analysis…. Britain has authorized millions in sales of arms to China, mostly military radar equipment for the country’s fast growing navy, now the world’s largest.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/26/uk-sells-arms-to-nearly-80-of-countries-under-restrictions-shows-report

Greta Thunberg reminds virtual ‘Davos’ audience that the house is still on fire. “Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour. We are still telling you to panic, and to act as if you loved your children above all else…. I’m only here to once again remind you of the emergency we are in. The crisis that you and your predecessors have created and inflicted upon us. The crisis that you continue to ignore.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/25/enough-blah-blah-blah-global-elites-greta-thunberg-declares-digital-davos

Progressive groups try to torpedo Biden appointee for Sec. of Agriculture. “Tom Vilsack has made a career of catering to the whims of corporate agriculture giants—some of whom he has gone to work for—while failing to fight for struggling family farmers at every turn.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/25/groups-launch-grassroots-campaign-urging-senators-reject-tom-mr-monsanto-vilsack

Lyft drivers angered by ride share company’s new payment scheme. “On Friday, CNET reported the ongoing partial nationwide rollout of Lyft’s new ‘priority mode’, in which drivers are promised more rides, but with the caveat of having to agree to accept 10% less pay for each fare. Some drivers on online forums have been derisively calling Lyft’s latest effort to cut their pay ‘poverty mode’.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/25/poverty-mode-app-based-drivers-slam-lyfts-latest-pay-cut-scheme   Let’s pit our employees against each other! Reminds me of the movie (the name of which I’m unable to recall) in which two gas station owners, whose businesses are located across the street from each other, bid each other down to get a man’s oil change business. “I’ll do it for $12.” “I’ll do it for $10!” “$9.”

Amnesty International calls on President Biden to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and end military trials of terrorism suspects. “It’s time to mark a new path for United States national security policy and close down Guantánamo. The detention center that has come to symbolize around the world the United States’ use of torture, rendition and indefinite detention without charge or trial—in complete violation of internationally agreed-upon standards of justice and human rights. President Biden must close down the Guantánamo detention center and the military commissions, once and for all.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/25/amnesty-calls-biden-close-guantanamo-and-end-military-commissions-once-and-all

Federal appeals court upholds sentences of Kansas men who plotted to blow up Muslims, rules they were not entrapped. “According to court documents, the men… planned to put the bombs in trashcans around an apartment complex inhabited by Somalian immigrants in Garden City, Kansas, and detonate them during Muslim prayer time using prepaid cellphones…. ‘The government responds that the actual evidence at trial reflects that the defendants, not Mr. Day or the undercover employee, originated a plan to kill innocent Muslims with explosives.'”   https://www.courthousenews.com/convictions-of-militia-members-who-plotted-to-bomb-apartments-of-muslim-immigrants-upheld/

Federal court rules that Fort Worth police officers who killed an innocent homeowner when they responded to the wrong home are not liable for his death. “While responding to a burglary alarm at a house across the street, the officers mistakenly responded to the (72 year-old) man’s house (who), thinking he was being burglarized, he took his gun to his garage to investigate.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/police-shooting-38/

Nine Chinese gold miners found dead. “Nine Chinese miners have been found dead a day after 11 of their colleagues were rescued after two weeks trapped in a gold mine in Shandong province…. One miner remains missing. Another died last week after falling into a coma.”   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-55793578

 

 

 

January 25, 2021

Former member of CIA’s hacking team complains about prison conditions after spending more than two years at New York’s infamous MCC awaiting trial. “(When in) his 20s, (Joshua) Schulte, originally from Lubbock, Texas, worked as a coder at the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where digital sleuths design computer code to spy on foreign adversaries. The so-called Vault 7 leak, (which the government is blaming on Schulte,) published in March 2017 by WikiLeaks, revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices…. (Schulte claims) temperatures fall so low that water in his cell turns to ice and he shivers despite wearing four sets of clothing, five sets of socks, two blankets and three sets of socks on his hands. Bright lights are on nonstop, he isn’t allowed outside recreation and his access to commissary and visitation is severely restricted, while his access to books or legal materials is banned or severely limited, along with visits to dentists or doctors…. silverware and cups are banned so ‘inmates are forced to eat and drink with their hands like the caged animals that they are’, the filing said.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/cia-engineer-tells-judge-incarcerated-animal-75457345   Sounds like they want suspects to suffer so much that they’ll plead guilty to anything just to make it stop.

Democratic Party’s For the People Act (HR 1), an election campaign reform bill, raises the bar to qualify for federal matching funds, putting them out of reach for most independent and minor party candidates. “The current bill HR 1 on campaign funding is calculated to eliminate federal matching funds for third party and independent candidates by raising the qualifying amount for federal matching funds from $5,000 in 20 states to $25,000 in 20 states. Among other drawbacks, HR 1 would cut funding for the Green Party presidential candidate and hamper their chances of getting state ballot access, thereby preventing other Green candidates from running for local office.”   https://www.gp.org/promote_public_funding_of_elections   “… it increases the qualifications for matching funds from $5,000 raised in 20 states in contributions of $250 or less, to $25,000 in 20 states. (The Green Party is) struggling to get the $5,000.”   https://internationalsocialism.net/the-two-governing-parties-are-presiding-over-a-failed-state/

State signature requirements kept the Green Party presidential and vice presidential candidates off the ballot in 20 states. “This country is off the charts for the difficulty to get on the ballot. The best comparison is for the national legislatures. If you want to run as an independent in this country you have to get thousands of signatures. In Illinois, it’s over 15,000 signatures. In Georgia, it’s over 20,000. Even in New York it’s 3,500…. In New Zealand if you want to run for their parliament as an independent, you need two signatures. Want to run for the House of Commons in the U.K.? 10 signatures. Australia, 50, Canada, it’s 50 or 100. The rural ridings are lower because it’s spread out. The highest I’ve found is Germany, it’s 200 signatures. And we’re in the thousands!”   https://internationalsocialism.net/the-two-governing-parties-are-presiding-over-a-failed-state/

Tacoma, Washington police officer reportedly drove through crowd and over at least one person after being surrounded. “‘Fearing for his safety’, the statement said, ‘the officer drove forward striking one individual and may have impacted others,’ while trying to get out of the ‘unsafe position’.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/24/us/tacoma-officer-drives-through-crowd/index.html

National Park Service kept visitor’s death a secret for a week. “Authorities announced the death of 41-year-old ‘Alice’ Yu Xie on Friday (Jan. 22). Yosemite officials released details of the Chinese national’s disappearance by website and social media Jan. 16. Xie was found dead at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall the same day.”   https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Announcement-of-Yosemite-hiker-s-death-delayed-15894681.php

Keller, Texas reportedly settles lawsuit brought by Marco Puente, who was pepper sprayed, handcuffed and held in jail for recording video of his son’s traffic stop from across the street. “The lawsuit claimed the sergeant targeted the younger Puente because he was Hispanic and wrongfully believed he had drugs in his car.”   https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/keller-to-pay-200k-to-man-pepper-sprayed-by-police-after-he-videotaped-sons-traffic-stop-lawyer-says/2534006/   and   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/27/us/marco-puente-texas-police-arrest.html

President Biden proposes tightening federal rules that require agencies to buy from American firms. “Currently, a patchwork of federal rules requires that a portion of government spending on things like infrastructure, vehicles and other equipment is restricted to goods that are made in the United States. But there are loopholes depending on the material, the amount of the purchase, and what qualifies as American made.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/25/politics/biden-executive-orders-manufacturing-buy-american/index.html   Probably too little, too late. “In the Senate, Biden voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement and permanent normal trade relations with China. As then-President Barack Obama’s No. 2, he supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”   https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/02/joe-biden-nafta-2020-1296786

More EU energy now coming from renewable sources than fossil fuels. “Renewable sources such as wind and solar generated 38 percent of the 27-member bloc’s electricity in 2020, with fossil fuels such as coal and gas contributing 37 percent, the report published on Monday by think-tanks Ember and Agora Energiewende showed.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/25/renewables-overtook-fossil-fuels-as-the-eus-main-source-of-power   Unfortunately, biomass is considered a ‘renewable’ energy source. Some EU  biomass power plants are reportedly fueled by logged U.S. forests. “In fact, though many may believe that solar and wind power are the main sources of the EU’s renewable energy, it is actually biomass, which represents nearly 60 percent of the total…. The Southern U.S. is now the world’s largest producer and exporter of wood pellets. Under the guise of ‘renewable energy’, the voracious European demand for wood pellets has put forests and communities in this region at increased risk. Nearly 800 scientists warned members of the European Parliament that burning trees releases more carbon than coal or gas per unit of energy generated…”   https://www.neweurope.eu/article/europe-is-perversely-causing-the-destruction-of-u-s-forests-in-the-name-of-fighting-climate-change/

January 24, 2021

Tennessee man arrested for posting on social media an altered photo appearing to show two men urinating on a deputy’s grave. “Joshua Andrew Garton, 28, was arrested on suspicion of harassment and jailed in Dickson County, Tennessee, on $76,000 bond, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement…. ‘The First Amendment clearly and unmistakably protects this man’s right to post an offensive photo about a police officer,’ (attorney Daniel Horwitz, who is not the accused’s lawyer,) said. ‘The only people who broke the law here were the police officers and TBI agents who participated in this flagrantly unconstitutional arrest.’ The bureau said by email that the investigation and arrest were done at the behest of District Attorney General Ray Crouch.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-jailed-allegedly-posting-photo-two-men-urinating-deputy-s-n1255444   The photo in question was record album art with the deputy’s photo added to it.

Suburban L.A. church accused of hate speech was the target of early Saturday morning bombing, says El Monte police chief. “Local LGBTQ rights organization Keep El Monte Friendly initially had a protest planned at the (First Works Baptist Church) Saturday morning, but later cancelled the event in response to the bombing.”   https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/535555-authorities-investigating-explosion-at-los-angeles-church   I’m not seeing the words ‘domestic terrorism’ in any of the headlines.

Killeen, Texas police release body camera video of fatal police shooting of unarmed man during mental health call. “After the officer steps backward and continues to issue warnings, like “You’re gonna get tased,” he uses his taser. (Patrick) Warren initially falls down but then stands back up and continues to push toward the officer. (Officer Reynaldo) Contreras uses the taser again, but Warren keeps advancing and Contreras deploys his firearm.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/23/us/patrick-warren-killeen-officer-shot-kill-video/index.html

Shopping while black: Three teens detained while shopping at Westlake Village, California Target store. “One of the boys told the Star that he and his friends were unaware there was a shoplifting incident while they were in the store, where the suspects smashed through the glass in the electronics section and stole smartphones.”   https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-black-teens-wrongly-detained-target-california-75451554   Hey, they were young, they were male and they were black! Close enough! (sarcasm)

Wisconsin judge imposes additional bail restriction on Illinois teen accused of shooting three Black Lives Matter protesters – no alcohol, no guns and no hanging out with white supremacists. “Surveillance video at a bar in Mt. Pleasant outside Milwaukee showed (Kyle) Rittenhouse drinking and flashing ‘white power’ signs as he posed for photographs after he pleaded not guilty at his Jan. 5 arraignment. He was also being serenaded by a group of Proud Boys who were singing ‘Proud of Your Boy’, an ‘Aladdin’ song co-opted by the gang as its anthem, prosecutors noted.”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kyle-rittenhouse-proud-boys-bar-bond-changes_n_600ca97cc5b6fe97669d0552

Thousands arrested in Russia at anti-corruption protests. “… tens of thousands took to the streets across the country on Saturday following (Alexei) Navalny’s call to protest against President Vladimir Putin’s rule…. OVD Info, which monitors opposition rallies, said on Sunday that police seized at least 3,324 demonstrators across dozens of cities, with 1,320 people detained in Moscow and 490 in the second city Saint Petersburg.”   https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/01/24/russia-police-violence-under-review-after-3300-protesters-held-monitor-a72709

U.S. urges Russia not to use excessive force against anti-corruption protesters. “The United States condemned what it described as ‘harsh tactics’ used against protesters and journalists and called for Navalny’s ‘immediate and unconditional’ release.”   https://jp.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny/police-crack-down-on-russian-protests-against-jailing-of-kremlin-foe-navalny-idUSKBN29R10S   Harsh tactics you say? “… at least 115 (Black Lives Matter) protesters were shot in the head, face and neck with various projectiles, including bullets and tear gas canisters, from May 26 to July 27, according to a report by Physicians for Human Rights…. (Shantania) Love believes a rubber bullet hit her in the eye, permanently blinding her in that eye, as she turned around to look for her brother. ‘My eye was blown to pieces,’ says Love, who underwent two surgeries in an attempt to save her vision. ‘It was probably the worst pain I’ve ever felt, and I pushed out two kids.'”   https://time.com/5894356/protesters-injured-police/

January 23, 2021

Joe Biden wore a Rolex at his inauguration, one of at least three high-end watches he owns. “At his inauguration, Mr. Biden laid his hand on the family Bible wearing a stainless steel Rolex Datejust watch with a blue dial, a model that retails for more than $7,000 and is a far cry from the Everyman timepieces that every president not named Trump has worn conspicuously in recent decades…. (Biden) is unafraid to show off his haute Swiss watches, all stainless steel, including his Rolex, an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional and Omega Seamaster Diver 300M both of which retail for around $5,000 or $6,000.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/fashion/mens-style/rolex-biden.html   “Today, the watch you wear shows what side of the aisle you sit on. And so it is with Bernie Sanders… the lead Democratic party presidential candidate. Look carefully during the televised debates and you’ll see a modest Citizen Eco-Drive, a watch entirely in keeping with his man-of-the-people persona and politics…. They’re on sale on Amazon right now for £182 ($249).”   https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bernie-sanders-citizen-eco-drive-watch

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons went live on January 22nd. “… Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition whose work helped spearhead the treaty, called it ‘a really big day for international law, for the United Nations and for survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.’ …. (the group) will also be campaigning for divestment — pressuring financial institutions to stop giving capital to between 30 and 40 companies involved in nuclear weapons and missile production including Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.”   https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons-enters-force-75420880   Only nine countries are believed to currently possess nuclear weapons: United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

Vaccine companies undermining Ukraine’s anti-corruption and transparency laws by insisting on non-disclosure of contract terms and pricing. “… nondisclosure agreements allow the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate prices, delivery timelines and other conditions for vaccine deals without governments or their citizens comparing the agreements to those struck with other nations…. But to meet the demands for secrecy from vaccine manufacturers, the government has been forced to act in a way that runs counter to clean government policies that the United States and other Western countries have pressed Ukraine to adopt, according to Ms. Shatalova, the deputy health minister.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/22/world/europe/ukraine-coronavirus-vaccine.html   Clean government policies that the U.S. itself is not observing.

Second case of vaccine freezer and alarm system simultaneously malfunctioning. “‘On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, (Veterans Administration) Boston Pharmacy staff discovered that a freezer at the Jamaica Plain campus failed. As a result, 1,900 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine stored in the freezer were compromised,’ Kyle Toto, the public affairs specialist at VA Boston Healthcare System, said in a statement Thursday…. ‘The plug was found loose after a contractor accidentally removed it while cleaning.’ He said they are investigating why the incident occurred and why the alarm system did not work as it was supposed to.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Health/1900-doses-moderna-vaccine-destroyed-cleaner-accidentally-unplugs/story?id=75419665

Anti-corruption protesters rally across Russia, many get arrested. “Police have detained more than 350 supporters attending nationwide rallies in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Saturday. Around 90 protests are taking place, including in capital city Moscow.”   https://www.dw.com/en/russia-police-detain-hundreds-at-pro-navalny-nationwide-protests/a-56321592

Defense Intelligence Agency says it doesn’t need a warrant to buy someone’s cell phone location data from a vendor. “Ashley Gorski, senior staff attorney at the ACLU, said that the DIA memo proves that Congress needs to step in. ‘The government cannot simply buy our private data in order to bypass bedrock constitutional protections,’ she said in a statement Friday. ‘Congress must end this lawless practice and require the government to get a warrant for our location data, regardless of its source.'”   https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/535441-intelligence-agency-gathers-us-smartphone-location-data-without

IS claims responsibility for Baghdad bomb blasts. “(The suicide explosions) ripped through a crowded market in central Baghdad on Thursday, killing 32 people and wounding 110 others.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/22/islamic-state-claims-deadly-baghdad-twin-suicide-bombing

UK’s Labour Party reportedly hires former Israeli intelligence officer to help run their social media campaigns. “Assaf Kaplan, who served with the Israeli army’s signals intelligence and surveillance agency known as Unit 8200, was recruited last year to work in the office of the party leader, Keir Starmer…. There is particular concern that Palestinians discovered to be gay as a result of Unit 8200’s pervasive telephone and digital surveillance are subsequently blackmailed.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/labour-ex-israel-military-intelligence-officer-role-anger-grows

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announces civil rights investigation of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “We are undertaking this investigation to determine if LASD has violated the law or the rights of the people of Los Angeles County…. If there is behavior that people believe is violating their civil rights, we want to know.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/california-ag-launches-civil-rights-probe-of-la-sheriffs-department/

California senator introduces End Wrongful Convictions Act. “(State senator Scott) Wiener’s bill isn’t solely about admitting evidence and expert testimony during the pretrial process but also seeks to facilitate those wrongly convicted to challenge their cases based on faulty forensics. ‘SB 243 will ensure that innocent people have an avenue to challenge bad convictions by looking at the faulty science used in their trials,’ said Jasmin Harris, associate director of policy at California Innocence Project.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/california-senator-takes-on-wrongful-convictions-and-forensics-in-reform-bill/

 

 

January 22, 2021

National Guard soldiers camped out inside Capitol told to relocate to parking garage. ‘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. Temperatures in Washington were in the low 40s by nightfall. ‘Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed.'”   https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/21/national-guard-troops-vacate-capitol-461220

Woman accused of taking laptop from Nancy Pelosi’s office during invasion of U.S. Capitol appears in court. “… the defense attorney representing 22-year-old Riley June Williams argued in Harrisburg Federal Court that her client’s allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend exaggerated when he called an FBI tip line claiming that Williams intended to have the laptop sold off to a Russian spy agency.”   https://www.foxnews.com/us/pennsylvania-woman-pelosi-laptop-capitol-riot-released-home-confinement

Congress grants Joe Biden’s defense secretary nominee exemption from law intended to insure civilian control of the military. “Normally the House has no role in confirming Cabinet secretaries. But (Lloyd) Austin retired from the military four years ago, short of the seven years required by law to take the civilian job without a waiver from both houses of Congress.”   https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/21/959232498/house-approves-waiver-for-lloyd-austin-bidens-pick-to-head-pentagon   But will he be stepping down from the board of Raytheon? “Lloyd Austin pledged to recuse himself for four years from making decisions that involve his current employer Raytheon Technologies should the Senate confirm him as defense secretary…. The topic has arisen for former retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis, who sat on the board of General Dynamics before becoming defense secretary. Mattis returned to his board seat soon after resigning his post in late 2018. (Mark) Esper was Raytheon’s top lobbyist before becoming Army secretary in 2017.”   https://www.defenseone.com/business/2021/01/austin-pledges-recuse-himself-military-decisions-involving-raytheon/171496/   I think I see a pattern here… But everyone knows that ‘military-industrial complex’ thing is just a conspiracy theory started by Dwight Eisenhower.

Biden administration cancels Canadian tar sands pipeline. “In one of his first executive orders, President Biden called the Keystone XL project a ‘disservice to the national interest’ and said that leaving the permit for it in place would not be consistent with his economic and climate imperatives…. The Biden Administration said it wants good, union jobs, but wants those workers on the front lines of the climate crisis, building wind and solar power instead of oil pipelines.”   https://www.ketv.com/article/president-biden-halts-keystone-xl-pipeline-project/35271095   But no Green New Deal?

Army officials alter their account of negotiations over National Guard troops during Capitol riot. “On Thursday’s call Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, who serves as director of the Army Staff, acknowledged for the first time that he may have expressed concern about the “optics” of deploying more troops on the streets of the nation’s capital, despite previously strenuously denying he ever made such a statement. And (Lt. Gen. Charles) Flynn, the deputy chief of staff of the Army (and brother of former Trump advisor Michael Flynn), said that he was in the room for part of the call that included Piatt, then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and others, but he was unsure if he spoke…. the Army ‘falsely denied for days that Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn’ was involved in the key meetings.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/21/politics/army-changes-account-capitol-riot-call/index.html

Biden administration will not be replacing FBI director. “(Christopher) Wray, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, is serving a 10-year term. He was expected to remain in place.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/21/biden-will-keep-christopher-wray-as-fbi-director-white-house-source-says.html

Biden executive order requires masks to be worn on commercial and public transportation, and in related facilities. “It follows an order Wednesday that required wearing a mask on federal lands and in federal buildings.”   https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/535309-biden-signs-order-to-require-masks-on-planes-and-public

Conservatives call out President Biden for appearing maskless at Lincoln Memorial. “‘Does Joe Biden’s new executive order mandating masks on federal property not apply to Joe Biden while he’s on federal property? Because here he is at the Lincoln Memorial with no mask just hours after signing it,’ Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk wrote on Twitter.”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-mask-federal-property-lincoln-memorial-mandate

Instacart to lay off about 1,900 in-store employees, including its only 10 unionized workers. “The grocery delivery company already classifies most of its workers as independent contractors, whose numbers have ballooned to more than 500,000 during the coronavirus pandemic…. The company said it’s doing this as part of a shift toward new models, like providing its technology to retailers to have their own workers prepare customers’ orders.”   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-21/instacart-to-cut-1-900-jobs-including-its-only-union-positions

Five House Democrats ask President Biden to end or limit Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs). “The letter explains how three successive presidents abused the 2001 AUMF to wage war ‘in more than seven countries, against a continuously expanding list of targetable adversaries’. While the 2002 AUMF is more narrowed down, it has also been used to justify US aggression besides the invasion of Iraq.”   https://news.antiwar.com/2021/01/21/house-democrats-call-on-president-biden-to-repeal-aumfs/   The goal is to limit the president’s power to unilaterally launch new military campaigns, which used to be a power that belonged to Congress.

An estimated 750 people reportedly killed during raid on church in Ethiopia. “On Jan. 9, the Europe External Programme with Africa reported that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, about 80 miles west of Adigrat, had been attacked, and that hundreds of people who hid inside were brought out to the front square and shot to death. According to Church Times UK, the attack was carried out by Ethiopian government troops and Amhara militia from central Ethiopia. At least 1,000 people were estimated to be hiding in the church at the time of the attack.”   https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/hundreds-reportedly-dead-after-massacre-at-oriental-orthodox-church-in-ethiopia-51752   This happened almost two weeks ago, and no mainstream news coverage?

59% of voters polled say they would like to see a bipartisan investigation of 2020 election results. “Eighty percent of Republican voters support a Congressional commission to investigate the 2020 election along with 56 percent of independents. Sixty-one percent of Democratic voters oppose the establishment of such a commission.”   https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/535237-poll-59-percent-support-a-bipartisan-congressional-commission   Why not? It’s not like they’re going to find massive election fraud.

About 1/5th of those charged in Capitol riot reportedly have links to the military. “NPR compiled a list of individuals facing federal or District of Columbia charges in connection with the events of Jan. 6. Of more than 140 charged so far, a review of military records, social media accounts, court documents and news reports indicate at least 27 of those charged, or nearly 20%, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. To put that number in perspective, only about 7% of all American adults are military veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”   https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/958915267/nearly-one-in-five-defendants-in-capitol-riot-cases-served-in-the-military

Israel has reportedly destroyed a Bedouin village in the Negev region for 182nd time. “Al-Araqib was demolished for the first time in 2010. Israel does not ‘recognize’ the village, but its residents point out that they own the land and have done (so) since the Ottoman period, decades before Israel was created in occupied Palestine. They intend to remain there despite the repeated demolitions.”   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210121-israeli-forces-demolish-al-araqib-village-for-182nd-time/

About 1,000 protesters and their supporters arrested in Tunisia this week. “The coalition of groups added that some people who have not participated in the demonstrations were also detained for supporting the protests on Facebook, with at least one of them facing six years in prison if convicted.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tunisia-protests-police-arrested-six-days

More cops discovered to have traveled to D.C. for Trump rally. “Many of these incidents only came to light after the officers themselves brazenly posted about it on their own social media. Lt. Roxanne Mathai, who works for the sheriff’s office in Bexar County, Texas, near San Antonio, put up pictures of herself inside the Capitol. ‘Today has been amazing!’ she wrote…. Longtime officers told BuzzFeed News that the racial and political tensions of the past decade have created a widening divide within police departments. On one side stand officers calling out racism and unnecessarily brutal tactics among their colleagues. On the other are officers who believe their profession has been unfairly targeted by left-wing activists and politicians who fail to grasp the dangers they face on the job; for these officers, Trump emerged as a hero.”   https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/albertsamaha/black-officers-say-police-ignored-white-radicalization

Biden White House science appointee has questioned some forensic methods used by law enforcement agencies. “While (Eric) Lander’s career has not been without controversy, his role in a September 2016 report has many in the criminal legal system hopeful about his return to the White House. That fall, PCAST did not mince words, concluding that a host of long-used pattern-matching forensic practices lacked sufficient scientific underpinning.”   https://theintercept.com/2021/01/22/biden-forensic-science-eric-lander/   This refers to practices such as ‘fingerprint analysis, firearm analysis, bite-mark analysis, shoe tread analysis, and handwriting analysis’.

Sanders campaigner David Sirota encourages President Biden to be an FDR, not an Obama. “… it is clear that Biden is at a crossroad and still unsure which way to go. He can follow his boss, Barack Obama, who pursued bipartisanship, comity and compromise–accommodating corporate power. Or he can break toward the path of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who did battle with oligarchy, stood down fascism and welcomed the hatred of the rich. One thing he cannot do is try to go in both directions. The lesson of the Obama administration is that you can have appeasement or transformative progress, but you almost certainly cannot have both.”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/22/to-achieve-a-real-legacy-biden-will-have-to-be-more-radical-and-ready-to-fight   Sorry Dave, I’m afraid we’re out of luck. No Green New Deal, no Medicare for All, no cabinet positions for Warren or Sanders, no restoration of the Constitution, no end of the War on Terror, no draining of the swamp. This is Joe Biden were talking about. He’s not even going to completely reverse Trump’s huge corporate tax cut.

European Court of Human Rights rules against Russia and former government of Ukraine. “The European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, found that the Russian military was in control of a Georgian breakaway region (of South Ossetia) and permitted torture, illegal detention, and pillaging by militia groups operating in the area.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/european-court-finds-russia-violated-human-rights-in-georgia-conflict/   “(The court) declared (anti-Yanukovych) protesters were brutally beaten, unlawfully arrested and dispersed and kidnapped by (Ukrainian) police or titushky, civilian mercenaries hired to help police crack down on Maidan protesters. In one of its five rulings, it found the state was guilty for the killing of one protester.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/rights-court-condemns-ukraine-over-violence-against-maidan-protesters/   But, long story short, the anti-Yanukovych ‘revolution’ was a provocative coup orchestrated by NATO countries against an elected government. “… ever since the 1990s, following the end of the Soviet Union, Washington has made clear that both EU and NATO expansion eastward should eventually include Ukraine, which was regarded as ‘the prize’. What precipitated the Ukrainian crisis was the EU ‘partnership’ offered to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, which he declined to sign in November 2013. (Actually, having learned the astronomical financial costs, he merely asked for more time to consider the terms.) Protests in Kiev, centered on Maidan Square, led to violence and eventually to Yanukovych’s overthrow and his replacement by the US-backed government in Kiev.”   https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/four-years-of-ukraine-and-the-myths-of-maidan/