"Here's to all the plucky machines that have tangled with Mars and ultimately lost. Goodbye, Opportunity. Godspeed, Beagle 2. We hardly knew you, Schiaparelli. And now we must bid farewell to the "mole" part of NASA's InSight lander mission… The lander itself is fine and healthy and still studying marsquakes, but the mole's efforts to dig into the red planet have been stymied every step of the way. On Thursday, NASA announced the end of the mole's journey."
The cat came back… "A calico cat named Patches had belonged to Josie Gower, one of the 23 people killed in the mudslides that hit Santa Barbara, Calif., in January 2018. Patches was thought to have died too… But in December, Patches was found alive and roaming around the same area she disappeared in."
"Many U.S. pharmacies, including those inside Kroger Co supermarkets and the drugstore chain of CVS Health Corp, say they will not be checking IDs before administering COVID-19 vaccines, leaving the door open to those who do not meet states’ guidelines to jump the line."
"Dr. Michelle Maloney, executive director of addiction services at Rogers Behavioral Health, said for many people, the pandemic has amplified mental health and financial issues. And social isolation has also increased the risk of dying from an overdose."
"For the first time, a medication regime has been found effective for some patients with meth addiction in a large, placebo-controlled trial… It's welcome news for those working with the growing number of people struggling with meth addiction."
"U.S. retail sales declined further in December as renewed measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 undercut spending at restaurants and reduced traffic to shopping malls, the latest sign the economy lost considerable speed at the end of 2020… Retail sales dropped 0.7% last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday. Data for November was revised down to show sales declining 1.4% instead of 1.1% as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales unchanged in December."
"Even as people continue to splurge on shopping, they have cut back on going out to eat and shop. Plus, the earlier-than-usual holiday shopping season meant online shopping as well sales of electronics and appliances dipped in December. Gas stations saw the biggest jump in spending last month, up 6.6%, as people traveled for holiday visits despite health warnings."
But on Bullshit Mountain… "U.S. equity markets were mixed Friday morning after details of President-elect Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package underwhelmed investors and the big banks kicked off earnings season." No one else but Fox is making that connection. And I'll note that part of the stock market run up to this point was in anticipation of the relief bill.
"At least 42 people were killed and hundreds more injured after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Friday, the country's disaster mitigation agency said."
"The whole Dutch government collectively resigned on Friday after a scandal involving the mismanagement of childcare funds, which drove thousands of families into financial hardship… An investigation revealed in December that tax officials wrongly accused thousands of working families of fraud and ordered them to repay childcare benefits between 2013 and 2019. The event has been described as an 'unprecedented injustice' by some Dutch lawmakers."
"When schools shut down in the spring, that raised immediate worries about the nearly 30 million children who depend on school food. Those worries were essentially borne out, with researchers reporting a large rise in child hunger."
"Former national security adviser John Bolton can seek evidence about the classification process around his book in case there was bad faith decision-making by the White House and intelligence community meant to protect President Donald Trump politically, a federal judge ruled on Thursday."
"Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions knew his "zero tolerance" policy on illegal entry along the Southwest border in 2018 would separate children from their parents, a watchdog office reported on Thursday. Despite warnings that the government couldn't care for the children, he pushed forward with the policy. As a result, more than 3,000 children were separated from their families."
"In recent weeks, Geauga County residents have reported a series of explosions outside of Chardon, in Hambden Township and Claridon Township… The Geauga County Sheriff said the explosions, in the area of Sisson Road and state Route 608, have homeowners on edge."
"A Delaware County man linked to the white supremacist Proud Boys has been charged with assaulting three Capitol Police officers with a fire extinguisher during last week’s violent riots at the U.S. Capitol."
"Federal prosecutors have offered an ominous new assessment of last week’s siege of the US Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters, saying in a court filing that rioters intended 'to capture and assassinate elected officials'… Prosecutors offered that view in a filing asking a judge to detain Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was photographed wearing horns as he stood at the desk of the vice-president, Mike Pence, in the chamber of the US Senate." And yet we're accommodating this lunatic's dietary preferences in jail. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
"Earlier this week, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) added his voice to unverified Democrat allegations that Republican lawmakers showed insurrectionists around the Capitol building a day before it was stormed by a mob."
"'Guys were like grabbing gear off my vest,' he said. 'I remember guys chanting, like "Kill him with his own gun!"'"
"The formation, known as 'Ranger File,' is standard operating procedure for a combat team that is 'stacking up' to breach a building — instantly recognizable to any U.S. soldier or Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a chilling sign that many at the vanguard of the mob that stormed the seat of American democracy either had military training or were trained by those who did."
"US Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman has been hailed as an American hero for leading a growing mob away from the Senate chambers during last week's attack on the Capitol… Now, a bipartisan trio of lawmakers wants to recognize Goodman with a Congressional Gold Medal for potentially saving lives on one of the darkest days in US history."
"To many Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, there's no question in their minds: President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses… But getting McConnell and at least 16 other Republicans to convict Trump after he's left office is another question entirely." So much for Law and Order.
"Some Republicans who broke from the GOP to back the Democrats' historic second impeachment resolution for President Trump are facing heat from their local Republican parties for how they voted." It's time to end the GOP.
"What We Know So Far: A Timeline Of Security At The Capitol On January 6"
"One week after a pro-Trump mob ransacked the US Capitol, federal officials reiterated a warning in a call with law enforcement leaders across the country, saying they remain concerned about the prospect of extremists appearing at planned rallies and conducting violence… Security is also ramping up in battleground states that were crucial to President-elect Joe Biden's presidential victory, with governors activating the National Guard, closing capitols, erecting fences and barriers and, in at least two cases, boarding up windows."
"Instructed not to use any of the half-dozen bathrooms inside the couple’s house, the Secret Service detail assigned to President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law spent months searching for a reliable restroom to use on the job, according to neighbors and law enforcement officials. After resorting to a porta-potty, as well as bathrooms at the nearby home of former president Barack Obama and the not-so-nearby residence of Vice President Pence, the agents finally found a toilet to call their own."
"The rehearsal for the inauguration ceremony will be delayed a day amid heightened security concerns, acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN Friday morning… 'It is going to take place on Monday, is the current schedule. Secret Service is in charge of running that schedule, but that's done in partnership with Biden team, and it was their decision to delay a day,' Cuccinelli told CNN's John Berman on 'New Day.'"
Friday, January 15, 2021
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Linkee-poo there's a man with a gun over there, telling me I've got to beware
"The House of Representatives approved one article of impeachment Wednesday against President Trump for 'incitement of insurrection,' with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats in a 232-197 vote. The article now heads to the Senate, which is not expected to reconvene until next week."
"The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges of 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol building by his supporters that left five people dead… Before Wednesday, no U.S. president had ever been impeached twice."
"President Donald Trump, irritated at being impeached for a second time, has told people to stop paying Rudy Giuliani's legal fees, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, though aides were not clear if the President was serious about his instructions given he's lashing out at nearly everyone after the day's events." Eventually everyone is on the outside.
"SpaceX secured contracts Jan. 13 for the launches of a commercial lunar lander mission backed by NASA as well as a privately funded satellite to track methane emissions."
The last mile problem… "AT&T, the incumbent phone company, finally offered DSL to Mauch about five years ago, he said. However, AT&T's advertised plans for his neighborhood topped out at a measly 1.5Mbps—a good speed in 2002, not in 2020. AT&T stopped offering basic DSL to new customers in October and hasn't upgraded many rural areas to modern replacements, leaving users like Mauch without any great options." If I had the capital, I would be doing the same thing he is.
"Public health officials and infectious disease experts have said there is a high likelihood that Covid-19 will become an endemic disease, meaning it will be present at all times, though likely at lower levels than it is now." Whispers, it already is.
"A Texas trauma surgeon says it's rare that X-rays from any of her COVID-19 patients come back without dense scarring. Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall tweeted that, 'Post-COVID lungs look worse than any type of terrible smoker's lung we've ever seen. And they collapse. And they clot off. And the shortness of breath lingers on... & on... & on.'" Jazz hands. Just for reference, that x-ray on the far right, that's what lungs look like in the middle of the COVID pneumonia, and they really look different that other pneumonias (especially in CT imaging). But we're also seeing those lungs look exactly like that for recovered patients, and all that milkiness is scaring.
"Prosecutors are seeking to modify the bond agreement of Kyle Rittenhouse — the 17-year-old charged with killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer — after they said he flashed white power signs and was 'loudly serenaded' the Proud Boys’ anthem at a bar." So tack on underage consumption to the list of this asshole. Revoke his bail (which means he loses the money and is thrown back ion jail).
"The apparent participation of off-duty officers in the rally that morphed into a siege on the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6 has revived fears about white supremacists within police departments… These concerns are not new. White supremacy, the belief that white people are superior to other races, has long tainted elements within law enforcement. As I testified before Congress just months before this assault, there is a long history of racism in U.S. policing – and this legacy may have contributed to the violence in the Capitol in Washington, D.C."
"Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is being charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty stemming from the Flint water crisis, according to online court documents. The crisis, which began in 2014, left the city of Flint's drinking water contaminated with lead and some have blamed it for a 2016 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed at least 12 people." Well it's the least of charges they could have brought.
"First-time claims for unemployment insurance jumped to 965,000 last week amid signs of a slowdown in hiring due to pandemic restrictions, the Labor Department reported Thursday… The total was worse than Wall Street estimates of 800,000 and above the previous week’s total of 784,000."
"Italy is embroiled in fresh political uncertainty at a time when it’s still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on its highly-indebted economy… Critics have slammed what they call an 'irresponsible' attitude by some political figures, who they believe are acting in their own personal interest."
About that "more unstable" comment of the VP… "When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful… With less than seven days remaining in his presidency, Trump’s inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and the president is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week, advisers and associates said." So, just how unstable of a president are you will to expose us to, Mikey?
"The finale of Mike Pompeo’s reign at the state department has been as controversial and clamorous as the rest of his 32-month tenure, but it is unclear what traces will remain after he has gone… The last days of Pompeo have been played out in a blizzard of self-congratulatory tweets, at the rate of two dozen a day, as he seeks to write his own first draft of history." Just keep nodding as you show him the door.
"Former President Barack Obama had six cabinet members confirmed by the Senate before his Inauguration Day in 2009. President Trump had two. But when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next week, it's unclear whether he'll have any cabinet members in place." McConnell should be cited for dereliction of duty.
"Black Lives Matter protests, 2020: Overwhelming force from law enforcement in dozens of cities. Chemical dispersants. Rubber bullets and hand-to-hand combat with largely peaceful crowds and some unruly vandals and looters. More than 14,000 arrests… The U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021: Barely more than a few dozen arrests. Several weapons seized, improvised explosive devices found. Members of a wilding mob escorted from the premises, some not even in handcuffs."
"After several disruptive incidents and confrontations on flights to and from Washington, D.C., last week, federal authorities are now cracking down on unruly airline passengers… The head of the Federal Aviation Administration signed an order Wednesday to enforce a "zero-tolerance" policy against passengers who engage in threatening or disruptive behavior on commercial airline flights."
"Starting this weekend, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the airline will ban passengers traveling to Washington, D.C., from checking firearms as part of increased security measures ahead of the inauguration."
"And yet, for last week's deadly attack on the Capitol, an event the president himself had promised would be 'wild,' no formal report was ever released." SO many omlets could be made from the egg on everyone's face we could probably feed NJ.
"A Proud Boys supporter who threatened to deploy 'three cars full of armed patriots' to Washington last week was charged Wednesday with stockpiling military-style combat knives and more than 1,000 rifle rounds in his New York home, federal authorities said." He's a convicted felon, so naughty naughty.
"Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says an investigation is underway looking at 'potentially members of Congress' who gave tours to pro-Trump rioters prior to the insurrection last week on the U.S. Capitol… 'All of that is being reviewed, both people on the campus who were here and behavior before and after, a lot of videos floating around out there,' Ryan told NPR's Michel Martin during NPR's special coverage of the House impeachment vote."
Of course Bullshit Mountain goes on to discredit this claim by saying Sherrill didn't offer them much evidence or name names… "Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., said Tuesday that she witnessed some lawmakers leading people through the Capitol the day before the riot in what looked like a 'reconnaissance' tour, and said members will be held accountable."
"Members of the insurrectionist mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol last week face what the federal prosecutor in charge calls a 'mind-blowing' range of potential charges, from destruction of federal property, trespass and mail theft to possession of destructive devices and felony murder… For some of the most serious charges, the acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Michael Sherwin, says his office has set up a 'strike force' to press federal charges that come with fines and up to 20 years in prison." While most people that have been arrested so far have faced what seems are minor crimes (unlawful presence, etc), that doesn't mean they can't have charges added later.
"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have only been landowners in Miami’s exclusive 'Billionaire’s Bunker' enclave since December, but it seems the couple is already having some issues with their new neighbors." Looks like cheese and baloney sandwiches for the couple (not really, but they'll play it up that way).
"The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges of 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol building by his supporters that left five people dead… Before Wednesday, no U.S. president had ever been impeached twice."
"President Donald Trump, irritated at being impeached for a second time, has told people to stop paying Rudy Giuliani's legal fees, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, though aides were not clear if the President was serious about his instructions given he's lashing out at nearly everyone after the day's events." Eventually everyone is on the outside.
"SpaceX secured contracts Jan. 13 for the launches of a commercial lunar lander mission backed by NASA as well as a privately funded satellite to track methane emissions."
The last mile problem… "AT&T, the incumbent phone company, finally offered DSL to Mauch about five years ago, he said. However, AT&T's advertised plans for his neighborhood topped out at a measly 1.5Mbps—a good speed in 2002, not in 2020. AT&T stopped offering basic DSL to new customers in October and hasn't upgraded many rural areas to modern replacements, leaving users like Mauch without any great options." If I had the capital, I would be doing the same thing he is.
"Public health officials and infectious disease experts have said there is a high likelihood that Covid-19 will become an endemic disease, meaning it will be present at all times, though likely at lower levels than it is now." Whispers, it already is.
"A Texas trauma surgeon says it's rare that X-rays from any of her COVID-19 patients come back without dense scarring. Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall tweeted that, 'Post-COVID lungs look worse than any type of terrible smoker's lung we've ever seen. And they collapse. And they clot off. And the shortness of breath lingers on... & on... & on.'" Jazz hands. Just for reference, that x-ray on the far right, that's what lungs look like in the middle of the COVID pneumonia, and they really look different that other pneumonias (especially in CT imaging). But we're also seeing those lungs look exactly like that for recovered patients, and all that milkiness is scaring.
"Prosecutors are seeking to modify the bond agreement of Kyle Rittenhouse — the 17-year-old charged with killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer — after they said he flashed white power signs and was 'loudly serenaded' the Proud Boys’ anthem at a bar." So tack on underage consumption to the list of this asshole. Revoke his bail (which means he loses the money and is thrown back ion jail).
"The apparent participation of off-duty officers in the rally that morphed into a siege on the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6 has revived fears about white supremacists within police departments… These concerns are not new. White supremacy, the belief that white people are superior to other races, has long tainted elements within law enforcement. As I testified before Congress just months before this assault, there is a long history of racism in U.S. policing – and this legacy may have contributed to the violence in the Capitol in Washington, D.C."
"Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is being charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty stemming from the Flint water crisis, according to online court documents. The crisis, which began in 2014, left the city of Flint's drinking water contaminated with lead and some have blamed it for a 2016 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed at least 12 people." Well it's the least of charges they could have brought.
"First-time claims for unemployment insurance jumped to 965,000 last week amid signs of a slowdown in hiring due to pandemic restrictions, the Labor Department reported Thursday… The total was worse than Wall Street estimates of 800,000 and above the previous week’s total of 784,000."
"Italy is embroiled in fresh political uncertainty at a time when it’s still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on its highly-indebted economy… Critics have slammed what they call an 'irresponsible' attitude by some political figures, who they believe are acting in their own personal interest."
About that "more unstable" comment of the VP… "When Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever impeached twice, he did so as a leader increasingly isolated, sullen and vengeful… With less than seven days remaining in his presidency, Trump’s inner circle is shrinking, offices in his White House are emptying, and the president is lashing out at some of those who remain. He is angry that his allies have not mounted a more forceful defense of his incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol last week, advisers and associates said." So, just how unstable of a president are you will to expose us to, Mikey?
"The finale of Mike Pompeo’s reign at the state department has been as controversial and clamorous as the rest of his 32-month tenure, but it is unclear what traces will remain after he has gone… The last days of Pompeo have been played out in a blizzard of self-congratulatory tweets, at the rate of two dozen a day, as he seeks to write his own first draft of history." Just keep nodding as you show him the door.
"Former President Barack Obama had six cabinet members confirmed by the Senate before his Inauguration Day in 2009. President Trump had two. But when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next week, it's unclear whether he'll have any cabinet members in place." McConnell should be cited for dereliction of duty.
"Black Lives Matter protests, 2020: Overwhelming force from law enforcement in dozens of cities. Chemical dispersants. Rubber bullets and hand-to-hand combat with largely peaceful crowds and some unruly vandals and looters. More than 14,000 arrests… The U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021: Barely more than a few dozen arrests. Several weapons seized, improvised explosive devices found. Members of a wilding mob escorted from the premises, some not even in handcuffs."
"After several disruptive incidents and confrontations on flights to and from Washington, D.C., last week, federal authorities are now cracking down on unruly airline passengers… The head of the Federal Aviation Administration signed an order Wednesday to enforce a "zero-tolerance" policy against passengers who engage in threatening or disruptive behavior on commercial airline flights."
"Starting this weekend, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the airline will ban passengers traveling to Washington, D.C., from checking firearms as part of increased security measures ahead of the inauguration."
"And yet, for last week's deadly attack on the Capitol, an event the president himself had promised would be 'wild,' no formal report was ever released." SO many omlets could be made from the egg on everyone's face we could probably feed NJ.
"A Proud Boys supporter who threatened to deploy 'three cars full of armed patriots' to Washington last week was charged Wednesday with stockpiling military-style combat knives and more than 1,000 rifle rounds in his New York home, federal authorities said." He's a convicted felon, so naughty naughty.
"Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says an investigation is underway looking at 'potentially members of Congress' who gave tours to pro-Trump rioters prior to the insurrection last week on the U.S. Capitol… 'All of that is being reviewed, both people on the campus who were here and behavior before and after, a lot of videos floating around out there,' Ryan told NPR's Michel Martin during NPR's special coverage of the House impeachment vote."
Of course Bullshit Mountain goes on to discredit this claim by saying Sherrill didn't offer them much evidence or name names… "Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., said Tuesday that she witnessed some lawmakers leading people through the Capitol the day before the riot in what looked like a 'reconnaissance' tour, and said members will be held accountable."
"Members of the insurrectionist mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol last week face what the federal prosecutor in charge calls a 'mind-blowing' range of potential charges, from destruction of federal property, trespass and mail theft to possession of destructive devices and felony murder… For some of the most serious charges, the acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Michael Sherwin, says his office has set up a 'strike force' to press federal charges that come with fines and up to 20 years in prison." While most people that have been arrested so far have faced what seems are minor crimes (unlawful presence, etc), that doesn't mean they can't have charges added later.
"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have only been landowners in Miami’s exclusive 'Billionaire’s Bunker' enclave since December, but it seems the couple is already having some issues with their new neighbors." Looks like cheese and baloney sandwiches for the couple (not really, but they'll play it up that way).
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Linkee-poo, what shall we use to fill the empty spaces where we used to talk
"In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have found the most distant quasar yet known — and it's home to a seriously supermassive black hole." Worst game of "what have I got in my pocket" ever.
"It may seem counterintuitive, but health officials say that even after you get vaccinated against COVID-19, you still need to practice the usual pandemic precautions, at least for a while. That means steering clear of crowds, continuing to wear a good mask in public, maintaining 6 feet or more of distance from people outside your household and frequently washing your hands."
"Pfizer Inc. and federal health officials are investigating the death of a health-care worker 16 days after the person received the first dose of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine… So far, the evidence doesn’t suggest a connection, Pfizer said in a statement on Tuesday. The Florida-based physician developed a rare disorder called severe thrombocytopenia that decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding."
"Researchers in Ohio said Wednesday that they’ve discovered two new variants of the coronavirus that likely originated in the U.S. — one of which quickly became the dominant strain in Columbus, Ohio, over a three-week period in late December and early January." Ta-da!
"Hospitals are throwing out doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because the federal government is giving some of the facilities syringes that can only extract five doses from vials that often contain more."
"Job creation came to a halt in December as restrictions brought on by surging Covid-19 cases hammered virus-sensitive industries, particularly bars and restaurants, which lost nearly half a million positions… The Labor Department reported Friday that nonfarm payrolls fell by 140,000. That was below expectations for 50,000 from economists surveyed by Dow Jones. It was the first monthly drop since April." Going out the door with a bang.
"A trial with more than 320 defendants began Wednesday in southern Italy against the ’ndrangheta crime syndicate, arguably the world’s richest criminal organization that quietly amassed power as the Sicilian Mafia lost influence."
"Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they’re being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, The Associated Press has learned." That only took :: looks at watch :: way too fucking long.
"The U.S. Census Bureau has halted all work on President Trump's directive to produce a state-by-state count of unauthorized immigrants that would have been used to alter a key set of census numbers, NPR has learned… Senior career officials at the bureau instructed the internal team assigned to carry out Trump's presidential memo to stand down and cease their work immediately on Tuesday night, according to a bureau employee who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation in the workplace for speaking out." Waits for the cries of "deep state" to begin.
"This week, the administration designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and the Yemeni Houthi militant organization as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also lifted curbs on official U.S. contacts with Taiwanese officials this weekend, and on Tuesday accused Iran of becoming a new "home base" for the Al-Qaeda terrorist group… The cascade of developments has angered American allies and enemies, who are awaiting Trump's departure and preparing for a new administration led by President-Elect Joe Biden. But Trump's activities since his election loss look set to hamper Biden's efforts abroad."
"U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him, European and U.S. diplomats familiar with the matter said." And if that isn't a big, diplomatic "fuck you and let the door smack your ass on the way out" I don't know what is.
"The United States called off last-minute trips by top envoys to visit allies in Europe and Taiwan on Tuesday in a sudden diplomatic turnaround in the chaotic final days of the Trump administration. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been due to make a final official visit to Europe while Kelly Craft, Washington's U.N. envoy, was set to land in Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon."
"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a Trump administration request to reinstate restrictions for patients seeking to obtain a drug used to terminate early pregnancies… The decision, issued over a dissent from the court's liberal judges, reinstates a requirement for patients to pick up the drug, mifepristone, in person. Three lower courts had blocked the Food and Drug Administration's in-person pick-up requirement for mifepristone during the coronavirus pandemic, citing the risks of contracting COVID-19 at a doctor's office or a hospital."
"Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that in light of President Trump's role in last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, New York City is cutting its business ties with the president's company."
"Last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob has already resulted in charges against 70 people, according to the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who said he expects the number 'will grow into the hundreds.'… In the first public briefing by the Justice Department and the FBI since Wednesday's riot, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin and Steven D'Antuono, director of the FBI's Washington Field Office, outlined what Sherwin called a long-term investigation."
"The US Justice Department detailed for the first time on Tuesday the scale of its investigation into last week's US Capitol breach as officials vowed to hold all participants that broke the law accountable."
"Several Republican members of Congress grew angry on Tuesday over new security systems implemented at the Capitol. The safety measures, which included metal detectors and physical pat-downs in some instances, were introduced in the wake of the deadly insurrection at the complex last week." This security screening is less that what you'd have to go through at airports.
"Among some prominent Republicans, inside social media companies and in other major institutions throughout society, a reckoning has erupted following the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday… Not at the Fox News Channel, however. On the contrary, the network that has helped shape conservative politics in the U.S. for more than two decades has yet to acknowledge how the heated rhetoric radiating from its shows and stars may have helped inspired the pro-Trump rampage."
"'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' Ocasio-Cortez said in a video on her Instagram account. 'Not just in a general sense, but in a very, very specific sense.'"
"Over the past week, this feed has compiled over 250 major-media reports about the January 6 insurrection Trump incited. Evidence of a four-pronged seditious conspiracy has emerged. I summarize this evidence—all previously posted—here." A long tweet storm, but a good one, detailing the lead up to the attempted coup.
"Only days later is the extent of the danger from one of the darkest episodes in American democracy coming into focus. The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders — Trump’s vice president and the Democratic House speaker among them." A more detailed report on just what happened last week.
"'I am not a terrorist': Retired Navy SEAL speaks after Capitol siege… The Navy veteran said he wanted lawmakers to be left 'shaking in their shoes.'" Sorry, Adam, that makes you a terrorist. Actually worst, you're a traitor to the nation and you violated the oath you have taken several times. To say I want you against the wall is an understatement. You're worst than the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. You're slime. "Newbold, who served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and has said online that he trains civilians and police in tactical shooting, said he wanted to make lawmakers 'think twice about what they're doing' and to be left 'shaking in their shoes.'" Now you claim you just lost your head in the moment. Seriously? You were a fucking SEAL. That shit don't fly. You should be recalled, stripped of rank and privileges, and duck walked off base into the custody of civilian law enforcement. You should be made to be an example of what happens when you violate that oath, so that any who plot that course will be left to think twice about what they're doing and be left shaking in their shoes. Fuck you, Adam.
"As people rushed out of other buildings on the Capitol grounds, staffers in Pressley’s office barricaded the entrance with furniture and water jugs that had piled up during the pandemic. Groh pulled out gas masks and looked for the special panic buttons in the office… 'Every panic button in my office had been torn out — the whole unit,' she said, though they could come up with no rationale as to why. She had used them before and hadn’t switched offices since then. As they were escorted to several different secure locations, Groh and Pressley and her husband tried to remain calm and vigilant — not only of rioters but of officers they did not know or trust, she said."
"Asked directly in his interview if he felt his father incited the crowd, Eric Trump paused and then the line went dead." You know, after he complained of "cancel culture."
"Grendel Should Not Have Rampaged Through Our Capitol, But Slaying Him Will Only Further Divide Our Clans." Oh, McSweeny's, never change. (Grokked from Cherie Priest)
"YouTube, citing 'the ongoing potential for violence,' has suspended President Trump's account for at least a week."
Filed under "shouldn't have to be said, but…" "America's most senior military leaders condemned the violent invasion of the US Capitol last week and reminded service members of their obligation to support and defend the Constitution and reject extremism in a statement that underscored the unprecedented challenges facing the country in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection attempt by President Donald Trump's supporters."
"Airbnb says it is canceling reservations made in the Washington, D.C., metro area during Inauguration week, citing various officials' requests that people not travel to the area during this time… The service will also block new bookings in the area during that period. Airbnb says it will refund guests whose reservations were canceled, and reimburse hosts for the money they would have earned from the cancelled reservations."
"The Democratic-controlled House approved a resolution Tuesday night calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to assume the powers of the presidency." Of course it would require actual work from conservatives, so, ya know, not going to happen.
"It may seem counterintuitive, but health officials say that even after you get vaccinated against COVID-19, you still need to practice the usual pandemic precautions, at least for a while. That means steering clear of crowds, continuing to wear a good mask in public, maintaining 6 feet or more of distance from people outside your household and frequently washing your hands."
"Pfizer Inc. and federal health officials are investigating the death of a health-care worker 16 days after the person received the first dose of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine… So far, the evidence doesn’t suggest a connection, Pfizer said in a statement on Tuesday. The Florida-based physician developed a rare disorder called severe thrombocytopenia that decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding."
"Researchers in Ohio said Wednesday that they’ve discovered two new variants of the coronavirus that likely originated in the U.S. — one of which quickly became the dominant strain in Columbus, Ohio, over a three-week period in late December and early January." Ta-da!
"Hospitals are throwing out doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because the federal government is giving some of the facilities syringes that can only extract five doses from vials that often contain more."
"Job creation came to a halt in December as restrictions brought on by surging Covid-19 cases hammered virus-sensitive industries, particularly bars and restaurants, which lost nearly half a million positions… The Labor Department reported Friday that nonfarm payrolls fell by 140,000. That was below expectations for 50,000 from economists surveyed by Dow Jones. It was the first monthly drop since April." Going out the door with a bang.
"A trial with more than 320 defendants began Wednesday in southern Italy against the ’ndrangheta crime syndicate, arguably the world’s richest criminal organization that quietly amassed power as the Sicilian Mafia lost influence."
"Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they’re being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, The Associated Press has learned." That only took :: looks at watch :: way too fucking long.
"The U.S. Census Bureau has halted all work on President Trump's directive to produce a state-by-state count of unauthorized immigrants that would have been used to alter a key set of census numbers, NPR has learned… Senior career officials at the bureau instructed the internal team assigned to carry out Trump's presidential memo to stand down and cease their work immediately on Tuesday night, according to a bureau employee who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation in the workplace for speaking out." Waits for the cries of "deep state" to begin.
"This week, the administration designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and the Yemeni Houthi militant organization as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also lifted curbs on official U.S. contacts with Taiwanese officials this weekend, and on Tuesday accused Iran of becoming a new "home base" for the Al-Qaeda terrorist group… The cascade of developments has angered American allies and enemies, who are awaiting Trump's departure and preparing for a new administration led by President-Elect Joe Biden. But Trump's activities since his election loss look set to hamper Biden's efforts abroad."
"U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him, European and U.S. diplomats familiar with the matter said." And if that isn't a big, diplomatic "fuck you and let the door smack your ass on the way out" I don't know what is.
"The United States called off last-minute trips by top envoys to visit allies in Europe and Taiwan on Tuesday in a sudden diplomatic turnaround in the chaotic final days of the Trump administration. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been due to make a final official visit to Europe while Kelly Craft, Washington's U.N. envoy, was set to land in Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon."
"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a Trump administration request to reinstate restrictions for patients seeking to obtain a drug used to terminate early pregnancies… The decision, issued over a dissent from the court's liberal judges, reinstates a requirement for patients to pick up the drug, mifepristone, in person. Three lower courts had blocked the Food and Drug Administration's in-person pick-up requirement for mifepristone during the coronavirus pandemic, citing the risks of contracting COVID-19 at a doctor's office or a hospital."
"Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that in light of President Trump's role in last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, New York City is cutting its business ties with the president's company."
"Last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob has already resulted in charges against 70 people, according to the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who said he expects the number 'will grow into the hundreds.'… In the first public briefing by the Justice Department and the FBI since Wednesday's riot, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin and Steven D'Antuono, director of the FBI's Washington Field Office, outlined what Sherwin called a long-term investigation."
"The US Justice Department detailed for the first time on Tuesday the scale of its investigation into last week's US Capitol breach as officials vowed to hold all participants that broke the law accountable."
"Several Republican members of Congress grew angry on Tuesday over new security systems implemented at the Capitol. The safety measures, which included metal detectors and physical pat-downs in some instances, were introduced in the wake of the deadly insurrection at the complex last week." This security screening is less that what you'd have to go through at airports.
"Among some prominent Republicans, inside social media companies and in other major institutions throughout society, a reckoning has erupted following the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday… Not at the Fox News Channel, however. On the contrary, the network that has helped shape conservative politics in the U.S. for more than two decades has yet to acknowledge how the heated rhetoric radiating from its shows and stars may have helped inspired the pro-Trump rampage."
"'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' Ocasio-Cortez said in a video on her Instagram account. 'Not just in a general sense, but in a very, very specific sense.'"
"Over the past week, this feed has compiled over 250 major-media reports about the January 6 insurrection Trump incited. Evidence of a four-pronged seditious conspiracy has emerged. I summarize this evidence—all previously posted—here." A long tweet storm, but a good one, detailing the lead up to the attempted coup.
"Only days later is the extent of the danger from one of the darkest episodes in American democracy coming into focus. The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders — Trump’s vice president and the Democratic House speaker among them." A more detailed report on just what happened last week.
"'I am not a terrorist': Retired Navy SEAL speaks after Capitol siege… The Navy veteran said he wanted lawmakers to be left 'shaking in their shoes.'" Sorry, Adam, that makes you a terrorist. Actually worst, you're a traitor to the nation and you violated the oath you have taken several times. To say I want you against the wall is an understatement. You're worst than the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. You're slime. "Newbold, who served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and has said online that he trains civilians and police in tactical shooting, said he wanted to make lawmakers 'think twice about what they're doing' and to be left 'shaking in their shoes.'" Now you claim you just lost your head in the moment. Seriously? You were a fucking SEAL. That shit don't fly. You should be recalled, stripped of rank and privileges, and duck walked off base into the custody of civilian law enforcement. You should be made to be an example of what happens when you violate that oath, so that any who plot that course will be left to think twice about what they're doing and be left shaking in their shoes. Fuck you, Adam.
"As people rushed out of other buildings on the Capitol grounds, staffers in Pressley’s office barricaded the entrance with furniture and water jugs that had piled up during the pandemic. Groh pulled out gas masks and looked for the special panic buttons in the office… 'Every panic button in my office had been torn out — the whole unit,' she said, though they could come up with no rationale as to why. She had used them before and hadn’t switched offices since then. As they were escorted to several different secure locations, Groh and Pressley and her husband tried to remain calm and vigilant — not only of rioters but of officers they did not know or trust, she said."
"Asked directly in his interview if he felt his father incited the crowd, Eric Trump paused and then the line went dead." You know, after he complained of "cancel culture."
"Grendel Should Not Have Rampaged Through Our Capitol, But Slaying Him Will Only Further Divide Our Clans." Oh, McSweeny's, never change. (Grokked from Cherie Priest)
"YouTube, citing 'the ongoing potential for violence,' has suspended President Trump's account for at least a week."
Filed under "shouldn't have to be said, but…" "America's most senior military leaders condemned the violent invasion of the US Capitol last week and reminded service members of their obligation to support and defend the Constitution and reject extremism in a statement that underscored the unprecedented challenges facing the country in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection attempt by President Donald Trump's supporters."
"Airbnb says it is canceling reservations made in the Washington, D.C., metro area during Inauguration week, citing various officials' requests that people not travel to the area during this time… The service will also block new bookings in the area during that period. Airbnb says it will refund guests whose reservations were canceled, and reimburse hosts for the money they would have earned from the cancelled reservations."
"The Democratic-controlled House approved a resolution Tuesday night calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to assume the powers of the presidency." Of course it would require actual work from conservatives, so, ya know, not going to happen.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Linkee-poo through the window in the wall come streaming in on sunlight wings a million bright ambassadors of morning
"The Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, officials said Tuesday." Hey guys, if you wanted to exercise such control, maybe you should have handled the whole program instead of dumping it on the states.
"Things are so bad in Los Angeles County that health officials are now advising all essential workers to wear masks inside their own home to prevent spreading Covid-19 within their household."
"A leaked internal 'polling' spreadsheet from one of the country's top union avoidance firms offers an inside look into a highly secretive industry that specializes in helping employers derail union drives using sophisticated, tested, and, at times, legally questionable methods… The spreadsheet was used by union avoidance firms that tried to thwart a union drive at two Seattle hospitals owned by Conifer Health Solutions in 2019. One of the union avoidance firms involved in that campaign was IRI Consultants, which was retained by Google in 2019 amid a wave of unprecedented worker organizing at the company. On Monday, hundreds of Google workers revealed they formed a union with the Communications Workers of America." Yes Virginia, companies are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure they don't pay you $0.50 more.
"A new trend is emerging among ransomware groups where they prioritize stealing data from workstations used by top executives and managers in order to obtain 'juicy' information that they can later use to pressure and extort a company's top brass into approving large ransom payouts." Burning Chrome.
"General Motors said Tuesday it plans to launch an all-electric van called the EV600 this year… The van – part of GM’s plan to invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025 – will be the first vehicle under a new commercial business unit in GM called BrightDrop. The EV600 will be capable of up to 250 miles per charge, according to Pam Fletcher, vice president of global innovation, who will oversee the new division."
"New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announced on Monday that he has declined to accept a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump, citing last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Trump was set to give the highest civilian honor to the 68-year-old this week, a White House official had previously told CBS News."
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Voice of America news service of 'demeaning America' in a speech that a watchdog group criticized as 'political propaganda' and a violation of the government-funded agency's own rules… Pompeo delivered remarks in person to a command audience of VOA staff despite the Covid pandemic, urging them to report that 'this is the greatest nation the world has ever known.' Pompeo did not mention the pandemic, the insurrectionist violence that rocked the Capitol last week, leaving five dead, or President Donald Trump's role in encouraging the chaos." That isn't worrying at all.
"The Trump administration is designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in a move that will return the island nation to the pariah list from which it was removed five years ago."
"President Trump is heading to Texas on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to show off one of his signature election promises — the border wall — as Democratic lawmakers appear ready to move forward with impeaching him for a second time."
"Efforts to rush parts of President Donald Trump's border wall in his final days in office are doomed and in some places have actually harmed border security, according to campaigners… Witnesses to the work in Arizona told Insider that mountainous parts of the border were easier to reach now than when Trump took power four years ago, as the process involved building new roads over rough terrain."
"With only hours before the scheduled execution of Lisa Montgomery, a convicted murderer and the first woman to face the federal death penalty in nearly seven decades, a federal judge late Monday put a temporary stop to it pending a mental competency review… A date for such a hearing was not immediately given, and prosecutors have filed a notice to appeal the decision."
"The day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association sent out robocalls urging supporters to come to D.C. to 'fight' Congress over President Donald Trump's baseless election fraud claims… After the attempted insurrection on Wednesday left a police officer and four others dead, several GOP attorneys general have now distanced themselves from the robocalls, insisting they didn't know about the campaign. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the nonprofit that sent out the calls, blamed the group's staffers." Apparently they don't have any interns left.
"Only days later is the extent of the danger from one of the darkest episodes in American democracy coming into focus. The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders — Trump’s vice president and the Democratic House speaker among them." Why it's almost as if it was a full-on coup attempt.
"Two Capitol Police officers have been suspended after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to Representative Tim Ryan, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Ryan said on Monday that there were "10 to 15" investigations into Capitol Police officers." With inside help.
"It's become a frequent topic throughout the Trump presidency, but the 25th Amendment has never actually been used before to take powers away from a president without his consent… The amendment provides a framework for how that scenario should play out, but legal experts have spent decades wondering about the potential 'constitutional crises' that could follow."
"The next few days are going to be long, but by the end of Wednesday, we expect that President Donald Trump will be impeached a second time."
"Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, in theory, gives Congress the authority to bar public officials, who specifically took an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, from holding office if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the Constitution and therefore broke their oath. But the provision has rarely been used or tested, and so scholars are unsure about how exactly Congress could exercise authority under this provision and to what end today." Hmm, that's an interesting choice as it could also bar several Congress members and Senators from holding office as well.
"Online articles and social media posts claim that President Donald Trump invoked the Insurrection Act on January 10, 2021, allowing the US military to ensure law and order. This is false; there has been no official announcement that the Act was invoked, and though the National Guard was deployed during the deadly storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, its presence was not the result of presidential action, and was only in support of local police."
"The FBI has warned of possible armed protests across the US as Trump supporters and far-right groups call for demonstrations before Joe Biden is sworn in as president… There are reports of armed groups planning to gather at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC in the run-up to his 20 January inauguration." Part II.
"They have been snubbed by potential employers, told they would be a 'liability' and in one instance were even compared to the 'Hitler Youth.'… This is the job market many experienced national security officials who work for President Donald Trump are facing just days before a new president takes office and they will be out of work." Your reputation is your greatest asset.
You know that argument about how inauguration is only a few days away? "Chad Wolf is resigning as the acting secretary of Homeland Security, he said in a letter to the department Monday obtained by CNN." Yeah, it's full of crap.
"Things are so bad in Los Angeles County that health officials are now advising all essential workers to wear masks inside their own home to prevent spreading Covid-19 within their household."
"A leaked internal 'polling' spreadsheet from one of the country's top union avoidance firms offers an inside look into a highly secretive industry that specializes in helping employers derail union drives using sophisticated, tested, and, at times, legally questionable methods… The spreadsheet was used by union avoidance firms that tried to thwart a union drive at two Seattle hospitals owned by Conifer Health Solutions in 2019. One of the union avoidance firms involved in that campaign was IRI Consultants, which was retained by Google in 2019 amid a wave of unprecedented worker organizing at the company. On Monday, hundreds of Google workers revealed they formed a union with the Communications Workers of America." Yes Virginia, companies are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure they don't pay you $0.50 more.
"A new trend is emerging among ransomware groups where they prioritize stealing data from workstations used by top executives and managers in order to obtain 'juicy' information that they can later use to pressure and extort a company's top brass into approving large ransom payouts." Burning Chrome.
"General Motors said Tuesday it plans to launch an all-electric van called the EV600 this year… The van – part of GM’s plan to invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025 – will be the first vehicle under a new commercial business unit in GM called BrightDrop. The EV600 will be capable of up to 250 miles per charge, according to Pam Fletcher, vice president of global innovation, who will oversee the new division."
"New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announced on Monday that he has declined to accept a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump, citing last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Trump was set to give the highest civilian honor to the 68-year-old this week, a White House official had previously told CBS News."
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Voice of America news service of 'demeaning America' in a speech that a watchdog group criticized as 'political propaganda' and a violation of the government-funded agency's own rules… Pompeo delivered remarks in person to a command audience of VOA staff despite the Covid pandemic, urging them to report that 'this is the greatest nation the world has ever known.' Pompeo did not mention the pandemic, the insurrectionist violence that rocked the Capitol last week, leaving five dead, or President Donald Trump's role in encouraging the chaos." That isn't worrying at all.
"The Trump administration is designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in a move that will return the island nation to the pariah list from which it was removed five years ago."
"President Trump is heading to Texas on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to show off one of his signature election promises — the border wall — as Democratic lawmakers appear ready to move forward with impeaching him for a second time."
"Efforts to rush parts of President Donald Trump's border wall in his final days in office are doomed and in some places have actually harmed border security, according to campaigners… Witnesses to the work in Arizona told Insider that mountainous parts of the border were easier to reach now than when Trump took power four years ago, as the process involved building new roads over rough terrain."
"With only hours before the scheduled execution of Lisa Montgomery, a convicted murderer and the first woman to face the federal death penalty in nearly seven decades, a federal judge late Monday put a temporary stop to it pending a mental competency review… A date for such a hearing was not immediately given, and prosecutors have filed a notice to appeal the decision."
"The day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association sent out robocalls urging supporters to come to D.C. to 'fight' Congress over President Donald Trump's baseless election fraud claims… After the attempted insurrection on Wednesday left a police officer and four others dead, several GOP attorneys general have now distanced themselves from the robocalls, insisting they didn't know about the campaign. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the nonprofit that sent out the calls, blamed the group's staffers." Apparently they don't have any interns left.
"Only days later is the extent of the danger from one of the darkest episodes in American democracy coming into focus. The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders — Trump’s vice president and the Democratic House speaker among them." Why it's almost as if it was a full-on coup attempt.
"Two Capitol Police officers have been suspended after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to Representative Tim Ryan, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Ryan said on Monday that there were "10 to 15" investigations into Capitol Police officers." With inside help.
"It's become a frequent topic throughout the Trump presidency, but the 25th Amendment has never actually been used before to take powers away from a president without his consent… The amendment provides a framework for how that scenario should play out, but legal experts have spent decades wondering about the potential 'constitutional crises' that could follow."
"The next few days are going to be long, but by the end of Wednesday, we expect that President Donald Trump will be impeached a second time."
"Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, in theory, gives Congress the authority to bar public officials, who specifically took an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, from holding office if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the Constitution and therefore broke their oath. But the provision has rarely been used or tested, and so scholars are unsure about how exactly Congress could exercise authority under this provision and to what end today." Hmm, that's an interesting choice as it could also bar several Congress members and Senators from holding office as well.
"Online articles and social media posts claim that President Donald Trump invoked the Insurrection Act on January 10, 2021, allowing the US military to ensure law and order. This is false; there has been no official announcement that the Act was invoked, and though the National Guard was deployed during the deadly storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, its presence was not the result of presidential action, and was only in support of local police."
"The FBI has warned of possible armed protests across the US as Trump supporters and far-right groups call for demonstrations before Joe Biden is sworn in as president… There are reports of armed groups planning to gather at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC in the run-up to his 20 January inauguration." Part II.
"They have been snubbed by potential employers, told they would be a 'liability' and in one instance were even compared to the 'Hitler Youth.'… This is the job market many experienced national security officials who work for President Donald Trump are facing just days before a new president takes office and they will be out of work." Your reputation is your greatest asset.
You know that argument about how inauguration is only a few days away? "Chad Wolf is resigning as the acting secretary of Homeland Security, he said in a letter to the department Monday obtained by CNN." Yeah, it's full of crap.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Linkee-poo there's something happening here
How do we know 2021 will be a wild year? The Browns won last night.
"Thousands more people will receive a Covid-19 vaccine this week as seven mass centres open across England… NHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week."
"Another weird thing about 2020: The planet sped up… The planet's rotational speed often drifts around slightly, depending on changes in wind, ocean currents, or the sloshing around of the Earth's molten core. But for the last few decades, generally this produced a microscopic slowing of the rotation. The upshot of that is that every year and a half (or so), we've needed to add a 'leap second' to the atomic clock."
"In some hospitals, health centers and pharmacies in the United States, there are vials of Covid-19 vaccines that aren't making it into arms… Out of the more than 22 million doses of vaccine that have been distributed to hospitals and pharmacies so far in the United States, only about 6.7 million people have received their first dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Most patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 still suffered a variety of symptoms -- including fatigue and sleep difficulties -- six months after infection, a Chinese study has found… The study of more than 1,700 patients treated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, shows 76% suffered at least one symptom months after they were discharged from hospital." Jazz-hands!
"Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, now finds itself virtually homeless on the internet as Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOGL) have all booted it from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours."
Of course this is on Bullshit Mountain… "Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called for a racketeering investigation on Sunday following Amazon, Apple and Google’s decisions to suspend the alternative social media platform Parler after Wednesday's U.S. Capitol riot." Guess you should have supported Net Neutrality, Devin. Complain to the Cow. How does this brain-damaged guy remembers to wipe his own ass is beyond me.
"EU and British officials have raised new questions on the regulation of Big Tech after some major social media platforms banned the accounts of President Donald Trump." I just want to clarify that the president could, at any time he wished, walk a few office doors down into the briefing room and hold a news conference that would be covered (in some manner) by all the major news outlets. Saying his ability to communicate with "the people" is seriously hampered by being removed from his social media accounts is very hyperbolic. However the EU has stronger internet regulations that the US.
"U.S. Attorney’s Office of Middle Tennessee spokesman David Boling confirmed the searches included the homes of former GOP House Speaker Glen Casada, state Rep. Robin Smith and Casada’s former chief of staff, Cade Cothren. The office of Republican Rep. Todd Warner also was searched, according to House Speaker Cameron Sexton."
"BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building, and by extension the very functioning of American democracy. The officers said they were wrong footed, fighting off an invading force that their managers had downplayed, and not prepared them for. They had all been issued gas masks, for example, but management didn’t tell them to bring them in on the day. Capitol Police did not respond to BuzzFeed News’s request for comment about the allegations made by officers."
"A Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero for drawing an angry mob away from the entrance to the Senate floor Wednesday as rioters smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol."
"A video is circulating online alongside the claim that it shows a man admitting far-left movement Antifa stormed the US Capitol. But the man -- who says in the clip it was Donald Trump’s supporters who broke into the building where Congress meets -- told AFP he is a backer of the president, and that he is receiving a flood of death threats." Reading and listening comprehension isn't the strong point of the whackaloon right.
"The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals. Records show that some were heavily armed and included convicted criminals, such as a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder."
"Fact Check: Did Trump Call in the National Guard After Rioters Stormed the Capitol?" About the best you can say is he didn't stand in the way of the final request that brought them in.
"In the aftermath of American far-right extremists storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, video evidence surfaced online allegedly depicting a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer posing for a 'selfie' photograph with a member of the pro-Trump mob that vandalized and occupied the building."
"The claim: Images show police presence during Black Lives Matter demonstrations compared to Capitol riot."
"One particularly disturbing incident was recounted by Reuters photographer Jim Bourg, who said that he heard at least three different rioters say that they were hoping to find U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and hang him as a traitor."
"On Jan. 3, the Washington Post broke the news of an hourlong call in which Trump attempted to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to recalculate the state's vote in his favor." The president is a tyrant.
"President Donald Trump has been active across different social media platforms but it was never a secret which was his favorite. Trump often credited his Twitter account for his popularity and even said that his political future would have been very different without the site… So it came as little surprise that the commander in chief did not take it well when Twitter decided to permanently ban him from its service 'due to the risk of further incitement of violence.' It seems there was pandemonium over at the White House when Twitter announced its decision Friday night. Trump went 'ballistic,' a senior administration official told Politico, noting the president 'was scrambling to figure out what his options are.'"
It wasn't just Washington DC, "Protesters backing President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico on Wednesday, leading some officials to evacuate while cheers rang out at several demonstrations as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol… There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayed or punched, but most demonstrations were peaceful — some of them quite small — and only a few arrests were reported."
"The FBI and the New York City Police Department passed information to U.S. Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the protests Wednesday against the counting of the Electoral College vote, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials said." So much for the "we didn't know" line. The Capital was left undefended.
But whose fault that is has yet to be determined. "The former chief of U.S. Capitol Police says security officials at the House and Senate rebuffed his early requests to call in the National Guard ahead of a demonstration in support of President Trump that turned into a deadly attack on Congress." OF course he could just be trying to cover his ass.
"After a mob stormed the Capitol based on President Donald Trump's election fraud lie, some top Republican allies have called for peace while still leveling the same baseless claims of widespread voter fraud that fanned the flames of violence… In almost the same breath as he condemned the rioters who temporarily disrupted Congress from its normal process of affirming President-elect Joe Biden's win, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the first Republican to announce his intent to object to the certification, suggested Biden's victory was illegitimate." They still think they can ride that tiger. At this point to call for an investigation into the election is an exercise in saving face. At the end, when the investigation finds nothing, the people who at this point are still saying there was fraud can do a, "Well, we looked into these serious allegations and didn't find anything wrong, but there were enough questions to validate our concern." Fuck them.
"Two men who are believed to have been seen carrying plastic 'zip tie' handcuffs during the deadly riot at the US Capitol – suggesting plans to kidnap lawmakers in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump’s election defeat – were arrested on Sunday."
"Larry Rendall Brock Jr., an Air Force veteran seen brandishing zip tie handcuffs during the pro-Trump siege at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested Sunday in Texas and charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the Justice Department."
"A rioter who stormed the US Capitol Wednesday wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' has been identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia, according to three sources who spoke with CNN."
"Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared words of hope Sunday in the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, denouncing President Donald Trump and the 'spinelessness' of his fellow Republicans… Schwarzenegger drew parallels to his upbringing in post-World War II Austria while discussing Wednesday's pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol." Although I would compare it to the Night of Long Knives. Although it would not have been either, if the "rioters" had their way, the result would have been closer to Operation Hummingbird.
"U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers late Sunday that they would first vote on a resolution this week calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to remove President Donald Trump from office before moving to impeachment."
"Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case President Donald Trump becomes more unstable, a source close to the vice president says." More unstable. I'm going to just go with that Pence is a coward who doesn't want to be known as "that guy." Also, the window is closing on invoking the 25th.
So how's about that "will of the people" thing? "A majority of the country believes President Donald Trump should be removed before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20 and two-thirds hold him accountable for the violent insurrection on Capitol Hill, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday."
"Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory, even after a mob broke into the Capitol, are being denounced by critics in their home districts who demand that they resign or be ousted."
"Others are facing similar repercussions at work for their participation in Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some business owners are being trashed on social media and their establishments boycotted, while rank-and-file employees at other businesses have been fired."
"The 2022 PGA Championship will not be played at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, according to an announcement from PGA of America President Jim Richerson Sunday night." The PGA, a business that has capitolized on the "sexiness" of it's players, has more moral fiber than the VP.
"Kamala Harris' forthcoming appearance in American Vogue has sparked criticism for appearing casual and "washed out," with the Vice President-elect's team blindsided by the magazine's choice of cover." Well, I didn't have "Brown Suit Controversy" marked down until April, but it's good to see it so soon.
"In a lengthy statement titled 'Our Path Forward' posted Monday morning to the official White House website, Trump, 50, denounced violence and urged Americans to 'rise above what divides us.' She said her 'heart goes out to' both the Capitol Police officers and the pro-Trump rioters who died at or following the riot: 'Ashli Babbit, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Rosanne Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood.'" I see the high-quality of product coming out of this White House is continuing until the very bitter end. Notice in her statement she mentions the rioters first.
"Thousands more people will receive a Covid-19 vaccine this week as seven mass centres open across England… NHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week."
"Another weird thing about 2020: The planet sped up… The planet's rotational speed often drifts around slightly, depending on changes in wind, ocean currents, or the sloshing around of the Earth's molten core. But for the last few decades, generally this produced a microscopic slowing of the rotation. The upshot of that is that every year and a half (or so), we've needed to add a 'leap second' to the atomic clock."
"In some hospitals, health centers and pharmacies in the United States, there are vials of Covid-19 vaccines that aren't making it into arms… Out of the more than 22 million doses of vaccine that have been distributed to hospitals and pharmacies so far in the United States, only about 6.7 million people have received their first dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Most patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 still suffered a variety of symptoms -- including fatigue and sleep difficulties -- six months after infection, a Chinese study has found… The study of more than 1,700 patients treated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, shows 76% suffered at least one symptom months after they were discharged from hospital." Jazz-hands!
"Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, now finds itself virtually homeless on the internet as Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOGL) have all booted it from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours."
Of course this is on Bullshit Mountain… "Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called for a racketeering investigation on Sunday following Amazon, Apple and Google’s decisions to suspend the alternative social media platform Parler after Wednesday's U.S. Capitol riot." Guess you should have supported Net Neutrality, Devin. Complain to the Cow. How does this brain-damaged guy remembers to wipe his own ass is beyond me.
"EU and British officials have raised new questions on the regulation of Big Tech after some major social media platforms banned the accounts of President Donald Trump." I just want to clarify that the president could, at any time he wished, walk a few office doors down into the briefing room and hold a news conference that would be covered (in some manner) by all the major news outlets. Saying his ability to communicate with "the people" is seriously hampered by being removed from his social media accounts is very hyperbolic. However the EU has stronger internet regulations that the US.
"U.S. Attorney’s Office of Middle Tennessee spokesman David Boling confirmed the searches included the homes of former GOP House Speaker Glen Casada, state Rep. Robin Smith and Casada’s former chief of staff, Cade Cothren. The office of Republican Rep. Todd Warner also was searched, according to House Speaker Cameron Sexton."
"BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building, and by extension the very functioning of American democracy. The officers said they were wrong footed, fighting off an invading force that their managers had downplayed, and not prepared them for. They had all been issued gas masks, for example, but management didn’t tell them to bring them in on the day. Capitol Police did not respond to BuzzFeed News’s request for comment about the allegations made by officers."
"A Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero for drawing an angry mob away from the entrance to the Senate floor Wednesday as rioters smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol."
"A video is circulating online alongside the claim that it shows a man admitting far-left movement Antifa stormed the US Capitol. But the man -- who says in the clip it was Donald Trump’s supporters who broke into the building where Congress meets -- told AFP he is a backer of the president, and that he is receiving a flood of death threats." Reading and listening comprehension isn't the strong point of the whackaloon right.
"The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals. Records show that some were heavily armed and included convicted criminals, such as a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder."
"Fact Check: Did Trump Call in the National Guard After Rioters Stormed the Capitol?" About the best you can say is he didn't stand in the way of the final request that brought them in.
"In the aftermath of American far-right extremists storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, video evidence surfaced online allegedly depicting a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer posing for a 'selfie' photograph with a member of the pro-Trump mob that vandalized and occupied the building."
"The claim: Images show police presence during Black Lives Matter demonstrations compared to Capitol riot."
"One particularly disturbing incident was recounted by Reuters photographer Jim Bourg, who said that he heard at least three different rioters say that they were hoping to find U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and hang him as a traitor."
"On Jan. 3, the Washington Post broke the news of an hourlong call in which Trump attempted to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to recalculate the state's vote in his favor." The president is a tyrant.
"President Donald Trump has been active across different social media platforms but it was never a secret which was his favorite. Trump often credited his Twitter account for his popularity and even said that his political future would have been very different without the site… So it came as little surprise that the commander in chief did not take it well when Twitter decided to permanently ban him from its service 'due to the risk of further incitement of violence.' It seems there was pandemonium over at the White House when Twitter announced its decision Friday night. Trump went 'ballistic,' a senior administration official told Politico, noting the president 'was scrambling to figure out what his options are.'"
It wasn't just Washington DC, "Protesters backing President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico on Wednesday, leading some officials to evacuate while cheers rang out at several demonstrations as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol… There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayed or punched, but most demonstrations were peaceful — some of them quite small — and only a few arrests were reported."
"The FBI and the New York City Police Department passed information to U.S. Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the protests Wednesday against the counting of the Electoral College vote, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials said." So much for the "we didn't know" line. The Capital was left undefended.
But whose fault that is has yet to be determined. "The former chief of U.S. Capitol Police says security officials at the House and Senate rebuffed his early requests to call in the National Guard ahead of a demonstration in support of President Trump that turned into a deadly attack on Congress." OF course he could just be trying to cover his ass.
"After a mob stormed the Capitol based on President Donald Trump's election fraud lie, some top Republican allies have called for peace while still leveling the same baseless claims of widespread voter fraud that fanned the flames of violence… In almost the same breath as he condemned the rioters who temporarily disrupted Congress from its normal process of affirming President-elect Joe Biden's win, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the first Republican to announce his intent to object to the certification, suggested Biden's victory was illegitimate." They still think they can ride that tiger. At this point to call for an investigation into the election is an exercise in saving face. At the end, when the investigation finds nothing, the people who at this point are still saying there was fraud can do a, "Well, we looked into these serious allegations and didn't find anything wrong, but there were enough questions to validate our concern." Fuck them.
"Two men who are believed to have been seen carrying plastic 'zip tie' handcuffs during the deadly riot at the US Capitol – suggesting plans to kidnap lawmakers in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump’s election defeat – were arrested on Sunday."
"Larry Rendall Brock Jr., an Air Force veteran seen brandishing zip tie handcuffs during the pro-Trump siege at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested Sunday in Texas and charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the Justice Department."
"A rioter who stormed the US Capitol Wednesday wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' has been identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia, according to three sources who spoke with CNN."
"Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared words of hope Sunday in the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, denouncing President Donald Trump and the 'spinelessness' of his fellow Republicans… Schwarzenegger drew parallels to his upbringing in post-World War II Austria while discussing Wednesday's pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol." Although I would compare it to the Night of Long Knives. Although it would not have been either, if the "rioters" had their way, the result would have been closer to Operation Hummingbird.
"U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers late Sunday that they would first vote on a resolution this week calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to remove President Donald Trump from office before moving to impeachment."
"Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case President Donald Trump becomes more unstable, a source close to the vice president says." More unstable. I'm going to just go with that Pence is a coward who doesn't want to be known as "that guy." Also, the window is closing on invoking the 25th.
So how's about that "will of the people" thing? "A majority of the country believes President Donald Trump should be removed before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20 and two-thirds hold him accountable for the violent insurrection on Capitol Hill, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday."
"Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory, even after a mob broke into the Capitol, are being denounced by critics in their home districts who demand that they resign or be ousted."
"Others are facing similar repercussions at work for their participation in Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some business owners are being trashed on social media and their establishments boycotted, while rank-and-file employees at other businesses have been fired."
"The 2022 PGA Championship will not be played at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, according to an announcement from PGA of America President Jim Richerson Sunday night." The PGA, a business that has capitolized on the "sexiness" of it's players, has more moral fiber than the VP.
"Kamala Harris' forthcoming appearance in American Vogue has sparked criticism for appearing casual and "washed out," with the Vice President-elect's team blindsided by the magazine's choice of cover." Well, I didn't have "Brown Suit Controversy" marked down until April, but it's good to see it so soon.
"In a lengthy statement titled 'Our Path Forward' posted Monday morning to the official White House website, Trump, 50, denounced violence and urged Americans to 'rise above what divides us.' She said her 'heart goes out to' both the Capitol Police officers and the pro-Trump rioters who died at or following the riot: 'Ashli Babbit, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Rosanne Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood.'" I see the high-quality of product coming out of this White House is continuing until the very bitter end. Notice in her statement she mentions the rioters first.
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Linkee-poo, oh brother where art thou
So, anything happen while I was gone? Oh, JFC. Only a partial post of the items in the queue.
"Storm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday… Road, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing 'the most intense storm in the last 50 years'."
"As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, the agency’s quest to seek answers about our solar system and beyond continues to inform those efforts and generate new discoveries. The agency has extended the missions of two spacecraft, following an external review of their scientific productivity."
"As questions abound about how long it will be before the vaccine is widely available — only health-care workers and nursing home residents are eligible right now — and the death toll climbs here and nationwide, some of the doses that have already made it to the states seem to have gotten stuck in the wings." Mostly because there should be national leadership (and money) and there isn't any. Which left state and local officials scrambling.
"The pandemic is gathering strength in Britain fed by a mutant strain of Covid-19, and the country's health care workers are paying a hefty price."
How goes Brexit? "Within a week, implications of the Brexit trade deal with the European Union are being felt by businesses up and down the country as food deliveries are delayed for not having the right customs paperwork, logistics companies halt the shipment of goods, and retailers discover their supply chains might be obsolete." Chaos by any other name is still chaos. "'People forget just how difficult things were in the past,' Ms. Jones said." Ta-da!
"Twitter announced Friday evening that it had permanently suspended Trump… Trump's final tweet said he would not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden." That only took four-years. He says he'll launch his own service real soon. I'm assuming that will be after he releases his healthcare plan and another one or two infrastructure weeks. Also, if de-platforming was so ineffectual they wouldn't be screaming as much.
"Someone in the meeting had piped up with concern that Twitter — Trump’s primary outlet for communicating with his supporters and the outside world — might eventually ban him over controversial posts. The Trump team mobilized after the meeting, with Parscale starting discussions about whether to have the president take up a major presence on the Trump-friendly platform Parler, posting messages there first in order to drive more users to the platform… Trump never went for the idea, according to two people familiar with the deliberations. He was too fond of Twitter, especially his enormous audience on the platform. But now, after Twitter’s Friday evening decision to permanently ban him, the president will have no choice but to start from scratch somewhere else. And Trump is losing his online bully pulpit as he confronts an enormous political challenge: How to keep the Republican Party in lockstep behind him as a defeated ex-president, in the wake of a deadly riot at the Capitol that he stoked, and as he confronts likely impeachment proceedings."
"Parler, the alternative social media platform popular with conservatives, has been banned from the Google Play Store, Google told CNN Business Friday evening… Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user generated content have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric." Apple is weighing their options at the moment.
Those fine people on both sides… ?"An Alabama man allegedly parked a pickup truck packed with 11 homemade bombs, an assault rifle and a handgun two blocks from the US Capitol building on Wednesday for hours before authorities ever noticed, according to federal prosecutors… Another man allegedly showed up in the nation's capital with an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and told acquaintances that he wanted to shoot or run over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said."
Even on Bullshit Mountain… "The president on Friday faced a rising chorus of calls from congressional Democrats, as well as some Republicans for his immediate removal from office -- either by resignation, impeachment or through the use of the 25th Amendment."
"As images from Wednesday’s riot by pro-Trump extremists at the U.S. Capitol filled our TV screens and social media feeds, one thing was notably absent: the kind of confrontation between police and protesters that we saw during the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. Even though the Capitol mob was far more violent — and seditious — than the largely peaceful BLM demonstrators, police responded far less aggressively toward them than toward BLM protesters across the country. Researchers who track this sort of thing for a living say that fits a pattern."
"After Trump supporters staged an insurrection at the Capitol, Javanka’s remaining social capital—and the fear that accompanied it—has dried up. Says one former friend of Ivanka’s: 'How do you associate yourself with the worst, most toxic people in U.S. history?'" The real question is how did you stand their stink and have close contacts before this?
"He’s not alone among the rioters who wreaked havoc in Congress. While police and the FBI work to identify and arrest members of the mob, online detectives are also crowdsourcing information and doxing them — exposing the rioters to criminal prosecution, but also more immediate action from their bosses." Funny how so far their haven't been many poor, rural "economically concerned" people identified yet. Mostly people with white-collar and executive level jobs.
"A man photographed casually sitting with his foot on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office at the U.S. Capitol while a pro-Trump mob rampaged the halls of Congress was arrested Friday, law enforcement officials said."
"Adam Johnson, 36, of Parrish, Florida, who was seen in a viral photograph carrying Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern through the halls, is being held in Pinellas County Jail and pending charges after federal marshals picked him up Friday night, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia."
"More rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol this week were arrested and charged Saturday as additional video came out showing the chaos of the deadly mob incited by President Donald Trump… Meanwhile, House Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment as early as Monday, likely an article alleging 'incitement of insurrection.'"
"Storm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday… Road, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing 'the most intense storm in the last 50 years'."
"As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, the agency’s quest to seek answers about our solar system and beyond continues to inform those efforts and generate new discoveries. The agency has extended the missions of two spacecraft, following an external review of their scientific productivity."
"As questions abound about how long it will be before the vaccine is widely available — only health-care workers and nursing home residents are eligible right now — and the death toll climbs here and nationwide, some of the doses that have already made it to the states seem to have gotten stuck in the wings." Mostly because there should be national leadership (and money) and there isn't any. Which left state and local officials scrambling.
"The pandemic is gathering strength in Britain fed by a mutant strain of Covid-19, and the country's health care workers are paying a hefty price."
How goes Brexit? "Within a week, implications of the Brexit trade deal with the European Union are being felt by businesses up and down the country as food deliveries are delayed for not having the right customs paperwork, logistics companies halt the shipment of goods, and retailers discover their supply chains might be obsolete." Chaos by any other name is still chaos. "'People forget just how difficult things were in the past,' Ms. Jones said." Ta-da!
"Twitter announced Friday evening that it had permanently suspended Trump… Trump's final tweet said he would not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden." That only took four-years. He says he'll launch his own service real soon. I'm assuming that will be after he releases his healthcare plan and another one or two infrastructure weeks. Also, if de-platforming was so ineffectual they wouldn't be screaming as much.
"Someone in the meeting had piped up with concern that Twitter — Trump’s primary outlet for communicating with his supporters and the outside world — might eventually ban him over controversial posts. The Trump team mobilized after the meeting, with Parscale starting discussions about whether to have the president take up a major presence on the Trump-friendly platform Parler, posting messages there first in order to drive more users to the platform… Trump never went for the idea, according to two people familiar with the deliberations. He was too fond of Twitter, especially his enormous audience on the platform. But now, after Twitter’s Friday evening decision to permanently ban him, the president will have no choice but to start from scratch somewhere else. And Trump is losing his online bully pulpit as he confronts an enormous political challenge: How to keep the Republican Party in lockstep behind him as a defeated ex-president, in the wake of a deadly riot at the Capitol that he stoked, and as he confronts likely impeachment proceedings."
"Parler, the alternative social media platform popular with conservatives, has been banned from the Google Play Store, Google told CNN Business Friday evening… Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user generated content have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric." Apple is weighing their options at the moment.
Those fine people on both sides… ?"An Alabama man allegedly parked a pickup truck packed with 11 homemade bombs, an assault rifle and a handgun two blocks from the US Capitol building on Wednesday for hours before authorities ever noticed, according to federal prosecutors… Another man allegedly showed up in the nation's capital with an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and told acquaintances that he wanted to shoot or run over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said."
Even on Bullshit Mountain… "The president on Friday faced a rising chorus of calls from congressional Democrats, as well as some Republicans for his immediate removal from office -- either by resignation, impeachment or through the use of the 25th Amendment."
"As images from Wednesday’s riot by pro-Trump extremists at the U.S. Capitol filled our TV screens and social media feeds, one thing was notably absent: the kind of confrontation between police and protesters that we saw during the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. Even though the Capitol mob was far more violent — and seditious — than the largely peaceful BLM demonstrators, police responded far less aggressively toward them than toward BLM protesters across the country. Researchers who track this sort of thing for a living say that fits a pattern."
"After Trump supporters staged an insurrection at the Capitol, Javanka’s remaining social capital—and the fear that accompanied it—has dried up. Says one former friend of Ivanka’s: 'How do you associate yourself with the worst, most toxic people in U.S. history?'" The real question is how did you stand their stink and have close contacts before this?
"He’s not alone among the rioters who wreaked havoc in Congress. While police and the FBI work to identify and arrest members of the mob, online detectives are also crowdsourcing information and doxing them — exposing the rioters to criminal prosecution, but also more immediate action from their bosses." Funny how so far their haven't been many poor, rural "economically concerned" people identified yet. Mostly people with white-collar and executive level jobs.
"A man photographed casually sitting with his foot on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office at the U.S. Capitol while a pro-Trump mob rampaged the halls of Congress was arrested Friday, law enforcement officials said."
"Adam Johnson, 36, of Parrish, Florida, who was seen in a viral photograph carrying Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern through the halls, is being held in Pinellas County Jail and pending charges after federal marshals picked him up Friday night, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia."
"More rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol this week were arrested and charged Saturday as additional video came out showing the chaos of the deadly mob incited by President Donald Trump… Meanwhile, House Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment as early as Monday, likely an article alleging 'incitement of insurrection.'"
Friday, January 1, 2021
Linkee-poo greets the New Year
Happy New Year everyone. Let's hope we end this year better than 2020. Also, just a reminder, I'm taking a break this coming week.
"Adobe Flash Player, the browser plug-in that brought rich animations and interactivity to the early web, has officially reached the end of its life."/a>
"The Wisconsin hospital worker accused of intentionally removing 57 vials of a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy refrigerator has been arrested, local police announced Thursday. The worker had already been fired by the Aurora Medical Center, which said it was forced to throw out more than 500 doses of the vaccine as a result of the incident."
"Dozens of protesters were arrested overnight in Minneapolis as they demanded more answers into Wednesday night's fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Dolal Bayle Idd… The protests and arrests, which were seen by a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew, came after the body camera footage of the deadly traffic stop was released. "
"The maritime border between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe suddenly became a lot stronger Thursday evening as Brexit took effect at 11 p.m. U.K. local time, reinstating border controls between Britain and the European Union for the first time since 1993… On the French side of the English Channel, customs officials in the Port of Calais said they were more than prepared for the moment."
"Stanley Johnson, the father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has said that he intends to obtain French citizenship -- his comments coming just hours before the UK's final transition out of the European Union."
"President Trump on Thursday extended a pandemic-era suspension of certain immigrant and work visas, ensuring that his sweeping limits on legal immigration will remain in place when Joe Biden is sworn in… Through a proclamation issued 20 days before Inauguration Day, Mr. Trump ordered a three-month extension of the visa restrictions, which were first enacted in April as a ban on some prospective immigrants and expanded in June to also halt several temporary work programs." Because of course he did.
"California’s most vulnerable immigrants have faced unprecedented challenges this year, with some weighing whether it’s worth staying in the United States altogether… Ten months of a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened immigrants and devastated some of the industries that rely on immigrant labor, combined with years of anti-immigrant policies by the Trump administration have exacerbated insecurities for undocumented people and immigrants working low-wage jobs across California."
"Vice President Mike Pence has asked a federal judge to reject a lawsuit filed by a group of Republicans who want to put the authority to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's election win in the hands of the vice president."
In case you wanted to know whom is against democracy… "Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory."
"Hawley did not respond to multiple questions from McConnell, including when asked to lay out his plan to object to the Electoral College vote -- and senators soon recognized he wasn't actually on the call." Also, McConnell will not press GOP Senators to vote for certification. And that's a dangerous path.
"Adobe Flash Player, the browser plug-in that brought rich animations and interactivity to the early web, has officially reached the end of its life."/a>
"The Wisconsin hospital worker accused of intentionally removing 57 vials of a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy refrigerator has been arrested, local police announced Thursday. The worker had already been fired by the Aurora Medical Center, which said it was forced to throw out more than 500 doses of the vaccine as a result of the incident."
"Dozens of protesters were arrested overnight in Minneapolis as they demanded more answers into Wednesday night's fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Dolal Bayle Idd… The protests and arrests, which were seen by a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew, came after the body camera footage of the deadly traffic stop was released. "
"The maritime border between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe suddenly became a lot stronger Thursday evening as Brexit took effect at 11 p.m. U.K. local time, reinstating border controls between Britain and the European Union for the first time since 1993… On the French side of the English Channel, customs officials in the Port of Calais said they were more than prepared for the moment."
"Stanley Johnson, the father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has said that he intends to obtain French citizenship -- his comments coming just hours before the UK's final transition out of the European Union."
"President Trump on Thursday extended a pandemic-era suspension of certain immigrant and work visas, ensuring that his sweeping limits on legal immigration will remain in place when Joe Biden is sworn in… Through a proclamation issued 20 days before Inauguration Day, Mr. Trump ordered a three-month extension of the visa restrictions, which were first enacted in April as a ban on some prospective immigrants and expanded in June to also halt several temporary work programs." Because of course he did.
"California’s most vulnerable immigrants have faced unprecedented challenges this year, with some weighing whether it’s worth staying in the United States altogether… Ten months of a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened immigrants and devastated some of the industries that rely on immigrant labor, combined with years of anti-immigrant policies by the Trump administration have exacerbated insecurities for undocumented people and immigrants working low-wage jobs across California."
"Vice President Mike Pence has asked a federal judge to reject a lawsuit filed by a group of Republicans who want to put the authority to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's election win in the hands of the vice president."
In case you wanted to know whom is against democracy… "Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory."
"Hawley did not respond to multiple questions from McConnell, including when asked to lay out his plan to object to the Electoral College vote -- and senators soon recognized he wasn't actually on the call." Also, McConnell will not press GOP Senators to vote for certification. And that's a dangerous path.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Linkee-poo, good night and good luck
Wishing us all a better and brighter New Year.
Dawn Wells, and so it goes. True confession, I was always more preferential to Mary Ann.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled certain varieties of Sportmix pet food due to toxic levels of aflatoxin. Regulators said Wednesday they're aware of at least 28 dogs that have died due to the toxic mold and at least eight that have been sickened."
"Snowstorms, holidays and general inexperience in handling a pandemic response is to blame for a 'lag' in the number of Americans so far vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to U.S. officials… The federal government previously estimated that 20 million Americans would receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine by the end of the year. But as 2020, a year defined by the coronavirus pandemic, comes to a close on Thursday, the government appears set to fall well short of that goal." Who could have seen that?
"Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held a news conference on the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday afternoon… The governor discussed distribution of the vaccine and encouraged people who have the opportunity to receive the vaccine to take it."
"They are frontline workers with top-priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are refusing to take it… The vaccine doubts swirling among healthcare workers across the country come as a surprise to researchers, who assumed hospital staff would be among those most in tune with the scientific data backing the vaccines." Ah, well, that's where you made your mistake. As one of the newly minted lizard people, come on in, the water is fine.
"An implacable surge of Covid-19 cases has overwhelmed Southern California hospitals and intensive care units for most of December after public health officials warned for weeks that people should refrain from gathering with those outside their households over the holidays… Yet millions of Americans desperate to reconnect with loved ones and restore a sense of normalcy ignored the warnings on Thanksgiving. As a result, coronavirus cases spiked, and ICU capacity dwindled."
"A now-former employee at a Wisconsin medical center 'intentionally removed' 57 vials of a coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration, forcing officials to throw out nearly 500 doses, according to an internal investigation." Fucker.
"The U.K. National Health Service has pushed back the window for people to receive the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech — to a duration the companies tested on only a small percentage of patients… The NHS wrote a letter to hospitals saying those who are scheduled to receive their second dose after Jan. 4 should be rescheduled from three weeks’ time to 12, with most recipients booked in the last week of that time frame. The move would bring the window closer to the time frame for the just-approved vaccine made by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca."
"The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism"
"Workers in 20 states will get a pay hike on January 1 when the minimum wage increases, thanks to cost-of-living adjustments and other scheduled increases. Later in the year, another four states and Washington, D.C. will raise their baseline pay, which means that low-wage workers in almost half the nation could see higher pay next year."
"The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly fell last week, marking its second straight decline… Initial jobless claims declined by 19,000 to 787,000 in the week ended Dec. 26, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected initial jobless claims to rise to 828,000. The previous week’s total for initial claims was upwardly revised by 3,000 to 806,000."
How goes Brexit? An opinion… "But with Britain in a state of crisis because of the government’s botched response to the pandemic, most people will react with relief or perhaps indifference. For all the triumphalist claims of the Brexiters, the sunny uplands they told us to expect are no more than another cold, dark, wet winter’s day. The 11th-hour antics means there will be little scrutiny of a trade deal that could shape Britain’s economic destiny for a generation."
"Although the U.K. has now sealed a trade deal with the European Union, covering $900 billion in tariff-free goods and services annually, the British prime minister’s hopes for a new arrangement with the United States are confronting the reality of a transatlantic relationship that is now anything but special."
"Norwegian rescuers deployed drones and dogs to negotiate unstable clay soil in a search for 10 people still missing on Thursday after a landslide in southern Norway swept away more than a dozen buildings the previous day."
Even your car can be used against you. "In recent years, investigators have realized that automobiles — particularly newer models — can be treasure troves of digital evidence. Their onboard computers generate and store data that can be used to reconstruct where a vehicle has been and what its passengers were doing. They reveal everything from location, speed and acceleration to when doors were opened and closed, whether texts and calls were made while the cellphone was plugged into the infotainment system, as well as voice commands and web histories."
"America’s deadliest serial killer, Samuel Little, who confessed to strangling 93 people, has died in California aged 80 with the identity of almost half of his victims still unknown… Little said he targeted disadvantaged and mostly black women, including sex workers, in the belief that this would draw less attention from a disjointed law enforcement system that had little apparent interest in such victims – a calculation that proved grimly correct. His death means families of many of the victims may never have closure."
"New York City police turned to familiar tactics ahead of Thursday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions… But the department’s playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds of any size from gathering in Times Square."
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a package of controversial new laws that expand the government's powers to label individuals and organizations as 'foreign agents,' and introduce an array of new restrictions on media organizations." Enjoy your new "freedoms" my Russian friends.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote." Oh look, it's that "party of fiscal responsibility" again. Someone should have locked the door before they scuttled back inside.
"President Donald Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win… Trump is now slated to leave Palm Beach before his annual New Year's Eve party, even though guests had already gathered at his south Florida club and were told Trump would be in attendance, according to three people familiar with the matter. The President typically relishes appearing on the red carpet in front of the press and his friends, but is skipping the event altogether this year in what will be an unusual move."
Dawn Wells, and so it goes. True confession, I was always more preferential to Mary Ann.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled certain varieties of Sportmix pet food due to toxic levels of aflatoxin. Regulators said Wednesday they're aware of at least 28 dogs that have died due to the toxic mold and at least eight that have been sickened."
"Snowstorms, holidays and general inexperience in handling a pandemic response is to blame for a 'lag' in the number of Americans so far vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to U.S. officials… The federal government previously estimated that 20 million Americans would receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine by the end of the year. But as 2020, a year defined by the coronavirus pandemic, comes to a close on Thursday, the government appears set to fall well short of that goal." Who could have seen that?
"Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held a news conference on the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday afternoon… The governor discussed distribution of the vaccine and encouraged people who have the opportunity to receive the vaccine to take it."
"They are frontline workers with top-priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are refusing to take it… The vaccine doubts swirling among healthcare workers across the country come as a surprise to researchers, who assumed hospital staff would be among those most in tune with the scientific data backing the vaccines." Ah, well, that's where you made your mistake. As one of the newly minted lizard people, come on in, the water is fine.
"An implacable surge of Covid-19 cases has overwhelmed Southern California hospitals and intensive care units for most of December after public health officials warned for weeks that people should refrain from gathering with those outside their households over the holidays… Yet millions of Americans desperate to reconnect with loved ones and restore a sense of normalcy ignored the warnings on Thanksgiving. As a result, coronavirus cases spiked, and ICU capacity dwindled."
"A now-former employee at a Wisconsin medical center 'intentionally removed' 57 vials of a coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration, forcing officials to throw out nearly 500 doses, according to an internal investigation." Fucker.
"The U.K. National Health Service has pushed back the window for people to receive the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech — to a duration the companies tested on only a small percentage of patients… The NHS wrote a letter to hospitals saying those who are scheduled to receive their second dose after Jan. 4 should be rescheduled from three weeks’ time to 12, with most recipients booked in the last week of that time frame. The move would bring the window closer to the time frame for the just-approved vaccine made by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca."
"The year of Karen: how a meme changed the way Americans talked about racism"
"Workers in 20 states will get a pay hike on January 1 when the minimum wage increases, thanks to cost-of-living adjustments and other scheduled increases. Later in the year, another four states and Washington, D.C. will raise their baseline pay, which means that low-wage workers in almost half the nation could see higher pay next year."
"The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly fell last week, marking its second straight decline… Initial jobless claims declined by 19,000 to 787,000 in the week ended Dec. 26, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected initial jobless claims to rise to 828,000. The previous week’s total for initial claims was upwardly revised by 3,000 to 806,000."
How goes Brexit? An opinion… "But with Britain in a state of crisis because of the government’s botched response to the pandemic, most people will react with relief or perhaps indifference. For all the triumphalist claims of the Brexiters, the sunny uplands they told us to expect are no more than another cold, dark, wet winter’s day. The 11th-hour antics means there will be little scrutiny of a trade deal that could shape Britain’s economic destiny for a generation."
"Although the U.K. has now sealed a trade deal with the European Union, covering $900 billion in tariff-free goods and services annually, the British prime minister’s hopes for a new arrangement with the United States are confronting the reality of a transatlantic relationship that is now anything but special."
"Norwegian rescuers deployed drones and dogs to negotiate unstable clay soil in a search for 10 people still missing on Thursday after a landslide in southern Norway swept away more than a dozen buildings the previous day."
Even your car can be used against you. "In recent years, investigators have realized that automobiles — particularly newer models — can be treasure troves of digital evidence. Their onboard computers generate and store data that can be used to reconstruct where a vehicle has been and what its passengers were doing. They reveal everything from location, speed and acceleration to when doors were opened and closed, whether texts and calls were made while the cellphone was plugged into the infotainment system, as well as voice commands and web histories."
"America’s deadliest serial killer, Samuel Little, who confessed to strangling 93 people, has died in California aged 80 with the identity of almost half of his victims still unknown… Little said he targeted disadvantaged and mostly black women, including sex workers, in the belief that this would draw less attention from a disjointed law enforcement system that had little apparent interest in such victims – a calculation that proved grimly correct. His death means families of many of the victims may never have closure."
"New York City police turned to familiar tactics ahead of Thursday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions… But the department’s playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds of any size from gathering in Times Square."
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a package of controversial new laws that expand the government's powers to label individuals and organizations as 'foreign agents,' and introduce an array of new restrictions on media organizations." Enjoy your new "freedoms" my Russian friends.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote." Oh look, it's that "party of fiscal responsibility" again. Someone should have locked the door before they scuttled back inside.
"President Donald Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win… Trump is now slated to leave Palm Beach before his annual New Year's Eve party, even though guests had already gathered at his south Florida club and were told Trump would be in attendance, according to three people familiar with the matter. The President typically relishes appearing on the red carpet in front of the press and his friends, but is skipping the event altogether this year in what will be an unusual move."
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Linkee-poo Wednesday
"Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who won a runoff earlier this month to represent Louisiana's Baton Rouge area, died Tuesday from complications of COVID-19."
"Health officials in the U.K. authorized the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, giving the nation a second option for inoculation against the coronavirus… The government will begin rolling out the inexpensive and easy-to-store vaccine beginning Monday. It has ordered 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million residents, or three-quarters of the country's population."
"Oxygen supply issues led at least five Los Angeles County hospitals to declare an "internal disaster" Sunday, which included turning patients away… There are multiple issues involving oxygen delivery to patients, but generally the problem is not an absolute shortage of oxygen, according to Dr. Christina Ghaly, Los Angeles County Health Services director."
"California's telemetry nurses, who specialize in the electronic monitoring of critically ill patients, normally take care of four patients at once. But ever since the state relaxed California's mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in mid-December, Nerissa Black has had to keep track of six." Not good.
"The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country's social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents — health care workers… A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop."
"A woman who said she was the girlfriend of the man who set off the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville told police last year he was making bombs in his recreational vehicle, according to a statement and documents the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department provided to CNN."
"The Louisville Metro Police Department is moving to fire two of the officers involved in the raid that led to the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in March, attorneys for the officers confirmed on Tuesday. Detective Myles Cosgrove, one of the officers who opened fire during the raid, and Detective Josh Jaynes, who obtained the search warrant for Taylor's home, have both received pre-termination letters, their attorneys said."
"Argentina's Senate approved a bill to legalize abortion Wednesday in an historic vote seen as a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the Catholic-majority country."
In case you ever hear about farmers hating the government, or the "rural" areas being against the "welfare payments in the inner city", just keep this in mind… "Congress approved about $35 billion in emergency aid to farmers, which came on top of roughly $10 billion in traditional farm subsidies that were already in place. In addition, farmers were able to tap billions of dollars in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program." Farmers love their governmental welfare payments when the money is going to them. This was a hellofa profitable year for farms.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell… shortly before adjourning the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, introduced a bill that would combine increased direct payments with a repeal of the online liability protections known as Section 230 and the establishment of a commission to study voter fraud. The latter two issues have been significant drivers of Trump's ire in the wake of his general election loss -- the latter of which with zero evidence presented to this point." Killing me softly…
"A significant number of Americans believe misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus and the recent presidential election, as well as conspiracy theories like QAnon, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll." As long as it supports their worldview, people will believe almost anything.
"We all self-censor at times. We keep quiet at dinner with our in-laws, or nod passively in a work meeting. But what happens when we take this deception a step further, and pretend we believe the opposite of what we really feel? This week on Hidden Brain, economist and political scientist Timur Kuran explains how our personal, professional and political lives are shaped by the fear of what other people think."
"Early voting in the Georgia Senate runoffs is breaking records — and Democrats have reasons for hope in the numbers… More than 2.3 million people have voted as of Tuesday morning through mail-in ballots or in-person early voting for the two races, already topping the record for the most votes in a Georgia runoff election."
"President Donald Trump’s last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory… But the byzantine process by which Congress counts and validates the Electoral College results has left gnawing uncertainty about precisely how the final act in Trump’s undemocratic drama will play out."
"Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. said Wednesday he plans to object during the Electoral College certification process when Congress convenes next week, a move that ensures a delay in the final step to mark President-elect Joe Biden's election victory." Suckup.
"The outgoing Trump administration still isn't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power, incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR on Tuesday… Sullivan told NPR's Scott Detrow in an exclusive interview that the Defense Department hasn't granted a meeting to the Biden transition since Dec. 18."
"The new year approaches, marking an end to a truly unexpected trip around the sun. This week, On the Media reflects on our 2020 coverage, from the pandemic to the global uprising to the rise of the anti-majoritarian right." A recap of some of their best stories of 2020.
"Health officials in the U.K. authorized the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, giving the nation a second option for inoculation against the coronavirus… The government will begin rolling out the inexpensive and easy-to-store vaccine beginning Monday. It has ordered 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million residents, or three-quarters of the country's population."
"Oxygen supply issues led at least five Los Angeles County hospitals to declare an "internal disaster" Sunday, which included turning patients away… There are multiple issues involving oxygen delivery to patients, but generally the problem is not an absolute shortage of oxygen, according to Dr. Christina Ghaly, Los Angeles County Health Services director."
"California's telemetry nurses, who specialize in the electronic monitoring of critically ill patients, normally take care of four patients at once. But ever since the state relaxed California's mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in mid-December, Nerissa Black has had to keep track of six." Not good.
"The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country's social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents — health care workers… A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop."
"A woman who said she was the girlfriend of the man who set off the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville told police last year he was making bombs in his recreational vehicle, according to a statement and documents the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department provided to CNN."
"The Louisville Metro Police Department is moving to fire two of the officers involved in the raid that led to the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in March, attorneys for the officers confirmed on Tuesday. Detective Myles Cosgrove, one of the officers who opened fire during the raid, and Detective Josh Jaynes, who obtained the search warrant for Taylor's home, have both received pre-termination letters, their attorneys said."
"Argentina's Senate approved a bill to legalize abortion Wednesday in an historic vote seen as a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the Catholic-majority country."
In case you ever hear about farmers hating the government, or the "rural" areas being against the "welfare payments in the inner city", just keep this in mind… "Congress approved about $35 billion in emergency aid to farmers, which came on top of roughly $10 billion in traditional farm subsidies that were already in place. In addition, farmers were able to tap billions of dollars in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program." Farmers love their governmental welfare payments when the money is going to them. This was a hellofa profitable year for farms.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell… shortly before adjourning the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, introduced a bill that would combine increased direct payments with a repeal of the online liability protections known as Section 230 and the establishment of a commission to study voter fraud. The latter two issues have been significant drivers of Trump's ire in the wake of his general election loss -- the latter of which with zero evidence presented to this point." Killing me softly…
"A significant number of Americans believe misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus and the recent presidential election, as well as conspiracy theories like QAnon, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll." As long as it supports their worldview, people will believe almost anything.
"We all self-censor at times. We keep quiet at dinner with our in-laws, or nod passively in a work meeting. But what happens when we take this deception a step further, and pretend we believe the opposite of what we really feel? This week on Hidden Brain, economist and political scientist Timur Kuran explains how our personal, professional and political lives are shaped by the fear of what other people think."
"Early voting in the Georgia Senate runoffs is breaking records — and Democrats have reasons for hope in the numbers… More than 2.3 million people have voted as of Tuesday morning through mail-in ballots or in-person early voting for the two races, already topping the record for the most votes in a Georgia runoff election."
"President Donald Trump’s last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory… But the byzantine process by which Congress counts and validates the Electoral College results has left gnawing uncertainty about precisely how the final act in Trump’s undemocratic drama will play out."
"Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. said Wednesday he plans to object during the Electoral College certification process when Congress convenes next week, a move that ensures a delay in the final step to mark President-elect Joe Biden's election victory." Suckup.
"The outgoing Trump administration still isn't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power, incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR on Tuesday… Sullivan told NPR's Scott Detrow in an exclusive interview that the Defense Department hasn't granted a meeting to the Biden transition since Dec. 18."
"The new year approaches, marking an end to a truly unexpected trip around the sun. This week, On the Media reflects on our 2020 coverage, from the pandemic to the global uprising to the rise of the anti-majoritarian right." A recap of some of their best stories of 2020.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Linkee-poo Tuesday Dec 29
"Such primordial black holes (PBHs) could account for all or part of dark matter, be responsible for some of the observed gravitational waves signals, and seed supermassive black holes found in the center of our Galaxy and other galaxies. They could also play a role in the synthesis of heavy elements when they collide with neutron stars and destroy them, releasing neutron-rich material." Seems a little facile to me.
"Nearly half a million residents in the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first emerged may have been infected with Covid-19 -- almost 10 times its official number of confirmed cases, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)… The study used a sample of 34,000 people in the general population in Wuhan -- the original epicenter of the pandemic -- and other cities in Hubei province, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Liaoning to estimate Covid-19 infection rates."
"Health care workers across the country have started receiving COVID-19 vaccines, but doctors and nurses at some of the nation's top hospitals are raising the alarm, charging that vaccine distribution has been unfair and a chaotic 'free-for-all.'"
"But a new update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed a guideline for people with these conditions, saying that it's safe for them to receive the COVID vaccine so long as they previously 'have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients' used in the doses." Those ingredients are highly protected corporate IP, so good luck.
"California is expected to extend strict stay-at-home orders Tuesday in areas where intensive care units are running out of beds, after Gov. Gavin Newsom warned residents to brace for the effect of a surge upon surge upon surge of coronavirus cases from holiday travel."
"Even with all the warnings, more passengers jammed airports on Sunday than any day since the coronavirus pandemic began. Millions of people traveled despites the post-Thanksgiving surge that has overwhelmed California hospitals."
How goes Brexit? "So far, the large majority of British and EU citizens have not felt the realities of Brexit. Though the U.K. left the European Union on Jan. 31, it follows the bloc’s rules until the end of this year as part of a transition period to the new economic relationship." Can you hear the theme to Jaws too, or is it just me?
"U.S. home price growth accelerated in October to its highest level in more than six years… Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index posted a 8.4% annual gain in October, up from 7% in September. The growth rate marks the highest level since March 2014. The 20-City Composite posted a 7.9% annual gain, up from 6.6% the previous month — beating analysts’ estimates of 6.95%, according to Bloomberg." Hello, bubble.
Who needs regulations? "More than 190,000 ceiling fans sold by Home Depot are being recalled because the blades could spin off while in use, possibly injuring those nearby."
"The House on Monday approved giving Americans weathering the coronavirus pandemic $2,000 stimulus checks, substantially boosting payments from the $600 checks that were set to be given out as part of a COVID-19 relief package that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday evening."
"If McConnell announces plans to bring the bill up for a formal vote, it could still take several days for that vote to occur given the procedural hurdles."
"The House of Representatives on Monday voted to override President Donald Trump's veto of the sweeping defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to the President."
"Small drones will be allowed to fly over people and at night in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday, a significant step toward their use for widespread commercial deliveries."
They're still purging voters, aren't they? "A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate."
"President-elect Joe Biden is warning of massive damage done to the national security apparatus by the Trump administration and 'roadblocks' in communication between agency officials and his transition team that could undermine Americans’ security." I think part of this is that there isn't any planning or direction to actually see. Those things are not Trump's strong points.
"Rep. Louie Gohmert became the latest Republican to file a long-shot lawsuit attempting to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s victory — this time by suing Vice President Mike Pence." Long-shot? It's not even a Hail Mary play. It's a whackaloon premise.
"Though the lawsuit itself is unlikely to gain legal traction, it does put Pence in the position of having to either contest the suit — putting him on the opposite side of Trump and his GOP defenders — or support it and lay bare the intention to subvert the will over the voters in the 2020 election." And that's the problem with coddling and playing footsie with whackaloons. Eventually you're put on the spot and have to choose.
"Less than a week after his controversial pardon, Roger Stone said he was able to thank President Donald Trump in person over the weekend… 'I also told the president exactly how he can appoint a special counsel with full subpoena power to ensure those who are attempting to steal the 2020 election through voter fraud are charged and convicted and to ensure Donald Trump continues as our president,' Stone wrote." Funny, for a guy supposedly reduced to eating peanut-butter sandwiches in his mansion, he seems to belong to an expensive club and is sure getting around a lot.
"Nearly half a million residents in the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first emerged may have been infected with Covid-19 -- almost 10 times its official number of confirmed cases, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)… The study used a sample of 34,000 people in the general population in Wuhan -- the original epicenter of the pandemic -- and other cities in Hubei province, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Liaoning to estimate Covid-19 infection rates."
"Health care workers across the country have started receiving COVID-19 vaccines, but doctors and nurses at some of the nation's top hospitals are raising the alarm, charging that vaccine distribution has been unfair and a chaotic 'free-for-all.'"
"But a new update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed a guideline for people with these conditions, saying that it's safe for them to receive the COVID vaccine so long as they previously 'have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients' used in the doses." Those ingredients are highly protected corporate IP, so good luck.
"California is expected to extend strict stay-at-home orders Tuesday in areas where intensive care units are running out of beds, after Gov. Gavin Newsom warned residents to brace for the effect of a surge upon surge upon surge of coronavirus cases from holiday travel."
"Even with all the warnings, more passengers jammed airports on Sunday than any day since the coronavirus pandemic began. Millions of people traveled despites the post-Thanksgiving surge that has overwhelmed California hospitals."
How goes Brexit? "So far, the large majority of British and EU citizens have not felt the realities of Brexit. Though the U.K. left the European Union on Jan. 31, it follows the bloc’s rules until the end of this year as part of a transition period to the new economic relationship." Can you hear the theme to Jaws too, or is it just me?
"U.S. home price growth accelerated in October to its highest level in more than six years… Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index posted a 8.4% annual gain in October, up from 7% in September. The growth rate marks the highest level since March 2014. The 20-City Composite posted a 7.9% annual gain, up from 6.6% the previous month — beating analysts’ estimates of 6.95%, according to Bloomberg." Hello, bubble.
Who needs regulations? "More than 190,000 ceiling fans sold by Home Depot are being recalled because the blades could spin off while in use, possibly injuring those nearby."
"The House on Monday approved giving Americans weathering the coronavirus pandemic $2,000 stimulus checks, substantially boosting payments from the $600 checks that were set to be given out as part of a COVID-19 relief package that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday evening."
"If McConnell announces plans to bring the bill up for a formal vote, it could still take several days for that vote to occur given the procedural hurdles."
"The House of Representatives on Monday voted to override President Donald Trump's veto of the sweeping defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to the President."
"Small drones will be allowed to fly over people and at night in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday, a significant step toward their use for widespread commercial deliveries."
They're still purging voters, aren't they? "A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate."
"President-elect Joe Biden is warning of massive damage done to the national security apparatus by the Trump administration and 'roadblocks' in communication between agency officials and his transition team that could undermine Americans’ security." I think part of this is that there isn't any planning or direction to actually see. Those things are not Trump's strong points.
"Rep. Louie Gohmert became the latest Republican to file a long-shot lawsuit attempting to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s victory — this time by suing Vice President Mike Pence." Long-shot? It's not even a Hail Mary play. It's a whackaloon premise.
"Though the lawsuit itself is unlikely to gain legal traction, it does put Pence in the position of having to either contest the suit — putting him on the opposite side of Trump and his GOP defenders — or support it and lay bare the intention to subvert the will over the voters in the 2020 election." And that's the problem with coddling and playing footsie with whackaloons. Eventually you're put on the spot and have to choose.
"Less than a week after his controversial pardon, Roger Stone said he was able to thank President Donald Trump in person over the weekend… 'I also told the president exactly how he can appoint a special counsel with full subpoena power to ensure those who are attempting to steal the 2020 election through voter fraud are charged and convicted and to ensure Donald Trump continues as our president,' Stone wrote." Funny, for a guy supposedly reduced to eating peanut-butter sandwiches in his mansion, he seems to belong to an expensive club and is sure getting around a lot.
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