"Remnants of planets with Earth-like crusts have been discovered in the atmospheres of four nearby white dwarf stars by University of Warwick astronomers, offering a glimpse of the planets that may have once orbited them up to billions of years ago."
"The Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover resumed activities on Feb. 6 after hibernating during the severe cold of lunar night, according to the Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua. But one lunar day earlier the rover came across a curious rock specimen which the Yutu 2 drive team began to refer to as a 'milestone.'"
"A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Japan, close to Fukushima, late Saturday evening leaving at least 12 people injured… The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 11:07 p.m. local time (9.07 a.m. ET), was located 45.9 miles (73.9 kilometers) northeast of Namie, a coastal town 60 miles from Fukushima, according to the United States Geological Survey."
"Gina Carano isn't apologizing for her controversial social media posts that led to her departure from The Mandalorian… On Friday, the actress and former mixed martial artist hit back at critics and revealed a new movie project with The Daily Wire, a conservative news and opinion website founded by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro."
"Amid the swirling controversy over whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration knowingly undercounted deaths among nursing home residents during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, a top aide for the governor apologized to Democratic lawmakers, saying the administration "froze" when initially asked by state legislators back in August about the issue… Which is a stunning admission. And seems to jibe with a report released last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James that suggested that Cuomo's administration undercounted deaths among nursing home residents by as much as 50%." So you know all those people who were saying the counts were wrong? They were just wrong in the opposite direction.
"Many Europeans are desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. But not just any vaccine."
"A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention roadmap for reopening the nation’s schools during the Covid-19 pandemic got a passing grade Friday from powerful teachers unions… 'Today, the CDC met fear of the pandemic with facts and evidence,' said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement. 'For the first time since the start of this pandemic, we have a rigorous road map, based on science, that our members can use to fight for a safe reopening.'" Let the intentional misunderstanding of the guidelines begin.
"Crowds are usually welcome and even encouraged in tourist-dependent New Orleans in the days leading up to Mardi Gras but as the final weekend of the 2021 season began Friday, police warned that crowds won’t be tolerated amid efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus."
"What happened to Kelvin was the result of a vast gray area: For years, Californians could legally possess medical marijuana, but stores weren’t allowed to sell it—in fact, the whole supply chain bringing it to them was considered illegal. Now, even though the city and the state are licensing cannabis shops, Los Angeles continues to struggle with its legacy of legal confusion and selective enforcement. Businesses can appear legitimate, and even exist for years, without any legal license to operate. Many of the illegal shops are in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with their employees vulnerable to arrest while owners are shielded behind shell companies. So as police and prosecutors attempt to crack down on unlicensed dispensaries, they appear to be reproducing the very social inequalities that legalization was supposed to fix."
"Under the plan advancing in the House Ways and Means Committee, the next stimulus bill would send $1,400 to eligible people, as well as expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Altogether, the three programs would provide a 33% boost to the pre-tax incomes of the poorest 20% of Americans — or a $3,590 hike per family — according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy."
"The budget gambit Democrats are embracing to fast-track President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid plan will trigger billions of dollars in cuts to critical programs… Top Democrats are already shrugging off the threat, insistent that Congress will once again act in time to head off the slashing to programs like Medicare and farm subsidies — a byproduct of using the reconciliation process. But in that high-stakes trust fall, Democrats will be relying on the Senate Republicans they are now spurning." Remember when everybody said sequestration would be enough of a threat to get conservatives to go along? Conservatives want to cut Medicare, and their willing to blame Democrats for cutting farm aid.
"White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo announced Saturday that he is resigning for the 'abhorrent, disrespectful, and unacceptable' threats he made to a female reporter in January. Ducklo's resignation comes one day after he was placed on a one-week suspension over the incident." Looks like someone had a talking to.
The moment when… "While scores of Capitol rioters flaunted their role in the January 6 attack, a growing number of insurrectionists are accused of covering their tracks by destroying cellphones, wiping social media posts and threatening witnesses… After the sugar high of storming the Capitol wore off, about 30 of the known rioters facing charges allegedly tried to destroy evidence or sanitize their social media profiles, according to a CNN review of FBI affidavits and court documents filed by the Justice Department."
"Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler backed reports late Friday that said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke with then-President Donald Trump as a mob was attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and that the president seemed unconcerned about the riot." Everybody knew the Trump called for the riot, launched the riot, and was responsible and could have called it off.
"After lawyers for Trump finished their defense of his impeachment for inciting the insurrection, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) questioned the timing of Trump's 'disparaging tweet' about Pence during the attack. At 2:24 p.m., 11 minutes after Pence was escorted from the chamber as Trump backers stormed the building, Trump tweeted that Pence 'didn't have the courage to do what he should've done' and somehow object to the election results. Despite the implication of the certification process already being over (it wasn't), Trump's lawyers said he had not been informed Pence was in danger when it happened."
"Ivanka Trump reportedly urged her father, former President Donald Trump, to make peace with former Vice President Mike Pence after the deadly Capitol riots, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post… A growing rift had emerged between the two leaders after Trump had publicly denounced Pence and encouraged a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and stop the vice president from verifying the election results."
"The Senate voted Saturday morning to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump… The vote, which was 55-45, throws a new wrinkle into the proceeding, which had been on a fast track, with many Senators from both sides of the aisle anxious to put it behind them and move on." And then they rolled over. "The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump won't be hearing from witnesses after all."
"President Biden responded to the Senate's acquittal of Donald Trump on Saturday by reminding Americans that truth must be defended, saying the impeachment of the former president was a stark illustration of the danger posed to democracy by lies, misinformation and extremism… And Biden said that although Trump was acquitted, his actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 insurrection were not 'in dispute.'" And yet, in a month's time, it will be disputed on every talking-head show.
"U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Donald Trump 'practically and morally responsible' for his supporters' deadly attack on the Capitol, only moments after voting to acquit the Republican former president on an impeachment charge of inciting the melee." McConnell is trying to have it both ways. If he felt this was true, he would have voted to impeach. This is him trying to shake himself and the Senate GOP free from his vote to acquit. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. If he really believe this, McConnell has also failed his oath of office, failed to protect and uphold the Constitution, and should be removed.
"Former President Donald Trump's lawyers mounted an aggressive defense Friday in Trump's second impeachment trial -- and made multiple false and misleading claims to bolster their case."
No comments:
Post a Comment